//------------------------------// // (12) Proto-Formation // Story: Transformares (Not So) Animated // by neorenamon //------------------------------// by neorenamon "Wait," asked Jazz, "You're tellin me that these ponies are Autobots?!" "Well Sari is proof that a protoform can adopt organics forms," replied Ratchet. "How could protoforms of any type wind up here?" asked Bulkhead. "I have a theory about that." "Well don't keep it a secret," replied Prime. "Long ago..." "Oh, it's one of those stories..." grumbled Bumblebee. "DO YOU MIND?!" snapped Ratchet as he glared at Bumblebee. "Okay. Sheesh," he said as he folded his arms and looked another way. "Shortly after the last full blown war with the Decepticons started," he continued as he looked back at the others, "there was a lab that was working on experimental protoforms. These protoforms were very special because they could replicate themselves without a factory." "Say what?!" "Once they were formed, they gained the ability to produce new proforms internally. The 'females' bore the responsibility of sheltering the form inside her own frame until it could be released, and continue development until it became fully operational. The protoform developed within a special 'production module' she kept within her lower torso." "Like us Earth creatures do normally!" said Sari. "Precisely. The protoforms were too precious to be allowed to be taken by the Decepticons, so all of them were loaded onto a robot ship and warped deep into space to orbit a distant star. It was programmed to wait until a reasonable amount of time had passed, and then automatically return to Cybertron. But it never returned, so it was presumed lost. Eventually, that bit of data was lost from the main Autobot History Files. Some say the Primes did this on purpose, but I'm not so sure about that. Now if that ship crashed on this planet about 1,100 to 1,300 solar cycles ago, then the ponies here would have found the wreckage." "And if those ponies touched a broken storage cell, the protoform would have become one of the ponies!" said Bulkhead. "Correct," he replied, "and ponies of the time might have taken this as some sign or gift from... the sky gods or something. Now there was also supposed to be other special protoforms that cannot reproduce, but were made to be more powerful. In fact, I'm pretty sure we... borrowed a couple of these from the Decepticons. For safe keeping and all that." "That would explain why the ponies and Nightmare Moon transformed into robots!" "But without the proper programming, or lessons, then the protoforms created by the original protoforms would not know how to transform. There would most likely be any reason to record something in history that no one knew about." "But their ability to transform was somehow triggered by my key and the AllSpark fragment," said Sari. "That makes the most sense really." "So these protoforms can reproduce with an organic?" asked Prime. "No," he replied, "I think it required two protoforms with the opposing types of Cybertonian Nucleic Acid. They take half of their plans and mesh them together to make a whole new proform that takes after their parents, taking on superficial characteristics of both while still remaining Autobot on the inside." "So the odds are that there aren't many of these proto-ponies running around. It would almost be by chance that two acceptable forms would happen to meet each other and engage in reproductive activities." "So this is just pure chance that we six here just happen to be these proto-critters?" asked Applejack. "Most likely." "Wait," said Twilight, "If Nightmare Moon is a protoform, then what about Princess Celestia?" "We won't know until we save her, and see if she reacts to the key-fragment combination like the six of you did." "And how did I know about these weapons?" asked Twilight as she looked at her hands. "Once activated," he replied, "Your minds simply accessed the databank that you had no need to use before." "Will we all be stuck like this forever?" asked Applejack. "No, you should be able to change back by setting your mind to make that happen." "But right now..." said Optimus Primes and Twilight Prime as one. "You go first," said Twilight. "No, please say what you wanted to say," replied Prime. "Well, I was going to say we should use these forms until we rescue Princess Celestia." "That's good, because I was going to suggest the same. I guess at heart, you really are Prime material." "What all is a Prime?" asked Applejack. "A Prime is a leader of Autobots," he replied, "We normally get educated at the Academy, but some just believe Primes are created rather than educated." He offered his hand to her as he continued, "And as I'm the Prime to these Autobots, you are just as much a Prime to your pony friends here. It's now your responsibility to guide them and protect them." "But I didn't ask for that," she replied as she placed her hand in his. "I have the feeling you'll take the role of Prime anyways." "It's also somewhat against the odds that all six of you are the female protoforms," added Ratchet, "or at least the female descendants of the original protoforms." "So Equestria is some kind of secret Autobot colony?" asked Bumblebee. "I suppose you could put it that way." "It's SO COOL that we're all related now... in some way or another!" gushed Sari. "I guess so," answered Optimus Prime and Twilight Prime as one. Then they glanced at each other and smiled. "Well, that could get just a little annoying," muttered Ratchet. "Too bad Nightmare Moon isn't some wicked cool dragon!" said Sari. "Why?" "Because a story is so much cooler when the villain is a dragon! D'uh." "I still don't get you organics, and I've known you for a few solar cycles now." "That's because I'm special!" "But that brings up an interesting possibility," said Ratchet as he looked at the ponies turned Autobots. "What's that?" asked Twilight. "If Nightmare Moon was once one of the Decepticon protoforms, that might explain her current behavior. No matter how integrated a protoform becomes, they will always have elements of their base programming." "So that might explain how Nightmare Moon lived so long? And perhaps Celestia as well?" "Autobots and Decepticons can last thousands of solar cycles baring catastrophic systems failure." "But can this base programming be changed?" "Well, the Decepticons have claimed that they can reprogram an Autobot into one of their own permanently, but I don't know if the Autobots ever tried creating a similar reprogramming process of their own." "So there is a chance that Nightmare Moon could be returned to the younger sister of Princess Celestia she was at one time," mused Twilight. "Younger sister?!" asked all the other ponies as one. "That's the backstory to the legend and the prophecy," she replied,"Nightmare Moon was the younger sister of the alicorn Princess that controlled the sun, and once she was imprisoned in the moon, the older sister took control of the sun and the moon. It has to be Princess Celestia. She has to be the older sister." "Whoa!" cried Pinkie, "My mind is blown!" Confetti shot out of her mane as noise makers blew... somewhere around her. "Well ah reckon I don't care if yer some fancy Prime or not, Twillie," said Applejack as she placed her hand on her shoulder, "We're friends now. That's all the really matters in the end. I'll follow you... believe in you... because we're friends." "ME TOO!" said Pinkie. The rest of the ponies nodded in agreement. "Then let's go rescue Princess Celestia!!" cried Twilight Prime. The others cheered their approval. "And the spirit of Primus is transferred across the universe to a new generation of Autobots," sighed Ratchet, "and the power of evil may well be contained for another generation." "What was that?" asked Optimus. "Nothing," he replied as they set out for going deeper into the Everfree Forest, "Just the ramblings of an old Autobot processor."