I tired to update quicker this time, so here you go. The next chapter is the one everyone's been waiting for! Yey! Took forever but thank you all so much for staying loyal and patient with me. It means so much that so many people enjoy the story! The part with Smokescreen, and you'll know when you read it, actually happened with me and one of my friends on the football team. It made me laugh so hard, so I wanted to add it in. Hope you like it and please review! I'll probably be adding fan-art for the story on my Deviantart if anyone is interested.:)

All Transformers belong to Hasbro, but I own my OCs:P

"Optimus are you sure it's safe to travel to the Academy under these circumstances?" Ratchet asked nervously, closing tailing Optimus as he gathered a few last items. "Ironhide hasn't reported back in orns. It's quite disconcerting."

"I have plenty of faith in Ironhide that his mission is going according to plan" Optimus began. "And I have already contacted the base regarding my arrival."

Ratchet shook his head worriedly and wanted to object, but surrendered with a quiet, "Very well Optimus." He could not change the mind of his leader.

Optimus took notice of his reluctant medic. "Do not stress old friend," he placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, "the ceremony will be held indoors with safety as an upmost priority. Security will be of top-quality."

"Please don't tell me you're including Ironhide in that."

"Ironhide may be," Optimus paused, "…clumsy at times, but his prowess as a warrior and Autobot has never been questioned. Have faith Ratchet." He left to make final preparations, but only after offering a tiny, consoling smile.

"Alright you almost graduated pieces of scrap," Sergeant teased, receiving snickers from his group of cadets, "that time has come, where your most important challenge of the Academy will determine your future as an Autobot warrior. Now regardless you all will graduate, you proven that through all these Stellar-cycles, and for that I want to personally congratulate you all. But this final test will be the deciding factor upon if you'll be accepted in Optimus Prime's own personal army."

The room immediately became dead silent. All optics widened and focused on Sergeant's next words.

"The honor, the sheer privilege of being an Autobot under the legendary Commander himself; not everyone at the Academy is picked you know. Just because you trained here doesn't mean Optimus will select you at a first optic glance."

A few murmurs came from the crowd.

"Do you want to know how many graduates he selects each stellar-cycle?"

More murmurs.

"Four. If you're lucky maybe five or six."

Complete silence once more.

"He expects the most disciplined, the most courageous, the most valiant, the mo-"

"Pardon! Watch out! Hardened Autobot warrior comin' through." Ironhide suddenly interrupted, following a hot trail with his energon detector. He tried to maneuver through the cadets and tiptoed in between spaces. "Haha I got your ugly aft now you punk ass Decepticon." His thunderous clanging echoed through the base as the stunned cadets watched him disappear as soon as he appeared.

"Haha I love that guy!" Smokescreen exclaimed.

Soft laughter brought the Sergeant out of his moment of confusion. "Uh well as I was saying," He shook his head to clear what he just saw, "he's looking for Autobots, not heroes."

His last words stuck with Opal and she pondered the thought for the rest of the orn.

The Cybertronian sun rose on the orn of graduation. The time arrived too fast for Opal to even imagine. No longer was she the shy little stray looking for her voice, no longer was she alone. She found a new family in Bee and even flashy Smokescreen. She found a talent as a skilled fighter and hopefully she'd also find herself as an Autobot for Optimus Prime.

Usually the barracks were relatively quiet, but today they were filled with excited and hasty commotions like the first orn there. Everybot was cleaning the rooms and packing belongings, because no matter what happened today, no one would be coming back there. The cadets who weren't personally chosen by Optimus would be sent to other Autobot divisions with different commanders.

"So what do you think the test will be?" Bee asked.

"I'm not sure," Opal said. "It must be harder than anything we've done before, especially if Commander Prime will be watching."

"Yeah."

There was a pause as the two continued to clear the rest of the room.

Bee eventually ended the quiet. "Hey Op."

"Yeah Bee?"

"Do you think we'll still be together after graduation? What if we're not put under the same commander? Will we remember each other? I never want to forget you."

Opal's optics moistened and she wiped them quickly. "I'll never forget you Bee." She turns her head and stares at Bee; a tear defiantly dribbles down her faceplates. "Never." She whispers.

Bee nods slowly and motions closer to Opal.

"I'll never forget Smokescreen either." She chuckles and wipes her optics again.

"Speaking of flashy 38s where is he?"

"I don-"

Smokescreen ran past the door of their room, as if on cue, hollering and jumping excitedly. He was in the process of taking off pieces of his armor and throwing them sporadically in the halls.

"THERE'S NO RULES!" He yelled, pulling off part of his chest piece triumphantly.

"PUT YOUR ARMOR ON!" Sergeant suddenly ordered from an unknown section of the hall.

"THERE'S ONE RULE!" Smokescreen quickly re-fastened his stripped armor.

The entire barracks were filled with uproarious laughter. Bee turned to Opal who was rubbing her optics in disbelief of what she just saw.

"Are you sure you're going to miss him that much?" Bee asked.

"Well we won't forget him." She said.

Sergeant's voice over the intercom ended the disorder of the barracks. "All cadets report to the Academy auditorium. Graduation will commence within the next megacycle."

"Well here we go," Bee exhaled, "Now our life really begins."

Smokescreen clumsily bumped into the door, "hey are you ready?" He asked, breathing heavily through his intakes.

"Uh Smokes," Opal covered her optics in embarrassment. "You missing something? Some armor maybe?"

"What? Oh frag!"

Please review! Next chapter is the one everyone's been waiting for! Yeah finally right?