Rainbow Dash lives an exciting life and is swiftly becoming the most daring, awesome pegasus in all of Equestria. She would gladly give it all up, though, just to confess her love to Applejack.
Rainbow Dash tentatively approached the bottom of the canyon, her leather wings folded at her side. Epcot shuffled not that far behind, remaining close to her mortal friend.
With hard ruby eyes, Rainbow peered into the shadows. A figure shifted just a few meters ahead, and Rainbow shuffled delicately towards it.
As Rainbow came closer, the figure jerked in place, wheezing. "Momma...?" Then, with swiftly shuffling forelimbs, the fractured front half of Apple Jewell came crawling out of the woodwork. Part of her skull had cracked off, allowing one and a half eyes and a crooked smile. Her torso was cut off at the midsection, crumbling off like hollow pottery. "Momma! Momma, you're b-back!"
"Shhhh!" Rainbow Dash squatted low. Hesitantly, she planted her hooves over the fractured dream's forelimbs. Her ruby eyes darted into the distance, spotting the other squirming figures. Then, with a sullen shudder, she bore an awkward smile in the faux Princess' direction. "That's right, darling. Momma's... Momma's here..."
"Oh Momma..." Apple Jewell smiled painfully, her right eye tearing while the left one spasmed against its fractured state. "I knew you'd come back for me! I've waited so long! I promise... grkkk... I-I promise I've been a good Princess!"
"Shhh..." Rainbow Dash leaned in, stroking the freckled cheek in front of her. "Momma knows, darling. Momma trusts you. Which is why Momma has a few questions to ask you."
"Questions?" Apple Jewell's vision bounced between Rainbow Dash and Epcot. "About what?"
Rainbow bit her lip. "Uhmmm... about... about when we used to... train you in etiquette, darling... uhh..."
"Is this a new type of test, Momma?"
"Yes!" Rainbow brightened, shivering slightly. "It's a new type of test!" She winked. "Think you're up for it, my dear?"
"Oh, absolutely, Momma! Anything for you and Philanthropy!"
"Good." Rainbow took a deep breath. "Now... think carefully..." Her eyes narrowed. "...where is the place that Momma and her sons send bad ponies to?"
The broken Apple Jewell blinked. Then she said, "Don't you mean down here, Momma?"
Epcot bit her lip.
"No, darling," Rainbow spoke breathily. "I mean... b-bad ponies who aren't princesses."
"Oh..." Apple Jewell bore a weak smile. "The Undersmog, of course."
"And where is that, darling? Can you remember for Momma?"
"Absolutely!" The half-mare writhed and pointed up with a shivering hoof. "The bottom floors of Shindig Tower! Beneath the belly of Philanthropy!" She giggled, sputtered, and wheezed. "That's where you did away with half the gang of Blue Jay, Momma. What a righteous Queen you are."
"Erm... r-right..." Rainbow nodded. "And do you remember, my little Princess, when and where the Coronation is going to be?"
"Why..." Apple Jewell blinked crookedly. "The Central Ampitheatre of Philanthropy, nine o'clock in the morning." She gulped. "Don't you remember, Momma?"
Rainbow Dash took a deep breath, then reached in to pat the mare's fractured forelimb. "You did well, Princess. You passed the test. I'm very proud of you." Shivering, Rainbow made to walk away.
"Momma..." Apple Jewell's voice cracked while tears formed in one of her eyes. "You've been... gone for so long." She sniffled. "Are you going to leave me again?"
Rainbow jerked to a stop, staring off down the ravine. She clenched her eyes shut.
Apple Jewell mewled. "I... I love you so much, Momma. I c-can't bear to be without you again. Please..." She shook and writhed, only for more parts of her to crumble loosely. "...I'd rather stop breathing than bear to be without you for another day..."
Rainbow seethed and seethed. Eyes tearing, she twirled about and marched towards the fractured dream.
Epcot's gray hoof held the pegasus in place.
"No, Rainbow Dash," the chaperone gently said. She bore a delicate smile. "Allow me."
"Epcot..."
"You've dealt with enough for a lifetime, mortal or not," Epcot said, leaning in to nuzzle the other mare. "It's okay."
Rainbow Dash bit her lip. Somberly, she turned away.
Epcot trotted past her. All was silent for a few seconds, until—
"Momma—!"
CRACKKK! The ravine echoed with what sounded like shattered dinner plates, then that part of the canyon was silent.
Rainbow shuddered, her ears folded back. After a few seconds, Epcot shuffled back.
"We can go now if you wish," the chaperone said.
Rainbow gulped a lump down her throat. "You didn't have to do that," she muttered.
"And you didn't have to be here," Epcot replied. "None of you. You perceived the dream was suffering, so I relieved it of its programming."
"How... how could you put it like th-that?" Rainbow murmured.
Epcot shrugged. "We are the dreams, not the dreamers. While a part of me detests that such fellow constructs would be given so little respect, I know that my place is the same as theirs. Perhaps a bit luckier, but still the same."
Rainbow gazed at Epcot with moist eyes. "You are not the same, Epcot."
"Hehehe..." The mare curtsied. "I'm flattered that you would think that, Rainbow. But I am just a chaperone, and my job is to make sure you get through this dream and back to the mortal realm." She winked. "Along with your friends in tow."
"And..." Rainbow Dash exhaled. "Wh-what about you?"
"I'll continue to do what I was built for."
"And that is?"
Epcot grinned. "Making sure that Cider Space remains the happiest place in existence, in case I'm blessed to be visited by another someday." She winked. "Why should I give up hope? You came a long, did you not?"
Rainbow was silent.
"I think we'd best start flying," Epcot said, trotting off. "I don't think I have it in my hooves to smash every fractured dream in."
"Erm... right..." Rainbow nodded, shuffling after her. "Let's get the Tartarus out of here..."
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I really, REALLY like Epcot, youre going to do something to her to make me depressed arent you? (Out of context that sounds really weird).
Also, this doesnt really have anything to do with anything, I just thought it was beautiful and I thought I would share it.
http://youtu.be/kKO9h-gG4Qg
Even if they're only constructs, it's still horrifying.
Also, I'm still crossing my fingers for Epcot to have some kind of future outside of being alone in Cider Space for who knows how long.
Heavy.
Dash's hatred for Shindig is getting stronger and stronger by the minute.
Which, to me, means that when she confronts that poor excuse of a "Queen", she's gonna show her (and those worthless sons of hers) the same kind of mercy that they've shown these poor Apple Jewell constructs.
As well as any others who have gotten in their way.
Y' know, I almost feel sorry for those three.
(Notice, please, that I said almost there, folks.)
Damn...at least she got her answers quickly.
5788063 Something tells me that Rainbow will take the bigger mare approach and NOT make them pay. Rather, she will likely feel sorry for them and forgive them... Either that or Flim and Flam will join the league of super villains.
I do not hate Shindig... for I have learned the folly of hatred.
I think there must be a lot of pain of loss in her character, and possibly contempt for the happiness of others as a result.
If you lost your beloved, and you had a chance of bringing them back, what would you be prepared to do? What would you be prepared to sacrifice?
Shindig is doing what she is doing because of... let's call it 'cosmic disaffection', brought on by the sickness of loss and despair. She is not well. She needs help, and she should be held accountable for her ill deeds. But I do not think she is beyond redemption.
I certainly can't bring myself to hate or despise her.
All the same... no fair, Shinny! Hax! Your husbando got b& from life. You can't just hack someone else's account and steal it.
Can someone get a Linden in here?
Dang.
This almost made me cry.
5788175 I fully understand, and partly agree with you're point. To a certain extent I empathize with her as well. But a being who is willing to put the equal amount of pain, if not far more (considering it surely isn't Applejack's time to go, and Applejack is arguably more important to her family than Shindig, her sons are adults, and don't know loss on the same level of the Apples, their father was of age and died naturally from what I understand), on another creature, to that of losing a family member, is intolerable. I wouldn't wish that pain on my worst enemies, but it is natural, and pain comes with life. No one forced that upon Shindig (Unless that's a plot twist?), but she forced that upon the Apple family, Rainbow, and Applejack, an innocent loving creature who has done no wrong. Do I hate her? I wouldn't say so, I try not to hate. But If this was real, and I had the means to end it only by killing Shindig, I believe I would. I likely would kill Flim and Flam as well. They made the Conscious choice to end a young life, burden an already broken family, and likely permanently scar Rainbow, not to mention the rest of the mane 6, and of course theres the elements. I wouldn't enjoy it, and again to some level I empathize with her pain and desperation, but it is in no way forgivable. I think, unless she suffers from a major mental disorder, which Flim and flam would need to have as well, they are far beyond redeemable.
So, I take it this means Epcot is staying? Darn. She's such a great character, too. Imma go ponder the deep emotional burden of that.
5788298
I'm not defending Shindig. Instead of dealing with her grief in a healthy way she chose to cling to the past and, in her willingness to sacrifice the well-being of others and spin a web of lies, she has made herself a villain.
It doesn't appear that she can be reasoned with, so she must be stopped using force. If she survives the battle, her fate will fall on the compassion of those who she has wronged.
Rainbow Dash is a good pony. I don't see a messy end in Shindig's future.
Screw Loose might get a room mate. She wasn't back home until late in season three, and I think we're still in season two.
Guh. I don't really get affected by 'sad' stories or situation in most fics, but this hit hard.
Honestly, when all is said and done, if Epcot still has to stay alone in Cider Space for all eternity, my heart is going to shatter to a thousand pieces. Again.
I just hope that dear author doesn't forget that all fictional characters are equally fictional, and so Epcot is as real as Rainbow and the others. I hope the author doesn't think that she can be a sacrifice in case the story needs one, without a "real" death, so as to not affecting the slice of life sections with grief.
5788366 Yes that is a good point aswell, I do not see Rainbow harming her if she ends up in Rainbow's mercy.
5788081 True.
5788133 Well, I'll admit that that very well may be true.
However, after reading Rainbow's reactions to that poor construct in this latest chapter, and with her knowing just what they've done, both to these poor constructs, and everyone else who crosses them, somehow, at this point in the game, I just can't see her doing that.
The reason being that she's seen every lowdown, horrible thing that they've done, not just to Applejack, herself, and their friends who are trapped in this, but every "citizen" of Philanthropy, as well as AJ's real-world family (who they obviously were not thinking about in their (read: Serenity Shindig's) obvious, abject selfishness. So I don't really think that Dash is going to be inclined to show them any mercy whatsoever.
None.
So I'm thinking that this is just one of those things that we're going to agree to disagree on.
'Cause, to my own mind, after all that I've read about what they've done, I personally don't think that they deserve it.
So I finally caught up again after not looking into this story for a few month.
I absolutely love everything till the part of this last arc when they enter cider-space...
To be honest, all this seems so... surreal and most of all.. futuristic?
I actually stopped reading at that point because It just does not seem to fit at all in the established universe (from what I saw by skipping through the following chapters).
I would never abandon this awesome story just because of one odd arc (and mind you, that may just be me in the first place), but would I be safe to skip this arc till they hit reality again or do you guys think it is really more then meets the first glance or so essential it should not be missed?
5789382 I have a feeling this arc is gonna wrap up HUGELY, as in, some major character and plot changes if thats what you're asking.
5789385
That's what I was afraid of
I really hoped they'd just get in there, pull AJ out and leave Stu behind for good measure
Seems like there is no way around it, then...
So many Appledashery Chapters without actual Appledashery
5789332 Which brings us to my second hypothesis.
5789426 Yeah what I'm thinking is maybe for chapter 500 there'll be some kind of celebratory "bonus" if you will. Something epic, and unexpected. Perhaps there will be some Appledashing? Seriously though, this is shaping up to be the most epic arc, there is definitely the most at stake for Dash, I'd see it through.
5789568
Hard to imagine it getting any more epic than it already is
If it gets any more dramatic Equestria is going to explode...
Oh well...
I'll just have to read around things like gyrocopters and artificial dream-ponies and enjoy the rest as much as possible
5789567 Which is what, exactly?
5789725 Flim and Flam join Don Canter's Evil Gang Inc.
5789997 Hmmmm, that very well could be.
Celestia only knows that they're both sleazy enough to.
(Can you guys tell that I really, really, really don't like these two very much?)
5790008 Nobody does.
5790221 Didn't much think so.
They're the ultimate example, IMHO, of total sleazebags.
5790257 Every time you comment with your italics, it cracks me a smile when I remember that you do it for emphasis... EMPHASIS!
5790375 Well, I'm glad that it makes you smile, then.
And honestly, I'm way worse with them when I'm typing up my story chapters.
So me doing in places like this it's pretty mild.
5790389 Lol. I can imagine.
5790565
Damn, man, that's some hard stuff.
Also, I like that you can have the most silly, adorable ball of cuteness ever, and still believably have her crush something's skull.
Even Epcot, the most made-up-on-the-spot OC ever, isn't simply one dimension.
S'neat.
I must have no soul. That didn't affect me at all.
I'm trying to envision what the fractured applejack would look like...gaaaaah! No thank you!
This is too real.
I mean everyone keeps saying they're just simulations, but the "simulated" awareness and emotions seem pretty deep. And as Epcot has explained, the nature of these constructs is not fundamentally different from her own.
So that diamond dog who the ponies in the night club slaughtered for fun? Hell, the foals that Stu had to abandon when he was freed from his sim? Not that different from Epcot.
6879119
How could you.
this reminded me of that one scene in Past Sins, a fic i... havent read in years and thus cannot give more details on... well, after i finish this i guess i know what i'm
rearing.reading.