Transformers Armada: Starscream's Requiem

Chapters

Prologue: Cramp
Chapter 1: Where am I?
Chapter 2: Answers
Chapter 3: The Hive
Chapter 4: Trust
Chapter 5: Ivy
Chapter 6: Repair
Chapter 7: Departure
Chapter 8: Greeting from Equestria
Chapter 9: Twilight
Chapter 10: An Arrangement
Chapter 11: Misunderstandings
Chapter 12: Picnic
Chapter 13: Rarity
Chapter 14: Fixed and Freed
Chapter 15: Challenge

Prologue: Cramp

The kneeling form of Galvatron released its grip on his weapon. Without looking up, Galvatron asked, “Tell me; why did you let me run you through like that, soldier?” Starscream fell onto his back, his master's blade lodged in his chest. Starscream remained silent. “This has all been a complete waste of my time!” Galvatron spat, enraged.

Finally, the fallen warrior spoke up. “I remember...a very long time ago...I swore an oath to you, Galvatron. And I could never break that oath.” He continued to stare forlornly into space.

“You had this planned all along, didn't you?” yelled the Decepticon leader.

“I did, sir,” replied Starscream with a hint of pride. “But all of this could have been prevented if you had only given me some respect.”

“Save your breath, Starscream,” Galvatron said in an attempt to silence Starscream's rambling. He was unsuccessful.

“I tried to gain favor from you. But nothing was ever good enough. No matter how many battles I fought, you always found fault. Then I saw how Optimus treated his men, and I realized he was a leader of integrity. Unlike you.”

“You were too weak to ever gain my respect,” Galvatron said with scorn.

"None of that matters now." Starscream began to rise. "You must listen!” he shouted with sudden intensity. “Do as Optimus says and join forces with the Autobots, or else every last one of us is doomed!" He groaned and stumbled forward. Solemnity saturated his voice. "Please sir...do it for me..." With that, Starscream grabbed the Star Saber which was embedded in his chest, groaning in pain as he removed the intruder.

"No Starscream, don't!" Optimus Prime exclaimed. However, Starscream ignored the Autobot's concerns.

With a final yell, the Star Saber was removed. Tossing the weapon away, Starscream looked up to Unicron, the monstrosity that had disguised itself as Cybertron's moon for so long. "It's time to finish this once and for all! Activate proton cannon!"

Starscream's nearby minicon, Swindle, sprang into action, attaching himself to Starscream's back. The Decepticon's thrusters pivoted to his front. "You're all mine, Unicron!" he shouted as his ultimate weapons released a pair of massive plasma blasts straight towards Unicron. Swindle detached from his partner, his job done.

The twin beams of plasma rocketed skyward, while a retaliatory blast of lightning shot down from Unicron. It struck Starscream, and the sheer quantity of energy ripped him apart, turning him to dust and leaving a small crater where he had once stood.

Starscream's shot never reached Unicron.

Chapter 1: Where am I?

And that was it. Starscream was no more; a pile of dust, a mere memory. A failure and an oath-breaker. A noble soldier and a heroic unifier. But most importantly, he was dead. But if he was dead, why was he here, in this endless wasteland of dry soil, dead trees, and eerie green mist?

Slowly, his systems began to reactive. Electricity surged through his body, and his now energized form began to rise from its resting spot. He rose on all fours, and his eyes flared to life, emitting their standard orange glow.

I'm alive.

Starscream looked at himself, checking his body out it disbelief. He had been disintegrated! How could he have survived that! Oddly, though, his body wasn't the same as it was compared to before. His original Red and white color scheme had returned -Thank the Allspark that I don't look like Tundercracker anymore- and there were some odd changes to his form.

His new form was equine in nature, forcing him to stand on all four of his limbs, and his hands and feet had disappeared, replaced with rectangular pivoting hooves. Strangely, his back legs had an odd bend just above the joint to his lower leg, and the entirety of the leg had been slimmed down; the wings that were on his knee were only half the size that they had originally been. His body was longer than it was tall, and what had originally been his chest was now on his underside, with his original back resting on top. His thrusters were still planted next to his head, which now looked up at an odd angle, thanks to his slightly elongated neck. The most notable change, however, was with the wings on his back. Instead of jutting out, they were folded neatly against his sides, and he found that he could control them in a similar manner as a bird. His Decepticon insignias had been removed from his wings as well, and were now located on each of his thighs.

One final detail, he noticed, was a gaping hole in his underside where he had just been stabbed with the Star Saber. Every time he moved a servo, a tiny electrical spark could be seen jumping across the broken circuit. That's not good, he surmised. Somehow, I think transforming would be a bad idea.

With his review of himself complete, Starscream finally diverted his attention to his environment. It was dreary and ominous; the ground was flat, its soil grey, dry, and cracked. Vegetation was scarce; at most, only a few decaying trees broke the horizon's flatness. The cloudy sky was just as bland as the rest of the world, being a light grey color. Sprouting up from random locations were clumps of green mist of varying sizes.

Starscream took a step. A sizable jolt ran through the open wound, causing him some discomfort. It was manageable, though, so he tried another step. Walking, he found, was natural despite his new form. He attributed it to a transformers' innate ability to adapt almost instantaneously to a new mode or form.

The ground crackled underneath the weight of his heavy hoof steps as he trudged through the barren wastes. His walk started at minutes, but soon stretched to an hour. During that time, nothing about the atmosphere of his surroundings changed. It was eerie and unsettling, but Starscream had found that the unchanging environment no longer interested him. His mind was on other things, sifting through the many questions about the immediate situation that he had no answers to. How am I alive? Where am I? Why am I here?

Hours dragged on as he trotted through the still unchanged landscape. The same couldn't be said about the sky, however. Whatever sun this place had had set, plunging the land into near complete darkness. Near complete, except for the light from the sparks emitted from Starscream's belly every time he moved. The light, however, was unnecessary, as he normally had good vision in the dark. Not nearly as good as his daytime vision, it was, but there was really nothing to see anyways.

Finding a large tree, Starscream decided to stop and let himself rest. He wasn't tired or low on energy, but he wanted to take a break from moving so that the arcing electricity in his belly wouldn't melt or otherwise irreparably damage anything. No longer distracted by walking and looking about for anything of interest, Starscream's mind began to wander, going back to the last few moments before his disintegration by Unicron.

He had done what he thought was right. He had let himself be killed in an attempt to get Lord Galvatron to see the truth behind the threat Unicron posed. He let himself die to preserve all that he loved. He had things to die for.

At that thought, Starscream smiled. Regardless of the fact that he had no idea where he was and doubted he would see anything or anyone from before his death, the thought that his well being mattered to someone was an uplifting thought.

And then his mood soured. Galvatron is not my Lord. Galvatron is a fool! He is blinded for his unjustified hatred of the Autobots. He'd never see the truth in anything a traitor like me has to say. It was a waste of my efforts, and a waste of my life. I loathe you, Galvatron.

His wings were flared, for a reason he didn't know. Perhaps it's a result of anger? Additionally, his left wing had popped out several inches along a thin pole. Starscream looked to his wing, immediately recognizing it as his sword ready to be wielded. Needing a distraction from his thoughts, he reached his right hoof over to his extended wing.

To his amazement, the hilt magnetized to his hoof. He pulled it completely out, and the blade folded out twice into the longsword that had always been his only reliable counterpart. To his disappointment, it was much shorter it was before his disintegration, but it was at least proportional to his new dimensions.

Giving a few test swings, he found that his sword behaved just as if he still had his hands. The odd body angle was the only obstacle, but that was easily overcome by rising onto his hind legs and using his thrusters for balance. The maneuver caused a substantial amount of sparking from his wound, enough so that it actually hurt. Replacing his wing, he set himself on the ground and promised to not engage his thrusters until he found a way to repair himself.

With nothing better to do, he sat haunches on the ground and set himself into a sleep-like mode.

Something was moving. He was still in his sleep-like mode, but that didn't mean that he was completely deactivated. An infrared scanner that activated whenever he put himself in this state was detecting several heat-emitting figures that weren't there before, and were moving. Trying to react quickly, he authorized his booting protocols, ignoring system diagnostic messages about massive power leaks related to his chest wound.

The boot time for a transformer was actually exceptionally long, considering their level of technological proficiency. It took at least a minute for his nervous sensors to get to the point where they were receiving inputs. One of the things was poking him. After another minute, he was fully functional, and he raised his head to see what was disturbing him.

He had never seen anything like them, but they had a strange semblance to his new form. All seven figures were equine in nature, and were all either solid black or a very dark shade of grey. Except for the tall one in the center of the group which had long cerulean hair and gaunt green eyes, they all had short, spiky hair and foreboding pupil-less blue eyes. Each of them had a horn sticking out of their forehead, with the tall one's being significantly larger and more wicked, and they all had a pair of insect-like wings over their exoskeletal bodies, and an intimidating pair of fangs sprouted from each of their mouths.

Oddly, all of their legs were completely riddled with holes, from hoof to shoulder and thigh, and they all looked extremely emaciated. In fact, so much of their legs were missing that they didn't even look like they would be able to physically support their weight.

The most notable feature of the invaders was their size. The six smaller ones were smaller that him in stature, but only by a few inches at the least. The tall one, however, would be a couple of inches taller than Starscream if they were to stand side to side. It also wore a dinky looking crown on its head.

Upon rising to his hooves, the one that had been poking him leapt back and, along with the others, formed a circle around him, with the tall one facing him directly. He looked from creature to creature, trying to get a clue as to how they were feeling, but he could only partially decipher the tall one's emotions thanks to its disproportionately large, expressive eyes.

It was fearful, understandably, but also awed and curious. The two parties simply stood in an awkward standstill, neither willing to make a move. Some of the smaller beings, however, shifted their weight around nervously.

Starscream mentally scrolled through the situation. These might just be wild creatures, or they may be this land's inhabitants. They don't seem to have seen anything like me, and are curious and scared, like the humans were. I should have considered how I would interact with the locals before. Slag, what do I do?

I could try to speak with them, but I know nothing about them. I doubt we speak the same language, and even if we did, I wouldn't want to offend and risk being attacked. I'm in no shape to fight, thanks to Galvatron. It's probably best if I retreat and isolate myself from them...or anything about this world, for that matter. I shouldn't disturb anything here, lest I cause a serious disruption.

Unexpectedly, the tall one stepped forward. Starscream, caught up in his analysis, jumped back at the sudden move. Immediately, his instincts kicked in and he made to retreat. Being surrounded by these things and a tree on all sides, and not wanting to fight, he did the only sensible thing: transform.

Or, at least he tried. He issued the command to his systems and they tried to comply, but the sudden use of so many motors and servos at once caused a devastatingly high voltage surge throughout him. Slag, the wound! was his last coherent thought before the surge backfired and scrambled all of his systems. He groaned in immense pain as the electricity felt like it fried all of his internal components. He was certain that the creatures were highly confused at what they were seeing, but he couldn't tell, for his eyes were not responding.

It only lasted a few seconds before emergency systems went online to redact the transform command, but the damage had already been done. Starscream went into an induced hibernation state, and his body toppled unceremoniously to the ground. The orange of his eyes dimmed to nothingness, leaving everything quiet again.

Chapter 2: Answers

System failure averted. Authorizing boot-up procedures. Initializing system diagnostic...

Severe abdominal damage. No additional problems detected. Terminating hibernation.

Ugh, I can already tell that this is going to be some kind of pattern so long as I'm here, Starscream mused as he stirred from his discharge induced hibernation. His eyes opened to reveal a dreary black stone ceiling, and a quick glance around the room he was in showed that the floor and walls were similar. The room was quite spacious.

There was a doorway in the corner of the room opposite of where he lay, which was on a stone slab that matched the room's coloration. Above the doorway was a single torch, which bore a large green flame that illuminated the entire room and gave everything in it a greenish hue. In the center of the room, a few paces away from the slab that he rested on, was a small round table, also made of black stone. No chairs surrounded it, but on it sat a clipboard, a quill, a bowl of water, and a dandelion sandwich.

That was when Starscream noticed that he was not alone in the room. Standing near him was one of the smaller creatures from before, though it'd be hard to say if it was one of the exact same ones he had seen. Also in the room, more specifically, sitting across from him at the table, was the same tall creature from before.

His movements immediately caught the attention of both of the creatures, and the smaller one grabbed the clipboard and quill from the table and began to scribble things down. He could only assume that it was taking notes about him, as he was the alien in the room. However, the tall one simply sat there, staring at him as he lay on his back.

Starscream rolled over and tried to sit up, slowly pushing himself into somewhat of a sitting position, his chest sparking with every move. Just to be safe, he refrained from making any large or jerky movements so as to not agitate his wound. Once on his haunches, he gave the room a secondary scan. Nothing else popped out at him, and his eyes eventually rested on the food and water placed on the table before the tall creature.

It seemed to notice where his attention was directed, and it nudged the bowl and the plate that contained the food towards him. I'm no prisoner here, he noted as he observed the thing's hospitality. The smaller creature continued to jot things down on the clipboard.

The Decepticon made no move to retrieve the offered nourishment, and instead continued to stare at it. After a few seconds, the smaller creature stopped writing and looked up to the taller creature. The tall one gave a small nod, and the small one set down the clipboard to instead grab the bowl and plate. It brought them over to Starscream, carefully setting them down next to him before retreating back to the side of its obvious master. The creatures seemed to at least understand nonverbal commands, so he slightly shook his head from side to side. The tall one gave him a confused glance, but its minion nonetheless took the food and water away and set them back on the table.

Starscream looked towards the tall creature, meeting its gaze. He quickly broke eye contact after finally noticing one confusing thing: this creature was starving. It was obvious that it was; its bones, or at least its ribs, jut out of its sides. Its face was incredibly thin, showing off every jagged point that its skull contained. Yet, despite this, it was willingly giving up its food to him for no apparent reason.

He looked to the small one, only to find that it was in a similarly poor state, but before he could make any more observations, the door to his room opened and another one of the things trotted in. It looked up towards the tall one, who seemed unperturbed by the interruption. “My queen,” it said in a buzzy voice with a solemn and apologetic tone, “I have some...bad news.” Its ears drooped. “I'm sorry to say, but...we lost him.”

They...they...they speak my language?! Starscream thought, baffled.

The Queen frowned and her eyes became ever so slightly more reflective. “It was only a matter of time,” said the Queen, her voice sounding like more than one speaking at once, not unlike Galvatron's. “I will see to it that he is remembered for his services.” She stood and made towards the open doorway. “Please, ensure our guest is given anything it needs,” she commanded. The smaller creatures nodded, staying behind as the Queen left the room.

It wasn't until about a minute after she left that Starscream got over the fact that they spoke the same language, at which point he diverted his attention to the two small creatures that were accompanying him, each staring at him in what he assumed were curious glances. The atmosphere was tense and the situation awkward, so Starscream decided to try to get something productive done.

The sooner I repair myself, the sooner I can get out of here and leave these things alone. He looked down to the wound and to his front hooves. Realization struck. I don't have hands...slag! He struck the stone he sat on in rage, and a crack spider-webbed from where his hoof made contact.

The two creatures backed away in fear. “Do you...need anything?” asked the one who had been using the clipboard in a quivering voice.

Starscream panted angrily, but quickly calmed himself before nodding no as a response.

“The Queen should be informed of this; we may need some guards,” he heard one whisper to the other, to which the other agreed. The one that had come in late left the room to do so, leaving the other near the door, just in case Starscream became violent again. Starscream sighed and resigned himself to staring at the crack he had made, and the questions that had plagued his mind before rose up again.

After about an hour of absence, the Queen returned to the threshold Starscream's room, where she noticed the large crack Starscream had made herself.

“You were right,” she said to the short one that had left before. “This thing could be dangerous.” Starscream looked to her as she walked fully in, followed by the one that had left, who was also followed by two more of the short creatures, one of which had a hammer around its waist and a round shield on its back, while the other had a sledgehammer slung around it.

Upon seeing the weapons, Starscream sat upright, his wings flaring out and weapon springing to its standby position, ready to be drawn.

The group of creatures were startled at first, justifiably so. But then, surprisingly, the queen began to chuckle. “Ah, pegusi are always the same, aren't they?” she asked no one in particular. “They see a beautiful mare, and they just can't control their wings, can they?”

...what?

Her chuckling died down quickly. She cleared he throat, then gave a heavy and sad sigh, which was followed up by silence. Starscream's wings, in response, folded back to be by his sides again. She looked to Starscream, and he returned the gaze. “Leave us,” she commanded to her followers. “Guards by the door, you other two, be off elsewhere.” They all complied and left the room, closing the door behind them.

Once they were all out of the room, she approached him, stopping when only a couple of feet separated them. “You can understand me, can't you?” she asked. Starscream gave no response. “I know you can,” she continued. “I know how to read body language, and you have seemed to react in ways that are appropriate for the situation. I'll ask again, do you understand me?” There was nothing malicious or devious about the way she spoke. Although uninterested in interacting with the locals, he figured no harm could come of informing her that he could understand. Reluctantly, he nodded in confirmation.

“What are you?” she asked.

He sighed before responding. “I am Starscream, a transformer,” he replied, his already raspy voice cracking from having not been used for at least a half day.

“It's nice to meet you, Starscream,” the Queen answered. “My name is Chrysalis, queen of the changelings.” She stepped back to give Starscream some more space and sat down. “Where are you from, Starscream?”

“From the planet Cybertron,” he grunted. “I don't know where that is relative to here, but wherever 'here' is, it's not where I should be.” Again, Starscream sighed. “I would recommend that you let me go. I don't belong here, and I wouldn't want to disrupt anything.

Chrysalis released a light laugh. “I'm not keeping you; you may leave if you wish. But, Starscream, changelings are a kind that also don't belong here. You'll fit right in.”

Chapter 3: The Hive

“This is the hive,” announced Chrysalis to Starscream as they walked side-by-side through the hive's tunnels. He looked about with disinterest, noting how the rough walls, like the landscape he had been in not too long ago, seemed to never change, with the exception of the occasional doorway. Its walls were curved and the ceiling was oddly low, giving Chrysalis only a few inches of space between the tip of her horn and the rocky ceiling. The place was illuminated by torches identical to the one in the room he had awoken in, bathing everything in green light.

“This is the place that we call home,” she continued. “It has almost all of the amenities that a changeling would need to be happy here; beds, water, waste disposal; just about everything. As long as you're here, feel free to take advantage of our hospitality.”

“I thank you for the offer,” replied Starscream. He glanced back to the guards from before who were now trailing them before looking back to Chrysalis and asking, “You said 'just about everything'. What do you mean by that?”

She hesitated before responding. “It's not important for you to know. So long as you're our guest, you need not bear our burdens.”

“If what you're hiding will affect me, I believe I have a right to know,” countered Starscream.

Chrysalis sighed. “Not knowing won't affect you. But, if you are insistent on knowing, I will tell you when we sup this evening.”

“Right...”

With that, the conversation ended, and the group fell into an awkward silence, that was only broken several minutes later when Chrysalis asked Starscream, “You said you were from a different planet. Cybertron, was it? Tell me, what was that planet like?”

“Yes, I was wondering when you'd ask me about that. You've taken to the fact that I'm an alien quite well; far better than I thought you would.”

“It isn't uncommon to run across something of an unknown species here,” explained Chrysalis. “And, being changelings, we are often on your end of the situation ourselves, so we know how unsettling and uncomfortable it can be. You've taken to waking up on an alien world quite well yourself.”

Starscream smiled slightly. “We found ourselves on foreign worlds quite often. I appreciate the empathy, and I see no harm in describing Cybertron to you; if anything, with you being the host and me the unknown creature, you have a right to know a bit about my background.

“Cybertron is the planet that is the home of my species, which are known as transformers. Transformers are highly complex robotic organisms. Similarly, Cybertron is a planet made entirely of metal and machines. A very long time ago, several million years ago, in fact, Cybertron was a peaceful place. There was no war or strife; there was merely life. Eventually, however, a delusional transformer by the name of Megatron formed dreams of power and control. He started a movement to reform Cybertron from a peaceful democracy to a regimented dictatorship, with himself as the monarch.

“His movement slowly gained supporters, and through underhanded political measures, members of his movement found themselves in seats of power. From there, his movement, then going by the name of Decepticons, began to enforce their plans. A revolution formed soon after, going by the name of the Autobots, and it was lead by the heroic and noble Optimus Prime. It was only a matter of time before Megatron turned the conflict from the political battlefield to the real one. He and his supporters reformatted their bodies to include weapons and other tools of warfare. The Decepticons drove the Autobots to do the same, and since then, the two factions had been warring.

“Now, there was another faction involved in the war: the minicons. The minicons are small transformers who could combine with a full sized one and give them a massive power boost or new ability. Once the war broke out, Megatron discovered this, and made it his quest to locate and utilize all of the minicons and use them to wipe the Autobots out. In response, the Autobots also tried to claim the minicons in order to protect them from servitude by the Decepticons. The Autobots eventually gathered them all and helped them escape Cybertron on a spacecraft to be safe from the conflict.

“This plan was thwarted by the Decepticons when they intercepted the vessel and caused it crash land on a distant world. It was later discovered that the minicon ship landed on the planet Earth, but this discovery was only recent. In the meantime, the two sides continued to fight; the power hungry, warmongering Decepticons versus the just and righteous Autobots. The war has utterly destroyed the surface of Cybertron, to the point that the fighting had to be moved to other planets, including Earth. And, to make things worse, the conflict rages to this day.”

With his recollection complete, he looked over to Chrysalis, who simply stared at the hallway ahead of her. She appeared deep in thought. He allowed her a few minutes of silence to process what she had been told before his impatience got the better of him. “There was something I said that's troubling you, isn't there?” he asked in a low voice.

“Your kind's conflicts are capable of destroying worlds. From what you have said, the Autobots seem to be the good side of the conflict, and the high regard you hold them in leads me to think that you are an Autobot. Is this correct?”

Starscream winced at the question. “I don't know.”

“I'm going to assume that your cutie mark is the insignia of your selected faction. Am I right?”

“Cutie...mark?” Starscream confusedly asked.

“The symbol on your flank.”

“Oh.” Starscream turned to look at the purple icon on his backside. “Yes, that is correct, but it wasn't much of a choice.”

The changeling turned her head to face Starscream. “And what faction is that symbol for?”

Again, Starscream winced, and he turned his head away in shame. “Decepticon.”

Concern flashed across Chrysalis' face, and she reverted her gaze to ahead of her. “Starscream,” she started, following with a sigh, “you do realize that, with this new knowledge, you are now an extremely dangerous threat to my subjects? And as such, I need to know if I can trust you, and if I can't, I will have no choice but to remove or eliminate you. And that is something I don't want to do. For now, let me continue showing you around the hive. At dinner, we shall discuss these advancements further.”

The tour had been cut off early, as some official business arose that needed tending too. After Chrysalis had left, Starscream had been brought to his room -for it was officially his room- where he sat, feebly trying to find a way to repair himself. His hooves were surprisingly able to grip things, but they were simply too wide and not dexterous enough to effectively manipulate any of his internal components, even with the panel on his chest opened to allow for easier access.

He needed fingers.

Starscream tossed the chopsticks that he was holding to the floor in rage after they failed to help him achieve his goal. Closing the panel, he opted to lie down on the now repaired slab to sulk while a skinny changeling in the room, previously introduced to him as Dread Wing, went to retrieve the chopsticks and return them to the table. Starscream watched the changeling go about the chore, and several questions sprang to his mind. “What's your role in the hive, Dread Wing?” he asked.

“I'm a scout,” he answered plainly. “A recent injury rendered me unable to perform my duties, so while I recover, I'm now your larvalsitter.”

“Would you have bothered helping me if it weren't for Chrysalis telling you to?”

“No.”

“What do you think of Chrysalis as a leader?”

“Chrysalis is a fine queen,” the changeling proudly responded. “For hundreds of years, she's kept this hive alive and well. That's not to say she hasn't made mistakes, but whenever she does, she will try to repair the damage caused by it and learn from it, ensuring not to repeat it.” Dread Wing's expression grew sad. “Sadly, though, I don't think we can rebound from our most recent failure.”

“What failure would that be?”

“This is something I cannot divulge without permission,” replied Dread Wing harshly. “The queen will tell you whilst you eat.”

“I've been meaning to ask about that; is this a private thing or does the entire hive eat at once?”

“It is private. The queen has always had the courtesy to invite newcomers to a private dinner to discuss things on their first evening in the hive.”

“I see...” he said, ending that line of thought and beginning another. “You wouldn't happen to know of anyone able to assist in repairing me, would you?”

“Noling in the hive has any real experience dealing with machines.”

Starscream huffed and turned away. “Slag,” he muttered under his breath. He quickly turned back to Dread Wing. “There is a sparring room, correct?”

“More accurately, it's a training room, but yes, there is one. I'm supposing that you want to go there?”

“Indeed.”

Dread Wing made for the door. “Very well, Starscream. Follow me.”

The training room, like every other aspect of the hive, was a rectangular cave-like room, its black walls lit only by the green torches that lined it. It was by far the largest room Starscream had been it since entering the hive. Along the far wall was a weapon rack, equipped with swords, hammers, axes, and crossbows, among other things. On the left side of the room were four dummies in the shape of equines, and opposite of it was a small field for one-on-one sparring.

Dread Wing walked to the center of the large room before turning to address Starscream. “The training room. This is where our soldiers are trained to protect our home and to imitate warriors from other areas. It's not in use now -actually, it hasn't been for a while- but when it is being used, we have instructors trained in all types of combat styles giving instructions. Changeling soldiers are some of the best on Equus, not only for their versatility, but for their ability to shape shift.”

Starscream had entered the room during Dread Wing's brief introduction, and behind him, the two guards from earlier had also entered, their hooves ready to draw and swing their weapons on a moment's notice.

“We don't have the means to get you an actual sparring partner -not that the queen would approve of that, anyways- but the dummies there are regenerative, so they return to their original shape after a few seconds of not being hit. Not effective for getting experience, but it will keep you limber if you're afraid of getting rusty.”

Starscream walked over to inspect the dummies, which were simply black, immobile forms in the shape of an equine. “You've no idea what it's like to get rusty,” he muttered to himself.

“Now, what weapon were you hoping to get some practice in with?” asked Dread Wing from across the room. He pulled a dagger from the rack for himself, then looked to Starscream for a response.

“I've got my own,” replied Starscream. His wings flared out and his sword popped out of its socket like before, and he grabbed it. The weapon folded out into the familiar longsword.

For several seconds, none of the changelings said anything, simply staring at Starscream while he ignored them. “That was unexpected,” Dread Wing finally said, replacing the dagger and instead equipping a crossbow. The guards, however, had their own weapons drawn and were ready to retaliate against any sudden move.

One was made, and after a poorly executed diagonal swing, the dummy's lobbed off head fell to the floor. Starscream bounced on his unoccupied hoof a couple of times to get it to a spot where it provided better balance. Once satisfied, he looked to the jagged line that marked where the dummy's head had once been. This form really screws with my swordsmanship, he noted.

Suddenly, the dummy and its decapitated head burst into green flame, startling Starscream. He jumped back and gave a high pitched yelp. After a second, the flames were gone, and a fully repaired dummy stood in its place.

Dread Wing laughed, and the two guards couldn't resist letting out a snicker, but Starscream continued to ignore them, instead focused on improving his technique in this form without using his thrusters.

Starscream practiced for a couple of hours, disappointingly making very little progress. He managed to learn to do a downward diagonal swipe without losing his balance, but almost every other maneuver eluded his abilities. To his satisfaction, the guards and Dread Wing had sheathed their weapons, too, finally getting the hint that Starscream wasn't going to attack them.

Eventually, though, Dread Wing walked next to Starscream to deliver a message. “The Queen requests your presence for dinner in her chambers.” Hacking the dummy in half one last time, Starscream's sword turned back into a wing and he followed Dread Wing out of the room.

They walked the halls in near silence, the only sounds being chatter from changelings elsewhere and the heavy sound of Starscream's hoofsteps. Not more than five minutes later, they reached a doorway that, except for being larger both lengthwise and height wise than the other doors he had seen in the hive, was no more impressive.

“Put on your best manners; she's in there. She requested you alone. We'll be out here waiting for you to finish. Best not keep her waiting.”

Without any type of farewell gesture to his escort, Starscream put a hoof to the large stone door, pushed it aside, and stepped in.

Chapter 4: Trust

The solid black doors yielded to Starscream's strength as he pushed against them, granting him access to the staircase that sat behind them. He climbed the stairs up to a large chamber that was unlike any he had seen since first awakening in the hive. It's ceiling was much higher than that of the halls and other rooms in the changeling's labyrinth, reaching up at least ten times his height. Tall pillars lined the sides of the room, leading up to its steeply angled ceiling.

The room was much longer than it was wide, and before him sat a long table -seating for twenty or so all around- which was illuminated by sunlight faintly streaming down from a large, circular stained glass window built into the opposite wall. There was enough light to see that the architecture was completely different that the tunnels and other rooms he had been shown. So different, in fact, that it seemed as if it was constructed by something other than changelings.

He took a few steps into the chamber, his heavy steps echoing loudly throughout the resonant chamber. There was nothing set on the table, and Chrysalis was nowhere in sight. Anxiety flooded Starscream's system and paranoia took hold. His wings straightened out to his sides, his left one popping out, leaving his sword on standby.

“I wasn't expecting you so early,” he heard Chrysalis' voice say from somewhere to his right. He reached for his sword, resting a hoof on it, but refrained from drawing it. He faced where he assumed it originated from, but saw nothing.

A door opened up within his field of view, and the changeling queen stepped through, shutting it behind her. It blended in with the surrounding brickwork exceedingly well; it was no wonder why he didn't see it before.

“Are you alright?” she asked upon seeing Starscream tensed and ready to defend himself. He said nothing. “I didn't mean to startle you,” she said, getting the hint. “I was just not expecting you for another five minutes or so; that's about how long it takes to get from your room to here. You were elsewhere, I presume?”

“I was,” responded Starscream, relaxing a bit, dropping his hoof the the floor.

Chrysalis began to walk towards the table in the room's center. “I apologize for not inquiring of you earlier what you would like to eat for dinner. It only recently came to me that I know nothing of your diet. We should be able to provide you with whatever it is you need, but it might take a few minutes to have it prepared,” she elaborated, pulling a chair out from the side of the table and offering it to Starscream.

“It's fine; I don't eat, anyways,” he responded, approaching the offered chair.

“That makes two of us,” she said dejectedly, turning to get to the other side of the table and grab a seat for herself. After not even taking a complete step, there was a snapping followed by a clanking sound. She turned to find that Starscream's weight was too much for the old chair, and it had shattered to pieces when he tried to sit.

“Uh, sorry,” he apologized, looking around awkwardly.

Chrysalis chuckled. “It's no issue. These chairs haven't been used in ages. It's unlikely they would have been used in the future, and I've been meaning to find an excuse to replace them.”

“Uh...you're welcome, then,” he said just as awkwardly as before. “If it's no trouble, I think I'll just...sit here, on the floor, and avoid breaking more chairs. I'm quite comfortable here.”

“As you wish,” replied Chrysalis, finally getting across the table from him and seating herself down. Neither spoke for a while after that; Chrysalis simply stared at Starscream while he looked about the grand chamber, looking for nothing in particular.

“You like this room?” Chrysalis finally asked, catching Starscream's attention.

“I'm indifferent to it, but it's unlike any other room in the hive that I've seen. It raises a few questions.”

“That is part of why I wanted to sit down and talk, Starscream. Not specifically about this room, but to ask questions. And hopefully get some answers,” she said, nodding. “Your story from earlier concerns me; I don't know whether to trust you or not, and even you seemed inconclusive about whether I should or shouldn't. This is something I need to know; I want to help you, but I will refuse to if the safety of my subjects is put even further at risk.”

“Why should I trust you?” Starscream shot back, more forcefully than intended. Chrysalis furrowed her brow, and Starscream fumbled to defend himself. “What I mean to say is, while I'm grateful for the hospitality you've shown, I don't know why it is you're doing it, and I have to assume the worst; that you're trying to use me for your own personal gain somehow. I know nothing about you and your changelings, and while you've given no reason to oppose you, you've provided no reason to cooperate, either.”

“Fair enough,” Chrysalis said, her anger leaving her. “Why don't you begin making me trust you first? Tell me about the Autobots and Decepticons.”

Starscream shook his head in disagreement. “I'm said more than you have. As a matter of fairness, something that any good leader is fond of, I believe it's your turn to spill some information.”

“Going to play the 'fairness' card, huh? It's a very convincing move; one I've used myself in the past. Very well, Starscream, I shall explain myself first.

“We are changelings. None know truly what we are, but the outside world will often use terms such as destroyers, murderers, wreckers, and...monsters. Our entire existence is based on leeching resources off of others. Before you ask, allow me to explain what it is we take: love. It's as simple as that, but the ways said love is harvested is what gave us our name.

“Love is our food and nourishment. Without an ample supply of it, we falter and die. We can collect it passively or aggressively. The first option is simply a changeling posing as a pony, or whatever being they're attempting to collect love from, who gets members of that society to fall in love with them. However, the amount of love collected that way is only on a subsistence level. It is not fit for feeding an entire hive, especially when not all members of the hive are able to do that simultaneously. On the bright side, when using this method, the resource is at least renewable.

“Alternatively, we can force it out of another being. Using our magic, we drain it from them, and we get a great amount of love by doing this. One creature is capable of feeding many changelings for a very long time. However, this leaves them drained of all love, leaving only an embodiment of hate and depression. Most victims drained as such would either commit suicide or go on a murderous rampage. More often than not, though, we would kill them straight away, so as to spare them further torment.

“This leads me back to the story of what we are. As the leader of such fine followers, it was and is my duty to provide the means for the best possible life for them. So it made sense to me, at least it did back near the beginning of my reign, to gather as much love as possible as quickly as possible so that we could live luxuriously. I would organize raids and pillages against small settlements, taking all of the inhabitants and draining them of their love. We managed to gather enormous amounts of love this way, and I was even so bold as to go after the most powerful region known at the time: the Neighzantine Empire.

“The Empire was most populous indeed; fairly strong and fruitful. Life was harmonious there, and as I went in for infiltration, the ambient love was nearly overwhelmingly strong.

“I'll spare you the details on what happened, but in the end, we had overturned the kingdom. Every pony had been captured, drained of their love, and mercy killed. Other kingdoms were taken aback by our boldness and success that they turned offensive against our newly claimed home. We had the resources to drive them back, but not without collateral damage to the area. Buildings crumbled and fires spread, destroying most all of the living spaces in the Empire.

“Eventually, however, we came to an agreement with some of the more offending leaders. With our vast supply of love, we needn't take action again for nearly five hundred years. They backed off, and we lived in seclusion, building catacombs to serve as our housing while the world around us learned of our deeds, then forgot.”

“I'd like to interrupt for just one moment,” Starscream said suddenly, “and inform you that this story is not helping me trust you at all.”

Chrysalis responded with a sigh. “It is a past that I am most ashamed of. We have changed, though. Not physically, as our name implies, but in mentality.

“So, nearly five hundred years passed since the overtaking of the Neighzantine Empire. Our resources were reaching levels that required a bit of cautious use, but we would have still been fine for at least three years. Regardless, I felt a resupply was in order, so I set my sights on the newest superpower to rise out of the fall of Neighzantine: Equestria.

“An upcoming royal wedding made infiltrating easy, and from within the system, I manipulated the Princesses and the Guard captain in ways that concealed my plot. However, the captain's sister saw through my lies and ruined my plans. We were thrust out of Equestria, and we returned here empty hoofed. Since then, our supply of love has depleted completely.

“Now, all we can do is await death. Without the resources to initiate another operation, we can gather no more love. I have seen the errors of my ways. I was too ambitious and unfocused on the long-term. I've thought about the past more and more, seeing that subsistence may have been the best way to go. It would have required the disbanding of the hive, but at least we wouldn't be starving to death.

“This room was not built by us. It is the last remaining part of the glorious castle that once overlooked the Neighzantine Empire. Just think; if I had not been stupid, we could be here chatting about how nice the weather is with a multitude of friendly faces as opposed to this gloomy subject.”

A sorrowful sigh escaped Chrysalis before she found the will to continue. “We are bound to die, but we will not die murderers. I've made it my goal to redeem ourselves in the eyes of the world. Despite our poverty, we will extend a helping hoof to those who find us and need it in the hopes that they will see us in a new light.”

Suddenly, Chrysalis looked to Starscream's eyes, and with a pleading look, said, “This is why I was elated to find you; not because you're an alien, but because you were in need. It's selfish, but I want to leave a good impression. And after we're all withered away, I want you to be able to speak of us not as murderers, but of something better.”

Tears began to leak from her eyes. She ripped her gaze away from Starscream's, and sobs came out with reckless abandon. Starscream looked on in confusion, unsure of how to react and respond. Hesitantly, he reached a hoof over the table and gave her shoulder a light pat. He meant to speak, but Chrysalis spoke up first. “I-I'm sorry.” She sniffled and wiped her eyes, calming just enough to continue. “It's selfish of me to want that from you; my entire life has been an enormous act of selfishness. I just wanted what was best for my subjects, but I was stupid. Now they've been sentenced to a long, painful death, and I'm responsible. I've failed them, and I've killed them.”

The pipes flowed again, and Chrysalis crossed her forehooves on the table before her. Resting her head on them, she cried, her muffled sobs amplified by the chamber's acoustics.

Something stirred within Starscream. A feeling he had only felt once before, in the presence of Optimus Prime. He couldn't explain it, but it was something like a sense of pride and happiness. Acting on impulse at the changeling's misery, he stood, rounded the table and set himself on his haunches by her side.

He rested his nearest hoof on her shoulder, squeezing it and giving it a short massage, something he admittedly had no experience with. He sat there as her crying slowly dwindled to short sniffles. The room grew silent, save for those.

Once he was sure she was finished, he started, though she kept her head down. “I trust you. It takes a good leader to admit their shortcomings, and a true one to attempt to fix them. Never had I been so lucky as to be under the banner of one like you.

“When you're a Decepticon, you're under the command of Galvatron, the epitome of poor leadership. He is truly selfish, only going after his own desires at the expense of his mens'. We Decepticons never earned respect; we were merely his pawns; toys to throw away when we got old. This lead to his biggest deficiency: he didn't care.

“We were nothing to him; we were disposable. And he was even willing to betray his own men simply to get what he wanted. It was not so long ago that he left me to fend off the entirety of the Autobots alone, essentially sentencing me to death. I escaped, but with it evident that I was no longer fit for Galvatron's service, my wrath became directed towards him. I could have cared less about ending the war, like Optimus Prime and the Autobots were; I simply wanted to end Galvatron.

“That was when I met Prime truly. I had always held him as my enemy and a threat to be removed. But during my short service with the Autobots, I learned what a true leader was. Selfless, respectful, caring...it was all I ever wanted from Galvatron. But most importantly, Prime gave me a chance to redeem my past mistakes.

“Then I SQUANDERED It!” yelled Starscream suddenly, smashing the table and cracking it. Startled, Chrysalis jumped back several feet. Starscream let himself seethe, panting to vent his frustration. Once calm, he resumed. “I took Optimus' teachings to heart, and I gave Galvatron another chance. Foolishly, I betrayed the Autobots, and my only friend. My actions nearly cost the life of my one friend and her entire world. I've been unable to rid myself of the guilt from doing that.

“Nonetheless, I felt guilt. It meant that I was changing, for the better of course. Galvatron, however, did not. He continued his distasteful behaviors, but I stayed with him until my end in hopes that he would learn what I had from Optimus. It was not until Unicron, the Great Destroyer, threatened to literally consume Cybertron that I finally was forced to leave him again.

“I stayed away from the Autobots, however, as my presence was only derogatory to their efforts. In the end, Galvatron and I dueled. I allowed myself to be defeated, hoping that my sacrifice would make him see the errors of his ways. I am unsure of whether my plan worked, but I have my suspicions that it...didn't. Galvatron had proven himself not easily suaded.”

Starscream looked up to Chrysalis, who had recovered from his earlier outburst, but still remained a safe distance away. “In the end, it comes down to this,” he summarized. “I was evil; I was a monster. But a good leader showed me how to fix this, and since then, I've tried my best to correct myself. I don't know how successful I was, but I won't give up trying.

“And I don't want you to either. You're like Optimus: selfless, caring, and respectful. Deny it if you wish, but I know from experience what a poor leader is, and you're not one. In fact, you may be greater than Optimus. Whereas Optimus has always been righteous, you and I haven't. But we've seen our errors, and we are going to fix them. We will find our retribution, something Optimus has never had the privilege nor burden to find.”

Looking away, Starscream sighed and began to run his hoof over the spider-webbed crack he had made in the table. “Unlike, you, I have yet to make any real progress, and would not be surprised if you still do not trust me. Soon, in my world, I will be forgotten and forever known as the evil Decepticon I once was. No longer do I live there to fix this. You are alive, though. You still can correct the world's misconceptions. The problem is, you're being too passive about it. If there was anything useful I learned from Galvatron, it's when to take the aggressive approach. And if you won't go out there to do that, then I will. You have genuinely changed, and it is not just to see you and your subjects die from outdated misconceptions.”

Chrysalis gave Starscream a dumbfounded look. “That's...that's awfully generous of you. And I trust you, but if anyling finds out you're associated with us, they'll likely kill you. I wouldn't be able to tolerate you sacrificing yourself for us, who deserve none of your kindness.”

“It's decided, then,” he said with a smile. “As soon as I'm fixed up, I'm going out to tell of your transformation.”

Chapter 5: Ivy