The Diego Diaries: Trick Or Treat 1 (493) edited
-0-On the street, later
He made it down to street level, his costume nearly overwhelming him and everyone around him. It had been a joyous screaming fest among the sparklings to see their big old pa in a Jabba the Hut costume. Covered helm to ped, he stood simmering with pug nosed angst as Ratchet prepared 'Princess Leia' for insertion into the child carrier harness that hung in front of his rather voluptuous brown belly.
Prowler sat on the table tugging at his cap which was a representation of the Princess Leia hairdo replete with buns over the audials. He wore the white tunic and pants along with tiny boots. He tugged at the belt around his belly too. Ratchet leaned in. "No."
Prowler looked at him, then the others. "Don't look at me, slagger," Ironhide said in the middle of his big roll heavy body suit.
Ratchet grinned, then lifted Prowler inserting him into the front of Ironhide's costume settling him neatly in place. "I asked for the Leia suit rather than the little metal bikini. I don't want him totally confused."
"Like me?" Ironhide said with a grin as he looked down at his son who hung confused and silent in front of him. Looking up at Ironhide, Orion aka Luke Skywalker, Praxus aka Death Star and Sunspot aka Chewbacca waited with enormous grins. Spot sat looking at all of them, then Ratchet. "You're not getting off either. He was supposed to be the Death Star but he's too long so he's the mule now," Ratchet said. He reached for a service dog back pack that had been modified to allow Spot to carry five little containers with Autobrands on them. Ratchet cinched the big dog in, then stepped back for views and pictures. "Stand closer together, then look this way." He took a snap. "Hero? Come out and dazzle us with your beauty."
A sweet chuckle wafted down the hallway, then an extremely pleased, suddenly very shy, completely self conscious little femme walked out just so. She dazzled. She sparkled. She looked intensely happy. Pausing in front of the others, she smiled at them. "I am Glinda, the Good Witch of the North." Her gown pink and sparkling was fitted to her tiny form with room for her wings. Ratchet had put silver glitter on those to complete her look.
"I can see that. Can't you, Ratchet?" Ironhide asked as he nearly plotzed. "What a fine looking little femme you are."
She smiled so big Ratchet thought he would have to pick her jaw up from the floor from where it unhinged itself. She looked at her outfit, then smiled. "This is my dress. See this?" she said pointing up to her helm. "That is my crown. I wear a crown." She smiled brilliantly. "This is my magic wand," she said of the metallic sparkly star topped stick in her servo. "I can grant wishes and do good deeds."
"You already do now, princess," Ironhide said nearly tearfully. "I wished for a femme and here you are. I wished for all of you," Ironhide said as emotion overcame him for a moment. "And you know what they say..."
"What's that, Ironhide?" Ratchet asked with enormous emotion of his own.
Ironhide glanced up and grinned. "Be careful what you wish for."
Ratchet laughed out loud, the first time in over an orn. "Truer words. Let's go." He hooked leashes to the costumes of three infants, then turned to the door.
"Where are you going? Where is your costume?" Ironhide said with enormous gimlet everything.
"Oh. Right," Ratchet said turning to the table to pick up a small flat object. He affixed it to his forehelm, then turned with a dazzling smile.
"What the frag is that? You put a … another optic in the middle of your forehelm?" Ironhide asked.
"It's my third optic, Ironhide. Google 'third eye'," Ratchet said as he gathered his infants. They were out the door before he heard it: "OH HA HA, RATCHET!"
The trip to the elevator was a riot. Literally.
-0-On the street
They wandered from place to place, Ironhide winning rave and raving reviews. Everyone knew Star Wars and there were hot and heavy conversations/arguments about it in the city. The costumes were popular, more than one Leia and Luke wandering past. There was even a tremendous Bobba Fett. A micro-mini-con had transformed part of their body to accommodate their infant's delight with that character.
Love. It's a many splendored thing.
Pictures were taken, literally dozens of Ironhide and Prowler especially. An especially good one would be on the front page of The Autobot City News, the Terra Gazette, the Tri-City Tattler which was a start up in the new construction and the Crystal City Chronicles by morning edition. By the time they meandered into Ops Center they were all in the mood. For something. Ravel, Tie Down, Alor and Blackjack had found them with Flint following just behind. Everyone walked into Ops Center which hushed in wonderment at Ironhide.
"Ironhide … I am speechless." Prowl stood holding Miracle who was kitted out as a leopard kitten. He was in a leopard unitard with a tail that actually moved like a cat. His little face was painted and he grinned at everyone offering them a bite of his cookie.
"Speechless in a good way or bad?" Ratchet asked.
"Both," Prowl said with a grin. "I like your third eye."
"Thank you," Ratchet said smirking at Ironhide. "Grumpy here thought it was a cop out."
"I get to choose next year," Ironhide said as 'Leia' took a cookie from Smokey.
"I think they look cute. I never heard of Halloween until now. I heard that Christmas Surprise is pretty awesome too," the youngling said.
"It is. You will have to inform your grandgenitors. I don't want Dev to miss out on anything he can kick Smokescreen over," Ratchet said.
Smokey grinned. "I will," he said as he offered a cookie to all the younglings. They took them and after a howling ramble put them begrudgingly into the proper container on Spot. After a bit more chat, they walked out with Prime, Prowl and Miracle.
"Where are the younglings?" Ratchet asked with a grin.
"They are hitting up the rounds with my folks," Prowl said as they walked to the line that led into Metroplex. Chatting, moving along, they made their way to his control center and the colorful interface that was his soul. A lively discussion by the sparklings explaining their gear to the bemused bot was greeted with a treat supplied by a smiling Scamper. They wend their way back out after a short discussion of ideas to decorate the city for Christmas Surprise.
The streets were filled with mechs and femmes, many of them just out and about to watch. A number of new refugees having their first Halloween experience trailed after family groups to enjoy even vicariously the fun. Parties were going full speed in clubs, the mood happy and relaxed. A short ride to Terra and a tour of the central business district led to a ride back to The City. They actually got to wave to Venture, Miler and the younglings on one train going somewhere as they passed on their own to go back to Temple Station. When they reached street level they trick or treated all the way to the Temple gates. Bots were going in and out so they joined the stream ending up at last in the main room of the enormous structure. The AllSpark turned slowly, glowed softly and granted comfort to all who were there.
Sunspot watched it a moment, then turned to Spot. He took a cookie, then walked to the edge of the Well. He put it on the low wall and looked at the AllSpark. "Thank you for Spot."
Ratchet glanced at Ironhide who was watching Sunspot with interest. The little bot walked back to lean against Ravel's legs. "I thanked the AllSpark for Spot."
"That was very kind and sweet, Sunspot," Ravel said reaching down to rub the little mech's wings.
"Mr. Terradive told us about a girl on Earth who was killed in her school. She had good things to say about life and her genitors started a ... a thing for us to do it for her. She wanted everyone to be kind and good. Then it will spread out into the world. No one should be left out or afraid. We should always say thank you."
"You always do, Sunny Bunny. You're that kind of awesome," Ratchet said.
Orion and Praxus who were watching intently turned to Spot and grabbed fistfuls of stuff out of the containers. They turned and ran to the well. Then almost as one they threw all of it into the glowing swirling energy. Ratchet and Ironhide the Hut nearly levitated.
Several hysterical moments later...
When Chevron and Lauren caught their breath from laughing, they stared down at the two uncertain little bots standing before them. Lauren knelt. "You two are very nice babies. Primus is well pleased."
They smiled, then Orion turned pointing to the Well. "THAT IS PRETTY! I LIKE IT!"
Ironhide and Ratchet blinked, then glanced at each other. Ratchet stepped forward. "We aren't going to the Pit?"
Chevron chuckled. "No." He grinned brilliantly.
After a few moments of abject groveling, smirks from Prowl, guffaws from Prime, Tie Down, Alor, Blackjack, Flint and the general bemusement of everyone else in the room but Ravel, Ironhide and Ratchet, they ambled out. The night was sparkling with lights, bots and little costumed oddities hopping along the street.
:Bluestreak, where are you?:
:We're at the corner of Temple and Metroplex 3:
:Stay there. We're coming: Ratchet glanced at the others. "The trine is on the corner ahead. Get the lead out."
"YOU TRY WALKING IN THIS PILLOW!" Ironhide said with a grin.
They crept forward through the crowd. By the time they reached the corner, the crowds were thicker. Ironhide glowered at the trine who grinned at him. "Well, don't you look great," nobody ever said. Three flashes of cameras greeted that.
"I DON'T THINK THIS IS FUNNY!" Ironhide opined to no one's concern.
They were too busy looking at the twinnies and Kaon.
Kaon grinned up at the assembled, his costume a marvel. He wore a long gray robe and on his head was a mass of snakes. They were writhing and flickering their little tongues. He looked like a baby with a cap that had a ball of snakes on his helm.
"What the frag is he?" Ironhide asked with interest. "Nice hat but what is it?"
Sunstreaker knelt. "He's a Gorgon. They were monsters with snake hair who could turn anyone to stone who looked at them."
Consensus Opinion... YIKES! ... THAT IS SLAGGING AWESOME! ... How did you do it? ... Really? ... THAT IS SLAGGING AWESOME!
Then they looked at the twins. Two tiny little femmes with immature wings were hugging on a tiny femme with immature wings and a glittering tiara. They themselves had little white tunics, hats with wings and little shoes with wings. Wings were attached to their wrists with velcro bands. They paused, then smiled up at everyone.
"WHO IS A BEAUTIFUL BABY!?" Ratchet asked suddenly overcome. "You made them Mercury, the messenger of the Gods, correct?"
"Bingo," Sunstreaker said inordinately pleased.
"By the way, we are moving to Tyger Pax tomorrow. We have to vacate the studio," Bluestreak said.
"Oh. I was worried about that. The Courthouse needs the space," Prowl said.
"We're also moving our apartment to be closer to the studio. We have a four bedroom apartment on the top level of Hydrax Tower," Blue added.
It was silent a moment, then everyone began to talk at once.
-0-At a sidewalk cafe a few moments later
They sat at tables with infants as Ironhide stood next to them. He frowned and bitched. "This is fragged. I can't sit."
"No you can't," Prime said sitting back in his chair with the full intention of enjoying Ironhide's fragged-upedness. "Stand at attention, soldier. Thing. Blob."
Ironhide glanced at Prime with a smirk. "Slagger."
"That's Mr. Slagger to you, soldier," Prime said with a grin. "This is one of the perks of being Prime watching you whine."
"You wait. You will need me sometime. You will want me to be your alibi or hide you from Prowl. Then you just wait," Ironhide said with a smug grin. "You just wait."
"I will order you," Prime said with a smile. "Problem solved."
"Frag," Ironhide muttered under his breath.
-0-TBC November 1, 2013
Tomorrow is the fourth time we have warbled through November. :D Thank you all who come aboard. :D