As the Apple Blooms

by The FraudulentBrit

Make War No More

As the Apple Blooms

Part 49; Make War No More

To many people, the tedious, repetitious nature of manual labor chores like scrubbing the floor would come off as tiring, unpleasant, and worst of all, boring. But to Apple Bloom, she’d found that not only was this something that calmed her mind, but also provided a welcome distraction from the many thoughts that raced around her mind.

It had been a few days since Big Macintosh returned home, and to the former farm girl, things had returned to the new normal. While Apple Bloom ran the shop front, Chromia and Sideswipe would man the garage while Ironhide, Ratchet and Wheeljack worked the scrap yard and the smelting pools. Of course, Sparkplug would occasionally keep her company, and then there was…..

“Good Afternoon Apple Bloom.” The now very familiar mechanical voice of Wreck-Gar called from behind her. Rising back to her feet, Apple Bloom found that the bipedal robot was standing in the doorway, holding a tray in his hands. Stepping towards her, he continued, “As you’ve been rather busy, I took the liberty of making you some tea and biscuits.”

Walking up to the benevolent robot, Apple Bloom gently responded, “Thanks Wreck-Gar.” As she took a cup of tea from the tray, she continued, “Forgive me for bein’ kinda awkward, but Ah’m still gettin’ used to livin’ with a….” Before she could finish, Wreck-Gar interrupted with a blunt, “A fully sentient mechanical being?” Taking the answer in, Apple Bloom could only reply, “Yeah.”

At that moment, Sideswipe and Chromia entered the shop front only to see Wreck-Gar holding a tray. Walking up towards Apple Bloom, Sideswipe straightened her denim vest as she asked, “How’s it hanging Apple Bloom? Having a tea party?” The former farm girl playfully rolled her eyes as she answered, “Not bad. Wreck-Gar here was just servin’ some tea.”

Turning his single eye to face the newcomers, the mechanical being offered his creations to the others as he asked, “Would either of you care for a biscuit?” Sideswipe picked up one of the morsels as she asked, “You sure these are biscuits? They look more like cookies.”

Setting the tray on the counter, the robotic Cyclops gasped as he “exclaimed”, “Cookies? Oh no my dear, I made these biscuits myself. Considering master Wheeljack is hardly a capable cook, someone has to make sure he doesn’t poison himself.” He then picked up one of the cups of tea as he handed it to Chromia and asked, “Would you care for a cup of tea ma’am?”

Accepting the cup, Chromia happily replied, “Why, aren’t you quite the gentleman?” Wreck-Gar performed a simple bow as he happily replied, “I aim to please.” As the older woman playfully rolled her eyes, Apple Bloom and Sideswipe giggled in amusement, leading the pale biker to admit, “He’s growing on me.” Apple Bloom herself couldn’t help but reply, “Ah know.”

Everyone was interrupted by the sound of Wheeljack’s voice calling out, “Hey Chromia? We have a problem.” When Apple Bloom turned to face her older coworker, she found him and Ironhide entering from the back of the shop.

Concerned, Chromia asked, “What’s going on?” Before Wheeljack could say anything, Ironhide interrupted, “We found an old jeep the scrap yard.” Momentarily confused, the family matriarch replied, “What’s so bad about that? It’s just another car right?” Sighing, Ironhide elaborated, “Specifically an old jeep with a machine gun mounted on it.”

That statement surprised Apple Bloom and Sideswipe. Intrigued yet worried, the former farm girl asked, “A machine gun? Like a real gun?” Wheeljack nodded with child like glee as he blurted out, “Yeah! It’s an M2HB heavy machine gun! I think it’s been sitting on the property since we bought the place!” He then turned to Ironhide as he begged, “Can I shoot it? Please?”

Ironhide groaned as he replied, “How many times do I have to explain it Wheeljack? We’ll decide what to do with the jeep after I get a closer look at it, but the gun goes.” When Wheeljack tried to protest, Ironhide sighed as he relented, “Ok, If and only IF it’s not too rusted then I’ll let you empty any ammo it has. After that, it goes.”

Wheeljack lit up with joy as he cheerfully thanked, “Thank you so much sir!” As he turned to leave though, Ironhide quickly added, “One more thing! You are not getting the girls involved!” The maverick mechanic nodded as he replied, “Understood sir!” He tried to turn again, but the family patriarch added, “And you don’t do it during daylight. I don’t want anyone passing by to hear machine gun fire.”

Starting to lose his patience, Wheeljack rolled his eyes as he quipped, “Ok. I’m gonna go before you issue anymore rules.” He then walked off, followed by a nervous Wreck-Gar warning, “Wait for me sir. If this machine gun is still functional, then I don’t want you hurting yourself.” They were both followed by Ratchet, who complained, “And you’ll need me to patch you up if you do!”

Once they were gone, Apple Bloom turned to Ironhide as she asked, “Uncle Ironhide?” When the family patriarch turned to face his niece, she continued, “What’s a machine gun?” Ironhide took a deep breath before explaining, “It’s a kind of gun that can continually fire rounds. Specifically it’s….” Sighing, he finished with a simple, “It’s the kind of thing I try to leave in the past.”

As the older man took a deep breath, Ironhide let out a gentle chuckle as he remarked, “Heh. If you girls think this is bad, you should have seen what happened when we found the Flak 36.” Before Apple Bloom could say anything, Sideswipe asked, “What’s that? Some sort of truck or something?”

Pondering on his ward’s curiosity, Ironhide asked, “Well, it requires a little explanation. You girls mind a story?” As Sideswipe shrugged, Apple Bloom happily replied, “Ah’d love to hear how a story!” Once the two girls showed their enthusiasm, Ironhide pulled up the stool from the counter as he elaborated, “Well, it was just after we’d all bought this place……”

Ironhide’s Room, Many Years Earlier….

As the sunlight crept into the bedroom, a young Ironhide began to stir from his slumber. Yawning, the former sergeant turned scrapper began to rise from the bed, his eyes drifted towards the sleeping form of his girlfriend. ‘How’d I get so lucky?’ He thought to himself. After all, considering so many guys he knew had their partners leave them while they were off fighting in the war, the fact that she’d stayed loyal for him was nothing short of a miracle. ‘Heh. Then again, I never could stand all those “fair maidens.”’

Sneaking up to his sleeping girlfriend, Ironhide tapped her on the shoulder as he whispered, “Morning sunshine.” As Chromia began to stir, she mumbled, “Five more minutes dad.” Realizing his girlfriend was still asleep, Ironhide began to gently rub her as he replied, “It’s me. Ironhide.”

Turning over to face her boyfriend, Chromia sleepily remarked, “Oh Ironhide. I was having the weirdest dream.” Rising up, she further quipped, “The only thing it was missing was you.” She then planted a kiss on Ironhide’s lips, leading the young man to playfully reply, “Guess it must have been a nightmare.”

Before either love bird could continue, Chromia’s stomach began to rumble. Letting out a gentle chuckle, Ironhide asked, “How about we get some breakfast?”

The Kitchen…

As Ironhide and Chromia entered the kitchen, they were pleasantly surprised to see Ratchet was already at work trying to fry some eggs. Turning to face the two love birds, the older medic greeted them, “Morning you too. Sleep well?” Chromia nodded as she replied, “Not too bad Ratchet.” Ironhide then asked, “You need a hand with those eggs buddy?”

Shaking his head, Ratchet answered, “I’ve just about got these all done. If you could, however, you mind making some toast?” Ironhide nodded as he replied, “You got it.” As he began to make his way to the pantry, Chromia remarked, “I have to admit, having help like you and Wheeljack here makes everything a lot less stressful.”

At that moment, Ironhide asked, “Speaking of Wheeljack, where is he anyway?” Pausing for a moment, Ratchet answered, “To be honest, I’m not sure. I haven’t seen him since last night.” Starting to worry, Ironhide asked, “You think he pulled another all-nighter?”

The moment those words escaped his lips, Wheeljack stormed into the kitchen, circles under his eyes and an unpleasant odor stinking from his body. As the maverick man caught his breath, Ironhide demanded, “Wheeljack? Where have you been?” Chromia joined in as she sniffed the air before asking, “What is that stench? It smells like something crawled into your jump suit and died.”

Wheeljack ignored this remark as he exclaimed, “Ironhide! I was inspecting the scrap yard last night, and I found something unbelievable!” As his former subordinate leaned right into his face, Ironhide awkwardly backed away before demanding, “What the hell is so special that it has you acting like a kid at Hearth’s Warming?”

Unable to contain his excitement any further, Wheeljack simply grabbed Ironhide by the hand and dragged him off towards the scrap yard, leaving Ratchet and Chromia confused before they decided to run after him.

The Scrap Yard….

“Well?” Wheeljack asked Ironhide with endless enthusiasm. “Can you believe this was just lying around on the property?” As the maverick man ran up to the surprising object, Ironhide was barely able to process the reality of his situation. While he expected their property would house a variety of salvageable vehicles and other trinkets, he never expected something like this.

There, firmly planted in the ground and surrounded by chunks of scrap metal, was a large artillery gun. The weapon featured a long barrel, large metal shield for the operators to hide behind in the event of enemy fire, and if Ironhide’s eyes weren’t lying to him, appeared to be designed to be operated by three men; a loader, a gunner, and a trainer. All in all, given the size of the barrel, it was the kind of weapon that was useful against both aircraft as well as vehicles.

From behind him, Ironhide heard Chromia and Ratchet catching up to them. As they closed the distance, Ratchet called out, “What’s going on Wheeljack?” Managing to snap out of the shock of his discovery, Ironhide replied, “He found this. Look familiar?” The older medic noticed the artillery gun and gasped, “I hoped I’d never see one of these again.” This lead to Chromia asking, “What is this thing? Some sort of gun?”

Turning to face his girlfriend, Ironhide wearily answered, “In a nutshell, yeah.” Upon hearing this, Wheeljack ran up to his friends as he quickly added, “Not just any gun. This is a Flak 36 88 millimeter!” Chromia found herself staring at the maverick mechanic as she bluntly deadpanned, “I have no idea what that means.” This response led Wheeljack to reply, “It’s an artillery piece that can tear just about anything apart.”

As Ironhide and Ratchet approached the derelict gun, the older medic remarked, “This thing’s covered in a good layer of rust. Hardly in operational condition.” The former sergeant made his way to the back of the turret, still struggling to process the weapon before him as he remarked, “This thing brings back memories.” Indeed, just being near this weapon reminded the young man of the countless anti air guns they’d silenced in the not too distant past.

Approaching his former sergeant, Wheeljack inquired, “So what do you think?” When Ironhide gave him a confused look, the maverick mechanic continued, “The gun. It’s not exactly in working condition, but we might be able to clean it up and I think I know a few museums that would be more than willing to…..”

“No!” Ironhide bluntly interrupted. As Wheeljack found himself snapping to attention out of instinct, the former sergeant pointed to the gun as he continued, “This thing goes.” Confused, the younger man asked, “Uh, where do we take it? That army base up north? The Canterlot city history museum?”

Struggling to maintain his composure, Ironhide replied, “Let me elaborate a little further. I want this thing broken up, melted down, up or down I don’t care how but I want it destroyed!” Realizing he’d raised his voice, he quickly added, “Sorry for getting angry, but I…..” Taking a deep breath, he continued, “I find this thing’s presence concerning.”

Making her way up to her boyfriend, Chromia wrapped an arm around Ironhide as she asked, “So what are we going to do with this thing?” Ironhide took a deep breath as he replied, “We’re tearing this thing apart.” The moment those words escaped his lips, Wheeljack asked, “Awh come on. Can’t we spruce this girl up? It might fetch us a lot of money?”

“It isn’t about the money!” Ironhide replied, not quite shouting but leaving no room for insubordination. “I just…. I don’t want any weapons like this on the property. I’m more than willing to melt this thing down for scrap metal, but to treat it with any sort of respect just….” Taking a deep breath, he finished, “This thing goes, end of story.” He then began to return to the ship front as he remarked, “Now, I’m gonna go finish breakfast.” As Chromia and Ratchet followed him, Wheeljack sighed as he turned to the rusting gun and whispered, “Don’t worry, I’ve got a plan.”

Later That Day….

“There we go.” Ironhide said to himself as he took a marker and marked yet another reference line on the flak gun’s barrel. As he set the marker down, he picked up a measuring tape and double checked the distance in between each mark, making sure each mark was the perfect distance from each other. Satisfied with his work, the former sergeant confidently whispered, “Alright. Time to settle the score.”

Ironhide had been waiting for this moment all day. Since Wheeljack revealed that the large artillery piece was on the property, the former sergeant couldn’t get the cursed thing out of his mind, especially since his friend expressed a desire to sell it to someone. ‘I know we’re not exactly swimming in cash at the moment.’ Ironhide thought to himself. ‘I just can’t will myself to allow this damn thing to exist as is.’

Deep down, however, Ironhide was starting to doubt whether he really was making the right decision. While everyone had poured their money together to buy the Chop Shop, it left them with little emergency cash, not to mention the fact that Ironhide himself had sold everything to his name to pay for the new smelting pools. ‘Maybe selling this cursed thing is the better option.’

Then again, the moment his eyes focused on the large weapon again, Ironhide couldn’t help but feel a sense of fury and anger build up in him. Just looking at the gun reminded him of all the weapons he and the other Wreckers encountered in the war. All those battles, all those nightmares, all those friends lost, those memories were returning to Ironhide and were manifesting themselves in the form of the gun sitting before him.

From behind him, Ironhide heard Chromia call out, “Everything alright?” Turning to face his girlfriend, the young man found she was carrying a bottle of water. As she handed the bottle to him, Ironhide answered, “I’m fine, or at least I will be once this thing is cut up into scrap metal.”

Turning to face the massive gun, Chromia asked, “So was this the kind of things you guys had to deal with?” Though her question was vague, Ironhide knew the implications behind his girlfriend’s words. Taking a deep breath, he answered, “Yeah. The reds got their hands on tons of guns just like this. I’ve seen helicopters and even massive bombers crashing to the ground because of these damn things.” He then began to rub the barrel as he declared, “I never imagined I’d see one of these back home.”

Chromia then remarked, “Well, I don’t think tearing this thing apart should be too hard.” As Ironhide turned to face his girlfriend, she continued, “The real problem is your buddy Wheeljack. I caught him preparing some of the rust removal stuff, and when I tried to ask him about it he bolted.” The young man could only groan as he replied, “Of course. I should have figured.”

At that moment, the two young adults heard footsteps emerging from behind one of the piles of scrap metal. Sure enough, emerging from around the pile was Wheeljack, a bucket of liquid in his hand. Realizing that Chromia and Ironhide were already at the gun and sheepishly remarked, “Eh, guess I’ll come back later.” He then darted off, leaving the bucket of cleaning liquid behind.

Sighing to himself, Ironhide dejectedly said, “I have a bad feeling about this.” Concerned for her boyfriend, Chromia reassured him, “Don’t worry. If he tries to clean this thing, we’ll just cut it up clean.” The former sergeant smiled as he gently replied, “Thanks sweetie.” He then enveloped her in a gentle hug, one which she returned as he whispered, “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Chromia whispered back as she gave her boyfriend a quick peck on the cheek. The two love birds spent the rest of the afternoon making measurements of the flak gun, making sure they had everything set for the eventual dismantling of the instrument of war.

The Back Porch, That Night….

Taking in the tranquil beauty of the night sky, Ironhide took a puff from the cigar in his hand. The young man took a moment to inspect the piece of smokable tobacco in his hand and quip, “Death sticks made to steal our money, and I had to get hooked on these little bastards.” At the very least, he’d promised Chromia and Ratchet to not smoke in the house, as well as to cut back on smoking in the future. Still that didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy this cigar right now.

As he blew out another puff of smoke, Ironhide couldn’t help but marvel at the view he had of the scrap yard before him. True, it was all rusting metal, broken and destroyed vehicles, and any other synonym for trash or junk, but knowing that it was his property, or more specifically his, Chromia’s, Ratchet’s, and Wheeljack’s, made the former sergeant feel like his life was finally starting to get back on the right track.

However, at that moment, Ironhide noticed something odd; a faint light coming from the Scrap Yard. “That’s odd.” The young man muttered to himself. “I don’t see any smoke, so we can rule out fire.” As he pondered what it could be, however, the young man realized it could only be one thing.

“Of course.” Ironhide angrily muttered. “It has to be Wheeljack.” Taking a deep breath, the former sergeant groaned, “Let’s get this over with.” With that, he made his way into the scrap yard, hopeful he wouldn’t lose his temper in the inevitable confrontation.

Just as he expected (and somewhat feared), Ironhide found Wheeljack scrubbing away at the large flak gun. What really irked the former sergeant was the fact that his friend and teammate was washing the measurement marks he’d made earlier away while grumbling, “I don’t get what Ironhide has against you baby. Once we get you cleaned up, we’ll have people lining up to buy you.”

Walking up to the maverick mechanic, Ironhide bluntly quipped, “Why do I get the feeling you want to fuck that gun?” Wheeljack immediately jumped in surprise as he turned to face his friend and nervously ask, “Why Ironhide? What are you doing here?” The former sergeant answered, “I was about to ask you the same thing.” Nervously gulping, Wheeljack replied, “Well, as I was saying earlier, this gun here is worth a fortune. We find someone willing to pay for this, and we could be set for a lifetime.”

Now, while some people would be tempted by the prospect of easy money for a simple museum relic, Ironhide was a man with more on his mind than mere money. Shaking his head, Ironhide defiantly replied, “No. I already told you, we’re destroying this thing and that’s that. End of discussion.” He then folded his arms as he continued, “Do you have a problem with that?”

To his surprise, Wheeljack answered, “As a matter of fact, I do.” Pausing for a moment, the maverick mechanic continued, “I don’t want to sound pushy or rude, but why are you so insistent on torching this thing? It’s not like we have any ammo for the damn thing and it’s not like we’re putting it on the black market.” He then turned to the large gun and finished, “I’m sorry to say it, but you’re being kind of a prick. What’s got you so wound up about this thing?”

Taking a deep breath, Ironhide explained, “Because this thing is a weapon of war. It isn’t something that can be used for peaceful purposes, it can’t be converted to anything else, and it……” As he spoke, the former soldier found his emotions starting to swell, leading to him struggling to remain calm as he continued, “This fucking thing exists for one reason only; to kill people.”

Wheeljack raised his hands as he replied, “Hey, it’s not like we have any ammo for this thing, and I doubt anyone could make artillery shells without pissing off some government agent with a shit tone of free time.” Pointing to the anti air/anti armor gun, he demanded, “I get it. It’s a gun, we were soldiers, but why are you so angry at this thing? It’s not like it’ll do anything on its own.”

Starting to lose his patience, Ironhide angrily replied, “You want to know why I have a problem with this thing?” Turning to face the artillery gun, he bluntly answered, “Because I’m tired. I’m tired of waking up wondering how many people had to die before the sun sets. I’m tired of waking up at night from one nightmare after another. I’m tired of my life revolving around blowing stuff up and killing people!”

At that moment, Ironhide lost all composure as he shouted at the top of his lungs, “AND I’M TIRED OF BEING A FUCKING SOLDIER!” Collapsing to the ground, he began to bleed tears as he finished, “I’m sorry Wheeljack, but I just can’t will myself to let this thing stand because it’s just, it’s just another reminder of everything.”

Kneeling down next to his friend, Wheeljack sighed as he replied, “I know. I miss the others too.” Sitting down, he let out a gentle chuckle as he asked, “Remember that time Crosshairs snuck that bucket of piss into the barracks and hid it above the door?” Ironhide couldn’t help but laugh along as he answered, “I know. Of course I had to be the one who just happened to be under said door so….” Pausing for a moment, he finished with, “I swear when he found out it was me I thought he was gonna piss himself.”

Ironhide then asked, “Remember that birthday cake Huffer made?” Wheeljack smiled as he answered, “You bet. I never tasted a sweeter cake in my life.” He then paused before continuing, “Of course given all the shitty food they fed us, I think the fact that it was sugary clouded my judgment.”

From behind them, Ironhide and Wheeljack heard Ratchet’s voice ask, “Everything alright?” Both men turned to see the older medic and Chromia approaching them, concerned looks clearly plastered on their faces. Rising back up to his feet, Ironhide reassured them, “We’re fine. Just coming to an understanding.” Wheeljack nodded as he added, “And reminiscing on the past.”

Nodding, Ratchet smiled as he quipped, “That’s good. Shame you didn’t invite me.” Ironhide immediately apologized, “Sorry about that. Guess we just….” Raising his hand to calm his friend down, Ratchet reassured him, “Relax, I’m messing with you.” He then chuckled as he added, “Just like that time I convinced Roadblock he had hemorrhoids.”

For the next hour, the three former soldiers recalled memories and stories of their many fallen friends. Whether it was Optimus’s rousing speeches, Hound’s humorous vulgarity, or Mirage’s pranks, the memory of their friends and teammates brought them together.

After a while though, Ironhide spoke up, “I think we should all get some sleep.” Wheeljack nodded as he replied, “Sounds like a plan sir.” He then allowed a mischievous smirk to grow on his face as he added, “You know, we’ve been so busy focusing on this gun that I forgot to mention I found some dynamite on the property. How about we use it to send this gun straight down to hell?”

Taking a deep breath, Ironhide answered, “As long as we inform the cops about it, then I think that sounds like a plan.” With that, the four friends made their way back into the chop shop, hopeful they could all get a peaceful night’s sleep.

The Present Day…

“Wow.” Apple Bloom remarked as her uncle finished his story. Nodding, Ironhide finished, “Yeah. We destroyed that gun the next afternoon. We did set off all of our car alarms, and we had to explain things to the cops, but seeing that damn gun go up in smoke was one of the most satisfying things in my entire life.”

As the older man stretched his arms, Sideswipe asked, “You guys ever get anything else like that?” Shaking his head, Ironhide replied, “Not really. After that we combed the entire scrap yard for weapons and didn’t find much. Given how long we’ve been here, I’d say there’ a good chance this machine gun Wheeljack found might be the last one, at least for a while.”

Taking everything in, Apple Bloom said, “Sorry that you find old weapons here from time to time.” Ironhide gently replied, “Don’t worry about it.” He would have continued, but he was interrupted by the sound of his stomach rumbling. Letting out a soft chuckle, the family patriarch asked, “You girls mind helping me with lunch?”

Nodding enthusiastically, Apple Bloom replied, “Ah’d love to.” Sideswipe simply shrugged as she replied, “I’ve got nothing better to do.” Smiling, Ironhide said, “Alright then. Follow me girls.” With that, the older man and his teenaged wards made their way towards the kitchen, hopeful they could make a lunch large enough for everyone.

Considering the fact it seemed their family was always growing larger by the day, Ironhide just hoped they could make something everyone would find appetizing.

Author's Note:

Next Time; It's a surprise.

Author's Note; I'm taking a week off because the I've been been dealing with burnout as well as brainstorming another story idea.

Comments

[Teraunce]

Nice chapter and nice flashback. Can't wait to see the surprise. Is it Apple Bloom perma-staying?

[Omnipotence]

I...want...APPLEJACK REUNION!

[Theresa]

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I think she should until applejack learns how to control herself better and face the fact that everyone was a jerk and idiot. Considering if she goes back now she going end up a mental mess. She was not in great shape when she arrived and until her sister faces a few things she just going to hurt her sister over and over again because her little sister was stupid in getting her attention.

[WarriorofFaith18]

Good chapter. I like how much were learning about Ironhide. War can affect people more ways than one.

Call me oblivious, but I wonder how many of Ironhides war buddies are alive or dead? I’m kinda curious about Optimus. Either way, keep it up

[JCY2k16]

As they said back in the day that yet we always fail to do:
Make love, not war

[LordOfCringe]

Nice

[The FraudulentBrit]

Hey everyone. There are two things I wanted to mention.

1: I just corrected a continuity error in the chapter “Torque Wrench.” During the chapter the titular character both claims to have heard about Bright Mac growing up but also not knowing of him until she was 18. I’ve since rewritten a line of dialogue change it where she simply didn’t know about their falling out until later.

2: the next chapter is going to be a war story, and will be dealing with….. well, torture. If you’re squeamish or hate seeing people get hurt, I apologize in advance.

[Brian Sheil]

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That's murder in the worst degree. Up to this point, Applejack is boiling mad.