//------------------------------// // Opportunistic // Story: Appledashery // by Just Essay //------------------------------// By the fifth time Rainbow Dash orbited the farmland, she let loose a long and anguished sigh. Eventually, she hovered in place, lingering just above the tall concrete structure that contained the mill that Applejack and Stu were patiently examining. Gnawing on her lip in thought, Rainbow Dash flew towards the southeast side of the structure. There, she had hoped to find some windows. However, once she discovered them, she saw that they were all boarded up. She cursed under her breath, nevertheless hovering up close in an attempt to peer in between the thick, splintery planks of wood. However, her efforts were of no avail. She knew that whatever lay beyond the windows would reside on the other side of the padlocked iron doors that she spotted within. In a frustrated huff, she spun about, glaring across the farmland. After a minute or two, she fidgeted in midair, glancing nervously at the structure beside her. There was no way that Applejack—or Stu for that matter—could see through all of the concrete. So, with wings a-buzzing, Rainbow Dash went flying across the central patch of farmland. Knock Knock Knock! Rainbow Dash lowered her hoof. She stood on the front porch to Shindig's homely-built house in the center of her land. Her ruby eyes blinked, reflected in the tiny crescent-shaped window built horizontally along the top of the doorframe. All she could see through the glass was thick gray curtains, and the barest hint of a wooden foyer beyond. The pegasus heard the cawing of crows in the distance. She realized that a full two minutes had passed since her first knock. So, she rapped on the doorframe again, louder this time. Once more, there was no response. Rainbow Dash exhaled heavily. She turned around, staring at the tall concrete factory from the shade of the porch. Cicadas buzzed in rhythmic salvos. Applejack and Stu Leaves were nowhere to be seen. Ears twitching, Rainbow Dash shuffled slowly to the side. She kept one eye on the factory while the other half of her vision glanced at the windows along the front porch. Heavy curtains obscured all chances of looking through the panes and seeing anything. What's more, they were all bolted tight. Rainbow knew this, for she had tugged and pulled on each one of them. "Nnngh... grnnng... guh!" She stumbled back, rubbing her forelimb and flexing it as she felt a slight tingling sensation. "Already...?" The mare sighed yet again. Silence. Fidgeting, she trotted out from under the porch, turned around, and squinted straight up into the sunlight. Her vision danced from one window to another along the building's second story. Just then, she spotted a bit of movement. Rainbow's heart jumped, and she leaned forward, narrowing her eyes harder. One set of curtains was billowing in the wind. The glass pane in front of it was cracked open. Swooosh! In a heartbeat, Rainbow Dash perched on the windowsill. She gripped the bottom of the window and lifted up, squealing a bit under her breath. It took a bit of effort, but she successfully flung the thing wide open. Exhaling with a victorious breath, she nevertheless flung the factory a nervous look. No freckles or green eyes were aimed her way. Rainbow Dash smirked, then swiftly slithered inside the top story to Shindig's house. As soon as Rainbow flew into the room, a cloud of dust kicked up all around her from her flapping wings. The mare coughed and wheezed, waving a hoof before her fuzzy blue muzzle. She squinted thinly across what turned out to be a dark bedroom. A king-sized bed lingered, perfectly made. The table beside it and the vanity at the far end of the room were also immaculately straightened, with perfume bottles and mane accessories placed about neatly with geometric precision. However, the mirror above the vanity was covered in a film of dust so thick that Rainbow Dash couldn't even see her own reflection. Curious, Rainbow Dash reached a hoof forward and dragged it across the cold glass, forming a curved line in the dust. The exposed mirror reflected a stallion's grave face behind her. Gasping, Rainbow Dash spun around, only to find herself staring at an antique painting. It was the portrait of a middle-aged unicorn with a top hat, monocle, and a foppish collar. Despite his elegant fashion, he stood poised and proud with a stern expression. The illustration of an apple pin adorned his lapel. Rainbow Dash exhaled. She gazed down at the very bottom frame of the portrait. She spotted a name: "Philip Philanthropy" Rainbow arched an eyebrow at that. Tilting her head aside, she spotted the bedroom door hanging ajar. Quietly, she flew over and squeezed on through, careful not to touch the dust-laden doorframe and walls. Outside, a second story walkway loomed above the house's foyer with an elaborate wooden hoof-railing. Rainbow passed several rooms, all covered in dust from seemingly years of neglect. At one point, she stopped in mid-hover, then flew backwards to examine the last two bedrooms she had passed. They looked identical to one another, forming a symmetrical mirror image. The walls of the bedrooms were mutually decorated with pin-stripe colors, and several yellow and red sports penants hung above the beds. In the corners, tall wooden racks were adorned with a smattering of flamboyant porkpie hats and bowties. Rainbow blinked thoughtfully, then flew on down the walkway. She followed the dust-covered stairs leading down. As she slowly descended, she glanced at the wall immediately to her left. There, she saw several circular-framed photographs, one after another. In the first, she spotted a young black-and-white version of the prim stallion, only he was posing alongside a smiling young earth pony mare with a beautiful glossy mane. In the next frame, the unicorn and earth pony were slightly older, decked out in wedding clothes. The next photograph was in color, featuring the two ponies standing before a gated farmland covered in orange groves. In the picture after that, several apple groves had sprouted up, but that wasn't all. The mare sat on her haunches, cradling a pair of unicorn foals with sprouts of red hair. The stallion leaned in to nuzzle her, bearing an uncharacteristically tranquil smile. In the next few photographs, both the fields and the foals grew, until a pair of young adult stallions stood proudly by their aging parents. Then, at last, there was a final photograph at the bottom of the stairs, tilted slightly off balance. "Philanthropy" was gone, and the mare's eyes were closed for the shot. She stood in a melancholic slump, meanwhile her tall and lean sons supported her, trying their best to smile pleasantly for the camera. Rainbow Dash couldn't help but notice that the green color had drained from their eyes. Even the one mustached stallion's mane was noticeably unkempt and he had to hide it beneath a straw hat. Turning from the pictures, Rainbow faced the living room—and she jolted in place. Here, all order and neatness was missing altogether, and she found herself staring at a chaotic scene. Tables were overturned. Couches and splintery apple crates were strewn all over with maps, illustrations, and shreds of note-riddled paper. Rainbow also saw what looked like pick-axes, shovels, compasses, backpacks, and other glaringly out-of-place equipment. Then, across the far wall, she spotted a haphazardly-hung world map depicting Equestria and all known lands across a hazy green continent. Pins had been stuck in place at seemingly random intervals, tied together by multi-colored strings. In various places, tiny notes had been stuck, with hastily scribbled words such as "Missing Lead" and "Griffon dead end" and Aatxe's territory: DO NOT CROSS". Rainbow was too shaken up by the last note to spot the thickest cluster of pins and strings at first. But, at last, her eyes focused on the converging array, and there she spotted—in thick black marker ink—the bold words: "CHALICE FOUND!!!" It covered a spot far to the north, along the arctic tundra. Rainbow's lips pursed. Her numb legs brushed up against something, and she glanced down to see a dusty table, atop of which was an overturned picture frame. Curious, she tilted the thing up. It was a portrait of Shindig and Philanthropy, nuzzling each other as they gazed softly at the camera. Plastered to it was another note that fluttered from Rainbow's pensive breaths. Steadying it with her hoof, she read the hastily scribbled words across it: "Dearest Father, at long last, we found it. You will be with your beloved Serenity soon." Rainbow Dash's brow furrowed. She flew backwards, gazing into the shadowed corners of the room in thought. Something caught the filtered sunlight in her peripheral vision. She pivoted to the right, and immediately she did a double-take. A grand model of a city loomed on a table, covered in dust and lint from neglect. However, it was unlike any urban design that Rainbow Dash had ever seen. There was no solid foundation to the tall and ornate skyscrapers. If it weren't for several vertical pins and needles, the buildings would surely topple over. Instead, it looked almost as if they were floating, with dozens of pinwheels and smokestacks and serpentine steam pipes blossoming in between the brass-laden towers and spacious balconies. In the very center of the building was an ornate palace with jagged spires pockmarked with hanging gardens. If Rainbow Dash squinted her eyes just right, the entire castle almost resembled the cider mill she had just seen inside the factory, along with its intricately branching pipes. Just then, she twirled towards the map hanging along the wall. She squinted at the note located to the far north of the illustrated Equestria. "The chalice..." Her eyes darted left and right. Suddenly, she gasped. "The chalice!" Just then, the windows rattled. At first, Rainbow Dash didn't know why. But, as she craned her ear, she was certain she heard a screaming voice. In a blur, she dashed towards the front door, fumbled with six whole sets of locks, and flung the thing open with an unfurling cloud of dust. Immediately, the yelling voice bled into clarity, echoing across the dirt-laden compound. "Rainbow Dassssh! Come! Come quick!" A brown figure hovered alongside the concrete building, jittering in abject terror. "Something terrible's happened!" "Stu...?" Rainbow murmured. She swiftly flew out from beneath the porch and levitated in the sunlight. "Stu, what is it?!" she yelled. The stallion's head jerked towards her. With a pale face, he stammered. "It's... it's Applejack..." Rainbow's breath left her.