As the Apple Blooms

by The FraudulentBrit

Sentinel "Semper Fi" Prime

As she sat in the front of her Uncle’s van, Apple Bloom couldn’t help but allow her eyes to dart all around the countryside. Passing through the evergreen valley, the natural beauty was a sight unlike anything she’d seen before, and that included the rural landscape surrounding Sweet Apple Acres.

“Enjoying the sights Apple Bloom?” Ironhide asked his niece as he steered the crimson van down the road. Turning to face her uncle, the former farm girl replied, “Ah’ve never seen anythin’ like this. You guys are lucky to live somewhere this pretty.”

Smiling at his niece’s remark, Ironhide replied, “Thanks. Certainly a little more rustic than Canterlot City, though to me, it’s just home.” He then refocused his attention to the road ahead of them as Apple Bloom leant against the van door again.

Things had certainly taken an interesting turn for Apple Bloom. It had been a few days since her little day out with her Aunt Chromia, Sideswipe, and Marble Pie, and after that things returned to normal. Ironhide ran the family’s business, Chromia kept things functioning, Ratchet made sure no one got hurt, Wheeljack tore things down or tested some new trinket, and Apple Bloom just did whatever any of them needed her to do.

Then, the day before, Ironhide told her that he wanted her to help with an errand. Apparently, he was going to deliver a present for an old friend of his, and felt that Apple Bloom should meet him, whoever he was.

So here she was, with her uncle in his van driving towards an unknown destination.

“Uncle Ironhide?” Apple Bloom asked. “Who’s this friend we’re visitin’ again?” Ironhide, not even taking his eyes off the road (the only time one would be forgiven for not making eye contact), answered, “He’s a friend I met when I was in basic training for the Marines. His name is Wasp.”

Apple Bloom then remembered that she’d been told Ironhide had served in the Army, not the Marines. “Wait, Ah thought you were in the army.” The former farm girl replied.

“Not initially.” Ironhide answered. “I was supposed to go into the Marines, but I found out the Corps was full of…. How do I put this?” He paused for a moment before bluntly finishing, “Evil men.”

That blunt remark certainly surprised Apple Bloom. “Evil” was a very harsh and specific term to use, and to hear her uncle use such a phrase to describe an entire organization was a little concerning.

Managing to muster enough courage, Apple Bloom asked, “Uh, you sure about that? Ah mean “evil” is kinda a harsh term.” Ironhide bluntly replied, “I’m as certain as I am about a round peg going into a round hole. When I was in the war, the Marines were full of evil men.” He then briefly turned to his niece and explained, “Of course I can’t say much about Marines today, but in my day they were…..” He stopped himself before simply finishing with, “It’s a long story.

Apple Bloom simply nodded and turned her attention back to the countryside. She just hoped they would arrive before things got any more awkward.

After a grand total of an hour on the road, Ironhide turned to his niece and said, “We’re here.” Apple Bloom lit up with excitement as she set her sights on their destination.

Before the two was a large building that resembled a brick mansion. However, the large sign that was positioned above the entrance was what really drew her attention. The sign was simple, plain, and said, “Cybertron State Mental Hospital.”

“A mental hospital?” Apple Bloom asked, not trying to be rude but nonetheless surprised at the purpose of their destination. Ironhide, parking the van in a parking space, nodded as he answered, “Yeah. Wasp had a…”

Ironhide sighed as he turned to his niece and began to speak. “Wasp had a mental breakdown because of our drill sergeant. It’s a long story and…..” He found a lump forming in his throat. “Look, how about we finish this little errand and I’ll explain everything tonight. I don’t want Wasp reliving painful memories.”

Though put off and confused by her uncle’s response, Apple Bloom sighed as she answered, “Alright. But Ah’d like answers tonight.” Ironhide began the familiar motions of the pinkie promise, and the former farm girl let go of any remaining doubt and managed to wrap her uncle in a quick hug.

Once the hug was finished, Ironhide said, “Alright, let’s not keep Wasp waiting.”

As Apple Bloom and Ironhide entered the building, the latter carrying a package under his arm, the former farm girl was pleasantly surprised by just how homely the facility was. The waiting area was decorated with comfortable chairs surrounding a fireplace in the corner, and rather than the expected white of a hospital, the walls were a nice warm yellow. Taking everything in, Apple Bloom thought to herself, ‘This place seems kinda nice.’

Approaching the receptionist counter, Ironhide began to speak to the woman manning the counter. “Hello there. We’re here to see Wasp.” The woman began to go through a list on her desk as she replied, “Ok, Wasp, Wasp, Wasp…. Ah, he’s waiting for you in his room.”

“Thank you kindly.” Ironhide replied as he gave a thankful bow. Turning back to his niece, Ironhide took a deep breath as he began to speak again. “Now, I need to warn you Apple Bloom, Wasp is, well…. He acts a lot younger than he really is, so just try to be polite, ok?” Though concerned by her uncle’s plea, Apple Bloom knew that this was something important to him, so she nodded and replied, “Ah’ll be polite Uncle Ironhide.”

Nodding as he gave his niece a reassuring pat on her shoulder, the Ironhide said, “Alright now, follow me.”

Making their way down one of the halls, Apple Bloom couldn’t help but feel somewhat creeped out by the many residents who were now observing them. Some seemed like normal people, others were struggling to hold in uncontrollable laughter, and some found their limbs vibrating uncontrollably. While she knew that these were things they couldn’t control, she still couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable by all the attention she was receiving.

Soon the two made their way to what seemed to be an unassuming door, one numbered 1138. Approaching this room, the door opened, and out from it sprang a most unusual man.

This man appeared to be a little younger than Ironhide, though his slightly receding hairline made it clear he wasn’t exactly a young man in his prime. He had a medium green skin with dark green hair and purple eyes. All in all, he didn’t seem to have too much wrong with him, especially since he was dressed in a simple yellow tee-shirt and blue pants rather than the hospital fatigues of the other patients.

Then this man ran up to Ironhide and wrapped him in a massive embrace while squealing out, “Wasp is so happy to see his friend Ironhide!” Apple Bloom couldn’t help but feel put off by his voice, which was oddly high pitched and sounded just a little bit whiny. Ironhide himself couldn’t help but laugh as he returned the gesture with a warm “Good to see you too Wasp.”

Once he’d finished the hug, Wasp’s eyes drifted towards Apple Bloom. Curious, the green man asked, “Who is Ironhide’s friend?” As the former farm girl nervously gulped, Ironhide explained, “Wasp, this is my niece Apple Bloom. She’s staying with me until the fall.”

Deciding that the needed to show a gesture of friendship, Apple Bloom extended her hand to this odd man and introduced herself. “Uh, hello there. Ah’m Apple Bloom.” She nervously introduced herself. Wasp immediately shook her hand very firmly as he replied, “Wasp’s name is Wasp. Wasp is happy to meet you.”

Ironhide then spoke up. “Wasp, I have a present for you.” Turning to face his friend, Wasp was greeted by the sight of the older man holding a package. Taking the package, the green man began to jiggle with joy as he asked, “Can Wasp open the present?”

When Ironhide gave a confirming nod, Wasp let out a childlike squeal of joy as he ran back into his room. Turning to his niece, the older man said, “Come on Apple Bloom.” The former farm girl nodded as she and her uncle entered Wasp’s room.

Apple Bloom was certainly surprised by Wasp’s room. All throughout the bright blue room, shelves were decorated with stuffed animals or other toys, the bed in the corner of the room had bright and colorful sheets, and the table in the center was decorated with model sets made of interlocking toy bricks. All in all, one would be forgiven for thinking it was the bedroom of a preteen boy, not a man who seemed to be roughly her uncle’s age.

When Wasp opened the package, he practically screamed with joy, “Ironhide got Wasp the fort set!” Ironhide nodded as he replied, “Yup. It was practically a nightmare to find one with all the pieces.”

Apple Bloom managed to get a glimpse of what was in the package. Indeed, it was a box that displayed the image of an old cavalry fort from the old west, complete with little figures in blue uniforms.

Wasp then turned to Apple Bloom and asked, “Does Apple Bloom want to help Wasp build the fort?” Though a little put off by his behavior, especially his childlike voice, the former farm girl shrugged her shoulders as she replied, “Ah guess.”

Smiling, Wasp pulled the box out of the package as he squeaked, “This will be fun.” Apple Bloom herself simply hoped that things wouldn’t be too awkward.

“And done!” Wasp exclaimed as he placed the final piece, a little blue flag, on the fort’s gate. Apple Bloom herself couldn’t help but feel proud of their work. Indeed, now set up before the group was a small cavalry fort, just like one she remembered seeing on one of her father’s favorite old shows.

The last two hours had certainly been interesting. As they built the fort, Wasp revealed more details about himself. Despite his seemingly childlike existence, the green man actually helped out around the hospital, doing everything from helping with meals in the kitchen to even playing with other patients.

However, Ironhide began to speak, “Hey Wasp, it’s starting to get late, so Apple Bloom and I better start heading home.” Wasp sighed as he replied, “Fine, but Wasp hopes you visit him again.” The two men then gave each other a final goodbye hug, with Ironhide promising, “Alright, I’ll make sure we can visit again soon.”

Wasp then turned to Apple Bloom and asked, “Will Wasp see Apple Bloom again?” Nodding, the young girl replied, “Ah guess. Ah mean, if Uncle Ironhide wants me to.” Wasp then let out a squeal of joy as he wrapped her in a tight hug and exclaimed, “Next time, Apple Bloom and Wasp will have lots of fun.”

“Wasp, let her go.” Ironhide said to his friend. “Chromia will kill me if she gets home hurt.” Releasing Apple Bloom, the green man apologized, “Sorry Ironhide.” Once she was free, she made her way to her uncle, and soon, both had departed, leaving Wasp alone with all of his toys.

As Ironhide and Apple Bloom buckled into their seats, the former turned to his niece and said, “Hey, thanks for coming with me today.” The former farm girl nodded as she replied, “No problem Uncle Ironhide. Ah certainly didn’t expect to build a fort today.”

However, Apple Bloom took a deep breath and asked, “Uh, Uncle Ironhide?” Intrigued, the older man asked, “What is it?” The former farm girl asked, “Uh, what exactly happened to Wasp? Ah don’t want to come off as rude, but why is he here anyway?”

Sighing, Ironhide answered, “Well, it started when we were in basic training at Parry Island. You see….” He stopped himself before continuing, “How about we get something to eat? There’s this diner not too far from here, and I can tell you there.”

Though she felt that he was trying to put off telling her, Apple Bloom decided to give her uncle the benefit of the doubt. “Alright, but if you don’t, then Ah’m tellin’ Aunt Chromia.” The former farm girl warned her uncle. Letting out an amused chuckle, Ironhide replied, “I understand perfectly ma’am.”

“Your table is right this way.” The man behind the counter said as he pointed to a vacant booth. Nodding, Ironhide replied, “Thank you kindly.” With that, he and Apple Bloom made their way to the table and sat down. The former farm girl figured that her uncle was likely just going to make small talk about some random subject.

Instead, Ironhide immediately began, “As I mentioned, Wasp and I were at Parry Island together. I take it you’ve noticed his peculiar speech pattern.” Nodding, Apple Bloom answered, “Yeah. He only talked in the third person.”

“Exactly.” Ironhide continued. “He didn’t always talk like that. In fact, when we first met, he was just a regular guy, if a little skinny. Of course that was before we met our drill instructor.” Taking a deep breath, the older man added, “His name was Sentinel Prime, and he was….”

Unable to find just the right word, Ironhide decided the best way to explain was to go to where everything started. “It started the first day of basic. You see…..”

“Alright you cock sucking maggots!” The drill instructor shouted. All of the new recruits, having just had their heads shaven, lined up next to each other in a straight line, unaware of what their new master had in store for them.

One of these new recruits was Ironhide. Though he managed to sport a calm and collected face, deep down he was scared. He’d heard about drill instructors from his father all his life, but to actually hear a complete and total stranger call him a “cock sucking maggot” made him realize what kind of situation he now found himself in.

In front of him, walking past all the recruits was perhaps the most terrifying man he’d ever met. He had blue skin, orange hair, an impossibly massive chin, and was dressed in a khaki shirt and pants with a green instructor’s hat. However, what really caught Ironhide’s attention was his face, which betrayed his sheer disgust, anger, and absolute hatred of the young men who were now lined up before him.

“My name is Sentinel Prime!” The drill instructor belted out. “But you fuckwits will call me sir! Is that clear?” The entire room called back with, “Sir, yes sir!” Sentinel shook his head with disappointment and shouted, “Bullshit! Answer like you’ve actually got a pair you fucking animals! DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?!” Once again, this time with far more “enthusiasm,” the entire room called out, “SIR YES SIR!”

Nodding with satisfaction, Sentinel Prime continued, “My job is to turn you ugly little shits into killers, and by Primus almighty that is what I’m gonna do. I promise you that there are two, and ONLY two ways off my island; either as a full blooded Marine or in a fucking body bag, do I make myself clear?” All of the recruits replied, “Sir, yes sir!” Sentinel then continued, “Good, because one of the Corps’s mottos is “do or die,” and if you don’t “do,” then I guarantee you will die!”

This remark terrified Ironhide. Sure, he knew that this Sentinel Prime man wouldn’t exactly be his best friend, but to hear him make such a blatant death threat was nothing short of scary. ‘Don’t think about that Ironhide.’ The young man internally chastised himself. ‘He’s just trying to prepare you for what comes next. It’s just his job.’

Sentinel continued to march up and down in front of his new recruits. “I am not here to wipe your asses or treat you like a fucking retard baby. I am here to make you killers, and you will not like how I treat you. But the more you hate me, the more you will learn, and when you graduate, you will be the finest soldiers on Primus’s planet.”

The drill instructor stopped before one of the recruits, a gray man with piercing blue eyes. Staring this man in the eyes, Sentinel Prime asked, “What’s your name maggot?!”

“Sir, Long Arm Sir!” The private replied. Without missing a beat, Sentinel barked, “Long Arm? I bet if your arms were any longer, you’d be a fucking monkey!” He then took a deep breath and asked, “Do you fling shit?” Confused, Long Arm asked, “Sir?”

This simple question was met with a hard slap to the face, as Sentinel bellowed, “I’m the one asking the questions Monkey boy! Do you fling shit?!” Recovering from the recoil, Long Arm replied, “Sir, no sir!” Smirking, Sentinel finished with, “Well if you ever fling shit, I will rip off your arm and BEAT YOU TO DEATH WITH IT!”

Sentinel Prime continued down the line, insulting and shouting at everyone. He called one recruit, a yellow young man named Bumblebee, a “Stripy little faggot,” referred to another recruit named Cutup as a “modern art masterpiece,” and even called one man who made a snide remark a “jokester” before sucker punching him in the gut.

Then the drill instructor stopped in front of the man next to Ironhide, a scrawny green man with bright, purple eyes. Sentinel angrily asked, “What’s your name freak?” The green man recoiled momentarily before answering, “Sir, Wasp sir.”

“Bullshit!” Sentinel replied. “You look like you’re a fucking disgrace. Hell, I oughta just crush your skull right fucking now!” As Wasp began to visibly panic, Sentinel shouted, “Stop cowering you fucking retard!”

“Sir, I’m trying sir!” Wasp answered as he desperately tried to stop panicking. Sentinel began to growl as he shouted, “That’s it!” He then shot his hand forward and began to throttle Wasp. As the green man began to grasp for air, the drill instructor bellowed, “I will keep choking you until you stop acting like a fucking coward!”

Ironhide couldn’t take such blatant bullying. Stepping forward, he ordered, “Let him go right now!” Sentinel, feeling threatened, released Wasp and, now staring down Ironhide, furiously asked, “What kind of slimy, twinkle toed pantywaist commie traitor would dare defy me?”

“Sir, Ironhide sir!” the younger man defiantly answered. Sentinel Prime waited for a moment before he began to speak, this time with a terrifying calmness he hadn’t shown yet.

“Ironhide, huh?” The drill instructor asked. “You seem to be some sort of big brother. I like you. You can come to my house and FUCK MY SISTER!” He then slugged Ironhide in the chest as he kneed him in the “chain shot.”

As Ironhide recoiled in pain, Sentinel furiously shouted, “If you ever defy me again, I will not hesitate to slit your throat and rip out your GODDAMN WINDPIPE!”

Rising back to his feet, Ironhide spitefully answered, “Sir, yes sir.” Sentinel Prime didn’t say anything else, simply spitting in the younger man’s face. At that moment, Ironhide couldn’t help but feel nothing but contempt for his drill instructor.

Little did he know, he would gain even less respect for him before he left.

As Ironhide ate from his tray of slosh that could only generously be described as food, he heard someone call out to him, “Psst.” Turning, he saw Wasp scooting up to him. Intrigued, the gray man asked, “You need something?”

Still shaken from earlier that day, Wasp replied, “Thanks for standing up for me. I’m Wasp.” Letting out a gentle chuckle and giving a reassuring smile, Ironhide extended his hand as he said, “’Name’s Ironhide. And I’ll be honest, any man who resorts to violence like that for no reason has a massive bug up their ass.”

After a few minutes of giggling (as well as wolfing down their food), Ironhide asked, “I take it you were drafted?” Nodding, Wasp replied, “Yeah. It was either this or prison.” Shaking his head, Ironhide added, “At this rate they’ll be forcing babies right out of the womb to join.”

From behind the two men, the voice of Sentinel Prime shouted, “Alright girls, break time is over! Get moving or I will personally slit every single one of your fucking throats with a fucking kitchen knife!” Managing to scarf down the last few morsels of his meal, Ironhide reassured Wasp, “Stick with me. I think I can get you through this place better than Sergeant Semper Fi over there.”

Wasp gave a playful salute as he replied, “Sir, yes sir.”

“Come on Wasp!” Ironhide screamed from the bottom of the simulated wall. Wasp was struggling to climb up the obstacle, and on at least three occasions falling down the wall.

It had been a few weeks since Ironhide had arrived at Parry Island, and he’d quickly discovered one unfortunate truth; Wasp was not cut out to be a soldier. The scrawny green man was clumsy, struggled under pressure, and couldn’t handle the intense pressure.

Before Ironhide could try and continue to try and help Wasp, but he was derailed from his train of thoughts by the sound of Sentinel Prime shouting, “Why are you holding everyone up Wasp? You jacking off your pitiful little prick up there like a fucking retard!?” From up on the fake wall, Wasp desperately called back, “I can’t get down sir!”

Rolling his eyes, Sentinel Prime bellowed, “Get down right now or I’ll climb up after you and hang you from a FUCKING ROPE YOU USELESS PIECE OF SHIT!”

Disgusted by Sentinel’s blatant verbal abuse and obvious death threat, Ironhide spoke up, “Sir, you can’t just speak like that sir!” Within less than a millisecond, he began to internally chastise himself for sounding like a “mollycoddling dyke,” but he didn’t have time to contemplate any further. After all, one can’t think about much when they’ve been kicked in the chest.

“You insubordinate piece of shit!” Sentinel Prime shouted. “I am in charge here! I am the one who gives orders here!” Struggling to get back to his feet, Ironhide replied, “Sir, yes sir.”

As Wasp struggled to climb down, he lost his balance and fell right on his back. Recoiling in pain, he was helpless as Sentinel Prime slammed his foot into his chest as the drill instructor bellowed, “If you can’t climb a fucking wall properly, you’ll hold up your team and get them killed YOU GODDAMN RETARD!”

Wasp managed to get back to his feet and, struggling to stand straight, tried to stand at attention and salute the drill instructor as he saluted with his left hand and said, “Sir, won’t happen again sir.”

Sentinel Prime immediately slapped Wasp on the face as he asked, “What side of your fucking face was that?” Wasp immediately replied, “Sir, right side sir.” Sentinel slugged him in the face as he shouted, “Wrong fucking answer! You can’t even salute properly! If you salute me like that again, I will crush your skull and turn your brain into a FUCKING MILKSHAKE!”

The cerulean drill instructor then departed, but not before he turned to Ironhide and informed him, “If he fucks up again, I will force you to watch everything I do to him and you will watch or I will gouge your fucking eyes out!” The gray recruit could only reply, “Sir, yes sir!” With that, Sentinel departed, not even noticing (or rather not caring) as Wasp shook his head and struggled to keep his balance.

Ironhide and Wasp laid next to each other on the rifle range, shooting at the targets in the distance. From behind him, he heard Sentinel shout, “Good job private Ironhide, I think we found your purpose for my beloved corp.” Feeling a small sense of pride and accomplishment, Ironhide simply answered, “Sir, thank you sir.” It was likely the only time he heard his drill instructor say anything positive.

As Sentinel Prime approached Wasp, however, the drill instructor noticed that the scrawny green man had been performing poorly, with bullet marks all over the place. Taking a deep breath, he shouted, “Private Wasp, what is your major malfunction?! Can’t you aim a fucking gun or are you blind as a cave fish looking for bat pussy?!”

Wasp rose to his feet and to face the drill instructor, forgetting that he not only had his rifle in his hands, but was now pointing it at the commander. Furious, Sentinel grabbed the rifle by the barrel and, without giving Wasp a chance to even react, slammed the weapon into the poor recruit’s face.

“You absolute fucking retard!” Sentinel Prime shouted right into Wasp’s face. “You dare point a weapon right in my face? I oughta kill you right here, right now!”

What Sentinel Prime did next was horrifying. He grabbed Wasp by the throat, slammed him into the ground and, to Ironhide’s horror, raised his foot and slammed it into Wasp’s face, producing a sickening crack. Taking a deep breath, the drill instructor bellowed, “Let that be a lesson you grab-asstic piece of shit!”

As Ironhide ran up to Wasp and began to help him up, Wasp said something that worried his friend. “Wasp understands sir.” Concerned, Ironhide asked, “You ok Wasp?” The skinny green man shook his head and replied, “Wasp has a headache in his whole body.” It was now that Ironhide realized Wasp’s voice sounded different, a clear sign that something was horribly wrong.

However, Sentinel Prime wrapped his hands around Wasp’s throat and threw him back to the ground as he shouted, “What did I tell you about the first and last words that come out of your fucking mouth you bug-fucking shit eating waste of space!?” Wasp, struggling for air, barely managed to reply, “Wasp can’t remember sir.”

Slamming the green man back to the ground, Sentinel Prime shouted to the rest of the platoon, “Listen up you miserable little maggots!” When the shooting stopped and the rest of the men rose to attention, he continued, “It seems to me that Private Wasp has regressed into a fucking monkey, meaning I have failed. To inspire him to not be an absolute sub-human fuck-up, I think we need to give him proper motivation!”

Taking a deep breath, Sentinel Prime continued, “From now on, whenever Wasp here fucks up, I will not punish him, but I will punish every single one of you whorehouse rejects! Now drop and GIVE ME A HUNDRED PUSHUPS OR I WILL BLOW YOUR BRAINS OUT!” The rest of the platoon groaned as they got down to the ground and began their pushups. Ironhide himself couldn’t help but feel very unhappy at the situation.

“But it’s not Wasp’s fault.” The young man whispered to himself. “It’s Drill Sergeant Semper Fi’s fault.”

He didn’t know it at the time, but that night would be his and Wasp’s last night on Parry Island.

Ironhide was woken up from his slumber by something shaking him and whispering, “Ironhide, get up.” Slowly opening his eyes, he saw that the person who was waking him up was none other than Long Arm. Confused, Ironhide asked, “What’s going on?”

“We’re throwing a blanket party.” Long Arm replied with calm determination. “We’re all gonna give Wasp a piece of our mind.” As he said this last part, Long Arm slammed his fist into his palm.

Ironhide may not have known what a blanket party was, but he quickly put together what was going to happen. Concerned, Ironhide asked, “What the hell are you thinking?”

From Behind Long Arm, Bumblebee approached, towel wrapped around a bar of soap in his hands. The little yellow man complained, “That fuckwit is screwing us all over. Someone needs to teach him a lesson!”

Shaking his head, Ironhide sternly replied, “No. This is too far. Besides, I think what Sentinel did today was inexcusable. You saw what happened to him.”

At that moment, the sound of a soft thumping rang out across the barracks, followed by Wasp’s voice letting out a muffled scream. “Oh no.” Ironhide let out as he rose from his bunk and began to make his way to the source of the sound.

He quickly found the rest of the recruits holding Wasp down on his bunk as they slammed bars of soap wrapped in towels on the skinny man’s body, with some purposely slamming theirs into his head right where Sentinel had kicked him earlier that day. Bumblebee himself hit Wasp on his head with his towel multiple times, making the poor man actually start to tear up. Long Arm then handed Ironhide a towel and bar of soap as he said, “Go ahead, take a swing.”

For a few moments, Ironhide simply stood there, struggling to process the sheer barbarism of what he was witnessing. Then, as he began to approach the now crying Wasp, Ironhide did the only thing he could.

He let the soap and towel fall to the hard floor and, taking a deep breath, shouted at the top of his lungs, “BLANKET PARTY! WE HAVE A BLANKET PARTY!” The rest of the recruits tried to stop him, but Ironhide managed to evade them as he continued shouting, “WE HAVE A BLANKET PARTY!”

While Ironhide shouted this revelation, Wasp managed to remove the towel from his mouth and scream, “Wasp wants to go home! Wasp wants to go home!” Unable to tolerate this “weakness,” Bumblebee rolled his eyes as he belted, “Shut up!” before slugging the scrawny man right where Sentinel had slammed his foot into him.

Growling with fury, Wasp leapt onto Bumblebee as he began to speak, this time sounding like a feral animal. “Waspinator hates Bumblebee. Waspinator…..” He then let out a raspy cry as he finished with an otherworldly, “TERRORIZE!” With that, Wasp bit down on Bumblebee’s throat.

“NO!” Ironhide screamed as he ran over to Wasp and tried to pull his friend off of the yellow man. After a few moments of struggling, he was finally able to remove Wasp from Bumblebee, who was clutching his now bleeding neck in excruciating pain.

Resting his hands on Wasp’s shoulders, Ironhide desperately asked, “Wasp, what the fuck are you doing?” The scrawny man didn’t reply immediately, simply twitching his eyes and giggling like a madman before replying, “Waspinator kill Sentinel Prime.” It was at this moment that Ironhide realized that the Wasp he knew was well and truly gone.

From behind him, Ironhide heard Sentinel Prime’s voice call out, “What in the everlasting FUCK is going on?” Turning, he indeed found his drill instructor approach, his face making clear he was nothing short of furious. Steeling himself, Ironhide stepped towards his superior and reported, “Sir, I have discovered the other recruits hazing Private Wasp, and I now have no doubt that he should be escorted off the base and receive psychological care sir.”

Shaking his head in disappointment, Sentinel Prime dejectedly asked, “Is that right?” Ironhide nodded and answered, “Sir, yes sir.” The drill instructor then made his way to Wasp, who was now recoiling in fear and whimpering like a frightened child.

At that moment, Sentinel began to speak, this time in a chillingly quiet tone. “Son, do you have any idea how disappointed I am at you?” Wasp shook his head and simply replied, “Wasp just wants to go home.” Sentinel Prime simply shook his head as he answered, “That’s not possible. You’ve failed me, and I already told you all what happens when you fail me.” Then, Sentinel Prime did something absolutely, undeniably, and truly evil.

The drill instructor began to throttle Wasp. Forcing him to the ground, Sentinel Prime began to furiously breathe as he squeezed both hands on Wasp’s throat. The scrawny man tried to fight it, but he began to move less and less as the light left his eyes.

Ironhide couldn’t believe what he was witnessing. Sentinel Prime, the man who had been his drill instructor and should have been a leader to his men, was trying to murder one of them because he had cracked, and that was only because he himself was the one who cracked him. While he knew that the job was not supposed to be cuddly, this was truly evil.

And he knew what he had to do.

“Get your hands off him you monster!” Ironhide shouted as he ran right into Sentinel, pushing him to the ground and forcing him to release Wasp’s throat. As the green man regained his breath, the gray man stood over his drill instructor and said, “That’s it. You just tried to murder someone. I don’t care what bullshit excuse you have, but that’s crossing the line. Sentinel Prime, you’re an evil man!”

Rising to his feet, Sentinel stared down Ironhide, his eyes now showing nothing but pure hatred. Before the younger man could react, the drill instructor charged his recruit as he shouted at the top of his lungs, “I’M GONNA KILL YOU!” He then wrapped his hands around Ironhide’s throat and clamped down, forcing him onto the ground.

As Ironhide’s senses faded as he lost his breath, Sentinel furiously bellowed, “It’s just like I said, you either graduate a Marine, or you leave in a fucking body bag!”

Luckily, Ironhide was able to glance to his drill instructor’s lower half, specifically his splayed legs. With the last of his strength, he slammed his knees right into his “chain shot,” forcing Sentinel to recoil in pain, freeing his throat. Wasting no time, Ironhide managed to rise back to his feet, only to see that Long Arm was trying to block the entrance of the barracks.

But that wasn’t Ironhide’s destination. Instead, the gray man placed himself in between Wasp and Sentinel Prime. As the vile drill instructor rose back to his feet, Ironhide defiantly called out, “If you’re gonna kill him, you have to go through me.”

Looking around the barracks, Sentinel Prime ordered, “Kill him! Kill both of those fucking failures!” With that, all the other recruits began to encircle Ironhide and Wasp. Long Arm walked up to Ironhide and, cracking his knuckles, grew a terrifying smirk on his face as he replied, “Sir, yes sir.”

“That’s enough you fucking animals!” A new voice shouted from the entrance. Turning to see who it was, Ironhide found an older man with light metallic-green skin and wearing an olive-drab officer’s uniform, storm his way through the recruits.

Making his way to Ironhide, this new man said, “Son, I’d like to have a word with you in private.” Ironhide was very unsure about his offer, but considering his situation, he knew he had a better choice with this man than with his now former drill instructor. Still, he had to think about Wasp.

“Can you guarantee Wasp’s safety?” Ironhide asked. The mystery officer nodded and said, “I can.” From behind them, Long Arm rolled his eyes as he scoffed, “Yeah right. This guy’s just some old coot.”

Without any warning, the older officer pulled out a pistol and aimed it right at Long Arm’s head and sternly warned, “Any of you lay a hand on either of these boys and I’ll send you right to Unicron’s doorstep!” Now properly intimidated, Long Arm Backed down, though not without a new wet stain forming on his crotch. Shaking his head, the older officer remarked, “Damn Marines. Anyone stands up to you pricks, and you show your true colors. You are all a damn disgrace to this country, and I ought to have you all thrown in the brig for the rest of your miserable lives.”

As the rest of the recruits held their heads in shame, the officer turned to Ironhide, who was now comforting a crying Wasp, and said, “Now that I’ve told the kids off, I have a proposition for you.”

Once Wasp had been handed over to the MPs (Who assured Ironhide that they would be protecting him from any other Marines, the officer took Ironhide to a currently vacant office. The moment they were alone, the officer turned to the younger man and ordered, “Attention!” When Ironhide snapped to attention, he continued, “Eyes Front!” Immediately, the younger man faced directly forward.

Chuckling to himself, the officer said, “At least that bastard taught you how to act like a soldier.” He then extended a hand and introduced himself. “Lieutenant Colonel Kup.”

“Private Ironhide.” Ironhide replied as he shook the officer’s hand before adding, “Though I think that might be past tense.” Sighing, Kup said, “Yeah, after that every Marine will be climbing over each other to bump you off. Apparently the Corp lives by “Snitches get stitches.””

Ironhide could only sigh in resignation. He’d attacked his commanding officer, and Sentinel Prime made it clear that he intended on killing him. Considering where he was, he figured that he was about to be arrested and would likely spend the rest of his life in prison. ‘I didn’t even get to see Chromia or Bright Mac one last time.’ He thought to himself.

This was when Kup continued, “Luckily, you chose the best time to stand up to stand up to Sergeant Schutzstaffel. I’ve been asked by my superiors to collect recruits for a new unit, and you’ve shown me that you have what it takes.” Ironhide, confused, asked, “Uh, you sure?”

Nodding, Kup explained, “You know how to work a gun, you got through the obstacle course, you just demonstrated creative thinking, and most importantly, you know how to fight without crossing the line. I need a man like you.” He then let out a gentle chuckle as he added, “And considering what just happened, it’s either this or answering to Navy Command, and if the rumors are true, they always stand by their drill instructors.”

Realizing what kind of situation he was in, Ironhide sighed and, with a simple salute, said, “Sir, awaiting your orders sir.” Smiling with satisfaction, Kup replied, “Congratulations Private Ironhide, you’re now in the Army.” He then extended his hand, and as Ironhide shook it, the officer said something that would change his life forever.

“Welcome to the Wreckers.”

“Whoa.” Apple Bloom exclaimed, absolutely speechless. “That’s, uh…. That’s quite the story Uncle Ironhide.” The older man nodded as he replied, “It is, and it’s all true. You can ask the others when we get home.”

Both Uncle and Niece were distracted when a waiter came up to them and said, “Finally, you’re done. I’ve been waiting for you to finish for like, a half hour.” When Ironhide gave him an annoyed look, the waiter nervously cleared his throat and continued, “I mean, what would you two like to drink?” Ironhide simply replied, “I’d like a cola young man.” Apple Bloom then said, “Ah’d like a cola too sir.”

Once the waiter had left with their drink orders, Ironhide turned back to Apple Bloom and began to wrap up his story. “Of course, the Marines tried to get their revenge. They had Wasp locked in prison for what happened on Parry Island, and it was only thanks to me and the surviving Wreckers that we got him out, but by then, he’d gone completely insane. Poor kid was kept in solitary until the war ended, and his mind fractured into two personalities, the childlike Wasp and the violent and vengeful Waspinator.” He then sighed as he added, “The doctors say he’ll never be able to survive on his own.”

Apple Bloom could barely believe what she’d just heard. “That’s awful. Ah can’t believe why the Marines would act so evil!” Ironhide sighed as he explained, “The Marines were starved for manpower, and I guess they just found themselves starved for morals too. From what I’ve heard the Corps these days doesn’t act nearly as nasty but…” He paused for a moment before resuming, “Let’s just say they have a tribal mentality that makes them struggle with morality.”

Giving her uncle a reassuring smile, Apple Bloom said, “Well Ah say you were too good for those bullies.” Touched by his niece’s remark, Ironhide replied, “Thanks kid.”

Apple Bloom then asked, “Uh, Uncle Ironhide? You know where the bathroom is?” Smiling, the older man pointed behind him as he replied, “It’s that way. Women’s room is the first door on the right. Getting up, the former farm girl said, “Ah gotta use the head. Be back in a few minutes.” Nodding, Ironhide replied, “I’ll make sure the waiter knows where you are.”

As Apple Bloom began to leave, she stopped herself and turned to her uncle and began, “And Uncle Ironhide?” Confused, the older man asked, “Yeah?”

To his delight, Apple Bloom snapped to attention and gave her uncle a playful salute. Touched, Ironhide rose to his feet and saluted his niece back as he said, “At ease kid.” With that, Apple Bloom made her way to the restroom to relieve herself. Now alone with his thoughts, Ironhide began to speak to himself as he looked over the menu.

“I know you’ve made quite a few mistakes Apple Bloom, but I know you’re not as bad as your sister said you were. You’re a good kid, and they were fools to give up on you.”