Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers, the movies, cartoons, shows, etc. All I own are my crazy thoughts and theories about this wonderful fandom that I love beyond the stars. As well as any OCs that may pop up in the chapters and from the depraved depths of my soul/mind.

Started: 6/03/18

Published: 6/13/2021

Story: Life is full of wicked turns...

Chapter Warnings: Elly acts slightly immaturely, but she's trying to make sense of everything that has been happening… I don't know what Vector was on, but I can't explain his actions… Slight betrayal, sometimes you have to do something bad, to save others.

Chapter Twelve: Scion of an Oathbreaker

Previously:

~Femme,~ she turned, biting her glossa, to look at Second. He stared her down for a moment, before nodding to her chassis. Looking down, she blinked when she felt something pulse within her servos. Opening them, her fingers trembled when she realized the brooch was comfortably cupped in her palms.

~He chose you to guard his Spark, young femme,~ Vector dipped his helm, even as she stared aghast.

~Wait, how, I didn't take it, and you didn't give it to me,~ she babbled.

~As I said, our Brother chose you to safeguard his Spark,~

~?!WHAT?!~

~Now you are acting like a sparkling,~ Second's patience was quickly disappearing, however Vector Prime's amusement kept rising. Elly's panic was on level with his amusement, even as she paced before the two mechs. Her protests continued to fall on deaf audials, until she went eerily still and silent, staring at the innocent-looking artifact in her palms with a darkening expression.

~?What are you thinking?~ Vector wasn't helping her temper.

~!I'm thinking whether or not it would be a good idea to chuck this at your helm and see if I can make Ratchet proud with leaving an enormous dent in your clearly glitched processors!~

~That would be amusing to watch. By the Creator, I have not had this much entertainment since observing one of those 'Toy Reality' dimensions. ?Are all human femmes this feisty?~ the Prime wondered aloud. A loud THUNK answered that question. Reaching up, utterly amazed, he fingered the dent just above his left optic.

~!Femme! !You did not just assault Vector Prime with Optimus Prime's Spark!~

~!Of course not! Hey, look, I just figured out how to pull stuff from subspace,~ she poked at her right thigh, amused at the 'magic trick' of pulling out a simple maintenance tool from 'midair' and then vanishing it just as quickly.

~I blame you,~ Vector's deadpanned comment sent Second whirling in confusion for a moment. ~Your Heirs all have some form of insanity glitch, it especially affects their moods.~

~You did not just accuse my Heirs of having organic femme mood swings,~ he shot back, wings settling uncomfortably.

~?I believe I did, what do the human younglings say?~ he glanced at Elly, whom blinked back with confusion, ~Ah yes, I believe that is what is called a 'burn'~ He even crooked his fingers into air quotes. As Second went dead-silent, staring at the Prime in a moment of utter disbelief, Elly was wondering what was in the sedative Ratchet had given her. She clearly had to be hallucinating at this point, listening to the Vector Prime childishly tease a clearly aggravated Predacon, and did he just stick his glossa out at him?

~?You bring out the best in old mechs, do you not?~ Turning her helm, no longer feeling surprised at random mechs popping up behind her, she ignored the now childish argument in front of her, to note the smaller mech beside her. After a moment, she clicked her glossa as she recognized him as Raptor, the Scout Mentor that had been teasing Avris. His playful field snuggled up with her, lightly prodding and tickling until her Spark felt just as light and happy as when she was around Bumblebee. ~Vector rarely allows himself a few moments to play around, even though he could easily do so. Not many bring out this side of him.~ His baby blue optics crinkled up at her, even as he wrapped one servo around her elbow and dancingly led her further away. ~I believe that is your strength, one you have not truly been able to access until you became one of us. Humans do not sense EM fields, and your field is very, what is the word, accepting,~

~?Accepting?~ she wondered.

~Nonjudgmental, innocent,~ he chirped, turning to look her fully. His servos clasped hers, making her start and glance around for the brooch. ~Ah, yes, the most important secret a Lore must keep. The Lock is hidden above your Spark chamber, integrated with protective glyphs and coding. No medical scan will pick it up, so no need to fret,~

~I don't want it,~ she protested, making him laugh brightly.

~!Precisely!~ he trilled, blinking his optics as his winglets danced on his back. ~Yet, it is your responsibility now. No worries, you simply keep quiet about what it is. A Lore has only ever needed to activate it once since we had it, and that was simply because he failed to protect one of Optimus's younger reincarnations from a bad event.~

~?Wait, what?~

~The purpose of the Lock is to keep Optimus's hope and love of life pure. He also has this really bad habit of sacrificing himself, which is a last resort for us. The Lock will reignite his Spark, but the Lore must keep his hope alive.~

~?And how am I supposed to do that?~

~Simple, make certain he finds happiness,~ Raptor smiled at the blank look. ~Make certain he finds a Sparkmate, amuse him, make him forget that he is a Prime, find him some hobbies, something like that.~ he waved off. ~Make him feel alive, essentially. His processors are always overwhelmed with burdens of the war, the suffering of our people, and of course the evil~ politics. Help him relax and let loose, so he can clear his processors and think clearly when he must.~

~?So lemme get this straight, you want me to be a matchmaker for THE OPTIMUS PRIME?~ Raptor gave her a slow deadpanned expression, his winglets lowering and growing still.

~Do what you feel is right,~ he tapped her chassis, optics serious for a moment, ~Follow your Spark, it will never lead you wrong,~ His expression then changed back, excited and cheerful. ~!Oh! !I almost forgot, I got you a present!~

~?A present?~

~Of course you will not get it now, not until you awake, but you had best retrieve it soon, they have been eagerly waiting for you.~ he chimed, dancing in place in his extreme happiness.

~?Huh? ?They?~ she parroted, before his servo was presented before her, his palm up. Wondering if he was attempting a 'low five' she nearly jumped when a holographic image hovered over his three-fingered servo. Blinking down at the oval-shaped object, she chirped softly when it changed into the schematics of what could only be a ship, and she wasn't talking about a boat. The blinking red dot in the storage area of the spaceship indicated where the pod was secured, before readings about the actual ship formed above the image. Looking at it, seeing the Cybertronian glyphs translating into English for her, she nearly bit her glossa. ~?!Do you mean to tell me that there has been an actual Cybertronian spaceship, hidden underneath that quarry for the past several centuries?!~

~Not just any spaceship, YOUR spaceship,~ Elly blanched, staring at him with rising dread and, admittedly, a slow trickle of excitement.

~!You lot are out of your freaking processors if you think it's a good idea to give me a FRAGGING SPACESHIP! !I can barely drive a CAR without freaking out because of the other drivers, not to mention GPS technology HATES me!~ As he chortled at the utter disbelief on her face, the other two mechs finally ended their, childish, argument and moved towards them. ~?Did you know about this spaceship?~ Second blinked at her for a moment, then looked at the humming Raptor.

~?Are you glitched in the processors too?~

~I told you that your Heirs are glitched,~ Vector winced, touching his forehelm again, fingering the matching dent over his right optic now. ~She is definitely your Heir,~ Second scowled at him before lowering his servo, unapologetic about his assault.

~?I am hallucinating, right? This is all from Ratchet's sedative,~ Elly murmured to Raptor as the two began arguing again, although she wasn't quite certain how featherless chickens got involved.

~Hmm, yes, this is all in your helm,~ Raptor chortled as she nodded, relief passing over her face, ~Although it IS real,~ he added, making her grunt softly. ~Like I said before, Vector rarely lets himself relax like this, oh, but he wanted to explain a few more things to you, so I best be off,~

~?Wait, what exactly do you guys do? ?I mean, you don't just sit around chit chatting all day, in my helm, right?~ she wondered, helm tilting.

~Oh, we usually like to tease and irritate the more stuck-up Mentors, but occasionally we see one off, when he had decided to pass over. Quite a few Mentors have left for the Well, but some of us have remained for our future Heirs,~

~?So you guys can't cross over?~ her optics widened briefly in surprise, and then shock.

~We can, but choose not to, at least not yet, we are alive in our Heirs' Sparks, but only a fragment, a shard, of our Spark retains our consciousness. It is how we are speaking to you right now. Many Mentors train a couple of Heirs and then find themselves weary of life, and cross over to the Well. Most have, in fact. Some of us do not feel ready to leave behind the living quite yet, and some of us want to train future Heirs. Others still have responsibilities that we have passed on to our Heirs, and wish to see them complete,~

~?May I ask why you are still here?~

~I made a promise to a dear companion. You will, hopefully, fulfill it. !Like I said, I hope you like your present!~ he waved before disappearing in a moment. She scowled briefly at the sudden departure, clicking her mouth shut from the other questions she wanted to ask.

~Young femme, apologies for our distraction, however there is still much for you to learn. Also, well, it is time for Second to begin your training.~ Turning to Vector, Elly bit her glossa and pointedly stared at his chin. She wasn't going to laugh, she really wasn't; her optics peeked upwards, even as a stifled giggle escaped her vocals, staring at the now four dents in his helm. Second was brooding off to the side, occasionally sending a dark glare in Vector's direction, before scowling and brooding more, two dents just above his left audial.

'It must be a guy thing, no matter the species or age, a guy will be a guy,' she thought.

~Yes, where were we, ah, it appears that the medic has not yet explained certain events that have occurred since your transformation. I will be delighted to answer your questions,~ that said, he waved his servo in a grand fashion, making their surrounding shift once more. A cozy study materialized around them, far too human-like to be a coincidence, with fluffy armchairs and a small table with what appeared to be snacks. The two mechs settled in the armchairs furthest from each other, leaving her the third. Awkwardly, she settled, her wings arching up before flopping over the arms and back, leaving her in a tense, leaning forward position, even as she attempted to rearrange her differently designed legs and pedes. A glance over at Second, saw him uncomfortably sitting in a similar state, although he had chosen to rest one clawed pede sideways across his knee. Tucking her right pede behind her left ankle, Elly decided that the 'Princess Diaries' 'princess-style' would be the easiest for her. Once she had settled, Vector cleared his vocals unnecessarily.

~Um,~ fiddling with her fingers, she internally cringed at the expectant looks from the mechs. What was she supposed to do? Thinking back to when everything started, she vaguely felt the sting of hurt rise, when she realized it was in fact, much further than her accident with Sideways. ~?How is my dad involved with this?~ Her question pleased and confused the two, making them glance at each other, a quick buzz of a com-link making her audials twitch and lower.

~Skydawn was the one who involved your, Sire, I believe would be a proper term.~ Vector tapped his lip in thought for a moment, before drumming the fingertips against the armrest. ~You are aware that your Sire served in your people's military, but you are most likely ignorant as to his position.~

~Please, get to the point,~ she requested, sensing his EM field flutter in an almost hesitant manner.

~It would be best for Skydawn to explain,~ Second gave Vector an unreadable look, claws twitching for a moment. Nodding his consent, both their optics dimmed, Vector continuing to drum his fingers against the armrest. For several moments, Elly waited impatiently, before another chair materialized, and the familiar form appeared in a corner of the space.

Just like the last time, she felt her Spark flicker with a fraction of suspicion and wariness, before it was smothered as he stepped closer to her. Her frame shifted, excitement and affection filling her, but before she could launch herself at him in greeting, a low snarl from behind made her instinctively freeze and drop from the chair. Her wings flared out horizontally, curving around to form a protective fan as her limbs curled inwards, under the shield of her wings. Just in time too, since a dark form dove over her, huge wings flaring out as Second's clawed pedes slammed into the previous Lore. Vector merely vented lightly, disapproval clear, as he dissolved the 'study' surroundings, leaving them in the dark gray void. He remained in his comfortable chair, however, watching with a bored expression on his facial array as Second pinned Skydawn harshly to the floor. He was large enough that one pede could easily crush his chassis merely by stepping on him with his full weight.

Peering through the feathers of her shield, Elly slowly calmed her rapid Spark-pulse, staring at the furious Predacon Lord as he snarled obscenities down at her Mentor. She didn't recognize some of the languages he spoke, others were too fast for her to make out more than a few words, but what she was able to discern was not pleasant. Slowly standing upright, her wings partially unfurled defensively, she slowly inhaled a stuttering breath as she understood what he was spitting out.

~!How dare you! !You dare coerce such one with your deceit!~

~!I did not lie or deceive her in any form!~

~!Coercion through manipulation is still such! !You did not divulge the truth, and now you dare manipulate her very Spark! !You are no Mentor, but a Pitspawn MASTER!~ the enraged Predacon pressed harshly down, making Skydawn scramble and claw at the pede crushing his chassis in slowly and painfully. ~!Not only such, but to one of MY lineage, and a K'trak to further your disgrace!~

~!I did not know she would be K'trak!~ he denied, gasping, ~!I did what I had to, to free her from Railburn's Oaths!~ Second's facial array did not waver from the furious expression, but his talons flexed against the smaller mech's chassis, lifting the pressure just the slightest.

~Explain. Now.~ The thundering growl reverberated around the pocket dimension they were incased in, Elly felt the 'walls' tremble. She didn't know how Skydawn could stare impassively up in front of the enraged Predacon with such composure.

~Railburn's Oaths, forced me to remain out of the war,~

~As we are meant to,~

~Yet they also LIMITED me from performing my duties. His spitefulness and arrogance prevented him from accessing our greatest secret, and by forcing me to swear my Oaths, he tried to force my Heirs from being unable to fulfill their destinies as well.~

~?Perhaps you should start at the beginning?~ Vector tapped his fingers, carefully stoic, drawing Second's wrath.

~It is rare for one of our kind to have offspring, and if we do, then tradition dictates that our lineage do not inherit our class.~ Skydawn slowly sat up, optics lowered submissively, as Second stepped a half step away. ~To do so, would nullify our previous Oaths, by forcing the Descent to become an Oathbreaker,~ Elly's Spark pulsed hotly, her optics widening. She remembered his adamant demand, that she keep her Oaths, to never become an Oathbreaker, recognizing the despair and pain in his optics, now that the adrenaline was gone, and her memory sharper than before.

~?How? We are not related,~

~When I severed your soul's link, I bound your soul to my Spark, transferring it to this dimension. During the weeks as you recovered, I initiated what you would call a blood adoption. By Spark adopting you, you became my Sparkling by choice. The bio-conversion, and integration of my Spark, happened before your shift to Descent class.~

~Then you became an Oathbreaker,~

~Just before you fully integrated my Spark, dissolving all Oaths, and giving you a clean state, free of the Oaths of the past,~

~My Oaths,~

~Were yours, and yours alone. You are no longer bound by our lineage.~

~!Do you understand the consequences of what you've done!~ Second bellowed, pede slamming into the floor and releasing a small shudder.

~I freed her from the mistakes of the past,~ Skydawn retorted, his optics remaining lowered, but his conviction clear.

~!She is now the Scion of an Oathbreaker! ?!The others will no doubt sense it, how do you think she will be able to lead them now?!~

~!She will lead those who follow our true path!~ he bellowed back, raising his voice for the first time. ~!You know well, that many of the other Sects have fallen from our path! !They toe the line of their Oaths, and no longer abide by our original purpose! !We were meant to prevent the loss of Cybertron! !Of OUR people!~

~No one could have stopped the war,~ the three mechs turned, staring her down. Elly straightened, optics lowered for a long moment, her thoughts whirling around chaotically. Recalling as much as she can about the multiple series. Slowly, steadily, her Spark-pulse calm, she raised her optics to stare each mech down. ~There was nothing anyone could have done to prevent the war. There will always be those who want to bring about change, those who do so in a negative way. All we can do, is learn from the past, and not repeat the same mistakes.~

~Wise words from one so young, alas if only such wisdom came so easily to our kind,~ Vector vented slowly, then glanced seriously at the other two. ~Humans live such short lives, yet learn lessons that take our kind millennia to understand and comprehend.~

~He is an Oathbreaker, he damned our line,~ Second protested.

~Yes, he did, and yet, he did so to allow our little bird the chance to spread her wings, to fly as she was meant to,~ Elly blinked as Vector set his servo on her helm, optics warm as he looked down at her.

~She is free, free of the past Oaths, and I swore that she would not be forced into anything,~ Skydawn stepped close to her, ignoring the bristling Predacon, his low snarl rumbling the space. ~Please, forgive me, precious one. The stains of the past will not haunt you.~

~The others,~

~Have long abandoned their principles, she will lead them back on the correct path,~

~As you are an Oathbreaker, you understand that your designation will be stripped from all records,~ Elly stared at the downcast mech, a tired and wry smile forming on his facial array.

~I am well aware, my Lord,~ his warm optics raised, looking at her, ~The price was well worth it,~ He reached forward, raising one of her hands, and pressed her fingers to his lips, optics flickering with pain and conviction. ~My freedom was never mine, it was stolen from me. I would never allow such to befall you, not you.~

~?Why me?~ she asked quietly, ~?There were others, right? ?That you could have chosen?~

~Indeed there were, little bird,~ Vector turned away, even as Second shifted, turning his back. Skydawn remained, staring at her with pain-filled optics, kneeling down and clasping one of her hands.

'A broken Knight,' her Spark hurt, staring at her Mentor.

~I chose you, though there were many others. I chose you.~

~You are special,~ Vector rumbled, ~Not because there were no others that could have taken your place, but because you agreed, stepping forward, despite the circumstances. You chose to help my people, at the expense of your own health, and all you know. I cannot express to you, how humble your actions make me feel. As the medic stated, I am not certain that I would do all of what you have done, for Earth.~

~Understand,~ Second growled out, making Skydawn flinch, bowing his helm. ~He cannot be your Mentor, not after what he has done. He manipulated your Spark,~

~I understand,~ Elly's optics dropped, seeing Skydawn back away. 'I won't have a Mentor, how will I understand what's going on? What am I supposed to do?'

~!Do not bow your helm!~ clawed fingers grabbed her chin, raising her helm abruptly. Her frame tensed, seeing Second looming over her. ~!Never bow your helm to anyone! !You are Predacon!~ he hissed, EM field vibrating around her with thinly disguised rage. Staring up at him, her Spark whirling in fright, she felt his EM field calm, pressing against her comfortingly. ~I will be your Mentor, but I will not tolerate failure. My teachings are harsh: I will push you beyond your limits. ?Are you prepared for that?~

~I,~ she hesitated, calming slowly, before nodding firmly. ~Yes,~ As he withdrew his servo, she turned her helm back to Skydawn. ~Tell me about my dad,~ her voice was even, hiding the insecurity she could feel deep inside. He looked at her, clearly thoughtful, before nodding slowly.

~Your brother and father were aware of Cybertronians, due to working in the government and military, as well as your, granduncle.~ Her frame tensed automatically, servo rising to her hip, feeling the old scar. Gasping, she twisted, staring down at the scarred metal.

~?What?~

~Underneath your armor, you retain all the scars of your previous life,~ Skydawn's voice was mournful, yet carried pride. ~I know you view your scars as marks of survival, subconsciously, you prevented the bio-conversion from eliminating the marks.~ He explained. Twisting, Elly stared down at the scar that she had always avoided looking at. Her optics tracing over it, and growing wider.

~It's different,~

~Yes,~ Vector's voice held deep sorrow, ~the frame you have, is the one from this dimension, your original frame offlined. That is the scar given to you by your granduncle. Though in both dimensions, he scarred you, as he was driven insane by the Light of Prima here, he carved a different mark into you,~

~The Horns of Unicron,~ Elly whispered. Scarred into her side, she could see the outline of Unicron's helm, with the thick horns being the most prominent. She hadn't noticed the change, because she never looked at this scar. ~?Wait, you said, he was driven insane? ?By, the Light of Prima? ?What is that?~

~Like Samuel Witwicky's grandfather, your granduncle was exposed to Cybertronian technology while in the military service. However, he was exposed to what we refer to as the Light of Prima,~ Vector shook his helm, looking at Second. ~Your Mentor would be best to explain this further,~ he stated, even as he and Skydawn began fading away.

~!Wait! !What!~

~Do not fear,~ Skydawn smiled softly, ~I may not be your Mentor, but I am still here, we shall speak more soon.~

~!But!~

~Enough,~ Second's voice rumbled with finality, but also a brief moment of exhaustion. Turning to him, feeling their surroundings shift again, she watched as he stoically stared off to the side for a long moment. From his EM field, she could tell that he was organizing his thoughts. She gave him the time he needed, letting her mind piece together what she had just learned.

Her father and brother knew about the Cybertronians, from this dimension. They had worked with either their technology or the Cybertronians themselves, and slowly, things clicked into place. She had both sets of memories, she realized, her own original memories, and this dimension's memories. Sorting them out took a few moments, like the comparison game. Spot the difference. Her brother and father were encouraging, enjoying her transformer obsession, glad that she was a tomboy. They were guarded, constantly subliminally reinforcing that humans needed to keep control over their technology. Her mom and grandma were the same, near duplicates, which kept her odd quirks, like naming all her technology, animism. Believing everything had its own spirit and personality. It drove her father and brother crazy, hearing her refer to her car, her computer, her cell, anything, like it was alive. She was different though, more guarded with others, her family's paranoia harsh in this dimension.

~That's what they meant,~ she realized, drawing his contemplative optics. ~The other Mentors, they said they were grateful that I was chosen, not the other. ?They were talking about the other me, right?~ He dipped his helm, watching her as she finally began to sort out the full story. ~My dad, and my brother, they tried to persuade me, to keep me from connecting with, no. They didn't want me to trust any Cybertronian I came across.~

~Indeed, in this dimension, they have worked with the Cybertronians, and are of the opinion that they need to leave Earth.~ Her optics locked on him. ~They were studying several artifacts that were beyond them, and your granduncle suffered for it.~

~?What is the Light of Prima?~

~?I will explain that, however, you must also be aware of what is called the Balance?~

~Yes, you cannot have light without dark, chaos without order,~

~Yes, however, they are not equal,~ he turned, beginning to walk, making her scramble to follow him. As they walked, their surroundings shifted, turning from a dull void, into harsh rocky spires, uneven ground, and a deep hellish glow. ~You need only a small light, to keep the dark at bay. It is why hope is so powerful. What most do not understand, however, is that each of us, have a different balance inside us. Once you tip your balance, it is difficult to restore it back.~

~?So some people are more light that dark, and vice versa?~

~Yes. As Predacons, we are roughly seventy to eighty percent dark to light.~ He glanced over his shoulder, seeing her startled, yet contemplative face. ~We have always been so, it is our balance. We are willing to do what is necessary, to protect our clans. ?Are you not willing to kill, to protect your family?~ he questioned. Elly blinked slowly, following easily. She understood, she would gladly kill to protect her family, she had defended her older sister aggressively, to the point where she regretted NOT killing her granduncle. ~Yes, you understand.~ He nodded sharply, turning abruptly and forcing her to stop a few paces behind. ~Most Cybertronians are the opposite, they are roughly seventy to eighty percent light to dark. Of course, there are exceptions. The Seekers are an off-branch of Predacon, they are mostly dark; however, the Autobot Warrior and the Autobot Twins, they too are mostly dark. Those whom are referred to as Decepticons, while ordinarily light, their balance shifted due to their circumstances.~

~?You can change your balance?~

~Of course, it is a long and arduous path, one very few can remain loyal to. Just as each experience forms you into who you are, it affects your personal balance. Autobot, Decepticon, they are all Cybertronian. There are those who believe their balance should be the only balance, however. For those who claim you must be light, or dark, they pressure you to have the same balance, and thus, causes unbalance.~

~Raptor said that my Spark is, accepting,~

~Indeed, you do not allow others to change your balance, and you encourage those around you to remain true to their own balance. It is why the Autobot Twins and Scout are drawn to you. You are accepting of them, their primary dark balances, whilst most Autobots are not.~

~!Drawn to me, I doubt the Twins like me at all! They've,~

~They are reacting to you, and fighting against their basic coding. They are unbalancing themselves, because they are not accustomed to being fully accepted. In your case, they are overly fearful for their comrades' safety, and are keeping you firmly in hostile territory, to protect themselves and others. Their Sparks however, call out to the few dark balances in the ranks, and you are another that they can be themselves with.~

~?They just can't, accept me yet?~

~No.~ Her interactions with the twins, made more sense now. They were drawn to her, feeling a kindred Spark, and yet fighting to keep the others safe, and not truly lashing out at her, but accidentally doing so. Her guard was up with them as well, and though she thought it was due to her half Seeker heritage, it was due to their forceful hostility. ~We call this, the Dark of Megatronus,~ her helm jerked to stare at him. ~Lord Prima and Lord Megatronus mirrored our Lord Creators, Lord Primus and Lord Unicron. Lord Prima was ninety percent light, and Lord Megatronus was ninety percent dark. They contained Order and Chaos, finding balance with the other Primes. It was Lord Prima, who began our fall. Listening to Lord Liege, he fought to make all others light, and thus, his curse or calling, is designated the Light of Prima. Your granduncle was exposed to it, and driven insane. He was able to see your dark, and lashed out at you.~

~He carved Unicron's Horns into my side,~

~Yes, due to your dark nature. Humans are odd, they are more evenly balanced, whilst Cybertronians are more extreme,~ he vented, then stared down at her. Elly felt her Spark shiver suddenly, seeing his coloration darken, his armor seemed to become sharper, fiercer. ~Now, it is time for training. I will not tolerate failure, so you best decide now. Do you wish to continue, for I will show no mercy.~

~I understand. I want to learn.~

~So be it,~ his frame seemed to gain height and bulk, and she instinctively knew that he was no longer hiding behind the reassuring illusion. Staring up at him, feeling her frame seize in terror, she barely reached his knee components. With a threatening rumble, he spread his wings, blacking out the area around them. ~!Now, get up!~ Her frame collapsed to the ground.

Notes:

'Hello' = thoughts

~Hello~ = internal com

"Bold" = spoken Common

Mentor: one whom teaches their students without coercive or subservient coding involved

Master: one whom teaches after coding their students/followers, with subservient and/or symbiotic coding

K'trak: a specific Predacon title that Elly has not 'earned' yet, or rather, accepted.

Random bits (kinda long):

So I know I haven't updated in a long time, and updates are few and far between. Real life gets in the way and before you know it, it's been weeks and then months. I have so many notes written down for the story that keeps my ideas from vanishing into the Void, but unfortunately most are still lost due to being someplace -cough- work -cough- that I can't immediately write things down at. Plus with the crapstorm the past year, I was not lucky in getting the chance to stay home all day.

Thank your essential workers! They had to work practically everyday during this crisis when they really just wanted to go home and sleep due to the additional stress and workloads. I went several months with triple workloads due to the fact multiple peeps got sick or called out due to virus scares. Not fun. It got to the point I seriously was considering sleeping in the parking lot, since all I did was work and sleep, ate at work, and continued the cycle. Unlimited overtime is NOT worth it if you are only making slightly above minimum wage, and in addition to that, family scares due to health problems, and more stress from random things that should not have happened.

Sorry for the rambling rant. Onto information about the story.

I got the chance to switch to a different position and it is SOOOO much better, less stressful, and slightly better pay, and have now gotten an even better position which I should be starting soon which is even better pay and the same hours. Yay.

No promises on whether or not updates will be coming faster or regularly, but this story is not dead, just in a place where I am trying to sort details out. What do I mean? Simple. I have several events planned out to the smallest detail in my head, trying to get it written down is the tricky part, and the transition parts in between. I could easily go off onto tangents which would then derail the story, which is something I am trying not to do, thank you past experience, while also wanting to include so many more details than I am. I have laid down the groundwork for so many little parts in this story, since the first chapter that seemed innocent enough, but will come into play later. I have deleted entire paragraphs because I realized I had delved too deep into a particular subject that would have given away more information I wanted.

Me, rereading what I have published, and looking at my notes, makes me cringe, because I wanted to add more details but also wanted to keep it easy to read and not overwhelm you guys with stuff that happens later. It also adds to the whole storyline of Elly's POV, random bits of information slotting into place at the weirdest times. I also want to reiterate this, mostly to remind myself, that this whole story right now, at this point, has literally happened over the short span of three weeks and four-ish days. Two of those weeks Elly was literally stuck in a metal egg, bio-converting into a Cybertronian, and essentially being in a two-week coma with only memories of intense pain and darkness. She is overwhelmed, despite her knowledge of Cybertronians, and literally has not had a chance to come to terms with what is happening or if this is really her new reality.

I am also being very careful about the segues where she is not present, so to give a general idea of what is going on around her without her being present or knowing, and to give you readers a partial understanding of why the Bots are acting the way they are. It's a main reason I edited the past couple of chapters to include EM fields and how they are the original and most common Cybertronian way of communication. I wasn't going to include it so soon, but, they kinda jumped the gun on me and I liked how it turned out, and it'll make the future events make more sense if you guys have a better understanding of what's going on, rather than the human soldiers who are just going to be utterly confused and frazzled.

I do want to hear your opinions about whether I should include more interactions without Elly, mostly Bots and their ways of thinking, while humans are going to be limited because unfortunately most of us have seen the movies and the terrible events in those. Although things are not gonna go exactly like that, there are going to be certain events where death and gruesome happenings are going to occur, hence the chapter warnings. There is going to be death, there is going to be fighting (war), and this story is not going to be a nice and simple, peace comes immediately, ending. There are going to be twists, allies are gonna become enemies, enemies are gonna become allies, and a shitload of OCs are coming in to fuck everything up. Warning, that was a warning. Good luck. Elly might be seemingly strong right now, but she isn't perfect and she's gonna make mistakes, and she's about to do something in the next chapters that many would disagree with, and will cause future problems. She is gonna learn the hard way about somethings, and again, she's going to be making decisions that she probably shouldn't, and thus make me deal with bringing the consequences back onto her.

For one specific reviewer: MareDattebayo:

Sorry, the twins will not be getting punished per se. I hope the explanations sort of explained things, but again, so many things happening in so short a period is sending everyone into different directions, like a pool table and its balls. If things had played out just slightly differently, Elly would have been instant friends with them, but she allowed fear to blind her at a crucial moment and now she's paying for that moment. With more knowledge, she is now able to correct her misunderstanding and initial prejudice, yes she accidentally discriminated against them, again, she's young and had circumstances against her at the moment and she reacted. Everyone has moments they look back on and regret/wish to fix. The twins realized that they too accidentally messed up and will try to mend the situation as well, but again, these things happen and its about learning and correcting such behaviors.

These notes got extra-long, sorry about that.

Stay Creative!

Firefly