TIL ALL ARE ONE

by CROSSOVER KING

The Touch

Author's Note:

Optimus Prime is voiced by the one and only Peter Cullen.

Even though he was travelling at his top speed, it had taken him a whole a day to reach his destination. Along the way, however, he had seen many wonderful sights. These included the magnificent Neighagra Falls, the gorgeous Crystal Mountains, and the truly awe-inspiring city of Manehattan (even if it was observed from a distance in order to prevent panic among the residents). All in all, it had been a pretty amazing journey and it was finally coming to a close. Sure, it had taken a bit longer than the traveler had expected and he had to overcome a few obstacles such as steep mountain ranges and bumpy roads, but it was nothing he could not handle by himself.

After all, he was Optimus Prime, the noble and brave leader of the Autobot faction, who had led his comrades through an eons-long war on their home planet of Cybertron, a millennium-long voyage across the stars, and a hard-won victory against their mortal enemies, Megatron and his Decepticon forces, in a battle where he fought side by side with some of Equestria's greatest warriors. He finally had no more wars to fight and so, he had decided to pursue a profession he was forced to abandon when he became a soldier and a leader: pursuing knowledge.

Since he and his Autobots had no way of returning home and no home to return to at the moment, he was going to explore this planet they had taken refuge in and discover all the secrets it was holding. Though he had no idea where to start his journey at first, his new friend, Twilight Sparkle, had given him the idea of traveling to a place called, "Griffonstone" and after a long but breathtaking trip, he was now standing right in front of the city's front gates, ready to behold all the wonders it could possess.

Unfortunately, once he took a good look at the city, it became clear that he had set his expectations way too high. Instead of a prosperous village inhabited by cheerful ponies, it was a nearly desolate town full of depressed creatures that looked like combinations between the organic versions of the Decepticons Ravage and Laserbeak. Though he initially considered leaving, he soon decided that it would not do any good to just abandon a place he spent twenty four long megacycles trying to reach without spending some time exploring, no matter how unpleasant the place itself appeared to be. So, he took a deep breath and proceeded to enter the town, grabbing the attention of every single resident in the process.

The looks they were giving him ranged from frightened to suspicious. In fact, some of them were either hastily retreating inside a house or outright glaring at him while getting ready to attack with their claws. Despite this cold reception, however, he managed to walk all the way across town without an incident and once he was at the town's edge, he turned to the creatures gathered in front of him before clearing his throat and making an announcement.

"Greetings, citizens of Griffonstone", he began. "I am Optimus Prime of the planet Cybertron. I have come to your kingdom as part of my journey across Equestria. I have no intention to disrupt your daily lives as my sole goal is to discover the secrets and wonders your culture possesses."

The residents responded by staying silent for a handful of seconds while their facial expressions remained the same. The silence was only broken when one of them (the same one who had abandoned Rainbow Dash at the Abysmal Abyss) shouted from behind, "You got bits?!"

A confused Optimus turned around and replied, "I am... not familiar with those 'bits' you speak of. What are they?"

In response, all the creatures loudly groaned in unison and dispersed to continue doing what they were doing before Optimus showed up, leaving him even more puzzled than before. Just then, he sensed something on his left foot and looked down to see an older and grizzled resident poking him in the foot with a wooden stick and even biting it with his beak. The said creature then looked up towards Optimus's face and said, "Well, mister, I can definitely say that your body is made of a metal much stronger than gold, which makes it all the more valuable! Tell me, can you spare any parts so that we can sell them to the highest bidder in a pony town?"

"Sorry, but, no", declared Optimus. "Besides, I cannot imagine any pony would be willing to purchase a part of mine, since they would not have any use for it."

The creature then flew up near the Autobot leader's face and asked, "Oh, really, now? What about a blacksmith, hmmm? I'm pretty sure one of them will pay a huge sum for an opportunity to make something from one of your parts. Have you ever considered that possibility?"

"I have and it is actually the main reason why I refuse your offer", Optimus firmly replied. "My Autobots and I are merely refugees in your planet and we wish for our influence on the Equestrian society to be as minimal as possible. Also, there is a possibility that a pony might turn one of my parts into a weapon and I can never allow that to happen. This kind of weapon may very well endanger innocent pony lives, which is something I cannot abide at any circumstance."

The creature responded by loudly groaning and shouting, "You're much too noble for my liking! Fine, then! If you don't want to sell your parts, then you have nothing valuable on you, which means you have no stinking business here!"

"But, I've come a long way to discover the secrets of your kingdom", stated Optimus. "What can you tell me about those?"

"Well, look around, mister! Do you see anything worth discovering in our sad, miserable town?", the creature asked. "We barely qualify as a kingdom, because we don't even have a king. If you're wondering why what is, I can tell you what happened for a couple of bits. Oh, wait, I forgot. YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT BITS ARE!"

"Leave him alone RIGHT NOW, grandpa!", a nearby voice called out. When Optimus turned towards the direction it came from, he saw a much younger creature hovering in the air. While the one he was speaking with had black eyes, a violetish gray coat, medium gray neck and dark violetish gray wings, this one had light brilliant amber eyes, moderate gamboge coat, white head with pale, light grayish heliotrope edge, and moderate gamboge wings. Also, while the older creature was a male, the younger one was a female, who had an extremely stern expression on her face.

"Don't you have anything better to do than harassing this tired traveler?", she asked.

"Well, as a matter of fact, I do!", her grandpa replied. "I'm late for my weekly card game and then, I'm planning to sleep for the rest of the day, if you don't mind."

"No, I don't mind at all. In fact, I wish you stay asleep FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK!", the granddaughter declared. "Now, buzz off while I deal with our new visitor!"

The elder creature replied with a humph and then flew away while violently coughing on the way. Once he was out of sight, Optimus turned his attention to the granddaughter, who now had a rather annoyed expression on her face. She moved closer to the Autobot's leader face before explaining, "So sorry about that, sir. Grandpa Gruff is always very grabby when it comes to money. Actually, you can say that about pretty much every griffon around these parts. Well, anyway, I'm Gilda and I humbly welcome you to what's left of Griffonstone since the passing of our last king."

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Gilda", Optimus replied. "You seem to be the only griffon here who is not corrupted by greed. My name is Optimus Prime and I come from the planet Cybertron. As a refugee on your planet, I am on a journey to explore all of Equestria's features and, as fate would have it, I chose your home as my first stop. So, uh, you wouldn't happen to know the reasons behind your kingdom's current state and your king's absence, would you?"

Gilda let out a heavy sigh and revealed, "Actually, yeah, I do. I didn't actually believe a word of it when I first heard the story, but a recent event made me realize that it was all true. Don't worry, I won't force you to pay me like Grampa Gruff did. So, basically, our entire race was once united in pride by our first king, Grover, through a treasure called, the Idol of Boreas. For the next millennia or so, Griffonstone remained a majestic kingdom and the envy of all other species. Then, it all changed when a monster named, Arimaspi, tried to steal the idol from our last king, Guto. Even though Guto fought the creature, it fell to the Abysmal Abyss along with the idol. With our sacred treasure gone, our entire kingdom fell apart and every griffon here has been living in misery ever since. Does that answer your questions?"

Optimus, who had remained silent throughout the entire narration, solemnly replied, "How unfortunate. I am so sorry to hear all this. Tell me, did the ponies not aid you in any way after the fall of your kingdom?"

"Ha! Of course, not", Gilda bluntly stated. "Ponies have always treated creatures like us as second-rate citizens. Even if they did send aid, we wouldn't accept it. We're much too proud to let others help us."

"Then, how can anyone survive in a place like this?", asked Optimus.

Gilda replied, "It's pretty much the survival of the fittest around here. Most of us collect every little trinket we can find, sell it, and stash the bits we earn in a safe place. Other griffons like Grampa Gruff win their money in a game of cards or other kinds of gambling. As for me, I make a living by selling griffon scones. For the longest time, I've dreamed of nothing but earning enough bits to leave this town and start a better life somewhere else."

"So, what changed your decision, if you don't mind me asking?", curiously inquired Optimus.

After taking a very deep breath, Gilda sadly admitted, "Normally, I downright despise talking about my past, but you do look like someone I can easily confide in. So, I guess I could make an exception just this once. Y'see, I have this friend named, Rainbow Dash. She and I have been best friends since we were little. I was a much different griffon back then: shy, timid, and not even brave enough to stand up for myself. Luckily, Dash always got my back in case I got into trouble with other ponies. Then, after surviving here for many years, I began to change. As much as I hate to admit it, I became as greedy, cruel, and insensitive as my fellow griffons. It also affected my friendship with Dash, because after being annoyed by his new friends, I insulted them and she rightfully called me out on my behavior before ending our friendship. Obviously, I was angry and never wanted to see her again, but a few days ago, she and one of her new friends, Pinkie Pie, came here to solve a friendship problem. They tried to restore the kingdom by retrieving the Idol of Boreas from the Abysmal Abyss, but ended up in serious trouble and it was up to me to save them. Even though that meant giving up the one thing that could save my home, it didn't matter, because I learned that friends are way more important than dumb old idols. So, now, I'm pretty much the only griffon who understands the value of friendship and I'm also on a mission to spread friendship among my kind."

Optimus, once again remaining silent throughout the narration, replied in an astonished tone, "By the Matrix! I must admit, Gilda, your story is both tragic and fascinating at the same time. You have obviously been through a lot and will, no doubt, go through a lot more in the future. However, it pleases me to hear that you now walk a far more virtuous path thanks to the assistance of your friends."

In response, Gilda gave him a dry chuckle and commented, "Yeah, as 'virtuous' as this path is, it's not very easy to follow. I mean, I'm supposed to spread friendship to a whole town full of greedy griffons who only value bits and treasures. Do you have any idea how hard this job is gonna be? It'll probably take DECADES to complete and even then, there's no guarantee my people will stay friendly with each other. I don't even wanna think about how our relations with ponies will change during that time, because I know they won't. Dash and Pinkie are cool and all, but the rest of them aren't even close to that. So, as you can imagine, I've got a very heavy burden to carry and I have no idea if I can handle all of it."

While she turned her gaze towards the town and solemnly stared at it for a handful of seconds, Optimus thought about what she had just said and finally said, "Gilda, I think I understand exactly what you are going through."

Upon hearing that, Gilda confusedly looked back at Optimus and asked, "Huh? W-what exactly do you mean by that?"

"After hearing what you told me about your kingdom and yourself, I have realized that we actually have a lot in common", began Optimus. "I, too, am a member of a civilization that was devastated by a lack of unity among the denizens. However, my story is far more tragic than yours as my people were divided into two factions that battled each other until our planet became unable to sustain any form of life. I was the leader of the faction that fought against those who sought to conquer our world and enslave us all. During those battles, I witnessed so many of my brothers and sisters perish, and since I was their leader, I could not help but blame myself for their loss. As a result, I went through a dramatic change over the course of our civil war. By the time we all left the planet to search for new energy sources, I was no longer a hopeful and confident soldier, but rather a tired and remorseful commander. Unfortunately, I had no time to rest as I was burdened with a most challenging task of leading a group of survivors on a journey across the stars in search of a way to restore our home. We encountered many obstacles along the way and it was always up to me to keep our morale high, despite the fact that I was as tired of the war as everyone else. We went on like this for an entire millennium before we eventually found this world and embraced it as our new home."

By the time he finished explaining, Gilda had become extremely shocked to hear all this and her eyes had widened exponentially in the meantime. After spending a few seconds blinking and trying to comprehend everything, she loudly exclaimed, "Goodness, you're right! Your story does sound more tragic than mine! So, you actually went through all this and kept it together the whole time? Dude, you are one tough cookie, I'll give you that. Also, yeah, I do see that we have a lot in common. So, uh, how did you manage to, you know, not emotionally fall apart during all this?"

Optimus then confidently replied, "I received help from my surviving friends, of course. Even though we had lost so many of our comrades and were left with little to no resources, they still believed in ability to lead them to salvation. We frequently supported each other throughout our journey across the stars and did not leave each other's side even when we faced impossible odds. That is the true benefit of friendship and it is something anyone can and should possess, in my opinion."

As she took a moment to consider those claims, Gilda's face became saddened again and she stated, "I agree, but how can I find a friend to help me carry all that burden I just mentioned. I mean, pretty much everyone here is a greedy jerk who has no respect for one another. How can I possibly hope to make a single friend in a place like this?"

In response, Optimus gently held her chin up and warmly declared, "Friendship may be difficult in an environment like this, Gilda, but I can assure you, it is not impossible. If I can make friends in countless battlefields, then you can certainly make friends in this hostile environment. You just have to perform little acts of kindness every once in a while and over time, you shall have a good number of friends by your side. I know this may be a difficult mission for someone who was forced to mature here, but from what I have seen and heard, I can definitely say that you are up to the task. You possess strength, courage, determination, and most importantly, a drive to better yourself in every way. Trust me, once you begin practicing kindness and humility, I have no doubt that you will become so much greater than what you are now."

Gilda was extremely touched by these words and as she shed a dozen drops of tear, sniffled a few times, and even managed a small smile, she admitted, "Y'know, when I was little, I never thought I'd be the lucky griffon who gets to save this kingdom."

"And I never thought I would be a warrior, let alone the leader of an entire faction of warriors, during my youth", replied Optimus. "Look how we turned out."

Then, they shared a laugh and Optimus let go of Gilda's chin as she wiped away her tears. She then flew up to the Autobot leader's face and happily rubbed her head against his left cheek while he gently stroked her head with one finger. Right after that, she motioned him to follow her and he did so as she flew towards the center of the town and landed near a house that had a carriage in front of it. She then took at least a dozen griffon scones from the carriage and, once again, flew up to the Autobot leader's face before offering him the scones.

"I know you'll be leaving soon, but at least take some of my scones for the road", she suggested. "I know they're not the tastiest food in all of Equestria, but trust me, they were completely inedible before I started using the baking powder Pinkie gave me."

Optimus took a glance at the scones before looking back at Gilda and admitting, "Sorry to disappoint you, Gilda, but my Cybertronian anatomy prevents me from consuming organic food. Besides, I do not even have a mouth."

Though Gilda was briefly saddened to hear that, she eventually got an idea and cheerfully said, "That's okay. You can still take them with you and give them to the ponies you meet along your journey. That way, we can get them to take an interest in the griffon culture and maybe, just maybe, our relations with them can improve."

"That's the spirit, Gilda!", Optimus enthusiastically replied. "I shall put your plan in motion as soon as possible."

Then, he carefully picked up the scones and placed them inside a compartment located on his left arm. As soon as he closed the compartment, Gilda curiously asked, "So, what's the next stop on your journey, anyway?"

In response, Optimus took a few moments to ponder on the answer to that question before finally stating, "Well, since I am going to help you improve the relations between ponies and griffons, I must convince the ponies to take an interest in your culture. I should not start by spreading the word in a highly populated area, because not all of Equestria is accustomed to the Autobot presence and I do not wish to cause mass panic. So, the only logical place to start is in a town like this one. Hmmm... Now that I think about it, there was a small town I passed by while coming here. Plus, it is not very far away. Yes, that shall be my next destination. Thank you so much for your time, Gilda. I do hope our paths cross once again in the near future, my friend."

A surprised Gilda then asked, "Wait, we're actually friends, now?"

"Well, of course, we are", confidently declared Optimus. "I mean, if you want to. If you don't, then I shall not force you."

"No, no, I do!", Gilda sheepishly replied. "It's just that I don't really know what convinced you to become friends with me."

Optimus responded by, once again, stroking her head and warmly explaining, "Like I said, practicing humility and kindness every now and then makes all the difference."

Though she was a bit confused at first, Gilda eventually realized what that meant and became extremely happy before quickly rushing to hug the Autobot leader's chest while he did his best to hug her back. Once that was done, she enthusiastically said, "Thank you so much for everything, Optimus Prime. I, too, want us to meet again soon."

"You are most welcome, Gilda", Optimus replied. "Also, you can call me 'Optimus' if you want. All of my close friends do."

Gilda let out a small giggle and said, "Will do, Optimus. Well, you better go now. I wouldn't wanna keep you away from your journey and mission. Once again, thanks for everything."

Optimus responded with a nod and began walking towards the town entrance. Once he reached it, he looked back at his new griffon friend, raised his fist up in the air, and confidently declared, "Till all are one!", before transforming into his vehicle mode and drove away to continue his exciting journey, with Gilda waving good-bye to him from behind.

Just then, she sensed a presence nearby and turned around to see a much younger griffon hovering in the air and smiling even more brightly than she was a moment ago. Deciding to investigate, she also began hovering in the air and curiously inquired, "Hey, Gabby. What's up?"

She then noticed her presence and nervously replied, "Oh, hi, Gilda. Did you see that metal giant just now? He looked so bold and heroic. I wonder where in Equestria he's from."

Gilda slyly chuckled and said, "See him? I've MET him."

With her eyes widening with shock, Gabby excitedly asked, "Really?! Oh, my gosh! That's so cool! Who is he?"

"He is Optimus Prime", explained Gilda. "He's a war hero from another world who's come to Equestria to stay for a while."

"WOW! That's even cooler!", Gabby exclaimed. "I wish I could be just like him when I'm older."

Gilda happily rolled her eyes and replied, "Well, you CAN be a hero, but I doubt anyone can be EXACTLY like him."

Comments

[redmar]

Gabby is more cheerfull than the rest of GRiffonstone combined and it makes sense that she would be interested in Optimus.

[CROSSOVER KING]

10615340
My thoughts exactly