Appledashery

by Just Essay

Declare Independence

The hairs on the back of Stu Leaves' neck rose on end.

He turned around, gazing out the shattered doorframe of the abandoned warehouse. He squinted, lips pursed as he looked left and right.

Donut Joe stifled a yawn, then blinked over at the wingless stallion. "Something the matter, Leaves?"

"I felt..." Stu blinked. "...just now..." He shuddered, shrugging his shoulders. "It's... it's nothing." With a sigh, he glanced ahead. "Any sign of Epcot?"

"Not since she left," Gustave muttered. "That was an hour and a half ago."

"You don't suppose she got lost?" Mulia remarked. "The mare does seem to be the type to get easily distracted."

"No, I wouldn't be too worried about her," Stu said. "She's proven pricelessly loyal in the past." He swallowed a lump down his throat. "I'm more worried about Rainbow Dash."

"Relax," Donut Joe said. "She's up in the Tower, giving Shindig the business."

"But it's been over an hour," Stu muttered. "If she would have gotten Applejack out of there, wouldn't she be done by now?"

"It's not quite like she knows where we are," Mulia said. "We had to find our own hiding place. For all we know, Rainbow Dash is out, along with Apple Jewell, and they're both looking for us."

Gustave frowned under his beak. "I have a hard time believing that the maniacs who built this place would have given up the 'Cider Princess' just like that, no?"

"It's not like any of us would have expected Shindig to let us go in the first place," Donut Joe said.

"Well, true." Gustave nodded. "But for all we know, that was simply a trick."

"Yes, but to accomplish what?" Mulia blinked. "All in all, none of this really makes any sense."

"We shouldn't have left Rainbow Dash on her own," Stu Leaves muttered. "One of us should have stayed with her. I should have stayed."

"They didn't give us much of a choice, buddy," Joe said. "If you ask me, we're better off waiting right here."

"And doing what?!" Stu Leaves gestured wildly. "In a few hours, it'll be morning! Once they do the coronation of Apple Jewell, it's all over with! Applejack will be gone and—for all we know—we'll be stuck here!"

"That's so horrible..." Mulia Mild sniffled. "Maybe... just maybe..." She gazed hopefully at the others. "We could work together to prevent the coronation!"

"Just the four of us?" Gustave shook his head. "Highly unlikely."

"The bird's right," Donut Joe muttered. "We'd need a freakin' army. And we don't exactly have one."

"Then let's get the ball rolling, huh?" Epcot's voice chimed in. "Heehee! Hey guys!" She waved, entering the warehouse, followed by three figures. "What's up? I mean, besides the psionically manipulated barriers of the dreamscape, of course. Eheh..."

"Epcot! You're back!" Stu grinned... then blinked. "...you brought ponies."

"Are you crazy, girl?!?" Donut Joe hopped up, wincing. "We were supposed to be hiding!"

"I don't get it..." A stallion with a red coat and freckles blinked awkwardly, glancing at his lavender and pale companions. "What is this mess? A Red Rook reunion?"

"Yeah!" the pale mare at his side exclaimed, leaning provocatively towards the side in her saloon dress. "These yokels are stealing me from my shift! I was told this was gonna be a way to earn some easy bits!"

"I should have stayed in the bar," grunted the other mare, brushing back her violet bangs. "Buck this town with a ten foot pole, I swear..."

"Wait a second..." Stu Leaves blinked. "Big Mac... Rarity... Miss Sparkle?" He glanced sideways at Epcot. "You dragged in a bunch of Applejack's dream phantoms."

"Heehee! Correctomundo!" Epcot winked proudly.

"What for?" Stu shrugged. "They're just shades of Applejack's subconscious. That makes them about as helpless as the other constructs around this place."

"That's only what you observe on the surface!" Epcot gestured. "You see, I sensed something about Shindig the last time we were in the Tower! The brothers Flim and Flam were quite resourceful in the way they manipulated Cider Space. However, in the end, it was a very sloppy job."

"How so?" Gustave asked.

"You see, everything they build is hollow... like a shell! And that means all sorts of stuff can build up on the inside! Here... observe..." She turned towards Big Mac. "Hey, big fella! Uhm... this might cause some momentary discomfort!"

Big Macintosh squinted at her. "The hell are you rambling about, ya crazy dame? First you drag me out to piss-nowhere, and now you're talking even more crazy."

"Yeah, about that." Epcot lifted up on her hind-quarters, raised her forelimbs together, and smashed them straight down the center of Big Macintosh's skull.

WHACKKK!

Stu Leaves winced.

"Epcot!" Mulia Mild barked. "No! Bad Epcot!"

"Wait a second..." Donut Joe pointed, eyes wide. "Check it out!"

Cracks and fissures formed along the surface of Big Macintosh's skull. They crawled down, spreading throughout his whole body. Then, with a burst of light—POW!—his exterior shattere completely, revealing a slightly brighter-coated Big Mac underneath.

"How do you feelsies, cutesies?" Epcot asked.

"... ... ..." Big Mac blinked... then frowned. "...Eeyup." He twirled about, raised both hooves, and smacked both Rarity and Twilight on their constructed heads at once.

WH-WHACK!

The mares shuddered, their exteriors splitting in halves like eggshells. What emerged underneath were shocked unicorns, complete with their horns. They gawked at the stallion, then at the group of ponies.

"Applejack..." the Rarity construct murmured.

"Where's our friend?!" Twilight Sparkle growled. "She's in trouble, isn't she?!"

"They..." Stu Leaves stammered. "...they remember..."

"The subconscious layer that Applejack conjured up is now exposed!" Epcot said, grinning wide. "They're no longer just random inhabitants of Philanthropy!"

"Does this mean what I think it means?" Gustave remarked.

"If you know where Applejack is, you will tell us at once!" Rarity stamped her hoof, frowning. "As her dear friends, we shan't let her down!"

"Blessed Celestia..." Mulia Mild cooed, gazing at the others. "Just how many of these 'subconscious' projections are there in this city?"

"Bucketloads," Gustave said.

Stu Leaves turned to grin in Donut Joe's direction. "So, buddy..." His smiling teeth glinted. "You said something about a 'freakin' army?'"

Comments

[unknownbore]

Oh dear Celestia yes.

[YoshiFawful64]

Time to kick some flank.

[Sam the Anti-Ninja]

So, all it takes is one good solid hit to the head?
...
Headbutts! I demand headbutts! Motherbucking goddess damned headbutts for everyone!
BLOOD FOR GODDESS DAMNED SEARO!
Oh,wait. Wrong fic.

[Skunkiss]

5851642

theruleslawyers.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/2456425-kharn3_super.jpg

[FloydienSlip]

Y'know, that's actually kinda neat.

[zaponator]

Clever Epcot.
So we've got 'saving the day' pretty much covered now. All that's left is saving Rainbow Dash...

[MoonMirror]

Buck yeah.

[WhitewolfStormrunner]

5851528 Oh, yeah!

Heh, I just knew that the underground was populated by AJ's friends and family for a reason!

Ha! She already out-geniused the two so-called "geniuses" in this place, and they don't even know it yet! Way to go, AJ!!!

5852157 Yep.

And about that, I have a feeling that Dash is gonna do just fine before long.

Especially if a certain apple farmer-slash-"Cider Princess" has anything to say about it.

[Aatxe360]

Applejack and Rainbow Dash become one beyond the portal.

[Sharp Quill]

If Flim and Flam think they have everything totally under their control, then how do they explain the Bluejay and Red Rook constructs running around in the first place? Isn't that proof they don't have Applejack under their absolute control?

Another hypothetical: if Dash were to get a solid buck to the head, would she get her wings back? Is she effectively wearing a shell by having the role of the Bluejay imposed on her?

[Sam the Anti-Ninja]

5852890 They more likely than not noticed the problem from the outset. However, their confidence probably stems from the fact that they had the majority of the control in the sim, so a couple of miscreants running around are of minor importance to them.

Then along came Epcot.

[TheZouave]

5853009
I think it was mentioned that the Red Rook and Blue Jay constructs were put there on purpose, because no place is perfect. And then RD and Stu just happened to fill those roles when they came along... or... the dream altered when RD and Stu and the rest joined it and it also altered the minds of Flim, Flam, AJ, and Shindig to believe they were there all along, which would be super trippy.

[Scohinyha Sanka]

So RD gets her hind thrown in the world of the deceased. If they can bring Philanthropy's soul back then who says that a or more individuals parents can't join the party as well.

Just saying.

[1Bit]

well, this is going to be epic for sure

Although, I cant help but worry about Rainbow. If she's dead...won't they need to basically do what they're doing to get Philanthropy back? Trade a soul?

[Lightning Bearer]

Well, this is a horse of a different color.

Speaking of which...

[Fishberry]

...

Okay, fair enough.

I'm getting in my bunker.

... there's room for one more.

[MidnightReflection]

They return!

[BabySkittleMonster]

5851642
You mean this isn't the prequel for Austraeoh? My bad. (Oh, how I hope it is... I've got it as my personal headcanon and no amount of arguing is going to stop me. Ever.)

[DrEggnog]

Oh, they just need to get hit, and it's not like Applejack and Shindig with their slow realizations? ...That's kinda disappointing. I thought Flim and Flam had a slightly better idea of what they were doing, even with Applejack ravine pieces and all.

[SnowOriole]

Stu Leaves turned to grin in Donut Joe's direction. "So, buddy..." His smiling teeth glinted. "You said something about a 'freakin' army?'"

*epic death battle theme*

[bronyheat]

Your clone army is impressive, Applejack, you must be proud.

i.ibb.co/cL23wDj/simple-mare.png
1,000 hours of editing in MS Paint.