//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Transformers Prime: Ponies in Disguise // by RavageXeno //------------------------------// Starscream looked at his surroundings. He was in Knockout's lab, and cuffed to one of the operating tables. In front of him was a smaller table, which was covered in all manner of sharp implements. The scene made him sickly reminded of when he had captured Arcee and Cliffjumper and they were imprisoned in Shockwave's lab, and he hoped that what he had planned to do to them wouldn't happen to him. He was also reminded of how he had stabbed Cliffjumper through his chest plate with his fingers. The thought made him smile. Which was a bad idea. "I hope you aren't enjoying yourself too much," said Megatron from the shadows which hugged every wall in the room. "L- Lord Megatron. How, how l- lovely it is to see you again. Well I would like to see you," he stammered, trying to find his invisible assailant in the darkened room. He gulped when he saw two menacing red eyes staring at him from the shadows. "Ha! I'm sure you'd like to see me. Dead," Megatron said stepping forward into the light. He stood, glaring at Starscream's writhing form. With a laugh of contempt, he turned away to select an item from the table. Starscream stared in horror as he realised what he was doing. "NO! Lord Megatron, please don't" he stammered, trying and failing to break his bonds as Megatron turned back towards him with a menacing saw in his grip. Starting the saw up, he lowered it until it was spinning violently next to his face. In terror and acceptance that this was the end Starscream closed his eyes. Megatron laughed. The kind of laugh that came after a city had fell, or an army had fallen, or he had proved his point. It was the laugh of triumph. Sure that the laugh wasn't intended for his death, Starscream opened his eyes. To be met with the saw which was slowly powering down, making him flinch as the blade slowly caressed his face. "Don't worry Starscream, I have something much better planned for you," he said, a devious glint to his eyes hidden from Stracream as he moved the saw away from his face and placed it back down on the table. But Starscream knew that something much worse was planned for him. "Why won't you just kill me?" Starscream asked in anguish as he watched Megatron walk away into the shadows. He stopped as the door opened, allowing the golden light to seep into the darkened room and casting Megatron's menacing shadow onto Starscream. "But what would be the fun in that?" he said as he continued walking, making Starscream grimace at the thought. The door closed and left him in darkness. Not long after their "meeting" Starscream was escorted - none too gently - to Soundwave's lab where he was thrown to the floor in front of a strange looking cannon which hummed softly in time with the blue pulsing lights which were dotted around the machine. Soundwave was stood behind the cannon at the control panel, the glowing shiny buttons reflected off his visor. He didn't even look up as Starscream slammed into the floor, he just continued silently with his work. Starscream lifted himself to a sitting position and he slumped, defeated in the center of the room. Megatron had been very precise on the way here; they were going to uncuff him and he was to sit (like some mindless minicon) in the center of the room, and if he tried to escape he would be reacquainted with Knockout's energon prod, which was waiting outside the room. "Starscream, I have a proposal for you," Megatron said, grabbing Starscream's head and tilting it towards the cannon. "This is a Trans-Dimensional Warp cannon. In theory it should transport people to other dimensions. However it hasn't been tested yet," he continued, grinning at Starscream. However, Starscream understood the true meaning of that sentence. And the implications it had for him. "Please tell me you're not thinking of sending me through that thing?" he said turning his gaze towards his former leader, who returned the gaze with a small chuckle. Horrified, he turned towards Soundwave for assistance. "Soundwave please, you can't let him do this to me!" he begged, as he broke out of Megatron's grip. Surely Soundwave wouldn't let me get torn to pieces just to amuse Megatron? he thought as he looked into the emotionless visor of his silent comrade. "Soundwave, in this time of need we should be prepared to make sacrifices for the greater good of the decepticon cause. No matter the consequences." It was him. his voice projected through Soundwave's built in speaker system. It was a recording of himself when he was trying to persuade Soundwave to let him humanely kill Megatron. Which didn't go very well. "Starscream, stop being so pathetic. Or I might have to reconsider my proposal," Megatron said walking towards the doorway and turning towards Starscream. "Proposal?" Starscream asked, looking at Megatron incredulously. "If you go through the Trans-Dimensional Warp cannon and successfully make your way back to our dimension, then I will reinstate you as my second in command, and all previous prejudices against you will be forgotten. However, if you fail then you will be trapped in the other dimension. That is, if you manage to get there at all," he said watching with morbid glee as he watched the thought go through Starscream's mind. Second in command once again and with all prejudices lost? It was what Starscream had been dreaming of since his exile. He may have thought it was too good to be true. But the task wasn't exactly simple. Not that he thought he couldn't do it. "So, ahm, when do I leave?" he said, a grin now covering his face. "I knew you would see reason Starscream. Soundwave fire up the machine," Megatron said standing further back in the doorway to avoid the now spinning cannon, which was slowly powering up as Soundwave started pressing different buttons. When the machine was fully powered up he hovered his hand over the big red button - which was situated in the center of the control panel - and looked towards his leader for confirmation. Megatron nodded to him, so he pressed down on the button. The cannon blasted a large ball of light at the center of the room, engulfing Starscream and blinding everybody in the room. When the ball of light had dissipated and their eyes has re-adjusted to the darkness of the room, they saw that the floor in front of the cannon was empty of any idiotic beings. Megatron smiled, glad to be rid of that mess for a while, and walked out of the room. The outskirts of Ponyville were quiet. Filled with lush green rolling hills between the bright colours of the distant town and the dark shades of the not so distant Everfree Forest. Celestia had just raised the sun so very few ponies were up and of them, none were looking at a distant corner of the rolling hills which were seldom visited by anypony. It was here in the corner of nowhere where the portal had opened. About 25 meters above the ground. A new different Starscream fell out of the portal. One with hooves, wings, mane and tail. But he still screamed like old Starscream as he fell to the ground. THWAK!