"Come on, Silverstorm!" Blaster exclaimed. "You've got to tell me who wrote the music! I know it's got to be one of the younglings because nothing I've ever heard before sounds like this! It's new music!"

"I'm aware of that, Blaster," Silverstorm said wearily. "But he doesn't want to tell you yet. Please drop it."

"But why?" Blaster whined. "I've got to know! I need to talk with him! Please! I mean, it's new culture!"

Silverstorm considered ramming his head into a wall. It might be less painful than listening to Blaster beg ad nauseam to talk to the musician that had created tracks he'd found on a random data disk. The musical mech had figured out it was from a youngling on Silverstorm's team, and he had ruthlessly been trying to figure out who the musician was. Sideswipe didn't want anybody to tell him, so none of the younglings had. But Silverstorm was starting to get testy about Blaster's constant nagging.

Today, he'd been assigned to work with Silverstorm and Bumblebee to sort through some data Ultra Magnus had pulled. Bumblebee was over writing out the data numbers, and he was fed up with Blaster's complaints.

"Oh, give it a rest, Blaster!" he snapped, slapping his palm on the desk. "It's obvious who it is, anyway."

Blaster's head snapped to Bumblebee. "You know who it is?"

"Yeah."

"Who?"

"Frag off."

Blaster threw up his hands. "Fine! Don't tell me!"

He stormed off, muttering to himself. Silverstorm grinned. "Do you really know?"

"It's that twin," Bumblebee said absently. "The red one."

"Sideswipe," Silverstorm said. "You're right. How'd you know?"

Bumblebee smiled a little. "The yellow one is artistic. I've seen him crafting statues and drawing. Twins tend to lean toward similar aspects in different ways. So I figure Sideswipe might be musical. It is pretty stellar music, and Blaster isn't wrong. I've never heard anything like it either."

Silverstorm nodded. "He's good, but I've talked Blaster's music up so much that he feels too shy to show anybody outside of the younglings. I don't know how to fix things."

"There's always the sneaky option," Bumblebee pointed out.

"Ah, the scout's way of life, right?"

Bumblebee grinned. "For sure. So what do you say?"

"What do you have in mind?" Silverstorm asked.

"Get Sideswipe to play for the younglings," Bumblebee said. "And Blaster might just happen along. So you didn't tell, and he still finds out."

That idea intrigued Silverstorm, and he looked down at their work. "Are we done?"

"We won't be done for ages," Bumblebee said. "Besides, you can do what you want. You're a Prime."

Silverstorm squinted at Bumblebee. "That's not how that works."

There was a pause, and then Bumblebee slumped. "I know, Sam," he said tiredly.

"I'm not Sam," Silverstorm said. "And I'm not Silverstreak either. You need to understand that."

Bumblebee grimaced and looked frustrated. "Are we doing this or not?"

Silverstorm thought about it. Sideswipe was talented, Blaster obviously loved his songs, and they could teach each other. He was sure that the two musicians would get along, too.

"As long as it's not too extreme, sure," Silverstorm finally agreed.

Bumblebee marked his place and stood up. "Then let's go set up a concert," he said, and Silverstorm was thrilled to see a spark of his dear friend gleaming in his optics.

Silverstorm grinned. "Sounds good to me." He reached up and pressed his audial. "Hey, Raj. Want to help with something sneaky?"

"You don't even have to ask," Mirage said slyly. "Who are we after and what are we doing?"

"We're going to get Sideswipe to talk with Blaster."

"Oh, that's a great idea!" Mirage exclaimed. "What's the plan?"

After talking for several minutes, they disconnected and got to work. Mirage and Silverstorm would convince Sideswipe to play for the younglings, and Bumblebee would 'accidentally' guide Blaster to the spot at the right time. So the Prime and his second headed for the temple. Sideswipe loved to practice in the acoustically perfect worship room, and that's where he'd been hiding out from Blaster. He wasn't the only youngling taking refuge there. None of the older mechs dared to step a foot in the temple, even Optimus, so the younglings considered it to be a safe place to relax.

As soon as they entered the worship room, they could hear delicious music that made them grin. Sideswipe really was getting good. Silverstorm tapped the wall once, and Sideswipe onlined his optics and peered around for the sound anomaly. When he saw Silverstorm and Mirage he smiled and went back to playing. They waited patiently until the final notes faded before approaching.

"Hey, Prime. What's up?"

"You should play that for Magnus. It sounds kinda like his favorite song."

Sideswipe smiled shyly. "Ah, yeah. I was inspired by it. Does it sound okay?"

"Sounds harmonic," Silverstorm said. "And I mean it. Play the song for Magnus."

"But he can't make it to the temple yet," Sideswipe argued.

"Then go and play for him."

"Oh. Oh, I couldn't do that," Sideswipe said, fiddling with the dials on one of his sound panels. "They wouldn't be interested."

"One of them is, at least," Mirage pointed out. "Blaster won't stop asking who wrote the songs on your data disk. Please, Sides, think about it."

"I'll play for Magnus, but not the others," he finally said.

"Okay then," Silverstorm said.

Sideswipe smiled at his Prime then began to break down the instrument. Mirage and Silverstorm waited patiently. When it was neatly stored in its case, Silverstorm and Mirage headed out.

"Hey, Raj, why don't you bring Magnus to the north side? It's a good chance for him to exercise, and it's less likely the mechs will wander that way. Sound good, Sides?"

"Yes," Sideswipe said, sounding relieved.

Mirage nodded at Sideswipe then winked at Silverstorm and disappeared, heading for Ultra Magus's quarters. Everybody was glad he was finally well enough to be discharged for any length of time. Sideswipe shivered and tapped the case nervously. Silverstorm touched him gently.

"Hey, what's got your wires twisted, Sides?"

"Hm?" Sideswipe glanced at him.

"Why don't you want to play for Blaster? He's desperate to hear you play."

"He shouldn't be," Sideswipe said.

"Why not?"

"I'm not that good," Sideswipe said. "I hit wrong notes a lot, and I can't even read music."

"I think you'd find, if Blaster were to somehow hear you play, that he would be very happy to teach you what you don't know and learn from you."

"How could he learn anything from me?" Sideswipe asked. "He's got ages of experience that I don't."

"Sides, one of the signs of a novice is thinking you know everything about your craft. Once mechs get to a certain point, they realize there's always more to learn about everything, and true masters will learn from anybody. Even a youngling who can't read music."

Sideswipe brightened a little. "You're really smart, Prime. But I'm still nervous."

"Well, if he were to hear you, would it be so bad?"

Sideswipe studied Silverstorm's face then stopped walking and looked at his instrument case. "If that were to happen?" He thought about it carefully. "If so, I'd prefer to not notice until afterward. I'd get too nervous otherwise and mess up even worse."

"Sounds reasonable," Silverstorm said. He glitched the barrier with a tap of his fingers against the rippling energy surface, getting a pleasant shock from it. The barrier wasn't quiet as painful for Silverstorm as it was for the others, and he liked showing off to the mechs, who were still regularly running into the invisible shield.

Mirage and Ultra Magnus were already there, along with the Aerialbots and the rest of the younglings. Sunstreaker smiled at his twin and gave him a thumbs up, something they'd learned from Silverstorm. Sideswipe couldn't help but look around. That if had sounded suspiciously like it wasn't so much an if as a when. Silverstorm and Mirage were planning something. Sideswipe just hoped if Blaster did hear him, he wouldn't laugh him back to the temple.

Once the instrument was set up, he played several different scales then glanced at Ultra Magnus as his optics went pink. "Okay, Magnus, you know that ballad you like? With the stars being the sparks of fallen warriors?"

"That's my favorite, Sides," Ultra Magnus said. "My protector used to sing it to me." He smiled wistfully. "That was a long time ago."

"Okay, well, I haven't got any words yet, but I have a melody for a new ballad that I've been working on." Was it just him, or was that static-laced squeak the sound of somebody very excited? Sideswipe lost his train of thought until Ultra Magnus spoke again.

"I can't wait to hear it," he said.

Sideswipe's fingers were trembling a little as he took the time to make sure his instrument was in tune. Finally he could do nothing else, so he set his fingers on the strings and keys and began to play. He winced at a few wrong notes then sighed and started over. The second time was much better, and Sideswipe quickly forgot the if and enjoyed himself. The music was soft and melancholy, and Sideswipe poured himself into the melody, barely even noticing the wrong notes. This was what he liked about music. It was what he was meant to do, just like Blurr was meant to be a racer.

As the last notes faded, Sideswipe found that he'd offlined his optics, and he onlined them and froze. When had everybody come to listen to him? He hadn't noticed all of the mechs gathering around, so lost in the music, but now that he was aware of it, he found himself petrified. Before he could start to panic, Blaster began to clap. The other mechs followed suit, and the younglings began to cheer and let out whistles and clicks of approval. Sideswipe relaxed a little, and he made a little bow, an Earth gesture that Silverstorm had told him performers used on Earth.

Blaster bounded over, beaming. "Aw, mech, that was sweet music! Who taught you?"

"Ah… me…?" Sideswipe squeaked. "And I know I'm not very good, so… blame me, I guess."

"Blame you?" Blaster laughed. "Blame you for teaching yourself enough to be able to write that ballad?"

"Oh, it's not done yet," Sideswipe muttered. "And I'm no good with words."

"I could help, if you want me to," Blaster said.

Sideswipe brightened. "Oh, would you? You wouldn't mind?"

"Why would I mind?" Blaster asked.

"I'm still on the basics," Sideswipe said. "They're not very exciting."

Blaster smiled and turned to the instrument. He played a scale. "Basics are something you have to do no matter what level you are. If you forget the basics, your craft will suffer. Besides, I haven't worked on a new project in ages."

"Why not?" Sideswipe asked.

"Kinda hard to be creative when you're fighting in a war," Blaster said. He scanned Sideswipe up and down. "You're Sunny?"

Sideswipe laughed. "That's my twin. I'm Sideswipe."

"Blaster."

"I know," Sideswipe said. "Silverstorm showed me some of your music. It's so good that you're…"

"Intimidating?" Blaster asked kindly. "Aw, that's how I felt when I met Trillsweep. He was my teacher. My own protector didn't really see the value in my music. I never made a career out of it, but I don't know what would have happened if it weren't for the war. But I digress. Yeah, my music is pretty sweet. I still love listening to it. But there's always room for more talent. Especially from the next generation. We haven't had new music since the war started."

"You don't mind a few wrong notes?" Sideswipe asked anxiously.

"Even I play sour sometimes," Blaster said. "Every musician does. You at least have an excuse. You're young. I'm willing to teach you if you'll do one thing for me."

"Oh? What's that?" Sideswipe asked.

"If you'll teach me, too."

Sideswipe grinned. "Oh, Prime was right about you."

Blaster paused then glanced over to see Silverstorm, Mirage, and Bumblebee staring at him. "Oh, really? What's old Silverstorm have on me? Because I have way worse on him."

"Oh, bite me, fragger," Silverstorm mocked. "Now go and teach him how to read music."

"You can't read music?" Blaster asked in surprise.

Sideswipe cringed and looked away. "No, sir."

Blaster snorted. "No need to call me sir. We're off-duty," he said. "Now, let's pack this up and head to my place. I'm staying with a few mechs, but we've got a whole soundroom for ourselves. The nobles that lived there obviously had a musician in the family."

"Sure thing," Sideswipe said.

The two of them began to break down the instrument again, and they were chatting almost at once about music. Silverstorm watched as Sideswipe finally got a chance to ask his questions. It was so good to see his youngling happy.

"Not bad, Bee," Silverstorm said.

Bumblebee glanced at him. "You think so?"

"Yeah. Yeah I do. It was a good idea. The scout's way works again."

Bumblebee stared at him. "Are you sure you're not my Sam?"

"I used to be. I'm growing up. And I'm no longer human. I know it's hard to move on, Bee, but things are changing," Silverstorm said gently.

"Yeah. And they just keep falling apart more," Bumblebee said. "I want what we used to be."

"That's not possible," Silverstorm said.

"Yeah. I know," Bumblebee muttered. He slumped and looked around at everybody milling about then saw Optimus gazing at him. He turned away, his optics turning pink.

"What's that about?" Silverstorm asked.

"Optimus and I have been fighting," Bumblebee said. "He doesn't get it."

"Then explain," Silverstorm encouraged. "He'll listen."

"No, he won't. He never does. I'm going to go get started on the rest of those datapads." He turned away then paused. "Thanks, Prime," he said cautiously.

"You are most welcome, Bee. I'll be there in half an hour to help."

Bumblebee nodded and walked away. Silverstorm watched him go, his expression thoughtful. Mirage nudged him.

"What's wrong?"

"I know exactly how he feels," Silverstorm said. "I used to feel that way myself."

"What changed?"

"Instead of assuming Optimus was being an aft on purpose, I actually talked to him."

"Why not make them talk?" Mirage suggested. "Get them together like we did with Blaster and Sideswipe."

"No. Absolutely not. That is a terrible idea," Silverstorm said.

"It is?" Mirage asked. "What's the difference?"

"Sideswipe was intimidated by Blaster because he didn't want to disappoint him by being bad with his music," Silverstorm explained.

"And Bumblebee?"

"He doesn't know where he fits in right now," Silverstorm said. "And he's afraid he's screwed things up too bad with Optimus for him to understand. Forcing them to talk right now wouldn't work."

"How do you know?" Mirage insisted. "It could work."

"When Optimus forced me to talk to him when I felt like that, I accidentally sent him to the medbay," Silverstorm said. "You are not to act on that idea at all. That's an order, Raj."

"Yes, Prime," Mirage said, his optics turning a bit orange.

"But if you have any other idea, I'd be glad to hear them."

Mirage smiled, and they watched Sideswipe and Blaster heading off for the soundroom. Silverstorm was so very glad it had worked. Now Blaster would finally stop wheedling him and he could focus on getting all that paperwork done. How was he on a completely metal and digital planet, he wondered, yet still was swamped with paperwork?

"You don't even have trees to make paper," he muttered in English.

"What?" Mirage asked.

Silverstorm shook his head. "I'm going to go help Bee with the datapads."

"I'll come with you," Mirage said. "More hands makes light work."

"Protector's saying?" Silverstorm guessed.

Mirage snorted. "The servants, actually. My protector wouldn't have ever worked with his hands."

"That's a shame," Silverstorm said. He wrapped an arm around Mirage's shoulders. "But surely he did data work."

Mirage snickered. "Actually, yes. He was about as excited as we are."

They both headed for the data room, laughing together. It had been a good day. The best part wasn't that Sideswipe and Blaster were finally talking. It was that, for the first time in a long time, Silverstorm had seen his old guardian underneath the mech that had been lashing out at everybody, and he was beginning to understand. Bumblebee was still there. He was just overwhelmed and scared by the newness of everything going on.

Silverstorm knew that Bumblebee had never felt the way he did now, and he had no experience with such powerful emotions. He was going through a youngling's experience as a mech, and so was Hot Rod, just in a different way. Silverstorm knew he needed to be patient, and so did Optimus. He'd share his revelations with him later. For now, he had a much more daunting task. Data work.