As the Apple Blooms

by The FraudulentBrit

Suspicions and Reunions

As the Apple Blooms

Part 86; Suspicions and Reunions

As the plane descended upon the tarmac of Canterlot City Airport, most of the large aircraft’s passengers excited to depart the vehicle and set foot on solid earth again. However, one of the passengers wasn’t filled with glee or just relief that his journey was over. Instead, a worn out and broken sergeant Ironhide glanced out his plane window, looking upon the city that had once been home as he thought to himself, ‘please let this just go by quickly.’

For the now former soldier, the last two months had been some of the most stressful of his life, at least outside of getting shot at or being tortured by the enemy. Instead, Ironhide and the rest of the Wreckers were questioned night and day over the events in the village and the confrontation with Sentinel Prime. Eventually, after weeks in the brig and a hearing at a base in Japan, the former sergeant was finally, after so long, allowed to return home.

Of course, not everything was perfect. Though Roadblock was sent to prison for his crimes, the rest of the Wreckers were informed that the rest of the world knew what had happened, and there would be no escaping the ensuing backlash against them. The fact that Optimus had been forced to take the bulk of the blame and go on a suicide mission didn’t help.

And now here Ironhide was, sitting on a plane bound for the only place he knew to go.

Once the plane had landed, Ironhide and the other passengers prepared to depart the aircraft. As he rose from his seat, the now former sergeant straightened his duffle bag as he whispered to himself, “Alright. Once more into the fray.” He then joined the other passengers as they departed the aircraft.

As he departed down the plane’s ramp, Ironhide was dejected to find a group of hippies protesting in his general direction. Groaning to himself, the former soldier muttered, “Oh this is just prime. Please tell me this isn’t because of me.” Of course, just as he said this, one of the protesters, a light green woman with yellow hair, ran up to him and angrily bellowed, “You good for nothing traitor! I hope you can live with yourself you monster!” It took all of Ironhide’s discipline and restraint to not grab her and slam his fist into her face.

Thankfully, one of the other protesters, a light blue man with white hair and wearing a sleeveless vest, walked up to them and pulled the green woman away as he warned, “I thought I made it clear you don’t take it out on guys like him!” Turning to face Ironhide, the protester apologized, “Sorry about her man. It ain’t you.” He then pointed to someone behind the former soldier and explained, “Some bigwig fat cat was on the same plane as you man.” Ironhide didn’t turn to see who it was, only letting out a sigh as he replied, “That’s good. I think.”

Now that everything was explained, the protester gave a simple nod as he said, “Well, take care man.” He then turned around and left to join his colleagues, all while Ironhide wondered if it would’ve been better if they actually were there to protest him. Shaking his head, the former sergeant chastised himself with, "Don’t think like that you idiot. You nearly cracked that hippie chick’s skull like a watermelon.”

Ten Minutes Later…

“There you go mister.” The customs agent said as he finished inspecting Ironhide’s duffle bag. As the former sergeant slung it over his shoulder, he bade a gentle, “Thank you sir.” The customs agent gave a nod in return as he gently replied, “No problem. Stay safe out there.” Now that everything was in order, the former soldier made his way towards his only obstacle left, the crowds at the airport.

Making his way through the sea of people, Ironhide struggled to keep himself calm as he called out, “Excuse me. Coming through. A thousand pardons.” However, everyone else was too busy trying to get to their own destinations, allowing Ironhide to blend into the crowd. “Heh. At least this means no one is trying to kill me.” The former sergeant quipped to himself.

It was at this moment that a new sound caught Ironhide’s attention; a familiar young woman’s voice calling out, “Ironhide? Ironhide is that you?” The former soldier froze as he realized, “Wait. I know that voice.” Sure enough, as his eyes drifted towards the edge of the crowd, his eyes drifted to the one person that kept his sanity intact during all that time.

There, trying to keep herself from giving in to her growing claustrophobia, was Chromia.

Ironhide was unable, or rather, unwilling, to fight his growing joy as he made his way towards his girlfriend. As he closed the distance, he called out, “Chromia! I’m coming!” The young man was barely able to keep himself calm as he made his way through the sea of people, all while she called out, “Ironhide! I’m over here!”

Eventually, both Ironhide and Chromia reunited with each other. For several moments, neither one of them could fully comprehend what was going on. Just staring at his girlfriend, the former sergeant thought to himself, ‘I can’t believe it. I’m home. I’m finally fucking home!’ Realizing her boyfriend was freezing up, Chromia asked, “Ironhide? You alright?”

Ironhide gave his answer when he wrapped her in a massive hug, one which he was sure was the tightest hug he’d ever given anyone before. Needless to say, Chromia immediately hugged her boyfriend back as she squealed, “Oh my god I can’t believe you’re back!”

Once he got over the shock of being with his girlfriend again, Ironhide asked, “How about we get somewhere just a little less crowded first.” The light blue woman let out a sheepish laugh as she admitted, “I’d appreciate that.” She then led her boyfriend away from the crowd.

Ironhide’s House, A Short While Later…

As Chromia parked her car up to the familiar sight of his family’s house, Ironhide found himself worried about how his father would react to seeing him again. After all, he hadn’t seen his dad since he deployed over to the far east, and as he addressed most of his letters to Chromia, he didn’t know how much information Armorhide knew about his son’s adventures. Of course, what really worried Ironhide was how much his father knew about the Hamlet Incident.

Before the former soldier could fret too much about his worries, the front door opened, revealing a familiar pitch-black man with light gray hair and blue eyes. For the second time that day, Ironhide found himself frozen in shock, unable to fully process what was happening to him. He was so zoned out that the former sergeant barely processed Chromia gently interlocking her fingers through his.

Eventually, Armorhide walked up to his son and, with a small tear escaping his eye, happily muttered, “I would’ve waited an eternity for today.” He then shot his son a salute, one which the Ironhide happily returned before wrapping his father in a tight hug.

Hugging his son, Armorhide tearfully remarked, “It’s so good to have you home.” Wiping the tears that were dripping from his own eyes, Ironhide happily replied, “I’m just glad to be home.” He then admitted, “But before I get too comfortable, I guess there’s something I need to talk to you about.”

Chromia then interrupted with, “If it’s about that Hamlet Incident thing, we know about what happened.” As Ironhide gave his girlfriend a confused look, Armorhide added, “And we think we might be the only people around here who didn’t buy what the army said hook line and sinker.” This remark led Ironhide to ask, “Ok, what’s going on?”

Letting out a defeated sigh, Armorhide said, “How about we talk about this inside?”

The Living Room…

As Ironhide sat down on the couch, Chromia asked, “Can I get you anything? A drink? Something to eat?” The former soldier shook his head as he tried to reassure her, “I’m fine. You don’t have to do that. I’m not some big wig or king.” The young woman shook her head as she replied, “Maybe not, but you are my hero.” She then gave him a gentle kiss to the cheek, much to his delight as well as his embarrassment.

However, while Chromia was trying to keep the mood positive, Armorhide sat down across from his son as he began, “Before you ask, yes, we know what happened at that village and what happened to that Sentinel Prime fella.” As Ironhide sighed in shame, his father continued, “Now, the news and the government has been spinning this tale about how you and your team disobeyed orders and how you’re a mutineer.”

He then, to Ironhide’s surprise, reassured him, “But I know they’re not telling us everything. And if there’s one thing I know about you, I know you don’t do something impulsively.” Taking a deep breath, Armorhide asked, “So if you don’t mind me asking, what really happened?”

Taking this in, Ironhide hesitated for a moment before stating, “Dad, before I tell you, I need to warn you that…” Feeling himself tremble with rage, he continued, “I did what I had to.” Chromia then sat down next to her boyfriend and took his hand as she reassured him, “It’s alright.” With that, Ironhide began, “Well, it started when we were deployed to inspect a village suspected of harboring the insurgents….”

A Short While Later….

“….And then I blew his head off.” Ironhide confessed. As Chromia and Armorhide took this in, the former soldier continued, “I emptied an entire magazine into him, and after that, I just lost control. I don’t remember too much from after that.”

He’d done it. Ironhide admitted that he killed his commanding officer, Sentinel Prime. He revealed that the malevolent marine had murdered his friend Huffer and tried to kill Optimus, leading to the young sergeant giving in to his hatred and anger, killing the monster and ending his evil once and for all.

Taking a deep breath, Ironhide turned to face his father as he explained, “I know I did something horrible but…” He was interrupted when his father rested his hands on his son’s shoulders as he reassured him, “No. You didn’t do something horrible. You did the only thing anyone could do.” He then pulled him into a hug as he admitted, “And if I were in your shoes, I’d have done the exact same thing.”

Hugging his father back, Ironhide let out a tearful, “Thanks dad.”

Once father and son finished their hug, Chromia spoke up with, “I knew they were lying!” As Ironhide turned to face his girlfriend, the young woman explained, “People were saying that you were a murderer, and that Sentinel was some sort of saint!” She then reached for a newspaper on the coffee table and handed it to her boyfriend as she said, “Honestly, journalists these days can get away with anything.”

Taking the newspaper, Ironhide found that the front page featured a picture of him being escorted by the military police. Reading the headline, the young man let out an exasperated and furious, “Sergeant accused of murdering his captain?” Setting the newspaper down, Ironhide let out a defeated sigh as he admitted, “In hindsight, I guess I should’ve expected this.”

As everyone gathered around him, Ironhide let out a relieved, “I’m just glad you guys are, well…. More optimistic.” He then added, “Though I do have one question. Where’s Bright Mac and Pear Butter?”

Chromia gulped as she replied, “Well, that’s the problem. I haven’t heard much from them in the last year or so, and after word got out about what happened, Bright Mac has been avoiding me as if I have tuberculosis or something.” Armorhide then added, “Yeah. Now that I think about it, their little family reunion thing is coming up, but they haven’t sent us an invitation. It’s a bit suspicious that they’d forget to include us, especially now that you’re home.”

Ironhide found that answer somewhat suspicious. Scratching the back of his neck, the former soldier tried to give his friend the benefit of the doubt as he replied, “Well, I did just get back today. I’m sure I can settle it out with him tomorrow.” Letting out a gentle sigh, Armorhide smiled as he replied, “Well then, I think the only thing to worry about left is to decide what’s on the menu for dinner tonight, and I think it’s only fair you decide.”

Smiling, Ironhide suggested, “Well, I’m fine with anything as long as I’m with you guys.” As the young man hugged his girlfriend, Armorhide added, “In that case, how about I order us some pizza?” Both Ironhide and Chromia nodded yes, leading the older man to rise up from his seat and make his way towards the telephone.

Once they were alone, Chromia asked, “So, you glad to be home?” Letting out a relieved sigh, Ironhide happily answered, “You have no idea.” With that, the two lovebirds shared a gentle kiss, just happy that they were together after so long.

Sweet Apple Acres, the Next Day…

After a restless night’s sleep, Ironhide woke up early that morning and took a stroll all the way to Sweet Apple Acres in the hopes that he could speak with Bright Mac again. ‘Heh. Can’t believe I haven’t seen him since I graduated as a Wrecker.’ The young former sergeant thought to himself. ‘I just hope he didn’t get himself hurt while I was gone.’

Walking up to the front door, Ironhide was pleasantly surprised to see the door open, revealing none other than Pear Butter. As the orange haired woman walked up to her friend, she greeted, “Ironhide? Is that really you?” Nodding, the former soldier replied, “In the flesh, scars and all.”

Needless to say, he was pleasantly surprised to have Pear Butter pull him into a tight hug. As she released him, the young woman remarked, “Forgive me for saying this, but you look old.” Letting out a gentle chuckle, Ironhide admitted, “Let’s just say getting shot at every other day doesn’t do much for one’s complexions.” He then asked, “So, I was wondering if Bright Mac was home?”

Turning a bit pale, Pear Butter held her arm in her hand as she answered, “About that…. Bright Mac’s out of town at the moment. He’s visiting Apple Rose and won’t be back for a few days.” Ironhide immediately knew that Pear Butter wasn’t telling the whole truth, as Apple Rose only lived an hour or so away. Confused and a bit put off, he asked, “You sure? I could go over and see them both.”

Pear Butter nervously shook her head as she begged, “No. That won’t be necessary.” Realizing that he wasn’t going to get anywhere, Ironhide replied, “Very well. I’ll be back in a few days.” He then turned around and began to leave, though not before Pear Butter gave a final, cryptic warning.

“Things are different Ironhide.”

Though caught off guard by the ominous remark, Ironhide figured that it was probably related to how he’d been gone for a few years. ‘She’s not entirely wrong. Bright Mac has probably changed a bit since I left.’ The former soldier thought to himself. ‘Heh. Maybe he joined one of those anti-war protests. I can’t exactly blame him.’ Still, he had places to be (specifically so he could pick up some flowers for Chromia), so the young man decided to put it off for now.

Besides, Bright Mac would be back in a few days, right?

Two Weeks Later…

“Stood up again!” Ironhide exclaimed as he walked down the street with Chromia. It had been two weeks since he returned home, and it was becoming abundantly clear that Bright Macintosh was trying to avoid being around him. The first few days had passed, but Pear Butter said he came down with the cold. After a few more days, she said he had to go out of town to pick something up, and then he apparently got insomnia and needed peace and quiet.

Needless to say, it was abundantly clear that Bright Mac was trying to avoid him, and Ironhide was getting sick of it.

As they walked down the city street, Chromia openly pondered, “I don’t get it. Why would Bright Mac try to avoid you? He’s your friend for Primus’s sake!” Shaking his head, Ironhide replied, “These days I’m not so sure.” As they passed a café, the former soldier continued, “I know we used to get into arguments back in the day, but back then, at worst we’d give each other the silent treatment for a day or two. But it’s been two bloody weeks.” Taking a deep breath, he solemnly stated, “Something’s wrong. I just know it.”

Taking a deep breath, Chromia nervously suggested, “Well, maybe he heard about what happened during the hamlet incident.” As Ironhide gave his girlfriend a concerned look, she quickly stammered, “I mean, it was a big deal and word has been spreading, so it’s possible the truth has been a bit distorted.” Sighing, Ironhide lamented, “I know, I know. I just… If that’s the case, I hoped he’d be a bit more willing to….”

Ironhide was interrupted by a sound he never expected to hear in Canterlot City; the sound of someone getting beaten to a bloody pulp. Turning to face Chromia, the young man realized that she was hearing it as well, Ironhide leapt into action and charged towards the source of the sound, followed closely by his girlfriend.

Following their ears, Ironhide and Chromia made their way down a side alley and behind an old run-down apartment building. There, they found a trio of unruly teenagers kicking some poor sod for what appeared to be no reason whatsoever. Feeling anger overcome him, Ironhide thought to himself, ‘Just what I need. A bunch of good for nothing punks.’ Taking a deep breath, the former sergeant knew what he had to do.

Stepping up to the unruly teens, Ironhide demanded, “You little punks better back off right now!” Sure enough, the teens stopped their attack on the downed man and turned their attention to this new man as one of them, a pale pink boy with a bright green mohawk mocked, “My, looks like we got some goody two shoes here. What do you say we teach him how we do it on the streets?” Another of the teens, an orange girl with a shaved head, replied, “Yeah. Besides, he doesn’t look so tough. He looks like he’ll tip over like a balloon."

As the three teens began to circle Ironhide and Chromia like vultures, the blue woman cracked her knuckles as she asked, “You sure you kids wanna do this? I won’t go down without a fight.” However, Ironhide stepped forward and decided to give the young punks one chance to back off.

“I don’t know if you kids know this, but I just got back from a jungle in the deepest pits of hell and stood down a monster from Parry Island and lived to tell the tale. So let me make this clear, you either piss off right now or you leave in a fucking body bag!”

The three teens gulped in fear before they impulsively ran off. Ironhide let out a triumphant sigh as he said, “Always pays to take the diplomatic approach before things get physical.” He then turned to his girlfriend and remarked, “I’m surprised you were willing to throw down.” Shrugging, Chromia replied, “I’ve been taking self defense classes while you were gone. I couldn’t wait on my knight in shining armor forever.”

The lovely moment was interrupted by the sound of the downed man groaning in pain. Snapping back to reality, Ironhide ran towards him and bent down, helping him back to his feet as the former sergeant reassured him, “Come on buddy. Let’s get you some help.” As the two men rose to their feet, Ironhide felt his eyes widen as he realized something; he knew who this man was.

His “new” acquaintance was a light gray man with dark gray hair, blue eyes, and circular glasses. Not quite realizing who it was yet, the bespectacled man spoke up in a somewhat scratchy and gruff voice as he replied, “Thanks man. Those little pricks thought they could stick an old vet like me and my pal and….” He stopped himself as he realized who he was talking to.

Feeling a sense of joy overwhelming him, Ironhide asked, “Wheeljack?”

Both men wrapped themselves in a tight hug as Ironhide exclaimed, “Primus almighty, what are you doing here?!” Wheeljack let out a hearty laugh as he replied, “Well long story short sir, I got run out of my hometown because my neighbors didn’t like living with a Wrecker and…” Pausing as he released his now former sergeant, the maverick man stated, “Oh! I nearly forgot.”

Turning to face a nearby dumpster, Wheeljack called out, “Come out Ratchet.” Sure enough, another man, this one an older man with a leather bag that displayed a red cross in a white circle, emerged from behind the dumpster as he grumbled, “Ugh. Kids these days have no respect.” He then realized who was standing in front of him and whole heartedly remarked, “I never thought I’d live to see this day.”

Ironhide himself found himself overwhelmed as he happily exclaimed, “Ratchet? What are you doing here?” Letting out a defeated sigh, Ratchet admitted, “Just trying to scrape by. What about you?” Before Ironhide could answer, however, the old medic began to groan and sway as he struggled to keep himself steady on his feet. Eventually, he collapsed to his knees, leading Ironhide and Chromia to help keep him from falling to the ground.

As they helped Ratchet to his feet, Chromia greeted, “I take it you two are Ironhide’s old teammates. I’m Chromia, and it’s nice to meet you, but I think we should get Ratchet here somewhere a little more stable.” Ironhide nodded as he replied, “Yeah. Let’s get you two to my place.” With that, the quartet made their way out of the alley and began the trek home.

Ironhide and Armorhide’s Home…

Helping Ratchet to the couch, Ironhide and Chromia gently lowered the old medic onto the sofa as the latter remarked, “Sheesh. You look like you’re half starved. You been living under a rock or something?” Wiping some sweat from his brow, Ratchet began, “Where do I even start?”

Turning to face his old sergeant, Ratchet explained, “You remember how I said I lost my medical license due to that incident with that prick?” Ironhide nodded as he replied, “Yeah. I take it you’re not able to get any jobs in the medical field?” Nodding, the old medic explained, “Exactly. And given the fact all of us are now tabloid celebrities, I can’t exactly go back to medical school.” He then sighed as he added, “Not that I can afford it anymore anyway.”

Ratchet then turned to Chromia and introduced himself, “Where are my manners? I’m Ratchet.” He then extended his hand, leading the blue woman to shake his hand as she replied, “It’s nice to meet you. Ironhide has spoken highly of you. Said you were the reason most you boys got out of there alive.” She then turned to Wheeljack and extended her hand as she asked, “And you said your name is Wheeljack, right?”

The maverick man shook her hand as he happily replied, “Lance Corporal Wheeljack. Soldier, mechanic, and all-around guy who blows the shit out of everything, at your service.” Though honored to meet him, Chromia began to turn an embarrassed red as she requested, “I hate to be a kill joy, but do you think you could avoid that kind of language?” Shrugging, the maverick man cheekily replied, “Tough luck ma’am. I speak frankly and honestly.”

Ironhide then sighed as he remarked, “Speaking of honesty, we still don’t know why Bright Mac is avoiding me.” Wheeljack immediately asked, “Wait, Bright Mac? You mean that farm guy you used to talk about?” Ratchet then added, “Yeah. What’s going on anyway?”

At that moment, Armorhide walked into the living room as he asked, “What’s going on down here?” He quickly realized that there were two new guests in his house as he replied, “Ah. Forgive me, I didn’t know we’d be having guests.” Ironhide let out a gentle chuckle as he apologized, “Sorry about that. Guess something came up.”

Wheeljack then approached the older man as he introduced himself, “Hello sir. I’m Wheeljack. I served under your son until about a month or so ago.” He then extended his hand, leading Armorhide to shake it as the latter greeted, “I’ve heard about you and your buddies from some of my son’s letters. I hear you’re quite the maverick.” As they finished their handshake, Ratchet tried to rise up from the couch as Chromia warned him, “Don’t push yourself. You’re look like you’re running on empty.”

Thankfully, Armorhide walked up to the two and, after glancing at the discarded medic’s bag, remarked, “And judging by that red cross, you must be Ratchet.” Nodding, Ratchet replied, “I am. And you must be Ironhide’s father Armorhide. I can see the family resemblance.” He then turned to face his old sergeant as he asked, “But what about your friend Bright Mac?”

Ironhide sighed as he replied, “Long story short, he’s kinda like my brother.” Wheeljack immediately (and playfully) inquired, “So he’s a brother from another mother?” As everyone glared at him, Chromia crossed her arms as she requested, “I know we’ve just meet Wheeljack, but please do us a favor and shut up.” All the maverick man could do was silently nod as he sat down on the couch.

Now that the awkward moment had passed, Ironhide continued, “But yeah, Bright Mac is kinda like my brother and best friend excluding you guys. However, ever since I returned, I’ve gotten the feeling he’s trying to avoid me.” He then sighed as he added, “I know we don’t exactly have the best reputation due to….” Ratchet immediately interrupted with a blunt, “The Hamlet Incident?”

Nodding, Ironhide continued, “Yeah, the Hamlet Incident, but I guess I’ve been too willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.” As everyone took this in, Wheeljack added, “Some friend if you ask me.” Chromia wanted to come to Bright Mac’s defense but given that she knew he’d been trying to avoid them for seemingly no reason, she knew that, perhaps, her boyfriend’s teammate may have been right.

Ironhide then turned to his father and asked, “Hey dad, you said the Apple family’s reunion was coming up?” Nodding, Armorhide replied, “Yeah. It’s about that time of year, and I saw a few of the other Apples around town. If he’s not with the others, I don’t know where he is.”

Taking a deep breath, Ironhide stated, “Ok then. I’ll stop by the farm tomorrow.” Curious, Chromia asked, “Why tomorrow? There’s still a good few hours left before sundown.” Ironhide nodded as he replied, “Right now, I think Ratchet and Wheeljack need our attention.” He then gave a small smile as he continued, “Besides, I’ve waited two weeks already. I can wait one more day.”

Turning to Ratchet and Wheeljack, Ironhide warmly asked, “As you two are now my guests, is there anything I can get for you?” Ratchet hesitated for a moment before politely requesting, “I’d appreciate something cold to drink if you don’t mind.” Wheeljack then added, “Same here, as well as something to eat if that’s alright.”

Ironhide nodded as he replied, “As you wish.” He then turned to face his father as he continued, “I hope you don’t mind playing host for my buddies.” Thankfully, Armorhide let out a hearty laugh as he replied, “Of course not! Consider it my “thank you” for their services.” Chromia then added, “Besides, they look like they haven’t eaten in days.” This statement lead Wheeljack to sheepishly admit, “Actually it’s more “we haven’t eaten in a day,” not days.”

Armorhide immediately lit up as he replied, “Well that settles it then. I’m thinking something hearty like some of my famous roast beef.” He then asked his son, “Come on boy! Looks like we’re on KP duty.” Letting out a gentle chuckle, Ironhide gave a salute as he replied, “Sir, yes sir.” And so, the former sergeant joined his father in preparing a hearty dinner for his extended family, all while looking forward to his eventual confrontation with Bright Macintosh.

After all, how much could they have drifted apart after a few years of military service?

To Be Continued…

Author's Note:

Next Time; Ironhide finally confronts Bright Mac in an encounter that will change the lives of both families for generations. (I mean it this time)

Author's Note; Once again, I've bitten off more than I could chew for one chapter, and so it will be continued next week. I apologize for the inconvience.

Comments

[Darksoul85]

Great chapter like the flash back

[WarriorofFaith18]

Good chapter. Of course they’d make Ironhide look like a traitor.

[darkman]

Will there be ahcpater say they hear of a special documentary being aired called the Sentinel Prime The True Traitor?
Love to read that where it aired the truth of what happened.

[Arthor2017]

If I have to guess: Bright Mac is avoiding Chromia due Ironhide's "treachery", and like the stonehead he is/was decided to cut ties with them. Unless there's something else.

I hope Bright found the truth regarding that Sentinel snake and tried to apologize before his death.