THE NEXT SOLAR CYCLE…

"I think what you did was probably for the better, my Lord," Shockwave was telling Megatron. The two of them were discussing last night, when Tomato had been caught. Megatron was sitting in his chair, with Shockwave next to him. Megatron hadn't seen Tomato since last night, but that was most likely because Megatron had instructed Tomato not to come out of his room unless he was told to.

"Hmm…I thought so, too," Megatron agreed. "Honestly, can you believe his girlfriend was an Autobot?"

"Well, she was probably just trying to get classified information out of him," Shockwave told his leader. "For all we know, she could be some kind of spy."

"I can't believe Tomato collaborated with a spy," Megatron said. "Mutiny!"

"Well, it's not entirely his fault," Shockwave reminded him. "Femmes have this weird way of getting mechs to do whatever they want them to. Blackarachnia does it to Optimus Prime, and he always falls for her tricks."

Megatron shrugged. "I still think he should have known better."

Shockwave nodded in agreement, Megatron sighed, and that's when they saw Starscream walking into the room, looking pretty angry.

"What is it now, Starscream?" said Megatron. "As if I really cared."

"Oh, no, I already know you don't care," Starscream replied scathingly. "I hope you're happy now."

"What are you talking about?" Megatron asked.

"Do you know where I found Tomato today?" Starscream said, sounding even angrier as he approached Megatron and Starscream. "Crying on his bed, unable to stop. As far as I know, he's been doing it all last night and all this morning, too."

"That's because I told him to stay in there," Megatron told Starscream. "Last night he snuck out to see his girlfriend, who is an Autobot."

"For one thing, she's not his girlfriend," Starscream said back. "I came into his room earlier this solar cycle, and he told me everything…he said he doubts she likes him back at all and that now that he'd been caught, she would never want to see him again."

"Tomato was committing treason by telling someone from the opposite side all our top-secret information," Megatron insisted.

"Or maybe they were just going on the date to get to know each other better and hadn't discussed the war at all!" Starscream shouted. "For your information, he told me the two of them wished that we weren't a split race, and that they just wanted the war to be over."

"Like that'll ever happen," Megatron said, very sarcastically. "Besides, he was still collaborating with the Autobots. I thought he was more loyal than that. It's probably the likes of you who were giving him such a bad influence."

"How could you even say that?" Starscream yelled. "If it weren't for Lugnut, he would be the most loyal Decepticon of them all! He looks up to you, he wants to be like you, you're just as much his father figure as you've always been!"

"I suggest you get back to your post, Starscream!" Megatron hollered, bolting upright, but Starscream wasn't listening to him any more.

"And I suppose you're wondering what upset him the most?!" Starscream continued.

"What's that, dare I ask?"

"It wasn't just Blueberry, it was the fact that he disappointed you! Not only did you break his spark by humiliating him in front of Blueberry and scaring her off, but he's blaming himself for not living up to your standards! What does that say about his loyalty? How could you possibly have done all this to him?" Starscream stood in front of Megatron and screamed right in his leader's face, "YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF!"

Before Megatron could say anything, Starscream turned his back and stormed away, looking furious on Tomato's behalf. Megatron and Shockwave stared at each other. Starscream was known for being defiant, but this had just been shocking. Megatron sat down again and put his head in his hands. Flashbacks of him and Tomato were running through his CPU. What was he to do now?

"Maybe you were a little hard on him, my liege," Shockwave said gently, setting one servo on Megatron's shoulder.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do, Shockwave," Megatron told his second-in-command miserably. "When I first adopted Tomato, I thought I could make him into a warrior. I should have thought about the other responsibilities that would come with it…I know I'm supposed to know everything, but raising a sparkling isn't similar at all to running a war. It's a lot harder, that's all I know."

Shockwave shook his head and sighed. "There's only one thing you can do, my liege, and you know what it is."

"No, I know," Megatron groaned, leaning back in his chair. "I need to apologize now, don't I?"

"I'm afraid so, my liege," Shockwave replied solemnly. "If you are sincerely sorry, it won't be hard."

Megatron nodded at Shockwave and got up from his chair. Feeling apprehensive, he walked all the way to Tomato's room. When he put one servo on the doorknob, he found himself hesitating. Could he do this? It was the right thing to do, he knew, but what if Tomato didn't want the apology? What if it just caused a big fight again?

It doesn't matter, Megatron told himself sternly. You need to be a good parent and apologize to Tomato right now.

Megatron knocked on the door quietly and then opened it. Inside was Tomato, lying on the bed, weeping bitterly, just as Starscream had described. Megatron almost forgot about last night and felt bad for the red 'bot.

Tomato heard the door opening and lifted his head, but when he saw who it was, he buried his face in his pillow again and said, "Go away."

Instead of going away, Megatron sat down on the edge of Tomato's bed and sighed. "Tomato, are you okay?"

"Do I look okay?" asked Tomato, trying to wipe his tears, but they just fell even faster. "Why are you even here, anyway?"

"I just wanted to say—"

"You wanted to say what? That you're ashamed I'm your son? That I'm a traitor to the cause? That I'm a horrible, pathetic excuse for a Decepticon and you never want to see me again? You might as well save your breath, because I already know you're thinking it."

"No, I didn't mean to say any of those things," Megatron insisted, putting one servo on Tomato's shoulder, but Tomato just shook it off.

"Please, just go away," he repeated, and started sobbing again.

"Listen, Tomato." Megatron pulled Tomato up by his head but this time tried to be gentle about it. "I'm not angry with you any more. I know you didn't mean any harm."

"I didn't mean to do it," Tomato sniffed. "I just love Blueberry so much and I wanted to see her again, but I snuck out at night because I knew you wouldn't want me on your team any more if you found out that I was collaborating with an Autobot…and I guess I was right."

"No, no, that's not it at all," Megatron insisted. "Mothers and fathers are supposed to care about their children no matter what. I still think you're a great Decepticon. And I know you weren't giving away any classified information."

"Of course not," Tomato said weakly, leaning against Megatron's chestplate. "We just talk about normal things, like her school and what we like to do for fun and all that. She's attending University of Crystal City to get a degree in Science and Technology."

"So, you know evil Decepticon leaders don't really make apologies often, but I've been thinking, and…" Megatron sighed. "And now I know I shouldn't have yelled at you like I did. I shouldn't have gotten so angry. Hence, I apologize."

"Apology accepted," said Tomato, wiping tears. "Thank you."

"Come on," Megatron replied, taking Tomato's servo. "Let's go get you some fizzy energon, yes?"

"All right." Megatron was relieved to see Tomato smiling again.

Back in the main monitor room, Starscream was watching Wind Beneath My Wings again. When he saw Megatron, at first he glared, but then he saw Tomato, and he looked confused. "I thought Megatron was mad at you, Tomato."

"Oh, he was," Tomato replied. "Not any more, though."

"So you listened to me, then, didn't you, Megatron?" Starscream smirked.

"It's very painful for me to admit this, but, yes, I decided you were actually right," Megatron told Starscream uncomfortably. "It doesn't matter, though. The point is that Tomato and I aren't angry with each other any more."

"Does Blueberry still want to hang around with you?" Starscream asked Tomato, then explained to Megatron, "Blueberry is the Autobot femme he's in love with."

"I wish Blueberry wanted to be my girlfriend, like I want," Tomato replied sadly, "but she seems to think we're just friends."

"Well, all you have to do is ask her out," Starscream replied.

"I can't." Tomato shook his head. "I'm afraid I'll say something stupid and she'll just think I'm a glitch-head. Or, even worse, when I ask her out I'll get a 'no'."

"Tomato, that doesn't make any sense," said Megatron, who wasn't exactly an expert on relationships. "You can cross a rotating platform covered with spikes suspended over a pit of boiling dark energon, and yet you can't ask a femme to go on a date with you."

"Well, actually, that's quite common," Starscream told him, shrugging. "It's just that I don't have any problems with it."

Megatron rolled his optics and Tomato looked depressed. "This is harder than all the challenges on my obstacle course combined."

"You are silly, zee solution is obvious," the three of them heard an unmistakable voice say. When they turned around, they saw that it was none other than Icy Blitzwing, who had apparently been eavesdropping on them.

"Do you mind?!" said Starscream hotly.

"What do you mean, the solution is obvious?" asked Tomato curiously. "What is the solution?"

Blitzwing's face turned to Crazy, and he screeched, "Why, a party, of course!"

"Did you say a party?" Megatron, Starscream and Tomato all said at the same time.

"We can go to a club in Iacon, in zee city," Blitzwing explained. "Come one, come all!"

"Actually, that's not a bad idea," Starscream told Blitzwing, looking shocked but excited. "Clubs are the best places for hitting on femmes!"

"And I have always been curious about what goes on in clubs," Tomato added. "It could be fun."

"Of course," Starscream told him. "I could be your wingman—you know, the one who helps you get your date."

"Hey, zat eez my job!" Hothead Blitzwing said angrily.

"Yeah, to me," Starscream replied airily. "Not to Tomato."

"Are you coming to the party, Lord Megatron?" Tomato asked.

"I suppose." Megatron shrugged.

"In fact, why don't all the Decepticons come?" Starscream suggested. "We would be going to a Decepticons-only club, though, so I suppose Blueberry will have to disguise herself."

"Blueberry has a dark-blue paint job, so if you put a fake Decepticon sticker on her chestplate, nobody will be able to tell the difference," Tomato agreed, nodding. "It will be easy."

"You can invite Blueberry," Megatron told Tomato. "I'll give you your communication equipment back soon, all right?"

"All right." Tomato smiled.

"Then who's ready to party?!" Crazy Blitzwing screeched, and everyone cheered.