Azura's Dream

Azura was standing on a very large, dark, rocky plain with only a cloudy sky above her. She looked around slowly as she was confused as to where she was and why she was here. But it was very cold, and she could see the smallest spec of dust flying by with the wind blowing across the ground. Azura had not expected to dream. As she mostly has been having dreamless recharges, but it seemed she was now having dreams again. But she did not know if she liked this one. This one was cold, and she was nervous about what she might see.

"Hello? Alpha Trion?" Azura did not know if he was reaching out to her again. But it was unlikely, as he said that they would not meet again. Same with the dragon. "Primus? Are you reaching out to me again?" She heard nothing again and she sighed deeply. "Is someone here? I wouldn't be here if this was not important."

There was no sound, no voice responding to her questions. It was like she was alone, but Azura did not know if that was true. She thought about using her abilities to try and clear up the sky, and bring out the sun, but she did not know what to do. She thought about just picking a direction. It was a wide, barren wasteland, and she could only see the horizon every side of her. She sighed, walking forward in a random direction. She still did not know what could happen. And she was weary of her surroundings, as the last time she had a dream, she was threatened by Unicron.

She walked forward for what felt like thirty minutes, before she stopped as she felt something on her foot. Looking down, the sparkling saw three, pale seeds. She leaned down and picked them up carefully and checked them to see they seemed to be undamaged, which was strange to her. She also did not know what they were doing in her dream, and what the message of these seeds could mean. She looked around to see if anything else was new, but there was nothing.

She hummed and looked at the seeds, thinking for a few minutes before wondering if this was another way for her to practice her abilities. After all, she knew she was stronger now. And she was hoping that she didn't feel restricted in her abilities as much as she felt when she was reborn. Of course, she knew that Optimus would not likely let her use her abilities for some time until he was certain she had the strength to do so.

So she had a place where she could learn and practice, and she knew she would be okay. She smiled to herself and looked at the ground. She kicked at the ground, to find it was hard and dry, and it was not fertile at all. Nothing could grow in it. Azura hummed softly as she thought on how she could remedy that. She rubbed her chin at the various possibilities before an idea came to her mind. It was crazy, but it might work.

She hummed as she created a large bubble of water in front of her, which was really easy to make compared to previously, and that made her excited. But she now needed sunlight. She focused and created a large guest of wind to create a gap in the clouds, and filter sunlight directly at the water. That was good, but it wasn't enough. She hummed as she stared at the water, knowing it was warming up from the sunlight.

But she wasn't going to waste the seeds as she placed her hand on the surface of the bubble and concentrated. She did not know if it was going to work though. It took a moment, and Azura smiled in surprise and happiness as she saw algae forming within the water. That was good! She knew she had an influence on nature, but she did not know if she could encourage things like algae to form in the water, considering it had nothing natural algae could use to grow. But it worked.

She focused to fill the bubble with as much algae as possible, as she knew that would make the water full of nutrition that would be excellent for the ground. Though it was the only way that Azura knew of fertilizing the ground at this time. She did not know how else to do that. And she still did not know the purpose of this dream, but she would figure it out. And she knew it has to do with her abilities, and she would work on them.

Once she was satisfied with the amount of algae in the bubble, Azura expanded the bubble with more water before raising it and causing the bubble to burst, and fall onto the ground around her like rain so it would cover a large area around her. Azura smiled and she looked at the sky as the clouds seemed to part more to let more sun through. She raised an eyebrow, still not knowing what was happening, but it was nice to see.

However, she jumped as she heard the loud snort of a horse. She turned in shock, and widened her optics to see a knight wearing rusty armor on a sickly, grey horse with black fluid dripping from its eyes and nostrils. She was shocked, and she glanced to see a second knight riding forward. He wore black armor that looked faded, and the horse he rode upon was dark grey with red eyes and was extremely skinny. She looked between the two knights and they pulled out their swords, which seemed to have some kind of magic around the blades, and they gallop forward.

Azura gasped as she saw the effects as the horses galloped across the ground. They were soaking up the fertilizer she had just spread over the ground, and it seemed they were preventing her from bringing life back to this land. And they were galloping towards her. Azura jumped to the side as they almost gallop into her, and she kept a hold of the seeds, but she saw that the silver knight was pointing his blade at her hand, seemingly knowing she had the seeds.

She stared in shock as the silver knight turned his horse around to charge back at her. It was as if they were destroying the very life of this place. Azura jumped to the side and glared at the horse and rider before focusing on the sky. The knight turned to face her again. She didn't even know why she was seeing a human knight in her dream, but it must symbolize something. She glanced at the other rider as he too faced her, and she was alarmed that the ground was dead again. All of her work had been completely undone.

Azura glanced between them before she focused and two bolts of lighting struck the two riders from above. She backed away as the flash was bright and blinding, and she did not know if she had beaten the riders. When the lightning faded, she saw the two riders standing in place. Their bodies shuddered from the electricity before they seemed to recover and began to gallop towards Azura again. She gasped in shock, and took a step back, only to fall over as she stepped in a small hole in the ground, which was unexpected. She yelped as she hit the ground hard, and she gasped at the seeds fell from her hand, and she watched as the silver knight swiped his sword and incinerated the seeds.

She stared in shock, and widened her optics, crawling backwards as the two knights began to fade into smoke, leaving her alone again, and feeling very confused as to what was happening. She didn't understand. She knew she was here for a reason, but this was very different to the dreams she has had before. She knew the dreams she had previously were like a preparation for her. She did not know if this was the same. It was very specific, and Azura looked at the ground again before glancing up to see the clouds covering the sun once again. She did not know if she should tell Optimus or not, but she wanted to figure out what this might on her own as well. At least, for the time being. Especially as the dream felt like it would not end…not yet.

End of Dream

Optimus hummed softly as he held a large drill in his hand and was focus on screw in the base of the berth on the stand. He had his faceplate up as her worked on completing the base of the new berth. The berth before would likely be too small for Azura upon her rebirth, so this berth was three times the size, giving her a lot of growing room. He smiled to himself as he finished the base and grabbed the sides of the berth, knowing Azura liked the bassinet-style of berth that she had before. And he wanted to give that to her again, though will be easy to remove the hood when she does get older and no longer wants it.

It has been a couple days since the check-up, and Optimus was ensuring that they make an effort of upgrading Azura's nursery. Though Ratchet has made sure to remind Optimus daily to not push himself, even though Optimus has not yet felt tired. He understood though, as Optimus was well aware he had to be careful. But he was enjoying himself, and the other autobots and humans have been getting involved as well.

The fish tanks have finally been moved into his room, and they have seemed to withstand the journey just fine. Though Optimus has been keeping an eye on them, as have the humans. Jack himself has been doing a lot of research on aquariums to make sure that the fish would still be alive when Azura is reborn. And Jack has considered getting a few surprise fish, but as the tanks had plenty of fish, he chose not to. Just so that there was no overcrowding, which will result in some territorial behavior from the fish.

Bulkhead and Bumblebee were currently in the room with him. They were using specialized paint guns to spray the walls with paint. As Azura wanted soft pink and red, they had to think on how to make it look nice. Bumblebee suggested painting a wave style on the walls, and it was agreed that was a good idea. Though Azura could not comment on the suggestion, as she has been in deep recharge since Optimus had woken up from his recharge this morning. And he certainly was not going to wake her up for that kind of question.

So that is what the bots were doing now. They were painting the lower half with red, and the top half with pink, and a white line between to break it up. Since it might look strange with red and pink with nothing breaking it up. He knew that wasn't the idea on Azura's end, but he was certain she would love it. Optimus looked over as Bumblebee was painting the lower half of the three walls they were painting, and Bulkhead was taking care of the top half. So far, it was looking fantastic. They just had to let it dry after, and they would paint the large, blank wall last with white for the kids to paint the mural on.

Optimus smiled, knowing that Azura was going to really appreciate the upgrades to her room. And it was really starting to look beautiful. He was glad that he made sure all of her toys had been put away in a box in his room. Jack, Miko and Raf had already purchased some new toys for Azura in the past month, even though they did not have to. But the kids did really enjoy it, and they deeply cared for Azura. It was kind of like they had another sibling, even though Azura was not the same species. But Optimus was so glad that the children cared this much for his daughter.

"This room is really coming along!" Bulkhead commented enthusiastically as he looked around with a big smile. "Decorating sparkling rooms is always a lot of fun! I really cannot wait until the paint is dry, and we start adding the little, small touches to the room. It is good you suggested that we focus on this sooner, Optimus, because I think we all will feel good when it is done. The mural will probably take the longest to complete."

"It most certainly is." Optimus caressed his abdomen with one hand for a moment before he looked back at the berth to continue working on the sides of the berth. They were easily to hold and screw onto the base and together, though the right side of the berth would have another set of stairs, like before. He had to remove the stairs to expand the size of the berth. "I am very happy to experience this, as I never got to before. So it has been very nice, and a very enjoyable experience. We likely will get the room finished quite quickly. Which is fine, because that way it is out of the way, and I can focus on the next few weeks."

"So long as the decepticons give that to us," Bulkhead joked lightly, and Optimus rolled his optics, even though he was also hoping for that. "But I am glad you have been enjoying yourself, Optimus. I have observed a few mechs and femmes going through the carrying, and I am just glad that I won't experience it." Optimus looked at Bulkhead with a raised eyebrow. "Don't get me wrong, sparklings bring a lot of joy for us, but I have observed the discomfort of carrying. You are lucky you only get the few months of carrying, and not a full term. And you would be begging for her to come out at the end."

Optimus did know if he should find the last comment amusing or not, but he did understand Bulkhead's reasonings. "You don't even have a gestational chamber, Bulkhead. Unless you end up in a similar situation as myself, you will not find yourself carrying. Though I imagine you may find a lucky sparkmate to share in that journey aside them as they carry your sparkling."

Bulkhead chuckled lightly as he thought about the future. "Yeah…that is true…" He shrugged and looked back at the wall to paint the last bit. The paint gun they were using covered a lot of the wall nicely, and gave it a nice, professional finish. "Though I certainly am not thinking of that at this time anyway. That's a long way into the future for me."

"I can agree to that." Optimus looked back at the berth to keep working. It was almost finished, and he would only need to paint it and fabric, and bedding to it. "Though at least you have enough experience, even though I am of the belief, you won't know until you become a parent. Every sparkling is different. I know that Azura probably will be mentally regressed at the end of this, though I am unsure of how much."

"Are you expecting her to be up during the night?" Bumblebee asked curiously as he finished the lower half of the walls and he was about to take the sprayer away to clean it out. Optimus nodded and Bumblebee seemed amused. "I think we will all have to pitch in and help with that. It wouldn't be fair for you to handle it on your own."

"Thanks, Bumblebee. Though Azura has been a very good sparkling. She will always be mature for her age, and I do believe she will flourish in the future." He caressed his abdomen again before he continued on the berth. "I may even take her to the world of the dragons…even if there is no way to bring it back to life."

"I don't know. She could possibly have that power. I mean, even if it is a one-time thing." Optimus shook his head at Bulkhead, even though it was nice to think about. "But I am not sure if she could revive the species. They require the same kind of environment as the humans do, so…I can see why it would not be worth it."

"Things could change in the future. I do believe Azura has great importance in her destiny, but I want her to enjoy life as a sparkling. She focuses too much on what we are worried about."

"That sounds a lot like you, Optimus." Optimus looked at Bulkhead in surprise, and the wrecker chuckled lightly as he finished the top half of the wall. "You are always thinking ahead and make correct, or almost correct, assumptions about things. And you are always ensuring that you take the burden of worry while we enjoy some recreation." Optimus did not believe Azura was the same as him though. "I am sure you might not realize it, Optimus, but Azura seems to behave very similar to you in that regard. She has your personality, to an extent. She does have some rashness, and that could easily be because she is a sparkling, but it could also be from Megatron. However, Azura was not raised by the decepticons, and while she was raised by humans for part of her life, she still has your personality. It probably is hard to see it, because you are you. But we see it."

Optimus pondered on what Bulkhead had said, as he has not really taken the time to think about it at all. "Hmm…you have given me something to think about, Bulkhead." The wrecker smiled as Bumblebee walked over to take the paint gun from him, and Bulkhead leaned down to grab some brushes to touch up the walls to cover any splatters from the spray gun. "I have not considered that Azura has a similar personality to myself. I have known she has own personality, but…now that you have said it that way, I now see it."

Bulkhead was very pleased with himself. He was glad that Optimus could now see the similarities between his personality and hers. Bulkhead had noticed the similarities even when Azura was first found three years ago. And it was good her personality was closer to Optimus's than Megatron's, though he knew Megatron was not always like he was now. Optimus knew Megatron's original personality better than the rest of them, so it was also possible that part of his personality was there in Azura, and he just did not recognize it for that reason.

"I am glad that you do see it, Optimus. I know it is not the most important thing, but I still think it is quite good and cute at the same time she is similar to you. A lot sparklings tend to take after their carrier generally…I know I did not…I am more like my sire, but…" Bulkhead shrugged and chuckled a little as he thought about his own parents. "I drove my parents quite crazy, if I am honest."

"I know I drove a lot of bots crazy. Especially Ratchet and Optimus when they took me in at the start of the war," Bumblebee commented with a chuckle as he listened on the conversation. "Probably more Ratchet than you Optimus. Ratchet is a little too easy to annoy at times."

"Huh? What is this that I hear?" Bulkhead, Bumblebee and Optimus look towards the door as they hear Ratchet's voice. The medic had just walked through the door, and he was shocked to hear what was being said. "I was just coming in to see how the renovations were going, and I never thought I would hear you all talk behind my back." Optimus smirked, amused as he knew that nothing malicious had been said about him. Ratchet folded his arms as Bumblebee had a guilty expression. "What were you saying about me?"

Bumblebee seemed nervous as he looked at Optimus and Bulkhead briefly before he responded. "Um…w-w-we were just talking about Azura before…and I mentioned how crazy I used to be as a youngling when you and Optimus took me in…considering I lost my sire and carrier a long time ago, I know I gave Optimus, and especially you, a hard time…and you are easy to annoy…" He shifted on his feet uncomfortably. "I'm going to go clean these out…"

Ratchet watched as Bumblebee walked around him and quickly left the nursery. Ratchet seemed to not be as mad as he had been before, now that he knew what had been said about him. But he was still a bit annoyed, and he glanced at Optimus to see he was amused. Ratchet sighed deeply before he began to look around the room to see the three walls painted with red and pink in a wave design. He smiled as before, it was just a dark grey and not very colourful. So this was just very lovely and improved compared to what it was before.

Optimus looked at the berth as he finally completed the sides of the berth. He was very pleased with it, even if it was not quite finished yet. He had to create the frame of the hood first, along with creating a door for the side of the berth to allow Azura to leave when she was able to walk. He turned to the desk he had wheeled into the room with the pieces and he began to gather them together in preparation for the hood.

"You have done a very good job so far." Ratchet smiled as he looked around the room. "I know Jack said that he was going to bring the fairy lights, though I know they will be one of the last things to put up. It is going to look wonderful when this is finished. It really will be be." Ratchet walked around slowly before looking at the berth. "And you have done a good job on the berth, Optimus. It looks large, but I bet it is going to be very cosy for that sparkling."

Optimus nodded with a smile as he was very proud of what he has done so far. "I have expanded it as I know Azura will need room to grow. It will be a while before she moves onto a proper berth, but that is okay. I have no doubt that she will enjoy the space. Plus…" Optimus looked at Ratchet as he finished gathering the pieces for the frame. "Azura probably will place with her toys in the bed now that there is more space."

Ratchet chuckled lightly and nodded in agreement. "I could easily see that." He turned to Optimus with a curious expression. "How is she today? Has been complaining about being bored at all again?"

Optimus shook his head. "She's still in recharge. A very deep recharge since I woke up from mine."

Ratchet raised an eyebrow, though he was not concerned by that. Sparklings have deep recharges a lot within their carriers, so it was not a surprise that Azura was having a deep recharge herself. "It must be a very good dream that she is having. And probably a good thing, though she will probably wake up and think it has been two months." Optimus hummed in amusement and nodded in agreement as he placed the frame pieces onto the berth, except for one, to begin attaching it. "And after the complaints she had about being bored, it is good she's found a dream she can enjoy."

"Maybe. I have sensed some confusion and frustration from her, which I was surprised to feel, but then we do have emotions inside of our dreams. The feelings aren't strong, but I can sense it, so I am unsure of what kind of dream she is having at this time. And whether it is the same dream, or if she is having multiple at once." Optimus was curious about what dream Azura was having, but he remained focused on attaching the first piece before picking the second piece up to do the same. "But I do not intend on waking her at all. It is best she dreams as it is one of her only form of…"

CLANG!

Ratchet and Bulkhead look at Optimus in surprise to see him jerk in surprise and place a hand on his abdomen. The two bots heard the loud, strong kick from Azura, and they were quite surprised by that. "That looked painful," Bulkhead commented, and Optimus narrowed his optics slightly at Bulkhead. "Is she awake?"

Optimus shook his head. "No." He rubbed the spot where Azura had kicked and he took a deep intake. "I was not expecting that." Ratchet walked over curiously, though Optimus looked at him with a sharp look. "There will be no need to check, Ratchet."

Ratchet smiled slightly, as he knew Optimus thought he was going to touch his abdomen, which he did not plan to do so. "I am not going to do anything, Optimus, but I will comment on that. She must be having a such a good dream where there are movements happening." Optimus nodded in agreement, and he placed the piece he had in his hand down for a moment to give himself a moment. "Why not take a break, Optimus? You don't want to work while uncomfortable. Maybe have a cube and rest for a little bit."

Optimus perked up at the idea of having an energon cube and some rest, as that sounded good. After all, he has been working on the berth for a couple hours. "I think I might do just that, Ratchet. I could use the rest." He sighed as he placed his tools down as well and looked at Bulkhead. "And do not trouble yourself with continuing the berth while I am absent, Bulkhead. I intend to finish it when I feel up to it again."

Bulkhead smiled as he resumed painting the walls. "Don't worry, Prime, I do not intend to take that from you at all. I fully, and completely understand your desire to finish the berth yourself. I will not touch it unless told to do so. Go and enjoy your rest. I'll be done here soon, and head into town to pick Miko up from school. So maybe you should continue tomorrow."

"That sounds more reasonable to me," Ratchet commented with a smile and Optimus nodded in agreement. "A lot has been done today, though I imagine the children will want to see the progress. And hopefully they will finish the mural design soon too. That way when the wall is painted while, we can make a start on it."

"I think there is more to it than that." Ratchet raised an eyebow at Bulkhead's response. "I say that, because Jack said that they would make some cut outs of the different characters that they want to paint on the wall to make it easier to paint. I am not sure yet how that will go though. He is bringing an example for us to see."

"That will be interesting…humans have strange ways…" The medic shook his head and looked at Optimus to see he was walking over the door to leave. "I imagine Azura will wake up tomorrow and tell you all about the dream."

"Or in the middle of night." Ratchet and Bulkhead chuckle lightly at Optimus's blunt response, knowing he was slightly annoyed by the kick from before, and he's realized he was tired as well. "But I look forward to it regardless."

Optimus watched the doors open in front of him as he walked into the hallway and he proceeded to make his way to the cube room to retrieve a cube. Optimus did wonder what kind of dream Azura was having at this time. Especially since it caused her to kick rather suddenly, and hard enough to make his frame jerk in surprise. But as he had not been expecting it or used to it, it did hurt a bit. Especially since everything within his abdomen was extra sensitive as well.

But he was not worried by this. He wanted Azura to enjoy her dream. And he looked forward to her waking up and telling him the adventures she had in her dream. She probably will be disappointed it hasn't been many days since she fell into recharge, but that was okay. He knew that does happen, as dreams were a timeless thing, and often feels like time moves faster in a dream then in reality. So he expected her to be grumpy. For now, he was more focused on getting a couple cubes to relax and greet the humans when they arrive in the base.