Doing the Dirty Work [Open!]

[appletastic]

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.

Comments

[swordofdorn.livejournal.com]

"Very well." It's not like his tabard doesn't get covered in other people's blood or the time or nothing.

"Are... you playing?"

[appletastic]

"Playing?" Applejack scoffed, but she understood the question. "Nah, this is work! Making a mud pit for the little critters. They're the ones that'll be playing."

[swordofdorn.livejournal.com]

"And what... oh, you mean the food you shall be planting?"

Erhart is the worst at guessing games.

[appletastic]

Food? The critters? Applejack shook her head. "Nah. We can't eat anypony here! That's one of the rules of Hydroponics!"

Equestria had had some of its own rules regarding the consumption of animal meat or lack thereof, but she was especially wary now. Outnumbered by so many humans, some of which mighta eaten a horse back in the day.

[swordofdorn.livejournal.com]

Erhart looks more confused than anything else. "So the critters you were speaking of weren't plants?"

[appletastic]

"You call critters plants?"

That was new. Applejack looks up blankly at him. She'll have to re-shuffle her words around.

"I meant the animals. You know, the ones that roam and roll around and eat the grass? Like me! But I'm looking out for the little ones."

[swordofdorn.livejournal.com]

"Ah, now I understand. I rarely use slang, so I tend to misinterpret it."

[appletastic]

Applejack shrugged her shoulder. "See, now we get each other! So anyway, I'm helpin' out. Giving our little guys a chance to cool off. I don't know about them, but I know the sticky air's making things rough on me."

Which led her to another question. "How do you stay cool in all that anyway?"

[swordofdorn.livejournal.com]

"My armor has a venting system, and more or less respires for itself." He gestures towards his backpack, where an elaborate venting and fan system can be seen.

"You are used to a more arid clime, then?"

[appletastic]

"Oh, gotcha." It was still a little weird to her, though. Why not just bask in the sunshine?

"Sure am! Most of the year, anyway. We've got summer, fall, winter, and spring, and we work out in the fields most of the year when it's nice but winter's no fun. Gotta stay inside with all the food we stored, and sometimes we have trouble making it last."

Rationing food had not been fun.

[swordofdorn.livejournal.com]

"I came from a feudal world... your world in some ways sound rather similar to my own." Well, with less knights and violence and more farming, but the ideas are more or less familiar to him.

[appletastic]

"Feudal? What's that?"

...yeah, there were some concepts that just didn't translate to Equestrian language. To them, home was just home.

[swordofdorn.livejournal.com]

"A society ruled by barons and other nobles, owing fealty to a King. There are other definitions as well, but I shall not bore you with them."

[appletastic]

"Huh." She thought about that for a moment. It almost sounded familiar. "All we've got back home is our Princess, Celestia. She's here, you might've heard of her. She's teaching everypony about friendship."

Not that that was likely to be something Erhart was interested in.

[swordofdorn.livejournal.com]

"I have not heard of this princess, no. So you have your own version of royalty, then?"

He sounds vaguely intrigued.

[appletastic]

"Yup! Princess Celestia raises the sun and Princess Luna raises the moon. They rule Equestria together, up from the castle in Canterlot." Their version of magic. "It works for us. Eveypony's happy."

[swordofdorn.livejournal.com]

Erhart is silent. He can't really imagine a world where EVERYONE is happy. And this sounds rather sorcerous to him.

[appletastic]

"Well, not everypony all the time," Applejack amends. "We fight, o'course, and things happen, but in the end it all tends to work out."

[swordofdorn.livejournal.com]

"And what do you all fight about?"

[appletastic]

"Nothing too serious. Usually somepony's being arrogant and driving us up the wall, or somepony's making a mess of town, or somepony's not taking care of herself when she should."

She smiled sheepishly. "Uh, that last one might've been me."

[swordofdorn.livejournal.com]

"Indeed?"

He chuckles. "What you describe is more... arguing and less fighting. But your world seems a peaceful place."

And, terminally naive, but he's not going to say that to her just yet.

[appletastic]

"It is...er, it was. I really miss it," Applejack said quietly.

"But I've got a war to fight now."

[swordofdorn.livejournal.com]

"Some wars are best fought through logistics." He nods to Hydroponics in general.

[appletastic]

"Logistics?" Nope, never heard of it.

[swordofdorn.livejournal.com]

"Supplies. Growing things here will keep us fighting. Battles aren't won simply with Bolter and blade, you know."