Psionic Star had requested a sparkling Ironhide story. I honestly didn't think I could have pulled of another sparkling story. But her request gave me a wicked idea for a sparkling Ironhide in this story.

So, in that same video on youtube, Baby Transformers, there was a picture of a baby Ironhide, baby Bumblebee, and a baby Blackout. All three where literally plugged into a power strip and recharging. If you've seen it, keep that image of baby Ironhide sleeping in your mind as this chapter starts. If you haven't, I suggest you do! It's so cute!

Early Morning Wheeljack's lab

Wheeljack stretched and yawned as he came out of recharge. Optic covers blinked lazily as his processor slowly fired up its circuits. He groaned, sliding off the table and grabbed his head. He overworked his processor a bit yesterday. It was still buzzing. Even the dim lights were bugging his optics.

All would be well once Jack got some warm energon into his tank. It always took him a while to get going first thing in the morning. Again, thankfully he only had to drag himself a short distance for some energon while commanding the lights to turn up to full power.

Wheeljack suddenly stopped.

Something on the floor caught his attention. Optic covers blinked rapidly, his processor was no longer groggy and was buzzing quite loudly in his audio receptors.

On the floor, in front of the alien device no less, recharging or passed out, sprawled out lying flat on his back, arms propped up by oversized cannons, with his mouth wide open was Ironhide. Downsized to a mini, black wrecking ball of a…frag it all the way to vector sigma…sparkling mech!

"Oh no…not again," Wheeljack's voice quivered.

Ow.

His aft was hurting already in anticipation of Chromia shooting at it from point blank range.

Hang on! It wasn't his fault this time!

Oh wait. That's not going matter to Chromia. She shoots first then if you're still alive considers asking a question before she shoots again to make sure you're dead!

"Why prolong my death," he muttered out loud. "Ratchet, Prowl, Magnus…can you come to my lab please? There's been a new…development."

"Did you figure it out?" Prowl asked quickly.

"Just…just get down here as fast as you can, Wheeljack out."

The three mechs arrived outside the door to Wheeljack's lab knowing something was wrong. Ever since they've known Jack he's always been hyper when he finds a solution and is anxious to share it with anyone and everyone who'll listen to him. The mech that called them a few minutes ago was not hyper, nor did he sound the least bit excited.

No, he sounded like a dead mech walking.

And when they walk into the lab they immediately knew why.

"What the frag?" Magnus exclaimed, staring in disbelief.

"Are those cannons active?" Prowl asked.

"Jack, what the frag did you do?!" Ratchet yelled ready to beat the slag out of him…again!

"I didn't do anything!" Wheeljack quickly said as Ratchet was storming towards him. "I fell into recharge as Prowl left and woke up and there was Ironhide on the floor!"

"He's correct, Ratchet," Prowl said, moving to stop the CMO. "Wheeljack was recharging. I had passed by Ironhide in the hall. He said he wanted to do a weapons inventory because Chromia was giving him a headache. Counting weapons always makes him feel better."

"It's his second love, his first being interfacing with Chromia," Ratchet snorted.

"So who tells her?" Wheeljack asked nervously, praying to Primus he didn't have to do fess up this time. Last time was going to give him nightmares for weeks!

"I will," Prowl answered. "Chromia as never attacked me when I've given her bad news about Ironhide. I should have been the one to tell Elita but…well, we all know how that turned out. I'll be back in ten minutes with Chromia."

"Plenty of time to remove those cannons. Come on Jack, lets get to it," Ratchet suggested. "No sparkling can heft those things around even if there are significantly smaller."

"Right," Jack replied, quickly gathering up the necessary tools as Prowl left.

"Make sure they're deactivated first," Magnus ordered. "The last thing we need is one of you getting your head blown off while trying to remove them."

"I'm sure they're inactive," Ratchet chuckled confidently as he beside of Ironhide, his nimble fingers started examining where it would be best to detach the weapon. "I doubt a sparkling has enough energy to shoot them anyway."

Ironhide's left arm twitched and the cannon attached to it discharged!

"WHOA!" Ratchet yelped, feeling the heat of the blast shoot past head.

That was too close!

"Don't say a word," Ratchet growled, pointing a wrench at Magnus.

With sheer will power, Magnus refrained from laughing. He wanted to though! That was priceless. He and Optimus had waited a long time to see the know-it-all smirk wiped off Ratchet's face. A shame Optimus wasn't here to see it but Magnus was definitely going to tell his best friend about it when he was returned back to normal!

"I think that was it," Ratchet said, running his scans. "His energy levels are too low…"

The right arm twitched and a grenade shot up at the ceiling shattering a light fixture.

"Frag!"

"Just hurry up and remove them before he actually damages something important!" Magnus ordered Ratchet.

With a surgeon's skill, speed, and the fact that Ironhide could still make a fool of him, Ratchet removed the cannons without further incident. Wheeljack made sure they were fully deactivated before storing them in a safe place.

"Primus, he's heavy even as a sparkling!" Ratchet exclaimed as he lifted Ironhide up off the floor.

"Give him to me," Magnus suggested, with his arms out. "Chromia will be less violent if I'm holding him. Femmes see you and they just can't help but shoot at you."

Ratchet was right. Ironhide was a slaggin heavy sparkling! And Magnus was no whimp!

"Well, look at the bright side," Wheeljack smiled. "Optimus will have a playmate for a while."

"Be ready for anything!" Prowl's voice suddenly sounded over their internal communicators.

"How did she take it?" Magnus asked.

"I don't know. She just told me she wanted to see him. I can't tell if she's mad or not."

Frag, that was not good! Prowl was very perceptive. For him to not be able to judge Chromia's over all mood was one tactical disadvantage they couldn't afford right now!

The lab doors suddenly opened all too quickly.

Wheeljack immediately started back pedaling, looking for an escape route, as Chromia and Prowl entered the lab. He stumbled over a storage bin and scrambled to get to his feet and tried to hide in a corner.

Ratchet was torn between saving his friend and saving his own interface appliance. He honestly didn't think he could take another shot there ever again! That was the most painful experience of his life. And didn't wish to experience it again…ever.

Magnus was perhaps the calmest mech in the room, except for the recharging sparkling. He stood tall, unafraid. A mech ready to spring into action if necessary. And he could do it too. His reflexes were as fast as Optimus.

Prowl, who'd made a quick stop in the med bay before confronting Chromia, had a sedative just in case they needed to subdue the gun-toting, trigger happy, wild and crazy femme. He made sure to stay as close to Chromia as he could.

Silence filled the room except for the soft humming of the lights above.

Chromia's optics were locked on her sparkmate.

The mech's optics were locked on her. Watching. Waiting. Wondering.

The pawns were set.

Now it was simply time for the femme to make her move.

a/n: Oh I know! Go ahead, throw things at me! I can take it. I love cliffhangers, reading or writing them.

Up next: We'll see how Chromia reacts and how Optimus reacts to a playmate his own size. Let the sparkling mayhem times two begin!