Appledashery

by Just Essay

Thanks and Come Again

She sat on a continental shelf, overlooking galaxies and nebulae in colorful collision with one another. Above her, a floating diorama of castles traced a porcelain sky, spreading stars and celestial beams in its wake.

The scent of sunflowers and lavender wafted across the sphere, and yet she didn't smile. She simply sat in a slump, exhaling into the ether as she hugged herself.

Then, from out of nowhere, a warm breeze fluttered at her fluffy brown mane.

"Is this what you do during your time off?" A set of blue hooves set down beside her. "Heck, I'd have built a billion statues of myself by now... and all of them on fire."

Epcot turned to look up. Her purple eyes widened, glistening with instant joy. "Rainbow Dash!" She hopped up, landed, and caused spectral shockwaves to billow outward in every direction. "It's really you! I mean... heehee... of course it's really you! I've been built to know when it's a dream or a dreamer and... and... a-and—"

"Hey... heeeeeeey..." Rainbow Dash rested a hoof on the construct's shoulder. She smirked. "Settle down, girl! Not like I've been gone for too long..." She blinked, then leaned forward. "Has it?"

"I... erm... well..." Epcot fidgeted. She avoided Rainbow's gaze, rubbing her far shoulder. "I... sorta lost track of how slow time was..." She sniffled. "...until I ran into you."

"Yeah, well..." Rainbow Dash trotted forward, then plopped down on the edge of the cliff. "Eeughhh...... hmmm... well don't you fret. I'm sure you and I can find ways to pass the time. At least... every now and then."

"But, I don't understand!" Epcot blinked. "I thought you awoke! Please, don't tell me that the sons of Shindig have you ensnared yet again—"

"Pffft!" Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Nothing of the sort. I came back on my own, girl!"

"But... but how?" Epcot slowly shook her head. "You must understand, I am completely and utterly flummoxed! Nothing in the alicorn programming ever readied me for this."

"Didn't it?" Rainbow smiled. "A very special pony told me that—if we can dream it, then we can do it. Well... I've done my fair share of dreaming, and don't get me wrong... but..." She winked. "In the real world, I can do stuff... and I can do it well."

Epcot simply stared at her, muzzle agape. At last, she murmured, "Applejack... your beloved friend... is she... is she—?"

"Safe and sound. Best she's ever been." Rainbow smiled. "Thanks for asking."

Epcot exhaled heavily—as if a huge burden had left her fuzzy muscles. She leaned back, smiling... a long, warm smile. "Good." She nodded, cheeks round. "Good. That's very good."

"And... I'd like to talk about her... and about other things... but, more than that..." Rainbow hugged her knees, tilting her head to the side as she smiled at Epcot. "I'd like to hang out with my friend here... if that's okay with you."

Epcot stared back. With a slightly awkward shuffle, she plopped down beside Rainbow Dash. The two mares stared out at the swirling eddies of abandoned thought.

"Well... where do you want to begin?" Epcot asked.

"Oh... I could go on for hours. How about you first?"

"M-me?" Epcot stifled a giggle. "I-I'm just a construct. Chaperones are good about explaining things, but not sharing them."

"Oh, I dunno. You've been in this crazy dreamworld for an eternity and a day. I bet you have lots to share."

"No... nooooo I don't..."

"Heheheh... c'mon, girl! Not even a dirty secret about the oodles of alicorns who used to populate this brain dome?"

"Oh, I couldn't possibly break my confidentiality agreement about that."

"... ... ...you mean about an extinct race of immortal horses who can't be bothered to show their faces anymore?"

"Whelp... good point."

"So spill it, girl!"

"Well, if you insist."

"Hehe! I do!"

"Well, this one time—certifiably thousands of years ago by your estimate..."

"Go on..."

"This mare—a rather extravagant individual—wanted a carousel to be constructed. But not just any carousel, but one that breached a new layer of time and dimension upon each rotation."

"You don't say..."

"And this was all well and good, only she didn't want a simulated construct of distorted space-time, but an actual manipulation of the chronotonic stream within the perpetual fabric of the dreamscape. Which is a noble desire—of course—but it means that one would have to bend subreality to such a degree that a vacuum pocket would have to sustain itself within the set of subconscious rules that were at work here..."

"Were there any slimy harems involved this time?"

"Heehee! Funny that you should ask! Because she desired a hearty companion of various ages of development for each revolution of the Carousel! Heehee! Quite a conundrum! And on top of that..."

Comments

[RoboRed]

...Maybe not "oh crap".

[viofriedsevey]

So dash is gonna keep visiting Epcot? Fucking brilliant. I knew you wouldnt do something so obvious as to just make her real, atleast not yet. And I think I speak for just about everyone when I say our hearts ached at thinking of her alone for eternity. Well played.

[Lightning Bearer]

I'll keep my fingers crossed that Rainbow can pull a Pinocchio on Epcot someday, but for now I'm just tickled pink that she doesn't have to be alone, now that she's gotten a taste of friendship.

[zaponator]

Woo! Called it!

[HopelessRomanetic]

Amazing! I never thought this would happen

[GluttonousFruitcakes]

I here I was foolish enough to think that Epcot might be forgotten. Very happy that I was wrong.
*warm fuzzing feelings*

[YoshiFawful64]

So is this how it's going to be? 'Cause I could be happy with this. Not that I wouldn't still want Epcot to become "real", of course.

[Phoenix Kitten]

okay...I want to shout my thanks to the heavens that Epcot didn't cease to exist...but that ending to the dream..it drained me...
so... I'll settle for just a relieved sigh and a content smile.

[DrEggnog]

Awwwwwwwww. You're golden Epcot. I'm sure she would have been willing to spend eternity alone in the dream world, but I'm quite happy that she doesn't have to.

[Boop-Happy Lass]

Aw, best pony! :D

[arancaytar]

The scent of sunflowers and lavender wafted across the sphere, and yet she didn't smile. She simply sat in a slump, exhaling into the ether as she hugged herself.

Oh my God please stop breaking my heart