Sparkeater transformations

[insecuriosity]

Back when MTMTE had a Sparkeater loose on the Lost Light, and Rung’s presence was still a big mystery, I was thinking of what it would be like for a mech to become a sparkeater.

Before it was revealed that it was Brainstorm’s gun that had created the Sparkeater we see on the Lost Light, I was playing with more conventional ideas - a bit like vampires or a hidden true nature.
With so many sparks available for food I found it odd that it only chased Rung. Even if Rung had the brightest spark out of everyone, the sparkeater encountered many other opportunities to feed, so I figured the Sparkeater wanted something else. Namely; Rung as a fellow creature of the dark-cycle.

It was an idea that many others have had before me, but I wanted to try and take it a slightly different route. Rung would not be able to become a monstrous spark-eater if he was still aware of his surroundings and other mecha. Similarly, Rung as a sparkeater would not be nearly as interesting if he lost his intelligence and could no longer recognise people.

So I thought; what if the process of turning into a sparkeater is not at all as horrifying or quick as mecha believe it is? With the gun not being in the canon yet, I thought of how a mecha could change into a sparkeater after non-lethal contact with a sparkeater.

There’s no pains in the middle of the night, or awful nightmares, or a sense of confusion and horrifically sudden changes in the frame.
Instead Rung has odd recharge purges that seem to last longer and longer, where he can see constellations and stars moving all around him. He feels enormous, looking at stars that are as small as a fist, and he can see them move around.

In his recharge purges, he doesn’t see hallways or mechanoid frames. He cannot see physical objects, but he can see those wonderful stars and some of their secrets. Sometimes he can get close to them, and other times he cannot - held back by a (to him) invisible barrier. 
He feels like a stranger looking through the window of someone’s habsuite- close enough to hear their murmurs and see their expressions, but too far away to hear them clearly. They feel like dreams of deep understanding an cosmic importance. Enlightenment.

In reality, Rung wanders the hallways of the Lost Light during his recharge, trying to get through locked doors or looking at a seemingly uninteresting spot on the wall, ceiling, or floor.

Unaware of the change, Rung feels normal when awake, though a bit worn out from his vivid recharge purges. The need for more energy starts to rise - leading to more energon consumption and longer recharge periods.

It will take a long time before the true hunger sets it, but the change has started. Over time his recharge periods will start getting longer and longer, and waking moments will begin to feel feverish and unpleasant. Energon is unappetizing, and no longer fills him with as much energy as it used to.
Feeling sick, he only recharges more, until he finally enters a hibernative state. This is when the most drastic changes to his body happen. Unnecessary parts are cannibalised to make spark-consumption possible, and after a few orns a complete Sparkeater has formed.

Rung’s mind is still intact, but he trapped in the dreamlike world of endless stars. His now very familiar dream is going to last forever.
And those small stars he can see all around him are warm and vibrant, leaking energy in every direction. Surely, it wouldn’t hurt if he carefully took one of them close to him, just to feel that warmth…

And so he does.