014 Bushels ❦ [Action for Mahogany]

[buckyouup]

[Applejack has been quiet for the last few days. Hardly in the mood to talk, the southerner has been taking advantage of the warmer weather to get in some training. Never wanting to sit still, she takes every opportunity to run or fight or do something, but outside of her pokemon, she insists on being alone. She has to keep herself busy. So she doesn't think. So she isn't reminded.

One year. One whole year. And that's just the time she remembers. That's not counting the time she's been here before. She hasn't seen her family, her home, her orchard, in a year. She knows that time works strange here, that for her, time isn't moving back home, but that doesn't quite translate to her emotions. To her, she's spent a whole year of her life chasing strange animals while her family and her farm is without her. Stuck in some strange land, located who knows how far away from home. If she was never brought here, what would she have experienced at home? Would this year's haul be a good one? Did Apple Bloom get her cutie mark? She didn't want to think about it. She didn't want to think at all.

If you happen to be wandering in a secluded part of town, you may notice Applejack training. She may be running laps, or doing sit-ups, or training her pokemon, but one thing is instantly noticeable: she looks like shit. Her clothes are torn and her body is dirty and covered in scrapes and bruises. She looks like she hasn't slept in days. She doesn't want to. She dreams of home.]

Comments

(Action)

[bestofthebest]

(Applejack isn't alone for too long, as no matter what she's doing -running in place, doing sit-ups or training her Pokémon- she'll find herself being glomped/hugged by a Meganium.)

Hey, Applejack! I know you said clothes aren't your thing, but you didn't have to get 'em this dirty. (A beat.) Daring, you can get off her now.

[buckyouup]

H-hey! What in tarnation--

[She struggles to free herself, but her exhaustion, along with the weight of the beast, proves to be too much for her.]

Rainbow. I thought I said I wanted t'be alone.

[bestofthebest]

(It takes a moment as she's busy nuzzling her face, but Daring is pulled off by Rainbow as she grins at AJ before holding out a hand for her to take.)

That was like, forever ago! You'd think you don't wanna hang out with anypony.

[buckyouup]

[She huffs, taking Rainbow's hand and rising to her feet.]

I don't.

[bestofthebest]

...Seriously. What's going on? Is it about Spike and Princess Cadence?

[buckyouup]

No!

Well... yeah, they goin' home ain't helpin'.

[bestofthebest]

Then what is it?

(Obviously she's not backing down.)

[buckyouup]

S'this somethin' you really wanna talk 'bout?

[bestofthebest]

Hey, we might not be as close as you are with Twilight but we're still friends! I'll always lend a hoof -or hand, hehe.

[friendyousohard]

[It's late in the day, and the sun's going down, when an enormous figure appears in front of AJ while she's training. The figure of a certain rock godzilla.

With a thunderous roar, Tower calls up a sandstorm, marching towards AJ's no-doubt tired team with no more warning than that. Why has Twilight let her loose like this?]

Tower. Earthquake.

[Oh. She's under orders.

Think fast, AJ!]

[buckyouup]

[Just when you think you can wrestle with your Blaziken in peace and quiet. Applejack coughs, doing her best to shield her eyes from the sudden sandstorm. This isn't natural. The forest doesn't have sand. When the earth starts to shake beneath her feet, she knows that she's under attack.]

Twilight, what in tarnation are you doin'?!

[Omelette lets out a challenging shriek, but his condition is not much better than Applejack's.]

[friendyousohard]

You've been training for this many days, I figured you thought you must be quite a bit behind.

[Oh, see that glare, AJ? Sure she's at the top of the ridge, but she's deliberately outside of the sandstorm, you might be able to see how she's glowering at you.

Yeah, she's not happy.]

I'm here to help.

[And there's definitely something menacing in the way she says "help".]

[buckyouup]

[Omelette squawks in frustration, having needed to sacrifice health in order to dodge the oncoming earthquake with a substitute. No thanks to Applejack's decaying leadership skills.

Applejack balls her hand into a fist, she gives Twilight one last stare before closing her eyes to the oncoming sand.]

Omelette, get in close. Push him back with a double-kick.

[friendyousohard]

Protect.

[Rooting herself on the ground, Tower brings up her hands to block the incoming strikes, letting the sandstorm whip around her to buffer Omelette as she comes in.]

[buckyouup]

[Feet planted, right up close? Perfect.]

Right where we want 'em. Sky Uppercut!

[Omelette, too, digs in her feet, but not for protection. The sand cuts again, but she shakes it from her mind. Unleashing the full strength of her legs, Omelette delivers a quick rising uppercut towards the rocky monster's face.]

[friendyousohard]

[Twilight raises an eyebrow. Impressive strategy, and absolutely the perfect sort of move to use against Tower. And here she'd thought AJ would be completely out of tactics at this point.

No matter. The hulking monstrosity takes it on the chin and staggers back, winded, but she doesn't go down (though her HP is totally in the red). As Omelette drops back towards the ground, Twilight gives her next order.]

Earthquake.

[This is going to be a painful landing.]

[buckyouup]

[When the sand digs in again, Omelette can barely stand. She lacked the health for another substitute, and using protect would just allow her to close the distance. Applejack's exhausted brain tried to find another solution, but she had nothing.]

Hng... take her out first! Brave Bird now!

[Omelette immediately unleashed any remaining strength she had, however little. Flames consumed her body, until her form was near unrecognizable. She leaped towards the crashing monster, hoping to bring her down in one last suicide strike.]

[Action]

[foolishwren]

<sub>[It's rather late to be out and about.]

[But that had never stopped Heather.]

[The familiar clop-clop-clop of hooves on the street and a flickering glow around the corner are what precede Heather's entrance, but it's entirely possible that Applejack, in her training fervor, could miss it.]

[In which case it's probably the...]</sub>

... Applejack?

<sub>[... that will catch her attention.]

[Heather, astride Carousel the Rapidash, had been out for a little night-roaming of her own. For reasons entirely different and perhaps not as sympathetic, but it was something she'd been doing a lot of, lately. Of course, most SENSIBLE people are in bed at this time of night-- or at least Heather's not used to encountering more than a few of the usual suspects hanging around nightclubs or smoking in alleys. Not that Mahogany's much for nightlife to begin with.]

[Perhaps that's one of the reasons it's so surprising to see Applejack here. ... Especially in a state like this.]</sub>

What're you doing out here?

[buckyouup]

[Oh you know, just avoiding sleeping for the third night in a row. No big deal.

Applejack leans back against a tree. Actually, it's more like she's relying on the tree to keep her standing.]

J-just... gettin' some more trainin' in, that's all.

[foolishwren]

<sub>[AJ. AJ NO.]

[Heather eyes the exhausted ex-pony for a moment, uncertainly-- and then slowly dismounts from Carousel's back, giving the Rapidash's neck a pat in the process.]</sub>

At this time of night?

I didn't know ponies were nocturnal.

[buckyouup]

Some of us can stay awake as long s'we want, if ya got what it takes.

[foolishwren]

Well, whether or not you could is a far cry from whether or not you should.

_{[She fishes a Pokeball out of her pocket and returns Carousel in a flash of red light before turning back to Applejack, nodding towards her bedraggled clothes.]}

When was the last time you slept?

[buckyouup]

I ain't sure how that's any of your business.

[She tries to step away from the tree, but her exhausted body nearly crumbles under its own weight. She'll just go back to leaning.]

[foolishwren]

It's not, but as I'm sure you've noticed, I tend to butt in whether it's my business or not.

_{[So yeah, she'll be heading right over. SORRY AJ.]}

Come on, it's the middle of January.

Can't you do pushups inside or something?

_{[LIKE A NORMAL PERSON?]}

[buckyouup]

Y'can't run an' jump in a hotel room, Sugarcube. Can't train your pokemon, neither. I can't stand bein' cooped up any longer.

[In this world.]