Welcome back, everyone! This is once again SuperHeroTimeFan coming back to you with a brand-new special Chapter for today, of my newest story, Transformation of Ever After High! I am very glad to have made, so far, six chapters as of now, in the little time I've had this story up. It really is a pleasure to delve into a new kind of story. Thank you to Cloud4012, Masters123lfm, Kamen Rider Chrome and AlienTokusatsuDuelistMangaGeek for your continued support and help, as well as advice and ideas. It really means whole lot, especially with the reviews you leave for me too. Now, this Chapter will be based off of an episode of Transformers Prime. If you saw the title for this in your alerts, it is best you watch the original episode this is based off of either before or after this is read. Also, thanks to Cloud4012 for his advice on the name for the Backgrounder in Orange, Ali Night. You'll be seeing more of her later, as well as other new characters, with a new set of characters appearing for this chapter too. Now, with that being said, here is my new chapter! Please be sure to review, rate, and as always, please enjoy!
Chapter 6: Scrapheap
In the Winter Kingdom, far from a castle, Bulkhead was leading Bumblebee and Hot Rod through a storm. While Hot Rod was radiating heat, Bulkhead was looking at a scanner.
"We're hitting some cold temperatures here, Bulk," Bumblebee groaned. "We find any hint as to what Megatron was doing here yet?"
"According to Ratchet, this was the last place where Rowan's father saw him." Hot Rod added on.
"No, we're not there yet, guys," Bulkhead shook his head. "But it should be just past this ridge."
Everyone walked towards the ridge and leapt down the side of an icy cliff. As they landed, Hot Rod felt something metal hit his foot. He looked down, and saw something. He looked to his own scanner and his optics widened.
"There's something else here!" Hot Rod called. "We should bring it back to Base with us."
"Are you sure we're at the right place?" Bumblebee asked.
Bulkhead looked to his scanner again. "I don't get it," he said as Hot Rod and Bumblebee began to look around. "These readings are off the meter!"
"Bulkhead, over there!" Bumblebee pointed.
Everyone followed Bumblebee while Hot Rod was carrying the item he had found. In front of them, buried in the ground, was a larger metal object. The three Autobots looked to it with surprise.
That night, at the Autobot Base, after returning with their finds, Ratchet had Bulkhead hooked up to some tubes, with Bumblebee and Hot Rod being hooked to the same tools. The big Autobot was growling before he stood up as Ratchet was still running his diagnostics scan.
"I told you, Doc, we're fine!" Bulkhead removed a tube from his chest.
"I had my heat defenses on," Hot Rod said. "That storm was practically bouncing off of me!"
"The only way to be certain your fine is to endure standard defrosting procedure," Ratchet said, placing Bulkhead back down. "You know prolonged exposure to sub-zero conditions can cause permanent system damage."
"Yeah, we know," Bumblebee said before looking to Hot Rod. "Good thing Thunderhowl decided to stay and watch over Grimlock with Ginger. He wouldn't want to go through the same old speech again."
"Ratchet," Ratchet turned to see Optimus Prime and Arcee walk over. "Have you learned anything more about our arctic find?"
"Clues about Megatron, perhaps?" Arcee asked.
"Not yet," Ratchet shoot his head and pointed to his monitor. "The pod can't be opened while it's frozen solid. Same for what Hot Rod discovered. Due to its size and more excessive energy readings, it'll take longer to defrost."
"We will need more to go on," Optimus Prime said. "Now that we know where Megatron is, we must learn more about why he was placed at Ever After High."
"I'm betting Milton knows." Arcee clenched her fist.
"I really don't like him, especially with how he talked scrap about Ravenicus Prime, and expected Raven to suffer." Hot Rod said.
"Until we know everything, we cannot point fingers," Optimus Prime said. "We must be patient."
Unknown to the Autobots, the two arctic finds were being held in a room, defrosting. However, the larger object started to break from the inside. Soon, a metal claw reached out, followed by a soft screech.
Outside at Ever After High the next day, the Knights, Miko, Maddie, Ashlynn, Hunter and Marylyn were watching as Lizzie was swinging a stick around at Rowan, who held his sword readily.
"Remind me why I'm using a stick?" Lizzie asked. "I'd rather prefer a mallet like Maddie."
"Ratchet looked over all our stories, and determined the best weapons for those of us who aren't Knights," Rowan said. "That's why Ashlynn uses glass shards and Hunter with a bow. I see you more of an axe kind of person, you know with your whole…" he made a throat-slitting motion, getting everyone to nod in agreement.
"Yeah, that would work best for you." Raven shrugged.
"But why start with a stick?" Lizzie asked.
"Well, I don't want you taking off any heads before you start with real weapons," Rowan said. "Just practice with what you've got, and Ratchet can prepare you with something to your liking."
"Speaking of, where is everyone?" Briar asked. "I know they went exploring, but… I didn't think Bulkhead would be behind."
"Same for Arcee too." Dexter said.
At that moment, Bumblebee, Hot Rod and Bulkhead all drove up. Everyone looked to them as they opened their doors.
"Sorry for the wait," Hot Rod apologized. "We were still looking into Megatron."
"Is Arcee here?" Dexter asked, looking around.
"Sorry, Dex," Bumblebee said as Raven, Maddie and Marylyn all got into him. "Gonna have to carpool for this one."
"Come on, Lizzie," Rowan said, leading Lizzie inside of Hot Rod. "You can ride with my partner."
No WAY is Lizzie going to steal Rowan from me! Maddie though jealously.
"Um… hey," Bumblebee said, getting the attention of Raven, Maddie, Dexter and Marylyn looked to his flashing monitor. "How's it feel to be riding in me, Dex?" he asked. "There's gotta be an upside."
Dexter and Raven looked to each other before blushing nervously.
"Yeah… there are some." Dexter admitted.
Back at the Autobot Base. Ratchet was putting in some coordinates into the Ground Bridge computer. As soon as they were inputted, he pulled the lever, and the Ground Bridge opened.
"Arcee and I will search in the Winter Kingdom for any further clues about the origin of our arctic finds." Optimus Prime said as he and Arcee walked to the Ground Bridge.
"Only until your sensors sound," Ratchet said, pointing a device at Optimus Prime and Arcee, causing their Autobot insignias to glow blue for a moment. "Remember, once your core temperature drops into the blue zone, systems failures aren't likely… they're imminent."
At that moment, Bumblebee, Hot Rod and Bulkhead all drove into the base. Rowan helped Lizzie out, her eyes wide in amazement at the surroundings.
"Welcome to the Autobot Base." Rowan smiled.
"All this was hidden in the forest?" Lizzie asked. "Off with the head of whoever sees this as a bore."
"I'm impressed as you are," Marylyn awed. "I didn't think a piece of the Ark would be made into something like this."
"Yes, we used what we had of the Ark to make this into a base," Bumblebee said. "I see your grandfather has been teaching you well."
"He does know a lot about Cybertronian history." Marylyn shrugged.
"Miss us, Doc-Bot?" Miko asked Ratchet.
"I'm sure he did, he's just hiding it." Briar grinned.
"Shouldn't you be in school, learning stereotypes?" Ratchet groaned.
"You've never heard of a Saturday, have you?" Briar asked. "We have the weekend to ourselves!"
"No Megatron, no Starscream, just us together," Rowan said as everyone but Bulkhead transformed. "Cogman even took the privilege of packing some stuff for us to keep here when we hang out."
"We… we sure are." Dexter said, looking to Raven nervously as the two blushed again.
"I can already sense the boy's pheromone levels," Ratchet said. "He wants to mate with Raven… intimately."
"What was that?" Raven asked as she and Dexter snapped out of their trances. "Did you just say—?"
"A-yip-pip-pip-pip!" Ratchet silenced. "It was nothing."
"Okay…" Dexter raised an eyebrow before looking to Arcee. "I wasn't expecting to carpool. Not that I'm complaining, but what's going on, Arcee?" he asked.
"Tag team, Dex," Arcee crossed her hands and grinned. "It's my turn for… exploration duty."
"Oh, too bad," Dexter said, trying to be smooth. "Pretty good day for a ride. Wouldn't want anyone to feel guilty for being left indoors." He eyed briefly at Raven.
"Arctic exploration duty." Arcee corrected.
"Indoors where it's warm." Dexter walked off.
"You've found something in the Winter Kingdom?" Rowan asked.
"Yes, we are heading to investigate," Optimus Prime nodded. "We should find something that will tell us about Megatron."
"Oh, it rarely ever snows here," Ashlynn said. "I've always wanted it to snow more often."
"Me too." Hunter sighed.
"I would invite both of you to join, Ashlynn and Hunter," Optimus Prime said. "But with the storm, the conditions are much too extreme, even for we Autobots."
"Don't worry, we get it." Hunter said.
"With that storm there, Crystal's probably enjoying a nice rest and a foot rub." Ashlynn shrugged.
"But…" Optimus Prime started before he and Arcee could walk through the Ground Bridge. "I will bring you two back a snowball each."
"Really? Thanks!" Ashlynn smiled.
Optimus Prime and Arcee both smiled as they walked through, eventually crossing the Ground Bridge portal.
"Transportation complete," Ratchet was about to shut off the Ground Bridge when it started to spark, shutting down abruptly. "By the AllSpark!" he gasped.
"So, what do you usually do here?" Lizzie asked.
"Well, we train, but we could use some time off," Rowan gestured to Bulkhead as he set down a couch, a television, and some party equipment. "With all the stuff here, I'm at a loss for what we could do first."
"Hunter and I want to explore the base," Ashlynn said as she and Hunter prepared to go down one of the cave paths. "That okay?"
"Just don't touch any other systems," Ratchet said before smiling. "And have fun."
"Thanks!" Hunter called.
"I honestly wouldn't mind that foot rub, though." Ashlynn said as she and Hunter walked off.
"Well, maybe we can do that and more once we get back." Hunter suggested.
"Ooh, I have an idea for what we could do!" Briar pulls out several controllers and turns on the television. "Hextreme video game tournament. Last one standing wins."
"Bulkhead, Bumblebee, Hot Rod, here!" Ratchet called, getting everyone to look to him. "Now!"
"I'm sure it's nothing," Hot Rod said as he looked to Rowan. "Hope you win."
"Oh, you bet," Rowan placed a video game in, a fantasy action game, and sat down as Briar took one control, with Miko, Raven and Cerise taking the others. "Bam! My favorite game, Fantasy Fight VII!"
"Yeah, you're all gonna get destroyed this time." Briar grinned.
"Oh, it is on like Fairy Song!" Raven challenged.
"You're buying pizza for Monday lunch." Cerise remarked.
"Make sure it's deep dish, like I'm about to deep dish all of you." Miko grinned.
"Let's go!" Rowan said, starting the game. As they did, Briar found herself falling behind Rowan. Looking to him mischievously, she took off her shoes and placed her feet on his lap, causing him to gasp quietly.
"Hope you can focus with a few distractions." Briar grinned.
"Better be ready to eat those words." Rowan grinned while trying to hide a blush.
"I can do this with one eye on the screen and the other… on what I want most." Briar smirked, seeing a bit of nervousness on Rowan's face as she started to shift her feet around a bit.
"Hoo-yeah!" Miko cheered.
"Go, Raven!" Dexter cheered.
"You can do it!" Maddie clapped.
"Off with their heads!" Lizzie called.
"You call this a fight?!" Cerise challenged.
"Ratch, just because the boss is out doesn't mean you can boss us around." Bulkhead said as he, Bumblebee and Hot Rod approached him.
"I need some heavy lifting. The Ground Bridge is down." Ratchet said, surprising them.
"Wait, if it's down, that means…" Bumblebee gasped.
"Optimus and Arcee made it through just fine, it's bringing them back that concerns me," Ratchet said, bringing some relief to the Autobots. "Now remove those panels, chop-chop."
"Is everything going to be alright there?" Marylyn asked, looking over.
"If anyone can fix that, it's Ratchet." Dexter said.
"I just hope we can help out somehow," Lizzie said before walking over. "What can we do to help, Ratchet?"
"Unless you took advanced science classes, I don't think in any way," Ratchet said. "But… your weapon should be synthesized with Energon in the next hour," he said, giving her a look of reassurance. "Something to really make heads roll."
In the halls within the Autobot Base, Ashlynn and Hunter were still walking around.
"I'm a bit envious of Arcee and Optimus," Hunter said. "It'll be months before we get snow."
"Still, they promised to bring back snowballs for us," Ashlynn smiled. "How big of a snowman do you think we can make with snowballs made by Autobot hands?"
"Probably the size of Optimus himself." Hunter said.
All of a sudden, rattling was heard. Ashlynn and Hunter looked to each other before seeing a bolt fall off the wall. The two walked over as Ashlynn picked it up.
"Hello?" Ashlynn asked, only to hear more metal rattling.
Hunter held Ashlynn close as the sound started to grow louder. As they continued to look around, they were not watching where they were going, and ended up falling.
"You okay?" Hunter asked.
"Yeah, I… whoa!" Ashlynn gasped to see a small metal robot with large blue eyes. The two gasped and backed away, but it just crawled up to them like a dog. "Hey there, little one," she said, trying to stay calm. "Where did you come from?"
The small robot said nothing and scurried on further towards the Royal and Rebel.
"The Autobots never said anything about pets," Hunter said. "What are you?"
Still, the new robot said nothing.
"You want to play fetch?" Ashlynn held out the bolt, causing the robot to jump up and down excitedly before racing around like a happy animal. "Here you go!" Ashlynn lined up and tossed it. "Good boy!"
The robot ran towards the bolt, but instead of catching it, it leapt up and ate it, much to Ashlynn and Hunter's shock.
"Wait, don't!" Hunter called out as Ashlynn covered her mouth with worry. "You'll choke!"
The robot finished eating and ran up to them again.
"Or… not?" Ashlynn asked. She took out a banana and unwrapped it. "How about something else?"
The robot looked to the banana as Ashlynn handed it over. After seeing it look at the food in confusion, she handed it to Hunter, who simply ate it, while it nuzzled itself against her leg.
"Wow, you're a cute one," Ashlynn said, picking up the robot. "Let's show you to the others."
"Maybe Pesky will like you too." Hunter said.
As Ashlynn and Hunter left, they were unaware that there was a sparking hole in the equipment behind them.
Back in the main room of the base, Briar found herself sweating as she tried to keep up with the game. Rowan grinned as he took the lead, fighting everyone with his avatar character's dual swords while Raven and Cerise were mashing the buttons on their controls furiously. Miko tried to keep up, but Briar slowly made her way to the lead, taking Rowan on.
"Come on, come on! You want some?!" Rowan said competitively before his character wiped out all the others.
"Come on!" Raven groaned.
"No!" Cerise almost howled.
"Unbelievable." Miko groaned.
"Whoa." Briar said as she swung her feet off of Rowan's lap.
"Oh yeah! Finally!" Rowan cheered before the power in the base started to glitch. Everyone looked around before the lights turned back on again.
"What the—?" Marylyn asked.
"Great, a power failure." Rowan groaned.
"Oh well," Briar shrugged cockily. "Looks like the game got wiped out."
"You're just upset that I was winning." Rowan grinned.
"Bummer," Cerise teased. "Don't worry, I was on your side the whole time."
"Hey, Ratch," Marylyn said as everyone walked over, Briar hopping as she tried to put her shoes back on. "Everything alright?"
"We definitely have a problem," Ratchet removed a Ground Bridge component, revealed to have bite marks on it. "But what could have caused this…"
The power started to glitch again, getting everyone to look around.
"Or that." Lizzie said nervously.
"…might be the main grid," Ratchet went on. "Hopefully it isn't a substation malfunction."
"That's bad, right?" Rowan asked.
"Yeah," Dexter nodded. "I know what he's talking about.
"Hey guys! Look what we found!" Ashlynn's voice called.
"We're busy!" Ratchet yelled, only to gasp in horror at what Ashlynn and Hunter were in possession of.
"Whoa! Whoa! WHOA!" Bulkhead screamed as the Autobots got up and aimed their blasters.
"Hey, hey!" Briar raised her hands as everyone made their way to Ashlynn and Hunter. "What's with you guys?"
"Scraplet! Scraplet!" Bulkhead panicked.
"What's a Scraplet?" Hunter asked.
"Only the most dangerous vermin ever to crawl upon the face of Cybertron." Ratchet said frantically.
Everyone looked to the Scraplet with Ashlynn and Hunter.
"You've gotta be kidding me." Raven said.
"You're all big strong robots!" Maddie spread her arms out. "Scrappy here is… teeny like a mouse."
"Don't fall for it!" Hot Rod yelled.
"You have no idea the damage that 'teeny' thing can do!" Bulkhead stuttered.
"Oh, he wouldn't hurt anything." Ashlynn petted Scrappy, whose eyes started to open.
Scrappy looked to each of the Autobots, seeing heat signatures and metal from its eyes. Seeing Bumblebee closer, he suddenly let out his ravenous sharp teeth and jumping out of Ashlynn's hands. Everyone gaped in shock as the Autobots tried to shoot it, only for it to latch onto Bumblebee's leg and eat off the metal of his armor. Everyone gasped in horror as Bumblebee grabbed it. This only made Scrappy eat off of his arm.
"Get off!" Bumblebee yelled, throwing Scrappy away.
The Scraplet got up and tried to go in for another meal, but was suddenly stabbed through the head by a stick.
Everyone looked to Lizzie, seeing that the stick she had was grabbed from her. They turned to Ashlynn, who has taken it and was stabbing the Scraplet before whacking it on the head. She slammed away at it, surprising everyone, before Hunter and Rowan ran to her, pulling her back as the lights of the eyes of the Scraplet went out.
"Whoa, easy there, killer." Rowan said.
"Wait, Bumblebee!" Ashlynn gasped as she and Hunter ran to check on the Autobot Scout.
"Whoa." Lizzie said, taking back her stick, now partially broken.
"I did not see that coming." Briar said, shaken up a little.
"I'm sorry, Bumblebee!" Ashlynn apologized. "I… I didn't know!"
"It's okay," Bumblebee said as Ratchet checked on him. "You didn't know."
"Is he gonna be okay?" Raven asked, concerned for her partner.
"Only a mesh wound," Ratchet said, causing them to sigh in relief. "We'll heal him."
"Now do you believe us?" Bulkhead asked. "All Scraplets do is dismantle machinery and eat anything metal… especially living metal!"
"Well, bug squashed, game over." Rowan shrugged.
"Right?" Marylyn asked nervously.
"No," Ratchet narrowed his eyes. "When it comes to Scraplets, there is never just one," he said before realization hit him. "And I fear I know how they got here."
In another room, Rowan and his friends were being shown the two frozen objects.
"We found these in the Winter Kingdom, away from the castle," Hot Rod said. "One is defrosting still… but the other… I'm starting to regret having brought back to the base."
"This was a trap," Ratchet said, scanning what looked like a frozen pod. "A Scraplet trap."
"Uh, an empty Scraplet trap." Bulkhead cringed nervously.
"Most likely jettisoned eons ago, and crash-landed on this Planet," Ratchet said. "Where the storm from the Winter Kingdom was cold enough to hold them in stasis."
"Until we brought the thaw." Lizzie realized.
"Now they're wide awake, and as hungry as Helga and Gus." Miko said.
"So, how many are we talking about?" Ashlynn asked, still feeling guilty about Scrappy nearly killing Bumblebee.
"Thousands," Ratchet said, getting everyone to gasp as he put away his torch and scanner. "And the power malfunctions and Ground Bridge damage are sure signs that their infestation is well underway."
At the Winter Kingdom, Optimus Prime and Arcee were continuing to search around. Suddenly, as they were exploring a cliff side, Optimus Prime's insignia started to flash blue.
"Arcee, what's your status?" Optimus Prime asked.
"My sensor's going off," Arcee noticed her insignia go blue as well. "Guess we should call for pickup before things get chilly."
"Optimus to Base. Core temperatures have reached the blue zone," Optimus Prime called back to Base "Prepare to activate the Ground Bridge."
Static only came through, bringing concern to the Autobot leader.
"Ratchet to Optimus, do you read me?" Ratchet asked as the communication screens started to go static. "We have a situation, please respond," he said, but only found glitches. "The Scraplets have gotten into the comlinks system!" he slammed his hand on the monitor. "If we don't eradicate these creatures immediately, they will reduce the entire base to a scrapheap!
"Well, I say we bug outta here and let them keep it!" Bulkhead argued.
"I'm with him for once." Bumblebee said nervously.
"Me too." Hot Rod nodded.
"What?!" Rowan asked in surprise.
"You're kidding!" Raven exclaimed.
"Evacuation is not an option," Ratchet said. "If we don't get the Ground Bridge back online stat, Optimus and Arcee will perish." He said, shocking everyone.
"They… will?" Dexter asked.
"Bulkhead, what's the matter with you?" Briar asked. "You never run!"
"What's going on?" Miko placed a hand on her hip.
"Miko, Briar, you haven't seen a swarm of these things devour a Bot. I have." Bulkhead said, scaring them.
"D-devour?" Briar asked.
"Think of all the times you wish you were like us… and take it all back when it comes to Scraplets," Hot Rod said. "You'll wish you were a human."
"They pick you apart from the inside out, going for the small, juicy bits first—fuse by fuse, circuit by circuit, 'til there's nothing left, and I mean nothing…" Bulkhead said as Briar and Miko held Rowan closely. "Not even your optics."
"Whoa…" Cerise said. "They're like the piranhas of heavy metal!"
"You gotta let us help," Rowan said. "We're your only hope."
"Yeah," Hunter said. "We're not made of metal."
"Unless signing the Storybook of Legends is making me metal for declaring myself as Ravenicus Prime." Raven cringed.
"I'm sure you'll be fine." Dexter said, placing a hand on Raven's shoulder for reassurance.
"The Scraplets can't hurt us," Lizzie said. "I'm sure they hate all things otherwise."
"It refused to eat a banana I tried to offer it." Ashlynn recalled.
"Typically, I find your fleshiness to be your least engaging quality," Ratchet said, causing everyone to glare at him. "But it would appear to provide an advantage under these circumstances," he reached for a case with a hammer-axe with Energon flowing through it. "You will need this, Elizabeth," he handed it to Lizzie. "These are worse than Decepticons."
"Off with their thousand heads." Lizzie said.
"Okay, we split into teams," Rowan said. "Three to two humans for each Bot. Dexter, Marylyn, you two stay with me to guard Ratchet as he makes the repairs to the Ground Bridge."
"Let's go on a bug hunt." Miko grinned while Bumblebee, Hot Rod and Bulkhead all cringed nervously.
Back in the Winter Kingdom, a polar bear was watching as Optimus Prime and Arcee were making their way through the storm.
"Optimus to Base, do you read?" Optimus Prime called, but stopped when Arcee dropped to her knees.
"Are you sure a nice long drive wouldn't help?" Arcee asked. "I hear the 1001 Deserts are beautiful this time of year. Ashlynn also says a friend of hers is in the kingdom not too far off."
"The nearest temperate climate is not only unknown to us, but too distant, Arcee," Optimus Prime reminded her. "Attempting to reach it would expend too much energy, and hasten the freezing process. Until Ratchet sends for us, and he will, our best option would be to seek shelter, and insulate ourselves."
The polar bear growled softly before walking away. Waiting for it was someone in a snow jacket, who petted its large head before the two walked away, the polar bear looking as if it were transforming into a large robot before they faded back into the storm.
Back at the Base, Briar, Miko and Cerise were with Bulkhead, all armed with their weapons as they searched a hallway.
"We get to be your bodyguards for once!" Miko squealed.
"How cool is that?" Briar asked.
"Easy there, Bulk." Cerise said, trying to calm down the frantic Autobot.
"Ash and Hunter found the first one here… right?" Bulkhead asked.
Another power failure went off, causing the base to go dark. Briar and Miko's hair suddenly stood up while Cerise's ears raised when a high-pitched scream came from Bulkhead.
The lights came back on, Cerise covering her hood while the girls looked back to Bulkhead.
"Did you just scream like a little girl?" Briar grinned.
"No… maybe…" Bulkhead said nervously, trying to deny it. "Can we talk about this later?"
"Um… good idea." Cerise said before everyone walked off again.
Turning down a hallway, Bulkhead started to grow more anxious.
"Take it easy, Bulkhead, and stay focused," Miko said as Bulkhead heard a rattling. "Everything's gonna be…"
Bulkhead shot to the side, surprising the girls, before shooting again to the other side. Shooting up, a bunch of cables fell down, causing him to scream again.
The girls turned and raised their swords, but looks of disbelief fell upon them as they saw Bulkhead trying to swing away the cables.
"Wow, I'm not gonna un-see that," Miko snarked. "Bulkhead, calm down!"
"Those are cables!" Cerise called.
Bulkhead stopped screaming and looked. "Oh, right… cables." He pulled one of them down, only for several hundred Scraplets to fall down. He started screaming again, just as Miko, Briar and Cerise began to slash away at the Scraplets in self defense.
Down another hall, Maddie, Ashlynn and Lizzie were exploring a second path with Hot Rod.
"So… it's nice to see Marylyn again…" Maddie said.
"Yeah, it sure is." Ashlynn said.
"She seems… special to Rowan." Lizzie said, clutching her hammer-axe tightly.
"She was his childhood friend." Ashlynn pointed out.
"I think I see what's happening," Hot Rod said, aiming around. "You have a crush on Rowan, don't you?"
"US?!" Maddie, Lizzie and Ashlynn all exclaimed, the first two blushing bright red.
"Um, not me…" Ashlynn said, blushing nervously. "My sights are on… someone else."
"Really?" Hot Rod asked before hearing something clattering from one of the rooms. "Cover me!" he panicked.
The girls looked to each other and nodded. Entering the room, Ashlynn let loose her glass blades while Maddie and Lizzie raised their hammer weapons. Slowly approaching a Circuit Breaker, several Scraplets suddenly leapt out, teeth chattering. Maddie slammed most of them away while Ashlynn danced and sent forth glass shards. Lizzie lifted her hammer axe and slammed it down, releasing an Energon burst before cutting off the heads of fifteen Scraplets.
"Hot Rod, stay back!" Lizzie called out.
"Good idea!" Hot Rod called, only for more Scraplets to appear. Scared out of his mind, he took out his blasters and started to fire all around.
With Raven and Hunter, they were guarding Bumblebee as they approached another hall. Seeing some broken machinery, they all gulped.
"Don't these things ever get full?" Raven asked.
"Imagine if we sent these to the Decepticons as a 'peace offering'," Hunter said. "We'd be rid of them forever."
"Careful what you wish for," Bumblebee said before hearing some rattling at an exhaust fan. The three looked to each other and nodded. "I'll take the lead. Cover my six."
Raven and Hunter nodded before they approached the damaged fan. Carefully, Bumblebee removed it, and everyone stood ready to fight. However, the rattling did not come from inside, but behind them. Scraplets emerged from the ground and ran at Bumblebee, but Raven and Hunter fended them off while Bumblebee began to shoot.
Back in the Command Room, Dexter and Marylyn had positioned themselves around Ratchet with Rowan. The Medic finished replacing a disc and put it back in.
"How's it looking there?" Rowan asked.
"I've repaired the damage conductors, and rerouted the central conduits, but the Ground Bridge still won't receive power!" Ratchet slammed his fist angrily. "Something is missing!"
A rattling was heard, prompting Marylyn to aim her staff while Dexter readied his Bowguns. Rowan aimed his sword around until they saw hundreds of Scraplets attached to the high wall. Looking down, the Scraplets noticed Ratchet and started to fly down, teeth wide open.
"They fly now?!" Marylyn exclaimed.
"You never said they could fly!" Dexter shot around, taking out as many Scraplets as he could. However, some of them started to attach to Ratchet, biting away at him.
"Ratchet!" Rowan yelled. He ran and slashed more of them away, but they still kept eating at Ratchet.
"Rowan!" Ratchet yelled, getting up as best as he could. "The fire extinguisher!"
Rowan looked and grabbed the fire extinguisher. "It was frost that got you before… have some more now!" he yelled, spraying the Scraplets. Much to his surprise, they froze and fell to the ground.
"Whoa." Dexter said, surprised.
"I honestly didn't think that would work." Rowan admitted.
"Look out!" Marylyn called. "CyberMine!" she called out, sending out several energy balls from her staff that destroyed more Scraplets as they either flew into them or were drawn towards them.
Suddenly, as Ratchet fell weakly, more Scraplets appeared. As they did, the rest of Rowan's friends, with their Autobot allies, came back, Ashlynn having two cuts and lost one of her shoes, held in her hand as a broken glass weapon, Briar missing a flower decoration on her shoulder, Cerise's cape somewhat ripped a little, Hunter with part of his hair cut, and the others with minor injuries as well.
"Ratchet, get the Patch Kit!" Bulkhead yelled. "We're leaking Energon like… whoa!"
Everyone looked up as the Scraplets flew down. Ashlynn slammed her shoe at some, destroying them, while the rest of the humans fought them off. Lizzie tossed her hammer-axe at several while throwing Rowan's sword back to him.
Bumblebee shot at more flying Scraplets, but they started to feed on him before Bulkhead slammed his mace down. However, he found the Scraplets starting to eat it before falling back, screaming. Hot Rod tried to use his flames to melt them, but even more started to swarm in.
"Come on, let's try our move!" Raven called, swatting away a Scraplet before raising her Talisman hand into the air.
Rowan nodded as the rest of the Knights followed suit. A light shone from them, but instead of destroying the Scraplets, they let out a cold wave, freezing them while another wave spread to shut them down.
Back in the Winter Kingdom, Optimus Prime and Arcee had taken shelter near a cave.
"Arcee, wake up." Optimus Prime said as Arcee struggled to stay awake.
"Just resting my eyes." Arcee said weakly.
"The longer we remain alert, the longer we remain alive."
"What do you say we play a game?" Arcee asked. "Let's play 'Who Screwed Things Up Back At Base/?'."
"Our predicament could be the result of a simple malfunction." Optimus Prime deducted.
"Caused by Bulkhead," Arcee chimed. "No comlink, possibly no power… he probably tripped over a cord. He's never been too graceful," she smirked. "Remember when we first woke up, and Bulkhead walked into those power lines at Cinderella's estate? Who knew he could dance like that?"
"Bulkhead may be too… large for this world," Optimus Prime admitted. "But his inner strength is without bounds. One should not be measured by size alone."
Back at the base, everyone was now with fire extinguishers, freezing as many Scraplets as they could while also tending to the Autobots, Miko and Maddie slamming at some that did not seem to be quite offline yet.
"We got them all?" Rowan asked. As if to answer his question, the sound of more whirring was heard, all throughout the base.
"Hardly," Ratchet said, causing the humans' eyes to widen. "These were just scouts."
"Scrap." Bumblebee swore.
"So… the rest of them know we're in here?" Bulkhead asked.
"If Blondie were here… she'd say 'This is so not just right." Ashlynn said, trying to maintain her balance before ditching her remaining shoe.
"If we allow ourselves to be the smorgasbord, Optimus and Arcee will never make it home." Ratchet said.
"I'd call Crystal, but I think the Scraplets affected the signal with all communication devices." Briar cringed.
"We have to get the Ground Bridge operational," Rowan said. "Then we can send the Scraplets anywhere on Earth."
"And away from here… from anywhere we are." Lizzie said.
"My cousin would be disturbed at what these things could do." Briar cringed.
"Why not back to the Winter Kingdom?" Marylyn suggested. "We already know they don't do cold."
"One way, good thinking." Cerise smirked.
"With the body mass of the Scraplets, subzero temperature should freeze them on contact," Ratchet agreed. "So think, Ratchet, think! If the Ground Bridge is still down… there must be a breach… in the Energon Fuel Line!"
"Great. Good to know." Bumblebee groaned.
"If we weren't breaching… one of us could go back over there and fix it." Hot Rod said.
"So where do we find it?" Rowan asked as the rest of his friends stepped up to volunteer.
"And how do we fix it?"
Approaching a hallway, and sneaking past several hungry Scraplets, Rowan and his friends, the son of King Arthur carrying a tool kit, were making their way towards the location Ratchet specified to them.
"Remember, we're okay. We're not metal." Raven told everyone.
"Look, there's the breach!" Dexter pointed, seeing where some Energon was leaking.
"Come on, we have to work fast!" Rowan called.
Raven used her magic to weld part of the breach back while everyone else stood by and got to work.
Back in the main room, the Autobots were still in pain.
"So if we get… when… we get the Ground Bridge open…" Bulkhead groaned. "Do we send the creepy crawlies out… or bring our Bots back in?"
"That's a problem." Hot Rod said.
"Optimus and Arcee will be fresh meat," Ratchet worried. "If we bring them in first, the Scraplets will have no reason to leave. We'll need bait."
"Where are we gonna get bait?" Bulkhead asked. "The Scraplets have already helped themselves to everything in here!"
Back at the breach, Raven and Dexter had just fixed the Fuel Line. All of a sudden, the Scraplets started to fly up.
"Oh no," Lizzie gasped. "They're getting ready to feed!"
"And their appetite is endless." Miko worried.
"Come on!" Rowan led everyone back. However, some Scraplets noticed them and flew at them.
"Go! I got this!" Cerise called as she let out a growl.
Everyone ran to the main room, but Rowan stopped and saw more Scraplets still heading towards them.
"Cerise!" Rowan called, running back.
Cerise was using her swords to slash down as many Scraplets as she could. However, upon seeing one of them biting at the metal buckles of her shoes, she slashed them away before grabbing one with her mouth. Her eyes turned to yellow, and she tossed aside her weapons, tearing the Scraplets apart. One of them flew at her head, but she crushed it, with her hood flying off.
"Cerise, I… whoa!" Rowan gaped upon seeing Cerise.
Cerise snapped out of her feral state and gasped upon seeing her hood down. She was about to put it back up until more Scraplets approached.
"We do this together." Rowan said.
"With you all the way." Cerise said.
Both Rowan and Cerise raised their weapons, and their Talismans lit up. Activating energy on their blades, they started to slash all around, destroying all the Scraplets in their way. With them all down, Rowan looked to Cerise.
"Your ears…" Rowan said.
"Rowan, I have… I have something to tell you," Cerise said. "But it has to wait until this is all over."
"Right," Rowan said. "For now, let's hope we can get Optimus and Arcee back."
Bulkhead gasped as the Scraplets began to draw nearer. The Autobots armed themselves with their weapons once again as the sound became clearer and clearer.
Back in the Winter Kingdom, Optimus Prime and Arcee were almost losing consciousness.
"You know the worst part?" Arcee asked. " After battling 'Cons all these years, smacked down, shot at, blown up, this is how our lights go out?"
"Arcee, this may not be the finish that we had planned," Optimus Prime said. "But if this is indeed the end, if we are to be come one with the AllSpark…"
"It's been an honor serving with you, Optimus Prime." Arcee smiled, holding the hand of the Prime.
The humans ran back into the main room as the Scraplets continued to gather.
"Ratchet, all systems go!" Rowan called. "Fire up the Ground Bridge!"
"Do it now!" Lizzie called before the Scraplets flew in. She took out her Energon Hammer-Axe and narrowed her eyes. "Off with your heads!" she yelled, spinning her weapon around before tossing it, using the Energon Burst to make as many of them explode as she could.
Ratchet crawled to the Ground Bridge control. "Ground Bridge… activated." He pulled the lever and activated the Ground Bridge, fainting afterwards.
Optimus Prime saw the Ground Bridge open and nudged Arcee. The two looked and started to make their way home, the Prime picking up two fistfuls of snow before they walked to the portal.
Bulkhead got up and looked to the Scraplets. "Bait, huh?" he asked.
Briar and Miko looked around before seeing Bulkhead run to the portal.
"Bulkhead, what are you doing?!" Briar called out.
The Scraplets heard this and looked down, seeing Bulkhead waving at them.
"Ready for the main course?" Bulkhead goaded as the Scraplets flew down. "Come and get it!" he called, leading them through the Ground Bridge Portal to the Winter Kingdom.
The storm started to clear up as Optimus Prime and Arcee made their way back.
"Get 'em… Bulk." Hot Rod said.
Bulkhead came through the portal, just as Optimus Prime and Arcee neared it.
"Down, down!" Bulkhead called, letting the Scraplets fly towards them.
Optimus Prime and Arcee both stood and shielded themselves, the Prime placing himself in front of his comrade. However, before the Scraplets could make a meal out of them, they all froze and clanked against their bodies, making a pile behind them.
Bulkhead chuckled as he got up. "I'd invite you in… but the place is a mess." He grinned.
Later on, all the Autobots were being looked after by the humans. Briar placed a hand on Bulkhead's finger and smiled while Dexter checked on Arcee. Rowan healed Hot Rod with Cerise, the two using their Talismans to help repair any damage.
"So… you want to talk about it?" Rowan asked.
Cerise sighed as she walked over to Rowan. "You know my story, but it has a secret. Instead of eating my mom, the Big Bad Wolf and Red Riding Hood… they fell in love," she explained, surprising them. "I'm the result of their marriage, their youngest daughter."
"Whoa," Rowan said. "So, that's how you had such wild skills?" he asked.
"Yes," Cerise nodded. "Thunderhowl's been teaching me to embrace both my sides. I'm still trying to get a hang of it. Raven so far is the only one who knows my secret."
"And now… I do too," Rowan said, holding Cerise's hand. "Cerise, it doesn't matter what you hide, you're still you. If no one can accept this side of you, that's on them. You're you, no one else."
Cerise blushed. "Thanks, Rowan." She smiled.
"Report bio-circuitry status?" Ratchet asked Raven.
"Levels are rising." Raven nodded.
"Excellent," Ratchet turned to Miko and Marylyn, the latter using her staff to heal Bumblebee and Bulkhead. "Miko, Marylyn, keep a close eye on Bumblebee's electro-pulse monitor, and check Bulkhead's interface patch."
"Got it." Marylyn nodded.
"Steady, looking good," Miko said.
"Cerise, check on Hot Rod's T-Cog compatibility," Ratchet went on. "Rowan, patch up the meshes."
"Patched." Rowan said.
"100% compatible." Cerise nodded.
"Perhaps you should get some rest too, old friend," Optimus Prime said. "You saved quite a few lives today."
"It… wasn't all my doing," Ratchet smiled to the humans. "The humans helped too. We are only fortunate that this infestation happened… on a Saturday." He smiled.
"There you go." Briar grinned.
"Our human friends may be small… but they are strong." Optimus Prime said.
"Did you find anything from the winter Kingdom?" Maddie asked.
"We briefly came across an energy signature, but our sensors went off before we could reach it," Arcee said. "I felt like someone was watching us, though."
"I shall prepare upgrades for everyone, humans included, the next time you journey to the Winter Kingdom," Ratchet said. "With no more Scraplets."
"By the way, I found something out about Hot Rod's find," Dexter said before pulling up a hologram from his Talisman of a large gold and red shield, one that looked as if fire was radiating from it. "It's a lost relic of the Primes… the SkyBoom Shield."
"Good work, Hot Rod," Optimus Prime said, making Hot Rod smile. "It seems that we are a few steps closer to finding out the truth about Megatron."
"Now that that's settled… it doesn't matter what happens next." Raven smiled.
Suddenly, Briar and Miko let out a scream, their hair practically standing up. Everyone looked to the two before they ran over and pulled out their weapons.
"Scraplet?!" Rowan asked.
"Spider!" Briar shrieked, getting everyone to look at her.
"Is it on us?!" Miko panicked.
"Get it off!" Briar shrieked before she and Miko ran off, much to everyone's confusion, disbelief and disapproval.
"Did they just scream like little girls?" Bulkhead asked.
"That they did," Raven said before noticing she stepped on something, lifting up her foot, she saw the crushed spider. "At least it wasn't Tarantulas," she shrugged as Briar and Miko continued to scream. "Should we let them know?"
"Wait, I think I stepped on one…" Ashlynn said, stopping dead in her tracks. "And I'm not wearing shoes."
"Okay, calm down," Hunter said, guiding her away. "Let's go and wash it off."
"Ashlynn, Hunter," Optimus Prime said, causing the two to stop as Hunter used a small hose to wash Ashlynn's feet. "I have something for you two." He put his hands out and revealed two large snowballs.
"You came through." Ashlynn smiled.
"One snowball, for each of you." Optimus Prime smiled.
"Well, this Saturday has been one for surprises," Lizzie said as she compacted her new weapon. She looked to Rowan and smiled. "I'm looking forward to knowing if every day with the Autobots will be just as mad as this."
"Just no more Scraplets, please." Rowan chuckled.
As everyone shared a good laugh, with Briar and Miko having stopped running after finding the crushed spider, they were unaware that inside Ashlynn's backpack was a deactivated Scraplet, sleeping soundly.
Author's Notes: Well, as you can tell, this Chapter, I decided to base off of the episode "Scrapheap" of Transformers Prime. I had been working out this one for a while now, and since today actually is Saturday, I thought it would be appropriate to have this, especially since it helps to lead into future events, one being for the next Chapter with the surviving Scraplet. I will also be focusing on True Hearts' Day soon, so be prepared for that. Did you enjoy this Chapter? Please be sure to review, rate, and as always, if you can, Private Message me for anything on the story. After all, I'm always keen to hear from you, so long as what you have to say is positive. For now, this is SuperHeroTimeFan signing off. Have a great week, everyone! Stay safe during these times, and I'll be seeing you all soon!