A/N: Hey everybody! I'm back with another one-shot! This is a plot bunny about plot bunnies. XD I got it from the same conversation as my Where Do the Missing Words Go? one shot. As when we were talking, I said that talking about computers eating words gave me a plot bunny and then talking about plot bunnies gave me a plot bunny about plot bunnies. Yeah, my head can be a jumbled mess at times.
This is a side story to my, as yet unwritten, story A Galaxy-Wide Search. Along the time line, this is just after they get through the language barrier, just before they leave Cybertron. :)
Summary: It's been a couple orns since Mina appeared out nowhere. Most were now satisfied that she was not a Decepticon spy and despite the language barrier causing trouble until a cycle ago, some even considered her a friend. However, what happens when they find themselves inside her mind with her? And they learn of a little thing we writers call, plot bunnies.
A/N 2: Also as a side note, the being called Q is the same Q any of you Star Trek fans may recognize the name from. The being that causes a lot of problems for the crews, by warping reality, making things appear out of nowhere and defying the laws of the universe.
And also, I apologize for those of you who read my main stories-IAPA, AWA, IOW-TTT and TRRBLU-as I haven't gotten an update done for the one I am on for updating yet. I got distracted by this and betaing and I'm sick as well, so yeah. I'm sorry, but I am getting on that now!
A Lesson in Plot Bunnies
"Are you positive you don't need anything?" Silverbolt asked once more.
"Silverbolt, I appreciate the concern," I said. "But I just need some rest and I'll be fine."
"Alright," Silverbolt said. "Well, you know where to find us all if you do need anything. You can always ask Ratchet to look over you again. He is usually in the next room."
"Al-" I was interrupted when I sneezed. "Alright," I said, sniffling as I reached for the piece of cloth Hound had supplied.
Silverbolt started to leave, but then hesitated. "You…will be alright to join us when we leave on the Ark next solar cycle, right?" he asked, clearly concerned about keeping his promise that I could go with them.
I sighed. "It's a cold, Silverbolt," I said. "It's not gonna…offline me." I had to pause to remember the word they used for when one died. "I may still feel bad and sneeze a lot, but I will be there."
"Ok," Silverbolt said.
I smiled slightly as Silverbolt finally left the room. He was one of the first bots I met after I stumbled upon the group of Autobots in the first place. Optimus, Ratchet and Bumblebee were the first of the Bots I had met, in the middle of what I now understood was a battle in Iacon. I shook my head as I recalled that fateful day. How long had it been? I wasn't sure. I was sure that the days seemed longer here than they were back on Earth, but my internal sense of time was never on par with what time really was. But either way, I knew time was different here and it was hard to try and figure it out. I had eventually decided I just didn't care.
I sighed and settled down in my makeshift bed. I would be happy if it weren't for my cold. Well, I assumed it was a cold. It certainly felt like a cold. And I did get that swim in that really cold water the other cycle. Darn Minicon throwing me in there. I had thought Bumblebee was gonna short circuit with how panicked he had looked. But I was ok, though I suffered from the cold temperature. Wheeljack said it was so cold due to sitting still for so long. Now my body was fighting a cold, that had frightened the Bots.
Note to self. Never say I have a bug around the Bots. Apparently bugs are very serious things for them. The only thing worse was a virus. I supposed that it was akin to a virus on a computer back home. Destructive to the computer.
I sighed again and wrapped my blanket tightly around me befor drifting off into sleep.
~Mina's Mind~
I looked around, finding myself in a dark landscape. It wasn't dark as in creepy dark, just nighttime dark. It was a plain of grass with a night sky filled with stars. There was a dirt path and I could see a building of sorts off in the distance. It wasn't the only thing I saw though. I also saw some of the Bots along the way, appearing as though they were trying to find out where they were. As I moved closer, I also noted that we were the same size.
"Guys?" I asked.
"Mina?" Optimus asked, looking perplexed.
"Wait, you're our size," Sideswipe said, walking in circles around me and inspecting me. "Or are we your size?" He looked genuinely confused.
"Beats me," I shrugged. "Last thing I knew I went to sleep off my cold."
"So if you're asleep, how are you awake?" Jazz asked.
"Maybe I'm not and I'm just having another weird dream," I said. "I do have a lot of weird dreams."
"But then how are we here?" Ironhide asked.
"I have no clue," I said.
"Perhaps I can help."
The sudden addition of a human sounding voice from right behind me had me leaping into the air and darting behind Optimus. I peered out as Ironhide, Sideswipe, Prowl and Jazz pointed their weapons at the man.
"Now now," he said. "There's no need to be hostile." He snapped his fingers and suddenly their weapons were gone, leaving them and me shocked.
"What the frag?" Jazz voiced the question that surely we were all thinking.
"Wait," I said after a moment of stunned silence. I moved out of my hiding place behind the Autobot leader and moved to scrutinize the being before us. "You look familiar."
"The name's Q," the man said.
"Ha!" I shouted, pointing an accusing finger at the man. "You're that dude who is always causin' trouble in Star Trek!"
I could almost feel the confusion all the bots felt at my outburst.
"What the frag man? You're supposed to be fictional!" I said.
"But what can you say that you really know of what's beyond your home planet?" Q said. "For all you know, I do exist. Jedi exist. All those things that you believe are fictional may in fact exist."
I felt my eye twitch and felt as if I could burst into rage at this very annoying being, consequences be fragged.
"Though I suppose your biggest question should be," he said, studying his nails. He abruptly disappeared, making me jump. He reappeared standing on Ironhide's large shoulder. "How you all are here."
"Get off me you fragger!" Ironhide said and tried to grab him as I turned to face him again, but he disappeared again.
Q reappeared right behind me, making me shiver. "Your friend is quite volatile," he said.
"Q," I growled. "Explain this." I was annoyed, but I knew that fighting with him would only prolong the inevitable.
"Haven't you figured it out yet," Q asked, walking away while continuing to study his nails. "Oh, I think I broke a nail."
I tilted my head, resisting the urge to act as Megatron would and punch him. The Bots were now all simply watching us interact.
"You really are a bit slow on the uptake," Q sighed.
I growled. "Watch it, Q," I said. "You may be an inter-dimensional being, but that doesn't mean I couldn't find a way to smack you."
Q smiled in a way that said he was forcing a smile at something much lower than him that he was disgusted with.
"So you know who I am, and what I am," Q said. "But you can't recognize your own mind?"
"My…mind?" I asked, tilting my head. I looked around. "This is my mind? It's a lot more concrete than I thought one's mind would look like from the inside."
Q rolled his eyes. "Oh come on," he said. "You're a nerd but you never watched the movies?"
"Now you have ceased making sense," I said, crossing my arms. "And how do you know I'm a nerd?"
"I know a great deal about you," Q said, circling me.
I could see all the Bots tense out of the corner of my eye as I watched Q warily.
"I know you want to prove that you can anything you want to be, despite everyone saying you'll never amount to anything," Q said. "I also know that you don't have a single friend back on Earth."
"That's a lie," I said, fighting the hurt of that reality. "I have Sam."
"Yes, but he's more of a brother type," Q said. He stopped circling. "But who else there really cares about you."
I felt my expression fall momentarily, but I shook myself and glared at the annoying being. "Shut it, Q," I said. "I am not as alone as I once was." My gaze briefly flickered to the Bots and I saw a couple smile and nod at me. "If this is my mind, why are we here?"
"I just thought I'd have some fun," Q said. He snapped his fingers and disappeared.
I growled and shook my fist. "Q! You fragger!" I shouted.
"Ooo ouch, learning new insults are you?" Q's voice sounded. "You'll have to find your own way out of this one. I think I'll go pay a visit to my old friend, Picard."
"Ugh," I said.
"Who was that?" Jazz asked after a moment.
"Q," I said. "A very annoying inter-dimensional being. I always thought he was just a story. But wherever you find him, you find trouble."
"Sounds like the twins," Ironhide said gruffly.
"Hey!" Sideswipe whined.
"Can we focus?" Prowl asked. "How do we get out of…Mina's mind?"
Everyone was silent, save for my sneeze and sniffle. After a few moments, I shrugged and said that I wanted to look around. As I started walking toward the odd building I had spotted earlier, I was acutely aware of the bots all following me.
"So, this is your mind?" Sideswipe asked.
"Apparently," I said and we all paused and watched as a butterfly flew up and landed on Ratchet's nose, opening its wings that had markings that looked remarkably like eyes.
"What's that?" Jazz asked as it flew away.
"A butterfly," I said, watching the creature as I tried to fight the memories of my old home. "It's a creature from my home world. It's a symbol of happiness as well. It's said that when one lands on you then happiness is sure to come. It's rare for it to happen though."
"Look at that, Ratch," Sideswipe said, grinning as he slung an arm around the mech's shoulders. "You're gonna be happy after all."
"I suggest you remove your arm," Ratchet growled, glaring daggers at the mech.
I giggled a little, but stopped when it made an uncomfortable feeling in my throat. I sighed as I rubbed at it. "In my mind and still dealing with this fraggin' cold," I said, knowing my expression gave away both my annoyance and my depression at this. I froze and then groaned.
"What is wrong?" Optimus asked.
"I'm sick," I said, burying my face in my hands. "And we are in my mind."
"I thought we already covered this," Sideswipe said.
I shook my head. "You don't get it!" I said. "Weird things happen in my head when I am sick. Extremely weird things! Like flying pigs! Or things suddenly changing shape into something horribly dangerous or funny or anything! I don't even know what kind of things will pop in my head when I am sick!"
The bots all looked a mix between shock at my outburst and confused by it.
"Weird like how?" Jazz finally asked.
Before I could drag the question through my own befuddled mind till an answer latched on, a roar answered the question for me and I saw that the bots were all looking up. I turned and looked up as well.
"Oh slag," I said. "That is one giant rabid bunny."
The giant bunny was glaring and growling down at us, large fangs bared and eyes as red as a Decepticon's. After enough staring we could all see a small inscription on its forehead.
"What's that writing on it?" Sideswipe asked. He was unconcerned. This was their friend's mind after all. She wouldn't let this creature harm them.
"'Evil plot bunny'," I read.
"Plot bunny?" Prowl asked.
The evil plot bunny gave a roar and bent down, mouth open as if to swallow us. I did the first thing that came to mind. I pushed the nearest bot to move along with me and prayed the others would follow suite.
"Run!" I shouted.
We scattered, narrowly avoiding getting chomped by the giant evil plot bunny.
"What is that thing?" Ironhide asked as we all ran toward the building.
"Tell you when we get in that building and relative safety!" I said, pointing to our destination.
The bunny gave a roar of protest as its victims fled. It hopped after the group of Cybertronians and human as I tripped and fell flat on my face. I felt someone pull me up by my arm and I stumbled as we continued our race to the building. The last two in, we just barely missed being chomped by the gigantic evil plot bunny.
I stopped and was doubled over and panting before going into a coughing spell. I felt a hand rubbing my back and heard an odd purring sound. The sound was oddly comforting and if it weren't for the madness I would've curled up with whatever bot was making it and just stayed there. I had to drag myself out of the daze the coughing spell left me in to stand up straight. I rubbed at my eyes as I re-gathered myself.
"Are you ok?" Prowl asked.
I nodded slowly. "Yeah," I said between breaths. "I just…I just need a breather." I leaned against the wall I was nearest to before opening my eyes to take in our surroundings. I took a deep, shuddering breath as I did so.
The room we were in was a dome structure and there were doors with words above them, written in my native language. There were several doors, all labeled something different. A large sign hung from the middle of the ceiling, with the words 'The Hub' in light up colors. It changed colors constantly, going from one to the next fluidly. It was like watching a lava lamp that shifted through the color spectrum.
"So, what was that thing?" Sideswipe finally asked when I finally got my breathing back to normal, save the occasional cough.
"A giant evil plot bunny," I explained. "Rather, a representation of one. The actual animal referred to as a bunny is relatively harmless and a ton smaller. However, back home I was a writer. As a writer we have own words for things. An idea for a story is called a 'plot bunny'. We often refer to our ideas as such and speak of them hopping around in our heads, as a real bunny would hop around. Evil plot bunnies are those ideas that are kinda twisted and rather torturous to the characters in our stories. Once one gets you though, it doesn't leave you alone until you write it. I've had several evil ones catch me, though I never wrote them. Hence why there is a giant one apparently hopping around in my head. I forgot about it actually."
"Weird," Sideswipe said the first thing that came to mind.
"So, what's that plot bunny about that makes it so evil?" Jazz asked.
I shrugged. "I don't recall," I said. "It could be anything from an innocent prank on someone that might cause some embarrassment for the victim to the whole universe blowing up. I ignored it for a reason, just don't remember what. Whatever it was, I didn't want to write it."
No one really had an answer for that. After a few moments of silence, Optimus broke the silence.
"Where is this place?" Optimus asked, waving an arm to encompass the room we were in.
"If that sign tells us anything," I said, pointing to the sign hanging from the middle of the ceiling. "This is The Hub. I'm guessing…" I looked around, "the doors all lead to a different part of my mind." I looked up at the door we came from. "Including the lost and forgotten plot bunny room that we just came from."
"So you get evil ideas?" Ironhide asked. "How do we know you won't get the idea to turn on us?"
I rolled my eyes. "I get 'evil ideas' for stories, yes," I said, using air quotes despite them not likely knowing what that meant. "But not by choice and not for real life. My conscious would eat me if I betrayed you guys. I think I'd die of guilt if I even considered it." I pointed my thumb at the door labeled 'Conscious' when I mentioned it. I noted that there was an Autobot insignia above the word and it wasn't lost on the Bots that it was there.
"How do you get ideas without a choice?" Sideswipe asked.
I shrugged. "Plot bunnies happen," I said. "They can come from anything and anywhere. It is my choice what I do with them, but not my choice if they decide to make my head their home. Hence why there are probably several hopping around in there." I pointed back to the door we came through.
There was silence.
"How do we get out of here?" Sideswipe asked.
I looked around. "I'm guessing that door that has the word 'exit' above it," I said, pointing at the door I spotted to avoid confusion.
"Well then," Optimus said. "Let us depart."
I smiled in appreciation that none of the Bots seemed to want to snoop around in my head. At least as long as I didn't bring the option up. I was curious as to what exactly was behind these doors myself. I was so busy thinking of that that I didn't notice when Sideswipe tried to open the exit until he said something odd.
"It won't open," Sideswipe said and everyone looked at me.
"What're you looking at me for?" I asked. "I don't know why it's locked."
A laugh came out and I groaned, easily recognizing the voice.
"Oh no, not him again," I groaned, rubbing my temple with my fore finger and thumb.
"Oh don't be like that," Q said, appearing where he was leaning next to the door labeled 'childhood plot bunnies'.
"Q," I said, glaring at the man. "Stop messing with my head! Go bother someone else!" I shook my fist at him.
"Yeah! Let us out of here!" Sideswipe yelled.
"Sorry, but I can't do that," Q said. "In order to get out first you must go through this door."
"Why?" Ironhide asked, his gaze going back and forth between the source of our predicament and my seemingly permanent glare.
"I just think a certain someone needs to be reminded of some things that's all," Q said, shrugging as if he wasn't causing us all annoyance. "She's so uptight these days."
I raised my brow, but didn't let up my glare.
Q smiled again, as if disgusted by me, or maybe just the fact I didn't understand where he was coming from, and then snapped his fingers and disappearing.
"Primus! He's like the cheshire cat with how much he disappears," I grumbled. "Only he's more annoying."
The Bots all didn't know how to respond to my grumbling. Jazz patted me on the back in an attempt to comfort me and I sighed and absently shook my head, muttering something I wasn't even sure what it was before looking up at the door.
"So where does this door lead?" Prowl asked.
"It says 'Childhood Plot Bunnies'," I said. "So I'm assuming something about plot bunnies and me being younger." I crossed my arms and tilted my head. I didn't understand the purpose of this at all.
"More plot bunnies?" Ratchet grumbled. "Wasn't the one that tried to eat us enough?"
I couldn't help the chuckle that escaped me as I shook my head. "Don't worry, Ratchet," I said. "I don't recall ever having any evil plot bunnies when I was younger. I'm sure they're much nicer."
Even with my words, I hesitated to lead the Bots into that part of my mind. They seemed to sense my hesitation and they waited, respecting that it was my choice whether we went through the door or not. After all, it is my mind. But then, it wasn't just me stuck here if I didn't allow them to see whatever was behind that door. And did I really have anything I wanted to hide from the Bots? Could I honestly say I didn't trust them even after all we've been through.
"Well, Mina," Optimus said. "What is your decision?"
"Well," I shrugged. "I don't suppose I have anything to hide. What are friends if not those who know more about you than others, anyways?" I managed a cocky smirk. "Might as well find out what's behind the door."
I walked over to the door, looked up at the label again and then looked at the Bots. Prowl nodded while Sideswipe and Bumblebee gave me a thumbs up. The others all had equally encouraging looks and I turned back to the door. I noted on the label that it was from before I was seven, I was barely six to be exact. I didn't really remembered anything from before I turned seven, save a couple things. I took a deep breath and braced myself for whatever lay ahead before reaching to the knob and turning it.
"What is this place?" Jazz asked.
"It looks like a bedroom," I said. I knelt and picked up a small toy. "Hey! I remember this!" I held the plush in my hand as if it was the world.
"What is it?" Ratchet asked.
"It's a toy from my childhood," I said. "I lost it what feels like eons ago." I looked around and noted the blue blanket on the bed, a hand-me-down from my older brother I used to take with me everywhere. "It appears this is my head rendition of my room from when I was young. Can't say I remember any of this beyond this toy and that blanket, though. I don't remember anything from before I was seven years old."
"Nothing?" Sideswipe asked as we all looked around.
"Not consciously at least," I said. "If you asked me where I was and what I was doing when I was five or six or any time before that, I couldn't tell ya. I've always figured it was there somewhere," I tapped the side of my head, "but I never could find it. It's like lost socks."
"Lost what?" Jazz asked.
"Socks," I said. "It's something humans wear on their feet," I pointed to my foot that I lifted before putting my foot down, "and are the best known for getting lost and never found." I put the plush of Gatomon down on the bed where it sat up against the wall.
Before any of us could say anything else, a small girl entered the room from a door I hadn't noticed before. She was followed by several small bunnies, much like the giant one we encountered in the room of lost and forgotten plot bunnies. The only differences were that these were smaller, smaller even than the little girl, and their eyes varied in color and none had red eyes.
"She kinda reminds me of you," Sideswipe said. "When you're in a cheerful mood."
"That's because she is me," I said as I watched the child version of me jump on the bed and cuddle the Gatomon plush. "From when I was little. If my mom told me right, I was always happy then, no matter what was going on around me. I was just happy all the time. Not a care in the world. Much has changed since then." I had meant to just explain this to the bots, so I was a little startled at the wistfulness my tone took on toward the end.
"So," Optimus said, seeing that I needed a change of topic. "Are those creatures more of those plot bunnies?"
"Probably," I said, watching as the younger me pulled out a writing pad and a pencil and began writing as the bunnies around her guided her strokes. "That's my life back home in a nutshell. I get ideas, known as plot bunnies and I write. Most normal people would find it boring, but I loved it. It was my escape from the real world and it helped me learn too. My sister was my biggest supporter, though several people thought it was a waste of my time." I shrugged. "I never thought of it as such. It was what I chose to do with my spare time and I loved it."
"Spare time?" Ratchet asked. "What did you do on a regular basis?"
"School," I said. "Just before I ended up here, I was going to college. I was studying to be…something." I blinked, realizing I never had decided what. "I just…never really knew what I was studying to be. I didn't really get that far when I found myself on Cybertron. I was debating between a couple different things though."
"You enjoyed writing so much," Prowl said. "Perhaps when you return, you could do it professionally."
"Perhaps," I agreed. "Not sure if I would enjoy doing it as much when it's for a living though." I shrugged. "But that's a long way off and not guaranteed. Now, what do you guys say we get out of here and back to winning that war?"
The bots all nodded and we headed back through the door we came in through. I took one last look at the child me sitting on my bed, a purple eyed bunny on her head, a green eyed one on her left shoulder, on her right a yellow eyed one and one with orange eyes hanging on an arm. I noticed the one that was guiding her pencil looked up at my and its blue eyes flashed. I blinked at the blue eyed bunny, recognizing a similarity between its eyes and those of my friends.
Smiling to myself, I realized that one should never question where the plot bunnies come from, but simply feel honored that they chose you to write them.