Life in Allspark Wells

Part 12; Pastel and Wreck-Gar

To many people, the bravest thing someone can do is face their greatest fear. To others, it is revealing something personal, like a well-kept secret. But for Pastel Goth, the bravest thing she could possibly do involved doing both at the same time. More specifically, she was in Apple Bloom's room with the former farm girl, Sideswipe, Marble Pie, and Rattrap as she informed the latter two of something she felt they deserved to know.

"Rattrap, Marble, I'm a trans girl."

As the other two teens took this revelation in, Pastel tensed up as she prepared for the worst possible answer. While Apple Bloom and Sideswipe had reassured her that their friends would accept her, the cerulean goth always found herself anticipating the worst possible outcome. After all, her father had expressed his disgust at her when she came out to him, and he'd not been the only one. 'It's a miracle that Blaster accepted me.' Pastel thought to herself, too lost in thought to notice Apple Bloom trying to get her attention.

"Hey Pastel!" Apple Bloom called out, trying to get her friend's attention. As Pastel turned to the former farm girl, she apologized, "Sorry about that. I kinda zoned out for a moment." Apple Bloom nodded as she explained, "It's alright, but Ah think Rattrap wants to say something." As the cerulean goth turned to face him, the scrawny teen took a deep breath as he began a small speech.

"Alright, I'm not too good at this sort of thing, but let me see if I can explain this. I ain't gonna pretend I understand what bein' trans is like, and I know I got a few questions I'd kinda like to ask, but I ain't gonna pry if it isn't comfortable for you. But if there's one thing I've learned from livin' on the streets, it's that you take people at their word and…"

When everyone gave him confused looks, Rattrap cleared his throat and explained, "Pastel, if you say you're a girl, then you're a girl, and…. Well…. That's pretty much it." As Pastel took this in, Marble rested a hand on her friend's shoulder as she added, "Pastel, I want you to know that I feel honored you chose to come out to us, and if I may, you are an amazingly beautiful girl."

Starting to tear up, Pastel Goth pulled the two teens into a massive hug as she squealed, "Thank you so much! You two have no idea how important this is for me!" Indeed, even though she'd already come out to Apple Bloom and Sideswipe the previous week, and to Tender Taps the day before, the cerulean goth still found herself nervous about coming out to yet more people. But having the two immediately reassure her that they accepted her for who she was made Pastel's heart sore, happy that she'd found more people who recognized her as a girl.

Releasing her friends, Pastel said, "Sorry if that was a bit tight, but I get emotional in situations like this." Marble reassured her, "It's ok, I know what it's like. Remember when I told you about how I had Perceptor's Syndrome?" Sideswipe then chimed in with, "Yeah, that was a long night." She then took her girlfriend's hand as she continued, "I'm just glad I could be there for you."

At that moment, someone knocked on the bedroom door, followed by a voice that sounded like it was coming through a radio asking, "Hello there. May I come in? I've got some refreshments for you kids." Apple Bloom stood up as she explained, "That must be Wreck-Gar." She then turned to Pastel as she continued, "He's a robot that Wheeljack made. Kinda like Wheelie, only he's full sized and a cyclops." Rattrap then added, "He's super fancy, like one of them butlers."

As the former farm girl opened the door, Pastel Goth was greeted by the sight of a bipedal robot covered in bronze plating with visible wires. While his body proportions were that of a human, his head was very simplistic, consisting simply of a large red eye and a chin with a vertical slit that was certainly his mouth. The only other thing that caught Pastel off guard was the fact that he was carrying a tray that housed a teapot, a series of small cups, and several slices of buttered bread. Intrigued by this metal man, the cerulean goth thought to herself, 'So that's Wreck-Gar. I can see the resemblance to Wheelie.'

Entering the bedroom, Wreck-Gar called out, "As you all have been up here a while, I took the liberty brewing up some tea and making some buttered soldiers." He then set the tray on the table as he continued, "Especially since most of you will leave by the time we start preparations for dinner." Pastel couldn't help but think to herself, 'Gotta admit, his voice has a nice ring to it.'

At that moment, as Wreck-Gar passed her, the bronzed robot asked, "Excuse me young man, but what are you doing wearing a dress?"

For several moments, everyone found themselves speechless. Pastel thought to herself, 'Wait, don't tell me he actually said what I think he said.' She then looked down at the pink dress she'd been wearing under her leather jacket, the only dress anyone in the room was currently wearing. 'Oh no. Please don't let this be what I think it is.'

As Pastel began to panic, Rattrap stood up and, turning to Wreck-Gar, began to joke, "Alright, you caught me. I like wearin' dresses." He then began to swish his oversized gray shirt around in an attempt to distract the promethean cyclops. Despite the tense situation unfurling, the other kids couldn't help but laugh at their friend's distraction. Even Pastel couldn't help but allow a gentle giggle to escape her as she remarked, "Nice one Rattrap."

Sadly, Wreck-Gar turned his attention back to Pastel Goth as he elaborated, "As much as I find his performance entertaining, I refer to you young man." He then added, "I dare say, I find your fashion choice rather queer." Taking this in, Pastel found herself overcome by a combination of rage and pain. As she started to growl, Wreck-Gar innocently asked, "Is everything alright sir?"

"I AM NOT A BOY!" Pastel shouted at Wreck-Gar, catching everyone off guard. As the robot stepped backwards in surprise, the cerulean girl pointed to his chest as she angrily continued, "My name is Pastel Goth, and I'm a girl, specifically a trans girl. So do me one favor, and never, EVER, call me a boy again! Got it?"

To her surprise, Wreck-Gar held one hand to his hips as he pointed to her as he asked, "Really? Then why is your voice so deep?" This only made Pastel angrier, who barked, "You got a problem with my voice tin can?" The bronze robot continued, "Because you certainly sound like a boy."

Before anyone could escalate the situation, Apple Bloom stepped in between the two as she called out, "That's it!" For a moment, Pastel began to internally worry, 'Please don't think like that. Apple Bloom is your friend. She wouldn't do something like blame you for what's going on, right?'

Thankfully, Apple Bloom turned to Wreck-Gar and calmly but sternly ordered, "Wreck-Gar? You better get out of mah room right now." The promethean cyclops hesitated for a moment before nodding and replied, "As you wish ma'am." He then made his way out of the former farm girl's room as he bade, "I shall return for the tray and cups later."

Once Wreck-Gar was gone, Apple Bloom turned back to Pastel and apologized, "Ah am so, so sorry he said that. Ah don't know what's gotten into him." The cerulean goth took a deep breath as she replied, "Thanks. Sorry for getting all angry at him, but…" Starting to choke up, she explained, "I've had to deal with a lot of people who pull shit like that, and each time it gets harder to take without me just wanting to stuff my face into a pillow and scream." As a tear escaped from her eye, she finished, "Sorry, it just gets tiring after a while."

Pastel was pleasantly surprised when Apple Bloom, Sideswipe, and Marble pulled her into a massive group hug. Hugging the former farm girl back, Pastel replied with a gentle, "Thank you." Apple Bloom reassured her friend, "Ah'll be tellin' Wheeljack about this, and if Wreck-Gar tries this again, Ah'll kick him in the ball bearin's." Sideswipe added, "Yeah, and I'll crack his eye."

Smiling, Pastel let out a gentle, "Thanks. I love you girls." She then turned to Rattrap as she reassured him, "You're pretty cool too." The scrawny teen shrugged as he replied, "Eh, I do what I can." With that, Pastel hugged her friends again, outwardly happy but deep inside, subconsciously aware of her own dysphoria.

Later That Evening

Sitting on the porch outside the chop shop, Pastel Goth waited for her older brother, Blaster, to come pick her up. As she straightened her jacket, the cerulean goth muttered to herself, "Stupid robot. I can't believe he called me a boy." Sure, she'd been misgendered before, mostly by strangers or people who associated with her parents, and while it often hurt, it was a type of pain she'd gotten used to.

But something about today had hit differently. Unlike in the past, where she didn't have the means to pass convincingly, Pastel had taken every precaution possible to look like a girl. She'd worn a dress, she'd applied make up and black lipstick, and her hair was long enough for a more feminine hair style, and her boots even had noticeable heels.

"So why did that robot think I was a boy?" She asked herself.

Before she could ponder her predicament any further, Pastel was distracted by the sight of her older brother's car approaching. Letting out a sigh of relief, the young goth remarked, "Finally. Time to put all that robot's crap behind me for tonight." As the car pulled up, the cerulean girl made her way to the passenger's seat, opened the door, and sat down.

As the car began to drive off, Blaster turned to face his stepsister and enthusiastically ask, "Hey there little lady. How'd today go? Your friends accept you coming out to them?" Nodding, Pastel somberly replied, "They did." The crimson DJ noticed his sister's less than enthusiastic mood and asked, "What happened?" The cerulean goth scratched the back of her neck as she replied, "Nothing happened."

Blaster shook his head as he said, "I know that tone Pastel. Something happened, so please tell me what happened?" Sighing, Pastel explained, "Well, you know how I said one of the guys at Apple Bloom's place built a small robot? Well, turns out he built another one, this full-sized cyclops and…" Taking a deep breath as she steeled herself, the cerulean goth explained, "He kept misgendering me."

"Oh, Pastel." Blaster sympathetically said as he reached his arm across the car and patted his half-sister's shoulder. "I'm so sorry that robot did that." As Pastel turned to face her older half-brother, the crimson DJ reassured her, "Hey, when we get home, how about I make some of those ramen noodles you like? You know, the ones with the shrimp?"

Feeling somewhat relieved, Pastel let a small smile form on her lips as she replied, "I'd really like that." Despite this, the growing sense of unease continued to eat away inside her, leaving the cerulean goth unaware of what was to come that night.

Blaster and Pastel's Home, That Night

Scrubbing his sponge against the bowl, Blaster remarked to himself, "There we go, one down, another to go." After returning home, the elder sibling had made his sister's favorite food, shrimp and ramen, and after a relaxing dinner, Pastel had gone upstairs to take a shower. As he reached for the other bowl, the crimson DJ allowed his eyes to drift towards a photograph of himself and Pastel Goth posing with two guitars.

Reaching to the picture, Blaster smiled as he said, "That was a good day." He remembered the day that Pastel showed up on his doorstep after running away from their father, and how after he'd reacted poorly, or rather violently, to who she was, his half-sister had nowhere else to go. Though the next several days had been filled with tears, nightmares, and a custody battle with so much shouting that Blaster swore he'd lost some of his hearing.

Thankfully, everything had resolved itself in a satisfactory manner. Blaster had gained custody of his sister, and Pastel was now in an environment where she could embrace her true self. Sure, their father threw a massive fit about "losing his parental rights" and "having his familiar piety defied," but Blaster couldn't give half a shit what his father thought.

Letting out a wistful sigh, Blaster remarked, "Glad to see you enjoying life for once."

At that moment, Blaster was distracted by a sound he didn't expect to ever hear in his home; Pastel's voice letting out a furious cry of pain. Dropping the photograph into the sink, the crimson DJ began to panic as he thought to himself, 'Oh no. Please tell me something she didn't hurt herself.' When his sister's voice screamed out again, Blaster began to run towards the stairs as he called out, "Hold on Pastel! I'm coming!"

Once he was at the bathroom, Blaster called out, "I'm coming in kid!" As he reached for the door, Pastel's voice screamed back, "Don't come in! Please don't come in!" She then tearfully continued, "I don't want you to see me like this!" When her voice devolved into intelligible crying, Blaster let out a resigned sigh as he replied, "Ok, but are you hurt"

For several moments, Pastel didn't say anything. Blaster began to internally panic as he asked, "You alright in there?" Once again, his half sister didn't say anything, the only audible sound was her broken voice sniffling as her nose audibly ran.

Eventually, the bathroom door opened as Pastel, dressed in a pink bathrobe, ran into her brother and wrapped her arms around him as she cried into his chest. Caught off guard, Blaster quickly regained his senses and hugged his sister back as he gently asked, "Hey, it's alright there. What's going on?"

Once she'd out enough of her pain, Pastel tearfully began, "Well, after everything that happened today, I just…" Her eyes watering up, the cerulean girl lamented, "I just can't look at myself without feeling like something's wrong!" She then buried herself into her brother again, devolving back into an incoherent mess. Blaster could only hug his sister tight as he gently caressed her hair and say, "I'm sorry girl." He then took a deep breath as he reassured her, "I promise you, if that robot shows his ugly face around here, I'll turn that thing into scrap metal."

At that moment, both Blaster and Pastel heard someone knock on the front door? As the two siblings gave each other confused looks, the crimson DJ wondered out loud, "Who the hell would be out this late at night?" He then turned to begin making his way down the stairs, only for Pastel to impulsively take his hand, a clear sign that she didn't want to be alone. Smiling at his half sister, Blaster reassured her, "Let's see who it is, and then we can, I dunno, listen to some music?" The cerulean goth could only smile as she replied, "That sounds like a plan."

The Front Door

Opening the front door, Blaster and Pastel were completely surprised to find a man with gray skin, black hair that led into friendly mutton chops, circular glasses, brown shoes, and an off-white jumpsuit with green and red stripes on it standing before them. The crimson DJ gave a puzzled look as he thought to himself, 'Who's this guy? I've never seen this geezer before.' Pastel, on the other hand, let out a confused, "I know you. You're Wheeljack!" She then turned to her brother as she explained, "This is the guy I told you about! He's one of Apple Bloom and Sideswipe's uncle's friends."

Taking a deep breath, Wheeljack began, "Hello Pastel. We're here because someone decided to be a prick to you." Blaster then gave a bemused look as he asked, "Hold on. What do you mean by "we?"" The maverick mechanic nodded as he explained, "Yeah. About that…" He then turned to Pastel as he added, "Someone wants to tell you something."

As Pastel gave a bemused expression, both she and Blaster noticed a bronze-colored bipedal robot with a single red eye approaching them. Once the promethean cyclops had joined the trio of organics, he introduced himself, "Greetings. I am Cogman version one point one three eight, but you may call me Wreck-Gar."

While Pastel gave him a furious scowl, Blaster found himself completely dumbfounded by the automaton that stood before him. 'No way.' The crimson DJ thought to himself. 'This… This can't be real. I mean, I know Pastel said this guy was a robot but…' As the reality of his situation hit him, Blaster did the only thing one would reasonably do when greeted with a sentient machine.

Blaster fainted, falling backwards as Wreck-Gar turned to you, the reader, and complained, "Don't you hate it when this happens?"

Forty-Five Minutes Later

After Blaster recovered from the shock of Wreck-Gar's nature and existence, he and Pastel invited their guests inside, where Wheeljack revealed that, as well as offer an apology, he had a unique offer to the two siblings.

"You want to pawn Wreck-Gar off on us?"

Nodding, Wheeljack explained, "Not exactly just dumping him on you, but I am nonetheless loaning him to you." As Pastel and Blaster gave each other confused looks, the maverick mechanic explained, "Wreck-Gar has been having some behavioral issues, and after Apple Bloom told me what he said, I decided that he needs to learn a lesson." He then turned to Pastel as he finished, "So for the next twenty-four hours, Wreck-Gar is at your disposal."

As Blaster and Pastel took this in, Wreck-Gar approached then and held his arm parallel to his body (like a butler would) as he said, "As Master Wheeljack so eloquently put it, I am your humble servant. I will fulfill any request you have."

Taking this in, Blaster pondered to himself, 'Any request? Man, I gotta feeling we are gonna be spoiled tomorrow.' Before he could say anything, Pastel stood up and ordered, "Alright Wreck-Gar. Finish cleaning the dishes. After that, I guess we won't need you until morning." She anticipated that the bronze cyclops would put up a fight, resist, or at the very least hesitate for a moment or two.

Instead, Wreck-Gar gave a polite bow and replied, "As you wish Ma'am." As he departed for the kitchen (only pausing so Blaster could point him in the right direction), Wheeljack explained, "Apple Bloom, Sideswipe and I drilled it into his head to refer to you by feminine terminology. If he backslides, please tell me, and I'll confront him about it."

As the two half siblings took this in, Wheeljack said, "Now then, I leave him in your hands. I'll be back tomorrow night to pick him up." With that, the maverick mechanic made his way out the front door.

Once Wheeljack was gone, Pastel turned to her half-brother and said, "I'm gonna go to bed. See you in the morning." She then turned to the kitchen as she said, "I don't want him in my room without my permission." Blaster nodded as he reassured his sister, "Don't worry. He does, I'll be sending him back to Wheeljack bolt by bolt. Sweet dreams kid."

With that, Pastel departed for her bedroom as Blaster thought to himself, 'I hope that this won't blow up in our faces.'

Pastel's Room, The Next Morning

Staring at her reflection in her bedroom mirror, Pastel took in the ensemble she'd chosen for herself that lovely Saturday. She was wearing a pink sleeveless dress, her black leather jacket, and black boots with very noticeable heels. She'd also applied black lipstick, nail polish, and eyeliner. The cerulean goth even had her hair down, allowing her bangs to obscure her left eye. Straightening her jacket, Pastel said to her reflection, "There we are. You are gonna let that robot know you are a girl and that you're proud of being a girl."

As she opened her bedroom door, the cerulean goth made her way into the hallway as she noticed something peculiar, the smell of fresh cooking? "That's odd." She thought to herself. "Blaster isn't that great a cook, but this smells… good?" Not only was the smell enticing, but Pastel also heard her brother's voice coming from his own bedroom, clearly talking on the phone with someone.

"Hold on…" Pastel asked herself out loud. "If Blaster is in his bedroom, then that would mean that…" It was at this moment that she realized what was going on. "Oh, Wreck-Gar." She then made her way downstairs, curious to see what was going on.

The Kitchen

Entering the Kitchen, Pastel was pleasantly surprised by what she saw. She found Wreck-Gar busy flipping several pancakes onto two plates. The dining table also had been set with silverware and two glasses of orange juice. Taking this in, the teenaged girl cleared her throat, alerting the promethean cyclops to her presence.

Turning around, Wreck-Gar greeted Pastel with a polite, "Ah, good morning young lady. I trust you slept well." The cerulean goth replied with a cautious, "Yeah. I slept pretty well. What are you doing?" The bronze robot cheerily explained, "I'm preparing breakfast for you and Master Blaster. As I will be in your service until late this evening, I figured I might as well make sure the two of you are well fed." He then turned added, "Of course I will take responsibility for cleaning up, no need for you to dirty yourself."

Taking this in, Pastel replied with a confused, "Uh, thank you?" She didn't know if Wreck-Gar was being truly polite, or if he was disguising any ill intent with feigned kindness. Still, her rumbling stomach outweighed her suspicion, and the cerulean girl said, "I mean, thank you Wreck-Gar. I'm sure Blaster will appreciate this gesture." The promethean cyclops nodded as he replied, "No problem young lady."

At that moment, Blaster made his way into the kitchen, holding his cellphone up to his ear as he said, "Look, I thought we made it clear I was off today. I don't go back on the air until Monday, and I wanted to spend time with… No, I understand but…. Look, I'm just…." Taking a deep breath, the crimson DJ solemnly replied, "Alright, I'll be there in twenty minutes." He then pressed a button on his phone and rested it in his pocket as he sighed in resignation.

Pastel nervously asked, "Was that the radio station?" Her brother nodded as he replied, "Yeah, they need me to come in and help with some paperwork. Something about a TPS report or a something or other." The cerulean goth asked, "So, how long are you gonna be out?" Blaster could only shrug as he replied, "I dunno. Hopefully I'll be back before dusk. Apparently, there's a lot of crap they need me to go through. Hellif I know why they need me and not one of the interns."

Wreck-Gar then groaned, "Oh poo poo. And after all the effort I put in to make this breakfast for you." Letting out a gentle chuckle, Blaster reassured the robot, "I do appreciate the gesture though. I'll be back as soon as I can." He then reached over to one of the plates of pancakes and grabbed it as he added, "Pastel is in charge while I'm out. DO whatever she says, understood?" Wreck-Gar nodded as he answered, "Roger Wilco sir."

With the order of who was in charge settled, Blaster took one of the glasses of orange juice and gulped it down before heading for the front door as he called out, "See you two later. Love you Pastel." The cerulean girl replied, "Love you too blaster. Hurry back."

Once Blaster was gone, Pastel Goth turned to Wreck-Gar as she informed him, "After breakfast, I'm gonna go back to my room and play a little music." The promethean cyclops nodded as he replied, "Duly noted. After I finish breakfast, I'll do some dusting. Let me know if there is any task you require performed."

With the day's plans and the chain of command established, Pastel began to eat her breakfast, all while she thought to herself, 'say what you will about his manners, but Wreck-Gar sure seems to be a pretty good chef.'

Pastel's Room

Sitting on her bed, Pastel Goth strummed the strings of her electric bass, a gift she'd received from Blaster on her first birthday with him. After finishing her breakfast, the cerulean girl decided to leave Wreck-Gar to clean up the mess, and after that, perform simple tasks such as vacuuming the carpets and dust everything off. 'Anything to keep him busy.' She thought to herself as she continued playing her bass.

At that moment, Pastel heard someone knocking on her bedroom door. "Ugh, please don't tell me he finished already." She groaned to herself, hoping that the robot would just leave her alone. After a few moments, Wreck-Gar knocked on the door again. The cerulean goth groaned as she accepted that the promethean cyclops was not going to leave her alone.

Setting her bass on the bed, Pastel made her way to her bedroom door and opened it, bringing her face to face with Wreck-Gar as he held a feather duster. The robot locked his red eye with hers as he stated, "Ah, madam. I am pleased to inform you that I have performed the tasks you instructed me to and am awaiting new orders." Sighing to herself, Pastel shrugged as she replied, "That's good, but I don't have any other tasks for you."

Looking at the bedroom behind his temporary master, Wreck-Gar inquired, "May I have permission to enter your room?" Hesitating for a moment as she scratched her chin, Pastel shrugged her shoulders as she answered, "I suppose you can. Not like you have anything else to do." As the bronze robot began to pass through the doorway, she stopped him as she pointed to his chest and warned, "But you say one word I don't like or misgender me, and you're out. Got it?"

Nodding, Wreck-Gar responded with a simple, "Roger wilco." Pastel hesitated for a moment, confused by the robot's choice of words before raising her hands in defeat as she replied, "I don't know what that means, but I'll take that as a yes."

As Wreck-Gar made his way into the teenaged girl's bedroom, the robot remarked, "I must say, you certainly have a fondness for music." Indeed, in addition to the electric bass on her bed, Pastel's walls were decorated with posters of rock bands and singers, famous concerts from decades past, and even a decorative guitar (a guitar that did not produce a great sound, but certainly looked pretty). He then asked, "If I may ask, what is your personal favorite style of music?"

Caught off guard by his seemingly innocent question, Pastel simply answered, "Probably punk rock." She then made her way back to her bed and picked up her bass as she strummed the beat to one of her favorite songs. As she played, the young girl began to gently sing, "I don't wanna be who you want me to be. That perfect little prick just isn't me. I wanna do things my way and I wanna be free, I just wanna be the real me."

Once she finished, Pastel was pleasantly surprised to find Wreck-Gar clapping as he said, "That was very lovely." Caught off guard by the compliment, the young girl thought to herself, 'That's odd. Never thought a robot would have a taste for music.' Deciding not to seem rude, Pastel simply replied, "Thanks." She then asked, "So… What about you? What sort of music do you like?"

Wreck-Gar immediately lit up, his single eye making an expression meant to evoke smiling, as he cleared his throat (something Pastel didn't know how he could do without a throat) as began to sing, "Sing as goooo, and let the world go byyyy. Singing a song, we'll march along the hiiiiggghh waaaayyy. Say goodbye to sorrow, there's always tomorrow, to think of todaaayyyy. Sing as we goooo, although the skies are graaaayyyy. Beggar or king, you've got to sing a gaaaayyy tuuuneee. A song and a smile making life worthwhile, so siiiiinnngggg as we goooo aloooooong!"

Impressed by the robot's singing voice, Pastel applauded him as she said, "That was really good. That some sort of old jazz standard or something?" Nodding, Wreck-Gar replied, "I believe so. I found it on an old record Master Wheeljack has. I believe it belonged to his father, Master Queue." He then added, "I believe I know another one."

Straightening himself with the motions one would do to take a deep breath, Wreck-Gar sang, "Hey you! Are you from Dixxiiieee?" He then seamlessly altered his voice as he continued, "Yes, I'm from Dixxiiieeee. Where the fields of cotton, they beckon to meeeee…."

Pastel raised her hand as she interrupted, "Yeah, I've heard that song, and I don't really like it." She then began to hold her arm in her hand as she added, "It's one of my dad's favorites." The moment those words escaped her lips, Pastel found herself recalling unpleasant memories of her father, how he refused to accept her gender and how he seemed to despise her with every fiber in his body began to reenter her mind.

Seeing the young girl turn so glum due to his choice of music, Wreck-Gar apologized, "I'm sorry I upset you. If there's anything I can do to make it up to you I…" Pastel interrupted him as she reassured him, "It's ok. I mean, it's not "ok" ok but… You couldn't have known that."

After an awkward moment of silence, Wreck-Gar asked, "May I ask, if it's not too much, why you identify as a girl?"

'Figured he'd ask that at some point.' Pastel thought to herself. 'I mean, that's how this whole nightmare started, right?' The cerulean goth was interrupted by Wreck-Gar nervously backpaddling, "I apologize if that question was too personal. If it is, you do not have to answer it."

Taking a deep breath, Pastel replied, "Well, look here. When it comes to something like how I identify, I like to think that I don't owe anyone an explanation." She then gestured to him as she asked, "What if I asked you why you, I dunno, why do you identify as a robot?" To her surprise, Wreck-Gar immediately replied, "I am not a mere robot! I am a human being!" His stern response caught Pastel off guard, leading Wreck-Gar to apologize, "My apologies for that. I find the topic of having my humanity questioned."

Before she could even realize what she was about to say, Pastel glumly replied, "You and me both pal."

The moment those words escaped her lips, the cerulean goth found herself locking eyes with Wreck-Gar as the promethean cyclops stared right back, as if both individuals saw a bit of themselves in each other. At that moment, Pastel asked, "You wanna see something cool?"

The Roof

As the two climbed up a ladder and onto the house's roof, Wreck-Gar asked, "You sure this is safe? I don't want you getting yourself hurt. Master Wheeljack would never forgive me for that." Pastel looked down as she replied, "Relax, I've done this plenty of times." She wasn't lying; the young girl would often climb onto the house's roof whenever she needed the combination of a quiet place to decompress and needed a pleasant sight to make her feel better.

Once the two were safely on the roof, Pastel gestured to the horizon as she playfully asked, "Don't get a view like that often, do you?" Wreck-Gar turned to face what she was pointing to, only to be greeted by a bird's eye view of downtown Allspark Wells at dusk. Taking the sight in, Wreck-Gar held his hands to his hips as he replied, "In truth, no. My home is in a rather remote location, and the "best view" I could get is of the road and a few other buildings."

As the two sat down, Pastel took off her jacket, revealing her bare shoulders as she began, "I like to come up here when I need some peace and quiet." She then looked to Wreck-Gar as she added, "I came up here the night I came out to Apple Bloom and Sideswipe. Earlier that day, just as I was about to tell Apple Bloom, some bullies tried picking on me, calling me a boy and saying I was a crossdresser."

Nodding, Wreck-Gar apologized, "I am so sorry those bastards insulted you." He then looked down in shame as he continued, "And I'm sorry I misgendered you yesterday. When I saw your face, I thought you were male, and didn't know what a trans person was."

Pastel Goth took Wreck-Gar's hand as she explained, "Well, we're not really that different from anyone else. We just don't identify as the gender we were born in. In my case, I was born with male…. Parts, but I feel far more comfortable as a girl." She then added, "The problem is that some people don't like the idea that people can change. Blaster says it's because it threatens their sense of privilege or power."

Nodding, Wreck-Gar replied, "That's why Master Wheeljack doesn't let me or my brothers off the property much. Because we were made by a fellow human, apparently our very existence is some sort of existential threat or theological threat to people." He then shrugged as he continued, "I never took his concerns too seriously, especially after Apple Bloom and Sideswipe seemed to accept me, but after Wheelie snuck his way into school and a teacher threatened to hurt him, I realized that perhaps Master Wheeljack was right all along."

Pastel found herself feeling something she didn't expect she'd feel that day; sympathy for Wreck-Gar. 'I mean, he misgendered me, but he also apologized to me, and it seems he's not that different from me at all.' Resting her arm around his shoulder, the cerulean goth reassured him, "Well, I can at least promise you're always welcome around here." When the promethean cyclops turned to face her, Pastel quickly added, "As long as you don't… you know…."

Wreck-Gar's eye lit up as he exclaimed, "I assure you, I will not make that mistake again m'lady."

Smiling, Pastel replied with a gentle, "Thanks." With that, she and Wreck-Gar stared off into the horizon, taking in the sight of their hometown.

The Living Room, That Night

"Pastel! I'm home!" Blaster called out as he entered the house. As he entered the living room, the crimson DJ found himself pleasantly surprised by the sight of Pastel and Wreck-Gar talking with each other, the young girl finishing a story with, "Girl, you just cannot pull of pink like I can. I'm sorry, but it's a fact." The robotic cyclops let out a hearty laugh as he replied, "That oughta teach her to steal your style."

At that moment, Blaster cleared his throat, signaling to the others that he was finally home. Turning to face her brother, Pastel greeted him, "Hey Blaster! Get everything done?" The crimson DJ nodded as he replied, "Yeah. I swear they could've gotten everything done without me, but I think they just wanted an excuse to mess with me. Thankfully, the station owner showed up and sorted everything out, so I doubt this will happen again." He then motioned to Wreck-Gar as he asked, "You behave yourself buddy?"

Wreck-Gar nodded as he replied, "I have performed every task Master Pastel has given me as instructed sir." The cerulean goth added, "He behaved himself and even apologized for what happened last night." She then turned to the robot as she added, "And honestly, this guy's pretty cool. I'd love for him to visit again in the future."

At that moment, someone knocked on the front door. Hearing this, Wreck-Gar sighed as he lamented, "I believe that's Master Wheeljack come to pick me up." He then turned to Pastel as he said, "I do hope we can, as you put it, "hang out" some time in the future. You are a most fascinating young woman." The cerulean girl began to blush with excitement as she replied, "I'd appreciate that." To Blaster's surprise, both Pastel and Wreck-Gar wrapped each other in a tight hug.

Once they finished, Wreck-Gar gave a polite bow to Pastel as he bade, "Until next time." The cerulean girl gave a curtsey in response as she replied, "Thank you kindly." With that, the promethean cyclops made his way past Blaster, gave him a respectful nod, and departed through the front door.

Pastel walked up to her brother as she reassured him, "Don't worry. He behaved himself and proved himself to be a decent chap." Blaster let out a sigh of relief as he replied, "Thank Primus. Last thing I need tonight is having to deal with more bullshit. Now then…" He then rubbed his eyes as he said, "I need to go take a shower. After that, how about we order some pizza?" His younger half sister replied with a simple, "That sounds like a plan."

As Blaster left to go take a shower, Pastel began to look back on the day's events as she thought to herself, 'What started as me tolerating Wreck-Gar's presence turned into me gaining a new friend. Maybe other people would be more willing to accept me." Of course, she knew that not everyone would accept her being a trans girl, but at the very least, today had proven that at least some people were willing to learn and grow.

And so, as she began to head up to her room to continue playing her bass, Pastel Goth let out a gentle sigh as she said to herself, "Hey, a girl can dream, can't she?"