Frequency
On an island that was on the edge of the Archipelago, Decepticons were hard at work as they were welding piece of medal together. Starscream looked on in anticipation as he watched his project being completed. In front of him was a large tower with a satellite dish on top of it, with Vehicons constructing it. It took some time to build, but it was finally finished.
"Systems are being calibrated, Lord Starscream." A Vehicon said as he stepped forward.
"Excellent. Bring the Nemesis within range." Starscream ordered.
The Vehicon nodded as he gave the all-clear signal. No sooner that he did that, the Nemesis descended down from the clouds until it was floating above the island. A smaller satellite dish rose up from the top ship and was aimed in a random direction, while second satellite appeared on the bottom of the ship and aimed at the tower. Soundwave in his jet mode flew down from the ship and landed next to the new Decepticon leader.
"Soon, all our hard work will have finally paid off." Starscream bragged. "I wish I can see the look on the Autobot's faces when we unleash our new weapon upon them."
A couple Vehicon's came in and were pushing a floating platform that contained the energy cage that held the Death Song.
"And it's all thanks to you." Starscream said as he gave a sinister smile to the captive dragon. "You should feel honored, you poor pitiful creature, your contribution to the Decepticon cause is greatly appreciated." The Death Song gave Starscream a sneer and growled menacingly at him, the while the Seeker, turned leader, turned to the Stunticons as they stepped into view. "You did well, Breakdown, Drag Strip, into bringing this creature to my attention."
"What can I say, I am just that good." Drag Strip bragged with a smirk.
"Oh sure, it's not like we got discovered by that creature and got ourselves stuck or something." Breakdown said sarcastically.
"We probably got found out because of your big lumbering chassis always making noise with each step." Drag Strip said as he glared at his teammate.
"What was that!" Breakdown exclaimed as it looked like there was going to be a fight, had it not been for the team's leader coming between them.
"Knock it off!" Motormaster said as he pushed them both back. "Starscream, this is a waste of time. We know where the Autobots live, so I say we take our forces and wipe them off the face of this mud ball of a planet."
"I'm sorry, Motormaster, I seemed to have missed the part where you were in charge, and I was not!" Starscream said as he got into the taller Decepticon's face. They glared at each other for a few seconds before stepping back. "Megatron tried that already, and it proved difficult due to those humans and their dragon pets."
"Ah, they're just a bunch of pushovers, in my opinion." Wildrider dismissed.
"Perhaps, but they have proved to be a nuisance that we can hardly ignore, which is why this tower is going to be the key to their demise." Starscream said as he turned back to the tower.
"So, what exactly does it do?" Dead End asked.
"I'm glad you asked. Soundwave, prepare for the sonic transference." Starscream ordered the spy master.
Soundwave stepped forwards to the control panel on the base of the tower and attached one of his tentacles to it. He then latched his second tentacle to the platform of the energy cage holding the Death Song. The bottom of the cage began to electrify and shocked the dragon, causing it to scream in agony. Soundwave's tentacle attached to the platform began to light up and the control console began to light up as well.
The satellite on the tower began to point toward the Nemesis and fired a sonic blast at the lower satellite, while the one on top took aim and lit up with power. It soon fired a sonic blast of its own in a random direction, none of the other Decepticons could figure out where it was going.
"I don't get it." Drag Strip said in confusion.
"Patience, and watch." Starscream said evilly as Soundwave detached Laserbeak from his chest and it flew off in the direction the sonic blast.
/
The dragon riders, with the Jackhammer in tow, were flying right towards an island that they haven't been in a while, but received a message to come as soon as possible. The island they came to was Outcast Island.
After the war with Dagur when they were younger, Alvin and Stoic believed that it was time to finally put the past behind them and mend fences. So Outcast Island and Berk have been having peace talks where the two islands can finally coexist in peace. One of the deals of peace relations was that they would help each other out when the other calls.
"This brings back memories." Fishlegs said in remembrance as they flew closer to the island. "It's been a while since we went to Outcast Island."
"Yeah, cause the last time we came Alvin tried to kill us." Snotloud pointed out.
"Easy there, Snotloud, Alvin's not like that anymore. He really has changed for the better." Hiccup said with certainty.
"That's good. Dealing with Dagur and the Decepticons is troubling enough, we don't want to add Alvin to the mix." Astrid said.
"Wonder what the man wants, anyway?" Smokescreen said over the comms in the ship. Sitting with him in the ship was Wheeljack, who was the pilot, Jazz, and Crosshairs.
"Said something about needing our own expertise for this situation." Wheeljack said.
"Whatever it is, I'm sure it's nothing we can't handle." Jazz bragged.
"Well let's get to it everyone, cause we're almost there." Hiccup said as Outcast Island came into view.
The group of riders and Autobots landed on the deck of the island and were immediately greeted by the leader of the island, Alvin.
"Hiccup!" Alvin said joyfully as patted Hiccup on the back, causing him to stumble a bit. "You sure have sprouted since last we met."
"Nice to see you to, Alvin." Hiccup chuckled sheepishly.
"So, what's the situation?" Crosshairs asked.
Alvin still glanced at the Autobots with a hint of wary and wonder. He was introduced to the Autobots months after when they first arrived, and needless to say he was pretty shocked. He immediately thought of them as dangerous, but Stoic was able to convince him otherwise. Now he was okay with the Autobots, but that still didn't mean he was shocked to see them every time.
"Eh, got a bit of a Zippleback problem on the other side of the island." Alvin said.
"Zipplebacks?" Tuffnut said as he and his sister looked at each other in excitement. "This just officially became the best day ever."
"You know it, Tuff." Ruffnut said.
"How are they causing you trouble?" Astrid asked.
"They're just lazying about, around the shores of our most bountiful fishing spots." Alvin said.
"Must be a flock in the middle of their migration. They must be resting here to prepare to fly again." Fishlegs theorized.
"How many are we talking?" Wheeljack asked.
"Few dozen, at least. Normally I wouldn't mind, but they're starting to get in the way of our fishing routes and we are starting to run out of our initial stock." Alvin answered before turning to Hiccup. "We tried to get them off ourselves, but we think this might need your magic touch, boy."
"Well, we'll see what we can do." Hiccup said.
"Not to worry, Al. We'll get this done, so let's rev up and roll out boys." Jazz cheered as he and the others walked off to their destination.
Alvin looked at Jazz funny before turning to the riders. "Why does he talk funny?"
"That's just how he is." Astrid said.
"By the way, Hiccup, how goes the search for that rat, Dagur?" Alvin asked.
"Still going, but you can bet that we'll find him." Hiccup said.
"Well, when you do find him, save some for me." Alvin said as he punched his fist into his palm.
They walked off for a bit, until they managed to get to the other side of the island and saw the rocky edge of the beach. There they spotted a whole flock of more than thirty Zipplebacks just lazying around and resting on the ground. Some stuck their two heads in the water and managed to grab a few fish.
"Dang, you weren't kidding about their numbers." Smokescreen said as he and the others hid behind a few rocks from a distance.
"So, what are gonna do?" Crosshairs asked.
"Let's just have Hookfang flame up and scare them off." Snotloud suggested.
"Sure, and let's have them rain fire down on all of Outcast Island while they're frightened as well." Astrid said sarcastically.
"I'd rather not have that happen on my island." Alvin said.
"How about have the twins and Barf and Belch talk to them?" Smokescreen suggested.
"Hey guys, look at this."
The riders, Alvin, and Autobots looked back to see the twins lying on the necks of their dragon and the dragon started wiggling its two necks, causing the twins to laugh as they rode it like a ride.
"...Yeah, I don't think so." Crosshairs said deadpanned.
"Let me see what I can do." Hiccup said as he stepped forward cautiously, with Toothless close behind him.
"Oh, I never get tired of seeing this." Fishlegs said with excitement as he watched on.
Hiccup walked forward to the sleeping Zipplebacks as they failed to notice him. That didn't last long as one Zippleback rose it's two heads up and glared at Hiccup and began to growl, as it also walked forward cautiously. Toothless growled in return to protect his human friend, but Hiccup placed a hand on his head.
"Easy there, bud..." Hiccup said as he walked slowly and raised his hands up, showing he meant no harm. "It's okay."
The Zippleback continued to growl at him, but Hiccup remained calm as he held out both his hands towards the two-headed dragon. They were now just a few centimeters apart from each other, but the Zippleback's expression softened as Hiccup placed his two hands on both of it's heads. The dragon purred as it rubbed both of its heads along Hiccups body.
"There, you see. We're alright." Hiccup said as he rubbed the heads. Even Toothless calmed down and spoke to the Zippleback in his own dragon language.
"Show off." Snotloud said with a shrug.
"Dang, that just sends shivers down your spine." Jazz said in awe as this was the first time he's seen Hiccup do that.
"We don't really have spines, Jazz." Wheeljack said with a smirk.
"One down, now let's just hope the rest will be easy." Smokescreen said.
None of the riders or Autobots noticed a sonic wave wash over the island as they were distracted by the scene. The moment the sonic wave washed over them, the eyes of the Zippleback became slits and they pulled back and growled at Hiccup.
"Okay, easy there..." Hiccup said as he tried to placate the situation.
The Zippleback was about to lunge at Hiccup, but Toothless charged right at him,and knocked him into the ground and they started fighting. Every Zippleback in the area began to roar as they all started fighting amongst themselves.
"What the?" Smokescreen said in confusion.
"Well, this just got worse." Snotloud said as he then heard a roar behind him. He turned around and saw Hookfang banging his he'd on the ground repeatedly. "Hookfang, what's gotten into you?" Hookfang heard him and glared at the young rider, with his flames washing over his scales. "Uh...Hookfang?" Snotloud said fearfully. Hookfang unleashed a flame blast at his rider, but Astrid was able to push him out of the way.
"Get that beast of yours under control!" Alvin exclaimed as he to dodged a fire blast from the Monstrous Nightmare.
Astrid was about to charge in and help subdue Hookfang, but Smokescreen grabbed so she wouldn't be skewered by a spine shot from Stormfly.
"Thanks, Smoke." Astrid said gratefully as the Autobot placed her down.
"No problem." Smokescreen said before Stormfly lunged right at him and he tried to hold her back. "Whoa girl, easy! We're on the same side!"
"Stormfly, stop it!" Astrid exclaimed as she tried to calm her dragon down.
"Meatlug, stop!" Fishlegs said as his dragon attacked a Zippleback with such ferocity he never seen before.
"Barf, Belch, get ahold of yourselves!" Ruffnut exclaimed as their dragon threw threw them off and started fighting against another Zippleback. "What did you do?!" She exclaimed at her brother.
"Oh sure, blame me, how original." Tuffnut scoffed.
"It's like they all went insane." Wheeljack said as he started firing Energon stun blasts from his weapons at the Zipplebacks swarming and fighting in the sky.
"Might wanna call in some backup!" Crosshairs said as he fired non-lethal rounds from his guns at the Zipplebacks swarming the skies.
A Zippleback was dive bombing towards Jazz, but the Autobot did a flip over the dragon and delivered a kick right into its back, causing it to crash into the ground. The dragon was getting back up, but before it could attack Jazz, he fired a stun Energon blast, knocking it out.
Toothless managed to push the Zippleback off of him, and fired a plasma blast that knocked it back. The Zippleback roared at the Night Fury and flew off, but it didn't get far as another Zippleback came and tackled it in the air.
"You okay, Toothless?" Hiccup asked as he walked up to his dragon. The only answer he got was Toothless turning to face him, while growling at the young Viking with his eyes slit as well. "Toothless...what's wrong?" Hiccup asked slowly.
Toothless growled as he approached his friend and looked like he was about to fire a plasma blast at him. Before he could fire though, Alvin came in and tackled Hiccup out of the way so they both escaped the hit.
"He just fired at me!" Hiccup exclaimed in disbelief.
"It's like the dragons have gone mad!" Alvin exclaimed.
"Zippleback's can be aggressive, but not this much." Fishlegs said as he hid behind a rock to avoid a molten blast from Meatlug as she was in a dogfight with another Zippleback.
"Well, something's going on here!" Snotloud said as he was running away from Hookfang, who was chasing him and trying to roast him. "Hookfang, knock it off or so help me you're going to regret it!" The only response he got was Hookfang firing at him again, which he ducked under. "Okay, I'm sorry, I'll clean your pen more often if that what this is about!"
Smokescreen continued to try and push Stormfly off of him, as she continued to try and bite his head off. Smokescreen continued to struggle, but then noticed that she was about to fire a magnesium blast at his head.
"Uh oh." Smokescreen said fearfully.
Astrid saw this coming and started to climb up the Autobot and run run along his arms to jump right on Stormfly's back. She reached around her dragon's neck feeling around her scales until she pinched a part beneath her dragon's chin. Stormfly instantly went limp and fell asleep in Smokescreen's hands, which he gently laid her down.
"There you go girl, just rest up." Astrid said soothingly as she patted her dragon's head.
"Is she okay?" Smokescreen asked.
"She's fine, I just got her in her sweet spot." Astrid said.
Things were hectic as dragons on the ground and in the sky were going insane and fighting each other. The dragon riders constantly tried to calm their dragons down, but they were just not listening. The Autobots were trying to handle the situation as they fired non-lethal blasts at the dragons to stun them.
Little did they know, they were currently being watched by Laserbeak as he hovered outside the vicinity of the battle, recording everything that was happening.
/
The screen on Soundwave's face showed the entire battle as Starscream and the Stunticons watched the whole thing unfold.
"Oh, now I get it." Drag Strip said in realization.
"It's really quite simple." Starscream said as he looked at the unconscious body of the Death Song. "The cries of this creature seem to manipulate the behavior of its kind. Thanks to Soundwave being an expert on various frequencies, we were able to isolate the right frequency that would bring out a dragon's more aggressive side."
"And you aimed it right at the human's pets." Motormaster said.
"Exactly." Starscream said as he turned and stared at the sonic tower. "With this tower, I will accomplish what Megatron never could. The complete annihilation of the Autobots!"
/
It took a while, but all of the raging Zippleback dragons were knocked out and stunned. That also included the rider's own dragons as they were unconscious and asleep as well. The Autobots surveyed the area to make sure there were no more surprises, but everything seemed to be alright.
"Ratchet, were gonna need a Groundbridge." Jazz said.
"Were gonna have to relocate all these Zipplebacks before they wake up." Astrid said as she was still by Stormfly's side.
"Anyone want to tell me what in Thor's name just happened back there!" Snotloud exclaimed.
"The way those dragon's, ours included, behaved was quite irregular, but at the same time rather familiar." Fishlegs said.
"I think they got a whiff of my sister." Tuffnut said as he pointed to Ruff. "I don't think she's bathed in a couple of days."
"If anything, they got a whiff of your cooking!" Ruffnut retorted angrily. "Do you even smell what you throw in that soup pot."
"We can figure out what caused it later, but right now we need to get these Zipplebacks out of here." Crosshairs said.
"I'm down with that." Jazz said as a Groundbridge opened up and the Autobots started carrying the dragons out of there.
Hiccup walked towards Alvin. "Sorry this got a little out of hand, Alvin."
Instead of being angry, he just gave a hearty laugh. "Are you kidding, lad? This was the most fun I've had in years!"
"Well, that's good to know." Hiccup said sheepishly, before looking towards an unconscious Toothless as he was being carefully lifted by Wheeljack.
Alvin saw that look and patted him on the shoulder. "Listen, take it from someone who's had his plans foiled by you countless times, you and that dragon share a bond stronger than iron. You've got nothing to worry about, he'll be alright."
"Thanks Alvin." Hiccup said with a smile. "You know, you've really come a long way after all these years."
"Don't let that get you, boy." Alvin said with a smirk as he poked him in the chest. "I can still go toe to toe with the best of them, be they Vikings or dragons."
"I can imagine." Hiccup said as he and the rest of the riders walked right through the Groundbridge back to Berk.
/
Roars and rattling doors were heard throughout the old Dragon Training Academy. The dragons woke up not that long ago and they needed a place to hold them. Whatever's affecting them is still doing its work as they woke up plenty angry and wanting to attack anything that moved.
The riders and Autobots placed their dragons in the old holding pens in the walls of the arena back when they used it to hold dragons they were set on killing. Fishlegs, Snotloud, Ruffnut and Tuffnut stood in the middle of the arena along with Bulkhead, Sideswipe, Hound, Ironhide, Smokescreen, and Ultra Magnus.
"Oh, I hate that we have to do this. It brings back so many bad memories." Fishlegs said sadly.
Snotloud walked towards one of the doors, but backed away instantly when fire seeped out from the sides. No doubt that Hookfang was behind that door. "Yeah, well I'm not looking to get roasted alive, thank you very much." Snotloud said as he backed away from the door.
"And they're erratic behavior just happened out of nowhere?" Ultra Magnus asked.
"Yeah, it was weird." Smokescreen explained. "One minute they were fine, the next they just went completely nuts."
"Nobody goes from fine to just nuts in just a minute." Sideswipe said.
"Clearly you haven't been with them long enough." Ironhide said as he pointed to the side.
They all see the twins charging right towards each other as they head butted with their helmets.
"What are you two doing?" Bulkhead asked.
"Trying to come up with some solutions by ramming our heads together." Tuffnut said casually.
"It's our thinking process." Ruffnut said. "If this was just happening to Snotloud it would be easy figuring out, because he's Snotloud."
"Hey!" Snotloud exclaimed.
"I think they might be revolting. Starting a revolution to usurp the human race and claim their rightful place as the din ant species." Tuffnut said.
"That's ridiculous." Fishlegs denied.
"Yeah, we've been with you for a while now and we would have seen something like that." Sideswipe said.
"Well something happened back there, and we need to figure out what it was so it doesn't happen here." Hound said.
"That's why Ratchet is going to see if he can find anything that's wrong with them back at the base." Bulkhead said.
At said base, Ratchet was currently on a terminal pressing a few buttons. At the center of the base, Stormfly and Toothless, who were still growling and looking angry, were restrained on the ground, from their wings to their tails, and they both had muzzles on their mouths to prevent them from firing a plasma or magnesium blast. Hiccup and Astrid stood on the side, as well as Bumblebee, Arcee, Elita, and Optimus.
"Are those really necessary?" Astrid asked, gesturing to the restraints on her dragon. She really hated seeing her dragon like this.
Stormfly's tailspines shot out and fired everywhere. Elita had to move out of the way as one flew right past her and would have pierced her head. "Yes, they are very necessary." Elita said simply.
"Have they ever behaved like this before?" Bumble asked in bleeps.
"Once, but that was during the time we were at war with them years ago. They never behaved like that since." Hiccup said.
"Ratchet, have you found anything wrong?" Optimus asked.
"Give me one second." Ratchet said as he kneeled next to Toothless, who was still growling, and started scanning him. He returned to terminal and typed a few more keys and the screen lit up to show Toothless' head. "Oh my..."
"What's wrong?" Hiccup asked.
"Gather the others. I believe I have figured out what is wrong with our dragon friends." Ratchet said.
Not needing to be told twice, they gathered everyone into the base. Both riders and Autobots were hoping to figure out what the situation was so they can think of a solution.
"So, what have you found, doc?" Wheeljack asked.
"I did a scan of the dragons, and while I may not be as adept at their biology, I have noticed something peculiar." Ratchet said as the screen showed Toothless' head, and an area where the image seemed to be blue. "It appears that the dragon's eardrums are in constant agony."
"You mean they're hearing something that hurts?" Fishlegs asked.
"But I didn't hear anything when they went nuts back on Outcast Island." Astrid said in confusion.
"Maybe not with the ears of a human, but it seems the dragons are picking up something that only they can hear." Ratchet explained.
"Why do I feel like we've heard this before?" Tuffnut asked in confusion.
Ratchet pulled out the broken pieces of the device that Hiccup brought in during the Scauldron incident. "Do you recognize this?"
"Yeah, I pulled that off the Scauldron." Hiccup answered.
"So, this is the work of the Decepticons." Astrid said in slight anger.
"Couldn't face us themselves, so they're using our dragons to get to us." Smokescreen said.
"Sounds like something they would do." Ironhide said.
"When this was still intact, this was what the Scauldron was hearing." Ratchet said as he pressed a button on the terminal.
What followed was a loud screeching noise that caused both Autobots and humans to cover their ears in pain and discomfort. Ratchet pressed another button and soon the screeching stopped.
"Yeah, I'd probably go insane to if I heard nothing but that all day!" Snotloud exclaimed as he rubbed his ear.
"Sounds like our nana when we had to remove ten splinters from her foot." Tuffnut said.
"She always was a bit of a clutz." Ruffnut said.
"The poor dragons. I can't imagine the amount of pain they are in." Elita said.
"How can something so tiny cause the dragons here to go crazy?" Hound asked.
"It doesn't." Ratchet said.
"What do you mean?" Bumblebee asked.
"Whatever is causing the dragons to exhibit this erratic behavior, it is don't so on a much larger scope and scale than what this small device is capable of." Ratchet said as he went back to typing on the terminal console.
"So how do we find what's causing it?" Arcee asked.
"Fortunately, all forms of frequencies have a certain wavelength pattern. If I can find the source, we will find what is causing this." Ratchet said as an image of an island appeared on the screen. "There, that should be where you'll find the source."
"Ratchet, open a Groundbridge." Optimus ordered as a Ratchet did just that. "Autobots, we will send everything we have to destroy the source of this problem. Be prepared, for there may be heavy Decepticon forces on the other end."
"Ha! Sounds like a vacation to me." Hound said as he prepped his triple-barreled machine gun.
"We're ready for anything, Optimus." Smokescreen said as he and the other Autobots prepped their weapons.
"And we're coming to." Hiccup said as he and the other riders stepped forward.
"I would allow you to come with us, but without your dragons you would be at a complete disadvantage." Optimus said.
"Optimus, our dragons are more than just a way for us to get around faster, they are a part of our tribe, our family." Hiccup said with determination.
"And when those Cons targeted them, they crossed a line." Astrid said as she had the same look.
"Yeah, now it's personal." Tuffnut said as he punched his open palm.
"Wasn't it already personal when they tried to, you know, destroy the world." Ruffnut deadpanned.
"Now it's more personal." Tuffnut corrected.
"Yeah, we want to stick it to those Decepticreeps!" Snotloud exclaimed in agreement.
The Autobots looked at each of the riders and they could see the strong determination in their eyes. Optimus saw this as well, and he could definitely admire their courage to save their dragons, but there was still the risk of them getting hurt.
Seeing the conflicted look on Prime's face, Wheeljack stepped forward. "Optimus, these kids have already been through what we went through on a daily basis back home. They can tangle with the best of 'em, and they won't be helpless."
Wheeljack brought over a small metal case and presented it to the dragon riders. Hiccup opened it and the riders saw the same Energon weapons they used when the Decepticons first invaded Berk.
"Oh baby, did I miss these." Snotloud said as he and the other riders picked up a blaster.
The only one who wasn't holding a blaster was Astrid, much to her confusion. "Where's my weapon."
"Right here, with a few modifications." Wheeljack said with a smirk as he held out his hand and presented to Astrid, her new weapon.
Astrid gasped in surprised as she was holding an axe that looked to be made out of metal, but had a leather handle for her to hold it more comfortably. The blade had a glowing blue like pattern and seemed to be more mechanical, like the Energon weapons.
"It's something me and Gobber made specifically for you." Wheeljack said proudly. "It's made out of some excess Cybertronian metal we had lying around and has a bit more surprises then just being sharper than the average axe."
"This is amazing!" Astrid said happily as gave the axe a few practice swings.
"Hey, where's our alien battle weapons?" Snotloud asked as he felt left out.
"Still in the works, but you'll get them soon." Wheeljack said.
Bumblebee stepped forward next to his leader. "Optimus, these guys can do this. We've seen them in action, and they don't need dragons to be great warriors."
"They have just as much drive and courage as any Autobot." Arcee said in agreement.
Optimus thought about it, and they did make valid points. Even without their dragons, these humans did possess a spirit that he had seen back in the many Autobot forces he's led back on Cybertron. After thinking about it for a few more seconds, he made his decision.
"Very well." Optimus said with a nod. "But I advise that you would be cautious, and follow our lead."
"You got it, Optimus." Hiccup said with a nod as he and the other riders primed their weapons.
Optimus nodded in return and turned to the opened Groundbridge. He took off and ran straight on through, with the other bots and riders right behind them. Ratchet stayed behind to operate the Groundbridge, as well as take care of the dragons should they need him.
/
The Autobots and the dragon riders stepped out of the Groundbridge and raised their weapons. They found themselves in the middle of a clearing with trees in the distance. Seeing no Decepticons in the immediate area, they lowered their weapons and walked forward slowly, still on high alert and very cautious.
All of a sudden, they heard a roar in the distance and it seemed to be coming over a hill. They all quietly walked up the hill laid fat so they could remain low and still see past the hill. What they saw was a whole squadron of Vehicons surrounding a tower that was close to the edge of the island they were on. With them were the Stunticons, who stood guard, Soundwave, who stood near the terminal on the tower, and Startscream, who stood next to the faceless Decepticon.
What really surprised them all, was seeing the energy cage that was holding the Death Song, which was roaring in agony from being electrocuted again.
"Oh great, it's him again." Snotloud groaned, as he hoped he would never see that dragon again.
"Show some respect." Elita scolded as she got a closer look at the state the dragon was. "The poor thing looks to be suffering."
Arcee used her optics to zoom in and saw the cables connecting the cage to Soundwave, and then towards the tower. "That's how they're doing it." Arcee said in realization.
"What are they doing, cause I'm completely lost." Tuffnut said.
"That's nothing new." Ruffnut commented.
"They're using the Death Song's song to make that frequency Ratchet mentioned." Arcee explained.
"But the Death Song wasn't capable of doing that before." Fishlegs said.
"That must be what the tower is for." Smokescreen said. "Soundwave must be using those creepy tentacles of his to manipulate the Death Song's cry and change it to whatever they see fit."
"And what they see fit is to mess with our dragons." Astrid said as she clenched a handful of grass in anger.
"We use a two-frontal assault." Optimus said as he looked towards Hiccup. "Hiccup, you and the other riders should focus more on freeing the Death Song, while the Autobots focus on destroying the tower."
"You got it, Optimus." Hiccup said with a nod.
"Don't worry, boss bot, we got their backs." Bulkhead said as he brought out his mace and the other Autobot guardians brought out their weapons.
"You can count on us." Bumblebee bleeped.
Optimus nodded and gave the signal. "Autobots, onward!"
They all got up and started running down the hill and started firing at the Vehicons. The Decepticons looked in surprise and some of them got shot down.
"Autobots?!" Starscream exclaimed in surprise before it twisted in anger. "Destroy them!" The Vehicons wasted no time and they started to return fire.
The Autobots hid behind some rocks and started firing back.
Hound rolled out from his hiding spot and fired his triple-barrel machine gun. "Come on! You want some of this!" He managed to take out a few Vehicons on the ground. A couple of them transformed into their jet modes and took off into the air, with Hound trying shoot them, but unable to. "Get back here you cowards!"
Ultra Magnus came in and blasted a few with weapons and then punched one right in the face. One Vehicon came in from behind him, but Iron Hide tackled him and slammed him on the ground. Cross Hairs twirled around and fired his guns at the Vehicons surrounding him. He even used his guns as blunt weapons when they got in too close.
Jazz performed a flip kick on a charging Vehicon, and when it was knocked down, he shot his weapon right in its chest. Elita slid right between a Vehicon's legs and when she was behind it she brought out her blade and stabbed it right in the back.
More Vehicon jets came flying down from the Nemesis in the air and started firing at the Autobots, while the riders tried to avoid the conflict as much as possible in order to get to the Death Song easier. A Vehicon spotted them me stomped in front of them, causing them to jump back in fear.
"AAHH!" Snotloud exclaimed as he aimed his blaster and and fired, hitting the Vehicon right in the head, causing it to fall to the ground dead. Snotloud looked in surprise for a moment, but then had a big smile on his face. "Oh baby, have I missed using these!" Snotloud exclaimed as he smiled at his blaster.
"Yeah, is that all you got?!" Tuffnut challenged smugly.
The response he got was a group of Vehicons came flying down, transforming, and aimed their weapons at them.
Ruffnut glared at her brother, who had the decency to look sheepishly. "You just had to say something."
The Vehicons split up to make way for Starscream to walk past them and looked at the riders with a smug smirk. "Well, well, you humans decide to come into battle all on your own, without the aid of your little reptile pets. I don't know if your brave, or just plain stupid."
"We're here because of what you did to our dragons." Hiccup said as he narrowed his eyes at the new Decepticon leader.
"And what are you going to do about it?" Starscream asked sarcastically.
Wheeljack used his swords and managed to slice up a few Vehicons that came in close, and then kneed one right in the face. He saw the situation the riders were in so he called out to them. "Astrid, twirl your axe!"
Astrid was confused by that, but did as was told and started twirling her axe. The moment she did, the axe started to change when the blade portion turned into a cannon and he handle had a trigger on it.
(AN: For reference, in Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, the black ranger had an axe that served as a cannon also.)
"Oh...yeah." Astrid said as a smirk slowly came to her face as she gave a fierce glare that made the Vehicons, even Starscream, back up a little.
Astrid then used her new cannon and started firing at the Vehicons, with the other riders firing at them as well. Starscream got out of the way as each of his troopers were gunned down. Astrid's cannon had enough power in its shots that it completely blew a Vehicon's head off. This surprise distraction was enough for Fishlegs and Hiccup to make it to the energy cage holding the Death Song.
"Can you get it open?" Hiccup asked.
Fishlegs pressed a few buttons, but it had no results. "I don't even know what some of these but in do. Ratchet has been showing me a little bit of Cybertronian tech, but not enough that I can actually work with it."
Hiccup frowned at that and cast a glance at the caged-up dragon. The last time he seen this dragon, it looked at him in rage and hunger, but the look this dragon was giving him was one of desperation and a longing to be free.
"It's alright. We're going to get you out of here." Hiccup said reassuringly.
The other dragon riders walked around the cage and spotted a cable attached to the cage. The twins came up to it and brought out their swords.
"Well, if at first you don't succeed..." Tuffnut said.
"...start breaking stuff." Ruffnut finished.
Before they can start hacking away, the cable came to life and swiped them to the side. The riders looked as the cable retracted back to Soundwave who walked towards them.
"Oh great, I hate this guy." Snotloud complained as the riders aimed their weapons at him.
They heard a noise behind them and Starscream came up from behind them with his rocket arm primed and ready to fire. "You humans are becoming more and more of nuisance every time I even look at you."
"Well, we have that effect on people." Tuffnut said with pride.
"But that ends now." Starscream declared as he was about to fire his rocket.
Before Starscream could fire, Bumblebee came in out of nowhere and punched Starscream back. Arcee rode in and transformed into her robot mode to deliver a kick that push the faceless Decepticon back.
"Did I ever mention how much I love that we have metal giants on our side right now." Snotloud said with relief.
Starscream tried to swipe at Bumblebee with his claws, but the scout managed to avoid each and every swipe. The last swipe he dodged, he retaliated with a punch right in the stomach followed by a kick to the chest that sent him crashing to the ground.
"Perish, Bumblebee!" Starscream exclaimed as he fired his Energon weapons at the Autobot, which missed each time.
Arcee had a lot more difficulty with her own opponent, but that was a given considering it was Soundwave. She deployed her arm blades and tried to slice at the Con, but Soundwave used his arms to defend himself almost without difficulty. She tried to do a spin kick, but Soundwave caught her leg and tossed her said.
While all this was happening, the Stunticons watched on throughout the conflict on the side.
"Looks like they're having trouble." Dead End said simply.
"I don't know about you guys, but I've been itching to punch something all day." Wild Rider said with enthusiasm.
"Do whatever you want, but Prime is mine." Motormaster said as he charged right towards the conflict.
"Fine, so long as I can crush Bulkhead." Breakdown said as he charged in with the rest of the Stunticons right behind him.
Breakdown brought out his hammer and when Bulkhead wasn't looking, slugged him right in the face. Bulkhead stepped back in pain, but managed to catch the next strike from Breakdown and threw him off to the side.
"Enjoy that cheap shot, because it won't happen again." Bulkhead said as he had both his maces primed.
"Fine by me, I'd rather look you in the eye when I snuff out your spark." Breakdown said as both combatants charged at each other with their weapons colliding first.
Optimus deployed both his swords and was slicing away at any Vehicons that came at him with great skill. He stopped when he heard rumbling footsteps behind him, and turned just in time to avoid a strike from Motormaster.
"How many times must we go through this, Motormaster?" Optimus questioned.
"Until the best one wins." Motormaster said as he charged right at Prime.
The two giant bots delivered one punch after the other with no sign of stopping. Each time Motormaster punched Optimus, the Prime would just retaliate with a punch of his own, and vice versa.
The other Stunticons chose their opponents as Wildrider faced off against Wheeljack, Drag Strip went against Smokescreen, and Dead End went against Jazz.
With all of the Decepticons busy, the dragon riders went back to trying to figure out how to free the Death Song, but so far nothing seemed to work.
Astrid was finally getting fed up. "Oh, screw it." Astrid said as she twirled her cannon and changed it back into an axe.
She hoisted her weapon up and slammed it right on the control console. It sliced clean though and sparks flew as the young vikings stood back as the energy cage disappeared.
"Not the approach I would have used, but it works." Fishlegs said.
"Honestly we probably should have done that from the start." Tuffnut said with a shrug.
The Death Song finally felt the sweet air of freedom and groggily stood back up. It stretched out it's wing and gave a triumphant roar from being free, before looking down and staring at the young vikings, who backed away a few steps.
"He knows we're saving him, right?" Snotloud said in slight fear.
Hiccup took a step forward and held out his hand, never breaking eye contact with the Death Song. The tension was thick, but eventually the Death Song moved its head forward, allowing Hiccup to touch it's snout.
"I think we're good." Hiccup said as he and the other riders breathed a sigh of relief.
The Death. Song gave a final roar before it took off into the air and flew off. Starscream paused in his fight with Bumblebee to see the dragon fly off and growled in anger.
"Stunticons, quit playing around and end this!" Starscream ordered.
"Fine." Motormaster growled as he and the rest of the Stunticons gathered around. "Stunticons, merge to form Menasor!"
The five Stunticons became one as they merged into their giant combined form. Menasor lumbered towards the humans, completely ignoring the Energon blasts from the Autobots who were still fighting the Vehicons.
"Oh, I hate this guy." Snotloud said as he and the other riders tried blasting the giant Decepticon with their guns, but it did little to nothing.
"Goodbye small fries!" Menasor bellowed as he brought out his giant sword and slammed it right into the ground.
The riders were standing right at the edge of the cliff, so when Menasor brought his sword down, the ground they were standing on broke off and they began plummeting off the edge to the water. They all screamed as they began to fall, knowing they had nothing to save them.
All of a sudden, a Groundbridge appeared beneath them and all of their dragons came right out of it, able to catch them in midair.
"Toothless!" Hiccup said joyfully as his dragon smiled at him.
"Oh, I've missed you Stormfly!" Astrid said as she hugged Stormfly's head.
"We'll never be apart again, Meatlug!" Fishlegs said as he patted Meatlug on the head.
"Have we finally calmed down now?" Snotloud asked Hookfang, who blew a wisp of flame near his head. "Hey, watch it!"
"Alright guys, let's move!" Hiccup exclaimed as he and the rest of the riders flew down and rained fire on the Decepticons.
They breathed fire, magma, and magnesium blasts on any Vehicon in their sights, be they in the air or on the ground. Menasor tried hitting them, but they were too fast for him lumbering form. The Autobots went back into the fray and they are finally gaining the upper hand.
Wheeljack and Bulkhead charged in and either bashed or sliced any Decepticons in their way, when they made it to the tower.
"So, what's the plan?" Bulkhead asked.
"When in doubt..." Wheeljack said as held out a couple of grenades. "...blow stuff up."
Wheeljack tossed a few grenades right into the base of the tower, and he and Bulkhead ran off to a safe distance. When they were at a good distance, Wheeljack activated the detonator and blew up the grenades. The tower began losing its stability as it started to tumble forward.
"Bring it down, everyone!" Hiccup ordered.
The dragon riders flew in behind the tower and their dragons began to push with all their might. In no time at all, the tower came down and broke apart in pieces.
Starscream and Soundwave, in their jet modes, flew to the Nemesis and transformed back into their robot modes. Starscream saw the state of the tower and ground in anger.
"No! Curse you, Autobots!" Starscream exclaimed in anger.
Menasor roared in anger and charged at the Autobots. Optimus saw him coming and called Ratchet over the comms. "Ratchet, mission accomplished! Prepare a Groundbridge for extraction!"
A Groundbridge opened up behind the Autobots as they each ran through it. The dragon riders swooped down and dive bombed right into it as well. Menasor tried to swipe at them with his sword, but every one of them made it through the Groundbridge, before it disappeared, causing Menasor to miss his attack. The giant Decepticon saw his attack didn't work and roared in anger.
/
Optimus smiled as he, Ratchet, and Bumblebee watched the young vikings interacting with their dragons, happy that they're back to normal.
"When the dragon's aggression went away and the signal came down, I knew that it was safe to let them go." Ratchet explained. "They instantly became worried and wanted to be with their riders, almost as if they knew something was wrong, so I opened a Groundbridge so they could aid you."
"It's a good thing that you did, otherwise they would have been toast." Bumblebee bleeped.
"This has further cemented what we've already known." Optimus said. "The bond these young ones share with their dragons can never be severed easily, even if they're a distance away."
As the riders were giving their dragons some attention, Snotloud had a thought. "Hey, that Death Song got away, but what's to stop the Cons from going after it again?"
"Arcee already went ahead to check the island we found it on, and it was gone." Astrid said.
"Probably left its home to find a new one." Fishlegs said.
"Well, wherever it is now, hopefully it can live in peace." Hiccup said with a smile as he rubbed Toothless' head, who purred in delight. "Just like our dragons."
/
Hey everybody, here's the next chapter for this story!
To be honest, I'm kind of 'meh' about this chapter. I did my best on it, but I feel like I could have done better. I'm glad I wrote it cause it shows that the Decepticons is starting to learn on how to adapt to this world and how to fight Hiccup and the other dragon riders. If you like this chapter, thank you very much, if you don't, it's completely understandable.
On the next chapter we'll get back to the Race to the Edge storyline and I do have plans to turn it up a notch and make it more awesome than it already was.
Now for some announcements for future stories. I have a few stories that I plan to make in the future and here they are.
Avatar: The Last Airbender x Star Wars
Ben 10 Alien Force, Ultimate Alien, Omniverse x Tenchi Muyo
Suicide Squad x Stargate SG-1
The Walking Dead x Terminator
Look forward to these stories in the upcoming future, but I'm not sure how far into the future. Until then, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! See you all next time!