Rarity stared at her phone unable to contain her excitement. The email she had been waiting for had arrived. She opened it, feeling her heart pound with anticipation with what was inside.
“Dear Miss Rarity,
I would like to thank you for sending me your designs. They show a level of talent which would be impressive from a designer twice your age. You have a true eye for fashion and I would love the opportunity to talk about your future. I will be in the city mentioned on your return address tonight on a brief layover. If you would be free tonight I would be honored if we could meet for dinner. I look forward to hearing your reply.
Sincerely,
Mr. Frederic De La Cour
Chief Designer of Tio’s Surprise”
Rarity squealed with delight as she read the message over three times to confirm it was she wasn’t dreaming. Taping out a reply, she agreed to meeting him for dinner. and would be sure to bring samples of her work with her.
In the blink of an eye, Rarity was on her feet and prepared herself for the day. After a shower, her hair, makeup, and clothes were in their usually top form in record time. She looked at her clock and saw she still had plenty of time before school.
“Perfect,” Rarity whispered with a large grin on her face. “Time to get ready for battle.”
Rarity went to work gathering everything she would need to go straight from the school to dinner without having to stop at home. She filled a back with her best sketchbook, a pair of white heels, a few pieces of her better jewelry, and her high quality make up. Lastly, she went to her closet and pulled out her a copy of the Tio’s Surprise ball gown from last month’s fashion show in Milan. The dress wasn’t available to the general public yet but she had been able to recreate it from just watching the show on a lazy Sunday afternoon. If this didn’t impress the Mr. De La Cour with her skills nothing would.
She hid the dazzling evening wear in one of the zip up dress cover bags she owned. This would ensure her parents didn’t question why she would take such a fancy dress to school. Her planned hinged on her mom and dad not finding out about what she was doing. With the last object ready, she grabbed the supply bag, her backpack, and the concealed dress and left her room.
Her mother had left early to take Sweetie Belle to school with bake goods for a class project. This left Rarity with only one obstacle left in her path. As she made her way towards the garage, she saw her father was nowhere in sight. It was perfect. She grabbed a granola bar out the kitchen for breakfast and opened the door leading to the garage. The moment she did, her heart skipped a beat.
Her father, Hondo was in the garage and looking under the hood of her car. Of course it wasn’t actually a car at all but an alien from the planet Cybertron known as Tracks. The robot was a member of a group known as the Autobots who had come to Earth to fight their great war and ended up inviting Earth into their council of worlds. After making a secret treaty with the government of Earth, Rarity and her friends from Canterlot High had been recognized for their magical abilities and brought in to work with them under a classified group known as Unit E.
Whenever Tracks was not helping his leader Optimus Prime with goodwill missions all over the globe, he would aid Rarity and her friends in their new mission to research and report supernatural occurrences. He also would use Rarity’s house as a place to rest and recharge. Unfortunately, this made him a target to Hondo, who was a big fan of classic cars.
Upon hearing the door open, Hondo looked up from his work and smiled at his daughter. “Hey there honey. Sleep well?”
“Sure did dad,” Rarity replied, keeping her cool. It wasn’t uncommon for her to take a dress bag with her to school as she could easily say it was one of her projects. All she had to do was put it in the car and hope he didn’t ask to see it. Luckily, he was preoccupied with Track’s engine. “I see you are giving the car an inspection.”
“Sure am,” Hondo chuckled as he went back to work. This gave Rarity the perfect opportunity to slip her materials into Track’s back seat. “I still can't believe your friend's dad lets you borrow this beauty when he is out of town. It's in pristine condition. I can't get enough of it.”
“Well my friend’s dad is very touchy when it comes his car,” Rarity lied. The group was forced to invent stories to why they brought home new vehicles which were actually robots in disguise. Some were easier than others. Sunset didn't have parents so she didn’t have to explain why Drift was in her garage. Fluttershy was able to say Beachcomber was actually on loan from the shelter she worked at. Unfortunately, Rainbow Dash had taken the excuse of “I won it in a contest” to explain why she was able to drive Windcharger on a regular basis. This left Rarity with the poor excuse of Tracks belonging to a parent of a friend her own parents hadn’t heard of. Luckily, her dad was so fascinated with the opportunity to do maintenance on a classic Stingray Corvette, he didn’t dig into it more. “He lets me borrow it to make sure everything is fine and ensure it's getting proper care while he is gone.”
“Just be careful when you drive okay,” Hondo insisted firmly as he finished topping off the washer fluid before closing the hood. He pushed the button on the wall and opened the garage so Rarity could leave for school. “This thing has some weird turbo hooked up to it. I don’t want you doing anything stupid like drag racing with this thing. Alright? You were given a responsibility and you have to keep it in the same condition it was in when given to you.”
“I will dad,” Rarity sighed as she did her best not to roll her eyes. She had hidden her items in the backseat and made her way to the drivers side. She was almost home free. “I’ll see you later daddy.”
“Hey wait,” Hondo raised his hand and got his daughter’s attention before she could leave. “It’s tuesday! You know what that means!”
“Tacos,” Rarity grimaced, trying to leave before her dad wanted to continue the conversation any further. “Unfortunately, I won’t be home for dinner. My friends and I have our internship with Unit E tonight.”
“Oh right,” Hondo nodded in understanding. The girls had also created the backstory Unit E was in fact Unity Community Service. A group which helped put on charity events and all of them had been able to land internship positions. This allowed them to have the perfect excuse for being out at weird hours. “The community outreach thing. Well good luck honey. I’ll try to leave some taco mixings for you when you get home just in case you don’t get fed at work. I love you baby.”
“I love you too dad,” Rarity replied, as she inched Tracks out of the garage in desperate attempt to leave faster. Soon she had backed out of the driveway, put Tracks into gear, and made her way towards the school. She breathed a sigh of relief as she slowly started on the road.
“Must your father always root around under my hood every time I stay at your place?” Tracks asked through the stereo when they were no longer in view of Rarity’s home. “His constant attention makes me feel like I’m some type of worn out jalopy about to break down any minute.”
“Tracks, my dad is just admiring your design,” Rarity insisted as she made her way to school. “You should feel honored.”
“I’ll try and think of it that way,” Tracks grumbled, clearly showing his disdain for Hondo’s obsession with him. “Also, I don’t remember a meeting on the schedule today. Did someone forget to message me again? That is so typical.”
“No,” Rarity admitted. She could lie to a few people but knew she had no choice but to tell Tracks the truth. Especially since he had the ability to take over control and drive the opposite direction if he so wished. “I have somewhere I need to be and I don’t want my dad to know about it.”
“Well, well,” Tracks sang, finding this bit of news curious. “I sense a story here. Are we going on an adventure for the one accessory which will make your latest creation complete?”
“Even better,” Rarity smiled, happy she could tell someone of her accomplishment. “A designer from Tio’s Surprise wants to meet with me. He thinks I have real potential.”
“Really?” Tracks asked. “So your meeting with an older male and I’m assuming neither of your parents are aware of it?”
“Right as rain, darling.”
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Tracks inquired. Both he and his partner had spent their off time together watching daytime dramas. Often Tracks would form his holomatter avatar in Rarity’s room and the two of them watched these types of shows for hours. Though he wasn’t an expert when it came to human relationships, Tracks was pretty sure an attractive young girl like Rarity meeting alone with an older gentleman was a recipe for disaster. Or at least a kidnapping storyline on sweeps week. “Meeting with someone you know only through reputation without your parents knowing about it? If they find out you’ll be grounded until you graduate.”
“There is NO WAY I’m telling my parents,” Rarity insisted, making sure to put emphasis on her words. “You know how overprotective my dad gets. I just want to meet with Mr. De La Cour and show I can do stuff on my own. If not my dad will never let me go away for college. I’ll be forced to attend the local community college instead. And I highly doubt a fashion degree from Canterlot Community College will get my work on the runways of Paris.”
“Fine,” Tracks grumbled through his radio. “Just make sure you tell one of the girls just to be on the safe side. I don’t want to be the only one to carry this burden.”
“Yes mother dear ,” Rarity growled, insinuating Tracks was being as overbearing as her mother. The pair drove the rest of the way in silence. Once they pulled into the parking lot at school, Rarity got out and left Tracks alone to worry his companion wasn’t making a huge mistake.
***
The day passed slowly for Tracks as he waited for the school day to be over. Like most days when he was able to be with the rest of the Unit E team, the hardest part was staying in his alt-form the entire time while Rarity was in class. Sure he had Drift, Windcharger, and Beachcomber close by so he at least had someone to talk with but today was especially problematic. Despite playing a few online games with Windcharger and keeping abreast with the world news (a hobby he did often but told no one about), he couldn’t take his mind off the idea Rarity was putting herself in danger. He tried to pass it off as he was overthinking the situation but seemed to stumble across news articles of older humans taking advantage of younger humans and causing them harm. The situation was starting to cause his to processor to overheat.
Just as he thought he should ask his fellow Autobots for advice the bell went off signifying the end ofthe school day. Within moments the doors burst open and several students came flooding out of the school. Before long, the girls of Unit E were walking towards their Autobot companions. Unfortunately, they were short one member: Rarity was nowhere to be seen.
“Hey Dash,” Tracks spoke through the speakers. “Where is Rarity?”
“She said she had to work on her latest project and not to wait for her,” Dash replied as her and Applejack got into Windcharger. “Considering how preoccupied she was, you're probably going to be here for a while.”
“Sorry old buddy,” Beachcomber called as Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie got into his cab. “Looks like you’ll be hanging around here alone for a bit.”
“If Rarity gets in over her head let us know and we will come and help,” Sunset Shimmer added as she and Twilight Sparkle buckled into Drift. “She has a habit of taking on more than she can handle.”
“You have no idea,” Tracks grumbled as he watch all of his teammates drive out of the parking lot. It was fairly obvious from the way they were talking, Rarity hadn’t taken the time to explain to her friends what she was planning. Tracks was so frustrated at this revelation he was about to materialize his avatar and go find Rarity but she appeared from the school a second later in a made sprint towards where Tracks was parked. “Why do all your friends think you are going to be staying late and working on a design?”
“The day was a mess,” Rarity shouted as she grabbed all of the materials she had packed earlier. “I’ll explain in a moment.”
Before Tracks could inquire further, Rarity had turned on her heel and dashed back into the school. Though he was was curious why she was in such a huff, he dared not use his avatar to follow after her considering she was going to change. He had made the mistake of using it to enter into her room one time and caught a glimpse of her in her underwear. Rarity had threatened to key his doors if he ever did it again.
A few minutes passed and Rarity again emerged from the school. This time she was wearing the dress Tracks had watched her create a few weeks ago, her hair was up in a bun, and she was walking as fast as the large heeled shoes would allow. As she approached Tracks, she went around and got in on his passenger side. “You drive. I have to do my makeup.”
“Yes Ma’am,” Tracks replied with an annoyed tone he wasn’t sure Rarity caught onto. He materialized his holomatter avatar (which resembled a certain latin gentlemen he met while on Earth) in the driver’s seat of the car. “So where exactly am I going? And why does it seem like your friends have no idea about your dinner date?”
“I’m sorry but the day was insane,” Rarity commented as she began to apply blush. “Sunset got a message from Twilight in Equestria about a changeling attack. We couldn’t concentrate on anything else after she told us. Then there was two pop quizzes in two different subjects and by the time I remembered I needed to tell them about tonight, Principal Celestia called me into her office and asked if I wanted to help with make the costumes for the school play. I agreed but just as I met up with the girls, the bell rang and I had to run back to grab my phone and backpack. I didn’t have to time to explain everything to them when they asked what I was doing so I just said project.”
“So I’m the only one who knows of this crazy scheme,” Tracks asked, already knowing what the answer was. “I have to say, this is a bit irresponsible.”
“I know what I am doing,darling ” Rarity insisted as she began tweezing her eyebrows. “I’ll meet with Mr. De La Cour, he’ll offer me the internship, and before long I’ll be in so much demand, there will be no way my parents insist I stay at home for college.”
“If you say so,” Tracks sighed, deciding he was wasting syllables trying to talk his partner out of her plan. “Unfortunately, you’re going to go nowhere until you tell me where I’m suppose to go.”
“Oh right,” Rarity admitted. “It’s the Stardust room. The fanciest restaurant in town. Do you know where it is?”
“Of course I do. I know this town like the back of my hand,” Tracks replied as he started driving towards the restaurant. “Don’t you think you're a little overdressed for a professional dinner?”
“I’m trying to look my best and show my skills as a fashionista all at the same time,” Rarity snapped. “Besides your one to talk Mr. “Flames on the hood.””
“That is Valor’s Flame thank you very much,” Tracks insisted, a bit offended at the remark. “An award given to those who show excessive courage the battle field. I wear it proudly no matter what alt-form I have.”
“Whatever you say Mr. Flamer. I still can't believe I have a meeting with Fredric De La Cour,” Rarity giggled as she applied her lipstick. “He designed the last three lines for his company and all of them were utterly fabulous. With his guidance I’ll make it to top before you know it.”
“Let’s hope so,” Tracks decided. He realized it was pointless to fight Rarity when her mind was focused. She had a dream and wanted to see it come to fruition. All he could do was be there for her in the end. “Alright, we should be there in about five minutes. Do you have everything you need?”
“I think so,” Rarity confirmed as she looked at her make up one last time in the mirror. “Could you park around back?”
“I can always drop you off at the front,” Tracks suggested.
“Thanks but no,” Rarity countered, fixing a wayward strand hair. “I prefer to make a grand entrance.”
Tracks wanted to ask, “And I don’t make a grand entrance?” but didn’t say anything. Rarity was so on edge at the moment he feared she’d launch into an argument if he tried to object. He simply did as instructed and drove to the restaurant. Before long he had parked himself in a space at the back of the restaurant and dissolved his avatar. “Your designation my lady.”
“Excellent,” Rarity beamed as she got out of the car, clutching a small purse and her portfolio close. “Wish me luck Tracks.”
“Good luck Ms. Diva,” Tracks called as Rarity made her way into the restaurant. “I’m still not sure this is a good idea.”
Rarity was already inside the restaurant so she couldn’t hear Track’s complaint. He waited patiently trying to keep his cool. He always did pride himself on being calm under pressure. As he sat contemplating what to do to pass the time, a car park in the space on the opposite side of the lot. It was a black new model sedan with a sticker on the back which marked it as a rental. The door to the vehicle opened and a man Tracks recognized from Rarity’s fashion magazines stepped out
“So the great designer has arrived,” Tracks whispered as he watched Mr. De La Cour get out of his car. The man was incredibly skinny , wore a magenta suit, and had a cheap toupee on his head. Tracks snickered as he wondered if the designer actually believed he was fooling anyone with such a bad head of hair. As Tracks watched De La Cour make his way into the restaurant, his suspicious flared up again. There was no one he was going to risk his partner getting hurt. He decided to take action.
Deploying a small launcher from the roof of his car, Tracks targeted the security uplink on the roof and fired. Immediately the little hacker shell latched into the restaurant’s security system and provided him full access. He now had a way of keeping tabs on his partner.
As Tracks watched, Mr. De La Cour approached the young girl and smiled at her. “Miss Rarity. A pleasure to finally meet with you. I must say you are wearing an exquisite piece. I’m curious how you were able to get your hands on it considering it hasn’t been released to stores yet.”
“Actually Mr. De La Cour,” Rarity smiled coyly, building to the reveal. “I made this myself. I saw your fashion show last month and was able to make a recreation of the outfit in less than a day.”
“My, my, my,” Mr. De La Cour mused as he took a seat on the opposite side of the table. “A truly impressive feat young lady. And please, call me Frederic. I prefer my meetings to be more laid back and comfortable for both parties.”
“Of course Frederic,” Rarity replied, her charm at an all time high. “Would you like to order dinner? Or would you prefer to look at my portfolio first?”
“One thing at a time my dear,” Frederic commented as he looked over the wine menu. “First I’d like to get a drink first. I prefer to have a few drinks before heading to a flight.”
Tracks continued to watch the video feed closely. As time passed he began to wonder if he wasn’t being too overprotective. Frederic ordered white wine, Rarity asked for sparkling water, and before long Frederic was admiring the designs in Rarity’s portfolio. It was beginning to feel like a legitimate business meeting.
After the pair had ordered dinner, Rarity excused herself to powder her nose, leaving Frederic alone at the table. Tracks was about to turn off the feed, feeling foolish for being so paranoid when he noticed something. Frederic pulled a small container from out of his breast pocket, opened it, and dumped the contents into Rarity’s drink. He then used the straw to stir in the contents before replacing the container back in his jacket.
“No, no, no,” Tracks had seen enough Earth dramas to know what just happened was not a good thing. He had to warn Rarity about him. Opening his communication channel, Tracks sent a barrage of text messages to Rarity’s phone.
Don’t drink your water! Frederic slipped something in it!
SOS! Leave the restaurant now
This is not a joke!
As Tracks continued to try and warn the young woman he noticed a light kept going off on the security feed. The light was Rarity’s phone alerting her to messages. She had forgotten to take it with her to the restroom.
“Not good, not good,” Tracks mused, fearing Rarity wouldn’t see the messages. A second later Rarity made her way back to the table, unaware of what was transpiring. “Pick up the phone girl. Pick up!”
“Your phone was exploding. You must be popular,” Frederic chuckled, nonchalantly. “Do you have somewhere else you need to be?”
“No, no, I’m so sorry,” Rarity blushed with embarrassment. She didn’t want to do anything which would cause her to blow the interview. Without checking the messages, Rarity slid her phone into her purse and placed it under her chair. “You were about to tell me about your plans for your fall collection, right?”
“Yes, I was,” Frederic smirked.
“Slag, slag, slag,” Tracks cursed as he watched the pair go back to their conversation. He began to brainstorm what he could do. He pulled up his positioning system and tried to find where all the rest of the team was. They were all far away and it would take too long to explain the situation to any of them. By the time Ratchet opened a ground bridge to his location to have one of the girls come and Rarity about what was happening it would be too late. He was running out of options.
Tracks watched as Rarity grabbed the glass off the table and brought it closer to her mouth. Without any other choice, Tracks materialized his Avatar inside the restaurant right behind De La Cour. The table where they were sitting was so isolated no one noticed the figure of a man appear out of thin air. Rarity’s eyes went wide as she say the familiar face appear behind her dinner date.
“Is something wrong my dear,” Frederic asked, noticing the surprised expression on Rarity’s face. “You look like you have seen a ghost.”
“Yes well,” Rarity coughed, placing her drink on the table, and trying to play off the sudden shock. She watched as Track’s avatar signaled to her, shaking its head, making a drinking gesture and then grabbing his neck to choke himself. Rarity furrowed her brow and nodded in acknowledgement. De La Cour turned around but Tracks dissolved the avatar before he could see it. “You put something in my drink didn’t you?”
“What?” Frederic gasped, putting up a very unconvincing demeanor. It was obvious he was more accustomed to planning out what he said. “ I don’t know what you are talking about. Are you accusing me?”
“So If we took this drink to the local authorities and had them run a test on it they wouldn’t find anything of note?” Rarity questioned Frederic, a killing glare in her beautiful eyes.
“That’s unnecessary,” Frederic chuckled nervously. He reached for Rarity's water glass but she was quick to grab it away. “I assure you, every is fine.”
“No, no it’s not,” Rarity fumed through clenched teeth. “I’ll be taking this with me. You’ll be hearing from me pretty quick. I’ll expect a letter of recommendation from you in the morning or I’ll give this goes to a very close family friend who just happens to work with the police department. Then I will never heard from you again. Understand?”
“My dear, you don’t,” Frederic protested, trying to regain the upperhand in the conversation.
“Do you understand!” Rarity shouted, slamming her fist on the table and getting the attention of most of the restaurant despite how isolated their table was.
“Yes,” Frederic nodded as he started to sweat so much his tuppe started to slide down his face. “Yes I do,”
“Good. Have fun explaining to the wait staff why I am taking their glass with me,” Rarity picked up her clutch, her portfolio, and the drink as she made her way towards the exit. She did not look back, trying her best to keep a strong appearance despite being afraid. If she had taken the time to turn back she would have been able to witness Tracks’ avatar appear again, grab Frederic by the back of the skull and slam his head into the table.
“If you ever even think of trying to go after her, I guarantee no one on Earth will ever be able to find your body,” Tracks hissed making it very clear he wasn’t joking. “Got it?”
Frederic whimpered in response.
Tracks deactivated his avatar just as Rarity made it to the where he was in the parking lot. She got into the passenger side of his car. She didn’t say a word, and Tracks didn’t pester her. He simply shifted into drive and made his way out of the parking lot.
“Find somewhere secluded,” Rarity ordered, staring at the glass of water the entire time. “Do you have a way to tell what he put in my drink?”
“I have a basic liquid scanner. Beachcomber insisted we needed to keep on hand to make sure we didn’t offer you girls anything poisonous,” Tracks explained. “Just put it on here.”
A compartment opened on the dashboard in front of Rarity and a small metallic platter rose up. She placed the beverage on the surface and it was lowered into the dashboard. As Tracks began to run the analysis he pulled into the secluded part of a park and cut his engine.
“Well?” Rarity asked, a mix of fear and curiosity in her voice. “What is it?”
“Done,” Tracks announced. “Flunitrazepam, commonly known as a roofie.”
“He was gonna,” Rarity gasped in terror. “Oh god.”
Unable to contain her emotions anymore, Rarity hugged herself and began to cry. Bitter tears fell from her eyes, smearing her makeup and landing on the dress she was wearing. Tracks had seen her cry during movies and while mourning the many “tragedies” she suffered in her life. This was different though, as the noise she made made her sound more hurt and vulnerable than he had ever seen her before.
“Is there anything I can do?” Tracks asked, the pain of watching his partner suffer resonating deep in his spark.
“I want to be held,” Rarity sobbed, gasping for air. “But you can’t. Can you?”
“You’ve never tried touching a holomatter avatar before have you?”
Before Rarity could answer, Tracks materialized his avatar into the driver's seat and pulled Rarity close to him. He was right. She hadn’t taken the time to ever touch the embodiment of her partner before. The feeling of his body was solid, warm, and comforting all at once. It felt like she was truly being held close by someone she could trust. As Track’s human form held Rarity she began to cry again, letting the sadness, fear, and disappointment wash over her all at once.
The pair remained nearly motionless in the park for a long time. Rarity sobbing deeply and Tracks holding her tight, trying to comfort her. After several moments, the young girl stopped her tears and sniffled loudly before saying, “I’m Famished darling .”
“No problem,” Tracks replied as he shifted his alt-form into reverse and backed out of the park. “Anywhere particular?"
“Somewhere with gravy fries,” Rarity commented firmly. “I don’t care about my diet right now.”
***
Tracks decided it was best not to go to Sugarcube Corner Malt Shop and instead found a small diner on the outskirts of town he was certain no one would they knew would attend. Tracks used his avatar to get a table, while Rarity grabbed the bag containing the clothes she had worn earlier in the day and disappeared into the bathroom before anyone in the establishment could ask why she was so overdressed for such a humble place. She returned from the bathroom wearing regular clothes and her face free of the designer make up. Tracks noticed she had take a pair of shears to her copy of De La Cour’s dress and made it into several very fashionable rags which she stuffed into the bag before throwing into her side of the booth. He decided not to ask questions, instead insisted Rarity order whatever she wanted and he would use the card the military contact from Unit E had given him to ensure the girls got fed while on missions. Rarity nodded, browsed, the menu, and ordered. The pair sat in silence as they waited for the food to arrive, Tracks not wanting to press the issue further. Eventually the food came, and his partner decided to open up.
“ I feel so stupid,” Rarity sighed as she looked over her dinner. On top of gravy fries, she had also gone with a double bacon burger, and a large vanilla milkshake but Tracks was pretty she she wasn’t commenting about her choice for dinner. “I was so focused on my work and wanting to get out on my own I didn’t want to listen to you or ask anyone for help. I’m such a moron.”
“If it makes you feel any better,” Tracks shrugged. “I can relate to you on a grand scale.”
“Really,” Rarity replied before taking a large bite of the burger. “Do tell.”
Tracks’ avatar looked out the window longingly. Rarity had never seen her partner look so melancholy before. “I haven’t told you about my brother have I?”
“You have a brother?” Rarity asked, almost choking on her milkshake from shock. Despite their talks, she had forgotten to ask about Tracks family life, assuming as a robot he didn’t have much family. She cursed herself for being so insensitive. “No. I guess you never have. What’s he like?”
“His name is Needlenose,” Tracks explained. By the tone of his voice, Rarity realized it would be a bad time to make fun of such a peculiar name. “He’s a Decepticon.”
Rarity gasped. “On my.”
“He designed Chic Chips,” Tracks went on, talking about the past. “High end technology. Stuff everyone was lining up to get there hands on. I was sure I could market them and Needlenose and I would go down in history.”
“What happened?” Rarity inquired as she stopped eating to focus on Tracks’ story.
“I was blind,” Tracks admitted. “ I didn’t see how serious Needlesnose was about the Decepticon philosophies. I was so focused on just getting ahead with our business and being the best in the game, I didn’t take the time to ask how he was doing and what was bothering him. Before I knew it he was gone, I had run the entire thing into the ground, and we were now on opposite sides of a war.”
“And now?” Rarity wondered, finding the story to be very personal. “Is he still alive? Did the two of you make amends?”
“It’s complicated,” Tracks chuckled dryly, as if the entire situation was a bad joke. “He’s on the Sanctuary Station on Jupiter with a hand full of Cons trying to find peace. For now he doesn’t want to destroy every non-cybertronian life form so its progress at least. But...I don’t think we'll ever have what we once did.”
“I guess,” Rarity thought out loud as she pondered what Tracks had just told her. As she thought of where she was and what she learned, she couldn’t help but smile. “I guess I should count my blessings. I got out of a bad situation in one piece. I learned I need to ask for help more and soon I’ll have those letters of recommendations or De La Cour will go to jail.”
“There you go,” Tracks agreed, glad to see his partner smile again. “Now you finish your dinner. I’ll be right back.”
Rarity went back to eating her food. A few minutes later, Tracks walked backed to the booth and put a small, plush monkey down in front of her. The toy was puke green and the monkey had a very goofy expression on its face. Rarity grimaced as she looked at the cheap item. “What is that?”
“I won it out of the claw machine,” Tracks boosted. “I don’t know how but I seem to have a knack for them. Consider it a memento of the evening.”
“Oh yes,” Rarity snapped, grabbing the appalling item and shoving it into her bag out of sight. “Because the last thing I want is to remember the events of this evening.”
“There is the Rarity I know and love,” Tracks chuckled, as he grabbed the check off the table. “Come on. Let’s head home.”
Rarity shook her head at her partner's desperate attempt to make her feel better. He was no Pinkie Pie but she did find she was smiling. Her dinner finished, Rarity grabbed her bag, and went out to where Tracks was parked in front of the diner while his avatar paid for the meal.
***
It was close to midnight by the time Tracks pulled into the garage attached to Rarity’s home. He turned off his engine, and let Rarity out. He tried to think of something encouraging to say but couldn’t muster an Optimus Prime caliber speech filled with hope and promise. Instead, all he came up with was, “I’m here if you need me.”
“Thanks Tracks,” Rarity replied, kissing her fingertips and tapping his driver’s side mirror. “For everything.”
Rarity walked into the house, exhausted from the day. As she made her way towards her room, her parents asked how her the internship went from the living room. She was able to simple reply “Good” before excusing herself for the night and continuing to her bedroom. Once she was in the safety of her room, Rarity dropped her school bag into a chair and the extra bag on her bed. She made quick work of unpacking the bag on her bed in a precise manner. The makeup went back on her dresser, her portfolio went back on the shelf, and the shredded dress went in the trash. The only thing left was the puke green monkey, so she threw the bag in her closet.
Finished, Rarity sat on the bed, and felt the tears slowly start to build in her eyes. Part of her wanted to cry again and curse herself for being so stupid. Just as she was about to give into the desire, a beep on her phone got her attention. It was a message from Tracks.
Good night Ms. Diva
Rarity smiled and texted back,
Good night Mr. Flamer.
Wiping the tears from her eyes, Rarity got undressed, put on her pajamas, and climbed into bed. She was so tired she didn’t even take the time to put on the beauty mask she usually slept in. Just as she was about to turn off the lights, she got out of bed, and went to her closet. She pulled out the puke green monkey Tracks had won for her from the claw game out of the bag. She smiled, wiped her eyes again, and climbed back into bed, hugging the amusing gift close as she fell asleep.
***