trans_9 | Doing the Dirty Work [Open!]

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Doing the Dirty Work [Open!]

How did Applejack stand working so hard around the farm? Her secret was simple: combining work and play. She'd brought the same styl to Hydroponics, where she'd sectioned off a small patch of the ground to be a place for some of the animals to play. The grass was dug up and seeds were planted elsewhere, water was poured, and Applejack herself was pounding her legs into the dirt. Making mud! Her bright orange coat was now coated in brown, and the longer she worked, the further she sank.

But this wasn't very fun. Back home, she'd done---yeah, that was what was missing! She hopped out of her little mud pit, tracked dirt across the grass, and set off at a fast trot. "Yee-haw!"

If anypony happened to be hanging about, they'd be splattered when the large pony came crashing down, rolling in her little pit of dirt. Her hat sat some distance to the side, miraculously untouched by the splattering of mud. Surely most would know to stay away from such a display.

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"Yeah, that's too bad. It's not quite the same when you grow them with magic." Or that was Atom's opinion, anyway. He patted a little tree sprout with one hand.

"You couldn't find any bigger trees to start with?"

"There's a few, but I'm keeping 'em safe for now. Can't go picking all the apples right away." She crouched down next to her little sprouts, nudging one with her nose.

"But that's all right. They're just fine as they are. Ain't that right, Bloombell?"

Yes, she was addressing the tree.

"You name all your trees?" Wow, that had to be a lot of work if Applejack was used to taking care of an orchard.

"That's pretty neat. How long do you think it's going to be before you can pick some apples?"

"Just the ones that are special to me. These little ones are all special to me, they'll be the first apple trees we've got!"

She tapped her hoof on the ground. "Oh, I'd say...maybe a few weeks for the first magic ones, give or take. It's a bit hard to tell up here."

"Oh yeah? Well, I hope they grow up big and strong. Uran says plants grow better when you talk to them and give them names."

He frowned a little. "Time does seem to be a little weird here, doesn't it? It interferes with my chronometer..."

"They sure do!" Applejack fully believed it too. "Y'all heard him, now you grow up nice and strong, 'kay?"

When the plants were addressed, she looked back up at Atom. "What's a chronometer?"

"Well, uh..." Atom scratched his head. "I guess it's sort of like a clock. It tells me what time it is and when I should be waking up. But it's been acting all screwy ever since I got here."

"Like you don't know which way's up or down," Applejack sighed. She was all too familiar with that feeling. "I tried watching the sun and moon in the city, but it's not right either. Felt like it was going too fast."

Atom nodded. "Pretty much. I mean, I guess it's okay; it's not like it changes to night every five minutes or anything, but... I sure would like it if everything worked right."

Then he seemed to put that concern aside; no point dwelling on what he couldn't change. For now, anyway. "So, where are you from, anyway? Earth?"

"Equestria! Great place for a pony to live," she reminisced. "We had big cities and small towns. I'm from the little town of Ponyville, living on the farm on the outskirts of town."

"Oh yeah? Uh, is Equestria a planet? Or a country? Is everyone there a pony?"

"Country, I think," she tried her best to remember. "It's a big place. And we're not all ponies! We've got zebras, lions, turtles, dogs, cats...just none of you human folk."

Atom laughed. "I'm not a human! I'm a robot! I kind of get what you mean, though. But lions? You're not scared of them?"

"Right, o'course," she remembered, shaking her head. "Easy to forget. But maybe I'm a little scared---just don't tell anypony! Nothing we can't handle, though."

Nope. Applejack was just fine.

"Maybe if my sister ever shows up here, you can ask her how she does it," Atom suggested. "Lions really like her. She rescued a couple one time, back on Earth."

And Uran wasn't scared at all, but that was Uran.

"I will," Applejack promised. "Is she like Fluttershy? Can she tell what they need?"

Atom smiled. "Yeah, basically. She's not like me. She can kind of... sense emotions, I guess? Sometimes she picks up stuff that's really small, like a lost kitten, and then she can't relax until she helps it. Is your friend like that?"

"Always," Applejack said fondly. "Fluttershy's special like that. She's got a whole forest full of creatures she looks after. Do y'all have pets around the house?"

Atom shuffled his feet a little at the question. "Well, um... I used to have a dog. But my mom doesn't really like animals, that much, so not right now."

"I'm sorry," she sighed. "Not everypony likes 'em...us, I suppose, but I don't see why not."

She looked out over the farm. "Well, we've got these critters. Thought I saw somethin' that looked like a dog."

He smiled. "Hey, it's okay. Besides, it doesn't mean I can't play with other people's dogs."

Which he totally did. "Uh... something that looked like a dog?"

"They're not really dogs, far as I can figure. You ever seen a dog with three heads?"

This was such a weird place!

"Huh? No, I can't say I have..." A dog with three heads? "You mean like that one from Greek mythology? Uh... Cerebus or Cerebro or something? A big, giant, mean one?"

"Somethin' like that, maybe," Applejack shakes her head. "I'm not up on all the stories. But they looked pretty friendly to me."

Would they still be friendly, though? "But that could change."

Atom frowned a little. "I'll look out for them just in case... but as long as they're nice, it's okay, right? I mean, the animals here aren't supposed to bother anyone."

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appletastic - 2011-12-09 03:13 (UTC) - Expand

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