Chapter Twenty-Two: The Little Things
The city of Ocean Town was just a short drive away from Beach City, maybe twenty minutes with no traffic. Being in relative proximity of the Autobots' base, strange incidents weren't unknown to the quaint seaside village, but overall it was fairly uneventful. Even when Teletraan detected a small object entering the atmosphere the previous night, one that's trajectory put it landing within the city limits, the Autobots sincerely doubted it was anything to worry about. Nevertheless, anything coming from space was worth investigating, especially given the recent scare with Windblade.
"Alright, this looks like the place," said Elita, touching down and transforming just outside a junkyard on the city's outskirts. "According to Teletraan's readings, the meteorite should have landed somewhere within the boundaries of this scrapyard."
Steven hopped out of Sideswipe's passenger seat as the latter transformed. "Ooh, junkyards are neat! You never know what kind of treasures you'll find in there!"
"Y'know, I have been looking for a new catalytic converter," Sideswipe mentioned. "But am I really going to debase myself by rooting through garbage to get one instead of paying for it?"
"I've known you for centuries–that's exactly what you're going to do," said Magnus, walking past him into the yard. "We need to get searching. If there was something dangerous in that meteor, we need to find it before somebody else does."
As they stepped past the gate into the rows of metallic refuse, Elita held up her scanner. "Figures. The readings are all over the place–all the metal in here must be reflecting it from the source. Everybody split up and start looking around, we'll find it eventually."
"Way ahead of you," said Sideswipe, going off to look for a catalytic converter. Preferably one in reasonably good shape, or at least not inundated by rust.
Meanwhile, Steven couldn't wait to get started. "Got it! I'll find this…whatever it is, and I'll find it first!" He scampered off further into the junkyard, looking for the fallen object. "Hmm…this would be a lot easier if I knew what I was looking for. Meteors are just rocks, right? If I find a rock, how do I know if it came from space?" Suddenly, the junkyard looked a lot bigger than it had from the outside. "Guess I'd better get started…"
Figuring that a flaming rock falling out of the sky would likely have left some trace of its arrival, Steven set out looking for any smoke, craters, or burning metal. Although he didn't see any, there was a good deal of treasures lying around the place. He could see a TV without a screen, a toy robot that reminded him of Magnus, and a toothbrush with legs. People sure did throw away the strangest things. There would be time to look over it all later, as…
"Wait…toothbrush with legs?" Steven looked back at the oddity, but it was nowhere to be seen. Some bits of scrap were displaced just behind the spot, indicating movement. He raced over to hopefully catch sight of it before it vanished for good. "Hold on! Don't be scared, I won't hurt you." He peered into a crevice, pushing a few loose pieces of metal to find a small den.
Sure enough, it was an electric toothbrush–emphasis on 'was.' It had assumed the general shape of a lizard, with four limbs emerging from its main body, and a pair of eyes having formed on its head. It craned its neck to look up at Steven, its bristles resembling hair on its head. Startled by his sudden intrusion, it scampered further into its nest.
Steven slowly moved aside a panel to reach it. "Hey, easy there, I'm a friend." He held out a hand, which the machine investigated. Once it was convinced he meant to harm, it climbed into his palm. "There we go! You're a weird little guy, aren't you? I didn't think Predacons got that small." The toothbrush Transformer buzzed in response, climbing up Steven's arm and onto his shoulder. It would seem he made a fast friend.
That wasn't all he found, as there was a glimmer coming from within the critter's nest. Looking closer, Steven found a strange shard of metal sitting right in the middle. Some of the metal around it appeared burnt, as the sun's rays bounced off of it…but they could only do that because of the hole that had been made in the ceiling.
Realizing what this was, Steven called out to the others. "Hey guys! I think I found it!" The rest of the Autobots made their way over as he pointed to the meteor's point of impact. "It's in there. I don't think it's an ordinary space rock, though…"
"For something of that size not to burn up in the atmosphere, I was thinking the same thing," said Elita. She began digging through the junk to get to the fallen object.
As she did that, Sideswipe noticed the creature perched on Steven's shoulder. "Hey Steven, who's your new friend?" he asked.
"Oh, him? I found him in there next to the meteor," Steven explained. The little toothbrush buzzed happily. "No idea what he is, but I'm definitely keeping him. What do you think about 'Bristles' for his name?"
Elita suddenly let out a gasp, dropping the scrap she was holding. "I don't believe it!" she said.
"I know, right? I was surprised when I saw him too!" Steven said. When he realized the others were looking at the meteor, he went over there as well. "Oh. Yeah, that makes more sense."
"Is that…?" asked Magnus, peering into the crevice with shock. Slowly, he reached in, pulling out the small metal shard that Steven had found. It was pitch black in color, but it gave off a strange blue light, which seemed to come from within. Barely the size of a nail clipping to him, Magnus nevertheless held the piece with all the reverence of a divine artifact. "In all my years, I never imagined I would find something like this. There's no mistaking it–this is a fragment of the Allspark!"
Steven tilted his head to the side. "The what?"
"Seriously? Even I know what the Allspark is!" said Sideswipe. "Or, was. The story goes that Optimus had to destroy it to keep the Decepticon from turning Earth into their latest trophy. Unfortunately, it was the main thing that could create new Transformers, so it pretty much screwed things up for everyone."
"Better that than turning the planet into a cold, metal husk of its former self," said Elita, giving Sideswipe a dirty look. "Anyway, legend says that the Allspark was shattered into pieces, but none of them had ever been found. But now that we have one, we might just be able to rebuild it! Here, Magnus, let me hold it–we don't want anything happening to it…" He gingerly handed it over to her, and she held it up with just as much reverence as him.
Steven noticed that Bristles was looking up at the shard. "Uh, guys? That Allspark piece was in Bristles' house. Are you sure he'll be okay with us just taking it?"
It was only now that the others even noticed Steven's tiny new friend. "Well, would you look at that?" said Magnus. "The Allspark was able to create new Cybertronians, and it looks like it can do the same even in pieces. This must have been an ordinary brush before the shard landed here, and was granted a spark of its own."
"I'm sure that, er, 'Bristles' won't mind, Steven," said Elita. "With only a fraction of its power, the Allspark can't create true Cybertronians. He likely only has basic intelligence, not unlike an animal."
Steven and Bristles once again met eyes. "Animal or not, he seems friendly enough. And he's all alone out here… If we're taking that Allspark piece, then we should let him come with us too! I'll even take care of him! Please?"
Elita and Magnus shared a glance; the latter shrugged. "I see no harm in it," he said. "He's already shown he can handle Lio, what difference would a toothbrush make?"
"Just as long as he stays in your house," said Elita. "The last thing we need is him running around underfoot in the Ark. Now then, if that's all, we should head back. I want to get started running tests on this right away!"
With their mission accomplished, the Autobots transformed and rolled out back to Beach City. Resting in Sideswipe's passenger seat, Steven held Bristles, who crawled back and forth between his hands. While the tiny Transformer seemed content enough, he couldn't help but wonder if he would eventually get lonely, being the only one of his size living with them. If the Allspark could grant him life, surely it could do the same to other objects, right? Maybe, once they figured out a way to control it, Steven would be able to give him all the friends he wanted!
As the group vanished into the distance, the junkyard stirred. Scrap was pushed aside as an unseen presence moved through the refuse like a shark through water, peering out towards the disappearing party. One by one, more of these shapes made themselves known, dozens of eyes fixed on the faint signal of the Allspark fragment.
"...And this is where you live now!" Steven said cheerfully, showing Bristles the bathroom. "It's not much, but I imagine it's where you'd be comfortable. I'm sure you have plenty of experience with restrooms by now."
After being set down by the sink, Bristles seemed perfectly accustomed to his surroundings. After examining the faucet for a moment, he scurried over to the toothbrush holder, climbing in and transforming to be beside his fellow dental hygiene products.
Steven smiled. "Making yourself at home already, huh? Well, it is almost time for bed…" Reaching out for his new friend, Steven was suddenly gripped by a conundrum. Even though he was a toothbrush, would it be considered impolite to suddenly grab him and stick him in his mouth? They'd only just met, after all. He instead opted for using the toothbrush he usually used.
Bristles sat there expectantly in the holder, turning to watch as Steven brushed his teeth. His gaze focused on the regular toothbrush, and although his eyes were only basic lights, they seemed to burn right through the utensil. Unaware of his newfound animosity, Steven simply rinsed and placed it back in the holder beside him.
"Well, goodnight then, Bristles," he said. "I'll show you around in the morning. Just holler if you need anything!" He turned off the lights and closed the door behind him as he headed to bed for the night. Steven was so excited the Autobots had a new member, no matter how small, that he was worried he wouldn't be able to sleep that night. Within a few minutes, however, he was sawing logs.
Much more restless than his new owner, Bristles was none too happy at having to share his holder with what he felt was a cheap replacement. Back in his robot mode, he shoved the brush onto the countertop, before nudging it off into the trash can. Although his rival was now vanquished, Bristles was not yet satisfied.
Creeping down the countertop to the floor, Bristles crept under the door and into the living room. Having only seen a junkyard for most of his life, he was awed by his new surroundings. There was so much to explore, and so little time to do it. He figured that he should start where he had the most experience, and climbed up the counter to get a better look at his new home.
It was smaller than he was expecting, but then again, he was used to less-than-spacious abodes. A stairway led to a second level, where he could hear Steven snoring, and a large metal door sat across from a regular one leading outside. It shouldn't have taken too long to explore, but something caught Bristles' eye: Bristles himself.
Rather, Bristles caught sight of his reflection in the side of a toaster. Initially assuming a defensive pose on the belief that this was a rival toothbrush, he soon calmed with the realization that it was only a mirror image. He took a moment to admire himself, taking in his white and teal paint, as well as the bristles that gave him his name. After a moment of this self-reflection, his attention soon shifted to the device on which he was mirrored. He felt a certain warmth coming from within, and not because of the heated coils.
Drawn to this warmth, Bristles lifted up his neck, and a multitude of small cables extended from his body like a mass of tentacles. These tendrils reached outward for the toaster, searching for any spots to pass the outer layer and into the machinery within. But just as this process was about to take hold, Bristles was interrupted by a faint tapping sound. Pausing to listen for its source, he didn't hear anything aside from Steven. But just as he was about to resume his efforts, there it was again.
He had a sneaking suspicion as to the sound's cause, and he was in no mood to deal with it right now. Still, the sound persisted, so it was at least worth investigating. The tendrils retracted as he lowered himself back to the floor, ascending the stairs one step at a time.
The persistent tapping led him to a window above Steven's bed. Sure enough, the one tapping on the glass was a creature he recognized: it appeared like a metallic insect around his size, scratching at the pane to try and get in. Bristles fiddled with the latch, opening the way for his friend.
Rather than acknowledge Bristles, the bug simply flew past him, making its way downstairs onto the table. Annoyed by this lack of a response, Bristles hopped back down the steps to confront the new arrival. But he had already made himself at home, sitting down and transforming into a phone. After a few nudges, it was clear that Bristles would just have to get used to sharing Steven. He was about to go back to the toaster, when there was a scratching sound coming from the door.
This was going to be an eventful night.
Steven yawned and stretched as he lifted himself out of bed. "Another great morning in Beach City, sure to precede a great day? Huh? Oh, that explains why it was so cold last night." He shut the window, which had inexplicably become open. "Coulda sworn I closed that…oh well." The window quickly left his mind as he went about his business.
The house was full of more trinkets than it should have been: game controllers by the TV, appliances gathered in the kitchen, and the phone had been joined by a few others like it. A number of other miscellaneous items were scattered around on the floor as well. Steven didn't give any of these a second glance, absently stepping over the clutter as he made his way to the bathroom.
"Morning, Bristles!" he greeted. The toothbrush in question transformed, hopping over to the sink with enthusiasm. "So, ready to start our day?" He shifted back to his 'vehicle' form, for lack of a better term, right at the edge. "I'll take that as a definitely!"
Giving no thought to where his old toothbrush was, Steven gladly used his replacement. "Wow…I don't think my teeth have ever looked this shiny," he noted, smiling into the mirror. "You're pretty good at this, huh?"
Bristles buzzed contentedly at the complements, before climbing up on Steven's shoulder. The two stepped out, ready to begin their adventure…and only now did Steven notice that his house was a bit more cluttered than he was used to.
"Huh…I don't remember buying any of this stuff," he said, picking up an old flip-phone. "I know Sideswipe likes to collect stuff like this, but how did it–Woah!" In shock, he dropped the phone as it suddenly transformed into a small four-legged critter, which rapidly scampered under the couch. "What in–? Was that a friend of yours? Are these all Transformers?"
While none of the gadgets inside moved, there was a bit of a commotion outside. A bit worried what he would find, Steven slowly made his way over to the door and stepped onto the beach. All of a sudden, it was like he had arrived at a wild beach party. Dozens of mutated machines ambled across the sands, making quite a commotion as they explored the house. Most of these were a bit larger than the ones who had infiltrated Steven's home, with such things as a lawnmower, a microwave, and even a refrigerator joining in on the rumpus.
Steven could only watch slack-jawed at the scene. Even if he had come up with something to say, he would have been interrupted by yet another commotion coming from within the Ark. The doors slid open, letting out a torrent of even more of the living appliances. Sideswipe appeared among them, ushering them outside with a broom fashioned from a yield sign. "Go on, get outta here, ya little freaks! And you better not come back, or next time I break out the big broom!" Upon seeing Steven, he shot an accusatory finger in his direction. "Steven! I got no idea what's going on, but I'm assuming it's your fault somehow!"
"That's…a fair assumption," he said, looking down at Bristles. "So, did all of them follow us from the junkyard? Or did the Allspark create them here?"
"I sealed away the shard the moment we returned." Elita and Magnus joined the others, their arrival heralded by another group of the tiny machines pouring out of the ship. "It's likely that they were able to follow its signature here…or that of one of their own." She too looked over at Bristles.
Noticing everyone's glares, Steven scooped the toothbrush into his cupped hands. "No way, this isn't his fault! If anything, Sideswipe's right. I brought Bristles here, and all his friends followed him."
"And how do you plan on fixing this?" Sideswipe asked. Some of the little bots tried to head back into the Ark, but he chased them off.
"What I should've done from the beginning: invite them all to stay with us!" he said excitedly. All three Autobots cringed in horror. "From now on, the Universe residence will double as a sanctuary for…huh. I just realized, we don't actually know what to call these things."
Ultra Magnus looked at the swarm dismissively. "'Pests' comes to mind. Or perhaps 'vermin.'"
Seeing a (computer) mouse scuttle by, Steven snapped his fingers. "I've got it! These little guys came from a scrapyard, right? So how about we call them…wait for it…Scraplets! Genius, right?"
Elita looked uncomfortable at the moniker, as it seemed to dredge up old memories. "Why…why don't we come up with a more pleasant-sounding name?" she suggested.
"Nah, 'scraplets' is fine," said Sideswipe. "Really gets across the idea that they're a bunch of annoying little ankle-biters. Keep 'em if you want, just keep 'em outta my room." Tossing down the broom, he headed back inside.
"Steven, once again I admire your compassion," said Magnus, "but I really must caution you against this. We don't know enough about these creatures, and even if they are benevolent, don't you think letting them all stay with you would soon get out of hand?"
"But I can't play favorites," Steven replied, cradling Bristles. "If Bristles gets to stay, then so do all his friends. Besides, if I can train them all to help out, wouldn't it be worth it to have so many new Autobots?"
A laptop flapped past Elita's face, with her shooing it away. "I'm not sure exactly how useful an army of these things would be, but I suppose it couldn't hurt. Just be careful, would you? These creatures were created from the Allspark's raw power, so they could be unpredictable."
But Steven wasn't worried. "With Bristles by my side, I'm sure everything will be just fine!" Placing the toothbrush on his head, he stepped into the middle of the group. "Ahem…everybody, can I have your attention, please?"
Almost instantly, the mass of scraplets stopped what they were doing and turned to face him. Surprised at this, the others watched as they gathered around like a whole bunch of obedient pets, sitting at attention as they waited for him to give orders.
"Welcome to your new home! While I'm glad to have you, there is a bit of a catch. If you're going to stay here, you'll need to become full-fledged Autobots! Now, I know that sounds hard, but with a little guidance, and a lot of spirit, I'm sure you'll all become one of us in no time! And with your help, all of Beach City will be safe! Safe beyond thor wildest dreams!"
A cacophony of metallic scraping and banging rang out as the scraplets did their best to cheer and applaud. Some of the stronger ones crowded around Steven, lifting him up into the air and carrying him into the city. However, two of the crowd members caught Elita's eye: a boombox and an electric bicycle, both too small to lift Steven on their own. Realizing this, several tendrils extended from each one, connecting them together as they merged into a single entity, joining with the rest of the parade.
"Bye, guys! Don't wait up, I'll be back in a bit!" said Steven, as his horde of admirers took him into town. Ultra Magnus simply shook his head, going back inside to clean up their mess.
"Why do I get the feeling this is going to end in tears?" said Elita, following him. "Oh, right–because it usually does."
"Steven…you know I hate you, right?" said Lars, slumped over the counter. "But I usually tolerate your presence here, because you're one of our main sources of income. And as such, I usually tolerate, barely, whatever sort of nonsense you bring with you. But this is going too far!"
Lars gestured to the crowd of scraplets that were now running wild throughout the Big Donut. Jumping on tables, crawling into vending machines, knocking treats off the shelves…and yet while Sadie did her best to rein them in, Steven sat in a chair like nothing was wrong.
"Don't worry, they're just excited," Steven assured them. "I'm training them to be Autobots! They'll be well-behaved defenders of Beach City before long. But, uh, for now, could I get a couple donuts?"
"For once, I'm with Lars here," said Sadie, trapping one of the scraplets under a trash bin. "Could you maybe train your…uh, pets before taking them out? I know this isn't the first time you've brought a bunch of little critters in here to run wild, but I'd really appreciate it if it was the last!"
Looking around at all the scraplets, Steven climbed up onto the table. Everyone, please, calm down!" As though by magic they all stopped what they were doing, and turned to face him. "Now, I know you all want donuts, so can we please all sit politely like good little scraplets?"
Sure enough, the scraplets all climbed into the chairs, waiting patiently to be waited upon. Sadie looked on for a moment, before releasing the one she had trapped to join the others. "Huh. Lars, give the thingies their donuts," she said, patting him on the back as she went over to Steven. "They really listen to you, huh?"
He smiled proudly. "Don't thank me–it's all thanks to this little guy here!" He showed the toothbrush perched on his head. "His name's Bristles, and he's my friend. And because of that, they're all my friends! I'm starting to think he's their leader or something."
"Well, toothbrushes are known for being the most noble of the toiletries," said Sadie, taking a closer look at the alleged leader. "Where'd you find these guys, anyway?"
Lars strolled past the tables, setting a few donuts on each one, which the scraplets began to messily devour. "Who cares? Just as long as they'll go back there before too long…"
"I'm glad you asked," said Steven, shooting a brief dirty look at Lars. "Turns out, they were all just living in a junkyard down in Ocean Town. And no, I don't think they're in any hurry to go back, thanks very much! With my leadership, pretty soon they'll all be Autobots!"
"Pfft. Big deal," said Lars. "Sure, they can make a mess of a donut shop, but there's no way these thing'd be any help in an actual emergency. You really think a gaggle of rowdy appliances can save puppies from a burning building? Or vend off a ravenous Predacon? Or save people from a burning building?"
"They can once I train them!" said Steven, getting to his feet indignantly. "Come on, everyone, let's go show Lars how dedicated we are to Autobot ideals!" He strolled out the door, followed by a parade of scraplets. The Big Donut was a mess.
Lars glanced at the register. "And once again, he didn't pay," he lamented.
"Y'know, you could stand to be a little nicer to him," said Sadie. "Even if his friends can be a bit…rambunctious." She handed Lars a mop.
As it stood, there was a severe lack of any sort of crisis for the scraplets to practice being Autobots on. No ravenous Predacons, no burning buildings to save puppies or people from, not even any traffic jams to sort out. But Steven knew Beach City, and he just knew somebody would need help before long. So here he sat on the park bench, while the scraplets milled about, exploring the area.
"That's my dad up there," he told Bristles, pointing out the statue of Optimus. "Whenever I wonder how a true Autobot would act, I always look to him. Maybe you can do that too, if you ever need help."
"And they say that a hero can save us!" Steven turned around at the sudden singing to find an old radio standing behind the bench. It looked up at him, a surprising feat considering it had no eyes, before climbing up next to him. "Where do we go now?"
He thought for a moment. "Well…part of being a hero means always being there for people who need you. And sometimes, that means sitting around doing nothing while you wait for something to go wrong. But at least it's a nice day, right?"
"A bit windier than usual tonight, but otherwise, no sign of storms for the foreseeable future," the radio replied via a weatherman.
"You said it," said Steven, reclining. With nothing to do, he simply gazed up at the clouds, watching them lazily drift by. Soon enough, he dozed off under the peaceful sky, only to be awoken some time later by a frantic voice calling his name.
"Steven! Steven!" Roused from his slumber, he looked around in confusion, his eyes soon settling on a frantic girl running over to him: Kiki Pizza. "Steven, come quick! There's a bunch of little Predacons tearing up our shop!"
Hearing this, Steven leapt to his feet. "Not Fish Stew Pizza! …Again! C'mon, everyone, let's go save the day!" He ran off to the scene of the crime, not realizing that there were no scraplets following in his footsteps–and indeed, no scraplets around.
Kiki followed. "Are you sure you can handle this by yourself?" she asked. "Should we call the Autobots?"
"No need to worry–not when I have the Autobot trainees with me!" he said, pointing to the army of scraplets that weren't behind him. "Don't worry, Kiki, we'll take care of…everything!?"
Upon arriving at Fish Stew Pizza, Steven was shocked to see that the culprits of the disturbance were none other than the same Scraplets he sought to train! Having wandered off while he was asleep, they were now doing to the pizzeria the same thing they had done to the Big Donut: running wild, causing a mess of the place, and eating any food they could find.
"Why does this always happen!? Cried Kofi, watching helplessly as his store was trashed. "Steven, you're here! Quickly! Deal with these tiny miscreants!"
Rushing up to the door, Steven called out to the scraplets. "Everyone, knock it off! Stop it!" The rowdy horde ceased their revelry, turning to face their teacher. "You can't just go around tearing up someone's livelihood whenever you get hungry, not even because you're Autobots! Sideswipe taught me that one, by example. Now none of you are going anywhere until you clean up this mess!" he scolded
A few of the scraplets looked away, while others drooped guiltily. Still, they then got to work cleaning up after themselves. Unfortunately, most of this effort simply meant pushing all the trash over to the walls, though they at least picked up the tables and chairs they had knocked over. Kofi stepped inside once he figured it was safe, watching their efforts. "They…listen to you?" he asked, still cautious.
"Yup!" Steven said cheerfully. "I'm teaching these little guys to be Autobots! I know it may be hard to believe now, but pretty soon, they might be saving your shop instead of wrecking it!"
Once the scaplets had 'finished' 'cleaning,' they stood around proudly, as though expecting to be praised. But Kofi was in no mood to do such a thing, directing a scowl at Steven. "Actually, I think they're already pretty good at being Autobots."
Steven's eyes sparkled. "Really!?"
"Yeah! Because they're so good at wrecking my shop!" He ushered Steven out of the building. "And until you can keep those little menaces from running crazy, I don't think I want you coming in here."
Realizing he had just been banned from one of his favorite restaurants, Steven stared into space, unmoving, for several seconds. "You mean…forever?" he said when he finally unfroze, tearing up.
"No, just until you can get these varmints under control," clarified Kofi. However, just behind him, it seemed that the scaplets weren't too happy with him for upsetting Steven. They gathered just outside of the store, beginning to pile on top of each other. "Or better yet, don't bring them back at all! It seems like every other week, you have some new robot pet running around causing problems. Maybe keep them at home the next time you go out for lunch, hmm?" To Steven's surprise, the scraplets were merging into larger forms: ramshackle amalgamations of metal around Steven's size.
"Um, M-Mister Pizza?" he said quietly, pointing. "Now, don't be mad, but I didn't teach them how to do that…" Kofi turned around, and was suddenly face to face with a small army of human-sized junk robots. The vaguely-humanoid masses shambled forward like zombies, emitting a cacophony of staticky groans as they advanced on the offender. Understandably, the man was terrified, rushing to the edge of the pier as the ramshackle machines gave chase–very slowly.
"Stay back! No! Get them away!" he cried, leaning over the guardrail as the scraplet-amalgams advanced. The one in the lead had the radio as its head, with Bristles perched on top like a crown. It was blaring a discordant rendition of "Ride of the Valkyries" as they spread out to cut off his escape.
Before they could bring harm to the innocent pizza chef, Steven leapt into action, putting himself between him and them. "That's enough! I don't know where you got the idea that you could just merge yourselves into a bunch of super death machines to beat up anyone who made you mad, but it certainly wasn't me!" he scolded. "Autobots prefer to solve their problems diplomatically, with our words, and occasional basketball dunking contests. Now stand down, and think about what you've done!"
The scraplet masses stopped in their tracks, turning to look at one another. "Is it too late now to say sorry?" asked the Bristles-amalgam. Slowly, a few of them began to disassemble into their components, though a few, like the one that included Bristles, opted to stay together.
"There! You're safe now Mr…" But Kofi had already run back inside, locking the door behind him. "...Pizza. Huh. Well, um, I think that's enough Autobot lessons for today. Why don't we focus on how to interact with people first? To the boardwalk!"
Steven led the scraplets in a procession towards Funland, an endeavor that would hopefully go better than the last two.
As always, Funland was bustling with activity, with people riding the rides and playing the games, and the air was filled with the sounds of joyful shouts and cheesy music. Steven could tell that the scraplets were awed by the sight, with them all pausing to take in the majesty of the seaside carnival. "I know, it can be a bit much at first. But trust me, Funland more than lives up to its name when we get started! Now, it's a big place with lots of exciting things to do and eat, but I want you all to stay together, okay? First, everybody pair up with a buddy…"
Rather than listening to what Steven said, the scraplets gradually dispersed, each going over to a ride or stall that caught their eye. By the time Steven turned around, only Bristles, still a gestalt with several others, remained.
"...at which point, you and all of your partners will…uh…" Realizing he was alone, Steven stared awkwardly at his only remaining student. "That's probably not good. Should we go and make sure none of them cause any trouble?"
Bristles waved off his concerns. "Don't you worry about a thing!"
This simple phrase was enough to ease Steven's worries. "You're right, everything's gonna be fine! C'mon, let's go have some fun! …land." The pair strolled further into the park, equally entranced by all the sights and sounds and smells, and potentially feelings and tastes that Funland had to offer.
Not a minute into their visit, a familiar voice called out. "Look who it is! Hey Steven, why don't you come over and give your old friend a hand?"
"Mr. Smiley?" asked Steven, confused to see the local museum owner working at a carnival stall. "You work at Funland now?"
He gave a slightly frazzled laugh. "Well, museums don't fix themselves! After ol' Grimlock went and, um, redecorated, I've had to take some odd jobs to pay for repairs. And speaking of, how'd you like to try your luck at knocking down some bottles? Five bucks for three balls!"
"Hey, that's a pretty good deal! Usually it's seven!" said Steven, placing a fiver down on the counter, getting a trio of tennis balls in return. "Now, pay close attention, Bristles. The age-old game of…well, I don't know if it actually has a name, but throwing balls at stacked bottles takes patience, precision, and just a touch of strength. Like so!"
Chucking the first ball, he just barely grazed one of the lower bottles. "Ooh, just barely!" The next ball went wide, hitting only the back of the tent. "Uh-oh! Foul ball!" The third one hit the stack clear in the middle, but all that happened was it bounced off. "Three strikes! Sorry, Steven, better luck next time."
Steven shrugged. "Well, you can't win them all. You wanna try?" Bristles stepped up to the proverbial pitch. "Three more for my mechanical friend here."
Bristles took the ball in hand, carefully scanning his target. His arm fired the projectile with machine-like precision, with power to match. It hit the stack square in the middle, with enough force to leave cracks…but the bottles were still standing.
"Mr. Smiley…a lot of the cartoons I watch say carnival games are rigged to prevent winning," said Steven, somewhat concerned. "Is that true?"
Mr. Smiley looked away, rubbing the back of his neck. "What? No, of course not! And even if they were, it'd be because of company policy, not anything we workers can help!" He laughed awkwardly.
Steven was satisfied. "Oh, that's a relief! Go on, Bristles, give it another try!" But Bristles didn't seem to be paying attention, only staring intently at the bottles he had failed to knock down. "Uh, Bristles?" Steven waved a hand in front of his face. "You've got two more tries, you know. You gonna use 'em, or…?"
All of a sudden, a number of scraplets appeared out of the woodwork, scurrying towards Bristles. Steven noticed a computer mouse, and electric razor, even a waffle maker, among others, adding themselves to his mass. But one stood out among the others: an automatic pitching machine, which was absorbed into Bristles' back. Its nozzle emerged from his chest, taking aim at the bottles like a tank's cannon.
Mr. Smiley wisely ducked below the counter as Bristles lined up his shot. A baseball was fired, completely shattering the glass bottles, and tearing a hole in the back of the tent. "Uh…yay, you did it!" Steven said worriedly. "So, how'd you like to try some deep-fried corn dogs–" But Bristles wasn't finished yet, taking aim and firing at the other stacks of barrels. Each one was obliterated, with the balls tearing through the back to cause havoc beyond. More stalls, and people, were pelted by the projectiles as Mr. Smiley's booth was demolished.
Making matters even worse, the other scraplets began to follow Bristles' example. Regardless of whatever games they were playing, destruction now seemed to be the best option. Ring tosses, whack-a-moles, basketball hoops, everything was getting smashed. Not even the food stands were safe, the scraplets breaking them apart like treasure chests to get at the treats inside.
While Steven watched all of this in horror, Bristles walked up carrying some kind of stuffed green lizard thing with a doggish face. "Maybe next time he'll think before he cheats!" he sang, gesturing to Smiley's shredded tent.
"What!? No! This isn't what Funland's supposed to be about!" he cried. "Everybody, stop it right now!"
The scraplets, which had previously been nothing but loyal, oddly paid no heed to Steven's command, continuing their reign of terror. He ran around, trying to rein them in, but none of them wanted to stop. One even smashed the controls to the roller coaster, causing it to speed up to an insane degree.
This was Steven's last straw. "That does it! Enough endangering peoples' lives and livelihoods, we're going home right this instant!" To his chagrin, he was ignored. "That's it! If you all can't behave, we're going right home, and there'll be no Autobot training for anybody!"
Seeing how much Steven was struggling, Bristles took action. A loud screech began blaring from his radio, causing every scraplet to turn and look–and every human to cover their ears. Thankfully, it only lasted a few seconds, as the swarm gathered back up by the pair, standing attentively like good little conglomerates of worn tech.
"Um…okay. Good, Now, is everyone ready to go home? I don't think we should stay here…" With the multitude of scraplets on his tail, he awkwardly dropped a few bills onto where Mr. Smiley was hiding, before quickly taking his leave.
For as rambunctious as the scraplets had been while in town, at the very least, they weren't making a mess of Steven's house. Most of the ones who remained as their lone selves were resting where one would expect from whatever their altmodes were, while those that had joined together were crowded around Steven's bed, watching TV with him.
Steven was disheartened by his lack of progress, especially considering how much he had vouched for Bristles and the others. He was sure they weren't being bad on purpose, but it almost seemed like they didn't care about being Autobots. Upon thinking this, Steven's eyes widened. "Of course!" Startled, a few of the scraplets turned around to look at him. "When you all showed up here, I was so excited to have new friends that I just assumed you'd want to be like us! I tried to force you all to become Autobots without even considering if that was what you wanted! Well, no more of that! From now on, we're a two-way street. You don't have to listen to me, unless I listen to you first! How's that sound?"
The scraplets looked at each other, communicating in a series of electronic noises. Upon coming to a consensus, it was Bristles who answered: "I wanna be with you everywhere!"
"Then it's settled: best friends!" Steven, Bristles, and the other nearby scraplets all embraced, having finally reached true friendship. And this bond, it seemed, nothing could come between.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door–the wall, more accurately, but the intent was the same. "Steven? There's some gentlemen here who would like to speak with you," came Ultra Magnus' voice.
"Uh-oh." Steven had a pretty good idea who these gentlemen were. "You all stay here, I'll go and, uh, face the music." He headed down the stairs, making his way over to the door. Sure enough, he was greeted by the none-too-happy faces of Lars, Kofi, and Mr. Smiley. He was used to Lars and maybe Mr. Pizza looking grumpy, but Mr. Smiley? Obviously, he had crossed a line this time.
Magnus gestured to the visitors. "Steven, I've heard some very interesting stories about you and your new friends. Is there anything you'd like to say to these nice fellows?"
Steven held up his hands. "Okay, before you get mad…actually, scratch that, it's probably a little late for that. But don't blame the scraplets! It's my fault for not considering what they wanted. I'll pay for whatever damages they caused."
"Damages!? How about you pay for your food for once, you little mooch!" snapped Lars. "We're not running a charity where we hand out free donuts to the kids of giant robots!"
"If this had been the first time something like this had happened, I would be willing to let it slide," said Kofi. "But Fish Stew Pizza has been getting wrecked by Autobot business for years now! And not only did those little terrors destroy my livelihood, they tried to attack me!"
"First my museum, and now Funland," Mr. Smiley lamented. "Am I just cursed to invite destruction everywhere I go?"
After hearing all of their grievances, Magnus interjected. "It seems to me that there is only one solution to this problem: those scraplets have to go back to the junkyard where you found them."
Horrified, Steven ran up to Magnus. "What!? No, but it's not their fault! I'll do a better job of teaching them how to behave, I promise! Please, not after we just became friends!"
"Steven, those things demolished not one, but three separate shops. Clearly this isn't a problem that can just be taught away. Tell me, do you have enough money to pay for the Big Donut, Fish Stew Pizza, and Funland?"
Steven checked his pockets, each one coming up empty. Sadly, he shook his head.
"Then the scraplets have to go. It's either that, or they have to stay here in your house. At all times."
"Oh, that's fine!" said Steven, waving it off. "Most of these guys prefer just sitting around all day anyway. I can pretty much guarantee you that you'll never see a trace of the scraplets again!" Hearing a noise, he turned around to see that most of the scraplets were standing behind him, attracted to the commotion. "Uh…heh, whaddya know? They're outside now."
None of the visitors were happy to see the creatures that had brought them so much trouble. Mr. Pizza even hid behind Lars with a yelp. "Now…scraplets?" said Magnus, uncertainly addressing them. "I understand that you've all caused a lot of trouble today. As an Autobot, it's my job to keep the trouble in this town to a minimum. As I've explained to Steven, you can either relegate yourselves to his home, or go back to your scrapyard of origin. Your choice."
Bristles consulted with the other scraplets in their weird little chirping language. "Why can't we be friends?" he asked.
"Because you've only shown yourselves to be nuisances so far," replied Magnus. "Now, please make a decision."
Taking one look at Steven, Bristles immediately did so. "No."
Magnus was unamused. He looked over at Steven, who wasn't sure what to make of this either. "You did say you were responsible for these scraplets, yes? And you were willing to receive a punishment in their place?"
"I…might have said something along those lines…"
"Then until either you or the scraplets clean up their act, you can consider yourself grounded. Until you have those things under control, and paid for the damages they caused, missions will be handled by the three of us, and only us. I trust that will give you plenty of time to wrangle your misbehaving new friends."
Although he was disappointed, Steven acknowledged that this punishment was fair. "I understand." Head held low, he trudged back inside the house, past the scraplets who were clearly upset at seeing him upset.
Bristles' hand went up, as though to comfort him, but it quickly fell to his side as Steven went by. His tiny fingers then clenched, his hand becoming a fist as he turned to face Ultra Magnus. One by one, the other scraplets began to share his glare, moving closer together.
More focused on appeasing his guests, Magnus didn't notice what the scraplets were doing until they had already begun. The larger conglomerates had formed something of a human(oid) pyramid, with the singular ones further amassing around them. Wires emerged from within their bodies, lashing together as metal intersected and shifted. Dozens of scraplets had become five, and then five became one. A metal goliath the size and shape of a Transformer, its newfound optics radiating hate. With Magnus left too stunned to respond, it surged forward, tackling him to the ground.
The commotion was enough to immediately snap Steven out of his funk. "What's going on!? Bristles!?" Not only had his little friend taken on such a twisted form, but it was using said form's power to pummel Magnus. "No, stop!"
Though he was not roughly his equal in size, Bristles definitely wasn't Magnus' equal in weight, as he was soon thrown off, crashing against the side of the Ark. His strength was by no means unsubstantial, as he was able to hold his own as Magnus charged him. The nearby humans all took shelter by Steven's house as the pair traded blows.
"See, this is why I hate getting involved with Autobot stuff!" shouted Lars over the crashing of metal. "It always ends with me running for my life!"
It wasn't long before Elita and Sideswipe emerged, having heard the fighting as well. "Primus above!" exclaimed Elita, seeing Magnus duking it out with the mass of scraplets. She whipped out her blaster, unloading several shots into Bristles' back.
With that, Bristles collapsed to his knees, electricity sparking from the spots where his components had been blown off. Magnus examined his inert form, before deciding that he had been neutralized. "That cinches it–back to the junkyard with these things."
Even though they had attacked first, Steven couldn't help but be saddened. He had only just truly become friends with the scraplets, only to have them ripped away from his grasp. He lowered his head in a silent salute…at which point he noticed the severed pieces start moving.
Each of the smaller scraplets started to come back to life, even those that had been broken apart. Putting themselves back together, they then converged back on the main mass, completely rebuilding Bristles. Steven was overjoyed by this turn of events…until he remembered that he was out for the Autobots' energon.
Holding his fingers up to where his mouth would be, Bristles played a stock whistle sound effect from his radio. They were then joined by several more scraplet masses, each roughly the size of the Autobots. They climbed up over Steven's house and the Ark, descended from the cliff above, even burrowing through the sand to combine. The trio prepared themselves for a fight–as fragile as they seemed, the scraplets were no joke.
Sensing things were about to get marginally more dangerous, Steven ushered the others into his home. "Quick, get inside, now! This'll all blow over soon…I hope." With them safe, Steven turned to watch the battle unfold.
Sideswipe had drawn his swords, slicing through the scraplets that came near. While they were fairly easy to take down, keeping them down was another story. Upon being felled, the smaller scraplets that made up one of the gestalt's component parts simply reformed, leaving it good as new. "Aw, come on! That feels like cheating."
"There must be something they can't recover from!" said Magnus, blowing one of them apart with his Hex-rockets. Even in multiple pieces, its separate limbs began crawling towards each other in an attempt to rebuild. Frustrated, Magnus stomped down on one of them, but this only delayed its reformation.
Multiple scraplets were closing in on Elita, who was nonetheless able to fend them off. "If we could plug the Allspark shard into Teletraan, we may be able to reverse the process that–" One of them grappled her from behind, holding her arms in place. She was able to kick away one that approached, before using her blades to cut through her captor's leg. Once free, she placed her blaster against their chest, blowing a hole clean through it.
Bristles stood nearby, watching the fight like a hawk preparing to swoop in and finish something off. Hoping he could still be reasoned with, Steven hurried over. "Bristles! Bristles, stop! Why are you doing this!?"
"I will…protect…you!" He replied, splicing together different broadcasts to string a sentence together. "We…protect…each other."
He gestured to the fray. "But the Autobots are my friends! You can't protect me from them, because they're protecting me from you! We're all on the same side here!"
For a moment, it looked like he had gotten through to Bristles. He stood there in silence, staring blankly at the sand. Whatever he was considering, his thought process was interrupted when Magnus suddenly approached. He hurled one of the scraplets off of him, slamming it into another. "Steven, get away from that thing!" he bellowed.
Spurned back into action, Bristles forgot his epiphany, and charged. Magnus launched his rockets, only for Bristles to retaliate with machine guns in his arms. He fired a barrage of nuts and bolts, destroying the explosives before they reached him, before slamming into Magnus. He wasn't heavy enough to knock him over, though the two did end up in a grapple.
"Both of you, stop!" said Steven, rushing in. As his emotions reached a peak, he felt his spark burning, as he took on his Cybertronian form. He reached out, putting a hand on Bristles' shoulder to pull him off Magnus.
Acting on instinct, Bristles didn't immediately grasp that it was Steven he felt. Assuming this was just some fourth Autobot, he whirled around to slam his fist right into Steven's face. He wasn't expecting the impact, so it was able to lay him out flat on his back. Only now that he got a good look at him did Bristles realize what he had just done.
Acting in response to this, Magnus delivered a punch of his own, powerful enough to knock Bristles' head clean off his body. The disconnected cranium sailed high into the air, coming to rest right next to Steven, while the rest of him fell to the ground. Before Magnus could check on Steven, he found himself overwhelmed by yet more scraplets.
Bristles' head unfolded, becoming similar to the person-sized form he had taken earlier. He slowly, almost bashfully approached Steven, who had sat up with his hand on his head. "Huh? Bristles?"
The scraplet didn't say anything. Instead, he knelt down beside Steven, his original self emerging from within his newer form. The toothbrush crawled onto Steven's knee, prostrating itself as though begging for forgiveness.
Of course, Steven offered it. He shrank back down to his human form, scooping the toothbrush up in his hands. "Hey, it's alright. I know you didn't mean it. But now do you see why I didn't want you to fight? Look at this."
He held Bristles up so he could see all the fighting. Magnus fought with righteous fury, tearing apart the scaplets that besieged him. Elita had once again been mobbed by them, resisting as they tried to force her to the ground. The ones fighting Sideswipe had found a different strategy, decombining and swarming him from the ground, slowly covering his body.
"They're my friends too, Bristles," Steven said. "No–they're my family. I know what Magnus said, but…but I don't want to choose between the two of you. I told you that you didn't have to listen to me anymore, but is this really what you want to be?"
Taking one last look at the carnage, Bristles hung his tiny head. A low, hissing noise started coming from the radio, sounding almost but not quite like static. The toothbrush returned to the others, their combined form then walking over to the rest of his body.
"Sss…sss…sss…" The radio continued to hiss as the body stood up. Reaching down, it picked up its head, working to place it where it belonged. "Sss…sss…" The hissing started to sound less like static, and more like a voice. Soon enough, Bristles managed to get his head reattached, looking over the fight. "Sss…sssssssttoooooooppp!"
At his shout–in a voice that was his own–all of the other scraplets stopped moving. Those that were destroyed because of this soon reformed, turning to look at their apparent master. Even the Autobots stopped as well, focusing their attention on Steven's friend.
"Wwweee…aaare not…hellllping," he said, struggling to form sounds of his own. "Thiiiiis…does nooot…heeelp…Steeeveeen." Walking to the center of the crowd, he raised his arms out to his fellow scraplets. "Wweee're…b-bad frieeends."
Steven placed a comforting hand on his ankle. "Hey, you're not bad friends. You're just having some trouble adjusting."
"Yeah, it's probably just a cultural thing," said Sideswipe. "I'm sure it's perfectly normal to assault your neighbors back where you're from."
Waiting for him to finish, Steven then continued. "When we first met, I told you I'd teach you to be an Autobot. And if you still want to be one, well, the offer's on the table."
Bristles considered this for a while. "Thaaank youuu…but we…cannot stay. Belong…sooomewheeere elssse." He once again held out his hands, and all of the scraplets converged. "Wwwe go…back wheeeere we belooong."
"Bristles! Bristles, wait!" said Steven, running to catch up as they all began to lumber away. "You don't have to leave! We can still work something out!" Bristles stopped, kneeling down beside Steven.
"Weee cooome from…diiiffereeent wooorlds," he told him. "Thiiis is…yooour home. Nooot ours. Thaaank yooou for…shooowing us…that we maaatter."
Steven smiled. "Of course you matter. It doesn't matter how you were created: you're still my friends." He reached out a hand, and Bristles reached out a finger, the two touching.
Before he stood up to leave, Bristles reached up to his head. Some pieces rearranged, before he took out the toothbrush that had formerly been his body. Its spark having joined with all the others', he placed it in Steven's hands. "To remeeember meee by."
He looked down at the brush like he had been given all the secrets of the universe. "Thank you. So, um…should I still call you 'Bristles?' It might not exactly fit you anymore, but if you want to keep it…"
Bristles-for-the-moment considered it for a moment. "Caaall me…Wreck…Gar…"
"Wreck-Gar it is," Steven said with a smile. "Safe travels, Wreck-Gar."
The robot formerly known as Bristles nodded. He stood back up, traveling to the road alongside his fellows. One by one, they transformed into various ramshackle vehicles–buggies, gyrocopters, strange things that didn't quite have a name–driving, flying, and rolling back to the junkyard they had once called home. But before he followed them, Wreck-Gar turned back to Steven one last time.
"Steeeven? Ooone laaast thing…
"Hmm? What?" he asked, tightly gripping his memento.
"You've got the touch! You've got the power!" Wreck-Gar placed his hand over his chest as he played the song, before then pointing to Steven. "Yeah!" The lad then moved his hand up to his own spark. And then, Wreck-Gar transformed, joining the rest of the massive convoy leaving Beach City behind.
The four of them watched the scraplets leave. "Welp…that was somethin'," said Sideswipe, heading back inside. "I'm gonna miss 'em, but not that much."
"Thirty, forty, fifty–there, that should cover it." Greg shelled out several bills to those affected by the scraplets' previous rampages. Having been adequately compensated, Lars and Kofi left. "And, uh, how much is that museum gonna set me back?"
Mr. Smiley refused to accept any more money. "Please, Mr. Universe, this is more than enough! It's back to Funland for me–see you there, Steven!" he left with a wave, living up to his name.
"Glad everything worked out this time," said Steven. His eyes went to the large stack of dollars his dad was pocketing. "Say, Dad, since when were you rich?"
"Huh? Oh, this. It's the royalties for all my songs! I told you I was a rockstar, right?"
Steven had several more questions, including why he slept in his van if he had so much money, when he overheard Elita talking to Magnus. "If that little piece of the Allspark was able to bring all of those things to life, there's no telling what more of them could do. I'm not sure whether we should run some tests on it, or lock it up and throw away the key."
"If we are to learn more, we should keep it away from anything it could affect," he said. "But for now, I agree, we should keep it somewhere safe."
Elita nodded. "I'll seal it away in the archive. An empty section, just to be safe." She went back into the Ark.
Magnus was about to do the same. "Hey, uh, Magnus?" asked Steven. He turned back around. "I'm sorry I couldn't handle the scraplets. I really thought having some extra help around here would be worth it."
"Having some more allies would have undoubtedly been beneficial," Magnus said, crouching beside him. "But it is as you said: you cannot force somebody to be Autobots. Not everyone is cut out for the life of a hero. We may not have gained a few new allies, but you managed to gain plenty of new friends. That seems to be a particular skill of yours. You have a good heart, Steven."
"Yeah," he said, though his heart wasn't entirely in it. He had befriended a handful of Transformers before this, but most of them had to leave. "wait a minute…'good heart.' Do you think when Wreck-Gar said I had the power…he was talking about the Matrix of Leadership? The scraplets did all seem to listen to me, at least at first."
All Magnus could offer to this was a shrug. "Unfortunately, we have little experience with Allspark mutations. We have yet to understand what drives them, or even how they differ from true Cybertronians. But with a little research, perhaps we can come that much closer to understanding how it works–or better yet, a way to locate the other pieces to reassemble it!" He pat Steven on the head, before getting up to leave. "Chin up, Steven. I'm sure you'll see them all again soon."
And with that, Steven and Greg were alone. "So, what's all this I heard about the town being attacked by evil living appliances? Sounds like I missed a lot!"
"Hmm? Oh, yeah, something like that." Steven was more focused on the toothbrush in his hand, which he then pocketed. "Hey, Dad? Did Dad ever tell you anything about the Matrix?"
Greg thought about it. "Well, he might've mentioned it once or twice. I don't really know a lot of details, but I know it's important. Why? Are you having some trouble with it? 'Cause if you can figure out how to make it appear, I could take a look at it in my workshop."
The thought of his father tinkering with the Matrix of Leadership like looking under the hood made Steven smile a little. "Nah, that's okay, thanks. Actually, though…could I ask you another question?"
"Of course, Steven. Ask away."
Steven paused a moment before asking. "How did you and Dad first meet?"
AN: Bet you weren't expecting the Allspark-or at least a piece of it-to make such a casual appearance, huh? Well, before I get anyone's hopes up, let me just clarify here that the Allspark will not be playing a pivotal role in this story.
The spin-off I have planned, however...