//------------------------------// // The Rocks of Ages // Story: As the Apple Blooms // by The FraudulentBrit //------------------------------// As the Apple Blooms Part 9; The Rocks of Ages Three days had passed since Apple Bloom met Tender Taps’s family, and things had once again entered what could only be described as normalcy. Sure, Apple Bloom would try to practice her tap dancing, but a combination of busy work days and some complaints from Wheeljack forced Ironhide to declare that she couldn’t use her tap shoes inside. Now Apple Bloom found herself washing the windows of the Chop Shop. The dust and dirt had gathered on the windows, especially the outside, and Ironhide figured that Apple Bloom had more than enough time to tackle the job. And so, with sleeves rolled up and sponge in hand, Apple Bloom was slowly cleaning the front windows. In truth, the task itself wasn’t particularly difficult. With each new dose of soapy water, the dirt and dust faded away, leaving the windows clear and totally transparent. Stepping back, Apple Bloom began to inspect the fruits of her labor. All in all, there wasn’t a speck of filth left on the windows. Taking a deep breath, Apple Bloom said to herself, “Ah’d say that’s a job well done.” From behind her, Apple Bloom heard the familiar, raspy voice of Wheeljack call out, “Nice job kid. Couldn’t have done it better myself.” Apple Bloom turned and asked, “Well, Ah didn’t forget anything, did Ah?” Wheeljack, stretching as he began to walk over to the windows, began to inspect them. “Hm….” Wheeljack began, scratching his chin. “I think you forgot something.” This caught Apple Bloom’s attention. Walking up to her older co-worker, she asked, “What is it?” The older mechanic began to point to a corner on the window as he pulled his glasses out and put them over his eyes. Once Apple Bloom was up close to him, Wheeljack said, “There’s this wee little spot over here.” “Ah don’t see it.” Apple Bloom replied. She was trying to find whatever Wheeljack was pointing to, but she couldn’t see anything other than freshly wiped glass. “You think you might just be seein’ things?” she asked. Wheeljack indignantly replied, “Me going crazy?” Huffing, he continued, “I’m telling you, there’s a spot right there.” Apple Bloom searched all over the section of the window, but couldn’t find any smudges. “Ah don’t see anythin’.” Apple Bloom said with resignation. “You must have microscopes in those glasses of yours, ‘cause I can’t see anythin’ but glass.” That was when Wheeljack, a cheeky grin growing on his face, said, “Because there isn’t. Made ya look!” with that, the mechanic began to roll on the ground, laughing like a madman. After a few moments, he managed to rise back to his feet as he said, “Hey, sorry about that, but I couldn’t resist. We cool?” Apple Bloom didn’t say anything for a moment. She just stood there, a neutral expression on her face as she began to think. Then, she took the bucket of soapy water and splashed it in Wheeljack’s face. As he gently spat the water out of his mouth, Apple Bloom, a cheeky grin now dominating her face, replied, “We’re cool.” Wheeljack would have protested, but the sound of a car pulling up to the Chop Shop captured both his and Apple Bloom’s attention. They were pleasantly surprised to see that it was none other than Beachcomber’s dune buggy. “Mr. Beachcomber?” Apple Bloom asked out loud. She turned to Wheeljack and asked, “What do ya think he wants here?” Wheeljack shrugged as he replied, “I dunno. Besides, he’s a geologist, not a mechanic or a scrapper.” Apple Bloom nodded as she added, “Ah guess. Maybe he needs somethin’ fixed?” That was when she saw two people emerge from the buggy. One was a blue skinned man in a gray outfit that could only be Beachcomber. The other was, unsurprisingly, a gray skinned teenager with long, dark gray hair that covered one of her eyes, dark gray jeans, black boots, a white striped shirt, and a leather jacket. Her appearance, as well as her general sense of anxiety made it perfectly clear that it was Marble Pie. Beachcomber walked over to Apple Bloom and Wheeljack as he greeted them. “Hey, how’s it going you two?” Apple Bloom shrugged as she replied, “Ah’m pretty good.” Wheeljack bluntly replied, “The kid here splashed water all over me.” Beachcomber could only let out a gentle chuckle as he replied, “You pulled a “made you look” on her, didn’t you?” Wheeljack was absolutely stunned, surprised that he figured out how accurate he was. “How’d you know?” The mechanic asked incredulously. Beachcomber replied, “I didn’t.” Wheeljack rolled his eyes as he asked, “Ok, so what do you need?” “So….” Beachcomber began. “Is Ironhide here? I need to ask for a favor.” Wheeljack nodded and replied, “Yeah. Follow me.” As the two began to walk into the Chop Shop, the blue skinned geologist turned to Apple Bloom and asked, “Hey, would you mind keeping an eye on Marble? I don’t want her having a panic attack out here.” “Of course!” Apple Bloom enthusiastically replied. Beachcomber nodded as he and Wheeljack continued inside. Once they were gone, she began to walk over to Marble, who was leaning against the dune buggy. “Hey Marble!” Apple Bloom called out. As she approached her, Marble simply waved at her and gave a simple, “Hi.” Clearly she still wasn’t much of a talker. Apple Bloom then asked, “So, what have you and Mr. Beachcomber been up to?” Marble gave a simple, as well as a very quiet, “Not much.” From behind the two girls, the sound of a bush rustling caught their attention. As it continued, Marble began to hyperventilate, something that made Apple Bloom worried. The last time she had met her, Marble had proven herself to be surprisingly uncomfortable around what could generously be described as a small group. Now, whatever was in the bush was causing her to start hyperventilating, something that had Apple Bloom worried for her new friend’s mental health. That was when a small, reddish brown rabbit hopped out of the bush and bounced over to the two girls. Marble, who had been fearing something worse, let out a deep sigh of relief as she found that the source of the noise was simply a harmless rabbit. Apple Bloom knelt down and extended her hand towards the rabbit, who began to sniff it. Marble then knelt down and said, “Cute little guy, isn’t he?” Before Apple Bloom could reply, the rabbit lifted his head, sniffed the air, and bolted back into the bush and away. As Apple Bloom and Marble pondered what scared it off, the sound of footsteps approaching rendered their ideas moot. Apple Bloom and Marble turned to see Ironhide and Beachcomber walking towards them. The former farm girl asked, “Uh, is somethin’ wrong?” Ironhide let out a gentle chuckle as he replied, “Not at all. In fact, Beachcomber here has a proposition for you.” Beachcomber then began to speak. “So Apple Bloom, I’ll be busy working on the data from that geological survey a few weeks back tomorrow. It’s a process that is unbelievably time consuming, and I’ll need to use some equipment that Marble here isn’t quite ready to use yet.” As he and Apple Bloom glanced over to Marble, who was trying her best to not come off as standoffish whilst avoiding Ironhide, the geologist continued, “So I was wondering if you could help me by giving her some company tomorrow? She opened up to you and I would really appreciate Marble working on her social skills.” Apple Bloom pondered for a moment. Part of her found the request somewhat suspicious, almost too good to be true. Then again, it would technically be helping a friend of hers, and it was officially requested by one of the friendlier residents of town. Ironhide then spoke up. “Well, things aren’t exactly busy around here, so I say if you can get a few chores done early tomorrow, I’ll let you go it.” Now that she had his approval, Apple Bloom turned to Beachcomber and gave her answer. “Ah’d love to help Mr. Beachcomber!” She said full of enthusiasm. Beachcomber nodded as he replied, “Hey now, that’s more like it.” He then handed Apple Bloom a piece of paper as he said, “This here is our address. We’ll expect you by ten thirty.” Apple Bloom accepted the note as she replied, “Ah’ll be there.” Beachcomber then said, “In that case, Marble and I better be on our way.” As he began to make his way to the driver seat, Marble turned to Apple Bloom and asked, “See you tomorrow?” Apple Bloom nodded and replied, “You bet!” With that, Marble reentered the dune buggy as Beachcomber started the engines. As the dune buggy pulled out and disappeared into the distance, Ironhide turned to Apple Bloom and said, “Pretty nice of you. I hear Marble Pie isn’t the most social.” Apple Bloom replied, “Well, Ah was taught that it’s always important to have friends, and Ah don’t think she has many.” The two would have continued, but Wheeljack walked up to the duo, still soaked. Ironhide asked, “Wheeljack, what happened to you?” The mechanic replied, “Someone here splashed dirty window water in my face.” As Apple Bloom began to nervously back away, Ironhide sighed as he asked, “He pulled a “made you look” on you, didn’t he?” As Apple Bloom began to giggle at the second person asking her that question, Wheeljack’s jaw dropped as he incredulously asked, “Seriously, you too?” The Road Into Town, The Next Morning After a hearty breakfast and finishing her chores, Apple Bloom began to peddle into town, instructions to Beachcomber’s residence taped to the handle bars. Unlike Tender Taps, who lived with his family in a suburb just outside town, Beachcomber apparently lived in a geological museum in town. Once again, Apple Bloom could feel the stares of the other residents, but as last time there wasn’t any hostility, or at least open hostility. Instead, she could only feel the casual indifference, something that was surprisingly comforting. That was when she heard the sound of a motorcycle revving in the distance. Apple Bloom had a good idea who it was, and her suspicions were only confirmed when a motorcycle pulled up to a corner. On top of this bike was a girl not much older than Apple Bloom in a red leather jacket, black pants, and black biker boots. Pulling over to her, Apple Bloom asked, “Hiya Sideswipe. What have you been up to?” Removing her distinctive helmet, Sideswipe replied, “Oh, not much. Testing my baby here, pissing off Brawn, same old same old.” Apple Bloom couldn’t help but giggle at the thought of someone purposely giving Brawn a hard time. “Ah gotta admit, that guy is just a jerk.” Apple Bloom said, still struggling to maintain her composure. Sideswipe replied, “I mean, you drop a weight on his foot one time, and he never lets it go.” She then shrugged before she asked, “So, what are you up to today?” “Mr. Beachcomber needs me to keep a friend of his company.” Apple Bloom answered. Sideswipe replied, “Really? I thought he was a bachelor. He doesn’t have a dog or something, right?” Apple Bloom answered, “He has a protégé named Marble Pie.” That really caught Sideswipe’s attention. “Hm….” She asked as a cheeky smile grew on her face. “She like your girlfriend or something?” “SIDESWIPE!” Apple Bloom nearly shouted. “Ah don’t like her that way. She’s just mah friend.” Sideswipe rolled her eyes as she continued, “Well in that case, what are we waiting for?” “We?” Apple Bloom asked, now growing somewhat confused. “Yeah, I have a clear calendar, so why not tag along?” Sideswipe said. Apple Bloom began to hesitate as she explained, “Well, Ah didn’t say anythin’ about bringin’ any friends.” This was when Sideswipe walked up to Apple Bloom, rested her arm on her shoulder, and cheekily added, “But you weren’t explicitly ordered to come alone, right?” Apple Bloom thought for a moment before she asked, “You sure he wouldn’t mind?” Sideswipe nodded and replied, “If I know Beachcomber, he won’t mind.” As Apple Bloom began to speak again, Sideswipe interrupted her as she added, “If he gets mad, I’ll take the blame.” With that, Apple Bloom took a deep breath and said, “Alright. Follow me.” Allspark Wells Geological Museum, Ten Minutes Later… Apple Bloom was certainly impressed by the outside of the museum. It was a three story building made marble with two great columns at the entrance, almost making it look like a government building rather than a place of learning. “Ah gotta admit, this place certainly stands out compared to the other buildin’s.” Apple Bloom remarked to Sideswipe as she began to eye the buildings surrounding them, which were mostly made of the now common sight of golden-yellow metal. “Yeah.” Sideswipe shrugged. “I’ve been here a few times as a kid, but it’s been a while.” She then motioned to the museum’s door and quipped, “Well, you coming or you gonna stand out here all day?” Apple Bloom rolled her eyes with a smirk on her face as she made her way up to the door. In front of the door was a sign that read… We’re sorry to inconvenience anyone, but the Allspark Wells Geological Museum is currently closed so our staff can perform some important duties. We will open again very soon. The Management. Apple Bloom took a deep breath as she said, “That must be the thing Mr. Beachcomber was talkin’ about yesterday.” Sideswipe inspected the sign and, before Apple Bloom could react, began to forcefully knock on the door. “Sideswipe!” Apple Bloom called out to her friend. “You could have interrupted Mr. Beachcomber.” Sideswipe nonchalantly replied, “Meh. He’s probably too busy to….” The door opened, revealing Marble Pie, clad in a light gray sweater, dark gray jeans, and her black boots. Her hair was just as it had been the few times Apple Bloom had seen before; combed over and covering the right side of her face. “Howdy Marble!” Apple Bloom enthusiastically greeted her friend. Marble nodded as she gave a simple, “Hi.” That was when her eyes noticed that Apple Bloom wasn’t alone. “Uh, Apple Bloom, who is this?” Marble asked. Sideswipe stepped up to her and introduced herself, “Hello there. The name’s Sideswipe.” She then extended her hand to Marble, who hesitated for a moment before nervously returning the favor. Marble then fully opened the door as she said, “Come on in.” Apple Bloom was amazed by the museum’s foyer. In the center was a mounted skeleton of a dinosaur, almost certainly a triceratops. Around it were archways that led to hallways all over the building. And the one thing that everything seemed to be placed around was a grand stairwell, almost like one from a fancy cruise ship. “What do you think?” Marble asked Apple Bloom. The young former farm girl, taking it all in, replied, “It’s Amazin’! You mean you live here?” Marble, blushing a tiny but noticeable amount as she replied, “Yup. Beachcomber and I live on the top floor.” She then began to giggle as she added, “Besides, a museum is certainly cozier than a rock farm.” Sideswipe then began to walk around the foyer as she asked, “So where’s Beachcomber anyway?” Marble simply replied, “He’s going over the geological survey data from earlier.” Apple Bloom then asked, “So is it just us then?” “Pretty much.” Marble replied. “Beachcomber says that as long as we keep it down and don’t break anything, we kinda have the museum to ourselves.” “Awesome!” Sideswipe said as she jumped in the air, full of enthusiasm. Apple Bloom and Marble both gave her “Shhes” to keep her volume down, who managed to calm down as she calmly replied, “Oh, heh heh. Sorry about that.” Apple Bloom then asked Marble, “So Marble, would ya mind givin’ us the guided tour?” Marble “pondered” for a moment before she replied, “Follow me.” Not Too Long Later……. “And this is a Lapis Lazuli.” Marble said as she, Apple Bloom, and Sideswipe neared the end of a hall dedicated to rare gemstones, particularly ones that affected one’s senses. “As you can tell, Lapis Lazulis are known for their peculiar odor.” As Apple Bloom and Sideswipe began to inspect the blue gemstone, the latter remarked, “So that’s the source of the stench.” She paused for a moment before she let out a sigh of relief as she continued, “Thank goodness. For a moment I thought it was me.” As much as it was a low brow joke, Apple Bloom and Marble Pie couldn’t help but giggle at the joke. As they made it to the end of the hall, Marble began to shake with anticipation. Apple Bloom had to admit that this was particularly odd, as it seemed someone else entirely had replaced the normally shy and reclusive Marble. “And now, my favorite part.” Marble said as she stepped out of the way to reveal what the next part of the museum was. Apple Bloom followed Marble’s arms as she was pointed to an archway that read, “Remains of a Lost World.” “This is where we keep all the fossils we find!” Marble said with enthusiasm. Sideswipe then asked, “Wait, do you mean like dinosaurs?” Marble nodded and replied, “Yup. Come on!” with that, she grabbed Sideswipe by the arm and began to pull her into the hall, much to Apple Bloom’s amusement. The Fossil Hall To say that the “Remains of a Lost World” was impressive was an understatement. The hall was, in actuality, a grand show room with skeletons of great animals mounted all over the place. Most of them were dinosaurs, some arranged to appear as if they were engaging in epic clashes of titans, whilst others were set up to recreate peaceful scenes of prehistoric bliss. Above the dinosaurs were mounts of giant, bird like creatures, and in one of the corners were the fossils of creatures that could only have existed in the water. Apple Bloom was so amazed by all the fossils that she lost track of where Marble and Sideswipe had run off to. “Uh, Marble?” Apple Bloom asked, trying not to be too loud. “Sideswipe? Girls?” She continued calling out as she walked past the dinosaurs. As she passed a stegosaurus, she heard Sideswipe’s voice say, “That is what you wanted to show us? A pig?” Apple Bloom managed to find her way to the source of the voice and found Marble and Sideswipe standing next to the skeleton of a weird creature. It stood on four legs that, if her eyes weren’t lying to her, had feet that ended in hooves, had a small, thin tail, and a massive head with a mouthful of teeth. As Apple Bloom approached the two, Marble corrected Sideswipe, “I said their closest living relatives are pigs, not that they are pigs.” Sideswipe had her arms folded and legs crossed as she added, “Hardly any better. You have all these dinosaurs and your favorite is a PIG-BEAR THING?” “What’cha girls lookin’ at?” Apple Bloom asked as she walked up to the two. Marble turned to Apple Bloom and said, “I’m just showing Sideswipe here my favorite animal.” Apple Bloom began to eye the skeleton and asked, “What is it?” “It’s an entelodont.” Marble replied. Sideswipe then added, “Apparently this thing is a pig.” Apple Bloom then took a good look at the entelodont and replied, “Ah don’t think it looks that much like a pig.” Marble walked up to Apple Bloom as she said, “Because they aren’t pigs. Entelodonts predate modern pigs by nearly 25 million years.” That statement shocked Apple Bloom. “Wait, ya mean this thing lived millions of years ago?” the former farm girl asked. Marble nodded as she gave a confirming “Mmh.” Before Apple Bloom could say anything else, Sideswipe called out to her, “Hey Apple Bloom, check this out.” Apple Bloom made her way up to Sideswipe, who directed her attention to a sigh in front of the railing that read…. Archaeotherium Members of the entelodont family, Archaeotherium means “Ancient Beast.” They were one of the dominant predators of the Oligocene epoch (34-23 mya), competing with other predators like Hyenadon. Their large skulls and teeth could crush just about anything, even bone. Despite their reputation, Archaeotherium was actually an omnivore, and would almost never turn down a free carcass. However, they could hunt when necessary, and were known to inflict horrific injuries to their prey, including crushing their skulls. Built like tanks and able to eat just about anything, Archaeotherium can be considered a true mammal success story. Sadly, competition from later mammal predators, particularly the bear dogs, drove them, as well as the rest of the entelodonts, to extinction. “Hardly the friendly type.” Sideswipe remarked. “Trust me, I’ve known a few guys like this.” Apple Bloom, giggling at her friend’s remark, said, “Ah’d certainly hate to run into one of these things in a dark alley.” They were so busy talking with each other that they failed to notice Marble sneaking up behind them and whispering, “Boo.” Apple Bloom and Sideswipe jumped in surprise. After catching their breath, Sideswipe turned to Marble and, in an incredibly dead pan voice, said, “Not funny.” Apple Bloom, on the other hand, replied, “Ah gotta admit it was a little funny.” Apple Bloom then asked, “Marble, mind if Ah ask you a question?” Marble simply nodded yes. Apple Bloom then continued, “How come you’re so open and friendly now, but earlier you were all reclusive and nervous?” Marble backed away a bit, holding her arm and looking away so Apple Bloom could only see her hair covering her face. “Well… I guess….” Marble struggled to say, unable to continue. Apple Bloom continued, “Ah mean, Ah know Beachcomber said ya had anxiety an’ all, but….” This was when Marble took a deep breath and said, “I don’t really know why I’m the way I am. I can be with you two, or beachcomber, or that boy you like, but unless I can kinda know someone, I just sort of shut off.” Sideswipe then said, “Hm. This reminds me of something I read once. Maybe you’re on the autism spectrum.” The mere implication of that made Marble’s face turn pale, something that Apple Bloom realized was an incredibly touchy subject. Thinking quickly, Apple Bloom made her way up to Marble and said, “Look, Ah don’t care if you’re on that spectrum or not. Ah like you the way you are.” That must have done something right, because Marble, eyes starting to glimmer and shine, wrapped Apple Bloom in a massive hug, one which caught her off guard at first but which she quickly returned the favor. Sideswipe, for her part, was initially off put by this, but when Apple Bloom motioned to join in, she shrugged and said to herself, “Oh, what the hell?” After joining in the group hug, Marble said, “Sorry about that, guess I got a little emotional for a moment.” Sideswipe replied, “Don’t sweat it. We all get a bit touchy feely every now and then.” Straightening herself, Marble then asked, “So girls, shall we continue?” A Few Hours Later “And that’s about it.” Marble said as she brought Sideswipe and Apple Bloom back to the grand foyer. Having seen the entire museum, Apple Bloom could certainly say that she may have learned a few things about rocks as well as extinct pig like animals. Marble then asked, “So what did you guys think?” Apple Bloom answered, “It was amazin’! You’re pretty lucky to live here.” Shrugging, Marble replied, “I guess. It certainly helps that this place never gets too crowded.” At that moment, the trio heard the unmistakable sound of Beachcomber's voice call out, “Well now, looks like somebody found her way out of her shell.” Marble, Apple Bloom, and Sideswipe turned to see Beachcomber, circles under his eyes, walk up to them. He then noticed Sideswipe and said, “Hey now, I didn’t know you were gonna bring an extra friend.” Apple Bloom replied, “This is Sideswipe, and she decided to tag along. Ah hope that’s alright.” Marble then added, “She’s pretty cool.” Sideswipe then placed her hands around her jacket zipper as she replied, “Well, I do aim to please.” Beachcomber then added, “Well now, seems like you’re really starting to make friends Marble.” He then turned to Apple Bloom and Sideswipe as he said, “Thanks for the help girls.” Apple Bloom replied, “No sweat Mr. Beachcomber. Ah’d love to help out again sometime.” The sound of a clock began to go off, and Apple Bloom’s eyes drifted to a large clock on the museum wall. It was almost five o’ clock. “Uh oh! Ah better be goin’!” she said as she began to make her way to the exit. Sideswipe groaned with annoyance as she added, “I better head home to. Otherwise dad will start getting paranoid.” Marble then said, “Thanks for coming. See you guys later!” Apple Bloom and Sideswipe waved goodbye as they departed through the exit and left the museum. Ironhide’s Chop Shop, Thirty Minutes Later “Uncle Ironhide! Ah’m home!” Apple Bloom called out as she entered the store front of the chop shop. Ironhide, who was busy sweeping the floor, asked, “So, how did things go with Marble?” “Ah’d say things went smooth as silk.” Apple Bloom replied. “Sideswipe showed up, and Marble showed us around the museum! She even went all giddy when we were in this room full of fossils!” Ironhide couldn’t help but giggle as he added, “You know, I remember when Beachcomber first brought that girl to Allspark Wells. She was absolutely scared stiff of everybody, but once you mentioned extinct animals to her, she’d light up like a flare.” That was when Apple Bloom nervously asked, “Speakin’ of Marble, can Ah ask you a question?” Ironhide nodded, giving her the green light. Taking a deep breath, Apple Bloom asked, “Do you think Marble might be autistic?” “Why do you think that?” Ironhide asked. Apple Bloom continued, “Well, Ah asked Marble about her emotional awkwardness, and when Sideswipe suggested she might be on the autism spectrum, she just turned paler than a ghost.” Ironhide walked up to his niece and said, “It’s not my place to say if she does or not, but would it matter if she was?” Apple Bloom shook her head and replied, “No. She’s mah friend no matter what.” “That’s my girl.” Ironhide said as he ruffled her hair. “Now run along and get ready for dinner. I think Wheeljack is making goulash.” That was when the smell of burnt food drifted in from the kitchen, followed by Wheeljack blurting out, “Oh come on, you mother puss bucket!” Sighing, Ironhide corrected himself, “Scratch that. Sounds like I gotta order a pizza.” Apple Bloom couldn’t help but giggle as she replied, “Alright.” With that, Apple Bloom departed to freshen herself up, as well as try and block out whatever string of obscenities Wheeljack was prone to begin shouting.