Life in Allspark Wells

Part 28; Brighter Pastels

Staring out her bedroom window, Apple Bloom took a deep breath as she said to herself, "Ah! Gotta love that fall sunrise!" Indeed, the sun was steadily rising over Allspark Wells, blanketing the town in the warm, orange-red rays of light that gave the former farm girl a feeling that the forth coming day was going to be a good one. Turning to her bedroom mirror, she caught a glimpse of her reflection, specifically her outfit of the day.

The young girl was dressed in a red off the shoulder shirt over a black tank top, a dark green and blue tartan patterned kilt, a brown belt, a pair of black boots, and a pair of white socks that just barely peeked out from her boots. Her hair was still in braided pigtails, albeit with a fresh coat of burgundy hair dye, completely hiding any traces of her naturally bright red hair. Taking everything in, Apple Bloom couldn't help but remark, "Gotta admit, this look is just too perfect."

Sadly, when she talked to her reflection, the former farm girl could still see the gap in between her left front tooth and her left canine. Her smile began to faintly fade as she lamented, "Heh. Ah almost keep forgettin' that." As she began to fidget with her tongue around the empty slot, Apple Bloom thought, 'It's weird really. Everythin' Ah've had the last few months, rangin' from Mr. Compost to the PYA and Oak Leaf, Ah swear even Ah've forgotten Ah'm missin' a tooth."

Apple Bloom was distracted from her reflection by the sound of someone knocking on her bedroom door, followed by Wheelie's voice asking, "Apple Bloom? You in there?" The burgundy-haired girl turned to the door as she replied, "Ah'm here Wheelie. You can come on in!"

Normally, someone would simply open the door and walk right in. However, all Apple Bloom could see was her doorknob lightly flick as Wheelie's voice grunted out, before the knob eventually turned downward, staying there as the small robot called out, "Uh… Apple Bloom? I'm stuck." All the former farm girl could do was let out an amused chuckle as she replied, "Ah'll get it."

Walking up to her door, Apple Bloom turned the knob, and pulled her door inwards, revealing a small robot awkwardly hanging from the other side of the doorknob. Looking up to his big sister, Wheelie said, "Thanks Apple Bloom. I could've sworn I could reach that." He then released his hands, falling down on his rear end, groaning, "Ugh. Yeah, I think this door is defective."

The former farm girl could only let out an amused laugh as she explained, "It's not defective. You're just not tall enough to reach it, that's all." She then rested her hand under Wheelie's chin as she asked, "Next time, make sure you can reach somethin' without havin' to jump up for it, ok?" Taking this in, the small robot nodded as he replied, "Alright." Apple Bloom then gave her little brother a hug, one which he happily reciprocated.

Once the two siblings had finished their hug, Wheelie said, "Oh! I nearly forgot! Ironhide says breakfast is almost ready." Apple Bloom nodded as she replied, "Alright then. Better not keep everyone waitin'." The two then began to make their way to the kitchen, hoping they weren't keeping everyone waiting.

The Kitchen

Entering the kitchen, Apple Bloom found Ironhide and Ratchet working the stove, frying strips of bacon and eggs respectively. As they did this, Sideswipe removed several pieces of toast from the toaster, small circles under her eyes suggesting she hadn't slept as much at night. And to top it all off, Chromia was seated at the kitchen table, her face buried in several envelopes and other pieces of mail.

Walking up to her aunt, the former farm girl asked, "Mornin' Aunt Chromia! Whatcha doin'?" Lifting her head from the mail, the family matriarch answered, "Morning dear. Just going through some bills and sorting out all the junk mail." She then asked, "Why don't you ask Ironhide if there's anything he needs help with?"

Before Apple Bloom could say anything, Ironhide called out, "We're just about done here, but you mind helping Chromia clearing off all that mail?" The former farm girl nodded as she happily replied, "Sure thing." She then began to reach for the scattered and cluttered envelopes as she asked, "Where do you need me to take these?" Gathering up the letters in her hand, Chromia answered, "We'll just take these here to the coffee table. I'll be dealing with these after breakfast." Nodding, Apple Bloom replied with a gentle, "Sure thing."

Several minutes later, Apple Bloom, Chromia, and everyone else was seated at the family table as they enjoyed their breakfast. As the former farm girl took a bite from a piece of toast, Ironhide asked, "So Apple Bloom, you still gonna go hang out with Pastel?" Nodding as she swallowed her mouthful, Apple Bloom replied, "Yup. Ah promised we'd hang out after everythin' she's been goin' through this week."

Indeed, the burgundy-haired girl had promised Pastel Goth that, after the emotionally exhausting week she'd had to endure, the two girls could spend the day just relaxing with each other. 'It's a shame Tender Taps can't join us.' Apple Bloom thought to herself. 'Hopefully he'll be alright dealin' with Double Shuffle, Nightshade, and Featherweight as they do that whatever it was, she said they were all doin'.' This thought led the former farm girl to continue, 'Guess Ah should've been payin' more attention to what Double Shuffle was talkin' about after class.'

With her mouth full of chewed up bacon and eggs, Sideswipe spoke up with, "Hey, give my regards to Pastel, and tell her I'm sorry I can't make it today." Ratchet immediately chimed up with a gentle but stern, "What have we said about talking with your mouth full?" The pale biker rolled her eyes as she swallowed her mouthful before replying, "Sorry Ratchet."

Letting out a gentle chuckle, Apple Bloom reassured her sister, "It's alright. Ah'm sure she'll understand that right now, Marble needs you more than she does." At the mention of her girlfriend, Sideswipe couldn't help but blush as she dreamily replied, "Yeah. She's asked me to help with some homework." Ironhide let out a snort before remarking, "I didn't know homework is an acceptable date. Back in my day, a date was taking someone out to eat and usually something more, I dunno… fun?" Chromia smiled as she took her husband's hand and replied, "You always were the romantic one, weren't you?"

Before anyone could say anything else romantic, Ratchet asked, "So, anyone want to tell me where the hell Wheeljack is?" Hearing the old medic say this, Apple Bloom couldn't help but reply, "Yeah. Ah haven't seen him since yesterday. Where is he?" Shaking his head, Ironhide answered, "Probably in his workshop. He and Wreck-Gar were combing through every book we have on the Last Great War."

As Apple Bloom took this information in, Wheelie's voice called out, "Yeah, he and Wreck-Gar have been up all night. They've been going on and on about "Jerry" this and "Waffen" that." As the former farm girl turned to face her little brother, the small robot meekly apologized, "Sorry. I heard you guys were talking about romance stuff and plans, and I didn't want to interrupt." Petting him on the head, Apple Bloom reassured him, "You didn't."

Taking this in, Ironhide asked, "So, have they found anything?" Wheelie shook his head as he replied, "I don't think so. Wheeljack won't let me help with their investigation. Said something about how I'm too scatterbrained." Pausing for a moment, the small robot asked, "What does scatterbrained mean anyway?"

Shaking his head, Ironhide reassured the small robot, "Right now it's not important. Besides, I've got some very important tasks for you today." Lighting up, Wheelie squealed, "Fantastic! I won't let you down sir!" Apple Bloom couldn't help but giggle at her little brother's enthusiasm.

At that moment, the former farm girl's eyes drifted off to the clock on the wall, only to see that it was almost nine thirty in the morning. 'Oh crap!' Apple Bloom thought to herself. 'Ah better get movin', and fast!' She then began to scarf down what was left of her breakfast, leading Armorhide to warn, "Careful there kid! Don't want to give yourself a stomachache."

Letting out an embarrassed chuckle, Apple Bloom replied, "Sorry about that." She then resumed eating her breakfast, albeit at a slower pace. After all, she had somewhere to be and someone to meet up with.

Pastel and Blaster's Home, A Short While Later

Peddling up to the structure, Apple Bloom thought to herself, 'Well, this must be the place.' Indeed, in front of her stood a two-story house with the same golden yellow outer walls of most other buildings in Allspark Wells. The lawn was well trimmed with short grass, as well as a sign that read, "T-R86 Radio. Music that transforms you!" Seeing this sign, the former farm girl remarked, "Guess that should confirm this is their place."

Parking her bike against the building's front wall, Apple Bloom began to tiptoe up to the front door as she thought, 'Well, here goes nothin'.' Taking a deep breath, the former farm girl knocked on door as she called out, "Hello? Pastel? Ah'm here!" From the other end, a familiar voice called out, "I'm coming!" As the sound of footsteps grew louder, Apple Bloom whispered to herself, "At least she sounds like she's in a good mood."

After a few moments, the front door opened, revealing Pastel Goth. The blue girl was dressed in a pink and black checkerboard sleeveless dress, white tights, black riding boots, and her black leather jacket. Her hair was swept over her face, hiding her left eye and beginning to cover her right eye. All in all, the young goth girl looked like she had been transported all the way from a bygone decade.

Pulling her friend into a tight hug, Pastel greeted, "It's so good to see you!" Apple Bloom returned the hug as she replied, "Same here. Ah'm just sorry Sideswipe couldn't make it as well." The cerulean goth let out a gentle sigh as she replied, "I know, but I bet right now, Marble needs her more." She then gave a playful nudge to Apple Bloom's arm as she added, "Besides, more fun for us, right?"

Taking her friend's hand, Pastel pulled her friend inside as she said, "Come on! I wanna show you around!"

Meanwhile, at the Chop Shop

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Ironhide rested the power saw on the table in front of him as he said, "There we go." On the table sat the sawed-up chunks of several rusting old pipes that he'd broken up for the smelting pools. Turning to his side, the family patriarch found Wheelie looking up to him as he continued, "That's how you do it. You just gotta make sure you're protected and not sawing through the table."

Taking this information in, Wheelie nodded as he replied, "Copy that sir. I think I can handle it." The small robot then asked, "So, can I have a turn?" Ironhide paused for a moment as he thought, 'Well, Wheeljack did say that if anything happens, he can repair the little guy.' Bending down to look Wheelie eye to eye, Ironhide handed him the power saw as he replied, "Here you go kid."

Squealing with delight, the small robot exclaimed, "Oh yeah! I finally get to help with the scrapping stuff around here!" As Wheelie began to align the power saw to a small piece of pipe, Ironhide couldn't help but think to himself, 'I gotta admit, that little guy's enthusiasm is contagious.'

The pleasant moment was interrupted when the door slammed open as Wheeljack, deep circles in his eyes and hair incredibly messy, sternly ordered, "Hey Sarge! You gotta see something we found!" Ironhide was caught off guard by the maverick mechanic not only ordering him around, but also addressing him by his old rank.

Before Ironhide could fully process what he'd just heard, Wheeljack grabbed him by his hand and pulled him through the door as he insisted, "Come on! We're burning daylight!" The maverick mechanic then turned to his pint-sized Promethean and ordered, "Wheelie! Put that saw down! This is more important!" All the small robot could do was power down the saw, set it down to the ground, and complain, "Awh. I wanted to cut some stuff up."

As Ironhide took a deep breath, he found himself overcome with the reeking scent of Wheeljack's breath. The stench of coffee, morning breath, and whatever else he'd eaten since the night before sickened the former sergeant, who thought, 'Oh, Primus almighty! This is disgusting!' He tried to say something, but his gag reflex was quicker, and Ironhide found himself coughing and choking, only able to internally say, 'This better be important, or I'm shoving a toothbrush so far down his throat he'll be shitting toothpaste for the next few months."

After a few awkward moments, Wheeljack brought Ironhide to the living room as he said, "Sorry for the interruption, but Wreck-Gar and I had a breakthrough!" As he released his boss, the former sergeant replied, "You know, you could have just said you found something." The maverick mechanic began to awkwardly scratch the back of his neck as he apologized, "Yeah, sorry about that. It's just… I think we found something big."

At that moment, Chromia, Ratchet, and Wreck-Gar entered the living room, the Promethean cyclops carrying a book in his arm as he said, "Ah, master Wheeljack found you then?" Nodding, Ironhide quipped, "He did, though I wish he could find some mouth wash." Ratchet then raised his hand as he added, "Same here. Wheeljack, your breath smells like a rotting corpse drenched in crappy coffee."

Setting his book onto the coffee table, Wreck-Gar solemnly said, "Well, I fear we've discovered something more unsettling than master Wheeljack's personal hygiene." Opening the book to a middle page, the cycloptic robot pointed to something as he asked, "This look familiar?" Curious, Ironhide, Chromia, and Ratchet looked at what Wreck-Gar was pointing to, only to be surprised by what they found.

There, right in the middle of the page, was a symbol that consisted of a black shield with a three-pronged crown shape, the middle prong extending far above the other two, itself being under a black dot. The symbol itself was also black but surrounded by a white outline to stand out against the plain black background. Curious, Ironhide asked, "So, what is this thing again?" What Wreck-Gar said in response shocked the former sergeant.

"That, sir, is the emblem of the Second Waffen Panzer Division Das Reich."

Hearing this, Ironhide shook his head as he thought to himself, 'What in the… No…. there's no way that….' After all, there was no way that a teenager would actually use a Waffen symbol for a school's club, right? 'There is no way someone would actually be either that fragrantly bold or incredibly stupid.'

Ironhide was distracted from his train of thought when Chromia gently nudged her husband's arm, asking, "You alright there?" Shaking his head, the former soldier replied, "Yeah, I'm fine." He then paused for a moment before continuing, "I'm just…. This is quite the accusation."

Wheeljack then presented something else; the broken armband that Apple Bloom had acquired the previous day. As Ironhide inspected the symbol, he couldn't help but notice the similarities. 'Well….' The former sergeant thought to himself. 'The armband has three equal sized prongs, while the Waffen's middle pronged towered over the other two. But everything else…' As he continued to stare at the two symbols, all the former sergeant could say was, "This… This can't be a coincidence."

Ratchet then added, "And this little club. They've been engaging in bullying all over the school?" Wreck-Gar nodded as he answered, "Yes sir. Of course there's everything with Pastel, but apparently Apple Bloom's boyfriend has reported that others have fallen victim to these bloody hooligans, not to mention how they've even targeted Sideswipe and Marble Pie."

Wheeljack then added, "But that's not the worst part." Hearing this, Ironhide rolled his eyes as he asked, "Oh, so you're telling me that not only are our girls going to school with a gang of punks who are using a Waffen symbol as their club logo, but it's worse?" Nodding, the maverick mechanic replied, "Yeah. I uh… I looked up these Das Reich guys, and… They did something pretty bad."

Wreck-Gar interrupted with a blunt, "The Das Reich Division was responsible for the Bonnaville massacre, resulting in the murder of almost six hundred and fifty civilians, mostly women and children."

The moment he heard this, Ironhide could only groan, "Well, that's just fucking prime!" As Wheeljack solemnly nodded in agreement, Chromia lamented, "This is… This isn't a coincidence. Their behavior, the symbol, and now that I think about it, the club's color choice… I think these PYA kids, or at least that Oak Leaf boy, know what this thing is." Ratchet replied, "I concur." Turning to his friend and boss, the aging medic asked, "What are we gonna do sir?"

Pausing as he took a deep breath, Ironhide replied, "Get the phone. We've got a few phone calls to make." He then turned to Wheeljack as he added, "And get every last ounce of coffee we have. We're gonna be having guests over in a bit, and I think we'll need every last ounce we have."

Pastel's Room

As the sound of a strumming bass and electric organ blasted through the cerulean goth's bedroom, Apple Bloom gently applied a coat of black nail polish to Pastel's nails. The two girls had decided to do each other's nails, and after a game of heads or tails, they'd decided that the former farm girl would be the one to apply a coat of paint first.

"You're doing a great job cowgirl." Pastel complimented her friend. "There's hardly any falling onto my fingers. You sure you don't do this often?"

Setting the bottle of nail polish on the floor, Apple Bloom answered, "Yeah. We never really did this sort of thing back home on the farm." She then began to inspect her own hands as she continued, "Mah Granny Smith always used to say how it didn't matter how much we "fancied ourselves" up, and that all that matters is how we behave." The former farm girl then lamented, "Sorry, guess Ah just don't really talk about 'em all that much anymore."

Noticing her friend's mood dropping, Pastel apologized, "Hey, sorry for dampening the mood." Apple Bloom quickly reassured her, "It's alright. Guess Ah just get a bit homesick every now and then." The burgundy haired girl then asked, "You ever miss home? Like even a little bit?"

Shaking her head, Pastel replied, "Not even remotely." The cerulean goth continued, "I mean, I couldn't even be myself back then. As far as I care, this place is home." She then reached for the bottle of nail polish as she asked, "So, you ready to start on your nails?" Apple Bloom hesitated for a moment before replying, "Ah guess."

As the former farm girl extended her hand, Pastel removed her leather jacket as she remarked, "I know that tone of voice. You didn't find my answer satisfactory, right?" Apple Bloom let out a gentle gulp as she replied, "Ah mean, a little bit? Ah just don't wanna press you if it's too uncomfortable." She then apologized, "Ah'm sorry for askin'. Ah just didn't wanna upset you."

Calming down as she sighed, Pastel Sighed as she lamented, "It's alright. I know you're just curious." She then asked, "If I may, you ever have the feeling that who you are, who you want to be, what you are, are something that your family will never accept?" Pondering this question over, Apple Bloom shook her head as she replied, "Ah can't say Ah do."

As the burgundy haired girl spread her fingers out for the nail polish, Pastel continued, "Well, that was the problem with my dad. I ever tell you about him?" Apple Bloom thought this over a moment before answering, "Ah can't say Ah remember." The cerulean goth let out a gentle chuckle as she replied, "Heh. Good thing you never met him. He's one of the presenters on this website called "No Quarter News Network. It's this place where a bunch of assholes go on and on about trans people, gay people, immigrants, and generally anyone they don't like."

Taking this in, Apple Bloom remarked, "That's horrible! He'd say that stuff like that about you?!" Pastel shrugged as she replied, "More or less. Of course, I don't think he'd appreciate the irony of having a trans daughter while spewing so much transphobia." She then looked down to her own nails, now covered in black nail polish as she lamented, "Just doing something like this would've made him madder than a hare."

As Apple Bloom let out a mischievous giggle, Pastel gently caressed her friend's fingernail with a brush coated with black polish whilst explaining, "It's part of why I always like to wear dresses and a lot of pink. I want to show the world that I'm not only a girl, but that I love being a girl." She then allowed a gentle chuckle as she continued, "That and pink is just my favorite color. Heh, good thing it goes surprisingly well with black."

After a few moments, Pastel finished on Apple Bloom's left hand as she asked, "There we go. What do you think?" Bringing her hand up to her eyes, the former farm girl inspected her now blackened fingernails, the former farm girl couldn't help but think, 'You know, this looks good. Scratch that, this looks amazin'!' While she hadn't ever really thought that black nails would work for her before, now that she could see it on her fingernails, she found that she loved the look.

"Ah love it!" Apple Bloom squealed with excitement! She then pulled Pastel into a tight hug as she continued, "Thanks Pastel!" The cerulean goth hugged her friend back as she replied, "You're welcome cowgirl, though you do know I only got one hand, right?" The former farm girl let out an embarrassed chuckle as she apologized, "Heh. Sorry about that." She then extended her other hand as she continued, "Ah'm ready for the other hand."

Giving her friend an enthusiastic smirk, Pastel readied her nail polish as she said, "Here we go cowgirl."

The Chop Shop, Later That Evening

As she peddled down the road, Apple Bloom thought to herself, 'Ah'm glad that Pastel is doin' better than the last few days.' Taking a few moments to glance down at her hands, she could see her now blackened fingernails as she continued, 'And Ah gotta admit, Ah love her work.' Indeed, her fingernails were perfectly covered in black paint, something that, while she might have scoffed it off in the past, now, the former farm girl couldn't help but feel, 'Maybe Ah should keep 'em like this.'

But as she continued her trek down the road, Apple Bloom couldn't help but think, 'But Ah'm still scared for her. Come Monday, we'll be back in school, and she'll still have to put up with those… those…' Struggling to find the right word, the former farm girl could only lament, "Those assholes!"

After a few moments, Apple Bloom found the chop shop emerging from the horizon. Letting out a sigh of relief, she remarked, "At least Ah made it home." However, as she approached the family's home, the burgundy haired girl noticed something was very different.

There were dozens of parked cars in front of the chop shop.

"What in the name of…" Apple Bloom asked herself as she parked her bike against the building's wall. "What's goin' on." For a moment, the former farm girl wondered if there had been some sort of emergency order for metal, but that led to her asking herself, "But wouldn't that have meant that uncle Ironhide would have needed all hands-on deck?" She continued to look around and noticed that Sideswipe's bike wasn't present. "Whatever's goin' on, Ah got a bad feelin' about this."

Entering the shop front, Apple Bloom called out, "Hello? Uncle Ironhide? Aunt Chromia?" For a moment, it seemed that no one was home. However, the former farm girl couldn't help but notice the faint sound of other voices emerging from the living room. Confused, Apple Bloom took a deep breath as she said to herself, "Alright, here we go." Once she entered the living room, however, she was caught off guard by what she found.

The entire room was filled with teachers from Iacon High.

"What in tarnation?" Apple Bloom whispered to herself. Indeed, the entire living room was teeming with familiar faces from her school. Some were teachers she didn't have or had only seen in passing as she'd walked the halls. But some of the others were far more familiar. In the far end of the living room, she could make out Shockwave, the one-eyed man shaking his head in disgust as he chatted with another, unfamiliar teacher. As she tried to sneak her way into the living room, Apple Bloom accidentally bumped into another teacher, only to gasp in surprise to see it was Dr. Pennywhistle.

"Oh my word!" Dr. Pennywhistle exclaimed as he found himself confronted by one of his pupils. "Apple Bloom? What are you…." He paused for a moment before continuing, "Oh yes. I nearly forgot you live here." The older teacher then let out a gentle chuckle as he asked, "So… How has your day been?"

Caught off guard and confused, Apple Bloom replied, "Uh… Ah'm doin' alright?" She then awkwardly asked, "So… What's goin' on here? Why are you and half of Iacon High here?" Taking a deep breath, Dr. Pennywhistle sighed as he answered, "That's…. Actually a bit of a funny story."

Before the old history teacher could answer, Apple Bloom was caught off guard by the sound of Principal Magnus's voice shouting, "Are you fucking kidding me?!" As the former farm girl began to tip toe towards the source of the shouting, her principal continued, "I can't believe I allowed students in my school to operate a goddamn fascist gang under my watch! The school board is gonna tear me limb from limb for this!"

Approaching her principal, Apple Bloom was surprised to see him speaking with Ironhide, the family patriarch reassuring him, "Don't beat yourself up. I only found out those little punks were using a kraut symbol thanks to Wreck-Gar." He then patted Ultra Magnus on the shoulder as he reassured his friend, "I'm sure the school board will understand." Neither man noticed the former farm girl approaching them.

Clearing her throat, Apple Bloom asked, "Uncle Ironhide? Principal Magnus? What's goin' on?" Turning to face the young girl, Ultra Magnus let out a sigh as he answered, "Well, guess you're one of the people I should be thanking for helping to expose our little…. Friends." Confused, Apple Bloom asked, "Uh… You're welcome?" Turning to her uncle, the burgundy haired girl asked, "What does he mean by exposin' someone?"

Ironhide bluntly answered, "It turns out that the symbol the Patriotic Youth Association use is the same symbol used by a Waffen Panzer Division from the Last Great War." Taking this in, Apple Bloom asked, "Waffen? Wait a minute…" As the gears turned in her head, the former farm girl remembered her grandfather's journal, particularly how he'd been saved from a squad of Waffen soldiers by the 92nd Highlanders.

Recalling the PYA's cruelty, transphobia, and general habit of bullying everyone around them, Apple Bloom couldn't help but remark, "That…. Explains so much."

Resting a hand on his daughter's shoulder, Ironhide said, "Hey, you mind giving us a little privacy? This place is pretty crowded." As much as she wanted to disagree with her uncle, Apple Bloom couldn't help but agree that the living room was indeed far too crowded, leading her to reply, "Sure thing. Anythin' you need me to do?" Pausing for a moment as he thought, Ironhide answered, "How about you go check up on Wheelie and Brains? Chromia is keeping them company over in Wheeljack's Workshop." Nodding, the former farm girl happily replied, "Ah can do that sir."

As Apple Bloom departed, Ironhide turned to Ultra Magnus as he asked, "So, this mean we're gonna get Monsieur Labelle?" Nodding, the principal answered, "I'm leaving that little task to you. He always seems to like you over the rest of us." The former sergeant let out a defeated sigh as he replied, "Very well. Let's just hope he'll be in a receptive mood."

Shaking his head, Ultra Magnus lamented, "Oh, that's unlikely. When he finds out what Oak Leaf and his friends have done, he'll be looking for blood. All we can do is save the others." Ironhide simply nodded as he replied, "Very well. Guess it's gonna be a hell of a next few days then."

After all, it wasn't everyday that the people of Allspark Wells had to contact one of the only living survivors of the Bonnaville massacre.