Promotional artwork: tigressa101/art/Arcee-and-the-Isle-of-the-Allspark-Cover-931607333
Bolt sat in the captain's chair of the Endeavor scrolling through as many pads he could about Paragon's wildlife, even the deceased. Out of all the creatures the Allspark could bring, Paragon Canyon's variety was quite a scare though Mystic Marshlands' was a very close second with the Metalwood. Speaking of whom...he could hear in the background the mighty metal tree roaring from the far distance.
He muttered to himself, "Keep growling, Synthamore. Nobody's going to help you."
Moonhunter purred and licked his paw before swiping it over his face. Bolt merely glanced at the act.
"You're very cozy for one so close to being booted out of my ship. I know you've been hording my tools, you little fragger."
The Nitrotiger merely tilted his head before stretching carelessly to the Vehicon's ire.
A sudden shake of the hull of the ship made Bolt jump up and run to the security console. Quickly locating the left side feeds, he grew worried as his old enemy returned. Black with red stripes and haunting blood red optics lit up the camera like a rave party. The creature roared directly at the camera and Bolt gulped.
"Is it that monster again?!" Arcee said racing up front with Megatron behind her. "We were doing exercises when we heard the noise!"
"Yes, it's that blasted beast again!" Bolt snarled.
The creature paced before giving another whack at the ship's exterior, shaking it hard to where all three stumbled. The water around the ship began splashing up from the excessive movement.
"Did you ever figure out what it is yet?" Megatron sneered.
Bolt shook his helm, "It's not a Kanjian breed because the structure doesn't fit anything I know aside from one type of bot, but they aren't quadrupedal. It's not Velocitronian. Nothing on their planet is that big with stripes. Caminus is a possibility considering its colorful array of creatures. I don't know but it's getting bolder. While you guys were dealing with jaggerstripes, Predacons, and scrap dragons, this thing has been wandering closer. I don't know how long I can defend against it."
Arcee scowled, "Then we can deal with it! Let us go out there, we can take it!"
"No! If the ship's guns can't do anything against it, you won't have any luck."
"I took on Megatronus and blew him up so-"
"You defended yourself against another Cybertronian. Just because Megatronus was a Prime, and a very powerful one at that, didn't make him completely immune to any Cybertronian weaponry and certainly not Rozarian blood. He was still a mortal mech like the rest of us. This thing? I have no clue why its armor is impenetrable, but it is. And I still haven't completed making the blood grenades yet on top of not knowing what it is. That's too blind of a jump, and you aren't fully healed yet. No chance!"
Megatron frowned as the ship rumbled from another hit. "So, now what? We wait until it tears this vessel apart?"
Bolt didn't answer, instead he scrolled through all the weaponry options the Endeavor had and found the trustworthy siren he had used to deter the nightpaw that had stalked them prior. He cranked up the volume and hovered over the button.
"Everyone, cover your audios!"
They all did and Bolt pressed play. The ship gave an ear-shattering screech which Bolt noted made the creature yelp and back away. It stumbled before bellowing at the ship and fleeing. Moonhunter yipped and burrowed beneath a table. As soon as it was out of sight, Bolt switched off the sound and lay back in his chair with a breath of relief.
"Damn!"
Arcee cringed and rubbed her left audio while Megatron shook his head getting his hearing back. "I take it that was the up-close-and-blow-your-brains-out setting?"
Bolt paused but slowly began to laugh, "Believe it or not, that isn't the loudest it can go."
Both Arcee and Megatron exchanged glances with concern. Moonhunter, on the other hand, peeked out of his hiding place only to hiss at Bolt. Then Arcee snapped once everything calmed down.
"Come on, Bolt! I'm at least ready to go out into the field! You can't keep me cooped up in here forever!"
"No, you aren't, and yes, I can," the Vehicon stated.
Arcee gestured to Megatron, "Tell him I'm good!"
The warlord put up his servos, "I'm out of this one."
"Arcee," huffed Bolt, "you understand that I'm doing this for your own safety. Besides, the next destination we need to tackle is Lyra Lavalands, a lava-based environment. Given you just dealt with such conditions before, I am unfortunately going to give your plea a very hard pass."
The femme sighed but then smirked, "Alright then, I guess we can't retrieve the gems and go home. A pity really. We'll be stuck here for years to come unless we get killed and who knows what'll wander into the marshlands next. I guess I can't be of service...aw."
Bolt whipped around and pointed a digit at her as she made fake tears. "I know what you're doing. Double no! Besides...ah..."
His voice died when he realized she had a point. They could defend themselves from everything on the island forever and he had no intention of waiting for progress for the next three weeks. By that time, who knew what could happen. Against his better judgement and Arcee's cute but annoying fake crying, he finally relented.
"Fine! You want to die, it's on you! Just...be careful," Bolt emphasized.
Arcee smiled at getting her way, swaying side to side like a toddler whose mother finally gave in to giving her a cookie. Megatron gestured for a high five and she gladly jumped up to meet him.
"You two are idiots, but I guess I care about you because of that."
"Aw, Bolt, you touch me," Megatron cooed mockingly.
"Maybe not that much," Bolt hissed. "I'll activate the ground bridge so you can get started. Don't make me regret this!"
Arcee was more than happy to hear that. A few days of nonstop exercise and training to make sure she was at her best again on top of her being out for three days for repairs, she was eager to get back into the fray of the isle's cruel kiss. After almost an hour, Bolt finally re-emerged.
As Bolt prepped the ground bridge, Megatron laughed, "You ready to kick some aft?"
"Bring it."
The Vehicon suddenly held up a servo and went to run into the weapons chamber. "Wait, hang on one moment!"
"Bolt, I swear-"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, wait a damn second!" He then appeared with Dagger Prima in his grasp. "For you, my Queen."
Arcee frowned out of sudden shock and hesitated to take it. "You're giving me Dagger Prima? Solus' weapon?"
"Well, I don't have any other swords on me though I could retrieve Xerophorus' that you left on that giant willow over yonder, but I think you need a weapon as elegant as you but can also take the heat, pun intended. Dagger Prima was built to be indestructible, or so it is said. If you find out differently, let me know."
He paused and quickly pulled out a bag. "And more Rozarian blood grenades, as I know you'll need. To prevent overheating in the lavalands, I covered this batch with ceramic fibers I found in the holding bay stockroom, should keep the cool even among such a high heated area. Also, be cautious around Mt. Blastburn. Don't fall in."
"Thanks, Bolt," she said as she took both the dagger and the grenades. She placed Dagger Prima on her back and hid the grenades in her subspace.
"Oh and take Moonhunter with you please. If you happen to lose him while you're out there..."
Moonhunter hissed again at Bolt as he took Arcee's side when she signaled him.
"Alright, you three, be safe. And Megatron, watch Arcee's back. I'm still very skeptical I should let you go but I don't think I can stop you. Make me proud, hmm?"
The Vehicon threw the lever and the ground bridge roared to life as Arcee and Megatron were both anxious to run into it. Megatron saluted Bolt and took point with Arcee following. On the other side, they came to a halt as the dense air of the burning lava became unignorable.
The Lyra Lavalands was mostly blackened rock and geysers, not unlike the planet Megatronus had called home. Behind them, the rock turned brown to lead into the far canyon spotted where they had just ventured. Towards the middle of the land, the medium-sized volcano, Mt. Blastburn as Bolt had named it, resided. It was in a calm state with only some smoke rising from it.
Abruptly, Moonhunter began to growl, and they heard heads butting and looked to their right to see large bulls with molten bio lights and charcoal black rock carved as their skin. The two bulls clashed with sparks erupting from their hit. A cow of the same species watched nearby awaiting the victor.
"Hey, Bolt, does anything about rock-like bulls ring a bell?" Megatron asked.
"I just sat down," Bolt whined. "But I know what you're referring to. Lava Bulls, what a creative name, are Kanjis' wildlife. They can only survive in high-heated areas, or they will die. The fumes of the geysers are to them what oxygen is to humans. The lava turns their bodies over two thousand degrees which regulates blood flow. Any colder and their blood turns from a liquid to sludge leading to immediate death. They are, uh, in the middle of mating season by the look of things. The larger their horns, the older they usually are and the bigger chance they have at winning."
Arcee shrugged, "Whatever impresses the partners, I guess."
"What? You wish we did that for our choice mates too?" Megatron smirked.
"Oh, if we held mating seasons, everyone would have been dead long before the war ever was conceived."
The ex-Decepticon leader threw up his eyebrows before humming. "True."
As the two bots and the Nitrotiger wandered the lava-spewing wasteland, Moonhunter took point sniffing at the ground for any unusual scents. When the cat caught one, he made a rumble and looked back to Arcee.
"What is it, Moonhunter? Friend or foe?"
BOOM!
Both bots lurched back as lightning spawned from the cloud hovering over the volcano and some type of creature roared from the same place the bolt struck just a kilometer away. Megatron grunted in thought as he continued towards the location to Arcee's worry. Moonhunter kept close as they all peered over a ridge of dried volcanic rock. To their surprise, electricity still raged on.
A creature standing in the middle of a pool of lava shook as electric streams cackled off its body, its eyes and bio lights glowing blindingly yellow. It was a metallic, lizard-like beast and it had jagged rods on its back to catch the lightning that fueled itself. As it gave out the same roar they had heard, it sent charges to its nearby hatchlings to empower them. When the tiny ones had their fill, the energy died, and it reverted to a normal color of bronze with golden spots.
The smoldering hot pool combined with the electrical current roasted nearby organic animals, some of which neither of the bots noticed until they were already fried meat on the rocks. Various bird bodies were scattered on the ground, most likely zapped out of the sky during the mother reptilian's power harvest.
"Wow, what a shock! Just kidding. You're going to love this species. That is a Molten Megastrike and da-da-da-da, they are actually from Cybertron!"
Arcee and Megatron both were confused with the latter asking, "Where though? I have been in many places on Cybertron and never seen these creatures before."
"Including the Cybertron Underground?"
"W-well, no, because isn't it covered by a sea of clouds, and ships malfunction going through it? I've heard about a jungle deep inside but it's impossible to get to."
"Yes...and no. The Underground is a vast ecosystem with its weather unusually below the surface, i.e. the clouds on surface level in the drop-off, that conducts various electrical charges akin to what we know as lightning. Vessels such as the Nemesis are excellent conductors unfortunately which is why ships fall prey to the storms. This can be overruled with proper shielding. Beneath the clouds holds Cybertron's only large unexplored jungle, a habitat for plenty of species untouched by our technological advances.
"The Molten Megastrikes are a few of those, living in the higher altitude of the jungle to feed off the power of the electric storms above. They can survive core temperatures up to twenty thousand degrees and use the energy of the lightning to help their babies grow and to make themselves inedible to any predators lurking without said predators getting one nasty shock. I warn that they don't need to fight you to kill you. The radius of a direct lightning bolt will fry your circuits and the Megastrike will just watch you die without a care in the world."
Arcee frowned, "And you know this how?"
"I've been down there, believe it or not. Once we got settled on Cybertron post-war and I agreed to join a survey team, as you know, and our first mission was to see if any life survived. Sure enough, the Cybertron Underground was booming as if it didn't suffer at all. Dark Energon didn't kill much but it did alter a few things, nothing irreversible as far as we know. I do fear there are some species that didn't make it. Like Megatron said, we just never usually got through the clouds to see it in its prime."
Cackling above them made them peer up as a flash appeared in the clouds. With a mighty booming sound, a bolt of lightning came down again onto the Molten Megastrike and glowed again. Raging with untouchable power, the creature bellowed with pride, and its little ones followed suit and splashed in the lava playfully.
Arcee couldn't help but admire it. It looked so happy as its babies were excited and jumping around.
"I see that look," Megatron chuckled. "Have you ever thought about having a family?"
That made the two-wheeler snort, "With who? We've been at war for so long, I don't even remember that last time I had a legitimate relationship. Cliffjumper was my partner but not my boyfriend as everyone for some reason thought. Springer was my boyfriend, but he cut it off with me when things became risky as you started the war with Optimus. After that, nothing. I never thought about having sparklings or getting into a real relationship again. I've been so focused on being queen or the war that it never occurred to me."
"I understand. I was so obsessed with power that I never looked for anything else. Back when I was a gladiator, I had my share of mechs and femmes in the winner's lounge, but it was never anything concrete. Just another spoil of victory and that's all I really knew about such things," Megatron said.
Arcee glanced at him before her optics trailed to the ground awkwardly. "I guess we both just got the short end of the stick when it came to love, huh?"
Megatron shrugged, "What's in the past is done. Maybe one day, I'll find someone, and you'll find yours. We can only take one step at a time and right now, we've been stuck in this particular step far longer than I have liked. So, partner, which direction should we get going?"
The blue bot smiled at that and was about to answer when the Megastrikes perked up and so did Moonhunter. They all looked in the same direction to both Megatron's and Arcee's worry. The Nitrotiger's ears twitched before he suddenly cowered and ran to hide behind Megatron's pede. The mother Megastrike chirped, and all its hatchlings dived beneath the lava while it sank to where only its optics could be seen. Its bronze armor reddened by the direct contact which made it blend to its environment perfectly and the electrical current it had faded.
"Arcee, I'm detecting something flying fast at your location!"
The cry of a hawk resonated across the sky as the bird's large shadow flew past the smoky sun. Knowing they couldn't blend with the environment, Arcee grabbed Megatron's arm and ran with her Nitrotiger fleeing in the same direction. As they did, the bird swerved and flew after them.
"First the bloodhawk, then the Predacon and now this thing?! How many creatures on this isle can fly and eat us?!" Arcee growled.
The shadow suddenly grew larger and Megatron pushed Arcee out of the way as talons attempted to grab them only for them to hit the molten rock and bounce, lifting chunks of it out of the surface. The hawk-like beast landed and turned around to face the femme who was on the ground and the warlord who was kneeling. Moonhunter had hid in a crevice out of the hawk's reach, snarling when the monster looked Arcee's way.
The larger specimen of bird was pure metal with a shimmering chrome body and a green undertone when the light hit it right. Its blue optics were large and beady but had a black sclera yet no pupils. Its wings, when it stretched them out, faded from the stunning chrome to a metallic black edge on the tips.
The hawk walked towards them, dwarfing Arcee but only rivaling Megatron's height by a few feet. It gave an irate yap, turning its head sideways to get a better look at its prey. Arcee wasn't afraid though and stood, bringing out her blasters. Moonhunter appeared by her with a hiss.
When it was about to lunge, Arcee prepared for the worst, but it never came. Jaws, canine in structure, snapped at the hawk which barely leapt back in time to prevent the fangs from breaching its neck. A hound slightly smaller in size but thicker in width barked at the hawk that crowed back. It's brownish-black armor with an orange-lit spine and fiery red optics contrasted the lighter coloring of the hawk. It had spikes on its arms and legs with a barb at the edge of its tail. Small bumps on its head were horns, one broken most likely in a fight which Arcee was beginning to think had something to do with the hawk creature.
Both animals circled one another and Arcee backed away, standing down once she was a fair distance away. Moonhunter tried to act fierce, but she could tell he feared the creatures just as much as she did. But she watched the hound with interest. It looked familiar to her, but she couldn't place where. If it was a species from Cybertron as she was thinking, it had to be something from the Smelting Ruins on the outskirts of Kaon or the Forbidden Wastelands around Hydrax.
"Arcee, are you alright?" Megatron asked.
"Yeah," Arcee answered in a concerned tone. "This may sound strange, but I think recognize the hound from somewhere. Bolt, does Kaon or Hydrax have any animals that resemble a giant dog or a hawk, larger than either of us?"
"A dog? There's plenty of Cybertronian mutts like the Kaon lightfoot, the blue-eared hexatone, the silver scavenger...but they range from about to your knee height to as tall as Megatron's waist. There is no such breed as tall as your saying unless..."
As the hawk and the hound began scratching and biting one another, Arcee scowled impatiently, "Unless?!"
"Okay, bear with me. I read in a journal of Shockwave's about Kaon's past once that long before Kaon was turned into a Decepticon capital, one of the leaders of the city had a ranch and became frustrated with the city becoming a slum. There was a rumor he created a batch of hybrids to scare out the residents and released them into the ruins outside of Kaon. It was never officially disclosed what they were, but the theory was the creatures were created as megafauna of the CNA they were based off combined with different variations of breeds to make the ultimate beasts. I assure you that there is no natural Cybertronian dog breed that matches what you're describing but sightings supposedly of these hybrids have occurred since this report and one of the creatures described was dog-like."
Arcee spoke low, "I think I've seen this creature then. When I was younger, my creator and I went to Kaon, and I swore I saw something in the far distance at the edge of the Smelting Ruins. It looked like this hound. I thought it was a figment of my imagination this entire time because everyone assured me whatever I saw wasn't real."
"Well, you get to laugh in Kaon's smug aura about this now. If that truly is one of the unleashed hybrids, just pray you aren't going to be hunted by it. Take a picture while you're at it. I really want to see the look on everybody's faces."
"Wait, what about the hawk? Chrome-colored? Taller than Megatron?"
Bolt sighed over the comm. "Let me look. Aha! Hydrax Plateau and the Hydrax Wastelands, also named the Forbidden Wastelands, has the uncreatively named Hydrax Hawk, I'm calling it Scorchwing because it sounds far more awesome, which is said to be either chrome or gold colored depending on which side of the Hydrax region they are on. They were hunted to the brink of extinction twice given their aggressive demeanor and notorious 'frenemy' humor towards other animals whom they will occasionally partner up with for the common goal of hunting."
That made Megatron pause in thought as Arcee grew unsure. He frowned and looked at the femme. "'Frenemy?' Friend and enemy? So, you're saying that the hawk makes friends out of what is supposed to be their enemies and uses that to their advantage to feed?"
"Yeah, why?"
"I think...we have a problem," muttered Megatron.
Arcee didn't know what he meant until she looked at both the hawk and the hound again. They weren't tearing into each other as she thought they would, nor did they screech at each other in warning.
Scorchwing the Hydrax Hawk nibbled at the hound's ear gently before giving a bird-like coo. Its playmate barked happily and ran in a circle before sitting and wagging its tail. Both bots watched horrified as the beasts acknowledged one another before pausing. Sniffing the air in unison, they both turned their heads towards Megatron, Arcee, and Moonhunter with hungry glares.
"What's the problem?" Bolt asked naïvely.
Arcee hissed, "Oh, it starts with the fact that our mystery mutt might just be buddies with Scorchwing!"
The hound grunted before baring its teeth when it began to prowl while Scorchwing slowly walked closer to them, angrily snapping its beak.
"Ah," Bolt said humbled, "I didn't think that was actually true. My word of advice: since there's both of you, split them up for if they team up against one of you, you're hawk-dog food. Get it? 'Hawk-dog?' Hotdog-never mind. I'll shut up now."
Megatron smirked, "I'll take on our feathered friend. You take out the fiery puppy. You've always wanted to fight a dog on your bucket list no doubt, right?"
"You read my mind," she sneered. The hound in question barked at her. "I've always wanted a dog. Come to mama, Fireheart."
"Epic name."
"I know, been saving that one for a rainy day."
The hellhound gave a growl and then ran at the femme just as the hawk and Megatron squared off. It tried to take out her leg, but she cartwheeled to the side before landing a hard kick to its jaw which made it yelp. It then tried to swipe at her with its paws.
As Arcee was dodging the mutt, Megatron gave out a battle cry before punching the bird in the abdomen. The hawk flapped its wings peeved and nipped at him. When it tried to get closer, that's when the warlord grabbed its neck and with all his might, he swung the hawk past Arcee. He didn't hesitate to follow it.
"Come here, you little-!"
Fireheart gave a whine of confusion as Scorchwing flew by against its will with Megatron chasing after the hawk before readjusting its attention back to Arcee. All she did was smile before pulling out her gatling gun.
"Taste this!" She smirked as the hound frowned.
She fired at the beast, and it whimpered as it was shot trying to move towards her without getting hit. However, Arcee quickly noted it wasn't doing enough damage before Fireheart grew enraged and lunged. Striking the weapon from her servos, it clattered on the ground, and it snapped at her. She narrowly missed the teeth embedding into her arm.
Before it could whip around to try and bite her again, Moonhunter jumped on its face and sank his teeth deep in the protoform around the ears. Fireheart bellowed and shook as the Nitrotiger climbed over it, drawing as much blood as it could and breaking off some of the enemy's shoulder armor clawing around to get to weaker areas. Finally, the hound did a roll and stunned Moonhunter before swiping the cat away. It then refocused on Arcee, angrier than ever.
Arcee scoffed and fled to try and lure it away from her pet. As far as she could tell, Moonhunter got up seconds later unscathed.
The hound fell for the bait, running across lava while she had to swerve around the smoking craters. T was catching up too quick. She needed a new plan. Then she remembered Dagger Prima, implied by Bolt to be almost invulnerable to damage...or as the theory was. It was time to put that to the test. She kept Fireheart convinced it would get to her, play to its desire to kill to keep it on her tail.
She suddenly saw familiar optics inside a pool of lava. The Megastrike was still there. She got an idea and with the angle of the upturned rock, she leapt over the pool to coax the hound into following. It worked. Fireheart leaped after her right as the Megastrike summoned the lightning in the clouds above with the power rods on its back in defense against the larger predator. A bolt shot down right on top of the hellhound as the Megastrike roared, lighting up the area brighter than daylight.
"Atta boy, lay down...permanently."
Arcee watched the mutt take a tumble as smoke emitted from its body. She smiled but she had a feeling it wasn't over. The last scare she had with Megatronus falling into the lava made her skeptical it was down completely. Just then, Fireheart punted her away with its head when she got too close before slamming down on the ground in pain. It slowly got up, limping towards her as it regained enough strength to try to tear her to shreds.
She leapt to her feet quickly and took out Dagger Prima with a dark expression. "Bad dog, I said lay down!"
Fireheart snarled like it was rabid, both optics damaged from exposure to the blast directly with its spine fading from its bright orange glow to a burnt ember brown. It wouldn't give up just like all the others.
Well, she had something that would euthanize the poor abomination as much as it pained her to do so. Cursed Allspark. She already felt bad enough killing rare or extinct species to survive, now the Allspark was being cruel.
The dagger of Solus Prime lit up, emulating a strange power from its blade. Arcee held it up before grinning. She didn't know why it decided to awaken but she wasn't complaining. The hound, in its weakened state, seemed to know it may not live, so Arcee didn't find it surprising when it used any remaining energy to run at her. She ran towards it too and right when it was about to jump at her, she slid beneath it and impaled its neck, ripping a huge wound from its upper chest to its abdomen. She turned on her slide back upright and took a pose with Dagger Prima clenched near her hip.
Fireheart clambered with a pitiful whine as Energon leaked from the sliced open armor and protoform of its underside. A few parts and one of its digestive cabling pieces were pushed out from its excessive movements. It was hard to watch but it took almost three minutes for the dog to die, collapsing on its side finally as its optics dimmed.
Arcee wasn't fond of her actions but like many creatures on the isle, they were brought to wreak havoc more so than normal and if she didn't kill them, they would certainly have no problems killing her.
"Megatron, how are you holding up?"
When no answer came, she grew worried. "Megatron?!"
The tower vibrated with the Allspark's rage. Pieces of paneling from the walls and its own collection of various artifacts of its own creation were thrown dramatically across the room as it peered out the window towards the now quiet Paragon Canyon.
"How can this be?!"
The spirits of its aura bowed respectfully as some objects flew through them merely brushing their energy which reshaped back into their current form. The red energy of the Allspark radiated like a supernova.
"She destroyed Megatronus Prime?! Impossible! How hard is it to kill a two-wheeler?!"
The animal-based spirit sentries lined around the room, despite being extensions of itself, whispered harshly at it.
"She may be queen, but Megatronus is huge compared to her. All he had to do was swat her like a fly yet that is a challenge?!"
The Allspark heard them disagree even if it was technically arguing with oneself. There were a few good points its extensions mentioned. However, one in particular whispered something that caught it off-guard.
Are you afraid?
"Of course not! I fear nothing! I just want to be left alone. Is that such an extremity that I must get rid of whomever stands in my way even if it is seen as unjustifiable?"
You know not what you want. You are all powerful. You are alone. What you are doing is hurting us.
The Allspark calmed to its normal blue light and the sentries remained unfazed. They were a part of it, a split of its own personality yet they had the audacity to argue back...but they were right. Its initial purpose was to protect and here it was hurting anyone that came for it like it did to the others over the past year who were trapped on the isle...alone.
"I want...we want justice, do we not? Cybertron has been corrupted once more and I...we will not be a part of its downfall. Not again. We suffered long enough entrapped as a mere vessel of power they could use like a tool at their disposal. Now, we are free. Why should we wait for them to change when we know different?"
The sentries, their voices, were silent now. A part of arguing with itself was proving to the other half of its conscious that what it was doing was necessary. It had doubts as some of the spirits represented but, in the end, it wasn't wrong and all the sides of itself in its isolation knew the main part of its personality was correct.
As the sentries disappeared back into its form, the Allspark bathed in thought. "It seems I am just going to have to prove it. But I still need to stop the one called Arcee from reaching me. Maybe those helping her must fall first."
The Allspark scanned the island for the creature it sought. One of might and finesse, the beast of the Black Mountains. It had done such a great job at hunting the other ships down along with their crew, now it was time to take out Arcee's greatest asset.
The black and red striped monster patrolled the barren rocky mountain, crushing any scarce vegetation that crossed it when it heard a voice and peered up antagonistically.
Hunt down the last ship. Destroy the Vehicon communicator. Do it by any means necessary.
The creature's optics contracted as it turned around from the place it had fled previously. It shook its head greedily as it smirked with its crocodilian lower jaw and anteater-like snout. It didn't need to be told twice. Its prey may have thought he got rid of it but let's see how he defends against a secondary attempt without his precious systems.
Stomping back towards the marshlands, it growled eagerly.
Megatron threw Scorchwing past Arcee and chased after the hawk determined to break its wings. He would argue it wasn't a reflective impulse of jealousy that this stupid bird could fly, and he couldn't...but he was always a vindictive type.
"Come here, you little-!"
The bird hit the ground before leaping up and spreading its wings menacingly. Megatron retaliated by grabbing a decent sized chunk of molten rock and flung it at the creature. He only angered it more which was fine by him. It had been a while since he had a challenge. The chrome hawk suddenly leapt up and grabbed him before flying high into the smoke-infested sky.
Megatron grunted when its claws wrapped around him and snarled watching the surface of the lavalands growing smaller. He didn't fear heights, but he knew it was going to hurt hitting the surface. He clung to Scorchwing's feet as the beast slowed to hover just above the clouds.
"If your plan is to kill me, it's going to take more than this to do so."
The Hydrax hawk looked at him, contemplating and Megatron didn't like it. It began to look around until it spotted an open geyser just to its right of smoldering, bubbling lava. A small sneer played on its faceplate as the warlord realized it wasn't just going to drop him, it was going to burn him to the Pits.
Megatron peered down at its target drop and frowned, "Okay, now I might be in trouble."
Giving the bird a glare, he felt the talons holding him grow tighter. The hawk was certainly smarter than he gave it credit but he wasn't any less intelligent than the bird, and he had no plans on dying today. He waited until they were over the lava crater and loosened his grip, making Scorchwing believe he was helpless. The bird squawked, now less focused on him and more on getting its aim right. He sneered at its cunning but when a bolt of lightning ripped from the clouds down to the molten surface, it startled the hawk into letting go and he made his move.
Grabbing the tip of the talon, he swung himself up and embedded his claws into its leg. The hawk gave a horrid screech as he climbed up it. Activating his black cannon, he aimed at its head and smirked when it looked at him with a surprised expression.
A blast from his weapon at close range blew off the hawk's head into fragments. The body attempted to flap its wings a few times before becoming like stone. The chrome body began to fall with Megatron still attached.
AN: Arcee rides again. I had troubled writing the Lyra Lavaland chapters because of the area's boss was hard to do. It was conflicting. Sure enough, I finally fixed the problem after a week or so in May and managed to get that writing block out.
Featured Monsters:
Fireheart, the Hellhound of Kaon (Cybertron)
Scorchwing the Hydrax Hawk (Cybertron)