Tongues of flames shot up sporadically from the inferno below as Starscream entered the cavern. This ancient place for battle would’ve been huge to the pathetic humans who did battle here, but to a transformer, it was just perfect. There were two entrances to the cavern, one at each side of the volcanic mountain. This was a true battlefield all right.
The only thing that connected the two entrances was a narrow bean of rock and gemstones of various qualities. It was just wide enough for a transformer to walk on … and would be the start of the greatest battle in Transformer’s history … for both of them …

Is it any wonder why I’m scared?
If I was a little younger would I care?
Feeling like the walls are growing stronger
I don’t know is this cage can hold me any longer

***

Soon enough, Megatron arrived outside of the cavern, Laserbeak perched on his shoulder. This was not a fight the Decepticons wanted to miss … after all; it was the most anticipated fight of all among Decepticons. He walked over to the second entrance to the cave, and entered …

The two warriors stood in their doorways, framed in the fading light from outside. The only sounds that could be heard were the churning of the lava below and the creak of the rocks all around. Their arm weapons were missing as this was hand-to-hand combat only and were just outside. They stared at one another’s silhouettes blurred by the light, and then stepped into the cavern. Laserbeak flew off of Megatron’s arm and perched on one of the huge stones high above the warriors and started recording.
They walked towards one another, each face showing only hatred. This was no time to show emotions, no time to show past pain … no. This battle was going to decide everything, and only one would walk out alive …
The fire below frothed up as the two got closer to one another. Then, a few metres away from another they stoped, looking at one another. Millions of thoughts ran though each other’s mind, but neither had time to pay attention to them.
“This is it.” Megatron announced. “This is the day we end this!”
Starscream nodded.
“The person who walks out of here alive is the Decepticon Leader, no strings attached.” Megatron claimed.
“Right.” Starscream replied.
Megatron smirked at him, then turned his back and started to walk away. Starscream also did until they were a good distance away from each other, and then they crouched into a defensive position, ready to begin …
“Warriors!” Shouted Skywarp’s voice though their coms. “Begin!!”
At the same time they took off with a blast of fire from their thrusters as they burst to life. The fire’s below roared and flared as the air whistled past them as they retracted their arms, drawing closer every microsecond …
CLANG!!!!!
An unseen sphere of force shot away from the pair as they met with an almighty blow to the head. Each had punched the other and had landed on the side of their faces. They fell away as if in slow motion and then suddenly recovered, circling the arena and flying towards each other again.
The pulses of anger that surrounded both were incredible. Starscream’s hatred and hurt from the past was all coming out in every blow he could put onto his leader as they grappled in mid air. This fight was pointless … they were too evenly matched …
Megatron then kicked his head hard, and Starscream went sprawling towards the fire. The warlord smiled, but then had to shield his optics as Starscream ignited his boosters and sent a wave of molten rock and fire flying up the walls from the force.
Starscream shot up to his former leader like a bird from hell and Megatron braced himself for impact. Oh how he loved to fight! But …
The seeker slammed into him and they were thrown back against the rock walls, locked in a battle of arm strength as they stared into the optics of the other. It was then each had a flash back of the same day …

“Welcome to the army.” Megatron told the frightened seeker. He lifted his chin with his finger and then said, “Don’t worry … I’ll help you adjust …I’ll protect you …”

Both jumped away from the other, panting a bit. They stared at one another, having no idea why that memory had shot though their minds. They hung there, in the air for a moment, and then Starscream snarled.
“You lied to me …” He said, and then screamed as he flew at his leader.

I cannot save you
I cant even save myself
So just save yourself …

Megatron then threw his fist backwards and slammed it into Starscream’s stomach area. The seeker gasped, and then Megatron belted him a blow to the head, sending him spiralling downwards once again. But this time Starscream landed on the bean, but he was far from down. He reached into subspace and pulled out his sword.
“Hey!” Megatron shouted to him as the seeker flew up to meet him. “You said no weapons!”
“I changed the rules!” Starscream yelled back, and Megatron drew out his sabre from subspace as well. They floated in their respected poses, and then flew at each other with a battle cry. The swords clashed with a loud CLANG and bright blue sparks shot off the blades. They glared into each other’s crimson optics; no one would be able to tell which held more hate.
It was then the clashes became more brutal. The Decepticons watching could not keep up with the pace as they duked it out on the screen back at base.
SLASH! Starscream blocked his side.
WOOSH! Megatron blocked his head.
They would not stop … but … then …

Back when they had become friends, they sat on a rooftop, talking of things of the past, the present and the possible future.
“I can’t wait until we win this war!” Starscream said, looking longfully out into the cities below.
“We will win,” Megatron replied, “But not for a while yet. But enough of that.”
He turned to the seeker, who looked back curiously. “Tell me a bit more about yourself.”
“Sure!”

They crashed down on the bean in a heap. The sudden memory doing nothing to quell their rage, but fuel it even more. They flat out brawled, punching, kicking, biting, and scratching each other, their swords abandoned on the bean’s edge.
Starscream smashed his fist into his leader’s face with as much force as he could muster. Megatron flew back, landing on his back with mech fluid running out of the cracks all over him. He then flipped up as Starscream ran at him, kicking him back. He grabbed the seeker and hurled him into the wall, smashing his wings to shrapnel. He screamed in pain, the sensitive circuitry sending incredible waves of pain though his body. He then saw, though his haze of pain, his sword on the ground. Megatron smirked at him and started to walk forwards towards him, thinking the battle was over. Trying to ignore the pain, he picked it up and hurled it into Megatron’s mid section, who was caught off guard at the sudden attack.
He gasped, heaving over and coughing up energon. He snarled and ripped the sabre out, tottering a bit and holding his mid section where energon has started to leak out. Starscream panted and then cringed as a ripple of pain shot though his system, energon dripping out of what remained of his wings …
Aside from his wounds, he managed to stand, and the two prepared to duel again. But it was clear that the violent attacks had severely weakened both of them.
“Why …?” Starscream gasped, his shoulders slumped and one of his optics shut. “Why did you … do … do that to me …?”
Megatron was also slumped over, holding his abdomen and trying to stop the flow of energon from his wound. “I … I don’t know …”
They locked optics, and then they each received a huge wave of many different emotions from the past.
Betrayal, happiness, kindness, madness, loyalty, sadness, hypocrisy, pain, torture, forgotten, pride, strength, power, ambition …
What was happening?!
It was all coming back … all of the smouldering emotions have been brought to the surface …
They both screamed, then they realised it: HE was the cause of this insanity!!
They bolded at each other and locked hands, snarling at each other and pushing with all their might. The fires heated up their armour, making Starscream more than Megatron’s power weaken due to his wing damage absorbing the heat. Megatron shoved the seeker with all of his pent up strength to the ground and jumped on him, pinning him down and just over the edge of the thin bean of rock. He lifted his fist, and brought it down on Starscream’s face, creating a huge crack on his left cheek plate. He was just about to finish the seeker off, when Starscream kicked out with his right leg and hauled Megatron off him. He rolled over and crouched, barely having any energy left, but he had survived on worse than this, and there was no way he was giving up.
Megatron was already on his feet and charging at the seeker, and he jumped on him again with a violent shower of sparks. Starscream evaded a blow to his head again and caught Megatron’s fists with his own; glaring into the face he hated most …
Megatron was a bad leader! He treated me so wrong! But … but …
Something flashed back in both minds …

“…So that’s about it for me.” Starscream finished telling his leader.
“Sounds like you’ve had a rough ride.” Megatron replied, looking with rare concern at his soldier. “But at least you are with your childhood friends. They can help you get back on your feet.”
“Yeah …” Starscream murmured and looked up at the stars that blanketed the sky. “I hope I find Skyfire again someday …”
“Hmm …” Megatron looked up at the stars too, thinking of many things to come …

They had both stepped away from the other, staring into each other’s optics, looking for answers; looking for some kind of hope that the now surfaced emotions would go away and leave them to fight … but they would not leave.
“You …” Megatron started, “there’s no way you could beat me!”
Starscream looked up as Megatron picked up his sword from the ground, and then –
The jet let out a tiny gasp, his mouth agape as he felt the metal come out of his back. Energon left his body though the cracks, his vision blurred … his head started to spin … He looked down, and saw that Megatron had stabbed him straight though his stomach area, the sword going straight though his body.
He fell backwards with a slight groan, and then all went black …

Megatron stared down at the now lifeless seeker. He stepped over to him and yanked his sword out, sending out a gush of pink energon from the gaping wound on his second’s stomach. He stared at his sword, and then smirked.
“You can never defeat the one mech who is truly worthy of the title Decepticon Leader!” He declared, and then turned away. He started to walk down to his entrance to the cavern, taking no notice of the raging flames.
Then …

Outside, the red moon had risen, casting a bright red light slowly though the gap in the cavern, just as it was written in legend … but the light was not supposed to be red …
Megatron stoped.
A forbidding whisper seemed to fill the air as the red light shone on the body of Starscream, as if to send the leader a message.
The blue finger twitched.
Megatron span around to stare at the seeker, unnerved at what he was hearing and seeing.
“What … what is this?!” He gasped, looking around frantically, as if hoping to find the answers.
Then the seeker’s spark suddenly shot out a dark red light from Starscream’s cockpit area. The parts that had been torn off the seeker started to morph back together in molten waves of crimson energy …
Megatron’s face turned dark. “Oh no … this can’t be! Not him!”
“Yes … Me …”
It was the hiss of Starscream’s voice as his body moulded back together. He floated up, his optics on fire and his face almost black. As his body reformed, he shut his optics and spread his limbs, felling the energy flow though his body again. Megatron then realised …
“The legend …” He whispered, “of the immortal spark … is true …”

I know who you are
The leader of lost souls
You can't kill me
I'm immortal
I'm not afraid to die
My soul will travel on

You can't kill me
I'm immortal!

Starscream then opened his optics, a huge evil grin spread on his face. The light of the moon had made him wake, and awaken his hidden power. How, he did not know, but nor did he care.
He then bolted at Megatron with newborn speed. Megatron’s optics widened and he only just managed to dodge the seeker’s attack. He was still in shock about the fact that Starscream possessed the legendary immortal spark, and that he had revived himself before his optics.
Starscream dived, and then he scooped up his sword from the edge of the bean that he had abandoned during the fight before. He landed, and stared at Megatron, every resentful thought battling in his mind with a good one. Megatron was the same …
It was then both of them realised something that they had nearly forgotten about each other … It only happened then, because Megatron realised just how strong the seeker had become, and Starscream realised because of the damage that his leader had on him, that made him, and Megatron, remember …
Megatron, I looked up to you.
Starscream, I envied your speed and freedom.
Megatron, you were strong when I was weak.
Starscream, you were strong when I was weak.
I took it out on you … my anger and hurt from the past …
I took it out on you, my anger for lost battles …
“I shouldn’t have done so. And I …”
“I should have understood how hard it is to be leader. And I …”
“I’m sorry.”
The words were out before they could stop them. There was a silence, save from the bubble of liquid below, as they stared at each other, finally understanding.
“I think …” Megatron said suddenly, breaking the silence. “That we finally understand one another, Starscream.”
Starscream nodded, and then his face broke into a small smile, something he hadn’t done in a long time …
Suddenly, the ground rumbled, and the lava grew more and more violent by the second. The cavern was going to erupt!
Starscream gasped and then his panic grew. He had to get out! Megatron ran along the bean as the lava frothed up and started to engulf the area, heading for the exit, but it was clear his loss of energon had finally got to him, as he stumbled, using his sword for support.
Starscream looked at him in a split second, many mixed emotions running though his head. He was confused as to what to do … but he had to save him … now that they finally understood one another. He flew over to his leader and grabbed him, making Megatron lean against him for support.
“What – what are you doing?!” Megatron yelled.
“Never mind that now! We have enough to worry about!” Starscream yelled back as he ran as fast as he could to the exit. But –
Suddenly, a huge blast of lava knocked them both off their feet and sent them flying forwards. Starscream screamed as he tumbled though the air, having let go of Megatron in the blast. He was thrown out of the cavern, along with Laserbeak, and landed on his stomach outside, but Megatron was not so lucky.
“Starscream!” Megatron yelled as the rocks began to fall and cover the entrance, but the silver android’s words burnt into him more than any flame; “I will return! But until I do, take over for me! The army needs you! AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!”
Starscream’s optics could not have been any wider as he watched the final rocks fall that blocked his leader from his sight. The whole area shook as the lava exploded out of the top of the cavern, creating the volcano it was and spurting out the red-hot substance.

Starscream slowly stood, watching the light show in the sky. No emotions could describe what he felt now … so much had happened in such a short amount of time …
The battle …
The memories …
His spark …
Megatron …
And him …
Saying …
Sorry …
Against millions of years of conditioning to himself, he found himself thinking that this was all wrong. This was not the battle he had imagined when he took down Megatron … this was not how it was supposed to be … And Megatron had pledged to return, but how could he survive that inferno?
One solitary tear fell down his cheek.

Songs - Tomorrow by SR-71, Save yourself by Stabbing Westward and Immortal by Adema

Continued to Aftermath