Appledashery

by Just Essay

Stu Leaves: Generations

Rainbow Dash trotted onto the porch, her wings shaking the falling flakes of snow off her. The wooden boards creaked under her shuffling hooves as she passed one foggy window after another. Peering in, she saw more and more hints of warm, flickering light. Candles adorned a table while something glowed warm and bright from the living room.

"Just what... is he doing in there?" She squinted, then blinked aside at the geodesic sphere. "Then again, if this is his sim, then he could be doing just about anything."

"YES."

"Sprouting twenty more legs... bench-pressing an elephant... or maybe... or maybe even..." Rainbow Dash grimaced at the thought. Her eyes flashed to the front door and she gently grasped the handle with her hoof.

The thing opened with a click. Rainbow felt a warm current of air billowing out, soothing her frozen coat.

She stepped inside, sniffing the air of the humble abode.

"Doesn't smell like Sweet Apple Acres," Rainbow Dash murmured aloud while the sphere floated inside after her. She shut the door with a blank expression. "Of course, I know that. But does Stu—?"

"Momma! Momma!" Rainbow heard half-a-dozen scampering hooves. A bunch of colorful, blurred figures galloped in from the living room. "She's home! Poppa! Momma's home!"

Rainbow gasped as the first of many colts and fillies tackled her by her legs. "Whoah whoah whoah! Take it easy! This isn't even the forty yard line!"

Upon hearing her cracking voice, the oldest of the foals looked up. She was a scampy little thing, barely eight year old, with gray freckles and zero cutie marks. "You're not Momma!" the filly pouted.

"Erm... I would say not." Rainbow smiled awkwardly. "I'd sooner pass a kidney stone the size of a pineapple than foal a baby. Sorry, kid."

"It's okay." The filly suddenly beamed. "Did you bring a present for Momma?!"

"A... present...?"

"She should be home anytime now!" The kid pranced back into the living room, followed by its waddling little siblings. "We gotta make sure everything's perfect for her!"

"Uhhh..." Rainbow blinked. Eyes narrow, she nervously trotted through the hallway. She spotted glistening glass frames to her left. She pivoted her gaze, spotting hanging photographs of a family of humble farmers. Stu Leaves smiled proudly in every one of them, his forelimbs embracing the little children who slowly grew older, frame by frame. There was a mare sitting in the photos with him, but as hard as Rainbow struggled to see—she could not make out the pony's face. "...Applejack? But... but I can't even tell if—"

She heard the children arguing from the next room.

"Stoppp! Stop it!"

"But things have gotta be perfect for Momma!"

"You're gonna mess it up!"

"No I'm not! This is how Poppa had it all laid out!"

"Pfft! Poppa's clumsy! Momma says it all the time!"

"So? Doesn't make you the present pony expert!"

"Says you!"

Rainbow Dash entered the room, and she had to squint momentarily. A fully-ornamented Hearth's Warming Tree stood, blinking brightly in hundreds of places. Shiny tinsel and decorations hung from its dull green branches. To the right, a blazing fire roared in its hearth, warming the whole room while the foals danced and played.

"I... know I haven't been in Cider Space for long, Epcot," Rainbow muttered. "Please tell me it's not really Hearth's Warming."

"NO."

"Whew..." Rainbow exhaled, her eyebrows narrow. "Seems like Stu's got a thing for Prance Capra."

"YES."

"Still, where the hay is he?" Rainbow looked all around. "Hrmmm... You don't suppose he went the way of the alicorns too, do ya?"

"NO."

"Then I gotta pull him out of the woodwork somehow..."

Rainbow felt a tug on her tail.

She looked down to see a tiny-tiny little colt, clutching a warm blanket as he stared up at her bashfully. "Did you bring a present for Momma?"

"I... I'm sorry..." Rainbow slowly shook her head. "...I was just... visiting, I guess." She put on her best smile. "Though I'd totally like to meet Momma." She fidgeted. "Poppa too."

Another filly trotted up, dragging a long, red sock. "Would you help us hang the stockings, huh? With your wings, you should be able to reach!"

"Pffft. And a half!" Rainbow smirked, grabbed the stocking, and floated up to the edge of the hearth. "How about here?"

"Nuuuu!" The foals all chanted. "A little bit to the left!"

Rainbow side-glided. "Here?"

"Nuuuu! Too far! Put it next to Poppa's!"

Rainbow hovered into the center where a gray stocking already hung. "Uhhhh... here?"

"Yes! Yes! Perfect! Heeheehee!"

"Well, if you guys aren't creepily happy." Rainbow strung the end of the stocking around a nail. "Certainly reminds me of a... stallion... I know..." Her ruby eyes settled on a picture frame.

It featured two ponies at a wedding ceremony. However, because of lense flare, Rainbow couldn't spot the face of the bride whom Stu was kissing. Still, she did recognize the darkly-suited pony with a rainbow mane off to the side.

"Whoah..." Rainbow blinked. "I'm the best mare. Heh..." She couldn't help but smirk. "That's cute, Stu. I'm still going to totally murder you for it, but it's still cute... stupid cute."

Just then, she felt a brief gust of bitterly cold air, accompanied by a creaking doorframe.

"Whew! That blizzard's a killer! Hiya, kids!"

"Poppa! Poppa!" The six foals pitter-patter'd to the kitchen, where Stu Leaves had just emerged, carrying logs of firewood across his exposed wings. Clumps of snow dotted his coated figure as he knelt down to nuzzle the children. "You made it just in time!"

"Did I?!" Stu smiled wide. "Is Momma home yet?"

"Nooooo," the foals all pouted. "But we have a visitor! She's waiting for Momma too!"

Stu looked up. He grinned. "Rainbow Dash... as I live and bray!" He chuckled at himself. "Ohhhh... I swear, I was born to make dad jokes." He winked. "Happy Heart's Warming, girl! What brings you here this hour?"

"Stu... finally." Rainbow Dash wheezed, smiling weakly. "About dang time! Look, dude, I've come a long way through Cider Space to find you. Applejack isn't here. I think she might be in another sim, or else imprisoned by Shindig. If you help me, then we both might be able to—"

"What are you waiting for? Lend me a hoof, Miss Loyalty!" Stu chuckled, trotting straight past her as he began stacking firewood beside the hearth. "This flame won't feed itself, y'know!"

"... ... ..." Rainbow Dash blinked as the sphere floated around her head. "This is gonna be a real headache, isn't it?"

"YES."

Comments

[Sharp Quill]

Stu Leaves: Generations

Star Trek Generations reference. Cider Space is now being likened to the Nexus as portrayed in that film.

[RoboRed]

Sasser-frassin' apple Nexus...

[Tchernobog]

[Lord Dragon]

Ronkonkoma.

[Lightning Bearer]

Well, if Stu's fantasies aren't cavity-inducingly wholesome.

"Whew..." Rainbow exhaled, her eyebrows narrow. "Seems like Stu's got a thing for Prance Capra."

Are you seriously telling me you thought that was better than "Flank Capra"?

[Sam the Anti-Ninja]

So, is Dash gonna rescue then kill him, or kill then rescue him?

Also, the portraits with blanked out faces must hold deeper significance. Mayhap Stu's paradise is owning a farm and having a loving family, regardless of whom with?

Also, I recommend Foreigner's Headgames as the official theme of this arc.

[Salad king]

5589843 I say just kill.

[Leftover of Saikano]

Plot twist: This is Applejack's fantasy.

[Salad king]

5590386 please, please God no.

[RainbowJack2000]

Two words: Oh. Hell. No.

[Jay_Baker]

[aleistergreynight]

[Gammahoof]

This is going to turn into some Inception-level how-do-we-know-this-is-a-dream shit isn't it?

[Phoenix Kitten]

I like how vehemently any comment that even insinuates anything but appledash is downvoted.
I'll be honest, I'm here for the adventure mostly, to be brutally honest, I don't really care for the Appledash ship. I ship Rainbowfire/Spitdash more, and AJ's single in my shipping network, married to her job. does she have foals? Yeah, just cause she doesn't have a special somepony doesn't mean she hasn't had a serious relationship, but they've all fizzled.

[LucyHorseThing]

pillaiconsulting.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/oh-no-baby.jpg

[arancaytar]

There was a mare sitting in the photos with him, but as hard as Rainbow struggled to see—she could not make out the pony's face. "...Applejack? But... but I can't even tell if—"

It featured two ponies at a wedding ceremony. However, because of lense flare, Rainbow couldn't spot the face of the bride whom Stu was kissing. Still, she did recognize the darkly-suited pony with a rainbow mane off to the side.

It's not AJ.

...

Maybe it's not anypony. Stu's fantasy is to have a loving family; he doesn't have any specific pony in mind.