Promotional Artwork: tigressa101/art/Arcee-and-the-Isle-of-the-Allspark-Cover-931607333
After repairing Megatron, Bolt relaxed as he viewed the cameras for any suspicious activity or animal fights to keep himself entertained. Megatron, to his right, was merely watching something on a data pad and Arcee was drinking some Energon.
"So, that twin pair of swords I lent you, Megatron, why do you only have one? What happened to the other one?"
Megatron smirked, "Well...currently...it's buried beneath that ship in the Nemesis Forest along with the jaggerstripe."
"Ah," he said a bit disappointed. "Poor sword."
"'Poor sword.' Pity the sword but not your own teammate, I see how it is," the warlord scoffed.
Arcee shook her helm playfully, "You two are ridiculous."
"Yeah, and if you tell anybody that, nobody will believe you. See? You missed out on a lot joining the Autobots when you could have had fun on the Decepticon side," Bolt mused. "Your loss, Arcee."
"I'll be sure to consider that if there's ever a reason to pick a side again,"
"You love us now, admit it."
"Yes, yes I do!" She laughed, "You two are definitely growing on me, I'll admit that much. A shame we had to be enemies before."
Megatron set down the data pad and leaned back in his seat. "Sometimes, you never meet the right set of people until after the damage is done. Had I played my cards right, you, Bumblebee, and many other Autobots would have probably flocked to my side, and we would've won...but my ambitions got the best of me. Would have, could have; it matters not anymore."
Bolt crossed his arms, "The past does matter because it affects what we have now and Arcee became queen because of it. And here we are enemies to friends. I'd say I wouldn't have it any other way...except maybe not being stranded on an island but then again, we wouldn't have met each other either."
Arcee nodded, "Things happen for a reason, I guess. I am quite thankful you guys are here with me."
Megatron observed her before smiling as sweet as he could pull off. "And I'm proud to serve beside a noble warrior."
"Agreed," Bolt said.
"To change the subject, I know we need to get moving soon to Paragon Canyon. Is there anything we need to know about it that wasn't mentioned before or...?"
Bolt started to shake his head until he paused and raised a digit before turning back to his computer. He brought up a 3D layout of the canyon's depth and width. "One thing I have to stress is it's not going to be as easy to navigate as the terrains like the marshlands or the forest. A lot of climbing is in order."
Arcee shifted uncomfortably which wasn't lost to Megatron.
"It runs a good two miles below sea level. Why it isn't flooded with ocean water is due to the abnormal number of cliffs bordering it on top of its water source isn't from the sea but a constant river that moves around the Black Mountains and a waterfall near its drop-off merge of territory. I think the Allspark's power makes the river unlimited in its abundance of water. It has a few formations in its center overlooking its valley but not accessible...unless you can fly."
"Which I cannot do as my vehicle form and flight capabilities are disabled," Megatron sneered.
"Hmm, well, the best I can do is send you close to the canyon's edge to scout and look for the gem. We'll figure out more once we have an idea of where it is and what dangers lurk among the canyon. I don't know what method they used to disable your abilities but if I tinker with the wrong thing, it'll send your system into shock and shut you down. I'm decent, but not that good. I'm sorry."
The warlord, instead of getting frustrated or angry, merely cracked a smile, "My flight was hardly what defined me as an imposing force that brought Cybertron to its knees. If there's a will, there's a way and we will retrieve that gem."
Arcee matched his smile, "That's the ticket. We can do it. Moonhunter, you're staying here."
The Nitrotiger seemed content with that as he continued to munch away on the antler piece. Bolt seemed less amused, but she was sure he would get used to the cat's company.
Bolt then glanced between the two of them with glee. "Well, mighty warriors, let's get to it! I have a gift for you, better than flight maybe."
As he quickly went into the back, he grabbed a basket off the shelf and chuckled to himself before returning and setting the basket on the side table. Both Arcee and Megatron looked confused as they saw a small clear linen ball with a type of rope decorated around it and ending wrapped around the tip of the circular, flexible glass jars that held the green liquid contents inside it secure. Bolt took it out and tossed it up into the air before catching it with pride.
"Look familiar?"
Arcee figured the comment was addressed to her, so she shook her head with slight concern. "No clue."
"You have seen this before, remember? You throw this, it would be like detonating a mine right in the enemies' face. I'd love to see their last expressions as they are pelted with one of these."
That made Arcee think before realizing what it was with a look of awe. "You crazy mech, you actually did it?!"
Megatron was more confused than ever now. "What did he do?"
"Rozarian blood bombs?! You didn't, did you?"
Bolt laughed, "Of course I did! You think I was going to let all of Xerophorus' blood go to waste with its properties? I put them in small bead-like jars, you know, for smoke bombs, and I added some Energon to it. The clear linen wrapped around it makes it resistant to heat so you can carry it without the risk of it exploding on you. The Energon, I found out, makes the blood highly reactant to pressure so you throw one of these bad boys at any creature that gets in your way, the force of the impact should activate the volatile mixture and boom, you have yourself a grenade!"
The excitement in Arcee's optics was a given, as he expected. Megatron probably had no need for them but the mech was nonetheless impressed too. Bolt clapped his servos before rubbing them together.
"I take it you like them? Well, how about a test run in Paragon Canyon. If they work, I'll see about hunting a few bloodhawks tonight. Make me proud, you two."
Xerophorus' death and the jaggerstripe's defeat displayed on screens in the dark, bio lit room. Pulsing bluish white made the screens glitch slightly but not enough to alter the images.
A ghostly breath hissed as whispers echoed in the room. This wasn't supposed to happen. It was bad enough Arcee and Megatron were betrayed and forced to come here, now they wanted to obtain its shield gems to capture it and return home?
Why couldn't they leave well enough alone? It just wanted to be left alone. Well, if they couldn't respect that, then it was time to bring in more than just animals and creatures to get the point across. As it watched Arcee and Megatron teleport to the canyon while replaying their previous fights it has seen, it became clear that there needed to be something more on their level to perhaps stop them...
The spirit sentries, taking the forms of Earth animals, appeared before it and gave off an assortment of growls and roars. They fed on its thoughts, its pain and frustrations. Not yet, they would get their chance. They understood what might need to be done and didn't fight it. It must think though of what or who to send to show these intruders just why this island was far more dangerous than they've been led to believe so far.
The Allspark, with its orbiting rings, turned blue to red and gave a thousand voice yell in fury. Its spirit sentries rearing and crying out in tandem.
The ground bridge burst open next to the canyon's big drop and both Megatron and Arcee were quick to exit, still unnerved whether or not it was safe given it was running on Allspark energy which could twist and turn any given second.
When they observed the new area, it was clear Bolt wasn't joking when he said flight was needed. The canyon did have formations across its center through its valley but they were too spread out from the cliff edge and themselves that navigating on foot would be incredibly hard.
"Wow, we are totally unprepared. This is going to be a challenge," she said truthfully.
Megatron couldn't but agree. "Mmhmm. Never missed my ability to fly so much before, now I definitely won't take it for granted after this."
They heard screeches from up high and to their surprise, what appeared to resemble Predacons like Predaking but smaller ended up gliding down past them to navigate the canyon. The creatures had an unusual set of armor, asymmetrical like they were made from random parts, yet they functioned perfectly. A few younglings fly behind the others, flapping their little wings eagerly. They were all scattered colors, mostly dark metallics but some had odd ball random light colors on pieces of their armor.
"Hey Bolt, do you know any worlds with Predacons other than ours?"
"Hmm?" Bolt said confused, "Predacons are only native to Cybertron. If you're asking if anything resembles them or vice versa, Kanjis has many different types, but most all are bots like us, not wildlife."
Arcee simply replied, "No, they have mismatched armor like they were built by someone in a hurry. They don't look incredibly big compared to us."
"Hang on, that sounds very familiar. Let's see, Caminus, Kanjis, Cybertron, Velocitron...aha! Junkion! The planet of junk. All the creatures that reside on this floating scrap pile are self-made, meaning they are created like you and I but as they grow larger and older, they make their own armor out of the junk they come across. No creature, even from the same species, has the exact same design. You have Mechanobeasts, hira hyenas, gorbithias, pygmy distiller dragons, the glowing werewrath-"
"Woah, woah, go back...dragons?"
Arcee peered at the creatures flying around again and sure enough, as Miko once described Predaking as a beast, they looked like fabled dragons. If she could recall, Junkion was a planet ruled by Wreck-gar, a known fan of Earth's history and one of the reasons Optimus ever learned of the planet aside from speculated coordinates the ancient Cybertronians of old mentioned in hidden data. Wreck-gar probably named the creatures from this knowledge.
"Yeah, dragons. Four limbed, two-winged creatures. They are called pygmy distillers because they are known oil hoarders and there is a larger species of dragon vaguely called the Junkion scrap dragon, different species but a union forged through similar means. In comparison, they are very small and hover in flocks in the vicinity of a scrap dragon. The larger dragons don't mind them at all as they are both a part of a symbiotic relationship. The scrap dragon provides protection against larger predators and in return, the pygmy distillers keep the scrap dragon clean and pristine. The distillers are more mischievous as they steal stuff for their hives' collection than predators themselves, but they can, if hungry enough, eat you...so keep that in mind."
"How many are usually in a hive?" Arcee asked in concern.
"...A couple thousand minimum."
Giving a detested sigh, the Autobot glanced at Megatron who shrugged in response. "Well, I guess there is nothing we can do."
Arcee bit her lip in thought until she noticed the dragons coming to land on the cliff edge on their side. They paid the bots no mind, screeching excitedly among one another like a flock of birds. Some even leapt into the remaining trees that grew out of the Nemesis Forest's range. She watched them, observed their movements and suddenly got a crazy idea that would make Wheeljack proud.
"Megatron, I think I have a plan," she said slowly, watching one dragon push off the cliff and soar across the gap to a formation housing more of them.
Megatron looked at her, looked at the dragons and immediately went, "No. Absolutely not."
"Alright, I'll fly, and you can scout the ground. Be my lookout," she said with confidence.
"That's not happening because you're afraid of heights and flight. The last thing you need is to be up in the air."
"I know that! Don't mention it out loud and make me think about the logistics of it! I was hoping to just do it and forget about the fact we're over several thousand feet to the valley but now, I might not be able to at all! But one of us must do something. We can't just quit after we've come this far!"
Megatron rubbed beneath his optics with a groan, "Okay, so what's your plan again? Capture one of those distiller dragons and navigate the canyon without your phobia catching up to you?"
Arcee peered to the side in pause, "W-well, yeah, that was initially it."
The deadpanned look the warlord gave her was priceless. "You're kidding me? Arcee-"
"What?! It's not a bad plan! What's your plan then?"
"I don't have a-!"
A large shadow flew over them, making their argument pause and both peered up to the sky. The pygmy distiller dragons froze too until one made a specific sounding call and the entire flock divebombed off the edge of the canyon cliff, quickly flying down into the valley into a cavern opening somewhere next to the river.
Two of the dragons failed to heed the call and stuck to the tree for longer than they should have. When it became silent, one of them gave a squeak, urging the other to take off with it. After a minute, they finally fled. The two dragons tried to watch the shadow up high among the sun and they divebombed...but so did the shadow.
Arcee didn't even see it, that's how fast those little dragons disappeared. One minute they were heading to the cave and the next, only pieces of armor fell into the river, scaring off a few coyotes and other species drinking from the water. All that echoed in the dead canyon's silence was the beating of wings.
A cybernetic bird with its wings as golden as the sunlight in contrast to the dull brown and orange of the canyon rock soared through the valley. It collapsed its wings upon meeting a formation among the canyon with a sizable hole in the middle, flying through it with a spin. Reopening them, it began diving near the water. The river rippled upon the bird moving past it.
It finally shot up and slowed itself down midair to perch on a formation with a wide radius and Joshua trees on top of it. It spread its wings and gave twill, a beautiful sound just as perfect as its golden luster finish. The tips of the metal feathers along its head crest, back, wings and tail ended with a soft sunset orange. Yellow bio lights were hardly visible during the day, but it could be seen in the shadows facing away from the sunlight that they existed. Bright small yellow optics on a black interior showed the keen eyes of the bird scouting for prey and watching its surroundings alike. Whatever Swift the bloodhawk's size was, this thing was larger and both Cybertronians stared at it baffled.
"Primus help us," Megatron scowled. "If I could only fly..."
"Will you shut up about flying?!" She harshly whispered, "I don't want to know what it's going to think of us when it sees us. You saw what happened to the dragons, right?"
"Kind of hard to miss."
"Let's just be on our way before we get killed, please?"
Megatron didn't want to argue with that as he wanted to be as far away as possible too. They snuck out of the creature's line of sight, ignoring its coo and shaking of its body as it scouted the valley. When they were far away, after a good twenty-minute walk, they came across more distiller dragons cleaning themselves and huddled near the edge.
"You know what, actually, this is perfect," Arcee said. "We can still snag two and fly off and search for the gem without alerting that bird back there."
Megatron cleared his throat to get Arcee's attention, "Do I look like I can ride that?"
"What? You don't know how to-?"
"No, I'm saying these things are about my size so me sitting on one is probably going to break its spine. I have no illusions; I'm far too heavy."
Arcee snarled, "Just help me capture one at least. Come on, use that cunning attitude of yours you are so renowned for."
The warlord frowned but also raised a brow looking at the relaxing dragons soaking in the sun. If he could guess, the dragons needed to be caught fast as well as spooked so none of the would come back and try to gang up on either of them with the intent to kill. Most likely, they needed to face something larger than them to be stunned enough to be scared.
Thinking hard, Megatron noticed the tree behind the flock with some sitting among its branches which gave him an idea. He immediately went to work without addressing Arcee who looked at him confused. When he snuck behind the tree out of most of the visible range of the dragons. He brought out his falchion sword and sliced through the tree's base enough to make it creak. It gathered the attention of the dragons but not before Megatron simply poked the tree to lean towards them. The rest played out exactly as planned.
A few of the dragons spotted the grey coloring of his form but instantly changed their attention to the tree falling where many gave out snorts of panic. The dragons in the tree took off without any hesitation and dived back to their cave. The ones on the ground at first backed away facing the tree to the edge of the cliff before scrambling over one another to flee.
Megatron sprinted into action and ran beside the falling tree just in time to catch only one of the creatures by the leg and pulled it back before it took flight. Wrapping his arms mostly around the wings to trap them against its sides, he forced it to the ground, wrestling the struggling dragon that then tried to nip at him. It became spooked and still as the tree hit the cliff before continuing over, the roots popping out as its weight grew one sided. With a loud boom and a small rockslide following, the tree fell to the valley below, breaking in two after it hit a rockface midway and crashing partially into the river.
The rest of the distiller dragons had left, fooled into thinking the tree was merely unstable and no use sticking around such a noisy place. The captured one tried to struggle again, attempting to nip at Megatron's holding servos but he pressed down hard enough on its neck to hold it in place.
Arcee came up beside it, impressed. "Megatron the dragon tamer. Miko and Jack would be tickled at that headline."
Megatron gave a smile.
Suddenly, they heard a grunt echoing where they had come from and saw in the distance, the bird turning towards them where it had decided to rest. The noise of the fallen tree must have alerted it. The bird chirped in slight annoyance as they were both left with a quick decision.
"Give me the dragon!" She urged.
Obeying, knowing they might just get a taste of what the bird could do, Megatron forced the dragon upright while still having a strong hold on its neck. Arcee quickly climbed aboard its back, and it gave a roar in displeasure.
Arcee then said, "Okay, we'll see how this goes! If I die, you're the king. At this point, I couldn't be bothered."
Megatron was stunned. A part of him in the past really would have killed her or made it look like an accident but at the same time, another part of him currently was actually concerned. He didn't want her to die, at least not anymore. It would haunt his already plagued conscience if he allowed that. That, and Optimus would damn well have every Autobot and former Decepticon out to murder him if anything on the island didn't first as he knew the Prime cared as much about Arcee...as he did now.
Arcee kept a tight hold on the dragon's neck before Megatron let it loose. It reared and surged forward, flapping its wings desperately. They were airborne and Megatron watched them soar proudly.
Arcee choked back a slight gasp as she peered down the valley, a few low clouds being passed by beneath her. She gulped and just kept holding the dragon which gave a snarl but otherwise did nothing to try and shake her off.
At the same time, Arcee looked back to see the bird in the distance eyeing her and the dragon. The bird gave a chirp, its golden optics locked onto the distant prey. It maneuvered on the rock formation to completely face them. Its metal feathers ruffled in excitement at newfound food before it gave a harsh crow and jumped off, spreading its wings and diving. Ignoring every other form of wildlife near the river, it swooped back upright and headed towards Arcee and the distiller.
"Hey, Arcee," Bolt said confused. "There's something on the scanner coming at you and its massive!"
Just as he said that, Arcee peered behind her only for the golden bird to pop up behind her with a loud screech.
"Yeah? I hadn't noticed," she hissed sarcastically. The dragon she rode on grew frightened, fidgeting uncomfortably. Arcee met the bird's fierce gaze; it was staring directly at her, not the dragon this time. With a sneer, she sent both her and the distiller dragon into a dive.
The distiller gave off a cry and seemed to obey as it probably would have rather taken its chances to live by her command than be eaten by the bird. The sudden dive threw off the bird but not long before it took chase. Straight towards the river, they fell and Arcee remembered just what happened in this scenario minutes before. One wrong move and it would be over.
Arcee heard talons opening, ready to snatch them up. The full dive was keeping them at a fair distance as water was becoming almost all she could see.
"Arcee!" She heard Megatron's echo, and she went for it.
"Now!" She yelled back as she suddenly pulled the dragon in a one eighty going up and to the bird's surprise, they narrowly missed awaiting claws. Instead, she zoomed past the bird, not before meeting its hunger-filled optics in a cold stare and smirk. The bird took notice of that small little moment, its pupil's contracting instinctively with fury.
After they pulled up, the bird saw the river coming too close and did the same, barely skimming the water's surface and keeping balance. It crowed loudly as it tried to pinpoint where Arcee was. But to its disdain, it saw nothing.
Above it, Arcee kept shadowing its backside to prevent the bird from turning on her. As long as she remained there, it couldn't attack her.
Bolt spoke through her comm, "You're still alive! Good! I just saw that creature and made a connection. You ever heard of a pyrobeak?"
Arcee growled, "No! I haven't heard practically any of these creatures since we arrived here!"
"Well, you are going to have a field day with this thing. It might be Cybertronian. You remember the Predacons, right? Shockwave revitalized many clones of them...however, that isn't a clone. The creature dubbed the pyrobeak only existed right before the Thirteen Primes, the last of which vanished after the Primes arrived. No endoskeletons of a pyrobeak have ever been discovered but one of the Primes, Micronus, was able to capture a holograph of one up to its extinction and he had documents he told of it which is the only thing that we can go on. The problem is, if this is the real pyrobeak...one still exists, an original Predacon, how did it survive for so long?"
Megatron's voice came through, "The same as the rest of these monsters. The Allspark tampered not just with location but also time to bring back something that no one would have any defense against. At least that's my theory."
Arcee frowned, "Regardless, guys, it's got to go."
"Its golden hue reminds me of a story about a human king called Midas. King Midas the Pyrobeak! Ha ha ha...you may die, but you will live in my memory forever," Bolt said, causing Arcee to roll her optics.
The distiller dragon she rode on gave a cry of uncertainty. Unfortunately, it was loud enough to stir the Predacon below to investigate and peer up. Arcee gulped as the large creature made eye contact and stalled its speed by forcing itself upright in midflight and opening its wings to be blown back to get behind her again.
Like Predaking, it showed adaptiveness, a quality Arcee had to admire as much as it could doom her. Thank Primus Predacons died out before they existed. She would hate to see an army of these creatures against the Cybertronian race...then again, Terrorcon Predacons were pretty close. She couldn't evade the pyrobeak forever.
She heard a charging noise and looked back to see growing flames across its body and the heat rose from its neck to its mouth. She had only a second to react as a spew of flame ruptured like a volcano at her. Arcee forced the distiller to do a barrel roll out of the way before she unleashed her gatling gun and began firing on the creature.
An angered trill echoed among the canyon walls as gunfire barely nicked it. Shooting at it wasn't going to accomplish squat but she had little options in terms of offense against such a creature.
"Arcee, bring the bird back to me," Megatron suddenly said.
"What!?" She asked concerned.
"Just trust me..."
Whatever Megatron had planned, it had better be good. Arcee groaned disheartened and turned the distiller around, Midas hot on her trail following with a booming crow.
"Are you sure about this?"
"I know firsthand how dangerous Predacon clones can be, and the real deal obviously is more resilient to the tactics we may have performed in the past. I believe it's time for a deadlier approach, something it can't counter."
Arcee could only speculate the various means Megatron could concoct his "approach." Her gut screamed it was going to be bad. "Megatron, what are you going to do?"
"Don't worry about it; I see you. Head right to me," he whispered smugly.
"Megatron!" Arcee yelled as the pyrobeak snapped at her and her dragon. Megatron didn't answer this time. The dragon was scared. She was scared. As they dodged Midas, the bird was getting closer to killing them and Arcee feared it would be when she least expected it.
She spotted Megatron running at the canyon edge. She was catching up to him fast before he suddenly slid to turn around and face her and the pyrobeak. Then he sprinted at them. Arcee passed him and her expression went wide in shock as he leapt off the cliff right in the way of the Predacon's open mouth. Watching him eaten whole made her scream.
"Megatron, no!"
Even the bird seemed somewhat confused, slowing down to a hover before lifting its neck to swallow. It shook its head like it had a bad taste in its mouth. Suddenly, it began coughing but its expression turned to alarm as Energon blood sputtered out with each jolt in its throat.
Arcee had the distiller dragon circle to watch as the pyrobeak struggled to breathe, throwing up blood left and right. She was very tempted to finish it off, though what firepower would be effective against it, she didn't know. But she didn't have too.
A sword ruptured through its chest; a faint glow inside now visible but fading. Midas gave a cry, failing to flap its wings properly to keep itself airborne. It nodded back and forth as more parts and Energon fell from its dying form. Suddenly, the sword disappeared and the sound of something charging resonated across the canyon with a light appearing from the hole in its chest. It curled inward as the light grew brighter until its chest completely shattered with a bang, the sound of Megatron's cannon. The burst of energy killed it, and its body had only one place to go: to the canyon below.
AN: This is funnily enough the chapter that I paused a few months on because I was wondering where I was going with it. I got back into the groove in May and just went nuts so if the writings shifts a little after this chapter, you know why.
Featured Monsters:
King Midas the Pyrobeak Predacon (Cybertron)