Embers of a Flame

Chapter 2.4

Shrek groans a bit, opening his optics. His entire frame is sore from the unfortunate landing he made when their ship crashed. 

He immediately shoots up, optics scanning the area. "What the frag?" he mutters.

He's sitting in a grass field, surrounded by a thick mist. He can barely see ahead of him.

 The mech gets up, still carefully looking around. "Okay, so does every Cybertronian hallucinate while recharging or what?"

Silence.

"Great. How do I wake up?"

Silence.

Shrek sighs exasperatedly. "Am I really expecting a reply from my own dream?"

"Are you sure… that this is your dream?" A voice hisses, low and rasping.

The mech jumps at the sudden sound, somewhere around him. Curse the mist that he can't see where.

A figure walks, or crawls, through the mist. Glaring red optics stare him down as the figure swerves from left to right, like a hunter stalking his prey.

Shrek is on high alert, taking a battle stance with his guns deployed. "And who the hell are you?"

"Ohhh–" the voice rasps. "I think you know me."

The mist lets up just slightly, revealing a silver frame. Burn scars litter the metal and the mech's helm is missing most of his faceplate. The Fallen.

"The first Decepticon? Well, ain't that just my luck…" Shrek mutters. "Give me one reason to not offline you right now."

"Try it. I dare you" The Fallen hisses, taking a few steps forward, towards the black mech.

"Suit yourself" Shrek deadpans, warming up his blaster and firing a few shots. They hit the Fallen right on, one piercing his chest completely. But he doesn't appear to be affected by it.

The silver mech grins sadistically. "You can't kill me, insect, because I am already dead. When Optimus destroyed me, a flicker of my spark remained, to wander the plane between planes endlessly."

"So you chose to annoy me, huh? Are you that bored?" Shrek's tone suggests that he is not impressed by the monologue. 'Destroyed huh? So we're already past Revenge of The Fallen'

"Make no mistake, I plan to make use of my time here" The Fallen seethes. "You're of use to me, insect."

"Don't call me 'insect'. I don't plan on becoming your puppet anytime soon, Fallen." The black mech glares with his equally red optics.

The Fallen lifts his helm for a moment, as if he senses something. "You will come to regret those words."

"Try me."

"Oh, I will. You will tell no one of this conversation or your friends will pay the price."

Shrek laughs, like he finds it amusing to be in this position. "That's bullscrap, you have no power except here in my dreams."

The Fallen turns his helm to the side, like a curious puppy. "Oh-" he cooes, "but that's where you're mistaken."

An electric jolt courses through Shrek's frame, making the weapons specialist drop to his knees with a grunt of pain.

"I can very much take control of your mind, insect. And I will slaughter all those close to you if you don't… cooperate."

Shrek grunts in pain, slowly and shakily rising to his peds. He has to stay hunched over, but he lifts his helm just enough to glare at the Fallen. "Never in my life."

Now it's the silver mech's turn to laugh. "There will come a time when you need me. You'll come to me begging for help, insect."

"Keep dreaming pal."

"As long as you do, I will come back."

The mist starts swirling around the Fallen, obscuring him from Shrek's vision. With another electric current, the poor mech is knocked out and the Fallen is gone.

When Shrek regains consciousness, he prays to Primus that he's awake this time. But no dice.

Instead of the grass field, however, he is surrounded by metal planes, some rusted over.

With an exasperated sigh, the mech scrambles to his peds. "And now what? What scrap dream is this?"

"Aww, you don't like my location?" a voice behind him pouts.

Shrek whirls around, blasters primed and aimed at whoever is standing there.

The mech, if it even is a mech, is hard to see. He's constantly shifting and changing, never once still. There's only one being he knows that looks that way.

"Amalgamous Prime" Shrek sighs in a flat tone. "Well, frag. You scared the ever-loving scrap out of me."

"Apologies," the mech says while flashing a dorky grin. "I can't help but sneak up on people, it seems."

"Yeah, I noticed."

Amalgamous chuckles and twirls around a bit. "Walk with me, little mech. I like your tone."

Shrek shrugs. He transforms his blasters back into servos and follows the Prime over the rusted plateau. "Sea of Rust, huh? How come?"

"I come here to gather rust to use in pranks."

"Why did I expect anything else…"

There are a few minutes of silence, until Shrek grows a bit annoyed. This is the second dream he's having and he just wants some peace and quiet.

"So, why me? Don't you Primes have anything better to do than scare unsuspecting mechs?" he asks.

"Dunno. My siblings seem worried about something. You being here was the one thing they didn't see coming." Amalgamous replies in a casual tone. 

The Prime whips around again, now facing Shrek as he walks backward. "I really could care less about all that serious stuff. We haven't had a thing to do since our brother dear decided to bail, except to exist in the Matrix and give ominous speeches to that stuck-up Optimus Prime."

Shrek snorts a little. "Such a hard life you have" he jokes sarcastically.

"Again, I like your attitude, little mech."

"I'm not little."

Amalgamous shifts form and suddenly Shrek is looking at a copy of himself. "I'm not little!" The Prime mimics in his voice.

The black mech groans a little and crosses his arms. "Get to the point. I want to get some recharge tonight."

Amalgamous shifts back to that ungraspable form and chuckles. "Sure sure. Okay, the dealio here is that I'm offering you my Shifter ability, as just demonstrated. I'll be your protector and your guide. In turn, we'll be bound as of sorts."

The weapons specialist raises an optic ridge. "I mean, that doesn't sound all bad. If I have to be stuck with any Prime, at least you're fun."

"Is that a yes?"

"Obviously."

Amalgamous Prime smirks and claps his servos. "Right! So, the Shifter ability."

One of his tendrils shoots toward Shrek and pokes him right in the middle of his faceplate. "That should do it!"

The black mech feels his faceplate with a digit. "That's it?"

But there is no reply from Amalgamous and when Shrek looks up, the Sea of Rust and the Prime are no more.

He sighs heavily and collapses back on the berth. "Great. So I'm stuck with a threat from a psychotic Prime and an ability I don't know how to use."

The strain of meeting two Primes in one night has taken a toll on Shrek. He falls back in recharge before he can worry too much about what the Fallen said.