lucy meets mr. tumnus

[Deleted]

Moonwing knew that Lord Megatron had gone before a council and had been denied the Matrix which ‘had been his right’, but she did not know what ‘Decepticon Antics’ meant -- she had always been told that her faction started out as a movement for freedom -- but judging by Ratchet’s face, it wasn’t anything good. How strange it was to be told a history so alternate to the one she had always known! The niggling feeling of treachery and the fear and unease associated faded away to growing curiosity.

“Who’s Orion Pax?” She asked, tilting her head. She knew Optimus Prime, of course (who didn’t?), and she knew him as the betrayer and the enemy, but the name ‘Orion Pax’ was foreign to her. “I’ve never heard of him before. Is he an Autobot?”

If there was anyone in the ranks that didn’t fear Lord Megatron, it was news to Moonwing. Shockwave and Soundwave were familiar to her, of course, but she tended to steer clear of them: Shockwave made her nervous, and Soundwave never spoke to her. “Starscream sometimes teaches me things,” She admitted, cautiously, unsure of what this admission might bring and if the Autobot might be angered by it. Poor Moonwing didn’t know then if she was supposed to be offended by Ratchet’s ironic laugh, but she was more confused than anything else. Had she said something wrong? “I am serious. That’s what they say!”

When his hand reached out to touch her shoulder, the young seeker almost flinched, but her alarm almost instantaneously faded at his soft smile and his fond words. She didn’t know what it was, but… even with his initial snappishness, she knew in her spark that this Autobot was trustworthy. “Were theyreally? What were they like?” Moonwing asked, awed and thrilled at the idea -- a seeker who was a medic! Every seeker she knew was a soldier, so it was a strange idea to think that there were people like her who were doctors. “... Do you really think I can?” She looked left and right then, as if checking to see if the coast was clear again. “... I’ve been trying to smuggle medical textbooks from the ship’s database, but there’s only so much I’m allowed to access. I do errands for Knock Out in the medical bay, but I dunno if I’d ever be allowed to help."

[Ratchet]

Who was Orion Pax..? Who.. was Orion Pax..?! That was like asking him if he was orange or red! However, Ratchet relaxed himself before answering. It was only logical that she didn't know who he was. Moonwing was only a youngling after all, and there was no need to throw a temper tantrum at her for something that wasn't her fault.

"Orion Pax? You may not know him by that name, but he does go by another that you would know. Orion Pax is Optimus Prime, and he was very much an Autobot, by the way."

As she spoke of how others feared the Decepticon Tyrant, he had been surprised to hear of an oddly specific mech showing her things.  He would have possibly expected it of another flier like Dreadwing, but Starscream?  True.. he could also fly, but that had been the last teacher he had expected.  Ratchet blinked for a moment, staring in surprise.  "Starscream?  I never would have guessed him to be the type.."  It had seemed so very strange to him.  Just why would the Decepticon second in command train her, especially when he was well known for his loyalty.. or lack thereof.  It hadn't been his intention to give the femme the wrong idea when he had laughed, but if he had known she had perceived it to be that way, he would have felt bad.  "Trust me, I believe you.  It just sounds so very ironic."  Ironic, indeed..

If nothing else, she had been quite eager when the medic had spoken of his mentor.  What to tell Moonwing about Pharma, though?  He hadn't seen him in so very long, and who knew if he was even alive?  "He.. He was the best medic I've ever seen.  Many will say that I am, but.. I don't believe that's the case.  I truly believe that he is, or.. was.  It's been a very long time.  If by chance you should ever meet with him, his name is Pharma.  If you do see him.. tell him I said hello."  He frowned for a moment, then smiled to the small seeker as she continued her questions.  "I believe you can be if that's what you truly wish deep in your spark.  The caste's might have said no in the day, but I think anyone should be whatever it is they want to be.  I mean, if Knock Out can be a medic, why can't you?  He doesn't even have an emergency vehicle alt mode."  Ratchet did find it funny, however, that she was resorting to smuggling texts in order to fuel this need of medical knowledge.  He chuckled softly, smiling.  "Doesn't hurt to ask."

He looked up towards the sky, blinking.  "If Megatron is expecting you, I don't know if I should keep you too much longer.  I really do not want to send you back, but.. I know things won't end well for you if you don't return."

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Optimus Prime was Orion Pax?! “Oh.” The young seeker’s face must have looked comical, for she looked utterly befuddled by this new tidbit. With her eidetic memory, surely she ought to have known that these two bots were one in the same! Moonwing felt embarrassed at her ignorance, for Ratchet spoke as if it were common knowledge… of course, she could not be faulted for not knowing something that had been omitted from her education altogether. “So… Optimus Prime was… a librarian?” She boggled at the very idea, for Optimus Prime had been an abstract concept for so long, a bogeyman for young Decepticons to fear.

She wasn’t quite sure what to make of Ratchet’s befuddlement then. “Commander Starscream taught me about Vos, and about the opera,” Moonwing confided, missing the dubious tone in Ratchet’s voice. “I thought I’d be in trouble, ‘cause he caught me some place where I’m not allowed to go, but he didn’t even tell Dreadwing I’d broken my curfew!” She remained utterly oblivious to the irony of the situation, as well as the fact that her statements were apparently contrary to what the Autobot knew of the commander. Such was Moonwing’s nature to see the goodness in people, and she’d latched on to the kindness shown to her by the other seeker just as she too was latching on to the kindness shown by Ratchet.

She listened eagerly as Ratchet spoke about his mentor, the seeker medic. Her wings perked up and her optics brightened in interest. “I hope I do meet him one day. He sounds like he is a good teacher, and he must be a good medic.” She even felt heartened at his faith in her, even when he knew practically nothing about her or her abilities. “I do wish for it. I’ve never wished for anything else as much as I wished for this,” Moonwing admitted wistfully, before her eager expression dropped. “I guess I could ask… but I’m afraid he might take it the wrong way. He might think I’m trying to replace him.” She did not want to cause offense to the resident doctor on The Nemesis, after all. She had done well so far with medical textbooks.

At the mention of Megatron and the reminder that Moonwing did indeed still had a patrol to complete and a report to file, her wings drooped and her expression fell even further. She’d grown so comfortable here in the middle of nowhere in Ratchet’s company she’d completely forgotten. “You’re right… I hope no one’s noticed I’ve strayed from my flight path.” Knowing her luck, though, someone had, and she would have to face Dreadwing’s consternation. She didn’t exactly want to go back to that, either, but she knew she’d be in bigger trouble if she didn’t sooner or later. “... You know, you weren’t so frightening, for an Autobot. I thought you’d be scarier.”

[Ratchet]

"Yes. Optimus Prime was at one point of his life a librarian. It was something he very much enjoyed back in those days, but sadly he was forced away from that job."

It seemed that she really had learned some things from Starscream, what with the talk of the Opera of Vos. He'd heard of it himself, though he hadn't been there himself. Pharma hailing from Vos, he'd spoken to Ratchet about the place a time or two, and it had made him curious about what the place was like. He had hoped that one day, after he had finished his studies, he and Pharma could have gone to the opera, but of course.. it hadn't been meant to be. The war happened after his studies, and then.. who knew what? He had lost contact with his teacher long ago, and never knew what had happened to him. "I suppose you have that to be thankful for, but his actions still surprise me. It's not that I don't wish to believe you, it's just.. past experience talking." Certainly Starscream had an ulterior motive..

Moonwing's wings perking up as they spoke did not escape Ratchet's line of sight. He was all too familiar with wings and how they would attach to emotion. He raised Strongarm, after all, not to mention his closeness to Bumblebee back on Cybertron. But of course, there was none more so than Pharma, the one he had been telling the young seeker about in the first place. "I hope that you do meet with him. I know that I hope to some day.." She truly wanted to be a medic, and the Autobot CMO wanted to do what he could to help make that happen, but he knew it would be an extremely risky task. Not so much for the sake of her learning, but for the simple reason of a Decepticon and an Autobot being together for extended periods of time. "If that's how he feels, just explain the situation to him. Just tell him you wish to learn in the event of a worst case scenario when he can't be there, and that you've no intention of upstaging him."

It was time to let Moonwing go, and even the femme didn't quite feel ready to leave. However, even if she was a Decepticon, the idea of a youngling being on the receiving end of Megatron's wrath didn't sit well with him. "I'm glad that you learned something today. I most certainly did myself, but you mustn't tell Megatron that you met with me." He pondered for a moment. Perhaps there was something that he could do for Moonwing still. "I'm going to give you my contact information for my datapad. You can contact me any time you need, but be certain that no one is tracking you first. Do you understand?"

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She’d certainly learned a lot today, and now had much to ponder now that she had been given an alternate truth to the one she’d known her whole existence. Did this make her an Autobot sympathizer? Moonwing didn’t know. The very thought of Lord Megatron discovering that she’d actually made friends (at least, that’s what she hoped Ratchet was now) with an Autobot made the young seeker very nervous. She very quickly shook her head and spluttered out, “Oh, no, I won’t!” She knew at the very least it would land her in a great deal of trouble.

At Ratchet’s generous offer, both her face and her wings displayed her open shock. “You’d… You’d really do that for me?” Moonwing’s voice wavered in disbelief. She didn’t know what Autobot protocol was for associating with the enemy, but at the very least he’d be risking his life in sharing his contact information. For lack of a cleverer pseudonym, she committed the information to her databanks under the alias ‘Doctor’. After a pause, the young seeker transmitted her own on a secured short range frequency. “These are mine.” As far as she knew, her personal frequencies weren’t monitored.

Already she felt a little less alone in the universe knowing that Ratchet, a total stranger, seemed to care for her despite having very little reason to. All good things had to come to an end, though, and Moonwing knew it was time for her to go. “Thank you for fixing me, Ratchet,” she said shyly, “I won’t forget it, especially since no Decepticon would have done what you did. I’m glad to have met you.” With a reluctant sigh, Moonwing turned and leapt into the sky. The momentum of her repaired thrusters carried her upwards as she transformed into the smaller-than-usual silver and blue jet. She circled once, twice, tilting her wings in a salute, before finally turning her nose upwards and away.