012 Bushels ❦ [Action for Cianwood/Video]

[buckyouup]

[AJ has been doing a lot of thinking lately. Being stuck in the Cianwood Inn nursing an injured leg for the last three weeks, thinking is all you really can do. She's managed to get out of bed enough to start exercising again, but she's still not able to keep up with training her pokemon just yet. Still, she's spent most of today resting in bed, a Togetic curled in her lap. The little fairy has never left her side since the injury, tending to every need she is capable of handling. Part of her is thankful, but part of her is sad. The caring, the dedication. It reminds her all to much of...

She huffs, reaching down and stroking the tiny creature's crest, who coos in response. Why is it that she can show so much affection to a pokemon, but she could only freeze up attempting the same to its former trainer? She couldn't give her the one thing that would make her truly happy in the last weeks of her being in this world? Her hand balls into a fist.

Damnit.]

What... do y'all do when you feel like you let somepony down?

[When you can't seem to forgive yourself, no matter how much you try.]

Comments

(Action)

[bestofthebest]

(Rainbow Dash doesn't even wait for an invitation or anything once noticing Applejack's message; she just walks right into her room and sits down. She smiles lightly upon seeing the Togetic, but otherwise pulls out a Pokeball of her own and spins it -on. Her. Finger.

She's been practicing.)

...You know she couldn't stand to see you -or anypony- like this, right?

[buckyouup]

I know, an' that just makes things worse.

[Fluttershy would never stand to see her beating herself up like this, but she just can't get herself to stop. It was her job above everything else, to make sure Fluttershy was safe, and happy. In her mind, she didn't do nearly enough.]

[bestofthebest]

(Rainbow stopped spinning the 'Ball and tossed it, a Feebas appearing and landing in her lap. She had been well-trained, by the looks of things.)

Ha, if you kept it up she might even give you...The Stare~!

[buckyouup]

Y'don't think she'd have gone that far, would she?

[bestofthebest]

It's been a month, so yeah - she totally would.

(A beat, then she starts rummaging through her other Pokeballs.) Bet one of my Psychics can show you what I mean...

[buckyouup]

Your psychics, huh?

{Rainbow, if you think for a second she's gonna let you rummage around in her head...]

[bestofthebest]

Yep! Still need to give 'em proper names, but...

(Rainbow has no intention of getting inside AJ's head; she's just as moody as Dash on Cider Season! Lightning zips into the room and sits next to Feebas.)

That's not my point.

[buckyouup]

An' what is your point?

[bestofthebest]

...That you're not the only pony who blamed herself for things going wrong.

[buckyouup]

But you weren't her marefriend. I couldn't be the special somepony she wanted.

[bestofthebest]

(Rainbow will choose this moment to press the palm of her hand against Applejack's forehead before lightly pushing it back. Time for some tough love, while ignoring the 'marefriend' part.)

She was just happy that you were back with us! You know her just as well as I do, and she would've agreed to take things slowly.

...Fluttershy was willing to see where things went with you, after all.

[buckyouup]

Y-yeah but...

[Ugh, she hates when Rainbow Dash is right.]

She was gone so quick I just... I wish I could have shown her something.

[bestofthebest]

How many awesome moments did you have with her, Applejack? The ones you can remember, I mean. You gave her those memories, even if she won't remember when she comes back.

[buckyouup]

...Then I reckon it'd be up t'me to make up for all the memories she forgot.

[Gotta put new smiles where the old ones used to be.]

[bestofthebest]

(Rainbow laughs while playfully shoving AJ's shoulder.)

It's up to us, right? Quit thinking like Twilight when the world's in danger and trying to do things alone. The rest of us have memories with her here too!

(Cue Pokeball in Rainbow's hand opening and Ditzy popping out with a loud 'Golduck!' before posing.)

[buckyouup]

Well... I reckon there were some memories she'd want me t'restore.

[If... you understand her meaning. Mushy stuff.]

[bestofthebest]

...Yeah, those memories. Maybe not all of 'em.

(Rainbow heard about the whole 'camera' thing which is why Twilight enforces that particular rule. A lot.)

[buckyouup]

[Celest likes to play photographer. It's not her fault her models were nude. And the whole world was watching.]

Some things are better left forgotten.

[bestofthebest]

Yeah...better left forgotten.

(She's not totally talking about 'that' moment.)

[buckyouup]

[Oh, she knows exactly what moment Dash is talking about. And no, she has no plans on letting her live that down.]

Just don't go kissin' her if she happens t'come back.

[bestofthebest]

(Rainbow blinks, then blushes while frowning a bit -and deciding to talk with Cadence asap.)

You kissed Twilight, and I'm pretty sure you didn't have conflicting feelings for her.

[buckyouup]

[And then AJ's face matched Dash's.]

She kissed me, an' it was an accident.

[bestofthebest]

And you both moved on from it, right?

(Dash's back in AJ's face again.)

[buckyouup]

I-I suppose so.

[bestofthebest]

(Oh yes, this is something she'll be talking to Twilight about soon.)

So if you can move on from that, you can move on from this! Not saying it won't still hurt, 'cause that kind of pain doesn't go away, but...Twilight told you how long she'd been here before we all came back, didn't she?