Chapter Six: Crushinator

It was a bright sunny day along the Delmarva coast. Waves crashed into the rocky shore about a mile from Beach City. Unfortunately, this day wasn't all that peaceful, as something else crashed against the rocks: Elita-1. She quickly picked herself back up, rushing back into the fray. "Go, guys! You can do it!" Steven shouted from the safety of the treeline.

Knee-deep in the ocean, the three Autobots fought against their opponent, a Predacon shaped like a giant snake. Its metal body was banded in amber and turquoise, undulating through the water as it darted around them. Making matters worse, it also had three heads–two more than it had started out with.

"Sideswipe! Stop that, you're making it worse!" called Ultra Magnus. He tried grabbing the serpent, but it proved to be too slippery, almost unseen under the water.

It quickly emerged to strike at Sideswipe, who severed one of its heads with a flick of his wrist. This did little to slow it down, though, as not only did its remaining two heads drive the body away, but the neck stump began to shift and twist, expanding from within. Before long, four heads glared at the trio. "Sorry! It's a reflex!" he called back.

Grumbling, Elita opened fire at the Predacon. "Maybe put your swords away this time!" she said. The beast's four heads lunged, but she was faster, delivering a kick to one as she dove to the side.

"Try cutting off its tail!" cried Steven. "...Nevermind! Then it'd probably just have more tails."

Magnus did try grabbing its tail to hold it still, but it very quickly turned around to bite him four times at once. But at least it was still while he grappled with it. "Quickly! Shoot it!" he said. He held it in place as Elita and Sideswipe did so, but it managed to wriggle free, submerging once more.

"Where is it? Where is it?" said Sideswipe, frantically looking around for any sign it was near. Something brushed against his leg, and he reflexively swung down with his sword. Elita glared at him as the now five-headed snake swam on. "Sorry!"

Elita fired at any ripple in the water she could see. "Try and surround it!" she suggested. "If it has nowhere to go, we might be able to force it into a vulnerable position!" She rolled to the side just as it struck, letting loose a barrage into its center mass. All of its heads turned towards her and hissed, disappearing once more. "Magnus!"

Ultra Magnus was searching the waters as well, but something seemed off about him. The way he staggered around, it almost seemed like he was dazed or confused by something. It wasn't incredibly noticeable, and he was able to react when the serpent inevitably attacked him, though not as quick as he usually would have been able to.

"Somebody get this thing off me!" he said, struggling against its many fangs. He let loose several missiles from his Hex-pods, which flew around and exploded in the water. The three others took cover as the rockets hit just about everywhere except for the snake.

Elita got closer to deliver another barrage, freeing Magnus from its grip. "Are you alright? You seem off your game," she said, helping him to his feet.

He was off running at their foe the moment he was up. "My game is at its peak!" he yelled, unleashing another barrage of missiles before Elita could stop him. These ones were more on their mark, blowing the snake's multiple heads to smithereens. This would have been helpful, if it didn't result in each one splitting into two, resulting in a total of ten heads. Each one of them roared, daring the Autobots to approach.

"How come he gets a free pass!?" asked Sideswipe indignantly. "Nevermind, I'm taking this thing down my own way!" He shifted into a car, racing across the ocean floor towards the Predacon. He transformed again before it could react to him, landing on its back. Then, screaming out a war cry, he began hacking away with his swords.

Five, ten, twenty heads were added to the creature's total count as more and more were lopped off. "Sideswipe, stop that!" Elita shouted. "You're only making it…heavier?" Although more heads meant more to deal with, that also applied to their owner. As a veritable tree of heads now sprouted from the snake's body, it became harder and harder for it to move.

Seeing an opportunity, Elita raced in to take it. Dozens of jaws snapped, but couldn't do much as she placed her rifle against its chest, firing one powerful blast. Finally wounded in a way it couldn't regenerate, the snake slumped to the seabed. The tree of heads collapsed, each of its fruit falling as well. Sideswipe emerged from the rust, triumphantly brandishing its spark. "And that's that!"

"Woo-hoo! Way to go, guys!" Steven cheered at another successful mission. "You showed that snake who's boss!"

"We sure did," said Ultra Magnus. He made his way back to shore, leaning against the cliffside. "It was spotty there for a moment, but we pulled through because Sideswipe had a good idea."

Sideswipe sent the spark away through a ground bridge. "It's been known to happen from time to time!" he said. "So, what're we doing to celebrate? Karaoke? Catch a movie? Trip to the arcade?"

Transforming, Ultra Magnus was already back on the road. "If it's all the same to you, I think I'd just like to head back home for now. I would like to rest."

Steven headed down, strapping himself into his passenger seat. "Fine by me! That was a pretty tough battle, you guys deserve some rest!" The other two transformed, and all three headed back towards town. "Besides, I've got some tv to catch up on!"

Though the battle was over and the Predacon was dealt with, Elita still had something on her mind. "Are you sure you're alright, Magnus? You seem distracted somehow. Is there something on your mind?"

"Nothing but another successful mission," he said. Though she couldn't place it, there was something in his tone, something that sounded almost defensive. If he didn't want to talk about it, it wasn't her place to pry, so she let it be. "So, Steven, what was it you wanted to watch?"

"Oh, um, nothing much," he said. "A little while ago I stumbled on this demolition derby show, and I've gotten hooked! It's called Grand Slammers, and today's episode is a big one-on-one showdown between Crushinator and Destructicon! It's sorta like a championship bout, but for cars." He seemed somewhat bashful, talking about the show.

Sideswipe, for one, seemed really interested. "How have I not heard about this show?" he wondered. "Cars bashing into each other at high speeds? That seems right up my alley! I'll have to check and see if there's any auditions any time soon…"

"I wouldn't advise that," said Magnus, a touch sterner than usual. "Something like that could seriously distract from our missions."

"Oh, there's nothing wrong with having a hobby!" said Sideswipe, nonplussed.

They soon made it back to Beach City after only a short drive. Ultra Magnus headed straight into the Ark, while Steven made a beeline for the tv. "Hey, you guys wanna watch the epic showdown?" he asked.

Unsurprisingly, Sideswipe was all over it, but Elita decided to check it out as well. "I suppose it could be worth a watch. Magnus?" But their leader had not even responded, having already retreated to his quarters. "Hmm. I guess that's a 'no.'"

"His loss," Sideswipe said. "Alright, let's see what this is about!"

Steven flicked on the tv with both Autobots looking over his shoulder. The show was just starting: the title appeared as chunks of metal slamming into the screen amid a bunch of flames, before melting away in the extreme heat to reveal the words 'Grand Slammers.' Narration began: "Welcome back, Slammers, to the epic confrontation between two life-long rivals! It's pure carnage today as the Crushinator takes on Destructicon! Get ready to see sparks fly!"

Elita was confused, but Steven and Sideswipe were hooked. "Aw man, this is the corniest thing I've ever seen!" the latter said. "Turn it up!"

Soon enough, it was time for the showdown to begin. Wheels kicked up dirt as the two heavily-modified vehicles began to duke it out. Both of them looked like something out of a post-apocalyptic blockbuster: Destructicon had once been some manner of humvee, absolutely bristling with spiked armor and shooting flame from its tailpipe. Crushinator, meanwhile, was a van stained with black paint, chains hanging from its sides. It charged, ramming the other with its armored grill.

"Yeah! Get 'im, Crushinator!" cheered Steven.

Though the other two were transfixed by the carnage, Elita couldn't help but notice that something was off. Something about Crushinator felt…familiar, in its shape, in the way it moved. She leaned closer to the screen. "It couldn't be, could it?"

Sideswipe looked at her. "Couldn't be what?" he asked.

She pointed at the vehicle in question. "That one there, the Crushitizer. What does it look like to you?"

"Hmm…I think I saw something like it in a movie once," said Steven. "Why?"

"No, no. I should be asking, who does it look like?" asked Elita.

Both of them looked closer. In a moment after Destructicon rammed into Crushinator, the van was pushed closer towards the camera. It was very quick, but the brief close-up of its side felt very familiar to the two–not in the least due to the unmistakable glint of an Autobot logo.

Steven couldn't believe it. "Crushinator is Ultra Magnus!?" he shouted, hands on his face. "Everything I know is a lie!"

"Elita, Elita, Elita," Sideswipe chuckled. "I'm pretty comfortable with you being the smart one of our group. But there is no way that's Ultra Magnus. Because that would mean he's secretly some kinda wild and crazy party animal who gets up to crazy shenanigans without us knowing! And there is no reality where that describes Ultra Magnus."

She shot him an annoyed look. "Then who do you think that is?"

"I dunno," he said, shrugging. "Could just be another Predacon."

As they discussed it, Steven was still questioning his reality. "I've been rooting for him for weeks, and I had no idea! Good thing I wasn't rooting against him… Hey, wait, is this how you guys afford to pay for damages during our missions?"

"No, of course not," Elita said. "...I think. Hmm, I suppose we should ask him." She began walking into the Ark to speak to Magnus about all of this, but Sideswipe stopped her.

"Woah, woah, hang on!" he said. "You can't just put him on the spot like that! What if he gets embarrassed, and stops doing it? For all we know, this could just be some harmless pastime of his, and who are we to get in his way?"

Another weird look from her. "I think you're thinking about this a bit too hard," she said. "It's like you said, this doesn't seem like Magnus. I'm sure he has a good reason for doing this, but we won't know if we don't ask him."

"Well…how about we don't ask him, but we ask Crushinator?" suggested Steven. They both looked at him, hoping for elaboration. "If he'd be embarrassed if we confronted him, let's just go down to the arena and ask him when he's in-character! The show's filmed not too far from Beach City–we can pretend to be fans, ask him about his life, and see what he says! Foolproof, right?"

Sideswipe seemed to agree. "Hey, that's not a bad suggestion! Couldn't hurt to give it a shot, right, Elita?"

It could, but Elita wasn't in the mood to argue. "Oh, very well. I would like to get to the bottom of this as well, but I still think it would be much simpler to just ask him! Let's just hope this plan doesn't overcomplicate things…"

"Please! When have I ever been known to overcomplicate things?" asked Sideswipe.

"Okay," Steven said, adjusting his fake mustache, "everyone have their disguises ready?"

"More or less…" For Steven, the disguise consisted mainly of a mustache, a top hat, and a monocle. Sideswipe was his car, sloppily painted black to 'blend in' with the crowd. As any sort of flying vehicle would have stood out in the parking lot, Elita herself had basically strapped some wheels to herself, pretending to be a motorcycle. "What exactly is the purpose of this?"

"Look, if Magnus sees us coming, he'll pretend not to know us out of embarrassment of secretly being a party dude," explained Sideswipe. "But if we're disguised, we can ask him about his second life away from the Autobots without putting him on the spot. Genius, right?"

Elita opted not to answer.

The sounds of crashing and banging from within the arena began to draw to a close. "Sounds like they're wrapping up," Steven said. "Let's head to his garage!"

Sideswipe drove and Elita sort of hobbled towards the garage where the contestants' rigs were stored. Instantly they ran into a problem, seeing as it was locked. "Well, great, now what are we supposed to–"

Seeming a bit annoyed, Elita answered Sideswipe's question by snapping the lock off the door, lifting it up for him to enter. "There. Let's get this over with." He drove in, and she followed, shutting the door behind her. Inside were all manner of tricked-out rides, modified for maximum devastation.

"Could you imagine if I could turn into one of these babies?" Sideswipe said, admiring the vehicles. "Think of the damage we could do to the Predacons!"

"Alternatively, think of the damage they could do to us," said Elita. As they waited for Magnus to appear, she slipped into a small parking spot between two larger cars. Sideswipe did the same, sitting there patiently. Steven tapped on his steering wheel, only to hide under the dashboard when he heard the door opening.

Two vehicles were dragged into the garage by tow trucks. Even in the low light, Steven could tell that one of them was definitely Crushinator. With little fanfare, the two contestants were dumped into parking spots, likely to be fixed up later. The two trucks drove out, leaving the garage empty…aside from the intruders, and the truck that was more than meets the eye.

Okay, we think Crushinator is Ultra Magnus, but we don't know for sure, thought Steven. Should I get out to inspect it to make sure, or– Just then, the silence was broken by the unmistakable sound of a transformation. The Crushinator stood up, stretching out his dents in the unmistakable form of Ultra Magnus. He dropped off his add-ons like he was shedding armor, going over to the far end of the garage. Okay, well, that solves that. Their suspicions were confirmed.

Now, all that remained was questioning him. Sideswipe popped his door, allowing Steven to crawl out. Not wanting to startle the Autobot leader, Steven quietly cleared his throat before speaking in his best 'distinguished gentleman' voice. "Good morrow to you, good fellow!" he said. He almost tipped his hat, but felt that doing so might ruin his disguise. "Crushinator, I presume? I have beheld many of your matches, and I am inclined to ask–"

Ultra Magnus wasn't startled, but he didn't take to the impromptu interview the way Steven had hoped he would. For a split second after Steven started speaking, he looked down at the strange man, confused as to who he was, what he was doing here, and how he got in here at all. But only a moment later, his eyes widened in shock. "Steven!? What are you doing here!?" He glanced over, instantly noticing Elita and Sideswipe. "What are you all doing here!?

Letting out a heavy sigh, Sideswipe transformed. "Man! Well, guess the jig is up…guess these disguises weren't all that after all."

"Somehow, I feel like I warned you," said Elita.

Looking like a deer in the headlights, Magnus took a few steps back. "I-I don't understand," he said. "Why are you here? Is this some manner of intervention?"

Elita shed her disguise. "No, Magnus, nothing like that at all," she assured him. "We just saw you on tv, and wondered why you were here, is all. We could have asked you about it at home, but…well, Sideswipe didn't want to put you on the spot."

"And confronting me directly at the place I'm not supposed to be won't put me on the spot?" he replied.

Looking a bit bashful, Sideswipe shrugged. "To be honest, this all sounded a lot better in my head. We were tryin' to–wait, what do you mean 'not supposed to be?' Is there some reason you shouldn't be here?"

Ultra Magnus looked very put-on-the-spot, despite their best efforts. "Hey, Magnus, we aren't mad at you or anything," Steven said, taking off his disguise as well. He walked closer to him. "We're just wondering what's up, is all."

Letting out a large sigh, Magnus readied himself as though for a difficult task. "I suppose there's no way around it. Yes, indeed, I moonlight as the Crushinator. This all began several months ago." He stared off into the distance as he recounted his pastime's past. "While tracking a Predacon, I believed it had somehow infiltrated this demolition derby, disguising itself as one of the contestants. In order to hunt it down, I decided I had to do the same."

"And you got it! Right?" asked Steven. "Or are you still looking?"

"No," Magnus continued. "My lead turned out to be false. Normally, that would have been it. However…to my surprise, I found I had enjoyed my time in the ring. The extravagant modifications, the extraneous names, not to mention the weekly carnage of crashing into one another…" He averted his eyes, embarrassed. "So I stayed."

Elita's gaze was sympathetic and understanding, not that he noticed. "I see. So, this really was just a pastime of yours. We had you all wrong."

He nodded. "Please, don't misunderstand, this was never about money or power. The reward money means little to me–in fact, I try not to win too much if I can help it. Nor is there any real danger, as the human vehicles have little chance of truly harming me, and I always make sure to pull my punches. I simply…" Another sigh. "Being the leader of the Autobots, protecting the entire world from the Predacons, is an enormous weight on my shoulders. Having something to alleviate that weight, even for a moment…" He trailed off, falling silent.

"Um…hey, it-it's all good," said Sideswipe awkwardly. "You coulda just told us, though, ya' know. There wasn't any need to keep this a secret."

Magnus seemed to disagree, silently opening the door. "Come on. Let's go home."

Steven noticed that Ultra Magnus was strangely disheartened as they made their way back to Beach City. "Hey, Sideswipe? You don't think we ruined this for Magnus, do you?" he asked.

"No way!" replied the car. "All we did was go and see him. How could that ruin anything for anyone?"

"Mm." Although he agreed with Sideswipe's point, Steven couldn't help but feel that they had intruded upon Magnus' personal life. He just hoped it wouldn't have any serious effects on the team dynamic…

"Hey guys?" asked Steven. "I'm worried about Ultra Magnus." He hadn't joined them that morning, still inside his quarters. "What if he doesn't want to be part of the Autobots anymore?"

The three of them were cleaning up trash on the beach. There wasn't a whole lot of it, but it was best to take care of what little there was before it built up. "Maybe he ran away to join Grand Slammers permanently." Steven froze with shock at the suggestion.

Elita was quick to dismiss this. "Ultra Magnus has been our comrade for almost six thousand years, he wouldn't abandon us! That said, he was acting strangely last night…he must be taking our discovery of his hobby pretty hard."

"Why?" wondered Sideswipe. "So he likes to crash into other cars, who cares? I actually can't blame the guy–putting up with the three of us all the time's bound to be stressful! The man needs an outlet!"

Steven chuckled. "Yeah, he shouldn't be ashamed of having fun just 'cause he's the boss! We should tell him!"

"Maybe later," said Elita, pulling a tire out of the surf. "But right now, I think he wants to be alone. We'll definitely–Ouch!" She suddenly jumped up, holding her wrist. "Something bit me!"

"Bit you?" said Sideswipe, bewildered. "What kinda sea creature's crazy enough to bite a Transformer? What's even big enough? 'S there some sorta shark down there?"

Elita carefully reached back down to pick up the object that had 'bit' her. Steven and Sideswipe were expecting some sort of jagged piece of metal, which, in a way, was what it was. It was a severed head, covered in seaweed and seawater. Once the water washed off, Steven realized he recognized it. "Hey, that's one of those snake heads from yesterday!"

It was. Its eyes were dark, and its mouth hung open limply. How exactly the current had carried it all the way out here, nobody knew, but that wasn't the only strange thing about it. "How come it didn't dissolve into dust?" asked Sideswipe. "We took out the big guy, so why's it still here?"

"I have no idea," Elita said, examining the severed head. "I have seen Cybertronians who are able to deploy drones, or separate themselves into multiple smaller units, but nothing like this has–" Jumping back again, she suddenly dropped the head.

Her reason for doing so was the cranium suddenly springing to life, snapping its jaws at her in a frenzy. Even upon hitting the sand, it began hopping towards the first thing it saw, which happened to be Sideswipe.

"That thing's still alive!" he shouted, firing at it as it hopped closer. It was surprisingly agile for something without any obvious means or propulsion. He and Steven staggered back as it got closer, only for it to be blown apart from behind. Elita lowered her weapon, the threat eliminated.

Or so it seemed. Steven got closer to the burning mass of scrap, making sure it was really dead. It was. "Wait, so if this one was alive, does that mean…?"

His question was answered as though by the sea itself, as wakes of something rapidly approaching streaked through the water. Three of them reached the shore, revealing three more heads that immediately launched themselves towards the Autobots. Sideswipe drew his swords, bisecting one that came at him. Elita blew another one out of the air, and quickly dispatched another before it could reach Steven. "Steven, I think it would be best if you headed inside," she said.

Although he wanted to help, the sight of many more snake heads swimming towards them changed his mind. He hurried back to the house, looking worriedly over his shoulder at the two fighting off the horde.

"How many of these things are there!?" asked Sideswipe.

"That depends–how many did you cut off?" Elita responded. The two fought them off, but were slowly being overwhelmed by the sheer number. "Just don't let any get to Beach City!"

Steven steeled himself. "Alright, time to get out there and show the world why I'm an Auto–Aaugh!" He hurried inside as one of the heads nearly chomped him, slamming the door behind him. "Okay…maybe this is a bit advanced for me. Time for the next best thing!" He ran into the Ark–there was only one bot who could save them now.

Even though he had only gone through the ship's halls a handful of times, he knew the way to everyone's quarters. He frantically scrambled through the giant hallways until he reached the command room, which Ultra Magnus called home. He banged on the door, hoping he was still awake.

"Magnus! We need your help! A bunch of severed snake heads are attacking the beach, and I don't think we can hold 'em off without you! Quick, open up!" The door stayed closed for a few seconds, longer than it usually did. But it eventually slid open, letting him in.

The inside was usually an intricate collection of reports and documents, organized to an almost obsessive degree. Because of this, it was almost disturbing to see that Magnus' room was a mess, with papers strewn all over the place. Even more disturbing was Magnus himself, laying despondently on his cot. "Steven," he said despondently. "Welcome."

He blinked. "Did…did you hear what I said?" he asked.

"Not really. Can't hear much of anything." He barely shifted in his bed. "Probably not much of a problem."

"Not much of a–the city's in danger! You gotta come and help!" He tried pulling the huge robot up, though he knew this was a futile effort. "What happened to being the leader of the Autobots?"

"I don't deserve to be leader of the Autobots," Magnus moaned. "Not when I waste my time bashing into other cars like a brute. Even back when Optimus told me I should be the one to succeed him, I knew it wasn't the right choice. I was never the one to lead, Steven. I'm just not fit for command."

Steven finally gave up on trying to force him out of bed, instead climbing up onto his desk to try and talk some sense into him. "What are you talking about? You're a great leader! Sideswipe and Elita both look up to you–I look up to you! I never got to know my robot dad, but you're the closest thing to a robot dad I've got. And you know what? I could ask for a better one than you! Who cares if you go out and have some fun from time to time? Everyone has a hobby! No matter what, you're still Ultra Magnus, and nobody's gonna look down on you for any of that!"

It seems these words got to him, as he began to stir. "Do…do you really mean that?" he asked, looking up at Steven.

He nodded. "Hey, being the leader's a stressful job. We don't blame you for wanting to blow off steam from time to time. It doesn't mean we look up to you any less."

Finally getting up, Magnus held out his hands for Steven to climb on. "You really look up to me, then?"

"Of course! No matter what sort of danger threatens the day, you always know just how to save it! You stay calm in times of crisis, you hit harder than any truck I know, but you also know when to stay calm…I couldn't think of someone more fit to be the leader than you." Steven beamed as he looked up at him.

Confidence bubbled up within Ultra Magnus–he knew now that his team had never doubted him, and now he no longer doubted himself. "Then let's go save the day!" he declared proudly. With Steven in tow, he hurried outside.

Out on the beach, dozens of heads had poured out of the ocean. Sideswipe and Elita had found refuge atop a rock formation, firing at the dozens of invaders.

"Never thought this was how I'd go out!" Sideswipe said. "Guess I should have watched out for snakes!"

"Just keep shooting!" ordered Elita. "They'll have to run out eventually!" It sure didn't seem that way, as there seemed to be no end to the swarm of hopping, biting heads. For every one taken out, more seemed to appear from out of nowhere.

Prospects seemed grim for the two heroes, until a barrage of missiles rained from above. The rockets crashed into the beach around them, blowing the horde of heads to kingdom come. Those that remained–as well as the two–turned in the direction the barrage had come from.

Steven and Magnus sprinted into action across the sand. The Autobot leader slid into the approaching heads, knocking them aside before leaping up, smashing his fists down on them. He swept his arms around, crushing the ones foolish enough to still be nearby. "Elita, provide aerial coverage!" he shouted.

Elita knew just what to do. Transforming, she flew upwards, opening fire on the heads. With no way to reach her, they were caught in a loop of futilely leaping at the air.

"Sideswipe, swords out!"

Drawing his blades, Sideswipe leapt off the rock, skewering two upon landing. "Now we're talking!" Capitalizing on Elita's distraction, he began carving through their numbers.

And Magnus himself led the charge, demolishing the heads with his bare hands. He let loose another barrage of missiles, blowing a cluster of them to pieces. But he, like his teammates, soon got surrounded, with a bunch of the little biters latching onto him. "Gah! They're so small and…bitey! I can't keep up with them all!"

Watching from the sidelines, Steven got an idea. "Magnus! It's time to unleash the Crushinator!"

He nodded stoically. "It appears it is!" Ultra Magnus transformed, immediately crushing many of the heads beneath his tires. His boxy vehicle mode made it much harder for them to get a grip with their teeth, so all they did was leap into his grill. He started doing donuts, destroying them en masse in a whirlwind of carnage…as his announcers on Grand Slammers would have put it.

Within minutes, the beach was safe once again. Scrap that used to be the heads littered the place, which now began to dissolve to rust. The four Autobots stepped back to regroup, and to examine the fruits of their hard work.

"Everyone, the threat of trauma-replicated severed Predacon heads has finally come to an end," Magnus announced. "And it's all thanks to your efforts."

"See, you say that," Sideswipe joked, "but this was really all thanks to you. We were in over our heads there, but you kept calm. You always know what to do when things get hectic!"

He looked away, Steven detecting a hint of bashfulness. "It's nothing, really. Keeping cool under pressure is just part of being a warrior. It's what Optimus taught me."

Elita put a hand on his shoulder. "Just like he taught you how to be a great leader?"

For a moment, there was a small smile on his face. "Oh, yes, I suppose. Point taken: from here on, I shall dedicate myself fully to leading the Autobots. No more Grand Slammers for me."

"Woah-woah-woah, that wasn't part of the deal!" Sideswipe said. "Look, we're glad you're feeling better, but we don't want you to stop having fun forever!"

"I agree," said Elita. "Magnus, you have no reason to be ashamed of this. As I'm sure Steven told you, we don't think any less of you for having a hobby. Everyone needs a way to relieve stress, even a leader. Especially a leader."

Ultra Magnus looked at Steven, who gave him a thumbs-up. "So…you really don't think engaging in such violent and pedestrian activities makes me a bad leader?"

"Of course not!" Steven said. "Like you said, it's all in good fun! Besides, now that I know Crushinator is you, I can root for you properly!"

With everyone smiling at him, Magnus raised his fists and punched at the air. "Then I guess my time in the ring is far from over. Look out, competition–the Crushinator takes no prisoners!"

Everyone cheered, grouping around Ultra Magnus. He positively beamed, unable to ask for any better teammates than the ones he had.

"C'mon, hurry, it's almost on!" Steven ran up the stairs, leaping onto the couch. He turned the tv on before he had come to a stop, which thankfully only showed commercials.

Sideswipe joined him, a barrel full of popcorn in his hand. "Don't wanna miss this one, huh? Isn't this his big rematch with Roadrager?"

"I believe it is," said Elita. "Though, of course, we could always just ask him."

"Huh, good point," said Steven. "Hey Magnus, do you win this one?"

Grinning, Ultra Magnus joined everyone else overlooking Steven's loft. "I can't give away all the answers, now can I?" he said. "That would take away from the fun!"

All four of them quieted down, their attention drawn to the screen. "Welcome back, Slammers, to another mayhem-filled episode of GRAND. SLAMMERS! Tonight, Crushinator is back and bigger than ever, but will it be enough to take down the mighty Roadrager!? Get ready to find out, because the carnage begins NOW!"