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Long ago, so long that few now online remember it, there lived a pair of rulers who wanted nothing more than a creation. These rulers, named Alpha Trion and Beta, wanted this so badly it could not be expressed. Sadly, their kingdom was not prosperous, and it was far from any Vector Sigma terminal. Near daily, they went to the Temple of Primus and prayed and gave what gifts they could, but it seemed to be to no purpose for the longest time.
After many vorns, a Vector Sigma terminal at last was opened in their town, and they successfully petitioned for a creation of their very own. To announce this, there was such a fine celebration as the kingdom, grown prosperous since the rulers began their prayers, had never before seen. Many in the kingdom brought gifts for the soon to be onlined protoform, and for godparents, the newbuild had all the fairies that could be found. There were seven fairies, and each was to give the creation a gift as was their custom in that place and time. Before the newspark's onlining, all the company went to the great hall, where a great feast had been prepared. All were treated well, but the fairies the best of all. Each fairy had placed before them a magnificent plate of the finest treats and an energon cube of gold inlaid with diamonds and rubies.
As everyone sat down, an ancient fairy, who had not been heard of or seen in over fifty vorn, entered. No one had believed Barricade to be at all available for the celebration, even that he might be offline, but word had still reached him. The king had a chair brought and a place set for Barricade but could not furnish him with a gold cube as only seven had been made. Barricade felt slighted and grumbled and grizzled to himself through the feast. The youngest fairy, Quickshadow, sitting by him, thought she overheard threats amidst the complaining. Judging that the old fairy might give the new heir something ill-fated, hid behind some hangings as soon as all rose from the table to ensure she spoke last and might, should Barricade do some evil, put forth her best to repair it.
With the feast ended and the youngest fairy hidden, all the fairies began to speak of their gifts to the heir. One gave the gift of beauty, another of wit, the third gave grace, the fourth that they should be a skilled dancer, the fifth gave them perfect pitch, and the sixth that they should play any kind of music they wished with utter perfection.
Next was Barricade's turn and, in spite and without letting any explain that the perceived slight had been unintentional, declared that the heir should have their hand pierced with a center punch, such as those used to mark armour and die of the wound. At the pronouncement of this terrible gift, all the company trembled, and many cried out in horror.
But in the midst of the hubbub and ado, Quickshadow emerged from behind the hangings and raised her voice to speak her gift.
"Be assured, O Kings, that your creation shall not die. While I cannot wholly undo this dreadful curse, I may change it, even a little. The heir will indeed pierce their hand with a center punch, but they shall not die. Instead, they shall fall into a deep stasis that shall last a hundred vorn. At the ending of this, an heir from another kingdom will come and awaken them."
Well, this was not so bad as their longed-for creation dying, but still, the rulers wished to prevent the curse from taking place in any aspect. Alpha Trion immediately issued a proclamation forbidding everyone, on pain of termination, from owning a center punch, and so he and Beta felt their creation safe. The new heir was brought online as planned and gave her designation to her joyful and loving creators as Elita One.
All went well and safely for the heir for eighteen stellar-cycles until one day Elita, always curious, happened to find herself exploring deep in the castle. She found herself in the old forge, where armour was made, and there was an old armourer who had long been cloistered there and had never heard of the proclamation against centre punches. In fact, they were using that very thing just at the moment that Elita One walked in.
"What are you doing there, good ser?" Elita asked curiously.
"I am making armour," replied the armourer, who did not know who the heir was.
"Oh!" said she. "This is quite fascinating. How do you do it? May I try?"
The armourer saw no reason not to, so he handed over the centre punch and showed the heir how to make marks upon the plate. But Elita, in haste or lacking experience, or only because of the curse, ran the punch into her hand. As had been foretold, she dropped into stasis on the spot. The armourer called straightaway for help, and help came quickly. Those that came did all they could to revive the heir, but naught could rouse her. The rulers ran to the forge, thinking in dread of the fairies' words, curse and gift both. Knowing what was to come, they ordered Elita One to be laid out in her bed-chamber and made comfortable. It was commanded that she should not be disturbed but let lie until the appointed hour when the foretold heir should arrive. Indeed, they thought, there was naught else to be done.
Now, at the time all this happened, Quickshadow was visiting relatives in the kingdom of Praxus, twelve thousand hics off. But a minibot who lived in the kingdom and had boots that let him tread over seven hics at a stride went to Praxus and informed her. Quickshadow left Praxus immediately and arrived in the kingdom, perhaps a joor later, travelling by using her own powers.
When Quickshadow met with the rulers and saw what had happened, she approved everything they had done. But, being also possessed of foresight, the fairy thought that when Elita awoke a hundred vorn from now, she might be affrighted and unsure of things if she awoke all alone in the old palace. With this in mind, Quickshadow suggested she should put Elita's attendants and her tutors along with certain officers, stewards, cooks, guards, footmecha, and even her little cyber-dog into stasis with her. That way, she would have others with her and perhaps be less lost when she awoke. The palace staff were all most faithful to the royal family, and many offered to be placed into stasis for the heir's sake, even more than were needed. As soon as the fairy's wand touched them, they fell into stasis, not to awaken before their mistress. Indeed, the whole castle fell into such a state of suspension that it seemed not even the dust fell.
Thus with everything set to waiting for Elita One's awakening, the rulers kissed their dear creation and left the palace, issuing a proclamation that none should come near it. But this was not necessary for, in a groon's time there grew up around the castle grounds a great tangle of cable-vines. It was so thick that not even a glitch-mouse could pass through it and so high that only the towers' pennants could be seen. One had to go a great distance away to see even that. None doubted that the heir and her companions in their stasis need have no fear of being disturbed. Still, there was sorrow and keening in the kingdom for some time after that.
Time passed, as it does, whether mortals will it or no, and the hundred vorn were soon almost gone. One day, the creation of the king of Iacon, greatest of Cybertron's city-states, went a-hunting in the kingdom and saw the castle's pennants above the great tangle of cable-vines. This heir, whose name was Optimus Prime, had never seen such a thing and, of course, wished to know more of it.
"Tell me," Optimus Prime said to his companions, "what can there be in the middle of such a great, thick wood that would have cause to fly pennants?"
Each companion answered according to the tales they had heard. One said it was a ruined fortress, haunted by spirits. Others said that it was where the fairies danced, and witches and wizards held their meetings. But the most common opinion was that an ogre dwelt there because, having only himself the power to traverse the wood, it was the safest place to bring the mecha he caught so he might slaughter them for their t-cogs. Optimus, who was a student of both history and reason, was not sure what to believe in all this when his oldest retainer, Kup, spoke.
"That reminds me of a tale I heard about a hundred vorn ago, give or take a couple of meta-cycles," he said thoughtfully, "about an heir who'd been cursed to fall into stasis until an heir from another kingdom showed up to bring her out of it. Guess the vines grew up to protect her from anyone showing up early or messing with the spell. Never a good idea to mess with a spell, especially one cast by a fairy. Her creators, the rulers of this kingdom, might know more."
Now, Optimus Prime had a great sense of justice, and he thought it unfair that anyone might be trapped by such a spell, and much more so that creators should have to lack their creation for so long. He resolved at that moment to look into this and see if there might not be a way to break the spell and reunite the family. Without pausing to weigh the matter further, he rode to the wall of cable-vines, seeking to examine them and find a way through.
Optimus Prime had hardly reached the boundary when the thick vines gave way to allow him through though as he passed into the great courtyard, he found that none of his mecha could follow him. The vines had closed up again as soon as he had passed through them. But the heir had made up his mind and continued on his way. Optimus Prime was brave and valiant, but over the whole castle lay a deathly silence that would have unnerved even the most fearless. There were no sounds, and whenever he encountered any mech during his explorations, they all lay in stasis so deep that only the colour of their armour shewed they still lived. Guards remained in their guardhouses, footmecha at their stations, and the kitchen staff all sat 'round the kitchen table with their heads pillowed on their arms. Noblemecha were in their fine rooms, and one devoted spark remained in his office.
At last, Optimus came to a fine chamber gilded with gold, where he saw laid upon a bed the most beautiful mech he had ever seen. Knowing this must be the enspelled heir, he approached and knelt down next to the bed.
Because Optimus Prime's very presence meant that the enchantment was now ended, Elita One revived from stasis and, with rather more calm than might be expected, looked upon him and was pleased.
"Is it you?" she asked. "The heir for whom I have waited? Surely it seemed a long while for you."
Optimus was as charmed with her concern as with her voice and beauty. He assured her it had been no wait whatsoever, and he had come as soon as he had learned of her fate. Optimus was somewhat at a loss as to what else he might or should say, but Elita One was a margin more eloquent. It was as if she had had time to think about what she might say. Indeed, it seems possible Quickshadow had given her quite pleasant dreams and perhaps even some with a touch of prophecy. The two heirs talked together for four joors altogether and yet still had more to say.
As the two spoke, all the others in the castle awakened and, as they were not fascinated by their own heir, found themselves near stasis again from hunger. Elita One's chief mech of honour, who was named Chromia and was a mech who had no fear of speaking her mind, at last, grew impatient and came to tell the heirs that it was time for all to fuel. As it was poor manners for any to fuel before the royal family when they were in residence, the heirs were obliged to leave off their discourse go down to dinner. Chromia had made better use of her time than simply grousing and had also summoned Elita One's creators, Alpha Trion and Beta, who arrived swiftly. Overjoyed, they hugged their creation and covered her with kisses and keened for happiness, they were in such a state of delight.
The great wall of cable-vines and shrunk away as if it had never been, and Optimus's mecha had all come into the castle in search of him. With their guests, the rulers, and all the courtiers, the event became a celebration. The musicians sang and played, and all the company as wished to danced without regard to rank, kitchen maids with nobles and footmecha with knights. Though all the entertainment was many vorn out of date, the modern guests still found it all quite charming.
Optimus Prime stayed in Elita One's kingdom for a deca-cycle before he was required to return home, but the night before his departure, they were betrothed. The ceremony was to take place a stellar-cycle hence, for Elita's creators wished to have time again with her after so long lost, and Optimus respected this. Furthermore, royal marriages are no simple matter, and despite their feelings for each other, there was work to be done. Instead of the sadness that had hung over the kingdom so long, there was joy and anticipation. The royal wedding promised to be even greater a ceremony than the one that had announced the heir's coming was planned.
The stellar-cycle passed both swift and slow for the two lovers, and it seemed as though they spoke to each other over comms every night, and then, at last, the great day came. Elita One and Optimus Prime were made conjunx endura in a beautiful ceremony, and all the mecha of both their kingdoms celebrated. Once wed, they returned to Orion's kingdom of Iacon. They lived a happy, loving, and prosperous life together, and for all that anyone knows, they are living there still.