Masquerade

by Ragey

Megatron sends the Stunticons out to find "components," which they split up to search for; Drag Strip and Dead End are off for component #1, Breakdown and Wildrider for #2, while Motormaster takes the task of finding component #3.

The Autobots get the energy readings of the Stunticons on Teletraan-1, and deem it necessary to see what crimes they're up to. Breakdown and Wildrider hit the Republic Optics Company and swipe the new laser lens before scooting off.
 

Over at the US Army Facility, a new experimental generator is being loaded onto a truck, and you just know that's what another of the components is; unless the cartoon felt like throwing in a red herring. Drag Strip and Dead End roll in, pinch the generator and roll off again.

Over at the City Museum, two security guards are admiring one of the new displays; the world's largest, most perfect ruby. This happens to be the third component of Megatron's as-of-yet unexplained plan, so Motormaster drives through the walls, destroys a few exhibits just for giggles and then takes off with the ruby.
 

Having seen what went on, the Autobots roll out to stop the Stunticons, and first on the agenda are Wildrider and Breakdown. Inferno, Grapple and Hoist arrive on the road to stop them, but spend more time saying what dangerous drivers they are than trying to actually stop them.

Of course, once Breakdown springs a leak in his fuel tank, Grapple steps in and blasts it, igniting the trail and putting poor Breakdown on fire, but Inferno is kind enough to at least put out the flames. Wildrider, meanwhile, is then knocked off his wheels by an explosion from Hoist, and that's enough for those two bozos to be taken down.

Tracks and Warpath arrive on the beach to take care of Drag Strip and Dead End, Warpath simply using the basic but effective tactic of blasting Drag Strip off his wheels. Tracks, however, decides to smear Dead End's windscreen with oil...

And let Warpath punch his roof out. Harsh.

Optimus, Bumblebee, Blaster and Spike wait on a barren road for Motormaster to show up, and because there's so such thing as incorrect guessing in cartoon land, their hunch is right. Motormaster calls Prime out for a game of chicken, and seeing no other way to stop the Stunticon, agrees. They drive and drive and drive and

FLAMIN' NORA

The spectators run into the flames, unable to get a radio signal from their chief, but it doesn't take long before they see that Optimus was the victor was Motormaster got his ass kicked. Blaster contacts the other Autobots and they announce the other Stunticons have been sorted out too, so they all just head home.
 

Not without the Stunticons in tow, of course, where they're locked behind energon bars and the Autobots begin discussing what they could've been doing. The only thing Hound retrieved from their memory banks was a map of a meteorite crater, while Wheeljack makes the very obvious guess of the components being necessary for some kind of super weapon. Prime ponders aloud that if they could get to the crater undetected, they could sabotage it before any use of it is made. Quite conveniently, Spike sees the news about the optics worker getting robbed and believing the thieves to be Stunticons, and this gives them all a very devious idea.
 

Camouflage paint! Sideswipe, Jazz, Windcharger, Optimus and Mirage use some mighty fine paint to make themselves look exactly like the Stunticons, and after warning the others to not break radio silence under penalty of screwing up the mission really badly, they roll out to the destination with components in hand.

Driving down the path to their destination, Laserbeak happens to fly overhead but thinks nothing of them, so their disguise is working flawlessly, even with Windcharger getting ludicrously into the Wildrider act. They see that some kind of super laser weapon thing is being built in the crater, but Megatron fires into the air to signal them down. Starscream laughs at how carefully they drive down, but Megatron reminds him that they've got cargo to keep safe so it's forgivable.

Back at the Ark, the Stunticons realise that they can't let Megatron get fooled by those Autobot decoys, and Breakdown manages to short out the bars by ramming into them. He totally explodes Hoist, Grapple and Inferno before freeing his chums, allowing them to form Menasor and wreak havoc upon the whole place.

Menasor flies towards his destination. Megatron tries to explain what his evil plan is for today, but gets caught up in the villainous laughing. Spike and Bumblebee somehow miss the entire Ark getting wiped out and are shocked at the sight, but everyone's still in operational condition.

The weapon is completed, so the Constructicons are told to leave because they don't need advertised anymore. Prime as Motormaster needs "reminded" on what the weapon does, so Megatron finally explains (17 minutes in!): The power of the ruby focuses through the perfect lens and creates a laser more powerful than any other, causing a chain reaction of doom, and the first target will be Autobot headquarters! And if all goes well, maybe the cannon will be put in a memorial parking lot!

That's actually what Megatron says.

While Mirage asks Prime why they don't just attack now, the real Menasor shows up! He claims he's the real deal and the ones they've been revealing their plan to are the fakes, so all guns are pointed at them, threatening to fire unless they prove they are the real Stunticons: Form Menasor!

And that's exactly what they do, thanks to Windcharger's magnetic abilities and Mirage's mirages! The two Menasors set about beating each other up, but the Autobot version is knocked down and eventually the ruse is forcibly stripped away, the Autobots' disguises wearing off.

The cannon's generator has done its thing, thus allowing Megatron to use it on his hated enemies! However, as he fires at them Starscream and Soundwave don't like the sound and rattling it's making and suggest he ditches the thing, especially with his bad aim, but Megs refuses to.

Just a few seconds more and the thing begins sparking and buzzing, before finally going out with a humongous explosion. Prime notes that since Megatron has learned how dangerous the weapon is, it's unlikely he'll build another.

Not that it's all over, as Menasor's still kickin'!

That is, until he sees the army of approaching Autobots, and all the Decepticons deem it wise to get their asses out of there. The Autobots laugh over how all they needed to do was show up to ensure their victory, and Prime takes note of how the Decepticons were so busy trying to expose them that they never took into account how they had actually tampered with the ruby when they had it in their possession. Everyone laughs and goes home.

Ratchet is voiced by the same guy who did Thundercracker's voice in War Dawn, except he gets more than one line this time so it's exceedingly obvious.

Yeah, Soundwave flies in tape deck mode.

The fact that the Autobots can form Menasor thanks to Windcharger's magnetic abilities is understandable, what with him displaying them in The Autobot Run and a few other episodes, but Mirage casting mirages is a bit nutty, since that's what Hound excels at. "Electro-disrupter can cast illusions altering his physical placement and appearance for up to 6 minutes" is an ability that his tech specs lists, which has caused a bit of confusion with what his power exactly is, but the cartoon just threw it out in favour of invisibility. Except for this episode, because to disguise a jeep as a F1 racer would just be too crazy. Never mind a helicopter morphing into a space shuttle.