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blade-liger-4ever · 2 days ago

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What if....Smokescreen became a Prime in S3?

(Stealing slightly from MiniKoontzy's Fire of Youth fanfic, but also just trying to make it my own. Also, pretend with me that Breakdown lived, joined the 'Bots, and maybe Dreadwing remains alive with the 'Cons for now.)

First of all, Optimus would likely die somewhere between part four and five, and Smokescreen has to quickly hold off on his grief (after a bit of tears and sobs) when Optimus appears in a vision to encourage him to take the Matrix, as he has been deemed worthy by the Matrix and the Thirteen (also note, mixing and matching canon a bit here on out.)

Smokescreen does as he's told, but is forced to undergo some painful upgrades to better combat the threats facing his team. Coming to after being upgraded by the Primes, he finds that he's as tall as S3 Optimus was with slightly less muscle, and when on solid ground again discovers he has a unique beast alt mode: a dragon with the flexible and aquatic capable body of a tiger, the wings of an eagle, serrated claws on his paws, wolf-like teeth, and a whip thin tail with a small clutter of spikes at the end. Onyx quickly fills him in on his new abilities - namely that he can fly faster than any human jet, was given strength enough to combat Megatron and the Predacon, blue fire-breath, and the ability to ignite himself with blue flames to heal/better defend himself.

After getting the flying maneuvers down with Onyx's aid, Smokescreen - now called Antares Prime - takes off for Darkmount, his grief and rage (like the rest of his personality, having been strengthened and increased) now bordering on animalistic. It takes his own effort as well as that of Optimus and Onyx's to keep himself from killing Megatron right away, though he finds himself feeling marginally better when he and Ultra Magnus bring down the tower.

Once returned to Hanger E, Antares feels uncertainty and fear gnaw at him as he stands just on the edge outside of the building in 'Bot mode. He sees them all - Ratchet, Bulkhead, Bumblebee, Arcee, Breakdown, Wheeljack, Magnus, and even his old former classmate and best friend, Red Alert - but aside from Red, Breakdown, Bulkhead, and Wheeljack, he feels isolated. Alone.

When questioned by the senior medic, who quickly deduces the identity of the new Prime, Antares informs them all of what happened: How Optimus remained behind and he went back for him, how he desperately tried to preserve his life, how he'd gotten the Forge of Solus Prime, how he was too late to save him, and how the Matrix chose him as Optimus' successor. He waits, holding his breath, watching for their reactions.

Arcee is the one who loses it.

She practically howls at him, that Optimus chose the rookie to replace him, that he didn't move fast enough, that he should've done more, or even died instead of Optimus. Antares makes no move, feeling guilty of every conviction she throws against him, until memories from the Matrix surface as Onyx's wrath and remembrance surge forward into Antares' mental vision -

He sees Arcee disobey Optimus and nearly cost Fowler his life. He sees the results of both her actions and Jack's, and how Vince - whom Smokescreen had twice playfully pranked to get even for Jack and teach the bully a lesson in humility - was nearly captured and killed because of her pride. He sees Optimus attempt in vain time after time to stop her and get her to listen about seeking revenge against Airachnid.

Antares sees it all...and he doesn't know how much of the wrath he feels is his or Onyx's.

He silences the two-wheeler and all who are trying to stop her with a swing of his arm and a bellowed, "SELFISH HYPOCRITE!!"

All voices cease, and as righteous fury burns in his stomach, Antares feels his body ignite with flame. Realizing his anger, hearing Optimus' pleas and heeding his own desire for peace, he just as quickly snaps his arm back to his chest, clutching the limb as steam pours off of his frame.

Hissing, reigning in the temper that has so uncharacteristically taken him over, Antares manages to regain control before glaring at Arcee.

But his blue eyes glow with fire, and another voice seems to speak alongside his own:

"You claimed for months I was a risk to Jack Darby's safety, and a tactical liability. Yet all I did was attempt to bring some form of good performance on the field to the team, and even as overzealous and thoughtless as I was, I never once disobeyed Optimus. And the one time I did, I did so for his sake rather than my own. I watched him creep ever closer to death, helpless to do anything but ease his pain and worries. And now - now, I see through the Matrix, through the Prime with all forms of sight, revered for his sense of justice, and overseer of the dead - that you, YOU put more lives in danger of death than I ever did. You consistently put your own needs and desires above the team, above Jack's safety, and above Optimus' concerns. You've no right to judge him whose orders you persistently disregarded, least of all when he was on the verge of joining the AllSpark. I am your superior, Arcee. Your Prime. I care not for apologies. As Smokescreen, I reached out to you, yet you swatted my servo aside. I will fight with you as your leader, your fellow soldier - but we will never be more than comrades on the field. Do I make my point clear?"

There's a heavy, cowed silence in the room as Arcee - who had taken a few steps back at Antares' fury - stares at him in dull shock and conflicted emotions. Bulkhead is the first to speak, assuring the young Prime that they understand, and with his prompting, she reluctantly concedes. Antares' gaze, when landing on the green Wrecker, softens ever so slightly, and straightening, he suggests they all recover before he retrieves Optimus' remains and the Forge in the morning.

Tired, angry, and quietly frightened, Antares leaves for another corner of the airfield, unable and unwilling to face his team.

But the sound of running pedes, as familiar as his newly recognized scent is strange, makes the Prime's fast pace slow. A voice calling out his name, his old name, makes him freeze. And when Red Alert stops behind him, asking to talk to him, it causes Antares to rapidly revisit his old memories. Soon, he turns to face his best friend, who sees the heartbroken, grief-stricken look on his face as, with a hitch, Smokescreen speaks to him quietly:

"I watched him slip away...But Red, I - I wasn't there with him. He died alone - alone, and I should have, should've -"

He squeezes his optics closed, voice hitching. In half a second, Red Alert has embraced his friend, and Antares can't help but practically collapse into his arms, the grief and sadness too much. Red Alert holds him, sharing his pain and shedding tears of his own alongside his Prime, his best friend.

And during a lull, Antares hoarsely whispers, "Everything is too big. My emotions, my frame, and my rage - Primus Red, I nearly killed Megatron and the rest like an animal -"

"Hey, calm down," Red Alert soothes, pulling back enough to look at him. "Look at me, Antares."

The use of his Prime name makes him focus on the combat medic, and with a gentle firmness, he assures, "I know it's a lot to accept, and even more to adjust to. But you were always the fast learner of our class. You aced more often than you got into trouble fighting with the slackers, and I know for a fact that you'll get the hang of this. And if it's too much, if you're really that scared of your new coding, I'll help you, though you might need to talk to Onyx - and if he's listening, he'd better know he should help or I'll find a way to make him help."

The threat, so genuinely backed by severity as it is playfulness, makes Antares laugh. How he missed Red Alert and his hidden humor! How he missed his steady presence and reassuring words!

In that moment, he makes his first true decision as a Prime, clarified and agreed upon by Red Alert: the combat medic, when not on the field or otherwise tending the injured, is his doctor and confidante. He'll need a friend by his side, one who knows him and his physical needs/past, and who he can trust when the burdens he's bearing become too much for him.

The next day, he leaves for the cavern where Optimus and the Forge reside, taking Ratchet with him for the mission. Together, they find a place in Wyoming to bury him, and both 'Bots take a moment to grieve the loss of their leader and friend before taking their leave. During this time, Antares finds himself feeling a more genuine friendship opening up between himself and Ratchet, though they both recognize that it will never be what they each had with Optimus.

Once the task is complete, Antares takes a day to familiarize himself with the 'Bots now under his command and the situation they're now in. He realizes that while he joined them, only Optimus and Bulkhead were truly his friends from the original squad - and even then, Bulkhead took a great deal of time to become remotely fond of him. However, Breakdown is the one who never abused him during his tenure on Team Prime. As a matter of fact, Breakdown respected and appreciated him, normally engaging in friendly banter and training with him when they weren't on missions. Knowing he needs a link to Optimus' crew and someone who he can feel secure with in his inner circle, Antares privately chooses the former 'Con as his connection to the others and, recalling his higher rank back then and the records he read, elevates Breakdown to the status of lieutenant among their ranks.

Now, he considers who shall be his tactical officers - and prays it won't end disastrously.

It takes a while to organize it, in part because of their past, but Antares convinces Ultra Magnus to be his second-in-command while Wheeljack - who had once been a high ranking Wrecker - will be his first officer. There's lots of tension and a few playground insults, but Antares convinces them with bridled frustration to put the past aside on account of his need for their tactical expertise. He explains that he was no leader in the past, and he'll need their counsel to find both sound strategy and flexible adaptability in order to better lead the Autobots. Wheeljack was always rather fond of Smokescreen, respecting his eagerness and quick-thinking, and thus promises to be on his best behavior - though he also notes that he can't guarantee all will be sunshine, rainbows, and unicorn farts between him and Magnus.

Antares chuckles at the perfectly befuddled look on the commander's expression. "That's all I ask. For now," he notes, smile returning to a controlled look of blank acceptance. "Keep me posted on updates from 'Con activity, and while you're at it, work with Ratchet to locate energon deposits. For this week, I'll be working with the Thirteen and Red Alert on - heh, 'taming the beast'."

With that, he turns and leaves for the airfield, and both senior officers do not miss the seriousness that has overcome their new leader.

As the week passes, all is quiet. No Decepticon activity is recorded, and a few energon deposits are found and quickly raided. The only disturbance is of Antares practicing with his new beast mode, his control and focus steadily becoming greater as Red Alert helps him in some combat maneuvers via a holographic training projector he had on him when arriving on Earth. At the same time, Onyx slowly teaches him how to suppress the primal instincts his new form has, and when to merge them with rational thought to improve performance in the field.

But despite this success, all the Autobots take note of Antares' unusual restraint. He smiles slightly and makes a few sarcastic comments, but they seem more somber, and almost deprecating. It causes them to worry, and even Breakdown and Wheeljack's attempts to lighten his mood in their free time is met with assurances that all is well. Red Alert, though he has ideas of his own for bringing Smokescreen out of his shell a bit, hopes someone can be found to better the process, as there's only so much he can do.

Optimus feels the same way, and on the following Sunday, when Antares suffers another bout of nightmares, the fallen Prime searches the airfield for a suitable friend and mentor to his successor.

His search leads him to the barracks as a young man - mentally and physically older than Smokescreen, yet still youthful - awakes and feels the safe, gentle presence of the Prime that he does not recall falling asleep to the previous night.

His dog tags reveal his name and rank to be Sergeant First Class Franklin Talltree, although the young Navajo introduces himself as Airborne.

Though the human cannot see it, Optimus Prime smiles.

To be continued....