A Foul Sun Cometh

AN: Thank you ALL for your wonderful reviews. I have just been overwhelmed by the positive feedback that has been left. As always, its appreciated far more than words can say.

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"And your tactics against the cons last battle, though unorthodox, are to be commended," Prowl was saying, his optics as ever engrossed on a datapad. His fingers typed a few keys, highlighting notes in the officers logs. "If you have the time I wish to ask your opinion of how we may incorporate your more elaborate, damage inflicting moves. Then, if your are amicable, we may have training sessions so you may instruct the others in self defense."

"If you think that's wise," Sunstreaker said, not liking the idea of being the center of attention in a class. The idea of pummeling his teammates (all in the name of progress and honing skills) was an idea that tingled his relays.

"Yes, I do believe we could incorporate a few moves," Prowl said, his datapad showing Sunstreaker's image captured by some unknown photographer in a series of moves that left his opponent sparking and bleeding in his wake. Sunstreaker glanced to the datapad, wondering who had captured such perfect details, but was quickly lost in the perfection of the frame that glowed like the planets only sun. Slag. He was gorgeous. Even when fighting, he was beautiful to look at. It's a wonder his opponents simply didn't lay down their weapons and stare in awe as he approached.

"I will of course lessen your monitor duty and cleaning detail to compensate for the time you will be instructing others on your techniques." Prowl said, knowing the golden Lamborghini hated such menial duties.

"Sounds great to me," Sunstreaker said, knowing he had a hectic schedule upcoming that involved a lot of monitor staring and solvents.

Prowl continued toward his office, his battle computer already formulating the best possible schedule to allow Sunstreaker the chance to teach some defensive moves. The SICs door was at the far end of the corridor, looming innocently in the distance, watching its two arrivals.

"We may need to hone a few moves, but I believe that with…." Prowl said, but Sunstreaker wasn't paying attention. He slowed his step, his gaze sweeping the hall.

Something felt… off.

Prowl was a full step ahead, still babbling about modifying fighting techniques, when Sunstreaker heard the unmistakable sound of a clever disguise. It was a sound of trouble.

Grind

Click

BOOM!

Silence filled the hall for a full ten seconds.

"SIDESWIPE!" Prowl yelled, trembling as his vision was obscured by very sticky multicolored feathers.

Sunstreaker had jumped to the wall as the last possible second. Years of fighting for ones life had honed his skills of self preservation into a razors edge. It took very look little provocation for him to immediately revert back to his ingrain instincts. Most of the multicolored feathers missed the golden twin. Most, but not all.

Every feather that stuck to Sunstreaker was a canary yellow. He glanced to the obscene decorations, smirking when he realized the color choice that gravitated toward him. Didn't matter the substance… if it was yellow, it would inevitably find its way to Sunstreaker's immaculate body.

"SIDESWIPE!" Prowl repeated, doorwings fluttering in an effort to rid themselves of the offending substances. The action only made the SIC resemble a very pissed off parrot.

"Yeah?" came the timid voice of the guilty frontliner over the ship's comms.

"Brig!" Prowl shouted

"Yeah, right," Sideswipe laughed over the speakers. No doubt he was hiding somewhere where he knew he was safe and Prowl couldn't find him. He didn't take chances when it came to pranking the Praxian. Technically since he was off duty, and his prank had not caused physical harm, he wasn't breaking any of the rules. "I won't go without a fight!"

"Allow me," Sunstreaker said, detaching from the wall, a spray of multicolored feathers leaving a shadowed halo where he stood.

Prowl gave one nod in affirmation before adding, "Just don't terminate him. You have a class to teach later this week and I want you alive and able to teach it."

"Won't be a problem," Sunstreaker muttered, using his senses to detect his twin's whereabouts.

Prowl scrubbed at his face, making a myriad of color appear before his vision. He may have been partially blinded from the sticky feathers, but he could see Sunstreaker's quiet determination as he turned in slow motion to zero in on his twin's location. When the frontliner turned and marched down the hall, yellow feathers fell from his aft, making it look like a molting duck wandering the base.

Sunstreaker used his twins unique spark signature to hone in on him hiding in a storage closet on the lowest level of the ship. Pedes silent, Sunstreaker crept down the hall, sensing the broadcasting signal that only he could detect. He had to concentrate to mute his own spark beat, lest he give his brother a heads-up and an opportunity to escape. He opened the door to yelling protests, Sideswipe's voice filtering throughout the base before ending in a strangled scream.

When Sideswipe awoke from his brothers' beating, it was to find himself in an elevated position. He let out a startled cry at the realization that he was suspended above the floor. Bots were looking up at him with smirks and downright sadistic looks.

"Hey, this isn't funny!" Sideswipe yelled at the mechs far below him. Primus, he didn't realize how high the ceiling was in the ARK. He looked around the room and found that it was the main training center for the Autobot crew.

"Odd, it was funny when you glued Bumblebee to the ceiling last month," Powerglide chided, having been the one that had to get the frightened minibot down from the considerable height. Minibots didn't like heights. Sideswipe knew this. He still thought it was hilarious.

"Or when you glued Ratchet's tools to the ceiling a week ago," Wheeljack added, his head fins flashing an array of pretty colors with his mirth. "Or my tools the week before that. Perceptor's datapads. Prowl's datapads. Grapple's schematics. Blaster to the overhead speakers."

"You forgot me,' Gears added with a gruff voice, his arms crossed and scowl on his face. "What he glued onto me."

"That zucchini was completely harmless!" Sideswipe snapped in self defense.

"Not on an interface panel!" Gears yelled, brandishing his fist at the mech who dared glue a vegetable onto the minibots interface panel. "That glue wasn't compatible with organic substances!"

"Oh, that was hilarious," Sideswipe scoffed. When he noticed Gears' irate look he added with a scathing jibe, "It gave you an idea of what a regular sized mech is packing."

Gears' fuming was cut short as Prowl entered the room, his attention drawn to a datapad.

"Prowl!" Sideswipe yelled, getting the SIC's attention. "Someone glued me to the ceiling!"

Prowl looked up, his optics raking over the ruby form. He gave a nod, "So it appears."

"Get me down!" Sideswipe screamed, trying to flail and only causing his structure to groan in protest as the adhesive kept him immobile. He was glued from shoulders to pedes, his helm and hands the only thing that wasn't secured via Sideswipe's favorite glue.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Prowl said, subspacing the datapad and looking at the group of Autobots. "And all of you are under strict orders not to facilitate Sideswipe's escape."

"No problem."

"Don't care."

"Fine by me," came the chorus of expressions.

"Teach that fragger," Gears said, sending a hateful glare skyward. The look was returned, tenfold.

"This is a direct violation of that code thing you always spout at me," Sideswipe said, barely able to move his hand to gesture toward the black and white officer. "This is against the rules, as you have repeated to me so many times."

"Exactly why this is a befitting form of punishment," Prowl said with a neutral expression. "You refuse to listen. You continue to break the rules. Your pranks become your own punishment."

Sideswipe's mouth hung open in shock. He allowed his head to hang forward, his chin bumping his chest. And with the action, noticed the full presentation of his predicament.

"Oh slag!" Sideswipe screamed upon viewing his person.

Every inch was covered in multicolored feathers. The same feathers he used to decorate the SIC and inadvertently, his twin. And it wasn't the ceiling that he was mounted to like a colorful display of a rare specimen. It was a training drone.

An aerial training drone.

It was still attached to its housing unit, gaining charge and awaiting the set command codes from someone who wished to train with moving targets. The metal was cool against Sideswipe's back.

Just when Sideswipe thought it couldn't get any worse, in walked Sunstreaker. He swaggered inside the training room, a definite bounce to his step and to everyone's astonishment, a wide, friendly smile. Several mechs thought the Pit Maker had just taken physical form.

"Sunny!" Sideswipe called, hoping to gain his brother's ire. When Sunstreaker decided to enact retribution, he did so with complete lack of control and total annihilation. If he knew who did this to his brother, his vengeance would be swift. The corpse wouldn't be recognizable. "Sunny! Help me!"

Sunstreaker turned his handsome face toward his brother-drone.

"I'm sorry, Sides, I can't do that," Sunstreaker said with an air of politeness that didn't fit with his normal demeanor.

Sideswipe felt his fuel pump falter. There was a giddiness in his spark that usually came from him, not Sunstreaker. Something was amiss. Sunstreaker shouldn't be feeling such positive emotions. And the look Sunstreaker wore…. It was unnatural! Sideswipe's fear doubled when Sunstreaker turned to the room at large and addressed the assembled mechs.

"Ready?" Sunstreaker called, his voice strong and vibrant.

"Ready!" the Autobots called back.

Much to Sideswipe's horror, each mech hoisted a pulse rifle in their hands. Sideswipe felt his spark clench, a sinking feeling threatening to perform like a black hole and suck him in. The pulse rifles wouldn't kill. They just struck with enough electrical force to send a bot reeling into next week. It was like trying to suck on a live wire while swimming in the ocean.

Sideswipe's fear increased when he felt the training drone at his back hum to life.

"Oh, slag," Sideswipe muttered, hearing the beeps and clicks of an uploading program.

Sideswipe let loose a tirade that would have made Ratchet proud as the drone disengaged from its anchor and started to zoom around the room. He looked to his brother, abject fear and panic flooding the bond in drowning waves that only increased when he watched his twin.

Sunstreaker turned, staring at the brightly colored training drone that carried his brother. His face lit up in a delightful sneer as he cocked his rifle, taking a step into the room and calling to the mechs at large.

"Come on, mechs! Shoot the birdie!"

Sideswipe squawked, screamed, and cried out like a tortured parrot.

And all the while Prowl leaned against the bulkhead, arms crossed over his chassis, a placid look on his face as he watched the Autobots run around the training room trying to shoot a cursing bird.

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Reviews would be loved, as always.

On another note, I'm taking a week off to rest up and recharge my batteries. I have been doing a LOT of writing lately and sitting for so long has caused even more back issues than normal. So there will NOT be any posting for this fic next Tuesday. I just have far too much plaguing me at the moment and I just need to take a breath. I will be back to posting on January 22nd. While I'm on sabbatical I will be working on the sequel to "Aby of Darkness" titled "And Together, We Rise". Currently its sitting in at LEAST a dozen locations and has yet to be given any form of structure. Also, I have a few ideas for little one shots I want to take time to sit and think on.

I shall be back and I hope y'all stick with me!