Life in Allspark Wells

Part 14; Sensory Overload

Taking a deep breath, Marble Pie gathered her notebooks and pencils and placed them into her backpack as she complained to herself, "I really don't wanna go to school today." As she sighed to herself, the gray geologist grumbled, "I wish they could have made these stupid pep rallies optional."

Even though Marble had grown more accustomed to the normal routine of an average day at school, she still found herself caught off guard and thrown off balance whenever something unexpected happened. Sometimes, this was actually something pleasant, like extra study time or moments where she had the chance to go to the library. Other times, Marble found herself being forced to participate in group activities with classmates whom she did not get along with very well.

And then there were moments like earlier that week, when the gray girl learned that the school would be holding a mandatory pep rally.

From behind her, Marble heard the familiar sound of Scarlett's voice asking, "Alright?" Turning to face her beloved pet parrot, she found the crimson macaw resting on a wooden perch. The gray girl walked over to Scarlett as she replied, "I'm fine. Just nervous about having to go to the stupid pep rally." Marble was pleasantly surprised when her pet macaw let out an affectionate "coo" and began to nuzzle her arm.

Smiling, Marble extended her arm as she remarked, "Come here you little goober." As the scarlet macaw climbed onto her arm and up to her shoulder, the gray girl allowed her eyes to glance at her reflection in the mirror. She was wearing a dark gray plaid button shirt, gray jeans, black boots, and her beloved leather jacket all while her long bangs covered the right side of her face. Marble couldn't help but giggle at the juxtaposition of her monochrome style against the bright red, yellow, and blue parrot that sat on her shoulder.

At that moment, Marble's stomach began to grumble, leading the young girl to remark, "Now then, how about we get some breakfast?"

The Kitchen

Entering the kitchen with Scarlett still perched on her shoulder, Marble was greeted by her mentor, Beachcomber, as he backed out of the freezer and warmly said, "Hey there kiddo. Sleep well?" Nodding, the gray girl replied, "Yeah." As Scarlett flapped down to the table, the gray girl asked, "We have any more of those toaster waffles?"

Nodding, Beachcomber replied, "Already got two cooking for you. I've also got your sertraline for the day all set for you." He then turned to the crimson macaw as he added, "And I've got more than enough fruit for the two of you." Scarlett let out an enthusiastic, "Ooh. Snack." Even Marble couldn't help but reply, "As long as there aren't any bananas. I can't even stand touching them." Intrigued, the blue geologist quipped, "Oh, come on now. Bananas are an excellent source of potassium."

Playfully rolling her eyes, Marble replied, "I know, but what good are they if I can't even eat them without throwing them back up?" Beachcomber let out a gentle chuckle as he replied, "Good point." He would have continued, but the blue geologist was distracted by the sound of a mechanical popping sound, signaling that Marble's toaster waffles were finished.

A few moments later, both Marble and Scarlett were busy at work, eating up their breakfasts. As the gray girl took a sip of orange juice, Beachcomber asked, "So, you ready for the pep rally today?" The gray girl swallowed her mouthful as she shook her head and replied, "Nope. I don't want to go." Sighing, the blue geologist reassured his protégé, "I know loud noises upset you, but I'm sure it will be alright."

Taking a moment to take this in, Marble hesitated for a moment before replying, "Yeah. I'll be alright." She would have continued, but her stomach continued to growl, pushing her to continue her breakfast. After all, today was going to be a busy day, and there was no point in taking it on with an empty stomach.

Iacon High School, Later That Day

Resting her head in her hands as she battled the urge to stay awake, Marble listened as the substitute English teacher, an old gray fart whose name she couldn't even remember, rambled on and on about some old epic poem. Continuing his lecture, his monotone voice rang out, "And so Ulysses spent several years on the goddess's island, helpless against the influence of the lotus flowers." Groaning to herself, the gray girl thought to herself, 'Ugh. Why did Mr. Takua have to choose this week of all weeks to sprain his ankle?"

From the other end of the classroom, Marble noticed her girlfriend, Sideswipe, making a stupid face as she gestured to the substitute teacher. 'Heh.' The gray girl thought to herself. 'She always knows how to make days like this bearable.' The pale biker continued to make ridiculous faces for her girlfriend, completely unaware that the substitute teacher was now standing in front of her, his arms crossed in disappointment.

As Sideswipe turned to face the annoyed teacher, he loudly inquired, "I'm sorry Sideswipe. Are you not entertained?" Caught red handed, the young biker scratched the back of her neck as she answered, "I mean, I'm a fan of Iaconian epics as much as the next girl, but you kinda make it sound so…." Struggling to find the right word, she finished with a blunt and simple, "Boring."

Scoffing, the substitute teacher rhetorically asked, "And I suppose you can do better?" Taking this as a challenge, Sideswipe stood up from her desk as she retorted, "Now then, how does this start again?" She then turned around to the rest of the class and, holding one hand behind her back as she rested the other at her heart, began, "Sing, o muse of that resourceful man who wondered far and wide after he sacked the sacred crystal citadel…."

A Short While Later…

As the bell rang, Marble and the rest of the class applauded Sideswipe as she gave a dramatic bow and replied, "Thank you everyone. You're too kind." While everyone else began to make their way out the door, Marble ran up to her girlfriend and pulled her into a tight hug as she squealed, "That was awesome!" Sideswipe simply smiled as she hugged her girlfriend back and replied, "I try. Besides, I've always had a soft spot for the "really" old stuff." She then gave her gray girlfriend a gentle kiss to the cheek as she added, "At least you'll have a good show before that damn pep rally."

Sighing to herself, Marble replied, "Thanks. I still wish I didn't have to go." Sideswipe rested her hand on her girlfriend's chin as she reassured her, "I know. Maybe we can do something after school to make up for it?" Blushing, the gray girl happily answered, "I'd really like that." The two teens then began to lean into each other for a kiss.

Sadly, they were interrupted by the substitute teacher remarking, "You two better save that for later and get to your next class." The two girls caught themselves as Marble replied, "Yes sir." Sideswipe then took her girlfriend's hand and led her away as she added, "Come on, I'll get you to your next class."

As the two girls departed, the substitute teacher grumbled to himself, "Shown up by a dropout punk? I gotta find a new job."

Dr. Pennywhistle's Classroom

Seated at her desk, Marble jotted down notes in her notebook as Dr. Pennywhistle pointed to the map of an archipelago for his class. Pointing to a dot on the mainland, the gray teacher explained, "The many city states of Magna Graecia were split into two alliances. On one side, we have the Delerian Alliance led by the ruthless city of Kaon, and the Omega League, which was spearheaded by the city of Tyger Pax."

As Marble took this in, she heard the sound of Apple Bloom's voice ask out, "Which side was good guys? The Delerians or the Omegas?" Curious, the gray girl thought to herself, 'That's a good question. The warriors of Kaon were clearly very respected, but their entire society was built on the backs of slaves. Meanwhile, Tyger Pax was the birthplace of democracy, but the inhabitants only granted the right to citizens, and they were bigger misogynists than dad."

Before she could ponder further, Dr. Pennywhistle answered, "That is a rather interesting question." Turning to his other pupils, the gray teacher explained, "By our standards, both cities were rather brutal." He then added, "Both employed slavery, both cities sought to expand their influence at the expense of the rest of the world, and neither were known for religious tolerance."

At that moment, the bell rang out, signaling the end of class. Dr. Pennywhistle let out a wistful sigh as he remarked, "Alright then everyone. We'll pick up from here on Monday. Now then, you all better head on the gym for the pep rally." As everyone began to gather their belongings, Marble purposely moved at a slower pace, hoping she could prolong the inevitable long enough to at least miss part of the cursed rally.

Noticing her friend's lack of enthusiasm, Apple Bloom asked, "You excited for the pep rally Marble?" The gray girl hesitated for a moment before replying, "Not really. At least, not a good kind of excited." She then held her arm in her hand as she added, "I really don't wanna do this. All that noise makes me uncomfortable."

Nodding, Apple Bloom replied, "That's a shame. Ah really wanna go, but Ah gotta do some studyin' for mah midterm project for Mr. Compost." Taking this in, Marble complained, "What? You have an excuse not to go? That's not fair." To the gray girl, it just didn't make sense. Why did she have to attend when she really, really didn't want to while Apple Bloom had a convenient reason to skip it in spite of wanting to go?

Marble was distracted from her train of thought by Apple Bloom tapping her on the shoulder and asking, "You alright there?" Shaking her head, the gray girl lamented, "Not really. I just…" Pausing as she tried to find the right words, Marble continued, "Guess I'm jealous of you a bit." The former farm girl sighed as she replied, "Trust me, it ain't somethin' to be jealous of. Ah have to make sure Mr. Compost likes mah work, or else Ah'll have to go on this stupid root and berry retreat with him."

Before either girl could say anything else, Dr. Pennywhistle interrupted with a gentle, "I do hate to butt in, but you two had better be going. I don't want any hall monitors accosting either of you." Turning to her teacher, Marble sighed as she replied, "Alright. See you tomorrow sir."

After gathering her remaining things, Marble and Apple Bloom made their way through the classroom doorway as the former farm girl bade, "See ya later?" The gray girl sighed as she replied, "See you Apple Bloom." With that, Marble began making her way to the gymnasium, dreading the inevitable show ahead of her.

Iacon High Gymnasium

Entering the gymnasium, Marble was greeted by a massive room with a polished wooden floor, basketball nets that were suspended from the ceiling, and worst of all, two opposing sets of bleachers that held what appeared to be the entirety of the student body. Gulping in fear, the gray girl thought to herself, 'Wow. This is worse than I thought it would be.' Nonetheless, she knew that there was no point in wasting anymore time, and thus began to make her way to the less crowded of the bleachers.

As she walked up to the bleacher, Marble passed Mr. Compost and another teacher, a man with light red skin and purple hair, arguing with each other. Pointing to the student body, Compost complained, "I don't understand why our students are so excited about something frivolous like this but don't seem to care about the important stuff, like the root and berry retreat." As Marble passed them, she heard the red teacher let out an annoyed groan as he replied, "For the love of Primus Compost, it would be so wonderful if you could go one flipping day without going on and on about that root and berry retreat crap. I still can't believe they let you do those stupid trips, let alone two a year." Mr. Compost simply held his nose in the air as he scoffed, "Because unlike you Cel Shade, I actually care about our planet."

Walking past the two teachers, Marble made her way up to the top of the bleachers, sitting down on a corner seat far above the ground. As she placed her backpack down in between her legs, the gray girl thought to herself, 'There we go. At least here I won't be as close to the noise.' She then began to reach into her backpack, fishing around for a book to pass the time.

After a few moments, the gray girl pulled out a book from her backpack as she remarked, "There we go." She then flipped around as she read the title, "Dinosaurs of Laurasia." Flipping to a page around the middle of the book, Marble read to herself, "Part six, small theropods."

Before she could settle into her book, Marble was distracted by the sound of a teenaged boy's voice exclaiming, "Oh yeah! Here we go!" Looking up from her book, the gray geologist found herself greeted by an orange boy with red hair and a dark red shirt and jeans. Sitting down next to her, the boy pumped his fists as he continued, "Come on baby! Bring on the cheerleaders and tunes!"

Turning to face Marble, the orange boy remarked, "I don't know about you, but I love these pep rallies. Anything to get away from math class." Taking this in, the gray girl replied, "Good for you, but I don't like these stupid rallies. They're loud and noisy and way too crowded for my tastes." Smirking, the orange teen let out a mischievous chuckle as he pointed to something behind Marble while quipping, "Then boy, did you choose the wrong seat."

Confused, Marble turned around to see what he was pointing to, only to be horrified to find that she was right in front of a loudspeaker. Letting out a loud gulp, the gray girl could only mutter to herself, "Oh no." Starting to feel herself beginning to panic, Marble thought to herself, 'Ok, so I'm right in front of a loudspeaker. No need to panic.' She then began to eye her surrounding environment, hoping she could find a new seat.

Unfortunately, in the brief time since she'd sat down, every last remaining seat had been claimed by other kids. Realizing that she was effectively trapped, Marble could only gulp in fear as she remarked, "Oh shit." As Marble slumped back into her seat, she heard the sound of a bass beat from behind her. Acknowledging that the show was about to start, the gray girl took a deep breath as she lamented, "Alright. Let's get this over with."

No sooner had those words escaped the gray geologist's lips than the deafening sound of an electric guitar solo rang out from behind her as the rest of the student body let out an enthusiastic uproar. Meanwhile, down on the floor, a team of cheerleaders dressed in gold and red outfits gathered around each other and began to perform an elaborate routine.

But Marble wasn't focusing on the cheerleaders or their outfits, or even their impressive choreography. Instead, she found herself desperately pressing her hands against her ears. "Ugh!" Marble groaned to herself, barely able to make out her own voice. "Why does this have to be so loud?"

To her left, Marble could faintly hear the orange boy ask, "Whoa, you alright there? It's not that loud." The gray girl stood up and began to sit down again, only to be caught off guard by the piercing screech of a saxophone solo. Tensing up as she scrunched her shoulders, Marble gritted her teeth as she exclaimed, "Ugh, damnit!" As the sound of the prerecorded saxophone solo continued, the gray girl could only press her hands back against her ears.

After several minutes, the loud music faded to silence, allowing Marble to catch her breath as she rested her hands away from her ears. Relaxing, the gray girl gave a small smile as she said, "Thank Primus." Still, despite the music stopping, the clammer and chatter of the other students was still too loud for the gray girl's comfort.

Down below, one of the cheerleaders approached a microphone and asked, "How's everyone doing today? Can I get an "alright?"" Marble gulped as she thought, 'Oh no. Don't tell me that this is gonna be some sort of call and response.' Of course, the cheerleader's question was answered by hundreds of students calling back, "Alright!" The cry of so many voices shouting overwhelmed Marble, forcing her to try and cover her ears again.

As the crowd died down, the cheerleader continued, "Alright then! We're gonna have so much fun!" She then pointed to someone Marble couldn't see as she called out, "Let's rock this joint!" With that, the sound of a fast drumbeat began to ring throughout the gymnasium. The gray girl gulped as she began to panic, whispering, "Here we go again."

This time, Marble's ears were flooded with the deafening sound of some sort of synth keyboard. The keyboard's shrill tone ate away at the gray girl's ears, and no matter how hard she pressed her hands against her ears, the music still drowned everything out. Marble collapsed back down to her knees as she let out a pained scream.

At least, she felt like she did. She couldn't actually hear her own voice over the deafening music.

"Make it stop! Please make it stop!" Marble cried out as she felt a tear drip down from her eyes. As she cried out, the gray girl couldn't help but think, 'I knew this was gonna happen. I didn't want to come here but everyone forced me to. Now my ears hurt and I think I'm getting a headache and….' Tears continued to fall down her cheeks as she begged, "I can't stand it! Someone make the noise stop!"

But the music and noise wouldn't stop. If anything, the sound of scratchy synths and shredding guitars grew even louder. Marble was pressing against her ears with all her might, but the noise was still too loud. Shaking her head, the young geologist screamed, "I feel like my ears are going to start bleeding!" Of course, in spite of feeling herself scream, she couldn't hear her own voice. Eventually, Marble lost her composure and, taking a deep breath, gave in to her frustration and began to scream, "Would it kill anyone in this damn place…." As she spoke, the music abruptly stopped, leading to the rest of the student body to begin simmering down.

Unfortunately, Marble was already finishing her complaint, and so furiously screamed, "TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT ALL THIS FUCKING NOISE!?"

At that moment, a wave of silence overcame the gymnasium as everyone turned their attention to Marble Pie. For several moments, the gray girl found herself unsure of what to do. 'Oh no.' She thought to herself. 'Please tell me no one heard that.'

Sadly, the orange boy next to her quipped, "Dude, what is your problem? You some kind of special ed girl or something?" As several other students began to murmur to themselves, Marble began to tear up again as she curled into a ball and tried to sink into her leather jacket. Sniffling, the gray girl could only mutter to herself, "I hope Sideswipe didn't hear that."

Before she could fret about her girlfriend any further, Marble was interrupted by the sound of an adult's voice demand, "Young lady? Would you come down here please?" Looking up, the gray girl found the red teacher from earlier was glaring right at her, his arms crossed in frustration and disappointment.

As she rose to her feet, Marble could hear the orange boy mock her, "Ooh. Someone is in trouble." He wasn't the only one, as several other students began murmuring to themselves, with one voice, that of a teenaged girl, jeering, "Way to go killjoy!"

All Marble could do was growl in frustration as everyone around her began to mock her. Gritting her teeth, the gray girl could only sigh in frustration as she made her way up to the crimson teacher. 'Let's just get this over with.' She thought to herself. 'I'm already screwed. No point in making it worse.' However, the teacher said something that filled Marble's heart with dread.

"Perhaps a trip to the principal's office will straighten you out."

The Principal's Office

Seated in a chair in front of a great mahogany desk, Marble Pie could only sigh in resignation and shame as she muttered to herself, "Ok, so on top of everything else today, you just had to go and shout "fuck" in front of everybody." Resting her head against the back of her chair, the gray geologist could only complain, "congratulations, you've turned yourself into a social pariah."

Still, it wasn't like Marble was that much of a social climber. She always preferred to stick to the shadows, allowing Apple Bloom and Sideswipe to soak up all the attention. The gray girl smiled as she said to herself, "Sideswipe could get along with anyone." This led to Marble sighing as she continued, "But after today? I wouldn't be surprised if she dumps me because of…."

Tearing up at the prospect of getting dumped, Marble could only curl into a ball and cry into her knees.

At that moment, the gray girl heard a smooth male voice ask, "Well, what do we have here?" Turning around, Marble found herself locking eyes with a man who had white skin, blue hair and eyes, a red shirt with a blue tie, and khaki pants. The older man walked towards his desk as he continued, "You must me Marble Pie. I heard you have quite the colorful vocabulary."

As the pale adult sat down at his desk, Marble could only sigh as she apologized. "I'm sorry sir. I just… I got so overwhelmed…." She was interrupted by the principal raising his hand as he interrupted, "I think we both know that that kind of language is absolutely inappropriate, especially for something like a pep rally." Marble could only sigh as she sniffled, "I understand sir."

To her surprise, however, the principal continued, "However, I have a feeling that this little incident wasn't just because you like cursing, was it?" Caught off guard, Marble shook her head as she replied, "Uh no. I…. uh….." Hesitating for a moment, she continued, "Everything got way too loud for me. It felt like I was gonna go deaf."

Taking this information in, the principal nodded as he said, "I figured as such. I believe I know what happened here." Curious, Marble inquired, "What do you mean?" Giving the young girl a reassuring smile, the blue haired man said something that caught her completely off guard.

"Marble, have you ever heard of sensory overload?"

Shaking her head, Marble replied, "Uh… I think I've heard of that before, but I don't really know what that means." The principal explained to her, "It basically means that one of someone's senses is overstimulated. From what I heard happened, you were overwhelmed by the noise from the pep rally, correct?" The gray girl sighed as she replied, "Yeah. Loud noises just really annoy me. They make my head and ears hurt."

Taking this information in, the principal remarked, "Well then, perhaps next time, we can consider excusing you from pep rallies, or at least have you placed somewhere where the noise isn't as bad."

Marble found herself overwhelmed with relief. She then asked, "You mean I don't have to worry about attending these stupid rallies anymore?" The principal nodded as he replied, "If you would like. So long as you promise to avoid using profanity." The gray girl lit up with excitement as she declared, "Thank you so much Mr…." Pausing for a moment, the young girl lamented, "Forgive me sir. I don't think I actually know your name."

Smiling, the principal replied, "My name is Ultra Magnus."

Feeling a sense of relief, Marble gave a gentle, "Thank you Mr. Ultra Magnus." Nodding, Ultra Magnus replied, "No problem young lady. Now then…." Looking up to the clock, the blue haired principal continued, "The pep rally should be over by now, so I think you better be going. Don't want you missing your bus or holding your parents up, do we?" The gray girl held her arm in her hand as she replied, "I guess not."

Gathering up her belongings, Marble began to make her way to the door as she said, "Thank you Mr. Ultra Magnus." Nodding, Ultra Magnus reassured his pupil, "You're welcome Marble. My door is always open to you."

Once Marble was out of his office, Ultra Magnus let out a sigh of relief as he said to himself, "Always nice to help a kid in need." He then glanced at the framed photograph on his desk, showing a younger Magnus and his now deceased younger brother. Wistfully smiling at the photo of his brother, the wizened principal continued, "I read up on that Marble girl. She has Perceptor's Syndrome, but apparently she's a bright little cookie."

He then sighed as he lamented, "Shame you couldn't be here. You could've made a pretty darn good PE teacher." Taking a deep breath, Magnus continued, "Imagine it. Kids studying under the one and only Optimus Prime. Maybe that scrapper Ironhide could give you a hand."

Still, the aging principal couldn't spend all day lamenting what could have been, and so he turned his attention to the paperwork that rested on his desk as he thought to himself, 'Good thing I do this for the kids.'

Outside Iacon High School

No sooner had Marble made it outside than she heard a familiar voice call out for her, "There you are!" Turning to see who it was, the gray girl found both Sideswipe and Apple Bloom running towards her, relief plastered on their faces. As the pale biker pulled her girlfriend into a tight hug, she exclaimed, "I saw what happened! I'm so sorry!"

Trying to free herself, Marble reassured her girlfriend, "It's alright." As Sideswipe released her girlfriend, the pale biker responded, "No it's not! I got a good look at that fucking speaker behind you, and I should've known it'd overwhelm you!" She then sighed as she lamented, "Primus I feel like such a dumbass!" Even Apple Bloom couldn't help but admit, "Ah'm so sorry you got overwhelmed at the pep rally."

To Sideswipe and Apple Bloom's surprise, Marble straightened her jacket as she said, "It's ok. And besides, I have a feeling I won't have to worry about this sort of thing again." She then turned to face the school behind them as she added, "Principal Ultra Magnus is pretty cool."

Upon hearing that name, Apple Bloom's eyes lit up as she exclaimed, "Wait, you mean our principal is Ultra Magnus?" Nodding, Marble answered, "Yeah. Why, that bad?" The former farm girl shook her head as she replied, "Of course not! If anythin', that's great!" She then dropped the bomb shell that surprised both Marble and Sideswipe.

"Ultra Magnus's younger brother was Uncle Ironhide's old commander!"

As the two teens took this in, Sideswipe asked, "No way. You mean our principal and Ironhide know each other?" Even Marble couldn't contain her excitement as she added, "You gotta tell us everything!" The former farm girl smiled as she rested her hands around her friends' shoulders as she began, "Well, apparently they first met face to face at Uncle Ironhide and Aunt Chromia's weddin', but before that…."

And so, as the trio of girls walked off to wait for Ironhide to pick Apple Bloom up, the former farm girl regaled the story she'd heard about her family's influence on Allspark Wells, all while Marble thought to herself, 'Give me some quality time with my friends over a stupid pep rally anytime.'