Gauge

Gauge is an Autobot from the Generation 1 continuity family.

"This was supposed to be the Summer of Gauge!"

As one of the youngest Transformers, Gauge consequently still has a lot of growing to do before she can become a full-fledged Autobot. Though enthusiastic about experiencing everything that the great big universe has to offer, she's still naïve and untested. She can get flustered easily, although that's not a hard thing to do when you've got the entire future of your species riding on your shoulders, and can sometimes make easy mistakes, but her youth can give her a new perspective on details that might elude her older compatriots.

As Arcee's mentee, she's very close to both Arcee, and Arcee's romantic partner Greenlight, who take a motherly role in her life—so woe betide anyone who as much as scuffs her paintwork.

Fiction

2019 IDW continuity

First appearance: Transformers #4

"You can't jump into other people's holes! Remember what happened to Prowl?"
"I want my hole, Arcee! I wanna be an owl!"

Under the terms of the Nominus Edict, Cybertron's ability to forge new Transformers became greatly limited, and only a handful of new forgings could be authorized every kilocycle. Thus, Gauge became something of an anomaly, as she was forged only a few weeks after Rubble. The World In Your Eyes Part Four Like all newly forged Cybertronians, Gauge emerged from the Pyramid in the city of Iacon and received the traditional forging ceremony held in her honor. Within the first few minutes of her life, she met Senator Orion Pax, her appointed mentor Arcee, and Arcee's romantic partner Greenlight. The World In Your Eyes Part Four A Truth for a Truth Rubble attended her forging, and his own mentor Bumblebee noted that Gauge had essentially received two mentors for the price of one. The World In Your Eyes Part Four However, some Cybertronians viewed her creation as a political move—one designed to distract Cybertronians from the recent murder of Brainstorm, and that her forging had only been authorized because of Brainstorm's death. The World In Your Eyes Part Four Arcee/Greenlight: Run

"This experience has changed me! It's made me more cynical, more bitter, more jaded!"
"Really?"
"Sure, why not."

Over the next few weeks, Gauge settled into life on Cybertron with her mentors, and with Arcee's guidance she tried her hand at several prospective careers, oblivious to the rising political tensions that threatened to engulf the planet. Privately, Greenlight wondered if it might best to relocate somewhere offworld, but Arcee wanted to stay on Cybertron for Gauge's sake. While working with Grapple's architectural division, Gauge told Arcee that she'd heard some of the other workers gossiping about her forging. No sooner had Arcee angrily confronted the 'bots responsible, however, then a great shadow blotted out the skyline—the Titan Vigilem had attacked the Tether, and its collapse levelled vast swathes of Iacon.

In the immediate aftermath of the cataclysm, the three helped to evacuate survivors and clear debris, but while investigating a destroyed energon storage field Gauge was shot by Singe, a looter who'd taken the opportunity to steal energon from the wreckage. Though unharmed, the experience pushed Arcee into agreeing with Greenlight, and the little family set out to evacuate the planet aboard the Reversionist starship, the Exodus. The three raced through the energon storage fields as they ignited and only just made it to safety; although Arcee initially sacrificed her chances of getting off Cybertron to get Arcee and Greenlight to safety, she was able to squeeze aboard the ship at the last minute, and the three happily embraced as the Exodus lifted off. Arcee/Greenlight: Run

"You're killing Independent Gauge!"

However, it didn't take long before the Reversionist plenary Heretech discovered the three stowaways and correctly realized that they'd interfere with his grand plan of "purifying" Cybertron. The Reversionists aboard the ship forcibly separated Arcee and Greenlight and imprisoned them deep in the ship's engine room, while Gauge, still young enough that her memory could be tampered with, received a memory wipe courtesy of Accelerator, intent on raising her as a devout Reversionist. A Truth for a Truth At some point, Gauge obtained an alternate mode for herself: a half-tracked digging vehicle. Moment of Truth

With no memory of her old life on Cybertron, Gauge became a Primus-worshpiping Reversionist along with her shipmates, and carried out the daily routine of private meditations, mass devotions, and communal chores. She memorized all of the teachings of her plenary, and dutifully, if uncertainly, followed instructions for some time, until she noticed a strange code appearing and disappearing throughout the ship. Her attention shifted entirely to cracking this code, much to Accelerator's annoyance, and when she encountered it above Heretech's throne during one devotion she accidentally earned the ire of the plenary when she went to investigate. Feeling betrayed by the 'bot she had been taught to worship as a god, she ran to her room, vowing that she could no longer trust anyone. Suddenly, Gauge realized the code was meant specifically for her, a code beckoning her to the engine room in defiance of shipboard custom. Knowing what to do, Gauge snuck inside the closed off sector. After tripping up a guard, she ran deeper into the ship and found Arcee and Greenlight, who informed her that they meant to tell her the truth. Gauging the Truth: Part One

"You know, we're living in a society! We're supposed to act in a civilized way!"

Gauge hesitantly accepted a memory patch from the two, reasoning that she no longer had anything left to lose. The memory patch showed her the truth of her origins — her forging, her escape from Cybertron, and her capture by the Reversionists — and a startled Gauge realised it made too much sense to be false. Greenlight and Arcee were aware that the Reversionists had a plan, one they'd enact soon, but were unsure of what this plan entailed; the only way to deactivate their laser cage was through a command hardcoded to the central terminal in Heretech's quarters. Gauge tried and failed to find a subtle means to access the plenary's quarters, but when Heretech announced that their time of ascension was at hand, Gauge had no choice but to break directly into Heretech's quarters, which got her caught by Accelerator. However, she had already freed Arcee and Greenlight, having come to the realization that while they had told her what to do, they had never told her she had to do it. Racing past Accelerator, Gauge made her way back to the Exodus's engineering section and helped her mentors fight off their would-be captors. Their reunion was interrupted by Heretech announcing to the entire ship that they had reached their promised destination — Cybertron. A Truth for a Truth

“Divorce is very difficult. Especially on a kid. Of course, I'm the result of my parents having stayed together, so you never know.”

Arcee and Greenlight hoped that Gauge could covertly return to the ranks of the Reversionists and bring down their attack on the planet from the inside, but unfortunately this was not to be: Heretech appointed Gauge as his chosen messenger, who would spread their divine word... and use her alternate mode to find a suitable vein of energon for their ship's plasma engines to ignite, killing the unfaithful. As the Reversionists began their attack, Gauge seemingly did as Heretech asked and raced through the battlefield towards the nearest communications tower. Once there, however, she deviated from both Arcee and Heretech's visions: rather, she implored the Reversionists to let Cybertronians decide to join their ranks, but respect the wishes of those who chose not to. Her words angered the Reversionist plenary, who leapt from the Exodus to confront her; Arcee and Greenlight stepped in to intervene, however, and in the ensuing battle Gauge teamed up with Arcee to hurl a mass of exploding energon crystals at Heretech. Once Heretech had been defeated, Gauge and her family elected to remain on Cybertron while most of the other Reversionists returned to outer space. Moment of Truth

After the Decepticon takeover of Iacon, Gauge and her family retreated to Crystal City, the three sharing a group hug when Arcee was deployed back to Iacon to rescue Ultra Magnus. Darkness, Once Gazed Upon: Part Two Following Arcee's return, the Decepticons marched on Crystal City, Gauge huddling with Greenlight in the bunker before Lodestar arrived. A Dust of Crystals The Autobots abandoned Crystal City, making their way to Darkmount and the last Ark. Gauge and Greenlight joined the other civilians and non-combatants aboard as Arcee fought in the final conflict. Once the Ark launched, Gauge sat on Brawn's lap as Optimus Prime addressed the crew. Fate of Cybertron

My Little Pony/Transformers

"This is not good. Worlds are colliding! Gauge is getting upset!"

Gauge was among the many Autobots who battled for control of a malfunctioning spacebridge, only to be teleported to Equestria as a result of Queen Chrysalis's magic interfering with the machine. Transformation Is Magic

Gauge befriended Pinkie Pie, who invited her to star in the first Equestrian-Cybertronian cooking show. The pair set about preparing their respective dishes—Pinkie's platter of cupcakes versus Gauge's iron filing casserole—before Shockwave attacked through a spacebridge portal. The pair defeated the villain by using some kitchen utensils as makeshift weapons, then completed their cooking show... but found that their respective dishes were incompatible with one another's tastes. They Eat Ponies, Don't They?

"I like sports. I could do something in sports."

After the Autobots had returned to Cybertron, Gauge bore witness to Optimus Prime detonating the spacebridge to protect Equestria from further Decepticon incursions, though Prime reassured her that the memory of their equine friends would always stay with them. Finale

After the Decepticons' pilfering of Equestrian artifacts had brought several ponies to Cybertron, The Magic of Cybertron Gauge was among the Cybertronian youths who befriended the displaced Scootaloo. Riding atop Flareup, Gauge helped show Scootaloo some Cybertronian stunts before the group reunited the equine with her aunts Holiday and Lofty. A Real Mother

Games

Transformers Roleplaying Game

A brash and hot-headed recruit, Gauge was one of several rookie Autobots who trained under Arcee. Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook As the youngest member of her crew, Gauge felt like her fellow Autobots didn’t take her seriously. Despite this, she had a close relationship with Arcee and Arcee’s romantic partner Greenlight, who both saw her as a surrogate daughter of sorts. Transformers Roleplaying Game Starter Bundle