Appledashery

by Just Essay

A Stone's Throw

"Let me get this straight, Sparky..." Lancie perched on Rainbow Dash's bedpost, gawking at the pegasus in the afternoon light. "After this entire spiraling ordeal in an ancient dreamscape, a delightfully chaotic experience that I was misfortunate enough to not experience, you not only saved your betrothed bedmate to be but you actually kissed her?!"

"AJ's not my bedmate," Rainbow Dash grumbled. She laid in bed, curled up, hugging the shard to her tummy. After a deflating sigh, she said, "And... pretty much... yeah..."

"Harumph..." Lancie leaned back, crossing his stone arms before his chest. "What an anticlimax. Care to tell me why you're not dust, a basket of butterflies, or some melted goo? I'd assume that one or all of the above would be the end result of such righteous muzzle tango."

"You don't get it," Rainbow muttered. "It was in Cider Space?"

"Oh?" Lance blinked. A few seconds passed. He squatted down on the bedpost. "Ohhhhhhhhhhh..." He nodded. "Oh."

Rainbow exhaled. "Maybe it did the trick, or maybe Applejack was never in danger to begin with. Whatever the case... I'm here. She's here. We're all here. We made it through that mess."

"No regrets, then?"

Rainbow bit her lip.

"I mean, you got the stone from it all," Lancie said. "You got a kiss out of it—even if it was a half-kiss. That's... a win-win-win scenario, yes?"

"Hmmm?"

The statue winked. "The third win being the ability to let yours truly work his magic."

"That's just it, Lancie," Rainbow muttered. "I... I almost feel like the magic's already happened."

"Eh, you're just a drained sponge from all that dreamfarting."

"No, for real." Rainbow sat up, turning the large shard over in her hooves. "I kept thinking and thinking about... a-about how everypony who got stuck in Cider Space—Stu and Mulia and Gustave and Donut Joe—they all at one point or another became prisoners within their own fantasies. They had their best dreams come true, and I had to rip them out in order to carry them along the path to freedom. But me? I never got stuck. Not once." She gulped. "Or did I?"

"I'm afraid I don't follow, Sparky."

"The whole time... the whole dang time that I was there in Cider Space... I... I-I was doing what I've always wanted to do," she murmured. "Saving Applejack. Protecting her."

Lancie cocked his antler'd head to the side, listening.

"And... y'know... even though I eventually made my dream come true and pulled her out of there, not once was I ever given the assurance that I wasn't... wasn't obsessing." Rainbow shuddered. "If it hadn't worked, maybe I'd still be stuck in Cider Space now, performing the role of a Knight in Shining Armor. I'd be... just as worse off as Donut Joe in the Grid or... or Stu Leaves and his made up family."

Lancie slowly nodded. "But your dream came true. You saved the frecklepone."

"And, in a way, my dream's always coming true," Rainbow murmured. "So..." She glanced over at Lancie. "Why am I still obsessed with it?" She bit her lip. "Why can't I wake up?"

"I... uh... can't pretend to understand you silly mortals, Sparky," Lancie said, reaching back to scratch his stone back with his talons. "You live such short, puny lives. And yet, so many of you want to spend them all asleep. I only laugh at the notion because it's so dang sad."

Rainbow exhaled, staring at the shard.

"So what do you intend to wish for?" Lancie said.

"That's just it." Rainbow smiled faintly. "Applejack's been saved. Just by being alive... just by being herself she is A-okay. Maybe... just maybe I've gotta learn to accept that." She glanced over at Lancie with sparkling eyes. "I need to realize that always being there for her... as a best friend is... is what can make her most hidden dreams come true." She shuddered, albeit pleasantly. "And mine."

"Soooooooooo..." Lancie squinted. "...it's a wish wasted?" He arched an eyebrow. "Like my time?"

Rainbow shook her head. "Nah. I've got a wish for ya."

"Oh?"

"Being there for Applejack is the coolest thing I've ever done," Rainbow said. A magical smile crossed her lips. "...but it's not the only friendship I've got."

Comments

[Hestia]

EPCOT!!!!

[Sam the Anti-Ninja]

So, it's gonna be used towards another friend? Who? Epcot? Stu?

Wait I know! Sharp Quill!

[HopelessRomanetic]

Yayyyy! Hello Epcot!

[zaponator]

So many possibilities. Honestly, I'd forgotten that she still had her one wish. Usually it gets burned as part of the adventure.
But this is a new and interesting development and I like it.

[Autumn Rush]

Epcot!?

[Lightning Bearer]

!!!!?!

[viofriedsevey]

Heeeeeyyyy a new upvote, welcome to the fam, fam.

[RoboRed]

Well, it's gonna get spent on not curing Dash, sooo....plz 2 have Epcot bak?

[Fishberry]

"Soooooooooo..."  Lancie squinted.  "...it's a wish wasted?"  He arched an eyebrow.  "Like my time?"

*Snicker... *

"You don't get it," Rainbow muttered.  "It was in Cider Space?"

"Oh?" Lance blinked.  A few seconds passed.  He squatted down on the bedpost.  "Ohhhhhhhhhhh..."  He nodded.  "Oh."

So... 'it's just the internet'? Am I interpreting this correctly?

"Harumph..."  Lancie leaned back, crossing his stone arms before his chest.  "What an anticlimax."

Yeah! What about that, huh!?

What about that! *Flails appendages*

And hey, peanut gallery! She has other friends you know. Gee who were they. I think it had something to do with elements and magic jewelry. I could be wrong though!

[Mister Saxon]

"Soooooooooo..." Lancie squinted. "...it's a wish wasted?" He arched an eyebrow. "Like my time?"

What else would you be doing with your time, Lancie?

[YoshiFawful64]

Please, please, please tell me she's talking about Epcot.

[Skunkiss]

Pls don't waste this on Epcot, for the literal love of AJ....

[BabySkittleMonster]

... She's gonna waste it, isn't she? Please don't do it, Dashie. Epcot will be fine - but you on the other hand (hoof), have your oncoming paralysis and atrophying limbs to worry about. (Although I will admit I miss Epcot...)

[Skunkiss]

5931263

What he said

[YoshiFawful64]

5930963
...Do you really have to be so negative about it all the time? We get it, you think Epcot would be fine in Cider Space, but do you really need to be so vehemently against her being happy?

[Skunkiss]

5931271

Sorry, I really didn't mean to annoy/ bother anybody

It was just my opinion, but there really was no need to write basically the same thing every time the story foreshadows it will happen.

I also think Epcot coming back may not have been the original plan of the author,
but it sure as apples will be now as by popular demand

It actually does not really matter what Dash "wastes" her wish for this time. Maybe originally she would have needed it to bring back AJ anyway. We all learned by now that Dash won't use a single one of her wishes to actually directly help herself or her relationship with AJ, sooo

Maybe I was just a tiny bit grumpy that this time it seemed Dash could finally use her wish as she intended all those other arcs and now everybody yells "Don't do that, Dash! Save Epcot instead!

If most people want to see it happen, that is what SHOULD happen anyway.
Didn't mean to be so negative about it or sour anybody's mood.

[Shipmun]

Who should the wish go to? Best pony or best pony???

Grr. Epcot existing or Rainbow being cured? Okay if we get another main character out of this, then fine, it's worth it. Oh and Stu and Epcot have to be shipped, that's a requirement.

[Scohinyha Sanka]

Well, there's still Zecora and Noir to be considered. Yea, I can see the wish going to either of them. Or both.

[silverspawn]

almost caught up. yeah, I don't like using it on Epcot. not because she isn't worth it, but because - why? she's already alive, no? who says she would even be happier outside of ciderspace? what if she's needed again at some point?

if she really wanted to save her, she could've asked when she had the chance

[arancaytar]

I never got stuck. Not once." She gulped. "Or did I?"

Oh no please don't even go there. She's not still in the dream.

[arancaytar]

So, she's got a wish left over.

And wouldn't you know, there's something fuzzy we've all begged for that is beyond all known magic but might be easy for a chaos god.