This time around, Megatron's beast mode had nothing to do with DNA and everything to do with sheer effort of will, the purest expression of his and his namesake's sparks made manifest in metal and fire. He gloried in it, even when his allies and eventually his hated enemies began to experience similar metamorphoses - let the Maximals send their cats and their - er - unicorns, he was still the first _(ALPHA) and he would be the last _(OMEGA)!

Admittedly, getting his face caved in by a Maximal swan of all things was enough to make him at least briefly reconsider that stance.

(thx a lot prompter now I'm investing brainpower in designing these OCs XD)