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Miko's Idea

The Next Day, Normal (Mariposa's) POV

Hi! My name's Mariposa, and I'm a Cybertronian princess. My Carrier is Elita-One, and my Sire is Optimus, and I have a big brother named Bumblebee, too. My armor is pink, with a purple galaxy design on my finials and trim on my wrists and knees, and pink doorwings. I have a point on my forehelm like Aunt Arcee, and my finials look like Carrier's. I have a holoform too, thankfully not adult-like, like the one I had before. This one makes me look my real age, with blonde and pink hair and bright blue eyes, and I usually wear something with a butterfly motif, since my name means butterfly. Today, for instance, I'm wearing a pink long sleeved T-shirt, a denim jumper with an embroidered butterfly on the chest and pink trim, pink tights, and denim Mary Jane shoes with my matching butterfly hoodie.

I'm five now, and we're back on Earth, with three humans coming to the base every day for their safety. Even though we live in Nevada, where it's usually hot, we've had a cold spell lately, which means the usually 55+ temperatures haven't gotten any higher than 45 degrees.

I lean down from Carrier's arms, where I had been cuddling with her as I waited for the humans, when I hear engines coming from the far-away entrance to the base. Thankfully, her helm's all better now. She got hit in the helm during a battle yesterday. I was takey nap when it happened.

"Mika's here! Mika's here!" I push against Carrier. "Down, Cawier!" She sighs and sets me on the floor. She hated sending me away when I was new, but at least we're back together again. "Mika's here!" Ratchet groans from the computers. I don't think he likes the humans as much as I do…

I run toward the returning bots as they stop and let out their charges. Sire had decided to pick up Jack because Aunt Arcee's still on patrol with my bodyguard Bluestreak.

Of course, being the child that I am, I run over and hug my Sire's leg as soon as he transforms, then move to hug my big brother before shifting down to holoform and hugging Miko. "Mika! You're here! You're here!" I giggle. "'Pin me, Mika! 'Pin me!"

She sighs softly. "All right…" She grins, and spins me around before setting me back on the ground and crouching in front of me. "What did you do today?"

I giggle. "I pwayed an' help Siwe wif his 'trols." I pause to think. "An' Watchet le' me fingew-paint! I show you my picture…" I pause and look up to Ratchet again. He's giving me a look. I look down and trace an invisible line on the floor. "I mean, after it dwies."

"That's better, Youngling. Now, back to bot form and run along."

I return to my bot form and stop to stick my tongue out at the meany-bot of a medic we have, before turning to run off to my playground area in the basement of the base. I go two steps before realizing that Miko, Jack, and Raf are wearing something different than usual. "W-what you wear?"

Jack gives me a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"You lookey diff'rent 'day."

"Oh…" Raf laughs softly. "We're just getting into the holiday spirit."

Carrier turns to Miko in confusion as I give the human a blank stare. I don't remember any holidays during this time of year. "Holiday?"

Miko scoffs. "You mean you don't know about Christmas!?"

I blink as old memories from my previous live as a human come back to me faintly—memories of sounds, sights, smells, and tastes: the laughter, squeals, and lighthearted music almost covered by the sounds of tearing paper; the green trees, the evergreen garland, the twinkling lights, shiny ornaments, and glittery tinsel scattered all over the tree; the smells of cinnamon candles and the bath sets my human grandmother always bought for my human mother; the sweet candy on the tree, as well as succulent ham and savory stuffing in the kitchen, just waiting to be devoured.

I blink and look up when I feel someone shaking me. "Mari!"

"I's 'kay, Bumbee." I turn to Miko and smile weakly. "I 'member Christmas from Old Earth." I'd started calling the place I lived out my sparkling years as "old earth", and the place we are now "New Earth" so I won't get them mixed up.

Sire crouches in front of me. "Would you like to celebrate with the humans while we are on Earth?"

I smile up at him. "Really, Sire?" I look down. My "old earth" family wasn't the most Christmas-y people I'd known, with none of the traditions I'd wanted to start taking off well—I'd even done most of the decorating myself, since no one gave a flying frag about the holiday but my ailing grandmother, and later, my human brother's fiancé. "You don' gotta do that for me… You no' human likes them… We no do on Cybertwon. I' be fine."

I feel Carrier's hands on my doorwings as Sire starts to speak. "You're right, Sweetspark. We don't have to." Sire lifts my chin gently with a finger and gives me a gentle smile. "We want to. You were not raised as your Carrier and I were, and you need a chance to hang onto some of the life you had before."

I look down sadly as a lone coolant tear rolls down my cheek. "We didn' have much twadition, Siwe… Jus' biwthpawents spend night, then open pwesents. Nofing fun, likes sings, or story…no even Santa af'er I look lik'a Miko age…"

Sire picks me up and holds me close to his spark as I try not to cry.

Miko looks sad for a moment before jumping up as if something had shocked her. "Then we'll just make new traditions!"

I turn my helm to where my audio is resting over Sire's spark and watch the excited teens.

"Yeah!" Raf grins. "My sisters and I help Mama decorate every year, and we usually get someone to take our pictures, too."

My optics widen at that. "Pic'ures?"

"Yeah. Mama has us put on our best clothes, and we go into town and get our pictures taken. Then Mama buys the best one and hangs it on the wall. She's got pictures from when Estella was a baby." He looks up at Bumblebee. "I'll see if I can get one of the smaller copies for you when we take them." Raf turns back to Sire. "I'd usually put the star on, since I'm the youngest. Then Mama and my sisters would bake cookies."

Miko grins up at Carrier. "My family back in Japan would always go out together and pick out a real tree to cut, then we'd decorate it together. Then Mom would take me shopping in some of the best stores in Tokyo."

Jack smiles slightly as he leans on the safety railing. "Mom used to take me to see Santa and keep an advent calendar with candies in it when I was little, and we still drive around to look at Christmas lights every Christmas Eve." He gets a far-away look in his eyes. "Dad used to read "The Night Before Christmas too, before he left…"

"Okay then…let's get away from the mopey stories. We're doing this for Mari, not for our own satisfaction."

Jack crosses his arms and smirks. "Look who's finally paying attention in English class."

Miko sticks her tongue out at Jack. "So, it's settled then? Mari gets to have the best Christmas any five-year-old could dream up?"

"Yeah…"

"I guess…" Jack looks up to Sire and I. "Optimus? She…is your daughter, after all."

Sire steps over to the platform with me in his arms. "I am willing to do whatever possible to erase every one of these distressing memories of her past life."

"I haves C'istmas? For reals?" Sire smiles down at me, but I can see sadness in his eyes. I can feel Carrier almost crying in the bond, but I can't see her dab at her optics from behind me. I do, however, see Aunt Arcee and Bumblebee both reaching up to their optics too, and Bulkhead turns away so we can't see his face. Even Ratchet looks away for a minute.

Sire sighs softly. "You never should have gone through everything you did before, Princess."

"But I's wif you now." I smile up at him. "Happy comes back."

Sire runs a hand over my helm. "It should never have left you, Sweetspark. The joy of sparklinghood should never have left your spark to begin with." He looks up to Jack with a purpose. "Jackson, contact your mother." He turns to look across the room, where Ratchet is still turned away. "Ratchet." The medic turns quickly, revealing that he had actually been crying for me. Sire steps over without me even needing to ask him to, and hands me to the medic.

I pat Ratchet's coolant-streaked cheek like a toddler would a sad adult. "It' okay, Ratch. I safes now." I hug him before reaching back to Sire.

Sire nods at the now-calm medic. "Contact Special Agent Fowler." Jack waves to get Optimus' attention. "Yes, Jack?"

"Mom said she'll come by tomorrow to help out."

"Optimus." Sire turns to Ratchet and smiles when he finds Agent Fowler on the screen. "Elita?"

Carrier steps over and takes me. "Why don't you and I go get changed, and head into the park?"

"Bu' Cawier…"

"Your Sire needs to speak with Special Agent Fowler, Sweetspark, and you haven't been outside all week."

"But I 'troled with Sire…"

"Outside to play, silly."


Carrier and I step into their room. I sit on the edge of their bed and wait for her to switch into holoform and pull on a sweater and jeans, with pink tennis shoes, then pull on a black coat before returning to her normal form and following me into my room.

She helps me into a light pink long sleeved T-shirt with a large butterfly graphic made up of smaller white, baby pink, and lavender butterflies, a new pair of dark blue jeggings with butterflies on the back pockets, light pink socks, and my pink twinkle toes hightops with a butterfly print. Once I'm dressed, she holds out my new light pink butterfly print coat and helps me into it. I then pull on my light pink butterfly sock hat and white knit gloves with pink and purple glitter butterfly grippers, then shift back to my normal form before following Carrier along the out-of-the-way route to the exit. She transforms in the entry-way so as to avoid distracting Sire, then we peal out of the base.


Carrier pulls in at the park and activates her holoform before helping me out. Once the door's shut, I run for the swings while Carrier walks behind me. I quickly pick a swing in the almost-empty playground and clamber on. "Push me, Mommy!"

"What do we say?"

"Pwease push me, Mommy!"

"Of course, Sweetheart." She starts pushing the swing, making me go higher and higher. While I know how to push my own swing—having learned how back on old earth—I still like to be pushed on the swings.

I giggle and squeal. "Higher, Mommy, higher!" I squeal even louder. I love the swings.


Carrier soon moves to a bench with a book, while I run to the playground equipment and start to play pretend. It doesn't feel like very long at all before Carrier stands and turns to me. "Come on, Mari. It's time to go."

"Aww…" I slide out of the playset and run to her. "Why we gotta go?"

"You need lunch, and your Dad and I need to talk."


Carrier and I pull back into the base. According to her clock, it's been over two hours since we left, and Sire's still talking with Agent Fowler. "I'll get your energon. You need to get changed, and meet me in the kitchen."

"Okay." I grin. "Siwe come ea' wif us?"

"Maybe." She sighs. "He's never had to speak with Agent Fowler this long since we first came to this planet."

"We still has Aunty Cee an' Bumbee though, right?"

"You'll still have Arcee and your brother, yes."

"An' Bulky, an' Blue, an' Ratch?"

"I'll have to comm them, but I don't see why not…"

"Yay!" I run to my room and change into a light pink long sleeved turtleneck, light pink leggings, a pink T-shirt with a butterfly graphic, a pink skort with a butterfly print, white bobby socks with pink butterflies on the ankles, dark pink twinkle toes with butterflies on the soles, and my light pink butterfly print hoodie, then run back into the kitchen. I smile when I find Carrier warming up my energon. Even though I'm five, I love my energon warmed up, especially after I've been in the cold. I only like cold energon after I've been out in the desert all day, and my systems feel too warm.

I slip into my chair and wait for Carrier to step over with my energon and for the others to come in for their cubes.

Aunt Arcee's the first one to come into the kitchen and find her seat across from me. She looks really tired. I know she's always got a late patrol, then she has to get up early to pick up Jack, then she goes on another patrol with Bluestreak at noon. Usually, she stops and picks up Jack at the school on her way back to base, while Bluestreak comes back to the base and comes with me.

"Hi, Aunty Cee!"

"Hey, Little One." She turns to Carrier. "What's Optimus talking about with Agent Fowler?"

"Miko had an idea." She steps closer to the table and sets my energon in front of me before moving to Arcee.

"Miko's always got ideas." She reaches up and takes a cube when Carrier hands it to her. "They're not usually good ones."

"Arcee…" She sighs softly. "Most of her ideas have to do with running into the battlefield and taking either Raf or Jack with her. This one's different."

"How so?" Aunt Arcee takes a drink from her cube.

"She wants to start celebrating holidays with us, so Mariposa can have the holiday celebrations she's always dreamed of."

"I guess that's why Jack said June's coming with us tomorrow?"

Carrier nods. "She's going to help us plan traditions."

"Traditions?"

"Mari doesn't remember any traditions, and the ones she does aren't ones she really cared about."

She turns to me suddenly. "Are you excited?"

I start bouncing on my seat excitedly, my energon sloshng over the edge of my cube, and onto the table. "Yep! Wanna has C'istmas 'gain!"

"Christmas?"

Carrier shrugs before turning to me. I smile over at my aunt. "It's a cel'bration of the day Jesus was born. Jesus is God's son. He was born to save us all from Satan. It's a happy story." I giggle softly. "But for kids, it's more than just a cel'bration of baby Jesus. It's a time to get presents an' see family they don't get to see often." I look down slightly. "I hasn't been to church since 'fore I gotted back to Cybertron…an' evens then, I was too dizzy from sparks stuffs to go lots…"

Carrier leans down to me. "You miss going to this place?"

"It's a place to learn about God an' Jesus, an' I growed up goings to church. I misses it, Momma…"

Carrier runs a hand over my helm gently. "I know, Sweetspark." I lean my helm into her side as she sits beside me with her energon cube. "I'll talk with your Sire and see what I can do."

I look up to her with a huge smile. "Really?"

She taps me on my nose. "Really." She nods toward my still-full cube. "Now drink your energon, Sweetspark. You'll need the energy for the afternoon."

I look down into my cube. I don't want it to get cold, but I don't want to eat without the others either… "Where Bumbee? An' Bulky, an' Ratch?" I whimper. "An' B'ue? Where B'ues?"

Aunt Arcee sighs softly. "Blue's in the washracks. we got pretty dusty on patrol, and he let me go first. He'll be in soon enough for his energon."

Carrier moves her fingers from her comm link. "Ratchet's waiting with your Sire, and he said they're almost done, so they'll be in here soon, Bulkhead's trying to get Miko to let him go for two minutes so he can join us, and Bumblebee's coming as soon as he and Raf get done with their race."

The second she finishes speaking, a familiar voice comes from the doorway. "What's wrong, Mari-Bear?"

I look up to find my Guardian in the doorway. "Bwue!" I slide out of my chair and run over to jump in his arms. "Blue-Blue-Blue-Blue!" I giggle as he catches me, and "flies" me around for a moment before setting me back on my pedes. "Comes dwinks 'gon wif us!"

Aunt Arcee sighs. "Mari insists we're all here today."

Carrier nods. "And her warmed low grade is getting cold."

"You added her favorite flavors?"

Arcee scoffs. "For their little princess? I'd be surprised if she ever got less than the best."

I giggle. Carrier knows better than to give me energon without flavors in it. Plain low-grade tastes yeucky! "Silver with a little copper—just enough to taste."

"And almost the same as what I like." Bluestreak turns from the counter and sits beside me, tapping me on the shoulder as he does. "Except I like a little coolant too."

I roll my eyes at the reminder. Even though it's been a full vorn, and a few Earth years besides that, I still have the memory of how annoying it was to take him anywhere—fill the coolant tank, drive to wherever, fill the coolant tank, drive home—over, and over, and over again, until I wanted to kick the poor mech over it! "Don't remind me."

Aunt Arcee smirks, her hands curled around her warmed energon cube. "She almost sounded like an adult there."

I cross my arms and glare at Aunt Arcee. "Just 'cause I was one on "Old Earth" doesn't mean I'm gonna be one all the times here!"

Bumblebee steps in at that moment with Bulkhead and Miko. "What's going on in here?"

"Wow! I didn't know you guys ate!"

I hold up my cube. "We dwinks, no' eats."

Miko looks from my cube, to Bluestreaks, then back to mine. "Why is her's a different color?"

I look from my azure-colored cube to Bluestreak's electric blue one as Carrier smiles over at her. "Mari's still in her sparkling phase, so she needs low grade. She'll use it until she's Rafael's age, at the very least."

"Oh…" She turns to Bulkhead with a smile. "Are we going to join them, or what?" Bulkhead sighs and sets Miko on the table across from Bluestreak before heading over to get himself a cube. "She's still a baby? She won't be a baby for that long, will she?"

Carrier shakes her head. "No, Miko. She'll be considered a youngling once she is six."

Bulkhead returns to the table and sits behind where Miko is. "But she'll still have to drink low grade until she's 12 vorns."

Bumblebee sits across from Carrier with his cube. "What have you done so far today, Little Butterfly?"

I giggle. Everyone calls me that at some point. "I play on'a playgwoun'!"

"And you're going down for a nap this afternoon."

"But…"

Ratchet steps in and gets his cube before sitting on the end closest to Bulkhead and Bluestreak. "Is she fighting you on recharge again?" He turns a milder glare on me when Carrier nods.

I look down. "Awww… No wan' takey nap."

Miko looks over to me. "She still takes naps? I thought yesterday was a one-time thing."

Carrier shakes her head. "She's supposed to get one every afternoon, but with the rise in Decepticon activity, we haven't been sticking with her schedule as well." She sighs softly. "Which is why you need to drink your energon, Sweetspark. It'll get cold."

I push it back and cross my arms. "Wan' Sire firs'."

"You won't get to use that excuse in a moment, Little One."

"No' 'xuse!" I slam my fist down on the table. "Wan' Sire!" Even now, there's moments where someone just won't understand what I want.

"What is going on in here?"

I look up at the door to find Sire standing in the doorway. "Sire!" I slip out of my chair and run over to him before jumping at his pedes, begging him to pick me up. "Up! Up!"

He picks me up before turning to Carrier, who sighs heavily. "She wanted everyone together for lunch, and she refused to drink her energon until you got here."

Ratchet looks up to Sire with a heavy sigh. "And she is refusing to take her recharge nap again."

Sire looks down at me. "Mariposa, Sweetspark, you have to take your nap, or you will be too tired to play this afternoon." I nod to him before laying my head on his shoulder, and he quickly gets his cube before sitting down with the rest of us. He sets me on his lap and starts drinking his own cube as Carrier passes mine over, and I can finally start drinking it. I drink it quickly before curling up on Sire's lap. I'm more tired than I let Ratchet think…


Third POV

Elita turns to Optimus with a soft sigh. "What took so long? Usually, Agent Fowler wants to spend as little time as possible on the comms with you, but this conversation took over two hours."

Optimus sighs heavily as he sets his now half-full cube down on the metal table. "It took me that long to make him listen to reason."

Miko leans forward in her seat. "Fowler doesn't want you guys to celebrate Christmas? Why not?"

Ratchet scoffs. "According to him, It's a human's holiday, and aliens shouldn't want to celebrate them."

Miko shrugs. "Should have brought up Superman."

Ratchet raises an eyebrow ridge. "Who?"

"He's a comic book character—a Kryptonian who grew up in a human family, then started being a superhero as an adult. He celebrated it every year." She smirks. "Aliens can celebrate whatever they want to."

Optimus sighs and runs a hand over his face. "Either way, Elita and I both have to meet with him and June tomorrow to discuss our plans for the upcoming holiday."

"I can help!"

"Miko…"

Elita sighs softly. "She could be a big help, Bulkhead." She turns to Miko. "You have to listen to the adults, if we let you come."

"I will."

Optimus nods. "Arcee?" The femme turns to him. "I would like you to keep an optic on Mariposa while we are in this meeting."

"Yes, Sir." She turns her attention to the recharging youngling in the Prime's lap. "She's got you wrapped around her little finger."

Miko shrugs. "She's Daddy's girl."

"She is." Optimus runs his hand over the back of the femmeling's helm lightly before shifting slightly to where he's shielding her better from any unseen threat. "Which is why Megatron wants to get to her more than anything else."

"Why would Megatron want—"

Bulkhead looks down to where his charge is laying on her stomach with her feet in the air, working on a picture of Bulkhead. "Mari's a dynasty prime, Miko."

"So?"

Arcee sighs heavily. "So she's—"

Bluestreak cuts in. "She's the heir to the Matrix, Miko. Not to mention that she was the first sparkling for generations to not come from the Well. Optimus and Elita went through a lot to protect her from any threat when she was sparked."

"That's why she was in another dimension?"

"Yes." Ratchet sighs. "It's also why she still clings so tightly to Optimus and Elita."

"She missed them…"

"You are correct, Miko, although she didn't know what she was missing at the time. She left them too young to have any lingering memories of them."

"Oh…" Miko sighs softly. "She really had it hard then, didn't she?"

Bluestreak turns to Miko in surprise. "How did you know?"

"Just a wild guess, Blue." Miko shrugs. "She was a baby seperated from her family. All she wanted was to be loved, and the people who did couldn't even be there for her."

Optimus sighs and finishes off his cube. "I need to get Mari into her berth before she wakes up."

"Optimus…?"

Elita steps over and lays a hand on the girl's back. "Don't worry, Miko. He's not mad at you."


Optimus steps into Mariposa's berth room and lays the sparkling on her bed before covering her up. Once she's tucked in, he kisses her forehelm before leaving the room, turning off her light as he does.