| abstract
| - Somewhere across the blockey landscape, a star is coursing across the heavens. It's bright, it's visible, and it's growing closer. Something black and winged is pursuing the star. It's hard to miss this visible spectacle! It may be near the end of the day, when most Kreons head home to be with their families, but Grapple is still hard at work. He pulls an tugs, a pile of bricks in his two mismatched hands and a few longer pieces trailing behind him. For some reason, all the parts are bright pink. And covered in flowers and heart decals. Still, he notices the nearby spectacle -- mostly from nearby yells -- and looks up! "Hmm..?" The black winged something strikes the star and keens loudly. It shoots off in another direction. The star, meanwhile, is knocked off course, and begins a rapid decent. It's getting bigger and bigger... Because it's headed right for where Grapple is! The pile of pink pieces go flying as a panicked Grapple loses his cool and tosses them aside. He then runs, but not quite to get away from the falling star, or whatever it is; instead, he's trying to push his half-finished masterpiece aside! It's already on wheels, but much of it hasn't been constructed yet. He pushes! Will he succeed?! WHAM! The ground shakes and ground bricks go flying everywhere. Fortunately for Grapple, it didn't strike his hard work. Safe for now! Inside the crater, however, is a smooth egg-like pod, clamshelled together. Well, the crater and it's content is now on his property, but nothing seems to have been destroyed. Even most of the newly acquired bricks appear to be intact! Phew! Still, Grapple hesitates. It's a thing that fell from the sky. Surely, official would now be on their war. It takes a few minutes, for the orange Kreon to walk over, curiosity overcoming better senses. The clamshell senses Grapple's proximity and opens with a hiss of steam. It's lit inside. Nestled into a black rectangular recess is a small, silver, curled up protoform. Usually, Grapple is a Kreon known for keeping his cool. He's a builder; once he has a task in front of him, he gets to work and does it swiftly. Building was the love of his life, after all, but even a few things get in the way once in a while, and he has never once let it bother him. However, he now has only a single reaction to this. "Aaaaahh!" The tiny little silver baby-Kreon opens up pale blue eyes and looks at Grapple. "Waaaaaaaaaah!" Now it's crying too! The only thing this does is get Grapple to scream MORE. "Aaaah! Oh no, oh no! Aaaah!" He runs around like a chicken without a blocky head for a moment before he stops to look at the baby-Kreon again. "Aaaah!" Well, at least he's running TO the little protoform now. In the distance, the black winged thing changes direction, hearing the crying and screaming. It's starting to come closer. Grapple hesitantly and carefully picks up the little protoform. He has never once done so in his entire kreon-ey life; the very concept was beyond him. He was a builder, not a parent! "Oh dear. Oh dear..!" Somehow, he senses the incoming thing in the sky. He turns, slowly, to look up. "AAAH!" The little protoform shimmers and takes on a whitish coloration with a purple visor. On the visor are adorable baby eyes and a mouth. She's very cool to the touch. She squeals delightedly at Grapple. Meanwhile, the black thing up above is becoming more visible. It's a black mega-set dragon. Everybody panic! Kreons in the street are running in terror, screaming themselves at the sight! Enforcers begin to arrive to fire on it! What's a Megablox dragon doing HERE?! "Aaaah!" And there was Grapple, who was running to the nearest shelter he had; his masterpiece in progress, which kind of looked like a partially built car. Or maybe a wagon. He dives underneath it with the protoform. The dragon roars at the enforcers, irritated with their little rubber-band weapons and missiles. It spews clear plastic fire-pieces at the attacking enemies and lashes its tail. There is a Decepticon insignia across its forehead. Proto-Snowblind makes pleased noises at Grapple, apparently heedless of the danger going on around her. The enforcers put up a fight, of course! Their very purpose is to protect the denizens of this great city! Blockades are swiftly built and more officers pile in. They appear to be trying to push the dragon back, towards the nearest territory line! Grapple, meanwhile, has gone from screaming to petrified cowering underneath the half built cart. The protoform is clung to, even though one arm ends in a tube. "GIVE ME THE INFANT! I MUST CONSUME IT!" the dragon roars, being pushed back by the enforcer's weaponfire. The dragon jets plastic flames angrily, which stick to some nearby trees, thus catching them 'on fire'. And now the fire department was involved. Sprinkles of transparent blue round one-bricks are sent at the trees, buildings and even the dragon. Who knows, some dragons can't handle water, right? But the enforcers also hold strong, even if they take the wrong meaning from 'give me the infant'. "It wants to eat our children!" Some random passerby shrieks before running in to a cafe. Grapple, meanwhile, gives the cooing infant the biggest, wide-eyed stare he ever gave anything. The protoform is utterly innocent, but the symbol on it matches the symbol on the dragon. Eventually the dragon can't handle the water and rubber-tipped "missiles". It roars, enraged. "I WILL BE BACK! ThE PROGRAMMING WILL BE COMPLETED!" With one huge downdraft that blows some houses into brick piles and topples plastic palm trees, it launches into the air and flies away. There is a chorus of cheers from the enforcers and firekreons as the dragon flies off. Depending where it goes, it either becomes Legoland's problem or Megablox's joy. Megablox is known for liking their dragon slaying journeys. Hesitantly, Grapple crawls back out from under the cart. He looks to the cheering, growing crowd. Then, he look to the little protoform. His optics are still bugging out. "DADA!" the protoKreon exclaims at Grapple. "AAAH!" Is the response. Now, the infant is held at arm's length; the tube arm is under the protoKreon's armpit. "AAAH!"
* A short time later....* Blades is dreaming on Cybertron. It starts out as a normal dream, because it is a nightmare about bees barfing in him. However, he soon contracts that contagious brain disease that has been going around, dumping his dream session... here. So a minifig of Blades sits up in a pile of clear yellow studs, rubbing his head. "Screaming protoforms and bee barf. Hot Spot told me there'd be days like this." Unfortunately for Blades there's also a lot of clear blue studs, knocked over plastic trees and missing ground blocks. There's also a crater with an egg-shaped clamshell pod half lodged in the ground. And probably screaming. Not too far away from where Blades is sitting is a little plot of lego-ey land. It's mostly empty, right in the middle of two standard suburban houses. Most of the neighborhood is kind of a mess; trees missing limbs, and, oh, right, that crater. But next to the crater is also several piles of bricks, a partially-built undercarriage for a car-like thing, and.. Grapple. Grapple the kreon with.. An itty bitty protoform kreon. The architect looks like he's seen his first horror. "Jeez, this looks lkike a major disaster area. I guess I had /better/ go see if anyone needs help. I guess," Blades says sullenly. He squirms out from under the pile of clear yellow studs, and he ambles on over to where Grapple is experiencing the joys of fatherhood. "Huh. Looks like her factory. Where'd you buy her? Craig's list? eBay? Toys'R'Us? Etsy?" Protokreonform is imitating Grapple's terrified howls and laughing. She's largely white with little gray bits to match snow pieces. A clear purple visor with happy adorable baby eye stickers and an open, happy mouth serves as a face. Grapple looks up slowly from the protokreon. He still looks completely and utterly horrified. He doesn't actually say anyting, but points with one tube-hand to the nearby crater. The clamshell thing is still in there, conveniently protokreon-sized. "Oh. Fell out of the sky in a clamshell. That's rough, Grapple. I never pegged you for one to end up with an unplanned protoform, but these things just happen," Blades says, almost understanding, and he nods along. For a moment, Grapple can only stare blankly at Blades. Slowly, after a good few seconds, he manages to sputter. His first attempt to speak comes out like a squeaking noise. Then: "It's not my protoform!" At the sound of Blades' voice, Protokreon squirms around to look at the other Kreon. She then extends her arms out towards Blades, trying to get to him, or signal him to pick her up. Blades starts putting the knocked-over trees back rightside up, pegging them back into their bases. It's pretty easy. He sighs, "Grapple, I know it is a lot to come to terms with. I just want you to know that the Autokreons will be there for you to help you through this. Probably not me, but I'm just going to go ahead and volunteer everyone else while they aren't here to contradict me." Does the protoform want him to pick it up? Oh, slag no. He already woke up in a pile of bee barf for no clear reason! Grapple frowns very sternly at Blades. VERY. STERNLY. Then, he puts the little kreon protoform on the ground -- someplace with no stray bricks to get hurt on! -- and then folds his arms. "It fell from the sky! I will.. I will bring the protoform to the authorities. Yes! Precisely what I'll do!" Curious, perhaps, why he hasn't done so yet. The protoform starts to creep over towards Blades. She's determined if nothing else. Blades grumbles to himself and picks up the protoform, which he grudgingly holds correctly. He insists to Grapple, "She's a flier. Probably already imprinted on you." Grapple only sputters more. "Imprinted?! Impri -- I'm not a flier!" He flails his little kreon limbs. A wave of clear plastic like a tiny scanning beam runs over Blades, emanating from the Protokreon. She suddenly gets a little bigger and little more well developed. "It's okay. We'll build you a set of wings so that you can teach her to fly, Grapple. Hmm. Flying construction equipment. Where have I heard of that before?" Oh, right, Scrapper! Blades is startled by the scanning beam, and he demands, "Did she do that to you, too, Grapple!?" Grapple stares at the protoform. Then, to Blades. Slowly, a small smile crosses his face. "No. In fact, the little one did not. You were saying about imprinting?" Oh, so smug! "Daddy two!" the protokreon announces. Blades holds the protoform out at Grapple and demands, "You scan Grapple this minute, missy!" Grapple takes a step back and away from Blades and the protoform. "Well! It seems you're her caretaker now!" Still so smug. Tiny clear plastic sheet scans Grapple. Now the protokreon is child-sized. Grapple 's expression goes from smug superiority to mute horror. He stares at the protoform, plastic mouth opening over and over, but no words coming out. "Congratulations," Blades deadpans, "You are now a Protectobot-in-law." Grapple sputters for a moment. "I am not!" A pause. "..Why did she shrink after scanning ME?!" Oh, and now he sounds insulted. "Thank you!" the protoform-child says. Grapple keeps staring at the protoform. "..You are not mine." Then, he turns to one of his piles of bricks, and starts digging through it. Blades explains, "Grapple is having a very emotional time right now. He can't tell large from small. Anyway, so if you have your language software booted up, what's your name?" "Snowblind," she says. "Thank you. Now I can walk. Maybe the dragon won't eat me now." Oh, right; there had been a dragon involved. Grapple sputters again; he's making that sound a great deal. "WHERE did you come from and WHY was a dragon from... From MEGABLOX following you?" Blades sets Snowblind down, then, since she can walk. He scolds, "Are you bringing MEGABLOX trouble across the border, little missy?" "No!" she says, sniffling. She wipes her eyestickers with her little lego-hands. Clear blue single pieces fall from either side of her visor. "It was chasing me ever since I was made! It's gonna eat me and then I'll be a monster!" Grapple stares at Snowblind. He doesn't move for a moment, but his expression softens a little. "Why is it chasing you and what's this about being a monster?" Blades draws one of his blades. "Well, this is an easy problem to solve. Let's just go kill it! See what kind of loot it drops." Grapple frowns sternly at Blades again. "...Loot...?" Then, a sigh. "The dragon has long since flown away. The enforcers chased it off, hopefully to that block-forsaken MEGABLOX place." "No!" Snowblind shouts, waving her arms. "If you kill it I'll die too!" Grapple blinks at Snowblind. "..Pardon?" Blades raises one mitten-claw-hands to his cylindrical face, and says, "...yeah, you're going to have to explain this to me. Don't tell me you're one of those Dragonriders of Pern. Just don't." The kreon-child sighs and tries to explain, thinking hard. "All of us are made with monsters inside us. But mine was very sick and tiny when I was made, so it didn't eat me, like everyone's monster does. But now I'm tiny and weak... and the monster is much, much bigger. The others with the faces like mine are making it bigger so it will eat me and make me a monster like them." She points to the purple Deceptikreon symbol on her chest. Grapple stares at Snowblind. And stares. And stares some more. after a few seconds, he looks to Blades. "Did you understand any of that?" Blades, being a KREON, has no compunctions talking about his Tragic Backstory. He tries to pick Snowblind back up, and he laughs, "Oh, that? Well, look, I wasn't always a Protectobot. Or... an Autobot at all. So, y'know, I just impaled my monster on a thorn, where it keeps bleeding red studs forever but can't get loose. Hurts like the Pit, but it sure does look sweet!" Blades is not remotely child-friendly, even as a dream KREON. Snowblind seems thrilled by this. "Show me show me show me! I wanna put my monster on a spike too!" Grapple pales slightly at Blades. "You shouldn't say things like that to protoforms!" He pauses a moment. "And WHAT are you both even talking about?!" Blades finishes setting all the trees back up, one-handed, and then he tries to set Snowblind back down. "Look. I gotta get back to Protectobot HQ. But wherever danger threatens, I'll be there! - Grapple, I'm sure you'll do a great job looking after her while I'm gone." "Okay daddy!" Snowblind says. She looks at Grapple, aka other daddy. "... Do you wanna kill monsters too? It'll be fun!" Grapple looks down at Snowblind; that horrified expression is coming back. "Ah.. I.. Uhm.. Maybe later?"
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