//------------------------------// // Swindled By Swindle // Story: Top Of The List // by dudenotactive //------------------------------// "And this is the Ground Bridge! Well, still in progress... But a few bugs won't keep it down, this Bridge will take you anywhere!" Smokescreen gave the girls a tour of their base, Swindle followed silently.  None of them knew how far they were underground and were treated to wonders that are out of this world. Everything was bigger so the Cybertronians could work better, but the girls noticed that there were platforms and steps that would help them climb to different levels. One staircase led to another elevator made for humans, so they could come in and out of the Autobot/Decepticon base.  Not enough sci-fi movies would ever prepare these girls for this grand discovery. Computer screens as big as a jumbotron, cases that held the inner workings were displayed for everyone to see, never have they thought they'd find a device far more advanced than theirs. It puts those in high-tech government computers to shame. As expected from aliens of living machines.  Large wires ran across the floor which connected the Bridge with the main console. Smokescreen explained how easy it was to open the Bridge anywhere on the planet, even other planets in their solar system. Such complex technology, and yet Smokescreen acted as if it was merely child's play. This showed the difference between their kind, the humans are still growing while the Autobot was wiser than most. Smokescreen is younger than his current allies, if he was human he would be classified as a teenager just like Dash and the others, but thanks to his experience on Earth, he was mentally mature. They find him more respectable than Starscream, who was far more childish than Smokescreen. Dash didn't like that Starscream did as he pleases all because he's a giant robot and she's a tiny human. It made her mad thinking how she was so close to teaching the Con a lesson. But the coward flew off to who knows where, and hopefully he'll be back before Dash and her friends are gone, just so she could teach him that lesson.  Speaking of Starscream, the Autobot brought the humans and Swindle to Starscream's room, of course, there was nothing noteworthy, to be honest. Just a berth for daily recharge, an empty table, and a display of Starscream's cape and crown.  Dash held back a laugh, but couldn't stop the tears from forming as she eyed the display. "Pfft! What is that!?" "Starscream's crown?" Swindle answered, but with a question of his own.  "Apparently he carries it around him," Smokescreen said, his smile as wide as Dash's. "I found that out when I slapped his shoulder a little too hard, both the cape and the crown fell out of his cockpit. Should've seen the embarrassed look on his face, funniest thing I've ever witnessed!" "Actually, Ah'm kinda curious..." Applejack turned towards Smokescreen. "Why are y'all Earth vehicles anyway?" "AJ is right." Rarity also questioned the same. "If you are all so advanced, then why do you change into normal cars?" "We have to stay hidden, and seeing as we are as tall as a house, our kind are better off disguised as Earth transportation." Smokescreen explained. "There are of course those who didn't need to transform into cars or planes, they are Cybertronians who have a rare gene which allows them to change their size when transforming, they are called mass-shifters. Arcee counts as one, which still surprises me to this day!" "Another example would be Astrotrain!" Swindle added. "He is a Decepticon triple-changer who could transform into a train and a space shuttle! And he could change the size of his alt mode so he could transport other Decepticons to where they are needed!" "Yeah, I'm almost jealous!" Smokescreen admitted. "Imagine, just transforming into a human disguise, we wouldn't need to sit around parking lots waiting for humans to go away!" "So, about the cape?" Dash steered the conversation back to Starscream's belongings.  Rarity hummed as she gazed longingly at the cape and golden crown. "Though I have to be honest, this cape does look great with Starscream, the color doesn't clash with his silver! The gold crown really goes well with him. But those shoulder pads? Just demands respect!" "Made with the finest cloth material you would ever find in the universe!" Swindle informed them. "I should know, I was the one who commissioned the tailors for it! The crown on the other hand was made by yours truly!" "Oh, you must introduce these tailors, I would love to meet them!" Swindle chuckled. "Sorry, but that was a long, long, long time ago." "Oh, a shame..." A shame indeed, what Swindle didn't tell her was that the tailors were killed after, because Decepticons don't align themselves with organics. Not like it mattered to Swindle, he was a businessman now, unlike then there were strict rules. Now he's free to make deals with anyone, except for Autobots. But don't tell anyone about his exchange with Smokescreen and Arcee. If Tarn finds out, Swindle could kiss his spark goodbye.  While the humans walked around and spread icky germs in Starscream's room, Swindle watched with a careful eye. These humans were not ordinary, something about them was different than the ones he had seen. He could sense it, deep within these girls is a power beyond him. He looked over to Smokescreen and wondered if the Autobot felt it too, he didn't want to risk asking for it might bring trouble to Swindle.  He would rather not break the trust between him and this small alliance. Though they don't exactly have that much money on them, he was sure he'd make a profit some way. Thankfully, Starscream's cooperation will finally help Swindle sell his trading cards; it will be popular with today's youths. Maybe he could even sell to the humans. Wait... "Hold on a minute!" Swindle boomed, all eyes stared at him surprised by his excitement. "You humans, I have an offer for you!" "R-really?" Fluttershy asked shyly.  "Yes! Are any of you interested in trading cards?" They looked at each other, the only ones who showed any interest were Dash and Pinkie. Though they are unsure of what this bot even has to offer, they are curious.  "Well, partner, we're interested..." Applejack said.  Swindle sat down with his legs crossed and his holopad in hand. "Over the years of the war, I have been collecting information on many soldiers from both sides! And when the war ended, I managed to gather so much, enough for a total of 1,000 cards! I got Optimus, Sixshot, heck, I have all the Combaticons with yours truly!" He faced his holopad to them and revealed all available cards. Several faces were on screen, soldiers who were either dead or alive, only Swindle would know. It was then they noticed just how similar their kinds are. They have heroes and villains, history, and more. The cards are categorized by rank and class, from one star to six and scout to gladiator.  Swindle was titled as Arms Dealer, he was a Combaticon and a Specialist class. Though he wore his Decepticon badge proudly, he was part of a different faction, one the girls are not familiar with. This caused Pinkie Pie to ask about it.  "Oh, that's the Mercenary faction! Soldiers who fight for the highest bidder, I and the other Combaticons mostly did mercenary work more than fighting for the Decepticons." "Oh, I love the color of that one!" Rarity pointed to a seeker who looked almost like Starscream, but more feminine, the heels fit her more than Starscream. "Trading cards aren't really my thing, but I'm willing to buy some if I can get Slipstream." "Feel free to try your luck! Forty cards per order, just $10! Great deal right?" "Why so cheap?" Dash couldn't help but ask. "This kind of stuff should sell for like, a million dollars!" Swindle smirked. "I know how customers work, they buy because they want it, and they will buy again because they want more."  "Oh, that doesn't sound evil at all!" Pinkie laughed.  With a deal that's practically a steal, the girls all bought their own, even though Fluttershy was reluctant to do the same. They were all surprised that the cards were printed out of Swindle's hand, and they were just the right size. All packed for the five of them, forty for each.  Swindle watched with glee as the girls ripped open their new deck, and on the first, Rarity received the card she desired.  Fluttershy was honestly surprised she received a card called Scraplets, but was shocked to learn that it preyed on metal, meaning every living being on Cybertron.  Meanwhile, Dash stared at hers with a frown. "Swindle, did you do this on purpose?" "Oh, I don't know what you mean Dash!" He feigned ignorance, whatever he did, he was guilty of it.  "Swindle," Dash raised her deck in the air, and Smokescreen couldn't hold back a laugh. "these are all Starscreams..." "Aw come on, I may have tampered with yours, but I didn't give you just Starscream!" Swindle said with so much honesty, a certain apple pony would approve.  Dash scowled. "This one is just Starscream in a different color!" She said as she showed him the "Skywarp" card which was indeed just Starscream with a color changer upgrade. "I gave you one of his brothers though, Thundercracker is a cool guy, I tell you what!" "Ugh, I'll just buy another and maybe burn all these later." Dash said. Though she knew what the cards were, she couldn't help herself going through the deck. One after another, she sees the ugly mug of the Air Commander. The cards even gave a short description about the 'Con, she learned that Starscream was apparently a force not to be reckoned with, and he was also a scientist before the war. And yet, he was still the egotistical Decepticon he is today.  But then she stopped at the final card, her hands felt cold, sweat ran down her brow as she stared silently at this card in her hand.  "What you got there Dash?" Pinkie peaked over Dash's shoulder, the athlete quickly pocketed the card before her friend could see it.  "Nothing! I um... I'll just get another deck." She excused herself.  Before she could even do so, Swindle suddenly stood back on his feet with a serious look on his face. He glared at the holopad as it blinked a couple of times before facing Smokescreen.  "Hey there buddy, could I trouble you for a second?" "What do you need, Swindle?" The Autobot asked. "My ship is going crazy with a malfunction, so I need you to Bridge me to the moon for a second." "The moon!?" Pinkie exclaimed as she bounced on Swindle's shoulder, how she got there, Swindle will never know. "Oh, can we come!? Please!" Swindle shook his head. "Sorry! But the lack of oxygen is gonna suffocate you, and I don't think Arcee would want that." "Aw come on!" Pinkie whined. "I want to know if the moon is made of cheese!" "I assure you, humie, that the moon is made of rocks."  "Alright Swindle, Bridge is open!" Smokescreen informed the Decepticon, a bright blue rift behind him. The girls stared with awe, enamored by the portal and its light. "So are we gonna see you later then?" "Buddy, I'm a businessman, just call and I'll be there!" Swindle chuckled. He set Pinkie on the floor and waved goodbye to the girls, Pinkie was so dejected that she was not able to follow.  Soon the Decepticon stepped into the portal and was gone, his destination, the moon. Only Dash and Pinkie showed interest, the other three weren't that keen on going somewhere dangerous and full of risks. Guess they should just get back with the tour.  "I'll trade you a Sunstorm for a Starscream." Pinkie offered to Dash.  Maybe they could spend this time enjoying their new alien cards?  Swindle stepped through the rift, he felt the shivering cold of the emptiness of space on his chassis. The moon, no air or any sign of life, just the smell of gunpowder and dust. Grey as it'll ever be, except for the brown-colored shuttle in the distance, which was his, hidden in the center of a large crater.  Though there was indeed something in need of checking on the moon, it wasn't about Swindle's transport shuttle, no, something activated the motion sensors and he could not ignore it. He raised his holopad and began tracing the source. This was bad, something or someone was just a little too close to his property. And it might spell disaster if left unchecked.  There was no sound in space, but Cybertronians could still hear well even if they were in the void thanks to their superior senses. One would think that shooting a blaster in space would be the ultimate assassination, but Swindle's first experience with Starscream's attempt on taking Megatron's life would say otherwise. A funny attempt too, the Red Baron thought he'd get away with shooting the big cheese himself, but that just gave Starscream a good beating.  He chuckled, that was also his first time off of Cybertron, he was filled with wonder with the stars and countless opportunities. Never would he think a bot like him would end up an arms dealer. He stopped just as he stood on the top of the crater, his eyes widened with surprise. Two ships had crashed deep into the surface of the moon, and one of them was the Nemesis! What a find it was. Not only that, but it looked like there were Decepticons around too. Like a young protoform receiving his first alt mode, Swindle rushed over to the wreckage gleefully.  He walked along the open area, several drones running about to fix the damage of the nameless ship. None even bothered to notice Swindle, it was like he was invisible.  But Swindle saw something that caught his interest, two Autobots on their knees with their wrists in cuffs. Not only that, but his not-really-a-buddy Flamewar was also there, with the Autobots for some reason. He walked over to the gathered group of Decepticons, he glanced at every one of them. Knockout was there, which was surprising, Dropkick and Shatter, two very impressive triple-changers. And... the DJD's medic? What was she doing here? Welp, whatever the reason, Swindle was more focused on his buddy Brawl. He thought he was in prison or something.  "Is this it? This is what we were after!?" Nickel said with disappointment. "Ha!" Wheeljack laughed. "Maybe next time shorty, can't say I didn't have fun crashing your ride." "That was my ship you crashed." Shatter sneered as she struck him. "Dropkick, bring me my tools, I will extract information from this insect myself!" "Good luck, Red, you'll have to try real hard to make me talk." "I will eat your sparks!" Flamewar snapped.  "Yeah! What the little darlin' said!" Warpath screamed.  "This isn't good," Nickel sighed. "we are missing three others, Blitzwing, Thunderblast, and... why is the drone even named Steve?" "Steve? Oh, I know that guy! He got hit on the head a little too hard and the first thing he saw was the name Steve." Swindle explained to the others.  Everyone around him stopped and stared at Swindle, a surprised look on their faces as he stood there with them. He smiled innocently as he recalled the time he met Steve back on Cybertron.  "Swindle?" Brawl said confusedly.  "Hey Brawl, old buddy! Been a while!" He chuckled as he patted the tank. "Say, you guys look like you need some materials, luckily for you, I'm here!" "We can get back to that later!" Nickel pointed an accusing finger at Swindle. "What are you doing here!? Where did you even come from!? And why are you even here in the middle of nowhere!?" "I wouldn't say nowhere exactly," Knockout interrupted. "I mean, that continent over there is Asia." He pointed at the nearest planet. "Hmm, did not think that I'd be back on Earth so soon... I hope Miss Unoriginal is having fun doing seeker work over there." He said with malice in his voice, he was clearly jealous. "Oh, that isn't Unicron! Just a planet which is similar to Earth, but the inhabitants are much weirder." Swindle said.  "Enough! Explain yourself, Swindle!" Nickel made sure to shush her fellow medic.  "Me? Well you see, the dwarf planet Pluto is filled with energon, so I'm just here to mine it out to sell." Then he smirked. A wicked idea came to his evil mind.  The only reason a member of the DJD is around, must be because of a certain seeker. This was the moment to make some quick cash.  "You know, I made a deal with the Air Commander earlier." The moment Swindle said that it sent the group into a frenzy. Nickel was already on him, her tiny little hands gripped his helm, which she then violently shook. The others quickly surrounded him and demanded to know where Starscream was. "Easy there, easy there!" Swindle pulled the minicon off him. "Being the kind merchant I am, I will give you this information free of charge!" "Spill it Swindle, or I spill your fuel tanks!" She threatened as she got back on the ground. Swindle could only laugh, though he did not want to betray Starscream, he was a Decepticon, it's what they do best. But, if he gave him up so easily, then he'd skip out on some quick cash. A bit of lying isn't gonna hurt anyone, and it'd be in his best interest to keep both connections.  Well, the "leader" of the Decepticons will understand, Starscream is the definition of deception.  Wait... There are seekers on Earth?