The Parting Glass

Little Surprise

     I sat in the cage chamber of the Knight's Temenos just looking at the cage the Optimus from back home had been in and where I had last 'died'. The energon stain was still there. Most of the team was out scouting for energon and salvaging what they could from the old base, even after the Decepticons picked it clean. The kids were at the military base located at the opening of the Canyon my ship was hidden in, for modified schooling. Since Jasper was essentially destroyed and now a ghost town. A soft breeze blew through the open ship and I closed my optics while carefully running my digits over the blade of the Sun Saber that rested in my lap. Slow heavy pedsteps alerted me of a presence.

"Avalon, are you alright?" Optimus asked. "What is this area?"

"It's the place where I 'died' last." I pointed to the energon stain. "It was in that spot I lost my heart and gained my spark. The Optimus from my dimension was hanging above me upside down, and watched helplessly as my heart was turned into a hollow crystal that houses my soul and pumps energon through me."

"It was Lockdown who did that to you." Optimus stated.

"Because of his experiments, I'm afraid that I cannot create an actual sparkbond with anybot." I felt a few energon tears roll down my faceplates.

"Please do not leak." Optimus wiped them away. "I care not if you can or cannot sparkbond. For neither can I."

"You were sparkbonded to Elita-One early in the war. Then Starscream offlined her without Megatron knowing." I responded. Optimus was silent. "Ratchet told me a few days ago, when I asked him if there was a way I would be able to sparkbond with my crystalized spark."

"Megatron never wanted to hurt Elita, Whenever they met in battle, he always spared her." Optimus looked down saddened.

"I know it hurts. She was your first love and the one you gave your actual spark to. It's okay to miss her. I understand. Especially since I cant provide you with any heirs." I cupped Optimus' face in my servos. "I also understand the sacrifices we both have to make being in an unbondable relationship."

"Avalon, I simply want you by my side." Optimus pulled me into a hug and nuzzled my neck. Alarms went off ruining the quiet that had settled around us.

.:: Optimus, Avalon. An Autobot emergency beacon from a pod has entered Earth's atmosphere and landed::. Ratchet said over the comm.

"Let's go." Optimus rose to his peds and put on his ever present public stoic expression and helped me stand as I attached the Sun Saber to my back. After Darkmount, I've stayed in my Prime form except when I'm sleeping.

"Alright." I sighed following him to the bridge of my ship.

"I've already input the coordinates. You might want to hurry." Ratchet waved us through the bridge after giving me a med kit. "Avalon, the twins told me of your basic medic training under the Ratchet from your dimension."

"Okay." I clipped the kit over the Sun Saber and walked through the groundbridge after Optimus. When we came out the other side, I paused. "Red River Gorge?"

"Pardon?" Optimus gave me a confused look.

"A place in Kentucky. My parents used to take me camping here when I was little. I can't believe it's the same as the one back home was." I looked around in awe before my optics landed on the pod, lodged in the side of the gorge. "There's the pod. A pretty precarious spot."

"Agreed." Optimus began climbing down while I used my flight thrusters to fly down in front of the pod. I saw some dusty markings and wiped away the dirt, before reading it.

"Wait, this is a sparkling pod." I looked at Optimus as his optics widened.

"Open it, quickly." he ordered, knowing from his spot and amateur flying experience, I was the one who had to do it.