One bright and sunny morning, several solar cycles later…

Starscream opened up the door to the Decepticons' refrigerator. "Um…Blitzwing…do you care to explain what these are?"

He was holding up a wooden stick with a cube of what appeared to be frozen energon stuck onto it. They had recently accumulated in their refrigerator, and Starscream was afraid to try one.

Blitzwing's "Random" face cackled. "Why, they are 'Energon Pops', my friend! Frozen energon on a stick! Absolutely delicious!"

"That's crazy," said Starscream, but Blitzwing just laughed again and stole the Energon Pop from him.

POP!

Sweetie, at that moment, teleported into the kitchen (she was still practicing), Spaceflower closely following. Starscream's attention shifted from Blitzwing and his stupid Energon Pops to Spaceflower, yet again. He couldn't even hear Blitzwing's loud slurping noises (once he got the Energon Pop stuck into his mouth).

Spaceflower picked up Sweetie and sat down at the kitchen table. Sweetie reached for an Energon Pop but, since she was still too young to have energon, Spaceflower gently pushed her servos down.

"Starscream, my love?" Spaceflower asked. "Are you all right?"

"It is the same look he always has whenever he sees you, my friend…his processor is completely frozen," Icy replied, still sucking on his Energon Pop. Then he switched to Random again and added happily, "Frozen like the Energon Pops!"

"Hey!" Starscream yelled. "My processor is so not as frozen as one of your stupid Energon Pops."

"Okay, then it is fried!" Random screeched. "AHAHAHAHA!"

"You are insane, Blitzwing!" Starscream informed him angrily.

"Actually, only a third of him is insane," Spaceflower corrected matter-of-factly.

"That doesn't make it any more enjoyable," Starscream protested.

"Well…true…but…" Spaceflower was now watching Blitzwing (still in "Random" face mode), sucking on his Energon Pop. "Hey…could I try one of those, Blitzwing?"

"Of course," Blitzwing replied, switching to Icy, and getting an Energon Pop for Spaceflower.

Spaceflower sucked on the Energon Pop for a cycle or two and smiled. "This isn't half bad."

"I can't believe you're actually enjoying one of those," Starscream retorted.

Somehow, though, he was becoming turned on by watching Spaceflower sucking on the Energon Pop. Wow…if only she was sucking on something OTHER than that Energon Pop…that would be nice…and a lot more satisfying than frozen energon.

"What are those?" they suddenly heard a voice behind them say.

"Oh!" Spaceflower pulled the Energon Pop out of her mouth and smiled again. "Good morning, Skywarp."

Skywarp was standing next to Spaceflower and staring at the Energon Pop, looking scared, as usual. (He and the other Seekers were staying at the Decepticon base for a little while, to help Sweetie with her own Seeker training.)

"What are you so scared of this time?" asked Starscream.

"Energon is scary!" Skywarp pointed one shaking finger at the Energon Pop in Spaceflower's claw. "And…and that one's frozen! It could…freeze my glossa!"

"Actually, they are quite delicious," Blitzwing told him. "You should try one."

Spaceflower, who had just met Skywarp, had not yet grasped the fact that he was afraid of pretty much everything, so she seemed a little surprised when he screamed and teleported right out of the room.

"That's a shame," she said. "I thought he could help Sweetie harness her teleportation skills…since, you know, he can teleport too. Obviously."

"Once Skywarp decides he's scared of something, it's pretty hard to convince him otherwise," Starscream explained, rubbing Spaceflower's shoulder.

"Well, he and the other Seekers only arrived last night, my love," Spaceflower reminded him, still sucking on her Energon Pop. Primus, that's enticing…I hope we don't have to wait until bedtime to—

Starscream's train of thought was broken by Megatron, Thundercracker and Sunstorm, all walking into the kitchen at the same time.

"What are you two sucking on?" Megatron asked, looking at Blitzwing and Spaceflower, who were both still enjoying their Energon Pops.

"Energon Pops," Spaceflower replied. "Frozen energon on a stick. Blitzwing invented them."

"Care to try one?" Blitzwing's Icy face asked.

"No, I would not care to try one," Megatron snapped back.

"Your loss!" Random screeched, finishing off his Energon Pop and running to the refrigerator for a fresh one.

"I would care to try one!" Sunstorm piped up. "Actually, two! They look delicious!"

"As you wish." Blitzwing grabbed two of his Energon Pops out of the refrigerator and handed them to Sunstorm.

Sunstorm continued his trademark brownnosing as soon as he'd gotten a taste of one of the Energon Pops. "Wonderful, just wonderful! I love this! Thundercracker, you should try one!"

"Never!" Thundercracker scoffed. "Those silly little Energon Pops aren't good enough to match my superior tastes."

"Energon!" Sweetie squealed happily, reaching out her arms.

"You have such an adorable little sparkling," Sunstorm continued, slurping away. "Sweetie will become a most gifted Seeker very soon. It is such an honor to help her learn."

"Erm…thank you?" Spaceflower replied uncertainly, finishing off her Energon Pop.

"I-I'll get you another one, my dear!" Starscream jumped up from the table and ran to the refrigerator. True, Spaceflower hadn't asked for another Energon Pop, but to be completely honest, when she was trying out that last one, he had enjoyed it just as much as she had.

"Thanks!" Spaceflower smiled and took the Energon Pop from Starscream.

"They're better if you lick them a lot," Starscream added passionately. "Add a lot of glossa. Don't just suck on it, you know?"

"Um…okay, I guess." Spaceflower started licking her Energon Pop.

"You're sickening, Starscream," Thundercracker said.

"What?" asked Starscream, hoping Thundercracker hadn't guessed what he was fantasizing about.

"You know what," Thundercracker replied. "I don't see you giving Sunstorm and Blitzwing tips on how to enjoy their Energon Pops."

"Oh, shut up, you son-of-a-glitch," Starscream snapped.

"Don't you dare insult me!" Thundercracker cried. "For I am infinitely superior!"

"Can you please just stop fighting?" Spaceflower asked.

"I say let them take each other offline," Megatron grumbled.

"And just what do you mean by THAT, Megatron?" Starscream questioned indignantly, hands on his hips.

"You're a walking, talking, flying pain in the aft is what I mean."

"Oh, I'm a pain in the aft!" Starscream screeched. "Well, you're not exactly a joy to have around the base either, are you, Megatron? In fact, you all are one huge pain in the aft…except my beloved Spaceflower and Sweetie, obviously."

Starscream nodded to Spaceflower, and she smiled.

"I beg to differ," Thundercracker said haughtily.

"That's it!" Starscream yelled, and shot Thundercracker with his null-rays.

"Starscream, you know you're not supposed to use those inside!" Spaceflower screamed. "Just STOP IT!"

"SILENCE!" Thundercracker hollered. He was shooting back, now, and there were null-ray blasts flying all over the kitchen. Sweetie was crying, and Spaceflower was holding the sparkling close to keep her safe from danger, and Starscream and Sunstorm and Thundercracker were all shooting at each other, and Megatron was blasting his cannon, and Blitzwing was just sucking on his Energon Pop and watching the impromptu battle from a safe distance.

"I SAID STOP IT!" Spaceflower suddenly handed Sweetie to Blitzwing, turned her servos into guns, and began shooting too.

"Spaceflower, leave this battle!" Starscream shouted. "You could get shot!"

"Don't tell me what to do!" Spaceflower cried.

"Seriously!" Starscream insisted. "This isn't safe!"

"I don't care!" Spaceflower replied, and continued shooting. Starscream and Spaceflower weren't shooting at each other, but they were shooting at everybody else (excluding Sweetie and Blitzwing, obviously).

"MOMMY!" Sweetie wailed.

"Stay with Uncle Blitzwing!" Spaceflower told her nervously. "Blitzwing, don't feed her any of your Energon Pops!"

The sparkling waved her servos and shrieked, "Energon Pops!"

"NO!" Starscream and Spaceflower yelled at the same time, but it was too late—Sweetie had grabbed the Energon Pop out of Blitzwing's servo and stuck it in her own mouth. This was not good; she was much too young for energon. Even one Energon Pop could possibly take her offline.

Spaceflower instantaneously stopped her shooting. She and Starscream flew over to where the sparkling was sitting, with Blitzwing's Energon Pop still in her mouth.

"Starscream, hold her still while I get it out of her mouth," Spaceflower ordered, so Starscream picked Sweetie up and held her while Spaceflower grabbed the stick. Unfortunately, Sweetie bit down, so when Spaceflower pulled, the stick came out, but the frozen energon didn't.

"Spit it out!" Starscream yelled.

Sweetie laughed again, but then she started coughing and—

"She's choking!" Spaceflower shrieked.

To everyone's horror, Sweetie did appear to be choking on the frozen energon. All the guns had stopped shooting and everyone was staring, frozen, at the sparkling.

Starscream felt a hard blow to his shoulder that knocked him onto the floor and looked up to see Megatron, holding Sweetie around the middle and squeezing her almost like a stuffed pillow until—WHACK!—the Energon Pop flew out of her mouth, ricocheted across the room, and hit Thundercracker right in the head.

"You're gonna pay for that, Megatron!" Thundercracker yelled, rubbing his head, but everyone else ran up to Sweetie and Megatron. Spaceflower started crying uncontrollably and grabbed Sweetie out of Megatron's arms.

"How did you know to do that?" Starscream asked, shocked.

"I've been leader of the Decepticons for a very long time, Starscream," Megatron answered. "Don't you think I've had to save a choking victim before?"

"Thank y-you," Spaceflower sobbed, squeezing Sweetie almost as tight as Megatron had. "You s-saved h-her life."

Starscream got up from the floor and wrapped Spaceflower in his arms. "Yes…thank you."

To be sure, Starscream never thought he would be thanking Megatron for anything, and it certainly wasn't fun to do it now, but upon seeing Sweetie, who was perfectly healthy and online, and Spaceflower, who was still crying her optics out, he decided it was okay to thank him…just this once.