Azura's Dream

Azura intakes heavily as she sat on the ground in frustration. She had no idea how long it has been. She had no idea why she was here, but she has been in this barren land in her dream for so long. It feels like months to her. And she has not found a way to escape, or a reason why she is here. Azura has tried so hard, because the seeds and fertilizing the land the first time seemed to give a clue, but she has not worked it out since. Because Azura has found more seeds, but the result had been the same.

The same knights would attack and destroy the land she had tried to heal. And Azura gave the two knights their name, because they reminded her of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, but she was certain they were different. There were more than four, which was the main giveaway. The knight with rusted armor and the sickly horse with black fluid running from its eyes and dripping from its nostrils and mouth she had called Pestilence. Especially as the second time she had seen the horse, rashes, or something similar to rashes, formed over the horse's neck and legs. Which the name suited the rider, given that the horse was clearly riddled with disease.

The second rider with black faded armor, and a black, skinny horse with red eyes she had called Famine. The second time Azura had seen this rider, flies seemed to circle and be stuck to circle the horse's legs. Clearly, this horse and rider were starving all the time. But Azura still did not yet know why they were here. These riders were specific, and she knew it. But she did not understand why. But these weren't the only riders she had seen.

The third knight wore bright, red armor that seemed to be glowing like the glow of magma in a volcano. His helmet seemed to shaped as a viking helmet, but she still could not see the face of the knight. The horse was red chestnut, with mane and tail were was always burning with red fire, sulphur and smoke, and as the horse galloped, it would spread fire across the ground and leaving a charred trail behind. Azura had called this one War, because she would also hear the sound of echoing sounds of clashing swords and cries of death as the horse would gallop. It made Azura shiver the first time she heard it.

Azura had thought she would name it Death at first, until she saw the next knight. The armor the fourth knight wore a pale, white cloak with torn, individual pieces of fabric. He had silver gauntlets with sharp spikes, and in the hood of the cloak, she still could not see the face. In fact, the face was a mask with only two eyes and a mouth. It was very creepy. As for the horse, it was a ghostly, white horse with no eyes, only the black eye sockets left behind. There was a mist that followed them, and Azura had named this rider Death.

The fifth rider was unexpected. Azura had been focusing on growing a single plant when she saw this rider. This knight wore black armor, but she could see half of the rider's face, but it was a skull with some flesh still attached. His right shoulder, right hand and left leg were also uncovered, showing a skeleton beneath. The chest had a large hole in the center, and Azura had almost purged when she saw there was still a heart and lungs within the exposed rib cage. The horse was dark grey, with half of it's face had no flesh, only the exposed skull beneath. Part of the horse's rib cage was showing, and there was no fur attached to the tail. Azura called this one Decay.

And the sixth, and final rider, was a fully armored knight and horse. The colour of the armor was the same shade of grey as Megatron's body, with purple mist filtering from the gaps of the armor and the eyes of both horse and rider were glowing purple. When Azura met this rider for the first time, the sheer hatred and anger she felt from this rider was an aura she had not expected. And so she called this knight Hatred. But she didn't like that this knight seemed connected to Megatron in some way, but she had a sneaky suspicion that it wasn't meant to be a representation of Megatron. But perhaps, Unicron. And that was more concerning.

Azura at least knew that trying to create something green and fertile was the aim. But she couldn't figure out how to defend it from these riders. They would only appear when she tried to do so. And it was frustrating her, because Azura began to realize to beat these knights was the reason why she was here. But there was a lesson in this, and she knew it. But she didn't know what that was yet. Especially since Azura has tried to wake up from her recharge, but for some reason, each time she would tried, she would feel a sudden headache, like something was preventing her from waking up.

It has frightened her because she had no idea how long she has been recharging for. She didn't know how to reach out to Optimus for help, but she didn't want to drag him in here, in case he would not be able to wake from this recharge as well. However, she was frightened and frustrated that she could not wake up. And she has not found any clue on how to stop the knights from appearing and preventing her from creating a fertile land.

And this barren land kept stretching, no matter how far Azura would run. Which was why she was now sitting on the ground, thinking deeply on how to proceed. All of these knights were connected, but after seeing Hatred, she was certain this was actually something to do with Unicron. Given that Azura does not remember the incident that happened over a month ago, she would not know what connections there might be to it.

Azura stared at the ground for a little bit before she had an idea. She hummed softly to herself and rubbed her chin thoughtfully before she attempted to transform. For some reason, she hasn't been able to transform, and that might be on purpose. But she focused and she gasped as she felt the shift in her body and the feeling of transformation. Azura knew it was a feeling she would have to get used to, but she didn't care at this time.

She looked down at herself for a moment before she looked up. She thought about flying above the clouds, but she doubted that she would be able to. She looked at the ground before she focused on the ground itself. She could feel the rocks, the dirt and the land itself. She smiled before she put pressure forward, and jumped as she heard a loud crack, and the ground shook as the earth shifted. Azura stared and smiled as she watched the earth split, and within that crack, was another layer of ground beneath.

It was dry and crusty, but it was what she was after. Azura was happy with this achievement. She stopped the movement of the ground as the gap was spanning very far and wide. She jumped into the air to fly around for a moment before diving onto the crust and pressed her paws into the ground to focus. She hoped that this could not be destroyed by the knights, especially as she felt the ground dampening, and she could hear the sound of water shifting under the surface of the ground.

Azura remained focused, not allowing herself to be frightened, and she soon heard it. Cracks in the side of the canyon she had created, and looked towards the walls to see water spilling out from the sides. She giggled and flew upward to avoid being washed away, and she looked down the canyon to see more cracks breaking from the sides of the canyon, filling this long trench with water, and turning it into a deep river.

Azura was very pleased with this. She gasped though when she saw Pestilence, Famine and Decay standing by the river, and they seemed to not know what to do. They were staring at the water, and the knights seemed afraid of the water. The horses backed away from the edge, pawing at the ground in irritation. Azura guessed she had finally had a victory, because they could not destroy this river. Water was the base of life for planet Earth, so it made sense that this was something they could stop. Especially since water itself can be a powerful force. One only needed to sail the oceans to confirm that.

Now that she had some kind of win, Azura now knew she found something. She did not know what else she could do yet, but it was an achievement. And even though she was still wondering what this dream was all about, and wanting to wake from it so she could hear Optimus's voice, it was a step closer to winning. But Azura was still afraid. She didn't want to be here. It felt like months to her, and she wanted to wake up.

"Daddy, if you can somehow hear me, please help. I am trapped in this dream, and I want to get out. But I cannot. It feels like a prison in my own mind. I hope these words reach you, because I need your help."

Meanwhile…

It has been seven days since Optimus awoke to Azura being in a deep recharge, and she has not awoken since. Optimus was extremely worried, even though the last check up he had with Ratchet the medic reassured him that Azura was healthy, not showing signs of lifelessness in her processor and was simply in a deep recharge. But that check up was two days ago, and Optimus never stopped worrying. He felt the sense of fear, confusion and frustration from his daughter, and during his own recharge, he saw potential glimpses of her dream. It was a barren land of some sort, and he could hear her calling his name, wanting his help.

Optimus did worry that this dream she was having was more than just a normal dream, and if there was a way to help her, he would do it. Ratchet has already said that there was a way for Optimus to reach Azura's mind, and he was willing to do it. Even if it meant that he would also be stuck, but at least he would be assisting Azura with whatever she needed to do in order to wake from the dream. He didn't want her to be in recharge for the full duration of this carrying.

Optimus stood in Azura's nursery. A lot has happened during the past week. Optimus was able to finish building the last bit of Azura's berth with the hood, and he had just finished painting it. He painted the exterior white with the interior a light gold, knowing that Azura would like the contrast in colours. The walls with the red and pink wave design were finished, with a white line breaking up the colours nicely.

As for the mural, the wall was painted white and has dried completely. Bulkhead, Bumblebee and Ratchet were in the process of making the stencils needed to help with painting the mural, which was taking a bit of time. But the room was really coming together, and the mural should definitely be done very soon, and it will be ready long before Azura would make her reappearance back into this world.

But Optimus's mind couldn't be excited. Not while he was certain something was wrong. And he didn't want Ratchet to overlook it anymore. Optimus caressed his abdomen, wishing to hear Azura's sweet voice again before he turned and walked out of the nursery. He grimaced a little as Azura kicked again suddenly, making him groan lightly. With her being deep in recharge with this dream in her mind, it has seemed to have caused Azura to kick more. She has woken Optimus up from recharge a couple times due to it. And caused him to purge once when he received a kick to his tank.

And Optimus felt this was reflexes that Azura was making due to whatever she was seeing in her dream. He could not be mad about it at all. It certainly made things more uncomfortable for him, but he wanted Azura to wake from this dream. And it might actually be a nightmare, not a dream. Especially when he could faintly hear her calling for him and wanting help, but he could not respond to her. Because he didn't know how to reach her mind.

Rubbing the side of his abdomen, Optimus made his way towards the lobby. Currently, Bulkhead was out of the base investigating a strange energon signal. While they would not run out of energon for a very long time, it was still worth checking out at this time. He has been gone for a while, so he would likely still be investigating. Ratchet was in the lobby keeping an eye on the progress, but that was not going to stop Optimus urging Ratchet to take more of a concern about Azura.

Upon walking into the lobby, Optimus smiled as he saw Rafael and Miko getting out of the camaro, as Bumblebee had to carpool the girl from school while Bulkhead was on his mission, and Arcee had also arrived with Jack. The children had been informed of the whereabouts of Bulkhead, so they were not too concerned. But they had curiosity on their faces as they approach the stairs, so Optimus knew that they would likely hang by Ratchet to see how things were for Bulkhead. It was just a standard recon mission, so Optimus doubted that there would be any reason for concern.

Arcee was the first to notice Optimus, and she immediately noticed the concern in his optics. "Are you okay, Optimus?" Ratchet turned his head immediately hearing Arcee's question. The femme's expression was sympathetic, as she guessed Optimus was uncomfortable. "I guess Azura kicked you again."

Optimus sighed deeply. "I am not concerned with the physical contact she has made to my internals at this time, Arcee." He looked towards Ratchet for a moment and looked back at Arcee. "But it has been almost over a week since Azura fell into deep recharge, and she has not awoken. I worry that something is happening."

"Optimus, there is nothing health wise to be concerned about…" Optimus's optics immediately turned sharp as he glanced at Ratchet as the medic responded. "I understand your concern, but Azura is healthy. She is showing no signs of anything to be concerned about…"

"Except for the fact she has not awoken at all, Ratchet. We know that recharging is necessary, but I also know too much recharge is also bad." Ratchet sighed as he couldn't disagree with Optimus on that. "I know she is within my gestational chamber, and it is not as much of a concern, but I am concerned, Ratchet. I know you know that. Azura…I sense her feelings, Ratchet. And the last few nights, I actually have had glimpses of her dream."

Ratchet seemed surprised by that, because that was not possible without help. "You have?" Optimus nodded affirmatively. "Normally, I would say that is unusual, but Azura's existence has always been unusual I suppose…" Optimus flinched a little at the comment, even if it was hard to deny. "And your bond would be quite strong, even though you never formed it naturally at the start, but her age actually would make your maternal bond with her stronger…" Ratchet rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Well…what exactly do you see?"

"A barren land of nothing, but rock. The sky is dark, and I can hear her call for me for help." Optimus rubbed his abdomen, knowing that there was indeed much to be worried about. "You might believe that Azura is not in danger, and maybe that might be true. However, they do say that carriers do possess a certain amount of intuition when they sense danger. Is that not, correct?" Ratchet grumbled a little as he listened to Ratchet. "And I have always been able to anticipate choices by the decepticons, making my intuition sharp. That would mean that my concern is valid, am I right?"

Ratchet could not deny that. Optimus has always had good intuition, even before he became a Prime, and that has carried through all the years he has been their leader. Optimus has been wrong at times, but his intuition still lead the autobots to discovering things about the decepticons that has ensured that they would defeat them at times. Though it has also saved lives, so for Optimus to feel that there was concern for his daughter, was indeed valid. And Optimus was also right about carriers having intuition about their sparklings. Optimus would likely have the best intuition of all carriers that Ratchet has dealt with…which meant he would need to believe Optimus.

Ratchet sighed deeply. "Alright. I will heed your concerns, Optimus. I hope you understand that I wish no harm to Azura as well. While it might seem I am not concerned, simply because I am not the one carrying, I look at it from a medical standpoint. But…it would seem something else is happening in her dream that is having an affect." Optimus nodded as that would seem to be the case. "And you are starting to see glimpses into that dream. A barren land…that is peculiar…"

"And I am afraid I see nothing else when I do see it. I wish I could." Optimus glanced at the screen to see the location of Bulkhead. "I know you are keeping watch of Bulkhead, but I could use your attention on this, Ratchet. You said it was possible for me to see into my sparkling's mind, and I hope we can proceed."

"I want to, and I think it shouldn't be a bad idea." Ratchet glanced back at the screen. "I…I know this might irritate you a little bit, but if we wait until Bulkhead returns, at least my attention can be solely on you, Optimus. Mostly in case something does happen and Bulkhead needs medical attention."

Optimus was a little irritated, but he kept that to himself. He understood that Ratchet would need to be available if Bulkhead required it. Azura could wait a little bit longer. "I do understand, Ratchet. I guess…" He rubbed the back of his neck gently. "I am worried…it might not be anything deeply concerning, but…"

"Look, I get it. You just want peace of mind." Optimus nodded, because it would make him recharge easier if he knew she was okay. "But since it has been a straight week…it would be good to just find out if things are okay. You are right to be worried. But I am sure that waiting a little bit is not going to hurt her."

"Why can't it be done while Bulkhead is not here?" Jack questioned with a concerned frown on his face. Ratchet turned to the boy and smiled at him kindly. "It seems…a little strange to me that's all. I mean…Bulkhead could be gone for many hours yet."

"It is because I will need to be present the whole time. The procedure that I will put Optimus under will be sort of like the cortical psychic patch, but the procedure focuses on the bond that he and Azura have. I have the right equipment and injections for it, but I need to be present. Because setting it up actually takes a while, and I will have to put Optimus on an energon drip…" Optimus raised an eyebrow slightly, though he did not protest. "Simply because we do not know how long it will take for him to help Azura. If she really needs help."

"Right…" Jack himself had grown to be worried about Azura's deep recharge only a few days after Optimus told him she was dreaming. He was also concerned something was wrong, and he did not fully understand how deep of a connection Azura could have with nature and her own ancestors. "I hope waiting will be okay. I am worried about her too. Not to the same extent as you, Optimus, but Azura has been my friend for quite sometime. I kind of feel like a brother…in a way…more than a friend to be honest.

"I know." Jack widened his eyes slightly in surprise and smiled at Optimus, glad to be acknowledged. "I see it whenever you interact with Azura. And now, while she resides with in me, you have been doing things that usually an older sibling would do." Jack was immediately flustered and embarrassed, especially as Miko elbowed him lightly in the ribs to tease him. "I know I have thanked you numerous times for being there when…when I had failed her…" Optimus glanced down at his abdomen briefly before looking back at Jack. "But I don't think that I can stop thanking you, Jack. I am not even sure if things would be the same if you were not part of her life."

The teenager shifted a little, as he did not know if he should be uncomfortable by this or not, but he knew Optimus acknowledged his friendship with Azura all the time. There were probably times Optimus wished he could understand it, since Jack and Azura would speak of things he did not understand. But that did not matter. Optimus knew that Azura would never get an older sibling, and she probably won't ever get a sibling in the future either, so it was good she had someone to fill that role. Even if Bumblebee was like another brother to her.

"I guess it is a good thing we do not know of any alternate universes to show the other possibilities," Jack joked lightly, and Optimus nodded in agreement. He turned to Ratchet, as he wanted to distract himself from the feeling of being flustered from Optimus's compliment. "So why exactly is Bulkhead following an energon trail? I would think that the cavern in the Arctic would be more than enough to sustain you."

"It is. But…" Ratchet turned to the screen, looking up at the signal curiously. "This signal is different. For some reason, it seems to be singular, and potentially a lure. Usually, Optimus would be the one to investigate these things. But…" He glanced at Optimus with a smile. "We don't really want to announce to the decepticons that he is carrying for as long as we can help it." He looked back at the screen again for a moment before looking back at Jack. "So while I understand the question, it's unusual energy signature and location is what needs to be investigated."

"How long ago was that anyway?" Miko asked bluntly as she stared at the screen. "I was hoping to go off roading with Bulkhead this afternoon. But I guess that will have to be tomorrow, most likely."

"A couple hours. This is pretty standard. Bulkhead has not called for any assistance, and his life signal is still strong, so his life is not in danger. But…" Ratchet hummed softly as he stared at the screen. "His signal has not moved for the last fifteen minutes. I am unsure if it is due to him discovering something, or he has been knocked out or something."

"Decepticons?" Arcee questioned with a worried expression.

"There was one decepticon signal, but that signal had suddenly disappeared roughly fifteen minutes ago…so…" Ratchet rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he stared at the screen. "It is highly possible that Bulkhead had defeated the decepticon and is just taking a break…"

"Maybe we should find out." Miko walked over to the console and faced Ratchet with a smile. "Open the com link. I think we should see if he really is okay. Especially since we don't need Optimus worrying about another autobot, aside from his sparkling." She glanced at Optimus with a smile. "And they say stress is no good."

Jack scoffed in amusement at Miko's comment. "That has been disproven, Miko. But…it might be good to reach out to Bulk to just see how things are going. I agree we should not need to worry about another autobot at this time."

"I think the children are right, Ratchet." Optimus walked over to the console and typed on it. "I will open the communication link for you, Miko. If he is knocked out, Bulkhead will most likely respond to you before us." Miko had a big grin on her face as she waited. "It is now open."

Miko pumped her fist excitedly before she spoke. "Marco?" Jack and Raf look at the girl in surprise when she began to speak. They do not hear anything from Bulkhead, which made Ratchet and Optimus frown a little. "Marco?" Again, there was no response, and Miko was starting to get worried herself. "Marco?!"

"Miko?" Bulkhead's weak voice responded in confusion.

"Ermmm! You're supposed to say polo!" Miko responded with a shake of her head. However, even though she was annoyed he didn't respond the way she wanted, she was happy to have heard from him. "You okay, Bulkhead? You weren't back to pick me up from school."

Bulkhead did not respond to Miko for a few minutes as it seemed that he had been confused before. But he did respond after a few minutes. "Miko, let Ratchet know I need a ground bridge."

"She won't need to," Ratchet responded as he activated the bridge for him. "You sound a bit tired, Bulkhead. Care to give us a little bit of detail as to what might have caused you to be like that."

"Ugh…Breakdown happened to be here…" Bulkhead groaned loudly as the bridge was turned on. "He was following the same trail as me. I'll tell you the rest when I get back to base, Ratchet. I kind of…I might need a little bit of repair."

Ratchet rolled his optics and looked at Optimus with a I told you so expression. "Of course, you do…how bad?"

"Not bad, just a little bit of damage and energon leak…" The made Ratchet grumble even more as the medic turned to the vortex and the wrecker walked through, holding his left shoulder with a grimace. Bulkhead smiled at the autobots, even though he knew it was a little awkward at the moment. "Sorry, doc. I didn't intend on getting into a fight."

"That is a given. Come…" Ratchet walked over to Bulkhead to help him to the med bay. "Let's take a look at your injuries."

Bulkhead nodded as he walked with the medic towards the med bay. Miko raced down the stairs to follow, as she was curious as to what had gone down on the other side. Optimus was curious too, so everyone followed to the med bay. Knowing that Bulkhead had faced Breakdown on his own was foolish, and while it seemed Bulkhead survived the encounter, it was still a bad choice to not ask for aid from the other autobots. Optimus himself may not have joined, but Arcee and Bumblebee could have.

Ratchet was looking over Bulkhead's body, as he was already accessing the damage that had been done to him by Breakdown. "I see that Breakdown was able to deliver a few hard hits to your body, Bulkhead. Luckily, it looks like it is all external and will just need a bit of patching up. But I won't know until I check."

"That sounds reasonable, doc. I do feel a bit confused, since…" Bulkhead thought about when Breakdown had knocked him out. "Hmm…I am not even sure what happened."

"You don't remember defeating Breakdown?" Arcee asked with a raised eyebrow, and Bulkhead simply shrugged in response, not knowing how to answer that. "I guess you were knocked out good and cold if you can't remember beating him."

Bulkhead just shrugged, knowing he did not know how to respond to that. Especially since Bulkhead was certain he was the losing end of things, not the other way around. Regardless, Bulkhead decided to not say anything further as they entered the med bay, and Bulkhead sat on a berth. Ratchet took a scan of his body to check for any internal injuries. There was no sign of internal trauma, so he focused on Bulkhead's arm and grabbed a welding tool to begin patching Bulkhead's shoulder.

Bulkhead remained relaxed as Ratchet worked on his arm, though looked at Optimus as he saw the stern frown on his face. Bulkhead could tell Optimus was not pleased he had engaged the enemy on his own, but Bulkhead felt like he had no choice. He didn't want Optimus to put himself in a position where the decepticons would find out about him carrying Azura, even though it would likely happen eventually.

"Engaging the enemy on your own was foolish, Bulkhead." The wrecker flinched upon hearing the disappointed tone from Optimus.

Bulkhead sighed and responded to Optimus. "Breakdown jumped me. I knew I could take him." He grimaced as the spark of the welder was burning a little. "I was getting close to locating the strange energon signal when he attacked from behind."

"But you could have called for backup, Bulkhead," Arcee said bluntly as she placed her hands on her hips. "I know you and Breakdown have a rivalry, so I guess that must have been the reason why you did not call for backup."

He shook his head. "No, it was not it. Honestly…I know I should have told you, and I am sorry that I didn't. But…I guess I was somewhat thinking of Optimus."

"Me?"

Bulkhead nodded as Optimus seemed surprised. "Well…you usually are the backup, Optimus…"

"I see…" Optimus appreciated the concern and he smiled at him a little. "You should know that I will not be leaving the base like I used to, Bulkhead. I appreciate that your concern for my and Azura's wellbeing, but you would not have needed that concern. Bumblebee and Arcee are capable of helping you."

"I guess." He flinched again and glanced at Ratchet. "Ow! That hurts!"

"Then stop moving around!" Ratchet snapped back, and resumed patching his arm.

"But we should see the other guy!" Miko said ecstatically, smiling at the wrecker. "Right, Bulk?"

"Uh, yeah…about that…" He glanced at Miko with a sad, confused expression. He knew Miko thought he had won, and he didn't want to upset her, but he had to speak the truth.

Miko's smile faded to disappointment. "You didn't torch him?"

"Not exactly…" Bulkhead glanced at Optimus in confusion. "When I opened my optics, I thought you all did." Arcee and Bumblebee raised eyebrows curiously, while Miko had to settle with the fact Bulkhead had lost. "When I came too Breakdown was just gone. I remember hearing a helicopter. Maybe it was Agent Fowler."

"Not me." The bots and children were surprised when they heard Fowler's voice, and they look towards the doorway of the med bay to see the agent walking in. "But I have an idea who." Fowler glanced at Optimus with worry briefly, before looking at all the autobots and children in front of him. It had taken time for Fowler to get used to seeing Optimus heavy with carrying Azura, and he was still trying to wrap the possibility in his mind. "Show me where this con napping occurred."

Optimus hummed softly as this development seemed to be concerning. If Bulkhead had heard a helicopter before he fell unconscious, that meant that the energon signal could have been a lure, and they had fallen for it. But someone else, not Agent Fowler, was responsible for it. Knowing this, Optimus, Arcee, Bumblebee and the children accompany Fowler back to the lobby while Ratchet finished patching Bulkhead's shoulder so they could show Fowler the location of where this fight occurred, and what his thoughts were on the matter.