Life in Allspark Wells

by The FraudulentBrit

Ironhide's Slice of Life

As the sun began its rise above the horizon over Allspark Wells, Ironhide was starting to stir from his slumber. Blinking his weary eyes, the former sergeant stared into the alarm clock that rested on his nightstand. Once his vision was clear, he noticed that the clock read six twenty-nine.

“Oh Primus. Here we go.” Ironhide whispered to himself. Just as those words escaped his lips, the alarm clock let out a piercing screech, forcing both the family patriarch and his wife bolting up. Recoiling in annoyance, Ironhide reached out and pressed a button on the alarm clock, silencing that annoying little device.

Once peace had returned to the bedroom, Chromia let out a sigh of relief as she remarked, “I still don’t understand why you keep that stupid alarm clock around.” Letting out a gentle chuckle, Ironhide quipped, “I mean, it got us awake, didn’t it?” The family matriarch couldn’t help but laugh along as she replied, “I guess you’ve got a point.” She then began to stretch as she continued, “Though I’d prefer something that doesn’t make my ears bleed.”

Smiling, Ironhide reassured his wife, “Maybe I can see if I can lower the volume.” He then picked up the clock and began to fiddle with it as Chromia warned, “Maybe you should save that for tonight. We both have a long day today.” She then leant into her husband and gave him a kiss on the lips, a kiss he happily returned.

After a few minutes, both adults had changed their attire for the day. Chromia wore a deep blue pair of overalls over a faded blue button shirt with black boots, while Ironhide wore a faded red button shirt, gray pants, black suspenders, and dark burgundy boots. As Chromia made her way to the bathroom to relieve herself, Ironhide found himself staring at his reflection in the bedroom mirror.

Taking in his reflection, Ironhide smiled as he remarked, “Can’t believe I’ve made it this far.” Indeed, despite being greeted by the wrinkles in his face and the few visible gray hairs, the former sergeant couldn’t help but feel glad to be alive. After all, the signs of his aging were just proof that he’d made it out of that damn jungle alive. This thought turned bittersweet as he glanced over to the side of the mirror, where a picture of himself and the other Wreckers rested.

“I just wish the rest of you boys were here.” Ironhide lamented to the picture. While he, Ratchet, Wheeljack, and Hound were still alive, that didn’t change the fact that the rest of the team, including his close friend Huffer and commanding officer Optimus Prime, were no longer among the living. Resting his hand against the aged photograph, the former sergeant wistfully said, “You’d have loved the girls.”

At that moment, Chromia’s voice rang out, “I’m done!” Turning around, Ironhide found his wife emerging from the bathroom, her hair freshly rinsed and combed. Walking up to her husband, the gray woman asked, “Thinking about your old buddies?” Nodding, the family patriarch replied, “Yeah. Just thinking about the could’ve-beens and would’ve-beens.” Wrapping her arms around her husband, Chromia asked, “Need me to do kitchen duties today?”

Shaking his head, Ironhide answered, “I appreciate that, but I’d like to handle breakfast today. I’m thinking something special.” Nodding, Chromia replied, “Alright. But I’d like to handle lunch and dinner.” The gray man smiled as he quipped, “As you wish m’lady.” After sharing another kiss, the husband-and-wife team began to make their way out of their bedroom, both looking forward to what the day had in store for them.

“There we go.” Ironhide said to himself as he finished frying the French toast on the stove. On normal days, he, Chromia, or even Apple Bloom would prepare a simple breakfast of eggs, toast, and maybe some ham or bacon. But today, for a reason he couldn’t put his finger on, the family patriarch felt the need to do something special. Smiling, Ironhide quipped, “If anything, it’s nice to shake things up a little.”

From behind him, Ironhide heard the familiar sound of Apple Bloom’s voice calling out, “Mornin’ Uncle Ironhide!” Turning around, the older man was greeted by the sight of his daughter entering the kitchen, flanked by Sideswipe and Sparkplug. Running up to her uncle, the former farm girl pulled him into a tight hug as he playfully asked, “I take it you slept well kid?” Apple Bloom nodded as she replied, “Yeah, Ah slept like a baby.”

As she released her uncle from her hug, Apple Bloom asked, “Anythin’ you need me to do?” Pondering for a moment, Ironhide answered, “I suppose you could help set the table.” He then pointed to Sideswipe as he continued, “Same goes for you too.” The pale biker groaned as he replied, “Ugh, sir yes sir.”

At that moment, a devious thought entered Ironhide’s mind. Smirking, the family patriarch quipped, “If KP duty isn’t up to your liking, then perhaps you could handle latrine duty.” Sideswipe immediately perked up as she replied, “I guess setting the table isn’t too bad.”

As the two girls set the table up for everyone, Ironhide couldn’t help but feel a sense of warmth and pride for them. After all, both Apple Bloom and Sideswipe found their way to his chop shop, and more importantly, into the former sergeant’s heart. Apple Bloom, his goddaughter from the Apple clan, was dumped on him by her sister, and quickly proved herself to be a loyal and good natured, if perhaps impulsive, kid. As for Sideswipe, she’d been stopping by his shop for what seemed like an eternity, and once he knew just how dangerous her father had become, Ironhide couldn’t just stand back and do nothing.

The family patriarch was distracted from his recollection of the past when Apple Bloom asked, “Uncle Ironhide? Is that supposed to make that much smoke?” Caught off guard, Ironhide replied with a simple, “What?” Before he could continue, the scent of something burning enveloped his nostrils. Turning around, he found a cloud of smoke rising from his French toast, giving the old sergeant enough reason to grumble, “Oh, that’s just prime!”

After managing to prevent the smoke from setting off the fire alarm, Ironhide presented his family with his cooking as he declared, “Alright everyone. I give you French toast, ala depanneurs.” Taking a bite for herself, Apple Bloom lit up with delight as she complimented, “This is really good. A bit crunchy, but pretty good nonetheless.” Chromia was the next, who said, “As always, you’re quite the master chef.” Even Sideswipe couldn’t help but remark, “Eh, it’s alright.” Ironhide let out a gentle chuckle as he admitted, “coming from you, I’ll take that as high praise.”

At that moment, Ratchet and Wheeljack entered the kitchen, the former warning the latter, “You’ve got to be careful around all those electric wires. You’re gonna fry yourself.” Rather than take his coworker’s warning seriously, the maverick replied, “Don’t worry about me. I’m impossible to kill. Remember that time we got cornered by those two “delightful” young ladies?” Before he could finish it, Chromia warned, “If you’re telling the story I think you’re telling, please stop.”

Sighing in resignation, Wheeljack defeatedly replied, “Yes ma’am.” An intrigued Apple Bloom swallowed her mouthful as she asked, “what do you mean by “delightful young ladies?” Before Wheeljack could answer, the family matriarch gently but sternly warned, “Apple Bloom?” Sighing in defeat, the former farm girl relented and stopped inquiring about the endeavor.

As everyone finished their breakfasts, Ironhide turned to his daughters and began, “Now then, I believe you two better head off to school.” Nodding, Apple Bloom gave her uncle another hug as she bade, “See you later Uncle Ironhide. Ah love you.” Hugging the burgundy haired girl back, Ironhide replied, “I love you too kid.” As the two girls made their way out of the kitchen, he bade a final, “Good luck girls!”

Once the girls were gone, Ironhide turned his attention to Ratchet and Wheeljack as he continued, “As for you boys, here’s the game plan. We’re gonna be getting some cars that came from a fender bender yesterday.” He then turned to Wheeljack as he continued, “And as for you, I need to borrow the robots. I want to see if they can handle working in the smelting pools.”

“Really?” Wheeljack asked. “You want to see how the boys will handle the heat?” Nodding, Ironhide replied, “More of a test really. If today goes well, perhaps we can consider delegating smelting duties to them.” He then raised his hand as he reassured his friend, “Any sign of trouble, and I’ll pull them out, ok?”

Satisfied, Wheeljack replied, “Alright then. Time to see if the boys are good at….” Pausing for a moment as a mischievous smirk formed across his lips, the maverick mechanic finished with a snarky, “… Taking the heat.” As he let out a hearty laugh at his own joke, Ratchet rolled his eyes as he remarked, “It’s not that funny Wheeljack.” Wheeljack simply continued to laugh as he replied, “That’s just because you’re a stick in the mud.”

While the two men continued to debate just how funny Wheeljack’s joke was, Chromia turned to her husband and asked, “You won’t forget about your promise to Apple Bloom today, right?” Taking his wife’s hand, Ironhide reassured her, “Trust me, I’m just gonna see how those bucketheads react with that kind of heat. Besides, I’ll be done by the time she gets home.” Nodding, the blue clad woman replied, “Alright. But if you forget, you’re sleeping on the couch tonight.” Despite the threatening tone in her voice, Ironhide could tell by the smirk on her face that she wasn’t being entirely serious.

After finishing their breakfast, everyone stood up and began to start their duties for the day.

Standing on a platform near the smelting pits clad in a cumbersome protective suit, Ironhide watched as Wheelie, Brains, and Wreck-Gar performed their duties. ‘So far, so good.’ The former sergeant thought to himself. As his eyes focused on Wheelie, he noticed the small robot was pushing a wheelbarrow overflowing with scrap metal. “Hey Wheelie!” Ironhide called out. “Don’t push yourself too hard. Leave that load for Wreck-Gar.”

Looking up to Ironhide, Wheelie called back, “Don’t worry about me Mr. Ironhide sir. I can handle it.” As much as Ironhide respected the little robot’s determination, he still felt Wheelie was pushing himself too far, and thus warned him, “I mean it kid. I don’t want you making a mistake that could get you hurt. Last thing I need today is explaining to Wheeljack why you’re nothing more than melted slag.”

At that moment, Brains interrupted with, “I hate to disappoint you sar, but I’m startin’ to feel me circuits sizzle. Mind if I take a wee break?” Nodding, Ironhide answered, “Actually, I think that will be enough for today.” He then turned to the other Prometheans as he called out, “Alright boys! That’s enough for today! We’ll continue tomorrow!” No sooner had he said this than Wreck-Gar released the wheelbarrow he was using and complained, “Thank the maker. This heat is unbearable. How do you and Master Wheeljack tolerate it?”

Even as Wreck-Gar and Brains began to make their way to the exit, Wheelie still tried to continue as he struggled to lift his own wheelbarrow. Seeing the small robot ignoring his orders, Ironhide called out, “You heard me Wheelie! Drop what you’re doing and fall out!” The moment he said that, the former sergeant mentally chastised himself, ‘Damnit man. You’re starting to fall back onto old habits.’

Despite his reservations, Ironhide’s words seemed to have gotten through to Wheelie, who slammed his wheelbarrow’s handles down to the ground as he grumbled, “Sir, yes sir!” Being referred to as “sir” caught Ironhide off guard, as normally only Ratchet or Wheeljack called him that.

Climbing down and approaching the small robot, Ironhide pulled off his protective mask as he asked, “Everything alright there kid?” As the two made their way outside, Wheelie answered, “I dunno sir.” Once they made it to the scrapyard, he continued, “I guess I just want to show Mr. Wheeljack I’m just as useful as my brothers.”

Letting out a gentle chuckle, Ironhide bent down and patted Wheelie on the back as he reassured him, “You’re just as useful as Brains and Wreck-Gar. And even if you weren’t, you still have a place here.” He then stood up as he joked, “Besides, with how much those two bicker with each other, you get more done a day than they do in a week.” Wheelie couldn’t help but laugh as he replied, “I’ll make sure not to tell them you said that.”

At that moment, Wreck-Gar approached the duo as he informed them, “I do hate to interrupt you two, but Master Wheeljack says some men are here to dispose of some motorcars that were damaged in some sort of fender bender.” Ironhide nodded as he replied, “Alright. I’ll see to it. You make sure Wheelie here wasn’t cooked by the heat.”

Wreck-Gar clicked his heels and saluted Ironhide as he replied, “Roger Wilco sir.” As he and Wheelie marched away, the family patriarch smiled and shook his head as he remarked, “Heh. Guess I can thank Wheeljack for that.”

A few minutes later, Ironhide made his way to the scrapyard’s front gate. There, he was greeted by a man with orange skin, blue hair, and a plaid red shirt and blue jeans as he asked, “You Ironhide?” turning his attention to the tow truck that had two mutilated sedans, the former sergeant nodded as he answered, “Yup. I take it these are from that fender bender?” The orange man replied, “Yup. Apparently, some poor dumb bastard got drunk and slammed his ride into someone else’s car. Thank Primus no one was seriously hurt.”

Turning back to the orange man, Ironhide remarked, “Yeah. Now then, let me open the gate and show you where you can drop those off. After that, we can worry about payment.” The tow truck driver gave an affirming nod as he replied, “You got it buddy.” He then made his way back to his truck as Ironhide began to open the gate.

Once he’d opened the way for the tow truck, things progressed smoothly. The two wrecked cars were deposited in an empty opening in the scrapyard, Ironhide and the orange tow truck driver exchanged the agreed upon payment, and the latter departed for his next assignment.

Now that he was momentarily alone, Ironhide began to talk to himself, “Now then, I’ve tested the robots in the smelting pools and dealt with those wrecked cars. Now the next thing on the itinerary is….”

Waiting at the front counter, Ironhide glanced down at the watch on his wrist as he thought to himself, “They ought to be home any second now.” Indeed, the wristwatch stated that it was currently three forty-eight, eighteen minutes after the end of the school day. Scratching the back of his neck, the family patriarch reassured himself, “Don’t fret about them. It takes about fifteen minutes to get from here to Iacon High. The girls are probably just caught in traffic or something.”

Thankfully for the family patriarch, a familiar gray motorcycle with a sidecar pulled up to the “employee’s only” parking spot. The driver was a teenaged girl in a black sleeveless shirt, red denim vest and pants, black boots, and a biker’s helmet. On the other hand, the passenger was another teenaged girl with dyed burgundy hair in braided pigtails, a red over the shoulder shirt, a black tank top, a dark green and blue kilt, and black boots. Ironhide smiled as he smirked to himself, “Right on time.”

As the two girls entered the chop shop, Apple Bloom ran up to Ironhide and wrapped her arms around her uncle as she exclaimed, “Hey Uncle Ironhide! You’re here just like you promised!” Hugging his daughter back, the family patriarch reassured her, “Of course I am. I promised you I’d help clean the attic so you have somewhere to practice that dancing of yours.” He then turned to Sideswipe and said, “Of course, we could use an extra set of hands.”

Straightening her vest, Sideswipe simply quipped. “Yeah. Well, good luck with that.” Once the pale biker made her way to her room, Apple Bloom turned to her uncle as she remarked, “Guess it’s just us, right?” Ironhide let out a gentle chuckle as he reassured her, “Yeah. We’ve got this.”

Picking up a cardboard box of old clothes, Ironhide let out a loud groan as he joked, “Phew. I swear these weren’t that heavy the last time we rearranged things up here.” As he moved the box to the other side of the dusty attic, Apple Bloom reassured him, “If it’s too much for you, Ah’m sure Ah can handle this mahself.” Setting his heavy box down, the family patriarch reassured his daughter, “It’s alright kiddo. Besides, this old soldier has got a few more battles in him.”

Apple Bloom then said, “Thanks for helpin’ me turn the attic into somewhere Ah can practice mah dancin’.” Smiling, Ironhide warmly replied, “No problem. I’m glad you’ve found a hobby you love.” He then added, “And besides, I’m pretty sure the previous owner of this place made sure sound this place is soundproof. Last time anyone tried reorganizing anything up here, Wheeljack broke his arm and none of us heard him screaming.” Intrigued, Apple Bloom asked, “Really?”

Ironhide nodded as he replied, "Yeah. We only found out what happened because he didn’t show up for KP that night, and the moment I opened the door to the stairway, I heard him screaming in pain.” As Apple Bloom took this in, the former sergeant reassured her, “So don’t worry. You can make all the noise you want up here, and you won’t need to worry about annoying anyone.” He then gently reminded her, “Of course, we don’t want you loosing track of time.” The former farm girl nodded as she reassured, “Don’t worry about it sir.”

As the two resumed their cleaning and reorganization of the attic, Apple Bloom called out, “Hey Uncle Ironhide, what’s this?” Confused, Ironhide turned around as he asked, “What’d you find kid?” Making his way to his daughter, he was caught off guard when Apple Bloom presented him with an old leather-bound journal. She explained, “Ah found this in a box over here next to this clothes wrack with this khaki outfit or something.”

Ironhide, however, wasn’t paying attention to his daughter’s words. Instead, his eyes were locked on the journal that now rested in her hands. ‘No way. I wondered where that went.’ He thought to himself. ‘I can’t believe she found it so easily.’

Apple Bloom, concerned for her uncle, asked, “Uh, Uncle Ironhide? You alright?” Shaking his head as he recomposed himself, Ironhide replied, “I’m fine kid. It’s just…” As he motioned to the journal, the former sergeant explained, “I haven’t seen that journal in years.” Curious, Apple Bloom asked, “What is it?”

Letting out a gentle sigh, Ironhide answered, “Its’ my father’s journal from the Last Great War.”

Apple Bloom’s eyes lit up as she asked, “Your dad’s journal? And the Last Great War?” She looked down to the leatherbound journal in her hands as Ironhide replied, “Yup. He wrote down his experiences from his landing on the island of Carpessa to the day the war ended.” He then admitted, “I like to think part of the reason I was so mentally prepared for going into the army was because he never sugarcoated anything.”

Intrigued, Apple Bloom asked, “Ooh. So, if Ah may ask, you mind if Ah borrow this then?” Ironhide thought to himself, ‘Well, I guess if she found it, she’d probably be a little curious.’ After a few moments of pondering it, the family patriarch responded, “I suppose you can. Just be careful. That journal there is decades old, and it’s the only copy.” Smiling, Apple Bloom replied, “Thanks Uncle Ironhide. Ah promise Ah’ll be careful.”

As she set the journal on a nearby desk, both Ironhide and Apple Bloom heard someone knocking on the attic door. When the family patriarch opened the door, he was greeted by the sight of Ratchet, who was catching his breath as he said, “Hey boss. I was going over the calendar and I just realized that this hearth’s warming is our turn to host the pond hopping.”

‘Oh shit!’ Ironhide thought to himself. ‘That’s this year? How could I be stupid enough to forget that it’s a pond hopping year?’ Before he could continue his internal panicking, Apple Bloom joined the two adults as she asked, “Excuse me for askin’, but what do you mean by pond hoppin’?”

Turning around to face his daughter, Ironhide took a deep breath as he explained, “Pond hopping is a little tradition our family has with some friends of ours up in Scotland.” He then pointed up into the attic, “It actually has to do with my dad’s journal. In fact…”

Pausing for a moment as the gears in his head turned, Ironhide asked, “Apple Bloom? Would you please go get my dad’s journal? I think you and Sideswipe should know how it ties into pond hopping.”

As Apple Bloom and Sideswipe made their way into the living room, the pale biker asked, “What’s going on anyway? Ratchet showed up at my room and said there’s something called a “pond hopping” happening this year.” Before the former farm girl could answer her sister’s question, Ironhide, Chromia, and Ratchet entered as the family patriarch began, “It’s sort of a bi-family tradition.”

As everyone sat down, Ironhide continued, “So Apple Bloom found my father’s journal, and I was explaining how he fought in the Last Great War. You see, during the invasion of the mainland, he got caught up in a little scandal, and he ended up joining the Commonwealth forces.” Sideswipe immediately lit up as she asked, “The Commonwealth? Like the Brits?”

Nodding, Ironhide elaborated, “Highlanders to be precise. He bonded with the members of a highland guard squad, specifically a soldier named Leadfoot.” He then presented another book, this one a photo album, to his daughters as he explained, “They served through the end of the war together.” As Apple Bloom and Sideswipe took the photo album, they opened the book and were surprised by what they saw.

There rested an old photograph of two men. One was a man with black skin and dark gray hair, piercing blue eyes, and a khaki uniform with a cotton suspender like webbing and a wide rimmed helmet. The other was a dark red man with gray hair, blue eyes, and a nearly identical outfit. Both men were posing with their bolt action rifles in one hand and in the other, they were holding opposite ends of a red flag with a white circle and a black symbol that resembled some sort of weird cross.

Pointing to the black man, Ironhide said, “That’s my dad, Armorhide.” He then pointed to the other man as he continued, “And that’s Leadfoot. They saved each other’s lives during the war, and since then, our families have always stayed in touch.”

Chromia then spoke up with, “To be more specific, every five years, our families meet up and spend the holidays together.” Apple Bloom replied, “Awh, that’s so sweet.” As she said this, Sideswipe raised her hand as she asked, “So, when you mean “pond hopping,” does that mean we’re going all the way over to the highlands?”

Ratchet let out a gentle chuckle as he answered, “Heh heh, not this time. This year we’re hosting them. Now, in five years, we’ll be heading over for a few weeks, but you girls don’t need to worry about passports or anything.” As both girls let out sighs of relief, Apple Bloom asked, “Wait, does that mean we gotta share bedrooms?”

Ironhide reassured his daughter, “Don’t worry. We’ll figure out sleeping arrangements closer to hearth’s warming. As for now, just know that this year’s hearth’s warming will be a bit busy.” Having her question answered, Apple Bloom remarked, “Well, in that case, Ah’m already kinda excited about it.” Even Sideswipe couldn’t help but shrug as she replied, “Sounds like fun.”

Smiling, Ironhide continued, “Now that we’ve got that settled, Apple Bloom, you wanna get back to cleaning the attic? The former farm girl shot up as she replied, “You bet sir.” The family patriarch let out a gentle chuckle as he said, “Alright then. Let’s get to it.”

Stepping out of their shared bedroom, Ironhide was greeted with the sight of his wife tucked into bed, reading a book. Turning to her husband, the family matriarch asked, “Feeling better?” Sitting down on the bed, Ironhide replied, "Yeah. Nothing like a good shower to close they day out.” As he pulled the covers back, the former sergeant asked, “You think we’ll have enough room for everyone for this year’s pond hopping?”

Setting her book on her nightstand, Chromia answered, “I can’t say for certain. After all, we didn’t have two lovely daughters and Wheeljack’s automatons. We just had Torque Wrench, and she was more than willing to sleep on the couch.” The family patriarch let out a wistful chuckle as he replied, “Heh, that kid can sleep anywhere.” He then realized, “I guess we’ll need to let her and her partner know about the pond hopping coming. That’s two more people, not to mention Hound.”

Chromia wrapped her arm around her husband as she reassured him, “Don’t worry, we’ll figure it out. Besides, at least it won’t be like that year Topspin gave everyone food poisoning.” Ironhide recoiled with disgust as he replied, “Ugh, don’t remind me. That’s the last time I eat raw haggis.” He then turned back to his wife as he caressed her cheek and continued, “Yeah, we’ll make it work.” He then began to blush as he asked, “Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?”

Blushing in turn, Chromia answered, “You say that every night.” Ironhide took his wife’s hand as he playfully replied, “Well, I wouldn’t if it weren’t true.” As the two took each other’s hands, Chromia pulled her husband into a passionate kiss as she whispered, “I love you.” Ironhide, in turn, warmly replied, “I love you too.”

As she turned the nightstand lamp off, Chromia said, “Let’s get some sleep. See you in the morning dear.” Once the light was out, both adults tucked themselves in as Ironhide replied, “Sleep well hun.” And so, as he drifted off to the land of slumber, the former sergeant thought to himself, ‘We’ve got this. Our little family may not be the most conventional, but we’ve got this. Nothing’s gonna stand in our way.’