51Chapter 4: Dealing With a Bad Hand
The Kingdom of Mistral…
Suffice it to say, the White Fang protest had gone downhill fast once all hell broke loose. It was madness and chaos in the streets. Humans and Faunus were fighting each other, the police were arresting any and all who stood in the way of their orders, and just general mayhem reigned all around. Otherwise normal people were being reduced to nothing more than savage animals. Terror was being generated at an alarming pace. Madness, all of it was madness.
To Primus, seeing such events of pain, sadness, strife, and conflict occur was so disheartening, disturbing, and chilling to his very core. The Order-Bringer was no stranger to the evils of the universe, but seeing them firsthand with his own two eyes brought some new perspective and evoked a great many emtions. It also brought him a feeling of inadequacy and incompetence that he had never felt before.
By his very own existence, he should have been able to stop all this from happening entirely. He was supposed to be the solution to every problem that had occured in the riots today. He had all the power in the universe to make things right; he should have made things rights. It was within his power to do so and those with power had an obligation to help those who did not.
But if he resorted to using his powers, then he would fail in his mission to understand mortal struggles. That was the justification that he had attempted to use. His hesitancy on the matter had been brief, but in the end, his nature compelled him to override his self-imposed restriction. The Cybertronian God called upon his more subtle powers of influence and mind linking to dispel aggressions and hostilities. There were casualties, a few quite severe, some possibly on the brink of death. It would have been better to end all of the pain, but again there was no true sense of accomplishment using his powers in such a way. The results would be because of his unique powers, not because he used his mortal abilities to his fullest. Thus, he restrained his powers to only cease any further violence. He did nothing to stop those that had been injured or those that had been arrested either lawfully or unlawfully.
With most of the danger abated for the time being, the White Fang had gathered whoever was left and regrouped. Primus first reunited with Jasper.
"Thank the gods you're okay." Jasper hugged his son, sighing in relief as well. "I was worried sick!"
"There was no need for alarm, father." Primus remained even. "I did what you asked me to do."
"Yes, you did." The father retreated and looked the 'boy' in the eye. "But there's more to it."
"Clarify." Primus wanted to see where this was going.
"Preston, you know that keeping secrets is bad, and what I just saw, or rather felt, was something I've never seen you use before, yet you don't seem phased by what you just did." Jasper explained his concerns. "That means either you knew about this power and didn't use it or you knew and you've used it before."
So this was a sort of interrogation. The Order-Bringer expected this outcome and had even prepared for it beforehand. He expected to fight a long uphill battle about it, but he would not falter.
"I have always had this power. It is something that is extremely powerful, but it felt wrong to use it when it was not necessary." Primus opted to tell the truth somewhat. "I felt that this was a necessary time."
"And what is this power?" Jasper grilled some more. "Why haven't you told me or your mother about this until now?"
Because you would not understand that I am more than simply Preston Arc, the only son of the Arc family. The eons-old being spoke the words in his mind. I am a God, and I had to intervene as my core compelled me to, at least to lessen the casualties if not outright stop them.
"It is the power to influence hearts and minds." Primus opted again to tell some of the truth. "In this way, I stopped further extreme violence from occurring."
In order to represent good, he had to be good, and that meant telling the truth and facts at all times. Granted, it was not a complete truth, but it was not like there was intent to be deceptive. Rather, it was not necessary for anyone to know that he did have godly power. If the time came when he did need to speak of it, than he would. Hopefully, that time would come once he was of a certain age. More time was needed to develop the trust and relationship between himself and his family and friends.
"Preston, while I do appreciate your noble act, just remember that not everyone is going to care about what you do." Jasper's words came as no surprise. "In fact, if you want to be a huntsman, you may not ever get thanked for being a protector of Mankind, not truly."
This was hardly new information. Even when becoming the core of Cybertron, he always knew more or less what was occuring on Cybertron, good or evil. He knew that Cybertronians would forever be infused with both his own influences and Unicron's influences. His attempt at creating a perfect race had ended with imperfection. Then again, perfection meant that there was no further need to improve or become better, and in this vast universe, perfection was not a reality, but a delusion. There were those that called themselves the best, and perhaps that was what they were, but they would never be perfect. Even he knew that he was not perfect as his own history indicated as much. To that end, he could not expect a single soul on Remnant to share his intense desire to do good. He existed differently than mortals did.
"I do not want to become a huntsman for personal gain." Primus leveled. "I want to become a huntsman because it is the right thing to do."
"Be that as it may, be careful." Jasper lowered his head. "You might be willing to put so much on the line for others, but when you're born into this world, you're not the only one who decides your worth. That's decided by your friends and family. If something were to happen to you, everyone that cares about you would be in distress too."
"I suppose so." Primus willingly agreed with this thought process. "I understand."
Those words seemed so alien because for most of his existence, Primus had never had friends or family, not like this, and certainly he never had anyone care for him the way his family cared for him. Never had he had someone who took pride in him and what he did. Never had he had someone who loved him to pieces and was so protective of him. Never had he experienced things like teasing, hugs, kisses, small things that reinforced relationships. They were all new, and he felt nothing but positive vibes.
These things just never existed in his life years before his existence here, and in all honesty, it was all unknown to him. In a way, he was not sure how to respond to it all, because sooner or later, happiness had to come to an end to make way for sadness. That was the natural way of the universe. The cycle of hope and despair, creation and destruction, order and chaos, good and evil, all of these opposites existed like two sides of a coin. They would never be pulled apart, and thus came the question of what to do when tragedy struck his family, because it would happen one day.
Six years ago, Primus would have said that all things must come to an end, so it is best to appreciate all aspects of all things while they existed, otherwise existing was a moot point. Now he wasn't so sure if such words were so set in stone. Living as a mortal came with it the realization and the knowledge that since no life was eternal, there were things to appreciate and to be loved in irrational ways. To the Order-Bringer, what people in this world considered to be patience and a long time was but a tiny fraction of the universe's lifespan, and in that sense, he could understand emotional responses.
But did he believe in them himself? Could he bring himself to be that emotional level? Speaking rationally, considering that he cared so much about being a force of good, creation, and order, he had to care on some level, but how much?
"Look, kiddo, I'm not saying stop doing what you're doing." Jasper hugged him while speaking more words of wisdom. "Just be mindful that being a hero means great sacrifices that are near-impossible for any single man to take on alone. For example, do we act in our own selfish interests and save the people that mean so much to us or do we do the selfless thing and save many people so that they don't have to suffer?"
The scenario presented could just as easily be one that could be experienced by a huntsman, especially one that had a family. Both Jasper and Daisy were warriors when they were not parents. They likely had to make that choice at one point or another, but in the end, they seemed to always choose family when they had to choose. Just because they chose family over the masses didn't mean they were evil.
Primus had to wonder though. Was it right for him to be selfish? Could he afford to be? Even if he had a mission here?
"Preston, don't think too hard about it right now." His father smiled at him. "I'm already proud of who you are. You are going to go far in the future."
"...if you say so, father." Primus nodded.
RWBY - - - Transformers
Blake was quick to reunite with. He looked good all things considered, not all mangled up or bloodied like they expected him to be. They weren't sure what he'd done, but he was not normal, they knew that much.
"Are you okay?" Blake rushed up to check him over. "You're not hurt?"
"I am not." Preston said while regarding the girl in front of him. "There is no need for concern."
Adam wasn't entirely sure about what to think in regards to Preston, but the boy was friendly enough, and Blake seemed to like him. Plus, he protected Blake from the humans when things got rough. For now, as long as that was the case, then he could accept this new addition. Maybe one day, he would call his fellow Faunus a friend and brother.
"What did you do, by the way?" Adam approached with a curious look on his face. "I've never seen a crowd act like that before."
"That is a secret I intend to keep." Preston looked him in the eye. "All I will say is this: you will not see it again."
"Damn." Adam grumbled in disappointment, but recovered quickly. "Well, I guess things could've been worse. A lot worse."
And it was true. Both him and Blake had seen some pretty bad stuff while working in the White Fang. Being a part of the Fang was dangerous, especially since they were both kids. They were far too young to be exposed to this stuff and yet here they were, fighting for what they believed to be a righteous cause. Why did they do it? Because their kind was suffering under human rules and prejudice and hatred and it needed to stop. One way or another, it had to stop.
Of course, this was among the most violent confrontations they had ever taken part in. As children, they were not capable of defending themselves, not like the adults could defend themselves and for a majority of the time, they weren't expected to face violence, but it still happened. They couldn't stop that from being reality.
Which came right back to the unusual going-ons of the riot.
"You're keeping a secret." Blake pouted a bit at being denied.
"I assure you it is nothing insidious." Preston looked her in the eye.
"What does insidious mean?" Blake asked.
"It means bad or evil, simply put." Preston explained, then rephrased his words. "In any case, it is nothing for you to concern yourself over."
Blake took a moment to think about it. She felt like she needed a reason to fight back, but that was easier said than done. She hadn't known Preston for very long, but he had this strange power to make people calm and understanding. Arguing with him became less and less of an option as time passed because he just seemed so right in every situation. It had to be a power, she figured, or a semblance. Either that or he was simply good at talking to people.
"Okay." Blake pouted a bit. "But I don't like it."
"I am not asking you to agree with all of my actions and standpoints." Preston nodded his head. "But I ask that you respect what I do and who I am."
"Hmph." Blake couldn't possibly argue with that. "Fine."
"You'd better get used to this." Adam broke in. "She can be like this sometimes."
"Like what, exactly?" Preston addressed the older boy.
"She's moody and sometimes, it's hard to figure them out." Adam shrugged, not really caring to explain any more.
"Meanie!" Blake hit Adam with a small fist into his chest. "I'm not moody!"
"See, right there." Adam pointed out with a deadpan look.
"Perhaps you are not appealing to her in the right way." Preston suggested with a pensive look.
Blake, still facing Adam and still hitting him lightly with her fists, felt a hand upon her hair and then felt the sensation of her hair ruffling, a gentle and controlled move. She turned back to face Preston. Although he did not smile, his eyes transferred his meaning. The little faunus girl heard no words, but could seem to get what he was trying to do: give her assurance that all was well with him and that everything would turn out okay.
"You'll… be okay?" Blake ventured with timidity. "You promise?"
"I promise." Preston moved his hand from the top of her head to her shoulder where he held her firmly, his conviction never wavering. "I will never willingly put myself in danger unless it is for a good reason."
"...okay." Blake felt it was okay to accept what he was saying.
"See?" Preston's eyes fell to the red-haired boy. "You simply need to put in the effort."
"I guess so." Adam looked exhausted to be told this. "Oh, by the way, do you know what's going on with the rest of our members?"
"I know that our rallies will be done somewhere else." Preston replied while placing his hand back at his side. "The details, I do not know. We lost quite a few to the police."
"Those damn human!" Adam clenched his fists. "What gives them the right to make violence on us after we try to be peaceful?!"
"They have no right to do so, but that is why we are protesting this peacefully. If we resort to violence as a first means to combat injustice, then we have already lost."
"Then why isn't it working?! Why don't we have equal rights when we should?! These people just hate us!"
"Maybe they do hate us, but remember, Adam: hatred can only be stopped when we learn to let go of hatred. Violence has never been the solution to violence."
"But it seems to make people afraid and that gets them to stop being abusive towards us."
"Fear is temporary and eventually, it will be dispelled. We cannot do the same things our Human counterparts are doing. We would lose all credibility and all Faunus would suffer as a result. There is no shame in self-defense, but that is all we should do."
Adam looked to the side, a scowl on his face. So maybe he didn't have much in common with this kid. He spoke far too much about doing good things and never lashing out. How was that fair to the people in the White Fang? Sure, they didn't want to be the bad guys, but wasn't it justified to fight back when nothing else was working? If humans were content to hit them where it hurt, why not do the same in kind?
"It isn't right!" Adam gazed with intense eyes.
"Many things are not right." Primus met his stare. "But we must learn to endure and find another solution."
"Stop fighting!" Blake got between them. "I don't want you two to fight."
The boys turned their heads to look at their shared friend. Realizing that their debate was becoming more heated, they were quick to disengage, but the mood was anything but calm. One resorted to huffing and running a hand through his red hair. The other looked deep in thought as if contemplating how to resolve the difference.
"Ah, there you children are!" Blake heard her mother calling out to them. "Come along now! It's almost time to eat!"
"We will speak more of this later." Preston informed the two of them before obeying the adult.
"I'm sure we will." Adam intoned.
"Adam?" Blake tugged on the sleeve of the bull Faunus.
"Nothing." Adam sighed in annoyance. "Let's get something to eat. I was getting hungry anyway."
Blake watched as her two male friends left the room. Weren't they just friends a few minutes ago? Was she wrong in assuming that they would get along swimmingly? Could she do something about it? If she couldn't, what would happen to their relationships?
The cat girl had known Adam for a couple years and she didn't want to lose his companionship. He just seemed to understand her better than other kids did. While Preston hadn't known her for nearly as long, he was such a warm and comforting presence; she didn't want to lose him either. She valued the people she cared deeply about.
"Blake!" Her mom called to her. "Hurry up or you won't get any!"
"Coming!" Blake said.
Transformers - - - RWBY
Primus had little need for sleep. His spark had the power to keep him going indefinitely until the end of all existence itself. Thus, whenever it was bedtime for him, instead of going to sleep as his mother and father assumed he did every night, he laid awake at night with his back to the bed and his head facing the ceiling. Even in the black of night, his eyes glowed a brilliant blue, partially an indication of his dragon faunus heritage. Opposite of him was his father, breathing silently as he slept, but the slightest noise would awake the man, hence the Order-Bringer remaining still as a stone in his contemplation, his thoughts focusing on the Human-Faunus problem.
To hear the struggles and to see them had made him consider how he would respond. Being in a child's body, he could not expect to affect great change. What he could do was sort out how he would personally deal with the problems once he was of a suitable age to be taken seriously by the adults of this world. The key was to blend in while also standing out, a delicate balancing act. Until the time came for him to make his debut on the world stage, he would listen and watch and seize opportunities whenever possible.
Processing and understanding information could be done with only a fraction of his mental abilities. This mortal body had the capacity to work through information with the speed of a Cybertronian supercomputer, so when he finished thinking about one topic, he would move onto another one. No human or faunus would ever be able to match that level no matter what genetics and mutations.
Primus had taken to getting a feeling for this world. Remnant was a place that had been touched by the hands of others before Mankind had even entered into the picture, that much he knew for sure. The Brother Gods were among the most prominently-mentioned deities on this world. Whether these two entities existed or had ceased to be, it appeared that their impact was vast. There had to be a grain of truth to them at the very least. If they were not true gods, then maybe they were powerful ancient humans or faunus that possess such power that those without power called them gods. He had no concrete proof of anything yet, but he intended to find out who exactly had made this world.
And if he ever did find the original creator or creators of Remnant, he would have more than a few words. The state of this world was more than enough indication of how they chose to create Mankind. It was almost as if they had given intelligence without any sort of guidance and then expected Man to make something of itself. If that was the plan, then it was a poorly-conceived one. Furthermore, without so much as a trace of their existence, there were so many questions. Did they leave this world due to disappointment? Did they abandon their creations? Why leave this world shattered like it was.
And speaking of this world, another thing that the Cybertronian God took to doing was focusing his consciousness on this world and all the life inhabiting it. As a creator of life itself, he was most definitely in tune with the lifeforms of a planet. This one was no different; try as he might to be restrictive with his powers, there were some capabilities of his that were always present and always active. At nighttime, he simply had more time to focus more of his mind into looking at this world.
Primus could sense the souls of every being here. His parents, his siblings, his relatives, huntsmen and huntresses around the world, humans, faunus, he could feel all of their life forces. There were no sparks on this world, but all life had one fundamental core in common. They might be called various names, but their ultimate purpose remained the same: to reflect the entirety of a being. It was almost cathartic to regard each and every life, especially since these were not his own creations. Critiquing another's work had its own benefits. It was a way for Primus to compare his work.
This advantage of being able to "see" souls around the world came with it a very noticeable issue. Just as he could feel happiness radiating off some souls, sadness dominated others. For every emotion that could be felt, there was an opposite to counter it. The disguised deity could "feel" them all, but could not, would not do anything to help them. Observing was a passive action, thus it was valid. It was not a pleasant feeling to say the least - leaving certain people to face a destiny that would undoubtedly damage them.
But that is the limitations of the mortal body and mind. Primus knew one truth about the physical world. When saving one, another will not be saved. Not everyone will receive the ending to their story they so desire.
An excuse on his his part, the Order-Bringer knew. While humans and faunus were clearly limited in what they could do and could not do, he had no such limitations. Thus his reasons for doing what he was doing would no doubt be perceived as laziness, stupidity, or illogical, which could all be interpreted as fact, but the perspective of a lifeform that wouldn't live a century versus the perspective of a lifeform that had lived for billions of years would be bound to view things differently.
Further musings were interrupted; a prick of extreme emotional distress suddenly caught his attention. The emotions were all coming from a single person. It was a woman that featured black hair with red ends, dark silver eyes, a red cloak. She was strong, strong in body, strong in mind, yet that would not be describing the full scope of this strength. Tiny though it might be in power, in terms of its nature, it reflected good intentions, noble intentions.
Like Optimus Prime. Primus could only compare this soul to one other.
Optimus Prime, out of all The Thirteen that he created, was the closest to him in terms of mindset, morals, and disposition. While he valued all of them quite a lot, it was Optimus Prime who he favored the most. It was him that brought together the Primes who would rise up against Unicron and The Fallen. It was him who had led the Autobots through the dark times that was the War for Cybertron. It was him who had sacrificed his life for others while asking for nothing in return. Such souls were rare and such souls were wonderful.
To die when their ultimate endgame had not come to pass would be such a waste. Many times had the Order-Bringer seen what talent and potential had become when it's time ran short. Greater heights could have been reached, hearts would not be wounded, and hope would not suffer a blow. Even if time continued to move forward and the natural order of things returned balance to the norm, it was a harder path to a good ending.
Why not speed up the process?
Primus had no room for hesitation now, only the absolute conviction within his own AllSpark to save this soul. Her strength would be needed down the line. It did not matter if he would never meet her in-person so to speak. To protect her life would mean to give another hope to this fragmented and divided world.
Another reason to save her was because she had a reason to live besides her own self-preservation. There were thoughts in her mind. A blond-haired man and two children, both girls. One had long hair that matched the man's hair color. The other girl was the spitting image of the woman. It didn't take a genius to know that this was likely the woman's family. She was thinking of them even in what she perceived as her final moments. She had to love them a great deal, her family that is.
Summer Rose. That was her name. By the power that I wield, I swear that you will not die this day.
That was a second time he had resorted to using his power. He really needed to stop this cycle of rationalization and usage otherwise he would see no end to this. He would use his powers now and then he would grant himself one last time. Three times and that would be the end of the line. The third and final time would need to be saved for an especially important time because no doubt there would be a grave time coming soon.
Come victory or defeat, he would have to learn to harness all of his mortal might in order to bring about a time of peace, justice, and creation.
Surviving the long night was but one step.
RWBY - - - Transformers
Summer Rose felt her end coming closer and closer. She considered herself to be a pretty formidable fighter. After all, she had led Team STRQ to the top of the class and had graduated with high honors. Of course she had confidence in her abilities and the many years of combat after Beacon Academy had only further strengthened her assurance.
But now she was being reminded of why it was dangerous to think that there would be no dangers in fighting even for experienced skilled veterans. The blood splattered on her cloak and her clothing reminded her of just how long it had been since she had legitimately taken damage to her body. She had nearly forgotten what it meant to bleed and the be in real pain. Her shallow breathing indicated to her that she was in no shape to be putting up any kind of resistance. She doubted that even her silver eyes would help her now.
"I hold no ill will against you." The huge man that towered over her limp for hardly registered in her mind. "But your death is required. Salem has determined that your existence is a threat to her plans."
Salem was a name that the mother of two knew all too well. Ozpin had told her and her team all about this woman. She was a threat to all of Remnant, being able to control the Grimm and had been doing so for who knew how long. When she had first heard of the name and the threat it posed, Summer had redoubled her efforts to become the hero that Remnant needed. It didn't matter that the enemy was unseen or undefeatable. She would still fight and be the hero that the world wanted and needed. There was never a doubt in her mind about the path she had chosen.
Her only regret was not being able to see her significant other and her daughters. She loved Taiyang like she loved no one else. Yang and Ruby, she would do anything for them, even if the former wasn't her daughter by blood. What she wouldn't give to be able to see their faces one more time, to see their smiles one more time.
Tai, Yang, Ruby, I'm so sorry. Summer knew what her death would mean for their family. Please forgive me and find the resolve to move forward.
She had done her best and it wasn't enough, but she knew she had done her best and she wouldn't blame anyone but herself. Though Ozpin had sent her on this mission, she wouldn't even blame him. He had helped her so much in being the woman she was today. To spite him would be to spite an important part of her life.
She closed her eyes and waited for the end to come.
She waited.
She kept waiting.
Then she realized something.
Summer felt whole again, like her injuries were healed. Opening her eyes, she felt her breath returning to her. No, more than that, she felt her aura returning to her too. Looking down at herself, she noticed that while her outfit was still bloody, all of her wounds were closed and she didn't feel a single ounce of pain. Her aura was fully recharged as well; she could tell that much by the glow it produced. However, the glow wasn't just her aura. She knew her aura didn't glow this bright. It never had before.
Run. A distinctly masculine voice played out mentally. This is a battle you cannot win. Run and save yourself.
Normally, it wouldn't be an option to retreat from a battle, but seeing where fighting had gotten her made her change her mind. She couldn't win like this. Getting up, she noticed that the man fighting her seemed to be almost frozen in time. His expression was dark, his hands were ready to strike out, yet he was not responding to her recovery.
Do not think. That voice again. Run.
Sparing one more confused look, Summer grabbed her partially-destroyed weapon and retreated. The mission was a failure.
There will be a few more chapters to establish Primus's relationship with Blake and Adam before the plot continues forward. Keep in mind that over the course of time, Primus will meet many characters from RWBY and form bonds with different characters. It will serve the plot many chapters to come.
In terms of romantic relationships, let's not cross that bridge for a while. I get that some of you have ideas as to who would make a good fit for Primus, but let's not forget forget that in order to win the heart of the Transformers God, it'll take quite a bit, and that is assuming there will be romance, but who knows?
Reviews and feedback is always appreciated.
I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter.
"A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning."
Brad Henry
