Applejack gazed out the window of the train, letting the melodic sound of the train’s wheels as her thoughts drifted. The battle in Canterlot had was over, and they’d won. On top of that, no ponies died. She had every reason to be jovial, and yet all she could do was look at the countryside as it zipped by.
“Hey AJ, you okay?” Rainbow asked from the seat across from Applejack.
“Ah’m not lookin’ forward ta breakin’ tha news to tha Crusaders,” Applejack told her.
“I know what you’cha mean AJ,” Dash said, slumping back in her seat.
A metallic squeal filled the train compartment, filling Applejack and Rainbow Dash with dread as the vehicle slowed to a halt. The two mares disembarked the train with the other ponies, just in time to see a crowd gathering. They citizens of Ponyville swarmed the train, eagerly awaiting its alien occupants. The Autobots, minus Optimus, rested on a series of flat cars, secured by nets. As the train’s various parts hissed with pressure, the Cybertronians released themselves, lifting the nets off their bodies as they changed forms. The ponies cheered as their new heroes walked among them, though they still kept a fair distance for fear one of those heroes might step on them.
Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo were among the crowd, under the diligent watch of Braeburn. “Ah don’t see Starscream,” Apple Bloom said as she scanned the precession of victorious warriors.
“Oh no, what if he decided he likes canterlot better?!” Sweetie Belle shouted, her face twisted in horror.
“Nah, he’s probably just getting a medal from the Princesses or something,” Scootaloo proposed.
“Yeah, I bet that’s it!” Apple Bloom agreed.
Overhearing the Crusaders talk make Applejack tear up. Summoning all her strength, she waved a hoof at her sister. Apple Bloom’s mouth widened into a grin before she ran up to her sister for a lunging hug. Applejack returned the show of affection, wrapping her hoof around her little sister’s back. “It’s good ta see ya Apple Bloom,” Applejack said, the tone of sadness momentarily removed from her voice.
“It’s good ta see you too A.J.” Apple Bloom told her.
“Hey Applejack, where’s Starscream?” Scootaloo asked.
Applejack’s happiness suddenly disappeared. “About that,” she began, swallowing as she set Apple Bloom down. “Ya see tirls, Starscream was very brave in the battle.”
“I knew it! I bet he played a key roll,” Sweetie Belle exclaimed.
“Y’all bet he did,” Applejack told them, feeling a tiny sense of pride for the late reformee. “He saved Optimus and Princess, and helped ‘em kill Megatron.”
“Really?!” Apple Bloom asked excitedly. Applejack nodded solemnly, sowing confusion in the three fillies. “Applejack, is somethin’ wrong?” Apple Bloom asked again.
“Ya see girls, Starscream...he...he got hurt real bad an’...” Applejack was forced to stop mid sentence as she found herself petrified by the Crusaders. The treo gazed up a her, their eyes wide with terror.
“Did something happen to Starscream?” Scootaloo asked tentatively.
“Starscream...he...he’s…”
“He’s dead,” Rainbow Dash interjected, her voice devoid of any emotion.
The news fell hard onto the Cutie Mark Crusaders; at first, they believed they’d misheard her, but after considering Applejack’s behavior and Starscream’s absence, they realized the truth of her words. Apple Bloom latched onto her big sister’s leg, staining her orange fur with tears as she sobbed. Sweetie Belle curled into a ball, stroking her tail as a steady stream of tears flowed from each eye. Scootaloo had the most violent reaction of the three, gritting her teeth before galloping away. Braeburn moved to give chase, but a hoof on his shoulder stopped him in his tracks. “Stay here, I’ve got this,” Rainbow Dash told him.
---------------
Scootaloo sat alone in a corner of the C.M.C.’s clubhouse. All the were closed, shrouding the filly in all but total darkness. Her head lay across her forelegs, which were propped on top of her rear legs. Suddenly, a blinding light cut through the darkness. Scootaloo lifted her head, casting a scornful eye at the intruder. The silhouette of a pegasus stood in the doorway. Though the outside light obscured many of her features, her rainbow mane gave away her identity.
“Hay’ya Scoots,” Rainbow Dash said, her voice lacking its normal enthusiasm.
“Hi,” Scootaloo responded before she returned to her self made sanctuary. Noiselessly, Rainbow Dash trotted into the clubhouse, then sat next to the filly.
“You really liked Starscream, huh?” the grown mare asked.
“He took me into space,” Scootaloo told her.
“Space, huh?” Rainbow asked, her voice carrying the slightest hint of shock.
“He said it was the very top of the atmosphere, but yeah,” Scootaloo clarified. Without warning, the filly spang onto Rainbow Dash. She looked up at her mentor as she clutched her cyan chest hair, her eyes full of sadness and confusion. “How? How did he die?”
After recovering from the shock of Scootaloo’s sudden outburst, Rainbow wrapped the younger pegasus in her wings, cradling her in an almost motherly way. “He died saving Optimus. Megatron was gonna kill him, but Starscream got in the way,” she explained.
Scootaloo buried her face in Dash’s chest, just as tiny drops of water began soaking into the older pegasus’ fur. “Why?” she asked.
“He cared about Equestria, about you. Princess Celestia told me everything. She said he could have run away, but he saved her instead,” Dash explained.
“Can...can I see him?” Scootaloo asked.
Rainbow Dash cringed slightly. “Sorry kiddo, but his last wish was for us to not let you see his body,” she told the filly as she felt tears build up behind her own eyes.
“...I’m gonna miss him,” Scootaloo said.
Rainbow stroked Scootaloo’s head, finally pushing the pegasus over the edge. She wailed into Rainbow’s chest, sobbing as the older mare began to cry too. “I will too, kiddo,” Dash said as she closed her eyes.
---------------
“Are you certain you must leave?” Luna asked.
“Yes, our decision has been made,” Shrapnel told the princess, her voice firm, but lacking any malice.
“Equestria would he more than happy to take you in, and we have no shortage of space,” Twilight said, trailing behind the two as they walked through the streets of Canterlot.
“No, Twilight Sparkle. The changelings still under need us. We'll can form another enclave and rebuild, probably even join Equestria some day,” the queen explained. As she finished their sentence, they arrived at the train station, where Bombshell and Kickback waited with bags of food and water. “For now, we will take your train to the edge of the Everfree, then leave.”
“Are you sure you’ll be alright, just the three of you?” Twilight asked.
“Like I said, we'll find other changelings, ribuild,” Shrapnel assured the princess. Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but Luna put a hoof on her shoulder, silencing the young alicorn. Silently, the changelings boarded the train and departed.
“Why did you let them go Luna?” Twilight asked.
“I understand from whence their decision comes,” she said as she turned back towards the city. “They feel they can do more good outside of Equestria than here, and I respect that.”
---------------
Optimus stood alone in the Canterlot Gardens. Behind him, a statue of Starscream kept its eternal watch over the fallen hero’s grave. The statue was made of solid marble, and rested on a pedestal with a bronze plaque that read “The Savior of Canterlot, Starscream May he find peace in the next life.” Yet this grave was not the object of the Prime’s focus. Instead, he was fixated on a small, simple steel plate embedded in the ground. This plate read “Here lies Megatronus, gladiator a beloved brother whose name was perverted for the Decepticon cause.” Of course, no pony could tell it said that. The writing on the plate was Cybertronian, carved into the metal by Prime’s own blade.
“You know, he could have a statue like Starscream.” Optimus turned to see Celestia standing behind him, watching as he looked down at the grave.
“No, this is how Megatronus would want to be buried, as a warrior, not a hero,” Optimus told her. The princess strode up to her friend, wrapping her good wing around his waist; her other was wrapped in several layers of bandages and held out from her body by a series of metal rods connected to a harness on her body. Prime looked down at her, his eyes full of concern. “Are you alright?”
“You mean my wing? The doctors say I’ll have it like this for about a month, then I’ll be fine. The crystals left a couple scars, but my feathers will cover them up,” Celestia explained.
“That is not what I meant,” Prime clarified.
Celestia let out a sigh. “I’m not proud of what I had to do, but I’m...relieved I could spare you the pain of killing your brother,” she told the Autobot with a shudder. “If I had to kill Lu-” The princess stopped abruptly, unable to finish her sentence.
She gasped as she felt an unexpected hand on her back. Optimus’ lips turned up at their ends, forming a small but warm smile. “I think that is enough gloom for the moment. How about we do something enjoyable now?” he proposed.
---------------
Princess Celestia slowly lifted a rook off the chessboard, careful to process very possible move she could choose. Certain this was the proper course of action, she moved the rook forward, knocking over Prime’s knight. The piece fell to the board, creating a soft thud, before being lifted into the air and onto the table by Celestia’s side, its rightful place. Prime briefly lifted one eyebrow as he set down the tea he was drinking. He didn’t need to drink, of course, but the beverage would do him no harm.
After briefly assessing the situation, he gently pinched his rook between two fingers, then pulled it back to capture her rook. The princess nodded her head slightly, impressed by Prime’s move. “For this being your first game of chess ever, you’re certainly very good at it,” she told him.
He shrugged. “I suppose it is what you might call ‘beginner’s luck,’” he said. Celestia chuckled knowingly, before moving a pawn forward.
The pair sat outside a coffee, though they both drank tea. Celestia frequented the shop in the decades since its founding; they never failed to make her tea just the way she liked it. Over the years, the shop's had employees endured a plethora of odd guests the princess brought there from time to time. From Discord, to a zebra king, to a dragon, they’d never failed to make the alicorn and her guest comfortable. Until that day.
Optimus wasn’t uncomfortable, but the fact that he wasn’t even carbon based threw the loyal servers for a loop. The Autobot sat right next to the rail that surrounded the shop, forcing him to take special care not to deform it, and he was forced to pull his knees into his chest. The staff had been forced to move two tables to accommodate the Prime, which lead him to ordering the tea in an effort to make the staff feel appreciated.
“Can I get anything for you and your guest, Princess?” a waitress asked as she briefly stopped by their table.
“No thank you, I’m just fine,” Celestia told her,smiling in her normal princessy way. “What about you Optimus?”
“I need nothing, thank you,” he said. The waitress gave the two a pleasant smile, before retreating into the shop.
“So Optimus, what are your plans for the future now that you and your Autobots are living here in Equestria?” Celestia inquired.
Suddenly, the smile that had adorned it since they left Megatron’s grave faded from Prime’s face. “I was afraid you would ask that,” he said. “The Autobots and I are leaving Equestria.”
There was a long silence between the two leaders. “...You’re leaving?” Celestia asked, her voice brittle as she held back a torrent of tears. Optimus nodded. “How long?” the princess asked again.
“I do not know for certain, but there are a few things we must retrieve from Earth and Cybertron, and we will likely search for lost Cyhertronians as well. I would estimate between three and five years,” he told her. Celestia’s eyes widened in shock. “Forgive me, Celestia, but as Prime I-”
A sudden fit of laughter erupted from the princess, causing Prime to cock head in confusion. “Celestia, are you alright?” he asked.
The princess managed to stem the tide of laugher, looking up at Prime as she whipped a tear from her face. “You scared me there. For a minute there I thought you’d say ‘For a century’ or something,” she said, performing her best Optimus Prime impersonation.
“I...do not understand,” Prime admitted.
Celestia couldn’t help but giggle. “To most, three or five years would be a long time, but I’ve been rather harshly schooled in the art of patience. To me, five years is little more than a long vacation,” she explained.
Optimus smiled, relieved. “Regardless, I will miss this planet,” he told her. “and you.”
“I’ll miss you too,” Celestia said with a blush. “Now, why don’t we finish this chess game.”
---------------
Optimus and Celestia entered the gates of Canterlot Palace, smiles adorning both of their faces. “That was quite enjoyable, Celestia,” Prime told the princess.
“Thank you, Optimus. When you return, maybe we’ll take Luna and Twilight along,” she said.
Suddenly, a shadow engulfed the two. The Nemesis hovered overhead, spreading fear and panic throughout Canterlot. Or it would have, if the ship didn’t have an Autobot insignia blazoned on its prow. A long yellow tube descended from the ship, connecting with the ground right in front of the Prime. Optimus let out a sigh, still smiling, though a small amount of sadness crept into his eyes. “It seems I must leave,” he said.
Without warning, Celestia leapt into the air, wrapping her hooves around Prime’s neck. Optimus staggered, before returning the favor with a chuckle. Once he regained his footing, Celestia did something strange. She placed her lips on the side of his face, then pulled them away. “Promise me you’ll come back in one piece,” she said, halfway between a request and a command.
“I will,” he said, setting the princess down. Celestia sat and watched patiently as he turned and entered the yellow tube. The tube ascended, collapsing into the Nemesis, then disappeared entirely. Finally, the ship turned skyward, slowly fading into the deep blue void.
“Well, well, it seems my sister has taken a liking to somepony.”
Celestia sighed as she rose to her feet. “I have no idea what you’re talking about sister,” the elder alicorn said.
“Oh, then I suppose that kiss was an illusion?” Luna questioned.
Celestia turned to face her sister, her eyes closed and her nose pointed upward. “Come, court is going to start soon,” she said as she strode past a smug Luna.