Discount Stores and Metaphors
The little bell on the side of the door let out a chipper ring as Rainbow pushed the door open. The sound echoed throughout the barren aisles and faded away, saddened that it passed unrecognized.
Rainbow stepped inside, trying not to tremble. She looked about the store, past the metal detectors at the entrance and past the empty cashier kiosks. A sea of aisles and clothing awaits her, and a strange smell filled the air.
It reminded her of old dusty books she might find at the back of the library, or of those strange ancient file folders in Spitfire’s filing cabinet. The ones that always looked like they would fall apart if you dropped them.
Rainbow ventured into the store floor. Jaunty, upbeat pop songs filled the air from the speakers, muffled to the point where they were barely decipherable. Looking up, Rainbow noticed that some of the lights overhead had burned out, leaving the store in a strange, dim state.
Near the front of the store were several circular racks field with marked down clothes, most of them second-hoof. Rainbow ran a hoof through some of the clothes, taking in the colors and designs listlessly.
The colors almost blurred together as she watched. The bright hues mixed with dull metal, and reds, yellows, blues, and greens danced across her vision. She rubbed her eyes and the world sorted itself out again.
Turning away from the rack, Rainbow made her way over to the shelves. The aisles were numbered and divided into categories, like household supplies, toys, and technology. Her eyes lingered over knock-off brands and cheap, plastic packages that littered the shelves. It made her want to cry.
She picked up a packaged action figure, marked down from three bits to two and a half. It felt light on her hoof, yet heavy all the same as she imagined the story behind it. Somewhere, this very toy was in a foal’s out, and it was the only thing their parents could afford. But what did the foal know? To them, they had a toy, and that was enough.
Rainbow set the package back on the shelf and tilted her head, gazing upon row after row of the same box. The rows stood side by side and stood at attention, waiting for some silent command that would never come.
There was no life here. She only felt despair. Rainbow turned away from the colored boxes with disgust, proceeding down the aisles. She came across a row of stationery items, ranging from pens and pencils to papers and clipboards.
Rainbow picked up a colored pen and rolled it around in her hoof. She noted there was a piece of paper mounted on the shelf, so that ponies could test the quality of their writing supplies before buying them.
The paper itself was covered in scribbles and crude sketches, mixed with some rather vulgar words. The colors melded together and lept out at her, not unlike her own mane. Blues and reds flew past her face, merging and blending together. Yellow lines streaked across the page like a plane through the sky, and red dots filled the surface like stars in a dreary sky.
It was too much for her. She stepped back, overwhelmed, and let the colors fade away as she regained her composure. The world returned to normal.
Rainbow returned the pen to its home and sighed, turning away from the bright display. The colors were making her head spin. Rainbow hazarded a glance at the paper again to see that the markings were bleeding now, with color dripping off of the page and into the world around it.
It felt oversaturated to her. She blinked and the color returned into the paper, vanishing from her view. It was too much for her. The colors reminded her of the past, and how vivid the world used to be back then.
Rainbow accidentally kicked a basket by her hooves. She looked down to see that it was full of miscellaneous items, including a stuffed pony plushie in the shape of a mushroom. She picked it up and studied it curiously, finding a tag on the bottom that read ‘Liminal Spaces.’
Something about it made her anxious. It reminded her of old friends and familiar faces, and of long empty hallways and empty houses. She set the plushie back in the basket and gave it a pat on the head before continuing onwards.
A noise echoed from the produce section. Rainbow glanced over to see that the refrigerator door was open, and a pink pony was rummaging inside. Pinkie Pie was humming a strange song and swishing her tail to the beat as she pulled out a bottle of juice from within.
Pinkie slammed the door shut and turned to face Rainbow before beaming at her. “Hiya Dashie!” she exclaimed, waving at her.
Rainbow froze, unsure of how to respond. She raised her hoof half-way before pausing.
“Since when were you socially awkward, Dashie?” Pinkie laughed, bouncing her way over and slinging her arm around her neck. “Cat got your tongue?”
“I just… wasn’t expecting to see you here,” Rainbow confessed.
Pinkie giggled. “Well of course, silly! I know that! We all do!”
Rainbow raised her eyebrow. “You all did?”
“Well, sort of. I mean, I guess some of us felt it more than others. But we knew you were coming.” Pinkie danced across the aisles before turning again to face her. The pony knelt down by the basket Rainbow had kicked and picked up the mushroom plush. “Aw! Isn’t it adorable? It’s so illegally fluffy!”
Rainbow smiled softly and nodded. “Sure, Pinks. Sure.”
Pinkie continued her walk, taking a swig from the juice bottle. “So tell me, Dashie, how’ve ya been lately? We haven’t talked in forever!”
“I’ve been…” Rainbow trailed off, her squinting at the fluorescent lights above her. “I’ve been better, I guess.”
Pinkie pulled her in tight to a hug. “Well that’s just dandy! I’ve been feeling pretty great myself! And the juice here’s a big ol’ plus.”
Rainbow let Pinkie lead her around, taking in the ambiance of the discount store. Something about everything just rubbed her the wrong way. It made her feel delusional in a way.
But she wasn’t about to dump her delusionalisms on Pinkie. Not now anyways. “Hey, Pinkie… do you ever miss home sometimes?”
“Oh, always, Dashie,” Pinkie said. She seemed to hug her just a little bit tighter. “And everyone there misses you too. You know that, don’t you, Dashie?”
Rainbow sighed, closing her eyes. She saw a coat of blue far in front of her, bright as the sky and lighter than air. She saw a rainbow mane bellowing in the wind, ready to face another day. And she saw herself standing in the dawn of snow, a drop of blue against a world of white.
“I miss home too,” Rainbow confessed.
Pinkie nodded solemnly, the party pony sobering up a little bit. “It’s not a bad thing to miss home,” Pinkie said.
It felt very warm in the store. As if the ancient air conditioning unit had finally given up hope, like a stranded traveler lying in the desert sun. “I think… I think I want to go home,” Rainbow said aloud.
“You should try,” Pinkie said encouragingly. “We miss you.”
Those words left her feeling in some sort of way. As if everything that had happened was connected in a way. She wasn’t sure if the world had planned it this way, but frankly she didn’t quite care.
“You really think I should?”
Pinkie put a hoof on her shoulder. “Yeppers! You really, really should. We miss you. I miss you.”
Rainbow didn’t feel very tired anymore. Memories flew through the streets like sports cars, flying by so quickly that Rainbow only caught glimpses before they were gone.
With a smile, Rainbow pushed open the door and stepped outside, back into the ever-empty streets and forlorn buildings. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Well… I think I’m going to try.”
“Yay!” Pinkie said, hugging her again. “Go, Dashie, go! We’re all rooting for you!”
Rainbow nodded and took off into the air. Alone, but unafraid. She never looked back.
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The strangeness continues, though the specifics of the situation at hoof are slowly becoming clearer...
Keep up the good work!
:)
... Words cannot describe the way I felt when I read this paragraph (and the several mentions of the plush afterwards). In the context of the site, yay!!!!!! But, in the context of the story... I feel strangely as if I'm being watched. Somehow I have become a side player in Rainbow's fever dream/coma/existential crisis/???????, and I'm concerned that that is not at all a good thing
Perhaps I should take it as a hint, that I'm on the right track when it comes to liminal spaces being the driving concept in this story. Rainbow's time in liminal spaces is indicative of being in her own personal liminal space; in other words, Rainbow is in a time of transition, perhaps between versions of herself. Whatever happened to her, to Ponyville, to her friends, to the world... It has forced her to undergo a personal transformation, and she seems to be having trouble accepting it. I mean, what else would the second-most stubborn pony in Equestria do?
Or, y'know. I could be totally wrong. Maybe this is a transition of Equestria that Rainbow is just trying to endure. Maybe this is a transition all of her friends are experiencing (which I'm inclined to think it is, judging by some of Rarity's comments in the previous installment), and Rainbow herself is standing still.
I honestly don't know what to make of Pinkie's comments about "missing" RD. My first thought is that Rainbow is in some sort of coma or dream, perhaps under the influence of magic, and is fighting to get back to her friends. But, then again, if that were the case, I doubt she would need Pinkie's encouragement to do so??? Agh, I don't know what to think!!!
Regardless of my logical confusion, your writing is once again incredibly emptionally evocative. Whatever is happening, Rainbow is longing for something. Understanding, closure, a return to normalcy... Whatever she's reaching for is still a music, but I can feel that pit in her stomach. I can feel her listlessness, and her sense of loss...
I am DYING for another installment. But, at the same time, I can soak in this for a long time. I'll likely be rereading the three you've released and looking to draw some conclusions from what you've given us so far. Gonna try not to break out the string board and thumbtacks, but you never know! Celestia knows I have a lot to say lmao
Thank you so much for sharing this with us!!
EDIT: I'm seeing more references to your commenters now.... Dash being "Socially Awkward", the "feeling some kinda way" comment, your follower "legally fluffy" and the "illegally fluffy" plush, follower "delusionalism" and Dash's "delusionalisms", commenter "dawnofsnow" and RD standing "against a dawn of snow"... Okay. I'm fully riveted now. Definitely will be rereading. Did any other readers catch references to themselves or their comments???
After reading Mushroom’s comment, I feel super excited that I got some form of recognition, I usually don’t. Also, this seems to invite some inspiration from Austeroh for the shout-out idea.
Also, for the record, this:
Is in concept quite similar to a comment I’ve left on these stories. It probably wasn’t intended to be that way, though.
Regardless, this is another fantastic story by who I’d consider the most mysterious writer on FiMFiction. Perhaps the best thing about this story is that nopony’s in this clothing store, but it still functions. It’s almost like Rainbow Dash is this store. She’s broken, but she’s still there, she still functions, kinda.
After all, this is called Discount Stores and Metaphors.
I’m interested, as this story implies that Dashie ran away from home for some reason. We don’t know the reason, but perhaps it was some familial dispute, or just some world-changing event, as a couple people have noted, that forced her to run. Perhaps she doesn’t want to come home because she was forced to run away, which would add a whole new dimension to these stories.
Whatever the case, these stories are fantastic and easily the stories I’m the most curious to read about.
10264162
haha i completely agree, these chapters (I guess you could call them?) are so addictive, but at the same time, it’s great to re-read and, like you said, let it soak.
I didn’t catch that many but that’s so cool! Also the mushroom pony plush kinda reminds me of someone
10264330
No, I think you're right!! The first comment I left started with "this left me feeling some kinda way", and the comment you left on the second installment about things being planned and connected is absolutely reflected in this passage. I think we're all being acknowledged very purposefully and repeatedly!
And I just wanna add that these nods are being done really well. I honestly didn't notice any but my own until I went back for another scan, and started putting the pieces together. Makes you wonder just how much control we have over the direction of this little tale...
I'm also interested in the additional comments the author is injecting via their blogs. I hesitate to say it, but it almost feels like we're approaching ARG territory with this!
And what about the profile itself? Are we meant to believe that Fiddlesticks is related in some way?
So many questions!
EDIT: another interesting tidbit I just noticed: every installment has the exact same word count of 1375. Literally don't even know what to do with the sheer amount of info we're parsing through, and the full series hasn't even dropped.
EDIT EDIT bc my brain is CHURNING: checked through their profile for any stray info. There's nothing useful in the about page (as I expected). I've found two things which are sticking out to me as interesting:
10264379
I’m very interested in Fiddlesticks’ profile, too.
Like for example if you read their notes in a certain way, it comes out with this:
And I left alone again
Are you here to watch me fall?
All we are is falling
And that was all she saw.
It’s almost poetic in a way, and it’s remarkably interesting.
10264162
10264330
10264351
Great, now that you've all brought it up, I've gotten all paranoid thinking every little thing might be some sort of vague reference to me.
Seeing as the author is seemingly tying all of us into this, I figured I might as well take my turn to look for bits that might've come from me. Here's what I've noticed, in case you're curious:
(For added context, my username and profile picture were nicked from a relatively obscure 70s concept album called Hope. Fellow user Super Trampoline pointed this out on my profile page at one point, so it's not too much of a stretch to suggest this fic's author may have noticed that.)
Whoever our author is, be they a newcomer with a high-concept debut or a well-known author's alt. account (I have seen one or two comparisons to Austraeoh, after all), I have to commend them for their thoroughness. Looking forward to seeing where they take this!
10264396
Their profile message is also changing apparently, and idk how often. Just happened to catch the change as I switched tabs:
and I left alone again was the original (maybe??), and now it's how can I be me if you can't be you?
The poetry builds....
10264404
if you stay I'd tell you I'm sorry
10264406
The second one (I think) was ‘and I left alone again’. I can’t exactly recall the first one, but I remember loving it and the one comment they had posted for it.
This is, as far as I know, the third iteration of their bio, if it can be called that.
10264412
and I left alone again
are you here to watch me fall?
and of everything of yesterday
from ashes to sky
from the sky to the earth
10264412
if I fall
will you catch me?
10264411
Oh, our enigmatic author speaks!
Rest assured, I'm staying, and I will gladly accept your apology... That is, as soon as I figure out what exactly it is you're apologizing for.
:P
10264406
10264396
I know! I noticed that too. The first thing on their user page was “if I fall, will you catch me?” It’s all very enigmatic. And I’m guessing we have at least two installments left, seeing as Fluttershy and Twilight haven’t made an a appearance yet.
10264421
It seems like they're indirectly answering questions... 10264412 "asked" about the first iteration of their bio, and got a true answer. So I guess we have to wonder what you asked them 👀
Well... we in it now gang haha. See you all on the next installment!
This is... probably the first time I've commented on these stories. These... one-shots, if you will.
It's very, very interesting, how every story doesn't seem to connect, but they do.
It forces me to find the connection, and so far, I seem to have failed in doing so.
But it is my belief, that we will find the connection.
Aside from the characters, the places in which they meet are interestingly peculiar.
For example, (spoiler alert to the first story, Food Courts and Skylines) I expect to find Rarity at the mall, but instead, it's Applejack, who would be most at home in a market, not a mall.
Then, (spoiler alert to the second story, Highways and Headlights) It would stand to reason for Rainbow Dash to be alone on the road, kind of the same way as how Austraeoh started. Instead, we find Rarity there. As I said earlier, she would fit in the mall, but on the road... it's peculiar, and I can't quite put a finger on it.
And now, we have this. Expectation for me, going into this, knowing that Rainbow Dash meets a member of the main 6 every story (except herself, of course), is Twilight. Instead, we got Pinkie Pie, who, as a party pony, would be right at home on the road, like Cheese Sandwich before her.
From these three points, I think I have a hazy idea about who's going to be next, and where would the meeting take place. In case the author don't want me to reveal all of these things, it's fine. I'll take it down. Otherwise...
and here i thought she was never going to show up at all! but anyways... this context (as well as Number Two's) has vastly reworked what i thought of this story. it isn't some unknowable future or end that rainbow is afraid of, that's causing these dreams, its fear of going back to see how everything's changed. the dream with spitfire convinced her to get back in contact with her friends- now she has to be reminded to come home
It turns out that I was somewhat right, Rainbow Dash did leave home for some reason. But, Pins-N-Needles seems to be right, Rainbow Dash seems to be afraid of returning to see that everything has changed.
If Dash hasn’t been to Ponyville, where has she been? And why aren’t the rest of the mane six in Ponyville either? Oooh, this is getting cool, and we’re getting more answers!
Aw, I love the characterization of Pinkie Pie in this chapter!!
It's really soothing to see RD and her friends getting to do normal, simple, easy things. The conversations are serious, of course-- but the eating pizza, the shopping for chocolate milk... It's so calming and peaceful to see them in a world that is full again.
A world that is full of Fiddlesticks, of course.
I don’t understand what’s going on in the story.
10313924
) This series has a group dedicated to it, and in it there is a section in the forums tab that will explain what’s happening here. It should be called “Of who we are and where we’re going”, or something along those lines. Here’s the group link! Empty Spaces
Hey there! That is quite ok, because none of us did either when we started (We’re stilling piecing it together even now
10316714
Thanks