Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

In his last moments, he faintly remembered being engulfed by blinding lights, and a searing pain coursed through his entire body. The agony was so intense that it felt as though his back strut and chassis were being ripped apart and then forced to mend back together again.

His spark throbbed with an unbearable ache, yearning for the ceaseless torment to come to an end. He felt drained, and tired, and everything felt disconnected from his very being.

He let out an agonizing scream that tore through the silence. It had strained what was left of his vocalizer. The excruciating sound echoed in the vast emptiness, reverberating for what seemed like an eternity. But finally, after what felt like a whole vorn, the incessant barrage of flashing lights abruptly came to a halt.

Darkness gave him relief from his burning optics. As he regained control over his physical form, his chassis contorted and reshaped itself, aligning perfectly over his spark chamber. The scorched metal twisted itself and mended before stopping. Throughout this process, waves of pain reverberated through his neural circuitry as his frame trembled.

He felt so numb, his body couldn't move, he knew his optics were open….was…he…offline…?

What was going on?

Why would he be offline?

He desperately tried to recall the sequence of events that had happened. His processor straining, was pushed to its absolute limits as it struggled to go through the vast amount of static memories in search of even the slightest hint or clue that reasoned why he abruptly went offline.

He closed his optics in concentration as he tried to focus but a sound that reached his audio receptors pulled him back out. His audio receptors strained to get a good sense of what the noise was and what the source was. Why did he feel like he heard this sound before?

It sounded so… familiar.

His optics slowly opened before his vision was filled with pings and notifications from his system. He watched on in confusion as the pings and notifications talked about rebooting systems. He scrunched his faceplate up as he looked on in disbelief.

Wasn't he…offline…?

A shock went through his metal body and straight towards his spark. His digits curled from the impact as his pedes spasmed from the sudden shock of electricity through his frame.

His body had moved before his optics fully had adjusted as he threw himself to the nearest thing that could keep him upright. His servos grasped immediately at anything that could keep him upright while he tripped over his own barely functioning pedes as he sucked in ragged static breaths through his intake.

His frame continued to spasm from the aftershocks of electricity through his body. Every single circuit felt like it was being set on fire.

With his optics finally adjusting to his surroundings around him he slumped tiredly against the cave walls. His digits gripped the wall as his optics darted from place to place in confusion and fear.

He was supposed to be offline!

Why is he still functioning?!

His breathing became even heavier as he took short gasps. His digits broke off pieces of the wall as he slid down onto his aft while curling in on himself.

What was happening?

Why is he-

His servos gripped at his helm as a sharp whine of pain came from in between his gritted dentas.

The pain was excruciating. It felt as if every single circuit in his processor was burning like slag. The pain had spread from his pedes to his helm, making it hard for him to focus.

Despite the agony, he knew he couldn't afford to waste a single moment. He had to gather his bearings and prepare himself for any incoming threat. They were after him, they were coming for him…!

Coming for him….?

Who…was…coming..for..him…?

Why…can’t he remember..?

He looked down at his servos as he felt coolant drip from his optics, tears of confusion dripped onto the dirt floor of the cave.

The servos he could feel and touch with were unfamiliar and foreign as if they belonged to another bot entirely. These were not his servos, this is not his body.

His optics traveled over his servos as he flipped them over, moved every joint, and every digit.

But it also was his body. He balled his servos into a fist, and a quiet sob left his dermas as his frame shook. Everything felt so wrong. Everything was wrong.

But why was everything wrong?

This was his body…

No-

He had no time to sit here and ponder over his new frame, he needed to get up and move.
Somber thoughts were pushed to the back of his processor as his eyes brightened with relief and hope. He pulled himself out of his cramped position before he carefully steadied himself with the help of his servos, grabbing onto the rough surface of the cave wall to keep himself on shaky pedes to prevent himself from tumbling faceplate-first into the dirt.

He let out a huff from his intake as he managed to fully stand up. One pede in front of the other, taking it slow, he used the wall as leverage as he slowly tried to relearn and process how to walk.

He let go of the wall momentarily as he stumbled around the cave for a good few minutes. A soft huff left his dermas as he glanced around the cave he was in…it felt so familiar to him…but why?

The cave seemed to be partly destroyed, but there were still shards of energon stuck into the walls and the ground. He stumbled his way towards one of the energon crystals before forcibly plucking it from the ground.

The shard was surprisingly small in his large servos…well…now that he noticed it, he was quite tall in size as well. He glanced down at his frame before looking up at the ceiling of the cave. A stray water droplet fell onto his faceplate from the ceiling as he watched in amazement and confusion. His free servo reached out to brush his digits against the cave ceiling before dropping back to his side.

A deep rumble erupted from his fuel tank as low fuel warnings were pushed into his vision. Luckily this jolted him from his thoughts and he quickly dismissed the warnings. His servo gripped the raw energon shard as he hesitantly brought it up to his faceplate. He opened his intake as he pushed the shard in. His dentas clamped down onto the shard before putting more pressure on the shard as it broke into smaller pieces.

The taste ran over his glossa as the Energon was crushed to mere dust. The taste of the Energon made him recoil in disgust, but despite the horrible aftertaste, he continued to refuel, it was better than having himself starve to death.

Refueling was easier said than done. But the lingering feeling that this place was….familiar kept him on his pedes constantly, his optics always darting around for any lurking danger. He stumbled through the remaining parts of the cave, he didn't want to stay in one place for too long anyway.

From the get-go, he was eager and curious to take note of his surroundings, from little bits of Earth flora to the small little insects that scattered across the dirt ground. Everything about the cave felt connected to him.

Blurred and unknown to him, as if he were supposed to know the events leading up to the now abandoned cave. He doubled over slightly as a sudden sharp pain struck his processor. Servos grasped at his helm as he swayed slowly from side to side from nausea. Voices rang out, some sounding familiar others not. But they were too loud. So loud.

The sound of blasters and cannons going off, the sound of dying bots, explosions, a distinctly familiar voice screaming for someone.

Coolant slid down his faceplating as he squeezed his optic lids shut. He didn't like this, he didn't like the noises. He wanted it to stop. He wanted the blurry memories to stop too.

Almost as if Primus had heard him, the noises ceased to a mere whisper. But not before he heard the faint voice of a femme screaming for someone named “Cliffjumper”.

He wiped the coolant away from his face plates with shaky servos. He eased his frightened behavior with deep inhales and exhales before continuing to stumble through the cave.

He felt tired and drained of energy. He continued to walk with stumbling pedes as he looked for a way out of the cave. At last, there was a little light spotted at the entrance of the cave, an opening. He stumbled his way to the entrance hastily before tripping over his pedes. He hit the ground ungracefully with a sharp hiss as he whined in pain.

His whine stopped instantly as his optics caught sight of the organic flora in front of him. He pushed himself up into a kneeling position before hesitantly poking an outstretched digit toward the little green organic. He flinched slightly as he felt it brush against his digit before a soft smile graced his dermas.

He looked out towards the landscape which was covered with various amounts of flora and even some fauna around the area. His processor was taking in millions of information on Earth and its inhabitants in a complete astrocycle. He could hear the plants, animals, and even a nearby town a few miles away!

His frame relaxed as he dug his digits softly into the soiled dirt. He liked these sounds more.

Chapter Text

It had taken him a few kliks to finally part ways with the cave. But now that he did, he never wanted to go back. The world was vibrant, and he was surrounded by various unfamiliar flora. Ranging from the wildflowers to Moss, and even to the grass beneath his pedes.

This world intrigued him greatly, so he ventured deeper into the lush landscape. He felt so overwhelmed by everything. As he walked with his pedes no longer shaking from each step. He marveled at exotic plants and curious creatures that unexpectedly came across his path.

Each step brought new sights to see for his curious optics, from sparkling streams to towering trees and even to a small organic mammal or two.

He marveled at the diversity of the flora – from delicate flowers with petals that seemed to shimmer in the sunlight from the dew on them. To towering ferns that whispered in the gentle breeze.

Even the sunlight that filtered through the trees clearing, cast a warm glow on his metallic frame.

In a nearby clearing covered with lush bushes, he noticed a patch of peculiar wildflowers. Vibrant and aromatic, they seemed to dance in the gentle breeze with every movement as if they were welcoming him.

His optics were quick to analyze the unique energy signatures emanating from the plant life, especially the noises they made. They seemed to have a lot to talk about.

A soft look appeared in his optics as he sat down in front of the patch of flowers. He allowed the flowers to communicate to him in their own way as he gave support by lending his audial receptors.

It had to be about at least a whole cycle when the patch of flowers decided that they had talked enough. He stood up back on his pedes as he gave the patch of flowers a nod before turning to leave.

He eventually came across a stream as he approached it cautiously. The water glimmered in the sunlight, teeming with aquatic life. He kneeled, running his servos through the cool stream.

He watched as some smaller fish came to investigate his servo before swimming away, captivated by the sensation and the sight. Every detail engraved itself into his memory.

Continuing his journey, he weaved his way through the trees as he tried his very best to not disturb the wildlife nearby.

He was busy observing another plant when a distant sound reached his audial receptors. Curiosity got the best of him as he felt himself being drawn to the strange sounds.

He continued his exploration through the woods, venturing deeper into the dense woods. He
emerged into another sprawling clearing.

His optics instantly took in a vast and red-colored barn that stood tall, its rustic exterior emanating an air of old-agricultural. The perimeter was lined with sturdy fences, indicating that the area was likely used for livestock grazing or perhaps even farming.

He thought for a klik on whether he should go back to the cave and just hide out there instead.

But curiosity overtook his processor, his inquisitive nature got the better of him. He couldn't resist the temptation to find out where that noise had come from. He swung his cadulens over the fence before continuing to walk towards the area. A little exploring couldn't hurt right?

The barn seemed to be connected to a small house nearby it. Good thing that there seemed to be nobody in the house. He tilted his helm sadly. Though he would have liked to see the little organics which were classified as “Humans”.

He heard the distant sound again as he went around the barn. As he approached, the rhythmic sounds of hooves and contented lowing reached his audio receptors.

He didn't have any idea what he was expecting but it wasn't this.

His optics scanned the various little organic mammals which he classified as a herd of cows and bulls that were peacefully grazing in the vast fields. Some stared at him with curious gazes while others gave him a tired look.

He stood in place in astonishment for a good astroseconds before he inched closer in smaller steps to the peculiar organic mammals. He kneeled before reaching a servo out towards one of the more curious bulls. A highland bull to be precise his processor nagged him.

He watched as it trotted its way over to him before sniffing his digits cautiously. He softly placed a single digit on the bull's head as he delicately scratched in that spot.

The bull seemed to appreciate this as it pressed against his servo before placing a sloppy lick on it. It let out a soft huff before circling him as he sat on the plush grass.

He sat there, observing the bulls and their interactions, especially their behaviors with any of the other cows nearby. He closed his optics as he relaxed.

But a commotion nearby had him darting his optics around in search for any danger. He watched in confusion as his optics landed on two male bulls with barely sprouting horns, they strode toward each other before charging with vicious energy.

He observed how they pushed each other with their heads while throwing their mass around all while snorting and huffing at each other in anger.

He felt a sense of unease whilst he put his servo in between the two fighting bulls. He watched as they huffed and snorted at each other from over the wall of his servo before turning away from each other. He let out a sigh that he didn’t know that he was holding in. He didn’t like watching others fight.

He sat down on the plush grass, watching the sun lower over the horizon in a mesmerizing movement. It cast a beautiful hue of blue’s and orange’s in the sky. He actually felt a sense of peace here. It was safe here.

His optics glanced over at one of the bulls with a brown coat as it lounged nearby him. His optics scanned the bull's form as his holographic scanner encased the bull in blue lighting before disappearing.

The bull looked at him in confusion before standing up and striding away back to another group of bulls.

Bull…..strider….

Bullstrider…..

Yes…he…liked that destination…

It felt….right…

A soft smile graced his dermas while he brought his cadulens up to his chassis to lean on them. His digits gently brushed against some wildflowers that were near his pedes.

He allowed the smaller juvenile cows to curiously trot up to him even as they sniffed his frame. He let his helm lay onto his shoulder pad, his horns accidentally scrapping at the layer of paint. He looked up into the darkening sky as stars started to glimmer and shine from behind fading clouds.

This was his home now.

It was way better than the cave he was in any way.

Bullstrider stood motionless with his back to the house. The sound of gravel crunching under the tires of a white Sudan car went unnoticed as he remained lost in his own processor.

Suddenly, headlights illuminated his metallic frame, casting a bright glow across the driveway. It wasn't until the car door slammed shut that he turned his attention to the unexpected visitor.

A loud shriek pierced the night air, causing his helm to swivel in the direction of the noise. His optics, glowing faintly in the darkness, darted quickly as they focused on the face of a terrified middle-aged human woman.

Fear was etched into every line on her face, her eyes wide with terror as she stood frozen in place.

Bullstrider felt the energon coursing through his metallic frame grow cold and stagnant. His entire metal body seemed to freeze in place as the wires and circuits within him had suddenly ground to a halt.

With optics wide in fear almost as if he was mirroring the woman's expression.

Well, Scrap.

Chapter Text

I am gonna continue writing this story in the meantime since I have been busy with things such as State testing along with some family business and drama that's been happening for the last few months.

But I have not abandoned this work because I enjoyed writing about this idea. And also because my brain won't stop holding it hostage every sixteen minutes.

In the next few days or weeks, you can expect three or four chapters to be released at the same time when I finish reworking some parts of the story.

I might rewrite the last two chapters I wrote but for now, I'm trying to focus on writing the next few chapters.

I'm also trying to get a clear understanding of what Bullstrider possibly looks like by mostly drawing art of him and creating mood boards to get a good understanding of what aspects and traits he would have that still, connect him with Cliffjumper in a type of way.

Thank you for reading my dumb au idea that's been stuck in my head for the past few years, love y'all😘

Thank you so much for reading❤️