A/N: This idea has been bugging me since my brother and I first rped the events of chapter 4 (trust me, the original version was weirder than TESOW). This is a more serious story than TESOW, so don't be fooled by the first half.
Also, please forgive me if this isn't that good. This story kicked my aft, big time, and didn't go the way I had hoped. It's basically a bunch of short drabbles strung together.
Thank you Ultimos-11 for the title.
Thank you Jesus Luvs Everyone for your suggestion. Too bad it only has a small part in this. Sorry.
Warning: the ending of this chapter isn't a nice one.
Note: Mapa- noun. A term of endearment that is used (rarely among Cybertronians) on a femme split-spark by her creations. Short for Maternal-Paternal.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the OCs. Now if you excuse me, I'm going to hit myself with a baseball bat for writing this.
Broken
Chapter 1
Starfall opened the door to the nursery where her newborn triplets recharged and quietly crept in. She snuck over to the crib and her spark swelled with love when she saw them. The new creator couldn't believe how small they were or that the day before they weren't even here.
The ability to split-spark wasn't common, but not rare enough to be out of place in Cybertronian society. Split-sparking two sparklings at a time was considered normal, but three! Even triplets born from bonded couples were rare, and usually the carrier miscarries before reaching full term. But here was Starfall, a Seeker femme who split-sparked three Seeker mechs, there had never been a case before where the offspring of a split-spark was the opposite gender of the creator!
She let out an air intake as she watched her creations snuggle up to a stuffed Cybertronian jet she made and her youngest so eloquently named Binky. She knew raising these three would be a challenge, but Starfall was determined femme and she would give her creations a good life.
XXX
Thundercracker, who had just finished his meal, held onto Binky and watched Starfall try to feed the blue Seeklet's brothers.
Starscream was refusing to touch his bottle and Skywarp managed to get out of his high-chair and was now running around the room while spilling the contents of his uncapped bottle.
"Skywarp, stop!," yelled Starfall as she chased him, but Skywarp ignored her and kept running.
Thundercracker knew that Skywarp wasn't going to stop until he ran out of energy, then Starfall would have to clean him up and put him down for a nap before going back to feed Starscream, who won't eat unless Starfall held him; he had seen the cycle happen plenty of times before.
Oh! There goes Skywarp.
Thundercracker couldn't help but giggle. It was always fun to watch his little brother fall onto the floor.
XXX
Starfall counted to ten and let out an air intake when she saw the mess in the nursery.
There were toys and spilt Energon all over the floor. In the middle of it, was a very guilty looking pile of Seeklets.
Then as calmly as she could, Starfall asked, "What happened?"
"Star did it!," cried out Skywarp.
"No!," shouted Starscream, "Warpy did it!"
"Me didn't!," yelled Skywarp.
"Liar, liar, wings on fire," replied Starscream.
Skywarp growled and tackled his older brother, then the fighting began.
Starfall grabbed the two and placed each one in a corner. She turned to Thundercracker and asked, "What really happened?"
Thundercracker shuffled his pedes. "Accident. Me spilled Star's Energon and Star think Warpy did it. Star yell and Warpy hit him and Star hit back. Me try to stop them, but they hit me too. Me sorry Mapa."
Starfall offlined her optics for a moment and said, "Go to a corner while I clean this up."
Thundercracker nodded and did as he was told.
XXX
Skywarp whimpered in the crib he had been placed in earlier. Where were his brothers? Where was Mapa? He had never been separated from them before. Skywarp was terrified of being alone.
Skywarp started to cry. Why did his family abandon him? First Starscream and Thundercracker start making those scary sounds, then Mapa took him away from them. Why did she leave him with the violet Seeker femme? She seemed nice, but she put him in a dark room by himself.
The door opened and Skystrike entered; she held a bottle in one servo. "What's wrong, Warpy?"
The Seeklet rubbed his optics. "No like being alone! Me want Thunder, Star, and Mapa!"
Poor thing, thought Skystrike, no wonder he's not asleep yet. The Seeker femme had agreed to watch Skywarp after his brothers had caught a very bad and contagious virus. She picked up him up and held him close.
Skywarp tried to shove her away and murmured, "Not Mapa."
"Yes, I know sweetspark, but you'll see them soon. I promise," replied Skystrike.
The black and violet Seeklet stopped struggling, "Promise?"
"I promise," said Skystrike, "Now, how about I show you how to make a clown mask?" It was obvious Skywarp wouldn't fall asleep anytime soon.
He nodded eagerly.
XXX
Starscream was playing with Binky while his brothers were on the jungle gym when Starfall sat down next to him.
"Starscream, don't you want to play with your brothers?," she asked.
The tri-colored Seeklet shook his helm, "No want to share Binky."
"Yes, it is your turn with Binky, but don't you at least want to play with the other sparklings?," she asked gently.
"No," said the sparkling stubbornly.
"All right, if that's what you want," said Starfall as she got up, then she felt something grab her servo before she could fully stand. She looked down and saw Starscream.
"Mapa stay," pleaded Starscream.
"I thought you wanted to play alone," Starfall said with a small smile on her face.
"No, me want to play with you," explained Starscream.
"Okay, I'll stay with you."
The Seeklet was beaming when he heard her answer.
The white and blue femme sat next to her creation and began to play with him.
XXX
Thundercracker peered over the edge of the roof and saw the street below. Primus they were high up. He was having second thoughts about this whole learning to fly business and he could tell Skywarp was having them too.
They had just seen Starscream's first attempt at flying (which ended in failure) and how it left their brother in tears. Starfall was currently trying to calm him down.
"TC, I don't want to fly," whimpered Skywarp fearfully.
"Me either," murmured Thundercracker. He grabbed his younger brother's servo and tried to quietly sneak back into the building's lower levels.
"Where do you think you two are going?," asked their creator.
The Seeklets froze. "Every mech for himself!," cried out Skywarp, who teleported… into the door that led to inside the building.
"You're a big help Warpy," muttered Thundercracker.
Primus, now I'll have to replace that door, thought Starfall miserably. This was not how she wanted her creations' first flying experience to go. Now they're afraid of heights! Maybe she should have asked Skystrike, Cloudrider, and Razorwing for help…
XXX
Starfall walked into the living room to tell her creations that it was time to sleep, but instead saw something she thought she would never see again: Starscream, Thundercracker, and Skywarp sleeping together on the couch with Binky in between them. She had thought they had long since outgrown the stuffed jet. Apparently not…
The Seeker femme left the room and grabbed her camera before returning. She took a picture, perhaps the last of all three of her creations together before Starscream left to Iacon to attend at the Science Academy.
She couldn't help but worry about Starscream, he had never left her side when he was growing up, unlike his brothers who were more independent, and now he was leaving. What if he couldn't handle it? No, she scolded herself, he's going to be fine. They're all going to be fine, no matter what they do in life.
XXX
Thundercracker held Skywarp's servo as they watched Starfall speak at Starscream's hearing. Their brother had been accused of murdering his research partner and friend, Skyfire, on a one of their exploratory missions.
The blue Seeker couldn't help but frown at Starscream's demeanor. Said mech was watching the proceedings with calm indifference and did not spare one glance at his brothers. The slagger never even once try to call them while he was in prison. He probably didn't care that Starfall used all her savings to pay for his lawyer. She would've lost the house if it weren't for Thundercracker and Skywarp.
Thundercracker couldn't help but wonder if his brother killed the shuttle.
XXX
Starscream wasn't tried for Skyfire's murder due to lack of a corpse and any other evidence incriminating him. The moment the stasis cuffs were off, Starscream disappeared. He never even told his family where he was going.
It had been a week since then and Thundercracker went downstairs to check if Starfall was still awake. He was about to enter the kitchen area when he heard Starfall speaking with someone. Someone with a screechy voice.
Thundercracker stepped closer and began eavesdropping on the conversation.
"I'm telling you, the Council is corrupt and must be replaced," Starscream said.
"I know it's not perfect, but unfortunately no government is without some corruption," replied Starfall.
"Some? They almost tried me for Skyfire's death and would have if it weren't for that lawyer you hired," Starscream said angrily, "and I spent a year in that prison waiting for that hearing, Mapa."
"I know that," snapped Starfall, "and I understand your desire for new leadership, but you're not talking about a change in Council members, you're talking about overthrowing our whole government!"
"There is no other way," murmured Starscream, "they won't listen otherwise."
"Your way will bring war," Starfall argued.
"But the outcome is worth it," insisted the tri-colored Seeker.
"Only if Megatron succeeds," Starfall said quietly.
"He will and I'm going to join him, whether or not you agree with this," said Starscream.
Thundercracker heard a chair being pushed back and Starscream walking to the back door.
"Wait," said Starfall, "I may not like all this talk about revolution, but no matter what, know you are always welcome in this house."
"Thank you, Mapa."
"Are you staying the night?"
"No, I'm sorry. I'll get my things in the morning."
"All right, just don't do anything you'll know you'll regret."
"I won't. Good night Mapa."
"Good night, Starscream." Then the door opened and closed.
Thundercracker didn't move for several minutes. The rebellion was real. He heard rumors, but he had thought they were just that, rumors.
"Thundercracker, you can come out now," Starfall said softly.
"Mapa, I-"
"It's okay. Thank you for not confronting him."
"I should have," the younger Seeker muttered angrily, "after all you did for him, he just leaves without a goodbye and then he gets the nerve to come back, talking about those Decepticons. Someone needs to knock some sense into him."
"He is impulsive," she replied, "I can't help but worry about him."
Thundercracker watched helplessly as his creator started to cry over his good-for-nothing brother.
XXX
Starfall watched as her creations prepared to leave for Kaon, where the Decepticons were primarily located.
When Starscream came back the next morning, Skywarp found out where he had been and asked if he could join him. Starscream said yes.
They were done packing and she walked them to the door. Starscream and Skywarp hugged her goodbye and took to the skies.
Tears welled up in her optics as she felt someone give her a third hug. "Don't worry Mapa, I'll protect them," whispered Thundercracker. Then he too flew away, leaving Starfall with a hurting spark.
It was never easy to let your creations go.
XXX
It had been so long since she'd seen Starscream, her views hadn't changed and neither had his.
"Your optics aren't gold anymore," she murmured.
"It was part of the initiation," Starscream answered.
"I see…"
"Aren't you going to let me in?," he asked.
She nodded and moved out of the way. "Please, sit. Where are your brothers?"
"Back at the base. They were too busy to come, but they'll visit next time," he answered, as he took a seat at the dining table. "This place hasn't changed a bit."
"It has changed," Starfall said, "it's quieter."
The two Seekers sat in silence before Starscream spoke again, "You know, I'm surprised you haven't become an Autobot yet, Mapa."
"Do you want me to be one?," she asked.
Starscream shook his helm, "Of course not."
"And why not?"
"Because I'll be forced to fight and kill you. I don't want that."
"Then you know my reason for not joining them."
XXX
Primus help them, it was a massacre. A fragging massacre. Vos had been attacked by the Autobots. Luckily, unlike Praxus, at least a quarter of the population survived the assault. The Decepticons were searching the city for more.
Three Seekers landed in a familiar neighborhood, each one secretly hoping that their creator had fled the city before the Autobots came to the area. They split up and began their search.
Thundercracker had found no survivors when he came across an old store. It was Razorwing and Cloudrider's place. He remembered working part-time there as a youngling. The blue Seeker entered the store and saw Razorwing's corpse; he had been shot in the spark chamber.
The Decepticon stepped over the corpse and looked around the store. He found Cloudrider a few moments later; she had died instantly from the broken bond.
"NOOO!," cried out a familiar voice. Thundercracker quickly ran out of the store; it was Skywarp who screamed.
Thundercracker found the origin of the sound: it was Starfall's house. Starscream was already there, he'd been waiting for his trinemate. Then the two entered the house.
The place had been ransacked and there, in the corner, was Skywarp, with his back turned towards them, sobbing.
Starscream and Thundercracker stepped closer to see what their younger brother was hiding.
In Skywarp's arms was Starfall. Her gold optics were now dark and her once vibrant colors had long since become gray. Her wings were bent at awkward angles and there were dents all over her. She had been shot in the abominable plates and had slowly bled to death. It was also evident that she had been raped, though before or after she died was questionable.
"She was neutral. Primus, she even believed in Autobot values," Skywarp sobbed.
"They killed Razorwing and Cloudrider too," muttered Thundercracker, "but they weren't defiled like this."
"Skystrike was only shot in the back of the helm," Starscream added.
"Why did they do this to her?," Skywarp asked.
Starscream let out a bitter laugh, "Isn't it obvious? Look around you, look at her wings."
Thundercracker and Skywarp looked and saw a broken picture on the floor. In the photograph, Starfall was on a hospitable berth, smiling happily, with all three Seeklets, who were staring at the camera in awe. It was the first picture they took as family. They looked at their creator's wings and saw the words "Decepticon Breeder" carved onto them.
Skywarp cried harder and Thundercracker felt sick. Starscream just laughed, "It seems to Autobots, Seeker is synonymous with enemy, no matter their allegiance."
"Shut up!," Thundercracker yelled, "You're not helping."
"There's nothing to be helped," hissed Starscream, "The best we can do is destroy this house and the corpse." He then felt Thundercracker's fist punch his cheek and he fell onto the floor.
"Are you crazy?," snarled Thundercracker, "Ungrateful brat, she did everything she could to help you when you got yourself into trouble and this is how you repay her?"
"I should have you thrown in the brig for that, Thundercracker, but I won't. Besides, do you want the Empties to get her?," retorted Starscream as he got back up, "Take what you want from here and then destroy this place. Understand?"
Skywarp and Thundercracker nodded numbly, "Yes, Air Commander."
A/N: I hope I can make the second chapter better than this.
Sorry this sucked.
Please review if, by some miracle, you liked this.