Life In Allspark Wells

by The Fraudulent Brit

The past seven months have been quite the experience for Apple Bloom. Learning about and bonding with her uncle Ironhide, tap dancing with her boyfriend Tender Taps, helping her new sister Sideswipe, befriending Marble Pie and Rattrap, and in general, exploring her new home of Allspark Wells. But that was only the beginning. Currently being posted on Fimfiction first.

30. Enter the PYA

Life in Allspark Wells

Part 26; Enter the PYA

Stepping out of her sister's sidecar, Apple Bloom removed her helmet as she remarked, "You don't always have to go that fast Sideswipe." She'd have continued, but a small buildup of phlegm in her throat forced the former farm girl to pause a moment so she could cough. As the burgundy haired girl hacked up a lung, Sideswipe rolled her eyes as she replied, "You're just being a softie." She then pointed to her sister's messenger bag as she added, "Why else do you still have, like, a hundred cough drops in there?"

Reaching into her bag for a cough drop, Apple Bloom replied, "Because Ah don't wanna risk throwin' up an' gettin' sent home. Ah've already missed two days from that sinus infection." She then popped it into her mouth as she continued, "Last thing Ah need is fallin' behind." Sideswipe could only let out a gentle chuckle as she replied, "Alright. Come on."

As she entered Iacon High, Apple Bloom took a deep breath as she thought to herself, 'Alright. Another day in the doldrums.' She'd spent the last two days dealing with a sinus infection, and now she wanted to get caught up on her schoolwork. 'Of course, Ah'll need to speak with Mr. Shockwave, Dr. Pennywhistle….'

Apple Bloom was distracted from her train of thought when she heard the sound of Pastel Goth's voice call out, "Hey! Piss off you wankers!" Hearing this, the former farm girl nervously whispered to herself, "Oh no. That doesn't sound good." No sooner had those words escaped her mouth when the former farm girl heard another voice, this time a familiar boy's voice, mockingly reply, "Oh please! You're supposed to be a dude, right?! Start acting like one!"

'Wait a minute.' Apple Bloom thought to herself. 'That sounds like Oak Leaf!' It was at this moment that the former farm girl continued, 'Hold on. Last time Ah heard Oak Leaf callin' Pastel a dude was…. WHEN HE TRIED OUTIN' HER!' Realizing what was likely happening, Apple Bloom charged forward, following the sound of her friend's voice.

After a few moments of nervous running, the burgundy haired girl found herself greeted by an unpleasant sight. In front of her, she found Pastel Goth, dressed in a pink dress under her black leather jacket with black boots, surrounded by several boys. One of them was a familiar boy with olive skin, black hair, and, if Apple Bloom's eyes weren't deceiving her, had some sort of arm band around his left arm.

But Apple Bloom wasn't focused on Oak Leaf's armband. Instead, she was focusing on the fact that the olive boy was cruelly saying, "What's the matter with you? Don't you wanna go run to the little girl's room?" As he and his friends let out a cruel fit of laughter, Pastel could only frown in frustration as a few stray tears escaped from her right eye. Realizing her friend was in trouble, Apple Bloom shook her head as she stepped forward and declared, "You better leave her alone right now!"

Though momentarily caught off guard, Oak Leaf let out a cruel snicker as he retorted, "You're a little late to the party Anon-A-Miss!" He then pointed to Pastel as he mockingly continued, "Everyone here knows that so called "tranny" is just a dude!" One of the other boys, a peach skinned boy with yellow-orange hair, added, "Yeah. He's just some pussy with a dick!" Turning to his friend, Oak Leaf complimented, "Nice one Freeze Peach!"

While the gang of boys were fist bumping and complimenting each other, Apple Bloom turned to Pastel Goth, who was now struggling to keep herself from bursting into tears. The former farm girl reached her hand out as she asked, "You alright Pastel?" The goth girl didn't verbally answer, instead brushing her friend's hand away and running off.

Chasing after her friend, Apple Bloom called out, "Pastel! Wait!" As both girls shoved and squeezed their way through the crowd of other students, the pale goth eventually ran straight into one of the girls' bathrooms. Letting out a deep breath, the former farm girl whispered to herself, "Well, hopefully we'll have a little peace and quiet."

Entering the bathroom, Apple Bloom was immediately greeted by the sound of Pastel's voice crying her eyes out. Looking around, the former farm girl found her friend curled up the corner, her head leaning into her folded up legs as black tear marks dripped from her eyes. Her broken sobs made it clear that, however brief her conflict with Oak Leaf was, it had left her absolutely shaken.

Tiptoeing up to her friend, the former farm girl nervously asked, "You alright?" Almost instantly, Pastel shot up and, with tears bleeding from her eyes and snot running from her nose, angrily replied, "YOU REALLY THINK I'M ALRIGHT? As Apple Bloom recoiled in shock, the pale goth let out a deep sigh as she apologized, "I'm sorry. I just…." The former farm girl took her friend's hand and reassured her, "It's alright. Just tell me what happened?"

Pastel let out a defeated chuckle as she replied, "What's there to tell? That asshole basically outed me in front of the entire school. All those people know I'm trans!" She then sat back down as she sniffled, "I… I'm scared."

All Apple Bloom could do was sit down next to Pastel and wrap her arm around her friend's shoulder, pulling her into a side hug as she reassured her, "Hey, it'll be alright." Shaking her head, the pale goth replied, "It won't. I know how this ends. Those assholes aren't gonna leave me alone." She then continued to cry, tearfully lamenting, "I don't know what to do."

Before Apple Bloom could say anything else, the sound of a bell ringing caught their attention. Hearing this, Pastel defeatedly said, "You better head to class. I don't want you getting a tardy because of me." The burgundy haired girl took her friend's hand as she reassured her, "That don't matter. Right now you don't need to be alone."

Taking her friend's hand, Pastel reassured her, "I'll be fine, more or less. I just need a moment to calm down." Apple Bloom nodded as she replied, "Alright, but Ah'll be checkin' up on you in art class, alright?" Letting out a gentle and earnest chuckle, the young goth replied, "Fine. Now hurry up." Standing up, the former farm girl bade farewell with, "See ya later Pastel. Stay safe."

With that, Apple Bloom departed the bathroom, hoping she could make it to biology class in time.

The Cafeteria, Later That Day

Sitting down at an empty table, Apple Bloom placed her tray on the table as she muttered to herself, "Ugh. Feels like it's been an eternity, but it's only just lunch time." Rubbing her temple, the former farm girl continued, "Ah just hope Pastel will be feelin' better."

After her talk with Pastel, Apple Bloom's first two classes of the day went by without too much incident. As she took a bite from her sandwich, the former farm girl thought, 'Heh. Oak Leaf didn't even raise a stink in biology.' Indeed, class proceeded just like it had every other day. Before she could take another bite, Apple Bloom felt herself begin to gag, forcing the young girl to pause for a moment before reaching into her messenger bag for a cough drop.

At that moment, Apple Bloom was greeted by the sound of Tender Taps's voice asking, "Hey Apple Bloom! How's your day been?" Turning to face her boyfriend, the former farm girl was greeted by the familiar orange boy, dressed in a black under shirt, open purple shirt, dark purple slacks, and black dress shoes. As he sat down next to her, the young hoofer asked, "Everything alright?"

Sighing, Apple Bloom replied, "Not really. Ah'm still gettin' over a sinus infection." No sooner had she said this than she began coughing again, leading Tender Taps to reply, "Ouch. Sorry about that." He then began to scratch the back of his neck as he replied, "I guess that explains where you've been the last few days."

Letting out a gentle chuckle, Apple Bloom continued, "But that's not the half of it. The moment Ah get here, Ah find Pastel surrounded by that asshole Oak Leaf and his gang of Hooligans, callin' her a dude." She then shivered as she added, "Ugh, those guys make me wanna smack 'em upside the head."

The moment she said this, Tender Taps nervously asked, "What? They outed her? Please tell me there wasn't anyone else around!" Apple Bloom shook her head as she continued, "No. There were, like, twenty others?" The orange hoofer let out a defeated and pained sigh as he replied, "Well, that's just prime!" A concerned Apple Bloom asked, "Does it have to do with people knowin' she's trans?"

Nodding, Tender Taps bluntly replied, "In a nutshell, yes. Outing someone as gay, bi, trans, nonbinary, you name it? It's not just rude, it's dangerous." He then began to nervously look around before finishing, "And in some cases, it can get people killed."

Apple Bloom could only sit there in shock, thinking, 'What? Could Pastel really be in danger?' Shaking her head, the former farm girl asked, "You really think someone could…. You know…." Tender Taps immediately interrupted with, "I doubt someone around here will try something that drastic, but if what you said is true, we're all gonna need to be here for Pastel." Apple Bloom nodded as she replied, "Yeah. We can't let those pricks treat her like a punchin' bag."

Smiling, Tender Taps then asked, "So, you think you'll be in good enough shape for tap class tomorrow? I don't want you wearing yourself out." Apple Bloom reassured her boyfriend, "Don't worry. Ah'm mostly over it. Just gotta remember to keep some cough drops on me. Ah'll be fine for tomorrow." She then began to blush as she added, "'Sides, it'll be nice to dance with you again."

Tender Taps began to blush himself as he replied, "Come on, we do this every week." Apple Bloom nodded as she took her boyfriend's hand as she added, "Yup. And it's the best part of mah week." She then began to lean in for a kiss, only for the sound of a teacher's voice called out, "Hey! No kissing like that during school hours!" Caught off guard, both Apple Bloom and Tender Taps recoiled back in embarrassment, leading the orange hoofer to whisper, "Maybe we should find a more secluded place tomorrow."

Apple Bloom nodded as she quietly replied, "Yeah."

Art Class

Walking into the art classroom, Apple Bloom darted her eyes around as she looked for Pastel. 'Huh, she must not be hear yet.' She thought to herself. Straightening her messenger bag, the former farm girl began to walk towards her seat as she continued, 'Still, Ah can't help but worry about her. Ah hope that she's doin' alright.'

As she reached into her backpack for her sketchbook, Apple Bloom thought back to what Tender had told her. 'Outin' someone bein' dangerous, even deadly.' She repeated in her head. 'But, it's not like anyone would try to…. Seriously hurt her, right? If Ah was able to interrupt them, surely someone like Dr. Pennywhistle would be able to stop them.' However, the very thought that something could happen to her friend ate away at Apple Bloom, leading her to ask herself, "She'd be safe here, right?"

At that moment, the former farm girl noticed Pastel Goth entering the classroom. For the most part, the teenaged goth was just as Apple Bloom remembered from earlier that morning, except for one detail.

Pastel was holding an ice patch over her eye.

As the cerulean goth sat down next to her friend, Apple Bloom asked, "Pastel? What happened to your face?" Sighing, Pastel pointed to her eye as she lamented, "Egh, some bitch jumped me in the bathroom right before lunch. Gave me a black eye." She then removed the ice pack as she revealed that her left eye, normally obscured by her bangs, was now surrounded by the faded purple hue of a bruise. As Apple Bloom took this in, Pastel added, "Yeah. That twat kept calling me a "trannie" and…."

As she continued to explain, Pastel's voice began to crack as a tear dripped from her other eye. Sighing, the cerulean goth finished with, "I don't…. I don't really wanna talk about it." Apple Bloom wanted to disagree, but the look of resignation and emotional exhaustion in the cerulean goth's face made her think that, for right now, pressing the issue would not be a good idea. Deciding to cut her losses, the former farm girl simply nodded as she said, "Well, Ah'm sorry about your eye."

Before Pastel could reply, the girls were distracted when their teacher called out, "Ok class." Apple Bloom turned around as she greeted, "Good afternoon Mr. Cel Shade." The light red teacher nodded as he replied, "Good afternoon to you too Apple Bloom." He then continued, "Now, today we are going to continue on your painting projects."

At that moment, one of the other students, a boy with a vaguely familiar voice, called out, "Excuse me Mr. Cel Shade. You promised we could do the thing, right?" Turning to see who it was, Apple Bloom was surprised to see it was a boy with peach skin, yellow-orange hair, and to her shock, a red armband around his left arm. 'Wait a minute. That's Freeze Peach! One of Oak Leaf's cronies!"

Sighing to himself, Cel Shade rolled his eyes as he lamented, "Alright. But make it quick." As Freeze Peach stood up and made his way to the front of the class, Apple Bloom turned to Pastel as she asked, "He's one of the pricks who was bullyin' you, right?" All the young goth girl could do was nod 'yes' and try to shrink herself into her seat, hoping he wouldn't see her.

Straightening himself as he stood in front of his classmates, Freeze Peach confidently addressed his peers with, "My friends, I am here to introduce you to a new club, one which will usher in a new age of strength, unity, and discipline!" He then extended his arms out as he declared, "We are the Patriotic Youth Association!"

For several moments, Apple Bloom, Pastel, and everyone else sat in silent confusion. Looking around, the former farm girl raised her hand as she asked, "So, what exactly do you guys do?" Freeze Peach pointed at the former farm girl as he answered, "We promote truth, unity, free speech, and patriotism!" The peach boy then continued, "It is our duty to stomp out everything from censorship to perversion!"

Cel Shade walked up to his student as he said, "Well, you've made your point. Please return to your seat." As he tried to usher Freeze Peach away, the boy defiantly declared, "I am not done! We already have a liar in this class!" He then pointed right at Pastel as he declared, "That boy over there is pretending he's a chick! He's pretending to be one of those so-called trannies!"

Pastel immediately stood up and ran towards the door, leaving her belongings behind. Apple Bloom quickly called out, "Pastel! Wait!" As she began to stand up, Cel Shade replied, "That will do Apple Bloom! I will deal with her." Turning to her teacher, the former farm girl tried to retort, "But sir, she…. That….."

Thankfully for her, the art teacher turned to Freeze Peach as he sternly stated, "Freeze Peach, you are to go to the principal's office this instant!" The peach boy tried to protest, complaining, "But sir, all I did was tell the truth. You know, expressed my freedom of speech!" Shaking his head, Cel Shade bluntly replied, "I'm not having this discussion here. You will go to Principal Magnus's office or you shall be sent home!"

Realizing he wasn't going to win this argument, Freeze Peach sighed, collected his belongings, and began to depart the classroom. As he passed Apple Bloom, the former farm girl was finally able to get a good look at the armband he was wearing.

It depicted an yellow circle with a black symbol, specifically something that looked like a three pronged crown with a dot over the middle prong. 'Somethin' about that thing seems…. Off?' Apple Bloom thought to herself. Whatever this symbol was, it gave her an uncomfortable sense of déjà vu. 'What is that thing? And why do Ah have the feelin' Ah know what it is?'

Once Freeze Peach was gone, Cel Shade apologized, "I'm sorry everyone. I didn't know he was going to go on that… vile tangent. We will continue where we left off beforehand. Please collect your paintings and…."

Apple Bloom wasn't focusing on her teacher's instructions. Instead, all the former farm girl could do was sigh as she thought to herself, 'Ah hope Pastel will be alright.'

Dr. Pennywhistle's Classroom

"And then she just ran out of the classroom!" Apple Bloom explained to Marble Pie. As the gray girl slinked into her jacket, the former farm girl continued, "Ah mean, Ah'm glad that Mr. Cel Shade sent that jerk Freeze Peach to the principal's office, but the fact it happened just…." Growling as she struggled to contain her frustration, Apple Bloom simply finished with, "It really pisses me off."

Sighing, Marble lamented, "Sheesh. I thought those guys were just messing with Sideswipe and I." Apple Bloom immediately lit up as she asked, "What? They messed with you two as well?" Nodding, the gray geologist explained, "Yeah. Their leader, some guy named Oak Leaf…. He caught Sideswipe and me chatting near one of the back stairwells, and when they caught us holding hands, he…." Pausing for a moment as she collected herself, Marble finished, "At least Sideswipe was able to scare them off. Guess they got afraid of someone willing to put up a fight."

Both girls were then distracted when Dr. Pennywhistle called out, "Alright everyone. Simmer down now." As Apple Bloom turned to face her teacher, she noticed the older gray man had a look of exhaustion and resignation on his eyes. 'That's not good.' She thought to herself. 'Looks like he's been havin' a longer day than usual.'

Walking up to the front chalkboard, Dr. Pennywhistle explained, "Now, I know that some of you will be familiar with this new "Patriotic Youth Association." Regardless, I will not tolerate any behavior regarding them in my class. If you're a member, I suggest you remove your fancy little arm bands and avoid speaking about it in my class. Is that clear?" Apple Bloom, Marble Pie, and the rest of the class responded with, "Yes sir." The former farm girl shrugged as she thought to herself, 'Well, at least that's another teacher who's not takin' any of their crap.'

Satisfied, Dr. Pennywhistle turned to his chalk board as he asked, "Now then, can anyone tell me where we left off yesterday?" Apple Bloom raised her hand as she asked, "Was it with the collapse of the Iaconian Empire?" The older teacher clapped his hands together as he exclaimed, "Exactly! Of course, there was more than one reason that they fell. Who can name some of the reasons?"

Once again, Apple Bloom raised her hand, leading Dr. Pennywhistle replied, "Yes Apple Bloom?" Taking a deep breath, the former farm girl began, "Well, there was the fact that the empire got too big to effectively govern, multiple tribes migratin' into the empire, and climate change?" Dr. Pennywhistle nodded as he enthusiastically replied, "Very good. Looks like someone has been studying."

As Apple Bloom felt a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment wash over her, Dr. Pennywhistle grabbed a piece of chalk and began to scribble on the chalkboard as he continued, "Now, as the turn of the century began to creep in, the Iaconian Empire found itself…."

Hallways, A Short While Later

Walking down the hallway, Apple Bloom, Marble Pie, and Sideswipe chatted amongst themselves, with the pale biker remarking, "Well, at least Dr. Pennywhistle isn't gonna take any crap from those twats." Holding a notebook to her chest, Marble replied, "Yeah. Those guys are just…. The worst." She then shivered as she elaborated, "They've been doing this sort of thing for the last few days."

Intrigued, Apple Bloom asked, "Last few days? Ah thought today was the first time they'd all been pullin' this stuff." Sideswipe shook her head as she replied, "That's just because you were sick for the last few days. They've been popping up here and there, mostly just making a fuss in between classes. But during third period, one of them tried introducing their little club to everyone."

"That's what one of them did in art class!" Apple Bloom exclaimed. "This guy named Freeze Peach went on this rant about how they're standin' up for free speech, truth, and all that stuff!" She then sighed as she added, "And the worst part is they outed Pastel this mornin', and Freeze Peach tried outin' her again. Pastel just ran off when he said that."

Before anyone could say anything else, the three girls were distracted by Pastel's voice calling out, "You talking about me cowgirl?" Turning to face the cerulean goth, Apple Bloom found her walking up to the group, her black eye having begun to fade as she held her backpack in her arms. Letting out a gentle chuckle, Pastel continued, "I've dealt with worse than a bunch of small minded hillbillies."

Marble asked, "You feeling alright? Apple Bloom told us what happened with you and those Patriotic Youth Association jerks." Nodding, Pastel lamented, "I mean, getting forced out of the closet by people doing it just to be spiteful isn't exactly the way I expected I'd spend today, but it's not my first tango with Unicron." She then sighed before finishing, "Still, I'd prefer to just head home for today."

At that moment, the quartet of girls were caught off guard by the sound of another voice, this one Oak Leaf's, calling out, "Come my friends. Ask yourself, why should we have to tolerate the degenerates filling our school?" Hearing this voice, Pastel took a deep breath as she muttered, "Oh shit. Here we go again."

Sure enough, right at the grand stairwell near the front doors, Oak Leaf, Freeze Peach, and several others were holding some sort of small rally. Apple Bloom could even make out a table covered with a tablecloth that read "join the PYA today." Shaking her head, the burgundy haired girl couldn't help but notice that several other students were standing in front of Oak Leaf's gang, hanging on to every word he said. Turning to her friends, Apple Bloom lamented, "Come on. Let's go before they notice us." As Sideswipe and Marble nodded, Pastel sighed, "Yeah."

Before the four teens could sneak away, Oak Leaf pointed right at them and declared, "Look no further than those four foul creatures! The spy, the faggot, the retard, and the crossdresser!"

As everyone turned their attention to the four girls, Apple Bloom couldn't help but feel both terrified and infuriated. 'Oh shit.' She thought to herself. 'Please tell me that he isn't gonna say anythin' else. Please!'

Sadly, some of the other students began to cut the quartet off, leading Freeze Peach to remark, "See? They're trying to hide their sins!" This remark seemed to strike a fuse, as Sideswipe shouted back, "Oh please! We haven't done anything to you wankers! You're just a bunch of…." She was interrupted by the sound of Oak Leaf growling, "You're all disgusting degenerates! You will all be eradicated!"

'Oh, it is on!' Apple Bloom thought to herself. 'You can't get away with that kind of bullshit!' Feeling her fists clench, the former farm girl began to stomp up to Oak Leaf and his cronies. Before she could get too close, however, she was stopped by Pastel, who warned, "Not now cowgirl."

Caught off guard, Apple Bloom asked, "What? You really wanna let them just…. Say all that crap?" Shaking her head, Pastel lamented, "We're outnumbered and outgunned." The cerulean goth then added, "Blaster always told me to know when and where to pick my battles, and this isn't either."

Sighing, Apple Bloom said, "Alright, let's just go." With that, the four girls departed, all while Oak Leaf, Freeze Peach, and the rest of their gang mocked them, using words that could only generously be considered "school appropriate."

The Chop Shop, Later That Afternoon

Entering the chop shop, Apple Bloom let out a sigh of exhaustion as she called out, "Uncle Ironhide! We're home!" While the former farm girl set her helmet on the front counter, Sideswipe said, "I don't know about you, but I've had one hell of a day. I'm gonna go take a nap." As the pale biker trudged away, Apple Bloom bade her sister, "Alright, but remember to get your homework done, ok?" Sideswipe replied with a blunt, "Yeah, whatever."

As Sideswipe departed, Ironhide entered the shop front, sweat dripping from his brow and dirt caked on his overalls. Walking up to his daughter, the family patriarch asked, "Hey there kiddo. Have a good day?"

Shaking her head as she held her arm in her hand, Apple Bloom replied, "Not really." Taking a deep breath, the former farm girl explained, "There's this new club at school callin' themselves the "Patriotic Youth Association," and the first thing Ah saw them do was bullyin' Pastel and outin' her." Tilting his head, Ironhide asked, "Outing her? Like out of the closet?" Nodding, Apple Bloom continued, "Exactly! And….." Allowing her frustration to consume her, the former farm girl lamented, "Ah just… Ah don't know what to do."

Taking this information in, Ironhide remarked, "Well, I think I can call Ultra Magnus and inform him about the outing part. That's the sort of thing that can get someone killed." He then rested a hand on his daughter's shoulder as he reassured her, "Don't worry. I'll do what I can, ok?"

Smiling, Apple Bloom wrapped her uncle in a tight hug as she exclaimed, "Thank you uncle Ironhide!" The former sergeant hugged his daughter back as he replied, "No problem, Apple Bloom." He then warned, "Though, you might wanna be careful now that you're…." As the former farm girl released him, Apple Bloom looked down to see that her shirt and kilt were now "decorated" with a fine layer of dirt and grime.

"Heh. Sorry about that." Apple Bloom apologized. She then continued, "Ah guess Ah better change out of these." Nodding, Ironhide replied, "Alright kid. Just remember you're with Ratchet on KP tonight, alright?" The former farm girl answered with an enthusiastic, "No problem. At least it means Ah don't gotta worry about Wheeljack muckin' anythin' up." With that, Apple Bloom departed to change into something a little cleaner.

Now that he was alone, Ironhide muttered to himself, "Patriotic Youth Association? Why does that name just give me a bad feeling?" He then shook his head as he continued, "Better make sure Ultra Magnus knows about it. If they're willing to out someone, who knows what else they're capable of doing."

Ironhide just hoped that whatever was going on wouldn't spiral out of control.