//------------------------------//
// V. Rich's Idea 
// Story: Equestria Girls: It's Showtime--Imagination Movers: The Curse of the Creative Block 
// by PlymouthFury58 
//------------------------------//

Rarity pushed a large broom across the floor, sweeping up the scattered pieces of paper, all the while hoping to avoid stepping on the multitude of other pages strewn across the floor from Dave’s malfunctioned machine.  While the fashionista was not a fan of doing menial chores, it took her mind away from the problem of her Creative Block. It was wonderful that the Movers were giving their all in helping her solve her problem, but with the previous ideas ending not in her favor, she was becoming somewhat disheartened and worried that she would not be able to overcome this forsaken Block.

While she contemplated her sinking faith and self-esteem in her skills as a fashion designer, she started nodding off, and nearly falling over.  She caught herself in time, though not before emitting a slight snort and nearly tripping over the broom.

“Ya alright there, sugar?” Applejack asked.

“Yes, yes, I’m alright, darling,” she replied, steadying herself.  “I’m just feeling anxious.”

“Ya’re worried ya won’t get outta yer Block in time?”

“I know the Movers are doing their best, and I am greatly appreciative of them, but…” she paused for a yawn, fighting the tiredness in her eyes, “I can’t stop feeling stressed about…”

“Yer deadline?”

“Yeah, my deadline.  I don’t like how it’s looming over my head like those godforsaken school bells!”

“Ah know how ya feel, sugarcube,” Applejack nodded.  “Whenever it feels like school ain’t stressful enough, Ah remember that we gotta git our load ready to make the harvest in time.  Some years were harder than others, like that drought that’s been goin’ on since mid-April.  A third ‘a the trees just up and dried up like a rag in the hot sun.”

Rarity sighed, nodding in understanding.  “That must be very hard for you, Applejack.  I hope that it will not be a complete loss for the farm.”

“It shouldn’t be, but if this here heat keeps up, we may lose half ‘a the trees before harvest time.  Hopefully we can still market and make a good enough profit with the loads we have left.”

The apple farmer removed her prized stetson, wiping her brow of sweat.  “Ah, Ah’m sorry, Rares.  Here Ah am givin’ ya grief about mah own problems when we’re here to solve yours.”

To her surprise, Rarity actually lightly chuckled.  She wrapped an arm around her friend’s shoulder in a thankful sidearm hug.  “Oh, Applejack.  It really is no bother at all.  I’m just very thankful that you are here supporting me as best as you can.  I’m very thankful for that.”

Applejack smiled as she reciprocated the hug.  “Shucks, Rarity.  What’re friends for anyways?”

Rarity nodded at the praise.  She would have been perfectly fine with visiting the Idea Warehouse all on her own had Applejack not insist on accompanying her to offer support.  The farm girl even went over and closed the stand for the entire day, she was that serious in helping out.  How she managed to land herself with the most dependable friends imaginable was beyond her scope, and frankly she was more grateful than anything else. They supported each other despite the little feuds and disagreements they would get into, and were always there to catch them when they would fall—

“Woah there, girl!”

The sudden shout shot Rarity to attention, making a little snort as she came to again.  Somehow, she came close to nodding off again and had fallen right into Applejack’s catching arms.

“Land sakes, Rares.  Yer lookin’ mighty tired,” the farm girl worried.  “When was the las’ time ya slept?”

“Oh, it’s…it’s nothing to worry about,” Rarity yawned again.

“Yer’s head’s noddin’ off more heavily than when Big Mac’s splittin’ wood, and he’s the strongest wood splitter Ah know.”

“Really, it’s nothing to worry about.”

Even when she tried to dissuade the situation, the simple blank stare from her friend gave her the clear impression that she was fighting a losing battle.

“Oh, alright.  The truth is I haven't found much time to sleep.  I need to use as much time as I have to complete my deadline before it’s too late.  There is simply too much at stake here for me to e—even…” she yawned again, this time with exaggerated arm gestures.  “Anyway, I’ve got enough caffeine in my system to keep me going so I can get rid of this Creative Block.”

Applejack watched her friend as she absently sweeped away at the mess of papers.  Just now, she was starting to see just how much this daggum deadline was taking a toll on her friend.  Who knows how much caffeine she was drinking on a daily basis in those blasted coffee cups?  She didn’t mind coffee once in a while to get her up in the morning, but there was a fine line that someone had to cross for it to become an unhealthy obsession.  One of the downsides to friendship was that she would have to worry about problems that initially did not involve her, but it was worth the struggles to help and support the people she loved.

The farmer tried to keep her mind clear by focusing on the cleaning job at hand.  It was easier said than done.  In no time flat, the papers had been cleared away, stacked and or recycled.

Rich sighed with relief.  “Phew!  Cleaning up our messes is hard work.”

“Especially when they are our messes,” Smitty added, earning a chuckle from the other Movers.

“Ah don’ mind cleanin’ myself,” Applejack said.  “It gets me good exercise and keeps me active and awake.”

“Right,” Rich nodded.  “Exercise is really good for your body.  It keeps you healthy and allows you to grow.  Also, it’s very good for exercising your brain.”

“Yeah!” Scott agreed.

“When I’m exercising, sometimes I get brain waves of some really good ideas.  In fact, some of the best ideas that I have come up with came when I was exercising.”

“You’re right,” Dave agreed.  “Maybe that’s what Rarity needs: some good exercising to stimulate her brain, that way she can think of new ideas to get out of her Block.”

“That’s a great idea!” Smitty congratulated.  “What do you think, Rarity?”

The girl in question rubbed her eyes, pondering the thought.  The idea of a workout routine was not the kind of activity she would get up and ready for; that was better suited to her apple farmer friend, or more likely Rainbow Dash.  Still, she knew that movement was necessary for keeping her body in shape, if health class was anything to go by, and at this point she was willing to try anything.  A giant clock with a swinging pendulum was floating above her head, swinging back and forth with loud clicks and clacks, counting down the very seconds to her doom.

She took a deep breath, pushing the haunting image out of her mind.  “Okay, yes. I would like a workout.”

The Movers cheered her on, while Applejack was slightly gobsmacked at the notion of Rarity, the most prim and proper person she knew, would even consider doing a workout routine.  Speaking of which, the farm girl received a bump on the shoulder and a smug look from Rarity, which she rolled her eyes at.

“Whoo, yeah!” Rich cheered, then cleared his throat.  “Sorry, I just really love exercising.”

“Oh no, it’s quite understandable,” Rarity said.  “I have a friend who is the most athletic person I know, though it comes at the expense of being overconfident in her abilities.”

“Oh, yeah,” Applejack agreed.  “Sometimes, she’s unbearable to listen ta, but she’s the most loyal person Ah’ve ever met.”

“So, what sort of workout do you haven mind?” the fashionista asked the Movers.

“Well,” Rich pondered, “we could start with a few stretches, or yoga poses…”

“Maybe even lift some weights or run on the treadmill,” Scott added.  “Or we could use those giant bouncy balls!”

“Maybe we could go power walking,” Smitty suggested, “or do some pushups, and even jump rope!”

“And the only place where we can find all of those things is in…” Dave prompted.

“THE WORKOUT ROOM!!!” the Movers all declared.

“Yeah!” Rich cheered.

“Whoo!” Scott added.

“C’mon, let’s go catch some brain waves!” Smitty said to the girls.

In no time flat, the Movers dashed down the East Hallway as their customers rushed to catch up.  Their excitement was pretentious, and it was good to see a wonderful friendship in action.

“Ain’t never seen no one that excited ta exercise,” Applejack remarked, “‘cept maybe Dash.”

“That is true,” Rarity agreed.  “It’s so wonderful to see such pure friendship.”

“Yeah.  Princess Twilight’d be proud.”

They stood like that for about five more seconds, admiring the joy and happiness the Movers had for being together and their friendship.  Then they realized something.

“We should prob’ly catch up,” Applejack said.

“Agreed,” Rarity added.

And with that they took off down the hallway.



Once again in the world of white and disproportionately colored circles, the Movers took up a jogging position as they ran across the floor.  Applejack ran up behind them while Rarity stopped to catch her breath from all the running.  She yawned with a big stretch before tiredly running after the others.



Soon enough, after the group passed door after door, with some being much more creative than others to look at, the Movers finally stopped at one door in particular.  The sign above the door was a picture of a pink jump rope with purple handles, a small blue ball, and a pair of black and gray dumbbells.  The door itself was the same yellow and blue trim that matched the other doors to most of the other rooms in the Warehouse.

“Well, here we are,” Rich proudly declared.  “The Workout Room.”

He opened the door and led the way in.  The room inside was yet another case of “bigger on the inside”—which was pretty mundane by Equestrian magic’s standards—with a vibrant neon colored wallpaper with images of all sorts of sport equipment, like it was straight out of the eighties.  The floor was divided into black matted material and smooth wooden planks surrounded by shelves upon shelves of varying weights of dumbbells, multi-colored jump ropes, and giant balls of red, green, blue, yellow, green, and violet.  There were also treadmills, stepping machines, weight-pulling machines, and a basket of tennis balls placed next to a blank wall.  The one part that excited Rarity the most were the changing rooms, and there was also an old-fashioned “boombox” placed in the center of the six doors.

“We just recently added it,” Smitty explained, “because we realized there wasn’t a room dedicated to just exercising.”

“Yeah, and it makes it easier to find everything in one place!” Scott added.

“Well, that’s what these rooms are for,” Dave agreed.  “To find everything you need in one place, that way you don’t get sidetracked or lost with what you’re looking for.”

“Though some rooms are…easier at that than others,” Scott shivered.  “I always keep getting lost in the Maze Room.”

“You guys definitely don’t spare anythin’ with this Warehouse ‘a yours,” Applejack complimented.  “Ah could spend a week in here and still find new stuff.”

Rarity took a few moments to herself surveying the room and all its trappings and gimmicks.  The decor was practical, albeit tacky and slightly dated by about a few decades.  However, the room was completely spotless and free of any grime, dirt, or dust whatsoever.  The most important part of the room, and the most impressive aspect, was how stocked and prepared the room was to suit the needs of what its name entailed.

“The decor has a certain…uniqueness about it, which I really enjoy,” she complimented.

“Thank you,” Rich smiled.

“I must ask: how do you decide what room has what theme?”

To her surprise however, the Movers paused for a few moments, sharing confused glances and remarks with each other, as if no one had ever thought to question them about it.

“Honestly, that was the first time anyone’s ever asked us that,” Smitty said.

“When we said we added the room, we meant that we recently found it,” Dave added.

“Ya mean these here rooms had been here the whole time?” Applejack asked.

“Well…yeah,” Scott admitted.  “When we found it, we added it as the newest room on the Warehouse Map.”

“We don’t even know how many rooms are really in the Warehouse,” Rich said.  “When we first came here, we were even surprised about what we found in it, and we continue finding all sorts of new things!”

“It’s like our home away from home!” Scott beamed.  “I always look forward to coming here every day to solve some problems, because that’s what we do best!”

“Ya also play some fantastic music,” Applejack added.

“Yeah, that too!”

Rich clapped his hands, rubbing with anticipation.  “All right, so the first thing we gotta do is change into some exercise clothes.  Let’s use the changing rooms; they should have the right outfits to match all our sizes.”

With that, all six of the group each entered one of the changing rooms and in no time they all emerged in the workout clothes that…surprisingly matched their sizes and styles with such perfect ease it could have been mistaken for magic.  For the Movers, they all wore the same gray t-shirt underneath a red tank top with a stylized gear on the front and red shorts and tennis shoes, aside from the accessories that they already wore to differentiate, complete with matching headbands and wristbands.

Rarity’s boots were swapped with purple trainers and violet leggings that were just above her ankles.  She kept her skirt though it was shortened to mid-thigh length.  Her blouse was replaced with a white-blue and purple striped tank top, complete with purple wristbands and headband.  Her three diamond insignia was kept consistent with her clothing as usual.

“Ooh, how I wish that I had an outfit such as this,” she admired.

Then, there came a shout from the neighboring “Augh!  Dang shoes!”

The door burst open as the figure stumbled out and onto the floor.  Farmer Applejack was clearly out of her comfort zone when it came to the proper attire in order for the perfect workout routine. Her white trainers were tied in the wrong places, which was the reason for her stumbling.  She wore black leggings with a cyan spandex—shaped kind of like a one piece swimsuit—a bright pink belt around the waist and the words “Apple Farmer” in the most eighties font imaginable.  Finishing off the cavalcade of garishness were pink and yellow-striped legwarmers, and matching headband and wristbands.

Though the change that she was most bothered about was that her prized stetson was replaced with her hair braided in a ponytail.  “Fer some reason, that there changin’ room thought ta steal my hat!” she grumbled angrily.

“Oh, let me get for you,” Dave said.  Taking off his cap, he reached down to his shoulder, digging around until he pulled out…a rubber ducky.  “Huh, I was wondering where that went.”  He reached down again, until he decided to look down into his hat with his face instead of his arms.

“He really needs to organize in there,” Scott mumbled, aside.

“Mmhmm, yeah” Rich and Smitty agreed.

“How can one keep so many things inside a baseball cap, of all things?” Rarity wondered aloud.

“This is comin’ from ya after seein’ Smitty’s tricked out journal and Rich’s magic sticks,” Applejack deadpanned as she unknotted her laces.  She retied the shoes properly as she stood up.  “Don’cha remember wut we talked about when dealin’ with Pinkie?”

“‘It’s Pinkie Pie: don’t question it’,” Rarity sighed in reply.  She pinched the bridge of her nose.   “I suppose I should have seen that coming.”

“Aha! I got it!” Dave exclaimed from behind them.  In his hand he held none other than Applejack’s prized stetson.  “It took some digging around, but I finally got—”

“TALLULAH!!!”

In a flash, the apple farmer nearly jumped on the inventing Mover, though he managed to jump away in time as she snagged her hat.  She hugged it close to her chest as she nearly cried tears.  “Ah ain’t never leavin’ ya behind fer nothin’!”

There was a mixture of confusion and concern shared between the Movers.

“That’s the first time I’ve ever seen someone so attached to their hat,” Dave said.

“And that’s saying a lot coming from you, Dave,” Smitty agreed.

“None of us really know why she is so attached to her stetson,” Rarity explained, watching as her friend caressed it like a baby.  “I’m guessing it’s a sort of…family heirloom.”

There was a mix of “alright” and “okay, that makes sense” with a few “I guess?” thrown in for good measure.  Thankfully, Applejack had recovered from her preemptive meltdown and placed her prize stetson properly upon her head.  Although she had forgotten about her ponytail she did not care much for it.  Rarity felt like the ponytail matched her style with her hat much better than being tied as it draped over her shoulder.

“Ah, hair’s just hair, Rares,” she shrugged.  “Don’t see much reason ta mess around with it.”

“It’s not simply ‘messing around,’ as you put it,” Rarity argued, “it’s simply a case of improving on what you already have to make something brand new and stylish.  You should…” She paused for a quick yawn.  “You should try breaking more out of your comfort zone.”

“Yeah, after wearin’ this train wreck of an outfit,” the farmgirl complained, fiddling with a pinch of the clothing, “Ah don’t think Ah’ll be doin’ much ‘a that any time soon.”

“Oh, come on, A-A-Apple…” she yawned again.  “Applejack.  You would be missing out on plenty if you did so.”

“If ya say so.  Ah jus’ don’ have the time with all mah farm chores.”

“Well, there is no time like the present to…” Yet another yawn and stretch.  “To give it a try.  So, Rich, what do we do first?”

“I was thinking we could start with a few stretches,” Rich replied, moving towards the giant mirror, “to get ourselves warmed up. It’s not a good idea to do more vigorous exercises at the offset.  You could seriously strain yourself.”

“But when we try more simple exercises first, we won’t have as much trouble with harder exercises later on,” Smitty added.

“That’s right! Thanks, Smitty.”

The others then joined Rich as he began doing some light stretching, including a begrudging Applejack who was still fiddling with her new outfit.  The first was a simple lunge to the side, then another to the other side, followed by a few arm circles, neck circles, and a few other circles from moving their rib cages around.  Rich was the expert in physical activity so he was the one to listen to.

“So,” Rich instructed, “we’re gonna start off nice and simple with a few lunges.  One to this side…and another to this side.  Now let’s do some arm circles, neck circles, and now try making circles with your rib cage.”

Unfortunately, it was slightly more difficult for others.

“Ah didn’ think i’ t’were possible ta do this,” Applejack remarked.

“I’m trying the best that I can,” Rarity added, “but it’s more easier to move my waist.”

To Rich’s other side, Scott was doing the best he could to try and copy Rich’s moves, but he was also struggling to make circles with his ribs.  In his typical fashion, he swung himself out a bit too far and accidentally collided with Dave, sending the both of them tumbling into Smitty, leaving a pile with three of the Movers tangled in a knot of human pretzels.

The three that had not been caught in the tumble helped them up to their feet, followed by some hat, hair, and collar straightening.  Scott shook himself into focus.

“Maybe we should try something else,” Rich suggested.  “Let’s try lifting some weights.”

“That’s a great idea!” Dave said.

The girls followed the Movers over to the giant shelves of many weights.  Some were dumbbell shaped while others were more rounded, and they were labeled from 0 lbs to 0.5 lbs to 35.75 lbs to even—

“Land sakes!  Ya guys got 2,000 lbs weights?!” Applejack nearly shrieked.

Even Rich was confused at the revelation.  “Huh.  I guess we do.”

He shook himself back into focus.  “In any case, this is meant to try and help Rarity stimulate some ideas, that way she can get rid of her Block.”

“Sometimes it helps to kick around a few ideas to try and find the right one,” Smitty added.  “Come on, let’s get to exercising.”

“Be right back!” Dave called, dashing back to the changing rooms.  “This calls for some music to get us in the mood!”

He took off his hat and produced a music disc, which he inserted into the boombox.  He then pressed the play button, and another one of the Movers’ rock and roll songs began to blast from the speakers.  Once again, Rich was on the drums, just as Smitty rocked on his electric guitar while Dave played his bass.  This time, Scott was the one with the lead vocals while there was an addition of techno beats to match the fast pace bouncing melody.  By the middle chorus only the percussion was playing to back the plucking of a mouth-harp, followed by a guitar solo from Smitty.  It was another simple song about how it was good to kick around some ideas when you were confused or puzzled about something, and that it was not the time to give up when thinking of a solution.

No idea was a bad idea after all.

While Rarity was more used to calm melodies instead of blasting rock, she could not deny that the song put her in the mood to get moving.  Solutions were never drawn up from sitting around the house all day.

First she tried doing some jump roping with Smitty, even managing to outlast him in a little competition between jumpers.  Then she and Applejack got in on a game of double-dutch with Smitty and Dave, which went well for a while before the four of them made a few stumbles causing the Movers to lose control, ending with the girls tightly bound by the ropes.

Next, she and Scott went for a run on the treadmill, of course they used separate machines that were side-by-side.  They started off slow, at a pace where they were walking.  Then they gradually increased the speed, and they got to a jogging pace.  However, Scott tried to up the ante a bit too much and the ferocity of the speed caused him to lose balance and send him crashing into a nearby shelf.  Rarity cringed at the sight, catching herself before she joined his fate.

Nearby, Applejack and Rich were both lifting weights on side-by-side weight-lifting machines.  By complete coincidence, their lifting had coincided with the beats to the second verse of the song, with the two of them alternating who lifted before the other.  By the end of the routine, both were sweaty with damp clothes and in need of rehydration, which they got from the bottles provided to their left next to the respective machine.

For the final routine, Rarity was on the floor doing pushups with Rich while Applejack lifted a pair of 55 lbs dumbbells on a nearby bench, with Scott on a bench next to her struggling to lift a pair of 5 lbs dumbbells and almost failing spectacularly.  Off to the side, Smitty held down Dave while he did situps.  Even Warehouse Mouse got in on the action as he lifted a pair of dumbbells that were just his size, which were giving him a hard time.

Rarity could certainly feel all the ideas pouring into her mind, and there was a smorgasbord of them flying into a melting pot.  It was hard to decide which one was the perfect one to satisfy her Block and complete her final dress, because when one idea looked like the solution another one entered the fray and presented itself as more fitting to be perfect.  She went back and forth on so many ideas as she concentrated on her pushup routine, even as it strenuously became more and more vigorous.

At last, as the song on the boombox ended, she pushed herself up into a sitting position.  She wiped her forehead with a cloth as she drank from her provided bottled energy drink.

“Phew,” Rich sighed.  “That was some good exercising.”

“Ooh, you’re telling me,” Scott strained.  He then dropped his dumbbells with two loud thumps.  “I’m not as fit as I used to be,” he said, massaging his sore arms.

Smitty helped Dave up.  “So,” the inventing Mover asked.  “How’d that go for you, Rarity?  Got any ideas cooking up in there?”

The fashion girl wiped her brow of sweat, putting a hand to her chin as she pondered.  “Hmm, while I can say that workout definitely brought some ideas up, and I can’t deny that I feel a little…little,” she paused again to stretch a yawn, though it was longer than the others.  “I don’t know.  I…think I’ve got them, but I’m not quite sure just yet.”

“Well, it’s a step in the right direction,” Rich said.  “Let’s get changed and head back.”

The group did just that.  In a few short moments, they emerged back into the outfits that they entered the room in, with Applejack caressing her braided hair with loving care.  Rarity fiddled her non-banded hair, once again pausing for yet another yawn.  This time, she looked more droopy than before, strenuously rubbing her eyes as she struggled to move.

The moment was not missed by Applejack as she followed behind the others, growing more concerned by the moment.  The stress was slowly getting to her friend, and it was only a matter of time before something drastic happened to her as a culmination.  She sighed, straightening her stetson, hoping that a solution would be found soon.



Once again, the group entered the dimension of giant multi-colored circles.  They all ran in jogging motions from one end to the other, with Applejack leading ahead and a tired Rarity taking up the rear.