AN: Yay, I'm back with an update! I'm so sorry I took an unannounced hiatus but my mental health took a dive and I couldn't find it in my to keep writing. Unfortunately I'm still not 100% recuperated and cannot be sure of when my next update will be. In the meantime please take this monstrosity as an apology.
"Who's my precious little gem? Who is?"
"Me! Me!"
"That's right, you are! You're the cutest most adorable sparkling in the whole world."
Marmoreal loved Solarflare. Her little sparkling brought her the joy of her greatest dream, being a Carrier. For a long time she'd had almost everything she could ever want: friends, a lovely hab-suit, credits raining from the accounts of very influential mechs, a job she exceled at… but having a sparkling had always been that one goal she'd never lost sight of. Call her old-fashioned but it was something that, to her, completed her life and brought it all together. Having someone to share the amazing life she'd amassed for herself somehow couldn't not make sense.
"Keep that up and she's gonna have an ego bigger than yours." Doomsday warned with a laugh and leaned back on her chair.
The Forger watched the pearlescent seeker with silvery accents lean back on the chaise longue while holding up the smaller version of herself, but in a white and green scheme, and wondered how in all of Cybertron her friend was so good at being a Carrier. It seemed like a click ago Marmoreal was, well, a sparkling version of herself and now… How time flew by.
"Since I am indeed hot and an all-around great femme it's safe to say my ego is just about right." Marmoreal grinned and brought Solarflare back down to her lap. "And she's gonna be even more beautiful and smarter than anyone in the whole district."
"I have to say, I never thought I'd see the day with you all settled down and with responsibilities."
"I may have a little one to take care of but you'll never see me settle down, I'm still ready for action."
"By the way, did you ever figure out which one of your clients gave you that little miracle?"
In the Maker district there was an age-old question that could go from harmless to a red flag alert depending on the situation: 'Who's your/the Carrier/Sire?'
Many Makers had abandoned their old lives behind, including their parents, and set off to a new life with nothing but a few personal belongings. Reminders of what they used to have could be an emotional blow to them. Some left because they wanted a better life, others because of a mistake that cost them everything, but there were a few that really did not want to think about who'd brought them into existence. Bastards. A slip here, a blunder there, and suddenly a sparkling was brought into the equation. Sometimes only one parent wanted them, in a few occasions neither, and most ended up Makers, be it by their own volition or by being abandoned with the first Maker that showed up.
Luckily, for little Solarflare, her existence had been planned.
"Nope and I honestly couldn't care less." The pearlescent seeker smiled at her little ray of sunshine and caressed the cutest faceplates to ever grace Cybertron. "Miner or Senator, low or high caste, it's all the same thing in the end. I wanted a sparkling and I got one free of hassle and of a Conjunx Endura. It's the dream, I tell you."
"And now, the ladybot of a thousand broken sparks, the fairest in all of Cybertron with her lovely frame, please welcome Marmoreal!" Came the excited voice of a mech though the speakers.
Throughout their conversation the two femmes almost forgot where they were: surrounded by other 'workers' and dancers in the backstage of one of the many bars that the Maker district was known for. All around them femmes laughed and dolled up, ready to meet the workday with their best fake smiles and adoring false praises, all in the name of getting the most credits from the accounts of whatever wealthy mech walked through the door of the establishment.
"Woops, speaking of commitment, could you commit to watching Flare until I get back?" The seeker stood up and offered up her daughter for Doomsday to take in her lap.
The Forger reached up and took the sparkling with a wink and a smirk. "Go get their credits, Silver."
Solarflare watched her Carrier wave rushed a goodbye and run out of the room, not understanding where she was headed without her. Just as she lost view of her the sparkling began tearing up and making reaching motions with her servos to the closed door.
"Don't worry, little flame, she'll be back in no time." Doomsday attempted to pacify the restless seekerlet.
"No!" It was at that moment Solarflare began sobbing even harder and attempting to wiggle out of the grip that held her in place.
Not wanting to cause a scene the Forger quickly thought up an easy solution. Hopefully it would work. "I know somewhere where you can see you Carrier."
Getting up the two retreated back into the dressing room, something the sparkling got alarmed for and almost began crying again, and headed out through a different door and up a few stairs into the upper floor of the bar. The path was poorly lit, with just a few weak sources of light overhead illuminating the way, but the Forger had made the short trip enough times that she could do it without the help of her optics.
It was hard for Doomsday to keep the sparkling in her arms from fidgeting, so she had to keep whispering 'there, there' and lightly bouncing the small femme up and down until they reached a door with 'do not disturb' written in clear bold words.
The orange femme knocked before opening the door and stepping inside. "Hey, Tapwire, mind if we come in?"
The room was brightly illuminated by a multitude of screens on the farthest wall, no other forms of illumination present beyond that. Wires littered the unoccupied walls and even the ceiling and a large desk went from one wall to the other parallel to the only door that lead outside, cluttered with many keyboards and the odd empty cube of energon. The chair behind the desk faced the screens while its occupant oversaw the happenings showing on the screens but when the Forger had stepped inside it quickly turned to show an average stature mech with a deep green and red paintjob.
"Well, who do we have here? Isn't she Silver's?" He said with a wide smile and motion for them to come closer.
"Yep, but she's missing her Carrier so I brought her here to see if I could calm her down." Doomsday searched adjusted her grip on the sparkling and pointed at the main monitor were, on stage, Marmoreal dancing and singing while a cheering crowd encouraged her. "Look who it is."
"Carrier!" Solarflare immediately perked up at the image shown to her and attempted to reach out, clenching her little servos as if to grip the moving image.
"See? She's just working a little bit and before you know it she'll be right back."
"Pretty!"
"Yes, she is." The Forger wholeheartedly agreed that the pearlescent complexion with the silvery accents suited her friend beautifully.
That was the first time Solarflare, unconsciously, realized beauty was power and happiness. Her Carrier had it and so would she. When she was all grown up there would be no shortage of friends and money because she would be just as beautiful as the femme dancing draped in nothing but some fabric and jewelry.
"I want you to teach me!"
"For the love of Solus, what are you doing here?!"
"Like I said, I want you to teach me everything about the medical field."
"Out, now! Wait until I'm done!"
Solarflare had no idea why interrupting a surgery in her attempt to gain some knowledge of the medical field had seemed right in her mind right before she burst in through the doors. She'd been desperate enough for a good while now, reading and re-reading all the datapads she could get her servos on to try and absorb the biggest amount of knowledge possible in the shortest amount of time.
Time… now there was something she did not have much of.
The femme leaned against the wall inside the Forger's "shop", helm low in contemplation of her impending defeat at the servos of the laws of the universe. Everyone would have to become one with the Allspark at the end of it all, but just thinking that her Carrier would be doing so at any moment tugged at her spark in a way that made her want to curl up and deny it all.
"What was that for? You could have cost me a client with that stunt you pulled. You were lucky I was pretty much done." Doomsday interrupted the younger seeker's introspection as she headed towards her while wiping her servos with an energon-stained cloth.
What the Forger had been doing was a very delicate work that required a steady servo and focus, hence why she had been only mildly intoxicated during the procedure. She'd almost even spilled her cube of mild high-grade on top of her tools when the little spitfire burst in through unannounced.
When becoming a Maker many preferred to change their designation in order to start anew, others decided to add a coat of fresh paint to their frames but, the rarest of all, some wanted to completely change how they looked. Changing a frame from a seeker to grounder or the other way around was extremely intricate and time consuming, a steady supply of energon for consuming and replacing in case something went wrong was always needed to be close by and the patient would have to remain in bipedal mode for quite a while before even thinking of using their T-Cog.
The young femme looked down at her servos and clenched them. She'd wanted to be able to help to badly she'd almost put someone else at risk. "I'm sorry but…"
"Your Carrier is sick and you want to help her."
"Yes."
Marmoreal was sick, had been for a while now and would likely not be getting better any time soon, at least not with the type of care the Maker district could provide. If she was high-caste there was an almost certainty that she would have already have received the best medical care Cybertron could provide and have the whole ordeal put behind her back, but not even all the credits on the planet would get any reputable doctor to help.
"I figured as much." Doomsday sighed and shook her helm. "Look, I don't know what you've been told but I'm not the best for you to learn from."
Solarflare made a face and took a step forward. She needed someone who knew the ins and outs of a Cybertronian frame, and who better than someone who worked whit it for a living? "Why not? You are always implanting mods on any bot that comes to you."
"Call it intuition or whatever else but I never studied medicine in my lifecycle. It's something I was sparked with, like any other Forger, and it can't be taught. Also, I wrecked my processor beyond repair with high grade and continue to do so. I honestly cannot remember anything before my adulthood and that is something to really be scared of."
"But I could be your assistant and learn by watching you." The seeker attempted to press on. She had to do something to help her Carrier.
"For the love of… Just, listen to me, ok?" Great, tearing someone's dreams apart was not on her list of skills. Where was the high-grade when she needed it? Oh, right, she'd already drank it all. "Do you want to be a medbot?"
"Yes."
"Then you've got to study and learn the traditional way. The best you could learn from me is how to improvise and feel around for what you hope is the right wire and not a fuel line."
Helm hung low once more, the white and green seeker felt her spark drop as she let out a sigh of resignation. "So… you can't help me?"
"No, sweetspark, I can't."
The District was already in dire need of medbots and even more ones with current medical knowledge. It was a rare occurrence that one chose to take up residence as a Maker due to the fact the profession was highly respected and well-paid, two things Makers were definitely not. Some would say it could be easily counted with one servo or two the bots that had, in the past, moved there as resident doctors.
Iacon was the city to go to if someone wanted to take on the challenge to become a fully certified medbot and they most certainly did not accept Makers as students, just like any other place in all of Cybertron with any reputation to uphold. Up to that point no one had dared to defy the rule in fear of what could happen to them in what was pretty much enemy territory. Rich bots who flaunted their credits and reputation only mingled with Makers for one specific reason and any of them would deny involvement with someone of a lower caste under any circumstance.
"I'll- I'll see myself out." Solarflare turned away with a short wave.
"Flare wait-!" The door closed before Doomsday had a chance to say anything else, leaving the Forger with an outstretched arm reaching for thin air. Regaining her composure, she crossed her arms and turned away, wishing for enough high-grade to help out through that situation.
What was a femme to do? Say everything was going to be alright when it was obviously not the case? She'd learned a long time ago wishing for a better life was useless, it was best to resign oneself to what they already had and count themselves lucky to be as free as they were. Hopefully Solarflare would see the way and enjoy what little time she had with Marmoreal before the older femme became one with the Allspark.
Outside, a young triple-changer that appeared to be much older due to his height had patiently waited for his friend to come out with hopefully good news but, when spotting her coming out looking so downtrodden his fear was confirmed. He knew how important Solarflare's Carrier was to her but also that Doomsday wasn't exactly the best to go to when ailed with a medical problem. It was already a wonder that femme could walk in a straight line, much less perform frame modifications in her perpetually inebriated state.
"So, how did it go?" He already knew the answer but a part of him clung to that tiny piece of hope things would turn out alright.
"She can't do anything and I can't either unless I become a medbot."
"I'm sorry. I wish there was something I could do to help."
"No, it's not your fault." It was hers. "I just have to find a way to get accepted into the Iacon Medical Center training program somehow."
Victory couldn't believe what he'd just heard. "You can't be serious?! You're really willing to go away for so long and risk getting found out as a Maker?"
"You're willing to throw your life away in the gladiatorial arena."
"How did you-?"
"Word travels fast." It was almost impossible to keep a secret if one was a Maker. Everyone knew each other and had extremely loose lips when high-grade was involved. "You're too young to offline."
The two had been friends for most of their lives up to that point and hadn't considered what to do if one of them were to suddenly offline even before being in the prime of their lives. They seemed to form an odd pair but their friendship ran deep. She was a petite seeker with a drive to do any and everything and he was an imposing triple-changer who preferred to keep to himself and went against all stereotypes. They'd been born in the District, both without Sires, grown up raised by hard-working Carriers and saw in each other the support to keep on dreaming of better lives for themselves.
"We're too young for almost everything but I know if we set ourselves to it we can carve out our future just like we want it to be." Pausing for a moment, the mech thought on what to say next. He was willing to offline if it meant more credits to create a better life for everyone else, more than willing in fact, so what gave him the right to deny the femme's dreams? She would have to wait for a while to reach a certain age before applying to the Iacon Medical Center and did he really want to spend that time upset at her for wanting to follow her dreams? "If you want to be a fully certified medbot then I believe in you."
Placing a hand on Victory's arm, Solarflare smiled and nodded. "I believe in you too then."
Her Carrier would pass away of a sudden spark failure before Solarflare could even begin to try to get accepted into her medical training but she would only set herself more into being able to make a difference.
Solarflare missed her Carrier. She missed her every time she looked at their old pictures together, when she looked at the clothing and jewelry left behind by the pearlescent femme that had brought her into the world, but, most of all, she just wished her Carrier could have seen how beautiful and witty her sparkling had become.
"Read 'em and weep, ladybots." The white and green seeker showed her holo-cards to the table, prompting a wave of groans to follow up.
"Aww, scrap."
"Solus damn you to the Pit."
"Glitch, please, your luck shouldn't be this good."
"Frag me, I just lost what my last job was worth."
The complaints continued as the younger femme was swift to cash in on her more recent win with a wide grin on her faceplate. Her funds were growling larger as time went by and, soon enough, she'd have saved up enough between Praxus Fold 'Em games and helping with random jobs here and there throughout the Maker District to go to Iacon and, finally, become a fully-fledged doctor.
At the table currently sat Caterwaul and Curtaincall, a set of pastel pink seeker twins, who were on a break imposed by Stagefright, their currently elusive trine leader, Parallax View, the closest thing around to a psychologist, Encore, a bartender who was also on break, and, of course, Solarflare. The femmes had all gathered up in the backstage of the bar for a not-so-friendly game of Praxus Fold 'Em with bets that could stop the spark of a regular Cybertronian worker, a regular occurrence among them, and all the older ones were amazed at how the youngest had played them all with such ease.
"Always a pleasure to play with you all but, if you'll excuse me, I have to go." Solarflare picked up her energon cube and downed the rest of the high-grade, pausing only before getting up to look at her holopad where was displayed a good sum of credits she'd amassed so far.
Curtaincall laughed as she leaned on her elbows. "I know that smile, you're off to see your special friend."
"For the last time, Victory and I aren't doing anything… yet."
"Ah, young love." Parallax View pretend swooned and put an arm around Encore, bringing them closer. "I remember the first mech I scammed with that one."
"I remember the first TWO I scammed with that one." Caterwaul grinned and joined in the laughter.
"Pfft, show-off."
"Yeah, I'm amazing."
While the femmes got distracted and began comparing conquests, both old and new, Solarflare took the opportunity to step out of the conversation and began heading out. She'd heard enough of those pseudo-contests to know they would be occupied for a while trying to one-up one another with the best or even craziest story.
It was going to be Victory's first match in Kaon's gladiatorial arena and he'd invited her to come along and watch his attempt at making a name for himself among the ranks of some of the most dangerous bots in Cybertron, something he'd admitted to be nervous about and in need of some moral support. The triple-changer had left much earlier in order to prepare himself and size up any of his possible opponents but Solarflare had chosen to stay behind a little longer in order to make some credits to bet in his favor. Obviously she hadn't told him anything and would likely hold onto the information for a little while, mainly as to not put unnecessary stress on the poor mech's spark.
"Hey, Flare! Heading out already? The party has barely started." Doomsday popped seemingly out of nowhere to block the seeker's path of retreat with a grin on her faceplate and, not so surprisingly, two cubes of high-grade, one in each servo.
"I'm going to see Victory's first fight in Kaon and I don't wanna be late." Solarflare side-stepped her friend in an attempt to resume her exit, but found herself blocked once more. Suppressing a groan of irritation, the white and green femme hoped to Solus the interruption wouldn't take long.
"Good for you. If he wins there's some good revenue coming our way, if he loses…" The Forger trailed off before shrugging and going back to her perky state. "Yeah, right. Who am I kidding, the mech's a triple changer and he's trained like the Pit for this. Go enjoy your date."
"I don't think watching a gladiatorial fight qualifies as a date when your partner is one of the participants."
"Then enjoy your not-a-date."
"I'll try, but I'd prefer if the threat of coming out of there offline wasn't one of the possible outcomes."
"Just promise to show him a good time after and, trust me, he'll give it all to win."
"What is it with everyone pushing us together? We've been with other bots and it wasn't like this." Solarflare complained while throwing her servos up in the air.
The two of them had been friends since they could remember but as time went on they found themselves being pushed in each-other's direction more and more frequently. As sparklings no one made remarks as to how they would look cute together or anything of that type but as their adulthood came closer and closer the comments began showing up until they sort of became part of the background noise. At first the remarks had been annoying, but… was it just her or had Victory start to become… handsome? Appealing? Pleasing on the optics? Oh, Solus, he was, wasn't he?!
Doomsday winked. Solarflare was so easy to rile up when Victory was involved. "Please, you two were made for each other. He really balances out your crazy."
"He's wagering his life but I'm the crazy one?"
"You challenged me to a drinking game."
"In my defense I was already drunk when I did it."
"So was I, but still won anyway."
"Whatever, I'll see you later." Solarflare walked past the older femme, giving up on the conversation. She had a fight to get to and a spark to calm down.
"As if. You're gonna be busy with your mech, I just know it." The Forger began downing one of her cubes of high-grade, back turned to the departing femme, content in her successful self-imposed mission to get a rise out of Solarflare.
"No, I won't."
The first time Solarflare had patched up Victory had been in one of the private rooms beneath the Kaon arena, hidden away from prying optics curious to get a glimpse at the triple-changer that had made his way into the gladiatorial circle.
"Ouch!"
"Sorry. You won't stay still, what do you want me to do?"
"I don't know, maybe be careful with that welder?"
Solarflare had found herself amazed at the size of the city itself and how poor its inhabitants seemingly were. Wherever she looked it was obvious that everyone was of low-caste, their dirty and scuffed appearance making it more than obvious, and she thanked Solus she'd had the discernment to wear a cloak that hid her frame from prying optics. Presenting as a Maker outside of their area could be very dangerous since it attracted all sorts of unwanted attention, especially for a young pretty femme like her.
Getting to the arena hadn't proven much of a challenge, neither had it been to get inside, although her smaller size almost got her trampled over a couple of times by bigger, brawnier mechs, the kind one could see working non-stop in the mines or in any other sort of low-level line of work, anxiously waiting for their next breath of freedom. It was weird to see so many low-caste bots packed into one place, desperate to enjoy any sort of entertainment, but all Solarflare had to do was stick to her seat and avoid drawing any sort of unwanted attention to decrease the chances of a confrontation.
The fight had went spectacularly. The crowd went wild as soon as the triple-changer stepped onto the arena, clamoring to be shown a duel filled with spilled energon and enough action to appease their thirst for violence. There hadn't been a bot of that type in Kaon's gladiatorial circles in a long time and the bets soared the up until the very last moment, credits pooling in the most part for a mech that was supposedly the height of combat evolution.
Most of all, Solarflare had felt fear for Victory's life when the fight had begun, but a small part of her rushed with excitement seeing her friend give his all to survive in a fight against a mech that was clearly more experienced, even when lacking the size the triple-changer had to his advantage. In the end, luckily, no one had offlined and Victory was able to rise up as the winner of the match, causing the crowd to erupt in a multitude of elated shouts.
"Who's the one going to the Iacon Medical Center here?" The white and green seeker finally managed to finish her patch job, stashing away her welder back into the folds of her cloak.
Pausing for a moment to process what he'd been told, the triple-changer thought on what to say. "So… you're really going through with it?"
"Yes. You already knew it."
"I knew you wanted to go, but… You're going to be gone an awful long time."
"But it will be worth it. I have a chance to become a fully-fledged medic. I could be the first Maker-born bot to get a license."
"That really is a big thing."
"Yeah… Will you miss me?"
"Stupid question, of course I will!" He would miss her every waking moment, counting the time until she came back safe and sound. "You never stood in the way of my goals, even knowing survival is far from guaranteed in the arena, it's only fair that I don't interfere with your plans."
Placing a servo on top of Victory's, Solarflare looked up into his optics and offered a smile. "…I like you too."
Everything would turn out alright. He would go on to become the best fighter in all of Kaon and she would defy all stereotypes and become a great medic. She was sure of it.
"You are all here because you chose to enter this profession but heed my words: over half of you may quit because you don't have the tank to do what it takes in this field. You'll see things that you've never dreamed of in your worst nightmares and I swear I won't let even one weakling get past me. Are we clear?"
No one in the whole room dared to say anything, all of the Cybertronians too afraid of the professor in front of them, his expression one that promised pure a tortuous experience.
"I said, are we clear?!"
"Sir, yes, sir!" The students responded, fear evident in their optics, wondering how they would survive the journey to become certified medics.
The first moments and Solarflare already felt like she didn't belong.
Wonderful.
The teachers were brutally demanding, the classes filled with incomprehensible medical jargon, the cycles short on resting time and the classmates each one more absorbed in their studies than the other. All but one, at least.
"Is this a medical text or a dictionary? I can't understand half the words in here." Pharma complained he leaned forward in the table of the mess hall.
"Neither can the rest of the class. That's why we have to study like the Pit." The femme answered with a smile as she stared into her datapad.
The two Cybertronians had met a short while after entering the Iacon Medical Center having met for the first time during a trip to the archives for some supplementary information and had struck a quick friendship.
Pharma hailed from Rodion and was the offspring of two successful medics who worked at the Deltaran Medical Facility, hence the motive why he'd ended up in Iacon: to follow in the footsteps of his Creator and Sire. That alone had gotten Solarflare to instantly understand his reasoning and to begin asking a lot of question, mainly what it was like growing up surrounded by such great bots and the inner workings of the system she hoped to enter one day. Pharma didn't shy away from the avalanche of questions, as a matter of fact he leaned into it and was glad to explain all the doubts his new friend seemed to have, after all, he was just as enamored with the profession of medic as much as she was.
They began seating together during class, helping each other study whenever they had time available and, as they were currently doing, sharing a few sips of energon while working on their projects.
"Help me out here, if a patient exhibits the symptoms shown here what should I diagnose them with?" The mech waved his datapad in front of Solarflare's faceplate with a pleading tone.
Cracking a small grin at how absurd her companion was being, the femme gently pushed the datapad aside and set her own down. All that work was more than definitely getting to them. "Death. That's the description of a frame shutting down."
"Really? Scrap, I really need to study harder and- Ohhh, look at that mech over there."
Turning around she stared for a few seconds at the yellow and blue bot walking away and out of the mess hall. When he was out of her viewing range, Solarflare turned back to Pharma. "I just looked. Is there a point to this?"
"Of course! He's the best on the entire Academy and easy on the optics to boot."
"Not to mention he's pretty popular among the student body and the teachers."
"Exactly! Then why aren't you trying to snag him? Over half of us are and no result so far, why don't you give it a try?" Pharma leaned forward and pointed at his friend. She was more than cute enough to have good odds at winning any prospective lover over.
"Because while I find him very attractive I already have someone back home."
"Really?! You never said anything. What are they like? Are they also studying to be medics? What's their favorite color?"
"How did we just go from talking about him to talking about my partner?"
"Because. Now talk."
It hadn't been easy describing Victory in the vaguest terms possible when it came to his appearance, but Solarflare couldn't stop talking about his kind and caring personality or the way he made her spark pulse.
She wondered how he was doing back home or even at the arena. Had he found someone to patch him up properly? Did he win many matches? Was he still training to the point of exerting himself and in need of someone to berate him to get some rest?
Dear Solus, she missed him.
"I passed!"
"Same here! We're going to the final exam!"
"You won't be going to the final exam."
"What? Why?"
When Solarflare had been called into the office of the highest authority of the Iacon Medical Center, Red Alert himself, she had a mini spark failure. What would he want with her? Why was he calling up on her during her final time of being a student? Had she done something wrong and not noticed it? Oh Solus, had she blundered her latest exam so bad he took it upon himself to berate her on how she couldn't tell an exhaust pipe from a hole in the ground?!
Thoughts clouded Solarflare's mind as she had walked in a hurried pace and stopped only when in front of the imposing door that led into the so called 'chamber of horrors' from which nothing good could ever come out of. No! She had to calm herself down and think properly! Her grades were splendid, her demeanor always polite and, not to brag, she was always one of the first to answer any questions during class. Willing her cooling fans to slow down, Solarflare put on a smile and strode forward into the den of the so-called 'beast'.
The smile had promptly fallen from her faceplate in an instant as soon as the door had closed behind her.
"Because we train medics, not Makers." Red Alert leaned back on his chair and crossed his arms. How something this serious had gotten past him he would never know. The absurdity of a Maker even getting the courage to step into his school was something that could be used against him in the long run of things.
"How-?"
"I cannot divulge that information. You are to leave the Academy and never to return."
"But I'm so close." The femme pleaded with the mech behind the desk. She did not wish for her dream to die when so close to completion. "I am among the top ten students, I always followed the rules and no one ever filed a complaint against me."
"I don't make the rules, Solarflare, and Makers are forbidden to take on the profession of medic."
"Makers are forbidden to take any profession!"
"I want you out of here by the end of the cycle, take your things and go back to where you came from. Count yourself lucky this doesn't go to the Council on account of who your Carrier was. Even after her passing her name still holds power over some influential bots."
"But I-"
"That was an order."
"… Yes, sir."
Solarflare couldn't do anything else but lower her helm and quietly exit the office all the while doing her best to hold in the torrent of tears that threatened to spill from her optics. Her spark felt like it was in a vice grip of an unseen force that refused to let go, tormenting her with its taunts on how she had failed her one and only goal in life.
It was then that she saw her best friend in all of Iacon standing there, looking like he'd been waiting for her, but something seemed off. The mech didn't have his usual smile on, nor did he make any attempt at comforting her. Come to think of it, how had he known she would be there to begin with?
"I see you are leaving. Good." He said without the slightest tinge of emotion.
No… He couldn't have been the one to… She'd done everything to burry any and all evidence of her background and never mentioned any names. Still, if he had found out how could he have ratted her out after all they had went through together?
"Pharma… You… why? Why did you do this to me?"
"Makers aren't allowed in here." The mech replied unflinching as if it was the most obvious thing in all of Cybertron.
"But… I thought you were my friend."
"I was. Until I wasn't."
It would be the first time Solarflare got to know certain bots hid parts of themselves and tucked them away deep inside their processors, dark and selfish desires blooming under all false pretenses until they finally emerged and took over a bot.
She should have learned her lesson as she made her away back home, every step of the way too distraught to look back and agonizing over what had been lost.
Returning home with an incomplete education had taken its toll on Solarflare's psyche more than she would ever admit to.
Upon taking her first steps back into the Maker District everyone had greeted the seeker with open arms and offering to throw numerous parties in her honor, that was, until she admitted she'd been found out and expelled due to her origins. The congratulatory welcomes had quickly died down shortly afterwards and an aura of uncomfortable silence abated over everyone, no one knowing what to do or say to comfort the femme for her broken dream.
It seemed that Solarflare had been ready to throw her dream away until one of the few (unlicensed) medbots in the District came to her and pleaded that she go to the only Maker clinic in existence and teach everything she'd learned while in Iacon. That had quickly revived the fire in Solarflare's spark and made her realize she might not have been granted a legitimate license but could still make a difference for a lot of Cybertronians. Setting up a an intensive course for everyone willing to learn became her top priority and the thing that consumed most of her time after going back home.
Solarflare then began to go out more, socializing with all the ones that had been left behind while she went to study, participating in activities like gambling more frequently and even taking up some stage time at the same bar her Carrier had worked at in the past. Citing her job to bring in new hope for the injured and sick as concluded, she took began behaving more and more like Marmoreal, or at least what she remembered she'd been like while alive. Everyone could sigh in relief at how fast the white and green femme regained her confidence and how her pool of energy seemingly expanded as time moved on, their worries melting away in sighs of relief all around.
But not all the bots around her shared in on the sentiment.
"Sainted Solus, you sure put on a show tonight!" Doomsday exclaimed as she placed an arm around her friend's shoulders and pulled her closer.
Solarflare laughed and returned the gesture. "I sure did. One of my best so far."
"I thought that after you came back you'd hole yourself up in the clinic but I'm glad I was wrong. I swear you weren't this fun when you left."
"I just learned a bot has to enjoy life while they can, the present becomes the past way too fast. I gave the clinic workers all the knowledge I got but I'm not ready to be a full-time medbot yet."
"Does that mean you're up for drinks later?"
"Solus yes, give me the good stuff and I'll give you a good time. Victory says he doesn't like it much when I drink but what's a Maker without a drink or two in their system?" The seeker winked and extracted herself from the Forger's hold to remove her adornments and put back on her armor.
"That's what I wanted to hear! See you later, I'm about to go on stage! You sure are a lot more fun this time around!"
"What can I say? If having everything I want is wrong I don't want to be right."
The seeker managed to change outfits by herself with no problem, by now being used to where things attached, and began re-armoring herself. Looking around she could see many Makers going about their businesses, be it checking in on how much they had earned from their latest clients, preparing themselves for looking their best or just resting in spread out groups and talking about the latest news. Solarflare found herself feeling content in how her life was going at that moment. She had everything she could ever ask for, even if a medical certification was not one of them, along with great friends and a great life, what else was there to be had?
Bidding her goodbyes to the other femmes backstage she exited the bar and stepped into the calmer streets. At that time there weren't many bots walking around, be them clients or Makers, as the recharge period had more than set in and would soon give way to another period of work.
The walk back to her home was uneventful to say the least, that was, until she found a certain triple-changer waiting at the door.
"Victory. What are you doing here?" She asked, confused as to why the mech was visiting her so late. Their relationship wasn't exactly officiated but there was something between them that made a connection beyond a simple crush.
"Could… Could we talk?"
"Well, yeah, I don't see why not."
With a sigh, Victory prepared himself for a conversation that could change everything. "You've been a little, I don't know, distant since you came back?"
"Distant, me? We've been spending so much time with each other, I've went to a lot of your fights and you're almost always here when everyone gets together."
"I know but…" He didn't want to lose her but he couldn't keep quiet either. "This isn't you."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"I mean, all of this, the constant working, drinking, gambling, chatting up clients, you barely did it before you went to Iacon and now it's like all your life was always about all of those things."
The gladiator barely recognized the femme he'd said goodbye to with their first kiss. It was like someone else had returned in her place, someone who'd taken in the personality of Marmoreal and combined it with the frame of his old friend to create yet another Maker replica that came a credit a dozen wherever he looked. It wasn't as if he didn't like all the other femmes in the District, but he'd grown attached to Solarflare's old personality over time and the sudden change made him wonder of he would too be left behind in the wake of this change.
Feeling the spirit of what her Carrier had taught her so long ago under attack, Solarflare got defensive pretty fast. "Well, maybe it was like that, but bots change. I changed. I want to enjoy everything my Carrier did, to be happy like she was."
"But you were happy. We were happy." Victory pleaded as he looked into the optics that used to give him shivers all throughout his frame. The silence permeated the air as the smaller femme didn't say anything else and he couldn't do much else than try to reason with her. He missed Solarflare but it was her choice on what to do. "If you keep this up I can still be your friend, but that's it. No matter how much I love you I can't be bonded to someone who I can barely recognize."
The triple-changer didn't even bid farewell as he walked away, helm hung with a weight of sadness holding onto it. He missed her more than he could ever say but if he tried to push it would only drive away the femme he loved so dearly and he would never forgive himself if he hurt her.
Solarflare could only stare as the mech she loved disappeared the streets of the Maker District and left her alone and feeling so… empty. She was beautiful, popular and had a great life, just like her Carrier had. So why wasn't she feeling so happy anymore?
Standing in front of the dojo, Solarflare let out a sigh as she prepared herself mentally for what she was about to do.
The building stood out from all the others around it in its smaller size and out-of-place design. There were stairs that ascended to the main diamond-shaped entrance surrounded by columns engraved with designs depicting Cybertronians practicing several styles of combat, a slanted undulated roof comprised of a number of layers with transparent teardrop ornaments hanging at each corner and, weirdly, a sign hanging from above that read 'Free advice'.
It hadn't been often that Solarflare had passed in front of the dojo and, when she did, she'd barely paid any mind to it. That place wasn't exactly one that sparked her interest and there was exactly zero swapping of credits that took place in there, so another reason as to why the femme had never paid any mind to it, but now it could very well hold the key for guaranteeing her future with Victory didn't go up in smoke.
Gathering up her courage, Solarflare climbed up the steps and strode forward into the dojo.
The inside was much simpler when compared to the outside. When walking in one would find themselves looking at the center of the building, a small green sunken sparring arena which was surrounded by a pure black walkway. On each corner of the room were blue holographic statues on top of metallic pedestals depicting generic-looking faceless Cybertronians performing different styles of combat, their poses shifting every few minutes, some striking with weapons, others with their bare limbs. At the far wall was a mass of very comfortable-looking pillows of various colors from garish to drab, creating a mix that would make any artist clutch to their spark in anguish, piled up in what appeared to be an imitation of a head place for the master of the dojo to sit and appraise the students demonstrating their skills.
"Excuse me…" Solarflare trailed off, unsure if there was actually someone in there.
"Yes?"
"SAINTED SOLUS!"
An indigo and amethyst colored femme had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, a relaxed smile gracing her features, although it might have sported a twinkle of mischief from the scare she'd given the seeker. She was clearly a two-wheeler but her frame seemed bulkier from the combat-styled armor and an older model to top it all off, although every part of her looked very well-maintained and polished to the point of giving off a sort of aura that gleamed with every move.
"Pardon me, I didn't mean to frighten any newcomers. I am called Lariat, the mistress of this dojo." The voice flowed calmly like a river from Lariat, mellow and soft, almost like she was speaking to a sparkling that had just come into the world.
"I… I was wondering if… You see I have a problem and others have said great thing about you… What I'm trying to say is…" Words evaded the seeker as she stumbled across them like a maze. Pausing for a moment, Solarflare made another attempt at explaining her presence. "I need help being myself again."
"So you are not yourself?"
"I am but at the same time… There's a part of me missing but I don't know which is it. I need your help to find it."
"Ah, I see. Many bots have come to me with the same problem. Not as many as I would have hoped but still a good number of them."
"Really?"
Lariat walked up to her pillow 'throne' and sat down cross legged. She leaned back and closed her optics for a brief moment, lacing her digits together and rising her arms up in the air, enjoying the feeling of her frame stretching and relaxing. After her relaxation exercise, Lariat made a motion for Solarflare to come closer and take a seat right across her with an almost lazy motion.
The seeker took the invitation extended by the two-wheeler, although the scenario seemed a bit weird to her. She didn't doubt (that much) the proficiency of the older femme, but the whole scenario seemed odd to her. This was supposed to be a master of the highest caliber according to several accounts relayed across the Maker District, but if she was so experienced, what had she done to end up in the moral gutter of Cybertron?
"At a certain point in any Maker's lifecycles they begin to, for lack of a better term, change." Lariat began her explanation. "Not many realize it, they just blend in with the background a lot more easily, but those who do have two choices: to go along with it or try and fight the current. Not many choose what you did, preferring to go with the easier option, and I don't blame them. This is a harsh life we Makers have, we never fit in with the normalcy around us and yet we find ourselves rewarded with the ability to be ourselves."
"So, does that mean you'll help me?"
"I will, but I will also teach you the art of Crystalocution."
"Crysta- what?" Solarflare made a face at the new word. She wasn't even sure she'd heard it right.
"Crystalocution. It is the cyber-ninja art of taking down your opponent by striking their metal fracture points. I know you already have studied thoroughly to become a medic and as such are a perfect candidate for this. After I am gone you most likely will be the only one in the district that will know it." Seeing Solarflare's optics widen made Lariat smile. It reminded her of her younger days when she was but a new student, eager to explore all the possibilities life had for her. "I see it in your optics, you wonder why. Just like a past love I grow old and soon my time shall come. And I want to shove in every bot's faceplates at the Cyber-Ninja Corps what a Maker is truly capable of. Consider it settling an old score. I also know your love is Victory. Quite an ambitious mech, aiming for the top at the gladiatorial arena, but I believe he would feel more secure if you knew some sort of self-defense."
"So… vengeance?"
"And a little bit of pride, yes. Cyber-ninjas aren't supposed to do selfish things but I'm not one anymore."
The white and green seeker smirked. Now there was something she could most definitely understand. Her Carrier had told her once that doing thing out of spite could be one of the most motivational things to do. Proving someone wrong, rubbing it in their faceplate how a bot could push past their limits and aim for something in the spirit of an unspoken bet… It could light a fire in anyone's spark.
"Why are we all here if not to show that pretentious Council that we are more than our primary function and caste?" She said, eager to begin her new training.
Ever since meeting Lariat, Solarflare had not regretted her decision to go to the dojo and try to improve herself. She felt better, calmer, more aware of herself of the ones around her and, most of all, of how close she'd been to losing Victory because of the downward spiral her behavior had been taking. He'd made some comments on how she seemed to have lost some of that static energy that made her not want to stop for long and seek any sort of thrills, usually gambling or drinking.
Speaking of, oh how she had almost drowned herself in high-grade was astonishing! How could any sane bot order a drink while barely having finished their first (or tenth!) one now baffled her instead of giving her that rush that usually ignited the energon in her fuel lines. She still partook in the not-so-normal normalcy of the District's activities, but in a much more moderate way, along with having went back to the clinic to continue pursuing her dream of helping others, and had found a balance she never had thought to be an option in her life.
Everything seemed to have settled into a routine for her, although sometimes Solarflare demanded too much of her frame and ended up too tired to go home. In those instances Lariat had promptly provided her room as a place for the seeker to rest for a while, a quiet place just behind a crimson curtain that hung on the right wall of the dojo. The berth was just another pile of pillows, but they were oh so soft Solarflare couldn't find anything bad to say about the accommodations.
It had been during one of her stays due to overexertion that the white and green seeker had found herself unwittingly eavesdropping on a particular conversation between her teacher and an unexpected guest.
"I knew I'd find you here." Came the voice of an unidentified mech through the piece of fabric.
Solarflare moved slowly and gently pushed just a touch of the curtain aside, curious to see who was visiting Lariat and- Solus taker her! Was that Yoketron?! As in head of the Cyber-Ninja Corps Yoketron?!
"What do you want?" Lariat crossed her arms and raised her chin in a display of animosity towards her visitor, her famous calm smile replaced by a light frown that appeared to hold more anger than it dared to show.
"I would… like to apologize."
"For what, exactly? For kicking me out of your life? Or because you lied to me?"
"For everything."
"Apology not accepted. Get out of here and out of my life. For good, like I thought you had done before."
The cyber-ninja let out a sigh and made another attempt at swaying over the femme's affections. "I… acted in a manner for which there is no excuse. I realize now that what I was doing was wrong. I should have never pushed you away but I was too focused on the path to fully master processor over matter that I lost sight of someone that meant a great deal to me. Someone who encouraged me not to give up so many times in the past."
The two had been close as students, brought together from day one as friends in a room full of young recruits, all of them eager to start their journey into the dojo. Yoketron had doubted himself as capable of becoming anything other than average but Lariat managed to encourage him all the way to becoming tied at the top of their class with her. He had always wanted to repay the favor and never ceased to always push every other student to succeed even in the most adverse times, a sort of tribute to the femme's kindness that he had been bestowed with.
Not long after graduating, the two had taken up fully sponsored residence at the dojo by their then master and trained even more arduously, mastering every technique and every weapon there were available. It had also been during this period in time the two Cybertronians had become lovers, hidden away in the shadows of their rooms, worried that they would be pulled apart as to not create attachments that could be seen as hindering to their progress. All those stolen kisses behind everyone's back, the times they had promised to come clean when their master was no longer in charge of them… all gone because of the glimpse Lariat had of Yoketron's true self.
It had been a regular sparring session that somehow got extended until after-hours, when nobody else was around but them. Neither wanted to back down and show an opening for their opponent to strike, so they had kept going until having been interrupted by a determined 'excuse me'.
A young mech had seemingly been able to bypass all security measures and found himself inside the main room of the dojo, the clear symbol on his chassis showing he was a Maker. Hyperline, that had been who he'd presented himself as, stated that he wanted nothing more than to become a student at the dojo just like his late Sire had been and make his memory proud by being able to go back home fully educated. In her opinion, Lariat had thought the sentiment was very sweet and even considered putting in a good word with her master so that Hyperline would be accepted in the shortest amount of time possible. Yoketron, on the other hand, hadn't share her sentiment.
'Leave and do not dare to desecrate this sacred place with the presence of your kind ever again. I will remove you by force if I have to and have no qualms with breaking every joint in your frame.' Those words, having come from the mech she'd loved so much, shattered her spark. How could he say that?! She thought every one willing should be given a chance to follow their path despite their origins. When had Yoketron become so… so like everyone else.
Oh, how couldn't she have seen it? He was just following what he had been taught and she had been too preoccupied to see what really happened around her. It was standard practice, to give some preferential treatment over others just because of their caste, but being high-born had given her the privilege to step above many others and she just assumed they hadn't been there to begin with.
That had been her first step in the amethyst femme's journey that would lead her outside of normal society. A path that would cut her ties with everyone: family, friends, her master… even with Yoketron. Not that he seemed too sad to let her go when her views were exposed to all the others. Now she really knew who he was.
"The damage is done, isn't it?" Lariat remarked, not convinced at all with the explanation. She would be damned if she let herself fall for that caring farce once more. "Nothing will be able to turn back time and right those wrongs, nor will this excuse of an apology revive what we had. After all this time you come back here expecting me to forgive you for breaking my spark?"
"Those mistakes I cannot undo, but I can still give you your old life back. I have trained many of the Elite Guard and, as such, I have been granted a pardon in order to bring you back with me. You could become a teacher, just like you'd wanted back in the old times." Yoketron took a step forward but didn't dare go any further. Things could get ugly and Lariat's proficiency in the martial arts could still be very much there.
"I AM a teacher and I'm just fine here."
"Surely you jest. These are Makers, incapable of ever achieving the level of a true cyber-ninja. Come back with me and I promise to treat you with the respect you deserve."
"…Out. Get out. NOW."
"Lariat-"
"I SAID NOW!" The femme screamed and pointed at the door, her expression one of pure rage. "How can you promise change when not even you are capable of it?! Leave me and my dojo alone, I would never betray my students for the same old lies everyone spews outside of the District."
Yoketron paused and looked at his old love. She still looked as beautiful as he remembered but the time they had spent apart seemed to have warped her mind and she was now too far gone to save. He felt his spark clench at the thought of going back without the one who had once made him feel so much, but there appeared to be no other way. "I see. You have become blinded to the true path. I am afraid it is too late to change your mind."
With his last words, the cyber-ninja turned around and left, helm shaking slowly in disapproval of the choice Lariat had made. It looked like their time together had come to a close, their once dream of a love-filled life cast into the shadows of the past forever.
Lariat sighed and let herself fall down into the pile of pillows, wondering what had she done so wrong in her life to deserve the fate that had befallen on her. Times were easier when she'd been younger, but also clouded with ignorance of what society truly meant for those that weren't so lucky to be born high-bred.
"I know you're still in there." She said, closing her optics and leaning back.
Solarflare almost jumped in fright, but managed to contain herself. Could she be in any sort of trouble for having eavesdropped on the private conversation?
Pushing the crimson curtain aside, the seeker came forward and approached her teacher. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-"
"It's fine." Lariat waved a servo and shook her helm. "You have done nothing wrong, unlike that old bucket of rusted bolts."
"Was he-?"
"Yoketron. The one in charge of training the Cyber-Ninja Corps and even a few in the Elite Guard. Wise as they come but also blinded to the truth of our system."
"It sounded like he was in love with you."
"He was. Still is, for some reason." Why couldn't he have given up on her like she'd given up on him? What gave him the right to come in there and dig up the past? "Broke my spark a long time ago because of the same lie that drove me here."
"You still like him."
"Unfortunately, I do. Emotions are as confusing as they are empowering. The mind may let it go but the spark will always hold it close."
Love… Love was a force stronger than anything on the entire universe, Solarflare realized. It made bots do wild things in search of it and go against everything when they were sure they'd found it. She hoped one day Lariat could find it in her spark to love again. She also realized that, while that sentiment could hurt deeply, it could also empower someone to rise up and above everything to hold it close to them.
She knew what she wanted to do, it was clear at that moment, but she never expected the fall that was to come to be so painful.
"Victory, will you do me the honor of becoming my Conjunx Endura?"
"Did you just propose to me? Right after patching up an injury that you called, and I quote, 'careless and idiotic'?"
"Do you want me to do it again?"
"Shut up and kiss me."
"Congratulations, you're gonna be a Sire of a little mech."
"You're joking?!"
"No."
"Can I kiss you right now?"
"I think the little one is ready to greet the world."
"Right now?!"
"Shut up and kiss me for good luck."
"Right now?!"
"For the love of Solus, if you value your life, YES!"
"She's ready to see you now." The nurse said as she gestured towards the room where Solarflare had just performed the greatest miracle of all.
"She said she'd pull my still-beating spark from my sparkchamber…" Victory, however, was too busy thinking about the obscenities his sparkmate had shouted at him as the tugs on her sparkchamber got stronger with every pull.
"Her and everyone else who's ever bore a sparkling. Now go in before I become the one to do it."
Eep, scary nurse alert! "Yes ma'am."
Stepping inside the small room nothing could have prepared the gladiator for what he was about to see. There, lying on a medical berth, with a smile that could light up all of Cybertron and its moons, was Solarflare looking very exhausted but also very proud of herself. Of themselves. She was holding a small bundle with extreme care, cooing softly at it and caressing it with the points of her digits with the pressure of the lightest feather in all of existence.
Victory was so awestruck in the first moments it took his lover to look at him and motion for him to get closer to break the seemingly magical spell that had overtaken his frame. Stepping forward he approached the berth and looked down to see the most precious sight that had graced his optics in his entire lifecycle: a little bundle of grey with tiny appendages and hints of red and black in a few select spots. The bond was immediate, a soft tug at the triple-changer's spark and his love for the little Cybertronian in front of him was set for life
"Well, hello little mech. It's really great to finally get to meet you in person." Turning to Solarflare, Victory smiled. "He looks so much like me."
"Yes, he does." The femme agreed and then nodded towards a datapad lying on the table beside the berth. "We never reached a consensus on the name. We need to fill out that form over there with it."
"You name him. You did pretty much all the work, besides, I'm not that sure on what the name should be either."
"Silver. Silverbolt." She answered without hesitation. Her Carrier would have loved him just as much as she'd loved her, there was no doubt about it, even if Solarflare had went with the traditional route and gotten a partner.
"That sounds like a great name. Let me just…" The triple-changer picked up the datapad and began typing with a smile. And… there. Now all he needed to do was- wait a nanosecond. "Oh, woops. How do you change these things?" He turned to Solarflare with a sheepish expression.
"Why?"
"Well, funny thing, I accidentally wrote Silverbot. My digits are way too big for this thing."
"Leave it."
"What?"
"Leave it. I like it. It's got a little of both of us in it."
"Sainted Solus, what happened to you?!" As usual, Doomsday had the tact of a rock when it came to delicate situations. Entering the room she quickly sat down on one of the chairs and gazed intently at the barely recognizable Cybertronian.
"Where do I start…?" The purple and black femme with appendages sticking out of her back leaned back in her seat across from her friends and crossed her arms. Remembering the reason that had led to her radical makeover still sent resounds of phantom pain all throughout her frame. "To sum it up I went along with a stupid plan and got left behind by my so-called best friends."
"Still, what could have caused… This." Solarflare, unlike the Forger, managed to keep some decorum and poise.
Just about a joor ago the white and green seeker had received an unexpected visitor at her home while looking after Silverbot. Victory had went to train for a little while, so he'd been spared the sight of a ragged-looking spider-like femme asking to be let in in a familiar tone of voice. At first Solarflare couldn't say why this strange bot called her by her name until the visitor revealed her own and was promptly pulled inside to be sat down and served something to refuel.
It was borderline impossible to believe this purple and black femme who had arrived out of nowhere could be the same one who'd once entered in the Maker District on a dare of her Academy friends. Someone who'd thought nothing much of the kind of bots that lived in that area until invited to sit down and have a drink to relax and have fun upon being spotted alone and rather confused as to where she was headed, thinking her to be a new arrival.
Some awkward time later of sitting on the living room of Solarflare's house sipping some energon Doomsday finally arrived after promptly being commed and that was how the three femmes ended up reunited. But that time the spider-femme would likely not be heading back out of the District.
"Archa seven."
"What's that? Some type of virus? I swear I didn't do it!" The Forger immediately put her arms up in a panic.
With a 'duh' expression, the visiting femme shook her helm and let out a sigh of exasperation but let it slide because the orange femme was more than likely a little more than intoxicated. "It's an organic planet not far from here inhabited by giant organics. You can tell what they look like by my state. I had enough trouble getting here as it was."
"But won't anyone notice you're missing?" Solarflare asked. Certainly someone already had noticed that she hadn't returned alongside the others.
"The old me is presumed offline, my signature apparently changed when I was infected by the organic venom so no one would be able to tell who I was previously to looking like this. There was a rescue party and this new form is stealthy enough for me to have snuck on board and back to Cybertron without being discovered. After that I had to move quietly in the shadows from the capital and all the way up to here."
"Solus, you must be exhausted."
"I am. Luckily in here they don't judge by appearances so I already got some energon in me when I came in the District before looking for you two."
"That's good to know. So, now wat do you intend to do?"
"Well… I was hoping you'd have some space in the district for me. I'm willing to work on anything."
"Eli-"
"Don't call me that." It was too painful to hear her old name. "That naïve femme offlined the moment she was left behind by her former friends on an off-limits organic planet."
"So, what would you like us to call you?"
Pondering on the matter for a short while a name immediately popped up in the femme's processor. "…Airachnid. Yes, that sounds fitting. From now that'll be my new designation."
"And what about your intended? You always sounded so cheerful when you talked about him. Would you like one of us to go tell him you're still alive?"
"No. He never liked Makers and I never told him who my other friends were. It's best that I forget about him and he about me and, if there's any chance he won't, I'd rather be remembered with love than repulsion."
"We'll be here for you." Doomsday winked and nodded.
"Yes. Both of us will always stay beside you no matter what." Solarflare comforted Airachnid with a kind smile.
"Thank you."
"Hey… have you met my little Silver?"
Later, when Silverbot took his first glimpse at Airachnid and immediately after began crying, the spider-femme wasn't as repulsed by her appearance anymore. Sure, it would take a while for her to feel comfortable in her new frame but, if she learned anything when a while later she could make the little mech laugh, all she had to do was own up to her looks and project her personality beyond the outside. She would become the confident, unapologetic and everything she'd been told wasn't a trait fit for a good cadet back at the Academy.
She would finally become herself.
"Take care, don't let your guard down."
"I never do, especially since my little mech will be watching for the first time."
"I'll be rooting for you, Sire."
"Behind you!"
"NO!"
"SIRE!"
"The shot went right though the spark, he offlined instantly… I'm sorry for your loss."
"Is he gone?"
"Yes, sweetspark… he's one with the Allspark now."
"Is there a vacancy for an extra worker? Full service."
"You know you don't have to do this, right?"
"Victory was a major provider for the district, I want to help any way I can."
"Megatronus is here… and asking for you."
"Tell him to meet me in my usual quarters."
"Flare… Good luck."
"I'm sorry for your loss."
Out of all the things Solarflare had expected to hear when the new champion of Kaon's gladiatorial arena stepped into her room, his condolences for her Sparkmate's passing were low on the list.
She was constantly reassured that she'd done more than her part by having passed her knowledge down to a collection of bots willing to take on the job of medics for the District, but she couldn't let herself pause and allow her time among her friends to pass without doing her best to help. Sure, they had new doctors with up-to-date knowledge thanks to her, but there were always credits to be earned that could help them get actual equipment that was up to par with what they were able to do. So, there she was, working just like many others, even though it always seemed to cost a part of her spark to pretend she felt anything towards all the mechs that came to her.
The femme had stepped into that room countless times by that point, all of her own volition, but it never seemed to get any easier. This time was supposed to be just like all previous others, but she'd been caught off-guard by the words uttered by the new Kaon champion.
"Wha- What? I- I don't understand." She could only stare with wide optics at the mech that towered above her, her knee joints trembling, and it took all her willpower not to fall back and sit on the plush bed, clutching her aching spark at the mention of her fallen beloved.
"I'm here to express my condolences due to Victory's passing."
"You are? But why? He's been gone for a while now."
"Yes, well, at that time I was still a mining slave and only now I have been able to buy my freedom. I was not allowed to go anywhere else beyond the mines and the gladiatorial arena."
"Oh…" Solarflare brought up a servo to her faceplate and walked a few steps so that she had her back turned to her visitor, shame welling up in her. "I had assumed you were here for something else."
The mech turned around to face the femme he'd come to visit, his spark heavy with sadness over the fact someone like her had lost their Conjunx Endura. Hadn't they already lost enough respect when they came into this world? "I could tell, your smile was perfect but your optics reflected the sadness I am well-too accustomed to."
Megatronus knew what it was like to pretend everything would soon get better, that the sadness welling up in one's spark was only transitory and that better times were to come, even if it was an idea that seemed impossible to achieve. He'd spent most of his life chained down by tyrannical bots that saw him as nothing more than a slave that could be easily replaced and no more worthy of value than the dirt beneath their pedes, so he'd taken up a "side-job" as a gladiator in hopes of being able to buy his freedom, even if it implied he could be offlined if something went wrong. He was well-aware of what some bots would do to provide themselves a better life and, as such, did not think any less of the femme in front of him, in fact, he saw her as someone worthy of respect.
"You're the first mech that's been able to tell, or, at least, the first to say the truth."
Placing a servo on the seeker's shoulder, the mech attempted to comfort her. "You should not be doing this."
"Yes, I should." Solarflare shook her helm and crossed her arms. "Victory was number one at the arena and, as such, his revenue was quite high. Now that we've lost a main source of income and we all have to pitch in to help any way we can. I won't let his dreams of a better life for us all to be extinguished."
Silverbot would have to grow up without a Sire but she'd be damned if she let that fate fall on anyone else. From that point on the arena would not be one of the option to make credits for anyone. She had to watch the gruesome sight of her lover and would not allow history to repeat itself with some other poor bot in her place.
"That is one of the reasons I am here. I would like to give you a share of my winnings from this point on."
"What?!" Now it was her that turned around but with wide optics, disbelief clearly seen etched across them. "You can't be serious! You would do that for us?"
"More than willingly." Megatronus nodded with a smile. "Victory inspired me to become more than what I was perceived to be. Many only saw a brute but he never proved to be one. The audience demanded to be entertained and he only did as they wished. Also, I saw you at many of his fights. You cheered for him in the stands in the front row, every time with an encouraging smile, that's how I knew who to come to."
"He always managed to convince me to go, even to mend him afterwards."
"You loved him."
"More than anything else."
"Promise me that as long as I donate a share of my winnings you will not continue to do this. It is clear you do not enjoy it like the others. Victory would not want you to smile when you feel the opposite."
"Thank you. For the credits, the understanding… for everything. Please, let me repay you." Solarflare gently gripped one of the tall mech's servos and slowly pulled him along, guiding him toward the bed.
Was it her or she truly felt comfortable to do that with someone else besides Victory?
Megatronus' expression had instantly turned to one of surprise and his voicebox seemed to disconnect from the rest of his frame. He moved along until he faced the bed and was turned around and pushed, his knee joints hitting the piece of furniture, prompting him to sit down on the plush surface.
Attempting to find his voice, the gladiator thought on what to say without making a fool of himself. "You do not have to-"
"Shhhh." A digit placed to his faceplate was all that it took to silence the mech once more. "I want to. I'm a Maker, there's little ways I know how to say thank you to a stranger."
Solarflare began climbing onto his lap and gave the mech a soft smile. She didn't know it then, but it was the first real one of many that were yet to come.
Sometimes she wondered why her life had turned out the way it did.
Her sparklinghood had been a happy one.
Growing up had been a marvelous time. More than enough playtime with all the other sparklings that would eventually age alongside her to become great lifelong friends, never having wanted for anything she couldn't have, always enough energon available to keep her satisfied and an attentive Carrier that would do anything to see her smile.
Her Carrier had been so beautiful, so majestic, both in and out of her work. Mechs threw their lifesavings at her just for a smile, maybe for the briefest brush of a kiss. A true conqueror of sparks all throughout Cybertron, allowing both Carrier and her sparkling to live comfortably and helping others who weren't as lucky. She'd been fearless and strong, holding her ground and morals above all else and rising above all expectations for someone of her status.
Solarflare remembered all the times she'd been brought backstage and watched patiently as her Carrier shed her regular armor for flimsy pieces of fabric and all kind of jewelry, almost every single piece a present from a love-struck mech who'd though to get himself a chance at gaining her affection.
Never once had Marmoreal been ashamed of what she did, professing it to be a job as any other, one that required dedication and relentlessness to become the best overall, the most desired and coveted. She'd been the true embodiment of perfection in little Solarflare's optics, a femme who looked out for her family and friends but also did her best to maintain her place at the top.
The inflow of information and blackmail was at its peak when the pearlescent femme had been alive, no mech able to resist her charms, be they in her words or in more intimate setting than a conversation. She had no match for beauty and wits in all of Cybertron, femmes envied her and mechs wanted her, period, with no room for disagreement.
With the premature death of Marmoreal a gloomy timeframe settled in the district. Everyone knew who she'd been, everyone had nothing but positive thoughts to express about one of the best earners they had ever met. She was a wonderful femme, some would say. The most beautiful and kind bot you'd ever want to be around, others whispered mournfully.
Beauty was supposed to represent the gateway to happiness, to having the best possible live one could way, so why had her Carrier passed away at her peak?
Everyone working in the district always seemed so happy despite what they did and their status as outcasts. Now she knew the truth was merely coated in a thick layer of high-grade. While her friends laughed, danced and sang, oblivious to their predetermined fates, she'd chosen to go against the current. Lariat had helped her see the truth to all there was but that revelation didn't kick her down, not when Victory had been there to brighten her world and even less when her precious sparkling came as a result of their love.
When Victory was offlined per the Council's orders a part of her went along with his spark. She felt broken afterwards, as if she was drifting in a meaningless void, and her few consolations were the friends that had stuck around to help her glue the pieces of her spark back together and her son. Her beautiful Silverbot that looked so much like his Sire in every way, except for one: he refused to have anything to do with fighting.
He was the combination of her Carrier and her bondmate, named in memory of the former and a living memory of the latter.
Her son shouldn't have seen that. The first fight he'd ever witnessed was supposed to reassure him of his Sire's strength, to make him understand he was the strongest of all and nothing could a determined triple-changer. Nothing except for a gunman dispatched by the council because of maintaining the Makers from dreaming of being treated like normal bots. She felt the sadness well up every time she remembered there had likely not been a main reason as to why her love had been terminated.
It was just because they could, those fraggers at the Council who did not give a damn about anyone below them, about someone who'd struggled and fought throughout their entire life because a made-up caste system determined they were worth nothing.
Life had, once again, taken on shades of depressing grey and pushed her to her knees, refusing to let her up for the longest of times. She'd thrown herself into work, hoping it would drown her sorrows and dilute them to a point she no longer felt anything, but it seemed to have the opposite effect.
Until she met him. Megatronus.
The gladiator captured her spark with such ease one could almost say Victory had reincarnated though him. He'd embraced every part of her with open arms, including young Silverbot, who he'd even vowed to protect and guide away from ever wanting to step into the arena of Kaon.
All those kisses and moments together, the whispered sweet nothings and promises of a future together blurred together and created a blanket of happiness that made her so content to have found a reason to believe that life without Victory didn't have to involve sparkache every time she thought back to the life they'd shared together.
Maybe she'd only deceived herself by seeing her new love with her optics blind to what he actually was.
But those words had always gotten her to smile and completely forget her worries. Her downfall had been three simple words.
"I love you."
Even if they came from a mech who would cause so much pain and suffering, who would be kicked out of her life when she found out the truth and regretted ever entrusting her spark to such a monster. Who would become the reason for her planet to die out along with countless innocent lives.
"What would you like to call her?"
"…Mayhem."
And who would unknowingly give her another reason to keep on living.
AN: Good? Bad? Too rushed? Let me know!