The Diego Diaries: Possibility (dd6 524)
-0-Naming
They fogged in, then it settled a bit as Bluestreak waved at Prowl. He grinned, then glanced at Ratchet. "Well, slaggers, are you and the ball and chain ready for this?"
"I am," Ratchet said with a dazzling smile. "I, RATCHET AM READY FOR THIS!"
Everyone around paused their conversation, then turned toward the front. Prowl shriveled, Ratchet smiled, Ironhide snickered as he sat and Prime laughed. Everyone stared at Prowl.
"WHAT!?" he asked with a stern glance at Ratchet. HUGE laughter greeted that, then he glanced at Ironhide. "Go time."
Prime who was lounging in his chair with his arm along the back of Prowl's grinned at Ironhide. "Yes, minion. It's go time."
HUGE laughter as Ironhide rose then turned to the crowd.
"Slagger," Ironhide said with a grin as he slid Halo out of his hold. "HERE SHE IS!"
He was buried in slag.
"Oh, wait. We have another one," Ironhide said. "Today, our company grows by one. This one is going to be a good one as all of them are. We're lucky that way. We can have families and enjoy them. For everyone still coming this one is for you." He glanced at Prowl. "There, slagger." He sat down to applause, catcalls and hoo-haw.
Prowl smirked at him, then Ratchet. "Go, Loon."
Ratchet dazzled him, then stood. Staring at the crowd, he began. It would be transmitted to the entire (known) universe via IntraCom and the M.C.A. "FRIENDS! COUNTRYMEN! LEND ME YOUR AUDIALS!" He grinned at Prowl. "See how I've elevated this to the point of literature?"
A rush of downloads followed by laughter and applause greeted that as Ravel sat nearby smirking knowingly at his wayward boy. Ratchet did his best not to look that way. He was going to let it rip. Earth was watching, too and he was going to take the moment to cement the 'ordinariness' and 'humanity' of the bots for and with them.
"Prowl and I are in an arms and legs race. Given that Ironhide and I have about 847 children, you're lagging, Prowler and Prime, O' Messiah of Our People. All of my children are beautiful but then all children are. This one will be as well, no doubt.
"This one will have all the advantages. He has genitors, siblings, shirt tail relatives, good schools and love. All children everywhere no matter how fragged up their parents are deserve the same. And we all know how fragged up some parents are," he said to laughter and a slight frown from Prowl.
"I'm assuming you're referencing yourself with that rather untoward remark?" Prowl asked as Prime snickered.
"I am?" Ratchet asked with a dazzling smile.
LAUGHTER!
"Where was I? Oh, yes … fragged parenting. We're the sum total of our experiences and this infant is going to know the good of three worlds, Cybertron, Earth and Mars. He's going to own choice real estate on at least two of them. He's going to good schools, have friends and comforts. All children deserve the same no matter where they are.
"We came from the dust of war. We're retrieving worlds right now and taking care of our own. All over this galaxy our people were scattered like leaves in a strong breeze and who knows what's happening to them. But we're looking. We're looking hard and everywhere. We will find you. All of you. Then you can come here and live. PREFERABLY NEXT DOOR TO PROWL!"
LAUGHTER!
"As I was saying … Prowler … how do I explain a person like Prowl? He climbs a tree and scrapes his knee, his escutcheons got a tear ... He waltzes on his way to Temple and whistles on the stair. And underneath his wimple he has curlers in his hair. Why I've even heard him singing albeit off key." He smiled a dazzling smile as half the crowd began to catch on and scout the internet for the words while the other half stared at Ratchet waiting for Prowl to give him major noogies.
"He's always late for slag but his penitence is real. He's always late for everything, except for every meal." Then he got a solemn expression on his face. "I hate to have to say it, but I very firmly feel he's not an asset to the team."
Prime who had gotten the references began to snicker, then guffawed as Prowl glanced at him with a frown. He wasn't on it yet but that was coming.
"I'd like to say a word in his behalf. Prowler does makes me laugh. How do you solve a problem like Prowler?" Ratchet asked then began to sing with his arms thrown open wide. "How do you catch a cloud and pin it down? How do you find the word that means Prowler? A flibbertijibbet! A will-o'-the wisp! A clown!"
It was at that moment that Prowl leaped up and pounced on Ratchet.
Huge raucous laughter broke out along with clapping, stamping and catcalls. Half a dozen of the bots here and there sang the real lyrics as Prowl rubbed hard knuckled noogies into Ratchet's helm. Letting Ratchet go, he sat with some dignity, folded his arms and smirked. "Fragger."
It was then that the six or so voices reached the chorus of 'Maria' from the Sound of Music:
"Many a thing you know you'd like to tell her
"Many a thing she ought to understand
"But how do you make her stay and listen to all you say
"How do you keep a wave upon the sand?
"Oh, how do you solve a problem like Maria?
"How do you hold a moonbeam in your hand?"
They got a standing ovation which they took advantage of through excessive bowing and waving.
Wreckers.
Prowl stared at them with The Look while Prime sat convulsed with laughter in his chair.
Ratchet rubbed his noggin as he grinned at both. "Fraggers. Let me finish this."
"OH, PLEASE DO!" -Prowler
"BWAHAHAHAHAAHAHAA!" -everyone there including his own genitors
Ratchet grinned then looked at the crowd. "You're reprobates, all of you."
AGREEMENT LUX!
"In closing, sometimes you get lucky. All of us did. We live the life we deserved and never got, most of us. Our kids are going to know peace and plenty. All of them everywhere do. They DESERVE it. Right now, I would love to do an interpretive dance to commemor-"
That was as far as he got.
-0-A second later
Ratchet sat across from Prowl with a big smile. Prowl smirked at him, this most improbable bestie and all around trendsetting, corset loosening daft and crafty slagger.
Prowl stood, his arms filled with the carefully wrapped and shrouded baby. Prime stood beside him with deep amusement, allowing Prowl to do the honors. All of the family had walked up to stand with the baby when he was revealed including those sitting around him who turned to the crowd and cameras, some of them mugging until a rap to the noggin took care of that.
Ratchet laughed as he rubbed his helm. Deed done.
"After such a dignified and well thought out introduction … *cough* … we are both pleased to introduce the newest member of our family. We both worked hard on the baby's appearance but even more so on his name. Its the practice of my family to find a name that demands something of the bearer. My name has several meanings, some of which are private. The main meaning is 'undaunted'. That is what Prowl means in our language. All of our children either honor someone or they bear a name that demands.
"This infant is no different. This infant is a mech. He's the seventh child in our family," Prowl said, then peered at Ratchet with a gimlet optic. "That makes us only 840 behind you and Ironhide."
HUGE LAUGHTER!
"All seven of them are precious to us, all of them. This one is going to be called," Prowl said as he pulled the blankets back to reveal the baby, "Possibility."
It was silent a moment, then mechs began to stand and stamp, clapping and whistling their pleasure. The baby peered out, then up at his genitors as Prowl handed him to Prime. He held the baby on his arm with a look of enraptured delight, then leaned down for those around him to touch his tiny ped.
The baby was a big one, a primal frame baby. He was completely white, snow white as could be with a tiny band around his left arm for every color in his family. They were thin, tiny and were very attractive. This baby had white mech wings and the features and formal body frame of Optimus. This would be another little Optimus but he would be snow white but for the color lines and a tiny Autobrand that was painted on his shoulder by Sunstreaker the night he came home.
He was calm, had very bright and alert blue optics and strong hands. It was a very attractive look for him as most snow white babies seemed to be. Olo who was a snow white micro mini-con was just one example.
Ratchet leaned forward, caressed his little foot, then watched as Prime turned to go around the room. As he did, Prowl released the page on the Community Bulletin Board for such announcements so well wishes could be given in a ceremonial ped tap for the baby. By the weekend it would exceed ten million citations from among their own people and nearly fifty million from Earth and Cybertron.
"I'm intrigued by the color, Prowler. Its stunning but so unlike what we come to expect," Ratchet said.
"We agreed to it when we decided to commemorate the Functionalist group that was murdered. Optimus has been plagued by it, by a sense he had to do something and failed because he saw them at the Matrix and they told him it was too late. So we decided to do this for them and its helped him having this be their permanent marker." Prowl leaned forward. "The humans aren't going to get the name are they."
"Let's find out," Ratchet said as he turned to the table where a crowd of humans were tapping the baby. :HEY! HUMANS! When you can, come here a moment:
They glanced down table then began to walk down. When a number formed a group in front of Prowl and Ratchet, Ratchet leaned in slightly. :What do you think?:
:I think I want him: Lola said with a smile as the others nodded and laughed, some of them patting Prowl's servo. He grinned at them as they began to tell him about their delight at the baby.
:Pure white. It's beautiful. Better hope it never fogs or snows here: Barbara Morshower said with a laugh.
Prowl nodded with a grin, then Ratchet asked. :What do you think about the name?:
Judy Witwicky stepped closer. :You have the best damned names I ever heard of. What is the short version of his name or is there one?:
Prowl considered that, then shook his head. :There isn't one:
:Good enough. We had a famous gardener on Earth called Capability Brown and I always envied his name. Possibility Prime is a great name: Judy Fulton said, revealing her gardening mania once more. :This is a great day. I'm so glad to be here to see this. Another Prime baby:
Ratchet nodded, then glanced at Prowl. :Possibility is a great name but not in the same league as Toilet Snake: he said before Prowl put him in a head lock.
-0-TBC 11-18-18 edited 11-25-18
In the olden orns as they say, giving a kid a name to grow up to and aspire to was common. That's why some of the names in the past are so odd seeming. :D Right, Percy?
"AS IF!"
The lyrics both real and goofy by Ratchet come from The Sound of Music and were sung by the nuns in the convent about Maria, the main character.