I only own my OC's.


The Minicon

Base, 7:30 PM

I slide out of Uncle Smokey and transform to bot form before running over to the base. "Mommy! Mommy!"

Carrier raises an eyebrow ridge, but crouches to me just the same. "Did you have fun with your Uncle?"

"We go circus, an' I gotta see a boy my age fly on'a swings—"

"Trapeze, Mari."

"On'a trapeze, an' Unca Smokey gotted me a monkey, an' I gotted a music-y box wike what Sire gotted me in LA, an—"

"That is enough for now, Sweetspark. You can tell me more once you and Jazz get home. For now, I have to lead Smokescreen to the house while he can still see the landmarks. You need to go find your Sire."

"Otay!"


I run inside and find Sire pretty fast. He's sitting in the rec-room, talking with Mirage. He's a snooty noble, and one of those "Children should be seen and not heard" guys, so I don't really like him too much, but he's one of Sire's Ops mechs, so I have to get used to being around him anyway.

"Siwe…"

"Heya, Girly. Didya have fun?"

"Uh-huh! Lookey what Smokey getted me!" I hold up the stuffed monkey. "I gotted a music-y box too, but he taked it home already…"

"Ah'll jus' hafta see i' once we ge' ya home, then."

"Hello, Mariposa."

"Hi, Raj…" I slip behind Sire nervously, scared that he's going to snap at me for talking.

"Ah have ta ge' Mari home now, Raj. We can talk later."

"I wouldn't mind going to your house, Jazz."

He glances to me before sighing heavily. "Prowler's worrie' tha' the cons' migh' follow us ta the house to begin with…" He shakes his head. "Besides, Mari's go' ta have things a certain way, an' she's nervous 'bou' havin' bots she don' know well 'roun' the house ye'. We've gotta ge' Smokey settle' in with 'er ye'. Then, maybe, ya can come over."

"I'll hold you to it, Jazz." He smiles down at me before leaving the rec-room.

"Ya 'kay with 'im comin' over some time?"

I think for a moment before nodding. "Longs as I's louds to talks a' homes when he there."

"Ah won' le' him bully ya, Sweetspark." He takes my hand. "Now come on. We've gotta ge' ya home. I's 'bou' ya berthtime."

"M'kay…" I look up as we pass by a red-orange mech with smaller ones around his ankles—a gold lion, a blue and silver mech, a black and silver mech, and a pink and white femme. A few feet away, a small orange mech is trying to seem invisible while talking softly to the blue and silver mech.

"Jazz-Man!"

"Blaster!" Sire grins. "This is Mari." He looks down to me. "Mari, mee' mah good frien' Blaster."

"H-hi." I tilt my head to the side. The smaller guys are right about my size, but they don't look like younglings. "Who're you guys?"

Blaster crouches to me, like he's more than used to it. "They're mah minnies, Mari."

"Mini?"

"Like Frenzy, jus' good."

"She's me' Frenzy?"

"Few weeks 'go. Sam too' care o' him."

"Well… He was jus' a head when I see'd him, but…"

"Good." Blaster turns back to me before pointing a finger to the gold lion. "Tha's mah man Steeljaw…" He points over to the two silver mechs—first the one with blue, then the one with black. "They're Eject and Rewind…" He moves to point to the pink and white femme. "An' tha's mah li'l Popstar, Rosanna."

I wave shyly. "Hi." I glance to the orange one. "Who's he?"

"Tha's Fixit. I rescued him from a slaver on the Artemis."

"One o' the reasons ya Carrier an' I couldn' raise ya there." He turns to Blaster. "Are ya takin' 'im in, or…"

"Ah can', Jazz. Ya know tha'. I can' bon' with another—no' after ah los' Ram…"

I step over to the orange minicon as Sire and Blaster continue their talk—something about damage to his spark after losing an animal minicon. "H-Hi. I'm Mari."

"Um… I'm Fixit."

"You're a cute little guy…nothing like Frenzy was…"

"Thank you…" He looks up at me—being about four feet to my current six—and smiles faintly, almost nervously.

"What's wrong, Little One?"

"I don't know where I'll recharge tonight… Blaster saved me, but he can't take me in, and…" He sighs heavily. "No one wants a broken minicon…"

"Fix…" I run a hand over his head. "I's broked too…" I look up at the two adults before glancing to the minicons who actually have someone to love them, and a place to sleep tonight. My spark aches just knowing that the little mech in front of me has no one—just like me before Sire found me.

"How'd ya fin' the little mech, anyway?"

Blaster sighs. "Ah caugh' him purgin' a few days 'go… Ah jus' couldn' leave him with the slaver after Ah heard 'is story…" He sighs heavier before glancing toward me. "A fellow servant-class mini hur' him…an'…I's no' a safe story for little audios ta hear… Bu' Ratch confirmed tha' 'e's carryin', so…"

"Ah ge' i'. Comm me 'bou' i' later. Ah'll see if there's anythin' ah can do for 'im." He turns to me. "Come on, Mari. I's pas' ya berthtime, an' ya still need a bath. Ah've gotta ge' ya home." I shake my head. I still need to think of how to help Fixit. Sire crouches and lays a hand on my shoulder. "Sweetspark, come on. Ya Carrier wan's ya home."

"Bu' I can's jus' leaves him 'lones, Siwe… He haves nowhere go sleeps 'night…"

"Ah don' know wha' ta do, Sweetspark…"

Fixit looks at the floor, sadly. I can almost see a tear roll down his cheek. "Can… Can he comes wifs us? Pwease?" He looks up at us, hopeful, revealing more than the one tear-streak on his faceplates. "I heared Blaster say he can't takes him in, an' I can't weaves him here all 'lones." Sire sighs heavily. "Pwease, Siwe! I heared wha' Blaster sayed! Fixie can't stays wifs him, an' I no' letty him be 'bandoned heres! No' wikes dis, an' no' when he gonna havey sparkle lik'a Aidie! He no 'serves be 'lones wikes dat!"

"Mari…" He sighs heavily. "Sweetspark…"

"Pwease, Siwe?" I glance over to the minicon when I hear a sob, and move to comfort him almost without thinking. "Pwease?" I feel like crying with him. "Pwetty pwease?"

"Mari… 'E's no' a 'bandoned puppy, Sweetspark… 'E's a sentient mech."

"Wha' sen-ti-ent?"

Sire sighs gently. "When someone has feelings, and can understand what's going on around them."

I glance at the crying minicon before putting an arm around him, then stomp my foot in frustration. "Den he no needs ta hears that no one wants him! Dat hurts, Siwe! I knows, firs' han', dat i' hurts real bads! Bwaster's a meany-mech for tell you 'n fron' os hims!" I bend down to the little mech and smile gently. "It's gonna be's okays, Bitty. You be safes. I wants you."

I look up to them right in time to see Blaster and Sire share a surprised look. "All right…" I look up to Sire. "'E can come with us tonigh', bu' if ya Carrier says 'e canno' stay, then Ah can' help ya."

I lay a hand on the minicon's shoulder before leaning in front of him. "A' leas' ya gotta place ta sleeps tonight."

"Probably for the weeken', cause we go' church tomorrow…" Sire sighs. "'Les ya Carrier brings 'im back by afta' church…"

"Ya migh' wanna do tha' anyway, Jazz-Man." Blaster sighs. "I recognize the way she's actin'."

"Meh too, Blaster." He sighs. "An' Ah hope we're wron'."


Home

Sire lets me and Fixit out before transforming and leading us up to the house. "Now remember, Mari… If Prowler says no, ah can' le' 'im stay after tonigh'."

"I knows…" I step into the living room, where Carrier's talking with Uncle Smokescreen and Uncle Bluestreak about.

"You're not upset about what she said when we got back, right?"

Carrier shakes his head. "It was unusual, for sure, but I cannot blame her. She is so used to having a femme parent around…" He stands when I step around the corner. "Come on, Sweetspark. We've got to get you cleaned u—" He glances just behind me. "Who is this?"

"F-Fixit, Sir. I-I was h-hoping I could stay—j-just for tonight?"

"Bluestreak, could you get Mariposa into the bathtub for me?"

"Of course, Prowl."

"Prowler…"

"Jazz…"


My Bathroom, 7:45 PM

I wait until Bluestreak has me in the tub before commenting on what happened downstairs. "Bwue…is Carrier mad at me?"

He's quiet until he gets my hair rinsed, then sighs. "I… I don't know, Mari. I mean, with your sweet personality, we always expected you to bring some stray creature home, but we never expected you to bring a minicon home." He sighs heavily. "Especially a minicon that happens to be a kidnapped slave…"

"I jus'…I couldn' leaves him dere, Bwue. He's broked… Jus' wike me."

He helps me scrub before boosting me out with a strawberry hooded towel. "You're not broken, Mari, and neither is he. Battered, maybe, but not broken. Our people don't break that easy, after all. We can take a lot—I think I'm proof of that much." Once I'm dried off, he helps me into my underwear, then into a lavender long sleeved pajama top with two elephants and fuchsia collar and cuffs and lavender elephant print pajama pants with fuchsia cuffs. "Now, I'm sure Prowl wants to get your hair curled before tomorrow. You've got that competition with Ella, and we can't let you lose."

"I forgotted 'bout that…"

"I'll let Prowl know you're done. You really don't need to be downstairs right now…


Living Room, 8:00 PM

I slink after Bluestreak anyway, and stop just shy of the living room. I peek inside to find Carrier, Sire, and Smokescreen sitting around the living room, and Fixit standing timidly, all but trembling, on the other side of the coffee table. I duck back around the corner as Bluestreak steps over to Fixit with one of the tiny cubes they have on hand for me, tiny wisps of steam rising from its contents.

Even though I'm not watching anymore, I can tell Carrier isn't happy about Fixit's presence at all. "What compelled you to come home with Jazz? Blaster was supposed to give you sanctuary until you had settled in."

"Prowler…" Carrier glares at Sire. "Blaster turne' 'im 'way—said 'e couldn' take in another minicon after losin' Ramhorn back on Cybertron. The little mech was cryin'… An' Mari jus' couldn'…couldn' leave him like that…"

Uncle Smokescreen sighs. "Prowl, you can't expect the little guy to feel safe recharging in the rec room—especially after what he's been through."

"And what would that be?"

I can't keep myself from trembling at Carrier's dangerous tone. Back with my old human family, a tone like that usually meant I was about to get beat for misbehaving. I can't help but feel grateful that I'm in holoform, and that they won't hear me as well. I slide down the wall silently and curl in a ball with my head on my knees. I want to cover my ears, but I'm scared to at the same time.

"Prowl…" Smokescreen sighs heavily. "He was raped…by one of the other minicon slaves on the Artemis…and the handler was abusive to him begin with. He wound up being rescued by Blaster, but, as Jazz just said… Blaster's still mourning Ramhorn." Smokescreen sighs heavily. "And Ratch just confirmed it today—he's sparked. The little guy needs someone…more than ever right now."

"I'll…I'll be all right… I-if someone…could just…t-take me back… T-to the b-base…"

"Fixit…"

"N-no… I-I w-won't…" I hear a heavy sigh. "I-I know wh-when I-I'm not-not w-w-wanted…"

I sigh heavily. I don't want him to feel rejected anymore… I stand and step out of hiding before running to the minicon. "I want you, Bitty… No matter what Carrier says…"

"Mariposa…"

I look up at Carrier with tears in my eyes. "You loved me when no one else did… Why is he so different?"

Carrier sighs heavily. "…Sweetspark…"

"M-M-Mari… D-don't… H-he's your Carrier… Y-you're b-b-barely a youngling… I-I'll be all r-r-right…"

"But it's not right… He—he can't… H-he c-can't…" I can't hold back anymore, and start to cry.

Fixit turns to me sadly, then glances back to the others. "I-I'll j-j-just go o-out-s-side…and w-wait…t-t-til s-s-someo-o-one c-can t-take me b-back." He takes a couple steps—leaving the cube Bluestreak had gotten him untouched—before stopping and resting a hand on the table.

I turn to the minicon, worried about him even through my own breakdown. "F-Fixie?"

"I-I'm…F-f-f-fine…"

Jazz steps over quickly. "No, ya're no'." He lays a hand on Fixit's shoulder. "Come on. Ya need ta si' down 'fore ya fall down."

Fixit shrugs him off violently, stumbling in the process. "I'm dine—mine—FINE!" He gets a horrified look on his faceplates before turning away. "Jus-just l-let m-me g-go." He staggers toward the front door, only to collapse after a few steps.

"F-Fix…" I run to the fallen minicon in tears. "Fix… Fixie…" I roll him over as well as I can, realizing quickly that he's out cold. FIXIE!"

"He crashed." Carrier's optics widen in shock before he turns to Sire. "Jazz, call the base! Get Ratchet here, NOW! Smokescreen… You've had medical training…"

"It was a long time ago, Prowl…"

"Unca Smokey… You gotta helps him… Pwease?"

He steps over and kneels beside me. "I'll try, but…I haven't done anything like this since I was in med school, Mari…"

Sire runs in then. "Ah calle'. Ratch's 'chargin', but… Defensor's coming. Spot said they're 'bout five minutes out." He kneels on my other side. "We didn't know this would happen, Sweetspark… Ah didn't know he had a glitch…"

"None of us did, Jazz." Carrier kneels on his other side. "Bluestreak, go watch for Defensor, and let them in." Carrier sighs. "I need to get Mari's curlers in before her hair dries too much."

"I don' wanna weaves him! I's all he haves! Ezeryone else wan's him go bye-byes! I's all he haves!"

"Mari…"

Smokescreen sighs heavily. "Let me try, Prowl…" He turns to me. "Mari…Sweetspark…" He shakes his head slightly. "Aid's gonna have to get to him, and we won't be able to stay by him…not until after Aid leaves."

"B-but…"

"It'll be all right, okay?"

"Carrier's jus' gonna sends him 'ways aster he wakey up…"

"Mari…" Carrier sighs heavily. "He's going to be here for a few days…if First Aid doesn't take him to the base because of this… He'll need the time to recover…"

I sigh heavily and step away before scrambling up to sit on the coffee table, letting Carrier start to put the curlers in. "Bu'… Bu' you no wan' him, so he hasta go bye-byes when he bettew…"

"No one knows everything, Mariposa. Maybe he'll grow on us." Carrier sighs. "But he'll be here for at least the next week." He sighs heavily, continuing with my hair. "Jazz, run upstairs and get my blanket off the foot of the berth. Smokescreen, you may want to get the bathroom waste can, just in case he needs it."

"Jazz—Prowl?"

Prowl nods to the tiny orange mech still lying on the floor. "It's the minicon."

Aid kneels to him immediately, while Streetwise starts wandering around. Hot Spot crouches in front of me. "You okay, Sweetspark? This couldn't have been easy on you…"

I look up at Spot with tears in my eyes. "Fixie cwash… No one wan's him bu' me, an' he cwash…"

"It's a pretty bad one, for a first crash…"

"I don't think it was his first crash, First Aid." Carrier pats my shoulder. "You're done."

I scramble down and kneel beside the minicon before taking his tiny silver hand in my own. "Mommy's right… He was actin' like he was hidin' something…den he got all scareded when he gwitched…den he twy run 'way, an' cwash…"

Aid looks over at me. "He glitched? Mari…"

"Verbal one…likey he no able talkey right. Firs' he stuttered lots…den he couldn' say wight word…"

Sire steps over with a black blanket before laying it beside the minicon. "Sure scared the scrap outta us when i' happene'." He turns and take the trash can from Smokescreen. "Mari, ya need ta ge' ta berth. This won' be pretty…"

I glare up at Sire. "I'm. Not. Leaving. My minicon." I give the room a horrified look. I just slipped—I don't even know if we really have a bond yet—and I didn't want to tell Carrier and Sire until I knew. "I-I'm sorry, Sire! I didn't—"

Sire pulls me in for a hug before leaning me back. "Blaster an' Ah suspecte' it 'fore we ever lef' the base, Girly. Ah'm no' mad."

"Well, I see what you meant about trauma now, Prowl…"

Carrier kneels beside me, his phone held out. The clock reads 8:25 PM. "It is past your bedtime. You need to get to sleep, Sweetspark." He sighs. "Besides… Your Sire is right. Severe crashes are not… Pretty."

"I can't leave him, Carrier. Last he heard, no one but me cares. I can't just leave him here, all alone, with people he thinks hate him."

"It would be a good test…"

"Aid…"

"Spot… I think she's ready now. We started out younger than she is, and she's got the same tenacity we had back then. Ratchet's the one who wants to wait until she's older." He turns to me with a sigh. "They're right when they say it won't be pretty, Little One…especially with the newspark he's carrying… But if you think you can handle it, then I say you can stay. But only if you're sure you can handle it."

"Blue?" I wait until he looks down at me. "Mommy's blankie's too big. Can you go get my Cindy-Ella blankie?"

"Of course, Little One."

"Groove, get ready. He's coming around." I watch as the silver mech reaches over for the trash can Smokescreen brought in. "Street…" He sighs. "That cube on the table…"

"Warmed low grade. Blue go' i' for Fix…"

"Bring it over here, please."

"O' course."

I move to lean over him. "Easy, Mari. Some bots come online really sudden after a crash…"

"And carriers usually have a lot of nausea after they come around, so…"

Fixit groans softly before sitting straight up and clamping a hand over his mouth, which prompts Groove to hold out the trash can. Even with my sensitive stomach, I can't turn away as the little guy starts to purge, and simply start rubbing his back. "It's okay, Bitty… We're here… Just get it out…" He shudders violently and purges one more time before leaning back heavily into Hot Spot. "There you go… It's all right now…" I reach over for the tiny cube as they pull Carrier's black blanket over his lap, only to wince and jerk my hand back. It's still hot!

Aid smiles, almost looking proud. "She's a natural…"

Blades steps over beside me and picks up the cube. "I got it, Little One. Aid's hands are sensitive too."

He hands it to Fixit, who, like me, flinches back before wrapping Carrier's blanket around his hands and taking the cube. "Th-thank you…"

I run a hand over his forehead before turning to Aid. "He feels a little warm to me…"

Aid sighs and lays the back of his hand on Fixit's faceplates. "Spot, I need the orange bottle out of that bag from the med-bay, and a syringe." He turns to me. "You're right. He is. Do you have an idea why?"

"Either… temp glitch from the crash… or the strain from when he puked just now."

"Or the large amount of stress on a carrying minicon without a Symbiote Carrier." Aid finishes. I raise an eyebrow before looking around. I know no one told him around me. "Street is hyper-aware. The warmed energon on the table…the simple fact that Prowl doesn't like change…and the palpable tension in the room that even I could feel when we walked in… It keyed us all in to what happened before he crashed." He smiles. "And you're right about the purging, and the temp glitches. That's why your Carrier has a special blanket, and why he doesn't complain about you taking that ambulance I gave you, and your blanket that Spot gave you, everywhere."

Bluestreak runs in then with my pink Cinderella blanket. "Sorry I took so long! I forgot where you put it!"

"It's okay, Bwue." I take the blanket and wrap it over Fixit's shoulders. "Better now, Bitty?"

He sighs before nodding, then looks up to the Protectobots. "I'm sorry…you guys had to come out here… I'm sure you'd rather be recharging…than caring for a useless glitch of a minicon." He moves to get up. "Guess I don't need that ride back after all, Jazz…"

I shake my head and pull the now-larger-than-me minicon—since I'm a little over three and a half feet in holoform—close to me. "Carrier's already said you're here for at least a week after that, and besides…" I look around sheepishly. "I kinda…already claimed you…"

"W-what?"

Sire steps over before crouching in front of him like he had at the base. "Mari's been showin' signs of formin' a symbiote bond with ya since we firs' noticed ya a' the base. Blaster noticed i' too, so ah'm no' the only witness."

"I only wish I had known everything before I reacted. I am usually more tactful than I was tonight, Fixit." Carrier sighs heavily. "It has not been easy for me since my daughter and I were reunited, and…Mariposa appears to be prone to forming close family connections…sometimes after barely meeting someone, as it seems to have happened tonight…"

Spot nods before sighing softly. "If I didn't know better, I'd have said she was Gestalt upon meeting her." He shakes his head. "Good luck trying to convince Ratchet of her abilities, Aid. He's pretty adamant that Mari not train until she's thirteen."

Aid sighs, but smiles brightly even though he looks exhausted. "I've got a plan, Spot. Prowl, you need to bring Mari into the base as soon as you get out of church—with Fixit. We need to check for a symbiote bond—and Fixit will need one with someone because of the newspark—minicon sparks may be powerful, but they're also fragile, and attempting to carry without the bond will kill the newspark, and like any miscarriage, could take him as well." Blades helps him to his feet before stepping back as Aid steps over to set the now-filled syringe on the coffee table. "I'm leaving a dose of a fever reducer with you in case his temperature spikes. It's injectable, so you won't have to worry about him purging the medicine." He looks down to where Fixit and I are sitting, the former still holding the full cube. "Try to get him to drink that warmed low-grade, though. It'll help him relax, and Primus knows he needs that right now." He turns to me. "I can't promise anything, but you could be the youngest sparked Medic-in-Training by this time tomorrow, so get to sleep. You'll need it."


Carrier follows me up the stairs, carrying Fixit in his arms. The little guy's pretty dizzy—sire believes from the crash—so we don't want to risk him getting hurt by falling again—especially not while carrying.

I scramble onto the bed and pull the blankets down before reaching under the sheets to get the towel Carrier had put under it last night. "I am putting you in with my daughter, Fixit. I need you to promise me you will not harm her."

"I promise." He sighs. "She's the first person who really cared for me… I could never hurt her on purpose."

"Thank you." He lays Fixit toward the back of the bed before turning to me. "Mariposa…" I look up to him. "I do not know if we will need them…but I picked up a pack of overnight pull-ups while you were with Smokescreen, just in case you needed them. If you do not wish to use them, it is fine with me, but if you want to use them, they are under the berth."

I glance to Fixit before sighing. I hate pull-ups, but at the same time, I don't want to wet the bed while he's rooming with me. "Thanks, Carrier…"

"Mari…" He lifts my chin to where I'm looking up at him—but not violently like my human dad used to. "I am not trying to embarrass you, okay?" I nod. "They are just to protect the berth from any more accidents. I will insist you wear them while Fixit is here—for now. Once we can determine how long his stay here is, we will revisit the issue." He pulls one out before helping me into it, then tucks me in. "Goodnight, Sweetspark."

"Night, Mommy."

"You'll still have to call me Daddy at school. You know that, right?"

"I knows…"

"All right." He lays the back of his hand over Fixit's forehead. "Come get me if either of you need something. Fixit's going to be pretty nauseated for a few weeks, so do not be surprised if he starts purging again."

"I will."

"And Mari?" I look up to him. "I am proud of you for standing up for him—even if you were standing against me in this instance. It was very brave of you." He smiles down at me. "If First Aid manages to change Ratchet's mind about training you this early…I do not want you to worry. You will still be my daughter, and I will not turn my back just because you are becoming an Autobot earlier than any of us would like."

"I don' wanna fight…I jus' wanna helps…"

"And that in itself is admirable." He kisses my forehead. "Now, go to sleep. It is way past your bedtime."

I watch him leave before turning to Fixit. "Hey…" He turns to me tiredly. "You do realize you're not a useless glitch, right?"

"But…Lockdown…"

"You are not a useless glitch. Carrier and I both have a logic glitch, and we're still useful. You are too." I run a hand over his still-overly-warm plating gently. "Trust me." I smile. "And come'ere."

"What?"

I reach over and pull him close to me. "Wanna cuddles my minicom."

He shrugs and inches closer. Once I can actually reach him, I pull him close and drift off with my head on his chest. He sighs, content and safe for the first time in eons, and wraps his arms around me before drifting off himself.