We Made A Mess But The Mess Was Feelings
Right! Left! Each swing came with the heavy duff of cloven hooves striking into leather.
“Harder! You think you’re gonna win with weak stuff like that!” Limestone shouted at the top of her lungs before shoving the punching bag back in Yona’s face. “You call those punches!”
“Actually, yak call it—”
“Spare me the language lessons and hit like you mean it, foal!” A scream roared from Limestone’s throat as she rammed the punching bag forward.
The force knocked Yona off her front hooves. She stumbled into the wall. Tiling and dust drizzled from the ceiling as a thud resonated throughout the gym. Equipment jumped from the force before falling back into place. Yona let out a hot snort and a blood boiling snarl. She rushed the punching bag, raised her hoof, and sent Limestone flying into the other wall. A wall that had once had a mat installed for exactly this purpose which was, in Limestone’s words, ‘pussy shit’.
Limestone fell from her cozy wall crater to her belly. “Now that's what I’m talking about! That’s the yak I know!”
“Yes!” Yona let out a Yakyakistan war cry and attempted a hoof pump. And attempted, and attempted. Her eyes glanced towards the punching bag. “Oh”
With a firm yank she pulled her hoof out of the hole she freshly perforated the bag with. Filling poured over the floor. Patchy the punching bag got another fresh scar. Ophiotaurus leather wasn’t cheap but Yona’s standards didn’t allow her to settle for anything less. Yona’s strength didn’t allow for punching bags to lead long fulfilling lives either. Thankfully Limestone was a wizard with patches and tape.
“Yona overdo it again,” she said with a sheepish grin.
Limestone stretched till her back made a pop that would make most creatures die of sympathy pain. She cracked her neck with a grin as she walked over to assess the damage. “Hah nice one! At least they’re lasting longer since we put tennis balls on your horns.”
Yona gave one a spin.“Balls also help Yona not get disqualified.”
“Those refs are just big babies! If somepony runs into your horns in a fight it's their own idiot fault!” They shared a laugh as they went to fetch a drink.
A stone bottle next to a traditional yak canteen. They slung their towels over their backs as they took a drink. In front of the break station was a wall plastered with posters. April twentieth! The skies strike the earth at the School of Friendship! Airburst vs Yona! Part of Limestone’s mental training regime was to always remember what you’re working towards. That was how Yona put it anyhow’ Limestone’s exact words were ‘remember who’s ass you're about to beat’.
Limestone snatched up one of the posters, eyeing the small-fry pegasus next to the large imposing yak.“That pega-runt won’t know what hit him when you send him to the stratosphere!”
“Not mindset of warrior. Yak must respect opponent.” She put a hoof on her chest. “Yak warrior best but opponent can never be underestimated.”
“Oh come on! Even little songbirds that think they’re hot shit? Lighten up, you’re gonna crush her.”
Yona’s mouth curled into a smile. “This remind Yona of Maud story.”
A curious, shaking brow raised on Limestone’s face. “What?”
“Rock school story.”
“No.” Limestone’s eyes shrunk to tiny piercing dots.
“Limestone lose fight to frilly pegasus pony every day at eating time.”
“Augh!” Limestone’s hooves dragged down her face. The bottom eyelids pulled down along with her cheeks, revealing the building rage in her eyes. “ I can’t believe she told you that! Barely thirty ponies even went to that school no pony is supposed to know!”
Yona’s smarm held steady in the face of anger. “Yona told Limestone one that pick fight.”
“Ugh! Shut up!”
“Maud say Limestone pick fight because crush on pegasus.”
“It wasn’t a crush, I just hated her stupid pretty face flapping around the place.” Limestone’s shaking expression shimmered ruby red. “Showing off her wings and stupid golden hair. They just love showing off! Flying whenever they could just walk! The flappy jerks cheat anyway. How am I supposed to buck somepony flappin’ out of bucking range!”
“Throw rock.” Yona’s face curved into a grin limestone would describe as shit-eating.
“Those are for farming,” Limestone shouted!
“Excuses.”
“It’s not fair!”
Yona rolled onto her back in laughter. “Yona promise to beat up pegasus in honor of tiny Limestone crush.”
“Yuck it up big girl!” Her cheeks puffed “Soon as you're out of school and I’m not your trainer anymore I’m gonna thrash you myself.” She tossed her towel over Yona's face but it did nothing to stop the laughter. Limestone used all the will she had to stop herself from joining her, instead letting her cheeks puff and grow red.
Towel or not, Yona didn’t need to see the look on Limestone’s face. The best part of teasing her was watching the prideful farmer do her absolute best not to laugh at her own embarrassment. That red and grey puffy face was just one of the things Yona looked forward to every Friday for the last semester.
Yona had started her training with Rainbow Dash, but as much as Rainbow was into fighting, Spitfire wasn’t too happy with the Wonderbolt’s star flier getting launched into walls anymore than she already did herself. So she moved onto Applejack, who was strong and threw a good right hoof, but Yona got the feeling ninety percent of her training had just become doing Applejack’s farm labor.
So she moved on to Rarity. Rarity may have been the most impressive pony martial artist Yona had seen, but Yona couldn’t exactly do roundhouses and crane-stance. Too much flowing like water; not enough smashing. Then she moved onto Pinkie, and while Pinkie proved near indestructible, she knew next to nothing about training. So— Pinkie got Maud and Maud said—
“...No.”
So Maud left, got her bags, a set of rope, hopped a train. Lasso’d down Limestone and then according to the legends begged for five hours for Limestone to do the job. Once Limestone took a punch from Yona and flew into a boulder she was sold. She’s been Yona’s personal trainer ever since.
With their water bottles drained, it was time to move onto lifting. In the time Yona and Limestone had trained, their loyal weight lifting bench had been through a lot. Tripped over, having the weights dropped on it, having weights smashed on it, thrown out the window, and used as an impromptu weapon. On top of that, Rarity never was too sure the bench could take a yak's weight. Yona laid on the bench and the metal whined as it had been for the last month.
Metal rang against metal as Limestone stacked the weights. “Six?”
Yona smirked. “Yona want seven!”
“Seven?”
“Eight!”
“That’s my girl!” With a grunt Limestone lifted a stack. Four thousand pounds of iron clung to each side of the bar.
With spit on her hooves and a warcry that sounded like the wail of an undead roc, Yona got to work. Her forelegs shook and her grip wasn’t sure. Yona told herself another two thousand pounds was just a drop in the snow. She closed her eyes and thought of Rockhoof’s strength and powered through.
Limestone stood over Yona. A dim look painted on her face. “Tell me, what in the world were those baby punches earlier?”
“Not,” Yona grunted. “Baby punches. Stone pony just strong!”
“Don’t give me that shit. For you, those were baby punches. You do this every single time the week before a fight, and I’m getting tired of you not giving it your all when you need it the most. You don’t see me here half-assing it.”
“Yona. Conserve. Energy.”
Limestone’s face twisted into disgust. “Keep lying to me, see what happens. The eyes of Limestone Pie sees all. If I’m going to train you I need to know what’s going on in that tiny yak head.”
“Yona’s head is bigger.”
“Don’t deflect on me!” Limestone spat. Driblets of her anger rained down on Yona’s face.
Yona grumbled. She considered putting her weights aside, but what sort of warrior couldn’t talk and lift at the same time? “Yona is just… scared. Yona know ponies like Apple pony and Rock Hoof very strong, but—”
“And me!”
“Yes. But ponies still look frail. Yona afraid of hurting pony.”
“Kid,” Limestone tapped on one of the balls on Yona’s horns. “it's MMA. Hurting ponies is kinda the whole deal.”
“But Yona don’t want to break pony. Just win.” She lifted her weight toward the sky. “Yona don’t want yak to look like monster. Not all pony tough as yak. Yona could snap many pony. Don’t want that.”
“Aren't you the one that just said you have to respect the opponent? Sure, nopony wants to be the one that just kills a guy in a ring, but they’re hitting you with everything in there. You gotta hit with all you got. Just, ya know, not murderous intent or whatever.”
“Yona understand but still scary. Being symbol for all of yak big responsibility. Cheerleading, Diversity club, getting A+ report card. Very stressful.”
“And who said you have to do all that to be a good symbol?”
“Fifty!” Yona grunted “Yona did.”
“So no one’s expecting you to do jack but be a good student then? Just drop all that extra stuff!”
“Yak standard high. Limestone know this. Yona must perform.”
“Sure, but you don’t have to do everything. Just let that little cheerleading pris stuff lie. Drop it like a bad habit. You can’t focus if you’re busy worrying about every little thing.”
“What if Yona drop fighting?”
“And waste my time?”
Yona grunted. “As Yona thought. Understand. If Yona hurt pony real bad, real, real bad. It make yak look bad, real,real bad. Ponies become afraid of yak strength. Think yak brute and barbarian. Fighting only thing Yona does that risk image of yak.” She mumbled under her breath.“Maybe Rarity better for advice.”
“That dress making frop! Why?”
“Stone pony like violence little too much. Rarity professional.”
“I do not. I like violence a perfectly reasonable amount!”
“Limestone never look happy unless training or fighting. Limestone look awful upset on first day.”
“That's just resting bitch face, you’re reading too much into it. I just don’t like being away from the farm without a good reason. It's my farm. It's my baby.”
“Sound awful defensive.”
“How’d this become about me? This is about you.”
“Yona just think that Limestone look forward to training more than normal. More bloodthirsty than thirstiest yak, and yak known for thirst.”
“I think you need to get back to focusing on these reps.”
“... doe—does anything else make Limestone happy?” Silence. Just Yona’s breaths and the clack of pumped metal. “Limestone is happy, yes?”
The reps stopped. Limestone grabbed the weights herself and tossed them aside. The floor crunched and the sound of loose weights rolling across the floor echoed. Limestone’s face hung over Yona’s. Her nose flared and the veins in her neck looked like they could pop if given them a mean look.
“Did Maud put you up to this?” Limestone screamed. “She’s trying to get in my business again, isn’t she?”
“No, but Limestone never talk about anything else. Limestone look sad when she go back to farm. Get real quiet. Doesn’t look back. Look real mad on train. Yona just concerned.”
“This is what I get for training someone who goes to a friendship school isn’t it?” The farmer deflated with her sigh. “You all worry about each other and think you’re freaking shrinks.”
“Hmm, yes.” Yona grinned.
With a groan Limestone turned away to pick up all those dumb weights. “Have you ever seen a rock farm?” She didn’t turn back to look at Yona; there was a dullness to her voice.
“Yona been to farm.” Like a puppy, Yona followed her trainer’s dragging steps.
“Yeah it's not like that. Remember when I said the school I went to had only thirty other kids in it? I’m lucky to see even one of them a week. Imagine the most lifeless place you could think of.”
“Yona live in tundra. Yona familiar with lot of nothing.”
“But there's a whole lot of other yaks there ain't it? Go on tell me about your hometown again.”
Yona’s ears sprang to life. “Yakyakistan best home. Have yak dance, hair braiding, thursday night concert. On tuesday Yona friends wrestle young yeti. Smash Poetry on friday!”
“Familiar with nothing huh?”
“Well, Yakyakistan bit small. Outside nothing but snow and monster.”
“And inside you got yourself a bustling little town don’t ya? Maybe you don’t have all the glimmer and bullshit of Manehattan or dumb smoothie joints like in Ponyville.”
“Limestone love post-workout smoothie!”
Limestone sighed. “I really do.”
“Yona love smoothies too. Yaks don’t have kinds of things ponies have, like Manehattan big stage and fastfood. Yak too proud to leave, but Yona knows many Yak want to try pony things. Why Yona has to make pony country welcoming to yak.”
“I guess you kinda get it.” Limestone dragged her hooves across the floor. She flipped one of the weights onto its side and wheeled it to the rest. “Just imagine having all of Equestria just a train ride away, but instead you spend your life stuck in this dead fuckin’ place with nothing but gray and rocks.”
“Yona thought Limestone like rocks.” The weights clanked as Yona used her horns to flip the weights into a stack.
“Maud likes rocks. You see her living there?” A metal clap filled the air as Limestone slammed the weights onto each other. “Unlike Maud, I’m actually responsible! You’d think being the second eldest would mean something to her, but nah!”
Her hoof was flexing. Sweat beaded down Limestone’s face. At some point collecting the weights turned to lifting them. “We support her all the way through college and she just fucks off. I mean who wouldn’t wanna get out of that place? But I can’t. I’m the oldest and I have to be responsible. I have to take care of everyone.”
Instinctively Yona found herself mimicking Limestone’s lifting. Her mind drifted off to her parents doing the work and raising her siblings without her.
“Ma and Pa get older everyday and somepony has to take care of ‘em. I can’t just leave them on the farm to get old by themselves like someponies.They’d never leave, the farm is everything to them. ‘I’m so proud to have a daughter who takes pride in rock farming’ he says. ‘I’m glad we’re leaving the farm to you’ she says. All their hopes are with me keeping up the family legacy.”
Yona’s eyes traced the wealth of sweat rolling down Limestone’s face. She couldn’t look away from the glimmer of light shining near her trainer’s intense eyes.
“And Marble...” Just saying the name evoked a deep breath from Limestone’s core. Her motions lingering and her ears steadily turning towards the earth as she contemplated. “She can’t take care of herself. She can barely speak. The sight of a new pony terrifies her. I can’t make her leave, she can’t go anywhere like she is. Not without me to take care of her. She needs me completely. I love her more than anything, but I can’t... I can’t.” Erratic breaths forced their way from her throat. Her jaw started to shake, and the floor beneath her chin grows darker and darker. “Man, this is a really good work out. I’ve never felt this much sweat before.”
“Limestone crying.”
“Shut up, I don’t cry.” She smirked and let her bangs cover her face. “It's just a real good burn.”
“Crying okay. Crying display of emotional strength!”
The weights slammed into the floor, shaking the gym. Equipment rattled and shook, the sound of jittering metal and flakes drifting from the ceiling filled their ears. “I said I’m not crying. Look. let’s just call it a day. Go hit the showers and I’ll head home on my own.”
“Eager to return to big nothing?”
“Drop it.”
“Yona refuse to drop it!” She stomped “Yona want friends to be happy. Happy once a week not acceptable!”
“Stop it! Just stop all this friendship junk! I’m your coach, not your buddy! I’m an adult, I’ll deal with my own problems.”
“Yona and Limestone not friends?”
“No, I just mean...” She wiped her sweat aside. Her hoof shielding her eyes as she tried to think. “I mean... Kids shouldn’t worry about this sort of thing. Adults take care of their own shit. My issues aren't the sort of thing that should bog you down.”
Yona slid her weights atop the stack making a pillar besides them. ”Limestone should respect friends. Yona not dumb and will do anything to help.”
“Don’t you have enough on your plate?” A glare met Yona’s eyes. “Weren’t you about to quit five minutes ago?”
“Yona won’t quit if it's for Limestone.”
“Because you feel responsible?”
A response built up in Yona’s throat, but she couldn’t say it.
“Listen, all that stuff you’ve gotta deal with? You chose that and its cool. You don’t have to do anything you do and you do it anyway. It’s part of why I like working with you, but me? I have to take care of my family. If I don’t take care of the farm I don’t know what’ll happen to them. I can’t risk that.”
“But Limestone can’t throw away happiness. Family shouldn’t have to rely on Limestone, they have responsibility too. Limestone right about Yona. Yona takes on many things because Yona wants to make yak respected. Yona want to keep training because it make Yona and Limestone happy. Limestone think sacrifice is obligation, but family can’t do that! Pie ponies are six strong. Not fair for Limestone to take all responsibility.”
“Maybe, but I’ve handled it this long. I’ll make do for myself. ”
“Just talk to family maybe? For Yona. Big family, somepony will understand.”
“I might” “You know that story from earlier. It wasn’t just that I liked that pegasus. I hated her so much. No matter what she could always fly away whenever she wanted. I was so jealous even then.”
“Limestone wishes she had wings.”
“Not exactly.” Limestone swung a towel around herself. “You know what would make me happy for now?”
“After-workout smoothie time?”
“You read my mind.”
