The Diego Diaries: Honk Honk, Maybe (dd8 25)
Well, Thanksgiving is over and I ate myself stupid. Its all too rich. My sister and her family are great cooks unlike me. Its rather a case of Ratchet having the same problem as me. :D Now on with the show.
=0=Later that night
Ratchet sat in the living room of the luxurious quarters that Polity lived in when he was king of the hill. Now it was the base commander's and across the hallway in similar digs, Thundercracker would live when on duty here. Ironhide and him would alternate until things were smoothed out. He glanced at the huge screen playing the news on Mars, sound muted as he watched Ironhide finish up the last duty on the list nearby. "You done?"
"Maybe," Ironhide said as he switched off the computer and walked to the couch. He stared at Ratchet. "What slag are ya seeing and don't lie to me."
Ratchet glanced around. The penguins were gone. The giraffe was, too. The seals were still here sitting in a row on a cabinet nearby, enormously shrunken down from their plurping selves earlier. They were the last hold out of a mostly wildly entertaining afternoon. "Only my thicc bois."
"I thought I was your thicc boi, slagger," he said as he walked to the door to answer a knock.
"You are," Ratchet said as he waggled his optical ridges at Ironhide.
He snickered, then opened the door to allow Ravel, Tie, Alor and Blackjack to enter. They were carrying boxes. "What are you doing here?" Ironhide asked as they walked through the fancy room gawking at the amenities.
"We brought you dinner," Ravel said as he set down a box. "My, this is very impressive."
"Well, Decepticons are never slackers at the command ranks," Ratchet said.
"How are the kids?" Ironhide asked as he helped them unload the boxes. "This looks good. And familiar." He glanced at Ravel. "What orn is it?"
"Its Thanksgiving, son," Ravel said as he began to dish up a soon-to-be overfilled plate for Ratchet.
"WHAT!?"
The seals on the cabinet began to shrink smaller from the intensity of Ratchet's surprise.
"Its Thanksgiving, Ratchet. You were busy so we took care of it," Tie said.
"The … the party. The cheating. My prizes," Ratchet said as Ravel handed him a giantly piled plate and a beer. "WHAT ABOUT MY FRAGGING PARTY!?"
"Now, Ratchet," Alor said as he handed a stunned Ironhide a plate and beer, then steered him to sit. "Things just fragged us all up, that's all. Everything was fine."
"But the contest … the prizes … what was the contest?" Ratchet asked as he glanced at Ironhide.
"You're asking me?" Ironhide replied.
Ravel sat. "No one could remember so we had a big gathering and dined. Everyone sends their love and hopes for a better Thanksgiving next year. All of us will be interested in what the contest will be about then."
Ratchet stared at him for a moment. "Frag this slag."
Blackjack rose. "Well, its been good chatting with you but we have to go back and part out the kids. We'll hug them for you. You hug the bunnies and stuff for us."
They rose, patted everyone, then walked out the door which closed silently behind them.
Ratchet stared at the door, then Ironhide. "Was that real or am I still hallucinating?"
Ironhide considered the rest of the evening with a mad mech, then shrugged. "Was what real?"
Ratchet considered that, then the plate in his servo. "Whew. I thought they said Thanksgiving is over."
"I don't remember hearing that," Ironhide said as he continued to stuff his face.
They would have an amusing chat together, Ratchet, Ironhide and the seals.
=0=On the way home
"That was sort of not nice," Ravel said. He sighed. "Sonny is a major case but he does love his family holidays. He puts a lot of effort into making things nice for everyone."
"He does," Alor said as they walked into the lobby of their building. "Next year, he can have at it."
"I hope so," Ravel said as everyone entered an elevator.
The door closed and they rose upward to the apartment to sort through the children who had two orns off. Everyone would have a selection tonight.
=0=At the Festival of Primus, Alternative Cybertron
They walked out side-by-side followed by Prowl and Alt Prowl. Behind them came different leadership and representatives from groups, some of which neither Optimus nor Prowl knew. Walking onward with the Elite Household Guard on each side, they stepped out onto the street which was cleared all the way to Simfur's Temple Plaza. Cameras were focused upon them including the scores and scores of people gathered to watch.
It quieted as they appeared, halting a moment to let the crowd take in the view. Megatronus turned to Prime, gripped his shoulder, then began to walk. Optimus fell in beside him and the others followed. It was silent for a distance as everyone bowed to Megatronus. The expressions for Prime were mixed, both hard and interested. Their ped falls echoed in the silence as everyone watching there and everyone else following them on their personal internal screens or the big ones set up to allow crowds to see stared at the unlikely and for some, disturbing sight. By the time they were halfway the crowd appeared to have absorbed the strangeness but they were still mostly quiet as the two walked along.
:Are you alright, old friend?: Megatronus asked as they walked along.
:I am well: Optimus answered.
Everyone continued until they reached the square, then halted in the middle of it. Megatronus turned to face the crowd on the main street that seemed to disappear into the distance, a multi-colored festive appearing sight with thousands of bots watching. He stared at his people, then turned to Prime. He offered him his servo. It seemed that the tension ratcheted upward to a fever pitch when he did.
Optimus turned to Megatronus, then gripped his servo.
If the crowd could have exhaled they would have. But it was still silent.
Megatronus turned to his people again, then tuned into the sound system both internal and external. "My dear friends, our great and good people, welcome to the heart of our world, the Temple of Primus at Simfur."
An unholy roar erupted, then settled swiftly as the crowd, mesmerized by the visuals before them settled to listen.
"Today is a day of celebration. We celebrate the first Festival of Primus since our freedom. We do so in the company of my great friend, ally and comrade, Optimus Prime of Mars and the Alternate Dimensional Empire of Cybertron."
There was a rustling of bodies, murmurs and a scattering of applause, then it was silent again.
"It was with this mech's help that we achieved our freedom. We were assisted to the finish line by his compassion and courage, he and his mechs. He has given us technology that has made our lives not only easier but profitable. He has accepted for permanent incarceration every criminal that we have apprehended to ensure that our world and all of its people are safe, secure and free from oppression," Megatron said.
The crowd rose a bit, cheers and clapping were heard but it was still tense.
"I have asked him and his sub commander, Prowl of Praxus to attend this festival which is possible because of his friendship and assistance. I am also asking Optimus Prime to attend with me the journey ahead where I seek the wisdom of the Primes. It is my honor to take the first journey with someone I respect and appreciate so much," Megatronus said as he glanced at Optimus.
Optimus looked surprised, then bowed to Megatronus. "I would be honored."
The crowd stirred, then applauded. It was a start as Megatronus hoped. He turned to them. "I ask you to wait in the Solemnities as we both step forward into the holiness of this place and seek wisdom for our people from The Powers." He turned toward Optimus, then gestured upward.
Optimus fell in beside Megatronus as they climbed the stairs, then entered the building together.
Prowl and Alt Prowl watched them, then Alt Prowl led his guest to a corner of the staircase where they would wait for both mechs to return.
=0=Inside the Temple
They walked inside, did the salutations with the priests which were identical to that of Optimus's process but for Alpha Trion, then headed onward to stop beside the railing that was placed around the Well and Allspark. It was silent a moment, then Megatronus turned to Prime. "I hope you are not too surprised at this gesture. I am glad that you are here. This is a new process to me. I think if we take it together then reconciliation will be easier for my people. I think they were … they were better than I had hoped. Thank you for coming here. I am delighted that you are."
"I am honored you asked though I am clear in my processor that you are more than up to the task. The Matrix makes Its choices carefully. You would not be here if It thought otherwise," Optimus said. "I am not aware of this happening before. It will be a learning experience for both of us."
"Then I cannot think of another I would rather undertake this with than you, Optimus Prime," Megatronus said. "I am told I must go to the Well and make the salutations."
Optimus glanced at him. "That is what happens with me. You can think rather than speak them if you wish."
Megatronus nodded. "Shall we go and meet destiny?"
Optimus grinned, then followed the big mech down the stairs to the Well. It was shedding mist and the Allspark stopped spinning when they arrived. Energy sparkled across Its surface as they stood side-by-side making the salutations. When they were finished with them, both mechs disappeared from view. The Matrix Flame in this dimension flickered out. It joined the one on Mars and Simfur in Prime's dimension which flickered out when he crossed the dimensional barrier toward Alternative Simfur.
=0=Camp Borderlands
The berth was big and comfy as they lay side-by-side.
"You got your marbles back, Old Mech?"
"I do."
"You don't see anything that shouldn't be there?"
"Nope."
It was silent a moment.
"I was wondering, Ironhide ..."
"What?"
"Can I keep the ducks?"
[Silence]
"You're never dull, Old Mech." [Grin]
[Grin] "Thanks. The ducks think so, too."
"Good night, Ratchet."
"Good night, Ironhide."
[Silence]
"Good night, ducks."
Ironhide would spare a moment to listen for a reply.
=0=On a dimensional plane far away
They stood together side-by-side on a freeway that stretched away in two directions. It was sitting on an unnaturally flat surface and there were hills in the distance far away. Megatronus glanced around, then at Prime. "Do you recognize this landscape?"
"No," Prime said. "I have been on such things before. They can symbolize several things. It could mean a lesson shaped around the past, present and future. It could mean the start of a journey toward an idea or goal."
"Its very silent here. I suppose I must chose a direction. I wonder which one signifies past and which the future?" Megatronus mused.
"We are at the moment standing in the present. I am not clear which might indicate past or future," Optimus said as he glanced both directions. The road disappeared into nothingness in the prospective of the moment.
"Let us go into the past," Megatronus said. "If this, indeed, signifies that. I would like to know many things about the past few Primes." He started walking down the highway as Prime followed. "There are many things missing that belong to our people and I want everyone who had a part in this debacle to be removed from any pretension of power."
As they walked away, an old lady spirit standing on the highway watched them go. She would silently follow behind them and she wouldn't be the only one who did.
=0=TBC 11-27-2020