Appledashery Vol. Two

by Just Essay

Past Hooves

"Whew! Look at them duds!" Applejack grinned, standing before a ponniquin in a well-preserved bomber jacket. "Accordin' to this here plaque, it says that Commander Easyglider was the most influential flight coordinator in Wonderbolts history! Now talk about a legacy!"

Rainbow Dash was silent. Her muzzle hung slightly agape as she stared at rows upon rows of Wonderbolt memorabilia. Above them, a cluster of uniform'd ponniquins were suspended from the ceiling, mimicking a trademark flight formation. The petite mare's ears drooped as she took all of the information in.

Applejack trotted on to the next figure. "General Firefly. Heh... reckon I really like his hat." Applejack pointed at the article in question. "It's the same kind of look that the ol' west cavalry used to be sportin'. At least I think so. Over in Appleloosa, Braeburn has these picture books full of old-timey photos and there are ponies wearin' uniforms like this General Firefly feller. It must have been 'the look' at the time, or what-have-you. I'm sure Twilight would know. I tell ya, Rainbow, if it weren't for them cavalry ponies, we'd never have driven out the Dust Hydras who roamed the western deserts... devourin' everythang they set their beady lizard eyes on."

Rainbow Dash continued to be silent.

Applejack blinked. Fidgeting slightly, she cast a curious look over at the mare. "Are ya truly speechless, sugarcube? Or just plain bored?"

"There's... so much stuff here," Rainbow Dash murmured.

"Well... yeah!" Applejack chuckled. "Figured you'd be floored! I mean... the Wonderbolts have been protectin' the skies of Equestria for generations. This here's only a smidgen of what they've accomplished! You should be proud of yer heroes! They've got a lot to look back on!"

"General Firefly... Commander Easyglider..." Rainbow Dash bit her lip, glancing at the next two plaques before Applejack. "Colonel Purple Dart... Admiral Fairweather..."

"Mighty fine folk, ain't they?"

"I... never heard of them before..."

Applejack chuckled... then regretted it. "Wait, yer serious?"

"I mean. I-I know Spitfire and Soarin' and Fleetfoot... but..." Rainbow Dash gulped, her voice soft and contemplative. "All these old dudes and dudettes... I-I never really learned anything about them."

"Well, now you can! And I betcha they're just as awesome as Spitfire and the rest of the modern gang!"

"... ... ... ..."

Applejack arched an eyebrow. "Somethin' the matter?"

"I dunno, I just..." Rainbow Dash flexed her forelimbs, hovering in place. "I feel so stupid."

"What for?"

"Somehow I always thought that the Wonderbolts were... y'know... a new thing."

"As in they was invented in our lifetime?" Applejack shook her head. "Ain't so, sugarcube. We'd be hard pressed to find any 'new' ponies who started out on their own." She smiled. "Take us, for example! We're the Elements of Harmony! But the Elements have been a thang for thousands and thousands of years!"

"Yeah..." Rainbow gulped, staring off down the nearby corridor. "Kinda makes you feel small, dun it?"

"Well... maybe..." Applejack shrugged. "But it also makes me feel super important, y'know? Like... I'm the exclamation point at the end of an epic poem. Heh..." She adjusted her hat. "Rather sappy, I know... but it means a lot to me."

"Well, it must not mean a lot to me," Rainbow droned. "I never bothered to get to know these old Wonderbolts."

"Errr..."

"What do you think their lives were like? How awesome were they? How many adventures did they go on? How many dragons did they kick in the teeth? Were they happy? Sad? Drunk?" Rainbow glanced lethargically up at the formation of ponniquins. "All my life, I didn't know about them until now. I didn't bother to. And I can't be the only moron who's thought that way." A cold shudder. "Kinda... makes you wonder what'll happen after we are all gone. Who's gonna give a flying feather over our names in the future, huh?"

"Rainbow, just because some ponies ain't household names today dun make them any less important," Applejack said. "That's why we make museums like this! And keep books! And record every lil' thang about our lives... so that we can remember... and that we can respect the souls who came and went before us."

"Yeah, but... what does it all amount to in the end? If I didn't come here, I wouldn't be any the wiser."

"I... dun think I understand what yer gettin' at, sugarcube."

Rainbow Dash sighed. "Don't mind me. I've just... uh..." She gulped, rubbing her forelimbs together. "...have a thing about unknown ponies wandering off into the night."

Applejack raised an eyebrow.

"Rnnnngh..." Rainbow rubbed her face and groaned. "Don't mind me. Guess I'm just an emo pony this morning."

Applejack shrugged. "I dun mind it one bit. It's refreshin' to know yer so... so..."

"What?"

Applejack smirked. "Thoughtful."

Rainbow Dash blinked. "Really?"

"Heheheh..." Applejack motioned her along. "Come over this way. I want you to see somethin'... somethin' that makes me feel happy."

"Oh boy." Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and floated after her. "Must be an ancient Applesaurus or something."

"Hush, you."

Comments

[zaponator]

Ah, yes, the Existential Dread wing of the museum.
Always a fun place to check out.

[Booster Spice]

Applesaurus? Must be in the fruit subsection child directory of The Giant Thesaurus.

[Sam the Anti-Ninja]

8372267
Technically that's the whole museum. But only if you're depressed enough to realize the futility of trying to preserve anything.

[Phoenix Kitten]

Dash just hit the Memento Mori stage of a museum visit.

[Leftover of Saikano]

Applesaurus must have been another of those fossils named after companies, like Fedexia striegeli.

[Lamplighter]

I wonder if this, combined with what happened at the gala, is where Rainbow Dash started to become disenchanted with the idea of being a Wonderbolt.

What's the point in wasting what little time she has left trying to be immortalized forever, when nobody will remember the things she does after she dies. Maybe this is when she starts truly wishing for personal happiness, even though there's a part within her that believes that she deserves to be miserable for the rest of her short days.

[berrytone]

Well... maybe..." Applejack shrugged. "But it also makes me feel super important, y'know? Like... I'm the exclamation point at the end of an epic poem. Heh..." She adjusted her hat. "Rather sappy, I know... but it means a lot to me."

More than you know, Applejack.

Rainbow Dash sighed. "Don't mind me. I've just... uh..." She gulped, rubbing her forelimbs together. "...have a thing about unknown ponies wandering off into the night."

Looks like a reference to something, but I can't quite remember...

[bronyheat]

Come for the Wonderbolts memorabilia,
Stay for the existential crises.
Gift shop through the food court!

[Finelita]

This chapter is so great.