The Champion's Return

Old Memories

Hope stared down at her reflection in the still waters. Well this was a fine mess she was in. She had wanted to be taller but this was ridiculous.  Standing, she paced the small valley. Could she transform back to her Cybertronian form? Why did all these changes keep happening to her?

A small voice whispered in her audio receptors and she looked to see a glowing orb beside her. It formed into a elderly mech with a long glowing beard.

"Hello young one. You seem upset. May I assist you in some way?"

Hope's spirits lifted knowing that she wasn't alone, but she wasn't sure how this deceased mech could help her.

"Do you wish to return to the land of the living?" she asked cautiously.

The old mech laughed and shook his head.

"No my dear, I was one of the council members who chose you as our champion when you were a young femme whose designation was Sky Dancer".

"My designation was Sky Dancer? So I was Cybertronian before I was human. But why don't I remember it? Was I always able to transform into a dragon?"

The old mech waved down her rapid fire questions with a chuckle before he responded.

"Inside you beats the spark of a Champion, back then and now. Your memories will return with time just as your dragon form did."

"But can I transform back to my bi-pedal form?"

"Yes my dear but you'll need your form for a little while longer. Events are being set in motion as we speak. At the moment,  as certain mech is looking for you nearby."

Hope peered over the ridge and spotted Optimus in bi-pedal form looking over the horizon as if seeking someone.  Her mouth spread into a very dragonesque grin and the old mech chuckled beside her.

"Go and get him child. Show him what a true Champion of Primus is made of."

Slapping her gently on the hip plate, he disappeared and left her to her thoughts. As she watched Optimus down below, a plan came to mind and with a mischievous glint in her eyes, she took to the air.

Gliding high in the air, she formed her claws into a hook grip and swooped at Optimus.  As she flew over, she reached down and caught him by his shoulder guards and throwing him up in the air. Optimus tumbled briefly through the sky before landing on her back behind her shoulder blades.

She bent her neck and looked back at him before letting loose a soft laugh. The normally dignified prime was clinging to her back like a scared kitten.

"Hope? Is that you?" he whispered almost in a guarded manner.

She nodded in response before returning her attention to the lands below. Her wings spread taunt in flight, the wind pulled gently at her scales. They flew in relative peace for several miles before he spoke up again.

"Are you beginning to recover your lost memories?"

"A few here and there. I had an old mech visit me in the valley before you came along."

"Did he say his designation?"

Hope's brows furrowed in though for a moment as she played back the conversation.

"No...but he did mention that my previous designation was Sky Dancer."

She could feel Optimus's surprise and once again she turned her head towards him.

"You were Cybertronian before you became a human. How is that possible? What were the physical characteristics of this mech?"

"He was very old with a long, glowing beard. He said that he was on the council that chose me to be the champion."

"He may have been Alpha Trion, my former teacher. Though he never mentioned a Champion... This must have occurred before my creation. Do you recall any of your past Cybertronian existence?"

Fleeting images crossed Hope's vision before a tall building centered itself in her mind. As she studied its shape, she heard the sounds of machinery running and the scene changed to one of chaos.

Bots were running in all directions as bolts of dark purple energy rained down on them. Where it hit, the ground exploded. She saw a young femme guarding a sparkling mech before a blast hit the ground, separating them. A chasm pulled her into its depth.

Hope watched as a bright light surrounded the femme, pulling her out of the crevice. She seemed to be arguing with someone before being pulled away through a portal. Her attention turned to the rubble in time to see the young mech being found and carried off by a black and yellow mech resembling Bumblebee.

"That was Bumblebee's grandsire several centuries before I met him in passing. He came with his son to the archives once when I was working there as a clerk. "

Startled, Hope let the image disappear.  Landing abruptly on the ground below, she contemplated the images she had seen.

"The mech sparkling he saved, who was it?"

Optimus shook his helm. "I was never told of another son so he must have been given to one of the local nurseries for orphaned sparklings."

"I feel as if I knew him once."

Straightening her spine, she tried to recall the portal that had appeared. Was it possible that she could recreate it? It wasn't beyond reason but she felt a little silly attempting it. Holding her claws in front of her, she closed her optics and concentrated. The power welled up inside her and flowed almost effortlessly out of her.

Hope concentrated on the tower she had seen and felt the power shift and change before warming slightly. Opening her optics, she saw the tower or what was left of it, facing her. Optimus watched from her shoulder blades, his processor in over-drive. His thoughts were broken by Hope's voice.

"Optimus? Do you trust me?"

Without hesitation he replied. "With all my spark."

She nodded in acceptance before stepping back then charging towards the tower. With a giant leap, they passed through the circle of light and skidded to a stop at the wall of broken stone.

"By the primes" Optimus let out a shuddering vent. "We're on Cybertron!"

He slid to the ground and studied their surroundings.

"How is this possible? We just bridged across millions of miles of space in seconds without a space bridge!"

Hope found herself transforming back to her bi-pedal mode and stood there rubbing her arms with a sheepish look on her face plate.

"I...um...decided to try and recreate the portal I saw?"

"It is apparent that you succeeded but where are we? I don't recognize this ruin."

"I believe this was my home once upon a time. I can picture the building as it once stood."

Kneeling to the rocks below, Hope shifted through the debris for a moment. Optimus stood quietly behind her and observed their surroundings in silence. After a short while, Hope stood back up.

"Was anyone left on Cybertron after it was evacuated?"

"That is unknown. All efforts were made to find survivors but it is possible some remained. Why do you ask?"

Hope pointed to a set of ped marks that led away from the tower.

"These tracks are fresh. Whoever made them came through merely hours before we arrived."