013 Bushels ❦ [Video/Action for Mahogany]

[buckyouup]

[It's been a couple days since that weird swarm of flying reindeer descended upon the world. Through a bit of clever herding, she managed to catch one of her own. It didn't even have any wings, and yet it could fly. This thing had to be rare as can be. It might even be worth a thing or two.

All the commotion of the season has started to die down, and things are starting to go back to normal. Maybe now's a good time to check out her score. She'll retrieve the ball and let the critter out.

Except what is released is... a bit smaller.

]

What in tarnation is this!? Somepony ran off with my pokey-mon!

Then they had the gall t'swap it out with...

[She blinks, bending over to inspect the playset, and the tiny plastic horses inside.]

Little... toys a' me an' my pals? [She huffs, picking herself up.]

S'this supposed t'be me? My mane looks nothin' like that. They didn't even give me my hat!

[Well, AJ, you said you wanted your old body back. Looks like you got it!]

Comments

[Action]

[foolishwren]

<sub>[Well, Heather's never been one to outright avoid someone she recognizes in a public space. The opposite, actually.]

[So when she sees Applejack messing around with... what seems to be a big toy castle, she heads over.]</sub>

... Well, I dunno, looks accurate to me.

_{[--This is said from behind AJ, once Heather sees the little plastic horses. Her memories of the ponies in their natural forms are somewhat limited, but she recalls them well enough.]}

[sitdownbecider]

[She turns, looking in disgust.]

You kiddin'? This don't look anythin' like me.

[foolishwren]

_{[Heather rubs her chin with a crooked grin.]}

In the sense that it's tiny and plastic, no, I'll give you that, but the rest...

_{[HEATHER SHUT UP YOU ONLY SAW THE PONIES IN THOSE WEIRD DREAM SEQUENCE WEEKENDS.]}

[sitdownbecider]

I'm makin' some kind a' goofy look an' my head is too big.

[Huff. Dumb toy.]

Who thought it was a good idea t'hide this in a pokey-ball?

[foolishwren]

Well that, I have no answer for.

Maybe you grabbed the wrong one.

_{[She's found items lying around in Pokeballs once or twice, but... not usually anything as elaborate as a big plastic castle and a bunch of toy horses. :I]}

[sitdownbecider]

This certainly ain't somethin' I remember catchin'.

[She inspects the ball. Nope, it looks pretty normal to her.]

Somepony's pullin' a prank on me.

[foolishwren]

Could be.

... Or maybe it's one of those weird Christmas things.

_{[She hasn't thought to open her OWN red-nosed Stantler ball yet. Once she does, she'll be in for a rather unpleasant surprise.]}

[sitdownbecider]

I still don't get this whole "Christmas" thing. What kind a' holiday makes it okay t'pull pranks like that?

[Action]

[friendyousohard]

I... um...

[Yep. Twilight has been left speechless, just gaping at the thing over AJ's shoulder.]

Whose castle is that?

[foolishwren]

_{[At that, Heather blinks.]}

Huh?

... Oh, that's... uh, not what Christmas is about. There's a totally different holiday for that.

[sitdownbecider]

Judgin' by the bright colors and trumpets? Pinkie Pie's.

[She sighs. Whoever made this thing has clearly never seen an actual pony before, nevermind their castles.]

[sitdownbecider]

You're kiddin'.

[friendyousohard]

Pinkie Pie's castle would be filled with balloons, ball pits, and pastries, and would have secret passages to take you to the sugary center. That's... more like something Discord would make just outside Canterlot to make fun of it.

[sitdownbecider]

I reckon that's a joke I could get behind.

[Relatively harmless, and thumbing your nose at the snooty Canterlot elite.]

An' whoever made this crummy castle messed up an' put wings on you, too.

[friendyousohard]

The joke would be aimed at Princesses Celestia and Luna, AJ.

[She fails to realize, of course, that the Princesses would probably say it was actually quite funny. Well, Celestia and Cadence would anyway. Luna's a bit of a wild card.]

That or they're from the future Rarity was talking about... I don't know what I want to think.

[foolishwren]

Not at all. I just explained it to someone else a little while ago, even.

S'called April Fool's Day.

Christmas hasn't got anything to do with pranks. So... yeah, if someone's playing a joke on you, dunno what their problem is.

[sitdownbecider]

Future, huh?

[She picks up the Twilight toy. Looks like the wings are molded into the figure, so it's not like someone just glued them on.]

You mess up on a spell or somethin'?

[friendyousohard]

What? No. Well, actually I think that was involved too, but... didn't Rarity talk to you about this? Or was it only me she decided to hit over the head with this revelation?

[sitdownbecider]

First I've heard of this, I'm afraid.

[friendyousohard]

In that case, nevermind. It hasn't happened for any of the rest of us, besides Cadence and she keeps her own counsel just fine, so I'm not going to talk about what might or might not happen in our collective future.

[Denial, denial, denial keeps her from going crazy under pressure~.]

[sitdownbecider]

Now hold on, Sugarcube, if this is important then I don't think you should be keepin' this t'yourself.

[friendyousohard]

But it's not important! I mean, until it happens. Which it hasn't.

[sitdownbecider]

[She raises a brow.]

What's gotten into you? Y'look like you've seen a ghost.

[sitdownbecider]

...What in tarnation's it bein' April have t'do with foolin' somepony?

[Sounds like one of Pinkie's random holidays.]

[friendyousohard]

I... look, you know that one time I got visited by a future version of myself and spent the next week desperately trying to figure out what horrible thing was going to happen?

This is like that, only I know exactly what's going to happen and while it's not horrible and is arguably cause for celebration, I'm terrified of the concept.