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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Mindy shrugged. "I never said like was awful, just that its tough. Any life is when you have to adjust to it, right? But part of the fun is finding ways to gt stronger."

At least she thought so. "I guess I could do that. I don't usually think of work and fun going hand in hand, but I'm sure I can manage that, right?"

"Sure thing! You could play games with your excercise, couldn't you?"

She did! "Over the barrels! Outrun the sheep?"

"Yeah, probably," Mindy said, thinking it was hardly likely. If she was going to play any games, they were usually going to be with Ruffnut, and they were usually going to involve somebody crashing into something, usually Ruffnut.

Mindy laughed. "Sorry, I'm from Manhattan, I'm definitely not used to doing anything involving barrels or livestock."

"Manehattan?" Applejack knew where that was! "Big city place, right? My Aunt and Uncle Orange lived there. Went to all kinds of fancy dinner parties."

And she hadn't liked them at all, but she wouldn't mention it.

"It might be a little different, yours and mine," she said, although for all she knew, maybe it was just the pony thing that made it different. "Where I'm from, there's skyscrapers and business districts, but I live in the poorer neighborhoods. We just have an apartment. Still, no livestock in places like that. You have to go Upstate for that."

Assuming that even existed in...Equestria, was it?

"Sounds a bit rough n' tumble to me," she observed. "Did you ever see those bigger spaces, way past all those big buildings?"

"Well, we had parks and stuff," Mindy said. "I had plenty of fun going there."

That had to be, without a doubt, the biggest pile of bullshit coming out of Mindy's mouth, and that was saying something. Whether it was junkyards, abandoned alleys, Mindy had PLENTY of ways to get exercise. If Applejack looked, she'd see that the girl had more muscles than girls her age ought to have.

"Oh, the park!" Applejack loved parks! Nice open spaces that she didn't have to fuss over, other ponies took care of it. "I used to play fetch with Winona all the time."

Yes, a pony has a pet.

"Play fetch?" This was not computing. She was a pony. How did ponies have pets?

"You mean, with a dog? Does it talk too?"

"Yup! Winona's my herding dog. I miss her---wonder if she made it," she thought sadly. "Nah, she can't talk. The other animals on the farm can't either."

She did not seem to think that there was anything strange about this.

So there were animals on this farm, and like humans, they couldn't talk.

Bizarre.

"There are many animals in the Hydroponics though. Why don't you try raising them, having them help you with the apples?"

"Huh." She thought about it---that was something she hadn't considered before.

"Like Winona and her herding? I think some of these critters might have it in 'em to buck, but I'll have to see how we get along. Sometimes I've had a bit of trouble getting through to 'em."

"Isn't that like any animal at first though?" Mindy asked. "They're all supposed to be a little difficult to start out with, probably harder since they lived in other worlds. But if you're in Hydroponics this much, they're bound to get to know you and get used to you after awhile, right?"

At least, that's how she thought animals worked.

"Yeah," Applejack understood. "They've all lost their family, same as us. Scared and confused too. But maybe if I show 'em a little kindness they'll get it."

Maybe. She glanced up at the apple tree, peering up from under her hat. "Just waiting for those apples to be ready."

"I think that's something we all need a little bit of, I guess," Mindy said casually. Not that she needed it all too much: for herself, she was a survivor. She found ways to keep herself occupied. "From what I heard, they were freed from a planet the Ohm was blowing up."

She looked up at the tree. "Apples matter that much to you?"

"Yeah. Just like the rest of us." She looked out at the little darlings, then her growing apple tree. Her other darling.

"Sure do. Been raised around 'em since I was a tiny filly. We kept Equestria growin' with the best apples around."

Mindy nodded, relaxing on her tiptoes for the moment. She could see this Hydroponics bay getting a lot better, if Applejack was able to maintain it all right.

"So you'll keep doing that, even here,: Mindy said, vaguely interested. "What's this Equestria place like?"

"It's home," Applejack said longingly, thinking of the wide fields and many friends. "Plenty of space to roam around. I lived on a farm on the edge of town, but there were big cities too. Not that I liked those much."

"It's still sorta hard for me to picture only ponies living in cities. I sorta figured you needed fingers and stuff for the cities. But I've seen you have some unicorns too, so you get to use magic too, right?"

"They sure do. Unicorns use their magic to build what us earth ponies can't, and the pegasus ponies fly stuff. It's tough, but we make it work."

Fingers were such a luxury. How nice they would be to have, how well they worked.

"Kinda wish I could see a place like that. But hey, if I have to settle to coming here and seeing you, I guess that's ok. I've always liked the Hydroponics bay."

And who would say no to an actual apple?

"And I could help you with anything you need here, if you want."

"Sure thing, sugar," she smiled, grateful for the offer. "But I think I've had enough helping hooves around the barn today. You just take care of yourself."

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Doing the Dirty Work [Open!]

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