The Diego Diaries: Reconciliation. Hopefully. (dd6 121)
-0-Around the colony
Ratchet walked to the elevator after rounds with Partition tagging along. He was taking notes and watching the proceedings, learning things as he went. Partition had a strong focus just like Orion which Ratchet had forgotten about back in the orn when they locked horns a lot and Ratchet had little patience to care about the kid otherwise. It wouldn't take much for this kid to learn a lot and become good at something. Now that he was no longer focusing on just being an aft head, there was a lot of potential here. They would go on rounds of the home based patients that Ratchet had on his personal list, some of them very delicate from repairs and recovery, while others were just fun or feisty. Partition would come along as well and enjoy the quirks and stories of people he would never give the time of day before.
-0-Mr. Terradive's room
They sat in the terraced reading nook going over the game plan. They would have lunch early, then go to The City to organize. This was a salute to the whole colony, a welcome to the newbies who just showed up and a way for little kids to 'give something back to their new world, Mr. Terradive'. Roto was going to help along with three other genitors to get everyone and everything there. Some of the genitors would drive parts of the 'thing' even as Silverbow's own were getting stuff from other places. Sunstreaker would take care of the extra stuff they needed at his tower. When they got there, it would all come together as each had a part in her venture.
It was going to be amazing.
-0-1130 on the TMC
The children climbed down from their school bus to gather in the community space between the buildings at the Tranquilitatis District where Prime and some of the others, including the Family Tower humans lived. The rest of the Cybertronian children were from everywhere else along with three girls from the other human habitat with kids in Youngling Day, Earth2. Human adults were coming just before noon including everyone invited who had in turn invited others. Until then, they had work to do and they did it, assembling things in the open spaces where the miniatures for the war games played by Autobot City Gamers Association still stood, though detoxed and rendered non-lethal. Many was the little kid who came here to play with the miniatures after school and on the weekends.
Silverbow stood with the datapad of directions and the plans. Everyone worked on their part putting this and that together as everyone hustled to meet the noon deadline. Hound and Trailbreaker drove up by the curb, then Hound transformed. Helping unload Trailbreaker to the delight of the kids, the big mech finally transformed himself. "Is that all, Sunny Bunny?" he asked with a grin as Hound pulled Rebel from his carry hold.
"It is, Atar," Silverbow said with a smile. She hugged Rebel who ran to her, then showed him the datapad which he couldn't read. He was playing hooky from Sparkling Day but it was alright. He was part of the 'thing' too. His sister had made sure of it.
-0-1134 on the TMC
They stood on a train heading back to The City, hustling to get to the towers in time for the floor show. What it was, no one was telling but it was said to be something that Silverbow had seen on YouTube and therefore, something she thought was appropriate for the colony given all the hardship lately with mass murder/genocide, the skirmishes with a new enemy and the end of parent/teacher conferences. Obviously, she had her digits on the pulse of the colony. When they reached Metro #1, both hurried upward, then walked down the street to gather with the committee and others who were there to see what was going to happen. A good sized crowd had gathered of those in the know with more coming and they were augmented by passersby who wanted to see what was up. Add into that the camera crews of Galaxy Productions and IntraCom and you had a good crowd forming up and down both sides of the wide highway.
Ground hitched nearby, two horses and their riders from the Day Watch waited to provide traffic control on the street while others down the way waited to block intersections between here and the Temple. Apparently, the 'thing' needed access to the street from here to the Temple and back again. It would happen in mere minutes so they were ready to go when Springer gave them the signal. He and Drift were standing with Prime, Magnus and the others nearby on the sidewalk. Sideswipe had gotten Ironhide earlier and both were helping Sunstreaker somewhere around the corner of the tower out of sight of everyone. It was an expectant group that was waiting.
-0-Around the corner ...
They organized, then turned to Silverbow. She looked at her datapad, then them, then smiled. "I think this is going to be fun. Remember, we do this for Cybertron, Mars and Earth. Okay?" she asked.
The kids who stood in their spots in line nodded. They voiced their agreements and excitement, then everyone looked at Roto and Terradive who were grinning at the kids as they stood nearby side-by-side. "We can do this now, Mr. Terradive and Mr. Roto."
Rain Harris and the two other girls from Earth2 were surprisingly excited as well and had accepted their parts cheerfully. This was going to be fun and they were outside in the middle of a huge city on another planet with alien kids about to do something epic that was being filmed by professional filmmakers. They waited with the others in their places.
Roto grinned as Terradive contacted Springer off line. The big mech followed by Drift appeared, then slowed to a stop as he saw the kids. Sideswipe, Ironhide and Sunstreaker were nearby waiting to be helpful again and smirked at Springer. "Uh, what's going to happen, Silverbow?" he asked as he knelt in front of her.
She smiled. "We have to go out there and walk down the middle of the street to the Temple and back. We're doing this for Cybertron, Earth, Mars, the newcomers, the soldiers, and the Seekers. See?" she said. "It's for you."
Springer grinned, then kissed her helm. "I guess we can go then. What do you want me to do?"
"Could you go first? Then we follow you to the Temple. We turn around and come back to here," Silverbow said as the others nodded expectantly.
"Okay," Springer said as he stood.
Drift who was beside him grinned at the kids, then Springer. "You might want to go first. I'll get the horses." He looked at Silverbow. "Do you want us to ride or walk, infant?" he asked.
"I think you can ride. That will look so good," Silverbow said as the others nodded.
"Then ride we shall," Drift said as he walked back to the group nearby to get Yancy and Sugar, the two horses they were riding today. When he returned, Springer and Drift mounted up, looked at Silverbow who gave him the thumbs up, then the two began to ride back to the street slowly.
Silverbow looked at the others. "Let's go. Remember, this is for them," she said as she took up her part of the process. Everyone nodded, then followed both her and Spirit as the two of them followed Drift and Springer.
-0-Waiting
They stood on both sides of the street which was now blocked off all the way to the Temple. Day Watch mounted patrols stood in each intersection leading to the highway blocking off traffic which halted and if they could, transformed to watch whatever was going on. Others stepped out of non-sentient vehicles to come forward to line the streets, curiosity driving the crowd to gather. Social media, a note on the Community Bulletin Board and a mention on The Hourly News had reported something interesting was going to happen that would block the main highway through town for a few moments this day so a number of civilians and soldiers appeared to see what it was. They had no idea it would be what it turned out to be.
Prime and the others turned to watch as a grinning Springer and Drift appeared, riding together toward the street. Behind them, a stream of children were coming with their 'thing', the one they had worked on for orns. They were small children with shiny things they had made. They walked in an organized fashion in a line carrying things. It was unlike anything anyone had seen before and it became hushed for a moment as the little group got closer.
Silverbow and Spirit were first holding up each end of a banner. It was a pretty banner with handmade and painted, glittered and decorated images of Earth, Cybertron and Mars in a row. Mars had a big red Autobrand on it signifying home for the kids. Big glittered words said, "We love our Army, Air Force and Prime. Welcome, new refugees. Welcome to Mars". They held it between them as they led the others. Spirit spying his genitors smiled and waved. They did the same for him.
Behind the two came a tiny band, five kids who were holding traditional Cybertronian instruments. They were playing a simple but totally familiar tune together as they walked in a group, each of them lined up just so. Behind them came a 'float', or so it was said to be by Silverbow. They had gone to the computer together, this little group of kids and found out that if you filled a big colorful balloon with light gas, it would float. They settled on designs, then Silverbow with her fathers had asked The Game Store kids to make them. They had and also supplied the gas to float them.
Sunstreaker had finished the effect with great artistry by painting them for the kids. It was doubtful that there was a better nor bigger version of Hello Kitty to be found anywhere on Mars. It was huge compared to the kids but small and very cute by the adult's reckoning. It was held in check from floating away by ropes tied to it and held by two human kids. They grinned as they followed. Behind them came 'the equestrian team'.
Back in the planning sessions on the playground, Silverbow had looked at her Crew. "All the parades I saw in the YouTube videos have equestrian teams ... you know ... horses with riders." Theirs would, too. Her dads went to the stables and came back with four miniature horses that were used by the smallest infants or those who were so delicate that a big horse was a danger to use. The stable hands had saddled them, loaded them on Trailbreaker and they had arrived here. Ribbons and flowers made of tough paper had been braided into their mains and tails. They looked very cute and 'professional'. Rock, Paper, Scissors had settled who would be the 'team'.
James Hoyt, Camilla Brown, Rain Harris, and Co-D were the lucky horsemen that sat on the horses to ride side-by-side in the parade. Their harnesses gleamed, manes and tails swept the ground and tiny hoofs beat a staccato in the thin atmosphere as the tiny steeds pranced proudly forward. Rain Harris looked like she would pass out from excitement. She was an actual equestrian on Earth and the homesick owner of four large show horses in California when she was there with her grandparents at their farm.
They clippy-clopped past, then the second balloon floated into view. It was a big balloon of a character famous in Cybertronian children's literature, Sprocket, the Boy Who Ran Fast. His smiling face and cheerful paint scheme beckoned as Lucy Epps and her brother, Bobby, held the tethers. They walked onward followed by children holding carefully crafted signs that delineated the armed forces, the Prime of Cybertron and his emblems, and the big frames. Their designations, the Supremes, Dreadnoughts and Metro titans were displayed on the cards with hand prints and signatures of the children as borders for their emblems.
Behind them, driving the tiny cars and trucks that were made by the Prime-Ironhide family for their kids, a number of students waved to their teachers as they followed in the parade. The vehicles were decorated with bunting and different kinds of things that all fancy cars in public parades carried. There were flowers made of tough colorful paper hooked onto hood ornaments, strung in the windows and wound around cabs. They were cute and colorful. Signs on the doors named different planets in the Empire in salute, some still lost and some recovered by their Prime. The kids inside were ecstatic as they drove. Nearby with the control devices, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe shadowed that portion of the little parade just in case a car drove off the road into a wall. They walked with a chuckling Bluestreak taking lots of pictures.
Behind that came a work and wonder. A tiny yellow and white jet of a simplified nature rolled into view. Attached to his cockpit, flying in the tiny breeze his movement raised was a flag denoting the Seekers. It flew prettily as he rolled along the ground bringing cheers from everyone who saw him including Seekers watching in the crowd. Sunspot was shiny and beautiful and ahead of his growth curve but he was representing for the Seekers with all his might. It was enormous the number of pictures taken of him as he rolled slowly behind the cars and trucks, a big dog walking along side him with a bow on his collar.
Another balloon emerged towed by Sandy and a child named Minka who was a sweet femme who had come some time back and had become best friends with the sweet human girl. She was tall for her age, too. The balloon was that of Cybertron, a simplified but eminently recognizable image of the planet. It was intricate, had everything on its raised surface that would indicate what it was as well as the tiny glyphs near the top that declared that Sunstreaker of Kaon had painted it. To follow at the end, two kids walked holding each end of a banner that said, "Youngling Day School and Mr. Terradive's Class welcomes all newcomers and salutes our Army, Air Force and Prime. Until all are one."
The front of the parade reached the street following Drift and Springer who were riding slowly along, nodding and grinning at the fascinated crowd that was gathering along the street to watch. As they reached the main group, the city committee, the elders and others, they smiled and waved as they continued along. The adults who were dazzled and surprised waved back. Ratchet and Partition watched the show transfixed.
The tiny parade continued onward showing a marching band playing a much cherished nursery rhyme, a floating, bobbing, very large (to the children) balloon of Hello Kitty, then an equestrian team of totally excited humans and Cybertronians. Then Sprocket, of all things, bobbed into view towed by children who waved. They all waved back, dazzled as they were, as a number of children walked into view proudly holding signs that commemorated the services and Prime.
That was when the little cars drove into view. They were festooned colorfully as they drove past, the children inside waving and smiling as they honked the little horns. a tiny yellow and white jet rolled past with a big happy dog pacing it. If that wasn't enough, a balloon appeared that was a very good likeness of Cybertron. As the crowd watched, many of them had seen something like this before. It reminded them of a very small and very cute Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade that happened on that holiday on Earth.
Following them, a sign born by two infants saluting their new refugees, Prime and their class brought up the rear. It rolled and walked past, this tiny, very short but immensely sincere parade, then headed onward toward Temple Square. Prime and the others turned to watch them go, dazzled into silence at the sweetness of the children and the cuteness of their finished product. It had taken a lot of effort and organization to make it happen. At that point, Roto and Terradive appeared following the end of the parade. Ratchet stepped off the sidewalk to join with them a moment, then came back when they went onward. He stepped back up on the curb, then grinned. "Silverbow wanted to do something nice for the newcomers and salute the army and you, Optimus. I don't think I've seen a cuter parade anywhere including Earth."
Prime grinned. "I think I agree."
The group walked along the highway, down the middle of it past the gathering crowds who read their signs, looked at their creations and clapped loudly. They whistled and stomped their peds, giving their appreciation Cybertronian-style. The humans at Sciences who looked out to catch a glimpse suited up and fogged out to watch the tiny parade. The children looked so small walking along the middle of the street that it made the sight even cuter. Cameras flashed as Leonora followed them on a segway filming them from all angles as they came into Temple Square.
Standing on the sidewalk with delight, the priests and Lady Sela applauded them. They smiled and waved back as they followed Spirit and Silverbow. She made a slow turn, then they began to walk back to the tower again. The priests and Lady Sela followed them as a highly amused Springer and Drift led the way back. The crowds applauded them again, took pictures and called out encouragement and appreciation, some of them the very refugees that were being honored with the effort. When the Prime and the tower came into view, they slowed to a stop.
Optimus Prime who was as dazzled as the others walked toward them and knelt. "What a wonderful moment this is, Silverbow. Thank you and your friends for this," he said.
That was when all the children, human and Cybertronian climbed down from and out of things and put down their signs and banners to run to Prime to hug him.
All of them.
At the same time.
-0-TBC 9-9-17 edited 9-19-17