Solarflare's reality and another. Earth and Beast Planet. Flowers.
Solarflare looked over her shoulder as Mirage led her away from Prowl and Flamestrike's apartment, hoping for a last glimpse of the two small ones whose voices she could hear cheerfully chirping away in demand of a story of the 'old days'.
"Spectrum and Illusion will be fine with their aunt and uncle," said Mirage, his deep, cultured voice gently amused.
"I know." The grey and white femme flushed as she turned to face the way they were going, her hand slipping down to cover his where it rested against her waist. "It just seems a little strange to be leaving them around the time that we're usually tucking them in for the night."
Mirage nodded and kissed her gently on the side of the helm. "They'll be alright."
Solarflare chuckled and looked up at him affectionately. "So what do you have for tonight?"
"It's a surprise," he said mysteriously, his mouth twitching at the corners.
"Like that sunflower you gave me all those years ago?" she teased gently.
"No," he said gravely. "These won't be abruptly thrust into your face." Then he blinked and frowned slightly as he realized he'd let part of the surprise slip.
Solarflare, on the other hand, laughed and pecked him on the cheek. Then she grew serious. "I wonder if Prowl and Flamestrike will ever get to celebrate Mother's day. They're so good with our two sparklets...."
"Prowl's not even fully sure of his shell yet. Give them time." Mirage stopped in front of Autobot City's most prestigious restaurant and let go her waist to gallantly bow her through the door.
It wasn't until he'd followed her that they both realized that something had gone awry.
"What...?" Solarflare's crest and wings both showed her surprise as she looked around at the jungle that suddenly surrounded them. "This isn't Macadam's."
Mirage frowned deeply, his sensors alert for any sign of what had happened. "I don't think this is Earth, either."
His mate scowled, then noticed a patch of brighter sunshine to their left. "There's a clearing over there. I can go up over the canopy and see what there is to see."
Mirage's expression showed how little he liked this plan, but his own attempts to raise anyone on any of the regular hailing frequencies were being met with only dead air. "Very well. But be careful."
"That's the idea." She let him lead the way through the thick undergrowth, scowling as a loop of liana got caught on one wing. "I know I'm no fan of cold, but this heat and humidity isn't much fun either."
"Hopefully we'll be out of it... soon!?!" Mirage yelped as he found himself swept off his feet the moment he reached the edge of the clearing. "Solarflare, it's a trap! Run!"
"Errhhhh!" She struggled against the suddenly tightening vine, trying to twist around and use her eye-lasers to cut herself free.
Then she too yelped as she was suddenly yanked aloft, popping out of the jungle and into the burning light of a grassy clearing. She could see Mirage now, struggling fiercely against the green tendrils that held him fast. Her optics quickly traced these tendrils, and her mouth fell open slightly with shock as she saw the monstrous flower at the other end of them. "You've got to be @#$#$@ me!"
The flower, it seemed, was in dead earnest. Solarflare felt her wing struts groan at the pressure that was being put on them, and heard Mirage's cry of pain as his chest buckled slightly. A massive maw opened at the top of the towering stalk, and the raptor femme gave a shrill scream as she directed her lasers toward it.
Something flashed in the sun down below, and the plant shuddered and turned its attention from its captives to take a swat at whatever it was. The flash came again, this time accompanied by the distinctly familiar sound of a teleport.
"Skywarp?" Solarflare scowled with confusion even as her struggles managed to free her from the weakening grasp of the flower. Transforming quickly, and ignoring the pain of her damaged wing, she swooped toward her mate to break his fall, and then landed and mantled over him protectively as she watched the titanic plant topple to the ground.
"Stupid slaggin' beasts," said a young female voice behind her. "Don't #@$#@$#@ know enough ta stay away from a $#%#@$@# hungry weed."
Solarflare blinked, and then transformed to turn and look up at their rescuer.
It wasn't Skywarp. The winged femme wasn't really sure what it was, though she had a vague inkling it might be Cybertronian. But the shell was like nothing she'd ever seen, being much more alien, and also covering a lot less of the being's inner workings, than she was used to. It was also a great deal taller, and looked like it would be able to give the gestalts a run for their money.
"Take a picture," said the being bad-temperedly. "It'll last ya longer."
Then she blinked as she looked down at Mirage. "...That's no beast."
"No. That's Mirage, co-Commander of Autobot City, from Earth," said Solarflare. "And I'm Junior Communications Officer Solarflare."
"Slaggin' portals." The tall femme turned and stalked toward the dying plant, her golden paint glinting in the sun. Solarflare saw her stoop and pull something from the base of the thing's stalk before turning back to them.
"Please, my mate is damaged. And... I didn't catch your name." Solarflare looked down at Mirage, who looked back at her as he carefully cycled air through his intakes.
"Because I didn' give it." The golden femme snorted and thrust a tiny version of the flower into Solarflare's hands, where it twitched and seemed to snuggle. "Here, you raise 'em right 'n they're kinda fun ta have around."
"Your name?" requested Mirage politely.
She scanned them both thoughtfully, then stooped to lift the wounded mech. "Nova."
"And...." he prodded gently.
"I ain't got no rank. I kill 'Cons. That's that."
"Your teleportation ability...."
"I ripped it offa Skywarp after I took 'im down." She nodded to Solarflare to follow, and the femme did so, frowning deeply.
"You killed... wait. You're Cybertronian?" Mirage blinked with surprise.
"Yup. There's yer door. Ya even think'a lookin' fer it?" She scowled down at him, her molten optics like looking into the heart of a dying sun.
"Of course," he returned a trifle testily.
The golden femme shrugged as she set Mirage on his feet with surprising care and then poked him toward the softly shimmering portal that seemed to hang like a spider web between two giant trees. "Go on home 'n letcher Ratchet lookit ya."
"You sound like Ironhide," said Solarflare without thinking.
Nova flinched, then shoved them both through.
And so it was that Mirage and Solarflare spent Mother's day in the repair bay with a baby carnivorous flower and a quirky story to tell.
"Spectrum and Illusion will be fine with their aunt and uncle," said Mirage, his deep, cultured voice gently amused.
"I know." The grey and white femme flushed as she turned to face the way they were going, her hand slipping down to cover his where it rested against her waist. "It just seems a little strange to be leaving them around the time that we're usually tucking them in for the night."
Mirage nodded and kissed her gently on the side of the helm. "They'll be alright."
Solarflare chuckled and looked up at him affectionately. "So what do you have for tonight?"
"It's a surprise," he said mysteriously, his mouth twitching at the corners.
"Like that sunflower you gave me all those years ago?" she teased gently.
"No," he said gravely. "These won't be abruptly thrust into your face." Then he blinked and frowned slightly as he realized he'd let part of the surprise slip.
Solarflare, on the other hand, laughed and pecked him on the cheek. Then she grew serious. "I wonder if Prowl and Flamestrike will ever get to celebrate Mother's day. They're so good with our two sparklets...."
"Prowl's not even fully sure of his shell yet. Give them time." Mirage stopped in front of Autobot City's most prestigious restaurant and let go her waist to gallantly bow her through the door.
It wasn't until he'd followed her that they both realized that something had gone awry.
"What...?" Solarflare's crest and wings both showed her surprise as she looked around at the jungle that suddenly surrounded them. "This isn't Macadam's."
Mirage frowned deeply, his sensors alert for any sign of what had happened. "I don't think this is Earth, either."
His mate scowled, then noticed a patch of brighter sunshine to their left. "There's a clearing over there. I can go up over the canopy and see what there is to see."
Mirage's expression showed how little he liked this plan, but his own attempts to raise anyone on any of the regular hailing frequencies were being met with only dead air. "Very well. But be careful."
"That's the idea." She let him lead the way through the thick undergrowth, scowling as a loop of liana got caught on one wing. "I know I'm no fan of cold, but this heat and humidity isn't much fun either."
"Hopefully we'll be out of it... soon!?!" Mirage yelped as he found himself swept off his feet the moment he reached the edge of the clearing. "Solarflare, it's a trap! Run!"
"Errhhhh!" She struggled against the suddenly tightening vine, trying to twist around and use her eye-lasers to cut herself free.
Then she too yelped as she was suddenly yanked aloft, popping out of the jungle and into the burning light of a grassy clearing. She could see Mirage now, struggling fiercely against the green tendrils that held him fast. Her optics quickly traced these tendrils, and her mouth fell open slightly with shock as she saw the monstrous flower at the other end of them. "You've got to be @#$#$@ me!"
The flower, it seemed, was in dead earnest. Solarflare felt her wing struts groan at the pressure that was being put on them, and heard Mirage's cry of pain as his chest buckled slightly. A massive maw opened at the top of the towering stalk, and the raptor femme gave a shrill scream as she directed her lasers toward it.
Something flashed in the sun down below, and the plant shuddered and turned its attention from its captives to take a swat at whatever it was. The flash came again, this time accompanied by the distinctly familiar sound of a teleport.
"Skywarp?" Solarflare scowled with confusion even as her struggles managed to free her from the weakening grasp of the flower. Transforming quickly, and ignoring the pain of her damaged wing, she swooped toward her mate to break his fall, and then landed and mantled over him protectively as she watched the titanic plant topple to the ground.
"Stupid slaggin' beasts," said a young female voice behind her. "Don't #@$#@$#@ know enough ta stay away from a $#%#@$@# hungry weed."
Solarflare blinked, and then transformed to turn and look up at their rescuer.
It wasn't Skywarp. The winged femme wasn't really sure what it was, though she had a vague inkling it might be Cybertronian. But the shell was like nothing she'd ever seen, being much more alien, and also covering a lot less of the being's inner workings, than she was used to. It was also a great deal taller, and looked like it would be able to give the gestalts a run for their money.
"Take a picture," said the being bad-temperedly. "It'll last ya longer."
Then she blinked as she looked down at Mirage. "...That's no beast."
"No. That's Mirage, co-Commander of Autobot City, from Earth," said Solarflare. "And I'm Junior Communications Officer Solarflare."
"Slaggin' portals." The tall femme turned and stalked toward the dying plant, her golden paint glinting in the sun. Solarflare saw her stoop and pull something from the base of the thing's stalk before turning back to them.
"Please, my mate is damaged. And... I didn't catch your name." Solarflare looked down at Mirage, who looked back at her as he carefully cycled air through his intakes.
"Because I didn' give it." The golden femme snorted and thrust a tiny version of the flower into Solarflare's hands, where it twitched and seemed to snuggle. "Here, you raise 'em right 'n they're kinda fun ta have around."
"Your name?" requested Mirage politely.
She scanned them both thoughtfully, then stooped to lift the wounded mech. "Nova."
"And...." he prodded gently.
"I ain't got no rank. I kill 'Cons. That's that."
"Your teleportation ability...."
"I ripped it offa Skywarp after I took 'im down." She nodded to Solarflare to follow, and the femme did so, frowning deeply.
"You killed... wait. You're Cybertronian?" Mirage blinked with surprise.
"Yup. There's yer door. Ya even think'a lookin' fer it?" She scowled down at him, her molten optics like looking into the heart of a dying sun.
"Of course," he returned a trifle testily.
The golden femme shrugged as she set Mirage on his feet with surprising care and then poked him toward the softly shimmering portal that seemed to hang like a spider web between two giant trees. "Go on home 'n letcher Ratchet lookit ya."
"You sound like Ironhide," said Solarflare without thinking.
Nova flinched, then shoved them both through.
And so it was that Mirage and Solarflare spent Mother's day in the repair bay with a baby carnivorous flower and a quirky story to tell.