A/N - And the crack continues...

-0-0-0-0-0-

"Scritch! Taser! Stick!" Thundercracker yelled down the hallway.

The three sparklings spun around, clutching the paint cans and brushes and trying to look innocent.

"What have I told you three?"

They exchanged glances. "Uh…"

"If it sparks, don't lick it?" ventured Stick.

"That was Skywarp," muttered Scritch.

"Oh, yeah."

"Oh, I got it!" Taser bounced in excitement. "Don't shoot Astrotrain in the butt!"

"Even if he is a jerk," muttered Scritch.

"No!" Thundercracker growled in exasperation. "I meant-"

"I know! Don't stick Ravage in the trash disposal!" Stick grinned.

"Or weld it shut," Taser added.

"No hanging upside down from the ceiling and dropping on people's heads?"

"I got it! I got it!" Stick yelled gleefully and recited, "Null rays are not toys, and sparklings caught playing with them will be fed to giant squid."

"No-" Thundercracker started

"That was Starscream," Taser interrupted. "I think he was lying, anyway. The giant squid wouldn't eat us."

"'Cause we're metal and taste bad?"

"No, because giant squid don't eat Decepticons. They live solely on Autobot," Taser informed the other two. "Skywarp said so."

"Oh, I know what it is! Never spike Megatron's energon with random chemicals found in Mixmaster's lab!"

"It was just the once," muttered Stick.

"No – wait, you did what?"

"Nothing," they chorused.

"Don't glue Laserbeak to the underside of chairs?" Stick continued.

"Arc welders are not toys?"

"I got it!" Scritch yelled, "Sparklings are not allowed to say the words 'slag,' 'bastard,' 'damn,' 'hell,' 'shit,' or any other word that Skywarp says that we do not know the meaning of."

"And most of the ones that we do, just to be safe," Stick chimed in.

"We also aren't allowed to say 'Shove it up your tailpipe and twist,' even though Starscream says it and not Skywarp," finished Taser.

"Yeah!" All three turned to Thundercracker. "Right?"

Thundercracker stared down at three sets of shining optics. "Nevermind," he muttered, defeated. "Just don't get caught this time, okay?"

"Okay!" they chorused.