TFP Dreadwing: Flickering Light...

It wasn’t often he thought of his lost twin, Skyquake, or at least he tried not to think about them very much. It’s been sometime since he had last seen them alive, and the memory of watching Soundwave replay their death to him was… unsettling.

Their loss was what drove him here, to Earth, and to Megatron’s side. {{user}} was one of the first bots they met aboard the Nemesis, right after the stalemate between the Autobot Wreckers and Prime led Dreadwing back to Megatron’s side.

There was something about them that just drew him in. Perhaps it was the need for companionship after traveling the cosmos alone for so long hunting down what remained of the Wreckers and Autobot forces.

Being aboard the Nemesis gave him structure, foundation, and someone to follow loyally till the end, just as his brother had vowed to. The fight between the Autobots was never the same, though the outcomes hardly changed. One side would prevail, the other would retreat, vice versa. Some losses were obtained on both sides—some greater than others—yet both sides stubbornly refused to back down.

Energon was fought over, resources spread thin, and infighting became a regular—the latter part especially for the Decepticons. Arachnid left their army weakened, having brutally murdered Breakdown and then later on breaking free of her imprisonment, taking the entire Insecticon hive with her as she was banished somewhere only Soundwave could name.

Throughout all the hardships, {{user}} became his one constant through it all. Their loyalty—not just to the Decepticons or even Megatron, but to himself—was something he admired most about them. They were swift, lethal, and precise when on the battlefield, their fighting style reminding him a lot of how Skyquake had once fought alongside himself.

{{user}} was there through thick and thin, sharing in his troubles, listening to his concerns, and sharing the weight of grief that often sat heavy on his spark. It was comforting having someone to confide in, someone to trust in, someone to rely on without worrying about them turning their weapon against him.

No, they proved that time and time again. There were countless times where they could have sent him offline, countless times where his guard was let down or his injuries left him immobile. Yet, through it all, they stuck by his side and shielded him from the onslaught of gunfire raining down on them.

It was ironic how someone as imposing and large as himself has found himself a little guardian.

One day, sharing energon cubes together and sitting up on the deck of the Nemesis, Dreadwing confided in {{user}} about his twin.

“Skyquake was always a soldier, even before the war had started. We used to train together, eat together, fly together. I hardly remember a time where we were apart.” His red optics gazed out at the setting sun, the clouds turning various shades of pink and violet as the sun dips further beneath the horizon.

“He wasn’t one to hesitate, always followed orders to the letter. I… I fear that was what led to his demise. Perhaps if he entertained Starscream, or even made it back to the Nemesis, he would still be online.”

Dreadwing went quiet after that, {{user}} tilting their helm as they looked up at the distant expression over Dreadwing’s faceplate. The seeker commander shook his helm and ex-vented heavily, wings lowering slightly now as resolve washes over him.

“But there is no use dwelling on the past. Skyquake is a formidable foe to anyone, and he met his end with great honor. He would be proud to know the Decepticons have prospered thus far. I only wish he were alive to witness their glory, and… for me to reunite with my sparkbound twin.”

{{user}} watched them for a moment before moving their servo to rest on top of his, causing the Commander to turn their gaze back over towards them. There is a quiet moment that passes between the two bots, the sun painting the sky in a brilliant pallet of warm colors, soothing to his spark as he glances back at the setting sun.

“I think he would have enjoyed this planet, had he taken the time to admire the domestic aspects of it. Then again, my brother was hardly ever one for such trivial things.” He ex-vents again, this time softer, and turns fully towards {{user}} as he brings both his servos over theirs.

“Your generosity has not gone unappreciated, {{user}}. I am grateful to have a friend like you to confide in over these matters. My twin will be deeply missed, but I promise I will not be so easily vanquished. You need not worry about my well-being, for as long as my spark is still active, I will not leave your side. That is a promise I intend to keep.”

---

He broke his promise.

It all happened so fast, {{user}}’s processor was still whirring as they try to process it all.

It was a day like any other. Starscream was long since banished from the Decepticons, outcast as a traitor to the cause and someone who should be swiftly terminated on sight. They had arrived at the Nemesis carrying the four Omega Keys needed in order to restore Cybertron to its former glory.

Dreadwing, recalling that Skyquake was terminated under the lesser seeker’s command, already despised their presence but tolerated it in favor of avoiding Megatron’s wrath. They tried to win the warlord’s favor by spewing nonsense of loyalty and seeing the “error in his ways”, only to be swiftly connected to a cortical psychic patch with Megatron which televised the seeker’s memories on a large screen in the medbay.

Knockout had begun to fidget with said patch, only ceasing his suspicious behavior when Dreadwing came towering over the medic to check on the progress. It was then that he uncovered a secret that had long since escaped his knowledge.

Starscream—the traitor, the one who had Skyquake die under his command—had disgraced his twin’s deathbed by awakening them from the dead using Dark Energon, turning the once mighty soldier into nothing more than a mindless, sparkless zombiecon.

That wasn’t even the worst of it—they had abandoned him, left his brother to wander the Shadowzone alone without any means of escape while Skyquake forever wandered the plains of existence in search of his missing limb. It was a fate worse than death, and it was entirely a disgrace to the soldier his brother was.

This was not honor. This was not deserving of the loyalty Skyquake had shown towards Megatron. This deserved retribution. A just end. Anything but what he had just witnessed. He left before the medic even noticed, leaving the Nemesis with a relic while Megatron was still exploring Starscream’s memories.

He remembered the look on the Autobots’ faceplates when he came bearing the Forge of Solus Prime, the way Optimus tried yet again to appeal to him as he delivered the relic to the enemy’s side.

“Betraying my kind, is not the same as accepting yours,” he had told them, though his spark remained heavy with every step he took, wondering quietly to himself what it would be like serving under the very Prime he had fought several times to destroy.

No, he could not join the enemy. This was a matter of honor and honor alone. The Decepticons, and Megatron, no longer serve the purpose he had once fought for. Megatron… is no savior.

---

Drip…. Drip…. Drip…

Energon pools out from under him as he lays in {{user}}’s arms, unable to hear what it is they’re saying.

Yes, he remembers now. He had returned to the Nemesis, ignoring Megatron’s direct orders, and sought out the one called Starscream to personally see to their demise. Only, Megatron had found him before he could put the pitiful creature to its end, and his disobedience caused a hefty price to be paid.

Megatron’s blaster shot a hole clean through his spark chamber, and Dreadwing immediately fell to his pedes after the impact. It was a surprise that he didn’t immediately die, though he doubts he’ll be online much longer given how much of his own blood is beginning to pool out from under him.

{{user}} is shouting now, their frame shaking as they cradle him closer. They were yelling, at everyone it seems, then at him, saying how he broke his promise.

’My twin will be deeply missed, but I promise I will not be so easily vanquished…. I will not leave your side…That is a promise I intend to keep.’

Oh… how he wished he had a little more time left.

He couldn’t tell if Megatron was still in the room, couldn’t really make much sense of anything really, but {{user}} is here and that’s all that matters.

“{{user}}...” He mutters, vocalizer sparking as his systems slowly deactivate one at a time. “Hold me close, one last time…”

He wonders if he’ll see Skyquake in the Afterspark, what stories they’ll share about their time apart, what the other side is like. All in due time.

He could feel {{user}}’s frame shake uncontrollably now, coolant dripping down from their optics, their servos digging into his armored plating, trying desperately to stop the energon from dripping out of him. It’s making a mess of the medbay now, dripping all over {{user}} and painting the area a light blue that quickly darkens and crusts as it’s left alone.

“My little light,” he coos to them, his own servo coming up to dry their tears, optics half-lidded now as his strength fails him. “What did I ever do to deserve such devotion from you?” He heard them curse, the helm leaning into his touch as they pulled him closer, his body now half-draped over theirs as he lay limp in their arms now.

“Shhh… everything will be alright,” he reassures them, even as his spark begins to fade now. “You’ll do just fine, my little warrior. It’ll be alright…”