//------------------------------// // Training // Story: Cybertron Girls // by SonicSpeedster97 //------------------------------// With Fluttershy now carrying an operational Spark-Shift Armor unit, Prowl had convinced Optimus that she and Applejack should receive official training, including flying lessons for Fluttershy once she scanned a vehicle mode. Which she was in the process of doing now, with Wheeljack and Inferno on hand as they looked through Teletraan’s databanks. “Um, if it’s okay, I think I’d like something a little more, um… grounded?” Fluttershy was right to ask that; Teletraan was only showing her helicopters. “Well, unless you wanna turn into a giant snowmobile in the middle of spring, I’m afraid this is what you’re stuck with.” Wheeljack shrugged, chuckling a bit at his own remark. But he saw how uncomfortable it made her and calmed down. “I’m sorry, but it wouldn’t exactly serve much purpose for you to have that rotor and not be able to fly. Besides, if you want, Inferno here can give you some basics.” Rainbow was nearby and was confused when she heard that. “How would he know how to fly a helicopter? He’s a fire truck.” “Yeah, but I served with a couple of helicopters when I was with the Wreckers,” Inferno informed, and chuckled as he remembered. “Good ol’ Springer. He was a tough one, I’ll tell ya that. Wreckers’ second-in-command, and believe me when I tell ya that he earned that position. Whirl, though? Whew. Don’t even ask.” “Yeah; the less said about that lunatic, the better.” Wheeljack agreed, turning back to Fluttershy. “Bottom line, Fluttershy; I’m sorry but you’re basically limited to helicopters.” Fluttershy wasn’t happy about that, but accepted it as she looked through the database… before she stopped on something; an HH-60M Black Hawk Medevac helicopter. “Oh. This- This looks nice.” Wheeljack smirked. “Huh. Didn’t expect you to go for something so intense.” “Hey, Ratchet’s teaching her to be a medic, isn’t she?” asked Inferno. “Makes sense for her to have a med chopper.” “Eh, I guess you’ve got a point.” Wheeljack shrugged. “Nice choice, Fluttershy. Scan away.” Fluttershy had been told how to scan alt-modes by Applejack, so she did as she was told, prompting the same green beams to shoot from her optics and scan the copter’s data into her bot-form’s systems. Then just like with Applejack, her bot-form’s armor started taking on the appearance of various parts of the helicopter; her breastplate took the form of two halves of the cockpit – with opaque glass in bot-mode – her legs split from the tail-rotor, and her arm-plating shifted from the doors on the sides of the copter. “Huh. Not bad, kid.” Inferno smirked. “I’ll be outside when you’re ready to learn how to fly.” With that, he left the hangar for the hills outside. Before she left for her lessons, Fluttershy decided to look in on the other new recruit. However, when she arrived at sickbay, she was surprised to find Ratchet there alone, cleaning up. “Wh- Where’s Deadlock?” “Database. Said he wanted to find a way to ‘remake himself’ so he could ‘start his new life as an Autobot’. If you ask me, I’d say he’s just bored.” the old medic shrugged. “Oh um, okay.” Fluttershy nodded and left the Ark, finding Inferno and Applejack – in bot-mode – outside waiting for her. “I’m uh… I’m ready.” “Alright then. Let’s see your alt-mode.” Inferno ordered, prompting Fluttershy to concentrate and swiftly transform to copter-mode, which seriously surprised her when she shifted down into the cockpit. “Nice. Alright, now step one; familiarize yourself with your controls. You should see a joystick between your legs and a smaller lever on your left, and a set of pedals.” Fluttershy looked around and saw all the controls Inferno listed easily. She saw a key on her side and figured it might’ve been the ignition, which she quickly turned to start the engine whining. “Looks like she found the ignition easy nuff.” Applejack remarked. “Looks like,” Inferno smirked, turning back to Fluttershy. “Alright, now focus on the lever on your left. That’s called the collective; controls your speed and height. Twist it until your blades are up at a manageable speed and then pull up slow and steady.” Fluttershy did as she was told and twisted the grip on the collective until her blades were spinning at a very high speed, then she carefully started to pull up, her tires slowly leaving the ground until her wheels were at the same height as Inferno’s head, a strong wind blowing down from her rotors. “Good, good; perfect!” Inferno smiled up at her. “Now use the joystick to move; it’s touchy so go gentle!” Fluttershy was nervous, so she put as little adjustment into the joystick as possible, only for the copter to lurch forward fairly suddenly, so she quickly pulled it back. Too quickly, nearly sending her straight into the mountain until Inferno grabbed her landing gear and held her steady. “Easy! Return the joystick to its upright position!” His order was quickly followed as the copter leveled out before Fluttershy came in for a landing, her rotors stopping once she landed. “I told you the joystick was touchy.” Fluttershy quickly transformed at this, looking sorry for herself. “I- I know; I’m sorry.” Inferno smiled. “Don’t be; for a newbie pilot learning from a fire truck, I’d say you did pretty well.” He chuckled as he placed a hand on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “But if you want any future lessons, maybe we should wait and see if Springer gets here and he can teach you.” “What’s this Springer feller like, anyhow?” Applejack knew she was in for a story with that question when she saw the smile on Inferno’s face. “Heh, where do I begin? He’s a total maverick; the kinda bot you’d expect to just ride in out of nowhere, save the day and be smug about it.” Inferno smirked. “I remember the first time I met him; it was the battle of Tetrahex, and the Autobots were losing ground. I could’ve sworn we were doomed until I saw that dropship on the horizon; it was from the Xantium, the Wreckers’ battle-cruiser. Man, that old tub could take a beating. Anyway, it came in and Springer led a huge unit of Wreckers out; mowed the Cons down like nothin’. That was the day I joined up, and believe me; I had a hell of a time.” “So why’d you leave?” Rainbow had walked over, and heard most of the story. But she wasn’t sure she wanted to hear the rest when she saw the sad expression on Inferno’s face. “Some of my old buds from the planetary rescue force before the war – they had tickets off Cybertron aboard a civilian transport. Barely even left the ground of the Hydrax Plateau spaceport before the Seekers blew their ship out of the sky.” The others suddenly understood everything now. “After I saw that, I knew I had to get the others off-world as fast as possible. Springer understood, but our commander Impactor? Not so much. He was a tough-nosed old bot; lost a hand to Cosmic Rust and had to get a harpoon installed in its place.” “Well, that just sounds cool,” Rainbow remarked. “It was, but it didn’t make him any more approachable.” Inferno shrugged. “Anyway, I’d say that’s enough lessons for now Flutters. For reference, those pedals in the cockpit help you turn.” It was just then that he saw Optimus driving up from town before he transformed and walked over. “Hey, Prime. I was just teachin’ Flutters here how to use her new rotors.” “Thank you, Inferno.” Optimus nodded. “We will require whatever advantage we can achieve in the race for the AllSpark.” Fluttershy bowed her head a bit to Optimus before she returned to human-form, metal shifting around her body back to her geode. “Speaking of which, has Wheeljack had any luck with the two fragments we have currently?” “Plenty of luck Prime, but none of it good.” Wheeljack shrugged as he walked out. “I’ve managed to rule out a few places, but there’s still a majority of the planet left for us to search. And with most of the other Autobots still in stasis, we’ll never be able to safely search the rest of the planet for it.” “And without reliable access to Energon, our CR Chamber can only do so much,” Ratchet added as he and Twilight walked out to join the others before he looked over at Fluttershy. “I thought you’d like to know that Deadlock’s available again.” “Thank you.” Fluttershy nodded as she and Rainbow walked back into the hangar, where they found Deadlock on the computer. “Are you okay?” “Yes. Just… trying to figure out how to really reinvent myself, you know?” he shrugged. “How can I truly atone for all I’ve done in an honorable way?” Rainbow smiled as she zipped up next to him. “You wanna come up with a good way to change? I have an idea for that. Road trip!” Deadlock seemed open to that idea, as did the other girls in the hangar at the time. Their journey would make a completely new and different bot out of a lost spark, whether they really knew it or not.