Life in Allspark Wells

Part 11; Making Noise

"So let me get this straight." Tender Taps asked his drama teacher, A woman with pink skin, white hair, and a blue dress named Miss Allegra. Taking a moment to catch his breath, he asked, "You mean men used to play both male and female roles?"

Nodding, Miss Allegra replied, "Exactly. For centuries, women were not allowed to participate in theater. Everywhere from the great cities of Iacon to the globe theater and the early plays of the great playwright Midsomer only employed male performers. Of course, Midsomer eventually began to use actresses as well as actors, and others abandoned this practice around the same time."

Writing down his teacher's words into his notebook, Tender Taps thought to himself, 'I never knew that before.' As he scribbled an abridged version of the history lesson, the bell rang out, signaling that it was the end of the day. Miss Allegra clapped her hands together as she called out, "Alright now everyone, I shall see you all tomorrow. Have a good day."

As Tender Taps began to gather his stuff, one of his classmates, a junior girl, bade him, "See you tomorrow Happy Feet!" The orange boy let out a gentle chuckle as he replied, "See you tomorrow Mint Floss." Once he had all his stuff, Tender began to walk, or rather, shuffle his way out of the classroom. As he passed through the door, however, Miss Allegra warned him, "Tender? What have I said about dancing in class?" Tender Taps let out nervous laugh as he scratched the back of his neck as he answered, "That I could trip everyone else up."

Nodding, Miss Alegra reassured him, "I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I don't want you tripping anyone up." She then added, "Or yourself for that matter. I'm just glad we have someone who can tap dance this semester." Tender Taps smiled and shrugged as he replied, "Thanks. Now, if you'll forgive me, I've gotta be going." With that, the orange hoofer made his way out of the classroom.

Making his way through the school's hallways, Tender Taps allowed a smile to form across his lips as he remarked, "Now that all this is done, the real fun begins." Approaching his locker, the orange hoofer lit up with excitement as he fixed his eyes on the duffel bag placed snugly inside over his books. Pulling the bag out and slinging it over his shoulder as he pepped himself up with, "Now I've got everything, I better find Apple Bloom so we can…"

"Head to dance class?" Apple Bloom's voice rang out from behind him. Caught off guard, Tender Taps leapt up as he exclaimed, "Gah!" The orange hoofer turned around to find his girlfriend waiting for him. The former farm girl was wearing her normal attire of a red off the shoulder shirt, black tank top, dark green and blue kilt, and black boots while her burgundy dyed hair was up in braided pigtails. She had her burgundy messenger bag slung across her shoulder as she held her own duffel bag in her arms.

Allowing a smug smirk to form on her face, Apple Bloom asked, "Ah got you, didn't ah?" Catching his breath, Tender Taps admitted, "You did." He then let out a gentle giggle as he continued, "I have to admit, you always have a way of sneaking up to people." The former farm girl gave another mischievous smirk as she replied, "It's a little something Ah picked up from back home." The orange hoofer smiled as he remarked, "I feel honored being someone you can joke about the whole Anon-A-Miss thing with." For her part, Apple Bloom took her boyfriend's hand as she replied, "Consider it a perk of bein' mah boyfriend."

At that moment, Tender Taps said, "Come on, we don't wanna keep mom waiting." Smiling as she began to blush, Apple Bloom replied, "Lead the way." With that, the orange hoofer took his girlfriend's hand and led her away, hoping his mom wasn't held up in traffic.

Hoofer Steps's Dance Studio

As Apple Bloom and Tender Taps got out of Soft Shoe's car, the older woman called out, "Have fun you two. Tender, I'll make sure to get you and your sister dinner tonight." The orange hoofer turned back to face his mother as he replied, "Thanks mom. Love you." The yellow woman blew her son a kiss as she replied, "Love you too." The older dance shoe cobbler then rolled her window up and drove off.

Once she was gone, Apple Bloom said, "Thanks for lettin' me ride with you today." Smiling, Tender Taps reassured her, "No problem! Since Featherweight's parents offered to bring her with him, it's made everything more convenient." He then began to blush as he added, "And it gives us more time together." The former farm girl began to blush herself as she took her boyfriend's hand and asked, "Ain't that the truth?"

The tender moment was interrupted when the studio door opened, revealing a large man with black skin, piercing red eyes, and a brown button shirt over a blue and white stripped shirt. The new man spoke out in a deep voice, "There you are mal'chik. Hoofer has been waiting for you." Nodding as he let out an amused sigh, Tender Taps replied, "Alright. Lead the way Mr. Ravage."

Turning back to his girlfriend, Tender Taps playfully lamented, "Alas, we must part ways yet again." Apple Bloom let out a gentle (and rather adorable) giggle as she replied, "It's just gonna be a few minutes. Still…." She then gave Tender a kiss to his cheek as she finished, "See you in a few." The orange hoofer gave a polite bow as he replied, "See you then oh fair maiden."

Entering the studio, Tender Taps and Ravage were greeted by the sight of Hoofer Steps, dressed in a black leotard, black skirt, and caramel tights, reading over several pieces of paper. The Slavic man cleared his throat as he asked, "Moya Lyubov?" Looking up from her papers, the gray dance teacher greeted, "Ah, Tender. It is good to see you." She then took one of the pieces of paper as she continued, "Zis is a copy of ze schedule for an average veek. You should be able to find vhen you vill be assisting other classes."

Taking the schedule, Tender Taps nodded as he replied, "Thank you. I won't let you down ma'am." The older woman smiled as she reassured him, "I know you von't. Now zen, you had better get veady for your own class." Nodding, the orange hoofer smiled as he replied, "Yes ma'am." He then began to make his way to the dressing rooms.

Boys' Dressing Room

Glancing at his reflection in the mirror, Tender Taps let out a sigh of relief as he remarked, "There we go, ready to make a little noise." Indeed, he had changed into a purple tank top, black pants, and a pair of black oxford tap shoes. As his eyes darted down to his feet, the orange hoofer raised his right foot upwards, revealing the steel toe tap in the mirror's reflection. "Heh, guess it's in my blood."

Indeed, Tender Taps began to think of his family, and how as far back as he could recall, they'd all been dancers. Obviously, he and his younger sister were tap dancers, and his father, Hard Shoe, was currently away on tour with the Tap Hounds, an elite dance troupe. And then there was his mother, Soft Shoe, and while she primarily focused her energy on crafting dance shoes, the family's matriarch still enjoyed striking the floor whenever she could, as well as teaching her kids everything she knew.

Smiling to himself, Tender Taps then remarked, "And don't forget Grandma Gumboots and Grandpa Hornpipe." He remembered how his grandfather taught him, or rather, tried to teach him traditional step dancing, and how the energetic boy struggled with keeping his back straight and arms still. Now that he thought about it, didn't Sideswipe say something about being able to step dance?

At that moment, Tender Taps realized, "Oh man! I better make sure I don't miss the start of class!" He then scooped up his water bottle and bolted out of the dressing room.

Studio Lobby

Entering the studio's lobby, Tender Taps was pleasantly surprised to see, Apple Bloom, Sideswipe, Pastel Goth, and Pizzelle standing around, chatting with each other. Approaching his girlfriend, who had changed into a maroon tank top and black pants, the orange hoofer said, "Good to see I didn't miss anything yet." The former farm girl simply smiled as she replied, "We wouldn't start anythin' without you." Pastel Goth then added, "Especially since your sister and that other guy haven't arrived yet."

At that moment, the studio's door opened as two middle schoolers made their way inside. One was a blue girl with yellow braided pigtails dressed in a red dress, the other was a cream boy with short brown hair, a black tee shirt and pants, and a small but noticeable gap between his two front teeth.

As the two younger kids approached their classmates, Apple Bloom greeted, "Howdy Double Shuffle! How was school?" The younger girl wrapped her honorary big sister in a tight hug as she replied, "Boring. At least now we can unwind a little bit." Tender Taps then playfully asked, "No love for me?" The younger blue girl let out a playful giggle as she pulled her brother into a hug of his own as she replied, "But I don't get to see Apple Bloom every day."

As the two girls hugged, Tender Taps turned his attention to Featherweight as he asked, "What about you? How you doing?" The cream boy awkwardly replied, "Oh, you know, same old same old." For a reason he couldn't put his finger on, the orange hoofer felt that something was off with the younger boy.

Before he could ponder the situation any further, the sound of Hoofer Steps's voice called out, "Alvight now kinder. Come along everyvone." As everyone began to make their way into the studio, Tender Taps thought to himself, 'Ah well. Hopefully class will cheer him up.' He then followed his friends, looking forward to what Hoofer Steps had in store for them.

A Short While Later…

"Und again." Hoofer Steps called out as her pupils performed the advanced combination she'd spent the last half hour teaching them. As the teenagers clicked, clacked, and tapped their hearts out, Tender Taps made sure to be as precise as possible. Before he knew it, he'd managed to finish the combination, the only one to do so perfectly.

As everyone finished and caught their breath, Tender Taps playfully quipped, "I'm not even breaking a sweat." Apple Bloom let out a deep breath of exhaustion, wiping the sweat from her brow as she replied, "Easy for you to say. You've got the stamina of a marathon runner." Even Double Shuffle couldn't help but remark, "Yeah. I think I need some water." As the others caught their breath, Pastel Goth complimented, "Still, fantastic job man. You were "en pointe." Get it?" Tender Taps laughed as he shook his classmates' hand and replied, "Thanks. You did a good job yourself."

At that moment, Hoofer Steps spoke up, "Alvight now everyvone. You've done a vonderful job. Zat shall do it for zis veek. See you all next time." As Apple Bloom and Pastel curtsied their teacher, Sideswipe replied, "See you next week ma'am." She then turned to her sister as she said, "I'm gonna change and get the bike warmed up. You and Pastel gonna tell Tender the thing?"

Curious, Tender Taps asked, "What thing?" Pastel Goth took a deep breath as she explained, "How about we go somewhere a little more… Private?"

The Dressing Rooms

"You're Trans?" Tender Taps asked in surprise. A few moments earlier, Pastel Goth had come out to him, revealing how she'd been born a boy, but had realized she was a girl, and since transitioned, at least as much as a teenager who'd fled her father and was living with extended family could. Processing everything he'd just learned, the orange hoofer continued, "I mean, now I can kinda see it, but still, you've done a great job passing so far."

Smiling, Pastel Goth let out a sigh of relief as she replied, "Thanks Tender. Apple Bloom said you'd be accepting and, well…" Holding her arm, the cerulean goth admitted, "I'm still kinda selective about who I come out to." Taking her hand, Tender Taps reassured her, "I understand. It can be scary coming out. As someone who's bisexual, I know what it's like to worry about who to come out to." Intrigued, Pastel remarked, "Really? Never took you for being bi." Tender Taps let out a gentle chuckle as he replied, "Guess there's more to both of us than meets the eye."

At that moment, Apple Bloom approached the duo, playfully asking, "You ain't gonna steal mah boy now, are ya Pastel?" Tender let out an amused chuckle as he replied, "Getting jealous again?" The former farm girl took her boyfriend's hand as she reassured him, "Ah'm just fuckin' with ya. Besides, Pastel wanted to tell you one on one." The orange hoofer then blushed as he remarked, "Well, if I may, and forgive me if this sounds kinda rude, but there's only one girl I have my eyes on."

Blushing, Apple Bloom squealed, "Awh, come here you." She then pulled her boyfriend into a passionate kiss, one he was happy to return.

Once the two teens finished their kiss, Apple Bloom lamented, "Ah wish Ah could stay, but Sideswipe and Ah gotta get movin'." She then wrapped Tender Taps in a tight hug as she bade, "See ya later Tendy. Ah love you." Hugging his girlfriend back, the orange hoofer replied, "I love you too. Say hi to Wheelie for me." He then took the burgundy haired girl's hand as he kissed it, leading to her replying, "Ah shall oh noble knight."

With that, both Apple Bloom and Pastel Goth departed, leaving Tender Taps alone as he thought 'I miss her already.' Still, the orange hoofer knew he couldn't sit around and mope. After all, he had another class coming up, only this time, he'd be assisting the teacher with the preschoolers. Taking a deep breath as he reached into his dance bag for some deoderant, Tender said to himself, "Alright. Here goes nothing."

Fifteen Minutes Later

As he stretched his legs, Tender Taps noticed several preschoolers enter the studio, followed by a young woman with purple skin, blue hair that was up in a ballerina's bun, and dressed in a short-sleeved leotard, caramel tights, and black tap shoes. Making her way up to the orange boy, the young teacher began, "So, you're my assistant Tender Taps." She then extended her hand as she introduced herself, "I'm Bombershay."

Shaking the teacher's hand back, Tender Taps replied, "It's nice to meet you. I look forward to helping you." Bombershay then informed him, "As do I. Hoofer Steps spoke highly of you." As Tender Taps felt his heart soar from Hoofer Steps's compliment, the purple woman turned to the gaggle of young girls as she began, "Alright now everyone." As the preschoolers turned their attention to her, she continued, "Welcome to our tap class for the year. I'm Miss Bombershay, and I will be your teacher." She then pointed to Tender Taps as she continued, "And this is Tender Taps. He will be helping me."

After the preschoolers took this in, Bombershay said, "Now then, how about we all get to know each other?" As the girls began to raise their hands to go first, Tender Taps couldn't help but think to himself, 'This is gonna be good.'

A Short While Later

"You're doing great everyone!" Bombershay called out to her class. She then continued, "Once more, shuffle step, shuffle step, shuffle step stamp stamp." As the girls performed the simple move, Tender Taps watched them, making sure that they understood the step.

As he approached one of the girls, a young preschooler with red skin, yellow hair in a ponytail, and black buckle up tap shoes, the orange hoofer asked, "Doing alright there Teletone?" The young girl crossed her arms as she pouted, "This is too hard." Bending down to look her in the eye, Tender Taps asked, "Really? What's so hard about it."

Teletone allowed her pout to soften as she explained, "I try to do this…" She then shuffled forward, but as she bulled her toe back, the young girl began to lose her balance. As she began to fall, Tender Taps intercepted her as he said, "Whoa there. Got you." Releasing Teletone, the orange boy reassured her, "That was pretty good. You just need to work on your balance."

Confused, the preschool girl asked, "My balance?" Tender Taps nodded as he explained, "Exactly. You just lost your balance." He then asked, "How about we try it a bit slower, one tap at a time?"

Tender Taps then held his arms out as he said, "Now, brush your foot forward." He then brushed his toe tap forward, signaling to Teletone to repeat what he'd shown her. Soon enough, the preschool girl had her own arms out and brushed her toe forward.

"Great." Tender Taps said in excitement. "Now, we brush backwards." He then pulled his foot back, striking the wooden floor with his toe tap. Teletone noticed this and repeated the gesture. She then asked, "Wait, so it's like this?" She then managed to pull off a shuffle step, albeit while still struggling to keep her balance.

Kneeling back down, Tender Taps congratulated Teletone with an enthusiastic, "Way to go! That's all there is to it!" The young girl squealed with delight as she extended her fist, leading Tender to give her a fist bump. She then exclaimed, "Maybe it's not so hard after all."

At that moment, Miss Bombershay called out, "Great job everyone. Sadly, our class is over for the day. If you will all come with me." As everyone lined up to be dismissed, Teletone turned to Tender Taps as she asked, "Will you be here next time?" Smiling, the orange boy reassured her, "Of course I will. I'll see you next week." To his surprise, Teletone gave him a hug, one which he happily reciprocated.

As Teletone left, Bombershay turned to her assistant as she said, "Great job today Tender. Hoofer said that if you want, you can practice in here." Lighting up with delight, Tender Taps replied, "Thank you ma'am." Once she was gone the orange hoofer took a deep breath as he began to stretch his legs and said, "Alright now. If I…."

Later That Evening…

Stepping out of the studio as he slipped on a gray button shirt, Tender Taps wiped the sweat from his brow as he remarked, "Phew. Who needs a workout when you're a hoofer?" After all, someone who made as much noise as he did would certainly be burning more than a few calories. Then again, a night like tonight was one of the few nights a week where he could afford more than just an hour or two with Double Shuffle practicing at home.

At that moment, the orange hoofer said out loud, "Oh, I nearly forgot! I should see how Double Shuffle is doing." He then began to make his way to the dressing rooms, hopeful that his sister would be waiting at the tables nearby for him.

To his surprise, Tender Taps found both Double Shuffle and Featherweight seated at the table together, both kids doing homework.

Knocking on the wall, Tender Taps asked, "Am I interrupting anything?" Looking up from her textbook, Double Shuffle shook her head as she replied, "Nope. Just trying to make sense of math." Featherweight then whispered something into her ear, leading the blue dancer to remark, "Oh! Ok, that makes sense."

Writing something down on her homework, Double Shuffle then said, "Hey, I gotta go to the bathroom. You mind keeping an eye my things?" Featherweight nodded as he replied, "Sure thing." As the blonde tap dancer made her way to the bathroom, she squeezed past her older brother as she apologized, "Excuse me."

Once Double Shuffle was gone, Tender Taps made his way to an empty chair as he asked, "Hey Featherweight, mind if I ask why you're still here? Class ended like, a few hours ago." Featherweight let out a gentle sigh as he replied, "I got a text from my mom. She's busy, so I guess I'm not going anywhere for a bit." As he said this, there was a tinge of sadness to his voice, not enough to burst into tears, but still enough to audibly regret his situation. He then added, "At least you and Double Shuffle are here. We're helping each other with our homework."

Letting out a gentle chuckle, Tender Taps replied, "Yeah, since I help with one of the preschool classes, Double Shuffle sticks around here with me." He then asked, "What about your dad?" The cream boy instantly admitted, "He's out of town. Dad works for…" Featherweight paused for a moment before simply replying, "He's a performer."

Lighting up, Tender Taps exclaimed, "Really? Us too! Our dad is a member of the Tap Hounds, so he's often away." He then reached for his dance bag and fished around for his phone, before showing it to his classmate as he showed a picture of Hard Shoe with his fellow performers as he continued, "This is them posing for a promotional photo shoot in Manehattan." However, Tender noticed his enthusiasm was starting to unsettle Featherweight. "Heh, sorry about that." Tender Taps meekly apologized, "Guess I get carried away with this."

Featherweight reassured his older classmate, "It's ok." He then asked, "So, is it true that your whole family are tap dancers?" Nodding, Tender Taps replied, "Yeah. There's me and Double Shuffle, and there's our dad Hard Shoe, and then our mom Soft Shoe, and all of our grandparents were dancers, even if they weren't tap dancers."

The cream boy let out an amazed "ooh" as he replied, "That's cool." He then asked, "Hey, if it's not too awkward, can I ask a question?" Tender Taps nodded as he replied, "Ask away."

Taking a deep breath, Featherweight asked, "Does being a dancer ever make you feel, I dunno, like a weirdo?"

Hearing the younger boy ask this question, Tender Taps thought, 'Ah, that old question.' Letting out a small sigh, the orange hoofer answered, "I used to think that sometimes, especially before I moved here." He then asked, "I take it you've had some trouble with other kids bullying you?"

Nodding, Featherweight added, "Yeah. Especially in my scout troop." He then then let out a defeated sigh as he explained, "The other boys pick on me, and not just because I like to dance. They make fun of my photography and how I don't like to play all those violent video games that they like and…" Starting to tremble, he defeatedly admitted, "Maybe I'm just different."

Wrapping his arm around Featherweight, Tender Taps reassured him, "So what if you're different? That just makes you all the more unique." As the younger boy turned his attention to him, the orange hoofer reassured him, "And you know what? I'm different too, so I guess that means we gotta stick together." The cream boy smiled as he replied, "Thanks."

Releasing his arm from his younger classmate, Tender Taps asked, "Does this mean you'll be dropping class?" Featherweight furiously shook his head as he replied, "Of course not! Tap is like, one of the few things I really enjoy, right up there with photography. Not to mention how I enjoy everyone here from Miss Hoofer Steps to you and Double Shuffle and…"

"Everything alright?" Double Shuffle's voice rang out as she approached the two boys. As she made her way towards her seat, Tender Taps noticed that Featherweight's face began to faintly but noticeably turn pink. He then thought to himself, 'Oh my. Does he have a crush on my sister?' Before he could pry any further, the cream boy replied, "Yeah, everything's fine." He then added, "Just chatting."

Smiling, Double Shuffle replied, "That's great." She then turned to her brother as she continued, "So when is mom coming by with something to eat? I'm starving." Tender Taps shrugged as he replied, "I can't say for sure. Though she'll probably be here any…."

He was interrupted by the faint rumble caused by his phone vibrating. As he brought the device to his eyes, Tender Taps noticed that he'd received a message from his mother that read "Am here with subs." The orange hoofer then let out a gentle chuckle as he finished, "Actually, she's here now." No sooner had he said this than Double Shuffle bolted away, leaving both boys alone again.

Turning to face Featherweight, Tender Taps was surprised to see that the cream boy was starting to blush again. 'That's odd.' The orange hoofer thought to himself. 'The only reason he'd possibly get like that around someone like my sister is because he…'

At that moment, a thought entered Tender Taps's mind as a smug smirk formed on his face. Noticing the older boy's changed expression, Featherweight nervously asked, "Uh, what's going on?" Continuing to smirk, Tender cheekily replied, "Oh, nothing really." He then added, "I just think I see something regarding you and my sister."

Featherweight immediately shot up as he nervously stammered, "I… I mean… She's…. We…." As his face began to turn redder than a tomato, Tender Taps reassured him, "It's alright buddy. I know the feeling." He then rested a hand on his shoulder as he told him, "It's always scary the first time." Taking this in, Featherweight allowed a smile to form on his face as he replied, "Thanks."

Double Shuffle then returned as she said, "Hey Featherweight, I think you're mom is here." The cream boy let out a breath as he replied, "Guess I better pack everything up." As he began to pack his homework and textbooks up, the blue dancer offered, "Let me give you a hand."

As she did so, Double Shuffle accidentally rested her hand on top of Featherweight's hand, leading both kids to lock eyes as they both began to blush. After a few moments of awkward silence, the skinny boy said, "Uh…. Thanks. I better not keep my mom waiting." He then finished packing his stuff as he nervously asked, "So, I'll see you later?"

Double Shuffle gave her answer in the form of a hug, which caught Featherweight off guard before he returned it. Once they'd finished their hug, the cream boy scooped up his backpack and dance bag before departing, leaving the young girl already missing her friend as she began to blush again.

Tender Taps then let out a playful, "I see what's going on here." As his sister turned to face him, the orange hoofer bluntly stated, "You two like each other." Caught off guard, Double Shuffle exclaimed, "What? Me and Featherweight? We've only known each other a few weeks! And besides…" As she said this, her blue face began to blush as her brother replied, "Of course, but me and Apple Bloom waited a few months before getting together. Besides…" He then leaned right into his sister's face as he said, "You two are kinda cute together."

All Double Shuffle could do was blurt out, "Shut up!" She then began to stomp off as she declared, "Hurry up and get your stuff or I'll tell mom you… you…." Unable to think of what to threaten her brother with, she just groaned as she grumbled, "Just come on." Letting out a gentle chuckle, Tender Taps replied, "Alright."

As he walked into the boy's dressing room, Tender Taps let out a mischievous chuckle as he said to himself, "Oh she definitely likes him." Picking up his own dance bag and backpack, the orange hoofer continued, "Better not say anything about this to mom. Besides, it's too early to really say anything for certain." Then again, from what he'd seen, it was clear that Doubler Shuffle and Featherweight had a rather close friendship, and he could easily see them going further.

Before he could continue, Tender's stomach began to grumble as he remarked, "No use anticipating the future on an empty stomach." With that, he fastened his duffel bag and backpack before departing, looking forward to the sandwich his mother had gotten him.

All while he thought to himself, 'Yeah, those two definitely like each other.'