In which Alison attends a Celebration
The next morning, Mikaela and I woke up and looked out the window to see what the Bots had set up, but aside from some streamers and banners hanging off HQ, we couldn't see anything. The celebration had been pushed as a nice casual affair, so we went with that definition when we got dressed. Mikaela wore a loose red dress with billowy three-quarters sleeves, belted at the waist, with a pair of sandals. I pulled out a white peasant blouse with a jean vest, shorts and the boots I wore to the lake party at the start of all this. Miles, also slightly dressed up with a t-shirt, good jeans and an open button up, met us in the hallway, and we left the barracks together. Only once we were at the mess hall did we see what the 'Bots had put together.
The near side of the 'Bots' training yard was completely transformed. Instead of a clear stretch of land, it was filled with several wooden stalls. An arch set a few yards ahead of the first of them was painted a light blue, with black writing in English and Cybertronian, which read "Welcome All To The Sacred Marriage Celebration." The stalls looked like they made a cross, and at the ends of the two near arms were stage with sound equipment on them. At the end of the other were some inflatables and an open space for something. I thought I could hear windchimes, but I might have been mistaken. Most of the 'Bots were mingling around the area, mostly smiling, but always turning away anyone who tried to get to the arch.
Bee spotted us and popped his holo over, pressing kisses to my and Mikaela's cheeks. "Happy Celebration!" He'd exchanged his track jacket for a black leather one over a yellow t-shirt, black jeans and his usual black and yellow sneakers.
"Happy Celebration, Bee," I said. "No one's allowed in yet?"
"Nope. Gotta wait until Keller, Moreshower and Galloway get here."
"Well that won't be long," Miakela said. "Will there be an opening ceremony?"
Bee smiled. "You'll have to wait and see."
So we did. At breakfast, everyone was handed a bunch of raffle tickets and told to keep them on hand, so I assumed they'd be used at the booths like at other carnivals. We also got pamphlets with a small map of the celebration grounds, and a blurb about the history of the Sacred Marriage Celebration. After breakfast, the Base Brats dragged us over to play with them and the hatchlings. Mom and Dad arrived around ten, then at a quarter to noon, Keller, Moreshower, Galloway, Glen and Maggie arrived. Optimus and I, and my entourage, met them on the tarmac, then led them to the mess hall for a barbeque lunch of hot dogs, hamburgers and other fare.
After lunch was over, we made our way to the training yard. Soon, the whole base, minus the skeleton monitor crew, were gathered outside the archway, Optimus stood next to it while the bots were scattered among the stalls and yard. Will, Sarah and Anabelle ended up on one side of me, while Monique and Epps stood with their brood and X-Cat and Burke and Lizzie were nearby, while Meghan clung to my hand much like how Rascal clung to her back. Dispensor and Escapade were with the bots on the grounds.
"Thank you everyone for coming out today," Optimus said. "Today is an exciting day on the cybertronian calendar, the Celebration of the Sacred Marriage. The Sacred Marriage is the most important event in Cybertron's history, for if not for it, our race would not exist today, or in the least, would be very different. The main theme of the Sacred Marriage is love, familial and romantic. Since this is the first cybertronian holiday we are sharing with you however, we will also be demonstrating different aspects of our culture, some you might have heard of before, others not. We hope that we can give you all a taste of what you have been giving us since we arrived. Come enjoy the festival, and Happy Celebration."
He stepped aside, and his holo appeared at the entrance, just inside the arch. Meghan tugged at my hand, and I smiled down at her before leading the way into the fairground.
In truth, there weren't many stalls, but the ones there were were large, and filled with lots of interesting things. One on our left had metal windchimes, the ones I had heard earlier, the right had wall art, some seemingly made from scrap metal and others from ordinary metal. The kids were on a bit of a mission, however, so we didn't get to look closely as they pulled us along.
They finally stopped just past the windchimes, at a canopy where Jazz, Copper and Jolt's holos sat at a table with engraving equipment, some metal cubes and a plastic barrier on the near side, and a short line of stanchion to keep people back about a foot. There was even a long, low bench, which the kids climbed up on. Behind the 'Bots, I could see more of the cubes sitting in crates, all about the size of the three I had sitting on my desk in my office. A cup holding pens was duct taped to the far left stanchion.
"You're really making position cubes?" Shaleeka asked, X-Cat perking up in her arms. "For everyone?"
"That's right," Jolt said. "Stay behind the line now, we don't want to risk any sparks getting through the plastic or flying over it."
"What if you don't finish all of them today," Meghan asked, standing on her toes to see.
"Everyone has to give us a ticket before they order their cube and write down what they want written," Jazz explained. "The orders we don't fulfill today, we'll do in our spare time over the next couple weeks."
"So," Copper said, flipping an engraving tool like a baton with a smile, "what would you like to have? We'll do something unique for all of you, so you don't have all 'daughter' or 'student' in different colors."
"Pilot!" Fred said immediately.
"You've got it, little man," Jazz said, and he picked up one of the cubes and started engraving.
"Is there a cybertronian word for 'pop star'?" Shareeka asked.
"Oh yeah, we had pop stars. I should play you some of Rosanna's songs later." Coppertone took another cube and the curves of her own engravings started appearing.
"Director!" Meghan said to Jolt. "I'm gonna be just like Alison when I grow up."
Burke laughed. "I hope not exactly like her. I don't think my heart could take you running into near death like Alison did."
"But you know," I said, "if I ever retired, I can't think of anyone I'd rather have replace me." I ruffled her hair and she giggled up at me.
"One 'director' cube, coming up," Jolt said, smiling as he started engraving. Meghan leaned in as close as she could, watching intensely.
"We'll go ahead and leave you kids here," Mikaela said, taking my hand. "We'll meet up with you later at the games or by Stage Two. Apparently there's going to be some karaoke starting in a half hour or so."
"My favorite," I said. "Have fun kids."
We got a chorus of goodbyes back, and Mikaela, Bee and I doubled back to get a better look at some of the chimes and art in the previous booths, then onto metal sculptures. All the pieces had a tag next to or on them with a number, like EA01, EA02, and so on. On the right side of each booth was a closed box with a sign, saying if there was a piece anyone particularly liked, they could write the number on one of their tickets and drop it in the box. At the end of the day the tickets would be read and the pieces passed out. If a piece had multiple tickets, then they'd have a random drawing, and the runners up would get to pick another piece. A very smart system, I thought.
There was a variance in the pieces too, from piece to piece and maker to maker. Some were fairly similar, like Elita and Optimus had a style that focused more on curves, and Ironhide and Chromia's were very blunt lines. Ratchet, Wheeljack and Jolt had very delicate styles. Arcee did large pieces, ironic since she was the smallest Autobot, of cybertronian landscapes. Prowl was apparently quite skilled at making cybertronian animals in a similar style as origami. Skids and Mudflap had sculptures that looked mostly like their bickering had particularly crushed what they were trying to make, and they adjusted them to make it seem like they meant to form it that way.
"Did you make anything, Bee?" Mikaela asked as we looked at what might have been a dog, once. "I'm not seeing 'BE' on any of the tags."
"Well 'BE' is actually Barricade's initials, and he only made one piece. I'm 'BB'."
"So did you make something?" I asked.
" I did, it's further down, and… it's kinda special," Bee's cheeks pinked.
"Oh?" That got my curiosity and I wrapped myself around his arm. "Well, don't keep us in suspense, show us!"
"Okay." He led us down to the end of the sculpture tent, where a corner was hidden by a sheet. "This is why I kept kicking you out in the driveway, Ron was helping me hide this in the garage." He pulled the sheet away, and Mikaela and I gasped when we saw the sculpture.
It was about three feet tall, and a painted mix of scrap and shaped metal. At the base was an AllSpark cube, with a rusty wrench, the screen of a portable dvd player, and an Autobot badge in front of it. Growing out the top of the cube were two flower stems, twisted around each other until they bloomed into two roses. One was blue, the other red, and sitting on top was a bumblebee.
"Oh, Bee. It's beautiful," Mikaela said.
"It- It's really nothing," Bee said, his cheeks getting pinker.
"Nothing?" I asked. "This had to have taken you weeks!" I stepped up and ran my fingers over the DVD screen. "These are supposed to be our origins, aren't they?"
"Yeah. And the AllSpark brought us together, so that was easy to make the base. And when you said to get roses for the corsages, it gave me the idea for the flowers."
Mikaela leaned over and kissed Bee's cheek, right before I got his other side. "We love it. Thank you, Bee."
He smiled, and wrapped his arms around our waists. "Well, there's more booths we can see - Sunny actually made some paintings - or we could check out the games, the martial exhibitions, or the karaoke stages."
"Sunny paints?" Mikaela asked.
"Oh yeah, we've got to see them," I said. "He's like, the Rembrant or Botticelli of Cybertron, sorta. Lead on, Bee!"
Sunstreaker had only made six paintings, some of Cybertron, some of Earth, but they were as gorgeous as the fandom claimed them to be. After, we made our way up to the games and the open space, and we caught what Bee had meant by the martial exhibitions. Arcee, Chromia and Elita moved in a circle, each wielding a metal rod, sometimes striking at each other or dodging said strikes, other times flipping or twirling the rod around them, then as one they split their rods down the center and started fighting once more.
"Laser lathi," Bee explained. "It's the signature martial art of the Tessa Clan."
"That looks awesome!" I said. "How come we've never seen them use it before."
"They have, they just mix those moves in with other ones. The real thing is done with energo-blades, but a regular blade works just as well in battle, and you don't have to worry as much about scalding your plating if you need to use it outside the Lathi moves."
"Wow. That's really cool, honestly," Mikaela said. "Think they'd be willing to teach us the basics?"
"That's a great idea, Mikaela," I said. "I think I'd feel a lot better if I could fight with a melee weapon against the 'Cons, in case I run out of energon bursts, or my EMPs don't work."
Bee smacked his forehead. "Why did none of us think of that? Yeah, I'll pester Arcee all night every night until she agrees to train you two."
"Okay, slow down there, sport," Mikaela said, a tease to her voice. "Don't be going all overprotective on us. If Arcee doesn't want to train us, we'll figure something else out."
He blushed and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. I just don't want you getting hurt."
"We know," I said, leaning against him. "We've got time though. Heck, it'll probably be easier just to wait until summer, when we'll be here every day, instead of just weekends."
"Okay."
We watched the rest of the demonstration, then the kids caught up to us and we went on to the games, which were being run by Prowl and both sets of twins. These were the usual fare for a carnival, ring toss, test of strength, tower of cans, and even a few inflatables like a big slide, a human foosball court, a mechanical bull, and a wrecking ball. Prizes for the games consisted of some small engraved tokens and wood carvings, as well as some more typical prizes like noisemakers, rubber duckies, and beanie babies. Meghan won a wood carving of an Autobot symbol and declared it was going over her bed forever, while the Epps girls all got themselves horse beanies and Fred a rubber duck with a soldier uniform that he declared was his dad.
While we were there, we heard music coming from the stages. One was a mostly synthetic and metallic, while the other was recognizable Earth songs. Almost unanimously, we agreed to head to Stage 2, especially cause the kids were basically vibrating to sing something.
We walked up as a group of pilots finished "Highway to the Danger Zone", and started browsing the catalogue of songs as a soldier stepped up to sing "Animal I Have Become".
"Oooh, they got Disney songs!" Meghan said.
"Dibs on 'Part of Your World'!" Shaniqua said.
"I want 'Beauty and the Beast'," Shaleeka said.
"No, lets do 'Zero to Hero'!" Shareeka said.
"Yeah!" they then fell into bickering as to who got what parts, which Monique stepped in to mediate.
"Why don't we sing something together too?" Bee suggested. "It'll be fun, don't you think?"
"Sure, why not," Mikaela said, flipping through the catalogue. "The kids actually gave me a good idea. How about this one?" She pointed and Bee and I leaned in.
"Oooh, yes, let's do it," I said. "We can each take a verse, then sing the chorus and bridge together."
"Great, I'll get it cued up." Bee popped over to Wheeljack, running the machine, then back to us. "We're up in about fifteen minutes."
We watched the other singers while we waited for our turn, applauding everyone who went up. When we went up, we got a lot of cheers. I smiled and waved as I picked up my microphone.
"This one if for my amanti. I love you guys." I said, turning to Bee and Mikaela.
"Baby, I knew at once that you were meant for me.
Deep in my soul I know that I'm your destiny.
Though you're unsure, why fight the tide?
Don't think so much, let your heart decide."
Mikaela smiled as she took the next verse.
"Baby, I see your future and it's tied to mine.
I look in your eyes and see you searching for a sign.
But you'll never fall till you let go.
Don't be so scared of what you don't know."
Bee joined us on the chorus, wrapping an arm around Mikaela's waist
"True to you heart.
You must be true to your heart.
That's when the heavens will part,
And baby, shower you with my love.
Open your eyes,
Your heart can tell you no lies.
And when you're true to your heart,
I know it's gonna lead you straight to me."
Bee took Mikaela's free hand and spun her around as he took center stage for his verse
"Someone you know is on your side, can set you free.
I can do that for you if you believe in me.
Why second-guess what feels so right?
Just trust your heart and you'll see the light."
We danced around on the stage, taking turns spinning and holding each other as we sang, and the crowd seemed to love it too, clapping and cheering as we made it to the end and took our bow. Escapade and Dispensor must had heard me, cause they were right by the stage with the Base Brats, cheering the loudest.
"You're so good, Momma!" Escapade said, lifting us all in a hug when we stepped off stage.
"Thank you, Escapade." I patted his cheek, then he set us down only for Dispensor to do the same thing.
"It's our turn, cheer us on!" Meghan said as she and the other girls raced on stage.
"Wouldn't miss it," Mikaela said, and we went to where the parents were standing, including mine.
The rest of the afternoon and into the evening went on similarly, watching the concert of karaoke, then migrating towards the other stage to listen to the cybertronian music. At six, another meal was set out at the crossroads of the festival, proper barbeque fare like pulled pork, brisket, and wings. During this time, Jazz, Copper and Jolt read out the "winners" of the different artworks. Afterwards, everyone was asked to come to Stage One, where Optimus and Elita's root modes were kneeling on either side of the stage. Bee left us then, because he apparently had a role to play. I could feel a bit of a smug happiness from the AllSpark, which had me a bit curious, but she simply pushed me back when I thought to question her. Barricade and Miles, who had spent most of their day together, joined us in the crowd.
At eight o'clock, Prowl and Bee's holos appeared on stage. The two of them had changed their outfits, now wearing black unitards under a white armor that resembled their mech forms, Prowl's edged with black, Bumblebee's with yellow. Also inscribed on the armor, mainly the pauldrons, chestplate and cuisses, were glyphs of Primal Vernacular, specifically, the words for "Knight" on both of them, while Prowl had "Priest" and Bee had "Guardian". Both were also holding metal staffs with a large diamond shape on the top, Bee in his left hand, Prowl in his right.
"Since when is Prowl a priest of the AllSpark?" I asked.
"Since he had to go undercover as one once," Barricade said. "Now shut up and watch. This is gonna be a treat."
Prowl and Bee tapped their staffs on the stage, getting everyone's attention. "Welcome," Prowl said, gesturing out to the crowd with his staff hand. "On this sacred day, we celebrate the creation of the cybertronian race. On this day, we honor our Father Primus and our Mother the AllSpark, with the retelling of the Sacred Marriage."
"It all began eons ago," Bumblebee said, gesturing with his free hand back to the stage as Prowl did the same, both retreating to the corners of the stage.
Optimus and Elita's optics lit up and projected a starscape onto the stage. Those who hadn't seen the 'Bots' holodeck capabilities were very impressed, but I had to stifle a giggle. The way it looked was too similar to the opening of the first movie.
"Eons ago, two beings came to life," Prowl started, and two stars were zoomed in on, to show they were sparks, one a blue-white color, the other a deep purple. "Brothers, Primus and Unicron, the Creator and the Unmaker. But the story of how They earned those titles is one for another day. Suffice to say, the brothers parted ways-" The purple spark drifted to one side, while the blue one pulsed once, twice, three times, expanding each time before shrinking to nothing, leaving the swirls of a nebula behind. "-and Primus created a world to call His own." A zoom, and a planet that was clearly Cybertron appeared. "He called this new world Cybertron."
The scene on stage zoomed in again, to Cybertron's surface, and Optimus's holoform appeared. He was in his mech form, wearing a long silver and blue robe with a few armor pieces similar to what Prowl and Bee were wearing, and a veil over his face. He walked along the stage, pointing and waving his arms in wide sweeps, and the landscape around him changed. Mountains rose and fell, canyons split and fused, lakes and seas filled and emptied.
"For many years," Bee continued the tale, "Primus lived alone on his world, crafting and creating. But, in time, He grew lonely. He had never been so alone before, and He found that He did not care for it. So, He decided to make a companion." Optimus raised up a tilted platform, with a hunk of metal resting on it. He started walking around it, running his hands over the metal like a sculptor with clay. And like that, a shape took form, a body. "None know how long He worked on Them, but he did so with the most meticulous care. He had no wish for a temporary companion, He wanted one who would last the ages, forever at His side."
"When the body was ready," Prowl picked up, "He took part of His own spark and placed it in the vessel." Optimus cupped his servos over his chest, then drew them away and a dancing light appeared over them. He guided it to the chest of the body, where it flashed once, twice, and the body took color as Elita took its place. She was wearing a sleeveless robe and veils over her frame and down the back of her helm, while her face was uncovered. She smiled up at Optimus as he helped her down from the slab
"Primus was pleased with His creation, and taught Her all He knew. How to shape the world, how to create something new, how to destroy it if needed, and all the knowledge He learned in His long life." Elita and Optimus walked along the stage, before Optimus stepped behind Elita to guide her hands in shaping and creating something. A turbofox came to life under their hands, and Elita grinned as it nuzzled up against her, before turning to look up at Optimus, whose body language and EM told of his own happiness. She then got up and dashed across the stage, looking at the landscape around her. "In turn, She eased His loneliness, and helped Him find a new joy in his creation." Elita turned her back to us briefly, then turned to Optimus with a handful of crystals. He placed a servo under hers to help steady them, then placed the other on the side of her face, turning them slightly and leaning in for a kiss. The crystals fell in a shower to the floor. "For years, They built and created, and Primus found more and more of His spark being given to His creation. In this manner, He named Her the AllSpark, for She held His in Her very servos."
"Finally, one day," Bee said, "Primus said to the AllSpark, 'I wish to give you a gift. Just say what you want, and I will give it to you, whether it's a third moon in the sky, or a field of crystals, or a new animal for you to care for." Optimus took Elita's servos in his, holding them up in a plea. Elita smiled fondly, and pushed their joined servos to rest on his chest.
Prowl picked up the narration. "The AllSpark said, 'You have given me much, my love, but what I want most are children, like those of the species you encountered in your past. Give me but one child, to love and to cherish, and I will be happy forever'."
"Primus cheered, for this was a task He would gladly commit to. But, when He tried to create a child, all His attempts failed." Optimus stepped and turned away from Elita, and started molding something into the rough shape of a hatchling, only for it to fall apart. He tried again, and again, and again, but none succeeded. "After the seventh attempt, He realized why He failed, and returned to His love." Optimus went back to Elita and took her servos again. "'My love, in giving you my spark, you have also taken my power to make true life like ours. If we wish to have children, we will need to create them together. Will you join with me, to do so?"
"'My love,' the AllSpark said, 'nothing would make me happier.'" Elita and Optimus leaned in for a kiss, which quickly grew passionate, Elita's arms wrapping around his helm and neck while his went around her back. He picked her up and spun her around, and with each revolution, a spark appeared on the stage. Seven appeared, then they all flashed and changed into Ironhide, Jazz, Arcee, Chromia, Sunny, Sides, and Jolt, wearing similar robes and scarf veils.
"And that is the story of the Sacred Marriage, and the birth of the cybertronian race, from the love They had for each other," Prowl said.
"This love, They extend to us, and as the sun sets on this day, we remember Them and what that love means," Bee finished. "Now, our actors shall honor their parts with dance."
The stage cleared except for Bee and Prowl's holos, and Elita and Optimus stood up. They walked behind the stage, and started to dance as music played from the speakers. It was obviously part of a line dance, and would probably look better with more people, but the movements were fluid and graceful, with lots of turns, spins, and more than a few dips. Behind them, a light show of lasers built up as the dance grew more energetic.
"Usually, we have fireworks," Barricade said, "but with everyone here being military, Ratchet and Prowl decided the lightshow would be better."
"That was so romantic," Shaleeka said.
"I want to know about Unicron," Shaniqua said. "That sounds like a cool story."
"Maybe you can get Copper to tell you about it later," Mikaela said.
Miles turned to me. "So, how accurate is that story?"
The AllSpark stepped forward. "~Fairly so, but are you sure you want details?~" She smirked, and Miles blushed.
"Maybe not."
Barricade, Epps, Burke, Lizzie and Mikaela all laughed while the AllSpark stepped back, just as Bee popped his holo back over to us. He'd changed out of the armor back into his jacket and jeans, and draped his arms over my and Mikaela's shoulders.
"So, what'd you guys think?" he asked.
"It was great," Mikaela said, giving him a side hug. "I wish you'd said you would be in it, we'd have gotten you flowers or something."
He chuckled. "Save those for Elita and Optimus, they did the hard work. All temple acolytes learn the holiday speeches, just in case we get roped into helping with the performances."
"If you think Elita and Optimus acting like a lovesick couple is hard work, Ratchet needs to check your optics," Arcee said, walking towards us, her holo still in her mech mode. "They've been playing Primus and the AllSpark for the Celebration every vorn from just before their bonding until OP became the Prime. This is just returning to business as usual for them."
"It's so cute," Shaleeka said. "Being so in love after so long." She bounced in place, pulling X-Cat a little closer to herself. "I hope I can find someone like that."
"I'm sure you will, Shaleeka," I told her, reaching out to ruffle her hair.
Optimus and Elita soon finished their dance, and dancing opened up for everyone else. The Epps, Burkes and Lennoxes all went to put their kids to bed, while Optimus and I made our farewells to the DC Team. Once the plane had taken off, Optimus and Elita disappeared towards the Autobot hangars, while Bee, Mikaela and I went back to the party. It lasted for another two hours, before everyone finally went to bed. I couldn't stop smiling as I collapsed in bed, snuggling into Mikaela's side with Bee's holo settled behind me. It was a very good day.
And here you go, ya'll. Honestly, this is probably the most fillery of all the chapters of AllSpark, but I hope the fluff is good enough to make up for the lack of plot progression.
So what'd you think of the Celebration? The idea of Alison and Mikaela learning cybertronian martial arts? What about the play? Let me know in the comments.
Oh, also, if anyone is interested, I have posted the first chapter of a Transformers Prime Genderbend/Role Swap AU on my profile. Here's the title and summary
Watch The Queens Conquer
After three years of silence, the Decepticons resurface on Earth to continue their fight with the Autobots over the planet's supply of energon, led by Megtrona. After Mikoto Nakadai and two others fall into the crossfire, Optima Prime decides to bring the children under Autobot protection. Little did she know how this decision would affect not only her team, but the entire War.
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