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Description

Well this one took a while, as you can probably imagine. Not the background though! Getting the background finished took the better part of half a day, but trust me when I say it wasn't the longest thing in this picture that I had to draw. But! Back on topic, this would be the fourth short story that I'm writing where one of the characters from my own story meets the character (or in this case, characters) that they're inspired by. Why am I including Rainbow Dash in this story? I'm not telling

I hope you enjoy the story!

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   As the orange sun descended over Avalon City, it gave the entire city a lovely hue of red. The air was still and silent, but the world around Espresso was bustling with activity. For how beautiful the world around the wolf was, she couldn't shake the feelings she was having as she slowly – and aimlessly – made her way through it.

   Paws... sweating. Head... a jumble. I can admit it, I'm nervous. Espresso sighed, and found a quiet place to the side where no animal would be pushing past her. I mean... I've been traveling across all of Idyllia for five years now, and now I've ended up in the biggest city in the country! It would be an understatement to say that I don't really feel that comfortable here. Espresso attempted to clear her head as she walked out of her hiding spot and further down the road, but the emotions she was feeling clung onto her like expectant pups. She put her paws into the pockets of her blue sweater, and continued down the sidewalk past a bunch of unfamiliar animals, until she reached a crossroads. She stopped at that point because there were two... things there that caught her eye.

   They aren't animals... then what are they? The two anthropomorphic creatures were standing, looking around at the city in shock, as if this were just as abnormal a situation for them as it was for the wolf who was looking at them. Wait, I think... They're not... Humans, are they? But that's... impossible. However, there was no denying what Espresso could clearly see. They were two humans, out and about in the open, holding... strange objects. One of them had light skin, while the other had dark skin, and both seemed to be female, from looks alone. Just as Espresso was debating going over to talk to them, the darker skinned girl told her companion something, and made a beeline straight to Espresso.

   Espresso was speechless as the girl approached, and wondered briefly if she could even communicate with her. However, she didn't get a chance to speak as the girl began the conversation: “Um... Hey there, who are you?”

   “Um, uh... me?” Espresso asked, her voice cracking as she talked. Get a hold of yourself, Espresso! This girl is probably as scared as you are right now! “E-Espresso. That's my name, if that's what you're asking...” Espresso paused, wondering if was really alright to talk with this girl. “Um... who are you?”

   “My name?!” the girl asked, sounding surprised as Espresso felt, “Uh... Carole. I'm here with my friend Tuesday, and we somehow... ended up here.” Carole seemed pretty distracted, looking around at the city around her.

   “Those are pretty strange names...” Espresso commented, not really thinking.

   The girl relaxed. “Not as strange as 'Espresso,' I think. Who names their kid after a type of coffee?”

   Espresso laughed. “The same kind of person who names their kid after a day of the week or a holiday, I'd imagine.”

   Carole shrugged. “Touche. You're kind of cool, Espresso, I think I like you. But I'm here for more than introductions, I kinda want answers, since me and Tues just kinda crashed here. I don't suppose you happen to know anything about that, or how we could get back, do you?”

   Right, it was incredibly odd that two humans appeared in Avalon... “I wish I could tell you, Carole. I kinda just arrived in this city myself, and I didn't see how you got here,” Espresso replied. “It's pretty clear that you're not... from this world, at least.” It was hard for Espresso to believe as the words left her maw, but it was the only real possibility. Humans... simply didn't exist in Gaea. Not anymore, at least.

   “Well, I gathered that much, this city looks straight out of a history book!” Carole was staring around at the buildings again. “If there weren't a bunch of bipedal animals walking around, I would've thought that we were somehow taken to one of the 'historically preserved cities' on Mars.”

   Out of a history book? So the world Carole comes from must be pretty futuristic, then... “So you're from a strange sort of future, I take it? Heh, must be wild being flung to the past like this and seeing an 'ancient' society, huh?”

   “Well, other than architecture and, of course, the animals walking around... it actually seems mostly the same.” Carole seemed to be thinking about something, and Espresso cocked her head curiously, indicating her to continue. “Before I met Tues, every single day for me kinda fell into the same routine. Every day, I'd go to some part time job so I could make rent, and every evening, I'd go to the same bridge in Avalon to play music. It's... actually not legal to play there, so I ended up running home every day from police officers.”

   Espresso noticed the rectangular instrument on her back. “So... is that a keyboard there? You play on that?”

   Carole nodded. “Yep. This combined with Tuesday's guitar, that's what makes up our band, Carole and Tuesday. I'd play something for you, but we're... really not complete without each other. I'm only on my own right now cause I wanted to see if I could find a way back to our own world. But, I get the feeling that any other animal I ask probably won't know either. I swear, it's the strangest thing that happened to us...”

   Espresso wanted to know more, but she was suddenly startled by a sound akin to a large explosion, but in the air. KAPHWOOOSH! Before either Espresso or Carole could respond, a bolt of blue flew by them at lightning speed, quickly accompanied by a strong gust of wind. It was all Espresso could do to stay standing up, and she noticed Carole holding onto a nearby building for support. When Espresso finally regained her composure, she looked up to come face to face with the strange creature that had caused the disturbance, and she almost jumped a whole five meters back as she registered exactly what it was.

   “You're... YOU'RE....!” Carole stammered, pointing at it.

   “AWESOME, right?!” Flying just a little in the air between the two was a small... pony? It was blue and had a rainbow mane, and had... wings?

   “No way... you're the PEGASUS?!” Espresso exclaimed. “You're... a lot smaller than I imagined... And a lot more blue.”

   “Hey, I'm only one of many pegasi back where I come from, wolf girl!” the pony replied, crossing her front legs while her wings held her in the air. “The name's Rainbow Dash, and I don't know who you think I am, but I'm not even FROM this world! I broke the barrier of the multiverse with sheer speed!”

   What on Gaea is going on?! Who is this pony? She said there's multiple Pegasi where she comes from?! Espresso shook her head in attempt to clear it. “You got here... by going fast?!”

“IT WAS YOU!” Carole suddenly exclaimed, still pointing at Rainbow Dash. “You're the one that brought me and Tuesday here!”

   “Ha, ya got me!” Rainbow Dash replied, seeming proud of herself. “I was testing my limits after I executed my patented Double Rainboom, and now I know I can cross through entirely different universes! Is that cool or what?!”

   ...She has an interesting definition of 'cool.' Espresso sighed, trying to regain her composure. “So you're saying you went so fast that you broke out of your own UNIVERSE, and went into this girl's universe to take her and her friend with you, and then you got here?”

   Rainbow held out her forelegs in a shrug. “Well, that's the thing about trans-dimensional travel. I didn't really have a set destination in mind, so I crashed through a bunch of other universes in my journey. Then, I kinda ended up here, bringing a bunch of people from the other universes I went through. I figure I must've gone through about five or six other universes before getting here, and I think I took at least one person from each of them.”

   “Two, in our case,” Carole gritted her teeth as she spoke, sounding angry with the blue pony.

   “Heh, don't worry! You'll go back to your own universe within no time. Twilight told me the universe always corrects itself whenever there's an anomaly thing or whatever. And you're an anomaly thing!” As Rainbow finished, she pointed her hoof in Carole's face, causing the girl to flinch and back up a little bit.

   I wish I was hearing that from a more reliable source... “Well, for now you should just enjoy it. After all, how often do you get to go to an entirely different universe?!” Rainbow was now flying upside down now, seeming very relaxed given her current predicament.

   Carole sighed as she watched the pony fly through the air. “Well, I guess you're right. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be talking to Espresso here. So... thanks, I guess? Kinda wish I was back at home, actually getting ice cream with Tues, though.”

   “Ha! No problem!” Rainbow Dash apparently didn't hear the last part of Carole's statement. “I was actually curious about you too, cool wolf lady! You really caught my eye when I was scouting out this city. Your name is Espresso, huh?”

   “Uh... yeah.” Why am I indulging this thing by talking to it? This girl has an ego so big that you could probably see it from the moon!

   “What's your story, huh? You don't exactly seem like any of the other animals around this city.”

   “Well, I did just get here...” I didn't think being new constituted for seeming 'out-of-place,' but it's at least gotten me the answers I wanted about Carole... For better or worse... “I've been wandering around this country – it's called Idyllia – for the past five years now. I don't really have a home to call my own, so I've just been taking advantage of other animals' hospitality and living off the land when I can. I guess you could call me 'homeless.'”

   “Why don't you have a home, Espresso?” Carole asked.

   “...It's a long story, and you're going to probably be 'anomalied away' by the time I'm halfway through, Carole,” Espresso explained, “I don't quite like talking about it either, but I have been trying to hone my strength and speed despite my living situation.”

   “Now you're an animal I can get behind! Keeping yourself fit, no matter what trials and tribulations befall you! That's real strength right there!” Rainbow really seemed to constantly be getting happier with everything she was learning about Espresso, and she wasn't sure if she liked it or not.

   “What about you, Rainbow Dash?” Carole asked, “Why on Earth would you test your speed and break through the fabric of reality? Why not shoot for reasonable goals in your own world?”

   Rainbow finally slowed down a bit, and stared at Carole seriously. “To tell you the truth... I am really worried. I kinda went over my head on this bet, and it's a bit of a lose-lose situation. If I hadn't tried to do this... well, let's just say it wouldn't be pretty. But at the same time, now that I'm here, I'm more worried than ever about all my friends.”

   “You care about all of them that much?” Espresso wondered. I... can understand how she feels. It wasn't so long ago that I was in the same kind of situation myself...

   “Of course I do! I couldn't call myself the Element of Loyalty if I was so caught up in my own exploits, ya know!” Rainbow answered. “Each and every one of them matter to me immensely. We complete each other, like one big unit.”

   Carole's eyes widened. “Like me and Tuesday...”

   “I do want to go back, but I gotta wait 'til the universe naturally corrects itself. But I made a promise, and I intend to keep it.”

   Espresso's fur was standing on end, not out of fear, but from... What am I feeling right now...? Respect? No, it's... something sad... Like... Guilt. But.. what am I feeling guilty about? “Well, I hope both of you can go back to your universes soon then. It was... really nice, meeting both of you.”

   Carole seemed like she had more to say, but she nodded as Espresso finished talking, and went back to where Tuesday was waiting for her. Meanwhile, Rainbow gave her a goodbye salute, and flew off into the night, leaving Espresso standing alone on a street corner.

   What... was that? Why did that pony who looked and sounded no older than 16 give me such a shock? It was almost as if... I was caught running away from something. But I have no clue what it could be! What... what the heck is going on?!

   In the dark city of Avalon, Espresso solemnly made her way over to a nearby food court, to try to get her mind off of everything. However, she was in for a lot more trouble waiting for her over the horizon...
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Coming back with a postscript this time around, I think this is one of the most interesting short stories I've ever written out of all of these, mostly because it was between three characters. But, while I was confident enough that Carole and Espresso had enough in common to talk, I actually wasn't too sure about Rainbow Dash. Espresso is plenty strong in my story, and also pretty fast, but she doesn't show off as much as Dash does. As a matter of fact, their only real shared personality trait is their loyalty to their friends. Also, now that I've drawn Dash, I've realized that I've drawn a lack of G4 MLP content, and I think that's interesting for a series that has had such an effect on both my art style and my writing. Maybe I'll draw more someday...

Description

Well this one took a while, as you can probably imagine. Not the background though! Getting the background finished took the better part of half a day, but trust me when I say it wasn't the longest thing in this picture that I had to draw. But! Back on topic, this would be the fourth short story that I'm writing where one of the characters from my own story meets the character (or in this case, characters) that they're inspired by. Why am I including Rainbow Dash in this story? I'm not telling

I hope you enjoy the story!

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

   As the orange sun descended over Avalon City, it gave the entire city a lovely hue of red. The air was still and silent, but the world around Espresso was bustling with activity. For how beautiful the world around the wolf was, she couldn't shake the feelings she was having as she slowly – and aimlessly – made her way through it.

   Paws... sweating. Head... a jumble. I can admit it, I'm nervous. Espresso sighed, and found a quiet place to the side where no animal would be pushing past her. I mean... I've been traveling across all of Idyllia for five years now, and now I've ended up in the biggest city in the country! It would be an understatement to say that I don't really feel that comfortable here. Espresso attempted to clear her head as she walked out of her hiding spot and further down the road, but the emotions she was feeling clung onto her like expectant pups. She put her paws into the pockets of her blue sweater, and continued down the sidewalk past a bunch of unfamiliar animals, until she reached a crossroads. She stopped at that point because there were two... things there that caught her eye.

   They aren't animals... then what are they? The two anthropomorphic creatures were standing, looking around at the city in shock, as if this were just as abnormal a situation for them as it was for the wolf who was looking at them. Wait, I think... They're not... Humans, are they? But that's... impossible. However, there was no denying what Espresso could clearly see. They were two humans, out and about in the open, holding... strange objects. One of them had light skin, while the other had dark skin, and both seemed to be female, from looks alone. Just as Espresso was debating going over to talk to them, the darker skinned girl told her companion something, and made a beeline straight to Espresso.

   Espresso was speechless as the girl approached, and wondered briefly if she could even communicate with her. However, she didn't get a chance to speak as the girl began the conversation: “Um... Hey there, who are you?”

   “Um, uh... me?” Espresso asked, her voice cracking as she talked. Get a hold of yourself, Espresso! This girl is probably as scared as you are right now! “E-Espresso. That's my name, if that's what you're asking...” Espresso paused, wondering if was really alright to talk with this girl. “Um... who are you?”

   “My name?!” the girl asked, sounding surprised as Espresso felt, “Uh... Carole. I'm here with my friend Tuesday, and we somehow... ended up here.” Carole seemed pretty distracted, looking around at the city around her.

   “Those are pretty strange names...” Espresso commented, not really thinking.

   The girl relaxed. “Not as strange as 'Espresso,' I think. Who names their kid after a type of coffee?”

   Espresso laughed. “The same kind of person who names their kid after a day of the week or a holiday, I'd imagine.”

   Carole shrugged. “Touche. You're kind of cool, Espresso, I think I like you. But I'm here for more than introductions, I kinda want answers, since me and Tues just kinda crashed here. I don't suppose you happen to know anything about that, or how we could get back, do you?”

   Right, it was incredibly odd that two humans appeared in Avalon... “I wish I could tell you, Carole. I kinda just arrived in this city myself, and I didn't see how you got here,” Espresso replied. “It's pretty clear that you're not... from this world, at least.” It was hard for Espresso to believe as the words left her maw, but it was the only real possibility. Humans... simply didn't exist in Gaea. Not anymore, at least.

   “Well, I gathered that much, this city looks straight out of a history book!” Carole was staring around at the buildings again. “If there weren't a bunch of bipedal animals walking around, I would've thought that we were somehow taken to one of the 'historically preserved cities' on Mars.”

   Out of a history book? So the world Carole comes from must be pretty futuristic, then... “So you're from a strange sort of future, I take it? Heh, must be wild being flung to the past like this and seeing an 'ancient' society, huh?”

   “Well, other than architecture and, of course, the animals walking around... it actually seems mostly the same.” Carole seemed to be thinking about something, and Espresso cocked her head curiously, indicating her to continue. “Before I met Tues, every single day for me kinda fell into the same routine. Every day, I'd go to some part time job so I could make rent, and every evening, I'd go to the same bridge in Avalon to play music. It's... actually not legal to play there, so I ended up running home every day from police officers.”

   Espresso noticed the rectangular instrument on her back. “So... is that a keyboard there? You play on that?”

   Carole nodded. “Yep. This combined with Tuesday's guitar, that's what makes up our band, Carole and Tuesday. I'd play something for you, but we're... really not complete without each other. I'm only on my own right now cause I wanted to see if I could find a way back to our own world. But, I get the feeling that any other animal I ask probably won't know either. I swear, it's the strangest thing that happened to us...”

   Espresso wanted to know more, but she was suddenly startled by a sound akin to a large explosion, but in the air. KAPHWOOOSH! Before either Espresso or Carole could respond, a bolt of blue flew by them at lightning speed, quickly accompanied by a strong gust of wind. It was all Espresso could do to stay standing up, and she noticed Carole holding onto a nearby building for support. When Espresso finally regained her composure, she looked up to come face to face with the strange creature that had caused the disturbance, and she almost jumped a whole five meters back as she registered exactly what it was.

   “You're... YOU'RE....!” Carole stammered, pointing at it.

   “AWESOME, right?!” Flying just a little in the air between the two was a small... pony? It was blue and had a rainbow mane, and had... wings?

   “No way... you're the PEGASUS?!” Espresso exclaimed. “You're... a lot smaller than I imagined... And a lot more blue.”

   “Hey, I'm only one of many pegasi back where I come from, wolf girl!” the pony replied, crossing her front legs while her wings held her in the air. “The name's Rainbow Dash, and I don't know who you think I am, but I'm not even FROM this world! I broke the barrier of the multiverse with sheer speed!”

   What on Gaea is going on?! Who is this pony? She said there's multiple Pegasi where she comes from?! Espresso shook her head in attempt to clear it. “You got here... by going fast?!”

“IT WAS YOU!” Carole suddenly exclaimed, still pointing at Rainbow Dash. “You're the one that brought me and Tuesday here!”

   “Ha, ya got me!” Rainbow Dash replied, seeming proud of herself. “I was testing my limits after I executed my patented Double Rainboom, and now I know I can cross through entirely different universes! Is that cool or what?!”

   ...She has an interesting definition of 'cool.' Espresso sighed, trying to regain her composure. “So you're saying you went so fast that you broke out of your own UNIVERSE, and went into this girl's universe to take her and her friend with you, and then you got here?”

   Rainbow held out her forelegs in a shrug. “Well, that's the thing about trans-dimensional travel. I didn't really have a set destination in mind, so I crashed through a bunch of other universes in my journey. Then, I kinda ended up here, bringing a bunch of people from the other universes I went through. I figure I must've gone through about five or six other universes before getting here, and I think I took at least one person from each of them.”

   “Two, in our case,” Carole gritted her teeth as she spoke, sounding angry with the blue pony.

   “Heh, don't worry! You'll go back to your own universe within no time. Twilight told me the universe always corrects itself whenever there's an anomaly thing or whatever. And you're an anomaly thing!” As Rainbow finished, she pointed her hoof in Carole's face, causing the girl to flinch and back up a little bit.

   I wish I was hearing that from a more reliable source... “Well, for now you should just enjoy it. After all, how often do you get to go to an entirely different universe?!” Rainbow was now flying upside down now, seeming very relaxed given her current predicament.

   Carole sighed as she watched the pony fly through the air. “Well, I guess you're right. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be talking to Espresso here. So... thanks, I guess? Kinda wish I was back at home, actually getting ice cream with Tues, though.”

   “Ha! No problem!” Rainbow Dash apparently didn't hear the last part of Carole's statement. “I was actually curious about you too, cool wolf lady! You really caught my eye when I was scouting out this city. Your name is Espresso, huh?”

   “Uh... yeah.” Why am I indulging this thing by talking to it? This girl has an ego so big that you could probably see it from the moon!

   “What's your story, huh? You don't exactly seem like any of the other animals around this city.”

   “Well, I did just get here...” I didn't think being new constituted for seeming 'out-of-place,' but it's at least gotten me the answers I wanted about Carole... For better or worse... “I've been wandering around this country – it's called Idyllia – for the past five years now. I don't really have a home to call my own, so I've just been taking advantage of other animals' hospitality and living off the land when I can. I guess you could call me 'homeless.'”

   “Why don't you have a home, Espresso?” Carole asked.

   “...It's a long story, and you're going to probably be 'anomalied away' by the time I'm halfway through, Carole,” Espresso explained, “I don't quite like talking about it either, but I have been trying to hone my strength and speed despite my living situation.”

   “Now you're an animal I can get behind! Keeping yourself fit, no matter what trials and tribulations befall you! That's real strength right there!” Rainbow really seemed to constantly be getting happier with everything she was learning about Espresso, and she wasn't sure if she liked it or not.

   “What about you, Rainbow Dash?” Carole asked, “Why on Earth would you test your speed and break through the fabric of reality? Why not shoot for reasonable goals in your own world?”

   Rainbow finally slowed down a bit, and stared at Carole seriously. “To tell you the truth... I am really worried. I kinda went over my head on this bet, and it's a bit of a lose-lose situation. If I hadn't tried to do this... well, let's just say it wouldn't be pretty. But at the same time, now that I'm here, I'm more worried than ever about all my friends.”

   “You care about all of them that much?” Espresso wondered. I... can understand how she feels. It wasn't so long ago that I was in the same kind of situation myself...

   “Of course I do! I couldn't call myself the Element of Loyalty if I was so caught up in my own exploits, ya know!” Rainbow answered. “Each and every one of them matter to me immensely. We complete each other, like one big unit.”

   Carole's eyes widened. “Like me and Tuesday...”

   “I do want to go back, but I gotta wait 'til the universe naturally corrects itself. But I made a promise, and I intend to keep it.”

   Espresso's fur was standing on end, not out of fear, but from... What am I feeling right now...? Respect? No, it's... something sad... Like... Guilt. But.. what am I feeling guilty about? “Well, I hope both of you can go back to your universes soon then. It was... really nice, meeting both of you.”

   Carole seemed like she had more to say, but she nodded as Espresso finished talking, and went back to where Tuesday was waiting for her. Meanwhile, Rainbow gave her a goodbye salute, and flew off into the night, leaving Espresso standing alone on a street corner.

   What... was that? Why did that pony who looked and sounded no older than 16 give me such a shock? It was almost as if... I was caught running away from something. But I have no clue what it could be! What... what the heck is going on?!

   In the dark city of Avalon, Espresso solemnly made her way over to a nearby food court, to try to get her mind off of everything. However, she was in for a lot more trouble waiting for her over the horizon...
____________________________________________________________________________________________

Coming back with a postscript this time around, I think this is one of the most interesting short stories I've ever written out of all of these, mostly because it was between three characters. But, while I was confident enough that Carole and Espresso had enough in common to talk, I actually wasn't too sure about Rainbow Dash. Espresso is plenty strong in my story, and also pretty fast, but she doesn't show off as much as Dash does. As a matter of fact, their only real shared personality trait is their loyalty to their friends. Also, now that I've drawn Dash, I've realized that I've drawn a lack of G4 MLP content, and I think that's interesting for a series that has had such an effect on both my art style and my writing. Maybe I'll draw more someday...