Chapter 7: Departure
Starscream glided down towards the trio of changelings, landing softly a few feet in front of them and covering the remaining distance on foot. The changeling that stood in the center was unfamiliar, being above average in height and with a stocky build. To either side of the one in the center were the guards that had been absent that morning. He regarded the familiar changelings with a nod as the center one spoke.
“The Queen has us investigating the source of what sounded like a large explosion.” His voice was husky and had an excessive amount of buzz to it. “You wouldn't happen to be responsible for it, would you?”
“If you’re talking about the sonic boom, then yes, I was responsible,” Starscream admitted. “There’s no damage, though; everything’s fine.”
“Very well,” acknowledged the large changeling. “That was all we needed; we’ll report this to the Queen and leave you alone.”
The changelings turned to return to the Hive, but Starscream stopped them before they could leave. “If you’re going to report this directly to the Queen, would you mind bringing me along? I need to discuss some things with her.”
“We weren’t going to go to her directly, but I suppose it can be arranged.” The changeling continued towards the Hive’s entrance, and Starscream followed.
As had become a tendency during his time with the changelings, he and his companions traversed the twisting halls in silence, aside from the echo of their light trodding throughout the vacant tunnels. At least, the changeling’s steps were light, but they didn’t weigh a few tons, now, did they? Regardless, the relative quiet gave Starscream the room he needed to think.
With the ability to fly returned to him, it was now his job to depart northward to Equestria, the land of the ponies, where he was to meet with the kingdom’s highest authority and speak a good case for the changelings, who had destroyed at least one entire civilization and had been directly hostile towards them. Needless to say, Starscream’s mood soured as he considered his chances of success.
He was brought back to reality by loud knocking. The lead changeling was the one doing so, knocking on a large door carved into the tunnel’s side. It was about a foot taller than most of the other doors he had seen in the Hive, and just as plain. Just from its height, he could hazard a guess as to the room’s occupant.
Confirming his suspicion, the door was enveloped in a green aura and pulled open, revealing a slightly disheveled Chrysalis. She shot Starscream a nasty look, saying to his changeling escort, “Thank you. You are dismissed.” In unison, they bowed and took their leave. “Come in,” she beckoned once the two were alone, heading back into her room for him to follow.
He stepped in and looked about, taking in her room and finding it surprisingly...lacking. Whether out of humility or out of necessity, her room was adorned with the same furnishings as other residential rooms. His attention returned to Chrysalis as he heard her thud against the stone slab she called a bed. Curiously, she was still giving him a dirty look.
“You’ve caused me quite the bit of trouble,” she mumbled in explanation. Starscream perked up. “I wanted to talk to you, but you had run off, then you did that sonic boom thing; that caused a stir. You’ve also postponed my sleep for some time. I may be the most powerful changeling, but that doesn’t mean I’m powerful all the time.” Her eyelids began drooping as she resisted the urge to sleep.
“My apologies,” said Starscream, as he stepped towards her and seated himself on the floor a respectable distance from her. “You sounded like Galvatron for a second, there,” he joked, “but then you said ‘not powerful all the time’, and...” He trailed off, seeing that the humor had been lost. Coughing awkwardly into his hoof, he continued. “Apologies again. Um, as you’re evidently tired, and I don’t want to cause you more pain than I have to, I’ll make this quick. I believe I’m ready to depart for Equestria.”
The effect of the news was immediate. Her half closed eyes shot open, and she sat up, bringing her face uncomfortably close to his. “Really?” she asked excitedly. Retreating from his personal space, she set herself on her haunches. “That’s wonderful news, Starscream!” she said, straining to refrain from getting rowdy in her excitement. “When were you hoping to leave?”
“As soon as possible,” he answered. “Immediately, if that’s the case.”
“Unfortunately, it’s not, as you have no idea where you’re going.”
Chrysalis scooted towards the foot of the slab, using her magic to pry open a footlocker that was there and rummage through it. Eventually, she pulled a scroll out of it, promptly returning to her original spot and pulling it open. On the scroll was a map of Equestria, as indicated by the title across the top reading ‘Map of Equestria’.
“We’re somewhere down here,” Chrysalis announced, pointing to a section at the bottom of the map labeled ‘The Badlands’. The map, however, showed only the northmost portion of it before being cut off. “Canterlot is up here,” she said, this time pointing to a small image of a mountain with a castle protruding from its side near the center of the map. “This map is not to scale, sadly, so I can’t give you precise distances, but I can tell you the path used by us when we went to invade Canterlot.
“From the Hive’s entrance, you go north until you reach the Macintosh Hills. This mountain range acts as the border between Equestria and the Badlands, so you can’t miss it.” Starscream nodded. “Now, from wherever you intercept the mountains, follow them west, until the range ends. There’ll be a river not too much farther west, which will have a lone mountain on the opposite bank.”
“Got it so far,” Starscream confirmed.
“Alright, this is the part that’s tricky. From the mountains peak at night, you should be able to see a lot of stars. The brightest one in the sky hovers directly over Canterlot; it has some name, but I’m no astronomer, and I’ve forgotten. Make a beeline towards that star and you should find Canterlot mountain rather simply. Got all that?”
“I did, but I would still like a map for reference.”
“Take this one,” Chrysalis offered. “I don’t need it.” Starscream, however, made no move to take it, staring intently at it instead. After of couple of seconds, Chrysalis annoyedly waved it in his face. “Hello? Equus to Starscream?”
Looking back to her, Starscream said, “I’ve scanned the map; I should be set to go.” She cocked a brow, but didn’t argue, rolling the map back up and placing it back into her footlocker. “Is there anything else I should know or bring before I go?”
Chrysalis hummed thoughtfully for a few seconds. “There’s nothing more you need to bring,” she concluded, “and anything you’ll need to know I can tell you as we head for the exit.” She hopped off the bed and headed towards the door, which had not been closed when they had entered earlier. Starscream followed behind her, closing the door behind him as he exited.
They began retracing the path the escort had taken to bring Starscream to Chrysalis. “So the ponies look a lot like us,” the Queen began, “or rather, we look like them. Just without the holes. Simply knowing that’ll help you to know when you’ve found one. For the most part, ponies are all about happiness and friendship. So long as you’re not hostile, they won’t do anything hostile either, despite the fact that you’re an alien.”
“Are all sentient species on this planet so freely accepting of unknown species?” Starscream asked sarcastically, though the sarcasm was lost.
“Pretty much. There is a lot of sentient life on this planet, after all, and even the wildlife has a high amount of sentiency. Of course, there are limitations; as long as you don’t mention wanting to conquer the world during your first meeting, then you’ll be fine.”
That’s an oddly specific example.
She turned to him and regarded him with a serious expression. “On that note, I would advise that you not mention your affiliation with us immediately upon coming into contact with them. I doubt they would want any association with us or anyling who supports us. And most certainly reserve the knowledge of the reason of your visit for Celestia only. I can count on her to not immediately attack you once you mention it.”
“I will do that,” he said unsurely. Honestly, saying that ponies were all about happiness and friendship, then immediately saying that they were highly volatile was a bit conflicting. “Thanks for the advice.”
If there was any trepidation in Starscream’s voice, it was either not caught or was ignored, as Chrysalis made no comment about his awkward response. That marked the end of their conversation, and they continued in silence.
A few minutes after that found them in tunnels unfamiliar to Starscream, but they were nearly identical to the Hive’s other tunnels. However much he had enjoyed the company of the changelings, he couldn’t deny that a change of scenery would be great.
Finally, several minutes later, the two of them climbed another ramp to the surface. “That way is north,” Chrysalis informed as she pointed her hoof in that direction. Looking in the indicated direction, Starscream saw, predictably, nothing of interest. “Good luck,” she told him as he took his first steps northward.
He wanted to put some distance between himself and Chrysalis so that any emissions from his thrusters, such as heat and sound, wouldn’t bother Chrysalis too much. “Wait,” she called over the rising sounds of his thrusters, and he sighed, silencing them. He looked up to see her approaching him. Hurry up, he snapped mentally, I want to get going as soon-
Chrysalis’ hooves were suddenly wrapped around his neck in a tight hug, silencing his internal rambling. “I can’t thank you enough for doing this,” she spoke softly. “Come back safely, and preferably with good news.”
“Uh...you’re welcome,” he said as he fumbled to return the gesture. Something felt right about being there, held in the embrace of someone who cared for his well-being. The scenery could have been a little less desolate, but Starscream wasn’t about to complain about something so trivial. Smiling, he replied, “I’ll be back.”
Without another word, the two released each other. Chrysalis stepped away from Starscream, giving him room to engage his thrusters. Effortlessly, his body was elevated several feet off the ground. As he forged ahead northward, he decided to give Chrysalis one last surprise. Though she couldn’t see his face, he smirked nonetheless as he issued a long neglected command.
There was a flurry of activity as servos and actuators strived to accomplish the system command. His T-cog ground into action, and a jet occupied the space that had been occupied by a pony not a second prior. He imagined that Chrysalis’ expression was one of shock, and he chuckled at the mental image. If his mouth functioned in his current mode, he’d have been grinning even more.
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So now Starscream has set off for Canterlot. Can't wait to see what happens next.
And I finished Transformers Armada. Starscream's death is really sad, Energon starts off good but as soon as Megatron returns it becomes all about Energon. Even Megatron is more intrested in it then destroying the Autobots. And Kicker is just as annoying as the Armada kids though at least he can hold his own.
And so we will see if Starscream has what it takes to be a diplomat! Thankfully he's not the "original" Starscream as that dude just has no chance!
2971646 Energon may have a strong-ish start (for a Transformers cartoon, that is), but before long it becomes a steaming pile of feces. I agree with you, though, that Kicker is annoying, but I found the Armada kids actually kinda tolerable. Especially during the Starscream story arc.
2971726 If it was the 'original' Starscream, he probably would have rallied the changelings to usurp Chrysalis then lead them against Canterlot again anyways, eliminating the need for diplomacy
.
2971752
And all we would be waiting for will be his inevitable defeat.
2971726 Any Starscream outside of Prime or the Unicron Triology would fail. Animated Starscream wouldn't even bother with diplomacy and just be content with taking over the throne. And he'd probably even fail at that.
2971767 I should totally make that a story.
2971770 Energon and Cybertron Starscream's wouldn't make good diplomats, either. Only Prime and Armada Starscreams would have a chance.
Oh, Animated Starscream...was there anything you could do right?
Ayone else think he was a better character when he was just a head?
2971934 Well he was always good for a laugh. Like here:
Terminator reference appreciated, at least for me. Dunno if it was intentional. Dang I love your story so far!
2971955 Oh, so many G1 references in that one scene. I like how in previous series, Starscream has been depicted as at least somewhat formidable, but in Animated, all he is is comic relief.
Thank Primus! It's back!
2971998 Did you see his reaction to Megatron's death in the final episode of Transformers Prime? Starscream of all bots wanting to stay? If that's not mind blowing I don't know what is. And the upcoming movie is supposedly going to have him and the Decepticons team up with the Autobots and Predacons to take down a Unicron possessed Megatron.
Yes he can transform!
2971989 "I'll be back" is kind of a generic line, kind of hard to not quote...unless you're implying that more than just the spoken line parallels Terminator. The reference was unintentional, though. I can't recall having watched a Terminator movie all the way through, either...
Glad you're liking it; I aim to please
.
2972006 Yup, I'm back from the other side of the country, and I'm back in business. Hope I'm not too rusty, though.
Starscream:
2972049 Told you I'd get to answering that eventually
.
2972040 I was really surprised to see Starscream respond the way he did. I was also surprised to see Shockwave pull him away from the Autobots. I know Shockwave's supposed to be all logical and stuff, but having Starscream on your side is actually kind of derogatory (considering how often he fails and his traitorous nature). The movie's set up to be something completely epic.
2972102 And a fiting finale to an awesome Transformers series. Though something tells me Bumblebee's going to lose his ability to speak again.
I hope Michael Bay takes notes from that on how to make Transformers enjoyable in today's world without completly ignoring the past.
2972118 Ah yes, there's still a fourth Bay film coming out, isn't there? I like the Bay films, especially the 1st and 3rd ones, but at this point, all good plotlines seem to have been exhausted. Not to mention Megatron's dead...again...so recycling him (or bringing him back a Galvatron, which I'm pretty confident is what's going to happen) would get old fast. Basically, all I can see from the fourth film is something with Unicron...but that would be another end-of-the-world movies, and the markets been flooded with those a bit recently.
Also, Bubmblebee's voice doesn't fit him. It needs to go.
I hope in the TF:P movie they bring Soundwave back. The series still needs more Soundwave.
Actually, I was kind of thinking of writing another TF crossover happening after the S3 finale of TF:P. If I can get a storyline, it'd be a real possibility.
2972171 Haven't seen the third one which was suppose to be the final one. The fourth one supposedly will feature new characters though I don't know if that means characters from the later years of G1 like Hot Rod, Blur, Ultra Magnus, Arcee, and (shudur) Wheelie or Unicron Triology characters like Hot Shot, Landmine, Red Alert (Though he appeared in G1), Demolisher, and Override.
As for Unicron well Michael Bay could actually do him justice as long as he uses the potryal of the G1 Movie and Armada where he's a gaint sentient death star. But make him more of a threat that can't just be defeated by a team up or matrix relase. After all Unicron's potrayal in Prime was not all that good though his relation to Primus and the back story on Optimus were quite intresting.
2972366 I liked how Prime did its backstory; it didn't pummel you with it, but gave you just enough of a taste that you knew what was going on and made it interesting.
Unicron was a little disappointing, I suppose. But really, the writers can't be blamed too harshly. After all, they made Unicron Earth, so any further than that mini Unicrons would have meant the instantaneous destruction of Earth. And the ending of an entire populated planet like that is a bit much for a kids TV show.
New characters, eh? It'd be cool, if it were to go to a different group of transformers, for the movie to show war efforts on Cybertron, maybe from the Decepticon perspective as well. There are still some iconic and important Decepticons that weren't killed off yet, right?
2972406 I'm pretty sure. The only Decepticons I know got killed were Soundwave (lacking his signature monotone voice which Michael Bay said he was going to include) by Bumble Bee and Megatron by Optimus Prime.
This could give movie Starscream a chance to be fleshed out and be something other then Megatron's punching bag. Even if he becomes more like his G1 self he'll become more intresting. Heck maybe Megatron or Galvatron could go head to head with Starscream in the fourth movie for control of the Decepticons.
2972438 No, Starscream's gone. So is Shockwave. I don't really know any other leader-type Decepticons...I guess Thrust, maybe, but that would depend on if they stay with G1 characters, or decide to incorporate Unicron Trilogy too.
nice. i hope armada starscream avenges G1 starcream death by rainbow dash...or at least show her his speed XD.
oh and shattered glass starscream is the only one that can be a better diplomat than the armada and prime.
and about transformers prime...its just me or soundwave banishing ariachnid to the moon loook a lot like the banishment of nightmare moon?
2972577 There'll certainly be some Starscream and Rainbow Dash rivalry going on soon
.
I know that Shattered Glass is basically a team swapped Transformers universe, but other than that, I'm not too familiar with it. Are the character's still similar in personality?
Now that you mention it, yeah, sending Arachnid to the moon was kind of reminiscent of NMM. I wonder if, like NMM, Arachnid will come back.
2972602
basicly shattered glass is a universe where the autobots are evil and the decepticons are good. starscream is the second in command of megatron. he is the opposite of G1 starcream: loyal, brave, selfness, etc.
while the autobots are sadistic, depravated and in alot of ways worst than the G1 decepticons (and i mean the G1 marvel ones)
2972638 It's a comic series, right?
2972649
yeah its a botcon comic.
Heh never wake the queen huh?
well now SS is en route to Canterlot...I don´t think he needs this much time...Hope e don´t forget to retransform back into pony-from before meeting with the puny things
More please