The Final Hope - Transformers Prime (3)

Chapter Thirty-Five

   "You need not fear being recognized, Amanda," he said. "The goddess you represent is among the most cherished by Cybertronians."

   I shook my head. "I'm just not sure I'm ready to be recognized by everyone yet. I mean, it's kind of hard to hide the fact that I'm Cleona's champion, since I'm kinda covered in silver right now, and I don't exactly want that extra attention."

   "I understand. Still, know that you will always be accepted here."

   "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks, Optimus."

   He gave me a small smile in reply before transforming. I was suddenly in the passenger seat of his military grade vehicle, which made me smile in surprise.

   "You didn't choose a new vehicle mode?" I asked as he began to drive.

   "I did not find it necessary," he replied. "This vehicle mode has proven to be incredibly useful on Cybertron, just as it was on Earth."

   I twisted slightly in my seat, eyes gazing over the landscapes we passed. "It all feels so much different than when I was here with Jack and Arcee to visit Vector Sigma." It looked different too, with former Decepticon foot soldiers hefting construction materials and Cybertronians I didn't know helping restore several buildings at once. While there weren't a lot of Cybertronians around, it was so much more lively than when I was here with the key to Vector Sigma.

   "With Primus' spark alight again, Cybertron has begun to produce energon once again," Optimus said. "Which has allowed us to invite more Cybertronians, as we now have the means to sustain them."

   "You're still sending signals out, right?" I asked.

   "Yes, the process has just begun."

   We drove for another ten minutes or so, until we left the makeshift city behind and everything was still around us. The open landscape was only broken by a massive hill, which the Prime promptly began driving up. I held onto the door handle as we went up, almost afraid that the Prime wouldn't be able to drive up the whole hill, since it was fairly steep. Still, he plowed right up, and I gasped at the sight from the top.

   "This is our destination," Optimus said and I got out, filled with awe and eyes glued onto the valley below us.

   "It's beautiful," I breathed. Below us was a valley full of silver flowers, each sparkling in their own way and catching rays of light. Optimus transformed beside me and offered me his hand, allowing me to climb in again before he began down this side of the hill, towards the valley. Once we reached the edge, he let me down, and I walked right into the flowers. They were as tall as I was, and when I reach out to touch them, they practically hummed. They were metal, but almost as though it was organic. It moved like any organic material, like the flowers on Earth, but it was also the same Cybertronian metal that made up the planet.

   "What are they?" I asked as the Prime sat on the edge of the valley, careful not to sit on any flowers.

   "They were the flowers Cleona adored," he replied, gazing out at the valley. "The observatory where she resided used to be surrounded by such flowers, and she maintained her garden for centuries before the war. They were considered to be the flowers of the goddess, and they were used in the courts as a representation of the goddess of justice's presence. But once the war began, the Decepticons took the opportunity to deface the goddess and burned every field they could find. Fortunately, they did not find this one."

   "Good thing," I reached up to touch the petals of a flower. "What do you call them?"

   "They were originally called erismirins, but Cleona continuously called them anemones, and over time, they were recognized simply as anemones."

   Anemone...

   "Mom, why do you always call me that? Isn't an anemone those underwater prickly things?"

   She laughed. "No, that's a different kind of anemone. The one I'm talking about is a flower that is beautiful, yet simple."

   "But why that flower?"

   "Because of what it means. Anemones are seen as a protection against evil and bad wishes, and that's exactly what you are."

   "How am I supposed to protect against evil if you just call me anemone?"

   She smiled wistfully. "It's not me calling you anemone that'll protect against evil, Amanda. It's you. I'm just reminding you of who you are."

   "Amanda?" Optimus' voice shook me out of my memory, which I hadn't even realized existed until now.

   I turned, giving him a sad smile. "My mom used to call me her anemone. 'To protect against evil and bad wishes'. I didn't think about that for ages... but now it kind of makes sense."

   He nodded. "Ingrid Beckett was wise beyond her years. It does not surprise me to hear that she knew about the true meaning behind the flower."

   "Yeah," my voice trailed off before I spoke again. "What about you? When'd you find this place? How'd the Cons miss it?"

   "This valley was protected by Cleona herself during the war. Should you continue through it, you will eventually come across the path to the goddess' observatory. This was where I began my own journey to the goddess after the Decepticons summoned Valilorna. While I was drawn to the valley, those who followed the chaos goddess were repelled by Cleona's enchantment over the path to her observatory."

   I nodded, understanding. "That's why it's like a breath of fresh air here. Because of the remains of Cleona's enchantment." Reaching up again, I took a petal in my hand, feeling the little metal in it hum slightly. "It's honestly beautiful."

   "It is one of the only places on Cybertron that was protected from the war," Optimus' gaze was distant, aimed across the valley. "Perhaps, one day, you will take a journey similar to that I embarked on so long ago to Cleona's observatory. It is a sacred place for the goddess, one that I hope you are able to discover in the future."

   I followed his gaze, somewhat satisfied with the vast space we were looking towards, happy to not be able to see the observatory at all. "You know, one day I will."