Optimus: Don't Make a Sound
[Pre-War]
Orion can hear the slow steps, the shuffling, the rasping of metal against metal, but he can only stay still and try not to make a sound.
It's dark, and he's alone, and the rocks at his back are barely enough to hide him despite him being curled in as small a ball as he can.
The steps move closer.
But he can't bring himself to move, to release the strong lock on his straining fans, to even shiver, in fear that he'll be heard.
So, he just stays still and doesn't make a sound, hoping he won't be found.
Starscream: Mermaid
They liked them. That's why they followed, their shiny tails slipping over the sea in their games.
His partner lowered the altitude, and they finally played together, jumping and twisting in midair.
Until a miscalculation sent his partner into the water, and Energon stained the surface.
He dove into the ocean, and it took all he had to break free of it and the claws of its inhabitants.
Alone.
The Decepticons stay silent, High Grade forgotten as they stare at their Second.
And then, they turn to the ocean outside the windows, and hope the Earthen mermaids are just myths.
Slingshot: Six Feet Underground
They had heard the expression before, of course, but none of them ever asked.
Not ever-curious Fireflight, nor knowledge-hungry Skydive, nor nosy Air Raid, nor always-worried Silverbolt, and of course not insufferable Slingshot.
They should have. Not only for the sake of better communication with the humans, but also because it wouldn't have added to their shock and disbelief when they see the six-foot-deep grave they're slowly lowering Sparkplug's casket into.
Slingshot decides, right there and then, that it would have been better had they never found a situation where they got to know what being six feet underground means.
Ravage: Beastly
Creator was deactivated.
Frenzy and Rumble were sent to the mines.
Carrier was confined to the Senatorial Aide Quarters.
And Ravage, who had mastered the art of moving without sound, embraced the shadows, inherited Soundwave's ability with computers and his Creator's sharp wit, was shackled and thrown to his knees, forced to function on all fours for as long as he was allowed to keep his spark alight, trapped in the form of the processor-less beast he looked like instead of the mech he actually was.
Being a Bestial had a lot of advantages.
Before the Senate?
It had none.
Gears: Worse
[1986 Movie AU]
Gears never thought there could be someplace worse than Earth.
Alright, he did, because Cybertron during the war wasn't a nice place to be, but it was still Cybertron, and surely there are far worse planets to be stuck on than the mudball, but he had never actually been on one.
And then, their ship crashed on a weird broken-looking technorganic planet, and Gears ended up alone and the guest of honor of the locals and their 'games'.
Staring down at the ravenous Sharkticons, Gears can't help but think he'll never again badmouth Earth and its mud.
If he survives.
Kickback: Broken
Kickback feels like a broken toy, and he's sure he looks just like one.
One leg is almost completely detached from a shot to the joint, an arm is bearing a deep gash sluggishly leaking half-congealed Energon, and there's something inside his chest that rattles noisily.
And his plating is going gray.
He knows what that means. It's the reason the Constructions focus on fixing the other Decepticons instead of him.
He knows, and can't find it in himself to care.
Bombshell and Shrapnel are gone, and the void in his spark has him more broken than his deactivating frame.
Groove: Bones
Groove tends to roam, always on the lookout for something new.
Sometimes, his discoveries are good.
Others…
Groove is back on Cybertron, carefully slithering through the ruins of Straxus, and trying to ignore the many grayed out frames he steps past, focusing on keeping his footing silent instead of the gruesome damage and dried Energon and what were they like? What had they been doing? Did they know the mech behind the gun?
And then, he's suddenly in front of a fence looking out to a green field, back on Earth.
Without turning back, Groove leaves the car graveyard behind.
Spyglass: Rocks Aren't the Same
Cybertronian thrive on adaptation. However, like with all things, some are better at it than others.
Which means that, even when aware of the differences, some simply can't deal with them.
Thus, the Reflector Gestalt stays in the ship.
Sunken, more broken than functional, and away from fresh air and sunlight.
They don't care.
Because Cybertron may not have been good, not before Megatron rose and decided to change things, but it was home.
And Earth…
Spyglass looks around, at the desert, the mountains, the blue sky, and turns his attention to the ground.
Not even rocks are the same.
Swoop: Too Late
[Post G1 season 2, pre 1986 Movie]
Snarl is dying.
Ratchet says they need a donor, but no Autobot serves.
And so, the Dinobots set out for the only possible solution.
Decepticons.
The Seekers are patrolling, and Grimlock says they should catch them, that maybe they can help, even if only as bargaining chips.
They are too fast.
So, Swoop pleads, screaming over his brothers' roars.
Starscream stops.
And, after an instant of silence, he gives him a place and time.
They meet again, and the Dinobot receives a single vial.
Swoop's wings burn as he pushes himself harder than ever before.
But he is too late.
Dirge: Loathing
Dirge's Sigma Ability is battle-oriented.
His engines instill fear in all who hear them, which means he needs to maintain a deep concentration for his own Ability to not mess with him too.
But that isn't the truth.
Thrust knows it. And Ramjet. They are his Trine mates, after all.
Dirge's engines aren't fear-inducing.
They reflect his emotions.
So, when they feel the growing loathing, Thrust moves faster and Ramjet hits harder, because they are supposed to be the jagged ones, not the peaceful Flier that, even after vorns of war, would rather pick up a harp than a gun.
UPDATED 12/05/2019: Corrected Grammar.
AN: Alright, after way too long, I'm finally back. Let's just say Real Life was a lot more demanding since my last updates and leave it at that. Fortunately for you all, while my updates have suffered from my absence, that doesn't mean my writings have, so I have quite a bit of chapters (for more than just this fic) waiting to be posted!
So, now that this is out of the way, let's talk about this chapter. There's some headcanon with Ravage and Dirge's parts, and Swoop's part is taken from the original Marvel comics, which I used to explain why there were only four Dinobots in the Movie.
Aaaand... That's it. Quite short after so long, huh? Well, more later!
VoAutobot: I'm glad to read that you enjoyed last chapter :D I hope this one isn't too dark... But, just in case, there's a happy one coming next week ^^
Giddy: There's never enough time to do as we want, nope... especially with how demanding Real Life has been lately -.- As for the prompts, I can honestly say I can't remember. I know I was looking through some of the many 'writing prompts' that are out there, taking some and choosing characters randomly with a randomizer, and then I wrote those that I had ideas for. As for Grimlock and Hot Rod in the last chapter... I envisioned Hot Rod throwing his hands up, but face-palming is a quite amusing reaction too XD