Dullsville (Day)
If you saw a red Dodge Challenger speeding down an empty road, you probably wouldn't pay it any mind. If you saw what was driving next to it, though, you'd be unable to look away. Beside the sports car was a minecart outfitted with several modifications, the most prominent of which being the two barrels over the rear of the makeshift stunt car, as well as the sidecar that doubled as a cannon. But the strangest thing about this vehicle was its occupants.
Behind the wheel was an abnormally large gorilla with pitch-black fur. The ape was wearing a black and silver firesuit and a bright red necktie with the initials 'DK' emblazoned on it. Piloting the sidecar was a chimp-like creature wearing a red and orange jacket, and a red hat with the Nintendo logo on it.
"So there I am on a lookout when out of nowhere, these high beams light up my rearview." Cliffjumper said, his voice being projected out of his Vehicle Form. "And then it hits me. I'm illegally parked!"
"Another parking ticket?" Arcee asked over the comms.
"Better, the boot." Cliff answered, getting a laugh from DK and Diddy.
"Big metal tire clamp. Impossible to remove." Arcee stated, a bored tone present in her voice.
"Bingo! The local police do their thing and I let them get all the way down the block. That's when I kick off my new shiny shoe and BANG!" Cliff recalled, proud of himself.
"New York's finest soil themselves." Arcee said, knowing how easily humans were scared by Cybertronians.
"You know me Arcee. Mess with Cliffjumper,-" the red bot said with a chuckle.
"You get the horns." Arcee finished. "This is why Optimus decided you needed another partner to keep you in check. Why he chose DK, I'll never know."
Hearing his teammate speak badly of him, DK put a hand to his chest and gasped in faked offense. Shortly after, he broke into full-blown laughter along with Diddy.
"You three do know that Autobot rule number one is 'keep a low profile', right?" Arcee asked rhetorically.
"What can I say? Scouting for Energon with no one but DK and Diddy to keep me company gets boring. There's only so many times I can play the bongos before it becomes unbearable." Cliff said, making the two apes cringe at the reminder of the game that nearly ended their careers.
"Like Jasper, Nevada's a party? Face it, with us having to stay hidden AND keep Donkey and Diddy secret, we're alone no matter where we go on this planet." Arcee said, silently lamenting that there weren't more Autobots around.
"Hang on, I'm getting a signal." Cliff said, speeding up.
"Need backup?" Arcee asked.
"Please. I have the two strongest primates on the planet with me." Cliff said with a scoff. After a minute, he skidded to a stop just before falling into a pit. Said pit had more than enough Energon to keep everyone at base stable for at least the next five years. "We just found a WHOLE lot of Energon!"
Enthralled, DK jumped out of the Dark Barrel Blaster and beat his chest in triumph. Diddy followed suit soon after, trying to imitate his large friend. However, DK stopped when he noticed a massive airship coming toward them. Turning to Diddy, he grabbed the chimp's head with two fingers and pointed it at the ship, startling him. It didn't take long for the ship's guns to aim at the trio. Seeing the gunfire, Diddy swiftly equipped his Peanut Popguns before rapidly shooting at the enemy fire, cancelling out the attack. With stern expressions, both Kongs glared at the ship as a hatch in the bottom opened, letting out several Vehicons.
Beating his chest, this time in an effort to intimidate, Donkey Kong let out a furious roar as Diddy jumped onto his back. The ape then jumped into the pit, using Diddy's jetpack to slow his descent. Also wanting to take out a few Cons, Cliff transformed and leapt into the crater as well, activating his blasters and shooting the ones closest to him.
Meanwhile, Donkey Kong jumped forward and gave a Giant Punch to a Vehicon's chest, instantly sending its heart flying. The others saw this, and shot at DK now that they knew how big of a threat he was. Fortunately, the King of Swing barrel-rolled through their attacks. Seeing an opening, he grabbed a spiked barrel and threw it at another Vehicon. The barrel's spikes embedded into the Con's metal skin. Grinning, DK hopped into a Launch Barrel and was sent flying right at the spiked barrel, pushing it further into the Con's body, killing it. Wiping off the liquid Energon off his firesuit, DK turned to Cliff, who had just finished off another set of Vehicons. With one left, DK slammed his hands on the ground, creating a shockwave so powerful, it caused the remaining Con to explode from the vibrations. The ape then turned his attention back to the gigantic airship, which was now retreating.
Confused, DK and Diddy turned to look at Cliff. "I dunno! Maybe they're afraid you'll lob a barrel at their weapons!" the Autobot suggested, once again making the jungle-dwelling duo laugh. Suddenly, a Ground Bridge Portal opened over the crater, from which the rest of the Autobot Team emerged. "Hey! You guys totally missed the party!" Cliff said as Diddy got down from DK's back.
"Aw, dang it." Bulkhead said, dejected.
"Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Cliffjumper. Are you three alright?" Optimus asked as he walked toward the trio.
"Fine. Not even a scratch. DK did most of the work, actually." Cliff said, turning to his simian partner. The ape smiled bashfully before going back to the Dark Barrel Blaster, where he proceeded to retrieve and eat a pair of bananas along with Diddy.
"Well, who would've thought that a gorilla strong enough to shatter meteors with a clap might be an effective ally?" Arcee asked sarcastically. She then walked past Cliff and took in the sheer majesty of the Energon deposit he and DK found. "Wow. That IS a whole lot of Energon."
"Indeed. You three have done well. Both in defending yourselves and the Energon." Optimus said. After that, they began the long and boring process of bringing 15,000 pounds of Energon back to the base.