Chapter Nine: Me Plus You Equals One

"And he's off! He's past the twenty…the thirty…Great Scott, he's past the forty! This could be it! Sideswipe could go! All! The! Waaaaaaay!"

The basketball bounced against the Ark's floor, the one currently in possession making his way across the room. Steven tried to grab the ball, but Sideswipe slid past him with a juke, tossing it towards a net fixed to the wall. He imitated the sound of a buzzer as soon as it left his hand, watching intently as it rolled around the rim…and slid into the basket.

Sideswipe pumped his fist. "Ooh! Oh yeah! Last-second buzzer-beater victory! Sideswipe takes it all home once more! Woo!" As he was doing his victory dance, Steven went to retrieve the ball.

"I don't know what you're celebrating," he said with a grin. "That was almost a draw. You're bigger than me, and I still almost won!"

"Well then, maybe you'll have more luck once you reach your growth spurt," he said, ruffling Steven's hair. "But for now, you'll just have to put up with Sideswipe: Basketball Prodigy Extraordinaire!" He struck a pompous pose.

Steven laughed. "It's easy to be a prodigy at basketball when you don't even need to jump to reach the net!" He tossed the ball to Sideswipe, who indeed was tall enough to simply place it through the net. He did this a few times, in fact.

Shrugging, Sideswipe began performing some tricks with the ball. "Okay, so I'm a bit tall. All the best players are! But that doesn't mean I can't dunk it like a pro! Just you watch!" He dribbled to the other side of the room, rushing back over in preparation for a slam dunk. However, just as he leapt into the air, Elita-1 walked in through the door just beneath the basket.

"Has anyone seen my–" She was unable to finish because Sideswipe couldn't stop his momentum. He landed right on her, sending the both of them crashing to the ground. Steven winced, hurrying over as they got their bearings. She glared at him, to which he offered a bashful smile. "Get off me!" she said, irritated, as she shoved him off.

Elita got to her feet, brushing herself off as Sideswipe did the same. "I knew you would fall for me sooner or later!" he said, leaning against the wall and smiling smugly. "Only took a few thousand years!"

She rolled her eyes. "Get over yourself! I like to think I have some standards–I wouldn't fall for someone so immature!"

Sideswipe, however, was undeterred. "So, you think she like me?" he asked Steven quietly. "Yeah, I think she likes me."

"Are you okay, Elita?" asked Steven. "Don't be mad at Sideswipe, it was only an accident."

"I wish it was an accident," said Elita. "You see, Steven, the problem with Sideswipe is that he never takes his duties seriously. Everything is a game to him."

"And the problem with Elita is that she's become a big ol' stick in the oil!" Sideswipe shot back. It didn't used to be like this, you used to be fun!" He reclined on a nearby chair. "See, Steven, this is why your Uncle Powerglide doesn't visit anymore."

Elita gave him an exasperated look. "The reason Powerglide doesn't 'visit' is because…" She noticed Steven was staring at her, wide-eyed and big-smiled. "Yes, Steven?"

"I have an uncle!?" he said, ecstatic. "Who is Powerglide? What's he like? How come you two fighting means he can't come and visit? Also, where's he been all this time!?"

Sideswipe chuckled. "Woah, calm down there, tiger! Powerglide's not some long-lost relative of yours–Powerglide's right here with the two of us!" He put an arm around Elita's shoulder.

Noticing that Steven was confused, Elita explained. "You see, Steven," she said, removing Sideswipe's hand, "Cybertronians possess an ability to combine with other members of our race in order to form larger, more powerful warriors. These Transformers, known as Combiners, or Gestalts, are much stronger than others of our kind, but are difficult to maintain due to the mental strain it takes to remain in agreement with your partner."

"Wow…" said Steven, his eyes sparkling with wonder. "Can I meet him?"

Both Autobots started. "Meet who?" asked Sideswipe, though he already knew who.

"Powerglide, of course!" he said. "You said that two Transformers can combine as long as they stay in agreement. That doesn't sound too hard! You two get along great!"

Elita and Sideswipe shared an uncomfortable glance, before looking away. "I…wouldn't exactly say great," said Elita. "We don't really have the same friendship we had years ago."

"Why not?" Steven asked, glancing between the two.

Neither of them was really sure how to answer that question. Each one could offer up many reasons as to why the other got on their nerves, but that didn't explain what had begun the change. They looked at each other, unsure, which was when Magnus entered the room. "We've got a mission," he announced.

"That was a close one!" said Sideswipe, sighing in relief. "I was afraid I'd have to confront my own deep-seated emotional issues for a moment there! Whaddya got for us, big guy?"

Magnus brought an image up on the monitor: it showed a mountain, with seemingly nothing out of the ordinary about it. "Ooh, is there a secret hidden base inside the mountain?" asked Steven. "With lava and deadly traps!?"

"Actually, you're right on the money," Magnus replied, changing the picture to show a cross-section of the mountain, revealing a facility within. "This is an old geothermal energon production plant located inside a volcano." Steven went silent at the sheer coolness of that statement. "It's remained dormant for centuries, but lately, pressure has been building up. If left unchecked, an eruption is certain, causing untold damage to the surrounding area."

"Then it's definitely our highest priority," said Elita, examining the map. "How much time do we have until that occurs?"

"By my estimates, anywhere between a few hours to it's already happened," Magnus reported, much to everyone's shock. "Assuming it hasn't, we'll need to split into two teams: Team One, consisting of myself and Sideswipe, will enter the volcano to turn a valve at the very bottom, while Team One, Elita and Steven, will fly to the very top to turn a valve up there. If both valves are turned at roughly the same time, the pressure will be alleviated, disrupting the eruption."

Sideswipe raised his hand. "Uh, is there any chance I could swap with Elita? I don't really handle high temperatures well…"

"Oh, yes, I remember," said Magnus, looking to the side uncomfortably. "Well, Elita's needed above for her flight, and I don't trust Steven around lava. I guess all three of you will head topside, and I'll handle the interior alone."

"Are you sure?" asked Steven. "Going into an active volcano all alone's gotta be pretty dangerous."

He grinned. "Luckily, I'm pretty dangerous. Don't worry about a thing, I'll be fine. Now then, if there's no objections, shall we be off?"

Everyone was in agreement–plus, there was no time to waste. Elita quickly opened up a groundbridge to the location, and all four of them stepped through. The air on the other side was very warm and humid, likely close to a jungle or rainforest. Steven found that they were at the foot of the mountain, nearly falling over when he tried to look up at the peak.

"Careful there," Magnus said, catching him. "Now remember, this will only work if both valves are turned at around the same time. Otherwise, we risk speeding up the eruption process. I'll contact you if I get there first, you do the same. Good luck, Autobots. Now roll out!"

With that, he headed towards a door, punching through it to enter a tunnel carved into the mountain's side. Sideswipe offered a little salute. "Good luck to you as well, boss. So, we flyin' up there or what?"

"I'm flying up there, I don't know about you," Elita grumbled. "If I were to carry you up this mountain, we'd never make it there before it erupted."

"Fine then, you fly, we'll drive," he said. Both of them transformed. "Come on, Steven, let's beat her there!" As Elita took off, Steven hopped into his passenger seat. Sideswipe revved his wheels before racing towards the mountainside, racing up to the top…or he would have, it wasn't so steep. He didn't even get up one of his body lengths before he was kicking up dirt as he stayed in place. He then rolled back down, exactly where he had started. "Okay…let's try that again."

He did try it again. He tried it for a second, third, and fourth time, but the result didn't change. "Hey, Sideswipe?" asked Steven. "Do you wanna just walk? It might be easier."

"'Easier' isn't always the answer!" he replied, going for a fifth attempt. When his wheels were unable to take them up any further, he gave up, transforming and sitting down. "Okay, maybe you're on to something."

Despite being able to easily make it to the top, Elita had stayed behind, looking down from higher up the mountain. "You could sit this one out if you want," she said, with the smallest hint of smugness in her voice. "Steven can ride with me instead."

"I can?" asked Steven, excited at the prospect of flying. "Uh, I mean…rule number one is that we stick together! Right Sideswipe?"

Sideswipe was in the process of climbing up the hillside. "I'll stick together alright! We'll see who beats who to the top…" Steven stood on his shoulder.

Elita waited for him to arrive, watching him climb up. "Maybe things would be faster if you had gone with Magnus," she said. "It's not too late to turn around."

"You know as well as I do I have a phobia of hot liquids!" he grumbled. "No, I'm climbin' this thing the hard way, even if I have to drag myself to the top!"

Steven raised his hand. "I have an idea! You know who could reach the top really easily? Powerglide! We could use a giant robot right about now! Well, giant-er than you already are."

Neither of them were keen on that idea, looking away from each other. "Maybe later," they both said, continuing on upwards. Steven followed, not wanting to give up on this just yet.

"How do you know you wouldn't like being together?" he asked innocently.

Elita grimaced. "I think that ship has long since sailed," she said, glancing over at Sideswipe.

In turn, he casually put his arms behind his head. "Ah, you're just jealous of my natural coolness! Sure you can do just about anything effortlessly, but can you make it look effortless? That's one thing I've got over you!"

Elita's grimace became even grimace-ier. "Maybe I should have gone with Magnus," she grumbled.

Steven wasn't entirely sure, but the vibe between these two seemed to be even harsher than it had been before. Elita and Sideswipe had always gotten along before, so what had changed? He decided to appeal to something they both had in common. "Are you sure you don't wanna form Powerglide? Not even for me?"

"Sorry Steven, but I don't think Elita's gonna go for it," said Sideswipe. He leaned in, offering in a whisper "I think she's intimidated by my natural charisma."

Elita's grimace subsided, replaced by a roll of her eyes. "Definitely should have gone with Magnus. Just remember, whatever you're putting up with up here, he's going through something much harder down there," she reminded herself.

Whistling to himself, Magnus strolled through the facility's interior with nary a care in the world. The internal defenses to the plant had long since eroded away with age, leaving nothing more than a derelict old facility. He simply walked across a catwalk over a lake of lava towards the release valve in the giant room's center. All in all, he had expected things to be much more difficult.

"Now is usually the time some enormous problem presents itself to hinder my path," he mused, quietly waiting for one such problem to appear. But after a little while, nothing did. Shrugging, he leaned against the valve as he contacted the others. "Elita, I have reached the interior valve. How are things progressing for you?"

"I think we're almost…halfway there," came her unenthused reply. "Forgive the slow going, but Sideswipe insisted I stay and babysit him."

"I did not!" Magnus heard him say. "You're the one who wanted to fly away and leave us in the dust! You coulda been up there already, but nooo, you just had to stay and watch me fail for your own amusement!"

"Listen to yourself!" she snapped. "Which is it? Do you want me to leave, or do you want me to stay? Make up your mind!"

"Both of you, try and focus," Magnus said. "I don't think I have to remind you what will happen if we don't release the pressure in time. Luckily, we seem to have some time before the eruption, but that's no reason to delay. Understood?"

"Loud and clear, Magnus!" said Steven, overhearing the call. "Don't you worry, I'll make sure these two get up there on time!"

"Thank you, Steven. Best of luck to you all." With that, Magnus hung up, returning his attention to the interior of the magma chamber. A maze of pipes filled the room, rattling and banging as the pressure inside continued to build. "I hope those two can get along," he said.

"All I wanna do is see you turn into a giant robot, a giant robot!" Steven sang to himself. "All I wanna be is someone who gets to see a giant robot!" Neither Elita nor Sideswipe shared his chipper attitude, trudging along behind him.

"You know what I think?" asked Sideswipe to Elita. "I think he wants to be a giant robot, and he's living vicariously through us."

She looked over at him. "So you're saying we should give it a shot, for his sake?"

Sideswipe looked away awkwardly. "No, not at all. I mean, if we do, and that's a big if, that'd be the only reason I'd do it. To make him happy."

"Sure, that's the only reason," she said quietly. "I honestly don't understand why you want to combine with me. I thought you saw me as uptight and judgemental."

"What? Okay, first of all, I don't want to fuse with you! Like I said, it'd be just for Steven. And second, I don't think you're uptight and judgemental. You are uptight and judgemental."

Elita sighed. "Maybe a little bit. But you're uncouth and irresponsible."

"Maybe a little bit," Sideswipe said, nodding. "Hey, speaking of, look!" He pointed ahead, revealing that they had nearly reached the mountain's peak.

Steven stopped his singing, excited at this realization. "Hey, you're right! C'mon, let's get to that valve!" He ran forward, followed by the two until they crested the top of the mountain. However, just in front of them was a large caldera, which Steven almost fell straight into. Elita caught him just before he could.

"Careful!" she cried, pulling him back to safety. "I didn't expect this to be here." In the center of the crater, a large tower jutted up from the facility within. "There's the valve. Proceed with caution, everyone–there's no telling what could set this thing off."

The trio carefully slid down the sheer side of the caldera, Elita holding on tight to Steven. The ground here was made of thick molten rock, and the heat of the lava below could be felt just by touching it. "Let's not stay here any longer than we have to," Sideswipe said nervously.

Their progress was soon interrupted by an alert on one of Elita's scanners. She checked it, and her calm expression suddenly turned to concern. "That isn't good. I've got a dark energon signature rapidly approaching." She turned in the direction it was coming from–behind them–but saw nothing.

By now, everyone was on their guard. As the signature speedily drew closer, Steven began to hear a sound coming from above. He looked up, but clouds covered most of the sky. And then, as it grew louder, a red shape rocketed down to the ground, nearly crashing straight into the three. It swooped back up with its enormous wings, letting out a screech from its pointed beak.

"Run! It's a pterodactyl!" shouted Steven. As the prehistoric Predacon continued to divebomb the Autobots, they hurried their pace towards the tower. Sideswipe and Elita both drew their weapons to fire on the creature, but its speed meant it was easily able to avoid most of their shots.

Unfortunately, they were about to find out that they were not heading towards safety, as a second screech rang out. A second, nearly-identical Predacon emerged from its hiding spot atop the tower, its eyes fixed on these intruders. It too took flight, gliding down towards them in an effort to chase them off.

"Run! It's a pair-of-dactyls!" shouted Steven. The twin pterosaurs continued their attack from above, paying no heed to the team's weapons. Eventually, they had no choice but to run, hurrying towards the edge of the crater. The Predacons accepted this show of retreat, returning to the top of the tower.

The three stopped to rest and regroup, laying low so as not to reignite the dinosaur duo's ire. "So, Predacons and a volcano," said Sideswipe. "As if one or the other wasn't enough."

Elita was looking closer at the top of the tower. "Look," she said, pointing. "I think they made a nest up there. No wonder they're being so protective of this area."

Her communicator beeped, indicating a call from Magnus. "Um, hello up there, it's me. Look, not to rush you, but are you there yet? Things are getting a bit hotter down here…"

"You didn't tell us there were Predacons up here!" Sideswipe said loudly, right into Elita's audio processor. This earned him a glare from her. "Sorry… But there are!"

There was a brief pause of puzzlement from Magnus. "There shouldn't be. In any case, the volcano takes top priority–turn the valve first, then we'll deal with them."

"Easier said than done," Elita said. "Alright: Steven, you hang back here. Sideswipe, you get to the valve, I'll distract them. Ready? Engage!" She transformed, flying off towards the pair of beasts.

Sideswipe transformed as well, racing after her. "Hey, there was no countdown!" Elita fired on the Predacons from above, earning their ire. The duo took off to chase her into the sky, where dark clouds began to swirl. One of the pterodactyls latched on to her propeller, hurling her towards the ground, but she was able to recover in time. Meanwhile, Sideswipe carefully climbed up the ladder.

Despite Elita's distractions, the other pterodactyl noticed him, angrily speeding towards him. He tried to fend it off with blasts from his Plasma Launchers, but it did him no good, as it knocked him off the ladder. He fell to the ground with a crash, unable to even stand up before the beast tackled him again. It had him pinned down, attempting to spear him with its pointed beak.

"Elita! Sideswipe needs help!" shouted Steven. She broke off from combat to aid him, firing at the pteranodon. This drove it off, but she came close to hitting Sideswipe in the process.

"Hey! Watch the friendly fire there!" he shouted. "You tryin' to perforate me or something?"

She transformed, landing beside him. "I'm considering it," she muttered.

The two Predacons circled them from above, screeching to one another. Both Autobots raised their guns, expecting the beasts to dive down once again. Instead, they only rose higher, tightening their circle. "Are they…?" Steven wondered aloud. Just as he suspected, their sparks began to glow.

Well, he hadn't expected that exactly, but he figured he knew the end result. Bolts of energon sparked between the two, as their metal parts began to interlock and engage, as though they were transforming. The light grew brighter and brighter, until two pteranodons had become one giant one, complete with two heads. The Predacons had combined.

"Well, scrap," said Sideswipe, dodging out of the way alongside Elita as the gestalt beast landed right where they had been standing. Raising both of its heads skyward, each one let out a resounding screech that resonated across the crater. The entire area shook, and at the edges, the foundation had begun to crack.

Steven hurried towards the middle away from the cracks, up from which lava had begun to bubble. "Woah! Guys, look out!" The two-headed pterodactyl had taken flight again, trying to corral the Autobots into one place.

Within the mountain, the lava had begun to rise as well. Ultra Magnus raised himself up to higher ground. "Not to rush you, but we're facing an eruption in mere minutes!" he called. "Can we deal with that Predacon later!?"

"We're working on it!" replied Elita, forced against Sideswipe's back. Steven huddled in close as well. The pterosaur circled them, unbothered by the potential eruption. "I-I think…" She and Sideswipe shared a glance. "There's no other option."

After a reluctant pause, he held out a hand. "Let's do this." She took it, and drew him in for an embrace. Steven watched in awe as metal parts began to shift and lock into place, accompanied by the burning light of two sparks becoming one.

Before the light had subsided, the resulting gestalt raised an arm at the Predacon. The air was filled with the splitting thump-thump-thump of heavy ordinance as he fired his guns. The beast was driven away by the bullets, flying higher into the black clouds. Now that he could, Steven finally got a good look at Powerglide.

He was even bigger than Ultra Magnus, colored red with giant wings on his back. He looked down at Steven; his head was somewhat conical, with his mouth covered by a faceplate. "Looks like someone could use an emergency evac," he said, leaning down to pick him up. His voice was confident, cocky even, sounding like it was coming from over a radio.

"G-giant robot…" Steven mumbled, climbing onto his hand.

"That's affirm," said Powerglide, giving a thumbs-up. He looked around as the lava continued to engulf the area. "Let's take to the skies!" With a running start, Powerglide transformed, becoming a large gunner aircraft. Steven found himself in the cockpit. The plane sped upwards into the storm. "This is Powerglide, in pursuit of hostile."

"Yes, it's good to see you again, Powerglide, but I'd rather not be melted into slag right now," said Magnus. "I estimate we have less than five minutes before catastrophic explosion, so if you absolutely have to deal with the Predacon now, I'd ask that you do it quickly."

"Roger that, t-minus five till," said Powerglide. "Closing in on target now." Steven looked through the windscreen: the occasional lightning strike illuminated the pteranodon flying in front of them. "Brace for increased G-forces!"

Powerglide sped up, closing in on his target. "Woah!" shouted Steven, holding onto his seat for dear life. Once they got closer, the guns lit up again, peppering the Predacon with bullets. Its angry screech could just be made out above the wind and thunder, and it turned around to intercept. Powerglide veered to the side, evading its talons, before he resumed pursuit. Both of them streaked down towards the ground.

By now, the entire caldera had been flooded with lava. Steam had begun to rise from within as well, the molten liquid bubbling as pressure increased. "We don't have much time left," said Powerglide. "Rookie, you think you can handle a solo mission?"

Having gotten used to the speed of Powerglide's plane form, Steven nodded. "I can handle it! You get to that valve, I'll take care of those pterodorktyls!"

"That's a negative." Powerglide transformed, holding Steven in his hand as the boosters on his wings, as well as rockets in his feet, kept him aloft. Hovering over to the tower, he placed Steven atop it. "Proceed to the waypoint. Providing suppressing fire."

Steven saluted, hurrying towards the valve. In no time at all, the Predacon had reappeared, swooping towards the intruder. Just as he said, though, Powerglide opened fire on the beast, managing to drive it back. He transformed once again, giving chase.

Luckily, there weren't any eggs in the nest. Unluckily, once Steven found the valve, he realized it was intended for being of Transformer-like stature. Undeterred–well, sort of deterred, but only for a moment–he climbed to the top. "Okay Steven, time to use your super robot strength! You can do this!"

He then heard a voice in his ear. "Steven!? Are you telling me Powerglide left you to turn this thing yourself!?" said Magnus, both annoyed and worried.

"He's taking care of our pterodactyl problem," Steven said. "But don't worry, I can handle this! Get ready to pull!" He pulled with all his might, just to get the valve to turn the smallest of inches.

Ultra Magnus' silence said exactly how he felt about this. "Okay. I believe in you, Steven. Now pull! Pull!" He did just that, straining muscles he didn't even know he had. Magnus now stood on top of his valve to avoid the rising lava, which would have been a comical sight could anyone see him.

Thunder roared from the clouds above, accompanied by the screeches of the beast and the thumping of gunfire. Then, like a comet from the heavens, the two combatants hurled down towards the mountaintop. Powerglide had his arms wrapped around the pterosaur, driving it into the lava, where both of them disappeared.

"Powerglide!" yelled Steven, his attention momentarily drawn away from the valve. But in that brief moment he lost his concentration, the valve turned, and millennia worth of rust gave way in an instant. He fell back down as it spun around and around, lessening the pressure–in theory. "Magnus, do it now!"

Magnus was already on it, turning the valve as fast as he could. All of the magma that had built up over the centuries began to recede back into the tunnels it had emerged from. "Steven, I think we did it!" he shouted, stepping down from his perch. Indeed, the rumbling ceased the moment the pressure was relieved. There would be no eruption today. "Is Powerglide there?"

Steven was looking over the remaining lava for signs of movement. "He fell into the lava!" he cried. "You guys can survive that sort of thing, right?"

As if on cue, a large figure burst up from his molten bath, glowing with heat, but showing no signs of slowing down. On the other side of the crater, the Predacon emerged as well. "Bogey has been grounded, repeat, bogey has been grounded," Powerglide said, wading through the lava. "Moving to intercept."

Both of the beast's heads launched at Powerglide, but he managed to grab them by their necks and hold them at bay. Its great wings flapped as it tried to pull itself out of both the lava and his grasp. Before it could, he lifted it over his head and slammed it back down into the fiery sea, following up with a barrage from his gun straight into its chest. The storm above them was in full swing, buckets of cold rain falling down onto the battlefield. Slowly but surely, the lava began to cool, and thus harden.

Despite the danger, Steven had begun to descend the ladder leading down from the tower. "Quick, Powerglide, get outta there!" he said. "If you stay there, you're gonna get trapped!"

While he pushed the Predacon down into the lava, Powerglide gave Steven a knowing wink. "That's what I'm counting on, rookie." As the lava hardened into stone, Powerglide waited for it to trap his enemy underneath. Soon enough, its consistency grew stiffer, but he waited until both of them were trapped. But Powerglide was not: with surprising ease, he burst out of his igneous prison, transforming and taking to the skies.

Steven tested the waters: the new rock was still warm, but safe enough to stand on. The pterodactyl screeched and struggled as it tried to break free, but didn't have the same strength as the other combiner did. Steven waited and waited, expecting Powerglide to fly back in. He soon did, but it was more falling than flying: he rocketed down towards the two-headed dinosaur, crashing down upon it hard enough to create a smaller crater within the large one. Steven shied away just in case lava had splashed out, once again waiting.

Before too long, a giant arm rose out of the lava, clutching a spark. "Powerglide!" Steven ran over as the giant hauled himself to the surface, holding a second spark in his other hand. "You did it! I did it! We did it! That was amazing!"

"Powerglide to Ultra Magnus: tango down," he reported. "Oscar-Mike in twenty."

"Good job, you two," Magnus replied. "I'll meet you back at the foot of the mountain. It's time we headed home."

Powerglide knelt down beside Steven. "That was some good work out there today, rookie. Thank you for believing in me–if those two hadn't decided to combine, I doubt we would've made it."

Still slightly in awe at the combiner, Steven stared up at him in wonder. "I-it was nothing, really," he said. "I just wanted to get to see a giant robot!"

He chuckled. "Well, you certainly got to see one!" Powerglide stood tall with his fists on his hips. "Now, how about we exfil?"

"Sounds good to me!" As Powerglide once again took on his plane form, Steven climbed into the cockpit. The two of them took to the skies, circling around the now-dormant volcano for good measure. The storm, which appeared to have been caused by the malfunctioning plant, had started to dissipate. They then returned back to their starting point on the ground, where Ultra Magnus was waiting.

He watched as the two of them landed. "This mission was a bit more perilous than I had anticipated. I'm glad you two are safe–and that those two were able to cooperate for so long!"

"Oh, they aren't so bad," Powerglide said. "They just disagree sometimes, that's all. Uh, a lot of times. Most of the time. Pretty much all the time. Right now, in fact." This was when Powerglide's body began to distort, his one spark splitting into two. Interlocking metal detached, and he split in half down the middle, into Elita and Sideswipe.

The latter got to his feet, stretching himself out. "What was that?" he asked, almost defensively. "It was going so well!"

"You know what that was about," Elita grumbled, getting up as well. "Just because we make a good team some of the time doesn't immediately translate to being Powerglide all the time."

"It was just a suggestion! …Wait, you think we made a good team?"

Magnus gave Steven a knowing smile. "Some things never change. Alright, Autobots, let's pack it up." He began to open the groundbridge back home.

Despite their successful mission, neither Elita nor Sideswipe seemed pleased. "Hey," Steven said, "I meant it when I said that was really cool. And I don't just mean Powerglide–you two are cool. I think that's what makes Powerglide so cool: he's both of you. Your coolness is even cooler when you're cool together!"

Steven's words seemed to lighten the mood a bit. "Cool," said Sideswipe. He smiled at Elita, who smiled back.

"And speaking of cool," Elita said, "it's been a while since I've shot some hoops. That said, I did use to play some Cube back on Cybertron. I was pretty good at it, too. Think you can handle my moves?"

Sideswipe couldn't resist a challenge. "You're on!" All four of them walked through the portal to home, hopefully with some better understanding of each other.

AN: I wondered for a while how combination would work in this setting: would it be like it is in canon? More like powerlinxing? Just fusion, but with robots? Eventually, I settled on making it the latter, but who knows? Maybe some more traditional gestalts will appear in the future.