Chapter Seven: Steven the Big Boy

For most children, a fight between several giant robots right in their front yard would be enough to have them up and about in a flash, either to hurry to the window to watch, or to run screaming to safety. But as has been established, Steven wasn't most children. Although the commotion woke him up, he simply regarded it for a moment, before getting ready for his day as usual.

He emerged onto his front porch, cheerful as could be. "Morning, everyone!" he said.

"Hey Steven!" said Sideswipe, currently fending off attacks from a giant metal bug. In fact, all three Autobots were doing so. Three insectoid Predacons, all of them purple and black, had seemingly come out of the woodwork to attack the Ark. Sideswipe himself was fighting what looked to be a gigantic grasshopper, Elita fought with some sort of stag beetle, and Ultra Magnus was faced with another beetle, this one of the rhinoceros variety. "Sleep well?"

As much as Steven wanted to help, he figured he wouldn't be at his best form, having just woken up. "Yeah, pretty good," he replied. "Where'd these things come from?"

Ultra Magnus wrestled with his one, being pushed closer to the porch. "No idea…but better they're here than causing trouble somewhere else!" He managed to lift the bug over his head, using the momentum to slam it back down.

"I agree, though I'd rather they didn't come right to our doorstep!" said Elita. She had a hold of the beetle's horn, her heels digging into the sand as it pushed her back. She unloaded into its face with a barrage from her rifle.

Meanwhile, Sideswipe was riding the grasshopper like a bucking bronco, struggling to hold on. "Woah, woah, woah! My brain module's gonna get shaken loose at this rate!" Holding onto its antennas like reins with one hand, he drew a sword with the other, piercing through its head. Both he and the Predacon tumbled to the sand, with the latter dissolving until only its spark was left.

"Yeah, get 'em, Sideswipe!" cheered Steven. "Get 'em, Elita!"

Her rifle wasn't doing much to the bug, so Elita opted for another strategy. Straddling its horn, she wrapped her legs around it, and used her ankle blades to sever the weapon. After this, its owner reeled back on its hind legs, preparing to crush its attacker. Elita had anticipated this, and held the horn like a spear, allowing the bug to skewer itself on its own defense. It, too, dissolved into rust.

With all the insects defeated, Steven hesitantly stepped onto the sand. "Is it safe to come down now?" he asked.

"Hold on, I'll check," said Magnus. He drove his fist down onto the last remaining beast, still embedded in the sand, which didn't so much as twitch. "Yes, I think it's safe."

The other two bots sent away their collected sparks. "What a way to start my morning!" Steven cried excitedly. "I wake up, and BAM! There's a battle right on the front lawn! You guys really took those things down!"

"We sure did!" said Sideswipe, posing with his sword. "Heh, I've heard of Insecticons, but this is ridiculous! …See, 'cuz these things look like–"

"I understand the turn of phrase," Elita said, a bit weary. "I'm glad you enjoyed the battle, Steven, but we still have a problem on our hands. We don't know where these things came from, or what drove them here. There could be a bigger problem out there, one that we know nothing about."

Sideswipe didn't seem concerned in the slightest. "Ah, who cares? Predacons are always showing up outta nowhere and trying to kill us! What makes these ones so different?"

"No, Elita has a point," said Magnus, walking over. "One thing I have noticed in the last five thousand years is that Predacons that travel in groups tend to be marginally less aggressive than the ones that travel solo, excepting when they're protecting their territory. Something must have happened to drive these three out of their old home; something big. Knowing our luck, a bigger Predacon."

Steven smiled. "Then it looks like it's time for a mission!" said Steven. "So, what's the plan this time? Build a super-scanner to track Predacon movement? Create a lure to bring them here?"

As Steven suggested ways for them to tackle their next mission, none of them noticed that the rhinoceros beetle was still alive. It slowly pulled itself out of the hole in the sand, rolling over back onto its legs. It set its eyes on the distracted bots, charging with mandibles extended.

"-giant magnet that only works on dark energon? Oh, or what about we dress Sideswipe up like a lady Predacon? Or we could–Look out!" Steven's warning came just in time, with all three of them leaping aside to avoid the charging bug. But Steven himself was still in its path.

Suddenly, Steven's eyes were overcome by a blue glow. His form was enveloped by a blinding flash of light, disorienting the Predacon. Before it could regain its vision, there was the swing of an axe, and one of its pincers fell to the sand.

Elita's first instinct was to secure Steven, which she very quickly did. Magnus ran over to the dazed Predacon, punching it so hard his fist smashed clear through its shell, and tore out its spark. Everyone stood still for a second as the adrenaline rush wore off.

"Okay…okay, I think the coast is clear," said Elita, lowering her guard. "Are you okay Steeeeee…ven…?" When she looked at him, she faltered, seemingly in shock. The other two walked over as well, just as taken aback by whatever they were seeing.

"Uh, yeah, I'm okay," he said. He didn't feel hurt or anything. His axe disappeared, though the Autobots still looked worried. "What's the matter? It didn't cut off all my hair, did it?" It was only now that he stopped to think about it that he realized he was roughly the same height as them.

"Eh…no, it's not your hair," said Sideswipe. "Though you don't exactly have any right now…"

"Whaddya mean?" Their worry had been spread to Steven by this point. "Seriously, what's–" He looked down at his hands, and saw only metal. "I…you…we…when…" He looked himself over, and saw that his entire body had become metal. Not only that, but he stood nearly two stories tall.

He was a Transformer.

"What's happening right now!?" shouted Sideswipe. "What did that bug do to you!?"

Magnus remained calm, looking him over. "I don't think it was the Predacon. We've seen Steven unlock his Cybertronian abilities through stress before. I think it's likely being in mortal danger simply triggered this change…whatever its nature may be."

"So, you mean, I'm just big like this forever now?" asked Steven. He went over to his house to look at his reflection in the window. Despite having become a giant robot, his face still looked like his own. His body was white, with luminescent blue orbs embedded in his chest, arms, and legs.

"Hopefully not," said Elita, going over to comfort Steven. "I'm sure this is only a temporary condition. We'll find some way to reverse it, one way or–"

But Steven wasn't upset about his new form. Far from it, he seemed overjoyed. "I'm a real Transformer! Look at me, I'm huge!" He ran around the beach, excitedly getting used to his new body. "Does this mean I get to go on missions with you guys? Can I turn into a car!? No, wait, I wanna turn into a fighter jet!"

"You can turn into whatever you want, once you scan it!" said Sideswipe. He seemed almost as excited about this turn of events as Steven himself. "...Unless your human mode is your altmode."

"Hmm. That'd be kind of boring, but it's worth a shot." Attempting to transform, Steven tried condensing himself back to human size by curling up into a ball. "Wrsch-sch-sch-sch-sch! …Did it work?" All three of them shook their heads. Eh, that's okay. C'mon, now we can get started on our mission!"

"Hold on just a moment, Steven," said Elita, stopping him when he tried to run off. "Right now, with your sudden…er, 'cyber-puberty' episode, we'll need to see what sort of effects this has had on you. It could be dangerous to run off without knowing what's happened."

"Not to mention, we still don't know where our mission will take us," said Magnus. "We'll have to find out where these Predacons came from first."

Although Steven was a bit disappointed, he understood. "Oh. Alright then, I guess that makes sense." He followed the others into the Ark, thinking how much smaller it felt. "So what do we do now?"

"Well, the first thing we should do is try and find out what caused this," said Elita. "That way, we can determine how to reverse it."

"If we can reverse it," said Sideswipe. Elita gave him a nudge and a dirty look.

"Whether or not it's temporary, I think we should tell Greg what happened," Magnus suggested. "He has a right to know what happened to his son."

Everyone else froze, quietly wondering just how Greg would take seeing Steven turned into a giant robot.

At the very least, they didn't have to wonder for long. Greg made his way to the Ark what seemed like the instant Magnus had contacted him. Panting, red in the face, sweating profusely, but sprinting faster enough to possibly catch up with Sideswipe going full speed, he doubled over the minute he reached the medical room. "Where's…where's Steven?" he panted. "He's…gonna be…alright, right?"

"Hi Dad!" Steven said with a cheery wave, assuring his father he was none the worse for wear.

Greg looked up at him, worry fading, but confusion going nowhere. "Wow… Y'know, when they said kids grow up so fast, this isn't what I expected." Steven held out his palm, lifting his father up to eye level. "So, it doesn't hurt or anything?"

"Nope," he replied. "Actually, I might feel even better than I did before! Like I could run a marathon without getting tired, or fighting twelve Predacons at once without getting a scratch!"

Greg winced. "Maybe don't try that last one." He looked over his son once more. "It's so surreal seeing you like this. What exactly are you doing to him, anyway?"

As he sat on the examination table, Steven was hooked up to several cables. "Just monitoring his vitals, taking various routine tests, nothing too serious," said Elita. "As Magnus informed you, we're hoping to find a way to reverse the change.

"And…if you can't?" Greg asked nervously.

"Dad, I'm still me!" said Steven. "Even though I'm a giant robot, I still love you!" He hugged his father close to his chest.

Despite being squished, Greg smiled as he returned the gesture as best he could. "I'll always love you no matter what, Steven, but you're a bit big for that now, don't you think?"

"Oops! Sorry!" said Steven, setting his dad back on the floor. "Guess I'm not used to my size yet."

Just then, the machine next to Elita beeped. "Looks like we have results!" she said. Everyone leaned closer to hear what the verdict was. "Hmm…it says here that Steven isn't a normal Transformer. In fact, he might not even be a Transformer at all! For instance, he isn't made of metal, but a pseudo-organic polymer with similar properties to metal, and his energon contains far too much water than should be possible."

Sideswipe seemed unimpressed with these results. "Well, we already knew that! He's half-Transformer, half-human, that was established on day one!"

"The real question is, do we know any way to reverse it?" asked Magnus.

Elita looked over the results, comparing them to more sets of data. "Well…the strangest thing here is that, aside from his increase in size, Steven in this form is apparently no different from in his other form. It's as though this is simply a natural evolution of Steven's unique biological structure.

This worried Greg. "So…he's like this forever?"

"Maybe not," assured Elita. "Physically, there's no difference, but mentally, that's where things start to diverge. Considering Steven's current neural activity, and adjusting for the differences between human and Cybertronian brain patterns, Steven is experiencing pronounced excitement."

"Yeah, that makes sense," he said. "First that Predacon charged me, and then I was just so excited about being a real Transformer!"

"Then it's possible Steven will revert back to his human form if he calms down," said Ultra Magnus. "Perhaps if we engage in some meditation, we can–"

"Hold on, hold on!" said Steven. "I just got big, and now you want me to get small again already? I wanna at least enjoy this a little first! Now we know there's a way to reverse it, so that's good…but can we do it later?"

Though he clearly didn't like the idea, Ultra Magnus acquiesced. "Okay, okay, I suppose nobody's in any danger. Just…try to be aware that, with your new body, you might not be able to do the same things you would have been able to do before."

"Alright!" Sideswipe was already ready to go, thumping Steven on the back as he headed for the door. "C'mon, Ste-man, let me show you how we Transformers do things!"

Steven took the cords off himself, eagerly following. "Right behind you!" He waved to everyone else before he too was out the door. "Bye guys! Be back in a bit!"

Everyone watched the two of them leave. "So…what are the chances this ends in tears?" asked Elita.

"Figuratively? Pretty high," said Magnus. "Literally? Not much lower. I'll get started on tracking where those Predacons came from." He, too, left the room.

Now it was only Greg and Elita. "So…um…did Steven say he turned into a giant robot because a Predacon charged him?" asked the former.

"I'll go help him," Elita said, following after Magnus. Greg shrugged, heading back to his workshop.

"What is wrong with the people in this town?" complained Lars, cleaning up a table that had been left an utter mess by some rowdy patrons. "It's like all of them were raised in a barn or something!"

"Yeah, sure seems that way," said Sadie, grinning as she looked at him. He didn't pick up on her meaning.

Just then, the bell rang as the door opened. Rather than a human hand, it had been pushed open by a giant robot finger, with the same robot's face peering inside. "Hey guys!" said Steven.

"Hey Steven," said Lars, only doing a brief double-take at Steven's new form. "Let me guess: cyber-puberty?"

"Something like that," he replied. "It's supposedly just temporary though. But just 'cause I'm big doesn't mean I'm not hungry!" He tried to squeeze through the door, but figured out pretty quickly that it was a lost cause. "Oh…" he said, disappointed.

"Too big for indoor dining, huh?" said Sadie. "We can bring it outside to you if you want! What'll you have?"

Steven squinted as he tried to read the menu, but the print was too tiny for his giant eyes. "Aww, I can't see that far," he said. "I thought I'd at least get super robot vision or something…"

"Hey, it's no big deal!" said Sadie, rounding the counter. "Here, I'll just bring you a smaller menu."

"No need," he said glumly, "I'll just have my usual." Crawling away from the door, he made his way to the parking lot to sit next to Sideswipe and mope. So far, being big wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Looks like movie night was prophetic once again…

"Didja get something for me?" Sideswipe asked.

He shrugged. "Maybe. I asked for my regular, but I don't know if that meant my regular or our regular." He flicked a pebble across the lot, or what amounted to a pebble to him. "Hey Sideswipe?"

"Hmm?"

"Have you ever wanted something really badly, like really really badly, but then when you actually get it, you realize maybe it's not what you expected?"

Sideswipe wasn't really paying attention, more focused on the cars passing by. "Not really. Hey, check that out!" He excitedly hopped up, leading Steven over to the road. "Look at that hot rod!"

A car had stopped at the light, and what a hot rod it was. Bright red with flames painted on the side, an engine sticking up out of the hood, and a spoiler topping it off at the back. The moment he laid eyes on it, Steven knew exactly why Sideswipe had brought him over.

"Imagine turnin' into that beauty!" he said with a nudge.

"Way ahead of you!" said Steven. He fixed his eyes on the car, straining, trying to become one with it. It was only when he felt like he was about to blow a gasket, literally, that he stopped. A sudden realization came over him: "Uh, how exactly are you supposed to do that?"

"It's not so hard," Sideswipe said. "When I see a car I like, I just stare at it, trying to absorb all the little details and bits that make up the whole thing. And before I know it, I am that car! Give it another try!"

Steven concentrated as hard as he could, taking note of every minute detail of that hot rod. Before long, he knew it so well he could draw it with his eyes closed. But he felt no closer to actually becoming it. "C'mon, Steven, be the car!" Nothing happened, the light turned green, and the hot rod was off, driving towards the unknown. "Wait! Come back! …Aww." Steven sat back down, moping once more. "What kind of a Transformer am I? I can't even transform!"

"Hey, it's not so bad," said Sideswipe, sitting down next to him. "I knew plenty of Transformers who couldn't transform. But they all still went on to live rich, fulfilling lives."

"Really?" asked Steven, looking up at him.

Sideswipe nodded. "Yeah! …Well, um, I didn't know them, know them. But I heard about them from Elita. And um… Ah, transforming's overrated anyway! Y'know, I knew this one guy who could only turn into a leg–a leg! How goofy is that!? Well, I didn't know him, know him, but, uh… Y'see what I mean?"

Unsurprisingly, Sideswipe's anecdotes didn't cheer Steven up. He was looking despondently at the road, watching the cars go by and no doubt wishing he could join them. Sadie soon arrived with his order: "Hey Steven, got your donuts here…Steven, is something wrong?"

"Ah, he'll bounce back," said Sideswipe, taking the donuts. "He's a big boy!" He patted Steven on the back. "You want some donuts, big boy, or are they all for me?"

"...Did you ever have trouble with stuff like this?" he asked. "Like, transforming, or doing other stuff?"

In truth, all of that sort of thing had come naturally to Sideswipe. He took a moment to think of something that would cheer Steven up. "N-not really…but you're making progress! I mean, just a few months ago, you couldn't summon your axe, or use your blasters! But just look at you now!"

This perked him up. "Yeah!" It took a bit of effort, but Steven managed to pull out his axe, holding it up to the sky. He then turned his other arm into a blaster, holding it up valiantly as well. "Maybe I am a real Transformer!"

"That's what I've been tellin' ya!" said Sideswipe. "C'mon, let's go shoot some tires!"

"Yeah!" The two of them ran off to go and have some fun. "Bye Sadie, thanks for the donuts!"

Sadie waved, smiling as they disappeared off into the distance. "Glad he was able to get that sorted out," she said, heading back inside. But she suddenly stopped when she realized something. "Wait, I forgot to have them pay!"

Although he had a fun day with Sideswipe, Steven was worn out now. And after a long day of playing, all he wanted to do was lie down in his own bed–not that he could. "Maybe tomorrow, bed," he said glumly. He stared into his house through the door on the Ark, far too small for him to get through now.

"Still haven't gone back, eh?" said Magnus. "Well, you're probably too excited. If those brain scans are painting an accurate picture, it's excitement that triggered this change."

Steven turned around to face him. "I'm not excited, I'm worried. What if I can never change back? What if I'm stuck in this big, useless body…forever?"

Magnus placed a hand on Steven's shoulder. "Now, you won't be like this forever, and besides, you aren't useless. In any case, worry and excitement can be considered both sides of the same coin. Come here, let me show you something."

He led Steven over to the training area. "Are we gonna train?" he asked. "I feel like that would only excite me more."

"Yes and no," Magnus said with a grin. "We will train, but not the sort you are used to." He sat down, with Steven following suit. "Calmness is a secret that is essential for a warrior to learn, but precious few have ever mastered. Though it seems easy on the surface, it takes a highly disciplined mind to truly achieve true peace. Teletraan, noise cancellation, if you would."

"Engaging noise-canceling procedures." The two of them were then sitting in relative silence, untouched by the outside world. Magnus closed his eyes, taking in and letting out a deep breath.

Steven did the same, but his mind was still stuck on his current state. No matter how many deep breaths he took, he couldn't forget the fact that he was likely to be stuck in this useless state forever, cursed to be trapped as not a real Transformer. His breathing became quicker and more haggard as a result, which Magnus noticed.

He opened an eye. "I know, it's hard. It's so easy for the worries of life to stick with us beyond when they should. The key to meditation is to not focus on any one particular thought, good or bad. Simply leave the mind blank, and your thoughts clear."

"That, uh, sounds easier in practice," Steven said.

"Indeed it is," Magnus replied. "But as is the case with all things, the only way to get better is to keep at it. Actually, maybe complete silence isn't the best way to approach this… Teletraan, play nature sounds."

"Playing ." The sounds of a gentle stream filled the training room, complete with chirping birds and a babbling brook. Steven had to admit, he felt calmer already. He imagined himself within the forest, surrounded by all the plants and animals, not a care in the world. But, again, it wasn't long before his world, and all the cares within, came flooding back.

At first, Steven had been overjoyed to have this new body. For too long, he had been the son of the great Optimus Prime, but had nothing to show for it. He had always known he was half-human, half-Transformer, but it wasn't until recently that the latter half had begun to show itself. But what was the point of it all if he was so…so…pointless?

Sighing, Steven got back up. "Sorry Magnus, but I don't think I'm up for this. I've got too much on my mind to meditate properly."

Magnus stood up as well, walking over to console the boy. "That's the tricky thing about meditation: it helps to calm the mind, and yet, it seems to require a calm mind to begin. It will make sense in time. Like I said, truly achieving peace of mind takes time. But for now, I think it's best if you get some shut-eye."

"Where?" he asked. "My usual bed's too small."

As though waiting for his que, Sideswipe appeared. "You can bunk with me!" he declared. "It'll be a Ste-man and Swiper sleepover! I'll go and clear some room!" Just as quickly as he had arrived, he headed off back into the depths of the Ark.

Ultra Magnus gave Steven a look, as though asking if he was okay with this. "Yeah, sounds fun," he answered, though didn't sound entirely enthusiastic. "'Night, Magnus." He too headed further into the ship to reach his makeshift bedroom.

"Goodnight, Steven," said Magnus. "Perhaps you will be feeling yourself again in the morning. And if not, I'm sure we will be able to find some way to adjust."

Steven entered through the door he saw Sideswipe go through, only to at first think they were in a storage closet. "Uh, are we in the right…?" he asked. The room initially seemed to be quite small, packed with all manner of junk. However, he soon realized that not only was the room much bigger than it first seemed, but it only looked that size because it was filled with even more junk.

"Yeah, sorry, it's a bit cluttered in here," he said, laying on his bunk near the back. "I find it's easiest if you sorta swim through it. I put up a hammock for ya!"

"Thanks…" Steven climbed over and through the mountains of souvenirs, soon managing to pull himself up onto the hanging sheet of nylon. "You sure do love collecting things, don't you?"

He grinned. "I just like having something to remember my many adventures!" Using his sword, he was busy carving a tally mark into the wall beside his bed. There were many more where that came from, seemingly around fifty or so. "'Nother Predacon in the books. Maybe soon we'll bag another one!"

"Yeah, maybe we will," Steven said. He cheered himself up with the knowledge that even if he wasn't as much of a Transformer as he would have liked, at least he wasn't entirely useless. His new body would definitely come in handy on their next mission. "Hey, Sideswipe? Do you think I'm…"

But Sideswipe was already asleep, snoring like a bear.

"Ah well, it doesn't really matter." Before long, Steven was asleep too, having put his worries out of his mind.

His next morning began much like the last one, being awoken by a loud commotion. This time, however, he nearly jumped out of bed at the sound–or rather, fell off his hammock. It was Ultra Magnus, banging on the side of the wall. "Get to the bridge, Sideswipe, we're moving out!"

The bot in question groggily rose out of bed. "Aw, can't we at least have some breakfast first? I can't fight on an empty stomach!"

"You don't have an empty stomach, because you don't have a stomach!" Magnus retorted. "And anyways, it's urgent: I've located the source of the disturbance that drove the Predacons in our direction. And from the scope of what it leaves in its wake, it's nothing to trifle with."

While Sideswipe reluctantly crawled out of the room, Steven scrambled to the door. "I'm coming too!" he shouted, nearly knocking Sideswipe over in his hurry to get to the ground bridge.

"Are you?" asked Ultra Magnus, accusation in his tone. "This isn't your average Predacon we're dealing with. We don't entirely know what its deal is yet, but as I said, it's carving a path straight through a mountain pass. It's likely a bit more advanced than what we usually handle."

"Well, so am I!" said Steven proudly. The three of them headed into the main room, where Elita was inputting the coordinates.

"Steven, you're up early," she said. "Seems like you're feeling better, too! I'm glad."

He smiled. "You bet I'm feeling better! Now that we're going on a mission, I can finally see what this new body can really do! Who knows, maybe I'll even finally be able to use the Matrix of Leadership after this!"

"Easy there, kiddo, one step at a time," said Magnus. "Now, are we ready?"

"As ready as we can be," Elita said. "Ground bridge engaging in three…two…one…" The familiar green glow of a portal filled the room as one opened up. "Now remember, we don't know what it is we're facing in there, so we need to proceed with maximum caut–"

As soon as the portal was open, Steven had drawn his axe and raced through. "Maximum somethiiiiiiiing!" he yelled, disappearing through the gateway.

"Steven!" Elita ran in after him, followed by Sideswipe. Magnus went through last, silently dreading what lay ahead. Both their opponent, and the circumstances.

When they emerged, they found themselves within reddish canyons, feeling the warmth of the desert almost immediately. Aside from the heat, something else stood out, which Sideswipe noticed: "Not a whole lotta plants here, is there?" he said.

"Well, it is pretty hot here," replied Steven. "Must not be enough water for plants to grow here."

Magnus was busy scanning the area. "It's more than that–this area is completely devoid of any biological life. Not only that, but there's no energon within miles of this place. Energon dead zones aren't unheard of, but one this size…"

"I'm not picking up any dark energon, either," said Elita, also looking at her scanner. "If that Predacon was here before, it's long gone now."

Steven wandered away from the group, searching for any sign of their quarry. "Hmm, it's pretty here," he noted. "I'd like to come back here sometime, when we aren't busy on a mission. Maybe we can bring Connie along." As he examined the cliffs, he noticed that there was a perculiar formation that dotted many of them. Holes, large enough that Ultra Magnus could walk through them with Elita on his shoulders, without having to duck. Most of them ran clean through the cliffs to the other side, dug by some enormous unseen presence. It wasn't until Steven almost stumbled into one on the ground–letting out a startled shout as he leapt back–that he realized they were far too symmetrical to be natural. "Hey guys? You see these holes?"

"Yeah, what about 'em?" Sideswipe stuck his head into one. "Hello down there! …Aww, no echo." He peered further in, noticing that not only was there an odd spiral design along the edges, but also a series of ridges running along each third of the tunnel. "Something about this feels off somehow."

As Magnus examined the tunnels, he came to the same conclusion. "Only one thing could've dug these," he said.

"And what's that?" asked Steven.

He then got his answer, which came in the form of a low rumbling. At first, it was barely noticeable, until he glanced over at some rocks shaking from the tremor. It grew in intensity, soon feeling like an earthquake was shaking the area. "Get out of the way!" yelled Magnus, tackling Steven out of the way as a massive machine burst up from the ground.

As the dust cleared, they could see the machine's three drills, pointed skyward, slowly spin to a stop. Three long legs, each tipped with a gear-like wheel, hauled a cylindrical body out of the hole. Its drills, each at the end of an arm, lowered as it scanned the four of them with a purple light.

"Okay…nobody make a move," said Elita. "If we're lucky, it won't detect anything, and–" But they weren't so lucky, as it began stomping towards Magnus, a cluster of tendrils emerging from its underside. Her warning forgotten, everyone leapt into combat mode.

Sideswipe slid underneath the metal titan, weaving through its tentacles as he shot upwards. "What is this freak!?" he asked. "Not a Predacon, surely!"

"It's an Energon Harvester!" replied Magnus, letting loose with a barrage of missiles. "No wonder this place is a wasteland–when these things go berserk, they'll suck the energon out of anything and everything they can see!"

"And that includes us!" added Elita. "Stay out of range of those tendrils!" She took to the skies, strafing the Harvester from afar.

This was his chance–his chance to be a hero! Steven charged in, leaping into the air and bringing his axe down on the Harvester's leg. While it didn't completely sever it, it did create a sizable gash. Enough for it to notice him. "Woah!" He brought out his guns, firing on the tentacles that reached for him.

Luckily for him, Sideswipe came to the rescue, severing the tentacles with his swords. "Quick, get outta here, I've got your back!" More of them quickly replaced those, and so on as he continued to slice them. "Any plans?"

"Its intake port is directly connected to its power converter," said Magnus, pointing at the spot where the tentacles were coming from. "A direct shot there should take it down in one go–the only trouble is getting close enough!" He charged into the leg that Steven had damaged, the blow gaining its attention.

Now that it was going after Magnus, Sideswipe tried to get under it again. But even when the tentacles weren't actively trying to grab him, they were thrashing around so much it was hard to get a clean shot. Meanwhile, it had started using its drills as weapons, actively trying to damage its prey before consuming them.

Elita landed on its head for a brief moment, unloading a barrage into it before the drills forced her to fly away. "Sideswipe, get away from there!" she called.

Too distracted with his slicing, Sideswipe was right in the thick of things. "No way! There has to be a limit to these things, and I'm gonna find it! It can't grab us without its grabby things!"

Meanwhile, Steven was busy trying to capitalize on its wounded leg, hacking away at the cut with his axe. "Come on! Why! Won't You! Break!" It just then moved its leg, and he lost his balance, falling to the dirt. Panting, he got to his feet, before letting out a frustrated groan. "Why am I no good at this!? Why can't I be a real Transformer!?"

It was then that a sudden shout caught his attention: "Sideswipe!" In his frenzy of slicing, it seemed he had gotten himself tangled up by the tendrils. Ultra Magnus fired his rockets, but they didn't do much, the Harvester pulling Sideswipe closer to its 'mouth.'

This was Steven's chance. With his friend in danger, he charged into action, leaping into the air. He kicked off of the machine's leg, cutting through the jungle of tentacles with a swing from his axe.

"Huh? What are you doing?" asked Sideswipe, struggling with his binds.

"Saving you!" Steven replied. But as he sliced through the tendrils, more of them emerged to constrict him. Pulling as hard as he could, and even biting some, it was all he could do to keep from being wrapped up himself. "Now go!" With one final swing, he cut Sideswipe loose, who fell to the ground below. Only now, he was caught by the Harvester.

Distantly, he could hear the frightened shouts of the other Autobots, as the three of them did all they could to save him. But the outside world was somehow dimmed, because of a blue glow coming from inside the machine. As soon as he looked into the light, he was completely captivated. Everything else seemed so far away…all his worries melting into nothingness. The light seemed to take everything away from him: all his troubles, all his cares, leaving only peace. As the energon drained from his body, he felt like he could drift off to sleep then and there.

No, his inner voice said. No, this is bad. You'll die! But he was already half-asleep, his eyes beginning to close. There was only silence–nothing on his mind. Wait…nothing on my mind! That's it!

As his strength waned, he imagined himself beside a babbling brook. Nothing but bird sounds and splashing water, with the gentle wind blowing through the trees. Nice, warm sunlight shone through the leaves, the finishing touch of this little slice of paradise. It was now that he was truly at peace.

He knew he was in danger…but he didn't feel like it. He was completely calm in the face of peril. It was then that it happened: his body began to recede. The metal that was his skin became softer as he shrank back to his original size. The tentacles loosened, not only due to him shrinking, but also because it could no longer detect energon in his human body. It let him go, and he fell towards the ground…

…Right into Elita's waiting arms. "Oh, Steven! Thank Primus you're alright!" she said, hugging him close. She wasted no time getting him out of harm's way, setting him down around a corner. "Are you alright?"

"A bit woozy, but I'm okay," he said.

The Harvester continued its rampage, meaning Elita couldn't stay. "Wait here, and recover your strength," she said, drawing her weapon. "We'll get you some breakfast once we get back." With that, she ran back into the fray.

Steven got to his feet, watching the fight from afar. As glad as he was to be safe, he was hesitant to sit and watch as the others were in danger. That giant machine was after their energon, and if it caught one of them, it was game over. They couldn't turn into humans like him, and–

Wait…that was it! With a sudden epiphany, Steven knew exactly how to defeat it. He ran towards the machine with a second wind and a one-track mind to save everyone. He may not have been an experienced fighter, or even a real Transformer, but he did have one thing the Harvester couldn't handle: humanity.

"Steven? What are you doing!?" shouted Ultra Magnus. "Get back, it's too dangerous!"

"Well, so am I!" he replied. In its pursuit of the Autobots, one of the Harvester's legs nearly came down on top of him. But Magnus was there, knocking it aside just in time. Steven slid through the dirt, ending up right under its main body–his blaster appeared, firing up into its intake port. However, the sheer number of tendrils meant that none of his shots landed.

"Help him out!" Elita shouted. All three of them positioned themselves next to the machine, firing at it to get its attention. With each of them on a different side, it wasn't sure which to go after, reaching for all of them. The tentacles parted, giving Steven a clear shot.

He took a deep breath, blocking out the sounds of the outside world. "Okay…mind blank…thoughts clear. I can do this." Peering up into the light, he fired one single blast…and right into the mark it went.

The effect was almost instant, as small explosions began ripping through the Harvester's body. Its tentacles seized up and twitched as it began stumbling, filling the air with the sound of creaking metal. Steven quickly got to his feet and ran as it fell down, heading right for him.

Before he could be crushed, he felt another pair of arms wrap around him. "Hold on, little buddy!" Sideswipe transformed, and Steven found himself in the passenger's seat, racing away from the falling machine. With one last explosion behind them, its core was blown to bits–and the Energon Harvester was no more.

Sideswipe transformed once again, looking over Steven to make sure he wasn't hurt. But Steven was too busy looking at the wrecked Harvester, overjoyed that he had actually managed to save everyone. "Steven! Are you alright? What were you thinking!?" cried Magnus, as he and Elita ran over.

"Guys, we did it!" he shouted. "We won! I…I did it! And look: I'm back to normal!" He excitedly ran around, overjoyed to be back in his old body.

Just happy to see that he was okay, Magnus let out a sigh of relief. "I see. Looks like you finally got the hang of meditating."

Steven flopped down onto the ground. "Yeah!" He sighed as well, just as weary as it was relieved. "I guess it's not so bad, being human…"

He was soon joined by the others, laying down beside him. "I coulda told you that much!" said Sideswipe. "Some of the coolest people I know are human. Priyanka, Doug, Greg…you!" He ruffled Steven's hair.

Although he laughed, there was still a twinge of sadness to Steven's voice. "Maybe I'm just…not meant to be a real Transformer," he said. "I guess I'm just me…whatever I am."

"Hey, now, what's all this about?" Elita asked. "Who said you're not a 'real' Transformer?"

"Well, it's just…I know I'm technically half-Transformer, but until lately, I've only shown the human half." He stared at the ground, running a finger through the dirt. "I guess I just wanted to prove that I'm…really one of you guys."

Magnust sat up. "You are one of us, Steven. No matter what form you take, you're still Optimus' son. And even if you were fully human, you're part of the team." He placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "As far as I'm concerned, that makes you just as much a Transformer as any of us."

This seemed to cheer him up, showing a small smile. "Even though I'm not a very good fighter? And can't transform?"

"Yes, even then," said Elita. "Nobody's an expert fighter overnight–even Cybertronians who were made to be soldiers have to learn how first. It's the same with transforming. It takes practice, and some people go their whole lives without an alt-mode. And they still went on to live rich, fulfilling lives."

"Oh yeah, Sideswipe might have mentioned that," said Steven.

Magnus stood up, dusting himself off. "Did he tell you about the leg guy?"

Steven got up as well, chuckling. "Yeah, he told me about the leg guy!"

"Come on, let's go home." Elita led the way back to where they had first arrived in the canyon. "So, Steven, any preferences for breakfast?"

He considered it for a moment. "Well…I couldn't decide between waffles or pancakes, so I figured we'd have 'em both together! Oh, and with bacon! And sausages! And extra whipped cream! And sprinkles!"

"Sounds like my kinda meal!" said Sideswipe, rubbing his stomach. "You'd better eat it quickly, Steven, 'cause I might finish it before you!"

"Breakfast race!" Steven said cheerfully. He began running, with Sideswipe close on his heels. "Bet I can eat more than you!"

"Betcha can't!"

As the two of them ran around, Elita got the portal ready. "Never thought I'd end up raising two kids," she said, watching them fondly.

"Me neither," Magnus said. After a while, he added "Are you sure we're handling this, Ariel? The way Optimus would have wanted, I mean."

The two of them continued their game. "He looks pretty happy," said Elita. "I'm sure Optimus would have wanted nothing more."

AN: So, now that we've all had some time to see it, how 'bout that Rise of the Beasts, eh?