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've 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."
"That doesn't sound harmful," Starscream commented.
"It's not, but if the changeling is discovered, they're usually responded to poorly on the basis of having lied and being unfaithful. Alternatively, we can force the love out of another being. Using our magic, we drain it from them, and we get a great amount of love by doing this." Chrysalis leaned forward a little and lowered her volume slightly. "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."
Starscream nodded in understanding and Chrysalis leaned back to her original position, resuming with her normal volume. “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:" she paused for suspense, "the Neighzantine Empire."
The suspense was lost on Starscream. "Saying it's name does nothing to illustrate its power," he deadpanned.
She gave him a sour look. "I was hoping you'd get in the storytelling mood a little more." Starscream continued to stare at her with an unamused expression. "Fine, no more inflection. Going back on topic, 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.”
"Yours doesn't help your case much either," she shot back, following with a sad 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." She let the statement linger for a moment. "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 that we're in," she said, gesturing to the large room about them, "was not built by us. It is the last remaining part of the glorious castle that once overlooked the Neighzantine Empire." She looked out the large window and sighed dreamily. "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.”
Another sigh escaped Chrysalis, this one sorrowful, 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, and so he simply sat there. 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. It was a desire to help something in need, and to help of his own free will.
He let Chrysalis sob until it slowly died to mere sniffles. 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."
Chrysalis perked her head up, confusion apparent on her face, likely unsure of what he meant by his banner statement.
He pulled his head down, attempting to hide the contempt that was evident in his expression from Chrysalis. “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 soldiers 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 luckily 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. So I casted my lot with the Autobots.
“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." He looked up to her. "Selfless, respectful, caring...it was all I ever wanted from Galvatron and never received. 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." He looked to his wound, and Chrysalis' gaze followed. "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." He snickered. "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.”
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Chair
2563619 Fixed; thanks!
2563736
No problem
Starscream does bring up a good point about Optimus Prime. In a few incarnations Prime seems incapable of failing. Transformers Prime does a good job of showing that his actions have consquences (scarificing any hope of Cybertron's restoration to protect the Autobot's human allies is a good example).
Still Optimus always has and always will be a great leader, because he's puts others before himself. And in the end Starscream foreshadow's his fate in the Unciron Triology, he returns to being known as evil and noone seems to remember his good deeds from Armada.
One thing that keeps bugging me is you made Starscream small. He's a transformer and as such, should be about 2-3 stories tall. It'd made the introductions more interesting.
2563881 Percisely the way I see it, too. The Unicron trilogy had a pretty unrealistic Optimus. His portrayal as someone incapable of wrongdoing made him quite the bland character. At least in Prime, like you said, his actions have consequences, and I really like how they made him, at least for a little bit, side with the Decepticons. It really shows that he is corruptable, and thus makes him a more relateable character.
Of course, it could be argued that that was Orion Pax who got tricked and not Optimus Prime, but regardless, the consquence of the situation still stands.
As far as foreshadowing Starscream's position later on in the trilogy, that was actually unintentional. I was just playng off of how he felt that Galvatron would continue to be, well, Galvatron (from somewhere in chapter 1), but hey, sometimes things just happen
.
It is sad to see the team completely ignore how Starscream was viewed in Armada when they put him into Energon. They really could have done something good with having at least one person (*ahem cough cough* Alexis *cough cough*) recognize him and maybe try to get him to remember himself, or something like that. Oh well...
2563908 Sorry that keeps bugging you; I haven't been meaning for it too. This fic, spoiler alert, is more of a character study than anything else, and it kind of requires Starscream to be miniaturized.
Or maybe the world of Equus is just super huge?
2563943 Character study but you've change something about the character very drastically.
Think about it. One of the interesting aspects of Transformers was their size. They are giant, transforming alien robots. Despite the fact that the Autobots could easily crush the kids underfoot, a fact that the Decepticons like to point out..alot, they still allow them to stay and simply keep control of themselves.
I mean think about it. Megatron is used to large and in charge, if you were to make him small it'd actually take away that aspect of his character. They all have this to a degree. When you change the character too much, it stops being that character. Starscream was initially very much a bully character, using his size and power to intimidate everything from human to minicon. The only one he respected for the longest time was Megatron, the biggest and baddest of the Decepticons.
2563943
Personally, I have always though the reason why Starscream was ponified was because when he died all that was left was his spark. When he came to Equus his body was transformed (
pun!) into a more appropriate form. 
2564000 You bring up a good point. I can't argue against that at all. Well...if it bothers you too much, I would understand you turning away from the story. If it helps at all, though, there's an explantion as to why things are the way they are (which I can't actually tell you yet, becuase it may spoil some parts of the story). It's something along the lines of what clonezero is saying with his form changing to a something more appropriate.
That's off topic, though. Point is, I done goofed; sorry.
2564031 You're on the right track
.
Great chapter.
Impressive
This is reall good! I mean really, connecting the two characters this way is something that I couldn't even dream of!
Keep at it man!!
2564403>>2564280>>2564440 Thank you all
!
Ok. Read and waiting for chapter 5 (part 6 of the story including the prologue)
Neighzantine Empire? I squealed in delight when I saw the pun
And another good chapter my friend. Great characterisation.
2566954 If you just say the chapter number, I think we'll get what you mean. Should make things easier
.
2567602 You have no idea how long it took me to think of that. Anyways, glad you enjoyed it
!
But one question remains will starscream transform any in this story?
2569435 A fair question, my good sir or madam
. Looks like you'll have to wait to find out
.
MOAR!
2677684 Progress has been slow; I apologize. I don't think a new part'll be out for another long while, though. Sorry.
This is GREAT!!!!