Laying on a med berth while sipping an energon cube, Optimus was patiently waiting for Ratchet to be finished with tending to Bulkhead at this time. He was caressing his abdomen while he waited, and the other autobots were currently in the med bay. Arcee had finished informing Fowler regarding the incident and the man had left to do some further investigations in trying to locate Mech, even though he was uncertain if he would be successful. But he would do his best, knowing that they possess a danger to the entire world.

Optimus had already ingested two cubes of energon, but he had not felt satisfied, so he had retrieved a third cube before making his way to the med bay and laid down on an empty berth. Ratchet was glad that Optimus got himself settled on the berth without any prompting. Optimus himself was hoping that they would be successful in aiding Azura today. He hoped to break her free from the dream she could be stuck in, or at least get peace of mind that it will be okay and she would wake when she was ready.

When the kids asked about the dream Optimus had a glimpse of that Azura was having, and he told them what it was, Miko attempted to draw it out of curiosity while they waited for Ratchet to be finished. It was not necessary, but Miko was trying to picture it in her mind. Even though Optimus's explanation of what he saw, a dry, barren, flat land with a dark sky, was more than enough. But Miko was also bored, so it was something for her to do.

"I wonder what we should expect when Optimus's mind connects with Azura's. I know it isn't the same as what Bee did with the cortical psychic patch, but I am still curious." Optimus looked at Raf and smiled as he overheard the boy talking to Jack and Miko about it. "I hope that he can find out if this deep recharge is good or not."

"I think we will be able to see the dream once Ratchet has all the equipment hooked up to him," Jack responded. "I know Optimus won't particularly like it, but better to know everything than nothing or a little bit. Somehow, I don't think that this deep dream is anything but good."

Miko looked up from her sketchbook in surprise. "What makes you think that?"

"Well…Azura's never had a deep dream that involves training for more than a single night. I know she's within Optimus…but…" Jack had concerns as he thought about how long Azura has been recharging for, and he didn't think it was good. "Maybe it is connected to what happened to Azura. You know, when Starscream threw that shard at her."

"Hmmm…maybe…" Miko tapped the end of her pencil against her cheek and looked back at the sketchbook to keep drawing. "But why would that be?"

"This might be a stretch, but…" Jack looked at Optimus and noticed that the leader was listening to them. "I don't suppose there are still traces of dark energon in her system, is there?"

Optimus was surprised Jack had come to that conclusion and he nodded. "Yes. Unfortunately, Ratchet had discovered that she does still have traces of it in her system. But it is different, for some reason." Arcee, Bulkhead and Bumblebee were staring at Optimus in shock, but they said nothing as they listened. "We are unsure why, but it seems as though Azura's body has somehow changed the dark energon, but the elements are still there."

"Oh…that is interesting. But…this is going to be stretch, but what if this dream she is having is a way for her to tap into…I don't know, new abilities?" Jack questioned and Optimus hummed as that had not crossed his mind. "We know she's connected to elements of this planet, but she could also now be connected to new elements…like darker elements…maybe even astral connections…"

Optimus groaned as he sipped more energon from the cube. "I would hope that is not the case. However, it is possible. Astral abilities would definitely be something connected to dragons, but Azura is not…" Optimus grimaced as he thought more about it. "I would not think she is even old enough for that…"

"We all know she has never been an ordinary sparkling, or an ordinary dragon…though we hardly know anything about them…" Arcee wished they had more knowledge about Azura's ancestor as that would help them a lot. "I don't suppose Iacon would have had more information about her ancestor?"

Optimus shook his head. "No. We would need to go to their planet to find any information regarding that ancient being. But we have no means of obtaining that information. We are learning as we go." In a way it was good, but also bad. Azura was not only his daughter, but also being part dragon, it meant he had a lot of learning to do. "But we cannot assume what might be happening until we see her dream. But I can relay right now…Azura is scared."

Ratchet looked up from his work on Bulkhead and he frowned a little. "How scared?"

"Hard to say. It is faint, but I can sense it. But…I did sense a bit of panic ten minutes ago…which I am deeply concerned right now." Optimus caressed his abdomen and stared at the swell of his abdomen, unsure of what was happening right now. His optics quiver slightly as he was deeply concerned. "I do hope that you will be finished soon, Ratchet. I do wish to press on wanting you to finish sooner than you should, but I just do not wish to wait too much longer."

Bulkhead grumbled and looked at Ratchet. "Come on, doc, I am fine!" Ratchet frowned at Bulkhead and placed a hand on his hip. "Look, Ratchet, I mostly need buffering at the moment. I feel better now that you have patched me up. Surely you can turn your attention to Optimus and Azura. That seems way more important than me. Especially if Azura is in a panic, which is not good for a sparkling. And you know that better than anyone here."

Ratchet sighed deeply as he took one last look over Bulkhead and scanned his body. "Very well. There is nothing else that I need to do. And you are right. You just need some buffering to clean yourself up." Ratchet walked away from Bulkhead and began to move equipment over to Optimus now. "Okay, I am going to get the usual stuff set up, Optimus. That way we can monitor both of your vitals during this procedure. But first…" Ratchet turned away and walked over to a locked container and opened it to grab out a large, drip bag and an energon cube. "I'll need to hook this up to you. I know you still have that cube, but as it takes time to absorb the energon in the tank, you'll need to be hooked up to the drip now."

Optimus simply nodded as he finished the cube he had and Arcee took the empty cube so it would not be in the way. Ratchet filled the bag with the energon before hanging it on a stand and wheeled it over next to Optimus. It somewhat felt like Ratchet was prepping for surgery, though they all knew that was not the case. The kids watched with keen curiosity as Ratchet adjusted the lines before grabbing a sterile needle to attach to the end. Optimus was watching, though he was still feeling impatient, despite this could not be rushed.

Ratchet gently pushed the needle into Optimus's elbow, and turned to the bag to open the flow for Optimus before turning to the equipment to begin attaching them to Optimus's abdomen. Optimus grimaced as he felt the familiar lines on his stomach, knowing that the surface was as sensitive as it has been, and heard the familiar beeps of the machines as they are attached to his abdomen. With the vitals attached, Ratchet attached the final lines and brought the screen closer and turned it so everyone could see.

"Ooohhh!" Miko leaned forward as she stared at the screen, seeing the sparkling nestled within Optimus's frame with umbilical lines attached to the sparkling. "She's so cute…and, am I imagining it, or is she bigger than I remember?"

Jack nodded with a chuckle. "You haven't really noticed?" Miko looked at Jack and shook her head. "That's fine, but while we haven't had a chance to see a visual of Azura, Optimus's abdomen has…grown..." He glanced at Optimus, hoping he didn't upset him, though he could see that Optimus was bothered by the comment and was silent about it. "She's going to be much bigger than us."

"Hmm, as long as she's healthy, I don't think I care much about how much bigger she is," Miko said with a chuckle, and turned the page in her sketchbook and began to sketch an image of Azura within Optimus's abdomen. "This is honestly so cool."

Ratchet was looking at Azura's vitals and he frowned a little. "Hmm…odd…" Optimus looked at Ratchet with curiosity at his comment. "Maybe you are right to be worried. Her spark pulse is faster than it should be, and her brain activity has spiked…and, if I am reading this correctly, she is actively using her abilities. Likely to defend herself. No wonder you are ingesting more energon than usual."

Optimus glanced at the screen before looking back at Ratchet. "Then we should not waste time…"

"I am aware. I just got to connect machines to keep an eye on your vitals now, Optimus, and then I will induce a special recharge, allowing you to connect with Azura's dream directly. I just hope that you won't get stuck there either. Because it could be possible, if we are dealing with something more than a simple dream." Ratchet began attaching other lines to Optimus's arms, neck and chassis for his vital status. "I am actually leaning into what Jack said. Her having dark energon in her system could potentially give her new abilities."

Optimus rubbed his abdomen thoughtfully and looked at Ratchet. "At least she would most likely want to use them for good."

"Yes. But…there is also another thing to be concerned about. Unicron." Optimus frowned and did not believe Ratchet straight away. "I only mention him because Unicron was defeated by the thirteen Prime alongside the dragon. If Unicron is still conscious, or something, and he senses his blood mixed with hers…he could have ascended physical form, for all we know."

If that was true, that would put Azura in direct danger with Unicron. Knowing that made Optimus clench his right fist, as he blamed Starscream for this. "Starscream has a lot to answer for."

"I am surprised Megatron even let him keep any part of his body attached. The way Megatron was when Azura was taken over…" Arcee gasped suddenly as she thought about it and looked at Optimus. "I think Unicron took over."

Optimus grumbled and shook his head. "You just had to say that. Azura is only an infant…"

"An infant sparkling with much pain afflicted upon her, we know." Ratchet placed his hand on Optimus's shoulder gently before placing a line to the side of Optimus's helm. "This will allow us to see what you see, a lot like we did with Bumblebee. Now everything is ready." Optimus nodded and adjusted his body to get comfortable and relaxed his arms by his side. "Are you certain you want to do this, Optimus?"

Optimus looked at Ratchet, frowning at the question. "My daughter needs my help, Ratchet. I am not about to let her go through this entire carrying stuck in a prison of her mind. Doing that might mean we lose her again, and I will not stand for that."

Ratchet fully understood, knowing that Optimus will do anything that he could to help her. He also felt extremely uneasy about Azura's potential danger now being tied directly to Unicron. "Very well. I will induce the recharge now. It is going to feel different, a little fuzzy and you might feel lightheaded, but do not panic, Optimus. It is part of the process."

Optimus said nothing, though he gave an affirmative nod that he understood, and Ratchet proceeded to induce the recharge. Optimus waited and he felt his system slowing as though he were falling into recharge naturally. He felt the fuzzy feeling in his processor and a bit lightheaded, but his optics close without any fight, knowing that he would see in Azura's mind very soon. As his optics close, he focused on the bond, and it felt quite different.

As he fell into recharge, there was a strange feeling, and it took a moment before he felt his mind slipping and connecting with Azura's in a way he's never felt before. But it felt right and natural right now. And as that happened, Optimus felt the sensation of rocky terrain beneath his feet, dry air brushing against his body and silence. But not silence, like dead silence, but the silence you hear when standing on an open plain with no birds, and only the wind blowing around you.

Opening his optics, Optimus blinked and looked around to find himself in the dry, barren land that seemed to stretch extremely far. The sky above was dark with grey clouds, and there was no gaps that he could see that would allow him to see the sky. It was a dark, dreary place, and Optimus already could tell this was not something Azura would have dreamt of willingly. This felt like a prison, as the dream felt cold to him.

"Ratchet, I am unsure if you can communicate with me, but I hope you are able to see through my optics." Optimus moved his hand to place his hand on his abdomen, only to be startled and looked down to see his abdomen was flat. He sighed, knowing he was still carrying Azura, but he had not been expecting that. "If you can communicate with me, it will be helpful, in case solving this mystery will be a team effort. Admittedly, this dream feels cold."

"Cold?" Optimus smiled when he heard Ratchet respond, confirming that they could communicate. "Interesting that you can feel it. And as you can hear, Optimus, we have clear communication. I am afraid this is all we can do. I am not sure where Azura is in this dream, but it definitely does not seem like a dream she would have."

Optimus did not know what direction to go, as each point that he looked, it was just the same stretch of dry, crack, rough terrain and dark skies. Though the horizon had a little bit of light, but it was only there to make the place not seem too dark. Optimus decided to not just pick a direction, but rather try and locate her through the bond. It might be hard, given that this was her dream, but it was worth a try.

However, as he was about to do so, he looked too his left suddenly as he felt a familiar sense in that direction. He was hopeful this would lead him to Azura and he proceeded to walk in that direction. He looked around as he walked in a straight line to ensure he would not be misdirected. Though as he gazed around, he could not help but feel extremely sad that Azura had to see this for a whole week. He imagined that it would feel much longer to the sparkling, though he was not sure.

"That's a very dreary place to be dreaming about for entire week," Miko commented as she stared at the screen as they watch Optimus's movement on a screen. "No green or blue…just green…"

"It's quite a contrary to the dream Megatron was having in his stasis," Jack noted as he stared at the screen with a concerned frown. "Especially as Megatron's dream actually seemed more lively than this…and that's saying something…"

"It definitely is very strange. Unfortunately, I am unable to see if there is any anomaly in this dream, because this certainly seems like a cage rather than an actual dream. And Azura's been unable to break free from it this whole week." Ratchet was very bothered by this, and he was very worried. "I just hope we can help Azura. She shouldn't be having this bothering her while this young."

"But I imagine Unicron would have zero care about the fact that she is an infant," Jack commented and the autobots nod affirmatively. "Oh…I really hope you guys can somehow free her, if this is his hold over her."

"And it does make sense that Unicron's essence had somehow taken over Azura during the battle several weeks ago. It is actually very worrisome that he can do that so easily, and showed how strong Azura could be even at this age." Ratchet shook his head and rubbed his forehead. "No sparkling should ever have to go through this."

"I agree, Ratchet." Optimus had been listening as he continued to walk in a straight line as he looked around for any sign of Azura. "Azura has endured cruelty from humans, and now by the very being whose only motivation is to destroy and bring chaos to the universe. I fear Azura's life will not be easy…hopefully we can try to make it easier." It was a reality that Optimus had not hoped for, for his sparkling. He definitely wished he could take this away. "I am certain we can help her as…"

A loud snort behind Optimus made him stop in surprise and he turned to see what was behind him. Optimus was shocked when he saw six, human knights on top of horses. However, they were not ordinary knights, and Optimus knew that as he turned to face them. Each other them seemed to be representation of something, and he did not know what that was. But the aura they had was evil, and Optimus could feel it.

Looking from left to right, the first knight Optimus saw was wearing rusted armor and there appeared to be black liquid dripping from the face plate of the knight. The black horse he was riding was sickly in appearance, covered in rashes and there were patches over the body with no fur. Black liquid dripped from the nostrils and mouth of the horse, and it seemed to be completely riddled with some kind of disease.

He glanced at the second knight was wearing faded, black armor and sat on top of a very skinny, black horse with red eyes. Flies seemed to be permanently flying around the legs, neck and face of the horse, there were tiny tears in the neck, and the mane looked like hair had been ripped from the roots, giving the horse a very starved appearance. And even the knight was smaller than the others, likely because he was skinny and weak compared to the others.

He glanced to the third knight, who was wearing glowing, red armor which seemed to burn like the embers of a fire or the magma of a volcano, and he was riding on top of a red chestnut horse. It's mane and tail were burning, it's legs had charred, black stockings, and as the wind blew by them, orange glows seemed to brighten on the horse's legs, showing that it would burn anything it touches. Even the ground beneath it was smouldering at this moment with smoke rising from the hooves.

The fourth knight was wearing a different outfit to the other knights. He was wearing a white, torn cloak with individual, torn pieces over the entire cloak. He had spiked, silver gauntlets and a hood over his head. Though he was also wearing a strange, bone white mask with the eyes and mouth cut out, leaving only a black gap and he could not see the eyes of the knight at all. The horse itself was ghostly, white with no eyes, and the blanket, empty sockets looking back at Optimus was disturbing. And the entire knight had a pale misty around him, and this knight definitely screamed of death to him.

The fifth knight was quite confronting compared to the other four. While the knight was wearing black armor, there were many areas of the knight's body exposed, and clearly for a reason. He could see half of the rider's face, but it was just the skull with flesh still attached to the bone. And it was rotten flesh, giving a disgusting appearance to the knight. He saw that the right shoulder, right hand and left leg were exposed, showing the skeletal bones and flesh on the knight. And the large hole in the chest made Optimus grimace, as he could see the exposed rib cage, and the organs still within the the rib cage. And the dark grey horse was not much better. The face of the horse had zero fur or flesh, leaving only just the skull, and its eyes were not in its sockets either. The right side of the horse's rib cage was showing, with organs still inside, and it had no tail. The legs looked like they had slashes to them, so he could see the leg bones of the horse as well.

And finally, the sixth knight was the most interesting. The colour and shape of the armor of the knight was very similar to Megatron. Purple mist was seeping through the gaps of the armor, and he could see the glowing, purple eyes of the knight in question. The horse was dark grey as well, and it too was fully armored, and its eyes were glowing purple as well. Optimus did not know if this was even connected to Megatron, but clearly, it was meant to mess with Azura's mind.

"Woah!" Miko stared as she saw the six knights. "Um…that seems familiar to me…"

Jack nodded in agreement. "Yeah, me too…" Ratchet looked at the children at their comments. "But the horsemen of the apocalypse should be four, not six."

"What are you guys talking about?" Arcee questioned as she looked at the children. "Horsemen of the apocalypse? Is that like some human folklore or something?"

Rafael nodded. "Yeah, they are. There are four horsemen, called Conquest, War, Famine and Death. They are basically the symbols of an apocalypse, which could occur. However…" He adjusted his glasses as he looked at the screen. "I've understood them to be a myth. But I am seeing War, Famine and Death, I do not recognize the other three horsemen."

"I think these are representations of things that could be afflicted upon, not necessarily Azura herself, but dragons." Jack looked at the horsemen curiously and began to point out which was which. "The fiery knight looks like War to me, given how destructive fire can be and is often used in war, regardless of its form. Famine would have to be the skinny, hungry knight and Death is definitely the pale rider."

"Then what are the other three?" Miko questioned as she stared at the screen. "The zombie looking one looks like it is decaying or something…OH!" She widened her eyes and smiled as she thought of it. "Maybe it is Decay."

"Okay, and the sickly rider?" Rafael pointed to the sickly rider. "It looks riddled with disease."

"Pestilence." Jack drummed his fingers on the railing and seemed satisfied with that. "Pestilence would be a representation of all disease and illness, which is interesting. So then…" Jack looked at the last knight and raised an eyebrow. "I am not even sure of the last knight. He looks like Megatron."

"I am intrigued that these things are being represented through human knights," Optimus said as he listened to the children. "Although, these horses and riders are definitely a lot larger than regular humans and horses. But it seems these are the building blocks of what Unicron is. That would mean the last knight could represent Hatred, due to his burning anger and lust for revenge against Primus, the Primes and the dragon."

"At least seeing these knights shows that there is more going on than just a simple dream. The knights shouldn't even be acknowledging you, Optimus. So you might be on the mark if this could be some kind of ploy by Unicron," Ratchet said, and Optimus knew that Ratchet was right. "I would tell you to run, but we do not know what these knights represent, aside from that fact we can gather what they could be based upon what the humans have said."

Optimus was about to respond when the horses started to gallop forward suddenly, startling Optimus and he considered defending himself, but the knights galloped around him and he turned to see they were galloping in the direction he was heading towards. He saw that War left a trail of fire behind him, and Death left a trail of mist behind him. Optimus was worried and ran forward to follow the knights, not knowing how they tormented his daughter, given all he has felt from her.

He did consider transforming, but he did not know if it would be necessary. He did not lose sight of the six knights as he ran behind them, determined to locate his daughter. In the distance, he soon spotted a small forest of trees, and light filtering from above. He smiled as he guessed this was where Azura was. Though his smile faded quickly as he saw the knights pulling their swords out and raising them, preparing the fight.

"I wonder how often they do that," Arcee pondered out loud as they stare at the screen. "It would have to the be frustrating."

"We don't even know what they do yet." Ratchet rubbed his chin as Optimus got closer to Azura's location. "Hmm…Famine, Pestilence, War, Decay, Death and Hatred…they're all things that destroy…so why would they be in her dream?"

It definitely was something that they needed to know. They had no idea why these knights were in the sparkling's dream, but they were clearly a message of a sort. Or even a test. All these knights were a representation of something bad, and while death was not necessarily bad, in the context with its representation beside the other knights was what made it bad. All six of these clearly have been in this dream for a long time.

As Optimus got closer, he stopped suddenly as there was a loud rumble above before a crack of lightning streaks across the sky. He sighed and was about to keep running, when several lightning strikes struck the six knights suddenly, striking multiple times before the lightning faded and Optimus saw nothing. He did not know if that was a good thing, or if the knights kept coming back. But that had to be Azura.

"Primus…imagine the damage she could do outside of her dream," Bulkhead commented as he was very impressed by what he had seen.

Optimus looked ahead and he saw a small, celestial dragon walking away ahead of him. He immediately knew who it was, and he walked towards her. He noticed she seemed to be upset, as he could hear her sobbing. "Azura." Stopping and raising her head suddenly, Azura looked around in shock. Ratchet was watching curiously, as this was the first time he's seen Azura's dragon form. "Turn around, Azura."

Azura turned her whole body around and widened her optics as soon as she saw him. "Daddy?" Optimus smiled and dropped to one knee, opening his arms. She hummed as she tilted her head, narrowing her optics suspiciously. "Are you really here, daddy? Last time you were not."

Optimus blinked in surprise and was immediately concerned. "Last time? There was an apparition of myself, aside from those six knights?" Azura seemed surprised he spoke and nodded. "Interesting, this definitely explains why you've been panicking and kicking me…"

Azura immediately gasped loudly and launched herself at Optimus. "DADDY!" Optimus was slightly alarmed as she basically slammed herself against his chassis, and she immediately began to sob as she nuzzled around him. He wrapped his arms around her gently and stood up with a smile. "You finally came to help me. I do not know how long it has been for you…but it feels like a whole year has gone…"

Optimus felt a throb in his spark hearing how long it has felt for her. And he felt sorry he didn't get this sorted sooner. "I am so sorry you feel like it has been that long. For me, it has only been a little over seven days since you fell into a deep recharge." Azura looked at him in surprise and sniffled loudly as she curled against him while he cradled her. "I can assure you, you are still healthy. But as I now see, something is happening here. And I hope to be able to help you."

Azura nuzzled against his chassis before climbing up to nuzzle against his neck. "I hope so…because if I am still within you…you aren't carrying in the dream…"

"I think that is simply because my mind is connected with yours. I am sure Ratchet can reassure you, since everyone is watching this unfold right now." Optimus glanced towards the trees, and noticed the large trench in front and water. He could see the reflection, and he stood up to see it properly. "At least there is some water here." He looked at the plants, and noticed they were on an island in the widest part of the river, and they seemed to be strong and healthy. "And plants."

Azura looked towards them and looked up at Optimus. "Um…I made the river myself." Optimus glanced down at her in surprise. "The horsemen have been destroying everything that I have tried to grow…but they won't touch the water. So I made the island for the seeds, and I thought I did what I was meant to…but then…I saw your figment…and I thought it was you. But it was a decaying husk with burning, purple, dark energon and…I burnt it…"

"That doesn't sound good…" Optimus turned as he heard galloping behind him and he saw the six knights again. "I see that using your attacks on them are not stopping them."

"I don't know what to do." Azura looked over Optimus's shoulder as she watched them galloping towards her. "I thought this might be a test or some kind of training, but I am not sure…do you have any idea what it might be?"

Optimus nodded. "Unfortunately, yes." Optimus looked towards the water and made his way over to it quickly, knowing it would be the only place to stop the knights from following them. "You know when Ratchet informed us that you have dark energon in your veins?" Azura nodded and sniffled loudly as she laid her head on his shoulder. "Because it is meant to be Unicron's blood, we suspect this could be something he's done."

"Unicron? But…why?" Azura shivered as she looked at him with a frown. "Why would he…but I haven't done anything to him."

"That maybe true, but your ancestors did. And he will take vengeance regardless." Optimus stopped by the river, looking at it and wondering how Azura even created it and glanced back to see the knights were still galloping towards them. "And he's manifested those knights as representations of who he is."

Azura whimpered and looked back at the knights before she suddenly jumped from Optimus's hand and walked up to the bank of the river. "I don't know how to break free. But we can talk on the island. I am not sure how autobots go with water." Azura opened her mouth and Optimus watched as Azura unleashed a beam of ice at the river, creating a strong, ice bridge directly across to the island. Azura finished making the bridge and turned to look at him with a smile. "Just don't slip."

Optimus gave her an amused expression and cautiously stepped over her to walk across the ice. He was surprised that the ice was holding his weight fine, but as this was a dream, his weight might not matter. Azura was watching the knights and waited until Optimus was on the island before she blew fire onto the bridge, melting it completely before jumping into the air and flying over to Optimus. Optimus smiled as he looked forward to seeing her flying when she was reborn.

Azura hovered above Optimus before landing on a branch of a nearby tree as she watched the knights slow to a walk as they reach the river. "I am unsure how you can help me, Optimus. I don't know how to break free."

"Whether or not this could be Unicron's doing, we will figure it out, Azura. I am sure you will find yourself bored again, but at least it would be better than being trapped in your own mind." Azura nodded in agreement and looked at Optimus. "However, if this is potentially a training dream, it could be connected to the dark energon anyway. New abilities could have formed."

Azura pondered for a moment and she didn't disagree. "Well…I do have new abilities." Optimus widened his optics slightly, though he was glad she admitted it. "I…accidentally petrified a tree…" She turned and pointed in a direction and Optimus moved to where she was pointing, and he was surprised to see a full grown, petrified tree. "I have a breath that can petrify anything. And…I also have a new fire breath. Or plasma, really, but the plasma is mixed with energon. But the new fire breath has dark energon."

"Have you tried using them against the knights?" Azura shook her head. "It might be worth trying."

"But…I am scared, daddy…"

"Having dark energon in your system does not make you evil, Azura. Megatron wasn't born evil. He…unfortunately grew to enjoy fighting, and the feeling of being able to control and oppress others has been too addictive for him." Azura was hoping she wouldn't be like that. Optimus gently picked Azura off the branch and held her against him, making her smile and nuzzle against him. "You don't need to be scared."

She sniffled and smiled at him. "I will try not to be."

"Good." Optimus glanced back at the knights with a frown, thinking on what they might be able to do. "Ratchet, if anyone can think of something that might aid Azura in breaking free from this dream, please inform me."

"We are thinking on it, Optimus, especially now it seems she does indeed have new abilities forming. If Azura can, she might be able to sense the specific location of where Unicron's essence might be. If he's part of the knights, then defeating them is something she needs to do. If she can petrify them, that should weaken the dream…though do not believe it will happen. I am only speculating." Optimus nodded as he listened to Ratchet. Azura was surprised she could hear Ratchet and she was glad that she could. "We will keep thinking up ways, Optimus."

"Good. We shall try." Optimus looked at Azura and she smiled at him. "Does you think you can try and sense any dark presence here in this world?"

Azura hummed as she focused, even though this wasn't Earth, she would try and focus on her mind to try and find where the presence was. As she did so, Azura gasped loudly as there was a loud rumble in the ground suddenly and, in the distance, a charred, black tree began to rise with purple mist around it. She stared and whimpered, before she pointed at him, as she had sensed the location of the presence before the tree rose from the ground.

Optimus stared as the tree was large, and that made him realize that tree was not just the presence itself. But the roots of the tree would stretch through the whole dream plain, which meant they had to somehow kill it. Azura was trembling and she turned away to not look at the tree, even with the air temperature dropping. At least neither Optimus or Azura would be affected by the cooler change, but that did not matter. They now had to figure out how to deal with this issue, while Optimus was now not sure if this was Unicron's presence, but rather a small part of his essence. Not that it mattered, they still have to cleanse it from Azura's mind to free her from this prison.