It’s Christmas Prime

Visibility was really poor. Snow was coming down thick and fast. Driving conditions were treacherous. Add to that, the disorientation of being a 14-wheeler truck with a sudden realisation of having a level of consciousness. Of having emotions, even. A fear of the road ahead. The white flakes shimmering in the headlights, blinding against a dark backdrop. The truck was terrified.

The road was covered in snow with minimal tracks from some prior vehicles that had been that way already. Its width was just wide enough for a truck, but no wider, with snow banks half a meter high on either side. By the side of the road were trees, a forest even, though it was difficult to tell. The sky was dark and there was no other artificial lighting other then the bright glow of the truck’s headlights.

The truck was not travelling fast. It too was white, partly from the snow but partly from a very specific festive-looking colour scheme. At the top of the front windscreen was a banner saying “Happy Holidays” though the sentience of the truck had no awareness of that, nor what it even meant. It just knew of the road ahead and a need to get somewhere safe. And soon.

After a while there were signs of lights from the side of the road. A small wood cabin came into view and the truck slowed further, coming to a stop. With the use of its headlights it could ‘see’, though it wasn’t really aware of doing it, and saw within the cabin. A small wooden barn with bright lights hanging on brass fittings positioned around the room. In the centre, a box showing an image of a fire. Two logs crisscrossed with flames ablaze on top. The box didn’t seem to have any other purpose, other than to show the image of the fire.

Two apparent seating arrangements were positioned in front of the box, though no-one appeared to be around. In the corner of the room was a tree about two metres in height. It was adorned with red items: bows, shiny metallic strips and a few small round things. One, though, was white, two round sections one larger than the other and what seemed like a black section on top. If the truck had known better it would have recognised it to be a snowman. A glass Christmas ornament of a snowman hanging from a Christmas tree. But that soon wouldn’t matter as the snowman ornament started to slide from the tree branch. The movement of the truck just outside must have been sufficient to dislodge it from its branch. It slid and undoubtedly would crash to the floor and smash into pieces.

But it didn’t.

As it fell it started to shake, open and grow. The head of the snowman with its black top hat, rotated to the side of the main body. The front section with black buttons, slid up over the top revealing a happy smiling, yet robotic face. Little feet protruded from the base of the main body and a little arm appeared on its left side. It went from the 5cm it must have been as a Christmas bauble, to stand approx 1 metre in height next to the tree.

Something stirred within the truck at the sight of the changing Christmas bauble into a robot. Something within its subconscious that this had significance. It then became aware that it could hear sounds and was able to tune specifically directly to those sounds, or rather to voices it could hear coming from the cabin.

“And then, Jazz skidded off the road due to the weather,” said a voice.

“It was snowing?” said a second excitedly and seemingly coming from the robot that had been the snowman.

“Yes Meltz Down,” replied the first voice that the truck could now tell was emanating from the box with the image of a fire.

“I like snow,” said Meltz Down.

The box continued, “Jazz was about to be attacked by a human with a hatred of us Transformers, but Jazz’s human companion Buster Whitwicky managed to convince the villain about something he called ‘the spirit of Christmas’ and the being gave Jazz what it called a ‘reprieve’. ” The images on the box’s screen changed from the log fire, to images of a white and black robot falling clumsily in the snow.

Meltz Down gasped in amazement and clapped his hands together in appreciation.

“And then,” started the box, “there was Jetfire-”

“Was it snowing?” interrupted Meltz Down.

“Yes!” sighed the storyteller before continuing. “Jetfire was out in the winter snow and struggling to understand how he was a Transformer here on Earth. He hadn’t performed well in a fight when protecting his fellow Autobots, but did do well when he was protecting the humans. The human Buster, told him that was normal because Jetfire had been born a Transformer on Earth. Jetfire didn’t just learn about the Christmas spirit, but also the human spirit.” Again the images changed on the screen, to a white and red robot sat in snow looking at a Christmas Tree, then standing proudly by the house it was next too, before changing into a plane and flying away.

“And then-”

“Ooh there’s another story Yule!” shouted Meltz Down. The box, Yule, sighed in frustration as he was interrupted yet again, but continued.

“And then there was the time Starscream found himself reactivated out in the middle of nowhere..”

“Out in the snow?”

“Out in the snow. A human tried to teach him the spirit of Christmas. Being a Decepticon, the human didn’t do very well but he got at least a ‘Merry Christmas’ from Starscream”.

“And then there was the time when Optimus Prime himself, was out with some Autobots..” he paused just in time.

“Out in the snow?” interjected Meltz Down.

“Yes Meltz Down, out in the snow.” Yule was starting to learn to accept his friend’s eagerness for snow in his stories and to be patient.

“Optimus was freshly reborn on the planet Nebulon as a Powermaster, and trying to relearn what it meant to be him. His Autobots accidentally got in a fight with each other because they couldn’t see in the snow..”

Meltz Down sniggered though Yule continued, “…and Prime realised it was important to be protecting the humans.”

Outside, the truck shivered. He was fully metallic and shouldn’t be affected by the low temperatures surrounding him. But the words he’d heard from the box, Yule, seemed to have an impact on his form, his consciousness, his sentience.

“And then…” though this time there was another noise in the hut, sounding not unlike a yawn, which seemed to come from the sofa. Yule, or Yule B Bored to give his full name, disregarded it. “And then there was the time Optimus Prime, again, was watching the Micromasters Rescue Patrol hunt down the Decepticon Whisper. There was NO SNOW!” Yule emphasised and Meltz Down cast a downbeat face.

“That’s disappointing,” Meltz Down muttered.

“Prime was tracking the Rescue Patrol remotely from the Ark orbiting in space, and realised that they were damaging the environment of the planet. He sent out a “gift” he had received- a small piece of the Matrix that he used to give life back to the planet. Prime didn’t know at the time, but it triggered a wave of Energon that brought a few human items to life as Transformers.”

“Us!”shouted Meltz Down.

“Yes, us!” agreed Yule.

In the still falling snow, the truck tried to find his voice. With a slight cough and very cautiously, it uttered in a deep voice, “Er, hello?”

The box jumped into the air such that two arms and legs suddenly appeared. “Who the hell was that?” Yule cried out.

“It came from outside,” replied Meltz Down suddenly feeling nervous. They both cautiously opened the wooden door of the cabin and were immediately blinded by the glare of two bright headlights coming from the truck.

“It’s a talking truck?” queried Meltz Down.

“Hello,” replied the truck, “I was hoping you could help me. See, you seem familiar.”

“Must be a Transformer,” said Yule.

“Yes, but which?” replied Meltz Down. “Could it be Huffer?”

Yule leaned outside and peered at the truck. “It’s got a trailer, can’t be Huffer.”

“Huffer’s been known to pull a trailer!” exclaimed Meltz Down. “Or maybe Pipes?”

“No, it’s not blue. And it’s not black either, so that rules out Scourge, Nemesis Prime and Motormaster. Actually it seems white.”

Meltz Down jiggled with excitement. “Nova Prime!”

Yule sighed. “Nova was destroyed in that Sentinel business, you remember?”

Meltz Down, without really having a neck to separate his head, just shook his whole body to say ‘no’.

Back in the cabin, in the corner of the room, the Christmas tree shook, then its branches started to swing back and to the sides. Suddenly, and not visible before, the centre of the tree took on a robotic bipedal form. The branches gathered together around the back as if to form two wings. They started to flap and the green robot-Christmas tree flew outside the cabin, shining in the headlights of the truck like an angelic form.

“Wizengreen!” Yule and Meltz Down cried out in chorus.

Wizengreen spoke with a deep voice, one that sounded the maturity of ages. And slightly British. “My fellow ‘bots! I give you seasons greetings!” The words echoed around the forest, bouncing off the cabin and seemingly rebounding off every snowflake.

Meltz Down and Yule simply cawed in awe.

“We’ve been good ‘bots Wizengreen!” shouted Meltz Down.

“I am very well aware! And you shall get your gifts soon. But first, I must deal with this other.” Wizengreen flew over to the truck. Yule and Meltz Down stared in anticipation.

“Arise Optimus Prime!” announced Wizengreen to the truck. Suddenly multiple things happened. The enormous trailer behind the cab of the truck disappeared behind a snowflake. The front cab started to split open. Sections at the side of the cab swung outwards. The front cab parts started to rotate around and other parts moved inwards or outwards until where once a truck cab had been, there now stood a tall robotic form.

Its upper chest had two panels, seemingly cab windows, but green. Its upper torso was mainly red with hints of white at the end of its arms. Its upper legs red but its lower legs and feet black with hints of white. Yule, being an expert on the human’s Christmas festive event, recognised the robot immediately.

“It’s Santa Claus!” Yule exclaimed. Meltz Down hit him on the head of his TV box section.

“Dummy! He’s just said it’s Optimus Prime!” Meltz Down’s robotic eyes seemed to glimmer with the excitement he had.

“But he’s dressed as Santa Claus,” murmured Yule with his box slightly angled down as if embarrassed.

The Santa Claus- Optimus Prime turned to Wizengreen, fluttering nearby in the trees.

“Thank you,” Optimus said, “ though I don’t really understand”.

“I found you, Prime, badly damaged by the side of the road. I do not know what had happened, but you were in a serious state. I am no medic and I thought I wasn’t able to help you. But then I used my ability to give Christmas gifts and was able to repair your damage, with the spirit of Christmas!”

Optimus Prime nodded in acknowledgment. “I begin to remember. Thank you again Wizengreen for this gift you have given. And thank you to you both Yule B Bored and Meltz Down for reminding me who I am. This Christmas rebirth you have given me is the best gift I can have. Now, I must use it wisely. I have work to do, my Autobots need me. Merry Christmas!” and he waved his hand to the three mini-robots.

Meltz Down, Yule B Bored and Wizengreen all lowered their heads as an acknowledgment. Yule and Meltz Down were too star-struck at being in the presence of Optimus Prime to be able to speak. They simply stood and stared at the great Transformer before them. It was their greatest wish they could ever have to see Optimus Prime for Christmas.

Optimus Prime looked around at the world surrounding him covered in snow. He arched his back slightly to stand proud and his eye sensors dimmed slightly as if he was pausing to take in the moment. Then he folded his arms into his chest, flipped his head up and over behind his neck and his feet up as his legs folded down to make his cab form again. From behind a snowflake the trailer appeared and combined with the cab. Prime moved his truck form out into the centre of the icy road and revved his engine such that smoke came from his exhaust stack. The snow had stopped falling and Prime shone his headlights along the icy pathway.

The road ahead was now clear for him.

Authors note (December 2023):

It’s here! My first Pelybots storyline- and it’s a Christmas story! I’ve been planning to do some writing for some time and one of my projects is to use Transformers characters, specifically underused characters. Transformers as a franchise has hundreds, if not a thousand distinct characters yet many stories tend to pick the popular 10-20 known ones. My aim is to use lesser known characters and specifically “redecos” of popular characters to form a new storyline I’m provisionally calling “The Alternates”.

But first, a few “prequels” and the first I’ve been able to complete is a Christmas story. I’ve slightly broken the rule a bit of not using “popular” characters, but this one forms a bridge and is a story to explain a Christmas themed redeco of a popular character. Also, whilst writing it, I decided to pay respect to the Marvel U.K. comics’ Christmas stories I read as a child. Christmas wasn’t Christmas until the Transformers Christmas story landed on the doormat each year. So this story tips a snowman’s bowler hat to those stories.

My plan is to do text stories plus creating some supporting imagery which is a test of my photography and art / photo-manipulation skills. All characters are Hasbro’s Transformers franchise. All text and imagery are my own.

Merry Christmas!

Noel