Some see illusion, while others face reality...
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"Optimus?! Is that you?!" Sentinel questioned, slowly stepping closer.
"Of course it's me, Sentinel." Optimus laughed again. "We're roommates. Who else would it be?"
A shriek suddenly filled the building, causing the two bots to jump at the loud sound.
Sentinel knows that scream.
"Elita!" Sentinel cried out as he and Optimus ran to Elita's room.
When they arrive, they saw Elita looking at herself in the mirror in disbelief.
And not just herself, her original self.
Beautiful emerald skin with shiny golden armor and sparkling sapphire eyes.
The form Elita always wished to have again for so long.
And now she has it back.
She should feel joy over this, but instead she felt confused.
She's back in the autobot academy and in her old form.
How?!
"Elita!"
The emerald bot turned around to Sentinel's voice and what she saw made her scream again at the bot she was starting to think she'd never see again.
"Woah Elita! It's okay! It's just us!" Optimus said, trying to calm his friend down. "Wow, graduation day is really stressing you guys out."
Sentinel intake fell open and he blinked.
Graduation day?
The next moment Optimus was tackled to the ground and his face was covered in kisses and tears.
"Optimus! You're you again! It was all a dream!" Elita laughed, crying in joy and giving him one last kiss on the forehead and then hugged him tight.
Optimus hugged back with a kind smile. "It's okay Elita…"
Sentinel could only blink at what he was seeing.
Was it true?
Was everything that both he and Elita experiecned, the friends they made and the enimies that they fought together… was it all a crazy dream… that they both had?
1010101010
Soundwave smiled behind his mask at everything that he was seeing.
Sentinel was starting to accept the dream world he made.
And while Elita and the rest of Sentinel's team maybe have been confused, but they didn't resist the illusion.
Soundwave honestly thought they would question and resist more, but maybe they don't want to question it cause of how miserable their real lives probably were.
For example, Sentinel and Elita didn't become real autobots thanks to their mistakes. But now they believe they can again.
Meanwhile, Bumblebee lost his chance to become an elite guard to save Bulkhead from being punished, now he was an official member and he got his voice back.
And when Soundwave learned that Bulkhead's dream was to be by his golden friend's side, the second in command made the real Bulkhead part of Bee's crew.
Prowl's dream world is a version of Cybertron that is okay with organic life and he has his own personal garden filled with animals to take care of.
When Soundwave learned from the stoic ninja's mind that he has surprisingly powerful feelings for Bumblebee and that Bee feels the same, the monotone sounding mech decided to put Prowl's garden near Bumblebee's home so they could see each other.
Interestingly, Bumblebee and Prowl seem to know this is a dream, but they're embracing it.
By embracing each other.
Thinking their partner isn't real, the golden minibot and cyber ninja confessed their love, shared a kiss and did many passionate things to each other in the garden whenever Bumblebee isn't on a mission.
Their sleeping bodies in the real world letting out small, happy sounds.
Romance really is the best way to weaken the mind.
Ratchet's dream was to be a medic for sparklings again, while Arcee's dream was to be a sparkling teacher again.
And Rodimus' dream is a peaceful Cybertron where Orion Pax, the decepticons and war frames never existed.
…Soundwave honestly couldn't blame the red prime for wanting this.
His whole team did get murdered by Orion after all.
Blurr's dream was him running through space.
Interesting.
Jazz's dream was going to an earth concert with eveyone.
Simple yet fun.
And why is Soundwave showing them these wonderful dreams?
So while they're too busy being happy to notice that Soundwave is adding coding that will make them more suggestible and open minded to Orion's words when Orion wishes to talk to them about joining their cause.
Also, Soundwave will make sure to erase the memories of the dreams he created for them, so they wouldn't get mad about the manipulation.
Megatron wants Orion to be happy and knows that Sentinel and Elita rejecting his offer to join the decepticons would break his precious treasure's spark.
But Megatron also knew that mind control was morally wrong, even for him, so Soundwave told him about this suggestion program that will increase the chances of Orion's old friends saying yes by 50%.
It will still be their choice, they will just be more willing to consider Orion and his words and if they install it in the rest of the autobots it will increase the chances of this working.
Megatron reluctantly agreed.
They will use the program, just this once, for Orion's happiness.
Soundwave is please to see that the coding download is already at 25% and the slumbering autobots are too happy in their own minds to care or fight it.
1010101010
Sari spent hours angrily punching at the glass imprisoning her, even as her father tried to calm her down.
What should have been a happy reunion, was instead a song of despair.
Laserbeak, that stupid buzzard took her key away with a cackle and now she can't hack the machines undetected.
"Sari, calm down!" Prof. Sumdac begged.
"I can't Dad! My friends are being brainwashed and we have to stop it! There's got to be a way out of here!"
The professor looked at his daughter with a mixture of sadness, hesitation and love then he sighed and closed his tired eyes. "…Maybe there is."
"What?"
"Sari… there is something that I've been wanting to tell you for a while, ever since the autobots arrived… I should have told you then… before any of this happened… but I was afraid of what you would think of yourself and me if you knew the truth… Though knowing this might give you the power to save your friends..."
Sari took a step toward her father. "What truth, Dad?"
Her dad looked to the floor in shame. "Sari… the truth is…"
Suddenly, there was an explosion by the ceiling.