> Life in Allspark Wells > by The FraudulentBrit > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > First Day of School > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Life in Allspark Wells Part 1; First Day of School As the sun began to shine its rays of light across the land that was the home to the town of Allspark Wells, every living thing began to stir from their slumber and prepare for the day. Birds let out caws, crows, and chirps as they tended to their chicks before flying off to hunt for food. Small mammals crawled out of their burrows, sniffing the air for their breakfast. And in every house that made up the small town, people began to rise from their beds (however groggily) and prepare for everything the day had in store for them. And in one of these houses, or to be more specific, a two-story building that housed both a commercial garage and living quarters for a decently sized family, a teenaged girl with yellow skin and burgundy died hair, began to wake from her slumber. Letting out a loud yawn as she stretched her arms, Apple Bloom rose from her bed as she thought to herself, ‘Alright. First day of school, here Ah come!’ Indeed, today would be the first day of high school, or rather, her first day of school at Iacon High. That detail reminded the former farm girl of just how she’d gotten here. Taking a deep breath, Apple Bloom whispered to herself, “Heh. Feels like a lifetime ago.” Indeed, almost one year earlier, she had roped her friends into an admittedly poorly thought-out plan to frame their sisters’ new friend, former bully Sunset Shimmer, for posting hurtful and embarrassing personal information on the internet. No sooner had the trio been caught than they were all punished, including Apple Bloom. Fast forward nearly seven months, one summer, countless misadventures, and one unpleasant reunion with her sister, and Apple Bloom had found that her life had significantly changed for the better. As she thought back on everything she’d been through, the former farm girl couldn’t help but allow a smile to form across her lips as fond memories made with her new friends flashed in front of her eyes. Whether it was tap dancing with her boyfriend Tender Taps and his sister Double Shuffle, Learning about dinosaurs from Marble Pie, Helping Rattrap with his garden, or providing a comforting shoulder for her new adopted sister Sideswipe, Apple Bloom couldn’t help but remark to herself, “Guess Ah’ve had quite the impact on everyone ‘round these parts.” Her daydreaming was interrupted when her bedroom door was opened, followed by a familiar raspy voice calling out, “Rise and shine young lady! Mr. Bossman wants you up and at ‘em five minutes ago!” Apple Bloom turned to the door, only to be greeted by the familiar sight of a gray skinned man with black hair that extended to his upper lip via friendly mutton chops, a white jumpsuit with red and green stripes, circular glasses, and who held a hammer and trash can lid in his hands. Before the enthusiastic man could bang his instruments together, Apple Bloom raised her hands as she called out, “Alright, Ah’m up Wheeljack. Ah’ll be down in a minute.” She then let out a sigh as she added, “Just give me a few minutes to get ready and Ah’ll be down, alright?” Sighing to himself, Wheeljack relented with a defeated, “Alright. Get dressed in quiet like a square.” He then slinked off, leaving Apple Bloom to quip to herself, “Why does he always have to be such a smartass?” After a few minutes, the former farm girl slipped into what she felt would be an appropriate outfit for the day; a dark blue pair of overalls, a red and white striped tee shirt, and a pair of black boots. She’d done her hair up in braided pigtails, the style she’d adopted since she first came to Allspark Wells. Throwing in just enough make up to touch up any major imperfections (save for the unfortunate gap where one of her teeth had once rested), and the burgundy haired girl felt that she could take on the world. “Alright.” Apple Bloom said as she took a deep breath. “Let’s do this.” The Kitchen… Sliding down the stairwell and leaping into the kitchen, Apple Bloom cheerfully greeted, “Mornin’ everyone!” Already, she found herself greeted by her aunt Chromia; the older woman was setting the table as she replied, “My, looks like someone got on the right side of the bed this morning.” As the gray skinned woman made her way to her niece, she asked, “You feeling ready for your first day of school?” Nodding, Apple Bloom replied, “You bet, or at least as ready as Ah think Ah can be.” She then grasped her arm with her hand as she added, “Though, if Ah’m bein’ honest, Ah’m kinda nervous. Ah haven’t been in school since the start of the last semester.” The former farm girl took a deep breath and finished, “Maybe Ah’m just overthinking everything.” From behind her, Apple Bloom heard the familiar sound of a teenaged girl’s voice practically shout, “You bet your ass you are!” The burgundy haired girl shot up and let out a surprised, “Gah!” Turning around, she found herself staring at a familiar girl with pale white skin, black hair, and wearing a black sleeveless shirt, a red denim vest and pants, and a pair of black biker boots. Letting out an obnoxious snort and chuckle, Sideswipe quipped, “Oh man, you should see the look on your face!” Apple Bloom rolled her eyes as she groaned, “That wasn’t funny Sideswipe.” However, the pale biker simply finished her fit of laughter as she replied, “It was too.” Chromia then interrupted the siblings’ squabble with a stern, “Sideswipe, that wasn’t nice, and you know how I feel about swearing.” Sighing in resignation, Sideswipe conceded defeat and apologized, “Sorry about that Apple Bloom. You forgive me?” Pondering over whether to actually forgive her adopted sister, Apple Bloom relented and, with a small smile forming across her lips, replied, “Ah forgive you Sideswipe.” She then pulled the pale biker into a tight hug, one which Sideswipe happily reciprocated. At that moment, the kitchen door opened, revealing a very familiar gray skinned man wearing a red plaid shirt, gray pants with suspenders, and a general sense of warmth and safety off him. Walking into the room, he playfully called out, “Well, if it isn’t my three favorite ladies.” Apple Bloom immediately bolted over to the older man and wrapped her arms around him as she enthusiastically greeted, “Mornin’ uncle Ironhide!” Hugging his niece (and as far as was concerned, his daughter) back, Ironhide let out a playful, “I take it this means you slept well?” The former farm girl released her uncle as she replied, “Ah did, even if Wheeljack was plannin’ on givin’ me a rude awakening.” “Heh, remind me to put Wheeljack on latrine duty today.” Ironhide cheekily ordered Chromia. He then turned his attention to Sideswipe and asked, “What about you kid? You sleep well?” Sideswipe shrugged as she replied, “Pretty much. No nightmares, so I guess I can’t complain.” Ironhide let out a gentle chuckle as he “That’s good.” He then paused for a moment as he inspected the pale biker’s shoulder and inquired, “You sure that shirt meets the school’s dress code?” Sideswipe groaned and bent her head backwards as she replied, “I checked the school’s dress code last night, and trust me, this shirt should work.” Ironhide relented, but quickly added, “Alright then. But just in case, pack an extra tee shirt, ok?” The pale biker simply nodded and replied with a simple, “Yes sir.” Before anyone could say anything else, Chromia interrupted, “I do hate to interfere, but we should probably finish getting breakfast ready, or else you’re gonna be late dropping the girls off at school.” Apple Bloom then added, “And Ah don’t know about you, but Ah’m kinda hungry.” Ironhide relented, “Alright. I’ll finish everything up.” He then turned to Chromia and requested, “You mind keeping an eye on Wheeljack and Wreck-Gar while I take the girls?” Chromia nodded as she replied, “You’ve got it. I’ll make sure that knuckle head doesn’t do anything stupid.” And so, the little family began to finish up preparations for breakfast, hopeful there would still be plenty of time for Ironhide to drive the girls to school. Ironhide’s Van… As the red van made its way down the road, Apple Bloom allowed her eyes to drift off, taking in the sights of Allspark Wells around her. Making a mental note of every building they passed, the former farm girl found her thought to herself, ‘Alright, we make a left turn here, then we go past three lights and past the drug store and Hot Rod’s diner.’ She was distracted from her mental map making when Ironhide asked, “You ok there kid?” Turning to face her uncle, Apple Bloom admitted, “Ah think so.” She then took a deep breath before continuing, “Guess Ah’m just nervous.” As the van pulled up to a red light, Ironhide turned to face his daughter and reassured her, “Don’t worry kid, you’ll do fine.” From across the van, Sideswipe complimented, “Yeah, who wouldn’t love you?” Apple Bloom let out a sigh of relief as she replied, “Thanks.” The pale biker then added, “Besides, you’ve got an easier job than me. I have to deal with teachers who might remember me.” Ironhide immediately added, “And I want you on best behavior young lady.” Groaning, Sideswipe replied, “I will, unless someone else draws first blood.” Once the light turned green, Ironhide accelerated the van closer towards its destination, leaving Apple Bloom to think, ‘Maybe things won’t be so bad.’ A Few Minutes Later… To say Apple Bloom was impressed by the building before her would be an understatement. There, on the other side of the car door, rested a grand, two-story building with the same golden colored exterior as almost every other building in Allspark Wells. Near the far end of the building sat a glass atrium where Apple Bloom could see tables where she would almost certainly be eating lunch in several hours. All in all, it seemed like a warm and inviting building. Ironhide interrupted his daughter’s trance with a gentle, “Come on girls, you better head on in. I gotta get back to the chop shop before Wheeljack does something stupid.” Sideswipe scooped up her backpack and said, “Alright. See you Ironhide.” The family patriarch bade farewell with a gentle, “Stay out of trouble. Love you.” Starting to blush with embarrassment, the pale biker replied, “I love you too.” Taking a Deep breath, Apple Bloom picked up her messenger bag as she turned to her uncle and said, “See ya Uncle Ironhide.” The older man gave a gentle nod as he reassured her, “See you kid. And don’t worry, I’m not gonna shout something embarrassing as you and Sideswipe are heading inside.” The former farm girl let out a gentle giggle as she responded with a simple, “Thanks. Ah love you.” The older man replied with a soft, “I love you too. Now go out there and give it your best shot.” With that, Apple Bloom took a deep breath, unbuckled her seat belt, opened the van door, and stepped outside. True to his word, Ironhide didn’t lower the window and say anything cheesy or corny. Instead, he gave the two girls a reassuring nod and drove off back to the chop shop. Once the family’s red van had disappeared into the horizon, Sideswipe called out to her sister, “Come on, we gotta find our homeroom!” Apple Bloom turned to face the pale biker as she replied, “Alright! Wait for me.” With that, she followed her sister up to the school’s front door. Once both girls had closed the distance, Sideswipe asked, “So, you ready?” Taking a deep breath, Apple Bloom replied, “Ah’m ready.” Hallways of Iacon High… As both girls walked down the hallway, Apple Bloom was overcome with the reality of one thing she hadn’t missed since the Anon-A-Miss disaster; the fact that school hallways are, more often than not, congested quagmires filled to the brim with other people. Both girls found themselves struggling to stay together as they dealt with the scores of other students, all making their way from one classroom to the next. Struggling to keep up with her sister, the former farm girl couldn’t help but quip, “Ah don’t think Canterlot High was ever this busy.” But as the two teenagers continued their trek through the crowd, Apple Bloom couldn’t help but notice something incredibly odd; Some of the other students were staring at her. ‘Something’s not quite right.’ The former farm girl thought to herself. It would have been one thing if it were the occasional stray eye, but this was different. With every step, it seemed that more and more eyes were focusing on her. Deciding to try and break the growing sense of tension, Apple Bloom approached one of the many people watching her, a purple teenaged girl with blue hair in a green dress, and asked, “Howdy! Ah’m Apple Bloom. Who are you?” The purple teen didn’t say anything, instead glaring right at the former farm girl before strutting away in a huff. As Apple Bloom processed this, Sideswipe folded her arms and quipped, “Well that’s just rude.” Turning to her sister, Apple Bloom asked, “You think she knows about…. You know….” Sideswipe shrugged as she answered, “I dunno. I mean it’s not like you can ignore it completely.” All the former farm girl could do was sigh as she replied, “Ah guess you’re right.” After all, given how Wheeljack had (drunkenly) blurted out what she’d done when she first arrived in Allspark Wells all those months ago, as well as the fact that even Sideswipe found out about Apple Bloom’s past before even meeting the former farm girl, it wasn’t a far stretch to say that at least a good few people already knew both who Apple Bloom was as well as what she’d done. Sighing to herself, the former farm girl could only defeatedly remark, “Guess that answers mah question.” Sideswipe immediately rested her hand on Apple Bloom’s shoulder as she tried to reassure her with a gentle, “Hey, today hasn’t even started yet. I’m sure she was just being a bitch.” Even Apple Bloom couldn’t help but giggle at her sister’s use of profanity. Once she finished laughing, Apple Bloom allowed the smile to remain on her face as she said, “We better pick up the pace and try to find our homeroom.” Sideswipe nodded as she replied, “I guess you’re right.” With that, the pale biker began to lead her adopted sister through the congested hallways. A Few Minutes Later…. “Here we are.” Sideswipe said with a sigh of relief. “This looks like the place. Room 212.” It had taken several minutes, one flight of stairs, and a wrong turn leading to a supplies closet, but both girls had made it to what would be their homeroom for the next school year. Folding her arms confidently, the pale biker bragged, “See? I told you I could get us here.” Playfully rolling her eyes, Apple Bloom replied, “Whatever you say captain Sideswipe. Ah just hope it was worth the scenic route” The older girl stuck her tongue out at her sister as she complained, “Oh please. I got us here before the bell rang, didn’t I?” Shrugging, Apple Bloom couldn’t help but answer, “Eh. You got a point.” Opening the door, Apple Bloom was greeted by the pleasant sight of several rows of desks, each one with name tags that designated who was assigned to what desk. The walls were painted a dark blue and were covered with maps of various countries all over the world. At one end of the room sat a white board with several markers and erasers resting gently on the extended tray beneath it, and nestled in one of the corners sat a teacher’s desk covered in stacks of paper and even a small globe. All in all, Apple Bloom felt that this would be the sort of classroom she would be more than comfortable in. It also didn’t hurt that, at this particular moment, there were only a handful of other students. ‘Phew. At least we got ourselves a few minutes.’ The former farm girl thought to herself. As she tentatively made her way into the classroom, she wondered, ‘Wonder which seat is mine?’ It didn’t take long for Apple Bloom to find which desk had been assigned to her; the nametag with her name on it was right at the far end of the front row. In fact, it was actually the closest seat to the teacher’s desk. As she walked up to it, the former farm girl thought to herself, ‘Huh. Wonder if this is because they wanna keep an eye on me?’ Shaking her head, Apple Bloom whispered to herself, “It’s just a coincidence. Ah’m sure you just got the short straw for the closest seat to the teacher is all.” Apple Bloom was distracted from her internal doubt by the sound of someone calling out, “Excuse me?” Turning to see who it was, the former farm girl was greeted by the sight of a light blue teenaged girl with black hair, and bangs that covered her left eye, all while not obscuring the beauty mark that sat comfortably over her left cheek bone. She wore a pink dress that Apple Bloom figured was probably sleeveless, a black leather jacket, and black boots that had a small but noticeable heel. Perhaps what was most surprising was the dark eyeliner and black lipstick that adorned her face. All in all, this mystery girl seemed somewhat intimidating, but also kind of inviting. Scooting into the desk next to her, the mystery goth girl extended her hand and rather sheepishly said, “Hi. It’s nice to meet you.” The first thing that went through Apple Bloom’s mind was ‘Huh. Her voice sounds kinda deep.’ Indeed, the blue girl’s voice wasn’t exactly as low as the bass singer of a barbershop quartet, but it was deeper than the former farm girl expected. Still, Apple Bloom knew that people’s voices came in all shapes and sizes, so she decided not to pay it too much attention. Instead, the burgundy haired girl extended her own hand and shook the other girl’s as she replied, “Nice to meet you too. Ah’m Apple Bloom.” Smiling, the blue girl introduced herself with, “I’m Pastel Goth.” Once both girls finished their handshake, Pastel began to scratch the back of her neck as she nervously asked, “So, if you’re Apple Bloom, is it true that you…. You know…” Before she even realized what she was doing, Apple Bloom sighed in resignation and frustration. Realizing she’d struck a nerve, Pastel Goth tried to apologize, “Oh Primus, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to….” The former farm girl raised her hand and reassured her new acquaintance, “It’s alright.” She then paused for a moment before, “Guess there was no point in hopin’ people wouldn’t know.” Smiling, Pastel Goth replied, “If it’s too much, I won’t pry anything from you.” When Apple Bloom gave a confused look, the blue girl continued, “I know a thing or two about keeping things under wraps.” Taken by surprise by this new girl’s friendliness, the former farm girl could only reply with a gentle, “Thanks.” Pastel replied with a friendly, “You’re welcome.” At that moment, a new sound caught Apple Bloom’s ears; the sound of someone playing a recorder. Turning to see who it was, the former farm girl was surprised to see that it the small instrument was not being played by a hipster student, but by a gray skinned man with dark black hair, a blue button shirt with a crooked bowtie, a black suit coat that was clearly a size or two too big, gray plaid pants, dark brown pixie boots. As he walked towards the teacher’s desk, Apple Bloom thought to herself, ‘Ah got a feelin’ this guy must be our teacher.’ Sure enough, the mystery man finished his little diddy, laid his recorder on the desk, and began rubbing his hands together as he turned his attention to the now mostly full classroom and began, “Ha ha ha. Well now, what do we have here?” His inviting voice and British accent intrigued Apple Bloom, Sideswipe, Pastel Goth, and everyone else as he continued, “So many faces here. Some brand new, some familiar. Some here for the first time, some possibly for the last.” As Apple Bloom found herself hanging on his every word, the teacher caught himself as he stated, “Oh, but where are my manners? I’m Doctor Pennywhistle, and I’m your homeroom teacher. To some of you, I might even be your history teacher as well.” The former farm girl thought to herself, ‘Doctor Pennywhistle. Huh, Ah’ve never had a doctor as a teacher before.’ Rubbing his hands together again, Doctor Pennywhistle began, “Now then, since we will all be together for the school year, I want everyone to get to know each other a little better. Thus, everyone is going to introduce themselves and reveal something about themselves.” The moment Apple Bloom heard that, she found herself instinctively giving a massive gulp of fear. ‘Oh no.’ The burgundy haired girl thought to herself. ‘Please don’t start with me. Please don’t start with me!’ Thankfully, Doctor Pennywhistle made his way to the opposite end of the classroom and, turning to an orange skinned boy, asked, “Why don’t we start with you?” The unfamiliar boy stood up and introduced himself with, “Okay, my name is Sandstorm, and I raise rattlesnakes.” As the rest of the class let out “oohs” and “ahs,” Apple Bloom let out sighed in relief as she whispered to herself, “Ok. You got a few moments. Gotta think of somethin’ that doesn’t directly link back to what happened back home.’ After a few moments, Sideswipe stood up and introduced herself with, “’Sup everyone. I’m Sideswipe and I own a motorcycle.” Pastel Goth immediately let out an excited, “No way. Really?” The pale biker struck a confident pose as she answered, “You bet.” Dr. Pennywhistle then turned to his cerulean student and asked, “How about you tell us a little about yourself?” Letting out a gentle chuckle as she straightened her jacket and answered, “Well, Uh… I’m Pastel Goth and….” Struggling to think of something herself, gave an interesting piece of information about herself. “My older brother is Blaster.” As Apple Bloom found herself somewhat confused at that revelation, one of the other students, a caramel skinned girl blurted out, “No way! Your brother is that radio DJ guy?” Pastel Goth nervously scratched the back of her neck as she replied, “Yeah. He’s a pretty cool guy.” Doctor Pennywhistle then said, “Now then, that leaves one student left.” Turning to a certain former farm girl, the gray teacher continued, “It’s your turn.” Despite having spent the entire time trying to think of something to say, however, Apple Bloom still didn’t know what to say about herself. Starting to internally panic, she thought to herself, ‘Oh no. What do Ah do?’ She was further interrupted by her teacher inquiring, “Everything alright?” Thinking on the fly, she introduced herself with, “Ah’m Apple Bloom and Ah was actually born in Canterlot City.” For a few moments, Apple Bloom felt herself breathe a sigh of relief. After all, given that it was only a state away, and people moved between cities all the time. However, the brief moment of hope was dashed when the former farm girl was distracted by the sound of someone snickering, clearly trying to hold laughter. ‘Please don’t tell me it’s what Ah think it is.’ The burgundy haired girl thought to herself. At that moment, Doctor Pennywhistle turned to the same caramel colored girl from before and sternly ordered, “Alright now Caramel Syrup. What is it that’s so funny to you?” Standing up from her desk, Syrup pointed to Apple Bloom and cruelly replied, “If she really wanted to share something juicy, she should have just said that she was Anon-A-Miss!” Almost immediately, several other students began to chat amongst themselves. While some like Sandstone were more surprised, saying, “No way! That’s her?”, others, such as a girl seated next to Caramel Syrup, indignantly complained, “No way. We have homeroom with that manipulative bitch?” Even Sideswipe giving her a furious glare couldn’t help Apple Bloom feel any better. Doctor Pennywhistle soon spoke up, demanding, “That will do everyone! I want everyone to quiet down now.” As the rest of the class simmered down, the gray teacher began to explain something that Apple Bloom figured would be important at some point. But right now, that didn’t matter. All that Apple Bloom really cared about right now was that, just like when she first arrived in Allspark Wells, everyone knew what she’d done. The only thing the former farm girl could do was slump down and rest her head on her desk in defeat, hoping she could pay attention to whatever Doctor Pennywhistle was talking about. First Period… After an otherwise uneventful homeroom, Apple Bloom trudged to her first period class. Pulling out her schedule from her messenger bag, she read out, “Mr. Compost, room 131.” Taking a deep breath, she said to herself, “Alright, let’s get this over with.” Entering the new classroom, she found the walls were covered with informative posters and displays of biology, botany, and other aspects of organic life. And rather than singular desks, there were several long, black tables that multiple students would sit at. As for those students, it seemed that Apple Bloom was among, if not the last student to arrive. Letting out a small sigh of relief, the former farm girl lamented to herself, “Well, at least Ah’m not late.” Sure enough, no sooner than she took another step forward did the loud ringing of a school bell drowned out all other noise. The moment the bell finished ringing, Apple Bloom heard the sound of an unfamiliar man’s voice calling out, “Alright now students. Quiet down.” Turning to see who it was, the burgundy haired girl found herself staring at a rather homely man with sickly green skin, long dirty brown hair that was clearly showing signs of balding, simple and, if her eye weren’t deceiving her, dirty clothes, and an all-around air of smug confidence surrounding him. Staring at his new pupil, the older man folded his arms as he sternly asked, “So, you must be Apple Bloom?” Nervously nodding, the former farm girl answered, “Yeah.” Almost immediately, the teacher turned his attention to the class as he continued, “Now that we’re all here, greetings fellow citizens of the world. I’m Mr. Compost, and I will be your biology teacher this semester.” He then turned his attention to Apple Bloom and, in a surprisingly stern tone, stated, “And I assure you, if you try anything like what you did in Canterlot City, I guarantee you’ll fail this class!” Under normal circumstances, any other student would protest a teacher acting in such an intimidating or rude manner, but Apple Bloom, already worn down by her day so far, simply sighed and replied, “Ah understand sir.” Seeming content, Mr. Compost as he pointed to the only remaining empty seat as he said, “Take your seat Apple Bloom.” As Apple Bloom sat down, she heard yet more students snickering and whispering to each other, cementing the fact that they knew who she was. All the former farm girl could do was sigh and let her head collapse straight down onto the desk and mutter to herself, “Ah hate this.” The Cafeteria, Later That Day…. Seated at a far-off table in the cafeteria, Apple Bloom glumly ate her lunch, specifically a slice of acceptable but otherwise bland pizza. After swallowing a bit, she sighed as she dejectedly said to herself, “So, one homeroom one biology class, and one English class, and all of them know everythin’ about me.” Reaching for her milk, the former farm girl sighed as she lamented, “So much for a fresh start ‘round here.” Still, it wasn’t entirely surprising to the former farm girl. As she dejectedly picked up her slice of pizza, Apple Bloom chastised herself with, “Ah guess Ah shouldn’t have expected everyone to just run up to me, beggin’ to be mah friend.” After all, given that the entire town knew about the whole Anon-A-Miss incident, it wasn’t like her new school would be any different. And as someone who knew quite a fair bit about manipulating people, Apple Bloom knew just how nasty high schoolers could be. Apple Bloom was distracted from her little pity party by the very familiar sound a certain boy’s voice asking, “Excuse me? Is this seat taken?” Immediately lighting up, the former farm girl said to herself, “That sounds like Tender Taps!” Sure enough, she turned around to see her boyfriend, dressed in a purple button shirt over a dark gray tee shirt, purple pants, and black shoes. As he placed his own lunch down on the table, the former farm girl did the only thing she could think of. She leapt up from her table and wrapped her boyfriend in a tight hug. Hugging his girlfriend back, Tender Taps happily replied, “Glad to see you too!” As Apple Bloom released him, she sheepishly admitted, “Sorry for jumpin’ you. It’s kinda been a lousy day.” The orange dancer inquired, “What’s wrong?” Sighing, the former farm girl answered, “Let’s just say that just about everyone around here knows.” Sighing, Tender Taps asked, “And let me guess, more than a few people have addressed you about it?” Apple Bloom nodded as she replied, “Not only that, mah biology teacher, Mr. Compost, just up and outs me before class can even begin!” Sitting back down in defeat, the former farm girl lamented, “Guess Ah brought it on mahself though.” To her delight, Tender Taps sat down, wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and reassured her, “Look on the bright side, at least we have the same lunch period.” Apple Bloom couldn’t help but allow herself to smile and let out a gentle chuckle as she replied, “That is a good plus side.” She then asked, “So tell me, how’s your day been?” Lighting up at the fact that his girlfriend was feeling just a bit better, Tender Taps began, “Well, my homeroom teacher is Mrs. Allegra, and she’s the drama and chorus teacher, and she….” With that, Apple Bloom refocused her attention to her boyfriend, happy that, at least for a few moments, she could forget everything that had happened so far that day. A Short While Later… Once again finding herself taking a deep breath in anticipation, Apple Bloom found herself entering the art room. Though her lunch period had been a nice break, the former farm girl once again found herself going once more into the fray. Sighing, Apple Bloom straightened her messenger bag as she pepped herself up with, “Let’s get this over with.” Entering her next class, Apple Bloom was pleasantly greeted by the sight of the art room. Rather than posters or safety instructions, the walls were covered with cabinets and shelves filled with art supplies and the occasional past project of students long gone. And instead of simple school desks, there were long desks for multiple students, all arranged in a square ring around the center. Thankfully, there weren’t that many other students present. There were a few other kids, some unfamiliar, and some the burgundy haired girl remembered from the halls or other classes. However, there was one student that made Apple Bloom feel just a little bit better. Seated at the end of one of the desks sat Pastel Goth, who called out, “Hey Apple Bloom! Over here!” Letting out a sigh of relief, Apple Bloom called out to her new friend, “Ah’m commin’.” As the burgundy haired girl sat down next to the cerulean girl, Pastel inquired, “How’s your day been?” Apple Bloom let out a gentle sigh as she replied, “Honestly, not too great. Guess people have been, you know….” Before she could finish, Apple Bloom was interrupted by an unfamiliar voice mockingly stating, “That you’re, like, the reason Canterlot High tore itself apart?” Turning to see who it was, the two girls were greeted by the sight of a purple girl with yellow hair, her arms pressed condescendingly on her hips as she continued, “You better not try anything you little bitch.” She then strutted off, satisfied she’d made her point. Motioning to the purple teen, Apple Bloom defeatedly explained, “That’s been happening all day.” Sighing in defeat, the former farm girl continued, “Maybe it’s just karma.” As slumped down yet again, Apple Bloom finished, “Ah mean, you knew about me, right?” Nodding, Pastel Goth replied, “Yeah. I did.” She then, to Apple Bloom’s Surprise, rested an arm around her and said, “But, you know, I remember my brother Blaster telling me that, “We all fuck up, and it’s what you do next that counts.” Confused but touched, Apple Bloom asked, “But, now forgive me if this comes off as rude, we only met earlier today.” The cerulean goth girl shrugged as she replied, “Yeah, but….” Pausing for a moment, Pastel finished with, “Well, I guess I just took a leap of faith.” Feeling just a bit better, Apple Bloom let out a gentle chuckle as she admitted, “Guess Ah did to when Ah got here.” Pastel began to laugh herself as she asked, “So does this mean we’re friends?” Allowing herself to feel excited and optimistic for the future, Apple Bloom pulled the cerulean goth into a tight hug as she happily squealed, “Friends.” And she was happily surprised when Pastel Goth returned the gesture just as tightly. Dr. Pennywhistle’s Room. Once again entering her homeroom, Apple Bloom reassured herself, “Just one more class.” Indeed, her final class of the day would be world history with her homeroom teacher, Doctor Pennywhistle. Making her way back into the now familiar classroom, the former farm girl was greeted by the sight of several other students. However, this time, she was greeted by a surprisingly familiar face. Seated at a desk in the front row sat a gray girl in a turtleneck sweater, dark gray kilt, black boots, and a black leather jacket. Running up to her friend, Apple Bloom practically squealed, “Marble?! What are you doin’ here?” As the two friends hugged each other, the gray geologist replied, “Mr. Beachcomber enrolled me here so I could improve my people skills.” She then held her arm as she sighed, “This place is crowded.” Nodding, Apple Bloom replied, “Ah know. It’s kinda overwhelmin’.” Thankfully, Marble allowed a small smile to form on her face as she added, “At least I have English class with Sideswipe.” She then began to blush, clearly recalling the warm and safe feeling of being in the same class as her awesome girlfriend. The joyous reunion was ended when Doctor Pennywhistle called out, “Alright everyone, take your seats.” As the bell rang and everyone sat down at a desk (with Apple Bloom sitting down next to Marble), the history teacher enthusiastically continued, “Now then my friends, welcome to world history 101.” Taking a deep breath of anticipation, Doctor Pennywhistle asked his class, “But first, do any of you know what history is?” As confusion rang through the class, one of the students nervously replied with, “Uh… it’s all the stuff that happened in the past?” Doctor Pennywhistle let out an amused chuckle as he replied, “In some ways, that is true. However, history is more than that.” After a few moments, Apple Bloom raised her hand as she asked, “Then what is history if it isn’t just everythin’ that’s happened.” Lighting up at his student’s curiosity, Doctor Pennywhistle rubbed his hands together as he elaborated, “You see, all throughout humanity’s history, we’ve all been interconnected to each other. Every decision influences both our own future and everyone else’s.” Pausing for a moment, he added, “Maybe not quite that wound tightly together, but the fact is that we are all here because of the decisions and actions made by those in the past, and they were where they were because of those before them.” He then paused before finishing, “And that’s what we’re here for this semester.” And as Doctor Pennywhistle continued, Apple Bloom found herself entirely enraptured by her teacher’s words, feeling so entranced that she didn’t think about how bad the rest of the day had been. A Short While Later… “And that should do it for today.” Doctor Pennywhistle said as several other students began to get up and make their way out of the classroom. As they left, the gray teacher continued, “We’ll pick up from here tomorrow.” Getting up from her desk, Marble bade Apple Bloom farewell with a gentle, “See you Apple Bloom.” Letting out a relieved sigh, the burgundy haired girl replied, “Take care Marble. And if you see Sideswipe, don’t get too distracted.” As Marble left the classroom (and struggled to control her growing blush), Apple Bloom was caught off guard by the sound of Doctor Pennywhistle calling out for her. “Apple Bloom? May I have a word with you please?” Gulping in fear, the former farm girl began to feel sweat starting to drip down her forehead. ‘Oh no.’ She thought to herself. ‘He’s gonna chew into mah ass about everythin’. Ah just know it.’ Sighing to herself in resignation, the former farm girl lamented, “Alright. Let’s just get this over with.” Approaching her teacher’s desk, Apple Bloom nervously asked, “You wanted to see me Doctor Pennywhistle?” Setting the paper he was looking over down, the gray teacher said something that surprised the former farm girl. “It seems I owe you an apology Apple Bloom.” For a few moments, both student and teacher stood and sat there, the former confused and surprised at what the latter had said. Finally regaining herself, Apple Bloom inquired, “Apology?” Nodding, Doctor Pennywhistle explained, “I’ve heard from some of my colleagues that your first day has not been the best.” Standing up, he continued, “And I take it homeroom was not the only time people brought attention to that little incident back in Canterlot City?” Nodding in resignation, Apple Bloom lamented, “Ah guess it’s no secret, is it?” Allowing a somber expression to consume his face, Doctor Pennywhistle replied, “Normally I wouldn’t have this sort of conversation with students, but I’ve been hearing others gossiping about it and….” He then paused for a moment before finishing, “I was instructed by the principal to mitigate the situation.” Confused, Apple Bloom could only say, “Uh, you lost me.” As the other students of the homeroom class made their way into the classroom, Doctor Pennywhistle reassured the former farm girl, “Don’t worry, I think I can mitigate some of it. Now, go back to your desk.” Apple Bloom decided to just roll with it and made her way back to her desk. Once she was back at her desk, Pastel Goth asked, “Hey Apple Bloom, what was that all about?” Shrugging, Apple Bloom replied, “Ah don’t know.” As the last students made their way into the classroom, Doctor Pennywhistle made his way to the front of the class and cleared his throat, and it was then that he made a small speech. “Now then, earlier today I heard some of you making rather rude remarks about one of your fellow classmates.” He paused for a moment before continuing, “I won’t name names, but I want it made sure that I will not allow such behavior in my class!” Crossing his arms, Doctor Pennywhistle finished with a gentle but firm, “If you absolutely must engage in such gossip, then save it for when you get home, or at least for later.” As for Apple Bloom, she found herself overcome by a sense of relief. ‘Guess it would be too good to make people stop altogether.’ The former farm girl thought to herself. ‘But at least Ah don’t have to worry about it in homeroom. Or history class, hopefully.’ Having finished, Doctor Pennywhistle finished with, “Now then, since I’m sure you’ve all had a busy day so far, I will leave the rest of our little get together for a study period. If any of you have any questions, feel free to ask me about.” With that, he returned to his desk, leaving his students to study or otherwise wait for the final bell to ring for the day. Pastel Goth immediately took the opportunity to ask, “Hey Apple Bloom? Can I ask something?” Pulling out her notebook from biology class, Apple Bloom replied, “Ask away.” Taking a deep breath, the cerulean girl asked, “What happened to your tooth?” ‘Of course, she’d ask that.’ Apple Bloom thought to herself. Before she could even reply, Pastel quickly added, “I mean, if it’s not too much for you.” Raising her hand to reassure her new friend, the burgundy haired girl replied, “It’s not. It’s just….” Pausing for a moment, Apple Bloom decided to tell Pastel what happened. “It sorta started a few weeks back when Ah went home to Canterlot City for a visit…..” School Entrance, A Short While Later… “No way! You’re a tap dancer too?” Pastel Goth enthusiastically exclaimed as she, Apple Bloom, and Sideswipe made their way to the school’s front door. Before the former farm girl could reply, Sideswipe interrupted with a cocky, “Actually, we both are.” It was only once she finished that Apple Bloom answered, “But yeah. Ah started not long after Ah arrived here.” Letting out a gentle chuckle, Pastel Goth continued, “I started dancing when I was younger, and tap was always something I excelled in. Guess I’m just a musical kinda gal.” Smiling, Apple Bloom rested her arm on her friend as she reassured her, “And there ain’t nothin’ wrong with that.” It was at this point that Pastel began to giggle as she quipped, “Whatever you say cowgirl.” Before either girl could say anything else, Sideswipe tapped Apple Bloom’s shoulder as she warned, “Red van at twelve o’ clock.” Sure enough, the former farm girl followed her sister’s extended arm to see that Ironhide had arrived to pick his daughters up. Sighing in resignation, the former farm girl lamented, “Guess we’ll see you tomorrow?” She was pleasantly surprised when Pastel Goth pulled her into a hug as she replied, “See you tomorrow cowgirl.” Hugging her back, Apple Bloom couldn’t help but admit, “You know, Ah kinda like “cowgirl.” See ya tomorrow.” With that, Apple Bloom and Sideswipe departed, Leaving Pastel Goth, neither girl knowing that they had quickly become the cerulean goth’s first friends in a long time. Once the two were in their guardian’s van, they were pleasantly surprised to see both Ironhide and Chromia there with him. The family matriarch enthusiastically inquired, “Hello girls. How was your first day of school?” Sideswipe immediately groaned, “Not too bad, except for my chemistry teacher. That prick is a cocksucker.” Chromia immediately chastised her daughter, “Hey, watch your language young lady!” While mother and daughter quibbled over profanity, Ironhide, already driving back home, looked to Apple Bloom through the rear-view mirror and inquired, “What about you kid? How was your day?” For a few moments, the former farm girl didn’t quite know how to respond. Sure, there was the fact that, just as she feared, nearly everyone knew about her past. But on the other hand, at least one teacher was sympathetic to her, and that didn’t even include her new friend Pastel Goth. Shrugging, Apple Bloom simply answered, “Ah think today went by pretty well.” And so, as the van continued its journey home to the Chop Shop, Apple Bloom looked out the window and thought to herself, ‘Ah got a feelin’ this year might not be so bad after all.’ After all, what better way to start a new school year than in Allspark Wells, the place where new futures were forged? > New Threads > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Life in Allspark Wells Part 2; New Threads Marble’s Room Sitting around in a circle as they chatted, Sideswipe, Marble Pie, and Pastel Goth chatted to each other about how their week had been. The first week of school was now over, and as Saturday was now only one night away, the trio of girls were taking the opportunity to relax and put their cares away until Monday. “Oh my goodness!” Pastel Goth exclaimed with barely contained excitement and joy. “You two are just so adorable!” Indeed, Marble and Sideswipe were blushing as they held each other’s hand. They were distracted as Pastel playfully lamented, “I wish I had someone who likes me the way you two hve each other.” Sideswipe immediately took Pastel’s hand as she reassured her, “Hey, don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll find someone.” Marble then added, “Exactly! Who wouldn’t want someone like you?” Blushing, Pastel looked away in embarrassment as she replied, “I… uh…. I’ve never been lucky in love.” After a few moments, Sideswipe shrugged as she relented, “Maybe one day you’ll be lucky. Now then, I think your nails need a new coat of paint.” Pastel Goth let out a sigh of relief as she pulled out her black nail polish as she replied, “Here we go. This stuff is my favorite.” As she unscrewed the bottle of appealing black liquid, the cerulean goth lamented, “A shame Apple Bloom couldn’t be here.” The moment those words entered her ears, Sideswipe felt herself overcome by a brief sting of sadness. Seeing her girlfriend’s spirit drop a bit, Marble inquired, “Yeah. Where is Apple Bloom anyway?” Taking a deep breath, Sideswipe figured the only thing she could do was tell the truth, and explained, “She’s been feeling a bit down in the dumps lately.” A concerned Marble immediately asked, “Are people still giving her trouble about…. You know….” The pale biker knew her girlfriend was referring to the Anon-A-Miss incident, that sinister shadow that hung over her sister’s past like a blanket that couldn’t be pulled off. However, Sideswipe knew that, for once, her past sins were not what had been eating Apple Bloom. “No not that.” Sideswipe reassured her friends. “If it were that, Apple Bloom would have told us.” As Pastel and Marble sighed in relief, the pale biker continued, “Besides, Doctor Pennywhistle and the rest of our teachers have been cracking down on people for it. I haven’t heard anyone say anything about Anon-A-Miss since Tuesday.” Straightening her jacket, Marble inquired, “Then what has Apple Bloom so down in the dumps?” For a few moments, Sideswipe tried to think what could have been affecting her sister. ‘Well, she hasn’t shown any signs of homesickness.’ The pale biker thought to herself. ‘There isn’t anything with Tender Taps going on.’ Indeed, if anything, having lunch with her boyfriend was one of, if not the only thing that Apple Bloom looked forward to. After a few more moments, Sideswipe could only sigh in resignation as she admitted, “Hell if I know.” At that moment, Pastel Goth slammed her fist onto the floor as she declared, “Well that won’t do!” As Sideswipe and Marble looked at her with surprise and concern, the cerulean goth elaborated, “If we don’t know or can’t change what’s eating cowgirl, then I say the least we can do is help her and lift her spirit!” Rising up to her feet, Pastel rose her fist into the air and declared, “Who’s with me?” For a brief moment, Sideswipe found herself caught completely off guard, not quite sure whether to stand up as well or back away from her new friend. ‘Heh, gotta admit she’s got enthusiasm.’ The pale biker thought to herself. However, another thought entered her thought. ‘Wait a minute. Pastel’s Absolutely right! What kind of friends would we be for Apple Bloom if we left her high and dry? We gotta do something for her!’ Before she could say anything, Pastel Goth began to sit back down as she sheepishly admitted, “I mean, I was just thinking that we’d be pretty crappy friends if we didn’t help Apple Bloom the way she’s help any of us.” Deciding her friend was right, Sideswipe reassured her, “No, you’re right! We need to do something for Apple Bloom.” As Pastel and Sideswipe smiled in unison, Marble asked, “But what are we gonna do for her?” ‘Oh shit!’ Sideswipe thought to herself. ‘What do we do for Apple Bloom?’ Stroking her chin, the pale biker thought of things her sister liked to do or always made her happy. “Let’s see, we could do a dance jam session.” The Pale biker suggested. However, both of the other girls shook their heads as it was clear that that would not work. At that moment, Pastel suggested, “If I may, Whenever I feel down in the dumps, like really down, I like to go shopping. You know, a new outfit can often make you feel like a new person.” Upon hearing this, Sideswipe lit up as she exclaimed, “Pastel, you’re a genius!” As the cerulean girl began to blush, the pale biker continued, “Girls, I think a shopping trip is what Apple Bloom needs!” Marble then rose up as she enthusiastically declared, “Oh, this is gonna be so much fun!” And so, the three girls began to plot out plans for the next day, all of them eagerly awaiting what the next day would have in store. Roads of Allspark Wells, the Next Morning… As they rode down the road, Apple Bloom turned to her sister as she asked, “Where are we goin’ again?” Keeping her eyes on the road, Sideswipe explained, “I told you Apple Bloom, it’s a surprise.” Indeed, the pale biker had made sure her surrogate sister didn’t know what she had in store for her. All Sideswipe did say was that she had something planned for Apple Bloom, and that Ironhide had given his blessing for it to happen. Now, all that was left was to make sure the former farm girl got to the predetermined destination. After a few more minutes, Sideswipe arrived at her destination; Inky Rose’s clothing boutique. As they pulled up to a conveniently clear parking space near the entrance, Apple Bloom inquired, “What are we doin’ here?” Powering down her motorcycle, Sideswipe explained, “Well, the girls and I were worried that something has you down, so we all figured we’d try to cheer you up.” As Apple Bloom took this in, two familiar faces emerged from the store’s front door. Both girls were clad in black leather jackets, something that they had in common with the former farm girl, who was wearing her new jacket to protect her from the cool wind pushing against her. Though while Marble wore a gray turtleneck with black skirt and riding boots, Pastel wore an unbuttoned pink plaid shirt over a black tank top, black pants, and her heeled black boots. All of this was in contrast to Sideswipe, who was once again clad in her preferred outfit of a black tank top over a red denim vest, red jeans, and black biker boots. Running up to her new friend, Pastel wrapped Apple Bloom in a tight hug as she happily exclaimed, “What’s up cowgirl?” Hugging the cerulean goth back, Apple Bloom replied, “Ah, you know, same old same old.” Once they released each other, the former farm girl asked, “But what about you guys? What are you doing here?” Marble was the first to reply, simply explaining, “We’re here for you Apple Bloom.” As the former farm girl found herself feeling confused, Sideswipe continued, “After hearing that you’ve had a rough week, we thought that we’d do something to try and cheer you up.” She then began to scratch the back of her neck as she added, “And you can thank Pastel for thinking of this shopping trip.” Indeed, the cerulean goth straightened her jacket as she finished with, “Think of it as a little thank you for being my friend.” Apple Bloom didn’t verbally respond to her friends’ gesture of goodwill. Instead, she simply pulled everyone into a massive yet surprisingly gentle group hug. As everyone hugged her back, Sideswipe couldn’t help but ponder to herself, ‘That’s odd. Normally I’d be struggling to breathe.’ After a few moments, Apple Bloom released everyone as she smiled and said, “Thanks guys.” Marble took her friend’s hand as she replied, “Don’t thank us yet. Come on!” With that, the quartet of teens made their way into Inky Rose’s boutique. Inky Rose’s Boutique Sideswipe had forgotten just how inviting Inky Rose’s place was. The rows and rows of shirts, pants, skirts, coats, and every other piece of clothing anyone could possibly want was as appetizing to the eyes as an all you can eat buffet was to a hungry stomach. It had actually been a long time since the pale biker had gone clothes shopping; she preferred to spend any allowance money or spare change on tricking out her bike. But sometimes, even the punkiest and most masculine lesbian like her wanted to feel girly every now and then. But this time, Sideswipe was here for her sister. As the group made their way into the boutique, they were greeted by the sight of a familiar woman with light purple skin, dark purple hair in braided pigtails, and dark gothic clothing approached them as she greeted, “Hello there young ladies. Welcome to my lovely little establishment.” Sideswipe stepped forward as she replied, “Hey miss Inky Rose.” Lighting up, Inky Rose practically squealed, “Why, is that you Sideswipe?! I haven’t seen you in nearly two years!” Smiling, Sideswipe replied, “Heh, yeah, it’s been a while.” She then began to scratch the back of her neck as she continued, “We’re here because Apple Bloom has had a rough week.” Inky Rose let out a small sigh as she reassured the group, “I know the feeling.” Apple Bloom then approached Inky Rose as she asked, “If Ah may ask, you have any suggestions for somethin’ that might make me feel a bit better?” The former farm girl expected the older woman to say that she’d something in black. To everyone’s surprise, Inky Rose instead replied, “When you need a new look to cheer yourself up, it’s up to you to decide. It has to be something that you’re both comfortable in as well as something that you like how it looks.” She then gestured to the many rows of clothing as she enthusiastically declared, “Take a look around girls! I’m sure you’ll find something!” Smiling, Apple Bloom replied, “Thanks ma’am.” She then turned to her friends as she exclaimed, “Come on girls! Let’s take a look around!” Pastel Goth took the former farm girl’s hand and began to lead her through the nearest aisle as she replied, “You got it cowgirl!” As the disappeared down the aisle, Marble made her way to Sideswipe and locked her fingers through her girlfriend’s hand as she asked, “You think she’ll find anything?” Sideswipe simply smirked as she quipped, “Only one way to find out.” A Short While Later… “What do you think?” Apple Bloom inquired as she exited the changing room. The former farm girl had changed into an entirely new (for her at least) ensemble consisting of a black tank top, blue denim vest, and blue jeans over her black boots. As the other three teens took this new sight in, Marble was the first to speak up with an enthusiastic, “I like it!” As Apple Bloom blushed, the gray geologist added, “You really rock denim.” Pastel, on the other hand, gave a weak smile as she explained, “I dunno. I mean, I like it and you look good, but I don’t know if it really screams “you.”” She then glanced at Sideswipe as she added, “And I got a feeling that may not be the most original look.” Apple Bloom herself was staring in her reflection in the mirror next to the dressing room door as she admitted, “Ah guess not.” She then rolled her shoulders as she added, “And Ah think this vest is scratchin’ mah arm pits.” As she took off the vest, she continued, “Well, Ah think Ah’m out of ideas. You guys have anything?” As everyone began to ponder and brainstorm, Pastel raised her hand as she exclaimed, “I have an idea….” A Short While Later… “Yeah, maybe this wasn’t my best idea.” Pastel Goth sheepishly lamented as everyone took in the awkward sight before them. Apple Bloom was standing before them, wearing a dark red pleated dress under her leather jacket, black heeled boots, and fishnet leggings. The only thing that was more out of character for the former farm girl was the black lipstick and eyeliner that had been cacked on her face. For several moments, no one dared utter a single word, barely able to find quite the right way to describe what they were seeing. Eventually, Apple Bloom sighed as she bluntly remarked, “This doesn’t work, does it?” Rather than say anything, the other three girls simply shook their heads in unison. Turning to face the mirror, the former farm girl glumly stared at her reflection as she remarked, “Better than Ah thought, but still just not me.” As she made her way to a nearby chair, the former farm girl asked, “So, any more ideas?” Yet Another Short While Later…. Staring at her reflection in the mirror, Apple Bloom groaned as she saw herself wearing a green tee shirt, blue jeans, and yellow gum boots. Turning to face her friends, the former farm girl lamented, “You do know this is what Ah used to wear back home right?” Pastel simply shrugged as she replied, “Oh. I didn’t know that.” As Apple Bloom trudged back into the dressing room and asked, “Ok, what’s next?” Sighing to herself, Sideswipe lamented, “I don’t know. We’ve gone through everything.” Marble herself held her head low in defeat as she pondered, “I can’t think of anything else.” The gray geologist continued, “Maybe we should call it a day?” Before anyone could say anything else, Pastel interrupted, “What are you girls talking about? We can’t just give up!” At that moment, Apple Bloom reemerged from the dressing room, having changed back into her dark overalls and red tee shirt, as she lamented, “Ah dunno. Nothin’s really been clickin’, you know?” As she made her way to the cerulean goth, the former farm girl continued, “Look, Ah really appreciate what you’re doin’, Ah really do, but Ah think we should just admit defeat and….” “NO!” Pastel impulsively blurted out, stunning everyone. As the rest of the gang found themselves stunned in silence, the cerulean goth apologized, “I’m sorry for lashing out like that. I guess that….” Pausing for a moment, she continued, “I’ve never really had many friends, and I guess I just wanted today to be special and go just right, you know?” Apple Bloom walked up to her new friend and, to her surprise, pulled her into a tight hug as she reassured her, “Like Ah told you, Ah really appreciate what you’re doin’.” As Pastel hugged her new friend back, the cerulean goth found herself replying, “Thanks.” Once the two girls finished their hug, Marble asked, “So Apple Bloom? What exactly has been bothering you?” For a few moments, the former farm girl found herself looking over her shoulder in shame as she struggled to find the right words to describe how she was feeling. As she did this, Sideswipe walked up to her surrogate sister and rested a hand on her shoulder as she reassured her, “It’s ok. You can tell us anything.” Taking a deep breath, Apple Bloom admitted what was bothering her. “Ah guess what’s been bothering me is that….” As her eyes began to water and her voice began to crack, the former farm girl continued, “This is the first year Ah’ve started school away from home.” By now a tear had begun to drip from her right eye as she finished, “And Ah guess it just all started to hit me. For the first time, Ah’m not back at home with mah Granny Smith or mah brother Big Macintosh or even….” Pausing for a brief moment, Apple Bloom tried to say a certain name, but just couldn’t will herself to mention her older sister. Sideswipe didn’t say anything, instead she practically leapt onto her sister and nearly crushed her in a tight hug as she apologized, “I’m sorry Apple Bloom!” Now it was the pale biker’s turn to begin tearing up as she continued, “I should’ve known you’d feel homesick. I feel like such a dumbass!” Apple Bloom hugged her sister back as she reassured her sister, “You’re not a dumbass! Ah’m the one who’s a dumbass for not realizin’ Ah was homesick!” Once the two sisters finished their hug, Marble wrapped her arms around her girlfriend as she asked, “You alright there?” Gently hugging the gray geologist back, Sideswipe reassured her, “I’m fine. Guess I just got kinda emotional for a moment.” Letting out a small (and admittedly adorable) giggle, Marble simply replied, “Mr. Beachcomber likes to say we all get a little emotional sometimes.” Walking up to her new friend, Pastel Goth apologized, “I’m sorry if this little outing didn’t really help you Apple Bloom.” To her surprise, the former farm girl took her friend’s hand and reassured her, “Hey, today ain’t over yet. Ah’m sure we can find somethin’.” She then gave Pastel a mischievous smirk as she added, “And besides, Ah think Ah’m growin’ out of some of mah clothes anyway.” Allowing a small but determined smirk to form on her face, Pastel remarked, “In that case, why don’t we let you take lead?” A Few Moments Later…. Walking down one of the aisles, Apple Bloom inspected the many options for outfit bottoms. “Now then, what do we have here?” The former farm girl said to herself as she inspected a pair of red jeans. Putting them up to her waist, she was disappointed to see that they were sadly too big for her. “Awh man. Ah don’t have any belts with enough holes for this.” It was at this moment that something in the corner of her eye caught Apple Bloom’s attention. Setting the red jeans back on the rack, the former farm girl made her way to the end of the aisle as she said to herself, “Well now, what’s this?” Reaching out, Apple Bloom found herself grabbing and holding a dark green and blue tartan pattern kilt. Letting out a gentle chuckle, the former farm girl remarked, “Well now, this oughta work.” Putting the kilt to her waist, Apple Bloom was pleasantly surprised to see that it seemed to perfectly match her own waistline. Pumping her fist, the former farm girl squealed, “Yes!” Slinging the kilt over her shoulder, Apple Bloom pondered to herself, “Ah wonder what else Ah can find.” A Short Moment Later… As everyone gathered around the dressing room door, Sideswipe found herself starting to worry to herself, ‘Keep it together Sideswipe. Apple Bloom picked this one out herself. She’ll totally rock it.’ Indeed, unlike the other outfits, this one was something that the former farm girl had put together all on her own. As Marble held her girlfriend’s hand, Pastel Goth tried to control her breathing as she began to stick her hands in her jacket pockets in an attempt to control anxious energy. Eventually, the dressing room door opened as Apple Bloom asked, “So, what do you guys think?” The former farm girl was wearing a bright red over the shoulder blouse over a visible black tank top, the dark green and blue tartan kilt she’d found, and a brand-new pair of black boots. As everyone took this in, Pastel was the first to offer her opinion. “Whoa. You’ve got the touch there cowgirl!” Smiling as she blushed, Apple Bloom replied with a gentle, “Thanks Pastel. Ah found this kilt here and everythin’ just sorta formed around it.” She then twirled around as she admitted, “Ah haven’t worn somethin’ like this in a while, but Ah think Ah’ve kinda missed wearin’ a skirt or kilt like this.” As for Marble, the pale geologist wrapped her friend in a tight embrace as she happily squealed, “Oooohh So pretty!” For her part, Apple Bloom let out a gentle chuckle as she added, “Thanks. Ah also made sure it was somethin’ that would pass the school’s dress code.” Upon hearing this, Sideswipe couldn’t help but quip, “Oh please. Why are people so concerned with a dress code anyway? It’s not like someone’s just gonna show up butt naked. That’d just be creepy.” All four girls couldn’t help but find the pale biker’s remark hilarious. Once she’d slipped her leather jacket back on, Apple Bloom glanced at her reflection in the mirror, she allowed a confident smile to form on her face as she remarked, “Oh yeah. This is definitely me.” She then turned back to the dressing room door and added, “Although, Ah do suppose Ah could switch back every now and then.” As she said this, Pastel walked up to her, rested her hand on the former farm girl’s shoulder and reassured her, “Nothing wrong with that. It’s not like this is some sort of cartoon where we all wear the same outfits every day.” As everyone all let out a good laugh at the cerulean goth’s oddly specific remark, Marble turned to Sideswipe and remarked, “Looks like things turned out just right after all.” Blushing, the pale biker took her girlfriend’s hand as she replied, “I guess it did.” She then gave the gray geologist a kiss to her cheek as she continued, “Let’s just hope today doesn’t get any more taxing on us.” And so, the quartet of girls continued their little adventure, wondering what else they could find in store. Apple Bloom’s Room, That Night… Staring at her reflection in the mirror, Apple Bloom still found it a little bit hard to believe that she’d reinvented herself for the second time that year. “Heh, never thought Ah’d be able to pull of over the shoulder so well.” Indeed, the former farm girl couldn’t help but marvel just how well her red over the shoulder blouse suited her, as well as how well it went with her kilt. Of course, the latter probably benefited from the contrasting green to her shirt’s red. Before she could continue to enjoy her brief moment of vanity, the former farm girl was distracted by the crash of thunder. Making her way to the bedroom window, Apple Bloom noticed that rain was pouring down as lighting flashed its blinding light. Sighing to herself, she lamented, “Ah hope Double Shuffle is doin’ alright.” The former farm girl was further distracted when Ironhide’s voice rang out, asking, “Apple Bloom? You mind helping out with dinner?” Turning to the door, Apple Bloom replied, “Ah’ll be right there!” Giving one last glance to the window, the burgundy haired girl remarked, “Guess Ah’ll just have to leave rain watchin’ for later.” With that, Apple Bloom left to help her uncle with dinner, blissfully unaware of the fact that, at that moment, Wheeljack was busy in his workshop, preparing to do something that would once again upset the status quo. > Wheelie > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Life in Allspark Wells Part 3; Wheelie “Go long boy!” Apple Bloom enthusiastically ordered as she tossed a ball off towards the distance, sending Sparkplug chasing the small toy. Sure enough, the little black terrier managed to find and fetch the ball before returning to his owner. Giggling, the former farm girl knelt down as she began to rub Sparkplug and asked, “Who’s a good boy? Who’s a good boy?” As Apple Bloom showered Sparkplug with affection, she allowed her memory to remember the previous day’s misadventure and how her friends helped her reinvent her look. Now she felt like an almost entirely new girl, one ready to take on the world. Of course, tomorrow was the start of a new school week, meaning that she’d need to charge once more into the fray of high school. Sighing to herself, the former farm girl picked up Sparkplug as she lamented, “Guess things are still wearin’ me down a bit. At least you’re still here for me, right little guy?” Sure enough, the black terrier let out an affectionate bark as he licked Apple Bloom’s face. Letting out a gentle laugh, the burgundy haired girl remarked, “Alright then. Let’s get you somethin’ to eat.” The Living Room… Entering the living room, Apple Bloom was pleasantly surprised to see Sideswipe and Chromia playing chess against each other as Ironhide and Ratchet watched on. As the pale biker moved one of her bishops, the family matriarch remarked, “Good move.” She then countered this by moving blocking it with a pawn. As the two women continued their game, Ratchet leaned into his boss and asked, “Who do you think’ll win?” For his part, Ironhide shrugged as he replied, “I’m not dumb enough to take sides on a battle like this.” Walking up to her family Apple Bloom sat down next to her uncle on the couch and placed Sparkplug on the ground as she asked, “What’s up?” Smiling, Ironhide gently replied, “Not much. Just one of the most intense games of chess I’ve seen in a while.” He then asked, “Sparkplug get plenty of exercise?” Before Apple Bloom could answer, Sparkplug let out an enthusiastic bark as he leapt up onto Ironhide’s lap and began to make himself comfortable, leading the old scrapper to remark, “Guess that answers my question.” Apple Bloom was so distracted by Sparkplug’s antics that she barely registered Sideswipe enthusiastically leaping up from her seat as she squealed, “Yes! Checkmate!” Turning to face her sister, the former farm girl found Sideswipe straightening her vest as she confidently remarked, “I knew I’d win.” For her part, Chromia let out a gentle chuckle as she admitted, “You win fair and square. Just don’t get carried away with it.” Upon hearing this, Ratchet’s eyes lit up as he remarked, “Speaking of getting carried away, where’s Wheeljack?” Turning to the older medic, Apple Bloom replied, “Ah haven’t seen him since….” Pausing, the former farm girl realized that she hadn’t actually seen him since the night before. Processing her realization, Apple Bloom simply answered, “Ah haven’t seen him today.” Sideswipe then remarked, “I haven’t seen Wheeljack today either.” As Ironhide and Ratchet turned to her, the pale biker continued, “At first I just thought I was just not paying attention, but now that you mention it, I haven’t seen him all day.” Chromia herself even replied, “And while I do appreciate how things have been kinda quiet around here today, I am kinda worried about him.” No sooner had those words escaped Chromia’s mouth than Wheeljack trudged right into the living room. Staring at him, Apple Bloom could make out the dark circles under his eyes, betraying his exhaustion. This, combined with the maverick mechanic’s hunched over position and the fact that he seemed to completely ignore everyone else, was not like Wheeljack at all. Before she could say anything, Ratchet stood up from his seat and approached his old friend, inquiring, “Hey Wheeljack! Where’ve you been?” Turning to face the old medic, Wheeljack replied, “Busy.” Apple Bloom immediately thought to herself, ‘That’s odd. Wheeljack isn’t normally this blunt or unenthusiastic.’ After all, Wheeljack was known for enthusiastic declarations of excitement or entertaining rants filled with profanity. But merely declaring that he was busy? That wasn’t like the maverick mechanic at all. Before Apple Bloom could ponder any further, Ratchet spoke up with, “I noticed you’ve been seemingly avoiding us today.” The old medic then pointed up towards the ceiling as he continued, “Especially the day after a particularly nasty thunderstorm.” When Wheeljack gave a confused look, Ratchet further elaborated, “Which, if I may, is something I remember happened several months ago. Specifically….” Now pointing straight at his friend’s chest, Ratchet finished with, “If my memory isn’t incorrect, is about the time you first created that walking bucket of bolts Wreck-Gar.” It was at this moment, Apple Bloom noticed that Wheeljack was growing suspiciously nervous, even beginning to show signs that he might be starting to sweat. Gulping in fear, the maverick mechanic nervously asked, “Wh-what are you getting at Ratchet?!” “You made another robot, didn’t you?” For several moments, everyone stood there, completely dumbfounded by Ratchet’s accusation. Apple Bloom found herself thinking, ‘That’s kinda odd. How can Ratchet come to that sort of conclusion?’ Even Ironhide, normally one to call out Wheeljack’s shenanigans, stood up and turned to the old medic as he warned, “That’s quite the accusation Ratchet. What makes you think that Wheeljack did something like that just because last night was a thund……” The family patriarch was interrupted by Wheeljack stomping his foot as he pointed at Ratchet and defended himself with a furious, “Oh come on! I can’t believe you Ratchet! We’ve known each other for what, twenty-five…. Thirty years?! You’d have to be crazy to think I’d do something that stupid again!” However, Apple Bloom wasn’t focusing on Wheeljack’s words. Instead, she was distracted by what was sneaking into the living room. Because there, walking in right behind Wheeljack, was a small waist high robot carrying a box of railroad spikes. Rather than a bronze cyclops like Wreck-Gar, this pint sized promethean had a relatively small body, two arms that each had a hand with two fingers and a thumb, short legs that ended in bird-like feet with flipped up wheels on the back, and most uniquely, a very long neck with exposed wires and a simple head that consisted solely of binocular shaped eyes. All Apple Bloom could think to herself was, ‘Huh. That little guy looks kinda cute.’ Wheeljack, on the other hand, hadn’t noticed the small robot entering the living room. Instead, he was continuing his rant, rambling, “To think that I, Wheeljack, would dare to do the same thing as create another Wreck-Gar is ludicrous! I would never….” He was interrupted by the small robot tugging on his jumpsuit as it, in an adorably high-pitched voice, innocently asked, “Excuse me? Where did you say you wanted these spikes again?” Without missing a beat, Wheeljack pointed back to the door as he bluntly yet calmly answered, “I told you to take it to the smelting pits.” Nodding, the little robot cheerfully replied, “Okie dokie boss!” As the little robot began to walk away, Wheeljack returned his focus to the others and resumed his rant with, “I would never, ever, in a million years….” However, as the other three adults and even Sideswipe gave him a disapproving look, the maverick mechanic, realizing that he had not only lied to everyone but also put his foot into his mouth, could only defeatedly mutter, “Make another one exactly like Wreck-Gar?” It was at this moment that Wheeljack knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that he had screwed up. Turning to the small robot, Wheeljack nervously blurted out, “We’ve been found out Wheelie! Run for it!” Both maverick mechanic and pint sized promethean darted out the living room door and, as far as Apple Bloom could figure, fleeing back to Wheeljack’s workshop, with the small robot dropping his box of spikes on the floor. After a few moments of confusion, Ironhide sighed in resignation as he quipped, “Well, here we go again.” As he sighed in resignation, Apple Bloom made her way to the spilled railroad spikes and began to pick them up as she remarked, “So…. Wheeljack made another one. Ah don’t know about you guys but, now that it’s happened, Ah’m not too surprised.” Even Sideswipe couldn’t help but remark, “Sheesh. Maybe he has like a Primus complex or something?” Taking a deep breath, Ironhide made his way to the spilled spikes and bent down as he said, “Alright then. Once we clean up this mess here, I think I’ll have a word with him. Anyone wanna come along?” Wheeljack’s Workshop “Wheeljack?” Ironhide called out as Apple Bloom and Sideswipe stood behind him. As the family patriarch knocked on the door, the former farm girl turned to her sister as she asked, “How much do you think Uncle Ironhide will tear into his ass?” Shrugging, Sideswipe simply answered, “Probably enough to make a good sandwich.” At that moment, the workshop door opened, revealing the bronze cyclops that was Wreck-Gar. Tilting his head, the metallic man asked, “Good to see you sir. Anything I can do for you?” Folding his arms, Ironhide answered, “I need to have a word with Wheeljack.” Sighing, Wreck-Gar shook his head as he replied, “Come on in sir. I suppose we can all talk about my new brothers.” As the bronze cyclops pulled the door open, he called out, “Master Wheeljack? Master Ironhide and the girls are here, and I think they’d like to have a word with our new companions.” Sure enough, Wheeljack emerged from the back of his workshop and nervously began to scratch the back of his neck as he began, “So…. I take it you’re not particularly happy with me over….” He was interrupted by Ironhide remarking, “You made another robot. And from Wreck-Gar’s choice of words, I’m gonna say you made more than one.” Sighing in defeat, Wheeljack relented and admitted, “Ok fine. I got a little antsy and decided to….” For a few moments, the maverick mechanic tried to think of just what to say, but eventually, he gave up and turned his head to call out, “Come on out boys. The jig is up.” It was at this moment that two small robots emerged from the back of the workshop and made their way up to the group. One of them was the same little promethean that Apple Bloom recognized from earlier. The other was nearly identical, but it lacked the retractable wheels on its legs, had an additional block on the back of its head and, if Apple Bloom’s eyes weren’t deceiving her, two glass circles in front of its eyes resembling glasses. Taking a deep breath, Wheeljack gestured to the two robots as he introduced them with, “Ironhide, girls, these are Wheelie and Brains.” As everyone took this in, the robot with makeshift glasses, Brains if Apple Bloom remembered correctly, approached the group and introduced himself, “’Greetin’s everyone. Me name’s Brains, and I’m the brains of this little operation.” His unique accent reminded everyone of Wheeljack’s father Queue. Intrigued, Sideswipe remarked, “Your voice, it kinda sounds like….” “That of a true fenian me boyo.” The small robot confidently interrupted. “I tink Mr. Wheeljack was tinkin’ of his da when he made me.” As Sideswipe knelt down to better look him face to face, Brains leant into her ear and pointed towards Wreck-Gar as he quipped, “Between you and me, I tink that Sassenbach over there has it in for me.” Upon hearing this, Wreck-Gar stomped over to Brains as he sternly warned, “What have I told you about that word?” Rather than apologize, the bespectacled robot crossed his arms as he defiantly replied, “Ah, shove it Bodach!” Needless to say, Wreck-Gar began to grow tense as he did something no one expected such a well-behaved butler to do. Wreck-Gar stuck his nose (or made the motions of sticking his nose) in the air as he petulantly remarked, “Bollocks face.” As everyone took this in, Brains pointed his finger at Wreck-Gar and further remarked, “Dick weed!” Wreck-Gar then pointed right back at brains as he snottily said, “Bogtrotter!” Wheelie simply pressed his finger right up to Wreck-Gar’s eye as he practically shouted, “Gobshite!” As everyone took in the sight of Wreck-Gar and Brains calling each other names, Wheeljack cleared his throat as he nervously admitted, “Yeah, I’ve been having trouble with those two.” Turning his attention back to the fighting robots, Ironhide couldn’t help but sarcastically reply, “I didn’t notice.” Instead of being concerned, however, Apple Bloom and Sideswipe were too busy laughing at the sight of Brains and Wreck-Gar squabbling at each other like little kids. Apple Bloom’s fit of laughter was distracted when she felt something poking her on her leg. Turning to see what it was, the former farm girl found herself looking straight down at Wheelie, the small promethean looking up to her in curiosity. Bending down to face him, Apple Bloom greeted him with a gentle, “Guess we better introduce each other. Ah’m Apple Bloom.” “Uh….” Wheelie nervously began, clearly growing nervous. Letting out a loud gulp (Which Apple Bloom found herself wondering just how that was possible), the small robot extended his hand as he replied, “I’m Wheelie.” As the former farm girl firmly shook his hand, Wheelie awkwardly continued, “I like your skirt.” Feeling flattered, Apple Bloom replied, “Why thank you kindly. It’s actually a kilt.” Tilting his head, Wheelie asked, “Ooh! That’s a funny word. Kilt. Kilt. Kilt kilt kilt.” As the little robot continued repeating the word kilt to himself, Apple Bloom couldn’t help but remark, “Awh. He’s so adorable.” The moment of adorableness was ruined when Wheeljack interrupted with a stern, “Ok everyone. Now that you’ve meet the boys, I think I need to make sure Wreck-Gar and Brains don’t tear each other apart.” Just as the maverick mechanic said this, Brains darted away to one of the workshop’s many hidden hiding places as Wreck-Gar shouted, “Get back here you provisional punk!” Ironhide himself let out a gentle chuckle as he ordered, “Come on girls. Let’s let Wheeljack clean up his mess.” Turning to face his boss and friend, Wheeljack asked, “What? You’re not gonna help me?” The family patriarch shook his head as he replied, “This is your mess buddy. Besides, you have more experience with these boys than I do.” Though somewhat annoyed, the maverick mechanic relented as he admitted, “Good point.” With that little matter settled, Ironhide turned to his daughters as he said, “Alright girls, you better make sure you have everything ready for school tomorrow.” Nodding, Apple Bloom relented as she replied, “Yes sir.” With that, both Apple Bloom and Sideswipe departed the workshop, all while Ironhide remarked to himself, “First Wreck-Gar, now twins. There’s no way Wheeljack’s gonna keep this under wraps.” Apple Bloom’s Room, Early The Next Morning…. Looking at herself in her bedroom mirror, Apple Bloom couldn’t help but like what she saw in the mirror. After a good night’s sleep, the former farm girl had woken up with the energy to take on the world and had changed into her new outfit consisting of a red over the shoulder shirt, black tank top, dark green and blue kilt, and black boots. Smirking to herself, she couldn’t help but remark, “Girl, you look smokin’.” Before she could continue, her stomach began to rumble. Laughing to herself, Apple Bloom remarked, “Better head down and get some breakfast. With that, she made her way out of her bedroom, leaving her messenger bag behind. The Kitchen… Making her way down to the kitchen, Apple Bloom greeted the sight of Chromia and Sideswipe with a warm, “Mornin’ everyone!” Chromia returned the favor with a gentle, “Morning Apple Bloom. You sleep well?” Nodding, the former farm girl replied, “Ah slept like a baby.” She then asked, “Need a hand with anythin’?” Smiling, the family matriarch answered, “Would you mind helping with the eggs?” As Apple Bloom made her way to the fridge to get some eggs, Sideswipe joyfully squealed, “Guess what Apple Bloom? I got permission from the school to drive my bike to school!” Turning to face her sister, the former farm girl enthusiastically replied, “That’s awesome!” Nodding, the pale biker continued, “And that is why the two of us are gonna go in style.” The two girls’ playful banter was interrupted by Chromia warning, “Alright now girls. You better make sure you don’t go on an empty stomach.” After a few minutes, Apple Bloom had fried up some eggs while Sideswipe had made some toast and poured some glasses of juice. As the two girls ate their breakfast, Chromia inquired, “Aren’t you forgetting anything Apple Bloom?” Swallowing her mouth full, the former farm girl replied, “Ah don’t think so. Ah’ve got everythin’ all set in mah….” It was here that she realized something. “Mah Backpack!” The former farm girl realized as she stood up from her seat. “Ah forgot mah backpack!” Starting to panic just a bit, Apple Bloom immediately dashed towards the stairwell and back towards her room. Seeing her messenger bag resting next to her writing desk, she let out a sigh of relief as she remarked, “There you are. Almost lost mah cool there.” With one fell swoop, the burgundy haired girl scooped up her backpack and brought it downstairs, hoping she could finish her breakfast before Sideswipe could think about leaving her behind. Iacon High School… Pulling her bike up to one of the many parking spaces for older students, Sideswipe powered down her motorcycle as she confidently boasted, “See? I told you I’d get us here in no time!” Rising up from the side car, Apple Bloom let out an amused chuckle as she replied, “Alright, Ah’ll give you that. Ah better be headin’ off to class. See ya later!” Nodding, the pale biker bade her sister farewell as she replied, “Stay out of trouble Apple Bloom.” As Apple Bloom made her way into the school and passed through the front door, she found herself taking a deep breath as she mentally took stock of the day’s schedule. ‘Ok, startin’ today you go to first period rather than homeroom, which means you gotta deal with Mr. Compost.’ The moment her biology teacher’s name rang in her mind, the former farm girl found herself shuddering as she internally groaned, ‘Please don’t let him be eatin’ some piece of fruit again.’ However, as she began to make her way down one of the school’s many hallways, Apple Bloom realized something that she’d been too busy or rushed to before; her messenger bag was heavier than normal. “Ugh. Feels like Ah’m carryin’ a ton of bricks in this thing.” The former farm girl complained to herself as she stopped to open her backpack to see what was wrong. “Ah don’t understand, Ah packed everythin’ last night. Did Ah put somethin’ else in here in mah sleep?” She received her answer when, as she opened her messenger bag, a certain long necked, binocular headed robot sprang out as he happily squealed, “Hi Apple Bloom!” Caught completely off guard, Apple Bloom dropped her backpack as she nearly screamed, “Gah!” After a moment to process what had just happened, the former farm girl could only incredulously ask, “Wheelie?” The small robot crawled out of the messenger bag as he groaned, “Hey, what was that for?” Apple Bloom wasn’t paying attention to Wheelie’s complaint. Instead, she was panicking at the realization that, not only had one of Wheeljack’s robots had snuck to school with her, but that she didn’t even notice it until it was too late. ‘Oh no.’ the former farm girl thought to herself. ‘Ah can’t believe Ah was stupid enough to not realize why mah backpack was so heavy.’ “Uh…. Apple Bloom?” Wheelie’s squeaky voice inquired, snapping the former farm girl out of her mini panic attack. Refocusing her effort on the small robot, Apple Bloom found herself staring into Wheelie’s eyes as he continued, “You alright there? You look like you’ve seen someone get eaten by a lion.” It was at this moment, just as eyes were starting to focus on them, that Apple Bloom did the only thing she could think of. She scooped up Wheelie, shoved him back into her backpack, and ran straight to the nearest single stall bathroom she could find. Once she found a secluded bathroom, Apple Bloom frantically opened her messenger bag, allowing Wheelie to stretch his neck as he complained, “Sheesh Apple Bloom. What’s your problem?” Allowing her fear to turn into frustration, the former farm girl angrily replied, “Mah problem? What the hell are you doin’ here?” Crawling out of the messenger bag, Wheelie simply replied, “I wanted to go to school with you.” For a moment, Apple Bloom stood there, barely able to fully comprehend just what Wheelie had said. ‘No way.’ The former farm girl thought to herself. ‘There’s no way he is this dumb or impulsive.’ Shaking her head in disbelief, Apple Bloom could only utter a stunned and confused, “What?” Walking up to his new friend, Wheelie explained, “I said I wanted to come to school with you.” He then began to fidget his hands as he lamented, “I’ve spent my whole life locked up in the workshop, and when Wheeljack explained that you go to school all day, I kinda thought I’d like to see what it was like.” Taking a deep breath, Wheelie looked up to the former farm girl as he asked, “You don’t mind, do you?” Looking down at Wheelie, Apple Bloom groaned as she asked, “First of all, what do you mean “All your life?” Weren’t you made like yesterday?” As the small robot began to step backwards in fear, the former farm girl continued, “And you just decided to sneak into mah backpack without askin’ mah permission? What were you possibly thinkin?!” Apple Bloom then took a moment to catch her breath as she continued, “Just…. You do know that Wheeljack doesn’t even let Wreck-Gar leave the chop shop. What could possess you to do this? And you do know that Wheeljack will probably be angry with not just you, but possibly me as well?” Continuing to fidget his hands, Wheelie looked down in shame as he lamented, “Well, I guess I calculated the odds that this whole thing would go smoothly over the chances that this was a stupid idea and I’d make someone angry, and…. I went ahead and did it anyway.” Groaning, Apple Bloom leant against the bathroom wall and slunk down to the ground as she complained, “Well, ain’t this just prime?” As she sat down, the former farm girl began to think over her situation. ‘Ok, Ah’ve got Wheelie here with me. If anyone sees him, it’ll cause a ruckuss. If Ah call uncle Ironhide or Wheeljack, both of us could get in trouble. And Ah don’t think there’s anywhere Ah can hide him.’ Apple Bloom was distracted from her internal panic as Wheelie tugged at her arm and said, “I’m sorry I hid in your backpack Apple Bloom.” Sighing to herself, the former farm girl replied, “Thanks for apologizin’.” Standing back up, she continued, “Now then, Ah can’t say anythin’ for when we get home, but Ah think there is one thing we can do for now.” Walking over to her messenger bag, Apple Bloom finished with, “If you keep quiet, then you can at least hear everythin’ Ah go through today.” Wheelie squealed as he exclaimed, “Oh thank you Apple Bloom!” He then climbed into her messenger bag as he enthusiastically continued, “This is gonna be so much fun!” Apple Bloom herself couldn’t help but chuckle at the small robot’s enthusiasm as she straightened her messenger bag as she replied, “Alrighty then. We better head off, or else we’re gonna be late.” Mr. Compost’s Room… Making her way to her seat, Apple Bloom couldn’t help but sigh as she complained, “Ugh. At this rate mah back is gonna give out.” Sitting down, the former farm girl couldn’t help but remark, “Ah don’t know whether to complement Wheeljack’s engineerin’ or ask him to make somethin’ lighter.’ Setting her messenger bag on her lap, Apple Bloom made sure to open it just enough to both see inside and pull out her biology textbook while making sure not to expose Wheelie. As she placed her textbook on the desk, Apple Bloom heard the now familiar voice of Mr. Compost call out, “Greetings fellow citizens of the world!” Turning to face him, the former farm girl found her teacher entering the classroom as he munched on a yellow bell pepper. As he passed her, Apple Bloom couldn’t help but think to herself, ‘If he’s gonna do that, then the least he could do is not smack so loud.’ Setting the now half eaten pepper on his desk, Mr. Compost began, “Alright now. Today’s we will be picking up where we left off last week with….” A Few Hours Later…. Allowing her messenger bag to gently slide down to the ground, Apple Bloom let out a sigh of relief as she groaned to herself, “Alright. Two classes down, two to go.” So far, she’d made it through Biology and English class, and during that time, Wheelie had managed to behave himself, not even making as much as a peep. If she could get through the rest of the day, then the worst the former farm girl would have to deal with was Wheeljack, and given how he made Wheelie in the first place, she was confident that she could at least temper any frustration he had. As she prepared to take a bite from her sandwich, Apple Bloom was distracted by the sound of a familiar boy’s voice calling out, “I see you’ve reinvented yourself Apple Bloom.” Turning to see who it was, the former farm girl was greeted by the pleasant sight of her boyfriend Tender Taps carrying a lunch tray of his own. As he sat down, the orange boy complimented, “I like it.” Smiling as she began to blush, Apple Bloom replied, “Thanks Tendy. How’s your day been?” As he sat down next to his girlfriend, Tender Taps replied, “Pretty good. Nothing terrible but nothing really exceptional.” Upon hearing this, the former farm girl replied, “At least that mean’s nothin’ bad.” Smiling, Tender Taps asked, “What about you? How’s your day been?” For a brief moment, Apple Bloom didn’t know just how to explain her current predicament regarding Wheelie to her boyfriend. After all, Wheeljack’s robots were something that, as far as she knew, had never been perfected before and could make some people uncomfortable. Of course, at the same time, Apple Bloom thought to herself, ‘Well, Tender Taps does know about Wreck-Gar, and we promised we wouldn’t hide anythin’ from each other.’ Taking a deep breath, the former farm girl decided to let her boyfriend in on her current predicament. “Actually, Mah day has been kinda hectic.” As Tender Taps gave a confused look, Apple Bloom continued, “You know how Wheeljack made Wreck-Gar? Well, he did it again, only with two smaller robots named Brains and Wheelie. And one of them, Wheelie, thought it was a smart enough decision to sneak into mah backpack so he could follow me to school today.” For a moment, Tender Taps sat there, completely caught off guard by his girlfriend’s revelation. Eventually, he managed to regain some composure as he asked, “Wait, you mean Wheeljack made more of those robots? And one of them is with you right now?” As he said this, a large smile formed on his face as the orange dancer exclaimed, “That is so awesome!” Feeling relieved that her boyfriend wasn’t upset at her, Apple Bloom allowed herself to smile as she continued, “Hold on. Let me see if he’d like to meet you.” With this, the former farm girl reached for her messenger bag and began to pick it up, only to realize something. Her bag had been opened, revealing that Wheelie wasn’t there. “Oh shit!” Apple Bloom glumly said to herself as she realized that she was now in a world of trouble. As she picked up her messenger bag, Tender Taps nervously asked, “What happened?” Turning to face her boyfriend, the former farm girl nervously replied, “He’s gone! Wheelie must have run off somewhere!” Now starting to panic, Apple Bloom began to panic as she continued, “Oh no! This is bad. This is really, really bad!” Taking his girlfriend’s hand, Tender Taps reassured her, “Don’t worry. If he ran off, he couldn’t have gotten far.” Allowing herself to calm down a little, Apple Bloom gently replied, “Thanks Tendy.” As the two teens rose to their feet, the former farm girl wondered, “But where could Wheelie have gone?” Before Tender Taps could say anything, a new sound caught their attention; that of a high-pitched voice singing. Indeed, it was, to Apple Bloom at least, a now familiar voice singing, “I’m sitting on top of the wooorrrld. I’m rolling alooooong. Rolling aloooong. And I’m quitting the blues of the wooorrrld. I’m singing a sooooong. Yes, singing a soooong.” It was at this moment that Tender Taps remarked, “I know that song.” Gulping, Apple Bloom replied with, “Ah know that voice.” Both teens looked at each other in a moment of mutual recognition as Tender Taps said, “Doesn’t sound like it’s too far. Come on!” With that, both teens dashed off to the source of the singing. It only took a few moments to find the source of the noise; Nestled in one of the cafeteria corners, they found a group of other kids gathered around one small robot singing an old show tune as he rolled around the floor on his retractable wheels. “Don’t want any millions, I’ve gotten my share.” Wheelie sang as he twirled around on his wheels. “I’ve only got one suit, just one!” He exclaimed as he held out one finger. “That’s all I can weeeeaaaarr.” As Apple Bloom and Tender Taps made their way through the small crowd, Wheelie continued his song, “A bundle of money to make me feel gaaaaayyyy. A sweet little honey, is making me saaaaayyyyy….” At that moment, Apple Bloom managed to make her way to the front of the crowd, now clearly visible to the small robot. Lighting up with excitement, Wheelie squealed with joy as he skated up to the former far girl as he exclaimed, “Hey Apple Bloom! Look at all my new friends!” But Apple Bloom wasn’t happy. If anything, the former farm girl simply glared down at Wheelie, not in anger but rather disappointment. One of the other students, a blue boy with orange hair, tried to diffuse the situation as he complimented, “You know this little dude?” Another student added, “Yeah, he sure can carry a tune.” Yet another student, this one a girl Apple Bloom couldn’t see, called out, “And he’s so adorable!” Looking up to Apple Bloom, Wheelie said, “You see? They like me!” Unfortunately, the festive mood was ruined when the sound of Mr. Compost’s voice rang out, “What’s going on around here?” Turning around in fear, Apple Bloom, Tender Taps, and Wheelie found themselves face to face with the former farm girl’s biology teacher. Walking over to the small promethean, Mr. Compost asked, “And what in the name of Primus almighty is that thing?” Shaking his fists, Wheelie angrily exclaimed, “I’m not a thing. I’m Wheelie!” Pointing back at Mr. Compost, the small robot continued, “How’d you like it if I called you a “thing” or “it?” You wouldn’t like that, would you?” Watching Wheelie stand up to her teacher, Apple Bloom couldn’t help but whisper to herself, “Gotta give the little guy credit for havin’ balls of brass.” Unfortunately, Mr. Compost simply let out an amused chuckle as he turned to the crowd of students as he said, “Ok, I get it. This is some sort of practical joke, right? Someone brought some sort of remote controlled toy for a prank or to show off, right?” As the rest of the crowd stood in silence, Wheelie walked up to Apple Bloom as he continued, “I’m not a toy sir. I told you, I’m Wheelie, and I’m a living thing.” He paused for a brief moment before continuing, “Ok, maybe not biologically. I mean, I’m made of scrap metal, but I can think and feel, so I guess that means I’m alive.” As the gravity of this revelation hit everyone, Mr. Compost asked, “So you really are a….” Nodding, Wheelie interrupted with, “Yup. I’m a living thing.” He then did the one thing that, in hindsight, he shouldn’t have, he turned to the former farm girl as he asked, “Isn’t that right Apple Bloom?” ‘Oh shit!’ Apple Bloom thought to herself. Wheelie may not have revealed anything about how Wheeljack performed his “magic,” but he had very much confirmed a connection between the two of them. Gulping in fear, Apple Bloom could only think, ‘Ah’m screwed.’ Walking up to her, Mr. Compost crossed his arms as he warned, “Well then, I’d like to have a word with you Apple Bloom.” He then pointed to Wheelie, who desperately tried to hide himself from the biology teacher, as he continued, “More specifically, a word with you and your uncle.” It was at this moment that Apple Bloom, Tender Taps, Wheelie, and everyone else around them knew, that the former farm girl and small robot were, as many of them would put it, royally screwed. A Half Hour Later… Sitting in a chair next to the door to one of the school’s conference rooms, Apple Bloom could hear Mr. Compost, Ironhide, and Wheeljack talking with each other. Or more specifically, Mr. Compost lambasting the fact that Wheelie had snuck into the school, Wheeljack was trying to defend his creation’s curiosity, and Ironhide was trying to play peace maker as well as futilely trying to calm the biology teacher down. All in all, the former farm girl felt that she would probably be grounded for the rest of the semester. Feeling something tug on her kilt, Apple Bloom turned her head to see Wheelie looking up to her as he apologized, “I’m sorry I got you in trouble Apple Bloom.” Sighing in resignation, the former farm girl replied, “Ah guess Ah’m at fault too. If Ah just tried to call Uncle Ironhide or Wheeljack about all this, we wouldn’t be here.” She then picked up the small robot as she continued, “Guess this is what happens when you get too scared of causin’ a scene.” Before either Apple Bloom or Wheelie could say anything else, the door opened as Wheeljack stormed out, though not before looking back inside (presumably at Mr. Compost) as he shouted, “You don’t say that about my boy you damn dirty hippie!” Ironhide was the next to emerge from the conference room, resting a hand on his friend’s shoulder as he gently ordered, “That will do Wheeljack.” Finally, Mr. Compost appeared, warning, “You better make sure that abominable pollutant never shows up in my classroom again, or I’ll have it turned into farm equipment!” Wheeljack replied to this threat, much to Ironhide’s annoyance and Apple Bloom and Wheelie’s surprise and amusement, by extending his middle finger and declaring, “Put this in your bong and smoke it!” Needless to say, Mr. Compost simply huffed and walked away. While the maverick mechanic pumped his fists in triumph, Ironhide turned his attention to his daughter. Gulping in fear, Apple Bloom thought to herself, ‘Here we go.’ The former farm girl took a deep breath as she began, “Uncle Ironhide, Ah’m so sorry for….” She was stopped when Ironhide raised his hand, seemingly preparing to scold her for the day’s misadventures. Instead, the family patriarch asked, “Wheelie snuck into your backpack, didn’t he?” Caught off guard by her uncle’s question, Apple Bloom simply nodded as she answered, “Yeah.” As Ironhide bent down to face his daughter face to face, the former farm girl found herself confused as to why he was seeming so lenient. Indeed, Ironhide rested his hand on Apple Bloom’s shoulder as he reassured her, “Don’t worry kid. This isn’t your fault.” As Apple Bloom took this in, Ironhide continued, “I’ll be honest, you were put in a very unfair position today.” He then turned his attention to Wheelie as he added, “Because someone hear was too curious for his own good.” Finally, turning to Wheeljack, Ironhide asked, “Anything you want to say to them?” Facing Apple Bloom first, Wheeljack sighed in resignation as he apologized, “I’m sorry for putting you in this situation Apple Bloom.” Feeling a bit confused but also relieved that she wasn’t seemingly in any trouble, the former farm girl replied, “Thank you Wheeljack.” The maverick mechanic then turned to Wheelie, now allowing frustration to seep from him, as he sternly said, “As for you, you are in a lot of trouble buddy.” Needless to say, Wheeljack said the one thing that everyone expected him to. “You are grounded for the next two weeks buddy.” Sighing, Wheelie simply looked down in shame as he replied, “Yes sir.” Having made his point clear, Wheeljack picked up the small robot as he said, “Now then, I think we better be on our way.” Ironhide nodded as he turned to Apple Bloom and added, “And you better get back to class. We can talk about this when you get home, ok?” Nodding, the burgundy haired girl replied, “See you then Uncle Ironhide.” With that, Apple Bloom made her way to her next class, while Ironhide, Wheeljack, and Wheelie made their way out of the building, hoping to put the day’s shenanigans behind them. The Chop Shop, That Evening… Seated at the kitchen table, Ironhide, Wheeljack, Wheelie, and Apple Bloom wrapped up their brief conversation. The family patriarch focused on his daughter as he asked, “So if something like this happens again, we say…” Apple Bloom answered with an enthusiastic, “We call you and say we “forgot the K-One-Zero.” Nodding, Ironhide replied, “Exactly.” He then added a gentle, “And while I am giving you a pass since Wheelie forced you into this, I would very much appreciate it if this did not happen again.” Apple Bloom let out a sigh of relief and gave a simple, “Yes sir.” Wheeljack then spoke up with, “What about Wheelie?” Turning to the small robot, Ironhide answered, “Since you will not be going anywhere for the next two weeks, I think I can safely say that the two of us will be keeping a close eye on him.” The family patriarch then rose up and said, “Now then, I believe I have KP tonight, so I think Wheelie and I better start getting dinner ready.” He then turned to Apple Bloom and added, “And I think you have some homework to do.” As everyone else rose up from the table, Wheelie asked, “Can I say something to Apple Bloom first?” When Ironhide and Wheeljack nodded, the small robot turned to the burgundy haired girl and said, “I want to say I’m sorry for everything that happened today. You think you can forgive me?” Apple Bloom gave her answer when she pulled him into a tight hug as she replied, “Ah forgive you. Just don’t do somethin’ that impulsive again.” Hugging her back, Wheelie replied, “I promise.” As the two released each other, Apple Bloom added, “And maybe, with Uncle Ironhide’s permission, Ah can show you around town sometime after the next fifteen days.” Squealing with joy, Wheelie replied, “It’s a deal.” He then shook the former farm girl’s hand as he quipped, “I’ll hold you to that.” As Apple Bloom shook his hand, Ironhide spoke up, “Alright now. Come on Wheelie. “We better leave Apple Bloom to do her homework in peace” With that, the former farm girl gave a confirming nod as she made her way to her room. As she entered her bedroom, Apple Bloom found herself looking back over the day’s events. Thinking back, the former farm girl couldn’t help but remark, “Ah don’t quite know why, but that little robot has kinda grown on me.” Indeed, if anything, Wheelie had proven to be friendly and kind, if also curious and impulsive. Taking it all in, Apple Bloom found herself asking, “Ah wonder if this is what it’s like to have a little brother?” With that, Apple Bloom sat down at her desk as she began to pull out her history textbook, hoping she could get some studying done before dinner. > Double Shuffle and Featherweight > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Life in Allspark Wells Part 4; Double Shuffle and Featherweight The sun shone brightly as it rested comfortably in the afternoon sky over the town of Allspark Wells. As everyone continued their day, one place that was giving in to the energy of the afternoon was Iacon Middle school. After all, the school day was almost over, and everyone simply wanted for the final bell to ring so they could either go home or otherwise continue with their day. One of these many kids who were just waiting to be freed was Double Shuffle. ‘Come on.’ The blue hoofer thought to herself as she stared at the old analog clock on her homeroom wall. ‘Just turn to three thirty already!’ As the dial slowly ticked, Double Shuffle found herself biting her lower lip in anticipation. Thankfully, the clock eventually struck three thirty, followed swiftly by the loud ringing of the school bell. Pumping her fist in the air, Double Shuffle exclaimed, “Finally!” Scooping up her backpack, the young hoofer began to shuffle her way out of the classroom, only to pause before realizing that the growing crowd of students made her dancing impractical. As some of the other kids began to turn to her, Double Shuffle meekly apologized, “Heh heh. Sorry.” No one really said anything in return; most simply made their way out of the classroom, with the few who did acknowledge her only nodding in silence. Shrugging to herself, the blue dancer glumly muttered to herself, “Guess I shouldn’t have expected anything else.” Making her way down the hallways, Double Shuffle walked past the endless swarm that was her fellow sixth graders. Some were gathered in small circles as they caught up with each other, some were in pairs as they chatted (as well as trying to enjoy a brief romantic moment), and some were just taking the opportunity to catch their breath for a few moments. All in all, everyone was just enjoying the moment with their friends. Everyone except Double Shuffle. If there was one thing that the young dancer had always struggled with, it was making and keeping friends. As she walked down the hallway, Double Shuffle allowed her memory to recall how she didn’t really have many friends back in Canterlot City before her family moved to Allspark Wells. Even when in tap class, the one place she could truly unwind in, the blue girl was always something of an outcast, almost certainly due to her prodigious skills with her feet. “At least this year should be different.” The yellow haired girl reassured herself. Indeed, this year her mother had finally decided she could finally be in an advanced class. Allowing herself to let out a confident scoff, Double Shuffle privately boasted, “Took long enough.” Realizing what she’d just said, the young dancer quickly shook her head as she tried to warn herself, “Don’t say that. Mom just wanted you to make more friends your age.” A few moments later, Double Shuffle reached her locker. After removing the lock, the young girl began to pull out everything she’d need for the night and to last until the next morning. For the most part, it was simply just a few textbooks or binders, but the one thing that Double Shuffle was really excited to see was her dance bag. Hugging the bag tightly, the young girl squealed, “I’ve missed you. Hope you didn’t mind waiting here.” With her first tap class of the school year starting only an hour and a half after the end of the school day, Double Shuffle’s mother, Soft Shoe, had decided that she would simply pick her daughter up from school and take her straight to Hoofer Step’s studio. Now that she’d gotten her dance bag and everything else she’d need to get her homework done, all that was left for Double Shuffle to do was go outside and wait for her mom to pick her up. At that moment, something caught the young dancer completely off guard. Somewhere not too far from her, Double Shuffle heard a boy’s voice call out, “Hey! Give that back!” Pausing for a moment, the blue hoofer whispered to herself, “What was that?” Her internal train of thought was derailed when she heard the same voice continue, “I’m serious! This isn’t funny!” Turning to see what was going on, Double Shuffle found the unpleasant sight of a boy roughly her age with cream skin, short brown hair, and if her eyes weren’t betraying her, slightly crooked teeth being teased by several other boys, all of whom were taller than him. One of these bullies, a large purple boy with red hair, was holding some sort of camera above his head, far too high for his victim to reach. Jumping in a vain attempt to reach his captive camera, the cream boy begged, “Come on. Give it back!” Unfortunately, the purple bully simply scoffed as he snarled, “You want it? You gotta take it noodle nerd.” As the other bullies laughed at their victim’s misfortune, the brown-haired boy jumped up in a vain attempt to reclaim his stolen camera. If there was one thing that Double Shuffle hated more than anything, it was a bully. She’d had to deal with her fair share of bullies throughout her life, with the worst being Chasse, a snotty jerk whom she, in turn, secretly referred to as the “bitchy ballerina.” But now that she was face to face with the common cruelty of those who belittled others, Double Shuffle knew exactly what she had to do. Walking up to the group of bullies, the blue dancer demanded, “Hey! You jerks better give him back his camera right now!” As the group of bullies turned their attention to her, Double Shuffle continued, “You guys better stop this or I’m gonna tell the hall monitor. Or maybe even one of the teachers.” For a few moments, the group of ruffians were caught off guard by her defiance. Unfortunately, the purple punk and leader of the group turned his attention back to his victim as he cruelly mocked, “Well what do we have here? You getting girls to protect you now Featherweight? That’s pathetic.” The cream boy, Featherweight if Double Shuffle heard correctly, simply demanded, “Oh shut up!” He then once again tried to reclaim his camera, only for his tormentor to continue to dangle his stolen prize just out of his reach. However, there was one thing the purple punk didn’t count on dealing with on his daily dose of bullying: being in the vicinity of someone as nimble and capable on her legs as a dancer like Double Shuffle. While he was busy focusing on Featherweight, the yellow haired dancer leapt into the air and managed to snag the cream boy’s camera. As the group of bullies found themselves caught off guard, Double Shuffle turned to Featherweight as she warned, “Let’s split! Come on!” With that, both kids bolted down the hallway, all while the gang of bullies pursued them as their purple leader shouted, “Get back here you pansies!” Eventually, both Double Shuffle and Featherweight made it outside the school. As they caught their breaths, the blue hoofer remarked, “I think we lost ‘em.” The cream boy let out a sigh of relief as he replied, “Yeah.” At this moment, Double Shuffle remembered she was holding her new acquaintance’s camera in her hands and, handing it back to him, gently remarked, “Oh, I nearly forgot. I believe this is yours.” Taking his camera back, Featherweight squealed, “Oh thank goodness!” He then began to inspect the instrument as he reassured his prized possession, “Good to see those pricks didn’t damage you. A quick cleaning and you’ll be good as new.” Turning to his savior, he began, “Thanks for standing up for me…. What was your name again?” “Double Shuffle.” The blue hoofer replied. “The name’s Double Shuffle.” She then extended her hand as she asked, “What’s your name?” For a brief moment, the cream boy hesitated to shake his savior’s hand. Eventually, he took her hand and gave it a firm handshake as introduced himself with a gentle, “I’m Featherweight.” Before either kid could say anything else, they were distracted by the sound of a car honking. Turning to see who it was, Double Shuffle found that it originated from a dark gray sedan that she’d never seen before. Before she could ponder it further, Featherweight blurted out, “That’s my ride. Gotta go.” As he made his way to the sedan, he turned his head to face his new friend as he added a warm, “Take care Double Shuffle.” As Featherweight got in his car, Double Shuffle could only wave goodbye as he disappeared into the sedan before disappearing off into the horizon. Hoofer Steps’s Dance Studio, A Short While Later… As Double Shuffle approached the dance studio, she could hear her mother, Soft Shoe, call out, “Have fun at class sweetie!” Turning to face her mother, the young dancer called back, “Will do. Thanks mom!” Straightening her dance bag, the blue hoofer made her way towards the studio’s door, shuffling and twirling her feet as she allowed her heart to soar. Once she was at the door, the blue hoofer opened the door and entered the studio. Making her way into the front area, Double Shuffle was greeted by the pleasant sight of Ravage manning the reception desk. The dark man looked up as he saw the blue girl approach and remarked, “Good to see you little Bolshoi. I trust you are doing well, da?” Nodding, Double Shuffle replied, “You bet Mr. Ravage!” She then reached into her dance bag as she continued, “I can’t wait to make some noise!” Laughing, Ravage played along with a gentle, “I’m sure you deti are going to set the floor on fire.” He then pointed over to the changing rooms as he continued, “I believe you know where the changing rooms are. You’d better get ready. We don’t want you caught off guard for class, da?” Letting out a small chuckle of her own, Double Shuffle replied, “That would suck.” She then made her way to the changing rooms, hoping to slip into her dance attire. A few minutes later, Double Shuffle returned to the studio’s commons area, now having slipped into a sleeveless leotard, caramel tights, and a simple pair of black athletic pants. Making her way to the row of chairs, the young girl sat down as she rested her dance bag on her lap and pulled out what were perhaps two of her favorite items in the world; a pair of black oxford tap shoes. For some people, it can take their entire life to find what their passion is. For others, they find what they want to do with their life much earlier, usually during their teen years or early adulthood. But for Double Shuffle, she knew from the moment she saw her father performing on stage that she wanted to be a tap dancer. ‘Heh. It practically runs in the family’ The blue hoofer thought to herself as she held her beloved tap shoes in her hands. Of course, her passion for tap had caused a few mishaps. Like with any other great passion, Double Shuffle had traded her increased time at the studio or practicing at home in place of hanging out with friends. Taking a deep breath, the blue girl said to herself, “Then again, it’s not like I really have any friends, right?” Double Shuffle’s self-reflection was interrupted by the sound of a familiar voice with a cowgirl’s accent calling out, “Well what do we have here?” Lifting her head to see who it was, the blue hoofer found herself greeted by a girl with yellow skin, dyed burgundy hair, a red off the shoulder shirt, a dark green and blue pattern kilt, and black boots. Needless to say, she reacted the only way she knew how. Running up to her surrogate sister, Double Shuffle wrapped the older girl in a massive hug as she squealed, “Apple Bloom!” Hugging the younger girl back, Apple Bloom warmly replied, “Good to see you too Double Shuffle!” As the two sisters released each other, the former farm girl remarked, “Seems like you got here before us.” Caught off guard by the older girl’s choice of words, Double Shuffle asked, “What do you mean “Us?”” The blue girl received her answer when a group of teens entered through the studio’s front door. One of them was her older brother Tender Taps, dressed in a purple shirt and black jeans. Another was Sideswipe, clad in a black sleeveless shirt, a red vest and jeans, and black boots. The third and final teen was an entirely unfamiliar face, being a girl with blue skin, short black hair that covered her left eye, a pink dress, a black leather jacket, and black boots. Walking up to Double Shuffle, the new blue girl asked, “So, you’re the little prodigy Apple Bloom told me about?” The young hoofer was surprised by how surprisingly deep her voice was, almost sounding like her brother’s own voice, but couldn’t help but find it was warm and accepting nonetheless. Feeling comfortable with this new girl, Double Shuffle extended her hand as she replied, “Uh…. Yeah? I’m Double Shuffle.” Shaking the younger girl’s hand back, the cerulean teen introduced herself, “I’m Pastel Goth.” As the two girls finished their handshake, Double Shuffle asked, “So, this mean we’re in the same class?” Pastel gave a wink as she answered, “If you mean if both of us are in advanced tap, then yes we are.” Hearing this, the younger hoofer gave a cocky smile as she replied, “In that case, I hope you brought you’re a-game.” At this moment, Sideswipe interrupted with a gentle, “I hate to ruin the moment, but we better start getting ready.” As the group of older teens made their way to the dressing rooms, Pastel turned back to Double Shuffle as she reassured her, “See you in a few, kid.” A few minutes later, Pastel, Apple Bloom, and the others returned to the commons area. Apple Bloom was clad in a red tank top and black pants, Sideswipe was wearing a black sleeveless shirt with black shorts, Tender Taps was wearing a gray tank top with black pants, and Pastel was clad in a black leotard with pink tights. As the quartet made their way back to the younger girl, Pastel remarked, “So Double Shuffle, your brother says you’re quite the prodigy.” Rubbing her hands together, the younger hoofer replied, “I don’t wanna brag, but I think I’m pretty good.” Apple Bloom spoke up with reassuring, “Don’t kid yourself. You’re amazin’!” At that moment, the front door opened again, this time revealing a pale white girl with light yellow hair tied up in a bun, and clad in a black crop top, black pants, and a gray sports jacket. As she walked up to the group, the new girl called out, “Hey Tender! Hey Double Shuffle!” Smiling, the young hoofer replied, “Hey Pizzelle!” As she joined the group, Pizzelle continued, “Good to see you two. What have you been up to?” Tender Taps answered with, “Not much. Just practicing and hanging out.” Apple Bloom then added, “We’ve all kinda had quite the summer.” The moment she said this, Pizzelle stepped back in surprise as she asked, “Apple Bloom? What happened to your tooth?” Scratching the back of her neck, the former farm girl began, “Well, that’s a bit of a long story…” A Short While Later… As everyone entered the dance studio, Pizzelle turned to Apple Bloom and declared, “I swear, if your sister shows her face around here, I’ll grind her into hamburger meat!” Smiling, the former farm girl replied, “Thanks. But Ah doubt uncle Ironhide will allow her anywhere me anytime soon.” While they chatted, Double Shuffle sat down to slip on her tap shoes. As she tied her laces, Pastel pulled out her own pair as she remarked, “Those look like they’re pretty high quality.” Nodding, the younger girl replied, “They sure are. Our mom is one of the best dance shoe cobblers around!” She then took notice of Pastel’s simpler oxfords and added, “If you’re ever in the market for a new pair, I’m sure we could get you fitted for something.” Pastel let out a gentle chuckle as she replied, “I’ll keep that in mind.” At that moment, the familiar sound of Hoofer Steps’s voice rang out, “All vight now kinder.” Turning to face her teacher, Double Shuffle found the gray woman walking into the studio dressed in a black long-sleeved leotard, a simple skirt, and her black and silver tap shoes. Once she made it to the stereo in the corner, the older woman picked up the clipboard as she began, “Now zen everyvone. Let’s see who is here, Ja?” Pointing to her pupils with her pencil, Hoofer Steps remarked, “Ve have Doubles Shuffle, Pastel Goth, Pizzelle, Apple Bloom, Tender Taps und…” pausing for a moment, the older woman continued, “Seems ve are missing vone student.” Walking up to her teacher, Double Shuffle asked, “Everything alright?” Hoofer Steps smiled as she replied, “Everysing is alvight. Just looks like ve are missing….” She was interrupted by the sound of a vaguely familiar voice calling out, “Sorry I’m late. Got held up in traffic.” Double Shuffle found herself frozen for a moment as she thought to herself, ‘Wait a minute. I know that voice.’ As she turned to see who it was, Hoofer Steps replied, “You aren’t late. In fact, you are just in time.” Double Shuffle, however, found herself caught completely flatfooted. There, looking nervously around him, was a very familiar boy with cream skin, short brown hair, and a surprisingly adorable set of crooked teeth. He was dressed in a pair of black shorts, a black tee shirt, white socks, and a pair of black tap shoes on his feet. ‘No way.’ Double Shuffle thought to herself. ‘It can’t be him.’ Nonetheless, her suspicions were confirmed when Hoofer Steps set her clipboard back on the stereo as she said, “Good to see you Featherveight.” Letting out a nervous gulp, Featherweight approached the gray teacher as he replied, “Thanks ma’am.” As he said this, Tender Taps shuffled over as he remarked, “Nice to meet you Featherweight. I’m Tender Taps.” Seeing this older boy, the cream boy let out a surprised, “Hello there. I didn’t expect there to be another boy.” It was at this moment that Featherweight and Double Shuffle locked eyes on each other. Looking at her acquaintance and classmate, the blue girl found herself thinking, ‘No way. Can’t believe that I’m in class with someone from school.’ The realization of this possibility made the younger girl’s heart soar, allowing a small smile to form across her face. However, instead of showing excitement, Featherweight began to grow visibly nervous. His cream skin began to grow increasingly pale as a few beads of sweat began to drip from his forehead. As she saw this, Double Shuffle thought to herself, ‘What could possibly have him so scared?’ Before either kid could say anything, Hoofer Steps began, “Now zen everyvone. Velcome to our advanced Stepptanz class.” She then made a circle motion with her finger as she continued, “First things first, ve are going to introduce ourselves to each other.” As everyone formed into a small circle (with Double Shuffle placing herself next to her teacher), the gray woman finished with, “I um Hoofer Steps, und I am ze founder of zis dance studio.” She then pointed to Double Shuffle to continue the little game. Taking a deep breath, the young hoofer introduced herself with, “I’m Double Shuffle, and my dad is one of the Tap Hounds.” The next person to go was Apple Bloom, who continued, “Ah’m Apple Bloom, and this is actually mah first year in a dance class.” After her was Pastel Goth, who added, “I’m Pastel, and I live with my older brother Blaster, the DJ at WARK.” Tender Taps spoke up next with, “I’m Tender Taps and I actually help out with some of the younger classes.” Sideswipe then added, “I’m Sideswipe and I own and ride a motorcycle.” The next was Pizzelle, who added, “I’m Pizzelle, and in my spare time, I like to bake.” Finally, the only one left was Featherweight. Nervously stepping forward, the cream boy took a deep breath as he introduced himself with, “I’m…. I’m featherweight and….” Visibly struggling to think of something, he finally gave an answer with, “I really like to take pictures.” Hearing this, Double Shuffle thought to herself, ‘That explains his camera.’ Hoofer Steps clapped her hands as she continued, “Alvight now everyvone. Vight now, ve are going to start vith a shuffle exercise to warm us up und to loosen our ankles.” As everyone formed themselves into a line, the gray teacher extended her leg as she called out, “Ve go shuffle, shuffle, double shuffle, double shuffle, flap ball change.” Demonstrating the warmup to her pupils, she called out, “Now zen, can I see you do zat?” As everyone performed the exercise, Double Shuffle allowed her eyes to drift onto the reflection of everyone in the mirror. She herself was doing the exercise perfectly as was her brother and Apple Bloom, Pastel was having a little trouble keeping her balance was otherwise doing pretty good, Pizzelle and Sideswipe were doing admirable, and to her surprise, Featherweight was surprisingly good on his feet. Once everyone finished the exercise, Hoofer Steps said, “Very good everyvone. Now zen….” A Short Hour Later… “Very good Tender!” Hoofer Steps said as Tender Taps and Pizzelle performed shuffle grab offs across the studio floor. As the two teens approached the center of the studio, the gray teacher called out, “Vemember to stay off your heels Pizelle!” Once they’d made across the floor, Hoofer turned to her next two students, Double Shuffle and Apple Bloom, and said, “You two are next.” Turning to her older sister, Double Shuffle playfully asked, “You ready Apple Bloom?” Smirking back at her little sister, the former farm girl replied, “You bet.” Hoofer Steps then declared, “Und… NOW!” With this order, both girls shuffled with their right foot before leaping onto it while spanking the ground with their left toe. As they made it across the floor, Hoofer Steps called out, “You’re slurring your sounds together Apple Bloom. I vant to hear each sound.” Once they made it to the opposite wall, the blue girl turned to her older sister as she complimented her, “Nice job.” Giving her little sister a fist bump, Apple Bloom replied, “Thanks. You were awesome!” Tender Taps then added, “You both did a great job.” As he said this, Double Shuffle focused on the students who were doing the technique now. Specifically, it was now Featherweight sandwiched in between Pastel and Sideswipe. In comparison to the two girls, the cream boy was doing a decent job, even if he seemed to be struggling with his pullbacks. As he joined the rest of the group, Double Shuffle extended her fist as she complimented, “Nice job.” Rather than respond, however, Featherweight didn’t respond to the young hoofer’s compliment. Confused, she thought to herself, ‘That’s kinda odd. Not to mention rude.’ Double Shuffle immediately shook her head as she chastised herself, ‘Don’t think that. He’s probably just a little worn out, that’s all.” Still, it seemed odd to her that the brown-haired boy was, in comparison to everyone else, far more shy and actively trying to keep to himself. Before Double Shuffle could continue to ponder the situation, Hoofer Steps called out, “Alvight now, ve are now going to focus on….” A Short While… “Und a 5, 6, 7, 8!” Hoofer Steps called out as she and her pupils began performing timesteps. After four single timesteps, the class moved up to double, then triple, and finally quadruple timesteps. As Double Shuffle performed the steps, she made sure to strike her feet on the floor in the exact right place. The young hoofer could swear that she could not only hear the clicks, clacks, and taps whenever she struck the floor, but she could even feel the taps hit the wooden surface. Allowing her eyes to drift to the others, Double Shuffle noticed that everyone else was doing the timesteps just as well as she was. Even Featherweight was doing it perfectly. Now that she saw a confident smile form on the cream boy’s face, she couldn’t help but think to herself, ‘Why does he look kinda cute?’ Once everyone finished, Hoofer Steps stretched her arms out as she said, “Zat should be all for zis veek kinder. Take care of yourselves, und I shall see you all next veek!” As everyone said farewell to the teacher, Double Shuffle noticed Featherweight was trying to slink away and leave in silence. Before he could make it to the door, Double Shuffle called out, “Hey, where are you going?” Instead of saying anything, Featherweight dashed straight through the door. Concerned, Double Shuffle chased after him as she called out, “What’s going on!” Once both kids were in the commons area, the cream boy stopped himself as he sighed and grumbled to himself, “Guess there was no putting this off forever.” As the young boy defeatedly trudged over to one of the chairs, Double Shuffle asked, “Putting off what? What’s going on?” As the blue hoofer sat down next to him, Featherweight sighed as he began, “I guess I…. I kinda….” Struggling to find the right words, the cream boy admitted, “I guess I don’t really like to tell people that I like to dance. It’s like…” unable to find the right way to word just what he was trying to say, Featherweight finished, “It kinda makes me feel like I’m weird.” Hearing this, Double Shuffle immediately reassured him, “It doesn’t make you weird!” Featherweight immediately countered, “But it does! I tap dance, I like to take pictures, my teeth are crooked, I’m thin enough to look like a skeleton, I’m….” Starting to shake as a single tear escaped from his eye, the cream boy apologized, “Sorry for dumping all this on you Double Shuffle. I’m just…” He was interrupted from his rant when Double Shuffle pulled him into a tight hug. Though caught off guard, Featherweight quickly relented and hugged his new friend back. Once the two friends finished their hug, Featherweight apologized, “Sorry for going off like that. Guess I’ve been dealing with this for a while and I kinda just let a lot out.” Smiling, Double Shuffle reassured him, “It’s alright. We all have those moments where we need to vent.” She then complimented, “And for the record, you’re a pretty good tap dancer.” Smiling back, Featherweight replied, “You think my dancing is good, you should see what I can do with a camera.” At this moment, Featherweight shot up to his feet as he remarked, “Oh! I forgot my things back in the studio!” Standing up, Double Shuffle reassured him, “Don’t worry. I’m sure your stuff is right where you left it. Besides, I forgot my stuff too.” She then extended her hand as she asked, “You coming?” The cream boy couldn’t help but faintly blush as he took her hand as he replied, “Yeah.” When the two kids reentered the dance studio, they were greeted by something neither of them expected. They found Hoofer Steps comforting Pastel Goth from something. The cerulean goth was hugging the gray teacher as she sniffled her audibly runny nose. As she cried, Hoofer Steps reassured her, “You vill alvays be velcome und safe here herr frauline.” As she released herself, Pastel wiped the tears from her eyes as she replied, “I can’t thank you enough.” Double Shuffle tried to tiptoe over to her dance bag, only to accidentally lose her balance and fall to the ground. As Featherweight helped her back to her feet, Hoofer Steps turned to the two preteens as she asked, “I take it you are here to collect your possessions?” Nodding, Double Shuffle nervously answered, “Yeah. We forgot our bags. I hope we weren’t interrupting anything.” Pastel approached the two kids as she reassured them, “It’s alright. We were just talking about something.” Upon hearing this, the young hoofer impulsively asked, “Really? What were you talking about?” As Hoofer Steps gave a concerned look to her elder pupil, Pastel answered, “Something that, at least for now, I’d like to keep between Miss Hoofer Steps and I.” Hearing this, Double Shuffle immediately thought to herself, ‘Awh man. I hate it when people keep stuff from me.’ Still, she knew that her older classmate did reserve the right to keep the previous conversation between her and their teacher, and decided to reply to her response with a simple, “I understand.” Once both preteens had their bags, Featherweight asked, “So Double Shuffle, you wanna see some of my pics?” Smiling, the young hoofer happily replied, “You bet.” As the two kids made their way out of the studio, the cream boy asked, “So, does this make us friends?” Feeling her heart soar, the blue hoofer happily replied, “You bet. Friends!” With this, both preteens gave each other a fist bump that, without any planning, morphed into a handshake. As Featherweight and Double Shuffle exited the studio, Pastel Goth turned to Hoofer Steps and said, “I better be heading home. Thanks for… You know…” The gray hoofer reassured her, “It’s alvight herr frauline. I look forward to seeing you again.” Smiling, the cerulean goth shuffled her way out the door as well. Now that she was alone, Hoofer Steps let out a sigh of relief as she said to herself, “I so love helping ze kinder come into zemselves.” After all, what was more rewarding than helping kids reach their full potential, both as dancers and as people? But for now, with her not needing to teach for another hour, Hoofer Steps decided to blow off steam and enjoy a little recreational tap dancing of her own. > Wheelie's Grand Day Out > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Life in Allspark Wells Part 5; Wheelie’s Grand Day Out Making her way through the family’s scrapyard, Apple Bloom took note of the rows of old and rusting trucks that all sat in a row. As she made notes on the clipboard her uncle had given her, the former farm girl muttered to herself, “Mostly the same as last week. Only difference Ah can find is that…” As she said this, Apple Bloom found herself near the open slot where one old six-wheeler had been resting before Ironhide and Wheeljack had it salvaged for anything usable before tearing the rest of it apart. Making a note of it, the Burgundy haired girl pointed to the vacant spot as she finished, “Oh yeah. Uncle Ironhide had that one torn apart a few days ago.” As she continued her inventory of the scrapyard, Apple Bloom couldn’t help but think back on the previous week’s misadventures. Monday alone saw her dealing with one of Wheeljack’s creations, a small robot named Wheelie, sneaking to school with her, causing a small scene and leading to her getting in trouble with Mr. Compost. “Ugh. He wouldn’t let me hear the end of it for the rest of the week.” The former farm girl muttered in contempt of her biology teacher’s disgust of Wheelie. The next few days were pretty quiet, with the most excitement Apple Bloom had had to deal with being homework. Then Thursday came, and with it her first tap class of the year, and while there wasn’t too much in the way of shenanigans, there had been a small bit where Double Shuffle had some sort of thing with a boy named Featherweight. As she remembered what had happened between the two middle schoolers, the former farm girl thought to herself, ‘At least those two were able to sort whatever was goin’ on out.’ Apple Bloom then let out a gentle chuckle as she continued, ‘Ah do have to admit though, they are kinda cute together.’ And now here she was, on a Saturday afternoon as she performed her chores at the chop shop. After nearly twenty more minutes, Apple Bloom finished her inventory of the scrapyard. Wiping the sweat from her brow, the former farm girl said to herself, “Alright. Got that done. Now Ah better see if there’s anythin’ Uncle Ironhide needs from me.” The Chop Shop… Entering the chop shop, Apple Bloom found her uncle Ironhide and Chromia busy with some sort of old sedan, with the former sticking his head deep into the engine while the latter was working under the car, leaving her feet sticking out underneath. Clearing her throat, the former farm girl asked, “Uncle Ironhide?” Pulling his head out from the engine, the family patriarch asked, “Everything alright there kid?” Apple Bloom nodded as she replied, “Just wanted you to know Ah finished with inventory takin’.” Letting out a gentle chuckle, Ironhide remarked, “Nice job Apple Bloom. Now then….” Turning to his wife, the gray scrapper asked, “Hey honey? There anything left Apple Bloom can do?” Not even scooting out from under the car, Chromia replied, “I think Wheeljack said something about running some sort of errand for him. You think you can do that Apple Bloom?” Nodding, the former farm girl replied, “Ah think Ah can handle that.” Wheeljack’s Workshop… Making her way into the maverick mechanic’s old barn, Apple Bloom couldn’t help but remark, “Whoa. He can really get up to a lot if he’s motivated.” Indeed, dangling from the ceiling hung a small series of bins suspended from the ceiling by wires, moving assorted pieces of cast aside electronics to and from the workshop. Each bin led to one of several smaller bins for sorting based on which specific type of device it was, with one for radios, one for tv sets or monitors, and others for every other kind of electronic device imaginable. “Of course, he probably could do somethin’ about the excess scrap he keeps layin’ around.” The former farm girl remarked as she noticed the piles of discarded metal that was still gathering dust all around the workshop. Apple Bloom’s train of thought was derailed when she heard a familiar high pitched voice squeal out, “Hey Apple Bloom!” Turning to the source of the sound, the former farm girl was greeted by the sight of a familiar small robot with a long neck and binocular eyes skating up to her as he called out, “I was wondering when you’d drop by!” As the small robot leapt straight into her for a hug, Apple Bloom couldn’t help but smile as she replied, “Good to see you too Wheelie!” As the two kids finished their hug, Apple Bloom remarked, “Ah gotta admit, Ah’m impressed with what you boys have done with the place.” Squealing with joy, Wheelie happily replied, “It’s awesome, isn’t it? Mr. Wheeljack helped Brains and I install all those gondolas. He said he got the idea from some sort of theme park ride thingy.” He then began to pull on Apple Bloom’s hand as he continued, “And Wheeljack even began to teach me how to fix circuity and other electronics.” “Don’t overload yourself there kid.” Wheeljack called out as he entered the workshop, still clad in the heavy protective outfit from the smelting pits. Removing his gloves, the maverick mechanic continued, “Last thing I need is you frying yourself with excitement.” He then turned to Apple Bloom as he asked, “Good to see you Apple Bloom. What’s new with the boss?” Walking up to her coworker, Apple Bloom answered, “Ah finished everythin’ else for the day so far, so Uncle Ironhide said Ah should ask if there’s anythin’ you need me to do for you.” Pausing for a moment, Wheeljack scratched his chin as he answered, “Well, I suppose you could….” The maverick mechanic was interrupted by the sound of Brains’s voice calling out, “Excuse me sir, but didn’t you say sometin’ about a book somewhere?” Turning to the source of the sound, Apple Bloom found the bespectacled machine approaching the growing group as he greeted, “Good to see you wee lass.” Smiling, the former farm girl replied, “Good to see you too brains.” She then turned back to Wheeljack as she asked, “What do you mean by a book somewhere?” Nodding, the maverick mechanic replied, “To answer your question, I ordered a book from the local bookstore a few weeks back and it came in today. I’d go get it myself but…” Pausing for a moment, he finished, “I’m both pretty busy and a bit worn out. You think you can pick it up for me?” Giving the older mechanic a confident nod, Apple Bloom replied, “Ah think Ah can do that for you.” Letting out a sigh of relief, Wheeljack replied, "Thank Primus. You’re a lifesaver kid.” He then made his way to a desk and pulled out a pen and piece of paper before writing something down as he added, “I don’t know if you’ve been there before, so here’s the address.” Accepting the directions from her co-worker, Apple Bloom reassured him, “Thanks. Ah’ll be back before you know it.” As she turned to leave, though, Wheeljack said something that caught her completely off guard. “Oh, and take Wheelie with you.” Both Apple Bloom and Wheelie were completely off guard. Gulping in surprise, the former farm girl asked, “What? You want me to take Wheelie with me?” The small robot, for his part, pumped his fist as he squealed, “Awesome! I get to see the outside world again!” He then began to perform a small jig in excitement.” Letting out a gentle chuckle, Wheeljack replied, “Well, after Ironhide and I had a little chat, I kinda decided that maybe we were a little too hard on Wheelie, so I decided to cut him a little slack.” He then paused for a moment before quickly adding, “That and he’s now technically been grounded most of his life so, you know…” Wheelie spoke up with a simple, “And you did say if I go anywhere, I have to go with Apple Bloom unless she has to go to the bathroom.” As the former farm girl blushed with embarrassment at the small robot’s statement, Wheeljack added, “So Apple Bloom, you mind taking Wheelie with you?” Streets of Allspark Wells… “This is gonna be so fun!” Wheelie exclaimed in excitement as he raised his head out of the basket on Apple Bloom’s bike. As the two made their way through town, the small robot continued, “You think we’ll make any new friends Apple Bloom?” the former farm girl let out a gentle chuckle as she answered, “Ah doubt it. We’re just goin’ to pick up Wheeljack’s new book for him.” Stopping near the gardening store, Apple Bloom asked, “You mind passin’ me the directions Wheelie?” The small promethean nodded as he replied, “Sure thing.” He then reached into the basket and pulled out the piece of paper with the directions on them as he said, “Here we are. Says here we need to….” Unfortunately, at this moment, a strong gust of wind blew in, pulling the piece of paper straight out of Wheelie’s hand. Seeing this, Apple Bloom jumped out of her bike as she nearly screamed, “No!” Both of them chased after the floating directions, with Wheelie pulling out his wheels to skate after it as he groaned, “Come back here you stupid directions!” Sadly, as the wind died down, the directions fell straight through street drain, leaving it completely out of either kid’s reach. Desperately reaching her hand down the drain in a vain attempt to retrieve the now lost instructions, Apple Bloom could only groan, “Ugh, dammit!” As she stood back up in defeat, Wheelie sheepishly apologized, “Sorry I lost the directions Apple Bloom.” The former farm girl bent down to look Wheelie in the eye as she reassured him, “It’s alright little buddy.” She then openly wondered, “Guess we might as well look around town to check every possible bookstore around. At that moment, the familiar voice of a teenaged boy’s voice called out, “Well, what do we have here? That you Apple Bloom?” Pausing for a brief moment, the burgundy haired girl remarked to herself, “That sounds like Rattrap.” Turning to see who it was, she was pleasantly surprised to see a very familiar boy exiting the gardening store. He had brown skin, gray/white hair, a gray tee shirt with dark jeans, black sneakers with a white toe and laces, a pair of circular glasses, and a slight overbite. Walking up to his friend, Rattrap remarked, “Haven’t seen you in a while. How you been?” Smiling, Apple Bloom replied, “Pretty good Rattrap, all things considered.” Closing the distance, the former farm girl pulled her friend into a tight hug as he happily remarked, “That’s always great to hear.” As the two friends released each other, Rattrap noticed the small robot looking up to him and asked, “Who’s your friend?” Walking up to the teenaged boy, Wheelie introduced himself, “Hi, I’m Wheelie!” As Rattrap bent down to get a closer look at him, Apple Bloom explained, “Wheeljack made him and another robot named Brains.” Taking this in, the brown boy let out a sigh of amazement as he remarked, “Whoa. You mean that gearhead guy made more robots? I thought Wreck-Gar was enough.” He then turned his attention back to Wheelie as he continued, “I’m Rattrap.” Wheelie extended his hand to Rattrap as he continued, “It’s nice to meet you Rattrap. How’d you meet Apple Bloom anyway?” As he shook the small robot’s hand, Rattrap explained, “Well, that’s actually a long story. You see….” He was interrupted when Apple Bloom spoke up with, “Hold on just a moment. Let me get mah bike first.” As the former farm girl left to get her bike, the scrawny teen continued, “Well, let’s just say Apple Bloom is the reason I’m not lyin’ starving on the streets.” Taking this in, Wheelie remarked, “Wow. That’s awesome. I think.” As Rattrap gave him a confused look, the small robot sheepishly admitted, “Yeah, Mr. Wheeljack made me, like, a week ago.” Taking this in, Rattrap remarked, “Huh. I dunno why, but I kinda thought you’d be a bit…. Older?” As Apple Bloom rejoined the two boys, she remarked, “Sorry about that.” She then continued, “To answer your question Wheelie….” The small robot interrupted with a blunt, “You’re the reason Rattrap isn’t lying starving on the streets?” The burgundy haired girl turned to her friend, who simply shrugged as he replied, “What?” Apple Bloom couldn’t help but let out a small giggle as she remarked, “Well, Ah guess if that’s about it, more or less.” Turning back to Rattrap, the former farm girl asked, “Actually, you mind helpin’ us with somethin’?” The scrawny teen happily replied, “Sure thing. What do you two need?” Apple Bloom let out a sigh of relief as she explained, “Ok, so Wheeljack asked us to pick up a book for him, but we lost the directions to the bookstore, so we don’t know where to go.” Wheelie then held his hands together to make himself look more adorable as he asked, “You will help us, won’t you?” Pausing for a moment, the scrawny teen scratched his chin as he let out a mischievous, “Hmm….” After minute of leaving his friends in suspense, Rattrap finally replied, “Alright. I don’t have anythin’ better to do anyway.” Apple Bloom rolled her eyes as she quipped, “Alright. Thanks Rattrap.” With this, the two young scrappers followed their friend away, hoping he knew just where they needed to go. A Short While Later… “Well, here we are.” Rattrap said as he gestured to the shop resting before the group. As Apple Bloom and Wheelie looked up at the store’s sign, the small robot read out loud, “The Underbase? Kind of a weird name for a bookstore, isn’t it?” The scrawny teen shrugged as he answered, “Eh, I wasn’t the one who named it. Guess you just gotta roll with it, you know?” Apple Bloom let out a gentle chuckle as she replied, “Ah guess you’re right. Now come on. Let’s get Wheeljack’s book already.” As the trio entered the shop, Apple Bloom was pleasantly greeted by the sight of several rows of bookshelves, each one filled to the brim with books. The shelves were split down the middle of the store, the space in between occupied by circular tables with the latest pieces of literary opportunities. Taking this in, the former farm girl remarked, “Guess it’s been a while since Ah’ve been somewhere like this before.” The burgundy haired girl was distracted from her wandering mind when Wheelie pulled on her kilt as he asked, “Hey Apple Bloom, you mind if I look around?” Looking down to the small robot, she replied, “Sorry Wheelie, but not this time.” Wheelie pouted as he complained, “Awh, come on.” Bending down to look him in the eyes, Apple Bloom gently but sternly warned him, “Ah’m serious little buddy. Maybe another time.” At this moment, Rattrap tapped Apple Bloom on the shoulder as he reassured her, “I can keep an eye on this little guy here. You go ask the person at the counter over there, and we can call this job done and all head home.” The former farm girl nodded as she replied, “Thanks Rattrap. Ah’ll be back in a flash.” Walking up to the caramel woman manning the shop’s front desk, Apple Bloom asked, “Excuse me ma’am. Ah’m here to pick up somethin’ for Wheeljack?” The woman replied, “Ah yes, my boss said something about someone else coming to pick up his order. Apparently said something about being busy with something else.” The former farm girl scratched the back of her neck as she replied, “Yeah. Sorry about that.” Reaching behind her, the caramel clerk presented a decently sized book with, if Apple Bloom was guessing correctly, roughly one hundred and fifty pages, and placing it on the desk as she said, “Alright, that’ll be seventy-five dollars.” Upon hearing this, Apple Bloom let out a loud gulp as she nervously replied, “Uh, Wheeljack didn’t say anythin’ about needin’ money. He said everythin’ was takin’ care of.” For a few moments, both Apple Bloom and the caramel woman stared at each other in awkward silence. Eventually, the older woman let out a satisfied snort as she said, “I’m just messing with you. Don’t worry, he paid in advance.” Taking the book, Apple Bloom groaned as she replied, “Fine. But Ah’m tellin’ him about this.” Turning around to leave, she looked at the book’s cover as she read aloud, “Cossack collaborators and other fascist sympathizers?” She began to open it up to see what exactly it was about, only to be greeted by the sound of Rattrap calling out, “Get back here you little troublemaker!” Hearing this, the burgundy haired girl could only groan, “Not again.” Running up to Rattrap, Apple Bloom asked, “Let me guess, he ran off somewhere?” Nodding, the scrawny teen asked, “This happen before?” As the former farm girl nodded, Rattrap sighed as he pointed deeper into the shop and said, “He went this way, come on.” After a few minutes, Apple Bloom and Rattrap found Wheelie sitting on the floor against the wall, reading a book that was titled “Robots of science fiction.” Folding her arms, the former farm girl stamped her foot as she cleared her throat to get the small promethean’s attention. Nervously looking up from his book, Wheelie tilted his head and asked, “Hey guys. What’s up?” Sighing in frustration, Apple Bloom answered, “What did Ah tell you about runnin’ off?” Wheelie rose back up to his feat and hanged his head in defeat as he answered, “To not do it.” The former farm girl extended her hand towards the small robot, silently requesting him to surrender the book he’d found. Once he’d surrendered it, Apple Bloom placed the book on a nearby shelf as she said, “Alright now. Let’s go.” Streets of Allspark Wells… As the trio of kids made their way out of the bookstore, Wheelie apologized, “Sorry I ran off Apple Bloom.” Looking up to her, the small robot nervously asked, “You forgive me?” Smiling, Apple Bloom reassured him, Ah forgive you. But please, don’t run off like that again.” She then gestured to Rattrap and added, “Now, if you’ll please, apologize to Rattrap.” Nodding, Wheelie turned to the scrawny teen and apologized, “Sorry for running off on you.” Bending down to look into the small robot in the eyes, Rattrap replied, “It’s alright little buddy.” He then rested his hand on Wheelie’s shoulder and continued, “Besides, you’re pretty fast on those fancy wheels there.” Lighting up with joy, Wheelie leapt into the air and popped out his wheels as she squealed, “I got complimented on my speed! Alright!” As he skated around the two older teens, Rattrap couldn’t help but remark, “That little guy sure is somethin’.” At that moment, Apple Bloom asked, “Hey Rattrap? Can Ah ask you a weird question?” Rattrap straightened himself as he replied, “Ask away.” Taking a deep breath, the burgundy haired girl began, “So, the school year started a few weeks back, and Ah’ve seen Marble, Sideswipe, and Tender Taps at school.” Pausing for a moment, she asked, “You don’t go to Iacon High, do you?” Sighing, Rattrap simply shook his head. Taking this in, Apple Bloom asked, “You go to Kaon High instead?” Once again, the scrawny boy simply shook his head as he answered, “I don’t.” As the former farm girl took this in, Rattrap raised his hands as he reassured her, “Don’t worry, I’m not some sort of drop out!” After a few moments, Rattrap explained, “Arcee had me enrolled in this weird sort of tutoring program. I basically study one on one with different tutors.” Before Apple Bloom could say anything in response, Wheelie asked, “Why are you doing this weird tutoring thing and not at school with Apple Bloom and her friends?” Rattrap sighed as he explained, “You know how I said Apple Bloom is the reason I’m not lying starving on the streets? Well, basically, I was homeless and Apple Bloom and Ironhide and everyone are the reason I’m still alive.” As his eyes began to water, the scrawny teen continued, “And since you can’t really learn much in the way of book smarts when you’re focusing on just getting enough food, I kinda fell behind on a lot of stuff. So now, I’m kinda having to blaze through a lot of it all at once.” Looking down to Wheelie, Rattrap asked, “That make any sense?” Raising his finger, Wheelie answered, “Yes…. Wait a minute…. No, not really.” Shrugging, Rattrap inquired, “Eh, guess you can’t explain everything to someone who’s only like a week or two old anyway, right?” Turning to Apple Bloom, he found the former farm girl was starting to tear up in sympathy for her friend’s plight before pulling him into a tight hug, one which Rattrap was happy to reciprocate. And he was pleasantly surprised to feel Wheelie hugging his leg. Wheeljack’s Workshop “Wheeljack? You still here?” Apple Bloom called out as she, Rattrap, and Wheelie entered the maverick mechanic’s workshop. For a few moments, no one answered her question, leading to Wheelie to call out, “Mr. Wheeljack? Wreck-Gar? Brains? Anyone?” When the deafening silence continued, Rattrap said out loud, “Uh… I see you guys have tidied the place up a bit.” The awkward silence was broken by the crashing sound of scrap metal clanging against itself as Wreck-Gar chased Brains around the workshop as he shouted, “Get back here you good for nothing potato farmer!” The bespectacled robot shot back with a cocky, “I’m not gonna make it easy for you bodach!” As the two other robots chased each other away, Rattrap turned to Apple Bloom as he asked, “This sort of thing normal?” Nodding, the former farm girl replied, “Pretty much.” At that moment, Wheeljack fell from the ceiling as he let out a terrified scream. As the trio of kids gathered around him, Apple Bloom nervously asked, “Wheeljack?! You alright?” The maverick mechanic simply groaned as he laid on the ground as he replied, “Ughghghg. That’s the last time I try modifying the roof on my own.” Rising back to his feet (and stretching his back), Wheeljack asked, “Oh hey Apple Bloom. You get that book for me?” Apple Bloom nodded as she presented the book to the maverick mechanic as she replied, “Here you go. Why’d you want somethin’ on Cossacks and whatnot?” As he accepted the book, Wheeljack explained, “My dad always taught me to keep my eyes out for people who’d try to pull some sort of fascist takeover and try to turn us all against each other.” He then looked at the book now resting in his hands as he continued, “And trust me, pricks like that often like to use symbols like the ones here from the last great war.” Taking this in, Apple Bloom remarked, “Huh. Sounds interestin’. Ah might need to aske Dr. Pennywhistle about that on Monday.” Rattrap asked, “What are you talkin’ about? Wasn’t that all like, a bagillion years ago?” Walking up to the scrawny teen, Wheeljack began, “Well, more specifically it was….” He was interrupted by the sound of Ironhide’s voice calling out, “You back yet Apple Bloom?” The former farm girl turned to the workshop door as she called back, “Ah am uncle Ironhide! Be right there!” She then turned to Rattrap as she said, “Come on.” As the scrawny teen nodded, Wheelie asked, “You need me Apple Bloom?” Before she could answer, Wheeljack turned to his pint sized promethean and ordered, “You go help her with anything she needs.” Nodding, Wheelie replied with an enthusiastic, “Yes sir.” He then popped out his wheels as he skated over to Apple Bloom and informed her, “Ready whenever you are.” Giving a confident smirk, Apple Bloom replied, “Come on boys.” With that, she led Wheelie and Rattrap out the workshop, all while Wheeljack watched and wondered, if only for the slightest moment, if in his impulsive act of playing Primus, he’d accidentally fumbled his way into fatherhood. > When Girl Meets Bird > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Life in Allspark Wells Part 6; When Girl Meets Bird Seated at her desk in Dr. Pennywhistle’s class, Marble Pie found herself completely entranced at her teacher’s lesson on the ancient world of the eons long past. As the older man pointed to the map hung over the dry erase board, he continued, “The old kingdom of the Quintessons was, for their day, the most powerful nation in the world.” With every word Dr. Pennywhistle said, Marble wrote down an abridged version in her notebook. Despite her fears that attending school would overwhelm her, Marble found that it was, in actuality, not too terrible. The routine of scheduled classes made everything easier to manage, and teachers like Dr. Pennywhistle were more than willing to accommodate her “different way of thinking.” Now, where once she would have been overwhelmed by the crowded classrooms or loud lunch breaks, Marble was actually doing better than either she or Beachcomber thought possible.” As Dr. Pennywhistle paused for a moment, one of the other students, a red boy named Nosecone, asked, “But didn’t the Quintessons build their monuments off the backs of slaves?” Hearing this, Marble gulped as she thought to herself, ‘I don’t remember him saying anything about slaves.’ Before she could say anything, Dr. Pennywhistle pointed to his student as he explained, “To some extent.” Taking a deep breath, the old teacher continued, “The Quintessons, like the earliest of the Iaconians, employed slavery. However, many of their great works, such as the pyramids, were built primarily by ordinary citizens conscripted. This included everyone from farmers during the off season and merchants to skilled masons and stoneworkers.” As Marble and the rest of the class took this in, he finished with, “Either a little worse for wear or in perfect shape. Take your pick.” Before he could continue, the bell rang, signaling it was the end of the school day. Letting out a gentle chuckle, Dr. Pennywhistle said, “Alright everyone. That should be enough for today. We shall pick up from here on Monday. Have a good weekend everyone.” With that, he gave a polite bow as he bade his pupils farewell. As she packed her backpack, Marble heard the familiar sound of Apple Bloom’s voice call out, “Hey Marble.” Turning to face her friend, the gray geologist found the former farm girl walking up to her, clad in her red off the shoulder shirt, black tank top, dark blue and green kilt, and black laced boots. Smiling, Apple Bloom asked, “You ready for our little meetin’ in the park?” Nodding with excitement, Marble replied, “Yeah.” She then asked, “So, Ironhide gonna pick you up or something?” Shaking her head, Apple Bloom answered, “Nope. Mrs. Soft Shoe is gonna pick me and Tendy up. We’re gonna meet up with you and Sideswipe.” At that moment, both girls heard the sound a familiar teenaged girl clearing her throat followed by a snarky, “you girls talking about me behind my back?” Turning to see who it was, Marble was overjoyed to see her girlfriend Sideswipe leaning against the doorframe. Allowing her cheeks to blush red, the gray geologist walked up to her girlfriend as she cheekily replied, “Only to tell Apple Bloom how awesome you are.” Needless to say, Marble and Sideswipe pulled each other into a tight hug. Once both girls finished their hug, Sideswipe turned to Apple Bloom and said, “We’ll see you at the park. You make sure Sparkplug doesn’t cause too much trouble ‘till then.” Nodding, the former farm girl replied, “You got it.” Apple Bloom then made her way through the door as she said, “Ah better hurry. Don’t wanna hold Tender Taps up.” Once Apple Bloom was gone, Sideswipe turned to Marble as she playfully asked, “So, shall we my love?” Blushing as she held her arm, Marble extended her hand as she replied, “Anywhere with you.” Taking her girlfriend’s hand, Sideswipe led Marble away, both girls looking forward to what Apple Bloom had planned for everyone. The Park, A Short While Later As Sideswipe’s motorcycle pulled into a parking spot, the young biker revved her beloved bike down as she let out a sigh of relief, saying, “I dunno about you, but I love getting to take this old girl out for a spin.” She turned to her girlfriend as she asked, “Am I right?” Marble, on the other hand, was removing her helmet as she replied, “Maybe for you. Either I’m going crazy, or your bike is getting louder.” Shaking her head, the gray geologist apologized, “Sorry if that came out as rude.” Thankfully for her, Sideswipe rested a hand on her shoulder as she replied, “I know loud noises get to you. Maybe I can find you some earmuffs.” Smiling, Marble gently replied, “I’d appreciate that.” Once both girls made their way into the park, they were greeted by the sight of Tender Taps, Apple Bloom, Pastel Goth, and Rattrap all sitting around each other on a blanket. However, there was one thing different about this particular get together that caught Marble completely off guard. Everyone had their pets with them. Indeed, Apple Bloom was busy petting Sparkplug the highland terrier, Tender Taps was stroking the orange tabby Skimbles, Rattrap was allowing his rat, Munchy, to run across his arms, and even Pastel was playing with another small rodent in a clear travel box. Overall, everyone was having fun with their pets. Everyone except Marble Pie. As Marble and Sideswipe walked up to the rest of the group, Tender Taps greeted them with a warm, “Hey guys. Glad you could make it.” Sitting down next to the orange hoofer, Marble replied, “Thanks. Good to see you too.” She then turned to Rattrap as she continued, “Hey Rattrap. Haven’t seen you in a while.” Shrugging, Rattrap replied, “Same here. Feels like it has been a year or two.” As he said this, Munchy scrambled down the scrawny teen’s arm and onto the blanket as his owner replied, “I think Munchy is happy to see you too.” Watching the small rat make his way to her, Marble couldn’t help but giggle as she replied, “You know, when he’s not sneaking up on you, your little friend is quite adorable.” Pastel then rose up and pulled Marble and Sideswipe into a tight hug as she exclaimed, “It’s so good to see you girls!” As she released them, the cerulean goth took their hands as she added, “Oh, I almost forgot. There’s someone I want to introduce you to.” She then presented her clear travel box, revealing that it housed a yellow and black hamster looking up at them. As the two girlfriends took the sight of the small rodent in, Pastel enthusiastically exclaimed, “Girls, this is Rosemary.” Taking in the sight of Rosemary, Marble couldn’t help but squeal, “She’s so cute!” She turned to Sideswipe as she asked, “Isn’t she just so adorable that you want to hug her?” Straightening her vest, the pale biker replied, “I suppose. I mean, I’m not exactly a hamster kind of girl.” Nonetheless, she turned to Pastel as she added, “But Rosemary here is on the cuter side of them.” Smiling, Pastel replied, “Thanks. I wanted to let the little girl out to stretch her legs but…” As she said this, the sound of barking and hissing caught everyone’s attention. Turning to see what it was, Marble found Sparkplug and Skimbles were staring each other down, both dog and cat clearly antagonizing each other. Seeing the two animals growl at each other, Marble couldn’t help but remark, “I can’t help but think that we should have expected this would happen.” However, as Apple Bloom and Tender Taps prepared to intervene, Sparkplug and Skimbles suddenly calmed down and began to sniff each other. Once it was clear that the dog and cat had seemingly made peace with each other, the former farm girl remarked, “Phew. Ah was worried they’d try to tear each other apart.” Tender Taps, for his part, wiped his brow as he added, “Yeah. I’d hate to have to explain to Double Shuffle how Skimbles got hurt.” Everyone let out a good laugh at Tender’s remark. At that moment, Rattrap asked, “Hey Marble, you not have a pet or somethin’?” As everyone turned to face her, Marble let out a nervous gulp as she replied, “I… Uh…. I don’t have a pet.” For several moments, the rest of the group stared at the gray geologist, leading to her starting to turn pale as she asked, “Uh, that’s bad right?” Sideswipe rested her hand on her girlfriend’s shoulder as she reassured her, “Of course not. Besides…” She leaned into Marble’s ear as she whispered, “Ironhide may say Sparkplug is a family pet, but let’s be honest, he and Apple Bloom are inseparable.” She then pointed to the former farm girl, who had been knocked onto her back as the small terrier stood on her chest, affectionately licking her face. Nudging her girlfriend, the pale biker tried to reassure Marble, “See? You aren’t the only one pet-less ‘round here.” Rather than being comforted, Marble simply shrugged as she sighed, “I guess.” She then sat down as she apologized, “Sorry if that came out weird.” As Sideswipe sat down next to her girlfriend as she reassured her, “It’s alright.” As the two girls began to lean against each other, Marble asked, “You think I’d be good with a pet?” Thankfully, Sideswipe answered, “I think you’d be great. Maybe you’d need a little help at first, but you’d be great.” Feeling her confidence get boosted, Marble smiled as she let out a gentle, “Thanks.” As the rest of their friends continued to play with their pets and catch up with each other, the gray geologist couldn’t help but think to herself, ‘Maybe I could ask Mr. Beachcomber about this.’ Allspark Wells Geology Museum, Early That Evening… “See you tomorrow Sideswipe!” Marble called out as Sideswipe drove off into the horizon. Turning to make her way towards the museum’s front door as she wrapped her arms around herself in a self-hug while squealing, “I still can’t believe I have a such an awesome girlfriend!” Twirling around in joy, the gray geologist took a deep breath, as she looked up to the sign above the front door and thought to herself, ‘As much as that little pet playdate was kinda fun, it’s always good to be home.’ Entering the museum’s front foyer, the gray geologist couldn’t help feel comfortable at home. As much as she loved spending time with her sisters Maud, Limestone, and Pinkie, Marble always felt that she just didn’t belong on the Pie family’s rock farm. And once it became clear that her father, Igneous Rock Pie, refused to even try to understand her or connect with her, she took the first opportunity to get away from him by studying under the esteemed geologist Beachcomber. And now here she was, living in Allspark Wells, living with a man who had proven himself to be the parent she always wanted and surrounded by friends she loved more than anything, with the possible exception of her sisters. At that moment, Marble was distracted from her evaluation of her life by the sound of Beachcomber calling out, “Well now, look who’s back.” Turning to face her mentor and guardian, she found the blue skinned professor walking up to her as he asked, “You have fun with your friends?” Marble gave her answer by hugging her mentor as she replied, “We did.” As Beachcomber hugged his protégé back, she asked, “Uh, Mr. Beachcomber? Can I ask something?” Nodding, Beachcomber replied, “Sure thing kiddo. What is it?” Before Marble could ask her question, one of the museum’s other staff members, an orange man with red hair, ran up to the two and called out, “Mr. Beachcomber? We need your opinion on the rearrangement of the coal mining exhibit.” Turning to face his coworker, Beachcomber replied, “Alrighty then. I’ll go check up on it now.” As for Marble, the gray girl began to pout in disappointment as she thought to herself, ‘Great. Just as I try to ask him, he get’s distracted.’ Thankfully, Beachcomber reassured her, “Come on Marble. You can tell me on the way there.” Upon hearing this, the young geologist thought to herself, ‘Ok, this is it. This is the moment. This is your chance. Just tell him already.’ Taking a deep breath, Marble said, “I was wondering if I could have a pet.” The moment those words escaped her lips, Marble realized she’d acted impulsively and scrunched herself up in preparation for the inevitable rebuttal from Beachcomber. ‘Come on.’ She thought to herself. ‘You know he’s just gonna say something like “Don’t be ridiculous. You’re too dumb to take care a pet.” Just….’ To the gray geologist’s surprise, Beachcomber gently rested his hand on his protégé’s shoulder, rubbing her leather jacket as he replied, “So, I take it your friend’s pets made you a little jealous?” Pausing for a moment, Marble simply sighed as she replied, “A little.” Motioning his head to the hallway leading to the coal mining exhibit, Beachcomber invited, “Walk with me a bit.” Caught off guard, Marble replied, “Uh, ok.” She then followed her mentor as he began his inspection. The moment the two were in the coal mining exhibit, Beachcomber took a deep breath as he began, “Well then, I’ll go ahead and get right to the chase. I don’t think you’re quite ready for a pet.” Taking this in, Marble let out a sigh of resignation as she admitted, “I kinda figured you’d say that.” When the older geologist looked down to her, the gray girl covered her face and quickly apologized, “Sorry if that was too snippy, I didn’t mean to be mean.” Thankfully, Beachcomber reassured his pupil, “Calm down kid. I’m not gonna go on some rampage like your old man.” As Marble took this in, the older man continued, “But, if I may be a bit honest, there are a few reasons why you can’t have a pet.” Approaching a diorama depicting how plant matter is compressed in the ground, Beachcomber began, “Firstly, the museum board would never allow any animal other than a service dog on the premises.” Marble simply shrugged as she replied, “Guess that makes sense.” The older geologist continued, “Secondly, with you now in school and me busy with everything here, it would be pretty hard to give a dog or cat or even a fish the attention they’d need.” He then paused for a moment before he gave his final reason. “And finally, I don’t think you’re ready for the responsibility.” Marble found herself taken aback by his blunt answer. After a few moments, she asked, “What? I mean, what do you mean I’m not ready?” Once again, she quickly added, “I mean, I don’t wanna sound rude, I’d just like to know.” Giving his protégé a reassuring smile, Beachcomber warmly praised her with, “Marble, I’m so proud of how much you’ve matured since you came here. I mean, you’ve made friends, you’re able to attend school without a panic attack, and you’ve been managing your Perceptor’s syndrome like a champ.” Feeling her heart soar at her mentor’s compliments, Marble found herself wrapping her mentor in a tight hug, one which he happily returned. After a few moments, she released him as she apologized, “Sorry about that.” Thankfully, Beachcomber reassured her, “It’s ok.” He then rested his hand on his pupil’s shoulder as he finished, “Trust me, If it was either the museum’s policy or my trust with your maturity, I’d seriously consider a pet. But as it stands, I don’t think we’d be able to take a pet in.” Smiling, Marble replied, “I understand. Thanks for, you know, explaining why.” Beachcomber, in turn, replied, “No problem. Now then, I better check out what the others wanted from this place, and I think you should get a little studying done.” Letting out a gentle sigh, the gray geologist nodded as she replied, “Ok. Thanks Mr. Beachcomber.” With that, Marble left for the elevator that would take her up to her and her mentor’s little apartment, all while Beachcomber remarked to himself, “Maybe I should have a word with the board about this.” Downtown Allspark Wells, the Next Day… Looking up to the sun as it’s light drenched Allspark Wells in a blanket of warmth and light, Marble straightened her jacket as she remarked, “Well isn’t this the perfect weather? Not too hot, and just cool enough that I don’t need to bundle up under a hundred layers.” Indeed, to the gray geologist, the slight chill that could only signal the beginning of autumn was the perfect temperature. Taking a deep breath, Marble looked back towards Sideswipe as she asked, “Wouldn’t you agree?” Walking up to her girlfriend, Sideswipe tucked her hands into her vest as she replied, “I dunno. Maybe it’s just a little too cool for my tastes.” Hearing this, the gray geologist quipped, “Maybe you wouldn’t be so cold if you wore some sleeves every now and again.” Sideswipe simply chuckled as she pulled out her right hand as she reassured Marble, “It’s not that cold.” Taking her girlfriend’s hand, Marble warmly said, “Thanks for coming.” Blushing, Sideswipe scratched the back of her neck as she asked, “For what?” The gray geologist brushed her long bangs out of her face as she answered, “For being the best girlfriend ever.” Smiling, Sideswipe replied, “I try my best.” She then pulled Marble into a gentle kiss, one which the gray geologist was entirely happy to reciprocate. Once they finished their kiss, Sideswipe asked, “So, since we have the day to ourselves, what would you like to do?” Marble paused for a moment, thinking to herself, ‘Hm… So many choices. There’s the arcade, there’s that little bookstore Apple Bloom told us about earlier, and then there’s that café, even if it’s a bit of a walk.’ After a few moments, the young geologist playfully replied, “I’m up for anything.” Giving a cocky smirk, Sideswipe replied, “In that case, how about we grab a little snack?” A Local Shop, A Few Minutes Later…. “Thank you sir.” Marble said as she handed the vendor a ten-dollar bill. The vendor, in turn handed the young girl two cups filled with pretzel bites as he replied, “You’re welcome young lady.” The gray geologist gave a gentle nod as she took the two cups and made her way back to Sideswipe, who was leaning against a lamp post. Handing one of the cups of pretzel bites to her girlfriend, Marble happily said, “Here you go. On me.” As she accepted the snack, Sideswipe remarked, “You know I could have covered these, right?” Nodding, Marble answered, “I know, but I wanted to.” The pale biker couldn’t help but giggle as she replied, “In that case, here’s to us.” As both girls ate out of their cups of pretzels, Marble asked, “So, how’s that chemistry teacher of yours?” Upon hearing this, Sideswipe groaned, “Ugh, you mean Mr. Windcharger? He’s the worst.” Picking one of her pretzel bites, the young biker continued, “He actually locked a girl out of the classroom because she was thirty seconds late. Like, he’s just a massive wanker!” Resting her arm around her girlfriend, Marble reassured her, “I’m sorry about him. Maybe one of these days he’ll get himself in trouble.” At that moment, Sideswipe and Marble were caught off guard by the sound of something screaming. As the piercing scream rang in their ears, both girls wrapped their arms around each other as the gray girl asked, “What the hell was that?” Shaking her head, Sideswipe replied, “Hell if I know.” As the two girls released each other, another scream, this one far more pained, rang out, forcing Marble to release her girlfriend and cover her ears. Once it stopped, the gray geologist remarked, “There’s something kinda familiar about that sound. It almost sounds like….” She was interrupted by the scream yet again, now almost sounding like a child crying. Hearing this, Marble turned to Sideswipe as she said, “I think it’s coming from up ahead. Come on!” After a few minutes, both girls made it to the source of the screaming, an abandoned alley. Stepping into the alley, Marble called out, “Uh… Hello? Anyone here?” When no one spoke up, Sideswipe added, “We promise, we won’t hurt you.” Again, no one spoke up. Turning to her girlfriend, the pale biker asked, “You think we’re both going crazy?” They received their answer in the form of yet another cry, this one betraying both pain and fear. Though Marble recoiled with just how piercing it was, she was able to figure out it was coming from behind a nearby dumpster. Pointing to the dumpster, she called out, “They’re over there. Come on!” As she and Sideswipe made it to the dumpster, both girls realized whatever was making the cries was behind the large green device. Tiptoeing up to the small crevice that separated the dumpster from the wall, Marble found herself caught completely off guard by the source of the noise. There, lying on the ground and surrounded by discarded pieces of rope, was a large red parrot. Indeed, the parrot that layed before them was a rather large bird, specifically big enough to require being held by both hands. It had an off-white upper beak, a black lower beak, black stripes that dripped down its face, and brilliant scarlet feathers throughout most of the body, save for the tips of its wings and tail, which were yellow and blue. But what really caught Marble’s attention was the poor bird’s condition. the poor creature was visibly skinnier than a parrot it’s size should be, and with every breath, feathers fell off as if it was molting. All in all, the poor creature reminded the two girls of a starving dog left alone to the elements. “Oh you poor thing.” Marble exclaimed as she knelt down to extend her hand to the large parrot. For several moments, the crimson bird sat there, not entirely sure it could trust the gray girl in front of her. As it tilted her head, Marble continued to reassure, “It’s ok. I’m not gonna hurt you.” At that moment, an idea sprang into the gray geologist’s head. Pulling a pretzel bite out from her cup and offered it to the parrot. Initially, the large bird simply sniffed the delicious snack. However, after a few moments, it scooped up the pretzel bite in its beak and began to devour the morsel. Seeing this, Marble asked the bird, “Tasty, huh?” Both she and Sideswipe were caught off guard by the parrot replying, “yummy.” As the parrot finished the pretzel bite, Marble remarked, “Whoa. I know parrots can talk but I’ve never heard one answer me like that.” Sideswipe nodded as she replied, “I’ve read that some parrots can hold conversations, but I’ve never seen it in person.” The girls were interrupted from their conversation by the sound of the parrot’s voice calling out, “Thanks.” Turning to face the red parrot, Marble asked incredulously, “Are you actually talking to me?” Walking up to the gray girl, the bird replied, “Thanks.” Taking this in, the gray girl found herself thinking, ‘Ok, I’m having a conversation with a parrot. I did not anticipate this happening today.’ Unfortunately, the entertaining mood was interrupted by the red bird letting out another cry, this one conveying the parrot’s pain and sorrow. Extending her hand, Marble asked, “Hey, you wanna come with us?” Hearing this, Sideswipe asked, “What are you doing? Didn’t you say something about Beachcomber not wanting you to have a pet?” Turning to her girlfriend, the gray girl explained, “This little fella is stuck here all on their own. At least we can get them somewhere they’ll be more comfortable.” Shrugging, Sideswipe relented as she replied, “Alright. I guess we can give it a shot.” Marble pulled her girlfriend into a tight hug as she replied, “Thanks.” Turning back to the parrot, Marble extended her hand as she offered, “Come on. Let’s get you out of here.” To her pleasant surprise, the red bird climbed onto her arm and perched itself on her shoulder. Smiling, the gray girl couldn’t help but playfully quip, “Look Sideswipe. I’m a pirate. Avast ye mateys.” Sideswipe couldn’t help but giggle and reply “Aye aye captain Marble. Let’s get our new friend back to the museum. And so, Marble and Sideswipe began the trek back to the latter’s bike, all with their new feathery friend in tow. Allspark Wells Geology Museum Entering the museum, Sideswipe called out, “Hello? Mr. Beachcomber?” Marble immediately warned her girlfriend, “He’s not just gonna be out here in the front lobby. We’ll have to get to his office.” The gray girl was caught off guard by the sound of the parrot letting out an enthusiastic whistle right into her ear, forcing Marble to collapse to her knees as she groaned, “Ugh!” As the young geologist fell to her knees, the red parrot flapped its wings as it glided down to the floor. Looking up to Marble, the bird asked, “Ok?” Once she recovered from the shock of the noise, the gray geologist asked, “Please don’t do that again, ok? It’s very rude.” The red parrot nodded its head and began to nuzzle against her knee, something Marble took as a sign of affection and a way of saying “yes.” Extending her hand, Marble invited, “Come on.” The scarlet parrot let out an enthusiastic chirp as it climbed onto her arm and birched itself on her shoulder. Turning to her girlfriend, the gay geologist asked, “Now then, shall we?” Before Sideswipe could say anything in response, both girls were interrupted by the sound of Beachcomber’s voice calling out, “Well now, I thought you two weren’t going to be back for a few more hours?” As Marble turned to face her mentor, she found the blue geologist walking up to her, his normally jovial expression slowly morphing into a confused and concerned scowl as he asked, “Uh, Marble? Why is there a macaw on your shoulder?” Marble immediately began to fear that her mentor would lash out at her for “taking in a pet” when he explicitly told her not to. Deciding she’d rather avoid that fate, the gray girl took a deep breath as she explained, “Look, Sideswipe and I found this little guy behind a dumpster and they were crying out and we couldn’t just leave ‘em there.” For a few moments, everyone stood there, wondering who was going to speak up first. Eventually, Beachcomber let out a sigh as he said, “Alright then. Would you girls please follow me?” With that, he led Marble and Sideswipe away, leaving both girls nervous as to what would happen next. Beachcomber’s Apartment… Kneeling next to the coffee table to look the red parrot in the eyes, Marble offered it a small cracker as she asked, “So, you hungry?” To her delight, the crimson bird snatched the cracker with its clawed foot and began to nibble on it. As Marble let out a gentle giggle, Sideswipe asked, “You sure parrots can eat crackers? I mean, I know the old saying “Polly want a cracker…”” “It’s just a little something to tide them over.” Marble gently interrupted. Turning to her girlfriend, she further explained, “Once their full, I’ll look up what macaws naturally eat. Hopefully, by then, Beachcomber will finish setting up an appointment with the vet.” Taking this in, Sideswipe replied, “Ah. Ok, that sounds more like a plan.” She then began to giggle, leading Marble to ask, “What’s so funny?” Catching herself, the pale biker replied, “It’s just kinda cute how you’ve stepped up and taken the initiative with that little parrot.” Blushing, Marble replied, “Well, we couldn’t let them just die.” Turning back to the macaw, she continued, “And besides, its not everyday you find a parrot in the middle of nowhere.” Both girls turned to face the parrot, which was now finishing the cracker. At that moment, Beachcomber entered the room and said, “Well now, I’ve got good news and bad news.” As he approached the red parrot, he continued, “Good news, I’ve managed to schedule an appointment with a bird expert not too far from here.” Marble immediately asked, “So what’s the bad news?” Sideswipe then asked, “A bird expert, who are they?” Turning to the pale biker, Beachcomber answered, “She’s some woman by the name of Airazor.” He then turned to his protégé as he continued, “Bad news, she’s busy at the moment. Said something about back-to-back surgeries on some bald eagles. Sort of a once in a lifetime situation.” Finally turning to the red parrot, Beachcomber finished with, “She said that if our friend didn’t have any broken bones, then we can afford to wait until tomorrow morning.” As Marble turned her attention to the scarlet macaw, she explained, “Well, they don’t seem to have any broken bones. However….” Pausing for a moment, the gray girl added, “I’m surprised they haven’t tried to fly yet. It’s almost like they can’t.” Giving his protégé a small smile, Beachcomber reassured her, “Well, at any rate, I think you did a good job bringing them here.” Turning to her mentor, the gray girl replied, “Thanks. I just didn’t want to leave them to the elements.” As the two hugged, the older geologist reassured the young teen, “Don’t worry. We’ll take our new friend to this Airazor person tomorrow morning and get this whole thing all sorted out.” Once they’d finished their hug, Beachcomber said, “Now then, I’ve got some things I need to get done downstairs, and I think you two better keep a good eye on our new friend.” Smiling, Marble reassured her mentor, “I think we can do that sir.” Sideswipe then replied, “Yeah. We’ve got this.” Satisfied, Beachcomber bade the girls farewell as he quipped, “Good luck kids.” With this, he left to resume his duties. Once Beachcomber was gone, Marble turned to the scarlet macaw and reassured it, “I don’t what’ll happen next, but I promise to take care of you, at least for now.” The parrot let out an excited and enthusiastic squawk before it said, “Like you! Like you!” With that, the macaw began to affectionately nibble Marble’s nose, something the gray girl found both hilarious and somewhat adorable. All while Sideswipe stood by and quipped to herself, “Looks like you might just find yourself with a pet after all.” > Scarlett Marbles > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Life in Allspark Wells Part 7; Scarlett Marbles As the moon cast its light on the town of Allspark Wells, Marble Pie was getting ready for bed. The young geologist had taken a shower, changed into her pajamas, and let her hair down as she stretched and let out a great yawn. Taking a deep breath, she glanced at her reflection in the mirror as she said to herself, “It’s been quite a long day, hasn’t it?” Her eyes had faint but noticeable circles under them, a clear sign that she was ready to throw in the towel for the night. Before she could give her reflection an answer, Marble was distracted by the sound of a scratchy and uncanny voice calling out, “Happy! Happy!” Turning to see who it was, the young girl found herself locking eyes with a scarlet macaw. Walking up to the crimson avian, Marble extended her hand as she asked, “Sounds like we’ve both had a pretty eventful day, haven’t we?” She received her answer when the macaw extended its head towards her hand and made a sound that was indistinguishable from someone making a kissing sound. Giggling, Marble couldn’t help but remark, “Couldn’t put it better myself.” She then tried to pick the parrot up, only for the macaw to back up and squawk, “No thank you.” Pausing upon hearing this, the gray girl apologized, “Oh. Sorry about that.” She then asked, “So, if you can talk, can you tell me why you were alone in the street?” The macaw didn’t vocally answer, instead choosing to simply shake its head. Growing concerned, Marble continued, “You don’t remember? Or you don’t want to talk about it?” Once again, the scarlet parrot simply shook its head, this time letting out a dejected growl. Letting out a gentle yawn, Marble finished, “Well, I’m starting to feel drowsy, so I think we can continue our little chat in the morning, ok?” As the parrot nodded, the gray girl made her way to the other end of her bedroom and presented a large cooking pot as she explained, “We didn’t anticipate having you around, so we don’t have any bird cages. Hopefully, you won’t mind this for the night.” As she said this, however, the macaw shook its head as it defiantly replied, “No cages. No cages.” The stern and adamant way it said this struck Marble, reminding her of the way she’d stand up to her dad whenever he tried to make her wear or do anything uncomfortable. Taking note of this, the gray girl reassured her new friend, “Don’t worry. It’s not a cage. If you want, you can climb right out.” She demonstrated her point by taking her stuffed triceratops and putting it in the pot, only to pull it out again to prove her point. Seeing this, the parrot flapped down to the pot and climbed in, but not before looking back up to Marble and asking, “No trick?” Bending down to look the parrot in its eyes, Marble reassured it, “It’s not a trick.” The macaw flapped its wings and made another kissing sound, something the gray geologist figured was a gesture of affection. Making her way to the bedroom’s light switch, Marble bade the parrot a gentle, “Sleep tight little buddy. See you in the morning.” The macaw screeched out a final, “Nighty night.” Smiling, the gray girl switched the light off before making her way back to her bed and tucking herself under the covers, hopeful she could get a good night’s sleep. Early the Next Morning… As the sun began to rise above the town of Allspark Wells, Marble began to stir from her slumber, only to realize that there was something surprisingly heavy on her chest that wasn’t there when she fell asleep the night before. Groaning as she began to shake away the last of her sleepiness, the young girl asked herself, “Ugh, did I cuddle with that weighted teddy bear again?” Before she could fully awaken herself, she received her answer in the form of a familiar voice cawing, “Hello there.” Blinking, Marble found herself staring eye to eye with a very familiar scarlet macaw. The young geologist was caught off guard by the parrot’s presence and found herself rising up and backing up against her bedframe as she exclaimed, “Gah! What are you doing here?” The macaw, for its part, flapped its wings as it leapt from Marble’s chest and landed on her mattress. Once she caught her breath, the gray girl remarked, “You startled me. I hope you can forgive me.” The crimson parrot gave its answer in the form of the kissing sound it had made the previous night, leading Marble to reply, “I take that as a yes.” It was only at this moment that Marble noticed that her bedroom was consumed by an unfamiliar and unpleasant odor. Sniffing the air, the young geologist remarked, “What’s that smell? Reminds me of….” Before she could finish, Marble had an idea. ‘Wait a minute.’ She thought to herself. ‘The parrot is an animal like me, and animals need to relieve themselves with….’ It was at this moment that Marble realized what the scent that plagued her was. “Eww.” The gray girl groaned as she rose from her bed. “Of course they’d relieve themselves in here.” Rubbing her temple, Marble asked herself, “Ok, where did they do it?” At that moment, Beachcomber’s voice rang out, “Having trouble there little lady?” Turning to her bedroom door, Marble found her blue mentor leaning against the frame as he smirked, “That’s the thing with pets. They often have little accidents, inconveniencing you at the most inopportune moments.” As he said this, the older geologist gave a cocky smirk, leading Marble to suspect he already knew the parrot had “relieved” itself. Marble rolled her eyes as she groaned, “I know pets have accidents.” She then knelt down to the macaw as she reassured it, “It’s not your fault.” To her surprise, the red parrot affectionately began to bite on her nose, something Marble quickly realized was a gesture of affection. Smiling, the gray girl asked, “So, where are the cleaning supplies?” Surprised by his protégé’s maturity, Beachcomber let out a gentle chuckle as he replied, “In the closet.” He then began to leave as he continued, “I’ll start making breakfast.” As he left, Marble nodded as she replied, “Ok.” Once she finished cleaning up the mess, Marble changed into her attire for the day; a dark gray sleeveless turtleneck, a gray and black plaid skirt, black boots, and her beloved black leather jacket. As she fastened a simple black choker around her neck, the gray girl looked at her reflection as she remarked, “I do look good in monochrome.” To her surprise, the scarlet macaw trotted up to her as it squawked, “Pretty! Pretty!” Marble couldn’t help but smile as she replied, “Thank you kindly little one.” Bending down, the young geologist asked, “You wanna come up?” The macaw let out an enthusiastic squawk as it climbed onto her arm and perched itself on her shoulder. Glancing at her reflection, Marble couldn’t help but notice the contrast of her gray and black monochrome to the parrot’s bright red with hints of yellow and blue. Despite their visual differences, the young geologist couldn’t help but remark, “Aren’t we the odd couple?” The cute moment was interrupted by Beachcomber calling out, “You finish cleaning up that mess yet?” Turning to the bedroom door, Marble replied, “I think you already know I did.” The older geologist let out a chuckle as he said, “Well, breakfast is ready.” The Apartment Kitchen… Entering the kitchen with the parrot perched on her shoulder, Marble asked, “So Mr. Beachcomber, you said that we were gonna go see someone called….” As she sat down at the table, Beachcomber poured a glass of orange juice as he answered, “Airazor. Her name is Airazor.” He then continued, “I looked her up after you went to bed last night. Apparently, she’s one of the best bird experts this side of the country.” As she fed the parrot an Apple slice, Marble replied, “That’s great. Hopefully she’ll be able to help our little friend here.” She then turned to the macaw as she continued, “And maybe she’ll provide you a good home.” Beachcomber immediately inquired, “And here I thought you wanted to keep our crimson guest.” Caught off guard, Marble began to defend herself, “I mean, I’d kinda like it if they could stay, but we found them alone on the streets. They probably need help.” She then turned to face her mentor as she replied, “And besides, you said I wasn’t responsible enough for a pet yet.” The gray girl caught herself as she quickly apologized, “Sorry sir. I hope that didn’t come off as too mean.” Thankfully, Beachcomber reassured his protégé, “It’s alright Marble. So far, you’ve done a pretty good job taking care of our little friend there.” As the younger geologist felt her heart soar at her mentor’s compliments, he continued, “Who knows? Maybe once this is all sorted out, we can talk to the museum board about letting you keep a pet on the property.” Lighting up, Marble squealed, “Thank you sir.” Nodding, Beachcomber replied, “You’re welcome kid. Now then, eat up. It’ll be about a 45-minute drive to Airazor’s little sanctuary.” With that, Marble and the scarlet macaw began to eat their breakfast, all while Beachcomber thought to himself, ‘Well now, aren’t they just the perfect pair?’ The Open Road, An Hour Later… Seated in her mentor’s SUV, Marble held the crimson parrot in her lap as she stared out into the green horizon outside her window. As the sea of evergreen trees passed by, she took a deep breath as she remarked, “Sure is a nice day today, isn’t it?” The macaw gave its answer in the form of an excited and enthusiastic caw, suggesting it agreed with her statement. Just holding her feathered friend in her lap made Marble feel somewhat more relaxed, a feeling she remembered her friends seemed to show during their pet playdate a few days before. After a few more minutes, Beachcomber called out, “All right now, looks like we’re here.” Looking out the window, Marble found herself staring at a wooden building placed right in front of what seemed to be a massive spherical structure, something that reminded her of the third installment of one of her favorite movie franchises. Tilting her head, the young geologist asked, “What do you think she has in there? Pterosaurs?” Parking the car near the building’s front entrance, Beachcomber turned to his protégé and remarked, “So, you ready kiddo?” Nodding, Marble replied, “I’m ready.” She then unfastened her seatbelt as she turned her attention to the scarlet macaw and said, “Come on.” She then extended her arm for the parrot, who immediately climbed up her arm and perched on her shoulder. Beachcomber couldn’t help but remark, “I swear you two have known each other a day and you’re already inseparable.” As everyone exited the SUV, Marble was caught off guard by the sound of a bird loudly screeching. ‘That’s odd.’ The gray girl thought to herself. ‘That was too far away for the parrot to make.’ Looking up, she noticed something in the shape of a large bird circling overhead. Marble found herself asking, “What is that? Some sort of eagle?” Both Marble and Beachcomber received their answer in the form of a woman’s voice answer, “A Condor, in actuality.” Turning to see who it was, they found a woman emerging from the building’s front door. She had gray skin, blue eyes, brown hair tied up into a bun, and wore a golden colored outfit. As she approached the two geologists and their crimson parrot, the woman performed a respectful bow as she introduced herself, “Greetings. I am Airazor.” Approaching her, Beachcomber introduced himself, “Hello there. I’m Beachcomber, and this is my protégé, Marble Pie. I called yesterday regarding…” He paused for a moment as he turned to the young geologist and pointed to the macaw perched on her shoulder as he finished, “… Our new friend here.” Airazor made her way to Marble as she remarked, “I must say, for a parrot to be willing to perch itself upon the shoulders of someone they just met is very rare.” As the macaw let out an affectionate squawk, Marble said, “Uh… Thanks? My girlfriend and I found them lying all alone behind a dumpster. We couldn’t just leave them there.” The older woman nodded as she replied, “And for that I am impressed.” She then extended her own arm and said to the parrot, “Lai.” As the macaw climbed onto her arm, Airazor said, “I see they seem to be in good health, all things considered.” She then began to make her way towards the building as she continued, “I will give them a good check up and see if they have any hidden ailments. You two are free to look around the front office and the aviary observatory.” Lighting up, Marble turned to her mentor as she asked, “Can I look around Mr. Beachcomber? Please?” Pausing for a moment, Beachcomber scratched his chin before he answered, “Alright, you can. Just be careful.” Smiling, Marble pulls the blue man into a tight hug as she replied, “Thank you.” With that, Airazor took the parrot away to perform her inspection as Marble began to explore the facility. Aviary Observatory… Walking through the observatory, Marble was amazed by just how inviting the whole place was. Rather than glass windows, the aviary, or at least the wing she was currently making her way through, and the observatory were simply separated by wooden rails, allowing the many birds that called the aviary home to fly up to visitors for a closer look. Of course, there were a few rules that visitors were instructed to follow. For example, since some of the animals were technically wild animals, no food was allowed inside under any circumstances. “At least I didn’t have any on me.” Marble whispered to herself. As she continued her walk, the gray geologist couldn’t help but think to herself, ‘I hope that parrot is ok.’ Airazor and Beachcomber reassured her that the scarlet macaw would be alright, but she knew they couldn’t know that until the former finished her examination. ‘I mean, of course the little bird seemed to be alright. They weren’t a complete skeleton, and I don’t think their wings were clipped. Of course, I’ve never seen what a clipped wing looks like…...’ Shaking her head, Marble tried to reassure herself, “Don’t stress yourself out too much. Besides, once they finish with their checkup, Airazor will probably take the parrot in.” The moment she said this, Marble solemnly sighed as she said, “Guess I’ll miss the little buddy.” After all, wasn’t like she could be trusted to take care of a pet, especially for longer than a day or two, right? Marble’s rambling rant was interrupted by the sound of a bird screeching. Turning to see what it was, the young geologist found herself staring at a large bird with piercing yellow eyes, black skin, and bright red feathers perched on the railing. As the bird locked eyes on her, Marble let out a nervous gulp as she awkwardly greeted, “Uh… Hello there.” She extended her hand to the new bird as she continued, “I’m Marble. You look like a vulture. Who are you?” It was at this moment that another sound caught Marble completely off guard. It was a deep, scratchy, and metallic voice calling for the large bird to come to it. It was a voice that sent a chill down Marble’s spine. And most importantly, it was a voice that could command complete obedience with two very simple words. “Laserbeak. Return.” As Marble felt her heart skip a beat, the crimson feathered vulture let out an affectionate caw before leaping into the air, zooming past the gray girl. Leaping out of the way, she exclaimed, “What was that for?” Turning around to follow where the large bird had gone, Marble found herself shocked by the sight before her. There, standing with the vulture perched on his arm, stood a man with dark purple skin, piercing yellow eyes, a dark blue suit and tie, and perhaps most striking of all, a purple mask that covered his mouth, chin, nose, and cheeks. This new mystery man gently scratched the bird’s chin as it nuzzled its beak against his face. Marble couldn’t help but think to herself, ‘They seem to have a strong connection to each other.’ The mystery man turned his attention to Marble and, in his unnerving robotic voice, called out, “Girl. Approach.” Gulping in fear, the young geologist nervously approached him as she asked, “Uh, is everything alright sir?” To her surprise, the man extended his other hand as he greeted, “Hello. Laserbeak speaks highly of you.” As she shook his hand, the gray girl replied, “Uh… Thank you? I’m Marble.” The mystery man gave a polite nod as he replied, “Designation; Soundwave.” Tilting her head, Marble replied, "Nice to meet you Mr. Soundwave sir. Forgive me for asking, but what’s up with your voice?” For several moments, both Marble and Soundwave stood there in awkward silence. Eventually, the gray girl apologized, “Sorry if that was too intrusive.” Thankfully for Marble, Soundwave reassured her, “Apologies not needed.” He then pointed to his throat as he explained, “Vocal chords damaged years ago. Synthetic voice box.” His bird, Laserbeak if Marble remembered correctly, let out an affectionate (and admittedly adorable caw) as the purple man responded, “Noted. We shall get you a new toy on the way home.” Turning his attention back to Marble, Soundwave bade, “Farewell Marble. May we meet again.” Nodding, the gray girl replied, “Yeah. Take care sir.” As the older man began to depart, both he and the gray girl were greeted by Airazor, who gently said, “Good to see that Laserbeak is feeling like herself again. Maybe now you’ll heed my warnings about ingesting dangerous substances.” Nodding, Soundwave replied, “Duly noted. Good day madam.” As Soundwave left, the older woman let out a gentle chuckle as she turned to Marble and remarked, “I see you met Soundwave. He may not be particularly chatty, but he’s a good enough chap.” Walking up to the older woman, Marble asked, “So, if you’re here, I take it you finished? Everything alright with the parrot?” Smiling, Airazor reassured the young girl, “Everything is alright. She is mostly fine.” Hearing this, the young geologist asked, “She? You mean they’re a girl bird?” Nodding, Airazor continued, “Yes. Now, if you would follow me….” She then began to usher Marble away to the aviary infirmary. Aviary Infirmary…. As the two women entered the infirmary, Marble found Beachcomber seated in a simple black chair in the room’s corner. However, what really caught the gray girl’s attention was the crimson parrot standing on the table in the middle of the room, looking around with what could only be described “worry.” The moment the macaw locked eyes with her, she let out an excited and friendly, “Marble! Marble!” as she flapped down to the floor and began to try and climb up the gray girl’s leg. Though she was momentarily caught off guard (and briefly recoiled at the mild pain of the parrot’s claws piercing into her leg), Marble eventually knelt and extended her arm to her feathery friend, allowing her to climb up on her shoulder. Once the bird was comfortably perched, the young geologist asked her, “You doing alright there? I hear you are quite the lovely little lady.” As the parrot gave Marble an affectionate bite to her nose, Airazor began, “Now then. Beachcomber here explained to me that our little friend here can glide down to the ground but can’t quite fly.” Nodding, the young geologist replied, “Yeah. Are her wings clipped?” The older woman shook her head as she explained, “They aren’t clipped, but it’s something else entirely.” Taking a deep breath, Airazor explained, “I’ve seen this condition before. Birds that are confined to small environments often don’t develop enough strength in their wings and chest, preventing them from being able to fly.” As the parrot rested her head against Marble’s own head, Beachcomber stood up as he asked, “What do you mean “confined to small environments?” Do you mean like…” Airazor interrupted with, “You remember how I said that we were busy performing surgery of some bald eagles? It’s because they were rescued from illegal bird smugglers.” Marble felt her jaw dropping as she asked, “What? Illegal bird smugglers?” The older woman nodded as she replied, “Yes. You’d be surprised by just how much some people would pay for exotic pets.” As Marble took this information in, she noticed that the older woman’s fist was starting to clench in rage. Concerned, Marble asked, “Everything alright ma’am?” Airazor took a deep breath to collect herself before reassuring the young girl, “Everything is fine my dear. At least as far as they can be.” She then turned her attention to the scarlet macaw as she explained, “Animal trafficking just really enrages me. People kidnap rare or exotic animals from the wild and keep them in cages for Primus knows how long and…. It just grinds my gears.” At that moment, Marble had a realization. ‘Hold on. The parrot is clearly terrified of cages, and if….’ As the gears in her head turned, the gray girl found herself blurting out, “Wait! That explains why our friend here is terrified of cages and would only sleep somewhere she could easily escape from!” She then turned her eyes to the parrot perched on her shoulder, who simply let out an affectionate caw. Beachcomber then inquired, “I see. Well now, If I may ask, how’d this macaw end up on the street?” Shrugging, Airazor replied, “I have no Idea. I know birds can be quite intelligent, but I’ve never seen anything like what you two have described before.” She then made her way to Marble and the macaw as she complimented, “But I must say, I’m genuinely surprised by just how fond our friend is of you young lady.” Smiling as she scratched the back of her neck, Marble replied, “I guess she has. I’m just sad that we’ll have to give her to you.” However, to both her and Beachcomber’s surprise, Airazor said something that caught both of them off guard. “Actually, I think she might be better if left under your care.” As everyone took this in, Airazor explained, “We’re starting to get a little crowded around here, and from what I’ve seen, you two seem to have a really strong connection. And unlike some of the other birds we have here, macaws are safe to be kept as pets.” She then walked up to Marble as she added, “And who knows, I might be able to help you two get all the paperwork done to formally adopt her if you do a good enough job.” Hearing this, Marble lit up as she practically squealed, “Come on Mr. Beachcomber! Please?!” As his protégé begged him, the older man warned, “I’m not too sure. Remember what I said about the museum board?” Airazor then spoke up as she reassured him, “I think I might be able to help you two with the board. After all, you would be doing a favor for the Cybertron State Bird Rescue and Aviary.” At this moment, she turned back to Marble and gently warned, “Of course, I will be stopping by once a month to check up on our feathery friend to make sure you are taking care of her. If it looks like you’re doing a poor job, I will remand her back into my care.” Gulping in fear, the gray girl nervously reassured Airazor, “D-d-don’t worry. I’ll do the best I possibly can.” Now it was Beachcomber’s turn to be just little stern as he told his protégé, “Now Marble, if we do this, I want you to know that this will primarily be your responsibility. I’ll help you, but I want you to understand that this will be up to you.” Resting his hand on the young girl’s free shoulder, the blue geologist asked, “You think you can handle that?” Hearing this, Marble began to turn deathly pale as she thought to herself, ‘Can I do this? I mean, actually take care of a pet?’ After all, Beachcomber had made it clear to her how much he felt she wasn’t ready for the responsibility. However, when she turned to face the parrot that was sitting on her shoulder, the young geologist knew she couldn’t just allow her crimson friend to be pawned off to someone who may not have had the time to give her the time she needed. Taking a deep breath, Marble brushed her long bangs out of her face as she said, “Ms. Airazor, I can’t promise I’ll be one hundred percent perfect, but I promise I’ll do the best I can.” As Airazor took this in, the young geologist gulped as she turned her head away, worried she had failed to prove her point. Instead, the older woman gently reassured her with a warm, “In that case, I think there’s only a few things left to do for now.” Raising her finger, Airazor began, “Firstly, you’ll need to find appropriate sleeping arrangements for our friend here, as well as enrichment materials, cleaning supplies, and somewhere for her to sleep that isn’t a cage.” She then turned to Beachcomber as she added, “I believe you will be able to help with that.” Turning back to Marble, the older woman concluded with, “As for you, there is one thing you can do for her right now. I believe she needs a name.” Pausing for a moment, the young geologist tried to think of a name for the parrot that she could now more or less call her pet. Thankfully, noticing her brilliant scarlet plumage, Marble could only think of one choice that would fit the red parrot. “Scarlett. Her name is Scarlett.” Hearing this, Scarlett let out a series of happy chirps and caws as she said, “Scarlett! I’m Scarlett!” Flapping her wings, the scarlet macaw nuzzled Marble’s cheek, leading to the gray girl to warmly reassure her, “Guess you and me are partners in crime now, aren’t we?” The parrot made kissing noises as she playfully replied, “Stick ‘em up partner” Marble couldn’t help but laugh at Scarlett’s attempt to sound tough. Approaching his protégé, Beachcomber said, “Alright now. I think we ought to stop by the pet shop and get everything we need. After that, how about we head home?” Nodding, Marble replied, “I think that sounds like a plan.” She then turned her head to face her new pet as she asked, “What do you say Scarlett?” Flapping her wings, Scarlett happily replied, “Here we go!” Satisfied, Beachcomber turned to face Airazor as he bade, “I think we’re good to go ma’am. Thanks for taking a look at Scarlett. We’ll be in touch.” The older woman gave a respectful bow as she replied, “Thank you. I’ll send you the bill in a few days.” With that, Beachcomber made his way out of the infirmary and towards the facility’s entrance as he said, “Come on Marble. Let’s get moving.” Nodding, the gray girl replied, “Yes sir.” She then turned to Scarlett as she said, “Let’s go home.” And so, the gray girl and her new parrot departed, all while Airazor let out a happy sigh as she muttered to herself, “Well Scarlett, I think you’re going to find that you’re in very capable hands.” After all, the young geologist seemed willing to give Scarlett a fresh start, and what better place to start one's life over than a town like Allspark Wells? > Pastel Goth's Very Big Secret > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Life in Allspark Wells Part 8; Pastel Goth’s Very Big Secret The funny thing about settling into a routine, at least to Apple Bloom, was that one often found themselves losing track of time. Where once, the former farm girl would have been able to recognize the events of every single day, now it seemed that she couldn’t remember the specifics of the past several weeks. All she did know, at least for certain, was that now it was the first of the month, and it was time for another day of school. Walking through the school’s front door, Apple Bloom shivered as she remarked, “Ah swear it’s getting’ colder than the smeltin’ pits’ coolant.” Indeed, the burgundy haired girl was starting to wonder if a kilt was the best choice for today. Catching her breath, she remarked to herself, “At least Ah brought mah new jacket.” Straightening her black leather jacket, Apple Bloom made her way up the school’s grand hallway to her first class. Shaking her head, the young girl couldn’t help but complain to herself, “Just another mornin’ with that stupid hippie. Please, don’t let him be eatin’ somethin’ again. He smacks louder than the cows back on the farm.” The moment she said this, Apple Bloom’s eyes darted to the old analog clock resting at the top of the stairwell, revealing that it was already 8:20. Gulping, the former farm girl said to herself, “Oh dear. Ah Better hurry up.” With that, she bolted off, or at least moved as fast as she could without incurring the ire of the hall monitors. Mr. Compost’s Classroom Entering her biology classroom, Apple Bloom found that it was surprisingly sparce of students. Letting out a sigh of relief, the former farm girl made her way to her desk as she thought to herself, ‘At least Ah won’t be the late.’ As she sat down, the rest of the class began to make their way inside as well. Apple Bloom took a mental note of everyone as they piled into the classroom; some were in a surprisingly cheerful mood, some were still trying to wake up, and some had an attitude that she could only describe as “Please kill me now.” After a few more minutes, Mr. Compost walked into the classroom. Just as Apple Bloom feared, her hippie teacher was eating a yellow bell pepper. As he passed the former farm girl, she thought to herself, ‘Ugh, Ah swear, one of these days, he’s gonna make me vomit.’ Once he made it to the front of the classroom, Mr. Compost greeted, “Greetings my fellow citizens of the world!” Apple Bloom and the rest of her classmates responded to his off-putting optimism with a unanimous grumble of annoyance. The biology teacher didn’t seem to get the hint, instead replying with an enthusiastic, “Oh come on everyone. Why is everyone so down in the dumps, especially now that we’re approaching that part of the semester?” From behind her, Apple Bloom heard one of her classmates, a sophomore girl, whisper, “Time for his bi-yearly shower?” Not hearing his pupil’s joke at his expense, Mr. Compost answered his own question with, “It’s time for the midterm project!” When no one said anything in response to his declaration, the old teacher explained, “To those who don’t know, every semester, I have all my pupils make a project that shows creative thinking and resourcefulness in how to benefit the environment. It’s a way to help you all understand your responsibility to the planet!” Raising his hand, one of the other students, a freshman with green skin named Skids, asked, “You mean like comparing fluorescent lightbulbs vs normal ones?” Shaking his head, Mr. Compost replied, “Yeah, but that bores me. I want you all to do something that hasn’t been done before.” Another student, a dark gray boy with black hair and a black outfit, asked, “What if we just didn’t use a toilet for two weeks?” The scruffy teacher let out a bemused chuckle as he replied, “Hey now, I got rid of my toilet years ago. Who needs plumbing when you have a backyard and a shovel?” Apple Bloom gulped as she thought to herself, ‘Ok, so he wants me to do somethin’ that both benefits the environment but can’t be somethin’ that’s been done before. No pressure.’ She then thought to herself, ‘Wait, you don’t know just how much this project will count to mah final grade.’ Raising her hand, the former farm girl asked, “Uh, sir? How much will this count to our final grade?” Pointing to Apple Bloom, Mr. Compost bluntly answered, “A lot. This assignment will be one of the most important things you do for me this semester. I’ve had students who had A’s all throughout the semester that failed this project and almost failed the class.” As the former farm girl let out an awkward gulp, her teacher cheerfully added, “But don’t worry. Those of you who don’t get a good grade can always join me on the root and berry retreat.” The moment those words escaped Mr. Compost’s lips, Apple Bloom could hear one of her classmates groan, “Ugh, not that root and berry crap again.” Before she could fully react to her fellow pupil’s complaint, the hippie teacher pointed to someone behind her and called out, “I heard that Pipes! One more word out of you, and you’re heading straight for the principal’s office!” Once Pipes was humbled, Mr. Compost explained, “As I was going to say before I was so rudely interrupted, every semester, I take a group of kids on a magical weekend trip deep into the forest. We subside on nature’s gifts and eschew any and all manmade monstrosities polluting our great planet.” He then let out a wistful sigh as he finished with, “Good times.” As for Apple Bloom, she simply groaned to herself as she thought, “A whole weekend stuck with Mr. Compost? Ah’d rather eat one of Wheeljack’s overcooked steaks.” Shrugging, Mr. Compost continued, “But enough with that. You all still have about a month left. Now then, let’s continue where we left off yesterday….” As he began his lecture for the day, Apple Bloom couldn’t help but think to herself, “Ah just hope Ah can come up with somethin’ good enough so Ah don’t have to go on that stupid retreat.” English Class Sitting in her desk, Apple Bloom pulled out her English textbook and began to flip through the pages. After what seemed like a longer (and far more boring) than usual class with Mr. Compost, it was now time for her second period English class. Now, she just needed to get through another class, and she’d get to make it to lunch and a little time with Tender Taps. Before she could ponder what she’d say to her boyfriend, Apple Bloom was distracted by the sound of a familiar voice calling out, “Alright now everyone.” Turning to face front of the class, the former farm girl found herself staring at her English teacher, a man with dusty brown skin named Rust Dust. Clearing his throat, the older man began, “So, who here remembers where we left off yesterday?” Raising her hand, Apple Bloom answered, “We were discussin’ the use of allegory in literature?” Rust Dust nodded his head as he warmly replied, “Very good Apple Bloom.” He then pointed to the marker board behind him as he explained, “We were using the book Maximal Farm as a case study for allegory, and how it was a metaphor for the rise of infamous dictator Destro. Now then, can anyone tell me….” Lunch Setting their trays down at their usual seats, Apple Bloom and Tender Taps sat down as the latter asked, “So you’re saying Mr. Compost wants you to do something that big but also original?” Sitting down, the former farm girl replied, “Yeah. Ah gotta figure out somethin’ no one’s ever done before. Guess Ah can rule out workin’ with worms or just plantin’ trees.” Reaching for his drink, Tender Taps added, “Now that you mention it, I remember this one time a guy in my math class, this real burly football player by the name of Bulkhead, told me about that root and berry thing. He said that he broke his leg and Mr. Compost refused to help him with it.” Taking a sip, the young hoofer continued, “Poor guy’s leg never healed right. Had to quit the football team because of it.” “No way!” Apple Bloom exclaimed. “You mean to say that he actually did that?” As Tender Taps took a bite from his salad, he replied, “All I know is its what Bulkhead said. Just gotta take him at his word.” Taking this in, the former farm girl began to think to herself, ‘Could he really do that? Just let someone get hurt and do nothin’ about it? And if Ah don’t do well on the assignment, could that someone be me?’ The prospect of finding herself alone in the woods with a teacher she, for lack of a better term, didn’t like, proved to be a terrifying thought. Seeing his girlfriend panicking, Tender Taps took her hand and reassured her, “Hey, if anything, he’s probably kept on a short leash to make sure something like that doesn’t happen again.” As Apple Bloom took a deep breath at her boyfriend’s reassurance, he added, “And if he did anything, I’d tear his ass apart.” Smiling, the burgundy haired girl took her boyfriend’s hand as she playfully teased, “You’ll always be mah knight in shinin’ armor.” Blushing, Tender Taps replied, “I try my best.” He then took his girlfriend’s hand and kissed it, a gesture Apple Bloom wholeheartedly played along with. Art Class Making her way into her art class, Apple Bloom took a deep breath as she psyched herself up with, “Two more classes, and you’re out of here for the day. Besides, you’ll be with Pastel, so it shouldn’t be too bad.” After all, despite the stereotypes about goth kids she’d heard of as a child, Pastel was a surprisingly optimistic and friendly girl. No sooner had the former farm girl thought this than she noticed her cerulean friend waiting for her at one of the desks. Walking up to her, Apple Bloom loosened her messenger bag as she greeted, “Howdy Pastel. How’s your day been?” Pulling her friend into a hug, Pastel Goth answered, “Same old same old cowgirl. How about you?” Shrugging, the former farm girl replied, “Not too bad. Just dealin’ with Mr. Compost givin’ me an impossible assignment for the midterm.” As the two girls sat down, Pastel Goth remarked, “Ouch. Sorry about that. I hear he’s kind of a dick.” Sighing, Apple Bloom replied, “Ah dunno. Ah mean, he’s kinda annoyin’, but Ah doubt he’s, you know…” Pausing as she tried to find the right word, the former farm girl sighed as she simply stated, “A dick.” Both girls began to giggle at Apple Bloom’s unoriginality and mild use of profanity. Once they finished their giggling, Pastel complimented, “Gotta say cowgirl, I love the jacket. Never knew you could pull leather off so well.” Blushing, Apple Bloom replied, “You’re too kind. It was a gift from Sideswipe and Marble after Ah got into that little scuffle with mah sister Applejack.” Saying this, the former farm girl allowed her eyes to drift to her friend’s own attire. The cerulean goth was wearing a pink sleeveless dress under her black leather jacket. She also had a pair of black boots, black fishnet styled tights, and a black chocker around her neck. Noticing she was being observed, Pastel let out a playful, “I know, I know. I always dress for the occasion.” Starting to blush, Apple Bloom replied, “Well, Ah mean…. You are rather pretty and…” Wrapping her arm around her friend, Pastel warmly said, “Awh, thanks Cowgirl. You’re too nice.” At that moment, both girls were interrupted by the sound of a familiar voice call out, “Alright now everyone. I hope you all had a good lunch.” Turning to face the source of the voice, they found adult man with light red skin, purple hair, a yellow shirt and brown pants make his way to the front of the class. Both Apple Bloom and Pastel Goth recognized him as their art teacher, Cel Shade. Turning to his class, Cell Shade began, “So, can anyone remember where we left off yesterday?” Pastel raised her hand as she answered, “We were discussing realism vs romanticism.” Clapping his hands, the art teacher replied, “Exactly! Now….” Dr. Pennywhistle’s Class… If there was one class that Apple Bloom truly enjoyed in her day, it was world history with her homeroom teacher, Dr. Pennywhistle. Indeed, the older gray man was pointing to the map of the Tethys Sea as he explained, “Of all the Punicitron colonies, the most important was their settlement here in Kalis.” He then asked his pupils, “So, can anyone tell me why Kalis became such an important city?” Raising her head, Apple Bloom asked, “Was it because it was an easily defendable location?” Pointing to his student, Dr. Pennywhistle answered, “Kalis was in an easily defendable position, but that wasn’t the only reason the city flourished so much.” Even though she got the question wrong, the former farm girl felt engaged by her interaction with her teacher. The next student to raise their hand was Marble Pie. The gray girl asked, “Was it because of trading?” Dr. Pennywhistle clapped his hand as he enthusiastically replied, “Exactly! Kalis was one of the region’s largest and wealthiest trade hubs. Practically every good you could find in the ancient world….” Sadly, the gray man’s speech was interrupted by the ringing of the bell, signaling the end of the school day. Sighing to himself, Dr. Pennywhistle turned to the rest of his class as he said, “Well, looks like we’ll just pick up from here tomorrow. Have a good day everyone, and always remember, use that brain of yours, and the world will be at your fingertips.” Rising from her desk, Apple Bloom placed her textbook and notebook into her messenger bag as she turned to Marble and bade, “See ya Marble. You gonna leave with Sideswipe?” The gray geologist began to blush as she happily replied, “Yeah. I’m gonna introduce her to Scarlett. Take care Apple Bloom.” As Marble began to leave, the former farm girl let out a friendly sigh as she said to herself, “Those two are so adorable.” Outside Iacon High School Making her way to one of the benches that rested outside Iacon High, Apple Bloom sat down as she straightened her jacket and remarked, “Alright, all Ah gotta do is keep an eye out for uncle Ironhide’s van.” Indeed, the road that led to the school was choked full of cars, all lined up to pick up students for the day. Reaching into her messenger bag for something to pass the time, Apple Bloom recalled how she found herself here. Earlier in the day, Sideswipe had informed both her sister and Ironhide that Marble wanted to introduce her to her new pet macaw Scarlett. However, as the pale biker’s motorcycle only had one additional seat, Ironhide agreed to let Sideswipe take her girlfriend while he picked up Apple Bloom from school that day. As for the former farm girl, Apple Bloom didn’t really mind, as it gave her an opportunity to spend a little more time with her uncle. Apple Bloom was interrupted from her attempt at curtailing boredom by the sound of Pastel Goth’s voice calling out, “What ’cha doing there Cowgirl?” Turning to see her cerulean friend walking up to her, the burgundy haired girl explained, “Lookin’ for somethin’ to pass the time ‘till Uncle Ironhide arrives.” Sitting down on the bench, she asked, “What are you doin’ here?” Sitting down next to her friend, Pastel answered, “Same thing as you, I guess. Waiting for my brother Blaster.” She then let out a simple chuckle as she quickly corrected, “I mean, maybe not the exact same thing as you, since Blaster is my brother while Ironhide is your uncle.” Apple Bloom couldn’t help but giggle in response to her friend’s little tangent as she replied, “Ah guess you’re right.” As the line of cars continued to pick up other students, Pastel asked, “Hey Apple Bloom? Can I ask you something?” Turning to her friend, the former farm girl replied, “Of course you can. What’s eatin’ you?” To her surprise, Pastel had a somewhat nervous expression on her face as she scratched the back of her neck. ‘That’s odd.’ Apple Bloom thought to herself. ‘Pastel ain’t the sort of girl who’d be nervous over a simple question. What’s buggin’ her?’ True, she hadn’t known Pastel for very long, only a few weeks at most. But at the very least, she knew her friend was kind, smart, strong willed, and not someone who would get nervous or scared easily. Taking a deep breath, Pastel asked, “So, if someone you knew had a secret, and I mean a big secret, like the kind of secret that, if it got out, could possibly get them hurt, would that be a problem with being their friend?” Caught off guard, Apple Bloom replied with a confused, “Uh…. What do you mean by that?” Sighing, the cerulean goth continued with, “I mean, if you had a friend who had been keeping something from you because they were legitimately afraid of what would happen if people found out about it, would that piss you off?” For a moment, Apple Bloom didn’t know what to say. After a few moments, she replied with the only thing that came to her mind. “Ah mean, Ah don’t know if Ah’m the person to be askin’ that to since, you know… Anon-A-Miss.” As Pastel let out a dejected sigh, the former farm girl took a deep breath and continued, “But, as your friend, Ah’d say that Ah understand if there’s somethin’ botherin’ you, but you don’t wanna tell just anyone about.” Taking a deep breath, Pastel explained, “Thanks. So, there’s something I need to tell you, and for now, I want it to stay between us.” She then took Apple Bloom’s hands and insisted, “I mean it. It stays between you and me.” Though caught off guard, the burgundy haired girl replied, “Ah promise. Cross mah heart, to the brass, stick a round right up mah ass.” Giggling at her friend’s promise, Pastel began, “Ok. Apple Bloom, I’m….” “Hey freak show!” A vaguely familiar boy’s voice called out from behind the two girls. Turning to see who it was, Apple Bloom found four boys walking up to her and Pastel. One had dark brown skin with light yellow hair, one had green skin with blue hair, one had orange skin with white hair, and finally, one of them (whom Apple Bloom figured was the leader), had olive skin with black hair. The olive leader cracked his knuckles as he quipped, “Well well well, if it isn’t Anon-A-Miss and the crossdresser.” It was at this moment that Apple Bloom recognized the olive boy as she thought to herself, ‘Wait a minute. He’s Oak Leaf from Biology class.’ As the quartet of boys approached the burgundy haired girl and her friend, Apple Bloom asked, “What’s goin’ on here Oak Leaf?” Shaking his head, Oak Leaf folded his arms as he scoffed, “Not much, just stopping by to try and make sure someone stops crossdressing.” Confused, Apple Bloom asked, “What are you talkin’ about? What do you mean by “crossdressin’?”” Before she could say anything else, the former farm girl noticed that the olive boy’s friends were now surrounding her and Pastel. However, as her eyes locked on to her friend, Apple Bloom noticed that Pastel was growing far more visibly nervous than she had been earlier. As isolated beads of sweat fell down the cerulean goth’s face, the former farm girl asked, “You alright?” Shaking her head, Pastel simply replied, “Not really. Let’s get out of here.” As she rose to her feet, Oak Leaf groaned as he rudely asked, “For Primus’s sake Pastel, why don’t you just come out already?” Hearing this, Pastel stopped in her tracks as she grew deathly pale. For her part, Apple Bloom turned to Oak Leaf and awkwardly asked, “What the hell are you talkin’ about?” The cerulean goth grabbed Apple Bloom’s arm and began to pull her away as she nervously replied, “It doesn’t matter. Let’s just go.” Unfortunately, the two were intercepted by one of the boys as the others closed in, cutting off any and all escape routes. Strutting up to the two girls, Oak Leaf cruelly continued, “Oh don’t play dumb Anon-A-Miss.” As Apple Bloom began to growl at being reminded of her past, the olive boy continued, “Didn’t you ever wonder why He-She here has such a weird voice?” One of the other boys, the one with orange skin, continued, “Yeah, or why that thing has such a weird face?” As he said this, Pastel’s face turned from a gray pale to a furious red. Walking up to the orange boy, Pastel pointed her finger right in his face as she furiously growled, “Don’t you ever call me a “thing” again!” Unfortunately, Oak Leaf sneered, “Awh, what’s the matter with you? Couldn’t make it as a dude so you started playing dress up?” He then pushed Pastel as he coldly quipped, “Oops.” Catching her friend, Apple Bloom growled, “You better apologize to her right now!” Oak Leaf simply let out a mocking laugh as he replied, “Hah! Oh please, don’t tell me he tricked you into believing he’s a dude?” Confused, the former farm girl replied, “What are you talkin’ about? Pastel isn’t a boy.” The olive boy allowed a cruel smirk to form across his face as he remarked, “Well now, since you seem to think he’s really a girl, let’s see if he’ll react like a girl.” Without further warning, Oak Leaf swung his fist straight towards Pastel’s face. Not thinking, Apple Bloom pushed her friend out of the way so that she would take the brunt of the bully’s attack. As Apple Bloom fell to the ground, Pastel screamed, “Apple Bloom!” Oak Leaf, on the other hand, cruelly remarked, “Wow, you need someone else to fight your own battles? Maybe you are a chick after all!” Both the olive boy and his friends all laughed as they cruelly mocked the two girls. Before anyone could do anything else, everyone was distracted by the sound of Dr. Pennywhistle’s voice rang out, calling out, “What is going on here?” Apple Bloom began to rise back up to her feet, only to realize that her head, specifically her eye, was hurting. However, she could make out Oak Leaf calling out, “Beat it guys! Let’s get the hell out of here!” As the quartet of boys fled, Dr. Pennywhistle knelt down to Apple Bloom as he asked, “What happened here?” Pastel, who by now was noticeably hysterical, explained, “Those bastards just showed up out of nowhere and started picking on us and….” She then made her way to the gray teacher and whispered something into his ear. Letting out a contemplative sigh, Dr. Pennywhistle, “Nonetheless, let’s get you to the nurse’s office.” The Nurse’s Office As Apple Bloom rested an ice pack on her eye, the nurse informed her, “There we go dear. Make sure to keep an eye on that, and you should be good to go.” Getting back onto her feet, the former farm girl replied with a polite, “Thank you kindly.” As the nurse resumed her other duties, Apple Bloom made her way out of the nurse’s office. Making her way through the door, Apple Bloom found herself staring face to face with Ironhide. Gulping in fear, the former farm girl nervously asked, “Uncle Ironhide? What are you doin’ here?” Letting out a gentle chuckle, the former sergeant answered, “I got a phone call from the principal on the way here. Said something about you intercepting a punch from some sons of bitches.” The burgundy haired girl nodded in defeat as she replied, “Yeah. Those jerks were pickin’ on Pastel and me and…. They were callin’ her a “he-she” and a boy and…” She was interrupted by her uncle resting a hand on her shoulder as he explained, “It’s alright there kiddo. Dr. Pennywhistle and the principal told me everything. And if I may say, I’m just glad you’re alright.” Apple Bloom smiled as she pulled her uncle into a tight hug, one which he happily returned. As uncle and daughter finished their hug, Ironhide replied, “Now then, what do you say we go home?” The former farm girl nodded as she replied, “Sounds like a plan sir.” At that moment, the two were distracted by the sound of Pastel’s voice calling out, “Damnit!” Concerned, Apple Bloom began to make her way towards the source of the sound, flanked by her uncle. After a few moments, she found her gothic friend sitting on a chair against the wall, her head held in her hands in defeat. Walking up to her friend, Apple Bloom asked, “What’s goin’ on?” Looking up to the former farm girl, Pastel explained, “I called Blaster about what happened, and he said that he can’t pick me up.” As Apple Bloom gave a concerned look, the cerulean girl explained, “He said he’s busy with stuff at the radio station, so he won’t be able to pick me up for, like, another hour or two.” She then sighed as she explained, “This happens every now and then.” To Apple Bloom’s surprise, Ironhide reassured the cerulean girl, “Don’t worry there young lady. Why don’t you come with us? I can call Blaster for you and explain that you’re with us.” He then shrugged as he continued, “Of course, you could stay here and just be bored out of your mind…” Apple Bloom, on the other hand, took Pastel’s hands as she nearly squealed, “Yeah! We can totally hang out and maybe study or do somethin’ fun!” Smiling, Pastel let out a gentle laugh as she replied, “Sure. Thanks Apple Bloom.” Rising up to her feet, the cerulean then added, “And I can tell both you and Sideswipe that “thing” I was gonna tell you.” As the two girls shared a small hug, Ironhide remarked, “Alright then. Let’s get moving before we get asked to leave.” With that, he began to lead them away, thankful his van would have enough room for everyone. Apple Bloom’s Room, A Short While Later “So, what do you think?” Apple Bloom asked Pastel as she showed off her bedroom. Taking everything in, the cerulean goth replied, “It’s nice. Very quaint.” She then walked up to her friend as she continued, “Hey, thanks for letting me hang out here.” The former farm girl pulled her friend into a tight hug as she reassured her, “No problem. That’s what friends are for.” At that moment, the bedroom door was gently pushed open as Wheelie rode Sparkplug in as he introduced, “Hi there. I’m Wheelie! I hear you’re Apple Bloom’s friend!” Bending down to greet the small promethean, Pastel let out a gentle giggle as she replied, “Hello there. I’m Pastel Goth.” She then shook his hand as she added, “I hear you’re the little robot that snuck into school with Apple Bloom.” Scratching the back of his head, Wheelie replied, “Yeah. I kinda calculated the odds of it working against the odds I was doing something incredibly stupid, and I went a head and did it anyway.” Letting out a chuckle of her own, Apple Bloom quipped, “Yeah, he’s kind of a handful.” She then knelt as she continued, “But Pastel said she wanted to tell me somethin’. You mind givin’ us a little privacy?” Nodding, Wheelie answered, “You got it ma’am.” He then gave Sparkplug a gentle kick with his feet as he held out his hand and called out, “Hi ho silverware!” As Wheelie rode Sparkplug out of Apple Bloom’s room, Sideswipe barged straight in as she held her biker helmet and exclaimed, “Hey Apple Bloom! Hey Pastel! I heard something happened from Ironhide! Said you two got jumped by some pricks.” She then walked up to her sister as she asked, “What happened to your eye?” Resting her hand on her sister’s shoulder, Apple Bloom reassured her, “Ah’m fine. Just took a punch to the face to keep one of ‘em from hurtin’ Pastel’s pretty face.” Hearing this, Pastel blushed as she replied, “You’re too kind.” Shrugging, the former farm girl simply replied, “Ah do what Ah can.” It was at this moment that Pastel sighed as she began, “Ok, there’s something I need to tell you two.” Nervously looking around the bedroom, she continued, “And for now, I want it to stay between the three of us.” Nodding, Apple Bloom replied with a confident, “Ah understand. Don’t tell anyone.” To both her and Sideswipe’s surprise, Pastel pointed straight at Apple Bloom’s heart as she bluntly, in no certain terms, “I mean it. No one knows. At least unless I decide otherwise.” Caught off guard, the former farm girl nervously gulped as she replied, “Ah… Ah understand.” For her part, Sideswipe made her way to the bedroom door and locked it as she reassured her, “There we go. No one will know anything.” Taking a deep breath, Pastel began to slightly shiver as she began, “Ok, so… there’s something about what those assholes said about me that was true. You see…. I…” With her eyes starting to water as she let out a loud gulp, the cerulean goth almost began to noticeably shiver in fear. As Apple Bloom nervously reached out to her friend, Pastel asked, “I take it my voice isn’t what you girls expected?” As the other two girls awkwardly nodded, the cerulean goth undid her choker, revealing that she had a visible lump in her throat, one which neither Apple Bloom nor Sideswipe possessed. And it was at this moment, when the wheels began to turn in their heads, that Pastel Goth tearfully revealed why she was so nervous. Why her voice was so deep, and why Oak Leaf and his cronies had been so ruthless and cruel. “Apple Bloom, Sideswipe…. I’m trans.” As both sisters took this revelation in, Pastel continued, “Yes. I’m trans. I….” Now giving in to her fear and sadness, the cerulean girl tearfully finished with, “You girls are the best friends I’ve had in a long time and… I just wanted you two to know.” Walking up to her friend, Apple Bloom extended her hand as she asked, “Pastel?” As the teary-eyed goth looked up to her friend, the former farm girl explained, “Ah… Ah can’t say Ah know or even fully understand what bein’ trans is like, but there is one thing Ah can say.” Taking a deep breath, Apple Bloom reassured her friend, “Pastel Goth, you’re a beautiful girl, a pretty good tap dancer, a great artist, and most importantly of all, you’re mah friend.” Letting out a deep sigh, she finished with, “And if you say you’re a girl, then…” Stopping as she realized she was sounding off topic, she continued, “Ah guess Ah’m just tryin’ to say Ah stand buy you.” As Pastel began to tear up again, Sideswipe walked up to the cerulean goth and said, “Hey, take it from someone who’s a lesbian, I know how scary it can be to come out. And if I may, I’m honored you chose to come out to me.” She then reassured her, “And I promise you, I won’t tell anyone.” Now finding herself reduced to a blubbering mess, Pastel pulled Apple Bloom and Sideswipe into a bone crushing hug as she cried, “I love you girls so much!” Hugging her friend back, the former farm girl gently replied, “Ah love you too Pastel.” Once she’d calmed down, Pastel wiped her face as she apologized, “Sorry for getting all emotional. I don’t exactly come out to people every day.” Sideswipe gave the cerulean goth a gentle punch to the arm as she reassured her, “No problem. As I said, I know how scary it can be.” Apple Bloom then asked, “So, if you don’t mind me askin’, how’d you know you were trans?” Taking a deep breath as she held onto her arm, Pastel began, “Well, most of my life, I was always just… Kinda miserable. I always felt something was wrong with me and wearing boys’ clothing just made me feel gross. I couldn’t even look at myself in the mirror, because I just saw someone else.” Looking over to the bedroom mirror, she continued, “One day, I decided to let my hair grow out, and I kinda liked how it looked and felt.” As Apple Bloom and Sideswipe took this in, Pastel continued, “And then one day, I tried this strapless dress on. I don’t know how to explain it, but it just felt right. And when I saw my reflection in the mirror…” Now looking at herself in the mirror as she straightened her leather jacket, Pastel smiled as she finished with, “For the first time in my life, I saw myself.” Apple Bloom felt her heart melt as she replied, “Awh, that’s so sweet. How’d your folks take it when you….” The moment she said the word “folks,” The former farm girl realized that Pastel’s mood turned from relieved to melancholy as she asked, “They didn’t accept you, did they?” Shaking her head, Pastel answered, “Mom didn’t really get it, but dad?” Starting to scowl in anger, the cerulean goth continued, “Dad kept trying to change me, saying how I was just “crossdressing” or that I was making an ass out of myself, or that I needed to man up!” Now starting to grow red with anger, she finished with, “He tried to send me to this camp in the middle of nowhere that would “cure me,” but I didn’t want to go so…” Pausing for a moment as she caught her breath, Pastel finished with, “That leads to my brother Blaster. Or rather, I should say stepbrother.” Confused, Sideswipe asked, “Stepbrother?” Pastel nodded as she explained, “Dad married someone else and divorced her before I was born. Blaster is about twenty years older than me.” Shrugging, the pale biker replied, “Makes sense.” Taking a deep breath, Pastel said, “Ok, that should be about everything I really wanted to tell you girls.” She then grew momentarily serious as she reminded them, “But I’m serious. I don’t want either of you two telling a soul about this. It’s….” Shuddering for a moment, the cerulean goth simply finished with, “It’s very important.” Sideswipe nodded as she made the motion of zipping her mouth shut as Apple Bloom repeated, “Cross mah heart, to the brass, stick a round right up mah ass.” Smiling, Pastel replied, “Thanks. You two are the first people I’ve told.” She then held her arm as she continued, “Blaster told some of the teachers at school like Dr. Pennywhistle, and he also told Miss Hoofer Steps.” She then looked at her friends as she finished with, “But you two are first I chose to tell.” Apple Bloom reassured her gothic friend, “Don’t worry, we’re here for you.” Sideswipe then spoke up with, “And that’s a promise.” The three girls then pulled each other into a massive hug, just happy that they all had each other. Later That Night Sitting on the chop shop’s front porch, Apple Bloom and Pastel watched as Ironhide and a vaguely familiar man with red skin, white hair, and a gray suit and tie chatted with each other. Leaning into her friend’s ear, the burgundy haired girl asked, “That guy Blaster?” Nodding, the cerulean goth answered, “Yeah. Looks like he finished with everything at the radio station.” Indeed, the man who Pastel recognized as Blaster was talking with Ironhide, saying, “Thank you for keeping an eye on her. I swear I’ll make it up to you.” Ironhide, for his part, reassured him, “Don’t worry. It was a pleasure. A friend of either of my girls is always welcome here.” Nodding, Blaster shook the family patriarch’s hand as he finished, “Thank you so much.” Turning to the two girls, Blaster called out, “Come on Pastel. Let’s go home.” Nodding, the young goth girl replied, “Just give me a sec.” She then turned to Apple Bloom and said, “Thanks for everything cowgirl. See you tomorrow?” Pulling her into a hug, the former farm girl replied, “See you tomorrow. And if anyone tries to pick on you, Ah’ll be your knight in shinin’ armor.” With that, Pastel picked up her backpack and joined her stepbrother and got into his car before disappearing into the horizon. Once they were gone, Ironhide asked, “Now then, you mind helping me with KP tonight?” Apple Bloom nodded as she stood at attention and replied, “Sir yes sir.” Blaster’s Car “So, I hear you got jumped by some punks.” Blaster asked his stepsister as he focused on the road. Staring out into the darkness of the night sky, Pastel replied, “Yeah. Apple Bloom took the blow for me.” She then began to blush as she continued, “I’ve never had anyone other than you stand up for me like that before.” Letting out an amused laugh, the older DJ remarked, “I’m glad you’re making friends. With this and those tap classes, you’re starting to come out of your shell.” He then briefly glanced at his ward as he quipped, “Otherwise, who are you and what did you do with Pastel?” To Blaster’s surprise, Pastel informed him, “I came out to Apple Bloom and Sideswipe.” Lighting up, Blaster exclaimed, “Well that’s great! I’m so proud of you kiddo.” He then added, “What about the others?” Turning to face her stepbrother, the cerulean girl explained, “All in good time.” Smiling, the older DJ finished with, “Alright then. Now, how about we put on a few tunes?” Switching on the radio, Blaster and Pastel felt their ears overcome with the intoxicating sound of a guitar solo as they made their way home. As for Pastel Goth, she felt her heart soar as she thought to herself, ‘Apple Bloom and Sideswipe accepted me when I told them I’m trans. Maybe the others will too.’ With that, the cerulean goth girl hugged herself as she and her stepbrother made their way down the road, feeling that, for the first time in her life, she’d finally found somewhere she could truly call home.