Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Aileron hurried through Autobot City. Her shuttle had barely completed docking procedures before she leapt out the door. They had arrived a full day early and she couldn’t wait to surprise Arcee. Her arms laden with souvenirs from their latest mission of exploration, Aileron bounced impatiently on the street corner waiting for a break in the traffic. With the annual Autobot City Founding Day fast approaching, Cybertronians from all across the galaxy were in town for the festivities.

While an endless stream of rowdy vehicles jostled past, a flashy holoposter crookedly taped on a light pole caught her optic. The striking visual of a flaming guitar dominated the poster, rays of light shone around it. Intrigued by the imagery, Aileron drew near and read the lightning bolt shaped words:

Battle of the Bands!

Get Ready to Melt Faces and Blow Minds!

Gather your most rocking friends and join us for a competition like no other. Adjust your shock absorbers and jump in the mosh pit! Check out the pop-up bar for craft energon blends! Or rally up the troops and enter the fray! Mystery prizes will be awarded to bands who receive the most fan votes and totally destroy all challengers.

Register at the Autobot City Festival Main Stage.

Sensing a lull in the traffic, Aileron ripped the holoposter from the pole and bolted across the street, ignoring disgruntled air horn blasts as she dodged through the crowd. In preparation for the festival, Autobot City bustled with all kinds of activity. Aileron skirted street vendors set up in the middle of the sidewalk, slipped around the Constructicons hanging colorful banners, and danced past crowds of humans exploring the city led by minibot tour guides.

Excitement crackled through the air like an electric current. Every year the Founding Day celebration drew larger crowds than the year before. Cybertronians from all the colonies were well represented as were humans from most nations on Earth. It was quickly becoming one of Earth’s premier parties, rivaling the festive atmosphere of Brazil’s Carnival or New Year’s Eve at Times Square. Cybertronians had a knack for taking things to the extreme, from waging civil war for four million years to hosting super wild parties.

Aileron hurried home, her spark spinning and her mind racing. She hadn’t played her guitar since leaving Caminus to follow Optimus Prime. In fact, with all the battles, alien invasions, and general upheaval, she had lost track of it somewhere along the way. But finding a guitar was the least of her problems, first she’d need to get a band together.

Despite the growing excitement about playing in front of a crowd again, Aileron’s thoughts were inevitably drawn to Sterling, her late amica. Following Optimus Prime and exploring the galaxy had been her dream. Although Sterling had his reservations, he faithfully stayed by her side even as the situation became increasingly dangerous. When they found themselves caught in the middle of a firefight on Earth, a stray shot struck Sterling in the spark. Sometimes Aileron still felt guilty about being the one to survive. Time had helped soothe the raw edges his death tore through the amica endura bond they shared, but the pain still lingered.

Her amica was the one who taught her to play and helped her build her guitar, a dashing scarlet flying V with custom crystal inlay. Although Aileron loved to play, becoming a famous musician was Sterling's dream. One he never had the chance to fulfill. Aileron wanted to play for Sterling’s memory as much as for herself.

As Aileron’s feet pounded the pavement, her spark soared with the memory of righteous riffs, of pulsing rhythm, with the indescribable emotion of throwing your entire self into the song. With each bounding step she wanted more and more to share that feeling with Arcee.

When Aileron reached their apartment, she burst in the door, dumped her armload of souvenirs on the table and pounced on Arcee, who had just settled in on the couch with a tall glass of engex and her favorite datapad.

“Aileron! Welcome home! I wasn’t expecting you until-”

“WE HAVE TO DO THIS!!” Aileron shoved the holoposter at Arcee.

“Okay,” Arcee laughed. She set her engex down so she could pull her conjunx into her arms.

“Okay?” Aileron blinked. She thought it would take a little cajoling and maybe a bottle of refined engex or two to bribe Arcee to agree. “Just like that?”

“Sure,” Arcee skimmed the holoposter and shrugged. “I have quite a bit of experience in all kinds of battles, although I'm a little surprised they are holding an event like this for Founding Day.”

“What? Why?? Didn’t they have stuff like this before?”

“Yes. A long time ago… But enough about the battle! You’re home early!” Arcee exclaimed.

“Yeah I am!” Aileron giggled. She hugged Arcee tightly.

“I missed you so much,” Arcee sighed. She drew Aileron in for a kiss.

“Yeah,” Aileron dreamily agreed. Even after all the time they spent together, her conjunx’s kiss still melted her brain circuits.

“Alright,” Arcee laughed and Aileron thought it was the most beautiful music she ever heard. “Tell me all about your latest adventures in space.”

“Only if you tell me about yours here on Earth.”

“You drive a hard bargain, Aileron of Caminus,” Arcee hummed. She poured some engex for Aileron and clinked her glass against hers. “After careful consideration, I agree to your terms.”

“Then we have an accord,” Aileron giggled and sipped her engex. It sent a shiver through all fuel lines followed by a pleasant lingering warmth.

They spent the rest of the evening sharing tales of their adventures during their time apart. Eventually Aileron remembered the stack of souvenirs she lugged across the galaxy and then across the city to share with Arcee. They gleefully sampled several strange flavors of rust sticks and laughed about each other’s reactions.

Sharing her life with Arcee brought such joy to Aileron. With her spark filled with light and engex softly muddling her brain, Aileron yawned. Her last thoughts before dozing off in Arcee’s arms were wondering about what instrument Arcee played.

Rousing to gentle sounds of movement, Aileron rolled over and promptly fell off the couch.

“AHH!” She yelped, jolting fully awake.

Aileron reset her optics several times. She knew her joyful reunion with Arcee was more than just a happy dream, but that didn’t explain the strangeness of the scene unfolding before her. Arcee had rearranged their furniture and was balanced on one foot brandishing a pair of energon swords in the middle of the now empty room.

“Good morning, sleeping beauty,” Arcee laughed. She set down her swords and helped Alieron up.

“Morning?” Aileron mumbled, noting the darkness of the world outside their windows.

“More or less… The sun hasn’t risen yet, but it’s still technically morning. Sorry if I woke you.”

“No. It’s fine-” Aileron stretched her stiff joints. She nodded towards the gleaming pink blades. “What are you doing anyways?”

“Preparing for the Battle!” Arcee gleefully proclaimed. She leapt back and grabbed the blades in one fluid motion, twisting into an elegant defensive pose.

“What?” Aileron asked, feeling like she missed an important detail somewhere.

“You know, the Battle that you wanted to join. I know the poster says ‘melt face and blow minds’ which implies heat based or projectile weapons, but I’ve always been most comfortable wielding swords.”

“Umm…” Aileron hummed in confusion. She narrowed her optics. She wasn’t sure if the unfolding situation was terrifying, hilarious, or maybe a little bit of both.

“Don’t worry,” Arcee reassured her. She spun and brandished her blades with mesmerizing grace. “Although my blades don’t melt faces, they’re more than capable of destroying the competition.”

“Sweet Solus Prime!” Aileron gasped, stifling a laugh. She had a pretty good idea that Arcee had just taken the Battle of the Band poster’s hyperbole literally. “CEE, NO!”

“CEE YES!!” Arcee flashed a ferocious grin, brighter and more terrifying than her gleaming swords. “Ages before fighting Unicron, I was known as Arcee of the Darklands, a feared and respected gladiator. I’ve seen you fight in the battles here on earth and you’re no pushover. No one will be able to stop us! We’ll surely take the victory!”

“While I agree we can totally win,” Aileron said, simultaneously flattered by Arcee’s confidence in her and amused at the Cybertronian tendency to automatically assume the most violent take on any activity, “It’s not that kind of battle.”

“What other kind of battle is there?” Arcee shrugged.

“A music battle!” Aileron grinned

“Music?” Arcee scrunched her face. “You mean like the time Soundwave opened a nightclub to brainwash a bunch of humans into feuding with Blaster?”

“What? No!” Aileron laughed. Was that really a thing that happened? “Battle of the Bands is a music competition. Everyone plays their songs and then people vote on their favorite. It’s meant to be a celebration of art and self expression. All face-melting is purely metaphorical and induced by rockin’ guitar solos.”

“Then NO. I can’t do it.” Arcee said with spark crushing finality. She sat down heavily and laid her swords on the floor.

“Sure you can.” Aileron sat down next to her. “Anyone can join.”

“Not me.” Arcee shook her head.She nodded towards her swords. “The only instruments I know how to wield are the instruments of destruction. I’m no artist.”

“But that’s just it, anyone can be an artist. If you don’t know how to play, you can sing.”

“Sing? Me? No way. Artistic expression isn’t in my nature.”

Arcee’s will swing from ultra-confidence to utter dejection, broke Aileron’s spark. She often thought Caminus placed too much value on the arts, but after traveling the universe and seeing the complete lack of appreciation for artistic endeavors on Cybertron, she changed her mind about Caminus’ approach. The arts were as vital to survival as energon. Possibly more.

How could anyone truly discover themselves without any way to express it?

“Your voice is beautiful. You can absolutely sing. Art is in everyone’s nature. It’s a way of working through joy and pain, of expressing who we truly are in any given moment. Music is a way of sharing a bit of ourselves with whoever is listening across time, space, and species. Sometimes we hear something and it just resonates. In some small way, it helps us feel like we’re not alone.” Aileron thought of playing with Sterling and how much she wanted to share that feeling of freedom with Arcee.

Arcee considered Aileron’s words in silence for a few seconds. A slight smile drew across her face. “This is really important to you, isn’t it?” she asked as she bumped her shoulder against Aileron’s.

“Yeah.” Aileron hugged her knees to her chest. As much as she wanted to enter the Battle of the Bands, she didn’t want to push Arcee to do something she wasn’t comfortable with. “It is, but-”

“Then okay. I’m in.”

“You- you’re in??” Aileron gasped.

“Yeah.” Arcee shrugged. “It’s not the kind of battle I’m used to, but I still enjoy some competition. But more than that, I want to stand by your side, especially for something so close to your spark.”

“Oh my gosh!” Aileron burst out. She swept Arcee up in a tight hug. “Thank you so much! This is gonna be great!”

“If you’re involved, there’s no doubt.” Arcee laughed, tension bleeding out of her frame.

“Alright!” Aileron leapt to her feet. “There’s lots to do and not much time to do it!”

Aileron dashed around their apartment, searching for her datasticks. Finding one with a collection of Earth rock ballads, she tossed it to Arcee.

“Give these a listen! Since we’re on Earth, we might as well do an Earth song. I’ve got some other stuff to get together. I’ll be back soon!”

“Alright…” Arcee regarded the shining teal datastick in her hands with the skepticism of a noir detective considering unlikely clues.

“Don’t worry!” Aileron grinned. She flashed two thumbs up and darted out the door. “Everything will be great!”

Chapter Text

“Everything will be terrible,” Aileron moaned.

“So you’ve mentioned. Several times.” Jetfire droned. He crouched his massive frame close to the table, all attention focused on several crystal vials of colorful liquids arranged on a test tube rack.

Aileron moaned again, thumping her head on the gleaming stainless steel lab table. The motion jostled the vials of liquid and the delicate chime of the crystals’ vibration filled the otherwise silent lab. Jetfire paused to glare at her before filling a small dropper with a tiny amount of vibrant pink liquid. All the scientific instruments appeared so comically small in his large hands.

“What, if I may ask, has got you so upset?” Jetfire asked without looking away from his experiment. He carefully dropped the pink liquid into a vial filled with a mysterious turquoise substance. Against all logic and known color theory, instead of the blue turning purple with the introduction of pink, it changed into glowing toxic green. Jetfire nodded and quickly tapped a few notes into his datapad.

“It’s just…” Aileron sighed. When she first saw the poster, she couldn’t wait to play in the Battle of the Bands, but now she wasn’t so sure. She didn’t have a guitar, Arcee seemed a little trepidatious about the prospect of performing, and really she needed a few more band members. Maybe this competition was just another incidence of her enthusiasm outpacing her abilities. It wouldn’t be the first time it got her in trouble. “I dunno. Have you ever done something that you thought would be a good idea at first but the more you think about it, the less sure you become?”

“Are you asking if I ever made a mistake?” Jetfire looked up from his experiment. His broad shuttle wings twitched with amusement. “I assure you that I have. Everyone makes mistakes.”

The newly green liquid began bubbling furiously. Jetfire furrowed his brow and rapidly scrolled through his notes, furiously jotting down a few more observations.

“It’s not quite a mistake. It’s more like a potential disaster?” Aileron mused. “It’s like, I thought something would turn out one way, but what if it doesn’t? What if something I thought was a good idea actually isn’t? What if I jumped into something too fast without considering all the possible outcomes and it blows up in my face?”

The bubbling green liquid shook violently in the vial. Jetfire leaned in for a closer inspection. POP! The liquid exploded into a puff of smoke coating Jetfire’s face with fine black soot. He coughed and made a few more notes.

“No one can know how things will turn out. Uncertainty is part of life.” Jetfire smiled, his blue optics especially bright against the soot.

“Ugh. You don’t understand.” Aileron grumped.

“Aileron. Please. I think I understand plenty about starting something without considering every possible outcome,” Jetfire deadpanned. “I dated Starscream for Primus’ sake.”

“You WHAT?!” Aileron’s jaw dropped.

“It was a long time ago,” Jetfire chuckled.

“Yeah, but STARSCREAM?! The ex-president of Cybertron currently in jail for various political scandals, not to mention the war crimes? That Starscream?!”

“Unless you know another one,” Jetfire teased. “Now, back to your problem-”

“No way! You don’t get to drop a bomb like that and not give me at least a few details!”

“Like I said, it was a long time ago,” Jetfire pulled a cotton cloth from the lab safety kit and cleaned the soot from his face. “We met before the war when we were both trying desperately to prove to the Functionists that form did not define function. Despite being forged with wings, we both wanted to be scientists without giving up our flight abilities.”

“So you fell madly in love while bucking the system?” Aileron teased.

“Something like that,” Jetfire mused fondly. His stark white plating glowed soft pink. His blush intensified the more he talked about Starscream. “Star was just so passionate. He had my back and I had his. When the Functionists pushed, he pushed back harder, taking up even more hobbies in defiance of their narrow ideas about what a flier could be, and I was with him every step of the way. We dabbled in visual arts, theater, which he loved, and even learned to play several instruments.”

“Sweet Solus Prime!” Inspiration struck Aileron like a red and blue mack truck. “What did you say?!”

“Which part?”

“The last part!”

“We played instruments?”

“Do you still? Play??”

“Of course. My keyboard was always the one personal item that I brought with me no matter where I was stationed during the war. Playing helped remind me of who I was when things got especially difficult or complicated. Why?”

“Because! It’s perfect! Maybe I got upset a little prematurely because now things are looking up!”

“What are you talking about?” Jetfire asked.

Aileron briefly ran through the whole story of the Battle of the Bands.

“I really want to play and to share that experience with Arcee… but I’m worried that I’m pushing her to do something that she doesn’t want to do. Like she’s only doing it because I asked.” Aileron admitted.

“First of all, doing something to support your partner is perfectly acceptable,” Jetfire reassured her. “But most importantly, you know as well as I do that no one could force Arcee to do anything against her will. If she agreed to sing, then she wants to do it. I’m sure the concert will be amazing.”

“Thanks, Jetfire.” Aileron sighed. She was already feeling better about the whole affair. Somehow Jetfire always knew the perfect balance between listening to her and offering solid advice. She wondered if it was too soon to ask him to be her amica. Although the practice was common on Caminus, she wasn’t sure about the Cybertronian view on the custom. She’d have to ask Arcee about it later. “I’d like to share this experience with my best friend too. Are you in?”

“Well now…” Jetfire sheepishly rubbed the back of his helm. “I didn’t say that.”

“Come on, Jetfire! Pleeeease!” Aileron pleaded. “We need to round out our band.”

“I dunno-” Jetfire whined. “I never played in front of an audience.”

“There’s no time like the present!”

“Yeah but-”

“Show the world you can be a flier AND a scientist AND a musician! Do it for yourself! Can you imagine if back on Cybertron, they broadcast the events for Autobot City Founding Day and your ex saw you play?”

“Technically… we never broke up,” Jetfire admitted, turning even pinker. He hunched his shoulders, drawing his wings down.

Aileron stared at him. Her jaw dropped again.

“Neither one of us ever officially ended the relationship. Then the war got in the way. Things got complicated, but we sort of always continued to watch out for each other. You know, despite being the largest most obvious target in the sky, I was never once shot down by the Decepticon airforce? He’s never admitted it, but Star had to be protecting me.”

“Okay. That seals the deal. You are so totally going to play!”

“But-” Jetfire chewed his lip. He vented deeply. “Okay. I’m in. Not just because I hope Star sees me although it would be pretty amazing if he did. You’re right. I love flying and science and music and I shouldn’t have to hide any aspects of myself. If you’re going to play, I want to play with you.”

“Woohooo! Awesome!” Aileron whooped. She leapt up and hugged Jetfire. “I’m so happy! This is gonna be so much fun.”

“I hope so,” Jetfire laughed. He lifted Aileron off the floor and spun her around. His broad wings narrowly missed sweeping his menagerie of chemicals off the table. “Your enthusiasm is infectious. I can’t believe I’m getting excited about playing in front of a crowd.”

“That reminds me: I still need to find a guitar. How did you manage to keep track of your keyboard all these years? I didn’t leave home all that long ago and I totally lost it somewhere along the way. Do you know anywhere I can pick one on short notice?”

“Hmm…”Jetfire set Aileron back down. “I heard Rumble and Frenzy set up a pawn shop to resell a bunch of materials they had left after their movie studio failed. That might be a good place to start. I’ll send you their location information.”

“Thanks! I’ll check it out right now!” Buoyed up by Jetfire’s support, Aileron bolted for the door. “Come over to our place tomorrow morning for our first practice!”

“I’m looking forward to it!” Jetfire waved.

As soon as she was out of the building, Aileron shifted into her alt mode. She flew over the next few blocks. Soaring through the endless blue sky paled in comparison to the joy lighting her spark. Giddy with excitement, Aileron spun a barrel roll through the endless blue sky. Despite the emotional rollercoaster, their Battle of the Bands entry was slowly taking shape. She was going to play on stage, for herself, for Sterling, for her conjunx and her best friend.

Everything was gonna be great!

Chapter Text

Aileron spun another loop. She descended towards the location Jetfire gave her, ignoring the 500’ altitude limit of jet propulsion systems in her excitement. She transformed at the last second and alighted on the ground, shouting her apologies to the people poking their heads out of their windows to see the source of the commotion.

Aileron paused at the entrance of the shop. The glaring neon sign proclaimed the name in violent violet to anyone in optical range: Cash Advances and Second Chances

She rolled her optics and went inside. The chime on the door announced her arrival but she didn’t see anyone amidst the piles and piles of stuff. Mounds of all sorts of strange artifacts filled the space, stacked high to the vaulted ceiling and spilling off the shelves onto the floor. Her jaw dropped. Even if there were musical instruments in here, finding them would be like looking for a needle in a stack of needles.

“Checkin’ out the merchandise?” A voice asked from behind her.

Aileron jumped. She whirled around to find a purple minibot with a smug grin and a mischievous glint in his red visor. She could never remember if that one was Rumble or Frenzy, and she had a feeling that asking would only get her a hard time without a clear answer.

“I guess? I’m looking for a guitar,” Aileron said.

“A guitar huh? Who’s askin’?” Another minibot, this one red and black, hopped up from behind the counter.

“Um. It’s me. I’m asking.” Aileron answered, suddenly feeling like she stumbled into an old gangster movie.

“So you are,” The purple one, who Aileron simply decided to call Frenzy in her mind to simplify her thought process, nodded sagely. “We might have a thing or two around that will suit your needs.”

“But it’ll cost ya!” the red one, who Aileron deemed Rumble, chimed in.

“I know. Exchanging money for goods is kind of how all stores operate.” Aileron deadpanned.

“Yeah- well- you’ll- ugh. Nevermind. Just follow me,” Frenzy gave up the gangster act and led her into the recesses of their store.

They wound through narrow walkways, past towers of textiles and precariously piled property. Aileron caught glimpses of all kinds of materials from small scale Earth artifacts to massive objects clearly Cybertronian in origin. Genuine gemstones sparkled next to glass replicas. Fine crystal lace scarves were draped over rusted power tools. Aileron didn’t doubt there were some real treasures casually piled amongst mounds of ordinary objects.

“Where did you get all this stuff?” Aileron wondered.

“What are you? A cop?” Rumble snapped.

“No. Just curious.”

“Eh. Just around,” Frenzy shrugged.

Aileron narrowed her optics. That answer sounded highly suspect, but if they had a Cybertronian sized guitar, she’d happily buy it, be on her way, and never look back. Suddenly Frenzy dove into one of the piles. After a few moments of rummaging, he resurfaced with several guitars in his hands.

“Any of these suit you?” he asked.

Aileron pursued the random collection of instruments he presented. One was acoustic, so that was out. As much as she appreciated the classical sound, acoustic guitars weren’t known to melt faces. An acid green Warlock had potential, gaining points for its radical style. The third guitar was a chipped red Flying V. Her spark stopped. It was just like her old guitar!

She gingerly lifted the battered instrument, turning it over in her hands. As soon as she saw the back, her vent fans hiccuped and tears stung her optics. One point of the V was severely dented with a large crack spidering up the back like a bolt of lightning frozen in time. This wasn’t like her guitar, it was her guitar.

“Where did you get this?” Aileron whispered. She ran her fingers down the neck, the strings hummed under her touch like greeting a long lost friend.

“I thought you said you weren’t a cop?” Frenzy grumbled, folding his arms with a huff.

“This is my guitar!” Aileron laughed despite the tears welling up in her optics. “Look! This crack is from the first show I ever played with Sterling. I was so in the zone that after a truly epic riff, I swung my guitar to smash it on the stage. I thought it would explode in a blaze of glory symbolizing all the energy overwhelming my spark but electric guitars are surprisingly robust. It unceremoniously thudded against the ground with only this superifical crack to show for my efforts.”

“So… this guitar is very important to you?” Rumble asked. He shared a conspiratory glance with Frenzy. “That’ll be $10,000. Payable in US dollars or Cybertronian Shanix, the exchange rate is pretty equal right now. Untraceable cash only, please.”

“WHAT?!” Aileron exclaimed. “First of all it cost a fraction of that much brand new and now it’s damaged.”

“It adds character,” Frenzy grinned. “You can’t put a price on that.”

“And second of all, this guitar is MINE. Why should I buy my own stuff from you?!”

“Think of it as a finder’s fee,” Frenzy mused. He moved to take the guitar back from Aileron but she snatched it away, clutching it close to her chest. “I mean, it’s not our fault you couldn’t keep track of it.”

“Finder’s fee?!” Aileron gasped. “It’s highway robbery!”

“Did someone say robbery?” A voice light with amusement asked from around a mound of miscellaneous machine parts.

“Ugh. Hello, Jazz,” Frenzy grumbled.

“I thought you weren’t a cop?” Rumbled rounded on Aileron.

“Would you quit it with the cop stuff,” she huffed, quickly growing tired of the whole situation. She just needed to figure out a way to leave with her guitar and without robbing a bank to get enough cash to cover these shady little swindlers’ absurdly high price.

“Oh yeah? If you’re not a cop or a spy or something, then what’s HE doin’ here?!.”

“Everybody relax,” Jazz laughed with such effortless charm that the tension immediately eased out of everyone’s struts. He shifted a large instrument case slung across his shoulders. “I’m here as a customer. Ol’ Lucille here needs a bit of a tune up. Did you find the strings I asked for?”

“Yeah, yeah. Be right with you,” Frenzy waved him off. He turned back to Aileron and folded his arms. “So where were we… that’s right! I believe the asking price stands at $10,000!”

“No way! That’s a hundred times what this cost brand new!” Aileron protested.

She briefly considered punting Frenzy across the room and making a break for it. If she transformed into jet mode, they’d never catch her. Jazz would be a witness, but he was involved in enough clandestine activities to not make a big deal out of it. Only one thing stopped her… as much as she hated to admit it, however Rumble and Frenzy found her guitar, they did keep it safe. And that was worth something.

“Tell you what,” Aileron sighed with resignation. “I’ll offer you $1,000. It’s well beyond what this guitar is worth, but it is all that I’m prepared to spend.”

“You got a lot of nerve coming at us with a counteroffer that low,” Rumble groused.

“I could go literally anywhere else and spend half as much on a brand new guitar.”

“If you ask me, that’s a mighty generous offer for such a banged up ol’ instrument.” Jazz nodded in approval. Danger edged his charming smile.

Rumble and Frenzy exchanged a glance. They looked from Aileron to Jazz and then back to each other as if holding a private conversation. The guitar’s taught strings hummed as Aileron tightened her grip on it. Her original plan of guitar theft wasn’t entirely off the table. Besides, did it really count as stealing if the guitar belonged to her in the first place?

“You drive a hard bargain, but it’s a deal,” Frenzy stuck out his hand, which Aileron enthusiastically shook. “Come on. Let’s head back to the front and I’ll write you up. We’ll ring up your strings too, Jazz.”

Aileron practically skipped back to the register. She couldn’t believe it! Her original guitar. Her spark spun loops as she paid their exorbitant price and dashed out the door. Although she couldn’t wait to head home and tell Arcee about her little adventure, Aileron had one more task to accomplish. She bounced in excitement, waiting for Jazz.

“Thanks for your help in there!” Aileron burst out as soon as Jazz exited the shop.

“Aw. I didn’t do anything but stand there and smile,” Jazz smoothly deflected her thanks and turned to go his way. “You had everything under control.”

“Maybe. But I think they would have given me a harder time about it if you weren’t there.” Aileron fell into step beside him. She couldn’t let him get away.

“Your business is your own, of course, but that was a mighty steep price to pay for an old guitar, even for a vintage beauty from the Camien Classical period with a stunning ruby topcoat and custom crystal fret inlays.” Curiosity gleamed in Jazz’s teal visor.

Thrilled that he noticed so many little details about her guitar, Aileron pounced on the opportunity to tell Jazz the whole story, from finding the poster to finding her guitar. The whole thing built up to her grand finale.

“So what do you say? Arcee is gonna sing, I’m playing lead guitar, Jetfire is on keyboard, but we could use a bass player. Are you in?” Aileron asked, hoping against all logic that Jazz agreed. Having one of the most famous Cybertronian musicians in their band would surely give them an edge in the competition. After all, who would vote against a band that included both the most feared assassin and the legendary Autobot spymaster?

“Well… I’m usually more of a solo act, aside from Lucille of course…” Jazz said slowly as if wanting Aileron to convince him.

“Come on! It’ll be fun! We’ll totally rock the audience’s worlds and win some mystery prizes! Playing by yourself is awesome but there’s something special about sharing the experience with friends. Please play with us!!! Pleeeease!”

“It has been a while since Lucille and I joined a band,” Jazz grinned. His blue visor sparkled. “Alright. I’m in!”

“YES!!” Aileron pumped her fist. Her wings fluttered. They were so gonna slay the competition! “Practice starts tomorrow at our place. We only have a few days to get ready.”

“I’ll be there. With Lucille of course,” Jazz pat his instrument case. “It’s been a long while since we played with a full band. Sometimes I forget how much fun it can be. Thank you for the offer.”

“Thanks for accepting,” Aileron grinned.

She waved her goodbyes, slung her guitar strap across her back, and finally turned towards home. After numerous stops, the day had drawn on. The red rocks in the desert surrounding Autobot City gleamed brilliant gold with the sunset. Clouds lazily drifting overhead turned pink against a fiery orange sky. The nights’ first stars twinkled overhead.

As she strolled through the bustling streets, Aileron’s spark soared. She spun her guitar around from where it hung diagonally across her back to cradle it in her hands. Strumming the strings, she picked out a short tune. Without an amplifier, the music hummed quietly, a ghost of a song for her audials alone.

“We’re gonna rock the house, Sterling,” She whispered, raising her optics to the stars.

Inspiration struck her so suddenly it must have been a nudge from the Allspark. Tears sprang to her optics as she shifted her gaze from the stars above to the instrument in her hands. It was something she thought was lost forever, but today through the support of her friends, her own determination and a bit of blind luck, it had returned to her as if it never left. Jazz named his instrument. Aileron smiled. Hers deserved a name as well.

Aileron ran her fingers along the cracked crimson paint. The crystal fret inlays caught the day’s last sunbeams and sparkled like live fire. The strings hummed with her touch. “I’m going to call you Sterling.”

Chapter Text

Aileron peeked out around the stage curtain in awe of the crowd gathered for the first ever Founding Day Battle of the Bands. Sterling’s weight rested comfortably on the strap slung over her shoulder. Excitement welled up inside her with every raucous cheer.

The last few days flew by in a blur of laughter and discordant melodies. Arcee had selected a short list of songs by the time Aileron returned home with her guitar. While she liked the sound of Aerosmith’s “Dream On,” the lyrics of the showtune “This is Me” spoke to her spark. When they discussed the possibilities with Jetfire and Jazz at their first practice, everyone agreed that arranging a heavy metal cover of “This is Me” made perfect sense. They could take the lyrics that resonated with all of them and truly make the performance their own.

Although it took some work to get it right, they figured out an arrangement that they all loved. Even though they didn’t really need more practice, they continued to get together simply for the joy of playing.

She left the rest of her band tuning their instruments and snuck off to scope out the competition.

The Constructicons had just completed an impressive cover of Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5.” She was pretty sure them tripping all over each other’s choreography and starting a brawl at the end wasn’t originally part of their act but it was extremely entertaining. The crowd roared with laughter which pleased the Structies enough to pause beating the scrap out of each other and soak in the moment.

Before them, Skywarp and Rock ‘n Roll performed a rockin’ version of the G.I.Joe anthem. It went on a little too long since they both were determined to outdo each other’s guitar solos.

One more act and then it would be their turn!

Aileron waited to see who would be on right before them. She saw the next competitor approaching the stage and her spark dropped: Thundercracker, Marissa, and Buster.

“Hey, Aileron!” Thundercracker waved. Buster rode on his shoulder wearing a tiny metal studded leather jacket and a spiked collar. “Cool guitar!”

“Ye-yeah. Thanks.” Aileron stammered. Forget winning the competition, how were they supposed to follow an act featuring Buster?! Especially with the little puggle all decked out in a rock and roll costume. No one can resist the charm of dogs in costumes.

The stage crew quickly set up a scissor lift for Marissa and Buster so they could share a microphone with Thundercracker. The crowd erupted in applause as soon as Buster in her heavy metal outfit appeared on stage. She barked happily in response to their cheers, wagging her stubby tail. When Thundercracker and Marissa started playing the opening chords of their song, the crowd roared and Aileron’s spark sank.

They were performing a cover of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’,” one of the most beloved Earth ballads of all time.

Although Thundercracker was a little out of tune, he threw himself into the performance. Everyone was singing along. Thousands of voices lifting as one:

Don’t stop believin’
Hold on to that feelin’
Streetlights people OooooOooOooo

Buster howled along with the Oooooh. Honestly, she carried the tune much better than Thundercracker. The crowd laughed and sang and the performance was downright magical.

Aileron slunk back to the waiting area. She sat down outside the door and hugged her knees to her chest. Her guitar strap settled on her shoulder, like a reassuring hand. She pulled the instrument into her hands and absent mindedly traced the cracked paint.

“I’m sorry, Sterling…” She whispered to the newly named guitar. “There’s no way we can follow that act.”

“Hey! There you are! We’ve been wondering where you’ve gotten too.” Arcee burst out the door and nearly tripped over Aileron. Her paint work shimmered with glitter polish that Jetfire concocted in his lab for their performance. Even feeling a little lost, Aileron had to smile. Arcee was so beautiful.

“We’re on next and-” Arcee stopped short. She sat down on the ground next to Aileron and nudged her with her shoulder. “Hey. Is everything alright?”

“I dunno…” Aileron mumbled. “What if this is a mistake?”

“What if it is?” Arcee shrugged, totally nonplussed. “It’s still fun.”

“CEE!” Aileron gasped.

“I’m serious.” Arcee bumped her shoulder again with more gusto. “If you would have told me a few days ago that I’d be painted with some kind of sparkly glitter Jetfire compounded in a test tube ready to go on stage in front of the galaxy and bare my spark in song, I’d have laughed in your face. And yet, here we are!”

“Yeah but did you see Thundercracker and Buster? She was howling along with the lyrics.”

“Yeah. The broadcast is playing on any available screen. It was fragging adorable. You should have heard Jetfire squealing.”

“How are we supposed to beat that?”

“We don’t.”

“What?! But the competition-”

“They played their song. We’ll play ours.” Arcee stated with such casual confidence, Aileron felt her own returning. “The real victory is getting to share this experience with you.”

Tears welled up in Aileron’s optics. She willed them to not run down her cheeks and smudge her glitter paint. How could she doubt herself if Arcee had such faith in her? The reason she started this whole escapade was to share it with Arcee. Hearing her conjunx echo her own feelings brushed aside all doubts. They would rock the house. Together.

“I love you!” Aileron pulled Arcee into a tight hug. Her guitar strap tugged comfortably on her shoulder.

“I love you too!” Arcee laughed as she held Aileron. She stood up and pulled Aileron to her feet. “Now let’s go melt some faces!”

“HELL YEAH!!” Aileron whooped. Her wings bounced.

“And if that fails, I brought the swords just in case,” Arcee added with a sly smile.

“You did NOT!” Aileron gasped.

“Let’s keep it ambiguous,” Arcee winked.

“Come on!” Jetfire called. “The stage crew is ready to set up our stuff!”

“It’s showtime!” Jazz smiled, radiating easy charm. The sparkle in his blue visor easily outshone Jetfire’s glitter paint.

“Let’s do this thing!” Aileron high-fived all of her bandmates.

They followed the stage crew’s directions and quickly tuned their instruments. When the flurry of activity finished, Aileron raised her optics and realized that she was standing on stage in front of thousands of people from all corners of the globe and galaxy. Cybertronians mingled with humans, except for the species specific mosh pits which were separate purely based on size difference safety precautions.

The multicolor stage lights lit up Sterling’s cracked red paint like lightning. Aileron caught Arcee’s gaze and smiled. Her spark burned within her like the sparkling fire of Jetfire’s glitter paint. Her life had led her to this moment with her friends and she was going to make the most of it. Mistake or not, they were going to have a great time.

Instead of an introductory speech, Aileron simply raised her hand and the crowd fell silent. She struck Sterling’s strings with righteous vigor. The chord reverberated through the amps, echoing softer and softer, drawing out the crowd’s anticipation. In that quiet, backed only by the soft hum of the lingering first note, Arcee raised her voice like the steel song of a drawn sword, clear and bright.

I am not a stranger to the dark
“Hide away,” they say
“We don’t want your broken parts.”

Jetfire hit his cue and began playing softly. Arcee continued a little louder with more force.

I’ve learned to be ashamed of all my scars
“Run away,” they say
“No one will love you as are.”

The once raucous crowd hung on every word. Aileron gripped Sterling. It was the deep breath before the plunge. Jazz plucked Lucille’s strings just enough for the amps to hum with growing power.

I won’t let them break me down to dust
I know there’s a place for us
For we are glorious

At the word “glorious” they all launched into their metal cover of the song as one. They increased the temp and turned up the volume on all their instruments. The music swelled and the crowd roared.

Aileron caught Jetfire’s gaze. She nodded towards the main camera. Jetfire’s cheeks lit up bright pink. The glitter polish amplified his blush. He chewed his lip and then waved shyly directly into the camera and mouthed the words “Hi, Star.” Aileron laughed and flashed him a quick thumbs up. Jetfire grinned and his broad wings swept up proudly. Aileron sincerely hoped that somewhere across the stars, back on Cybertron, Starcream was watching their performance, caught the cute little wave meant solely for him and shared Jetfire’s soft blush and fond smile.

Jazz focused his entire attention on Lucille. He played like he was one with his instrument. It was like watching a spirit of pure music made manifest.

As Arcee belted out the refrain,

I’m not scared to be seen
I make no apologies, this is me.
Oh-oh-oh-oooooh

Millions of voices joined with hers. Arcee had chosen this song because the lyrics spoke to her. Listening to her lead a chorus of a multitude of diverse voices, Aileron suspected she was not alone. Their music sang in the hearts and sparks of everyone listening.

Sterling hummed in her grasp. The electric current carried their song across the galaxy. Rainbow lights sparkled. The crowd roared. When Arcee turned to smile at her, Aileron’s spark filled with so much light, she felt like she might go supernova right there on the stage.

As the song swelled to the climax, Arcee waved them all together. Aileron joined hands with her conjunx, Jetfire, and Jazz. They stopped playing and let the electric hum on their instruments carry through the amplifiers and shouted the final words together in defiance and in celebration.

This is brave, this is bruised
This is who i’m meant to be
THIS IS ME

Millions of voices joined with theirs. After a single beat of silence, the crowd erupted. The mosh pits thrashed with exuberant movement. Cheers rained down on them as they all took a bow.

Aileron yelped as Jetfire lifted her up and set her on his shoulder. Full of hope, he waved once more to the sea of cameras. Jazz blew kisses to the screaming crowd, causing quite the fainting spell among the nearest spectators. Arcee drew her swords and spun through a few forms, her mesmerizing beauty lit by the colorful stage lights.

Sterling’s guitar strap settled comfortably on her shoulder. Aileron smiled. Preparing for this show, from finding the poster to last minute doubts, had been an improbable whirlwind of activity, but this moment was magic made manifest. A wave of love drove away all her doubts and struggles in wild celebration. She thanked Solus Prime for being able to share this incredible experience with her friends.

Aileron had crossed the galaxy, explored uncharted worlds, grieved unfathomable losses, and found love like no other.

She grinned and wondered if it was too soon to start planning next year's performance.