From Out Of The Vocals Of Sparklings.

Epilogue.

Four Years Later.

"The sparkling has nothing wrong with her processors, body or Spark as far as my scans can tell me." Ratchet said to Sam and Bumblebee. "However, I think we are all agreed that something is wrong, even Firelight herself, not that even she can explain it."

Firelight was Arcee's most recent creation, but, like her brother Topgear, had been given to Sam and Bumblebee to bring up. Although they could not physically bond like Cybertronians, the two had a deep friendship, and had chosen to bring up the sparklings between them. Arcee and Bumblebee were the spark-parents, but Arcee played no part in their upbringing unless both Sam and Bumblebee needed a sparklingsitter.

"I'm sorry, all I know is that it's as if something I need is missing, I feel anxious, unhappy and frightened." Firelight explained. She had been given the programming to speak rather than learning it from listening to the adults and older younglings because something was obviously wrong, something made Firelight cry, fret, and scream, and Ratchet had hoped she could tell them what was wrong. Unfortunately, that hope had proved to be fruitless.

Sam sighed. "Well, there's only one thing for it." Sam said, nodding to Bumblebee. "You'd better sing, buddy, I think only the Essence can solve this one."

Ratchet's suspicion that the AllSpark Essence had transferred itself into Sam had been confirmed when, over time, he aged far, far slower than most humans. Sam was in his early eighties and looked less than half that: Mikaela, Sam's human wife, had died two years ago looking all of her eighty-odd years. Their five children had all been affected by this too: the oldest looked only twenty-five despite being twice that age. Although the Essence was within Sam, Sam had never tried to use it to create younglings, or do anything else, for a variety of reasons: he wasn't sure it would work and the idea of wielding – and possibly being corrupted by having - such power scared him.

Not to mention, of course that there was no immediate need for new sparklings by the time this was confirmed, the first batch had been created by Sparkmerge by both sides, and they were all having way too much fun rediscovering how to procreate naturally to want Sam to act as the AllSpark for them. It had also been found that an odd side-effect of the femmes carrying made them a little more biddable to those they considered friends – but dangerous to perceived enemies – and the mechs who spent a lot of time around the femmes found it a nice change. Neither were any of the femmes complaining: they all agreed that carrying was a very comfortable state of being.

No, Sam had never been asked to take on the AllSpark's role, much to his relief, but Bumblebee occasionally used his sensitivity to it to communicate with it. Sam wasn't keen on it, but this was one of those times when it seemed there was no alternative, so Sam allowed Bumblebee to pick him up, shifted till he was comfortable in the scout's gentle hands, then nodded to Bumblebee, who began to sing.

oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo

It didn't tale as long as some earlier communications: the AllSpark Essence seemed to sense the urgency of their enquiry. Fifteen minutes later, Bumblebee put Sam down and spoke to Ratchet.

"It says she's sky-hungry, whatever that means."

Ratchet's optics opened very wide.

"It means that somehow, you and Arcee, both grounders, have managed to spark a Seeker." Ratchet said. "Seekers need to fly or they go mad. She should be in a flying body, not that grounder one. She should be a winglet."

"That should be easy enough, shouldn't it?" Sam asked. "You can transfer her to a winglet frame?"

"Yes, if I had a winglet frame," agreed Ratchet. "I don't have one, I'm afraid. On the other hand, I think I know where I can get one…"

oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo

"Thundercracker is on his way as I speak to you, with a red and yellow winglet frame, "Dr Syn said cheerfully over the communications link. "He thought with a name like Firelight that that colour scheme would be appropriate. He has also said he'll stay with you for a few days to download the information she needs and help her learn how to use it in a practical manner."

Ratchet breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank Pit we're at peace, we would have had problems if we were still at war." Dr Syn nodded.

"Well, we are at peace and that's a good thing anyway." Dr Syn said. "Tell me when Thundercracker has arrived, would you?"

"Certainly." Ratchet agreed.

oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo

Thundercracker walked in, and handed Ratchet a brightly-patterned winglet frame.

"Where is she?" the Seeker asked anxiously. Ratchet pointed to the fretful youngling who was in Bumblebee's arms, shaking and whining.

"Give her to me." Thundercracker said, holding out his arms. Surprised at the demand, Bumblebee at first didn't comply, and Ratchet asked "Why? I need to transfer her as soon as possible."

Thundercracker sighed.

"No you don't, she is sky-hungry now, and every moment she's further denied the sky increases her distress. I can fly: I can take her up into the sky and fly with her, that will ease the longing long enough for the transfer to be made, the relevant programming to be altered or removed, and the information to be downloaded. That will likely take time, time that this little one will find intolerable unless she gets to be in the air first. Trust me, I'm a Seeker myself and I have my own winglets, she needs to be taken up right now!"

Bumblebee immediately held out the sparkling, and Thundercracker held her tight in his long arms and headed out. For a short time they could hear her keening, then a moment later, they heard him take off, drowning out her cries.

"Well, I'd better get this checked and ready." Ratchet said, putting the winglet frame on his worktable.

oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo

"Well, there, it's all done." Ratchet said as he onlined Firelight in her new body, six hours after Thundercracker had first arrived, two of which Thundercracker had spent in the air with the sparkling.

"I'll download the data she needs, then take her out to start using it." Thundercracker said.

"All I can say, Thundercracker, is thank you." Bumblebee said. "That, and that I think instead of being Firelight, I think she should be renamed, her name should reflect her element. Adding one letter should do it." Had he a mouth, the yellow scout would have been smiling.

"Firelight's new name will be Fireflight."