The Allspark. To Transformers, it was was the very essence of their souls.
In the earliest chronicles of Cybertron, the Allspark stood as both the origin and the final destination of every Transformer's spark.
In the live-action records, it served a dual purpose.
Beyond its original function as the vessel of souls, it also provided the energy necessary for transformation itself.
Physically, the Allspark manifested as a massive cube, its surface covered in intricate Cybertronian glyphs and strange, flowing patterns.
Its power was immense, capable of converting any electronic device into a living Transformer.
And its destruction followed a single, terrible rule… it could only be extinguished by being driven into the spark chamber of one of the two faction leaders, who would pay for the act with their own life.
But even then...
The Allspark would not truly be destroyed.
It would simply shift form, transforming into another vessel, silently guarding the sparks of fallen Transformers for eternity.
Such properties transcended ordinary science.
This was the kind of artifact one might expect from a vast empire spanning time and space itself.
Could it be that a certain Father has visited this universe?
Garfield shook the thought away, a idle fantasy, nothing more. According to the deeper lore buried in Cybertron's databases, the Allspark resided in the planet's deepest core.
That place was also known by another name… Primus.
The slumbering god himself.
And Primus was protected by formidable guardians.
Still, Garfield reasoned, he had come all this way. It would be a shame not to at least see it.
He extended his senses downward, through layers of metal and energy, until he perceived it, that unique soul-fluctuation, pulsing at the very heart of Cybertron.
Activating his racial talent, he teleported.
POP
A cat materialized against a shimmering blue barrier.
Sllllrrrrp.
Garfield slid down. It was very slippery.
Rubbing his posterior with one paw, he crouched at the base of the barrier and scratched his head thoughtfully.
A shield. Emitted by the Allspark itself as a protective mechanism.
As a carbon-based creature, conventional approaches were obviously out of the question.
Walk the sword?
Alternative route?
Can't cause too much disturbance...
Garfield rubbed his chin with his paw, deep in thought. Then inspiration struck.
Perhaps he could employ a talent unique to orange cats everywhere.
Worth a try.
He opened his mouth.
Positioned himself before the shield.
Took a bite.
A faint hint of motor oil danced across his tongue.
Hmm. Not bad. Acceptable.
What followed was a determined campaign of consumption. Bite by bite, Garfield gnawed through the protective mechanism.
For all its mystical properties, the Allspark's shield was not designed to withstand the continuous nibbling of a cosmic beast.
Soon, it entered a state of energy deficit, the barrier flickering, thinning, until finally Garfield breached it entirely.
He tumbled through.
Before him stood the Allspark in its most primal form… an enormous metal cube, covered in those same intricate glyphs he'd read about.
Garfield focused his power, peering beneath the surface, and saw a ball of light suspended within the metallic shell.
It swirled with infinite complexity, like a universe contained in a single point.
Could it be... a God?
Hmm.
Garfield sniffed experimentally.
Interesting. It smells... creamy. Like butter.
As an orange cat of refined sensibilities, Garfield decided this particular artifact be spared consumption.
Some things were too important to eat.
But surely... surely he could borrow a little transformation energy?
Heh heh heh.
He mobilized his magical power, drawing a golden extraction circle in the air before him.
Carefully, respectfully, he reached toward the soul-light within the cube and began to siphon off a thread of transformation energy.
A cloud of lightning-like power coalesced inside his circle.
As Garfield continued drawing, the cloud grew larger and brighter.
What surprised him, however, was that no matter how much he extracted, the Allspark's energy reserves showed no sign of depletion.
It was... inexhaustible.