A gentle knock on the door broke Starscream out of his heavy focus. He hadn't rested at all for the several hours he had spent drawing up his schematics for Ivy, so he figured that the night had passed and it was now morning.
Slowly, Starscream raised himself from the floor and stretched, loosening his stiff joints just a bit, before going to the door to see who it was. “Coming,” he announced so that the changeling on the other side, who he assumed to be Dread Wing, would know that he had acknowledged them. He reached the door and pulled it open, surprised to find Chrysalis instead of Dread Wing. A conglomerate of negative emotions seemed to radiate from her.
“Oh, um, good morning, my Queen. It is morning, right?” he fumbled to say, to which she responded by raising an eyebrow.
“I am not your Queen,” she said simply.
Starscream chuckled nervously. “Heh, apologies...old habit of mine...did you need me for something, your highness?”
“Come with me.” Chrysalis promptly turned and headed down through the tunnel. Starscream scrambled back into his room, collecting his papers and schematics and placing them in his cockpit before catching up to Chrysalis. Upon leaving his room, he noticed that the two guards that had been with him since his arrival only a couple of nights ago were absent.
He quickly caught up to the Queen, but opted to follow a couple of paces behind. She was obviously in a sour mood, and experience with Megatron taught him to not further provoke someone in such a state, lest he face their wrath.
The path the two of them followed was the same one that Dread Wing had taken him on the day prior. Curiosity soon got the best of Starscream, though, and he asked, “Where are you leading me to, your highness?”
Without looking to the Decepticon behind her, Chrysalis answered, “To show you how dire our situation is.”
With an answer like that. it evident that no more would be given from her, and Starscream resigned himself to thoughtful silence. However, before he could finish a complete thought, Chrysalis stopped, but Starscream did not until he accidentally walked into her side. The Queen gave him a cross look, but otherwise ignored Starscream's error. Her focus quickly went back to the wall of the tunnel. At first, Starscream could see nothing special about the particular portion of wall that they were standing in front of. Remembering his evening with Chrysalis, however, convinced him to give the wall a closer look.
Sure enough, the faint outline of a set of double doors could be seen. Said doors slid apart at the changeling Queen's magical prompting, revealing a descending staircase. Torches of green flame like those adorning all of the other halls in the Hive lined the way down. “What is this place?” Starscream curiously asked.
Chrysalis began to walk down the stairs, Starscream trailing behind only a couple of steps. “These are Hive's catacombs,” she answered in a hushed tone. “As the name implies, this is where we let the dead rest in peace.” Muffled sobbing could be heard echoing about the chamber. Linen-wrapped changeling corpses could be seen occupying many shelves carved into the sides of the narrow and winding halls of the catacombs. All were labeled with the name of the deceased, some on plaques and other carved directly into the stone. Many of the shelves in close proximity to the entrance were filled, but as they got farther from the catacomb's entrance, more and more were found to be unoccupied.
A dreadful feeling began welling up within Starscream. “My Queen...why have you brought me here?”
“There's no point in prolonging the truth,” she sighed. “Dread Wing is dead.”
For several seconds, the two of them walked in silence. Chrysalis looked to Starscream with sorrow filled eyes, gauging his reaction, of which there was little. “How?” Starscream asked simply.
“He choked on his secretions during his sleep,” the changeling answered. “It's a terrible way to die.”
Starscream didn't respond. He had zoned the changeling Queen out, trying to sort out his feelings instead of listening to her. It was an indescribable painful feeling that he felt; a sense of loss and deprivation, compounded with anger towards everything that had brought forth the present circumstances. Including himself. I'm a hardwired Decepticon. I can't go anywhere without bringing pain. I could have helped; I could have done something, but instead, I foolishly lazed about and did nothing!
“Starscream!” Hearing his name shouted broke him out of his thoughts. “Are you okay?” Chrysalis asked. “You zoned out.”
During his mental rambling, he had failed to suppress a large scowl from forming on his face. “No, Chrysalis, I don't believe that I'm fine. I can't help but feel partially responsible for Dread Wing's fate. It's a feeling of regret that I've never felt before, and it's incredibly aggravating.”
“You are harsh on yourself, Starscream. You are in no way responsible for what has happened to Dread Wing,” Chrysalis assured. “If there is anyling to blame, it is myself.” She lowered her head shamefully. “Everything that's happened since Canterlot is my fault. I hope you can imagine how poorly I feel about all of this. It's left me weak and hopeless in a time where we need the opposite to survive. You've brought hope to us, Starscream. I also ask that you be our strength. If not for the Hive, if not for me, at least for Ivy.”
Starscream suddenly became aware of the sobs that continued to come from elsewhere in the catacombs, albeit they were more quiet and less frequent. “I don't want to delay any longer. Take me to Dread Wing so I may say my farewell.”
Slowly and silently, Starscream crept towards the mostly unwrapped corpse of Dread Wing. Chrysalis no longer accompanied him. She had departed as they had neared their destination, leaving Starscream to finish the route by himself. The deceased changeling lay on his back in one of the catacomb's many shelves. His eyes had been shut and a serene smile adorned his countenance. The changeling looked so peaceful; if Starscream wasn't already aware that he was dead, he would have passed him off as sleeping.
Next to him was Ivy, who sat clutching one of Dread Wing's limp forehooves. Her sobbing had died down to sniffles, but it was apparent in her face that she was still pained. She was so intensely focused on Dread Wing that she gave no indication of even knowing that Starscream was next to her.
For several minutes, the two of them simply stayed there and looked at Dread Wing, reflecting on their experiences with him in silence. Starscream was surprised by realizing just how much he already missed the changeling. Everything felt gloomy without Dread Wing's cheerfulness to lighten the mood, and without his understanding and genuine kindness, Starscream felt alone and uncared for. Again.
Like Alexis had done for him on Earth, Dread Wing had helped Starscream inspire within himself a purpose in living; something that he cared for to protect. It was a favor that he could never repay.
“Thank you, Dread Wing, for all that you've done for me,” Starscream whispered. He caught the attention Ivy, who looked up to him, eyes filled with unshed tears, and waited for him to continue. “May Primus ensure you happiness in the Well of Allsparks. Farewell...friend.” He turned to leave, but stopped himself after a step and turned back to look at Ivy. “He was a good changeling,” he told her. “We were fortunate to know him while he lived. Don't let his passing be in vain.” Having said all that he had wanted to, Starscream left Ivy alone and exited the catacombs.
While being escorted around the Hive, Starscream had been making a map for himself, so as to ensure that he knew where he was going. As such, he made his way back to his room with little problem, despite having no escort of any kind. It was one of the loneliest walks he had ever had.
Upon entering the room and closing the door behind him, he immediately made towards the table in the center. He opened his cockpit and withdrew its contents, placing them all on the table before him. Quickly, he sorted the papers into piles, one for complete and one for incomplete, and began resuming the previous night's work.
He hated how easily he pushed thoughts of Dread Wing out of his mind, but he knew that lingering on his passed friend would do no benefit for anyone. Saving the changelings was no longer just a random act of kindness; it was personal, and he wanted to see to it that as few changelings as possible suffered.
Some time passed before he was finally done drawing up his schematics for Ivy. A quick check through them confirmed that they were easily understandable and sufficient enough for the repairs that needed to take place. Carefully, he rolled up the small stack of papers and tucked them away in his cockpit.
With that task out of the way, Starscream decided to undertake a new task, or at least do something to keep himself distracted from his currently suppressed emotions. He rose to his hooves and exited his room, concluding that mapping the Hive's layout would be a good thing to do. After all, with Dread Wing no longer there to be his escort, he should find some way to effectively navigate the Hive.
His trek through the Hive brought him through the tunnels he was already familiar with, as well as through winding corridors that he had yet to explore. Along the way, he passed a few changelings, most of which payed him little heed, though a couple gave him a sort greeting that he returned. While he could not be completely sure of where he was, based on the interiors of rooms branching off from the path he walked, he could guess that he was in another one of the Hive's living quarters that Dread Wing had mentioned.
The area was abandoned. The doors to the rooms were wide open, proudly showing off the severe lack of contents in each room. Each had a bed and table like his own, but there was no evidence of any personal items in any of them. It was a bit disconcerting for Starscream to see so much of the Hive left unused, but given the situation faced by the changelings, it was hardly surprising.
Eventually, his trip led him to a fork in the path. A slight breeze came from the path to his left, and he could see some slight illumination in a color other than green. Figuring that the path to the right would continue to lead him through the abandoned residential area, Starscream took the left route.
For about twenty paces, the tunnel went straight, then abruptly u-turned and began to ascend. Streaming from the opposite end of the tunnel was sunlight. He had found a way out of the Hive.
Starscream tentatively emerged from the hole in the ground that served as the Hive's entrance. Quickly surveying the landscape, he noticed that it looked almost exactly the same as the area he had first awoken in: barren, desolate, and grey. Not so far off in the distance was the hall that he and Chrysalis had conversed in, although its exterior looked just as tarnished as the land around it.
Needless to say, the scenery did nothing to help improve his sour mood. A new wave of melancholy thoughts forced its way into Starscream's head. Why can't I just have some peace? he mentally complained, making his way over to an isolated dead tree. If it's not the Autobots causing me problems, it's the Decepticons, and if it's not them, some other faction just has to drag me into their conflicts.
Feeling the need for some privacy, Starscream laid down by the base of the tree, crossing his forearms and placing his head on them before letting himself rest.
Starscream was left undisturbed for several hours, and he finally awoke when his sensors indicated a changeling approaching. The booting process had nearly completed by the time the changeling had made its way to Starscream, and it was only a few more seconds before he was fully awake and sat himself upright. The changeling had seated itself a couple of feet from him.
He saw something familiar in the changeling's pained and downtrodden expression. “Ivy,” he guessed.
“Starscream,” she sullenly greeted in reply.
Unsure of how to continue, Starscream opted to remain silent and let Ivy speak first. Taking Starscream's unresponsiveness as a prompt to continue, she did so. “Why do we have to suffer?” she asked forlornly. Starscream was unable to think of an answer. “I can't think of an answer either,” she said. “There's no good reason for our pain. But...finally, we have the means to stop it.” Ivy sighed heavily, saying, “While it's too late to help Dread Wing and in turn myself, we can still act before everyling is suffering my pain.”
“Not to sound disrespectful,” Starscream started, “but if you have something to tell me, I would prefer that you simply say it outright.”
“Of course,” said Ivy. “When we left you yesterday, Dread Wing and I did some testing on his secretions and discovered that, surprisingly and fortunately, that it is an inhibitor. Wing provided generous amounts of the stuff yesterday, and, if you have your schematics finished, we should be able to patch you up by tonight, allowing you to leave on your journey tomorrow.”
“That's wonderful news,” Starscream said, enthusiasm creeping into his voice. “I do have the schematics finished; shall we begin now, or would you like to wait?”
Ivy answered without any hesitation. “It is imperative that we get you fixed as soon as possible.” She rose, saying, “If you'll follow me to the workshop, we can start immediately.”
Starscream almost jumped up onto his hooves, restraining himself, though, due to his wound. Ivy began walking back towards the Hive entrance, and Starscream followed close behind.
“This should be it,” Ivy said as she magically lathered up the broken ends of the last wire with some of Dread Wing's secretions. Each end properly coated with the adhesive substance, she stuck the two ends together, making sure that the ends actually met, fixing the connection.
That done, she levitated a nearby small spray bottle next to the wire, spraying its contents on the patch, the chemical concoction causing the goo to harden to a significant degree. The same process had been used to reconnect all of the other broken wires within Starscream's wound.
“Alright Starscream, try moving,” the doctor instructed, stepping away from the table that Starscream was laying on to give him space to get up.
Starscream rolled off of the table and landed on the stone floor, accidentally leaving small cracks where his weighty hooves made contact. Immediately, he noticed that the maneuver hadn't caused him the pain he had expected and had gotten used to. In fact, there was hardly any discomfort at all!
He experimentally walked a couple of laps around the table, finding the repairs to be holding up marvelously. Pulses of electricity could be seen going through the fixed connections where the rubber around the wires had been stripped away and replaced with the somewhat transparent changeling secretions, but the pulses were behaving properly, no longer discharging into the air around him.
Having quickly gotten accustomed to the slight twinges of pain resulting from every motion, he had almost forgotten what maneuvering pain-free was like, but he was enjoying it now. “I'm not hurting anymore,” he reported to Ivy, continuing to walk in circles.
“Excellent!” she said excitedly, or, at least as excitedly as would be expected considering her circumstances. “Now try doing something simple that you weren't able to do before. Running would be a good start.”
Acknowledging her command with a grunt, Starscream trotted over to the far wall of the workshop. He turned to face the opposite wall and began sprinting, reaching his destination in a few second. Like before, he felt no discomfort. After a few more laps, he reported that to Ivy.
“Wonderful, wonderful,” she replied. “I think that it would be safe to say that the patch has worked perfectly,” Ivy concluded. “The secretions are hardened, so you'll be able to take some small impacts without needing to worry about the fixes breaking, but I doubt it'd hold up to any kind of severe trauma.”
“Thanks for the warning.” Starscream stopped running and turned to face Ivy. “Thank you for helping me, Ivy. You've done me a great service, and I hope that I'll be able to return the favor.”
“You're welcome,” Ivy replied. She trotted to the nearby bench containing her equipment, and, using her magic, tossed Starscream his schematics, which he stored once again in his cockpit. “I need to pack up and return to my normal workplace; you're free to go.”
With a final farewell, Starscream left the workshop and returned to the Hive's twisting corridors. Instead of returning to his room, however, he retraced his steps to get back to the Hive's exit. There was one more test he had in mind for his repairs.
It was night when Starscream finally returned to the surface. The sky was dimly illuminated by the crescent moon hanging in the sky, and strong winds prevailed, occasionally blowing up small clouds of dust. Despite the conditions, Starscream was intent on continuing with his test: flight.
He extended his wings and began putting power into his thrusters; not enough to provide lift, but enough so that he wouldn't get too nasty of a shock if the patch failed. Thankfully, the patch held up as it had before, functioning as if nothing had been wrong with him initially.
Feeling brave, Starscream pumped in more power, pushing himself above the ground a few inches. And, to his delight, he was fine. At this point, he was assured that the repair had worked perfectly, and he put everything he had into his thrusters.
Within a couple of seconds, he had gone almost supersonic. The winds buffeted him very little, and he found no lapse in performance despite the damage and neglect his systems had fared. Some minor things were missing, such as his altimeter unable to display the correct altitude, but regardless, he couldn't have asked any better from any worse.
Starscream felt surprisingly at peace zipping around the sky. He had forgotten the feeling of freedom flight had given him while he had been grounded, but with the ability returned to him, he felt relaxed, even a little happy. A thin smile graced his lips, the first genuine one in a long time.
Pushing himself a little bit harder, the sound barrier shattered around him, and he could have sworn that he saw the faintest trace of a rainbow colored explosion in his wake. He thrust it from his mind, however, deciding instead to not waste a moment on anything but relishing in his flight.
For nearly a quarter hour he flew around, performing some more advanced aerobatics near the end, including some somersaults and barrel rolls. But, with flight now available to him again, he had a promise to fulfill. He slowed himself to a stop over the large Neighzantium hall and glanced around the barren, lifeless landscape. A landscape that was the direct result of the actions taken by the changelings he had promised to help.
They're just as capable of destroying worlds as we are, he realized as doubt crept into his systems. Suddenly, helping the changelings didn't seem as noble as it once had.
There was some commotion by the entrance to the Hive, and he turned to the the silhouettes of a trio of changelings emerging from the hole. It wasn't too much of a stretch to assume that they were looking for him; he had left the Hive unannounced, after all, and so he began to descend towards them to inquire of them what they wanted. In the meantime, he would keep his doubts to himself for the time being, decided, and wait until meeting with the ponies to determine whether or not to act on them.