//------------------------------// // Ironhide's War Story // Story: As the Apple Blooms // by The FraudulentBrit //------------------------------// As the Apple Blooms Part 21; Ironhide’s War Story Two months. It had been two months since Apple Bloom first arrived in Allspark wells, and the young girl could only describe the time spent as nothing short of a roller coaster of emotions. On one hand, there were the constant reminders of what she’d done, ranging from playful teasing to malicious insults. It also didn’t help that she wasn’t able to contact her family, especially her older sister Applejack. And yet, Apple Bloom found that life in Allspark Wells was nothing short of fantastic. Not only had Ironhide welcomed her into his family, but several of the locals were incredibly friendly and welcoming of her. And that was nothing to say of her new friends. Whether it was the shy Marble Pie, the tomboyish Sideswipe, the resourceful Rattrap, or even the skilled (and very handsome) Tender Taps, they all made Apple Bloom feel more at home than she ever had in her life. All in all, life was pretty good for Apple Bloom. As she stood at the counter of the Chop Shop, she could only think to herself, ‘Ah kinda don’t want this to end.’ This blissful thought was interrupted as Ironhide made his way to the front of the shop and, after letting out a relieved sigh, turned the “open” sign around so that the outside side said “closed.” “Well, that’s another day in the annals of history.” The older scrapper said as he began to stretch. “Ugh. One of these days my back is just gonna give out.” “Sorry about that Uncle Ironhide.” Apple Bloom empathetically. “Anything Ah can do?” Ironhide made his way up to his niece and replied, “Not unless you can turn back time.” As the younger girl shook her head, Ironhide continued, “So, since we won’t start dinner for an hour, I think someone here has a little bit of down time.” Apple Bloom made her way around the counter and wrapped her arms around her uncle as she said, “Thanks Uncle Ironhide.” The older man returned the gesture as he replied, “You’re welcome Apple Bloom.” Once she was released, Apple Bloom made her way out of the shop and towards her room. Apple Bloom’s Room, Twenty Minutes Later Apple Bloom sat at her desk, doodling on a piece of paper. Like many kids her age, the former farm girl had a penchant for drawing, even though she found herself unimpressed with her actual skill. She had been working on a small sketch of her and her friends. Not wanting to see herself as a narcissist, Apple Bloom placed Sideswipe in the middle, striking a confident pose. To her right was Marble, holding her arm nervously, and to her right was Rattrap. Apple Bloom placed the doodle of herself to Sideswipe’s left, jumping up in the air with excitement. And to her left, Tender Taps rounded everything out as he looked up to his girlfriend with wide eyes. “Guess we’re a ragtag group of misfits, ain’t we?” Apple Bloom asked the sketch before her. True, each of them were very different from each other, but perhaps that was part of what brought all of them together, or at brought them to Apple Bloom. As her eyes drifted towards the drawings of Rattrap, the red haired girl could only say, “Though Ah guess we need to introduce you to Sideswipe and Tendy, don’t we Rattrap?” Before Apple Bloom could catch herself giving Tender Taps an embarrassing (yet admittedly cute nickname), the sound of something crashing somewhere distracted her, followed by Ironhide nearly shouting, “Oh, that’s just prime!” Concerned, Apple Bloom rose from her seat and began to make her way to her uncle’s room. “Uncle Ironhide!” Apple Bloom asked as she entered her uncle’s room. “Everythin’ alright?” Ironhide, kneeling in front of what looked like a turned over photo, replied, “Yeah. I just knocked something over.” The older man then proceeded to pick up the object and, setting it back on his drawers, continued, “I’m just thankful the glass didn’t break.” As Apple Bloom walked closer, she realized that the object wasn’t actually a photo, but rather a small container holding several medals. Curious, she asked, “Uh, Uncle Ironhide? What are those medals?” “You mean these old trinkets?” Ironhide asked. “These were just a few souvenirs from the war.” This revelation amazed Apple Bloom, making the younger girl’s jaw drop. Seeing that he’d impressed his niece, Ironhide took the collection of medals and replied, “Well, maybe not souvenirs.” He then sat down on his bed as he invited Apple Bloom to join him. Once Apple Bloom sat down, Ironhide began to explain the medals. “This one….” He pointed to a purple heart with a gold profile on it. “….This was a purple heart for getting wounded. Personally I have like, twenty of these.” Apple Bloom could only reply, “Whoa.” Letting out a chuckle, Ironhide continued, “Let’s just say there’s a reason I like to cover up. The Wreckers took a lot of beating.” Ironhide then pointed to another medal. “This one was for general bravery. I got it for holding off a swarm of soldiers on nothing but adrenaline and a heavy machine gun.” He then moved on to the next medal. “This one was for completing a campaign behind enemy lines. Probably the second most miserable time of my life.” Apple Bloom gave her uncle a concerned look, but Ironhide quickly remarked, “But that’s in the past.” Finally, Ironhide pointed to the final medal, a simple silver medal with a crimson ribbon. “This was a custom medal given to me by…..” He stopped himself as he remarked, “Well, it’s a bit of a story. You want to hear it kid?” Apple Bloom nodded and replied, “Ah’d love to.” Ironhide nodded as he began, “Well, it was a few months after we were deployed….” The Top of a Hill, The Jungles, Many Years Earlier…. The heat of the jungle was irritating to many people, especially the soldiers who patrolled every corner for their enemy. However, for one soldier, Sergeant Ironhide, the sweltering heat had become just another obstacle one had to deal with. Kneeling behind a bush, he peered down the hill, right into the enemy base. “Ok. We got ten, eleven, twelve….” Ironhide said to himself as he counted the soldiers in the base. Each one was clad in simple olive, tan, or green fatigues as they patrolled, wielding an assault rifle, submachine gun, or some other weapon. Near the edge of the base, there were several trucks loaded with supplies. However, what had caught the young sergeant’s attention was the vehicle parked in the center; a large tracked vehicle with a turret that had four gun barrels on it. “That’s gonna be a problem.” From behind him, Ironhide heard a very familiar voice call out, “Sergeant Ironhide. Report.” Turning around, the young sergeant was greeted by his commanding officer, Captain Optimus Prime. “Sir…” Ironhide began to report. “The enemy base has at least twenty personnel, more likely thirty.” He then pointed to the center of the base as he continued, “The big problem will be that thing.” As Optimus pulled out a pair of binoculars, Ironhide asked, “That some sort of new tank?” “I don’t think so.” Optimus solemnly replied. “I think it’s an anti-air gun of some kind.” Putting his binoculars away, he continued, “We need to get back to the others. Whatever that thing is, it’s going out of commission.” As Ironhide nodded, Prime ordered, “Ok then. Let’s roll out.” Fifteen Minutes Later… Optimus and Ironhide made their way back to the rest of the wreckers, who were hiding in an abandoned cabin. Ironhide could only let out a sigh of relief to see that the sentries, Springer and Roadblock, were as alert as ever. When the two sentries began to raise their weapons, Optimus ordered, “At ease boys.” Springer quickly asked, “So sir, how are we gonna blow that base sky high?” Optimus raised his hand as he answered, “Get the others and I’ll explain. We may have a complication.” Springer nodded as he turned to the door and said, “Get your asses up! The boss and Ironhide are back.” One by one, the rest of the Wreckers emerged from the cabin. There was the energetic Wheeljack, the timid Huffer, the shifty Mirage, the burly Trailbreaker, the worrisome Ratchet, the hotheaded Firefly, and the blunt Crosshairs. They were a ragtag group of misfits; the team that was sent in to do jobs no one else could get done. Wheeljack stepped forward and asked, “So, what are we dealing with?” Optimus turned to Ironhide and gave him an approving nod. Ironhide returned the gesture and began to explain what he’d seen. “Ok, I got good news and bad news. The base is pretty light, only about thirty guards at most and a few trucks.” Huffer then asked, “And the bad news?” Ironhide sighed and replied, “They’ve got some new toy. It’s got the chassis of a tank but the turret has four guns.” Crosshairs muttered, “Oh bloody ‘ell.” Optimus turned to his squad mate and asked, “Something wrong?” The green man nodded and replied, “Yeah. I think I know what that thing is. It’s a new kind anti-air spg called a shilka. The reds have been selling ‘em to all their flunkies.” As the rest of the Wreckers pondered what to do, Ironhide asked, “Does this thing have a hatch on the turret?” Crosshairs shrugged as he replied, “Think so. Why?” Ironhide then simply bashed his knuckles together as he remarked, “Because if so, I can take this thing.” Optimus then spoke up. “In that case, I think I know what to do.” As the rest of the team gathered around their leader, he continued, “Ironhide, Firefly, you two deal with the shilka. Wheeljack and Crosshairs, you two….” The Base Outskirts, an Hour Later…. It was now or never. Ironhide and Firefly slithered up to an opening in the wooden walls, hoping that the rest of the plan would work. The rest of the team were divided in pairs to perform their part of the plan, though Ironhide was more focused on his part; getting close to the shilka and knocking it out. With his trusty shotgun, the scatter blaster, in hand, he inched closer and closer to the wall. At least he did until one of the guards, a man in green fatigues and a green pith helmet, emerged from the gap. Keeping still, Ironhide slowed his breathing, trying to be as quiet as possible. The guard didn’t seem to notice him, instead focusing on something off in the distance. This was when Firefly took a rock and threw it, making a noise that distracted the guard. As the hapless goon turned his back to Ironhide, he realized this was his only chance. Working with speed that few could match, he pulled out a knife as he rose from the ground, charged the guard and wrapped his left arm around his mouth while plunging the knife into his neck with his other arm. Once the guard was down, Ironhide turned to Firefly and gave his teammate an “ok” hand gesture. The other man returned the gesture as he rose to his feet. Then Firefly stepped on a particularly thick stick. Before either Ironhide or Firefly could react, another guard in a watchtower noticed the loud crack and turned to see what had caused the noise, only to see two men who were not supposed to be there. Immediately, the guard shouted, “Ke xam pham!” only to be interrupted when a bullet went straight through his cranium. While the sentry had been dealt with, the rest of the garrison was now alert to the fact that they were now under attack. “Oh shit.” Ironhide quickly mumbled to himself as he quickly charged into the base. Once inside, he quickly found himself surrounded by three more guards. Luckily, Ironhide was a quick thinker, and not wasting any more time, he charged the closest goon. While the other two were distracted, he aimed the scatter blaster at one of them and pulled the trigger, sending the poor soldier to the other side. Pumping the shotgun, Ironhide aimed it at the final guard and fired. Unfortunately, this soldier managed to get a few shots off before he went down, and one of his bullets managed to graze Ironhide in his left shoulder. Falling to the ground, Ironhide clutched his shoulder, releasing the soldier he was holding down. Luckily, Firefly pelted the goon with a hailstorm of submachine gun fire. As Firefly reached to help Ironhide up, he quipped, “You owe me for this buddy.” Ironhide simply rolled his eyes as he replied, “Let’s get this done before we start keeping score.” It was at this moment that Ironhide heard a loud metallic screech. Turning towards the source, he found the large vehicle, the shilka, was not only powered on, but its massive turret was now aimed right at him and Firefly. “Look out!” Ironhide shouted as he pushed Firefly out of the way. The moment after they were clear, the armored vehicle let out a horrifying hailstorm of fire. Shots rained from the four guns to the ground at such a high rate of fire that it sounded like a metallic piece of paper being ripped. Ducking behind a pile crates, both men hoped their makeshift palisade would defend them. To their horror, the shilka aimed at the top of the crates and began to fire again, turning each one into a storm of wooden shrapnel. Panicking, Ironhide could only instinctively shout, “Oh fuck!” Grabbing Firefly’s hand, he pulled his friend just in time to save him from turning into a puddle of red goo. From behind the armored beast, Ironhide heard Wheeljack call out, “Hey! Over here you overgrown buzz saw!” True enough, on a walkway connected to the wooden wall, Wheeljack was challenging, or rather flipping the bird, at the shilka. “Wheeljack!” Ironhide shouted. “Get out of there you dumbass!” As the shilka’s turret rotated towards him, Wheeljack ducked out of the way. But with the turret no longer focused him, Ironhide took the opportunity to rise and charge the metal behemoth. Pulling out two frag grenades, he climbed the shilka and struggled to make his way to the turret. However, when the turret began to turn again, Ironhide was forced to drop one of his grenades so he could hold on. When the turret finally stopped, it’s hatch opened, revealing the vehicle’s commander. As the commander looked down upon Ironhide, the latter could only look up and nervously ask, “So, what’s up doc?” The enemy combatant simply glared as he pulled out a pistol. Luckily, the commander’s head turned into a puff of red as he slumped back down into the hatch. Ironhide shook his head, trying to comprehend what he’d just seen, only to see Optimus, his gun pointed at where the enemy’s head had been. “Ironhide! Throw the grenade!” Optimus shouted. His mind finally catching back up to him, Ironhide took a grenade, pulled the pin, and threw it down the hatch. With the explosive sent, he threw himself off the shilka. The moment Ironhide was off the shilka, it began to shake and rumble. Soon enough, the large vehicle was consumed in a cloud of black and red. Ironhide could only let out a sigh of relief as he said, “Good riddance.” It was at this moment that Ironhide realized something; the bullet fire and explosions had stopped. ‘Guess that means we won.’ Ironhide thought to himself. As he rose back to his feet, his brain finally began to register just how much his shoulder hurt. Clutching it, he groaned, “Ugh. Bastards.” “Ironhide!” Firefly called out as he ran up to his friend. Kneeling down, he extended his hand as he asked, “You need a hand buddy?” Ironhide simply let out a gentle chuckle as she replied, “Yeah. Thanks.” As Firefly helped him up, he quipped “Guess that means we’re even now?” Ironhide simply patted his team mate on the back as he quipped, “Just don’t let it go to your head.” Before either man could continue, they heard Crosshairs call out, “Guys! We’ve got a prisoner here!” Quickly turning to each other, Ironhide and Firefly nodded as they made their up to their comrade. Once they’d joined Crosshairs, Ironhide was greeted by a horrifying sight; one of his fellow countrymen was trapped in an animal cage, arms and legs binded together. “Primus.” Ironhide muttered as he pulled out his shotgun and blasted the cage’s lock. Once the cage was open, he reached into the cage and began to undo the rope knots restraining him. As the prisoner crawled out of the cage, he thanked his saviors, “Oh Primus, thank you boys.” It was now that Ironhide was able to clearly make out his new acquaintance’s appearance. This man had light yellow-green skin and a dark green beard and hair. Once the prisoner finished stretching is arms, he asked, “So, who exactly are you guys anyway?” “84th Infantry.” Ironhide replied. He then extended his hand to the man as he introduced himself, “Sergeant Ironhide.” As the prisoner shook his hand, he replied, “85th recon. Sergeant Hound.” He then continued, “I didn’t expect to be saved by the Wreckers.” “We don’t leave a man behind if we can.” Ironhide replied. He then said, “Now then, let’s see if there’s anything of value in this dump.” Ten Minutes Later… Ironhide walked up to Optimus and reported, “Sir, we’ve scoured the place and found nothing.” Prime could only sigh as he replied, “I should have figured. At least we took out that shilka thing.” Ironhide let out a chuckle as he turned to the burning wreck of the anti air vehicle. “You think we’ll deal with any more of those things?” Ironhide asked. Optimus rested a hand on his sergeant’s shoulder as he replied, “If we do, I think we’ll be alright.” “Prime!” Wheeljack shouted as he and Crosshairs ran up to the two soldiers. He continued, “We got good news and bad news. Good news is that we think we found an entrance to their tunnel system.” This revelation brought a smile to Ironhide’s face. The Wreckers had been informed that their enemies were moving all over the countryside through a massive system of underground tunnels, and if they could infiltrate them, then their jobs would be far easier. Then Crosshairs spoke up. “The bad news is the wankers filled the entrance in. And if what it looks like is true, they did it a while back.” Sighing, Ironhide could only mumble, “Well, that’s just prime.” Optimus then cleared his throat, forcing his sergeant to apologize, “I mean, no offense sir.” Optimus let out a gentle chuckle as he replied, “I’m just messing with you guys.” He then called out to the rest of his team. “Alright boys! Get everything of value and let’s roll out!” An Opening in the Forest, Twenty Minutes Later… The entire team was standing in a clearing, waiting for the helicopters to pick them up. Wheeljack rested against his rifle as he remarked, “Well, we may not have been able to do much today, but we did blow that thing up, and we destroyed an enemy base. I’d say that calls for a few rounds at Huang Shi’s.” Huffer then asked, “So, who’s buying the first round?” Ironhide then walked up to his younger teammate and, leaning against him, quipped, “If you gotta ask that question, then it’s on you Huffer.” The younger man could only whine to himself, “Oh, me and my big mouth.” Optimus then turned to the two and ordered, “Stow it you two! Worry about that when we get back.” Then, a very loud crashing sound, almost like thunder, rang from the back of the small group. All of the Wreckers instinctively dropped to the ground and readied their weapons. From out of the jungles, enemy combatants began to emerge from the trees. Optimus immediately shouted, “We got company!” Ironhide, knowing he was too far away for his scatter blaster to effectively deal with them, pulled out another grenade, pulled the pin, and threw it towards the enemy soldiers. After a few moments, there was a small explosion followed by one of the soldiers collapsing. However, one of the soldiers managed to get close to Hound. Wheeljack tried to rush the foe, but he was knocked back by a blow to the face by his submachine gun. But while he was distracted, Hound head-butted the goon and stole his weapon. Aiming the weapon at the green clad goon, Hound unloaded the entire clip on his foe, letting out a primal scream. As the enemies began to fall back, Hound, consumed by righteous hatred, reloaded his weapon with one of the fallen goon’s spare clips and opened fire into the retreating crowd. “Come and get some!” He shouted. “You’re all gonna die!” Once the enemies were gone, Hound collapsed to the ground. Ironhide walked up to the soldier and asked, “Hey, you alright buddy?” Hound simply remarked, “I am now. Primus I hate those guys.” Ironhide patted him on the back as he replied, “Considering what they did, I don’t blame you.” After a few more minutes, the sound of helicopter blades emerged from the horizon. Sure enough, three helicopters made their way to the clearing. As the large vehicles descended towards the team, Optimus called out, “Now then, let’s go home boys.” With that, the Wreckers and their “friend” Hound entered the helicopters, ready for some well earned rest and relaxation. Ironhide and Chromia’s Room. Present Day... “Oh mah goodness!” Apple Bloom exclaimed with awe. Ironhide caressed the medal as he continued, “Yup. This medal was for bravery in taking on that shilka.” He then let out a guilty smile as he added, “Wheeljack received one too for distracting it.” Apple Bloom giggled as she remembered what he’d said Wheeljack had done. This was when Ironhide’s smile softened. Apple Bloom asked, “Somethin’ wrong?” The older man noticed his niece’s concern and replied, “Yeah. It’s just that…” He paused for a moment before continuing, “That was the last mission for a while without casualties.” Curious, Apple Bloom asked, “Casualties?” His smile now entirely gone, Ironhide explained, “Two weeks later, we were patrolling some hostile territory and Trailbreaker stepped on a landmine. Then Firefly was picked off by a sniper.” Apple Bloom was stunned by what her uncle had just revealed. She then nervously asked, “You mean, like what happened with those bad guys?” When Ironhide nodded yes, she instinctively wrapped him in a hug as she said, “Ah’m sorry about that Uncle Ironhide.” As Ironhide hugged his niece back as he replied, “It’s alright kid.” As the two finished their hug, he continued, “Just part of life.” Apple Bloom then said, “Ah hope mah parents understood what you went through.” The moment she said this, Ironhide let out an exhausted sigh. Concerned, Apple Bloom asked, “Uh, somethin’ wrong Uncle Ironhide?” Ironhide simply rose as he replied, “I’m fine. Hey, why don’t you go see if Chromia and Wheeljack need help with dinner?” While he wasn’t being forceful, he was being clear he needed some alone time. Nodding, Apple Bloom replied, “Alright. Just let me know if you need anythin’.” With that, the young girl left her uncle’s room, leaving him alone. Once he was Alone, Ironhide made his way to his mirror and looked at his reflection. Age had certainly caught up with him, and he almost didn’t resemble the young man from the story he’d just told. Letting out a gentle chuckle, he turned to a photo he kept on his dresser. In the photo were himself, Ratchet, Wheeljack, and the rest of the Wreckers, including the then new recruit Sergeant Hound. All those faces of men who weren’t around anymore hit Ironhide hard. Seeing men like Trailbreaker, Crosshairs, Firefly, Springer, Huffer, and Optimus. Especially Optimus. Sighing, Ironhide began to speak to the photograph. “One of these days, she’ll find out what happened to us.” He said with resignation in his voice. “I just hope she doesn’t react the same way her father did.” The sound of Wheeljack screaming in pain snapped Ironhide out of his trance. Letting out an amused sigh, he remarked, “Guess I better see what he got himself into.” And so, Ironhide set the collection of medals back on the drawers as he departed his room, momentarily leaving behind his memories of the years gone by.