The Ark's Corridors
It was close to that time of year again, one which children give thanks to their fathers just for being there when they are needed and all that. Of course, for one certain Dinobot, he had no knowledge of this as no such holiday existed back on Cybertron, and even if it did it would be very doubtful Grimlock would celebrate it as he had no children before now.
"Urgh... Me Grimlock not understand why upcoming day so special to ponies. Me heard they buying gifts for whatever they call fathers for whatever reason." Grimlock muttered to himself as he trudged back to his quarters for a nap.
Grimlock knew he needed one after a hard day in the Ark's special (Wheeljack designed, of course) hard light based training room. He'd just done several rounds of smashing up holographic Vehicons and then slicing a hard light Megatron right down the middle. So he was tired, and looking forwards to his well deserved rest.
"You mean YOU don't know?" Prowl asked in disbelief while he walked back. He'd just happened to overhear Grimlock's mutterings by pure chance.
"Of course me Grimlock not know, and me doubtful if I'd care anyway." Grimlock growled, not really wanting to have this conversation right now.
"It's Father's Day, it's just a holiday to show fathers everywhere they are appreciated." Prowl explained before a thought struck him. "You know, I'm surprised a certain group of fillies hasn't done something for you yet. Then again, maybe they plan to surprise you." Prowl thought to himself.
"Me Grimlock hate surprises. Surprises usually consist of Decepticon attacks and pranks from other Autobots in Grimlock's experience." Grimlock grumbled under his breath to Prowl before he walked into his quarters and shut the door. Prowl himself only shrugged before he walked off. Unknown to him, Sweetie Belle had been behind a corner and had heard everything. She realized with a streak of horror Prowl was right, she and the other two members of the CMC hadn't done anything to show how much they loved their adoptive father...
"By Celestia... I've got to fix this!" Sweetie whispered to herself. But how, she wondered. There was only one way she'd solve this dilemma, with her friends help. This called for a meeting at the Clubhouse!
Cutie Mark Crusaders Clubhouse: Sweet Apple Acres
The meeting was quickly called, and the three main members of the CMC had been assembled at once after they heard Sweetie's problem and they too realized with the same mix of horror and embarrassment that they had not done a thing for Grimlock after he'd pretty much become a father to them. A almost constantly grumpy, fire breathing dinosaur/robot of a father, but a father none the less.
"This... This is the Worst Possible Thing!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed in shock repeating her elder sister's often used phrase as she completely freaked out over her situation.
"I know right?" Scootaloo asked nervously. "I mean, maybe I wouldn't put it quite so... dramatically but you do have a point Sweets."
Apple Bloom nodded sadly. She, like Scootaloo was a orphan after her parents were lost. Sure, she had her Granny Smith along with her big brother and sister but until Grimlock she'd never known what a father was like.
"Y'all, we done goofed. We've been so caught up in other things we forgot about da." Apple Bloom said to her friends. "We've got to do something to fix this, but what?"
"Can't just bake a pie now can we?" Scootaloo asked dryly. "Pretty sure it would have to be one big pie, and we can't bake as we've found." Scootaloo commented, remembering when they tried to help Pinkie bake, only to end up making a mess of the kitchen.
"Yeah, that's the flaw with that idea." Apple Bloom said dryly. "Pretty sure robo-dinosaurs don't eat pie."
Scootaloo rubbed her head in embarrassment once she realized Apple Bloom's point and blushed red, although thanks to her orange fur the blush itself wasn't noticeable as it could have been.
"Maybe we could somehow capture a bunch of Vehicons and bring them to Grimlock to smash." Sweetie Belle thought aloud, and her two friends stared at her as if she'd suddenly grown a second head.
"Okay, dumb plan." Sweetie Belle admitted. "But I'm out of ideas here!" She exclaimed and Scootaloo rolled her eyes.
"You need a "Fainting Couch" or something?" The young pegasi asked dryly and Sweetie Belle nodded and squeaked out "Might be nice..."
Apple Bloom facehoofed to herself in the background. This was going so well already...
Ms Cheerilee's House
Cheerilee sighed to herself happily as she sipped her coffee and composed a simple letter to her father. She was at her dining table, with a pen and a partially written letter in front of her, with each word wrote down so far filled with love and respect for one of the two parents who raised her. She was just about to write the final section of the letter when the doorbell rang.
DING! DONG!
Cheerilee sighed, whoever it was could wait just for a few more moments. But then the doorbell rang again, several more times as if it's ringer was very impatient.
DING! DONG! DING! DONG!
Cheerilee groaned to herself as she got up before shouting "I'm coming!" and trotted to the front door and opened it only to be greeted by three worried faces belong to three certain fillies.
"Uh... Girls? Is something wrong?" Cheerilee asked, quite concerned for what were some of her most beloved (If not some of the most chaos causing at times.) students.
"We... We, uh need your help Ms. Cheerilee." Sweetie said, looking rather embarrassed. She felt this way as she never needed her teacher's help outside of anything but school related stuff.
Cheerilee looked understandably nervous, despite the three fillies now having their Cutie Marks (She still didn't understand how anypony could have a Mark for defeating a specific Cybertronian.) that didn't mean the CMC didn't cause mischief from time to time still. They were still fillies after all, and related to three of the Mane Six and had robot dinosaurs for adoptive relatives.
"With what?" Cheerilee asked, only for each of the CMC to shuffle their hooves in turn and blush before Scootaloo answered.
"With... With doing something for Dad for Father's Day. We... May, have kinda sorta forgot to do something..." The young pegasus trailed off still blushing up a storm and Apple Bloom answered for her. "And now we don't know what to do!"
Cheerilee almost immediately felt sad for the three fillies, she could understand what it might have felt like to not know what to do for your father on Father's Day and show how much you cared and appreciated for him. It had to be eating the trio up inside, Cheerilee mused as she gave them a look of pity.
"Well, have you considered giving him a card?" She asked, and the fillies looked at each other as if this hadn't occurred to them.
"W-well... N-no, but..." Sweetie Belle stammered. "W-we didn't even think Dad would want something so simple!"
Cheerilee smiled kindly.
"Trust me, the simplest things are the best sometimes." The young teacher said with a laugh. "Now, if I was you I'd get on to it. You don't have much time after all!"
The CMC all cried "Thanks, Ms Cheerliee!" as they ran off down the street. Cheerilee smiled at the sight before she went back inside, she had a letter to finish after all. Then it came.
"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS FATHER'S DAY CARD MAKERS, YAY!"
Cheerilee sighed to herself, there came the headache that kind of shout always brought...
Cutie Mark Crusaders Clubhouse: Sweet Apple Acres
Back at the Clubhouse not even forty-five minutes later, the CMC had returned with supplies and sat at once on getting ready a big card for Grimlock. Trouble was, they couldn't decide what it should be like.
"It needs more glitter!" Sweetie Belle cried as she dumped a whole bunch of the stuff on the card and reached for the glue had Apple Bloom not taken it away from her.
"Ya know, Ah don't think Grimlock would want glitter on his card. Most stallions don't after all." Apple Bloom pointed out.
"Y-Yes, b-but he's not exactly a stallion is he?" Sweetie Belle stammered out her reply.
"Yeah, but you get the point don't you?" Apple Bloom said with a roll of her eyes and soon the two were arguing up a storm until they heard Scootaloo starting to sob and both fillies looked at her in concern.
"G-Guys, you're forgetting what this is about! This is for Grimlock, h-he doesn't care what it would look like, j-just that we made it!" The orange pegasus filly sobbed, and both Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle felt ashamed of themselves. They had grown so concerned with what the card should look like, they had forgotten the point of it all in the first place.
Apple Bloom and Sweetie brought their friend into a hug as they said "We're sorry Scoots, we just got... got so caught up in the making of the card itself, that's all."
Scootaloo sniffled and blew her nose with a handkerchief as she nodded and said "L-Let's just get this done, okay?"
Apple Bloom and Sweetie smiled in response.
The Ark: Father's Day
It was with big grins (And looks of shock from the various Autobots wanderng the halls at the time.) that the CMC carried their appropriately Dinobot sized card to Grimlock's quarters and knocked on the door. It was soon answered by the Dinobot and former Lightning Strike Coalition force leader.
"Yes?" He asked in genuine confusion as he looked down at the CMC. The three fillies beamed at him.
"We made this for you! Just to show how much we care for you being our daddy." Sweetie squeaked out before Grimlock took the card and opened it. On it was a crude crayon drawing of him carrying the CMC on his back in dino mode. Although it couldn't be seen, Grimlock smiled under his faceplate. In his spark, he felt something. He couldn't describe the feeling, but he knew it was warm and welcomed.
"...Maybe this day isn't so bad after all." Grimlock murmured.
END