Autobot Team-Up Part 2) 2,221 words
Part 10: Learning To Fly1,839 words
Part 11: Wheeljack and the Science Fair2,005 words
Part 12: Sister Spitfire2,225 words
Part 13: War Dawn2,087 words
Part 14: Nightmare Night: Cybertronian Style!2,237 words
Part 15: Family Appreciation Day2,327 words
Part 16: Investigations2,446 words
Part 17: Portals, of any kind, for the record are never any fun at all...3,825 words

Part 14: Nightmare Night: Cybertronian Style!

The Ark: Grimlock's Quarters

"Me Grimlock think this stupid beyond belief." Grimlock's voice growled in his personal quarters at the Autobot spaceship known as the Ark. Currently, he was wearing a custom designed costume by his wife, Rarity. The costume in question, if one could call it that was a big white sheet with holes for Grimlock's eyes, tail and arms making him resemble a ghost.

'Why me Grimlock have to dress up like this?" He questioned his wife, who rolled her eyes.

"Because Darling, you have to dress up, it's part of the tradition for later tonight. Your kids and the rest of the Dinobots if I can manage it, along with what I hear young Pyro as well will be joining in on the fun." Rarity replied with a sniff. Grimlock chuckled at the idea of the rest of his team dressing up as ghosts or whatever Rarity had in mind. It just sounded dumb and frankly ridiculous in his mind. The only way he saw it actually happening was in fantasy land.

"Ha, good luck with that!" Grimlock chortled to himself, making Rarity look harshly at him with her best death glare.

"Oh, don't get yourself all in a huff. I can do anything I set my mind to, and you know it. I'm just stubborn that way." Rarity replied in a dry, deadpan tone of voice. "I have to be that way, I married you didn't I?"

Grimlock rolled his eyes under his sheet and tried to stomp off with Rarity calling after him.

"Wait, I haven't even added the-"

THUD!

Grimlock had tripped up and fallen with a crash to the floor.

"...Glitter." Rarity finished with a groan at Grimlock's little accident before a thought came to her like a thunderbolt.

"Hmm, maybe I should have just covered you in talcum powder." She wondered aloud.

"Probably not a good idea. Make me sneeze." Grimlock muttered, feeling absolutely humiliated by his trip and fall to the floor. Rarity only groaned to herself. She had a feeling it wouldn't be for the last time that day. If only she knew how right she was...

Golden Oaks Library: Ponyville

Meanwhile, at the Golden Oaks Library back in the small town of Ponyville Twilight Sparkle was hard at work. But it wasn't hard at work on her costume as you'd expect, but she was instead hard at work on something else. You see, the Decepticons hadn't been the only ones to discover the X branded pod come down in the Equestrian Swamps, she had as well using a sensor device she'd been developing on and off over the past few months. A few days ago, it had finally been finished and had detected the pod come down as during it's field test.

"Hey Twilight, what are you doing?" The young drakeling known as Spike asked his adoptive mother in curiosity. "I thought you'd be working on a costume. It'd take quite a lot to top that grandpa costume from last year." He teased, making Twilight huff to herself. It was still a sore point with her with everyone mistaking her Starswirl the Bearded costume for something else like a scarecrow or a old grandpa like Spike had suggested.

"Spike..." Twilight began, quite annoyed. "For the last time, that was a costume of Equestria's greatest magician, Starswirl the Bearded not something as... as simple as a grandpa!" She yelled in further annoyance, making Spike laugh.

"I know that, I was just messing with you Twi. You really need to lighten up, take things less seriously." Spike chuckled making Twilight glare her harshest glare at him and Spike backed up in fear. Twilight then felt immediately guilty. She hadn't meant to scare her son so badly, it was just the stress of everything getting to her.

"I'm sorry Spike, it's just..." Twilight tried to apologize, but found she didn't know how to explain things to Spike in a way he could understand. But she quickly found she didn't need to, as Spike somehow understood something was bothering her very badly.

"It's alright ma, I understand. Something's nagging at you." He said compassionately and placed a claw on one of her shoulders. "I've learned to tell whenever something is. Your pacing, for example. It looks like you're about to wear a hole in the floor."

Twilight looked down, and blushed heavily as she found Spike was right. She was pacing back and forth like there was no tomorrow. She quickly put a halt to her activities, in case she did somehow wear a hole in the floor like Spike had suggested she might somehow do.

"I'm sorry Spike, it's just a device I built detected something, something big in fact coming down in the swamps just north of here and I just don't know what it is, if it's friend... or foe." Twilight responded in a worried tone. Spike nodded in understanding. That did sound pretty bad, and it had to be if it had Twilight this worried. The last time he saw her this stressed out was before their trip to the Crystal Empire and the task given to her by Princess Celestia. Twilight had been so freaked out she'd fail whatever test given and nearly let her fears get to her and fall under the late King Sombra's spell.

'W-Well, let's just hope it's friendly... whatever it is." Spike whispered fearfully. Twilight was now the one to put a hoof on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, for all we may know it may be some big citybot that's help to come kick the Decepticons off the planet!" She joked, not really knowing how close to the truth she was about cityformers actually existing.

"But you are still going to put on a costume, right?" Spike asked, not knowing when to stop pressing his luck.

"OUT!" Twilight barked, and Spike quickly found himself scampering out of the room...

Back at the Ark...

Meanwhile, back at the Ark Rarity was continuing to dress up the Dinobots in their costumes. Instead of the ghost theme, she had a rethink and was now dressing them up, with all of her skills in fashion required for it, as zombie versions of themselves, complete with fake Energon dripping from their pores and icky green fake slime along with mold for extra death and decay points.

"There, I think you bots look positively horrendous, and just so you know, I mean that in the nicest way possible." Rarity said quickly, in fear of offending the giant alien robots. (Well, wouldn't you be afraid as well?)

Pyro on the other hoof was dressed as a ghost, with the sheet from Grimlock's costume having quickly being remade to fit him.

"Whew mates, look at me!" Pyro cheered as he ran around the room in joy, in a attempt to spook everyone he could.

"BOO, BOO I say! I'm the ghost of Pyro! I smell bad, and I hate your feeeeeettt!" Pyro exclaimed. Needless to say, his fear attempts weren't working every well. No bot had the heart to tell him though, and just let him carry on as the Trottingham types, as well as Pyro himself, liked to say.

"Me Snarl say that worst ghost attempt ever." Snarl deadpanned, and Swoop nodded along with him.

"If me Swoop weren't trying to be tactful, me would say I agree with you..." He said, before quickly letting out a small "Oops." once he realized his error. Then there came a youthful, excited voice from nearby.

"Alright, you guys look awesome!" Scootaloo's voice exclaimed as the young filly, dressed as a Wonderbolt of course, came into the room followed by her friends and Babs Seed as well. In order, they were dressed as a ghost, scarecrow and a punk rocker. Rainbow dash was there as well, functioning as their chaperone. Rarity could only groan as she saw the prismatic maned pegasus's costume.

"Really Rainbow?" She asked, with a roll of her eyes. "The Shadowbolt costume again? Didn't you wear that last year?"

"Hey, if it ain't broke..." Rainbow began, with Rarity finishing for her.

"Don't fix it. Yes, I know the saying." She said. "Just don't try and zap and trick or treaters this year again as one of your pranks, okay?"

"No promises!" Rainbow exclaimed with wink of her eyes, and Rarity could only sigh and facehoof, while in the background Pyro exclaimed "Alright already, just let us dead bots walk in our masquerades!"

Later that Night...

Not even a hour later, the sun had set and Nightmare Night had officially begun. Luna had already shown up and done her yearly Nightmare Moon impression, and the festivities had just started. While Grimlock and his cohorts showed off their costumes to the town's populace, frightening them so, (Although not for the reasons they wanted) the CMC had begun the yearly ritual of trick or treating.

"Nightmare Night, what a fright! Give us something sweet to bite!" They said as they showed up apon Twilight's Sparkle's doorstep in full getup. Twilight couldn't help but coo at the cuteness overload in front of her.

"Wait a sec, lemme get my costume!" She said excitedly, and before you know it she was back in her Starswirl costume with a bag of candy in her hooves.

"Here you girls go!" She said as she handed out candy to the four young fillies, and they thanked Twilight before going off to the next house even as Apple Bloom called out "Nice grandpa costume Twilight!"

Twilight groaned even as she muttered "I knew I shouldn't have worn this thing again..." to herself. Suddenly, Sweetie Belle spotted something.

"Look everypony, Apple Bobbing! C'mon, let's go!" She cried as they all rushed over and Babs exclaimed "I'm the queen of this, youse gals gotta let me show off my stuff!" and the punk themed pony took a dive head first into the barrel and emerged almost at once with an apple in her mouth to clapping and cheering.

"Wow, you weren't kidding cuz!" Apple Bloom exclaimed in pride. "You really are the queen!"

Babs was just beginning to bow when Grimlock suddenly showed up, grinning in a admittedly frightening manner, thanks to his big teeth.

"Ha, me can do you one better!"

Grimlock's head took a dive, but he didn't just grab a apple, he smashed the whole barrel sending water flying everywhere soaking those around him. The Dinobot looked as sheepish as he could possibly look.

"Um, me say oopsie?" He asked as the CMC all collectively facepalmed. Even later that night, it was time for the main event, a concert with a local band headlining.

"Alright you bots and equines, time to get down and dance!" A certain red painted music loving Autobot proclaimed before with a shifting and whirring of mechanical parts clanking together in new formations along with somehow changing his size along with this, the Autobot known as Blaster was now a full stage for a band to play on. And luckily, there was indeed such a band lined up to play, one named Black Pony. It's lead singer, Noize Maker stepped up to the microphone the roadies had set up along with the rest of the instruments seemingly at lightning speed.

"Okay, everypony!" He yelled in a loud voice. "Are you ready to make some noise!?!"

The huge crowd roared in response, some whooping and others cheering. Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash were amongst those cheering loudest of all, both being big fans of heavy metal.

"Okay then, my name is Noize Maker and me and my band are here to provide you with a show tonight! Now, this new song we just composed a few weeks ago, we're about to play for the very first time and it's a tribute to Equestria's newest heroes, the friendly and heroic aliens known to us as the Autobots!" He proclaimed before turning to his band, with the drummer beating the drumsticks together in excitement and the guitarists looking ready to rock. "Now, take it away boys!"

And so, with a hefty drum beat and some powerful guitar chords, the song began...

The concert wore on, with more spooky songs like Rainbow Factory and Alice Pony's "I'll Bite Your Face off" and by the end of the night, when everypony was full on candy, they all agreed it was the best Nightmare Night ever.

END

Author's Note:

Okay, so here we go, after over a month of waiting the newest chapter of Grimlock, Dinobot... and father?. Sorry for the reeeeally long wait, but the Writer's Block was pretty bad, trust me. But then when this month rolled around, it hit me. Why not a Nightmare Night themed chapter? Hopefully, the wait was worth it. I know I had to work hard on this chapter, and I hope you enjoy it. I was aiming for either the one year celebration of when the CMC got their marks or the Brazilian holiday Kids Day. I work best when under pressure, don't you think?

Originally, I thought of having DJ PON-3 play the BlackGryph0n and Michelle Creber version of Thriller, to continue the Nightmare Night theming, but I decided the Transformers theme had to be played at least once at some point. Here is the song anyway for your enjoyment though, and I did include a lyrical reference to at least make up for it in some way.