Applejack at the Edge of the World

by MagicS

Rating: everyone
Tags: Original Character, Adventure, Applejack, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 204595

Applejack is called upon to solve a problem at the very edge of the world.

When the Cutie Map summons Applejack to solve a friendship problem that’s literally off the edge of the map, she hopes it’s just a prank by Discord. Inevitably though, Applejack must travel further than she’s ever traveled before—straight into the unknown and braving everything that comes with it. After all, if ponies are in need, Applejack will never let them down.

At least it’s much better than being lost without any apples around.

Published 2023-09-29 18:30:00 UTC
Last updated 2023-12-09 20:41:33 UTC

Off the Map

There were many constants in Ponyville. The flower ponies would overreact to something at least once a day, some mail would accidentally be delivered to the wrong address, something weird happened once a week, and certain ponies could always be found certain places if they weren’t busy working. Twilight Sparkle had her castle. Rarity had her boutique. Fluttershy had her cottage. And Applejack had Sweet Apple Acres. Of every constant of Ponyville, Sweet Apple Acres, that farm and those orchards, were the oldest and most certain things in Ponyville. Any pony who lived there could tell you that. One only needed to visit Sweet Apple Acres once to get the feeling that even if everything else familiar about Ponyville vanished, that Sweet Apple Acres would always be there. The same as always.

Applejack loved it, and that’s why she could be found so commonly at her home even when all the work was done for the day. There was truly no place she enjoyed being more.

She didn’t have to be at the school today and with Big Mac’s help all the trees that needed to be bucked were taken care of earlier as well. Now it was just a bit past noon and she had the rest of the day free. Helped that it was the slow season. Not as many apples on the tree, no Zap Apple’s to harvest and make jam of either.

Truthfully, if anypony else had asked her, Applejack would’ve told them that these were her least favorite types of days. She preferred having something to do—unless she was having fun with her friends, or helping out her little sister, these lazy afternoons were just that—lazy. She knew she was a bit odd, though she didn’t understand why she was the odd one, when it came to this. What was wrong with enjoying having a whole list of chores to do? She loved being productive. Sure, a night after a hard day’s work, resting on the porch with a pint of apple juice, that couldn’t be beat. But that was reserved for days where she had really been working hard. Not casual ones like today.

So she had half a mind right now to go into town and check up on her friends, see if anypony needed something done. See if they were up to anything at all.

Instead for the moment she found herself doing some of her favorite faux-work, looking through the orchards and examining the trees even though she had already done that half a dozen times this week. Examining the trees was real work when it actually needed doing. Not right now when she already knew every little nick and scratch on em. It would at least be a few more days before she needed to make some real rounds around the orchard again. But it was still nice to go through the trees. Made her feel good. Made her feel like she was still doing something—and it happened to take place in her favorite place in the world. The familiar sounds, smells, the colors, the feeling of the dirt beneath her hooves. Applejack couldn’t imagine a more perfect place than this.

She knew the names of all these trees, she had watched a fair few of them grow from little saplings to the great apple bearers they were now. Though a fair few more were quite a bit older than she was. Applejack stopped at one in particular that was in-between batches—freshly bucked and new apples only just barely beginning to show. She smiled at it and gave it an appreciative pat on the trunk. Every tree needed love. More than that, all her apple trees deserved love.

Maybe she could go bring them some more water-

No, it was bad to over water your trees. She knew she shouldn’t force some work on herself, much as she wanted something to do. These trees weren’t hurting for nothing and she was just gonna have to accept that. Applejack sighed, adjusted her hat, and moved on.

A breeze came through the orchard, rustling the leaves of the tree and causing her mane and tail to both wave in the wind. She had to place a hoof on her hat even to keep it from flying away. The amount of times a breeze had carried her hat away while out here on the farm… she couldn’t even begin to count. A chuckle came up from her throat and she shook her head, remembering yelling “Consarnit!” quite a few times and running down the rows of trees while Big Mac and Apple Bloom watched. Course nowadays all three of them had other obligations and they didn’t always get to work on the farm like a trio in the old days. It made Applejack a little wistful but she knew that’s how things were, seemed every Apple was growing up in their own way. The farm would always be here in the end after all.

In just a few more minutes of wandering, Applejack found that her hooves had taken her back in the direction of the farmhouse. She figured her subconscious or whatever it’s called had told her to stop being silly and just accept the day for what it was. Might as well go home and either relax or prepare for tomorrow.

Applejack still smiled as she thought about tomorrow and walked back to the house. Unlike today she’d be working at the school and naturally meeting up with her friends. It was going to be a full and busy day. As great a day as she could ask for. At least that’s what she expected. In a place like Ponyville and living a life like Applejack’s you could never really be certain what tomorrow would bring. Even for a fixture like herself who thought she was just as solid and unyielding as the farm she grew up on. Life had a way of sneaking up on you, taking you for a ride, and not really caring what you thought.

She came out of the trees and walked down the dirt path by the fence leading up to the farmhouse, a lot of this day was still left but she was already looking forward to tomorrow more.

A familiar tickling feeling in her flank came over Applejack accompanied by an equally familiar magical chime.

Applejack looked down at her flank and saw her Cutie Mark glowing and beating.

“Aw shucks.”

Minutes later and Applejack was throwing open the doors to the Castle of Friendship’s map room, running inside and skidding to a halt before the map and the chairs surrounding it. Rarity and Rainbow Dash had called them thrones before more than once, Applejack never liked thinking of it that way.

“I came as soon as I could!” Applejack loudly announced to the room. “Just a normal friendship problem or is it something more serious? Where’s the map sending us?”

Unsurprisingly, she wasn’t the first one here. Both Twilight and Rainbow Dash were already in the room, but none of her other friends were. Twilight looked over at her and smiled but Rainbow Dash was floating over the table—peering at it intently. In a second, the pegasus raised an eyebrow and looked over at Applejack.

“You might want to take a closer look at the map before you make anymore guesses.”

“Huh?” Applejack blinked in confusion and walked up to the Cutie Map.

“Rainbow Dash is right… something a little strange is going on,” Twilight said and walked over to stand by Applejack’s side. “Just look, I don’t remember ever seeing something like this before.”

Applejack took a gander to see what they were talking about—and had to admit they were right when she finally checked out the map itself. Her Cutie Mark and her Cutie Mark alone was hovering off the edge of the map, over nothing but empty air, to the left of the table. Officially you could say it was to the far west of the map, simply going further than any place the map actually showed off. Applejack though had a different thought.

She pointed her hoof at the trio of apples and sent a sideways glance to Twilight. “Er, I think yer map’s broke there, Twilight.”

Twilight frowned. “That’s impossible. There’s obviously an explanation for it.”

“But nothing like this has happened before, has it? My Cutie Mark aint even over anything. And why just me? When has the map ever called just one of us?” Applejack questioned.

“It happened with Starlight when she needed to resolve the feud between Princess Celestia and Princess Luna—and again when Spike had to solve the friendship problem he accidentally started here between Ember and Thorax,” Twilight explained. “But you’re right, it’s certainly an abnormal occurrence. Usually there are at least two of us called and I have no idea why now the map is asking only for you. But it is asking for you. Even with all the time I’ve had it here and the research I’ve put in I don’t fully understand it. The map and the Tree of Harmony both work in their own mysterious ways.”

“Eugh...” Applejack dragged a hoof down her face. “But look how faraway my Cutie Mark is. Just how long will it take me to get… wherever this is? Are we sure the map aint broke? I don’t really fancy going off alone to some corner of the world I aint ever been to without any of you with me.”

“The map isn’t broken. It’s never covered the entirety of the world-”

“I can vouch for that,” Rainbow interjected.

“-so now this is clearly what happens when it needs to call a pony to a place not covered by it.” Twilight finished. “I think.”

Applejack frowned at her. “Ya think?”

“It’s my working theory, but I think the evidence supports it so far,” Twilight hesitantly smiled and blushed at Applejack.

“Geez, can’t you look on the bright side?” Rainbow Dash said and hovered over to her other side. “You’re getting the chance to go off to some unknown part of the world. Who knows what fun you can have out there! You should be super excited about this, I would be.”

“Yeah, well unlike you, my idea of a nice day is bucking trees at my farm and taking the apples to market. That’s all the excitement I need,” Applejack said.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “You’re so boring sometimes, Applejack.”

“Thank you.”

“Girls, please, we’re getting side-tracked. Applejack I wish there was somepony else going with you too but we can’t just ignore the map,” Twilight said. “Think about all the friendship problems, or worse, that would’ve gone unsolved if we just… didn’t go when it told us to.”

“I’d fly out there with you if I wasn’t swamped with all my Wonderbolt stuff,” Rainbow Dash shrugged.

“Everypony has their own set of obligations… and to be blunt, I feel like it would be directly going against the map’s wishes if I or another one of our friends accompanies you. It’s specifically just calling for you even though it could’ve chosen others,” Twilight said.

“Well what if this is some prank by Discord?” Applejack tried to think of any excuse. “Remember the time he messed with the map and sent us real far away? Could be him again.”

Twilight thought for a second, rubbing her chin and staring intently at both the map and Applejack’s errant Cutie Mark. “It’s certainly possible, yes. But why would he prank just you in particular? If he was pranking any of us I think he’d choose either me or Starlight. And unfortunately we can’t just call him up and ask him, he only shows up when he wants to.” Twilight scowled and rolled her eyes. “It could be a prank but it doesn’t exactly fit him in my opinion.”

“Yeah, he’d rather mess with somepony who’d give him more of a fun reaction,” Rainbow Dash nodded.

Applejack frowned at the pegasus but didn’t bother retorting. “Fine then. So I’ve gotta go west to… who knows where. For all we know I could be going plum to the edge of the world.”

“Well—the world is round so-”

“Just an expression, Twilight.”

“It’s not as bad as it seems,” Twilight said and pointed at the western edge of the map that Applejack’s Cutie Mark was still far removed from. “The map still goes all the way into the Undiscovered West. Do you know the local pony from Ponyville, Amethyst Star?”

“Course I do, I’ve lived in Ponyville longer than you, Twilight.” Applejack said with a playful smirk on her lips.

Twilight giggled. “Of course. Anyways, she recently returned from a trip to the Undiscovered West. She told me all about it and thanks to her we know quite a bit more about the region than before. I can’t say for sure where your Cutie Mark is hovering over or how far away it might actually be, but I think I can at least come up with an itinerary that will get you pretty far. We should also probably pack you some supplies for making the trip—the train out of Equestria alone will cover a fair distance but then you might be on your own.”

“No map is gonna help you once you step off that train by the look of it,” Rainbow Dash said as she went back to hovering over and examining the map.

Applejack scoffed. “Please, when have I ever needed a map anyways? I’ve got my head on straight enough, not like I’m the type of pony to get lost in the wilderness.”

Both Twilight and Rainbow merely raised an eyebrow at her.

“Uhh...” Applejack coughed into her hoof and looked away. “Barring that one other time.”

“Right,” Twilight said as she started to pace around the map. “Either way since this is a big undertaking I hope that whatever’s going on out west can wait. Or at least isn’t too urgent. It’s clearly going to take you some time to get there—and get prepared in the first place. Typically the map has always had perfect timing though, I think it would understand when it was right to finally call you.”

“You talk like the thing can think,” Applejack said.

“The map is directly connected to the Tree of Harmony. It can think,” Twilight said.

“Sure...” Applejack glanced over the active map and then at her Cutie Mark. “Maybe it’s the one playing a prank on me then.”

The Castle of Friendship was bustling with activity shortly after that as Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Spike helped prepare everything Applejack would need for her trip. Right now Twilight was in the library while she pored over the notes she had on the Undiscovered West to help Applejack figure out where she really needed to go. And soon enough, Applejack had a full saddlebag that was wearing almost as thin as her own patience.

“And here’s a comic book to keep you from getting bored on the train ride there,” Spike said as he tried to stick one of his comics into her bag.

Applejack grabbed his arm to stop him. “Whoa nelly there, Spike. I’m uh, I’m good. Besides I don’t think there’s much more room in that bag after Twilight stuffed that big journal in.”

“Are you surprised? She wants you to take the most elaborate notes possible on the west,” Spike rolled his eyes.

“Yeah...” Applejack sighed. “I’m afraid she aint gonna like it when all she gets is “There’s a mountain here”, “There’s a river here”, and such. I don’t think I can really write or describe things all textbook like.”

Spike shrugged. “Eh, to tell you the truth I think she’ll be pretty happy with you bringing back any new knowledge.”

“Seriously,” Rainbow added—still flying over the map and enviously looking at Applejack’s Cutie Mark.

“Would you cut that out?” Applejack frowned at her.

“Yeah, yeah. It’s just lame that the map is calling you to go to this cool unknown place and you don’t even want to make the trip!” Rainbow said and dropped to the floor.

“I got work to do! Least it’s the slow season...” Applejack shook her head. “Never really cared much for adventuring in the first place. A normal day at home is what I yearn for.”

“See? Lame.”

Applejack snorted. “Oh shut yer feathers.”

The door to the map room opened up once more and Twilight strode in with a happy smile on her face and a small booklet levitated in her magic. “Alright, I’ve got everything planned out for you as best we can get it! This is where I recorded all my notes on the Undiscovered West according to Amethyst Star. I know the names of the places you need to go, if not the direct route to get to those places.”

“Great, so I go randomly asking for directions after getting off the train?” Applejack sarcastically asked.

“According to Amethyst Star that shouldn’t be entirely necessary. Once you make it into the actual Undiscovered West you’re going to want to go to a town called Fire Vent—and there should be caravans, roads, and even river boats that will take you to it. And then from Fire Vent it should be an easy trip to a place called the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel.”

“Ala what now?”

“Al-Karamaretel,” Twilight repeated. “I don’t know much else about it but apparently it’s some sort of settlement that sits on our side of a massive canyon that divides the Undiscovered West in half. The Citadel guards the only bridge that goes across the canyon. Hopefully you don’t need to actually go any further than that, because Amethyst Star didn’t have any notes on what lies beyond it.”

“Well I suppose that’s better than nothing,” Applejack shrugged. “So get to Fire Vent and then the uh, Citation of Ahuizotl.”

“Citadel of Al-Karamaretel,” Twilight frowned.

“I’ll remember, I promise,” Applejack defensively said.

“There are other places and details concerning the West I want to go over with you too to make your trip easier. But as soon as you get on the direct trip to Fire Event it should all be smooth sailing. Metaphorically speaking,” Twilight said.

“Unless she actually has to go way farther than we think,” Rainbow Dash said.

“Yes, unless that,” Twilight nodded.

Applejack shook her head. “No offense, but this aint looking like a fun trip so far.”

Twilight stepped forward and put a reassuring hoof on her shoulder, smiling as honestly as she could. “It’s okay, this is just another friendship problem like any other. It’s just a bit farther away than normal. With my notes and plan I’ll make sure you can find your way easily. And besides, I know exactly how strong and reliable of a pony you are, Applejack. I’m sure you can tackle any problem. The earnest Applejack I know would never let nothing more than a long walk stop her from doing the right thing.”

“Well shucks Twilight, when you put it like that...” Applejack blushed. “I mean, it’s not like I planned on not going if the map is really calling me there.”

“I know. And don’t worry, some way or another we’ll take care of everything you need to do here. Whatever Granny Smith and Big Mac need at the farm and whatever needs to be done at the school,” Twilight said.

“Thanks, Twilight,” Applejack smiled.

“Don’t blame me if you’re upset when you get back and I’ve got an extra ‘Teacher of the Month’ award though,” Rainbow Dash smirked.

“Don’t blame me when I come back and have all these awesome stories to tell that make you jealous,” Applejack smirked right back.

“Pff,” Rainbow Dash snorted and looked away.

Twilight giggled and rolled her eyes. “Okay you two, that’s enough for now. Spike, is everything essential for her trip packed?”

“Sure is,” Spike gave her a big thumbs up.

“Great,” Twilight nodded. “With how long it’s taken already and what I still need to go over with you… I think we’ll prepare to have you leave on the train early tomorrow morning. We can tell our friends too and they can see you off, I think we’ll all like that.”

“Definitely will,” Applejack agreed.

She then took another look at the map and her Cutie Mark, taking a deep breath before staring up at the ceiling in thought. Yep, you could never tell what tomorrow had in store when you lived in Ponyville. And especially when you were Applejack.

Author's Note

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy the story. Updates daily.

End of the Line

The following morning came quickly, thanks in part to Applejack always being an early riser. Even when she didn’t have something to do she liked to be up and out of bed before the sun came up. That gave her plenty of time to get her things together, wash her face, have breakfast, and psych herself up before walking over from Sweet Apple Acres to the Ponyville train station. She wasn’t remotely surprised to see Twilight Sparkle already there waiting for her up on the platform.

“Hey there, Twilight!” Applejack smiled and waved hello.

“Hi, Applejack!” Twilight smiled and gave her a quick hug. She looked at the full saddlebag Applejack was wearing. “Everything in there?”

“Didn’t forget nothing,” Applejack shook her head from side to side.

Twilight fought back the urge—the frequently occurring urge—to correct her friend’s grammar and just smiled. “Great! The train will get here in just under an hour, is your family coming to say goodbye too?”

Applejack nodded. “Mhm, told them they didn’t have to if they were busy and all but, well, you know the Apple family. Made sure not to wake them up when I was getting ready earlier this morning but they’ll be here soon enough.”

“Good, Spike and Starlight will be here soon too, and I’m sure everypony else will be as well—unless Rainbow Dash accidentally sleeps in.”

“Naw, that mare’ll be here for sure. A big trip like this? She wouldn’t miss saying goodbye to a friend who’s about to leave for who knows how long.”

“Hopefully not too long, I’m gonna miss you so much!”

“GAH!” Both Applejack and Twilight yelped and jumped as Pinkie Pie appeared right next to Applejack.

Before either of them could calm down, Pinkie Pie plopped a party hat down on Applejack’s head (over her other hat) and pulled out a party horn before blowing into it and tickling Applejack’s nose. She then threw it away with a big grin on her face and took a deep breath.

“HAPPY GOING AWAY PARTY!” She hugged Applejack tightly enough to make the other mare gasp before letting her go and jamming an excruciatingly sweet cupcake into her mouth. “Sorry—that’s all I could do on short notice. Next party’ll be bigger.”

“Pinkie Pie, it’s too early for this...” Twilight rubbed her forehead in exasperation.

“It’s never too early for a party, silly,” Pinkie Pie faux-gasped and chided her friend.

Applejack meanwhile chewed and finally managed to swallow down the whole cupcake. “Well, I sure appreciate it, Pinkie. Just uh, a little warning next time, maybe.” She took the party hat off too. “And don’t worry, I promise to be back before any other big parties you throw.”

“You mean it?!” Pinkie started hopping up and down.

“Sure do,” Applejack nodded.

“Yippee!” Pinkie screamed in joy and threw hooffuls of confetti everywhere. Where she had suddenly gotten that confetti, neither of the other ponies here knew.

“Didn’t know we were having a going away party.”

The three ponies looked over to see Starlight trotting up along with Spike.

“Hi Applejack, Twilight and Spike told me that the map is sending you pretty far away. Looking forward to it?” Starlight asked.

“In a manner of speaking...” Applejack rubbed the back of her neck.

Starlight wryly grinned. “Well, I kind of know what you mean. But good luck out there.”

The sound of something shooting through the air reached their ears and the ponies and dragon looked up just in time to see Rainbow Dash flying right towards them. She came to a screeching halt over the train station and hit them with a blast of wind. “Whew—not last!”

“Ugh—Rainbow Dash!” Twilight said as she fixed her mane. “That wasn’t necessary!”

“I had to make sure I wasn’t the last pony here,” the pegasus shrugged.

“Why?” Starlight raised an eyebrow at her.

“What do you mean why? Because. That’s why.”

“Sorry! I’m not late am I?” A hurried but still sophisticated voice came running towards them.

Applejack turned her head and gave Rarity a smile. “I’m still here aren’t I? That means you aren’t late.”

“I got here before you though and you live the closest,” Rainbow Dash teased the dressmaker.

Rarity glared at her airborne friend. “Well I’m sorry, I lost track of the time, I’ve been busy working on a new line lately.” She then gave a much more appreciative smile towards Applejack. “Glad we could all catch you like this though, have fun on your trip, and please, please, tell me if you see any interesting clothes or fashion where you’re going. I would die to learn more about the fashion in the far west.”

“Maybe I should go with Applejack then,” Spike not so subtly suggested.

“Nice try,” Twilight smirked at her assistant and gave him a pat on the head.

“We’re just waiting for Fluttershy now?” Starlight said as she looked around.

“I’m here,” Fluttershy said as she came walking by from behind the station and onto the platform. “I just didn’t want to interrupt.” She demurely joined everyone and gave a small smile to Applejack. “I know you’ll be able to solve any friendship problem out there, Applejack.”

“Too bad it couldn’t be the both of us going again together,” Applejack sighed and smiled at her as well.

“As, um, nervous as I would be about traveling where you’re going I do wish I could keep you company,” Fluttershy said, brushing a hoof down her long mane.

“It’s alright. Sometimes a pony has to go alone I suppose,” Applejack shrugged.

“Oh I’m sure you’ll have a fabulous time,” Rarity reassured her. “After all, most of the times the map has called us have just been for resolving little old spats. Look on the bright side and think about all the good things that could come of this.”

“And think of all the new friends you can make on the way!” Pinkie said.

“Indeed, and you can always take the opportunity to spread the word about the lovely apples from Sweet Apple Acres,” Rarity said.

“That’s a good point,” Applejack nodded along.

“And think about all the awesome adventuring that could be waiting for you out there!” Rainbow Dash added.

Applejack rolled her eyes. “No thank you on that. I’d like a normal friendship problem to resolve, please.”

“Yes, Rainbow Dash, stop being silly. There’s no reason to think this isn’t an everyday friendship problem,” Twilight said.

“Uh—there’s at least two or three reasons to think that,” Rainbow Dash defiantly folded her hooves.

“Be that as it may-” Twilight was beginning to respond when something else caught her eye. She craned her neck to look over the heads of her friends and down the street in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres. “Oh, your family’s coming, Applejack.”

It sure was easy to see Big Mac. That was something Applejack always knew ever since she was a filly. Her brother would’ve been easy to find even if Ponyville was the most crowded it had ever been. Walking down a near empty street and he stuck out even more. Apple bloom was bounding along beside him and there was Granny Smith too, as spry as ever.

“Thanks for coming out here so early!” Applejack said with a smile as they got near.

“Bah! Don’t make nothing of it, course we had to see ya off!” Granny Smith dismissively swatted her hoof through the air.

“Tell me all about the trip once you get back, Applejack!” Apple Bloom said and jumped forward to hug her big sister.

“I sure will, don’t worry none about that,” Applejack hugged her back. She then glanced up at her brother. “You’ll be fine with the farm while I’m gone?”

“Eyup.”

“And you won’t be distracted by your wife?”

“Ehhh—nope...”

Applejack rolled her eyes and looked over at Twilight. “You’ll make sure things run fine?”

“Promise,” Twilight grinned.

Applejack sighed and looked up at the early morning sky. “Well… train should be here pretty soon. Guess this is goodbye, everypony.”

From there it was a solid 15 minutes of casual conversation and shooting the breeze, everypony taking the time to enjoy themselves and Applejack’s presence before the train finally arrived and she had to leave. Who knew when they’d all be back together again after that. And of course, soon the tracks and the platform rumbled and that familiar train came rolling into Ponyville. Applejack wasn’t sure if anypony was even on it aside from the conductor and anypony else who worked it. And it was definitely certain that she was going to be the only pony getting on it from here. She might have a near empty train on the entire trip. Would be very different from the times she had taken it to Canterlot or the Crystal Empire.

Pinkie Pie unsurprisingly deflated the moment the train had come into view—not wanting the fun to end and not wanting to say goodbye just yet. Her family were the same, though less… exaggerated in their mannerisms.

“There’s my ride,” Applejack said, stepping forward as the train came to a stop at the station. “Sorry y’all, but that looks like it’s it until I get back.”

“Come back soon!” Apple Bloom said.

Applejack chuckled. “I will, faster than a jack rabbit running from a timberwolf.”

“Make sure to extensively go over all the notes I wrote down for you about traveling through the Undiscovered West!” Twilight said.

Applejack grinned at her friend. “Sure thing, sugarcube. I’ll have plenty of time on the train ride.” She hopped up into the train and stood there in the doorway before moving into the car itself. “Bye, bye! Take care! Don’t celebrate too much while I’m gone cause I’ll be back before you know it!”

While her friends and family waved to her, Applejack walked into the train car and found an empty seat. It was easy, there were a lot. She sat right by the window so she could look out it and see her friends right up until the train left. They were all still smiling and waving like crazy to her—almost like she was leaving for some months long trip or something. When the train did start moving, Applejack stuck her head out the window and took her hat off, waving goodbye to them as the train left Ponyville.

“Goodbye! See ya soon! Don’t forget that!” Applejack shouted to them.

They crowded the edge of the platform to watch her go for as long as possible. Her family and all her closest friends.

“Bye!”

“Take care!”

“Have a nice trip, darling!”

“Do something awesome!”

“Have fun!”

“Stay safe!”

“Make lots of friends!”

“Ya keep your head on straight out there, ya hear?!”

“Bye, Applejack!”

Applejack stayed hanging halfway out the window for as long as she could until her green eyes could no longer see not just the ponies she left behind, but the entire town of Ponyville too. There she was. Gone. Already on the first part of what was going to be a long trip alone into the unknown. Already with Ponyville behind her. A somewhat somber expression came over her face and Applejack sat back down on the seat. Not sighing or nothing, but deeper in thought than she usually found herself. Back soon is what she said. But even she wasn’t sure if she was being honest about that or not.

Two hours of riding the train later and she was already further to the edge of Equestria than the middle. She hadn’t touched the note-filled journal Twilight had given her, just not in the mood right now even though she knew it was a good idea to get started on it well before she reached the end of the line and had to get off the train. The train was still completely empty, it would be peaceful if it wasn’t so eerie given the already lonely situation she found herself in. Why’d that map have to only choose her? She was used to doing things like this with her friends. Hay, after dealing with her stubbornness more times than once, she was used to doing just about anything with her friends or anypony willing to lend a hoof.

Now it was just her and she didn’t even have any company for the ride.

Applejack took a gander out the window and decided to watch Equestria as it rolled by for a moment. Right now the train was taking her on the side of a mountain and she could look out and see the forest spreading below it. Up ahead was a tunnel dug right through the mountain so pretty soon she would lose her view, might as well savor it while it lasted. She couldn’t find much joy in it though and she normally loved just looking at nature like this. Her chin rested on one of her hooves as she blankly stared and blinked at the landscape of Equestria.

The evergreen forest soon disappeared behind a wall of rock and the train car became a little bit darker. Applejack didn’t bother shrugging or sighing, instead she kept looking out the window even though she saw nothing but darkness right now.

“I hope that Citadel place is as far as I need to go,” she said.

“Oh no, I can assure you you’re going much further than that.”

“Gyah!” Applejack jumped up in shock for the second time that day and swung her head around to see Discord sitting on the seat right beside her. “D-Discord?!”

He raised an amused eyebrow at her. “Is there anyone else who looks like me?”

“Ya scared me half to death! And what in tarnation are you doing here anyways?” Applejack frowned at him.

“Applejack, you’re so suspicious, it doesn’t suit you,” Discord tut-tutted. “I merely came to give you a little help with this new friendship quest you find yourself on.”

“Help… you know where I’m going?” She immediately narrowed her eyes. “Did you mess with the map and that’s why I’m being sent out here?”

“Me? Celestia forbid, I would never!” Discord said, shocked and pointing to himself.

Applejack flatly stared back.

Discord snorted and started chuckling. “Alright, well not never. But no—this isn’t my work. This is all the work of that lovely little map of yours, it’s a real friendship problem you need to solve out there. But since it didn’t come with a sign over your Cutie Mark saying “Stop Here” or anything I figured I could help you out in that manner. And really, when’s the last time the two of us ever talked one on one? I think it might’ve been back when I was brainwashing you when we first met. Quite amusing, isn’t it? We’re friends but how little time we’ve spent together just like this.”

Applejack exhaled through her nose and sat back. “Well to be honest I could use some company right now anyways. It’s nice to have you, Discord.”

“Why thank you, though I’m afraid I can’t stay with you for too long, Lords of Chaos are pretty busy,” he shrugged. “So would you like to know the name of the place you need to find? It’s quite far away I’m afraid and those notes Miss Bookworm left aren’t going to help you for—oh—half your trip there or so.”

“Eugh...” Applejack dragged a hoof down her face. “Just lay it on me...”

Discord smirked. “You’re going to a lovely little place called ‘Elysium's View’. And… I think you’ll have a fun time when you get there.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well I can’t spoil the surprise now can I? Where would the fun in that be?”

“Well how do I get there after getting to the Citadel?”

“You’ll find a way.”

Applejack frowned again. “That your idea of help? You know couldn’t you just snap some fingers and send me there right now?”

“Of course I could,” Discord smiled. “But then think of everything you’d miss out on.” He shook his head and tsk-tsk’d her in indignation. “Haven’t you ever heard the phrase: “It’s not the destination but the journey”? Well for you it’s about both. Besides, are you going to let Pinkie Pie down and not make any new friends? Or not let the walking library learn anything new?”

“Fine,” Applejack relented and huffed in annoyance. “Fine. I’ll make my own way. Thanks for at least telling me where the problem’s at so I can go and resolve it.”

Discord took out a nail file and started working on his claws. “You’re welcome. Besides, you never know when in the middle of your journey out there you’ll randomly stumble across some evil pony trying to destroy the world and you’re the only one around who can stop it.”

Applejack blinked. Applejack paled and turned her head to look up at him. “A-Aw nuts… that’s gonna happen now that you’ve said that, ain’t it?”

“Hm?” Discord glanced at her in mock confusion before going back to filing his claws. “Oh, don’t pay any attention to me, I’m just stringing random words together.”

“Discord, if you know something-”

“Well would you look at the time!” He pointed ahead at the back of the next seat and Applejack looked to see a calendar had materialized on it. “It’s half past the month! I’ve gotta be on my way now.” He patted Applejack on the head a few times. “Sure was fun catching up, wasn’t it? Ta-ta for now, Applejack!”

Before Applejack could say anything else at all, Discord snapped his fingers and vanished without a trace.

Applejack was left once more with only the sounds of the train for company. And quite a lot more on her mind. She sighed and tugged the brim of her hat down so it covered her face and slumped down in her seat. Closing her eyes she tried to get a little rest in.

“You didn’t need to trouble yourself none...” she muttered. Her right eye then opened up a peek. “Elysium’s View, huh? Weird name.”

Discord had said it was much farther away than the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel but that didn’t really tell her how long her trip would be. She didn’t know how long it would take her to get to the Citadel in the first place after all. Applejack didn’t understand how the hay Fluttershy put up with him sometimes. At least he had helped. Sort of. Though she still half suspected he had something to do with the weird map situation in the first place.

Applejack closed her eyes again, exhausted after the talk with Discord. Exhausted after pretty much everything. The train was going to take a fair while before she had to get off and get walking. Might as well sleep if she could. Twilight’s notes weren’t going anywhere…

Five seconds after Applejack’s train left Ponyville…

Pinkie Pie was the last one to stop waving and she only finished up when the caboose of the train finally disappeared from sight. She then deeply exhaled and glumly looked down at the boards of the platform while all her friends and Applejack’s family stood around her. And just as quickly she popped back up full of excitement and energy and with a gigantic smile splitting her face.

“Okay! Time to start planning her welcome back party!” She exclaimed and started hopping away back off to Sugarcube Corner while the rest watched her go. “I’ll send out invitations soon, you’re all invited!”

The Newly Discovered West

When Applejack woke up from her nap the train was going over a flat expanse of land in the western reaches of Equestria. There were grassy plains stretching out past both sides of the tracks going for at least a couple of miles until she could see the edge of a forest at the back. There weren’t any small towns or any signs of civilization at all out here. And to think some folk considered Ponyville part of the countryside. This train ride was proving even more plain than the one through the wilderness on the way to Appleloosa.

It couldn’t be much further before she reached the end of the line, could it? How many ponies even came out this far? Why’d the train even come out this far at all if there weren’t even any towns or nothing? It was like that time she went with Fluttershy to the Kirins…

Applejack yawned and stretched, looking away from the world outside and returning her mind to more important matters. It was about time she read what Twilight had left for her. All she had right now were the names of the places she needed to go, and the Undiscovered West was a big place so she bet she needed a bit more direction than that. Otherwise she’d probably end up wandering around for days. From the sound of it, both Fire Vent and the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel were a far way into the west too.

“Let’s see what you’ve got for me, Twilight...” Applejack said and reached into her saddlebag. It almost burst when she opened it, so full of supplies. Most ponies would probably feel a bit weighed down or off-balance if they wore it. But not her. Bag might as well have been light as a feather.

After just a bit of searching she took out the journal on the Undiscovered West and opened it up. The first few pages were just some of Twilight’s old notes, but then she noticed a bookmark near the middle of the journal and opened it up there. A smiley face greeted her at the top of the page and Applejack found herself grinning right back.

Hello, Applejack! Here I’ve highlighted the most important things for making your way to Fire Vent and then the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel! I want to make sure you know exactly what to do as soon as you step off the train at the end of the line.

“Typical Twilight,” Applejack shook her head good-naturedly and kept reading.

You’ll reach the final stop by the end of the day, after that you really just need to start walking west for a good long while. It’s unfortunate, but there aren’t really any set roads or paths where you need to go until later. However, I get the feeling that you won’t mind roughing it all too much. You need to go through the rocky mountains to the west and after that you’ll come out to a jungle. If you keep following the path of the sun from there you’ll eventually reach a small town called Hacksaw. Tell the locals you want to travel to Fire Vent, they should be able to guide you to another town that exists on the side of a river that runs through much of the Undiscovered West. At that town you’ll be able to step onto a river barge that’ll take you most of the rest of the way to Fire Vent. But I believe it stops and you’ll then need to either walk or make the rest of the way in some other manner by yourself as Fire Vent doesn’t lie directly on the river.

I’ve included a number of bits in your saddlebag to pay for travel. It’s unlikely they use the same currency, but hopefully the gold the bits are made from should still be good enough to trade.

Now because of the distance you need to travel it might still take you a few days to reach Hacksaw after stepping off the train. So I’ve included a small collapsible tent in your bag along with some long-lasting oats. Although from what Amethyst Star told me I don’t think you’ll need to worry about food too much on your trip. You should be able to find plenty to eat where you’re going. But I just wanted to be safe.

I also included a compass even though I doubt you’ll use it. Just please remember it’s there, Applejack.

Now on the next pages you’ll find some crude maps I drew up on the Undiscovered West based on older ones already available in Equestria and from what Amethyst Star told me. I hope they can help you at least a little bit, though I’m not expecting much. Also feel free to add to them as much as possible. I would like a much more detailed map when you get back. If possible.

Good luck, Applejack! I hope the map isn’t sending you too far away. Maybe you won’t even need to go all the way to the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel? But regardless, I know you’ll fix any friendship problem and then some.

Since you’re certainly reading this for the first time after you’ve already left, I wanted to tell you that we all miss you already. I can’t wait to see you again.

P.S. Please take notes on anything new or interesting you find in the Undiscovered West.

Applejack rolled her eyes as soon as she finished reading. “I hear ya, Twilight. At least I know what to actually do now. Doesn’t sound so bad.” She skimmed over the bottom of the page again. “Course thanks to Discord I already know you’re wrong about something...”

She sat back and thought for a second. “I said I’d be back soon but it looks like it might take twice as long as I thought.”

Curiosity then getting the best of her, she flipped to the next page to see the maps Twilight had mentioned. Unsurprisingly, they were far from “crude”, at least in Applejack’s opinion. The hastily drawn maps still showed Twilight’s characteristic finesse and care. And Applejack instantly knew they were going to be far better than any maps she could draw.

She shook her head and put the journal away. “I think you’re gonna be a little bit disappointed when I get back, Twilight.”

After that she didn’t really feel tired enough to get back to sleep so she stayed up and watched more of Equestria go by. A quiet, empty, view is what she got. Even the nice plains had started to fade away until the train started to pass through a more yellow and orange landscape with dry grass and dirt all around the tracks. Big rock formations and small hills dotted the horizon, and it was starting to look less and less like the Equestria she knew. Applejack glanced up at the sky and saw a few birds flying around up there but nothing much else aside from a couple of clouds.

Her train ride remained pretty typical for the next couple of hours until the late afternoon when she felt the locomotive start to slow down and come to a stop.

Applejack perked up. “That the end?”

She pressed her face up against the window, not opening it, and looked ahead as best she could to see what was coming up. She didn’t see much. Even as the train slowed down more and more, all Applejack could really see was a small, rickety, platform leading off it and a single ticket booth that looked like it was about to fall over. Fitting, all in all.

“I guess this is my stop.”

Finally the train stopped moving completely and Applejack rocked back in her seat slightly before grabbing her saddlebag, hopping into the aisle, and putting it over her side. If this journey was going to be as long as she thought it might be, there was no time to waste. However before she could just jump off the train herself, the door to the car was opened up and the conductor walked in.

He smiled to her, though a bit unsteadily. “End of the line… are you sure this is where you’re getting off, Miss Applejack? There’s really nothing out there.”

Applejack beat back a sigh and instead just smiled reassuringly at the stallion. “I’m sure, got business out there after all.”

“Well it was nice getting to transport an Element of Harmony on important business then,” the conductor nodded. “Good luck on whatever it is you need to do.”

“Thank ya kindly. I might even end up taking this train back to Ponyville later,” Applejack said and walked over to the door leading out of the train, throwing him a grin over her shoulder. “You take care too now.”

“Sure will.”

And with that she stepped down onto the platform, the boards creaking beneath her, some even wobbling a bit. Applejack merely shook her head at the state of it. Not really surprised and kind of just happy there was any platform at all. How many ponies even used it?

A second later and the train blew its whistle before getting back into motion—going forward where the track made a wide loop and came back around on a switch so it could start heading back into Equestria. While it was going, she walked over to the ticket booth to see if the pony in it knew anything about the local area. Might help with her first few steps into the Undiscovered West.

Of course as soon as she walked up to the booth she could see how dusty it was. Nopony had been in there for ages. She frowned and narrowed her eyes at a sign hung up in the window.

GONE FISHING

“Figures,” Applejack snorted. She then turned her attention fully to the west. Mountains not far away rose up, creating a natural divide between the unknown and the familiar. Applejack shrugged and got to walking, leaving the rickety platform behind and making her way through the unkempt grass in the general direction of the mountains. “Day one.”

Traveling through the wilds of the Undiscovered West closest to E questria proved to not be too difficult an affair for Applejack. Her body was strong and hardy after years of labor on her farm, and she had traveled herself through so many places like this before it was nothing new to her. Idly, she thought that the… long and rather eventful trip she had been stuck on in the recent past may have also made this kind of traveling easier for her. The weather being good was also a big help, seemed she left Ponyville at the perfect time, but she was thankful it wasn’t too hot or too cold outside. Knowing her luck though she was probably gonna have to charge through some rain or hail or a big heaping tornado at some point.

She knew from previous experiences it was best not to tempt fate.

But still, the two days it had taken her so far to travel through the Undiscovered West on her way to Hacksaw weren’t bad. The tent worked and was surprisingly comfortable (probably because it came from Twilight herself) and she had found plenty of edible flowers and other food so she could save the oats for an emergency if she needed them. Even though the rocky mountains ended in a canyon that was easy to travel down but would’ve been a pain to go back up didn’t dissuade Applejack. When she was making her return trip she’d just come back another way.

She couldn’t remember the exact route she had taken through the mountains anyways. Though now that she thought about it it might’ve been a good idea to draw her route or take some notes on the layout of the mountains. Instead here she was stubbornly going to tackle a problem head on out of pride when she could’ve been a bit smarter about it. It was the same kind of attitude about not needing a map like she had always had.

Guess that was one thing she never learned.

Now the jungle she had to travel through wasn’t so bad at all either. Flat, pretty, there was fruit, and there were even some well-worn paths on the ground through it. Seemed this was the closest part of the Undiscovered West that might have had other frequent travelers go through it. Not Equestrians, but ponies who lived out here on the fringe. Applejack was thankful to them. The only thing that impeded her progress through the jungle was the occasional fallen log, overgrown vines, or a critter scurrying out across the path from one side of the trees to the other. She did still have to put up the tent in the jungle though, that’s just how her timing had worked out. She had checked the journal again that night though and was sure that sometime tomorrow she’d arrive at Hacksaw.

Applejack kind of hoped she’d see some ponies soon too. The world just felt too empty without any other friendly faces around.

Luck came for her on day three.

After making her way through the entire jungle and over some hills, a town appeared before her. A small town, dusty and surrounded by wilderness, but alive all the same. Applejack could see that plainly. Twilight was right that all she really had to do was follow the sun west. And maybe her instincts a little bit.

Most of the buildings she saw in what had to be Hacksaw were made of red brick, flat and squat, nothing particularly tall or very fancy looking. A town built for practicality’s and simplicity's sake.

Applejack’s kind of town.

“Bet there’s the good sort of ponies living here,” Applejack said with a smile as she walked onto the road leading into town from the jungle.

As she passed the threshold and made it into town she saw a number of ponies there too. Either walking through the dirt streets or hanging out in front of buildings, it didn’t look like a busy day or nothing, kind of like a casual day in Ponyville. Applejack of course got quite a few looks as she walked into town—an obvious outsider, the ponies that lived here probably knew all their neighbors. Now Applejack wasn’t shy or nothing but she didn’t exactly know where to go or who to talk to next. Would the ponies here appreciate a stranger coming up to them and chatting them up out of the blue?

They looked nice enough. And staying optimistic about her earlier assumptions, Applejack decided she’d find some ponies who didn’t look like they were really doing anything and ask them about directions to getting on that river barge.

She saw one building that looked like a hotel, covering quite a bit of ground. If she was planning on staying here the night it might’ve been a good place to go to. Since she was pretty much planning to leave Hacksaw the moment she knew where to go though she instead walked up to what looked like a brick general store with a number of ponies milling and talking around outside it. Seemed to be a place where locals liked to gather and shoot the breeze, kind of like how Sugarcube Corner could be.

Naturally as she walked up to them, stallions and mares alike, they easily spotted the pony who stuck out like a sore hoof.

Applejack decided it would only be polite to introduce herself first. “Hey there! Hope I’m not interrupting nothing, but my name’s Applejack and I’m from out of town. I was wondering if y’all could help me out with something?”

A young mare around her age, tan and with a flowing green mane, met her with a happy smile. “Sure thing, pleased to meet you, Applejack. My name’s Jade Root, how can we help you out?”

“Well uh, first of all, this is the town of Hacksaw, right?” Applejack asked, rubbing the back of her neck.

“Sure is! Where are you from? We usually don’t get many visitors this time of year,” Jade Root asked.

“Don’t be so nosy, Jade,” an older stallion behind her said. By the look of him he might have been her father. “It’s up to her if she wants to share that with us.”

“I’m just curious,” Jade Root pouted.

Applejack breathed out a sigh of relief, glad that the first leg of her journey had been successfully completed. “It’s alright, I don’t mind it one bit. In fact I’m happy to tell ya. I’m from a place called Ponyville a bit far east of here. Been traveling for a few days to get here.”

“East of here?” The stallion raised an eyebrow. “Past the mountains then? Must’ve been a tough trip, if you need a place to rest or anything to drink just ask.”

“I appreciate that but it’s alright, I don’t plan on staying here for long,” Applejack smiled and shook her head. “Normally I wouldn’t mind that hospitality none—and I’d be happy to return it—but I’ve got a long trip ahead of me still. You see, I heard that from here you could direct me to another town that sits on the side of a river that goes all throughout these lands? I’m trying to get to a place called Fire Vent but I don’t know the names of pretty much any other place between Hacksaw and there. But I heard that riverside town has boats that travel up and down the river.”

“How’d you learn about Hacksaw in the first place?” Jade Root asked. Meanwhile the others who had been standing in front of the general store were all listening in on the conversation too now.

“Well another mare from Ponyville came through here not too long ago. She told us about some of the far west—what we consider the far west at least. But she didn’t know all the details,” Applejack said.

“I know the town Fire Vent,” the older stallion said. “My name is Sage Root, never been there but we’ve had ponies from there who have visited Hacksaw before. I can’t rightly tell you how to get there but… town down by the river that’s pretty close to here? That has to be Saddleport. We trade food with them sometimes. I know for a fact that they run all kinds of boats for all purposes up the river. I’m sure they’ve got a sailboat, or barge, or whatever it is you need. Just tell them where it is you want to go.”

“There’s a road that goes south out of Hacksaw that’ll take you right to Saddleport,” Jade helpfully added.

“Well thanks a lot, you’ve been a big help. Sorry I don’t have any gift to show you some Ponyville kindness or nothing… I’d like to stay and visit if I wasn’t on a schedule and all,” Applejack said.

“So long as you let your town know that the ponies of Hacksaw are friendly when you get back,” Sage Root smiled.

“You don’t need to worry nothing about that. I’m more than happy to let my home know that ponies are friendly all over,” Applejack smiled. “And if you ever find yourself in the area, try and make a visit to Sweet Apple Acres. I’ll return your hospitality twice over. Aint nothing about it.”

“We sure will, although we’re not much of travelers.” Sage Root said.

“So you’re going to be heading out on the road right now?” Jade Root asked.

“Yep,” Applejack nodded. “Just don’t have the time to spare, sorry to say.”

“Let me take you to the road then and you can get right on your way to Saddleport,” Jade Root offered and before Applejack could even accept she trotted away from the general store and headed down the street beside it. “Right this way!”

Applejack smiled and gave a quick tip of her hat to Sage Root and the other ponies at the general store. “Thanks for everything, maybe I’ll see you again on my way back home.”

“Maybe. Hope you have a nice trip to Fire Vent,” Sage Root said and waved after her when Applejack started walking away.

“I certainly hope so too!” Applejack called over her shoulder and quickly strode up alongside Jade Root.

“You know we actually do get a ton of travelers coming through Hacksaw or coming for some of the festivals we put on so I’m used to talking to ponies from all over and showing them around Hacksaw and such, but you’re the first pony from Ponyville I’ve met. I’d say that makes this a pretty special day,” Jade Root said to her.

“Well I only wish I wasn’t in a rush so I could stay here and learn about y’all and Hacksaw a little more,” Applejack sighed. “I was told to learn all about the west, and to especially make some friends, but I also just found out that my trip is probably going to be a lot longer than I thought. And there’s something that might be a little urgent I need to do. So if I can afford to, I’d rather not stop every place along the way.”

“That’s alright, I heard what you said to my dad, maybe you can make some time on your return trip?”

Applejack smiled slightly. “I certainly hope so. That wouldn’t be so bad at all.”

The two of them walked through the rest of Hacksaw quickly to get to the southern side, it didn’t take long since it was a pretty small town. Jade Root and Applejack both kept the conversation pretty simple since they both knew they wouldn’t be chatting for much longer. The local mostly pointed out what some buildings were and told Applejack how long the town had been standing here. Applejack was a good listener, always able to appreciate the love a pony could have for their hometown. Always interested in the history small, homey, places like this had. They were just like Ponyville.

In another minute they reached an open spot in Hacksaw between a couple of larger buildings and Jade Root pointed ahead. A road traveled south out of town, and eventually into more jungle before Applejack could no longer tell how far it went.

“There you go. If you just keep going down that road you should reach Saddleport by the end of the day,” Jade Root said.

“Great!” Applejack stood up straight and grinned. “Thanks for being such a kind guide, I’ll be on my way now.” She gave a friendly wave to Jade as she started down the road. “You all take care though!”

“You too!” Jade Root waved back.

Applejack gave her a last nod of acknowledgment before making her way down the southern road now towards Saddleport. After walking a decent distance she checked over her shoulder once to see Jade Root still watching her go. It warmed Applejack’s heart that the first ponies she met were such a kind and helpful folk out here. Maybe that was a sign for the rest of her trip out west?

But as she thought about that she inevitably also went back to thinking about what Discord had said. Evil ponies trying to destroy the world notwithstanding—he had said the journey was just as important as the destination. There could be other problems out here that she might run into. She was certain after walking through it that things in Hacksaw were just fine but that might not be the case for everywhere. Things had started out well enough though. She was already into the Undiscovered West, she felt she was making good time, and she already had a decent idea of how she’d get to Fire Vent and then the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel. Whatever was beyond there… she’d figure it out when she got there.

So Applejack wasn’t going to dwell on the disconcerting things Discord had said. He could’ve just been pulling her leg anyways. And even if he wasn’t, whatever dangers or problems there might be out here wouldn’t be anything she hadn’t dealt with before.

River Barge

Applejack walked for a good three hours down the road and through the jungle before she saw her next destination coming up. Compared to Hacksaw, Saddleport was a much bigger town with taller buildings made of wood. It both covered more area than Hacksaw and had far more buildings built closer together, giving it almost a mini-city sort of feeling to Applejack. The only thing that kept her from calling it a real city was the clear difference in construction compared to places like Canterlot and Manehattan.

But Applejack could both see with her eyes and hear with ears that this was a busy place. As she got closer she could see dozens of ponies going up and down every street, most dragging big carts behind them or carry heavy bags and boxes on their backs. She remembered what Sage Root had said about trading food here and figured this must be a pretty popular port that was probably always shipping things in and out. She hoped they really did have boats for a more casual sort of travel—rather than just ones ferrying goods.

Unlike Hacksaw, ponies didn’t really pay her any mind when she walked from the dirt road through the jungle and onto the stone streets of Saddleport. She was just another visitor. She saw a lot of carts selling food, mostly fruits and vegetables, on the side of the street but she wasn’t hungry just yet. And she wanted to save the bits if possible.

If they were even going to be of any use.

The stores and all didn’t interest her none either, although she vaguely realized that she would be disappointing Rarity by not checking anything out. A few quick glances around told her that the ponies here didn’t really wear anything different than you’d find in Equestria anyways. So Applejack just kept walking south through Saddleport on her way to the river. Not having an actual destination aside from it. She just figured that if she made it to where the boats were that she could ask around and find one that made trips to Fire Vent or at least close to it. Whether she had to hitch a ride, pay, find work, or whatever, she wasn’t sure yet.

When Applejack reached the end of the street the mini-city opened up and she was treated to her first view of the river. Many small boats, ferries, and barges sat alongside it, docked securely to the shore while ponies loaded or unloaded them. The river itself was a deep blue and probably well over two-hundred feet across right here. Peering out into it and Applejack saw a few boats heading upstream right this moment.

She stood there for now, trying to figure out where to go next. To her left was mostly a bunch of cargo boats by the look of it. Working ponies and businesses that probably wouldn’t have the time to spare for her. But to her right she saw one big paddle steamboat that was currently being boarded by a bunch of casual looking ponies, even some families with children. Had to be a passenger boat, that’s what Applejack’s gut was telling her.

There was a line she had to wait in and a unicorn stallion wearing a uniform and holding a clipboard by the ramp leading onto the boat that was checking everypony on first. She saw the ponies giving him either what looked like tickets or some sort of currency before they got on.

“Well, let’s see if I’m lucky or plum out of it...” Applejack gulped as she got into line.

It went quick enough and before long Applejack was standing before the unicorn with the rest of the dock empty behind her. Last one coming aboard.

He had a bored expression on his face as he glanced down at her. “Ticket?”

“Uh, well actually-” Applejack started.

“We don’t sell tickets here. If you want to get on you’ll need to go back to the kiosk and buy there.”

“No, no,” Applejack shook her head. “I wanted to know if this boat travels as far as Fire Vent? This is a passenger boat isn’t it? For trips like that and everything?”

He exhaled through his nose, clearly annoyed at Applejack’s ignorance and being made to do something that wasn’t really his job. “This is a passenger liner, yes. We make trips up and down the entire river, food and entertainment included. But Fire Vent? You can’t get there by river. You’d have to get off at Lumberstock and finish your trip by hoof or wagon. Now if you’d like to buy a ticket please-”

“I’m not sure my money will be good here,” Applejack interrupted. “I’m, uh, not from the area. But I have these, can I get a ticket with these bits?” Applejack asked as she reached into her saddlebag and pulled out the pouch of bits Twilight had given her. She took one out and gave it to the unicorn.

Surprise gleamed in his eyes as he turned the single coin over. Bringing it to his mouth he bit down on it and was even more surprised. Putting it back in her hoof, his expression changed to an expectant smile. “Five of those and you’ll get the royal treatment.”

The owner of the steamboat and the captain both greeted her and personally led her to the fanciest open room they had onboard as soon as the ticket-taker introduced Applejack (and her money) to them.

Applejack didn’t really need this but she wasn’t complaining exactly either. It’s not like she had taken the room from anypony. If five Equestrian bits got her this much she should be able to make the trip to Fire Vent real easy. She thought at first that maybe these fellas were trying to take her for a ride but the unicorn had to have seen how many bits she had and if that was the case he would’ve asked for way more than five and probably would’ve just said it only covered a smaller room. Guess they were honest—if not still a little greedy with how much favor they were showing her.

But if this business was their livelihood then Applejack wouldn’t really blame them much for that. She always had her mind on money when it came to taking care of the farm back home.

So Applejack plopped down on the too large bed and looked up at the ceiling, thinking. Her saddlebag was left right next to her, and she had taken her hat off for the moment too. It felt good to relax and the bed sure was soft—the room came with its own vanity, cabinets, and private bathroom but the comfy bed was the most important thing to her. If she was going to have to walk for a long while after this she might as well let her body get back into its best possible shape.

She smiled. “Things really aint going bad at all. Practically got a clear shot to Fire Vent.”

There was a knock on her cabin door and Applejack perked up. Hopping right off the bed and walking over to the door, wondering if the captain or owner were coming back to check up on her. She put her hoof around the handle and opened it. “Yeah?”

“Oh, hello Miss Applejack,” a young earth pony stallion in the same sort of uniform as the ticket taker outside greeted her. “I’m a cabin attendant and the captain asked me to make sure you were settled in. Are you enjoying your room?”

Applejack smirked and nodded. “Sure am, don’t really have much luggage or anything so it’s not like I needed to do much either.”

“Glad to hear it, you need anything and there’s a button on the wall beside your bed you can press for room service.” The stallion pointed to a button Applejack hadn’t noticed before on the wall between the bed and bathroom.

“Thanks,” Applejack said before looking back at him and raising an eyebrow. “Since you’re here I did have a question though—how long will it take us to get to Lumberstock?”

“Lumberstock, huh? That’s one of our further destinations, so about four days.”

“Four whole days?” Applejack gawked at him.

The stallion nervously grinned and stepped back. “Y-Yes. This is meant to be a pleasure cruise mostly, we have a lot of stops along the way for tourism, and the ponies onboard like to relax and enjoy the entertainment. We’re not a speedboat.”

Applejack sighed and held a hoof to her forehead. “Sorry about that… nothing you can do. I guess this is still alright anyways since I probably couldn’t make much better time any other way. Might as well enjoy your boat.”

“We’ll be leaving shortly if that’s any consolation.”

Applejack chuckled. “Heh, thanks. So if I’m going to be spending four days onboard what sort of entertainment is there?”

“Well there’s the band, they play in the lounge or out on deck during the day. There’s plenty to sightsee for that matter just walking around up on deck while we sail up the river. Whenever we stop at another port you’re allowed off the ship and can go around and enjoy what the locals have there—although obviously that’d cost money for you and you have to make sure you’re back before we leave. There’s plenty of wine and fine dining for dinner every night. And of course there’s gambling in the lounge as well, you’ll find many ponies there playing cards at all times of the day.”

“Gambling huh?” Applejack grimaced internally. With her luck in card games she should probably stay far away from that.

The steamboat sounded nice and relaxed otherwise but that meant Applejack would probably get a tiny bit bored if she was going to be stuck on it for four days. Bored and antsy knowing how much she had to do once she got off it. But there was nothing she could really do. At least the deck up top or at least on some level was open, maybe she could take up jogging around it to keep in shape? Ponies might not appreciate that considering what it seemed like the atmosphere of this cruise was supposed to be like but oh well.

“If that’s all you need I’ll be on my way then, Miss. The dining hall will be open for dinner one hour after we leave, just tell the head waiter your room number and he’ll show you to your table,” The cabin attendant said before bowing and walking away.

“Thanks for the information,” Applejack said to him and closed the door.

Well so things weren’t perfect but they weren’t terrible either. Applejack stretched and rested for a moment before she felt the vibration of the steamboat’s engine start up and then the lurch of it as it started to leave Saddleport. She’d be onboard as a passenger longer than the rest of her trip through the Undiscovered West so far, might as well make the best of it. When she felt the boat turn a little so her inner sense of direction was telling her it was facing upstream—a loud whistle blew from somewhere else on the boat and it started to paddle forward. Just like a train almost.

Applejack smiled, there really was no reason to get so wound up. Something about the Cutie Map’s perfect timing allowed her to relax and think she was making a perfectly fine pace. She’d get to Elysium’s View and solve the friendship problem when she got there. And if there was something actually dangerous to the world (and thus dangerous to Fluttershy) then she figured Discord would’ve been a little more serious when he talked with her too. Nope, as long as Applejack didn’t get really and truly stalled somewhere, she wasn’t going to sweat it.

Now since it actually had been quite a while since she last ate, she figured that dinner sounded pretty darn good. After that a long night of sleep would do her even better. Tomorrow morning and she could take a tour around the boat and see if it was as cracked up as the owner and other ponies working on it made it out to be.

For now she left her room after a while, glancing again at the door to see the number 24-B on it, and started walking to the dining hall. Thankfully there were plenty of signs and arrows showing her where to go along with things like the stairs to other decks, laundry, and the emergency exits. With dinner soon approaching she met quite a few other ponies in the halls, all of them going to the dining room as well. Brought a smile to her face to see all the happy families here.

When she got to the dining room she was unsurprised to find herself waiting in line again as the waiter at the door had to check everypony in and figure out who went to which table. At least they were already being seated.

The waiter glanced at her through heavy eyeglasses as she reached his podium and smiled. “Room number?”

“Hey there, I’m in 24-B,” Applejack told him.

He looked down at a booklet kept on his podium and nodded. “Ah, one of our luxury guests, and you’re the only one staying in that room, correct?”

“Sure am,” Applejack answered.

“Then you’ll be at Table 2, you’ll be sharing it with some of our other luxury guests if that’s alright?”

“Don’t got a problem with that,” Applejack shrugged.

“Right this way then,” the head waiter held out his hoof and gestured for Applejack to enter the dining room.

Immediately she was reminded of stuffy Canterlot restaurants. While the ponies here all looked nice and friendly and not uptight she couldn’t help but see the visual similarities. Lilac tablecloths over every table, elaborate flower centerpieces, very ornate ebony chairs with purple seat cushions, a small fountain in the middle of the dining room—that had to be trouble to install considering they were on a dang boat—and several sterling silver chandeliers for light. Applejack couldn’t feel more out of place if she tried with her beaten up look and old hat. And she was one of the luxury guests too. Thankfully most ponies weren’t dressed up or taking anything seriously either, they were just enjoying themselves in the fancy dining room.

Hopefully whoever she was sharing Table 2 with were the same.

Five seconds later she had an answer.

They weren’t.

It was a family, and they were nice enough ponies, but they were most definitely quite wealthy ponies as well. The mother, the father, and their two young daughters all were wearing expensive outfits that would’ve made Rarity swoon. Applejack didn’t have an eye for this stuff but even she could spot expensive jewelry and silk when it was right in front of her thanks to all the years around her fashionista friend.

“A pleasure to meet you, you’re also staying in one of the luxury suites?” The mother asked her.

“That’s right,” Applejack nodded. “Name’s Applejack by the way, are the four of you from Saddleport?”

“We are—we own several businesses there. My name is Saffron Silk and this is my husband Dapper Bow and our two children, Gracious Silk and Soft Silk. Begging your pardon but you’re not from around Saddleport are you? Is this your first time taking this cruise?” Saffron asked.

“You’re right on both accounts. I’m from a place far east of here called Ponyville, and I’m taking this cruise to get to Fire Vent. Or technically I guess Lumberstock first and then Fire Vent,” Applejack rubbed the back of her neck.

“Oh, Fire Vent?” Saffron Silk’s eyes lit up and she shared a smile with her husband. “We’ve been there several times, it’s a wonderful vacation spot. Beautiful town with some of the best hot springs and mud baths you could ever take a dip in. They sell all sorts of bathing products and volcanic glass sculptures too. It’s a charming place to visit.”

“Volcanic glass...” Applejack muttered. “Guess that’s where the name comes from then? Is it a town built right around a volcano?”

“Dormant volcano, but yes. The town itself is built at the base of it and along some of the other nearby mountains.”

“And how long will it take me to get there from Lumberstock if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Only a day, really. It’s not a far trip,” Saffron answered.

“That’s good,” Applejack sat back and sighed in relief.

“Important business?” Dapper Bow asked, the first time he had really spoken up. “What sort of work do you do?”

“Uh, well actually I’m an apple farmer. And while it is important business it isn’t really related to that. Fire Vent is just another stop for me and I’m not familiar with the area so I’m just relieved it’s pretty close. After I reach it I’ll be continuing on even further to the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel… at least I think that’s how it’s pronounced,” Applejack told them.

“You’re correct, although I don’t know why you’d want to go there,” Saffron Silk said.

Applejack looked over at her. “Why’s that?”

Saffron had a somewhat confused look on her face as she regarded Applejack. “I know you said you’re from out east but do you truly not know anything about where you’re going aside from the names? Is the Citadel your final stop or do you have business across the canyon in the Far West?”

“Across the canyon actually. And well… yeah I don’t really know much at all about what’s going on out here,” Applejack shrugged.

“Well while the Citadel used to allow any and all to travel across the canyon it doesn’t anymore. Only a very few are allowed to cross, some have mentioned rumors that none at all can pass, and it’s entirely up to the ones who own the Citadel. Least that’s what we’ve all heard. They have control of the only bridge across—and no pegasus can fly the distance without having to rest. If you have business on the other side of that bridge… well I’m not sure how you’re going to get to it,” Saffron Silk apologetically frowned.

“That’s just great… guess you don’t have airships or zeppelins here then?” Applejack asked.

“Air...ships?” Saffron blinked.

“Forget I asked,” Applejack held up a hoof. “I’ll just have to see what’s up at that Citadel place when I get there. But thanks for telling me all this.”

“I’m glad we could help then. I hope it all works out for you when you get there,” Saffron said.

“Me too,” Applejack then took a look at the two young fillies and smiled. “Are you just on here for another vacation then?”

“That’s right. There’s a stop two days from Saddleport called Tea Garden. As you can probably guess, it’s famous for its tea as well as its high-end resorts. We’ll actually be disembarking there completely and staying for a week until a different boat comes by to take us back to Saddleport.”

“Then I hope y’all have a great trip too,” Applejack said.

“Thank you and—oh! Just in time for drinks!” Saffron said.

Applejack followed her eyes to find a waitress coming over with a tray of several glasses of water balanced on her back. She carefully gave one to everypony at the table before smiling to the adults. “Would you care to sample something from our wine list? The first course will be served momentarily.”

Applejack bit her lip, she didn’t exactly know much of anything about wine, nor did she drink casually at all to be honest. “I uh, I’m fine with just water. What’s the menu for the first course and all?”

“Oh, I’m sorry Miss but there is no menu. For dinner all guests get the same three-course meal with dessert. The meal differs between luxury and standard guests however,” the waitress smiled.

“Real fancy seeming...” Applejack quietly whispered.

It took a minute for Saffron and Dapper to find a wine they liked from the list, and after that the waitress left to get their wine for them while assuring the table once more that their first course would be out soon. Applejack didn’t know what to expect and felt pretty awkward still, but at least the Silk family were pretty nice company. They weren’t going to be together the entire trip but at least she knew a couple of friendly faces—and if they ate dinner together the next two days they could get to know each other even better. Might as well use this opportunity to make Twilight and Pinkie Pie proud and get some new friends.

Applejack was kind of wishing right now that she had some apples from the farm she could share. Though they would’ve spoiled already. A true shame.

The first course arrived quickly and Applejack got to enjoy a small salad that was hardly enough food for a foal. Though probably using some kind of fancy ingredient that made it way more expensive than it should be. Typical fancy dinner. She hoped the second and third courses and whatever was coming for dessert after were a lot more filling.

Fire Vent

Four long days on a slow moving boat had Applejack physically rested but mentally drained. Despite her desire to kick back and not let herself worry about the time it was taking for her to make it to her next destination, there simply wasn’t enough for a single mare like herself to really do on the steamboat. For a mare that worked with her hooves and liked always having work or chores to do it left her more anxious than anything. The plus side was that the comfortable bed, nice food, and good weather up the river did wonders for her hooves and body that were always working.

Though the steamboat didn’t have an onboard spa or anything it still left her feeling refreshed that way. It was the kind of thing she needed after all the walking she had done in the days leading up to boarding it. The other passengers and crew were good company too—the first ponies Applejack had spent more than just a few minutes with on her trip.

The Silk family was a pleasure, though they left just a little more than halfway through Applejack’s trip and then she had to start eating dinner alone. Which was a bit awkward for her and not just because she still didn’t feel like she fit in in such a fancy dining room. She would usually wake up early and walk around the top deck in the morning, occasionally chatting with other early risers or just watching the river go by.

If the lounge had something like dancing instead of just gambling maybe she could’ve enjoyed it. But the fancy band in there didn’t seem like they were the types to play her kind of music and get something good going.

She did get off the boat each time it stopped at other ports. Not to really do anything since she didn’t want to spend money that could be useful later, but just to stretch her legs and take her mind off the slow trip. Those moments proved to be the best for her and she got to talk to a lot of locals about what their homes were like and what the Undiscovered West was like out here. And she only almost missed getting back on the boat before it left once.

Now if she had her friends with her or her family she’d be able to do loads more on this trip. Thinking of the fun they could’ve had, with Rarity enjoying the fine dining and fancy clothes of the wealthier passengers, Pinkie Pie making friends with everypony, Rainbow Dash wanting to race around the deck to kill time, Fluttershy looking at all the wildlife on the river, and Twilight incessantly asking questions of the crew and passengers about the Undiscovered West. Applejack sure missed them all a lot. Hadn’t even been long since she had seen them, but when for years now you’ve seen your friends nearly every day of your life it makes that loneliness just a bit more apparent.

At least she had finally arrived at Lumberstock.

“Thanks for the trip!” Applejack said as she waved back at the couple of crewmembers who were helping ponies disembark at Lumberstock. She got to the end of the ramp and hopped off with gusto, wearing her hat and saddlebag proudly while looking ahead with a determined grin.

And thanks to the helpful ponies that ran the steamboat, Applejack knew exactly where she had to go from here. There was a big road at the western edge of Lumberstock that had branching paths going, north, south, and of course—west. She had to follow the western road and Fire Vent was one of the locales on the way. And if Saffron Silk was right it should only be a day of walking before she got there. She could get to her next destination by sundown!

“Sorry, Lumberstock, can’t really stay and look around,” Applejack said as she already got to walking through the town.

Thanks to her boredom and curiosity on the way here, she had asked a few different ponies what Lumberstock was like and came away with a pretty picture. Now that she was here and looking around she realized the town itself was quite pretty. It was nestled in and around a redwood forest that sat right beside the river the steamboat traveled up, most of the buildings were log cabins, even some that were built multiple stories high. It was a pretty interesting way to build, and not quite something Applejack could recall seeing much of in Equestria. The grass around the forest was an incredibly deep green, showing how healthy and well taken care of the nature was here.

She had also learned that the primary interest ponies coming here had was in the wood carvings. Lumberstock was well known for decorative and collectible wood carvings of all shapes and sizes. Applejack could even see totem poles set up all around town, and it seemed like every log cabin had some kind of carving set up outside it or some smaller ones in the windows. Some buildings had wide open storefronts where hundreds of carvings sprawled out in front of like at some kind of yard sale or flea market.

Would’ve made good souvenirs.

The carvings were mostly of animals but there was a large variety of other things too. She was “window” shopping just a little bit on her way out. And as she passed by one of the stores selling wood carvings that happened to grab the attention of another pony.

“Miss, excuse me Miss!” A young stallion holding a carved wooden bear said as he came up to her.

Applejack looked over and raised an eyebrow at him. “You talking to me?”

“Yes!” He eagerly nodded and smiled. “You came off the boat that just arrived here, I can tell by the way you look around. If you came off at Lumberstock you must be interested in some of our premium wood carvings, right?”

Applejack smiled apologetically at him, she herself having been in his position before and sympathizing with any well-meaning salespony. “I’m sorry but I’m just walking through on my way somewhere else. I’ve got business a little farther west. Even if I wanted a wood carving I don’t have anywhere to put it right now either.”

His face fell and he sighed. “I see… I was hoping you were out here looking to buy and going back to the boat. A shame.”

“I appreciate the offer and all but I really do gotta be getting to Fire Vent as soon as possible,” Applejack tipped her hat to him. “So I’ll be going now.”

“Fire Vent? Why would you want to go there?” The stallion asked.

The way he said that gave Applejack pause. She stopped midstep and glanced back at him. “What do you mean by that? Aint it some normal town? I heard it was a popular place for tourists and vacationers.”

“Yeah. Was. That place has fallen on hard times lately. They’ve really felt the squeeze from what Al-Karamaretel has been doing, if you know about that situation.”

Applejack frowned. “Yeah, heard a little about that.”

“Well Fire Vent’s tourism has dried up thanks to that. In fact, pretty much everywhere west of here isn’t doing good. Even places like Lumberstock are only still barely managing thanks to being right on the river. But everywhere west of Saddleport and Hacksaw aside from some of the bigger cities and kingdoms that don’t have a port on the river to help them out with trade and commerce are falling apart. It’s a real shame, and nobody knows why Al-Karamaretel is doing any of it in the first place. I always figured they had more to gain from letting ponies through,” he shrugged.

“Aint nobody tried going there and getting them to change… or even trying to force things back open?” Applejack asked.

He shook his head. “Most towns are independent and don’t really like involving themselves with each other or working together. You must be from pretty far off to not know that. About the only kingdom with the size to do anything would be Diminuendo to the north, but they’re far enough away and don’t rely on the trade and whatever else comes from Al-Karamaretel so it’s not like they’d bother.”

“Dang… things just aint right out here,” Applejack said as she pawed the ground.

And thinking back to Discord—maybe she was going to have to do something about it.

Although being Applejack, she wouldn’t have needed him to tell her that. She would’ve done the right thing anyways.

“Oh well,” she shrugged and started to walk away again. “I’ve still got business out west and Fire Vent is my next stop on the way there. Thanks for telling me all this.”

“Sure, and good luck with whatever it is you’re doing,” he said to her and waved goodbye.

Nice pony, Applejack thought. But the conversation she had with him had really soured her mood. She didn’t think things would be that bad out here, and it disappointed her to know that nopony really seemed to care enough to do anything or help out just because it wasn’t affecting them enough. This definitely wasn’t Equestria, that was for sure. It stung a bit because individually so far everypony she’d met had been pretty dang nice, but they couldn’t get together to try and fix an obvious problem? Well, even in Equestria most ponies needed to be spurred into action or have somepony like Twilight to get behind.

Looked like Applejack was gonna have some work to do.

Approaching the western edge of town, she saw where it opened up into a big four-way intersection. A large signpost was planted right in the middle of it, with separate boards pointing each direction.

Applejack stood before it and looked up. The northern board read:

DIMINUENDO
CITY OF OPPORTUNITY

Names that didn’t really mean much to her. Glancing at the southern board was a little different:

SOMEWHERE ELSE

“What’s with ponies and weird signs?” Applejack rolled her eyes in annoyance before finally looking at the western board:

FIRE VENT

“Much better,” Applejack smiled and started to walk down the western road.

It started to slope down and the redwood forest thinned out almost completely, the landscape turning into more of a jungle again without the massive trees all around to block out the outside world. Here at the top of the hill she could now look out and see farther into the Undiscovered West than she ever had before. For quite a ways there was just a jungle with the road she was traveling down cutting a near straight line through it. But far enough where she had to squint a little she could see mountains rising up to the west. That had to be Fire Vent. She couldn’t tell which of those mountains was the volcano, but from everything else she had learned so far that still had to be where the town of Fire Vent was situated.

Not a short walk, but not the longest she had been on either. Thanks to getting off the boat real early she bet she could get there before supper time. She had made sure to grab breakfast before leaving too, one last complimentary meal thanks to the bag of bits Twilight had lent her, so she wasn’t hurting for any food or water. The walk would be a lot easier thanks to that.

Applejack took a deep breath, tipped her hat back, and started walking to Fire Vent, totally leaving Lumberstock and the river behind.

It was hotter in this jungle than the rest of the Undiscovered West had been so far. The sun beat down on her relentlessly and there was no shade unless she wanted to travel off the beaten path. There was just a humidity in the air that made it all worse too, she wondered if the heat had something to do with the closer distance to the volcano. Applejack couldn’t say she was an expert in weather or climate stuff. But though it was worse it wasn’t bad enough to really drag her down. She’d bucked apples off of hundreds of trees on hotter days than this.

A little sweat on her brow felt downright natural.

Hours of walking and she felt like she had gotten about halfway to those looming mountains in the distance. There were low clouds around their peaks, and beyond them Applejack could now see another much larger mountain range even further west. It seemed to stretch from north to south almost as far as she could see, completely separating the horizon from what was beyond it.

She wondered if the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel was in those mountains or some part of the west even further away. She still didn’t exactly have a good grasp of how big the Undiscovered West was or how big the part on the other side of the canyon by itself was. Although she had a guess that the ponies of Fire Vent would be able to tell her. They probably had a lot of first hoof information on that kind of thing. It might be a bit of a sore subject though, she was kind of still hoping things weren’t as bad there as that wood carver had made it seem.

On the way she did come across a few more things other than just the jungle encroaching on the road. She passed a small family farm that looked like it grew all sorts of tropical fruit thanks to the jungle climate. Applejack had to really fight back the urge to go and say hello to them and see how their fruit tasted. Who knew how much time she would lose if she actually walked into their farm…

Besides that there were the occasional small roads that branched off from the main one she was on, leading either into the south or north side of the jungle.

They had no signs but whenever Applejack looked down them she could see small houses and buildings popping up a little ways in. Just hermits and ponies who liked their privacy if she had to guess. Some of them looked completely abandoned and had fallen into disrepair, but she had seen worse looking shacks ponies still lived in in the wilder parts of Equestria. Either way she didn’t see any of the ponies who may have called these homes “home”. It was a pretty solitary trip for Applejack on the way to Fire Vent.

“Dang, felt good being around so many ponies the last few days, hope that with everything going on Fire Vent hasn’t become a ghost town or nothing,” she began thinking aloud.

Peace and quiet was good after a hard day’s work, otherwise Applejack preferred the noise and company of friendly ponies.

Over her head she watched the sun move through the sky the closer she got to Fire Vent. Counting the hours in her head just by seeing how far the sun had moved. She had been right earlier—probably getting there an hour before the sun went down.

Applejack frowned. “So I’m gonna have to stay the night… boy, I wasn’t even thinking about that. But even if the town’s fallen on hard times they have to have an inn or someplace for travelers to stay if they used to be a vacation spot.” She thought about the oats she still had in her saddlebag. “Might want to get some more food or a water bottle too depending on what the trip to Al-Karamaretel is like from there...”

She wasn’t looking forward to spending the night in Fire Vent but maybe it would be a good thing. She could potentially part with the rest of her bits if they had good stuff to give her for the rest of her trip. Wouldn’t be bad to give her money to ponies more in need than she was.

Those bits were supposed to be for when she absolutely needed them though. Just like the oats. She knew she’d have to use at least one or two if she was going to stay the night but for the rest she should probably be a little more close-hoofed with them. Generosity was a good thing but with the friendship mission to accomplish and who knows what other sort of problems to solve out here, she might want to save what she could. Get a look at the bigger picture first.

Especially since going by her experience with the steamboat, her bits were probably much more valuable than the typical money found out here. She might even be considered “rich”. Especially to ponies living in towns going through hard times like Fire Vent.

A little longer and the sun started to disappear, casting an orange glow across the landscape. Thanks to the mountains it was going down faster so that even if technically it wasn’t evening it didn’t exactly look any brighter outside. Applejack decided to pick up the pace a little bit, keeping her eyes now on the closer mountains. One of which was a dormant volcano.

Applejack remembered her last encounter with a volcano…

She shook her head, there was nothing remotely similar about the two situations.

It looked like the road actually took her just slightly south of the mountains too instead of directly into them, so Fire Vent was probably built in their shadow. At least part of it. Might just be the entrance to town coming off the road and the hot springs and whatever else it was famous for was all up closer to the volcano.

When Applejack had been walking for about ten more minutes she saw that the road also split off into two. One path going straight ahead and the other sharply going up north. At first she was a little worried about potentially taking the wrong path until she saw a large sign on the side of the road going west. It was a little dark out and the sign was partially covered in vines so she didn’t notice it at first but the closer she got she realized how big it actually was—more of a billboard than anything.

Though it told her she was going the right way it still didn’t exactly make her feel any better.

Applejack’s face warped into a grimace as she read the billboard:

EL OME O FIR VE T!

“Oh yeah… this place has definitely seem some better days I reckon,” Applejack shook her head, the missing wooden letters fallen about haphazardly in the grass below the billboard. She shrugged and started her walk into town. “Oh well, things aren’t going to get any better with me just standing around.”

Cops and Robbers II

Fire Vent was being infiltrated. The ponies knew exactly what they were doing, what to look out for, and where they were going. A few deputies patrolling the borders of the town were easily bypassed as they all foolishly kept to the same pattern and schedule. It had taken some observing, but once the infiltrators got it down it was easy to avoid the perimeter guards when it was as dark as this.

The ponies made it into the streets of Fire Vent and started moving to the nearest lampposts. Some of them were carrying small buckets of water that they used to douse the fires with and plunge this part of Fire Vent into total darkness. Nopony would’ve been able to see them gathered where they were without some kind of light source of their own now.

Now the rest pulled out more than just buckets of water.

Hammers. Crowbars. Bolt cutters. Simple rocks. And empty pouches.

“Hit as many places as hard and as fast as possible,” the lead infiltrator said, a middle-aged unicorn with a silvery mane and pale red coat. “It’ll be just like the last couple of times. Don’t get in a fight unless it’s with one of those deputies either.”

“What about you, boss?” One of them asked.

“I’m paying our so-called Sheriff a visit and seeing if he really has the jailhouse as secure as you’ve said. We’ll see if he can keep her locked up for so long...” He finished with an angry growl.

“Good luck, Tephra,” one of the others patted him on the shoulder.

“Thanks,” Tephra nodded. “Now get to it. And make sure you knock over the hotel too—I’m sick of seeing them still keeping that place open for no reason. It’s a waste. I don’t care what you do to it as long as it’s not in any shape to receive guests anymore.”

“Stupid place always refused to give locals a discount anyways,” one of the infiltrators grumbled.

“Well now they’re really going to regret that. Not like there could possibly be anypony who would be coming to stay at it nowadays. I guess this would be irony? Or maybe poetic justice?” Another one said.

“Who cares what it is?” Tephra said. “Enough talking—all of you get out there already! We don’t need a random deputy to stumble upon us and raise any alarms before we’ve accomplished anything.”

“Right!” The others all said and finally the group of infiltrators dispersed deeper into Fire Vent while Tephra made a beeline for one place in particular.

The ponies went to all the nearby houses, businesses, and other buildings (abandoned or not) and as carefully and quietly as they could started to force their way in. The simple locks, glass windows, shutters, weren’t a match at all for the ponies and their tools. Crowbars wrenched open locked doors and bolt cutters cut the locks off of back gates. Others simply used their rocks or hammers to break the panel of a window and stick their hoof in to open it up. As late at night as it was, it would be some time before they were heard or caught and a ruckus was raised that would wake the rest of the town…

And meanwhile five of the infiltrators also ran straight for the Lava Lily Hotel.

Applejack was snoozing. Sound asleep. Room 1 of the Lava Lily Hotel was well-furnished, but obviously hadn’t seen any use in a while. It had been dusty when Applejack first stepped in, enough that she had coughed a few times. Her strange arrival at Fire Vent and the behavior of the residents was starting to weigh on her mind even more, but Applejack just wanted some rest. She planned to talk to that sheriff tomorrow and make plans to get out of here as soon as she could. The spa visit would have to come another time despite her promise.

The feather bed was comfortable though. She gave them credit for that.

With Applejack in as deep a sleep late at night like this, no normal sounds of the night would ever wake her up.

Abnormal sounds of the night were different.

The sound of glass breaking immediately shot her eyes wide open and she sat up in bed, looking over to the source of the sound. She was as awake as if a rooster had crowed.

What she saw was… odd, to put it simply. There was only a small light, from a held candle, to tell her what was going on and she stayed there in bed blinking a couple of times to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. It looked like a pony had taken a hammer to the window of her hotel room and was now fumbling around for the latch on the other side while another pony beside him held the candle. There were a few other faces pressed around them as well—and with how much they were all paying attention to the window and getting inside the room they clearly hadn’t noticed it was occupied just yet. That or their light simply didn’t reach far enough to see her on the bed.

Applejack decided to see what they were doing first of all before acting. They couldn’t have known she was in here, right? Anypony would’ve been woken up by that glass breaking.

The pony searching for the latch finally got it and opened the window up. “Aha! Got it!”

“Took you long enough,” the pony holding the candle said. “Bubbles? Hurry up and light another candle so we can get this room lit up?”

“On it,” a mare’s voice said.

The first pony then hopped in through the window, taking a deep breath after a job well done, and then four other ponies came in after him. All of them stumbling through the open window and standing on the carpet of the luxurious hotel room. They still hadn’t noticed Applejack. She though could see them wearing the same robes and sashes that were common in Fire Vent, which just further confused her.

“I told you these rooms would be the perfect way to discreetly enter the hotel,” one of the ponies who hadn’t spoken yet said.

“You’re right, there’s not going to be anypony here,” the mare—Bubbles—said. She struck a match and used it to light up a second candle.

Both candles were placed on a table near the window and together they provided enough light to sweep over the room.

The stallion who had opened up the window grinned and stepped forwards. “Okay, let’s-”

He stopped. And so did the others as they all finally noticed the current occupant of the room staring back at them. All five of the intruders completely froze up—very surprised that there was somepony in this room at all. They at most glanced at each other out of the corner of their eyes. Applejack for her part kept watching for a moment to see if they’d do anything. When it became clear they wouldn’t, she reached over to grab her hat from the nightstand and put it on her head before stepping out of bed.

“Well, I don’t know who you are but y’all really made a big mistake breaking into this room,” she cracked her neck and glared at them.

“A traveler from out of town?!” One of the ponies yelled, no consideration to the late night.

“You have to be kidding me!” The first said.

“What do we do? Maybe she has money...” Bubbles suggested.

“But we’re not supposed to hurt anypony!” Another said.

“What in the blazes are y’all talking about?” Applejack shouted and stamped a hoof on the floor. “You planning on robbing me? Or this hotel or something? Well I’m not letting you do that.”

The pony who had been holding the candle bit his lip. “We don’t have time for this—and she’s only one mare, we don’t need to hurt her or nothing, just grab her and let’s finish our business.”

He charged at her.

And quickly found out that was a bad idea when Applejack pivoted on her front hooves, turned around, and bucked him hard in the chest. He was sent flying backwards into the wall with the impact shaking the entire room and dropping the jaws of his comrades.

“Brisk Wings!” Bubbles shouted and ran over to help him up.

“Ow...” the newly named pony mumbled, stars spinning around his head.

“Y’all gonna calm down now maybe?” Applejack asked the rest of them.

The three stallions instead grit their teeth and ran at her as well to avenge their friend. “Get her!”

“Guess not...” Applejack sighed.

To give them credit—the one holding a hammer dropped it before attacking her. He clearly didn’t have the intention to use it on a pony. But they were still attacking her and Applejack had no idea why. There wasn’t an opportunity to ask right now either with it being three on one. She couldn’t let them take her bits and other items if that was the kind of stuff they were after—and as odd as Fire Vent was she was still a guest here and had been given a place to stay. So letting anything bad happen to this hotel was morally out of the question for her too.

The first stallion who reached her this time just tried to jump on and tackle her. Again she had no idea if they didn’t know how to fight or if they just wanted to detain her without hurting her as much as possible. They still hadn’t totally realized they should be far more worried about themselves.

Applejack leaned down and headbutted him in the gut as he jumped at her before tossing him behind her back. He landed on the floor with a groan while the other two came at her sides and tried to sandwich her. She instead jumped to her right and shoulder-checked the one coming at her from that direction before they could reach her. He collided with the wall and knocked a painting down to the floor. The last one now had a shot at her back and he took it—jumping on her and wrapping his hooves around her neck to try and wrestle her to the floor. Well Applejack was having none of that. She bucked him off her like a bull, so hard he smashed into the ceiling and fell back down painfully.

“Ready to talk? Have you calmed down yet?” Applejack asked the three groaning ponies.

She heard some rustling from behind her and looked to see Bubbles and Brisk Wings had grabbed her saddlebag while she was busy dealing with the others.

Their eyes met and the two intruders paled.

“And that’s another mistake you just made,” Applejack narrowed her eyes.

Before she could take a step though a shrill and very loud whistle came from outside—the broken window making it even easier to hear. Applejack’s ears perked up in confusion while the five others all looked worried and even the three on the floor now attempted to pick themselves back up.

“Darn it… already?” Bubbles grumbled.

“What’s that?” Applejack asked, looking around.

“Come on, l-let’s go, forget the mare and the hotel!” The one she had checked into the wall said. Together he and his friends ran back to the busted window and they all started climbing out while leaving a perplexed Applejack behind.

She got her senses back when she realized that two of them had still taken her saddlebag. “H-Hey!” Applejack yelled and ran for the window just as they were all exiting through it.

She jumped through the window and came out into a dark alleyway, hardly able to see anything but she could hear their hooves clattering over the stone street. Applejack frowned and followed behind them and came out into the main street. And arrived at a hectic situation. For some reason about half the lampposts were unlit and there were sounds of ponies running all throughout Fire Vent around her, along with more whistles, shouting, and the sounds of fighting and glass breaking. It almost felt like a riot was going on or something. Under one lamppost that was still lit she could see two ponies fighting—one of them being a deputy she recognized.

The five who had come into her hotel room were trying to sprint away still so Applejack put everything else out of her head and ran after them. Thanks to four of them being a bit hurt they weren’t making very good progress and the one mare among them didn’t seem to want to leave them behind. Brisk Wings meanwhile was still carrying her saddlebag.

“Aint no way you’re outrunning me!” Applejack shouted and put some more power into her legs. Legs built through a lifetime of apple-bucking and doing the Running of the Leaves—they were more than a match for the other five ponies.

She practically just crashed into and tackled the whole group from behind, all of them falling and sprawling to the street right under a lamppost. Two of them quickly recovered and threw a couple of punches at Applejack that she stepped away from. Bubbles tried helping up Brisk Wings and the other stallion to make their escape.

“We’ll hold her off, doesn’t matter if the Sheriff arrests one or two of us!” One of the stallions fighting Applejack said.

“It’s better if you get her valuables!” The other said.

Applejack frowned. “Now that aint happening.”

She stepped forward and threw a haymaker at the nearest stallion, her hoof hitting him across the chin and sending him spinning around before he fell to the street. Knocked out in one. And she had held back too—these fellows may be trying to rob her but the whole time they clearly hadn’t wanted to hurt her. They couldn’t be that bad, right? They at least didn’t deserve any broken bones. The discarded hammer earned them that much.

The other stallion gulped, legs shaking as he stood between her and the others who were now trying to run again.

“I’m giving you the chance to step out of my way,” Applejack politely said to him.

He managed to stop his shaking legs and took a deep breath. “Sorry, can’t do that.”

“Fair enough,” Applejack sighed.

The stallion ran at her and she decided not to do anything fancy, pretty much just stuck out her hoof as he got closer and let him smash his face into it. He grumbled and groaned in pain before his eyes rolled back and he dropped to the street. However, he had given his friends a few seconds. And with how dark it was and all the chaos around her she had lost sight of them.

That wasn’t much of a problem though. Applejack had something else she could rely on in moments like this.

She closed her eyes and focused. The vibrations of all the hooves traveling over the street were easy to pick out as their ripples reached her. The faint differences between mares and stallions, between a pony carrying something and one not carrying anything, the distance and speed they were traveling. Applejack could sense it all. She let a tremor from her heartbeat spread down to her hoof, growing stronger and stronger, and unleashed it through the ground. It spread out in a circle and even with her eyes closed she could see the shapes of everything it hit—where the lampposts were, the buildings, the ponies. All became visible inside her head. Her echolocation was perfect. And it found the three ponies she was looking for. Their own vibrations came bouncing back to her, telling her where they were running and how far they were.

Applejack breathed in and out, feeling her lungs expand, and shot another much more focused tremor into the ground.

A small fissure cracked and broke through the surface of the street as the tremor shot towards its quarry. One stallion in particular the target. They couldn’t see it coming in the darkness and the stallion was taken by surprise when the tremor erupted right in front of his hoof as he was putting it down, a small pothole becoming his downfall as he twisted his ankle in the hole and crashed down with Applejack’s saddlebag. Her aim and timing of the tremor was just as perfect too.

Applejack grinned and opened up her eyes. “Heh, I still got it.”

She may not have had much of a use for Hoof of the Earth in her day to day life back in Ponyville, but a natural was still a natural.

Applejack then ran for them before they could recover and figure out what happened and get away with her bag. She would’ve liked to have potentially chased them down all the way but with everything going on in Fire Vent she would be okay with just making sure her bag wasn’t stolen. Whatever was happening here was bigger than just a few ponies. She had already knocked out two of them, if the Sheriff and his deputies could take them into custody and figure things out that should be good.

She reached them just as Bubbles and the other stallion were lifting up and helping carry along Brisk Wings between them. Their eyes met and Bubbles glanced at Applejack’s saddlebag—lying there.

“L-Leave it! Let’s just get out of here!” Brisk Wings said.

Bubbles clicked her tongue but acquiesced to his demand and the three hobbled away into the darkness together while Applejack picked up her saddlebag and swung it over her side. “There we go.”

She stood there and listened as for a few minutes longer the whistling and sounds of fighting continued—but started to die down as well. A frown stayed on her face the whole time, right up until a sudden revelation hit her and her eyes opened up wide.

“They were wearing the same clothes as everypony else… and they didn’t have masks on or nothing. They were just ponies from Fire Vent weren’t they?” She took off her hat and scratched her head. “Now I’m really just confused.”

Cops and Robbers III

“So aint nothing to worry about, huh?” Applejack glared into the face of the Lava Lily receptionist early the next morning.

“Uhh… sorry?” He smiled and shrugged.

“You’re lucky I aint greedy enough to ask for my money back—but don’t expect me to be spending anything else here,” Applejack huffed, shaking her head. “Who were those folk last night anyways?”

“I’m sure they weren’t anypony important, probably won’t be back either,” the receptionist looked away. “Don’t let it discourage you from staying here and spending the rest of your money in Fire Vent.”

Applejack groaned and dragged a hoof down her face. “Are you being paid to say that?”

He coughed. “I’d say closer to threatened than paid. But don’t worry about it.”

“Could you just—could you tell me where I can find Sheriff Crater right now then? If you’re not going to be anymore help,” Applejack asked.

“The jailhouse. Obviously.”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “And would you mind telling me where that is?”

The mountains and the volcano just north of Fire Vent were full of hidden paths, canyons, and small groves of trees that made them perfect to hide out in from anypony who didn’t know the land. In the past, nopony would’ve wanted to live here but the volcano no longer being active essentially just made it another pile of rocks. The hot springs heated up by the magma chamber and a few veins were the only sign of what Fire Vent was. So because of that, there was nothing stopping this particular group of ponies from using it as their base. In the way olden days, the ponies who first settled Fire Vent worshiped the volcano—things like hot springs or living or building anything on the volcano and the mountains around it would’ve been sacrilege. Times change and the ponies living here became more secular, there wasn’t such a taboo anymore. Though some did worry that what they were doing might invite some sort of divine retribution.

The dozens that had entered Fire Vent last night and dozens more who didn’t all lived together in this ramshackle place after abandoning their former home. Still wearing the traditional garb, not afraid for ponies down there to see their faces, they didn’t care who knew what they were doing. It wasn’t about just hiding. Tents, shacks, and buildings made of simple sticks and leaves covered the hidden base, along with pilfered food, tools, medicine, and valuables stolen from Fire Vent.

Last night and several other nights.

“Didn’t go as well as I wanted but at least we brought some useful supplies back,” Tephra said to himself as he walked around the camp. He bit his lip, stopping in front of a tent with a red cross on it. “She’s still imprisoned… darn you, Crater.”

Tephra opened up the tent and walked inside, where a mare was sitting next to a stallion lying on a small cot. The stallion had a bandage around his right front hoof.

“What happened?” Tephra asked. “I heard from Double Dare that you got hurt last night and the attack on the hotel went wrong. Ace and Golden are missing too.”

Brisk Wings and Bubbles both looked a bit ashamed and clearly didn’t want to answer but the stallion soon sighed and began to tell the tale.

“We uh… well, we got to the hotel but it turns out there was somepony staying there. And so we tried to steal her valuables but she… well she didn’t like that. So we got in a fight, some stuff happened, and I think Ace and Golden probably got arrested,” he grinned sheepishly, shrugging.

Tephra groaned and reached up his hooves to tug on his mane. “You idiots… you got in a fight with a visitor? Somepony not even involved with any of this? That’s not what we’re doing—in fact that’s the last thing we should be doing! Something like that is only going to hurt Fire Vent even more! What if she starts talking about this the next place she goes to?”

“We didn’t want it to go like that! It was just bad luck that we couldn’t knock over the hotel, and she was tough. We didn’t want to hurt her but she wouldn’t let us go without a fight,” Bubbles said.

“And Ace and Golden...” Tephra shook his head. “Well maybe they can at least keep Maggie company.”

“With what we’ve been doing you kind of gotta figure it’s going to hurt Fire Vent’s reputation anyways...” Brisk Wings muttered.

Tephra glared at him. “I’m not stopping. It’s not right. We’re not letting that control freak get his way, you all came here with me because you knew he was in the wrong. None of that has changed. Fire Vent was going to suffer no matter what, and you know what? I’d rather see the whole town burn to the ground and never have a tourist visit again than see it keep going on under his rule. Him and Al-Karamaretel are both going to get what they deserve one day.”

He turned on his heels and strode out of the tent, leaving an increasingly worried Brisk Wings and Bubbles behind.

Applejack was right about Fire Vent looking much prettier during the day than at night. The sunlight reflected off the colorful tops of the buildings and made them contrast nicely with the smooth, reflective, dark stone that made up most of the buildings. And she could fully approach all the maple trees planted in the streets, along with some fountains and other plants and bushes that she hadn’t seen in the parts of Fire Vent she had been to already.

However, the building she was standing in front of would not ever be classified as pretty no matter the time of day.

The jailhouse was a large two-story cube with an iron roof that immediately gave it a different look to everything else in Fire Vent. The windows on the second floor that she could see were all barred as well. Not really out of the norm for a jailhouse but she had to say that this one was a fair bit more intimidating than most she had seen.

There were two deputies, or at least ponies she suspected were deputies, standing around outside the front door. Watching her.

“Can I come in?” Applejack asked. “I’d like to talk with Sheriff Crater.”

The deputy on the right simply smiled at her and nodded. “Anything that would make a visitor from out of town happy. Head on in, he should be right at his desk in the front office.”

Applejack stared at the two of them for a moment longer before she walked on up and grasped the handle to the jailhouse’s door. “Guess there aint nothing to worry about for real then.”

The two deputies flinched and looked away. Applejack rolled her eyes and opened up the door, walking inside.

Considering what had happened last night, it was fairly quiet inside the jailhouse. There were several empty desks, no deputies inside that she could see. It was weird. After a bunch of ponies had attacked and ransacked the town, and probably stolen a bunch of stuff if what those ones that accosted Applejack last night were anything to go by, she figured there’d be more activity here. Applejack was just getting more and more confused. She was thinking of just asking Sheriff Crater for directions to Al-Karamaretel and getting out of here. But this place also seemed like it really needed help. Could she just leave it like that?

Of course not, curse her good nature. She shook her head thinking that all her friends would do the same exact thing. None of them would be able to just let things go like this. It wasn’t just what Discord said either but maybe this would prepare her for when she reached Al-Karamaretel too. If she figured out more and more of what was going on it might help. She already knew she wouldn’t just be able to walk in a straight line to Elysium’s View and ignore everything else. If there were problems she couldn’t avoid coming might as well get used to fixing problems like whatever’s going on in Fire Vent first.

And to start that she needed to learn everything she could from the Sheriff.

And she didn’t want to hear him say there was nothing to worry about.

The front office was easy to see since it was the only place in here with a closed door and a frosted glass window. Applejack pushed open the door and walked in without bothering to knock.

He was sitting behind his desk, pencil in hoof, writing—no, doodling—on a piece of paper.

Sheriff Crater glanced up as she entered and raised an eyebrow at her for a moment before he remembered. “Oh that’s right, you wanted to talk about directions first thing in the morning, didn’t you?”

Applejack flatly stared back at him. “I don’t know if you’re pretending nothing happened or just hoping I didn’t see or hear none of that myself last night.”

He shrugged and looked to the side. “Don’t have the foggiest idea what you’re talking about. Nothing happened last night. There’s nothing strange or unusual going on in Fire Vent. When you leave tomorrow be sure to spread the word about how nice of a place Fire Vent still is to visit.”

“Grr,” Applejack gnashed her teeth together, feeling a vein bulge in her forehead. “Five ponies. In through the window of the room I was staying in. Got in a fight with them and drove them off after they tried robbing me. Two of them were knocked out and I bet they were brought here last night.”

Sheriff Crater frowned. “Oh. I didn’t realize you were actually assaulted by them.” His nostrils flared as he tapped his hoof on his desk, thinking for a moment. “Fine then, I won’t lie to you about this anymore. You know what happened last night but it’s still not a concern of yours. I’d like you to still enjoy your time here and then spread the word about Fire Vent’s welcoming hospitality and all it has to offer. Now would you like me to write up directions on the fastest way to get to Al-Karamaretel from here?”

“No. I don’t right know what’s going on here or why yet but this town clearly needs some help. So let me help you with whatever your problem is,” Applejack offered.

“Help? Why? What’s it to you?” The Sheriff asked.

“Well for one I already got involved last night. And two it’s kind of just the right thing to do? I can’t just walk on past ponies in need. Who were those ponies anyways? They attacked me yeah but they didn’t want to hurt me or nothing,” Applejack asked.

Sheriff Crater snorted angrily. “Just a bunch of fools, thieves, and criminals who can’t accept change.”

“So this all started with the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel? Whatever they’re doing led to this?” Applejack pressed.

“We didn’t realize how bad it would be at first. The news about it came sparingly from a few random travelers and merchants who passed through Fire Vent. Something about the Citadel not allowing travel over its bridge lately. Ponies here figured there had to be a reason, or it was a temporary thing, or they were still letting small amounts of traffic through. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Business slowed down, then it slowed down even more and ponies started to get worried. We had a few locals who went around to other towns asking if they knew anything about the Citadel and how their own towns were doing. Nothing but bad news came back. Only the river towns were still doing any sort of real business and it didn’t have to do with the same kind we rely on. From the west everything dried up. Because ponies were hurting they were less likely to come here and spend their money on frivolous things. And all the while the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel continues to keep the bridge closed. We’ve never dealt with business being so dead for so long—even some seasons where a sickness spread through a lot of the west, or there was a disaster, or an unusual snowfall, it wasn’t as bad as this. Al-Karamaretel is killing us,” Crater finished.

“I’m sorry to hear all that. But why did these other ponies start doing what they’re doing? And if they’re from Fire Vent in the first place then where do they even live?” Applejack asked.

He scoffed. “Somewhere up in the mountains, hiding out there like the lowdown band of thieves they are. Never bothered to find them, what does it matter? There aren’t enough jail cells for them all and as long as I still run the town then that’s the important part. We don’t need a big fight breaking out here.” He shook his head in annoyance. “You want to know why they’re doing this? Because they’re idiots. You heard about our mayor skipping town didn’t you? Well he didn’t just skip town—he emptied the community safe, stole our emergency funds, and ran off to the City of Opportunity in the middle of the night once he realized how bad things were getting. Sadly enough that probably made him the smartest pony in town. But that put us in an even worse spot so I did what needed to be done—made myself Sheriff and took personal control over every business and public utility in Fire Vent.”

Applejack grimaced. “And I can’t imagine that going over well with everypony.”

Even Applejack, while she could understand the situation, wasn’t sure if she agreed with him. It felt too power-hungry in her eyes.

“Only the stupid ones who didn’t realize all they were doing was making things worse. In fact that’s still what they’re doing. Stealing stuff from town, breaking windows, attacking my deputies. Yeah, that’s going to help bring back Fire Vent’s tourism industry,” he clicked his tongue. “Selfish criminals, that’s all they are. It’s already bad enough when so many of the ponies still living here are just flat out unfriendly and unwelcome to visitors—as you yourself also experienced.”

“Yeahhh...” Applejack had to admit he was right about that.

“So it’s just more and more problems piling up one after the other. With what’s happened, even if Al-Karamaretel starts letting ponies across the bridge again it’s going to take Fire Vent a while to recover.”

“Did all this happen right when you took over or was there something else?” Applejack raised an eyebrow at him. “I can’t imagine ponies wouldn’t have been willing to sit down and talk first.”

“You’re right,” Sheriff Crater shrugged. “Sure, there was some resentment and complaining going on from the start, but it only reached a head when one mare tried breaking into our food stores. Naturally I arrested her. Of course her hotheaded husband and his friends didn’t like that. They tried to break her out by force and when me and my deputies repelled them, they gathered what they could along with some more like-minded ponies and left for the mountains. Idiots. I’ve still got her locked up, she needs to be an example to the rest, and I can’t cave in to the ones robbing from and making a mess of town.”

“All this feels like it just got out of hoof so quickly—y’all really just kept making the worst possible choices and refused to compromise at all,” Applejack sighed and shook her head. “Letting your dang ol’ resentment and dislike of each other make the situation even worse.”

“I aint letting morons who can’t see the big picture make things worse for Fire Vent. Now if you want to help by going up and cracking some skulls be my guest,” Crater said.

“I’m gonna talk to them and see if maybe I can get all of you to come to a compromise,” Applejack narrowed her eyes at him.

“Doubt that’ll get you anywhere, but if you want to talk so badly you can start with that mare up in the cells and those two others you apparently knocked out last night. Maybe from the two of them you can find where their hideout is,” Crater suggested. “Don’t expect me to come to the table even if you can talk some sense into their thick skulls when you get there.”

Applejack held back saying that that made him have an even thicker skull than the ones he was insulting.

“Fine. I think it’ll help to get the other side of the story,” Applejack said.

“There isn’t an “other” side of the story. There’s the right side and the wrong side,” Crater said. “Head out of my office and go up the stairs to the right. That’ll take you to the cells.”

“Thanks,” Applejack huffed and left. She had enough of talking to him for now.

Making it up to the cells was easy at least. There was only one deputy standing in front of the stairs and that was it. Applejack wondered how many deputies in total there were—and how many there were in that band of robbers—compared to the rest of the town. On the second story there was a row of cells down the hallway with a couple of small, barred, windows on the other side. In the first cell there were two familiar ponies that she could now see a lot better than in the darkness last night. As soon as Applejack walked into view the two of them perked up and gawked in surprise at her.

“You… what are you doing here?” One asked, a forest green unicorn with purple eyes and a short and frizzy pink mane asked.

“I’m more curious over who she is,” the other—a grey earth pony with a rusty brown mane and green eyes—said.

“I just wanted to talk to you both actually. And see if you were doing okay. Fight or not I didn’t want to hurt you too bad,” Applejack said.

“I get the feeling you could’ve punched harder if you really wanted to...” the unicorn said, rubbing his chin.

“Kind of our own fault for pretty much attacking some innocent gal from out of town...” the earth pony said.

Before Applejack could say anything else another voice came from a cell at the end of the hallway.

“Fight? Who got in a fight? Ace! Golden! Don’t tell me you got in a fight with some mare from out of town!” The hearty, feminine, voice loudly called out.

“Uhh...” Both stallions gulped.

“That’s gonna make Tephra real mad! Well, madder than he already is...” the voice sighed deeply. “Fire Vent doesn’t need that kind of bad reputation right now. Hello? Mare from out of town? Not many ponies come to the jailhouse, what are you here for?”

Applejack blinked and found herself walking towards the far cell. “I came to talk with you and see if maybe I can set things right here.”

“Well aint that a big undertaking. Lot of crazy ponies in Fire Vent nowadays,” the voice said.

Applejack reached the cell and looked in, seeing a young earth pony mare only a year or two older than her smiling back. She had a yellow coat and a hot red mane that seemed like it was practically glowing. Her bushy red tail swung about behind her like a dog and the mare gave her a friendly wave to greet her.

“Hey there! Name’s Hot Magma, but you can call me Maggie! Having a fun time in Fire Vent?”

“Um. Not exactly,” Applejack answered truthfully.

Maggie sighed, wilting in a way that reminded Applejack of Pinkie Pie. “Yeah, I understand. Things haven’t been good around here for a long while. It’s too bad my hubbie attacked the town again last night, it sounds like you wouldn’t have had any trouble if it wasn’t for that.”

“I was planning on enjoying your hot springs today actually...”

“Eugh… this is all my fault!” Maggie dragged her hooves down her face. “I never wanted any of this to happen, I just couldn’t stand that jerk and his absurd rationing! He didn’t have the right to take everything he did and decide what could be done with it. And now my husband’s just making everything worse! He’s just letting his anger get to him, and of course he wont talk with Crater or anypony else. Fire Vent is being torn apart...”

Applejack bit her lip. “I understand how you’re feeling, and I hope I can help.” She then raised an eyebrow at the mare. “You know you don’t come off like a normal thief by the way?”

“Hehe,” Maggie chuckled. “Well I was a little, um, let’s say peeved. Crater was going overboard with who was allowed to eat what and if things like cakes and desserts would be allowed at all. I was planning to steal some ingredients and bake up some nice stuff for the neighborhood children.” She shrugged. “Got caught, I’m a bad criminal I guess.”

“That’s a good thing though,” Applejack smirked.

“Well either way, I was breaking the law and stealing stuff that didn’t belong to me. But I think everypony else has really overreacted to the situation.”

“Yeah… well, I’m gonna go talk to that husband of yours now. I have a lot of experience with fixing problems like this to be honest. May not look like much but I know a thing or two about ponies getting along and being friendly,” Applejack smiled.

“You really don’t need to go through all that trouble. You’re just a traveler from out of town, aren’t you?” Maggie sadly looked back at her.

Applejack shrugged. “I am, but so what? Ponies in need are ponies in need. Just wish we could all sit around a table and drink cider together—that’d solve things real quick. I promise I’ll also try talking with Crater again and see if he’ll let you out of your cell, for now I’ve got a question to ask those other two.”

“I doubt he will but thanks for trying,” Maggie managed a small smile. “Oh! What’s your name by the way?”

“Applejack! Don’t wear it out,” she winked.

Cops and Robbers IV

Applejack stood back in front of the first cell again, flatly staring at the two stallions inside it. The two of them were shuffling about awkwardly and refusing to meet her gaze. And Applejack was running out of patience.

“I just want to talk with him and the rest of your friends. Can’t you tell me where your hideout is? I’ll find it anyways, believe me,” Applejack said.

“We understand that, but we still can’t just tell you,” Ace said.

“Oh for crying out loud—just tell her!” Maggie yelled from down the hall.

“Tephra is our friend, our leader, we can’t betray his trust like this,” Golden said.

“Well, I can respect loyalty like that at least,” Applejack sighed. “Even though I’d say he’d probably want you to listen to his wife. And you owe me partially for trying to attack and rob me.”

“You got us thrown in jail...” Ace muttered.

“And can you really blame anypony but yourselves for that?” Applejack raised an eyebrow.

They didn’t really have an answer for that. If they weren’t going to talk though, Applejack didn’t want to spend anymore of her time here. It already seemed like it might take a while to find where Tephra and the rest of the robbers were. And even more time to convince him to stop what he was doing. It was good she had met his wife though and learned how she felt, that might make things easier for Applejack. But she still needed to get there first of all.

“Well alright, I still know he and your friends are up in the mountains north of town, with all that activity last night I bet I can find a trail real easy,” Applejack said and started to walk away.

“Good luck!” Maggie yelled again.

Applejack smiled. “Thanks.”

She walked out of the jailhouse without so much as glancing at any of the deputies or Sheriff Crater’s office. Her mind had been made up after talking to them and the prisoners; nopony here was in the right. Ever since that mayor of theirs ran off, every one of them had just been piling up mistake after mistake on top of each other. It frustrated her something fierce. Why did ponies always have to be so silly? Applejack knew even her friends and the rest of Ponyville had their moments too. She just hoped she could get these folk to listen to her. Hardly anypony ever seemed to though.

Thanks to how well laid-out and gridlike the town was it was easy for Applejack to make her way from the jailhouse to the north side of town and then out of it. A few ponies saw her as she went by—locals who probably didn’t care less about what she was up to. That was fine with her, she didn’t need to talk with them or waste any time right now.

Though it did make her think about how many ponies here were really on the side of either the Sheriff or Tephra and how many didn’t care one way or the other…

How big was this conflict in reality?

Well, she could find out when she reached the hideout. Applejack was an outdoorsmare through and through but she didn’t consider herself a tracker and certainly not a hunter. She was hoping it would be easy to get on the robber’s trail. If not she did have a few unique ways of her own to find where they were but she preferred not to use them when she didn’t absolutely have to.

Part of the jungle stretched towards the foot of the mountains and Applejack followed along towards it. In her head she pictured where ponies running out of town would end up if they were trying to escape into the mountains, keeping her eye on the ground the moment she left the stone streets to see if she could see any hoofprints in the dirt. They had all made a quick escape, and a big ruckus, when they were leaving last night. There was no way there wasn’t some sign of where they had gone. Applejack knew their continued inability to be found was more the result of Sheriff Crater’s apathy than anything else.

She wondered if they had anything like guards, sentries, or even traps lying in wait in case anypony did try to come find them. Hopefully not but Applejack was going to be careful regardless.

“Considering how nutty everypony involved with this is I better not take any chances,” Applejack shook her head.

As she got closer to the mountains she saw that there were a number of paths going up them—which fit what she knew of Fire Vent. There had to be some old hot springs or other things that ponies would go up here for in the past. A glance up to the tops of the mountains and she still saw that they were obscured by low clouds. Which one was the supposedly dormant volcano? Actually, she kind of hoped nothing would happen that would let her know. The mountains themselves were actually pretty nice looking, with plenty of vegetation and healthy rocks and soil making them up. Applejack saw a few birds flying in the sky, just things to let her know that with all the problems ponies were going through, the world still went on.

One of the paths going up the mountains she saw was far more worn than the others. There weren’t just hoofprints but divots and grooves in the ground from where heavy things had been pushed and dragged up it.

Applejack rolled her eyes. “They aint even trying… all the crazy things I’ve been through, this is feeling more like your typical friendship problem than anything. Maybe Discord was pulling my leg about Elysium’s View or whatnot and this is where the map was leading me?” She snorted. “Naw, no way would I be that lucky.”

Applejack took a few breaths to ease the tension and began climbing up the mountain. The start of it was pretty simple thanks to the well worn path that even had some steps built in and a wooden guardrail to guide you up for a while. Applejack’s eyes though could see that eventually it disappeared into heavier brush, trees, and messy rock formations higher up. It looked like a place a pony could get easily lost in even without anypony doing something to obscure the right path. Applejack figured they must’ve been relying on the natural landscape itself to keep out intruders. Somepony could get trapped or turned around up here and lost for days. So maybe they weren’t just being lazy but were fully trusting in the mountains surrounding their home.

“Not bad I guess,” Applejack smirked. “Maybe I was a little too harsh first.”

Though it was unfamiliar to Applejack she had still been to many places like this before and wasn’t afraid of finding her way around. It was still easy to see where grass had been recently crushed and where dirt was freshly overturned. There were scuff marks in the rocks as if something heavy and hard had hit them at some point. All of this told Applejack she was still on the right trail. Her gut instinct and inner sense of direction hadn’t always worked out for her in the past but she wanted to trust them here.

Walking further along she was now totally inside the interior of the mountains, looking back all she could see was rocks and trees, the town of Fire Vent had disappeared from view completely. Ahead of her the path itself started to change from something clearly purposefully built to just a naturally formed “way” of walking through the mountains. But that’s also where it finally became harder for her to figure out where exactly all the robbers might be holed up.

It looked like there were a few different ways she could go. There was a forested area over some rocks to her right, a steep hill leading up to a mountain ridge that ran across to the other side of the mountain on her left, and a narrow crevice directly in front of her that looked like it sloped down a bit before ending somewhere further north. Seemed like the only place that could lead to somewhere where ponies wanted to live up here was the forest. But that could be the point. Maybe Tephra knew that looked like the obvious answer and his hideout was somewhere else.

“Aint gonna second guess myself,” Applejack said and started walking right to the forest.

Didn’t really matter much. If she got lost and had to find her way back here then so be it. She wasn’t on a time limit and if she had to search through these mountains all day then that’s what she would do. Getting started early in the morning left her with plenty of daylight and if it took more than one day she still had her tent in her saddlebag. Whatever other problems were out there west of here could wait too.

The forested area was thick but small, a lot of trees in a small area that Applejack struggled a bit to walk through. What she saw was reassuring though as a small mountain spring came down and through here. Water would’ve been a necessity to any group of ponies living up here—no way could they steal all they needed from town. Applejack figured she only had to follow the stream and shortly she’d reach Tephras’s hideout. That’s how she should’ve been thinking to begin with, she figured. Where would they have to be living up here rather than what would make a good hiding spot. There had to be some area flat enough where a large number could settle down too. Applejack would look harder for signs of ponies moving through along with where a plateau or valley could be nestled up here.

“Those two could’ve helped out and made this a lot easier for all of us...” Applejack shook her head. “I just don’t right understand ponies sometimes. Loyalty like that may be a bit respectable but whoever said it was always smart?”

Applejack sighed and put the thoughts out of her head, no need to get distracted. She walked along the gentle stream and followed it up over an uneven wall of rocks and boulders as soon as she got out of the forest.

What waited for her was only more rocky ground so Applejack wiped the sweat from her brow and continued following the stream. Her eyes though picked out several spots along the stream where deep indents in the dirt had been mad. Likely by ponies stopping to get a drink on their way to and from their hideout.

Following the stream though actually soon brought her to a dead end as the water seemed to be coming out of a wall of rock jutting out from one of the mountains. Applejack knew that wasn’t really the case though, it was just going through a hole at the bottom of the wall. Looking around she saw some boulders she could hop up to get over the wall and quickly ascended them. She wasn’t letting such a simple obstacle stop her.

Though she wasn’t as spry on her hooves as Pinkie Pie, or even Rainbow Dash, Applejack had to begrudgingly admit, she was still able to hop up easily and could look out over the landscape behind the wall.

What awaited her was a heavily forested valley where the ground was made up of several different, uneven, levels. There was almost no flat surface wider than maybe thirty feet across and that was Applejack being generous. It was big and spacious though, and dense enough where Applejack could hardly see anything stick out. The stream went north through it, going towards a mountain that sat at the back of the valley. Applejack could probably follow it and find her ponies—there was no doubt in her mind that they were hiding about in this valley.

“Big space though…” Applejack rubbed her chin as she made her way down the sloping side of the wall and onto the valley floor. She had time to spare but since she was here… “Might as well not waste anymore time if I can avoid it. Guess I’ll do this the easy way instead of the stubborn way.

Applejack stretched her legs, rotating them in their sockets, and cracked her neck before planting herself firmly on the ground. Taking a deep breath she held it in for a while before exhaling and closing her eyes.

A tremor, completely imperceptible to normal ponies, radiated from her body and expanded through the valley. When it bounced off rocks, trees, and anything else in the ground she got a perfect picture of it, just like before. Some of the more sensitive animals froze up or skittered away as the mysterious tremor in the ground reached them. Applejack stood still and focused on all of it, sending out more and more as one tremor decayed to get as clear of an image as possible. Soon a smile stretched across her face as she felt the things that didn’t belong here. Tents with stakes driven into the ground, rickety shacks standing up, ponies walking around and creating bouncing vibrations of their own. It was all Applejack needed.

“There you are,” Applejack stopped and opened up her eyes, turning her head in their direction.

It was impossible for her to physically see them with her eyes, but she knew exactly where their hideout was. Safely tucked away in this valley, it was a nice spot. They didn’t know she was here either. Applejack could tell with her Hoof of the Earth scouting that they didn’t have any lookouts or anything like that. They weren’t expecting a pony to come up here like this.

There was only a little more distance to cover. Applejack trotted over to where the hidden ponies were, walking through the brush, up ledges, past rocks, and hoping that they wouldn’t be too surprised that they attacked her when she appeared.

The closer she got the more she could hear too. Ponies moving and walking around, building or working on stuff, talking with each other. She didn’t need to rely on anything but her own two ears anymore. Hopping up another ledge she could see through the trees ahead that there was an open area coming up. The colorful flashes of pony manes became visible, red, pink, green, white, yellow. Along with more casual chatter.

Applejack saw a pathway in the grass, trampled by hooves hundreds of times, and put herself on it. Now she took another deep breath and strode on into the hideout in full view. It looked like it was made of several different areas scattered through this part of the valley, full of tents and ponies mostly taking up the flat spots that didn’t have any trees on them. Those ponies—still dressed in their typical Fire Vent garb—now looked at the stranger in their midst in confusion.

Once more, she was pretty out of place.

There were quite a few adults but not a small amount of younger children and elderly ponies as well. All in all it wasn’t just some ragtag group of brigands and thieves but an actual community they had in here. It’s a shame they were doing what they were doing or else it didn’t seem like too bad a life in this nice little valley with your friends. It just made Applejack think more about how this whole situation was a big mess between two sides that should really just be getting along.

Either way she had come here to talk to a pony in particular and so far all these ones were doing was staring hesitantly back at her.

Applejack broke the ice the way she normally did. She gave them a big ol’ smile and wave. “Howdy y’all! Would one of you happen to be Tephra?”

Cops and Robbers V

A bunch of eyes kept staring at her while quite a few of the ponies in the hideout started glancing back and forth at each other and speaking in hushed whispers.

Applejack didn’t let any of her dwindling patience show on her face. She kept that big friendly smile there because she wanted to make a good impression on these ponies. Show that while she was a stranger she was a friend too and nopony to worry about.

“Nice day here aint it?” Applejack said. “You all having a good time up in these mountains?”

“Y-You!” A loud voice came from by some of the tents.

Applejack looked to see a familiar mare standing there and pointing at her. She tipped her hat in greeting to her. “Hello there, Miss Bubbles. Maybe this time we can have a friendlier conversation?”

“Who is she?” A stallion asked, frowning. He and a couple others took a few steps closer towards Applejack.

Probably ponies that attacked Fire Vent. Applejack thought as she looked at them.

“She’s the one who was at the Lava Lily Hotel!” Bubbles said. “She hurt Brisk Wings and got Ace and Golden Grove arrested!”

“Now hold on—you all attacked me. I was just defending myself and trying to get my things back. And I aint here because of any hard feelings,” Applejack said.

“Tephra wouldn’t want us starting trouble with a mare from out of town,” another stallion said.

“That’s not what we’re about,” a mare said.

Bubbles and the ones who approached Applejack grimaced, looking dismayed and unsure of what to do.

Applejack decided to press on. “If you want to get Tephra I’m willing to wait here.” She sat down. “All I came here to do was talk with him. I’m just trying to help you.”

Bubbles scrunched her nose and furrowed her brow. “Fine… I’ll go get him. The rest of you watch her!”

“Thank you,” Applejack breathed a sigh of relief as Bubbles trotted off.

While she waited there now, most of the ponies kept watching her either out of suspicion or curiosity. Suspicion for the healthy adults, curiosity for the fillies and colts. Applejack politely waved back at any who met her eyes. All of them had probably gone a long time without seeing a pony who wasn’t from Fire Vent. And the way Applejack talked and the hat she wore might have made her seem even more foreign. Some ponies at least realized that she was just any other mare and got back to what they were doing before she walked in. Though a little more quietly and privately.

Before long, Bubbles came back with a stallion in tow.

Applejack stood up and stared face to face with him. Middle-aged with a silvery mane and a pale red coat. He had a smart look to him—together. But she could still see a hint of both wariness and the slightest discomfort in his eyes. He didn’t like that she was here.

“What can I do for you-?” He raised an eyebrow at her.

“Applejack. And you must be Tephra?” She asked.

“That’s right,” he nodded. “I’m in charge here, and I wanted to apologize actually for how my ponies behaved last night. We don’t have a problem with you—in fact we rely on ponies like you. I didn’t mean for anything like that to happen.

“I understand, and that’s not why I’m here,” Applejack said.

“Bubbles said you wanted to help us. I’m assuming you know what we’ve been through since the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel closed its bridge. And what’s happened more recently.”

Applejack nodded. “That’s right. And I’mma be honest with you right now. When I say I want to help you, what I mean is I want to convince you to stop all this and go back down to town.”

Tephra stiffened and quite a few of his followers swung their heads over to him to see how he’d react. More mumbles rippled through the crowd. Applejack however stood tall and strong, not letting anything get to her. She had to show she was both sincere and wouldn’t be cowed.

“I hope you aren’t serious about that,” Tephra said.

“Sorry, I am,” Applejack stated.

Tephra’s eyes narrowed at her. “Why would you even bother with this? What’s in it for you? You’re just some pony not even from here.”

“A pony can’t just want to help others? I heard about what happened—I’ve been in the middle of what’s going on. I’d like to help your town and that means helping all of you,” Applejack shrugged.

“Helping us would mean taking down Sheriff Crater and bringing things back to normal,” Tephra growled.

“I don’t like him either but… naw, things aint that simple. Frankly I don’t think either of you are really in the right,” Applejack said. “You’ve both let things get way out of hoof and stopped caring whether what you’re doing is actually good for Fire Vent or not. How many things have you stolen from town? How many windows have you broken just out of anger to punish them? Aint that just gonna make it less likely for visitors to come back, or like me, ruin their visit when they do come here?”

“We needed things from town, and if they refused to help and join us it meant they were going along with that petty control freak,” Tephra said.

“And so they were part of the problem? You knew what you were doing to them was wrong and not fair but it’s okay cause it was for a good cause?” Applejack pressed. “If you needed so much stuff from town doesn’t that also tell you that you can’t just live up here on your own—you’re still Fire Vent ponies.”

“I know that we’re not exactly “right”. But we can’t let some dumb fool do what he wants with Fire Vent either. That isn’t going to help things. He was the one who first started it all, saying that it was necessary, but it hasn’t stopped the decline at all. Everything he says is just an excuse to keep in charge, he doesn’t really care about Fire Vent like I do!” Tephra said.

Applejack rubbed the back of her head. “I don’t think that’s entirely true, he just has his own way of going about things. But look—I said I was here to get you to stop doing this and go back to town. I’m also going to talk to the Sheriff and convince him to relax too. I’m not on either one of your sides. I’m here trying to help you both and get you to come to a compromise for the good of everypony. I want you to come on down to town and you, me, and the Sheriff can all chat together.”

“And how do I know you’re not just saying all this? What if it’s a trap and you’re been bought off by him to lead me down there so he and his deputies can rush me? You already got two of my friends arrested,” Tephra suspiciously glared at her.

“Well I don’t have no way of proving what I’m saying is true or not. I can just give you my word and hope you trust me,” Applejack shrugged. “Though I think your wife would agree with me right now.”

Tephras’s eyebrows shot up and a much quieter voice then came from his mouth. “You met Maggie? Is she alright?”

“I’d say she’s taking things pretty dang well actually. She didn’t have nothing kind to say about Sheriff Crater either but she’s not happy with the way things have gone. I’m telling you she’d want you to talk things out and end it.”

“As long as she’s still imprisoned I won’t-”

Applejack cut off his angry shout with a raised hoof. “And that’s why one of the things I’m going to promise is that I’ll get Sheriff Crater to release her—and your two other friends for that matter. They don’t need to be kept in those cells, I know that. If I can convince him to let your wife free won’t you at least think about talking things out?”

Tephra bit his lip and ground his teeth back and forth. It was clear this was gnawing at him more than a bit. The other adult ponies around looked just as torn up and uncertain.

“I...” Tephra managed. “I’ll come and talk with him.”

A big relieved smile made its way across Applejack’s face. “That’s great to hear.”

“But not alone. I still don’t trust him—or you—so I’m not just walking into Fire Vent without any backup. We won’t start a fight or anything but I’m bringing along any able ponies with me,” Tephra said and looked around him at the others in the hideout. “You all hear that? We’re going to go talk with the Sheriff. No fighting unless he starts something first but I want you all on your guards. Hopefully we can end this all today and start helping Fire Vent.”

There were murmurs of agreement through the other ponies, including Bubbles. It seemed they were ready and willing to go along with Tephra. Applejack hoped cooler heads would prevail once she could get them talking and make them see the folly of what they were doing. Kind of ironic that everypony had to cool down right in the shadow of an old volcano.

Applejack smirked as they all got ready to leave.

When the group had come down from the mountains and started making their way to Fire Vent, it was no surprise that they were spotted. As Appplejack knew now, Sheriff Crater had a number of deputies on patrol at the perimeter of the town. They were all quite shocked to see the large group coming down here in broad daylight and they had run off to the jailhouse to tell the Sheriff what was going on. So while Tephra’s group waited, with Applejack standing out away from them, the Sheriff and his deputies gathered and came out to meet them in the flat and empty outskirts of town. Between the last line of buildings and the mountains—it was a place nopony was in control of.

A large group of ponies soon emerged from the town, walking to meet the brigands. They didn’t look like they were coming for a fight but they were clearly wary. And Sheriff Crater was leading them.

Applejack looked between the two groups—both about evenly sized at around fifty ponies. After reaching the hideout she wondered just how many ponies in total made up these groups? A glance at the dense town made her wonder how much they really represented things…

Sheriff Crater came to a stop and the deputies halted behind him as well. The older stallion huffed, looking first at Tephra and then over at Applejack. “Well, I suppose you weren’t just blowing hot air when you said you wanted to talk. I’m surprised you managed to bring him down here.”

“The talks are gonna end real quick unless you do something first,” Tephra growled at the Sheriff.

“Oh?” Crater raised an eyebrow full of derision. “And what would that be?”

“Hold up you two,” Applejack said, walking between them. “We don’t need things starting off all nasty like that.” She took a breath and looked at the Sheriff. “What Tephra wants, and what I want too, is for you to set Hot Magma free. And the other two for that matter. Aint no reason other than petty spite you’re keeping them in those cells and we both know it.”

“She’s a criminal! She started all this nonsense!” Crater barked.

“You had no right to do anything you did! My wife didn’t do anything wrong!” Tephra shouted back.

“Enough!” Applejack yelled louder than either of them. “You’re both right. Can’t you even see that this isn’t the kind of situation where one pony’s right about everything and one pony’s wrong about everything? It’s more complicated than that! You’re both being right fools! Everything bad that started because of Al-Karamaretel is bigger than simply taking control of everything and thinking you know best-” she shot a glare at Crater. “And it’s bigger than selfishly making things worse just cause you don’t agree with a pony.” She glared at Tephra. “You’re both right and you’re definitely both wrong too. And if you keep going down this path, Fire Vent aint gonna be nothing but an abandoned mess.”

She sighed and dragged a hoof down her face. “You’re both from here. You both love your home. So let’s be a little smart about this and put these grudges and all these past little grievances aside. Let’s talk. And to do that, it’d first be best if some ponies were set free.”

Both Tephra and Crater looked uncomfortable, annoyed, and angry. Possibly at themselves and not just each other and Applejack. The two of them kept staring angrily at one another but shifting their eyes back and forth every few seconds. Applejack was getting a little fed up with it and about to demand that one of them say something.

“Alright-” Sheriff Crater finally said. “I’ll have some deputies go and let your wife out, and those other two friends of yours as well. They’re all just taking up space anyways...”

Tephra bit his tongue, his hooves clenched and he squeezed his eyes shut. “Thank you.”

Applejack could tell how much effort it took him to say that.

“Whew...” She sighed in relief. There’s step one down.

While the rest of them all stayed out here, two of Crater’s deputies went back to the jailhouse to retrieve the prisoners. There was still a lot of tension in the air and this time Applejack didn’t break it. Everypony was staying quiet, staying on their side, and just waiting. Hoping for the best this time. Applejack could see plain as day there was a lot less enthusiasm in everypony besides the two leaders here. They were loyal to Tephra and Crater for sure but Applejack could tell they were wishing for a finish to all this chaos.

Shortly, the deputies returned with three familiar ponies coming with them. Applejack heard Tephra sharply suck in his breath and then watched as a huge smile lit up Hot Magma’s face and she started running right towards him the moment she saw him.

“Tephra!”

“Maggie!”

He held his hooves wide open and let her practically crash into him, swinging her around and kissing her deeply.

Applejack blushed at the loving display and had to sheepishly look away. “Shucks now...”

“Ace! Golden! Are you alright?” Bubbles asked her friends, making sure they didn’t feel left out while the two lovers continued their kiss.

“We’re fine, nothing much happened,” Ace answered.

“Well there you go, they’re all back safe and sound. What a happy reunion...” Sheriff Crater snorted, shaking his head at the display.

“You just let them have their moment, okay?” Applejack said to him.

He dismissively waved a hoof her direction but didn’t say anything else.

“I missed you so much,” Tephra said to Hot Magma after a second, holding her close.

“I missed you too… and it was boring in that cell,” Hot Magma said back to him.

Tephra frowned and, while still hugging his wife, looked back at Sheriff Crater. “I suppose we can get back to business now.”

“Wait,” Hot Magma said and reached a hoof to his chin, tilting his head back down to look at her. “Applejack must have told you how I feel about all this? I’m out now, Tephra. You don’t need to continue doing this. Let’s fix things for Fire Vent, let’s turn it back into a town where we can all live happily and where nopony has to fight one another.”

“That’s up to him!” Tephra angrily pointed at Crater.

“You can all do things my way or you can take a hike again,” Crater said back.

There was a lot more grumbling in the groups behind the leaders now. The thieves and deputies all seemed to be a lot less willing to fight after seeing the reunion and how angry Tephra and Crater still were. It was apparent they were hoping with Hot Magma’s words and freedom that maybe their leader’s would be willing to compromise a little more. But so far they were just shouting at each other again.

Tephra and Crater had walked up to each other and were face to face, yelling and trying to shout over the other. Hot Magma looked on with disappointment while Applejack shook her head in annoyance and dragged a hoof down her face.

“Can I ask something?” Applejack said.

The two didn’t hear her.

“Excuse me? Could the two of ya pipe down for a moment?”

They kept shouting, ignoring her.

“Oh for the love of—that’s it!” Applejack stomped a hoof on the ground and shot a tremor through it, shaking the ground beneath the two leaders and causing them to stumble backwards.

The both of them blinked in confusion and looked at her, wondering what had just happened.

Applejack smiled. “Right, now that I got your attention, I’ve been meaning to ask something.”

“What?” Tephra asked.

“Well—how many ponies actually joined up with you? Like how many been living up in that hideout?” Applejack asked.

Tephra frowned, thinking for a second. “About a hundred. Total. Including the kids and the elderly...”

“And how many deputies you got?” Applejack raised an eyebrow at Crater.

“Uhh...” he coughed. “Fifty in total or so...”

Applejack sighed and closed her eyes. “And how many ponies live in Fire Vent?”

“Around two-thousand. Give or take,” Tephra answered.

“So most ponies don’t care one way or the other?” Applejack opened her eyes and looked back and forth between the two leaders. “They’ve just been going along, ignoring most everything? How many ponies are really affected by this at all? Would they even know the real business between the two of you? To me it seems neither of you really represents Fire Vent or what’s best for it. You’re more like a couple of gangs with a silly rivalry. Hay—when I first came into Fire Vent I saw how apathetic most ponies were. They couldn’t give a hoot about nothing going on, I bet all they cared about was how business has dried up. And is anything either of you are doing going to fix that? That problem aint gonna be solved by what you’ve been doing. Whether one of you gets their way, most ponies in town are just gonna be drifting along, suffering and poor, until Fire Vent falls apart completely.”

Both Tephra and Crater looked a bit ashamed, confronted with how small what they were doing is. And looking back at their comrades they saw how lackluster their support was becoming.

“I tried to get ponies to take things more seriously and listen to me...” Crater mumbled.

“You think maybe your heavy-hoofed approach might have been a problem?” Applejack asked him.

“I didn’t want ponies having to listen to him. That was all,” Tephra said.

“And you didn’t make any friends with the way you went about it. You let yourself be too angry,” Applejack told him.

Tephra sighed and looked over at his wife. “Are we… are we really both just being stupid?”

Hot Magma had a sympathetic smile on her face as she shrugged. “Maybe just a little bit.”

“But it doesn’t matter,” Sheriff Crater said. “None of this matters, our problems aren’t going away so easily. Al-Karamaretel still isn’t letting traffic through. And as long as it isn’t, Fire Vent is never going to go back to normal.” He stared at Applejack. “You talk and you talk, but what’s your solution to fixing our real problem?”

“I’m going there. That’s my solution,” Applejack said.

“What do you mean?” Tephra asked.

“I need to go past Al-Karamaretel. So whatever’s going on there I need to solve it too. I don’t know how long it will take, but trust me that I’ll fix things. I promise things will get better for you again in the future, just give me a shot. I keep my word on things,” Applejack told them. “I will open up that bridge that the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel guards and I’ll make sure ponies can start traveling through the west again.”

“Well you’ve already helped out here a little, I think I might just believe you,” Hot Magma smiled.

“And I guess… I guess there’s no reason to make things worse,” Tephra sighed. “If you think you can solve what’s going on at Al-Karamaretel, I promise to not stir up any trouble with Crater here in Fire Vent. We can hold out. Even if things won’t be fun for the foreseeable future.”

Crater scratched his head, an uncomfortable frown on his face, but he nodded. “That’s… yeah that works for me too. Even if we disagree on some things I promise we won’t come to blows or do anything crazy. Things shouldn’t be any worse in Fire Vent than they need to be.”

“So it’s a truce then? A compromise for now?” Applejack asked.

“Yeah,” Tephra said.

“Yes,” Crater said.

Smiles and relieved sighs erupted throughout the rows of ponies behind the two leaders. Everypony was happy to see this outcome. Another step had been taken to fix Fire Vent.

Applejack breathed in and grinned as well. “Sometimes it really is that easy.”

The Long Walk

“If you want to get to the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel as quickly as possible… it’s unfortunate but travel there isn’t as consistent as it used to be,” Sheriff Crater said to Applejack as they spoke inside his office. “For obvious reasons.”

“A lot of ponies have gotten the news, or gotten a clue, that there’s no reason to travel there,” Tephra added.

All of them were in the jailhouse, Tephra and Hot Magma wanting to come along to make sure Applejack got the help she deserved. It was a simple thing but it warmed Applejack’s heart that they would at least come together for this. Most of the rest of the deputies had essentially gone home or gone back to doing what they were doing before deputization. And most of the brigands had traveled back up to the mountain hideout to clean up and bring the others back to town.

Crater nodded. “There used to be regular caravans going through Fire Vent on the way not just to and from Al-Karamaretel but a number of other places west of here. Now we’re lucky to see one a month.”

“So I’m going to have to make it there on my own, that’s what you’re saying?” Applejack raised an eyebrow.

“The good news is there are still roads going directly where you need to. You wont have to forge through a jungle, or walk through a desert, or ford a river. Nothing like that. The path is laid out for you—it’s just a long one and you’ll probably spend a good deal of it on your hooves unless you get lucky with a caravan later,” Crater said.

“Which isn’t out of the question,” Tephra added. “There are still caravans and ponies traveling to the Citadel. Just not as much. A lot of ponies are going there to try and make money off the ones stuck outside it or on this side of the canyon. There’s opportunity for that. And I believe the Citadel is still paying for food and supplies to be delivered to them from elsewhere. So if you want to try for that I think I’ve got a good idea of where you want to head to.”

“I think I know what you’re getting at—Station Ponywares,” Crater said.

“That’s right,” Tephra nodded.

“Station Ponywares?” Applejack glanced between the two of them.

“It’s an outpost past the mountains to the west. Not a real town or anything, but a junction that sits right at the crossroads of two major roads that go all throughout the lands here. Caravans stop there to resupply or rest up before continuing on wherever it is they need to go. It’s one of the few places west of the river that’s still doing its normal business. What happened with Al-Karamaretel has hurt it no doubt, but not enough to make the whole place shut down,” Crater explained.

“You get there and it shouldn’t take long to join up with a caravan making its way directly to Al-Karamaretel,” Tephra said.

“Okay then, that helps. So you got a map showing me where this outpost is? What roads do I need to travel down to reach it?” Applejack asked.

“I’ve got maps here, I can draw your path out for you,” Crater said and reached into a drawer on his desk.

Applejack’s eyebrows suddenly shot up. “Wait! Hold on a second!”

The other ponies in the room looked at her, startled.

Applejack ignored that and reached into her saddlebag, fiddling around until she grabbed the journal Twilight had given her. She walked up and plopped it down on the desk, opening it up to one of its blank pages. “If it’s not too much trouble—could you draw the route out here instead?”

“Uh, I guess?” Crater shrugged.

“Thank you,” Applejack smiled.

“You’re going to have to go up and through those mountains by the way,” Tephra said while Crater got to work. “There’s a road the whole way through and all but it’s still going to be a tougher trip than just walking here from the river.”

“Aint no problem, I’m used to tough trips,” Applejack shook her head.

“If you say so. There is a mountain village up there on the way that you’ll probably want to stop and rest at. Roc’s Nest I think is the name,” Tephra said.

“I’m putting that on the map too,” Crater said.

“Alright, if it’s a far enough walk I’ll probably want to stop there for the night,” Applejack agreed.

“Speaking of that—considering how much of your day has already been taken up, do you want to stay here another night and leave in the morning?” Hot Magma asked.

Applejack smiled at her. “Thank you, but no. I’d like to get back out on the road as quickly as possible. I have my own tent and everything, as long as there’s some soft ground out there I’ll be fine. Roc’s Nest’ll be different—might be a bit worn out after walking through the mountains.”

“Well okay, I was hoping I’d get to cook for you though...” Hot Magma looked down at the floor.

“Let her go, Maggie, sounds like she’s got a lot of ground to cover still,” Tephra said, putting a hoof over his wife’s back.

“Sure do. Would like to stay and relax some more now that things are, well, a little nicer here, but I’ve got a long way to travel. Even after getting to Al-Karamaretel I’ve got a really long ways to go. Not even sure how long, but long,” Applejack sighed.

“Best of luck to you,” Hot Magma smiled.

“And to you,” Applejack tipped her hat.

“I’m finished,” Sheriff Crater said, hoofing the journal back to Applejack.

She took a look at it, seeing the right side of the page marked with an “X” labeled “Fire Vent” and a line going left (west) from it up into some hastily drawn mountains. Another X was there and labeled “Roc’s Nest” while the line continued on down through the mountains and stopped at a final X helpfully and expectantly labeled “Station Ponywares”. It wasn’t the most detailed of maps but Twilight would probably appreciate having some new knowledge like this.

“I know it looks simple but you really only have to follow the one road,” Crater said. “There will be signs and ponies who can help you in Roc’s Nest too if anything comes up.”

“This’ll do just fine, thank you,” Applejack told him.

“Guess you’ll be on your way right now?” Tephra asked.

“That’s right. And I hope you all can get along even when I’m gone,” Applejack raised an eyebrow at them.

“We will. You’ve got enough on your plate to worry about without thinking of us,” Tephra said.

“He’s right. Have a quick and safe trip. And best of luck to you when you get to Al-Karamaretel,” Crater said.

Applejack took a deep breath and put her journal away, standing tall. “I promise that well before you hear back from me—you’re going to hear good news from the west.”

When Applejack walked out of Fire Vent on the western road leading to the mountains, she got a friendly goodbye from Tephra, Crater, Hot Magma, and quite a few others waving her away. From then on she decided to make as speedy progress as possible so she could get to those mountains and Roc’s Nest by tomorrow. The day was still pretty hot with the sun beating down on her and there was a decent amount of humidity in the jungle she was now traveling through as well. Not the ideal conditions for a long walk but she’d been through worse. The road at least was wide open and flat and nothing obstructed her path. Ahead she could see the mountains to the west of Fire Vent. Taller, bigger, and more numerous than the ones north of the small town.

Hopefully once she passed them she was more than halfway to the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel. She hadn’t actually gotten the word on how long it would take by caravan to reach it after she got to that outpost or whatever. Oh well, ponies there would certainly know.

And hopefully the climate would get a little more temperate once she was in those mountains. Going uphill like that, the least she could ask for is that things were a bit cooler. A little company might be nice too but Applejack somehow doubted that was going to change. Not out here. She doubted she’d see anypony on the road until she got closer to that station place. If Fire Vent’s decline was anything to go by, travel really was dead out here.

It just boggled her mind. She didn’t understand why the Citadel would do something like this if in the past they had no problem letting ponies to either side of the canyon. What was in it for them? She was clueless, there was just too much she didn’t know and couldn’t know until she actually reached it. Whatever was going on there she promised to stop it too. Or at least fix it.

“Really hoping things aint too bad. Like I don’t have enough on my plate right now,” Applejack shook her head.

Applejack patted her saddlebag, no new food inside it or anything. She wouldn’t have felt right accepting any sort of gift from the ponies of Fire Vent and she wanted to save her bits for when they were absolutely necessary. Especially after learning how valuable they really were here.

Well at least she had left two at the hotel. Maybe that was all the start they needed.

If it was Pinkie Pie… she’d be throwing a party with all sorts of balloons, confetti, and cupcakes pulled from nowhere. Applejack didn’t have that luxury so it’s not like she could throw a party for a town that was economically hurting as much as theirs. Though she liked to think that she had left it with a more festive air in town. And speaking of Pinkie, Applejack knew for sure that she did make some new friends. Spreading the real Equestrian magic around was something that always came pretty easy to her.

She walked on the road for a few more hours even when the sun began to set. Not tired yet despite the busy day she had had. Perhaps everything that had happened simply invigorated her instead, but Applejack was wanting to get the most out of the rest of this big day. Since the road was just a straight path for the most part without any other roads branching off, she didn’t have to worry about getting lost even when it became darker. Sometime at night she could set up her tent under the stars—doubtful that any problem would come up before then.

Though she was a bit hungry. Had she actually eaten anything today? In all the busyness she had kind of forgotten.

The road was nothing but dirt, no grass to munch on, and she didn’t want to go exploring into the jungle to look for fruit or anything edible. She had her emergency oats and that was it. Maybe it would’ve been better to accept or buy some food from Fire Vent now that she thought about it…

Eating the oats was out of the question. Roc’s Nest wasn’t far away enough for her to need them. She’d rather go hungry for a day than lose her emergency provisions—Applejack knew the importance of keeping them. Right now she had a map to follow, she knew where she was going, and she knew how long it would take to get to the next town. That was not the kind of situation where she needed to be chowing down on her oats. She’d save them for when she was lost in the middle of nowhere.

Which was probably going to happen sooner or later knowing her.

Applejack said. “Can’t tell if it’s pessimism or if I’m just being realistic sometimes.”

A couple more hours and the sun was gone completely while the stars twinkled in the sky, the moon already haven risen to take the sun’s place. It was a clear night sky, cool, pretty, and not so dark as Applejack was worried it could get. A nice night and a nice place for camping if she was being honest.

The jungle had also thinned out and the foothills of the mountain rose up before her. Tropical plants and trees gave way to evergreens and moss covered rocks. It wasn’t easy to see in the moonlight but Applejack was pretty sure she could see the road beginning to wind up into the mountains, going up a ridge and right between the two directly in front of her.

It should be an easy trip once she woke up in the morning. Which she planned to do bright and early.

Applejack stopped in the middle of the road after a little while and took a look around before nodding to herself. “Guess this is as good a spot as any.”

She set her saddlebag down and got out the tent, with practiced ease she got her little domicile set up in record time and threw the saddlebag inside. No pillow or blanket, just like before, and the ground wasn’t exactly soft either. But for now it was as good as home. Applejack yawned, and lied down, resting her head on the saddlebag. Might as well use it for a pillow if she didn’t have a real one. She stared up at the ceiling for a minute or two instead of just trying to go to bed first—imagining the night sky through the top of the tent.

The first real problem she had faced out here in the Undiscovered West had been solved. And yet the true mission the Cutie Map had sent her on was still far from complete. And it seemed there were going to be quite a few other issues she’d have to face before her Cutie Mark would start blink, blink, blinking again and send her home.

“Least I haven’t run into any ponies trying to destroy the world yet,” Applejack shook her head at Discord’s words and finally turned over, closing her eyes and shortly later drifting off to sleep.

When it came down to it, Applejack was finding her walk through the mountains far better than the walk through the jungle both to and away from Fire Vent. The lack of humidity and the cool breeze in the air were pretty much completely to thank for that. It was still hot out with the sun there above her but not agonizingly so, Applejack was used to working in summer and working up a sweat, so she probably handled the heat better than the cold, but like this it was the perfect balance. The road itself was easy to walk on, being a wide gravel path that could’ve easily handled the largest of carriages. It actually made it easier for her to walk on than the simple dirt road that it had been before.

As expected she hadn’t seen a single pony the entire time either. And it didn’t look like that was going to change. Things were quiet. Real quiet. These were some lonely mountains right now, Applejack walked alongside, by, and through a dozen of them, chugging along on the one road all the way to Roc’s Nest. A few critters and some old trees growing out the sides of the mountains were her only companions.

“Roc’s Nest… Roc’s Nest… why does that word sound familiar?” Applejack muttered to herself as she walked.

She had been thinking about it for a little while now. There was something tickling her in the back of her head, something about how she should recognize what that word was. But she couldn’t for the life of her remember. That eureka moment just never came.

Applejack shrugged. If she couldn’t remember it now it couldn’t be very important at all.

The one thing that she was disappointed by so far while going through the mountains though was she still hadn’t come across any food and she was really starting to feel that hunger now. It was hard to tell exactly where Roc’s Nest was here—all she knew was that she’d arrive there “today” at this pace. If it cost her a bit or more to eat then so be it. She doubted she’d get any free food from a place that was surely suffering as much as Fire Vent. She wouldn’t want to impose on them like that anyways.

As if to punctuate her worries, her stomach groaned. Applejack frowned down at herself. “Come on now, a little hunger aint no problem. Gonna be eating by the end of the day.”

Up ahead she saw the road continued to travel on the side of the current mountain she was on for a while longer—until it came to a natural stone bridge that led onto a plateau. Then the road went from that to in-between two smaller rock formations and disappeared from Applejack’s sight. If there was a village built up here there had to be plenty of flat space somewhere. Either that or everything was braced on the side of the mountain. That’d be a weird way to live in her mind though.

“Can’t be that far now though,” Applejack said as she looked up at the sky briefly. It was still relatively early in the morning thanks to her being such an early riser. Definitely not even noon just yet. But she had made so much progress since the moment she woke up.

Once she reached the bridge she took a look off the side of it, seeing it go down probably at least a hundred feet. Travelers would’ve had to be very careful if they were making their way up to Roc’s Nest. The plateau, now that she took a closer look at it, was very level even for something that was already flat. It looked like somepony had gone through a long time ago and cleared out any rocks or other obstructions, ponies might have used it as something of a rest stop before going further.

Applejack’s nose twitched. She had the suspicion that that might mean she was actually only halfway to Roc’s Nest. If there was a place to rest in-between the bottom of the mountain and the village, it only made sense for it to be at the halfway point, right?

Applejack reached up to take her hat off, wiping away the meager amount of sweat that had gathered on her brow. “Can’t be that far now.”

Sidetracked Again

The road through the mountains carried on as Applejack went up and down the hilly and rocky landscape in-between the large mountains. She had come out into sort of a valley that existed in the mountain range, full of evergreen trees, with streams of water visibly running down from some mountains. The air was thinner than usual though, telling Applejack despite the “normal” foresty look she was actually at a pretty high altitude. Straight ahead she saw the road curve slightly south as it went up a new mountain. Which made Applejack a little worried since she was no longer going straight west. But if that’s the only way she could get to Roc’s Nest and then Station Ponywares then so be it. The only other thing that really caught her eye out here was the large group of mountains slightly northwest. They were noticeably taller than any others she had seen in this range or the entire Undiscovered West so far. They even had snow at their peaks.

“Good thing I don’t need to climb over those,” Applejack whistled in relief.

She glanced up at the sky again: Noon.

“Has to just be right up around that mountain,” Applejack said. Perhaps trying to convince herself or force what she was saying into reality. “Right up around that mountain.”

There was another thing she was thinking about that she had kind of ignored until recently. What if these ponies weren’t friendly to outsiders? If they relied on travelers coming through here they probably would be but then again the ponies of Fire Vent should’ve been the same way. And Applejack saw how many of them were depressed, apathetic, and downright rude. If Roc’s Nest was in trouble they really might not have the patience or any friendly greetings to give some random pony walking from the east.

Applejack sighed, she was just going to have to believe in the kindness of ponies.

“Not everywhere can be Ponyville though. Can’t expect Sweet Apple Acres hospitality from everypony either,” Applejack muttered.

There was that dang ol’ pessimism again. More times than not in her life she figured whenever she went someplace new that the ponies or other creatures she met were perfectly good and upstanding folk. But the bad times had a way of sticking out in your mind more than the good. And Applejack had learned to never count on her luck. She couldn’t even win a game of cards to save her life.

Applejack made it to where the road started to curve south around the mountain, picking up her pace a little bit. She wanted it to be well before evening or even late afternoon before she got to Roc’s Nest. The more time was left in the day, getting there before ponies were winding down to either eat dinner or go to bed, the better luck she would have. So Applejack trotted along briskly, her hooves pounding against the gravel road.

She heard the loud cry of a bird overhead and looked up to see what looked like a large eagle flying north. Applejack only got a small glimpse of it before it disappeared from sight.

The next minute and she was finally rounding the mountain and could look on to the next one the road traveled by.

And her eyes widened as she finally saw her next destination.

It was like a big chunk had been taken right out of the mountain and buildings had been constructed or carved in the empty space, going up closer to the peak or down to the base in four distinct levels while the road went right through the middle of them and continued on west. She had never seen a town quite like this before. It was almost like a reverse Canterlot, constructed inside the hole of the mountain instead of on the side of it. Just much smaller and not as pretty of course. The buildings were mostly made of stone but Applejack saw plenty of wooden ones as well. The roofs were triangular in style, constructed with wooden shingles and brick chimneys poking out of some of them. Most buildings too were of average size, no skyscrapers, no huge warehouse-like things, the architectural style and location may have been totally different but the feeling it gave off was similar to Ponyville. A small, close-knit, and just a bit out of the way sort of place.

“Well I’ll be, guess I’ve found Roc’s Nest,” Applejack said as she stared at it.

There was the nagging issue that right now she didn’t see anypony wandering the streets outside, but she was still far away and there was plenty of the village hidden away by its own buildings. She wasn’t going to worry about nothing yet.

Instead Applejack inhaled through her nose and nodded before walking down the road and across to the next mountain. It was time to get up there, say hi, get some food, and then get a good night’s sleep. In that order.

Once she made it to the carved up mountain and stood right on the boundaries of town, she stopped again and took a look around first. There really weren’t any ponies out. None that she could see yet. But the buildings and everything looked far too nice for the place to be abandoned. Were they all inside for some reason? When she went to take a step into town—something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention first. There was something half-buried in the dust and gravel off the side of the road.

Applejack walked over to see what it was and immediately frowned.

A wooden sign. Broken in half at the stake. She picked it up and read: “Roc’s Nest” right across it.

She could do nothing but shake her head as she put the broken sign back down. “Why can’t signs ever be good?”

She wasn’t going to take it as too bad an omen though. Fire Vent’s welcome sign was in just as bad shape and that town was perfectly alive. This sign was probably just another victim of apathy and a lack of travelers coming through. Far be it from her to complain about the ponies of Roc’s Nest just not having it in them to do anything about it during rough times like this.

So Applejack walked into town and looked from building to building, trying to spot any ponies. She noticed that most windows had wooden shutters covering them—all closed up. It made her think even more that for whatever reason all these ponies were staying bunkered down in their homes. Did she just go walking up and knock on random doors? Did she find a bench to sit on and wait for ponies to come out? Did she go looking around for any signs of what was going on? Applejack was starting to get frustrated. And hungry.

Her hooves stopped at an intersection where another road bisected the main one she was on and went both up and down the tiered village. Turning around in a circle a few times she looked as far as she could into the buildings but still didn’t come up with anything new.

Applejack shook her head and was about to continue on-

“Psst! Hey!”

A whispered shout came from her right and Applejack looked down the road to see a mare sticking her head out an open window, holding the shutters open with her hooves. She had a downright angry frown on her face as she glared at Applejack.

Before Applejack could gather her wits about her the mare clicked her tongue in frustration. “Hey! What are you doing out there? Get in here right now!” She slammed the window back shut.

Applejack furrowed her brow, confused, but able to tell that that mare was mighty serious about something. She ran for the building—a single-story home by the look of it—and politely knocked on the front door. Immediately she heard a lock being unlatched and the door swung open, with Applejack then being pulled inside.

“Geez! What’s the matter with you?!” The mare said as she practically spun Applejack into her living room and locked the door back up. Turning around she glared at Applejack once more. “Don’t you know it’s dangerous out there right now, haven’t you—wait.” The mare stopped in the middle of her sentence and blinked. “Who… who are you? I don’t recognize you.”

“I’m confused,” Applejack frowned and shook her head. “Uh, I mean my name is Applejack. I was just passing through here.”

“A traveler?” The mare’s eyes widened. “Haven’t seen any in ages.” She scrunched up her nose, a frown still on her face, and almost begrudgingly lifted up a hoof for Applejack to shake. “My name is Alpine Climb, nice to meet you.”

She was an icy blue mare with a snow-white mane pulled back in a tight ponytail that seemed to almost yank on her scalp. Her coal-black eyes made the glaring she had given Applejack even more pronounced.

Applejack grimaced for a second but decided she still should just be polite. “Pleased to meet you too. You mentioned something about it being dangerous outside? Are the other ponies here okay?”

“Everypony’s okay so long as they stay indoors. The rest of the village knows what to do,” Alpine Climb said. She raised an eyebrow at Applejack. “What do you know about Rocs?”

“Umm… not so much as my friend Maud, but I know they’re harder than dirt and all,” Applejack shrugged.

“Not rocks, you dolt. Rocs. The giant birds of prey? The Rocs in Roc’s Nest?” Alpine Climb frowned.

“Oh,” Applejack blinked. “Ohhh, I knew that word sounded familiar. Twilight told me Spike almost got ate by one of them once...”

“So you didn’t know anything about them and yet you’re still traveling through here?” Alpine huffed.

“I’m from far away. And I heard this was the fastest way to get to the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel,” Applejack said.

Alpine Climb’s eye twitched.

Uh oh. Applejack gulped.

“Al-Karamaretel? Al-Karamaretel! That blasted Citadel! It’s all their fault that all these horrible things have happened lately! First we lose all our business and now we fear for our lives every day! Ever since trade dried up we’ve just been suffering non-stop! What business do you have with that place?” She walked up and grabbed Applejack. “Huh? You working with them or something? Maybe you’ve got something to do with everything being stopped!”

“Hold your horses right there!” Applejack yelled and yanked the mares hooves off her. “You’ve got it all wrong, Miss. I aint ever been there and I don’t know why they’ve done what they’ve done. I just need to travel past the Citadel to the other side of the canyon.”

Alpine Climb frowned, searching into Applejack’s eyes and trying to discern if she was telling the truth or not. “Okay… I guess it’s probably unlikely you’re working for them at least.”

“Thanks for giving me the benefit of the doubt,” Applejack rolled her eyes. She looked around the interior of the room they were in, noticing the locked up windows on every wall. “Uh, if we’re going to be in here for a little while, do you mind telling me what’s happened in Roc’s Nest? If it aint any trouble.”

“Tch,” Alpine Climb clicked her tongue. “I don’t really care to humor you but I guess it’s better than standing around and talking about the weather. Take a seat if you want.”

Before Applejack could, Alpine had already hopped into a chair. So Applejack took a seat on the couch opposite her.

“Roc’s Nest was named after the huge birds of prey that live on the higher peaks of these mountains. They’ve never really been a problem, typically they don’t target adult ponies, and our ancestors viewed them as majestic fliers or some gobbledy-gook like that,” Alpine Climb started. “They usually don’t even fly out to around the village. Well that changed a few months ago. Maybe they could sense the fear and desperation in the village, or maybe they could sense something else on the wind, like the whole world is messed up. But they started harassing and targeting us practically every day. They’re big and strong, and we don’t have any weapons, all we can do is hide from them like this when one or a flock are spotted coming near. I don’t know how, but I know they can tell something messed up is going on in these lands. They can feel how screwy things have gotten since Al-Karamaretel closed the bridge.”

She clicked her tongue again and frowned, staring off at the wall. “And those big dumb birds are just one problem. Hay, they’re just a symptom of the bigger problems. Even if it wasn’t for them it seemed like we we’re going to have to abandon Roc’s Nest soon enough anyways.”

“What do you mean?” Applejack asked.

“Look at where we are. Do you think a village like this can survive on its own? We rely on trade. And now that’s all dried up thanks to those Al-Karamaretel scumbags,” Alpine Climb angrily grit her teeth.

“I’m really sorry about all that… I just came from Fire Vent and they’re going through the same thing. I’ve heard a lot of places are facing trouble like this thanks to what’s changed at that Al-Karamaretel place,” Applejack sighed. “You don’t know why they’re doing what they’re doing? Are you just as in the dark as Fire Vent was?”

“No clue,” Alpine Climb shrugged. “The rare traveler that’s come through after being turned away or given up at the Citadel hasn’t been able to tell us why either. And it’s not like we’ve sent anypony of our own to figure out what the problem is.” She frowned. “Tch, Fire Vent? That vacation spot under the volcano? We’re worse off than they are—we don’t have the natural resources around us that they do, and we’re not as close to other towns.”

Applejack wasn’t about to get in a match about who was worse off. Neither of these places were her home or anything to begin with. And Alpine Climb’s foul attitude was wearing on her anyways.

“You said things were already bad even before the Rocs started attacking?” She asked, curse her politeness and need to help ponies.

“Yeah. Because shortly after trade started to dry up—flu season hit. We ran out of medicine, normally we get plenty of it from caravans and other merchants passing through. But not anymore. We had to start relying on old recipes made with medicinal herbs passed down for ages, but we even ran out of all that stuff too not long ago. It’s not just because of the Rocs that there weren’t any ponies out there, half the village is sick and can barely leave their homes to begin with. At some point or another we’re really going to have to send for help or just take everypony and leave the village altogether. But we just don’t have the money. We mainly let travelers stay here, get food and board for free, and they’d trade us what we needed in return. So we don’t have the money saved up for anything now,” Alpine Climb shook her head. “What a mess we’re in.”

“Uh, I take it you don’t have extra food to share with a traveler in need then?” Applejack winced.

“Certainly not for free,” Alpine Climb narrowed her eyes. “If you’ve got something to give us first—or a lot of money—then perhaps we’ll have something for you too.”

Applejack sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. “I’ve got some, yeah...” She frowned just slightly at the other mare. “But I think I’d like to meet and talk with some others from Roc’s Nest first.”

“Hmpf, fine. I know I’m not exactly the nicest mare you could’ve first ran into around here. I can introduce you to our apothecary—she’ll tell you all the same though. And even though there might be some kinder ponies here in Roc’s Nest you’re still not going to be getting anything for free. Hospitality or not, we can’t afford to just do stuff like that,” Alpine Climb said.

“That’s fair enough. When can we go out and meet them?” Applejack asked.

“Actually, I’d say it should be-”

Ring ring ring ring ring!

“Right about now,” Alpine Climb said as she hopped out of her chair while a loud bell continued to ring.

Applejack nearly had to cover her ears. “What the hay is that?!”

“That’s our bell, if it’s ringing it means the Rocs are gone for now and it’s safe for ponies to come out again,” she snorted. “Don’t expect to see many actually do that though. Even the ones who aren’t afraid or sick probably don’t see much point in actually leaving their homes. There’s no telling when those birds might be back either. Tch, welcome to Roc’s Nest.”

“Good to know at least...” Applejack muttered as the ringing finally stopped—though phantom echoes still rung in her ears for a bit anyways.

“The apothecary is just up the road, on the top level of town. Should only take us five minutes to get there from my home,” Alpine Climb said. She then went around her living room and started unlocking the windows, letting them open up like normal and airing out her house. Sunlight poured in and if it wasn’t for the hard frown on the mare’s face her home would look downright cozy right now. As she went to unlock the front door, she stopped and turned back to Applejack, raising an eyebrow at the other mare. “Why are you so curious about all this stuff anyways? Why do you even care? If you’re going to Al-Karamaretel then Roc’s Nest should be nothing more than a day’s stop for you. If even that.”

Applejack furrowed her brow, staring at Alpine as if it should’ve been obvious. “Well you’re in trouble, aint you? And if you need help then I’d like to help out however I can.”

Alpine Climb snorted. “Well unless you want to climb a dangerous mountain that’s home to dozens of giant deadly birds of prey in search of rare medicinal herbs, there’s not much you can do for us.”

To Alpine’s surprise though—a look of consternation came across Applejack’s face as she chewed on her lip and looked up at the ceiling before finally sighing deeply and hanging her head low.

“Aw dang it.”

Mountain Medicine

Alpine Climb banged heavily on the front door of the building she had led Applejack to. “Hey! Open up in there! You’ve got guests!”

The door suddenly swung open before Alpine’s hoof could hit it again.

“Enough already! Geez!” A frazzled mare wearing glasses standing in the doorway shouted. She fixed her eyes on the mares in front of her and frowned at Alpine Climb. “Oh, if it isn’t Alpine Climb, the last pony I ever want to see. Oh wait—the last pony anypony in Roc’s Nest wants to see.”

Applejack’s eyes slowly glanced over at her companion. She was beginning to think Alpine Climb wasn’t the most popular of ponies.

“Yeah, yeah, but look—it’s not just me. We’ve got a visitor,” Alpine said and nodded to Applejack.

“Visitor?” The mare adjusted her glasses and looked at Applejack again. “Oh! Y-You’re from out of town, aren’t you? What brings you here and how can I help you? Things are a little hectic in Roc’s Nest right now, I apologize for shouting earlier.”

Applejack was also now beginning to think that Alpine Climb’s attitude was not indicative of how the rest of the ponies here were.

“How about you let us come inside first? And then we can talk,” Alpine Climb said.

“Yeah alright...” The mare sent another curious gaze to Applejack before stepping aside and holding the door open. “Come on in.”

“Thank you,” Applejack said and walked inside with Alpine Climb.

This home—or perhaps home and business now that Applejack got a better look—was bigger than Alpine’s. For one it had two stories, with a nice wooden staircase built in the center of the building going up to the second floor. The rest of the downstairs was constructed in a circle around the stairs, one room going into the next and so on. The mare led them through the sitting room, past a kitchen, and into a library overflowing with shelves of books. A pair of tall windows were built into the northern wall, giving Applejack a nice view of the rest of Roc’s Nest and the mountains beyond. It was also a pretty mess home, she couldn’t avoid that. Books, papers, quills, pillows, utensils, and other trinkets littered the floor. There were a number of cabinets that had all their drawers pulled out and empty, while empty wooden boxes were stacked up on several tables as well. This was the home for the kind of mare that just didn’t have time for cleaning up. Applejack couldn’t fault anypony for that. There were more important things to worry about.

The apothecary stopped in front of the windows and almost gestured to her guests to sit down before realizing there wasn’t any place to. She had a leafy green mane and tail that fell about in locks, orange eyes, and a spicy mustard coat. She brushed some of her mane out of her eyes and smiled at Applejack. “Right—my name is Herbal Remedy, apothecary of Roc’s Nest, it’s a pleasure to meet you Miss-?”

“Applejack,” Applejack smiled and held out her hoof.

“Miss Applejack,” Herbal Remedy said and shook it. She glanced at Alpine Climb. “You wouldn’t happen to be the first mare she met here, are you?”

“Sure am,” Alpine said with a knowing smirk.

Herbal Remedy groaned. “I have to apologize again then, Applejack. Alpine Climb is… not who we’d like to be our welcoming committee.”

“What she means is everypony here thinks I’m a jerk,” Alpine Climb laughed.

“You are a jerk,” Herbal Remedy frowned.

“Well uh, I did kind of figure that...” Applejack rubbed the back of her head awkwardly. “You still called out to me and helped me back there though.”

“I thought you were from the village,” Alpine Climb shrugged.

“Right. But thanks anyways,” Applejack rolled her eyes.

“You got here at a bad time then...” Herbal Remedy said. “Right as we were all in hiding from the Rocs. That could’ve been dangerous for you too, but I guess you were lucky. Hmm… were you coming from the east or the west?”

“East,” Applejack replied.

Herbal Remedy raised an eyebrow at her. “Then I assume you’re going to the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel? And not coming from it?”

“That really the only place a pony would be traveling to if they were going west through these mountains? Aint there other places?” Applejack asked. Somewhat surprised that Herbal Remedy had guessed it right off the bat.

“Certainly are, but when things in the world are the way they are, you get a feeling that the only ponies out traveling like you are going to the place everypony is talking about.”

“Well… you’re right. That’s where I’m headed,” Applejack frowned. “Not the place I’m stopping at—but I need to get past it.”

“Whatever business you have there I won’t force you to share. I was hoping that maybe you had come from it though and had some news for us. But I guess nothing’s changed,” Herbal Remedy sighed.

“Haven’t heard anything myself that you don’t already know,” Applejack said.

“Mm...” Herbal Remedy noncommittally grunted. She gave both Applejack and Alpine Climb another look. “Well hold on—why’d you bother coming to my place then? What are you here for? I don’t have anything that I can help you with, in fact I don’t really have anything at all. Roc’s Nest is in dire straits right now...”

“Heh, that’s the thing, Herbal,” Alpine Climb grinned.

“I’d like to help you,” Applejack said.

“Help us? How? Why?” Herbal Remedy was perplexed.

“Hey—let’s not look a gift pony in the mouth,” Alpine Climb said, walking up to Herbal Remedy and putting her hooves on her shoulders. “The mare wants to help us out here so let’s let her. She says she’ll go journeying for the medicinal herbs you need to deal with the flu going around Roc’s Nest.”

Herbal Remedy frowned and shrugged Alpine off her. “Stop that, and don’t be rude. We can’t let her do that—the only place those herbs can be found is practically where the Rocs… nest. Ugh, why does our village have to be named something so confusing right now!” The apothecary shook her head and stared at Applejack. “Either way, the right herbs can only be found on the high mountains. It’s far too dangerous—no, suicidal—for any mare to go there and attempt to get them. There’s no way I can let a stranger put herself in danger like that just for our sake.”

“Yes you can, you just don’t want to,” Alpine Climb rolled her eyes.

“And you are really not setting a good example for the village,” Herbal glared at the other mare.

“Look-” Applejack interrupted them. “You don’t need to worry about me so much. I’m used to doing dangerous, and honestly just downright dumb, things if it means helping others while doing it. And you ponies clearly need a lot of help. If I can help, I will. And you also don’t need to worry about me not getting nothing out of it either—cause I could use some food and a place to stay until I’m ready to head back out on the road to Al-Karamaretel.”

“That wouldn’t be too much of an issue...” Herbal Remedy said before grimacing. “Well, the food situation isn’t good either but it’s better than the medicine one. If you actually get those herbs for us I’ll gladly trade you some food and a bed for the night in exchange for them.”

“Just what I wanted to hear!” Applejack smiled.

“Uh, I still have to recommend you not go and search for those herbs. It’s pure insanity. And you’re only one mare, what if something happens to you? I don’t know where you’re from but it must be somewhere crazy if you’re just up and willing to risk your life over some strangers,” Herbal Remedy said.

Applejack’s eyes searched up at the ceiling for a moment. “Somewhere crazy, huh? Yeah it is, but I like to think it’s also just about being a good pony. A little kindness and generosity can go a long ways.”

“If you say so—we really do need those herbs anyways...” Herbal Remedy shrugged.

“See?” Alpine Climb grinned and poked her in the side.

“I’ll head out there and gather them up as quickly as I can now. Not a moment to waste by the sound of it,” Applejack said.

“Hold on, there’s a mountain pass that leads there that Alpine can show you. And also you need to know what you’re looking for in the first place,” Herbal said and looked around the floor before spotting a specific book and picking it up. “Here we go.” She walked up to Applejack with it and held it open for the mare so Applejack could see as she flipped through the pages. It looked like an encyclopedia of some sort—pictures of flowers and plants with all sorts of writing Applejack couldn’t begin to decipher flashed by.

“Aha!” Herbal Remedy finally stopped on a page showing a long and spindly looking shrub of a plant with needle like leaves and a pink and yellow flower sprouting on top. “This is what you’ll need to find. Common name is Icebane because it somehow grows in cold climates where it shouldn’t be able to. Grind up a few of these and we’ll have enough flu medicine for the whole village. Try and memorize—actually.” Herbal Remedy frowned and tore the page straight out of the encyclopedia before hoofing it over to Applejack. “Just keep that with you.”

Applejack quizzically looked down at the page before raising an eyebrow at the damaged book. “That alright?”

“Nothing I can’t fix up later,” Herbal Remedy dismissively waved a hoof around. “Now, from what I know about the Icebane that grows up there, you won’t find it until you get pretty close to the mountain peaks. It’s going to be high up, unfortunately. That’s what my predecessors have wrote about it. And even more unfortunately, it will be very close to where the Rocs roost.”

“Should also give her a bag so she can carry as much of that stuff as possible when she finds it,” Alpine Climb said.

“Right, right, the saddlebag you’re already wearing looks full enough,” Herbal said.

“Yep,” Applejack nodded.

“I’ll get a bag for you then and I guess you can be on your way as soon as possible. Ugh… this is still so dangerous. Are you sure you want to do this?” Herbal asked.

“What are you trying to get her to change her mind for?” Alpine Climb scoffed.

Applejack ignored her and placed the page on Icebane into her own saddlebag. “I’m sure. Don’t worry about me, you all just stay safe while I’m gone too.”

“You’re certainly an unusual pony… let me get you that extra bag,” Herbal Remedy said.

While she went into another room looking for one, Applejack glanced over at Alpine Climb. “So you’re going to show me where to go from here?”

“Yes. I’m not going that far though, unlike you I don’t have a death wish. I’ll show you how to get on the path and that’s it,” Alpine said.

“You’ll still gladly take my help though?” Applejack raised an eyebrow at her.

“You’re the pony offering it,” Alpine shrugged.

“And you’re acting mighty silly for somepony who has nothing to do but benefit from what I’m doing.”

Alpine Climb’s brow knit together as she thought about that. “Well… I suppose.”

“Found one!” Herbal Remedy shouted and came back into the library with a duffel bag. “Plenty of carrying capacity, take it.”

Applejack did so and put it on, letting it hang off the opposite side from her saddlebag. Thankfully she was strong enough where wearing it and carrying it when it was full wouldn’t be an issue to her. Might as well be light as a feather. She smiled as she adjusted it to make it a little more comfortable. “There we go. I don’t think there’s nothing else, can get moving to those mountains about now.”

“Best of luck—for your sake and ours I hope you make it back soon,” Herbal Remedy said.

Applejack was about to reassure her once more when her stomach rumbled, a loud groan easily heard by the two other mares in the room.

A blush spread across Applejack’s face as she tried to cover it with her hat in embarrassment. “I uh… I don’t suppose that maybe I could get a small bite to eat first before I head out there?”

With a cup of tea and a biscuit later, Applejack and Alpine Climb left the apothecary and made their way north on an old trail that led to the tall mountains that the Rocs nested in. Or roosted at. Or anything that made it less confusing with what this village’s name was. Along the way, Applejack had actually seen a few more ponies outside in Roc’s Nest. But only a few. And they were mostly opening up windows or cleaning around to make sure nothing was discarded when they all went running for cover earlier. If they saw Applejack they smiled and waved—before wincing when they saw her traveling companion. So Applejack was now sure at least that the village was a nice place. Just not every pony in it was nice.

“You’re gonna become a real hero here if you actually bring those herbs back,” Alpine Climb said as she led Applejack down the narrow path. Her eyes constantly searched about every which way—but especially above.

“I don’t care about that, or getting any praise or glory, I just want to help you out,” Applejack said.

Alpine Climb looked over her shoulder at her. “So you’re not going to run off and ditch us after getting a little food then? That wasn’t the idea?”

“No,” Applejack frowned. “You’re a rather negative mare, aint ya?”

“So I’ve been told,” Alpine shrugged. “I like mountain climbing, I like my village, and I like myself. Recent events have put a strain on a few of my favorite things. Excuse me for being angry.”

Applejack didn’t respond or allow herself to get dragged into another argument with the mare. In truth, she felt the mare kind of had a point and certainly had a right to be angry. Applejack didn’t think those were excuses to be a bad pony or rude to others, but it was at least a situation she could sympathize with. After all, plenty of pessimistic thoughts and worries about her farm and family had gone through Applejack’s head over the years. She probably wouldn’t be able to keep up a sunny disposition if something had happened to Sweet Apple Acres either.

So as they walked, Applejack glanced around the narrow path, seeing what else was here up in these mountains. Behind them the village of Roc’s Nest and the carved up mountain it sat in got smaller while to her left and right the rocky hill sloped downward at a steep angle until it ended in a pair of small valleys. A few scant trees were the only sort of vegetation down there, it wouldn’t be pleasant to accidentally take a tumble and fall down.

Least it wasn’t cold here. Yet. Applejack knew that the higher she went up to find this “Icebane” the chillier things would get. Cold air, snow on the ground, an actual mountain peak’s climate would have nothing but cool things about it. These smaller mountains that Roc’s Nest sat snuggled in were little more than hills in comparison and the sunlight was all they needed to stay warm. Something like a winter coat might’ve helped her out quite a bit, she should’ve asked for one of them too. Going by her name and her obvious profession—Alpine Climb must’ve had extra but of course never offered any.

The mare ahead of her was staying quiet again, merely checking things out and also probably aware that any further words at this point would turn into a loud argument. That was fine. Applejack got enough of arguing purely from Rainbow Dash existing. At least Applejack could count on her professionalism and wariness. That mare didn’t want to slip and fall anywhere or get picked off by a Roc either.

Up ahead the narrow ridgeline path they were on ended at a big rock formation that sat pretty much right in the middle between Roc’s Nest and the taller mountains. From what Applejack could see the path went into a tunnel, or maybe just a covered archway, that Applejack couldn’t see the other end of just yet. But unless you had tools or wings there was nowhere else a pony could get to by heading this direction.

An unamused chuckle threatened to come up from Applejack’s throat. Now how much easier would things be for these little Friendship Missions if I could fly?

Nothing could make her want to be either a unicorn or pegasus over an earth pony though. It was all just wistful thinking.

Soon they reached the big rock formation and Applejack saw that the tunnel the path directly led to went up higher and through it, with light pouring down from the exit on top. There were stairs carved into the stone as well as a wooden railing hammered into the side of the wall for ponies to easily travel up it. Something the ponies of Roc’s Nest must’ve made long ago. Without a word, Alpine Climb led her up it and Applejack followed. Upon reaching the end of the stairs the two of them came out onto a flat summit on the northern side of the rock formation. Alpine Climb and Applejack standing there and looking towards the looming mountains. Before them was a series of plateaus, small mountain peaks, and several canyons and valleys that all led to the guts of the larger snowy mountains.

Alpine Climb turned to face her. “This is as far as I go. But just keep walking from here and you’ll find your own way up. Climbers and others have made plenty of paths up and around those mountains in the past. You’re sure to find Icebane if you just keep going up once you reach them. If you make it that far.”

“Well thanks for bringing me this far I guess,” Applejack frowned and looked at how much further she still had to go.

“It was your decision, not mine,” Alpine Climb shrugged and started walking back to the stairs. She paused, gritting her teeth and looking up at the sky before glancing back at Applejack. “Just some advice though—I’d watch the skies if I were you.”

The Trouble of Being Applejack

Applejack looked at the page from the herbal encyclopedia Herbal Remedy had torn out and given to her once more. Doing her best to familiarize herself with the appearance of Icebane. She didn’t want to go all this way only to accidentally walk past it without recognizing it. At least thanks to the little flowers that were supposed to be on the apex of its stems it should stick out pretty well. The mountain was likely going to be mostly snow and rock, so a dash of pink should be easy to see.

She shook her head and put the page back into her bag. “There’s about a hundred ponies I can think of more suited for something like this.”

But they weren’t here and the ponies of Roc’s Nest needed her help anyways. Might’ve been an easier task to focus on if she had gotten to meet with more of them and really spend some time in the village—but the situation just didn’t really allow for that. She might’ve accidentally caught the flu that was spreading if she stayed there for too long.

And Alpine Climb might’ve caught a black eye if she actually did follow Applejack all this way.

Instead Applejack was alone as she craned her neck up and looked at the tall mountain she stood before. It had taken some time to get here after Alpine Climb had ditched her, but thankfully the trip was uneventful. No giant birds had come down to try and eat her at least. But it was late. No matter what now she wasn’t going to get back to Roc’s Nest before tomorrow morning. She had spent too much time walking and talking today and though she was a little worried about setting up her tent here considering what was supposed to live up on those peaks, there was nothing she could really do about it. All she could do was find a cave or somewhere where she’d be hidden from view from above. Then she could get back on her mission to find the Icebane before the crack of dawn tomorrow.

It just wasn’t safe to keep traveling right now. Not when she wasn’t sure if she was going to be able to find a safer place to set up camp higher on the mountain.

“Good thing it still looks easier to climb than if I was trying to make it up Mt. Everhoof,” Applejack said, rubbing her chin and examining the middle point of the mountain she was standing at.

Alpine Climb had been right, there were a lot of noticeable paths up and around the mountain. Easy to climb ledges, sloping paths that had clearly been carved out long ago, even if they were cracked and worn down now. She could see rock bridges and ledges higher up, all the mountain peaks crowded close together and would make it easy for her to travel from mountain to mountain if she couldn’t find the Icebane on the first one. Though she didn’t know how easy traveling up them would actually be—not with those birds there.

She couldn’t see or hear any of them right now, they must’ve stopped for the day. But she knew they were somewhere up there. Resting. Waiting at their nests. When they inevitably saw her… Applejack wasn’t entirely sure what was going to happen.

“No use worrying about it right now, better just sleep and get a good night’s rest,” Applejack shook her head and went looking for a fitting spot to set up her tent.

She found a small nook in the side of the mountain that would do—the ground would be rough and uncomfortable but there was nothing she could do about that. Applejack quickly got to setting the tent up and threw her stuff inside. Before just going to sleep though, Applejack took out the page one last time and looked at the Icebane again. Hopefully when she found it there would be more than a single plant around. Applejack knew from the bag she had been given and what Herbal Remedy said that they wanted at least a few individual plants. Probably needed at least that much to make enough medicine for the village. After all, even if they had enough to cure all the currently sick ponies, that didn’t mean that more couldn’t get sick later too.

Applejack sighed and folded the page back up, putting it away. “I’ll find you tomorrow.”

There was a cold breeze in the air the next morning. Enough to cause wisps of hair from Applejack’s mane to billow about her face. Her tent was packed away and she stood in front of the first of many ledges to climb up while pre-dawn sunlight peeked over the horizon. Applejack stretched her hooves one by one and then finally cracked her neck to get all the kinks out after sleeping on the rocky ground. Good thing she was used to roughing it.

“Here I come, Icebane,” Applejack said and hopped up the first ledge, then the next, and eventually found her way to a winding path that led up the side of the mountain. All the while she also kept her eyes on the sky and her ears perked up. She knew she had caught a glimpse of one of those birds while walking to Roc’s Nest. She didn’t want to suddenly find a sky full of them.

So her pace was a bit slower than she normally would’ve been going. And she stayed pressed up against the side of the mountain to try and look as indistinguishable as possible. Even though her orange coat probably made her stick out like a sore hoof anyways. The rock that made up these mountains was all grey and blue granite and soon enough she’d be walking through snow and ice. There was no way her luck was good enough to avoid being spotted by a bird of prey that already had to have way better eyesight than hers. Applejack knew that. She was just going to have to do her best to avoid them and hope that they didn’t come out her way while she was somewhere that she couldn’t hide.

“Everything just a big ol’ problem,” Applejack muttered.

The wind got worse the higher she went as well and soon Applejack was fighting against it, lifting a hoof up to block it from blowing directly into her eyes. Snowflakes came with it and peppered her mane and coat even though there was no snow and ice actually on the ground yet. They would melt in a second at this altitude.

C-Crack!

Applejack froze and looked up the moment she heard the sound from above. The shifting and tumbling of rocks as they rolled down the side of the mountain. On a ledge high above her she saw a few pebbles falling down. Something had displaced them. She didn’t see anything else though. No other movement, no other sounds.

“Wind couldn’t have done that,” Applejack gulped.

But as she stood there, still, nothing else happened. She kept staring up at the same spot, waiting for something else to move. She didn’t want to be the one who started up again first.

Her patience wore out not before too long though and Applejack slowly started her walk back up the mountain. If something was watching her then so be it. She still needed to get the Icebane. Now she barely watched where she was walking anymore—instead she almost kept her eyes focused entirely on the sky. Those birds, if one of them was responsible for those rocks, surely knew how to sneak up on their prey without making much sound. She couldn’t afford to take her eyes off the sky for more than a second. If Rainbow Dash was anything to go by then something with big and powerful wings could swoop down and grab her up in an instant.

She had to be extra careful with her hooves now though—and sometimes she couldn’t help looking away from the sky when she needed to climb up something.

Everything really was just a big problem right now.

But perhaps luck was smiling down on her just a little bit. The weather lessened up slightly the further she went, there was still wind as there always would be at this altitude, but it no longer carried snow down with it and the sun was now out high enough where she could see everything easily and even get warmed up a little depending where on the mountain she was. And now she was going through a crevice in the mountain that mostly shielded her from the sky above. Something would have to be perched right above the crevice and looking down it to see her walking through, so Applejack could take a slight breather.

She was unfortunately still a little hungry and thirsty. The past few days she practically hadn’t had anything. Even the biscuit and tea she had yesterday was now almost a full twenty-four hours in the past.

Not the hungriest she had ever been but it was making this a little more difficult than it would normally be. As soon as Applejack got out of the crevice she peeked around very carefully, checking up and down the mountain and all the nearby ones, getting a grasp of where she was. And then looking up.

Empty skies still.

Both a good sign and a bad sign. Applejack was getting the suspicion that those birds were well aware of her and were intentionally keeping out of sight. One moment there’d be nothing and the next she’d look up to see a dozen of them circling her. They were probably waiting for her to go somewhere they knew about, where there would be no place to run or hide. Applejack hoped that she found the Icebane well before she traveled anywhere like that.

Speaking of, she had hardly seen any vegetation at all. There were some other shrubs, some moss growing on the rocks, a few decrepit trees with their roots barely hanging onto the side of the mountain. But no flowers, no herbs, nothing that came close to looking like the Icebane. The higher she went up she’d probably see less and less as the snow and ice became more common. That was actually a benefit though, it would make the Icebane even more obvious.

So since she still didn’t see any signs of danger she left the crevice and started walking up the mountain once more. It was now high enough where a light dusting of snow covered the ground and some of the rocks had a thin sheen of ice on them. Applejack had to be even more careful about where she stepped and had to keep her eyes doubly peeled for the sky and for the herb that should be growing around here. If it wasn’t for how much colder it was getting she might be sweating a little. There was definitely a nervous feeling rising up in her chest. The air—the atmosphere of the whole situation was changing the higher she went and it wasn’t just because the air itself was thinning. No matter what though, she never saw anything or heard anymore rocks being disturbed. A pony with a worse sense of self-preservation and survival skills would actually think they were alone and okay up here right now.

Come on, its gotten icy now, that plant has to be around here somewhere. Applejack thought, no longer wanting to speak out loud.

She climbed higher as the mountain got thinner, already up at the highest quarter of it. There became less obvious ways of forging ahead, less places to climb up, less paths that had been traveled by other ponies before her. The mountain started to become more broken and jagged, there were ledges and outcroppings she couldn’t see above, taller rock formations that shot up almost like miniature peaks themselves.

Applejack walked slower.

Applejack walked quieter.

Applejack looked at the sky—and for a split second scanned the ground.

She repeated that and repeated that and repeated that.

While she walked by the edge of the mountain she briefly looked down to see how high up she was. That was a mistake. Applejack certainly didn’t consider herself to be afraid of heights but she didn’t exactly love being up here either. She tore her eyes away from the drop and continued walking on. When she rounded the next corner on her winding way up the mountain, she had to freeze.

She had come out onto a flat ledge, a summit close to the mountain’s peak, that was surrounded and covered in gigantic bird’s nests.

They were empty but that still didn’t make Applejack feel any better.

Applejack gulped, first checking the sky again, before she walked over to the nearest one. Carefully she put a hoof into the nest and felt the bed of twigs that made it up. Still warm…

That also was not a good sign.

She still had to find the Icebane though and the Rocs weren’t here so there was nothing to do but carry on. Applejack walked past all the nests and started walking up a ledge of rocks that led more into the center of the mountain. Snow now fell regularly around her and the rocks were slick with ice but she held on easily enough. Her heart was beating a bit harder in her chest than it had been before. She noticed that but couldn’t exactly stop it. Applejack could really almost physically feel the mounting sense of dread around her. Though she had certainly fought and overcome more dangerous things than a few big birds she didn’t like to go through any of it. Fighting for survival wasn’t her idea of a good time.

When she made it to the top of the ledge though she finally came across the spot she may have been looking for this whole time. A flat part of the mountain surrounded by large pillars of rock with a bed of snow covering it and a long dead tree in the center. That wasn’t what drew her attention though.

There were plants poking out of the snow. Just barely thanks to the fresh snowfall, but they were there all the same. Healthy and alive despite the climate, Applejack felt her heart race as she ran over to the ones she saw. As soon as she got to the nearest one, Applejack dug it out of the snow, using her hooves to scoop the snow away and throw it behind her. Once she saw the plant sticking up freely out of the rocky ground she pulled out the page from Herbal Remedy and gave it a final look.

Spindly twig body, needle like leaves, icy climate, pink flower on top.

This was it. She had found the Icebane.

“Whew,” Applejack sighed in relief and dragged a hoof across her forehead. “There we go now.”

Trying to not break it or lose any of the roots, Applejack very carefully pulled it up from the ground. She didn’t know if all of the plant had the same medicinal use or just one specific part of it so she was going to make sure she brought the whole thing. That went for any other Icebane here. Of which she thankfully saw plenty of—dozens of them on the snowy ground. Applejack went from one to the next, excavating them all and depositing them in the bag she had been given. She wanted to fill the thing up if she could and it looked like there might have been enough Icebane for her to do that.

Her hooves were getting a little numb from digging through the snow, the only real issue, but she was too happy to dwell on that. Going by the words of Herbal Remedy she had found more than enough Icebane for Roc’s Nest.

“This is great, I’ll be able to get back before sundown too,” Applejack smiled.

There was one last Icebane plant to dig up over by the dead tree in the middle of this snowy field. Applejack went over to it and pulled it out after moving the snow away, sighing in relief as she deposited it in the bag. Patting the now full bag she sat down and took a deep breath.

“Time to head back. Hope it’s easier to get down this dang mountain than it was getting up it,” Applejack said.

Rustle rustle—thump

Applejack frowned.

“Yeah… aint no way it’s that easy, is it?” She said as she looked up and all around her.

Sitting on all the large pillars and rocks surrounding the snowy field where she had just harvested the Icebane were well over a dozen birds that dwarfed her completely. Dwarfed even the largest bird she had ever seen Fluttershy care for. The only flying creatures she could think of that would’ve regularly been bigger would’ve been grown-up dragons. Their sharp and powerful talons grasped the rocks and let them stand there easily with their wings folded as they peered down at her. Their beaks were just as sharp as their talons and it almost looked like they could open wide enough to swallow her whole.

That wasn’t half as bad as the way they stared at her. Vicious, predatory eyes that didn’t see a pony, only more prey. They only saw Applejack as a thing to eat.

And now she was up here, stuck between all of them, in the middle of their own territory.

“You birds are making a big mistake, let me just tell you that,” Applejack said to them—not sure if they could even understand her, but wanting to at least attempt to warn them and end this without any trouble. “I don’t want to hurt you. But I’ll defend myself if I have to. So let me just head on down off the mountain, and you can go back to doing your usual thing. That sound okay? I’m not prey. You’re gonna regret it if you try and come after me.”

The Rocs’ heads tilted and they chittered as she talked, a few of them glancing at each other and ruffling their feathers. There was no fear on their faces—only confusion. In the next moment they refocused their full attention on Applejack and the flock spread their wings, leaving their purchase they dove down at her.

No Good Deed

“Don’t say I didn’t warn ya!” Applejack yelled as the flock of giant birds dove down at her, their sharp beaks and talons primed to grab her and tear her to pieces.

She slammed her hoof down on the ground and sent out the most powerful tremor she could. Instantly all the snow shot up like an explosion had gone off and the Rocs had to stop and scatter as they lost sight of their prey. Snow fell about them as they flew in circles around the field, making sure not to collide with one another while the powdery fog obscured their vision. The birds were surprised and confused by what had just happened. No pony had ever done something like that before.

But it wasn’t enough to dissuade them. It was still just a pony and she was in their territory. They couldn’t possibly let her escape.

Finally the snow collapsed back to the ground and things were quiet and still once more. The Rocs opened their talons and prepared to go in-

She was gone.

The Rocs squawked in disbelief as the field was completely empty of any ponies. Those squawks changed to screeches of rage that echoed throughout the mountains as they flew up high and went searching for their prey. It was only a moment, she couldn’t have gotten far.

And meanwhile—on the other mountains—the screeching brought forth more Rocs, telling them that it was time to hunt.

Huffing and puffing, Applejack ran at full speed down the mountain. She ran past the nests, ran down the side of the cliff, ran back right where she had come from. Forget about taking things slowly or taking things safe—Applejack needed to get out of here.

“Why does stuff like this always have to happen to me?” Applejack asked herself in frustration.

It wasn’t long before her smokescreen escape was made futile though, Applejack heard powerful wings soaring through the sky, accompanied by high-pitched cries as the flock of Rocs came for her. They were done being stealthy and letting her walk herself into a trap. Now they’d come after her like the true aggressive hunters they were. And from the sounds of it there were a lot more than just the dozen or so she had seen coming.

Movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention and Applejack briefly glanced north while she ran down the mountain. There were Rocs coming from farther away. From all across these big mountains.

“Kicked the hornet’s nest didn’t I...” Applejack grumbled.

A far louder screech accompanied by the sound of rushing wind told Applejack she was in imminent danger. She looked up just in time to see a Roc diving for her, talons outstretched and looking to grab and crush her against the rock all the same. Applejack sucked in her breath and ducked low while jumping forward at the same time. The Roc’s talons sailed right over her head, right over her hat, and Applejack went sprawling to the ground, sliding down the icy rock and almost right off the edge. The Roc itself slammed into the side of the mountain—its talons gouging out deep slices into the rock but not finding anything else.

Applejack picked herself up while the Roc flailed about and tried to come at her, flapping its wings to keep from losing its momentum. Applejack couldn’t pay it any extra attention whatsoever though—there were three more Rocs now diving at her from above. They were keeping close to the side of the mountain, flying down parallel to it and pretty much directly on top of her. They wouldn’t strafe by her and give her the opportunity to jump out of the way, they were going to land on and crush her.

Then probably eat her.

Applejack had to stop them. And the fact that they were flying so close to the mountain gave her the perfect weapon. She gathered another tremor in her hoof and unleashed it into the side of the mountain, sending it upwards and having it explode right when the Rocs were flying by. The side of the mountain blasted apart and shot rocks and detritus into the flying trio of Rocs, broken pieces of granite ranging from pebble to pony-sized smashed into them, their bodies, their heads, their wings, and knocked them off-course and away from Applejack while they roared in pain. The other Rocs that had been circling saw what had just happened and hesitated for a moment. The flight or fight instinct was kicking in, but it wasn’t enough yet.

As Applejack turned and started running back down the mountain with the brief moment of opportunity she had, the birds regained their fierce desire to get her. They weren’t afraid of her just yet. They didn’t see her as too much trouble yet. She was still only prey.

Now the other Rocs had reached this single mountain and the multiple flocks swarmed about it at all elevations. They circled the mountain in search of the single pony who had dared entered their territory and now sought to get the best of them. Applejack at this point had made it down to the crevice, doing her best to evade the huge birds of prey. She could hear them all out there, their noises growing louder, the flapping wings growing far more numerous. There was no time for her to plan or worry about the fact that she was about to enter the open again and be easily spotted by the Rocs the moment she left the crevice. She just had to go fast and get out of here.

Hopefully the birds would learn their lesson after the next couple of times they tried to eat her. If not she was looking at a long and painful run to the bottom of the mountain. She didn’t want to have to do any worse to them than she had to—just make them stop chasing her. But depending on how persistent they were…

Applejack jumped out of the crevice and slid down another path as fast as she could. Pretty much instantly the Rocs were upon her with all their talons and beaks. That was actually not entirely to their advantage though. There were so many now and they all wanted to be the one that devoured the reckless and disrespectful pony that had invaded their territory. They ended up fighting with each other, nipping at each other with their beaks, clawing with their talons, getting in the way of each other. After all there was only a small amount of open space around Applejack, the whole flock couldn’t fly around easily.

Applejack didn’t take it for granted, she kept running.

One Roc came at her from the front as she rounded the mountain with its big talons open wide for her. She couldn’t duck under it so she put her powerful legs to work and jumped over it. Going airborne for a second and surprising the birds with her agility and her fearlessness. She was wide open and defenseless in the air like that. What if one of them had swooped in and grabbed her? And yet Applejack safely came down behind the large bird and kept running.

More flew at her this time, getting an opening in the huge flock. This time there were too many coming where she could actually avoid them like normal. Thankfully though, Applejack saw a ledge below her and a few more outcroppings down the mountain and got an idea. As soon as the Rocs got close she let herself fall down towards the ledge off the side of the mountain while leaving another exploding tremor behind. The moment the ones coming for her reached where she had been—the edge of the mountain exploded and showered them in rocks.

Applejack landed on the lower ledge in a second and instantly hopped off it for the next while more Rocs came at her.

And just like the others they got treated to a shower of rocks as the ledge she had just been standing on exploded. Applejack couldn’t help but grin as she heard their surprised squawks when they found the gift she left behind. It kept going like that, with Applejack jumping from place to place as she recklessly descended down the side of the mountain and using her Hoof of the Earth to create explosions in the rock. The Rocs even started to be more wary of diving right for her despite the large number of them still gliding around her.

Some still came at her while she was in the air and before she landed on her next spot—so Applejack reached back and tapped her hoof against the side of the mountain to send a tremor ahead of her that blasted away her next ledge before she landed on it. The Rocs had to fly back to avoid all the rocks but Applejack too then had to duck her head in and took a tumble before she finally landed on a lower level of the mountain. Flat and broad, she could no longer jump from place to place and the Rocs had more space to dive at her.

Applejack stood up, bruised and dirty, and warily looked around her. Several Rocs landed on the mountain around her, encircling her while others stayed in the sky above. Surrounded completely now. The Rocs that had landed were just as wary as she was though, they kept their wings folded in and didn’t move in on her just yet. Each one stared at her with its own sharp eyes either waiting for her to make a move or waiting for one of its braver comrades to go in first.

They were just animals, they didn’t know if she would or could cause more of the ground around her to explode.

They were scared. Applejack wanted that fear to be enough to drive them off, but it still looked like they weren’t giving up just yet.

She took a deep breath, still breathing a bit heavily, and stalwartly planted herself in the middle of them. Making sure they saw that she wasn’t running or scared of them at all. “I’m giving you birds one last chance to get off my back without you getting hurt. If any of you still think you can come after this prey, then just try it right now.”

The Rocs once more chittered and looked between each other, a few wings twitched, some talons opened and closed. They were antsy as well.

Finally one Roc facing her spread its wings and screeched loudly. Jumping up it flapped its wings and propelled itself full speed at Applejack. Its talons gleamed brightly and it opened its beak in preparation to devour her.

“So you’re the unlucky one,” Applejack narrowed her eyes at it.

The Roc came at her fast but Applejack held her ground until the sharp tip of its beak was nearly at her skull. She tilted her head to the side and dove down low, running underneath it. It spread its talons wide and tried to grab her but Applejack jumped to the side just as it passed—lightly tapping it on the leg as it went. She skidded across the ground as the Roc made a sharp turn and landed before staring back and screeching at her, preparing to take to the air again and come at her once more.

It didn’t know that it wouldn’t be able to do such a thing in just a moment.

“Sorry about this,” Applejack sighed as she looked at it. “Didn’t want to hurt you since you’re just an animal, but I can’t exactly let myself get eaten and all.”

The Roc blinked in confusion at her words before a strange vibrating feeling came up from its leg. Unable to understand—the Roc could only screech as the vibration got stronger and stronger as it built up in its wings. The other birds around it squawked and flew away, and those in the sky overhead watched as this one member of their flock shook and spasmed. Right up until the moment the vibrations reached a fever pitch and the Roc screamed in pain and terror as the ulna and humerus in both its wings snapped apart. It fell to the ground moaning in agony and Applejack herself had to wince and look away in regret.

“Dang it…” she whispered before putting a strong face back on and yelling out to the other Rocs. “You see? If you keep chasing me that’s what’s going to happen to all of you! And it’s going to happen if you try and attack or eat the ponies of Roc’s Nest too!” She pointed in the far off direction of the village. “Understand?! Don’t ever let me catch you doing nothing like this again!”

She didn’t like having to do that to the Roc, but she got the feeling if she didn’t target its wings specifically it wouldn’t have been scary enough for the rest of them to get the message. If she could help the ponies of Roc’s Nest in the long run too then it was worth it.

Thankfully it worked. When the other Rocs saw what had happened most of them flew off in terror, afraid to have that happen to them. A few stuck around, still circling over her warily but not coming any closer, and a fair lesser few stood around their fallen friend and seemed to be trying to help him up and see if he was okay. Applejack breathed a sigh of relief, wagering that she was okay now, and turned away from them. It wouldn’t take long to get down the rest of the mountain now and start making her way back to Roc’s Nest. She patted her bags and made sure they hadn’t ripped or any of her belongings or the Icebane had fallen out. Satisfied, she got a move on.

A shadow occasionally passed by overhead but they wisely never got any closer.

With just one more step though, Applejack paused as a sudden powerful sneeze racked her body. “Achoo!”

She lifted her hoof to her muzzle to wipe away its remnants and shivered. “Please tell me I’m not getting sick...”

She was getting sick. No question about it.

Maybe it was the cold weather, digging through the snow, or the possibility she had caught the same flu that she was looking to help cure in her brief visit to Roc’s Nest. But no matter what it was she was definitely getting sick. She had sneezed a few more times, her nose was runny, her head was hot, her throat starting to get a little sore, and a drowsiness was coming on from out of nowhere. Symptoms that every pony had felt at least once in their life. Applejack had plenty of experience with stubbornly ignoring when she was getting sick and this time would be no different.

She still had to get back to Roc’s Nest.

No matter how miserable she felt.

Already she was back on the path that Alpine Climb had brought her to, the mountain behind her. But getting back was going much more slowly. She felt so lethargic and the bags she was carrying with her were starting to feel ten times as heavy. Each hoofstep she seemed to sway from side to side while her head got fuzzier. She was worried about falling off the path, or accidentally collapsing and not even realizing what had happened at first.

But Applejack was tough, she knew she could beat this. She had gone through way worse in her life. There were times when she was half dead and she’d still gone out to buck acres of trees. This was nothing compared to that. If something had to be done then it made it easier for her to do it.

Somehow, without even being able to tell herself, she made it back to the large rock formation and the stairs where Alpine Climb had left her. So halfway back—that was at least good. It was a pain getting down the stairs but that old railing proved really helpful, by the time she got to the bottom she was breathing heavily and sweat was pouring down her face.

“What a nasty reward for doing something good...” Applejack said and wiped some of the sweat away.

The march back to Roc’s Nest continued in much the same mood with Applejack stumbling about and doing her best to not accidentally fall down the ridge. She could see the village ahead again now—nestled in that carved open mountain. A cold shiver shook her body but she ignored it. It wouldn’t do good to collapse here when she had made it so far and had all the medicine those ponies needed. She had to look strong, be strong, and make it back to Herbal Remedy’s home. It wouldn’t help the ponies there in the village if she was walking through looking like a zombie or got more of them sick with whatever she had come down with.

Hopefully it was just a cold from the snow but Applejack didn’t want to make their situation any worse.

The heat in her head was getting much worse and her thoughts were becoming muddled, but eventually she did make it back to Roc’s Nest without incident.

Her vision was blurry as she walked up the multiple levels of the mountain village. There might have been other ponies out, there might have been some watching her from their own windows. She couldn’t tell. And a pounding headache now moving through her skull was affecting her hearing too. It was a good thing she had been here only yesterday and could remember precisely how to get back to where Herbal Remedy lived. Her hooves and legs were working on near autopilot as she walked, moving a sweaty and about to collapse body on sheer willpower and forward momentum.

It was like she had blacked out and lost the last five minutes of her life—but Applejack suddenly found herself in front of Herbal Remedy’s door.

Lifting a shaking hoof up she pounded it a few times on the door and stood there, breathing heavily, and hoping that Herbal would answer it real soon. The feverish feeling going through her body was nearly unbearable and she wasn’t sure when she’d finally keel over.

Thankfully it was but a minute when Herbal Remedy opened her door and gasped in surprise to see Applejack standing there. “You’re actually back! Did you find the Icebane?”

“Sure did,” Applejack managed to say, patting the bag full of the herb and stumbling her way past the door. Once she was inside she began shakily removing the duffel bag gifted to her.

“I almost can’t believe it. I hoped… I mean, I really wanted you to make it back safely but I didn’t exactly expect…” Herbal said as she took the bag from Applejack and opened it up to see it full of Icebane. “This is amazing! This is more than enough for the whole village!”

“T-That’s good to hear,” Applejack sighed, holding a hoof to her forehead and leaning against the wall.

Herbal Remedy frowned, looking up at her from the bag and now fully taking in her appearance. She didn’t need to be an apothecary to notice something was wrong. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Applejack nodded.

And then her eyes promptly rolled into the back of her head and she collapsed to the floor.

The Long Rest

“The good news is that all you have is the common cold. The bad news is that because it’s just the cold there’s nothing I can really do for you. You’ll just have to wait it out and fight through it,” Herbal Remedy said.

Applejack panted as she blinked a few times, just barely waking up now and looking into the face of Herbal Remedy as the apothecary stood over her. She had to look around for a moment before she remembered where she actually was and what had happened. Her eyes traveled down to her body, seeing she was covered in a wool blanket and lying on a couch in the apothecary’s living room, while her hoof rose to her forehead and felt a damp rag that had been placed there.

“How long… how long was I out?” Applejack asked.

“About a day. I’ve taken your temperature and given you some tea in the meantime, you’re already doing better,” Herbal Remedy smiled.

Applejack took another couple of slow and laboring breaths, looking down beside the couch she saw her saddlebag, but the duffle bag with the Icebane was gone. “And the Icebane?”

The smile on Herbal Remedy’s face widened slightly. “Always conscientious of strangers, aren’t you? No need to worry about that. I already did what needed to be done with it and started sending the medicine throughout the village. Alpine Climb and some others have helped to deliver it to the ponies and families in need. Thanks to you the flu should be passing by soon.”

“Good...” Applejack let her head fall back so she could rest it better, enjoying the cool and damp rag.

“With how much you brought back I’ll have some left over for next season as well. Hopefully things will pick up before then but lately I think we’ve all learned to be better safe than sorry,” Herbal said.

“Mhm,” Applejack noncommittally grunted, only half awake and still beat from the cold.

“I guess I should let you rest. I don’t even know what you went through up there to get all that Icebane...”

Applejack’s eyes opened just a sliver. “Rocs… they won’t… be a problem for you now either...”

“Huh?” Herbal Remedy looked at her, confused. “What do you mean?”

“Had to teach em a lesson… but they got the message in the end… they’ll be too scared to come attack… your village… anymore,” Applejack said.

There was a moment of silence in the living room as Herbal Remedy stared back at Applejack. It hung over the both of their heads like a raincloud. The apothecary was searching for any sort of lie or exaggeration in the words Applejack spoke. And it perplexed her even more when she realized that Applejack was speaking the truth.

“Just—who are you?” Herbal Remedy asked. “There’s no way you’re a normal traveler.”

Applejack chuckled despite the difficulty, sweating still. “I like to consider myself pretty normal, thank you very much.”

Herbal Remedy scratched her head. There was no way she could get rid of her curiosity that quickly, but right now Applejack was a patient and that took priority. “Well okay… you just get some rest. I think it’ll be another day or two before you can get ready to leave.”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Applejack fully closed her eyes once more and tried to get some sleep.

Her breathing was steady along with the rise and fall of her chest and as Herbal Remedy watched, Applejack soon drifted off to sleep. The apothecary really had no idea what to make of this strange mare who had come in from nowhere. Who had thrown herself into danger for a bunch of strangers and then succeeded at far more than even the original impossible-sounding task. What a strange few days it had been.

Applejack’s sleep was marred by strange feverish dreams and her own coughing and overheating that led to her waking up half a dozen times in the middle of the night. She wished there was some kind of pill or medicine Herbal Remedy had that would knock her out cold but it either didn’t exist or the village was out just like with most of their medicine. So she spent her time either too hot or too cold while repeatedly throwing the blanket off her and then tugging it back on. Shivering and tossing and turning all night long.

By the time Applejack woke up for real and her mind was no longer a jumbled mess it was an entire new day. She felt closer to normal but still exhausted and a little hot, the cold was winding down but still inside her unfortunately. She was able to think clearly though and sit up on the couch without a wave of dizziness and heat overtaking her. So at least she could probably function today.

Herbal Remedy wasn’t nearby—the mare must be helping out some of the other sick villagers, Applejack didn’t feel her presence in the home at all. She wasn’t sure if she should just stay on the couch until the apothecary got back or get up. It’s not like she could treat herself to any food without her host’s permission. Knowing how things were around here, even if she was sick and Herbal Remedy would probably be fine with it, Applejack just couldn’t eat or drink anything from a home that was close to running out.

“May have gotten that Icebane but now I’m just being a big burden...” Applejack sighed and laid back against her pillow again. She took off the damp rag that had gotten too warm by now and tried to wipe down some of the sweat that had collected on her.

What time was it? There was no clock around that she could see, and no window right here either. She’d have to drag herself to the library to find those windows and see how much light there was outside to figure it out. She felt like it was the middle of the day but she wasn’t sure.

It took a couple more minutes for her mind to convince her body, but she soon threw the blanket off her completely and then rolled off the couch. Her body ached a bit and she had to just stand there panting for a little while before she managed to start moving. A slow trudge through the circular layout of the building eventually brought her to the familiar library and Applejack stood in front of its large windows again. Sunlight came in, bathing the whole room and herself. She groaned and pulled her hat low to block most of it out.

“Noon or so,” she mumbled.

After resting a bit and letting herself adjust some more she lifted her hat back up and peered out the window again.

There were ponies outside. A stark contrast since the first time she was here, there were actually ponies walking down the streets of Roc’s Nest. She could only see a few thanks to the layout of the village and how blocked off a lot of her view was but it was very unlike the ghost town she thought she had wandered into a few days ago. In fact she could even hear some voices coming up from the village outside. She wished she could go out there and talk with them, see how they were doing, hear about how Roc’s Nest was. And maybe get a little more knowledge of Al-Karamaretel if they knew anything. It might’ve been best for all of them though if Applejack just let them go about their day in peace now, they deserved it.

Just like she deserved a nice rest.

She was still feeling tired and a slight headache was thumping behind her eyes so Applejack turned away from the window and allowed herself to lean up against one of the big bookcases. “Deserved” a nice rest but maybe she didn’t actually want it to be that long. She wanted to get back out on her real mission. Wanted to finish things up out here and get home. Not get held up by a simple cold of all things. It was embarrassing and aggravating at the same time.

While Applejack shut her eyes and let herself rest in the library, Herbal Remedy soon returned home. She heard the door open and the mare walk in—only to come to a stop when she noticed that Applejack wasn’t on her couch.

“Applejack? Where did you go?” Herbal Remedy called out.

“In here—in the library,” Applejack managed to say, though not too loudly, back.

“You should’ve just stayed on the couch… anyways, if you’re feeling up to it you’ve got a visitor,” Herbal Remedy said, Applejack now able to hear her walking towards her.

“Visitor? What do you mean? It’s not Alpine Climb is it?” Applejack asked, blinking and trying to stand up straight all the way.

“Of course not, I wouldn’t want her here either,” Herbal said and walked into the room with a young colt in tow.

He was maybe Apple Bloom’s age, with a stone grey coat and a black mane that was grown out long enough to cover his eyes, right now it was parted to leave one blue one visible. He carried a small basket with him with a polka-dot cloth covering whatever was inside. Applejack didn’t exactly know what to make of him, and the colt just kind of fidgeted in place as she looked at him.

“Umm… hey there?” Applejack said and looked at Herbal Remedy.

“I didn’t exactly want him to come in since you were sick but his family insisted...” Herbal Remedy awkwardly rubbed the back of her head.

“His family?” Applejack was even more confused as she raised an eyebrow back at the colt now.

The little colt shyly nodded. “My parents and my brothers and sisters all caught the flu, I’ve been taking care of them since, but yesterday Miss Herbal Remedy came around with new medicine. When she told us where it came from my parents said we had to show our gratitude...” He took the cloth off the basket and showed it to Applejack.

Heat and steam came rising off of a basket full of freshly made bread rolls. Applejack’s mouth practically watered as the smell came with it, they looked to be dusted with a little bit of flour and maybe even a light drizzling of butter. Six of them just sitting right there for her. How much she wanted to just eat them all up right now…

“I-I can’t!” Applejack shook her head. “I can’t accept these, aint your whole village hurting for food right now?”

“Applejack, you need to accept them. It’s a gift. A reward. You have to let him give those to you,” Herbal Remedy said.

She looked between the apothecary and colt. The other mare had a slightly stern look on her face while the younger pony looked up expectantly at her. She understood how much of an insult it would be if she didn’t take the rolls—throwing their generosity back in their faces. As a mare who was big on hospitality herself she got it, and almost kicked herself for saying she couldn’t take them at first.

“Thank you, I understand.” Applejack took the basket of rolls from the colt. “Tell your parents their gift is much appreciated.”

“You’re welcome. We hope you have a good rest of your trip,” the colt said.

“That’s all then, you head out of here and get back home now, wouldn’t want to be catching her cold,” Herbal Remedy said.

“Thank you for letting me come, Miss Remedy,” the colt said to her and smiled at Applejack. “And thank you for helping all of us.”

“No problem...” Applejack weakly smiled as he turned and scampered off. She then shut her eyes for a moment to catch her breath and went back to leaning against the bookcase for support. “Dang cold till got me too tired.”

“Those rolls should help get you back in shape. You’re going to want to eat plenty to stay healthy,” Herbal Remedy said.

“I know. Figure I might save one or two for when I leave,” Applejack nodded.

“Well before that let’s get you back to the couch. You’ve at least got one more day of rest and we wouldn’t want you to have to take anymore just because you forced yourself to move around a whole bunch,” Herbal Remedy said and walked over to collect Applejack.

“Mmm...” Applejack murmured, feeling the other mare put a hoof around her and help her out of the library. In a minute she was back on the couch and Herbal had gone to re-dampen her rag like a good doctor looking over their patient. The cool rag felt good on her forehead once it was reapplied and Applejack removed her hat to get fully comfortable. Exhaustion was chiefly what she felt now—the headache, heat, and dizziness had mostly died down. A smile was kept on her face as she relaxed, laid back, and let herself fall asleep.

This time her sleep was uneventful and dreamless. The calm sleep of a mare at ease.

The lingering effects of the cold were still in her when she woke up again but now at least Applejack could mostly go about as normal. Her temperature had gone down and no longer did she feel so fuzzy and lethargic, her mind was back to where it should be. Only a sore throat, the remnants of a dying headache, a runny nose, and a few aches were still with her. She more or less considered herself completely cured and fully capable of travel.

Herbal Remedy didn’t exactly share her positive outlook.

“No. I know you’re not a villager and I’m not a real doctor, but you’re still a sick mare I’ve been taking care of. I’m not letting you leave until the cold is gone completely. It wouldn’t be right,” Herbal Remedy frowned at Applejack.

“I’m fine,” the stubborn Applejack frowned right back. “This aint nothing anymore, the cold’s gone and I’m fine.”

“You’re willing to potentially collapse on the road from here to Station Ponyware? It’s still a fair distance till you’ll find anypony else. There’s no reason for you to risk it, you’re being silly. Let your temperature go down all the way back to normal and then I won’t complain about you leaving.”

“I think I know my body a bit better than you. If I say I can make the trip without trouble then it’s the truth.”

“And I think I know illnesses better than you. It’s possible you could get worse if you leave and start doing all of that physical activity—pushing your body too hard while the cold is still in your system.”

Applejack winced—the argument had gone to a familiar place. “I… well… ugh! Fine! I’ll wait another dang day.”

“Was that so hard?” Herbal Remedy sighed and rolled her eyes.

“I’ve got business to take care of, and I don’t like imposing on you any longer than I already have,” Applejack mumbled.

“I understand but you don’t need to worry about it so much. And it will be better for you in the long run if you wait your cold out here.”

Applejack stood there for a moment, just thinking things over. “Honestly I get the feeling that no matter what I get up to in the meantime that I’ll end up at Elysium’s View right on time anyways.”

“Elysium’s View?” Herbal Remedy quizzically tilted her head before remembering. “Ah, that’s right, you’re not just going to Al-Karamaretel, you said you had business past it.”

“That’s right. You don’t recognize the name of the place I’m going to?” Applejack asked.

“I couldn’t tell you the name of anything west of the Citadel,” Herbal Remedy shrugged. “Maybe the ponies at Station Ponywares will know more since they get far more traffic from all over. And sorry but even the Citadel itself… I barely know anything. I’ve spent my whole life here in Roc’s nest, I’m not very well-traveled.”

“That’s alright, I didn’t really figure I’d learn much more about it here. Really though, hearing about what you’ve all been through and learning ponies are going through the same tough times all over, it’s still painting a pretty clear picture in my head,” Applejack said.

Herbal Remedy blinked. “Panting a picture...”

“Huh? What’s the matter?” Applejack asked.

“Well I just remembered that I have something...” Herbal Rememdy muttered before walking out of the living room and into the library.

Applejack followed right on her heels. “What in the hay are you talking about?”

“There’s a painting I have. Actually it was my mother’s, but it’s a painting of the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel. I may not be able to tell you about what’s going on there, but I can at least show you what to expect when you get there,” Herbal Remedy said as she looked through her bookcases. “Now I just need to remember where I actually put the painting.”

It took her a couple minutes of looking around, but Herbal Remedy finally pulled out a large folded up canvas from in-between a couple of books. “Aha!” She carried it over to her desk and opened up the painting so the both of them could look at it.

Sprawled out on the desk, the both of them took in the appearance of the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel. Partially at least. The painting turned out to be an old water coloring and thus not heavily detailed, but it still told Applejack more than she previously knew. It was painted from the perspective of a pony standing on a large hill, and there below and beyond it, past a wide open plain of dead yellow grass, was the Citadel. Large and painted almost completely with black, huge walls rose up from the plain to keep the Citadel itself and what looked like a claustrophobically dense miniature town protected inside its walls. A single huge gate was drawn in the middle of the walls at the end of a road coming down from the hill. The Citadel meanwhile was a gigantic and sprawling mostly rectangular building with circular towers at every corner and a spire shooting up from the center of it that must’ve been hundreds of feet tall if the rest of the buildings were to scale. Most of the Citadel was at the same level height but there were also protrusions in its roof that showed some areas of it went higher up. It was hard to tell how stylized it might’ve been in this painting but if it was anywhere close to the real thing then the Citadel was a pretty intimidating building.

And behind it, barely visible thanks to the perspective, Applejack saw the wide chasm that it guarded, and a bridge going off the page.

“Not exactly a place I’d look forward to going to,” Herbal Remedy said.

“Yeah. I kind of feel the same way,” Applejack nodded in agreement.

Coming Down the Mountain

With two leftover rolls in her saddlebag, Applejack left Roc’s Nest behind early next morning.

There was only the slightest sore throat and stuffed up nose bothering her now.

Herbal Remedy was both happy to see her off and sad to see her go. Applejack felt much the same way. Roc’s Nest was a nice place when it was actually alive and the ponies had neither flu nor bird of prey to fear. Alpine Climb never showed her face again either—so that was a plus in Applejack’s book. In another situation she would’ve liked to have known more about the ponies who lived there, met more of them after they recovered from the flu. But she also really needed to get back on the road. The way to Elysium’s View was still a long one.

Whatever was waiting for her out there, and anywhere else, she still would’ve preferred getting back to Ponyville as quick as she could.

Applejack walked onto the road that left the western side of Roc’s Nest and went further into the mountains. Now about halfway to getting through them and making it to that supply station where caravans still traveled to. There was a feeling of relief running through her as she looked up at the sky and didn’t see a single bird.

Applejack considered herself a humble mare but even she felt herself welling up with pride as she left yet another place in far better condition than when she first arrived. It just felt dang good to help ponies and there was nothing wrong about that. She didn’t think what she did was anything special—just good manners with some kindness, generosity, and a small pinch of daring too.

“Now let’s hope I still keep meeting some more nice ponies out there,” Applejack smiled as she looked toward her inevitable arrival at Station Ponywares.

The smile left her face though the more she thought about things. “And let’s hope that not everywhere I pass through is as miserable thanks to Al-Karamaretel.”

She knew it was unlikely. By all logic, things would probably be worse the closer she got. Any towns she saw would likely be even more reliant on the Citadel and suffering worse now that it shut down travel and trade. But hopefully their citizens hadn’t turned to crime or gotten all sick either. Hopefully they were still kind to strangers and hadn’t forgotten the meaning of friendship. It might have been a tall order for out here, but Applejack wanted to be optimistic.

It would still be some time before she saw another real town, she knew that. The station was the first place she would see and she planned to reach it before sundown today. Which meant she couldn’t dawdle any longer and needed to make a good pace through the mountains. The knowledge she had some delicious rolls to eat whenever she became hungry kept her attitude pretty positive—it wasn’t at all like when she was walking to Roc’s Nest. One less thing to worry about and it allowed her to push herself hard. The rest of these mountains weren’t going to be any problem at all.

As she walked down the road and it slowly curved away from Roc’s Nest, Applejack looked over her shoulder at the small village.

The strange sight of it inside the mountain, with its multiple levels, chimneys now puffing out smoke, she gave it a wave goodbye before she completely lost sight of it. Depending on how things went with the rest of her friendship mission she might come right back through here and see it again. But if not, she wanted to remember what it looked like.

By noon she was walking down a canyon sandwiched between two cliffs tall enough where she could only see a small strip of the sky if she looked up. The road itself was still well maintained though since it was meant for plenty of ponies and wagons to travel down. It wasn’t just a simple mountain path or one of the dirt “roads” you’d find leading you to or from Ponyville. Every now and then she’d see a small trench or groove in the ground where ages ago an exceptionally heavy wagon had to have gone through. Before reaching the canyon there had also been ridges and cliffs with wooden railings hammered into the ground to keep ponies safe.

She wasn’t in the middle of nowhere, the road was definitely taking her in the right direction.

A map still might’ve been nice to have. A real map, not what she had gotten at Fire Vent.

“Shoot… should’ve asked for one back there. No way Herbal or somepony else didn’t have a map,” Applejack frowned. “Sorry Twilight, kind of forgot about all that stuff you wanted me to do, but I was busy. Promise at least when I’m on my way back to Ponyville after taking care of everything else that I’ll have more to show for it.”

It was going to be a long trip back and without the mission to Elysium’s View and whatever was going on at the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel hanging over her head she’d have more to devote to the things her friends wanted her to do. Course she still wanted to get back to Ponyville as quickly as possible once she could—probably wouldn’t be holding any big extended parties to make a bunch of friends like Pinkie wanted. Maybe one if she was feeling up for it.

“Heh,” Applejack smirked. Whenever her mind was on her friends it made traveling through here a little bit easier.

Less than an hour more of walking and Applejack had made it out of the canyon and came to a plateau that overlooked the western edge of the mountain range. She was at a high elevation, now looking down at the road as it winded its way down to the foothills and then the empty plains west of the mountains. No more tropical jungle or any sort of forest—instead it looked like she would be traveling through some arid badlands next.

It was actually difficult to see too much further though and Station Ponywares certainly wasn’t visible either. The sunlight matched the color of the landscape and the horizon became nothing more than a large, shimmering, glare. It might’ve actually been easier for her to see what was west much later in the evening.

Regardless, she needed to get a move on. No sense standing up here taking in the sights when she needed to get on down there in the first place. Decent enough place to look out from but that was all. Taking just a second to stretch her legs, she started the long walk downhill.

Perhaps it was because she was now out of the Roc’s territory but she started to see more other animals on her way down. There were squirrels skittering out of holes in the ground, running across the road, and birds that had made their nests in some of the few trees Applejack saw. She was pretty sure she saw a coyote watching her from the rocks at one point too. Didn’t worry her, no coyote would be foolish enough to try and cause any trouble for her. She might’ve even still carried the scent of the Rocs on her as well. That might’ve made some of the animals in the mountains curious but most probably would’ve been far too afraid to approach her.

Applejack suddenly coughed, the first time she really had since leaving the village. Something must have tickled her throat while she had been taking a breath. She couldn’t help that there was still that slight irritation left in her. But because her nose was all stuffed up too she had to breathe mostly through her mouth and that just made it worse. At least the actual cold and the real symptoms of it were gone, these were just the last dregs that took her body a little extra time to get rid of. Applejack had had colds in the past and even when they were over and done with sometimes her throat would still be a little sore or her nose runny for the next couple of days.

Either way she stopped where she was as the cough turned into a coughing fit, raising a hoof to her mouth to try and hold it in a little and not become a loud, hacking, mess.

Begrudgingly, she had to admit that maybe Herbal Remedy was right to keep her an extra day.

Applejack shook her head with a frown and carried on a minute after the coughing finally subsided. The steady declining slope of the road as it went between the mountains was easy enough to manage, especially for a mare in her shape. A few more hours passed by like that until she was definitively walking through the last line of mountains. She knew after she passed by these that she’d come out into the foothills and then finally be making her way through those dry plains.

And then to however far away it was to Station Ponywares. But she was getting there by tonight for certain.

“Don’t matter how many more hours it takes me to get there,” Applejack muttered.

The curve of the mountain in front of her gave away after a few more minutes of walking around it and Applejack emerged onto a straight stretch of the road that now went down to the arid plain. Nothing blocking her path. No more mountains. Just grassy hills and a single wide road going down them. The weather was good, hot but not humid like the jungle and Fire Vent had been.

On the side of the road, Applejack spotted another sign propped up right where the hills and mountains merged together. Strangely it was covered in red roses, the thorny plants growing up and around it while the flowers bloomed around its edges. She hadn’t seen any roses whatsoever in these mountains yet, maybe a pony had planted them specifically to draw attention to the sign? On the sign were two arrows, one pointing east and right above it was written “To Roc’s Nest”, and one pointing west where right above it was written “Station Ponywares”. A decent sign for once, that was pretty nice. If they had the amount of miles both places were away it would’ve been even better.

“Probably shouldn’t complain. Any sign that’s even remotely helpful for once is good in my book...” Applejack said.

She briefly took her hat off to wipe the sweat away from her brow before continuing on down the hill. At least the mountains were behind her. And now with any luck, the trip to the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel would be much smoother.

Supply Station Ponywares

The heat was a little worse than she had expected. It was just so dry. The air had no moisture in it whatsoever and it was a wonder to Applejack how even the dying yellow grass in the plain around her hadn’t all shriveled up and turned to dust just yet. Without a single cloud in the sky overhead she couldn’t hope for any shade or break from the sun. It wasn’t the worst heat she had ever been in by far but it did make her wish her next destination would hurry up and appear already.

If it was a place for caravans to resupply and take breaks at then they had to have plenty of water and places to rest. She didn’t know how long she’d be staying there, but a bed would be nice to sleep on instead of camping out in her tent, especially in a hot place like this with nothing but rough and hard ground around her.

Applejack wasn’t sure at this point either if she’d just continue to make her own way to Al-Karamaretel or not. Depending on how far it was—depending on what the road was like—she might want to join up with a caravan that was traveling there. Whether they’d let her join them for free or if she’d have to use some of her remaining bits she would see. If it would take several days or even longer from the supply station to the citadel, she probably couldn’t carry enough food and water if the whole trip would be through a place like this. Getting on a caravan of wagons really might be the only sensible solution. But how long might she have to wait for one to show up at the station?

Travel and trade had been dying down but she had also heard there were plenty of ponies still going to the Citadel itself. She might get lucky.

It was a little sad to think about though. There were so many ponies going to the Citadel, hoping against hope that they’d be the lucky ones and could actually get something out of it. From what she had heard, and her own gut feeling, she doubted many ended up happy even when they reached the Citadel.

That painting Herbal Remedy had shown her… it must’ve been painted well before things changed with the Citadel, but even then it was a fearsome looking place. She couldn’t imagine how much worse it was now or who was in charge of it that had decided to do all this in the first place. It was a big mystery, a big nagging mystery that just made her feel sick. How could ponies do something so terrible and seemingly pointless? She just didn’t get it.

“Well, nothing I can do until I get there and see it all for myself,” Applejack sighed and reached into her saddlebag, taking out one of the leftover rolls and eating it. Would’ve been nice to have had some cider to wash it down with but oh well.

As the sun started to go down, the shimmering glare of the horizon faded away a little bit and Applejack saw that she was coming to a small hill. There was still plenty of light, it couldn’t be called close to dusk yet, but the heat and glare from the sun was diminishing quite a bit. Applejack sighed in relief when she saw that. If she got to the top of that hill she should have a good view of what was coming next. Station Ponywares had to be in view going by what others had told her about it. That knowledge let her pick up the pace, Applejack putting a bit more energy into her legs and trotting at a brisk speed to the hill.

The road went right up it and Applejack smiled to herself as she reached the top of it and stopped to peer out on the rest of the west from her vantage point.

There wasn’t a lot to see, this was a fairly desolate part of the Undiscovered West to be sure, but she saw what she needed to.

Down just a few miles was a series of buildings built on the flat, dusty orange ground. One large one stuck out in particular, shaped like a big square warehouse or department store it had a big wooden deck out in front of it as well. Besides that there several smaller wooden buildings that looked like stores, and even some larger tents placed around the station. Not just the buildings stuck out to her though but she also saw the number of roads going north, south, east, and west, that all joined up at the station before continuing on. It really was a big junction and pit stop for all travelers. Definitely couldn’t be called a town or anything but there was still a lot more to it than some of the remote train stations in Equestria. Including that very last one she had gotten off at at the beginning of her journey. Besides the station itself the landscape also noticeably changed in the direction she was going. West of Station Ponywares was nothing but orange rocky ground and dirt. Goodbye vegetation, not even tumbleweed or sagebrush or even cacti stuck out of the land there. It looked really rough and uneven too aside from the few flat roads she could see. Worse than making a trip on hoof from Ponyville to Appleloosa would’ve been.

And yet she was still happy to see her next destination right there.

Especially because she could also see the small dots that were ponies moving around down there as well. Told her this place wasn’t abandoned or nothing and that was all she needed.

Applejack took a deep breath before sighing in relief and making her way on down the hill and toward Station Ponywares. Who knew, maybe they even had some cider of their own in stock? A place like this had to still have some kind of inventory even if most other places were hurting from lack of travel and trade. This outpost should be one of the few that was mostly business as normal.

At one point, all the roads leading to the supply station converged into one massive street that ran parallel to the large department store. It sat on the south side of the road while to the north were several more of the smaller buildings and tents. Those buildings and tents were open, with ponies setting up displays and shelves of various food and supplies. While there wasn’t anypony, besides Applejack herself apparently, traveling through the outpost right now it seemed like the merchants here were expecting business soon. Maybe they had a schedule of when the next caravan was coming through? Applejack certainly hoped so—that would help her out a lot.

For now though she wanted to just figure out how far away the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel was and what it would be like traveling there. And as she looked around, the huge department store seemed like the best place to check out. After all it was the only building where right over its entrance was a huge sign saying: “STATION PONYWARES”.

Seemed to be the “headquarters” for lack of a better term of the outpost. Probably the place where most of the bigger trading and resupplying was done while the other stores here were more personal or for specialty needs. Might’ve been where a lot of the ponies who lived here stayed too, Applejack wouldn’t have doubted that there was probably all sorts of business conducted there. The large wooden deck that sprawled out from it was pretty much all the confirmation she needed—goods were probably left on it to be loaded into wagons or taken into the warehouse so they didn’t just have to be left on the dirty ground. It would’ve been the perfect staging spot for crates, boxes, and any other sort of package or bag that needed to come or go.

Despite the other stores and tents getting stuff ready though, there wasn’t really anypony doing anything out on the deck. Perhaps whatever wagons or caravan were scheduled to come didn’t need anything major.

Applejack just shrugged, that didn’t have anything to do with her. The doors to the large building were still open so she walked up onto the deck from the road and trotted inside.

It was mostly what she expected. There was a circular desk in front of her that several ponies were sitting behind, and beyond them was row upon row of shelves stacked high with wooden boxes. To her left it looked like another open doorway led into a cafe or restaurant of sorts and to her right was a hallway that made a sharp turn back into the depths of the building. There were a number of other ponies around—whether it be some employees who were moving around in the aisles and moving crates from shelf to shelf, or a few others who were sitting down in the cafe and talking. The building was also kept in a much nicer condition than she expected, it was clean, and the paint fresh. The floors were some kind of laminated wood and the walls even had numerous paintings on them, mostly of landscapes, to give the place a friendlier appearance.

Unlike Roc’s Nest and Fire Vent there wasn’t an atmosphere of misery around everything.

Applejack took a second to catch her breath, happy to be inside where it was a bit cooler, and walked up to the nearest pony at the front desk. A vermilion mare probably a few years younger than her, with a long indigo braided mane that hung down the side of her head and in front of her legs. She patiently watched Applejack with a smile, looking like she was used to ponies just stumbling in from outside.

Applejack cleared her throat. “Ahem, uh, hello. My name is Applejack and I’m traveling to the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel. I’ve got a few questions about it and what the trip there is like.”

The mare’s smile stayed on her face but there was a bit of a strain to it as soon as Applejack mentioned the Citadel. “Well, first of all, out of both professional courtesy and common decency I have to recommend that you do not go there.”

“That bad?” Applejack winced.

“It’s not that ponies aren’t—or even shouldn’t—go there. But it’s mostly bigger companies and caravans that have anything to gain at this point. Individuals like yourself… we haven’t heard a single good story, isn’t that right?” She turned and asked the others at the desk.

“A lot have come back bankrupt and hopeless,” a stallion nodded.

“Most cut their losses before things got that bad at least. They just gave up on the chance at ever being let across the bridge,” another mare said.

“Exactly,” the mare Applejack was talking to said. “So we really recommend you don’t go there if you’re hoping to be let across. From what we’ve heard, only one in a hundred actually make it.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t think any were being let across.”

“None are being let over to this side. But from what we’ve heard, the Citadel still occasionally lets a pony or family or whatever through to go to the Far West,” the mare said.

“Strange… I can’t make heads or tails of any of this,” Applejack said.

“Right there with you. All we know for sure is it’s a bad place to be if you’re not looking to make money off the ponies already there—or are part of the resuppliers working for the Citadel itself,” the mare said.

“Well thanks for telling me all this but unfortunately I still need to go there. No bad stories, no matter what, are gonna stop me either. So if you can help me out some more I’d be mighty appreciative,” Applejack said.

The mare shrugged. “Of course, it’s still our job. And you can call me Book Keeper.” She smiled and held out a hoof for Applejack to shake.

“Nice to meet you, Book Keeper,” Applejack smiled and shook it.

“So what exactly do you want to know about the trip to the Citadel?” Book Keeper asked.

“Well first thing’s first—how far away is it?” Applejack asked.

“From here it’s four solid days by wagon if you don’t stop anywhere. And the direct route from Station Ponywares to the Citadel doesn’t have any other stops real stops—only a few villages even smaller than the Station that live off the side of the road that a caravan might stop at for the night anyways. You’d only hit other towns or places if you went off on another road along the way. Most caravans are making the direct route because of how poorly the other towns are doing right now,” Book Keeper explained.

“Four whole days? Eugh,” Applejack dragged a hoof down her face. Walking alone then would be a huge effort, especially in a climate like this.

“It’s also recommended you don’t travel on hoof. For obvious reasons,” Book Keeper said. “The weather from here to the Citadel can be quite harsh.”

“Speaking of that, would you also happen to have any place I can get some water?”

“We have several wells that draw up water here at the station. You’ll have to pay though, nothing is free.”

“That’s alright...” Applejack grumbled, not surprised. “So if I want to get there, I’ll probably need to join a caravan of wagons that’s going there. I’ve got an idea that you probably have a schedule of when new caravans will be arriving here?”

“We sure do!” Book Keeper smiled. “And you’re in luck—there’s a caravan coming here tonight and leaving tomorrow morning that’s going straight to the Citadel. You’ll likely have to pay or offer to work for them to take you, but I personally know the trail boss and she’s always been one to help out ponies who need to get somewhere. I think if you tell her where you’re traveling to she’ll lend a hoof.”

“Well I guess that’s the best news I could hope for. Means I don’t have to pay for a room here or anything either. No offense but I kind of wanted to leave and get back on the road as soon as possible.”

“None taken. The whole reason this place exists is for ponies to rest up for a quick minute and then head on out,” Book Keeper shrugged.

“So what’s the name of the pony I should talk to—the trail boss—when the caravan arrives?” Applejack asked.

“Aquamarine. You won’t be able to miss her, she’ll be wearing a larger hat than yours. And there’s no better mare you’d want to be traveling with, she has experience leading wagons all throughout the lands,” Book Keeper said.

“Thanks,” Applejack nodded and reached into her saddlebag, pulling out the pouch of bits. Considerably lighter than when she first started this trip, she took a single coin out and placed it on the desk. “That can pay for the information, the water I’m about to get, and for just being a friendly face out here.”

Book Keeper’s eyes widened at the single gold coin. “T-Thank you.”

Applejack smirked. “You’re welcome.

Walking out of the department store after taking a big fill of water, Applejack stepped onto the deck and looked up and down the road. She knew now that within an hour or two a caravan would arrive and then all she’d have to do is talk with the mare in charge and hitch a ride. Things were looking up a little bit for her. Four days though… just like the lazy river boat trip she was going to be stuck on those wagons for a while. Why’d that Citadel have to be so dang far away? The Undiscovered West sure was a lot bigger than she had thought.

She was nice and refreshed now though and feeling pretty good about the rest of her trip. At least it seemed like she wouldn’t be sidetracked anymore. Hopefully that Aquamarine was as good of a pony as Book Keeper said.

“Guess I oughta just wait right here?” Applejack said as she looked at the deck.

There wasn’t anything else she needed to do now, and she didn’t want to spend anymore of her bits before the caravan got here. Sitting around doing nothing didn’t sound fun but what else could she do?

Applejack sighed and took a deep breath.

And smelled something.

It didn’t matter that her nose was still a bit stuffed up—a familiar and pleasant scent carried on the wind came right to her.

“Roses...” Applejack sniffed the air and looked around. “Where are there roses around here of all places?”

She followed her nose and walked off the deck, looking and walking by some of the nearby stores to see if they were the source of the rose smell. None of them so far, but the smell was still growing stronger. Applejack walked almost as if in a trance—when did she care so much about roses anyways? Until she found herself walking straight towards a small tent right on the western edge of the outpost. Its opening wasn’t facing her, she couldn’t see inside it just yet, she had to walk around to the other side and look in…

“Hello?” Applejack said as she came around it.

“Hello,” a pleasant voice said to her from inside the tent.

A mare stood in the tent, holding a watering can and using it to water a flowerpot with the smallest of stems peeking out from the dirt. Around her were several other flowerpots with more fully grown roses growing up out of them. The most luscious red roses Applejack had ever seen, but also multiple roses of other colors like yellow, white, orange, and even some strange blue roses—and one jet black rose on a shelf behind the mare. It weirded Applejack out when she looked at that one. She couldn’t shake a strange shivering feeling that came from it.

“Hi...” Applejack quietly said again to the mare and stepped into the tent. “I could smell your roses and uh… I dunno, just wanted to come see them I suppose...”

The mare smiled and set down her watering can. She was an earth pony—Applejack’s age or actually maybe a bit older but with the makeup she wore it was hard to tell. She had a cream colored coat with a somewhat reddish hue to it and a rose red mane done in two braids, one of which fell around her neck while the other was wrapped around the back of her head and held in place by a black rose mane clip. Like Applejack had already noted, she wore a generous amount of mascara and eyeliner around her big emerald eyes that showed off her long eyelashes and also drew attention to a beauty mark under her right eye. And her clothes looked like something real fancy that Rarity or one of her other fashion friends would design. All lacy and such—a black blouse with a bell shaped skirt that covered her flank, puffy orbs on her shoulders, and a series of black ribbons that grew increasingly bigger the further up her chest they went. Applejack didn’t know why a mare tending roses was wearing something so fancy and elaborate, and that was probably murder in this heat, but the mare didn’t seem bothered.

“Do you like them?” The mare asked.

“Yeah...” Applejack nodded. “Some of those colors are uh, a bit different than the roses I normally see.”

“Well I’m glad to hear that. And yes, my roses are quite special. I’m Cauliflower by the way. What’s your name?” Cauliflower asked with a wide smile.

It was odd but Applejack got the feeling the mare somehow knew her.

“I’m Applejack, pleased to meet you,” Applejack tipped her head just a bit. “So you sell roses to ponies coming through here?”

Cauliflower shrugged. “Sometimes, mostly I just enjoy growing them. You’re going to the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel aren’t you?”

Applejack blinked. “How’d you know that?”

“Just a hunch. Not many other reasons for a mare to come here. That’s not just your destination though is it? You must be a pony seeking to go past it, right?” Cauliflower smiled.

“Uh… yeah. I’ve gotta go to a place called Elysium’s View on the other side of the canyon. Don’t know what’s wrong with Al-Karamaretel but I hear that I have to use their bridge if I want to get there,” Applejack said.

“Ah, Elysium’s View, quite the pretty place though also quite far away...” Cauliflower said.

Applejack’s eyes opened wide. “Wait—hold on one second. Have you been there before?”

“Oh yes, though it’s been a long time. I was confined to being stuck in this part of the west until just recently—though now that I’m no longer stuck I still find it a little difficult to pull up my roots and travel once more,” Cauliflower said, wistfully looking up at the ceiling of her tent.

“Right… I don’t quite know what you’re talking about, but if it’s not a problem can I ask you about Elysium’s View?”

“Ask away.”

“How um, how far away is it after I get across the canyon?” Applejack’s hope for a good answer was obvious.

“Very far. You’ll be traveling for a while still,” Cauliflower smirked. “It’s right at the edge of the world after all.”

Applejack groaned and rolled her eyes before pausing and gazing at the mare questioningly. “Edge of the world?”

“You’ll see what I mean when you get there. It’s a lovely sight,” Cauliflower giggled.

“Well thanks… sounds like a nice place at least.”

“Oh it is, I’m sure you’ll have a great time there. The rest of your trip… well that’s another story, isn’t it?”

Applejack raised an eyebrow at her. “There something else I should know?”

“Not especially. Nothing that you don’t already know or can’t figure out yourself. You’ll be fine, Miss Applejack. As much as you may dislike having to go on adventures like this you’re quite good at them you know?” She winked.

“Thanks...” Applejack frowned, the mare’s words were a fair bit more ominous than her pleasant demeanor suggested. Applejack didn’t exactly like what she was hearing.

“I can tell you’re not too happy—so I have a gift for you,” Cauliflower smiled and walked over to some of her roses. She picked up a clipper she had lying on the ground and used it to cut off the stem of a yellow rose and a blue rose. “I want you to know that I do only mean well for you, and hope you have a nice and safe trip, so please take these.” She held the roses up to Applejack. They were so healthy, practically glistening with how vibrant their colors were.

“Just for free? Thank you but I-”

“I insist,” Cauliflower said and before Applejack could even give permission the mare started to stick them into Applejack’s hat. “Everypony knows the red rose is the rose of passion and love. But the yellow rose is the rose of friendship, and the blue rose is the rose of the rare and unattainable, or to go beyond. Together they create a new meaning too—the beauty of friendship. I think that’s rather fitting for you, Applejack.”

She stepped back and admired her work, the two roses sitting side by side right next to the crown of Applejack’s hat.

“So this is my gift for you. Just remember that as long as you carry those roses with you, you’re never truly alone on your journey. And I’d also like to tell you that if you see any other roses out there where you travel—consider it a sign of good luck. Trust me.”

“Thank you...” Applejack was quiet, confused, strangely perturbed, but also grateful, and she found herself warm on the inside from the mare’s words and the gift she had given her. She reached up and felt the soft flowers on her hat before smiling. “I’ll remember what you’ve said.”

Cauliflower smiled. “Have a nice trip.”

Caravan Trails I

Applejack sat in the middle of the deck outside the department store and waited. The sun had gone down but it wasn’t completely dark yet. Just getting there. She had kept her eyes peeled looking to the south where the caravan was supposed to be coming from but so far it hadn’t yet appeared. Even when she could see it it would probably take another hour before it actually made it here…

She was getting a bit bored. A few ponies who worked at the other stores had come out to greet her and try to sell their wares to her but Applejack politely turned them all down.

Not knowing what would come at the Citadel, she wanted to save every possible bit. Hearing about ponies coming back bankrupt or almost bankrupt made Applejack wonder if the whole thing was about money somehow. How sad would that be though? You’d have to have ponies even greedier than Flim and Flam to be doing something like this.

It might have been a little petty—but Applejack hoped there was a better reason for why all of this was going on.

Just doing something so terrible to wring gold and crystals and whatever else passed for money out here was so wrong to Applejack.

Applejack yawned and stretched, putting those thoughts out of her mind for now. She’d figure it all out when she actually got there. Unfortunately despite how ever present the symptoms from Al-Karamaretel were in this part of the world, nopony really had any solid answers for her so far. She yawned once more and glanced back south again in the hopes that the caravan would finally be coming.

She blinked.

“Huh, talk about a watched pot never boiling.”

Coming along now was a wagon train slowly making its way to Station Ponywares. Applejack sat up in excitement even though it was a long ways off and kept her eyes glued on it the whole time. She was almost like a dog wagging her tail and waiting for her owner to come home after a long day of work. The closer the long train of wagons got the more of them Applejack could see. Might have been two-dozen of them total all making their way to Station Ponywares, each pulled by a team of four big and strong stallions by the look of it. Most of the wagons were quite large, covered up and probably full of cargo. Though some had to be made for sleeping in too.

Applejack smiled as the caravan made it onto the big street and slowly pulled up alongside the deck outside the department store, there were too many wagons for them all to fit right in front of it so the lead wagon stopped at the end and just let the farther back wagons stay in the road. Once every wagon had stopped, a mare yelled from the front one:

“Everypony hold up! You get an hour to mingle and spend time at the station as you please, but then you’re back to the wagons for the night!”

Applejack looked and watched as a mare hopped off the driver’s bench of the front wagon and onto the deck, meanwhile the stallions pulling the wagons began to unhitch themselves and a number of other passengers started to crawl out from the wagons. The mare in charge though was the one who kept Applejack’s attention. She had a bright white coat and curly red locks of mane with a just as curly red tail and a fountain pen Cutie Mark. Most notable of all was the wide sun hat she wore on her head, it had to be Aquamarine. Applejack started walking over to her quickly thanks to Book Keeper telling her what to look for. The trail boss tilted her head up and let Applejack see her yellow eyes, the slightest of wrinkles under them to tell her the mare was a generation older than herself.

“Can I help you, Miss?” Aquamarine asked Applejack as soon as she got close.

“I think you can,” Applejack smiled. “You’re Aquamarine, aren’t you? The pony in charge of this here wagon caravan?”

“That’s right, do you have business with us?” Aquamarine raised an eyebrow.

“I’m about to. I’d like to join up with you on your trip to the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel. If I have to work my way there or pay you upfront—I’m okay with either,” Applejack explained.

Aquamarine smiled now and looked Applejack up and down. “Well you seem to be a mare who’s no stranger to hard labor. If you want to save your money there’s plenty of work we’ll have to do unloading and distributing everything once we get to the Citadel. I don’t mind having more hooves for that. Course just out of decency I gotta ask if you know what you’re doing by going there in the first place? You another traveler trying to cross the bridge?”

“I appreciate you asking and yes, that’s what I plan on doing,” Applejack held up a hoof before Aquamarine could respond. “I know what everypony is saying and I know it probably sounds like a foolish endeavor, but I still have to get across. Don’t worry about me, I can take care of myself. I just need to get there first.”

“If you say so, it’s not my place to try and talk you out of it. But when you actually see the Citadel you might change your mind,” Aquamarine said.

Applejack frowned, a slightly unsettling feeling crawling up her body. “That’s right… you’ve actually been there before. Is it really that bad?”

“I’ve never been inside the walls—no reason to—but outside is bad enough. Just a shanty town that’s risen up on the plains full of ponies who have lost hope or are trying to scam or prey on others. It’s the most miserable place I’ve seen in my life,” Aquamarine shook her head. “Honestly don’t even know if it’s a good or bad service we’re doing running supplies there and keeping it going. Might be better if everypony just gave up on the Citadel completely.”

“And so you don’t know either about why the Citadel aint letting ponies through?” Applejack asked.

Aquamarine shook her head. “Nopony knows for sure, not even the ones who have been waiting outside its walls for ages. It’s all rumors and hearsay and I haven’t spoken to anypony who works for the Citadel either. Only the guards outside the main gate and they refuse to talk about anything besides their own business—I doubt they even know the reason either to be honest.”

“So hold on—there’s a town built inside the walls of the Citadel too, right? Why’s there this whole shanty town you’re talking about? I don’t understand what’s going on here,” Applejack scratched her head.

“This is how it works; anypony can walk up to the gates, give their name, get a number, and get let inside. But once you’re inside the actual Citadel you need to constantly pay rent for where you stay and for everything else you do. And there’s no guarantee that your number will be called and you’ll be let through before your money dries up and they kick you out—upon which you’d need to come back and go through it all over again. The ponies in the town outside the walls? They aren’t even in line to cross the bridge. They either can’t afford to wait long, or are too afraid to take any chances. They’re in line to get in line,” Aquamarine sighed. “It’s just a vicious cycle designed to drain ponies for everything they have. There’s no order to what numbers are called either, it seems to be based on the purpose of your trip or what you have to trade more than anything. You could get into the Citadel days before somepony else and you could see them cross the bridge before you. And that’s still the best case scenario. There are rumors that some ponies choose to become indentured servants and slowly work for their wages inside the Citadel so they don’t lose their numbers. But it’s practically slavery, the wages are so low, and you don’t even really make money, you just become trapped working for the Citadel forever.”

Applejack shivered and grimaced. “Awful… I just can’t wrap my head around this. But thanks for telling me, you know more about that place than anypony else I’ve talked to so far. It aint gonna be fun once I get there...”

“Sorry, but there’s nothing positive I can say about the Citadel at all. Now if you want to get set up in one of the wagons be my guest, I have some business to talk with the ponies here,” Aquamarine nodded her head at the department store.

“Which wagons are for sleeping in?” Applejack asked.

Aquamarine looked down the line at them. “Hm… actually now that you bring that up, most of the passenger wagons are pretty crowded right now. Except for...” she grimaced.

Applejack raised an eyebrow at her. “Except for what?”

“Well the very last wagon in the caravan is for passengers and right now there’s only one other, er, pony I suppose staying in it. She’s um… a bit eccentric though. You might want to stay in one of the more crowded wagons… but if you can put up with her then the last wagon’s definitely going to be the most comfortable place to stay.”

Applejack rubbed the back of her neck. “Well I’ve known a lot of eccentric ponies in my life, no harm with meeting one more.”

“Good luck,” Aquamarine awkwardly smiled and walked past her. “I’ll be back in less than an hour now, you go and get settled in.”

“Okay!” Applejack saluted her and looked down the column of wagons. She shrugged and trotted her way down them, swiftly walking to the very last one. Most ponies that had been pulling the wagons or sitting in them had gotten out and were either talking with each other or looking through the various stores and tents of the outpost. When Applejack got to the last wagon it was pretty dark out, and nopony was around it. She walked around to the back and looked up into it—from her view only being able to see that it looked pretty empty.

Applejack stepped up with her front hooves on the back board of it and looked inside, but even like this she couldn’t see anything. It was too dark and the inside of the wagon didn’t have any candles lighting it up.

“Hello?” Applejack said and fully stepped up into the wagon. Maybe the pony who was supposed to be staying here was out and about too. “Anypony there? I hope you don’t mind having a new wagonmate for the trip.”

“Greetings...”

“Uh...” Applejack blinked as she saw a shadowy figure walking towards her from inside the wagon. “Hi… my name is Applejack, Aquamarine said I could stay here.” She tried smiling. “Whose acquaintanceship do I have making the pleasure of? Erm… wait, tripped over my tongue a little...”

“I?” The figure asked, and Applejack could see sheer black eyes ringed in white peering out at her from the shadows.

“Y-Yeah… you.”

“I-” a sparkly white grin also appeared in the shadows before the figure moved and threw something on the floor. A blast of sparkling smoke filled up the wagon, making Applejack cough and shut her eyes for a moment, and along with it came mini-fireworks lighting up the wagon with a series of colorful bursts.

When the smoke cleared Applejack was able to look again and saw an unusual looking mare standing on a crate with one hoof raised proudly in the air while bright sparkling dust fell about and illuminated her.

“Am the Wondrous and Majestic VAHAR! Traveling magician extraordinaire!” She loudly announced—far too loudly for this time of night—and smiled before jumping off the crate and landing in front of Applejack, rocking the whole wagon. She was wearing a blue wizard hat patterned with hearts and a wizard’s robe—a very patchwork robe with stitches showing everywhere—just as blue but patterned with carrots as well for some reason.

But of course what was really unusual about her was that she didn’t seem to be a normal pony at all. Instead of a coat she had yellow-green scales that were so slick and smooth they almost looked like skin, pointed ears, the barest hint of gills on her neck, she was very lithe overall, and a spiky hot pink mane that was stabbing into her own hat. Applejack really had no idea what she was.

“Wondrous and majestic? Aint those words pretty much mean the same thing?” Applejack said.

“No,” the Wondrous and Majestic Vahar pouted. “Ponies keep saying that, geez...”

“Right… well um, it’s nice to meet you, Miss Vahar,” Applejack said. “I can bunk here in this wagon?”

Vahar smiled. “Go right ahead! The Wondrous and Majestic Vahar loves company! It is with great disappointment that all her previous company has left for other wagons!”

“Can’t imagine why...”

Vahar coughed. “Yes, well, it’s nice to meet you too, Applejack. What brings you to this part of the world?”

“I’m going to the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel. Gotta get across the bridge—got business on the other side. What about you?”

Another huge grin spread across Vahar’s face. “I am going to the Citadel because I have heard of how miserable it is—I seek to spread joy by wowing all the ponies there with my magic shows! All will cheer for the Wondrous and Majestic Vahar and forget their own troubles!”

“Well that’s a noble goal at least...” Applejack rubbed the back of her head. “Uh… if it aint rude or nothing though… can I ask what you are? You’re not a normal pony-” she winced. “I’m sorry, that sounded bad...”

“The Wondrous and Majestic Vahar takes no offense,” Vahar held up a hoof to keep Applejack from apologizing further. “She is from far away and knows her species of pony is very uncommon. But Vahar is what you would call a merpony, she can even breathe underwater! Isn’t that impressive?”

“Uh, yeah I suppose. Also is there any reason you keep switching the way you refer to yourself?” Applejack asked.

Vahar coughed. “I—we—she is still getting used to her theatrical way of speaking! It is only recently that the Wondrous and Majestic Vahar decided to start traveling the world and spreading her greatness. Her magic shows and performances are spectacular and only getting better and better! It was a great love of magic tricks and the smiles and amazement of others that sent her on this journey!”

“You know you really remind me a lot of another pony I know,” Applejack tilted her head.

“Another pony? Ridiculous! There are none out there like the Wondrous and Majestic Vahar!” Vahar shouted.

Applejack winced and rubbed her ear. “Right, right, keep it down a little though, it’s getting late.”

“The Majestic and Wondrous Vahar will attempt to be quieter.”

“You just—uh, nevermind,” Applejack shook her head. “Look I’m gonna go put my stuff down somewhere here and get ready to go to sleep, we should be leaving bright and early in the morning right?”

“Hold on!” Vahar put a hoof on Applejack’s shoulder. “Before you go to sleep, allow me to show you my extraordinary talents!”

“Uh, alright then, go right ahead. Nothing with fireworks though please,” Applejack shrugged.

“Of course!” Vahar grinned and twirled around to reach for something else in the wagon (momentarily allowing Applejack to see a thin hairless tail with a flipper on the end under her robe) and when she came back she was holding a deck of cards in her hooves. “Hehe~” The magician giggled and shuffled the cards in exaggerated fashion, riffling them and passing them quickly from hoof to hoof before spreading them out and fanning them before Applejack. “Pick a card! Any card!”

“Okay…” Applejack picked one that was pretty much right in the middle of the cards and looked at it—the seven of hearts.

“Great! And have you memorized your card?” Vahar wiggled her eyebrows.

“Yeah.”

“Excellent! Now put it back into the deck without letting me see what it is!”

Applejack did so and Vahar immediately began shuffling some more, throwing the cards swiftly from hoof to hoof, riffling them behind her head and somehow spinning them around so they didn’t just go shooting everywhere. Honestly the shuffling was more impressive than the fact that she was obviously going to be guessing which card Applejack picked. And of course in just a moment Vahar was done shuffling and she cut the deck in half, swiping the top card off the deck and showing it to Applejack.

“Is this your card?” Vahar smirked, holding up the ten of clubs.

“No. It aint,” Applejack frowned.

Vahar though only chuckled before dropping the card and then reaching up to Applejack’s ear. “That’s because your real card is right behind your ear!” She pulled back her hoof, clutching a card in it and showing it off to Applejack—the two of diamonds.

Applejack blinked. “Uh… that aint my card either.”

“Huh?” Vahar’s face fell and she look at the card herself. “Aw dang it… hold on, give me one more second.” The magician grumbled and started reshuffling her cards.

Applejack rolled her eyes. This was going to be a long night.

Author's Note

It's pronounced Vay-har.

Caravan Trails II

In the end, it took the Wondrous and Majestic Vahar six tries before she eventually found Applejack’s card. At which point she profusely apologized and promised her next tricks would not disappoint.

At which point Applejack told her to please calm down and wait for tomorrow at least.

Shortly after that, break time for the ponies working on the caravan was up and they and Aquamarine all returned to the long train of wagons. The trail boss took her time to walk up and down each wagon, checking on them and the ponies inside them before the caravan rested for the night. When she reached the last wagon she jumped up on the front of it and pulled the flap aside to peek in on the two passengers. The moon was out now and gave them all plenty of light.

“How are the two of you doing back here?” Aquamarine asked.

“The Wondrous and Majestic Vahar is as excellent as ever. She has just gotten finished meeting her new traveling companion, Applejack!” Vahar smiled and put a hoof around Applejack’s shoulders, pulling her in close enough so their cheeks mushed together.

Aquamarine grimaced and looked at Applejack. “And you?”

“I’m...” Applejack sighed and put on a half-hearted grin. “I’m doing alright.”

“Well that’s all good then, hope the two of you can get along while we make our way to Al-Karamaretel. Now I’d suggest quieting down and getting some sleep soon, we leave early in the morning,” Aquamarine said. She went to hop down from the wagon but paused, sighing, she glanced back at Vahar. “If you want to perform another magic show tomorrow night for the other employees then be my guest… just try not to get in another argument if it goes badly again, okay?”

“Thank you! I will be glad to put on another show!” Vahar shouted with glee.

Aquamarine rolled her eyes and jumped off the wagon, the sound of her hooves soon disappearing in the night.

Applejack then squirmed her way away from Vahar and raised an eyebrow at her. “Something go wrong with one of your shows?”

“Ehehe...” Vahar chuckled uneasily. “I may have been performing shows for the ponies working on the caravan to pay for my traveling with them… and um… they may not have been particularly impressed with all of my astounding tricks and illusions. But I told them that I am improving every day! The Wondrous and Majestic Vahar is still a beginner—and she will not give up or be dissuaded by a few boos and jeers!”

“Well uh, good luck with your next show then,” Applejack said.

“Will you watch it too? I promise you will be wowed!” Vahar enthusiastically grabbed Applejack again and shoved her face right up to hers.

“Uh… yeah okay,” Applejack sighed. She just couldn’t say no to somepony so happy.

“Great! Tomorrow night will be a night of wonders and excitement!” Vahar shouted.

“Shh!” Applejack tried to quiet her down. “It’s late, remember?”

Vahar coughed and blushed from embarrassment. “My apologies. I believe Aquamarine is correct and we should get some sleep now.”

“Agreed,” Applejack nodded.

“Good night, dear Applejack,” Vahar smiled.

Applejack fought back the urge to roll her eyes. “Good night.”

The wagon had several rolls of bedding and pillows that were actually quite comfortable when Applejack finally got the chance to rest on them. The night was slightly spoiled by Vahar’s near constant muttering—but Applejack pretended she was asleep through most of it. And thanks to that she actually got the best night of sleep she had had in ages. Probably since the riverboat.

She was well rested when it was time to wake up and for the caravan to start moving. Rested enough that she woke up even before they started—thanks in part to her farm life she rose before sunrise once more.

“Ahhh~” Applejack yawned and stretched in her makeshift bed.

Looking over at Vahar she found the merpony fast asleep, drooling on and practically punching holes in her pillow with her spiky pink mane. The merpony had kicked her sheets off her at some point in the night and was sprawled out over her bedding. Beside her bed were her robe, hat, and a bunch of cards, rings, wires, smoke bombs, and other little trinkets for magic tricks all piled up.

“Not looking too wondrous and majestic right now...” Applejack shook her head and got up.

She walked up to the front of the wagon and pulled the flap aside to stick her head out—getting greeted by a cool morning breeze. It was mostly dark across Station Ponywares but the telltale signs of dawn were showing themselves. Applejack stepped out from the back of the wagon and took a seat on the front bench, enjoying the peaceful calm of the early morning. She wasn’t the only one out for long either, ahead she could hear ponies moving and the sounds of ropes and saddles being hitched up to the other wagons in the caravan. In another minute, four hardy stallions came walking down the line and reached the final wagon, where they were surprised to see her already there.

“Good morning, miss.” One of them greeted her politely.

“Didn’t expect to see a passenger up so early,” another said.

Applejack smiled back at the hardworking ponies. “Used to getting up early—farmer’s life and all. Y’all don’t mind me by the way, I was just enjoying the fresh air. Aquamarine having us leave soon?”

“That she is,” the first one nodded. “Bright and early—you’ll hear her whistle for the caravan to start moving soon.”

“By the way, how was being in the same wagon with the weirdo?” Another one asked.

Applejack frowned. She may not have exactly been too fond of Vahar herself but she didn’t like hearing another pony call her names or insult her. “She’s nice and friendly, that’s all anypony can ask for.”

“Hey, whatever you say,” the stallion shrugged.

“Come on, get hitched up already,” the first one said to the others.

It was almost right after the four of them had hitched themselves up to the wagon, but a loud whistle and shout came from the front of the caravan. Loud enough for everypony traveling on it to hear.

“MOVE IT ALONG, EVERYPONY! AL-KARAMARETEL IN FOUR DAYS!”

A chorus of cheers came from the various stallions in charge of pulling the wagons and the caravan got moving. The shouting and the sudden movement was surely enough to wake everypony up—and even Applejack got a jolt. She scooted over to the side of the bench and looked ahead, watching as the caravan slowly went by the department store and started to leave Station Ponywares. There were probably other ponies—not that Applejack could see them—waking up and also watching things go by or sitting up and having breakfast with their families now.

“Good morning!” A shrill yell came right into Applejack’s ear.

Applejack winced painfully and brought a hoof up to the injured ear while all the stallions pulling the wagon winced as well.

With a grimace she turned to see Vahar poking her head out of the wagon and smiling at her.

“And isn’t it another lovely morning?” She asked, oblivious to Applejack’s pain.

“You’re a very positive merpony aren’t you?” Applejack twisted her hoof in her ear.

“I think one should always be optimistic and happy! That way they can take on the entire world! Be proud, be positive, believe in yourself!”

“I got it!” Applejack held up a hoof, sighing in exhaustion. “Just… just maybe not so loudly first thing in the morning.”

Vahar nodded her head with great vigor. “Yes, an understandable request. The Wondrous and Majestic Vahar is also still quite tired and needs to wake up fully.” She hopped out of the wagon and joined Applejack on the bench, smiling and waving at the stallions hauling the wagon. “And good morning to all of you as well!”

A series of noncommittal grunts and “Heys” were her response.

Seemingly undeterred or oblivious to their feelings—Vahar continued to speak to them. “Did you know that just last night Aquamarine came by and said I can perform another show? Tonight you will see wonders you could have never dreamed of! It will make my previous performances look like mere child’s play! The illusions and tricks will wow you for certain!”

Grunts and groans were her response this time and trying to defuse the tension, Applejack spoke up once again so Vahar would stop talking to the stallions.

“S-So what does a mare do around here for food? I just joined up last night and told Aquamarine I’d help out with unloading all the supplies once we reached the citadel, do I need to pay for my food on the trail too?”

“Since you’re technically an employee you can get food from one of the two chuck wagons in the middle of the caravan for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Most of the passengers brought food of their own while traveling,” one of the stallions answered.

“Thanks,” Applejack tipped her hat to him and looked over at Vahar. “Once the sun comes up, how about the two of us grab breakfast together?”

“Sounds like an excellent proposition! The Wondrous and Majestic Vahar would be happy to join you for breakfast!” Vahar beamed.

“Yeah...” Applejack rolled her eyes.

It didn’t take much longer before dawn fully came about and the world was lit up by the sun. Applejack able to look out on either side of the road and see the orange, barren, and dry landscape slowly pass by. Only just right off the road was the ground rocky and uneven, it was obvious why big caravans like this were the preferred method of travel through a place like this. Station Ponywares was already left behind completely—Applejack only took one glance back at it for a moment to watch the department store fade away in the distance.

Now with the whole caravan awake and both their stomachs still empty, Applejack hopped out of the back wagon with Vahar (after she put on her robe and hat) and the two of them started walking together to one of the chuck wagons. The only good thing about wagons going this slowly was you were able to walk with them and meet up with ponies from other ones. They weren’t the only ponies out stretching their legs either, quite a few walked alongside the wagons for either exercise or fresh air. Applejack greeted them kindly—and noticed how they grimaced as soon as they caught sight of Vahar. Who again appeared oblivious or apathetic to their reactions.

Before long they reached the first chuck wagon and saw that it was a bit bigger than the other wagons in the caravan, with a few steps hanging off the back and leading up and into it. Applejack and Vahar climbed in with no problem. Finding a few ponies already in there and going through a line where another pony sat behind a counter. The shelves behind him were full of boxes of food and ingredients and he had a wide flat grill beside him where he was already cooking up something Applejack didn’t recognize. Seemed a little dangerous to be cooking and have any sort of open flames in here but if it meant a good meal then Applejack wasn’t going to complain. The ponies ahead of her and Vahar got their food and headed out the front of the wagon, one by one until Applejack was ready to get her breakfast.

“Hey there,” she smiled at the cook. “What’s for breakfast?”

He flatly looked back at her from behind a big bushy mustache. “Well let’s see, we’ve got grits, and we’ve got grits.”

Applejack’s smile slowly left her face. “Um, grits it is then.”

Wordlessly he pulled out a bowl and a big spoon, filling up the bowl with the grits from atop the grill and hoofing it over to her.

“Thanks...” Applejack muttered and moved out of the way for Vahar.

“Greetings! The Majestic and Wondrous Vahar would like-”

He shoved a bowl into her hooves and pointed her out of the way.

“Thank you!” Vahar smiled.

The two of them exited the wagon and both started to make their way back to their own wagon while carrying the bowls of grits on their backs. It was good the road was more than wide enough for them to walk alongside the wagons without having to go off it. There would’ve been plenty of room for a wagon caravan going the other direction at the same time too. While walking back, she smelled a fair number of tasty things coming from some of the other wagons—passengers that had their own food. Applejack didn’t want to knock the grits before she tried them but they were exceptionally bland looking and didn’t come with much of a smell.

“Isn’t it just wonderful to be out traveling?” Vahar asked her.

“Um… it aint terrible. I prefer being at home though,” Applejack said.

Vahar nodded a bunch some more. “I understand that too! Home is where the heart is they say! But I just love seeing the world like this, exploring so many unseen places, meeting so many new ponies. It’s wondrous!”

“And majestic?”

“Yes! And-” Vahar stopped and pouted at Applejack.

Once they were back at their wagon the two of them started to chow down on their grits and Applejack had to admit she might have been wrong, they were actually pretty tasty. Filling too. The single bowl was more than enough to make a hearty breakfast and give her the energy she needed for the rest of the day. Vahar ate much slower than she did but even she polished off the bowl of grits.

“Tasty—but I’d prefer carrots,” Vahar said.

Applejack glanced at her robe. “I never would’ve guessed.”

Vahar then stood up and grinned down at Applejack. “Applejack! I can not wait until tonight, the show I put on will be great!”

“Uh, yeah, I’m sure it will be.”

“As soon as the caravan stops for the night I will go around and let every other wagon know what’s going on. I’m sure I’ll have more ponies watching my show than last time after this little break.”

Applejack blinked and raised an eyebrow at Vahar. “How many watched your show last time?”

“Twenty. Mostly ponies resting after pulling the wagons all day.”

There are at least eighty ponies doing that… Applejack thought. And that didn’t include whoever else was working for Aquamarine and all the other passengers. Going by that it didn’t seem like Vahar’s shows were very popular. She wondered if perhaps they were always like that or if fewer and fewer ponies came by to watch as they went on.

Applejack felt kind of bad for her, as annoying as she was. The mare was still earnest and friendly and clearly had a passion for what she was doing. Applejack hoped the show she put on tonight went well. And she also hoped there weren’t any mistakes like with her impromptu trick last night…

The rest of the day passed by pretty slowly as Vahar would simply not stop talking and the wagons made only a slumbering pace down the road towards the far off Citadel. Lunch and dinner ended up being similar affairs to breakfast—only instead of grits they had oatmeal and turnip stew. Applejack wasn’t sure how far they had traveled in the over twelve hours that they had been rolling but by nightfall they had reached a valley of huge sandstone buttes and other rock formations. Aside from those it was sand and the occasional shrub all over. Probably would’ve been a real pretty place during the day, Applejack would have to remember to take a look when dawn broke tomorrow morning. Of course even though it was now night and the caravan was coming to a stop after Aquamarine’s whistle it didn’t mean Applejack was sleeping just yet.

“It’s time!” Vahar shouted and jumped out of the wagon. “I shall spread the word to everypony! My show is starting soon!”

A bunch of groans came from the stallions who had just finished pulling their wagon for the day. But Vahar was already gone, running to the next wagon to announce her show to the others there.

Applejack sighed and dragged a hoof down her face. She also hopped off the wagon and walked over to the stallions, in the process of unhitching themselves, and tried to lighten things up. “Now hold on partners, it didn’t take me too long to get a little… tired… of her too but she’s a nice pony. Doesn’t a show after a hard day’s work sound fun? Might as well give her the benefit of the doubt, right?”

“Pff,” one of the stallions snorted. “You haven’t seen her shows. Fun aint what we’d call them.”

“Pathetic maybe,” another said.

“That so-called magician is nothing but a screw up. You’ll see. And her haughty attitude and ego just makes it all the more infuriating. Majestic and wondrous my flank,” a third shook his head.

“Not what we need after dragging wagons all day,” the last grumbled.

“I guess that means most of y’all won’t be coming to watch her at all?” Applejack sullenly looked down.

“Nope,” they replied in unison.

In the end, Vahar set herself up off the side of the road in the sand about thirty minutes later, with a number of boxes around her that must’ve contained her various trinkets and gizmos for putting on her shows. Sparkling candles set up everywhere on the ground lit up her “stage”. There were fourteen other ponies—mostly passengers from some of the other wagons—who had shown up. But to Vahar’s credit she didn’t seem dissuaded or upset in the slightest.

“Good evening all of you! Are you prepared to be mystified by the magical tricks and illusions of the Wondrous and Majestic Vahar?” She asked her audience, flashing a bright smile.

A few half-hearted mumbles and “sures” were her response. Along with some quiet clapping from Applejack.

It probably didn’t help that there were a number of unicorns who could do actual magic watching and traveling with the caravan as well.

“Thank you for your exuberance!” Vahar shouted back to her audience. “The Wondrous and Majestic Vahar will now begin the show!” She coughed and took off her hat, swinging it around and holding it upside-down. “For my first trick—huzzah!”

She reached her hoof into the hat and pulled out a piece of neon green cloth, tied to another neon orange cloth, tied to a neon purple cloth, and so on. She pulled the long string of cloths out with a mystified look on her face while the audience watched on disinterestedly.

“Amazing! How could such a long cloth come from my hat!” Vahar announced. “Is it an illusion? Is it true magic? But the Wondrous and Majestic Vahar does not reveal her tricks! You will merely have to keep guessing and be wowed by her greatness!”

Applejack just gawked in disbelief. It was worse than she thought.

“Now for my next trick-” Vahar said as she finished with the cloths and put her hat back on her head. “I will make this cane levitate!”

The merpony magician reached into one of her boxes and pulled out an old wooden cane. She waved her hooves at it like it was some kind of mystical item or that she was trying to cast a spell on it. Holding it up she then let it go and the cane “miraculously” stayed floating in the air. Vahar moved her hooves around to make the cane bobble and move about in the air as if she was controlling it. It would’ve been a decent trick for foals, but there was one problem.

“Hey! You forgot to paint the wire black! We can see the light reflecting off it!” One of the stallions watching shouted at Vahar.

And he was right. Applejack could see the wire the cane was suspended on almost as clear as day, glinting because of her stage lights.

“Haha! The Wondrous and Majestic Vahar has no idea what you’re talking about!” Vahar said as she threw the cane and wire over her head and went on to her next trick. She pulled up a pair of magical rings from another box. “Now see these? They are solid metal and yet I will somehow miraculously link them together!”

Vahar clinked the rings together to show that they were indeed real metal before pressing them together harder.

And trying again.

And again.

Vahar coughed and tossed the rings out of the way. “Ta-da! And for my next trick I shall cut this rope in twain and then miraculously piece it together!” She said as she pulled up a length of rope.

Applejack sighed. “That’s just an old sleight of hoof trick...” It was something she had seen older relatives and ponies at rodeos perform plenty of times when she was younger, among other rope tricks. Looking at the audience she also saw that they had seemingly lost what little interest they had in the first place, some were even starting to fall asleep. “And she keeps saying miraculous too much.”

To Vahar’s credit she actually managed to pull this trick off, making it appear as if the rope she had just cut was never cut at all. Applejack decided to be a good sport and clap for her—since it seemed like nopony else would.

“And now—juggling!” Vahar said as she picked up three bowling pins.

“That aint a magic trick,” Applejack dragged a hoof down her face.

Vahar though began to toss the three bowling pins high into the air, catching and spinning them around easily as they came back down to her hooves before tossing them up again in repeat, trying to make the performance as flashy as possible. “Be amazed by the talented hooves of the Wondrous and Majestic Vahar!”

She threw a wide smile at the audience.

And a bowling pin came down and clonked her on the head.

Vahar collapsed to the sand while the other bowling pins fell around her, the audience groaning in annoyance and shaking their heads. Not impressed. Applejack rolled her eyes and got up, walking over to the collapsed magician to make sure she was okay. One look at her face and the tongue hanging out of her mouth was all Applejack needed to see to tell she was out cold. The mare had done a real number on herself with that bowling pin. Applejack also had the sneaking suspicion that this was not the first time it had happened...

“Okay, she’s done for the night folks,” Applejack said back to the rest of the audience. They mumbled and got up, leaving Vahar’s performance behind, likely not satisfied or wowed at all. Applejack sighed and picked the magician up, putting her on her back. “I’ll get you back to the wagon and get the rest of your stuff, you just rest easy.”

The merpony was too out of it to answer. She probably wasn’t going to be too happy when she woke up either…

Caravan Trails IV

“And now—my great assistant Applejack—is this your card?” Vahar said as she held up a playing card for Applejack and the (small) audience to see.

“Nope,” Applejack shook her head.

And fought back a grin, as this time it was all part of the show.

Vahar smirked. “Hehe, and that’s because-” she reached her hoof up under Applejack’s hat and swiftly pulled out another, different, card. “The real card is right under your hat!”

Applejack smiled and nodded at the King of Hearts in her hoof. “That’s right, you’ve found my card!”

“Of course! I am the Wondrous and Majestic Vahar after all!” She flashed a smile at the audience. “Are you amazed by my miraculous powers?”

There were a few claps and nods, most ponies didn’t seem bored at least. And she hadn’t failed any tricks to annoy them either. The audience may have been even smaller but this was definitely going a million times better than her last show. Going by what Vahar had said this might be her first truly successful show. Applejack wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing but everypony needed to start somewhere. Also helped that these ponies here were the types who didn’t get entertainment like this often—and the levity of a silly magic show would also help on lifting the sad atmosphere this whole part of the world had.

Even though these ponies lives were probably pretty much the same as always, Applejack could sense the malaise in the air. That dread that seeped over the horizon, coming from the west, it was here too. Everypony could feel it.

“And now for my final trick!”

The voice of Vahar knocked Applejack out of her thoughts and she stood by as the merpony went for the grand finale. Which may have been overselling it by quite a bit. It at least wasn’t juggling though.

“I shall make my own hat disappear!” Vahar announced to the audience and took off her pointy hat. A pretty simple illusion but something she still had a lot of pride in. “Be wowed by the Wondrous and Majestic Vahar’s wondrous illusion!”

Applejack fought the urge to roll her eyes while the audience was watching.

“It was the best! It was the best show I’ve done on this entire trip—ever since I started traveling with this caravan!” Vahar excitedly told Applejack when they were back in their wagon together later that night. The merpony was prancing up and down on her hooves, totally unable to stand still.

“Yep, I think that went pretty well too. The locals liked it and all,” Applejack said.

“Eeeeee! I’m so happy! The Wondrous and Majestic Vahar can be a great magician!” Vahar hugged her.

Applejack once more had to push the pony off her. “Okay, okay, that’s enough hugging for the day.”

“I’m just so happy I can’t control it! I finally feel fulfilled for once! The Wondrous and Majestic Vahar will live up to her name and the pony who inspired her. This is the true start of her story as the greatest traveling magician of the world!” Vahar pointed to the sky—or more accurately the roof of the wagon once she finished her spiel.

Applejack had to rub her forehead in exasperation, too tired to continue on with the exuberant merpony. “That’s nice too, but it’s real late now and the two of us should probably get to sleep. I know you probably want to do more but I really want to be well-rested for when we arrive at Al-Karamaretel. For the rest of the trip there I’m going to take things easy. Already am going to have to do a lot of lifting and moving once the caravan arrives at that shanty town right outside it too.”

“The Wondrous and Majestic Vahar understands,” Vahar nodded a few times. “She also will likely crash from exhaustion at some point soon, so perhaps sleep is truly for the best.”

“Yep… don’t even know what time it is but it sure is dark outside right now,” Applejack said as she took a brief look outside the covered wagon.

There were a few lantern lights on in the buildings of the small settlement but beside that the only source of light were the stars above—the moon being blocked by some clouds drifting by at the moment. This place was probably always pretty dark at night with hardly nothing else around, and there was no extra light from the caravan anymore either. Probably even quieter too since she couldn’t remember seeing any animals around when it was a bit lighter either. Normally in a place like this Applejack would find it really calm and peaceful. Relaxing. A nice place to walk through and visit. But with what was ahead of her—what was so close now—she still couldn’t shake the feeling of trepidation in her heart. It was a constant now. Applejack was feeling restless and she knew the feeling wouldn’t go away until she arrived at the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel.

“I still need to clean up a little in here and put my things away...” Vahar said as she took off her robe and wizard hat, some cards, rings, and a small mirror accidentally falling out from them and clattering to the floor. “Oops.”

Applejack sighed and helped her pick the stuff up. “Don’t worry about it, I’ve known klutzier ponies. At least you don’t have any fireworks stashed away that could go off.”

Vahar’s eyes sparkled. “Fireworks? I knew I had forgotten something! If I had fireworks my shows would be even better and more spectacular!”

“Oh no… Vahar, promise me you won’t mess around with fireworks until you get better at the actual tricks first. And without getting a lot of experience with them too. You really don’t need to accidentally blow yourself up or some other random pony.”

“The Wondrous and Majestic Vahar promises: she will not use fireworks bigger than sparklers until she is ready,” Vahar calmly promised.

Applejack narrowed her eyes but didn’t say anything. She wasn’t sure about that promise.

“Now let’s hurry up and get to sleep! We can discuss fireworks again in the morning,” Vahar grinned.

“Fine,” Applejack rolled her eyes, too tired to bother. She spotted one more card on the floor of the wagon and picked it up. “Last one, here you-”

Vahar was passed out on the floor, already fast asleep, sprawled like a dog with her chest steadily rising and falling.

“Crash huh?” Applejack raised an eyebrow at the merpony. “Putting it lightly, that sure was sudden.” A smile still came to her face though as she watched her comfortably sleeping friend. “Well you just sleep soundly now, you earned it.”

Applejack went to throw a blanket over her and put a pillow under her head before yawning and taking a big stretch herself. What an exhausting day it had been, even getting roped into helping out in Vahar’s magic show… as much as Applejack liked the mare she was also thankful that nothing like that was going to be happening again. She carefully took off her own hat and for a moment looked at the two colorful roses that were embedded in it before setting it on the floor.

“The beauty of friendship… sure is a nice thing,” Applejack yawned again and got some bedding of her own, quickly lying down and closing her eyes. The wagon was still and nearly quiet aside from the sound of Vahar’s breathing. The rest of the caravan had gone to sleep well before the two of them.

Applejack opened up one eye just a bit and peeked out the back of the wagon to see a few stars shining in the dark sky.

“Aint long now,” she rolled over and shut her eyes again, drifting off to sleep in just a moment.

“Since we’re going to be getting there tomorrow and you’re going to be helping us out when it comes to unloading and delivering some of this stuff, I figured I should go over what you’re going to be doing,” Aquamarine said to Applejack the next morning as the two of them walked beside one of the large cargo wagons in the caravan. “The shanty town that sprung up outside the Citadel is a big and messy place—and there are a lot of ponies in there who wouldn’t think twice about robbing you for that matter. You won’t have to deliver anything alone but it’s still best if you know who’s getting what.”

“I understand,” Applejack nodded. “And I appreciate it but you don’t really have to worry about me. Anypony who tries to rob me is in for a rude awakening.”

Aquamarine grinned. “I think I’d agree with you on that. But still—best not to go to any of the bad spots and drum up trouble for no reason.”

“Yeah, true enough,” Applejack agreed.

“You’ll be with a group of three other stallions who have been to the Citadel before. They’ll know where to go and you’ll mostly help out with the heavy lifting. Now, there’s the possibility that the ponies who we’re supposed to be delivering to aren’t going to be there anymore for whatever reason. It’s happened before. If it does again, then frankly, just give the supplies to the first pony willing to pay for them,” Aquamarine shrugged. “And if you do end up on your own, just avoid going to the spots that are more just tent towns and lookout for buildings that have black X’s painted on them, those are gang spots.”

Applejack grimaced. “Things really are bad there huh?”

“Desperate ponies...” Aquamarine trailed off. “Anyways—the names of the ponies you’ll be delivering things to are Artsy Hooves, Ivory Grace, Cloudsprint, Father Wool, and Voltbeat. They’re all businessponies or well-known figures there in the shanty town. Some of the ones who’ve so far still managed to hold onto their money or even make some in the situation. Everything is paid for already so all you’re going to need to do is deliver the supplies to them.

“Okay,” Applejack nodded along before pausing and raising an eyebrow at Aquamarine. “Wait, hold on a minute. If this stuff is already paid for then why can’t we just give it away if the buyers aint there anymore? Why make some other ponies pay for it again?”

“Because at the end of the day I’m still running a business and want to make as much profit as possible. Sorry Applejack, I’m not so selfless where I’d just give this stuff away like that,” Aquamarine answered, shaking her head at the other mare.

Applejack frowned. She understood it but she didn’t like it. A little kindness and generosity in a place like this could go a long way. But it was Aquamarine’s caravan. She had a lot of responsibilities and a lot of ponies to look out for—and she had let Applejack come along like this and shown nothing but good will when she really didn’t need to. It disappointed Applejack a little bit to hear this but in the end it was just good business sense, wasn’t it?

“Well, that’s fair I suppose,” Applejack sighed.

Aquamarine patted her on the back. “You’re a good mare, Applejack. Let me show you the actual boxes you’re going to be taking out there.”

She walked around to the back of the wagon and opened up the flap, with Applejack following her the two of them stepped up inside and Applejack took a look around. As expected, the wagon was filled with wooden crates, boxes, and chests, with a few heavy burlap sacks lying in one of the corners as well. Some of it was labeled as “Food” or “Medicine” but just as many were left blank. A familiar smell caught Applejack’s nose and she looked inside one of the burlap sacks to see it filled up with potatoes.

“Mostly food that we’re carrying around but there’s plenty of building supplies and other things too,” Aquamarine said.

“I’m surprised there’s still enough money cycling around these parts to pay for all this stuff. How many trips back and forth from the Citadel have you made since they closed the bridge?” Applejack asked.

“Quite a few. And yes—supplies and money are both dwindling and eventually we’re going to run out if nothing changes,” a frown came to Aquamarine’s face. “But… but I can’t imagine this is going to last that long. It can’t keep going forever, can it?”

“I hope not,” Applejack muttered.

“Well anyways—these are the stacks of boxes you’ll be dealing with,” Aquamarine said and pointed to two stacks of boxes rising up to the roof of the wagon. About a dozen boxes in total and each one had a red sticker on them, probably to indicate which group needed to take them. “Now these are only the ones you’re going to be distributing, I’ll want you to help unload everything off the wagons before distribution begins.”

“That’s fine with me, I don’t mind working out my hooves some,” Applejack said.

Aquamarine smirked. “Good, it’s just best we stop the whole caravan right outside the shanty town and can unload everything in one spot where I can keep watch over it. We’ve had a couple of times where ponies try to steal from the wagons so we’ve gotten a little better about that. Thankfully there are a lot of stallions who are going to be unloading the wagons too so it really shouldn’t take long. Oh yeah—ignore any beggars that come around, you can’t trust them as far as you can throw them.”

Applejack winced but nodded. Aquamarine was probably right about that too but it still left a sour taste in her mouth. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Watch out for younger fillies and colts in particular. If you see any of them on their own, not with an adult or anything, it means they’re a pickpocket or working some kind of scam or theft operation. Don’t trust any kid that asks you for money or help, okay?” Aquamarine told her. “I’m sure you don’t want to lose what’s in your saddlebag.”

“Definitely don’t but… ugh, I’m gonna feel awful if some poor kid comes up asking for money and I have to just ignore them,” Applejack rubbed her head.

“Just remember that they’re not some sweet innocent kid and they don’t need your help. They’re trying to see if you’re an easy mark at best or outright rob you blind at worst.”

“Ugh… got it.”

Aquamarine squeezed her shoulder to reassure her again. “Try not to let it all get to you. Sure, things are bad there now but every caravan makes it a little better at least. Nobody’s starving either. Once this all gets taken care of things will go back to normal in no time.”

“If it gets taken care of. You said nobody even knows why this all started in the first place,” Applejack said.

“Yes… it’s a mystery,” Aquamarine frowned.

Applejack stared ahead, looking out the front of the wagon to the west. She huffed lightly and exhaled through her nose. “Well, I don’t expect you to just believe me all willy-nilly, but I plan to help out and fix whatever I can at the Citadel too. There’s no way I can just cross that bridge without trying to fix everything wrong here.”

“You’re a bit of a strange mare,” Aquamarine raised an eyebrow at her. “I thought you were just a traveler but you’re talking like you’re some kind of hero.”

Applejack blushed. “Well—I wouldn’t call myself that either. I like to just consider myself a pony who helps those in need.” A harder look came to her face as she stared at her temporary boss. “And knowing what I do now I’m certain that whatever is going on at the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel needs to come to a stop.”

The Citadel of Al-Karamaretel

Today was the day. The caravan was finally going to arrive at the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel and the great chasm it acted as the sentinel of.

“How much further is it?” Applejack asked Aquamarine as she sat with her and Vahar on the bench of Aquamarine’s lead wagon. The two of them had woken up earlier to get breakfast and Applejack had come up here because she wanted to get as early a view of the Citadel as possible. Vahar of course just didn’t want to be left behind.

Aquamarine didn’t turn to face her, instead keeping her eyes on the road ahead. “I know this route well and we’ve still got a dozen miles left before we crest the final hill and the Citadel comes into view. Just relax, it won’t be too long now.”

“The Wondrous and Majestic Vahar is looking forward to seeing it as well. From what she’s heard it’s a rather magnificent building isn’t it?” Vahar smiled.

“Not just the Citadel itself, but the entire fortified town is pretty impressive,” Aquamarine nodded.

“And everything outside its walls is squalor, squalor, and squalor,” an unimpressed Applejack folded her hooves.

“Yep. You’ll get to see it all in a couple of hours,” Aquamarine said.

Applejack took a deep breath and returned to looking dead ahead. The dirt road continued on and on, seemingly endlessly still even though Applejack knew it ended not much further ahead. Beside her, Vahar tilted from side to side as she hummed some sort of tune, a happy smile on her face and not a care in the world in her head. Applejack’s mind was still much more focused. A dark cloud was hanging over her and it wasn’t going away.

The one positive change lately was how the landscape around them was much more alive, green, and prettier than the desert and harsh dry plains they had been traveling through before. There were fields of green grass on either side of the road, and Applejack saw forests and green hills to the north and south. The sun wasn’t quite so hot either, but pleasant as if it was the middle of a nice day back in Ponyville. Even a couple birds flew above the caravan every now and then—chirping happily and inspecting the long train of wagons.

It just made Applejack disappointed knowing that soon it was coming to an end, and as nice as things looked there was something awful behind it all.

Looking up at the sky for a moment and seeing where the sun was she guessed they’d probably arrive at the Citadel a little after lunch. She could have a last meal with Vahar and see what the merpony was going to do once the caravan arrived at its destination. Applejack was a little worried about her getting robbed or getting on the bad side of some of the ponies living in the shanty town. She was confident the merpony could at least put on a decent performance now but her personality was likely to grate on the destitute ponies of the Citadel. Applejack would have to look out for her and make sure the magician wouldn’t get in any trouble before she actually passed through the gate and entered the true Citadel. After that she wouldn’t be able to do anything more for Vahar.

“I really do hope you’ll be able to get through to the other side. Your chances are low, but I’m rooting for you,” Aquamarine said to Applejack.

“Me too! Whatever madness is going on here I’m sure you’ll still accomplish whatever it is you need to do! The Wondrous and Majestic Vahar has total faith in her great assistant!” Vahar patted her on the shoulder.

“Heh, thanks you two,” Applejack smiled. “I don’t know how long it’ll take or what I need to do, but it’s nice knowing you believe in me.”

“I just want to wish you well, since it sounds like you still have a long journey on your hooves after getting over the bridge,” Aquamarine said.

Applejack sighed. “Yeah, this is only the halfway point for me.”

“Well when you’re on your return trip you simply must stop here again and watch the Majestic and Wondrous Vahar put on a far more miraculous magic show than you’re used to! All in your honor!” Vahar pointed at the sky.

Applejack rolled her eyes but smiled as well. “Thanks, Vahar.”

“You gonna stay here for that long?” Aquamarine raised an eyebrow at the magician.

“Umm...” Vahar furrowed her brow and thought for a second. “I don’t know...”

“Don’t worry about it if something else comes up. I’ve got no idea whatsoever on when I might get all the way back here,” Applejack patted her on the back.

“At least the last leg of my caravan’s trip to the Citadel is an easy one. You both get to relax for the next few hours and I suggest that’s what you do. Stop worrying so much about the future and take a little time to rest and enjoy the scenery—cause soon enough you won’t have the luxury of relaxing anymore,” Aquamarine smirked.

“That’s a good idea, wouldn’t you say, Applejack?” Vahar smiled at her.

Applejack nodded. “Yeah, I think we might as well just take it easy up here and get lunch in a bit. I’ve got enough experience with crazy stuff to know it doesn’t help to fret over it.” She leaned back against the bench and looked up at the sky some more, enjoying the pleasant blue view and the few puffy white clouds traveling across it. “Yep… been through a lot and this is just one more problem to solve. Let’s get lunch in a little bit Vahar, right now I’m gonna get a little extra shuteye.”

She tugged her hat down over her eyes and just started to enjoy the calm rolling of the wagon down the road.

“I’ll join you!” Vahar giggled and tugged her own hat down over her head, resting right beside Applejack.

Aquamarine merely glanced at the two of them. “You know this isn’t your wagon, right?”

“So Vahar, you do know that there are a lot of ponies there at that shanty town that might try and rob you, right?”

“Yes! The Wondrous and Majestic Vahar is well aware of the possible dangers she will face! However—she is confident that her miraculous and moving performances will endear the entire population of the town to her. Soon they will all come to love her and none would dare think of robbing such a beloved figure who only seeks to make their time here at the Citadel better!”

“Uh-huh… well I still think you should be a little careful. Just watch out while you’re working there, okay?”

“The Wondrous and Majestic Vahar will take your advice into consideration!”

Applejack rolled her eyes and went back to her lunch.

They had gotten some salads from the chuck wagon a bit ago and come back to Aquamarine’s lead wagon. Instead of sitting out on the bench with her though they were back inside it, sitting near the back while they ate and talked together. Applejack could’ve gotten a bigger meal but she wanted something lighter and healthier, not wanting to get stuffed before they arrived and all the work she had to do. The tomatoes used in the salad were surprisingly fresh and tasty too. Wouldn’t beat a couple of apples for a meal but it was nice.

She was still a bit worried about her magician friend but Applejack knew she couldn’t watch over her forever. At some point Vahar was going to be on her own again…

Hopefully whatever she had to do on the other side of the chasm, when she finally reached Elysium’s View, didn’t take long and wasn’t nearly as big of a deal as what was going on here at the Citadel. That way she could come back here and say hi later. Discord’s words still worried her though. Something big was going to happen. She just didn’t know who, where, what, when, why, or how.

Applejack finished her salad and gave Vahar a more serious look. “I’m not kidding you know? I’m worried a bit about you and soon we’re going our separate ways. In fact, it’ll be later today that I’ll have to leave you behind.”

“Trust the Wondrous and Majestic Vahar! She has traveled far to get here already, she is not so helpless as you think!” Vahar pouted at her.

“I know, I know, I just want you to take things seriously.”

Vahar sighed and went to take another bite of her salad. “Vahar understands you mean well. She merely thinks your fears are overblown.”

“Well, they might be. Hopefully they are—I’ve definitely been known to be a little over-concerned for ponies in the past. If I’m getting a little too worried again then that’s my fault but you’re still a friend of mine and I want what’s best for you.”

Vahar smiled at her. “Thank you, Applejack, but I’ll be okay.”

“Not calling me your assistant? I suppose that means I know you’re being a little more serious about what I’m saying,” Applejack grinned.

“Do not bring attention to the Wondrous and Majestic Vahar breaking her character out of sympathy!” Vahar shouted in embarrassment and jumped up to her hooves. “How absolutely rude!”

Applejack chuckled. “You know I think I’m actually going to miss that part of you too? Journey is certainly going to be a lot quieter again without you.”

“But of course! None can replace my glorious entertainment value! You will certainly be missing all the energy I bring to your days, hmph!” Vahar folded her hooves and sat down, pouting once more.

“I think you’re right about that.”

Applejack stretched and sat back, looking at the roof of the wagon. “We must be getting there soon now. I wonder if-”

The gentle rolling of the wagon came to a sudden halt, behind them they could hear the next wagon and the next few after it slow and come to a stop as well. The flap at the front of the wagon was swiftly pulled open and Aquamarine stuck her head inside, gaining the attention of both Applejack and Vahar. They looked at her and saw the serious look on her face. Aquamarine nodded to them in acknowledgment and beckoned them to come up to the front of the wagon.

“We’re here.”

Vahar looked over at Applejack but saw that the earth pony was already getting up and making a brisk trot to the front of the wagon. Not wanting to be left behind she forgot about the rest of her salad and followed right after Applejack.

Applejack stepped right out of the back of the wagon and onto the bench—looking ahead and seeing that they were at the top of a hill while the road continued downward in just a few feet. It went down to a barren plain that stretched on for quite a distance until it hit a bank of fog that was slowly lifting and rising up off the ground.

“Is the Citadel...” she muttered before movement to her right caught her attention and she saw Aquamarine hopping off the wagon and walking ahead on the road, stopping right at the top of the hill. Applejack frowned, jumping off the wagon and walking after her while Vahar nearly tripped coming out of the wagon behind her.

“Applejack!” Vahar said, but Applejack didn’t stop. The merpony grumbled as she got off the wagon as well.

Together the two passengers walked up to Aquamarine, past the four stallions patiently waiting for their boss to tell them to move again. Applejack stopped right beside her and raised an inquisitive eyebrow at the Trail Boss while a huffing Vahar came up along her other side.

Aquamarine didn’t meet her gaze and instead only nodded slightly down the hill. “It’ll appear in a second.”

Applejack frowned but followed her gaze and Vahar soon did the same.

Just three mares wearing three different hats, looking to the west from atop this hill.

The fog rolled back, pulling to the west and up into the sky at the same time, slowly revealing the landscape ahead. At first it was just a few tents, a few paths leading off the main road, then more and bigger tents and actual buildings made of wood started to pop up. It was all a hazardous display, nothing built with any sense or coordination and most of the buildings were in a miserable state. Crowded, dirty, broken down, the shanty town was just as expected. She could already see a lot of ponies down there too, it was quite a heavily populated place. More and more appeared as the fog rolled back to give the shanty town an even more crowded and poor look.

And a moment later the fog reached the bottom of black metal walls that rose sheer up from the ground. A curtain wall that stretched north to south for hundreds of feet. The fog pulled up higher, revealing the defensive wall to be at least fifty feet high and studded with huge spikes on top. Applejack bit her lip as more and more of the citadel became visible. In the middle of the wall was a huge gateway that a small line was formed outside of, it looked like several smaller walls and checkpoints existed inside the gateway—Applejack couldn’t actually see what lied beyond it. But thanks to the hill she and the others were on, when the fog lifted further, she could see most of what lied inside the walls. The entire enclosed town of metal and stone, far more claustrophobic than the shanty town outside the walls, like the back alleys of a place like Manehatten, it looked dark and uninviting. She couldn’t see the ponies that lived in there but you could easily fit a lot with how dense it was.

The fog pulled back even more and Applejack’s eyes widened as the actual Citadel of Al-Karamaretel appeared.

The huge building in terms of pure size and mass dwarfed Canterlot Castle but was far less pretty. No painting could’ve done it justice—it was far more intimidating in reality especially with the fog peeling off it and the afternoon light not doing anything to brighten it up. The Citadel was a large, blocky, building, with a single very tall tower that went high up into the sky and a few other smaller towers at its corners and the occasional raised level or floor coming up from its roof. It wasn’t just a perfect rectangle but had many angles and corners that jutted out and created a jagged border between it and the enclosed town that also lied within its walls. Jet black and made of a cold and unyielding metal it really seemed like it was trying to create an atmosphere of fear. With how big it was if you were living in the interior town you would’ve never been able to tear your eyes away from it.

Applejack saw the huge defensive walls finally reach their end before they turned and started going west… and then stopped as they hit the edge of a cliff. No, they even just slightly went over the edge of the cliff to make it entirely impossible for any pony to skirt around them.

Her eyes widened even further as the fog lifted entirely and she saw it—the chasm separating this half of the continent from the other. A dark abyss that was so wide and so deep all she could see of it was total darkness even in the middle of the day. Despite where they stood up on the hill the other end of it was nowhere in sight. If Applejack didn’t know better, she would’ve thought this was the very edge of the world.

There was only one other thing that she could barely see from their point of view. The bridge that extended from the back of the Citadel, going far across the chasm until it too fully disappeared. The bridge she needed to get to.

“Welcome to the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel,” Aquamarine said, turning her head to face Applejack and Vahar. “Enjoy your stay.”

Warden

Applejack stepped past the final gate and stood there right inside the outer walls of the Citadel as the gate closed back up behind her. She was here, she was inside the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel.

In many ways it was like stepping into the dense suburbs of Manehattan. Similar architecture, rows and rows of small buildings, paved roads, but that was where the similarities ended. The buildings here in the interior town looked to be made of cement or stone and painted black with maybe a brown shingled roof if anything. And there certainly weren’t any parks or trees around, Applejack could tell that this place didn’t have the time or space for anything like that. There was probably nothing built for leisure in this entire place. No plants, no grass, likely no animals aside from rats scurrying through the sewers. And the fact it was now dark out only made it look worse—there were plenty of lampposts on the streets but the artificial light paled in comparison to the sun. The buildings and streets were still mostly dark and scary and Applejack didn’t look forward to having to travel down them.

And she didn’t even have any idea of where she could find a place to stay. Most of the buildings she was facing now on this first street looked like houses or shops at most, certainly not any inns to stay at. It seemed like she’d just have to search on her own.

There were a few ponies out but… they didn’t look like they wanted to talk to any strangers. Most were clearly in the middle of working anyways, either sweeping the streets clean, washing windows, or pulling along carts of trash. Seemed there were quite a few ponies who worked for the Citadel aside from just the guards.

And speaking of the guards she saw plenty of them too. Not only was an entire squad guarding the gate she had just finished getting through—standing on either side of the gates with spears held straight up in the air—but she saw multiple patrols walking the streets. Always a pair of guards going up and down the streets, keeping an eye on things. Applejack was already a little worried at just how many armored guards she had already seen. The Citadel of Al-Karamaretel had a decently sized fighting force by the looks of it.

Applejack sighed, there was probably only about four or five hours before midnight. She didn’t have the time to explore or figure anything out, she needed a place to stay first. Once she had that taken care of she could begin to get to the bottom of this place tomorrow.

Unconsciously, she patted her saddlebag to try and feel the bag of bits within. Although she knew her bits were extremely valuable here, she also knew this place was designed to drain a pony to the bone. How long would she actually be able to survived on what she had? How badly would they charge a single mare to stay in the smallest, worst, room they had? Applejack wasn’t looking forward to finding out.

Since she entered right into the middle of the Citadel from the gate though she should be able to get around wherever she wanted easily enough. So on Applejack went down the road that went mostly down the middle of the interior town in search of an inn. Unfortunately even this road, leading right from the gate, eventually looked like it got blocked off by a wall or row of buildings not too far into the town. Didn’t seem like she’d have a straight route anywhere, especially if she was trying to navigate her way towards the actual Citadel at the back of the town. Maybe that was another defensive aspect of the Citadel, to make it harder for invaders to get to it.

“Everything about this place bothers me,” Applejack said as she walked through the streets. No street that branched off went more than a few houses before sharply turning a corner and at every four way intersection there was not just streetlights but also at least one loudspeaker up on a pole that went higher than most buildings. She wondered what that was for. Every now and then she saw a pony or two looking out a window or swiftly entering one of the buildings. It didn’t seem like they were concerned by her specifically, but just wanted to get indoors.

“This place has to be livelier during the day—it just makes no sense,” Applejack scratched her head.

Meanwhile no matter how many guards she passed by they didn’t acknowledge her at all either.

Unless she went somewhere she wasn’t supposed to be or caused a fuss she doubted the guards would mind her or anypony else. They probably were mainly around to keep ponies pacified and remove those who could no longer afford to stay. Applejack didn’t want to bother with them. Yet.

After turning another corner she stopped in the middle of the street and looked around.

“Well, I think I’m lost already,” Applejack sighed. “Do I just go knocking on random doors now?”

Applejack shook her head and was about to continue on down the street when she heard a door slam open behind her. Startled, she looked to see what the commotion was and saw one pony struggling to make his way out of a small house while a mare held onto him, trying to hold him back. They both looked pretty well to do to Applejack, they had some nice clothes on and their manes and tails looked glossy and treated. The stallion—a unicorn—was also holding a box of something while the mare tried to keep him from leaving.

Applejack was curious so she stepped back a little, stepping onto the sidewalk and closer to the buildings, out from under the streetlights.

“Stop grabbing onto me! You know it needs to be done, we don’t have enough to stay here for even a single day more!” The stallion barked at the mare.

“But dear, you can’t! It’s my grandmother’s jewelry, it’s all I have left to remember her by, you can’t sell it!” The mare wailed.

“It needs to be done, Velvet! It’s the only thing left we can part with...” her husband huffed, trying to pull her hooves off him.

“But what’s the point! If we lose everything just to leave then what’s the point of any of this!”

“It will all be worth it if our number gets called soon and we can get to the other side. You know what’s waiting there for me. Someday it will all be alright… we’ll be able to come back and find your grandmother’s jewelry again too,” the stallion finally pulled himself free and let his wife fall to the ground. “It will all be worth it… it will all be worth it...” he continued to mumble to himself as he strode away.

“Dear! Dear!” Velvet cried out before pulling herself back to her hooves and chasing after him.

Applejack just shook her head as they disappeared out of sight. “This place is… why is any of this happening?”

Bzzt!

Applejack flinched as a heavy buzzing and static sound came from down the street and she looked to see one of the loudspeakers at the nearest intersection shaking and buzzing to life. Quickly she trotted right over to it as it buzzed static for a few more seconds until a voice came out:

“Attention Citadel of Al-Karamaretel—this is the Warden speaking.”

Immediately Applejack stiffened and paid close attention to the loudspeaker. That voice that came from it was deep, very deep, but placid and nearly emotionless at the same time.

“This is your nightly announcement on which numbers are to be called. If your number is called, please report to the Citadel tomorrow at six in the morning sharp. The following numbers have been called: 84-LB, 25-ZA, 11-HB. That is all. I repeat, the numbers 84-LB, 25-ZA, and 11-HB have been called. This message will repeat in one hour.”

Bzzt!

Applejack blinked, a cold pit forming in her stomach. “Only three? There must be a thousand ponies inside here and all he called were three?”

She looked in the direction of the Citadel—seeing the massive structure rising above the rest of the buildings.

“I need to get in there soon and put a stop to this.”

There was a small inn a few more streets down through the town, resting in the upper left side of the town only a relatively short distance from the walls of the Citadel. Applejack had finally found it after searching for almost another hour after hearing the announcement. She had made the decision to not knock on any doors or bother other ponies she saw here. Not at this point—not right after that announcement when most here knew they were out of luck for another day. If she hadn’t found the inn in a few more minutes she just would’ve gone to talk to some of the guards. She still saw plenty of them patrolling the streets. Now that it was getting closer to midnight some of them might have even been purposefully keeping an eye on her.

Either way here she was at an inn that bordered several other small buildings, all of them constructed so there was no alley between any of them, they shared each other’s walls. There was a stoop leading up to it with a sign that read “Vacancy” next to the door—clearly lit up by the streetlight outside. Applejack was a little hesitant to enter the first inn she saw but she didn’t really have the time to pick and choose. If this one overcharged her she could always go find another the next day.

She sighed and walked up the stoop, opening the door without knocking, and strode inside the inn.

It was as cramped inside as she expected. A narrow entryway with a half-door to her right that led into an office. The top half of the door was blocked by bars, leaving only a slot at the middle for things to pass through. Directly in front of her was a small staircase with a door to the left of it. Everything was dark and made of brick with only a small electrical light in the ceiling that cast a dim yellow glow.

Applejack looked inside the office through the locked and barred door and saw a mare with square glasses, a pink coat, and curly yellow mane asleep on a chair, drool seeping out of her mouth.

“Ahem,” Applejack coughed.

The mare slowly blinked her eyes open and looked over at the source of noise. Spotting Applejack in her blurry vision she sat up with a frown. “Oh.” She wiped the drool away from her lips. “Excuse me, wasn’t expecting anymore customers tonight. You must have gotten into the Citadel late.”

“I did, and I saw your vacancy sign outside, can I get a room?” Applejack asked.

“Heh—yeah you’d certainly like to have a room before midnight, wouldn’t you?” The mare smirked, sauntering over to Applejack with a twinkle in her blue eyes.

Applejack frowned. “That’s right, I would.”

“Well what do you have to pay for it? You know you might be staying here a long time,” the mare said.

“I’m aware,” Applejack said and took her bag of bits out of her saddlebag. Opening it up she showed the contents to the mare. “It’s just me and all I need is a small room to sleep in for the night.” She took a single gold coin out and placed it on the top of the bottom half of the door, right in the slot under the bars. “How many nights will that get me?”

The mare glanced down at the gold coin and picked it up. “One.”

“One?” Applejack clenched her jaw and furrowed her brow. “Are you kidding me right now?”

“One. Night,” the mare turned up her nose at Applejack. “And you won’t get a room for less anywhere else in the citadel either. That’s how things work here.”

Applejack dragged a hoof down her face. She was too tired to argue, and there was likely nothing she could do about it anyways. “Fine. Just give me a room.”

The mare smiled. “You’re welcome.”

A few minutes later and Applejack turned a rusty old key into the door lock of a room on the second floor. As soon as it was unlocked the door slowly creaked open on its own and Applejack was greeted to a small room that was almost too small for a foal. The claustrophobic brick walls gave it the appearance of a prison cell more than anything. There wasn’t even any sort of furniture aside from the small bed in the corner. Applejack walked inside and saw a light dangling from the ceiling, pulling its cord it flickered on and she closed and locked the door back up before going to sit down on the bed.

“This already isn’t going so well...” she checked her bag of bits and frowned. “Not just paying for the room, but I’ll need to buy food, and there’s probably other ways this place will try to get all my money from me. Can’t spend more than a few days here or I’m in trouble.”

Deep in the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel there was a room that no pony or creature entered.

Except for one.

Seated at a wide desk, a large figure looked over the reports from the checkpoint guards today on the new arrivals to the Citadel. His hands turned through page after page while eyes hidden behind reading glasses scanned each and every word. A microphone and intercom with dozens of buttons on it sat on the desk as well. Behind him there was a window that took up the entire back wall of the room—looking out over the great chasm that the Citadel stood before. If one looked down and a little to the left, they’d see the bridge stretching from the back of the Citadel as it went off into the darkness. Besides that the room was startlingly barren and lifeless. As if the one denizen of it had no desire or need for even a painting or potted plant. Work, business, and function was the sole purpose of the room and everything inside it.

Going through the reports—the hands of the figure stopped on one page in particular and he straightened up as he read it.

“Applejack from Equestria? It couldn’t be...” the Warden murmured in his bottomlessly deep voice.

One hand went down to his desk as his fingers thrummed up and down on it as he read the report.

“Orange mare… blonde mane and tail… hat… three apples Cutie Mark...” the Warden read aloud. “It is her. But why? Did the Princesses learn of what’s happening here? Could they have sent her?” He exhaled deeply through his nose as he thought, putting the report down and continuing to tap his fingers on the desk. “Curious, and interesting, but potentially troublesome. Best to keep an eye on her.”

Make Yourself at Home

“Well I was right about it being a lot livelier during the day. Still aint too pleasant out though,” Applejack said to herself as she walked down one of the Citadel’s many winding streets.

She was taking the time to walk through and see as much of the interior town as she could today before the midnight curfew came around again. Applejack didn’t want to waste anymore time, she needed to learn as much about the Citadel as possible. Where everything was, how many guards there were, and if she could actually get into the main Citadel building. She highly doubted she’d be let in but perhaps she could find a different sort of entrance. For now though she was mostly walking around the random streets of the town, at least the place didn’t look so scary and miserable during the day and there were more than just guards out.

Applejack actually saw quite a number of ponies wandering around, either killing time or going out to eat. It seems that there was no restriction on movement in the main part of town during the day. Still—most every pony looked the opposite of happy. There wasn’t a single smile to be found. Most ponies didn’t look like they wanted to be bothered or were already talking with their own families or acquaintances, so Applejack was on the lookout for a pony she could talk to that didn’t look like he’d refuse her completely.

In the meantime she had come across a number of businesses as well, small bakeries, restaurants, bars, stores, all owned and guarded by those working directly for the Citadel. Though Applejack was fairly hungry she didn’t want to waste any of her bits just yet. Not until she was certain she couldn’t find food and room for any cheaper. She suspected that if she went into a bakery and asked for a single loaf of bread they’d want an entire golden bit in return. Everypony and creature here working for the Citadel was preying on the ponies trying to get to the other side of the canyon.

If the Citadel hadn’t always been like this then what led to everypony living here joining in this madness?

“Just nuts to me,” Applejack shook her head.

Applejack decided to make her way a little closer to the actual Citadel, even though she wasn’t sure where she needed to go to get inside it, she might as well get as close as she could. Maybe the ponies that were staying there knew a little more? The further she walked the more she kept her eyes peeled for the guards or anything that stuck out as abnormal. But the only thing she saw was more hopeless ponies walking around. Most of them didn’t even bother looking up at the sky despite how nice of a day it was.

She wanted to shout at them and ask why they were putting up with this but that was a quick ticket to getting kicked out by the guards and that wouldn’t help anypony.

Another couple of turns in the streets and Applejack was down a row of buildings that seemed maybe one street at most removed from the main building. Or there could’ve been an empty spot or some kind of other defensive perimeter that separated the real Citadel from the town. Applejack couldn’t see just yet.

What she did see was that there were fewer ponies out walking about, and one pony she saw was standing at a street corner all alone, staring at nothing.

Applejack paused and chewed on the inside of her cheek. She looked around and didn’t really see anything else going on. And that pegasus stallion at least didn’t look dead inside or anything. He stood there with a bushy brown mustache, probably in his forties, and a small hat on his head.

Applejack shrugged and walked over to him. He didn’t seem to notice her at all so- “Howdy there!” Applejack said to him and waved, being as friendly as possible.

The stallion jolted upright and swung his head over to her. “Huh? Who are you?”

“My name’s Applejack and to put it simply, well, I’m a new arrival here and I was wondering if I could ask you some questions. Aint exactly an information booth or anypony around I’ve seen who I could really talk to. And pardon me but you didn’t seem to be busy,” Applejack’s smile was slightly strained as she spoke. He didn’t seem to be reacting much to what she was saying.

“Oh. New, huh?” He sighed and rubbed his head. “Well… sure, I’ll answer what I can but I don’t know how much help I’ll be. Even though its been a while there’s not much to tell.”

Applejack tilted her head. “How long have you been here?”

“Three months.”

“You’ve been here three months?...” Applejack felt horrible, nearly going cold.

“Uh-huh. Actually came here with a larger group representing a big trade business that worked with a lot of businesses and city-states on the other side of the canyon. But our number was never called, even with all the money we had it eventually got whittled down and slowly my associates left the Citadel one by one to try and gather up more funds for a return visit. I’m the last one still here, though unless my number gets called even I’ll have to leave soon.”

“Is there really no pattern to the numbers that get called? How do ponies not go crazy when so few get to go through?” Applejack asked.

The stallion shrugged. “Nothing else we can do. My name’s Scraper by the way, nice to meet a pony who still looks normal. Sorry to say but after a month of being here that’s probably going to change about you.”

“Well I really don’t plan on staying here that long,” Applejack snorted. “Anyways though, is every inn going to try and take as much money as possible for me just for a tiny little room?”

Scraper chuckled mirthlessly. “Heh, every inn, every place to eat, they’ll ask you what you have on you first before deciding how much to charge you. I don’t know what you have for payment right now but I wouldn’t bother looking for a “cheaper” inn. It doesn’t exist.”

“Fantastic. Well I’ve got another question but I’m pretty sure I already know the answer. Can I actually go inside the real Citadel and talk to whoever’s in charge? Can anypony try to get their number bumped up or do anything?” Applejack asked.

“Guarded day and night and if you even try to walk up to the front door they’ll walk out and turn you away. My boss yelled at them plenty of times, demanded to see the Warden or somepony else in charge, got refused and turned away every time,” Scraper shrugged. “What else do you expect?”

“The Warden… he’s the guy in charge of the Citadel? What do you know about him?”

“Nothing. Don’t even know if he’s a pony. Nopony’s seen him, we’ve just heard his voice over the loudspeakers.”

Applejack scratched her head. “And uh… well is that front door the only way inside the citadel?”

Scraper raised an eyebrow at her. “Why do you ask?”

“Personal reasons,” Applejack stiffly responded.

“Well…” Scraper frowned but then snorted in annoyance. “Actually—I really don’t care. But for your information no, there’s no other way in. That front door is the only entrance that isn’t blocked off.”

“Blocked off?”

Scraper looked at her more suspiciously but still answered. “Yeah, there was a side gate on the southern side that’s now been completely barricaded. And… there was an old rumor that had been going around for a while by the time I arrived here. Apparently some ponies got the idea to break into the main Citadel through the sewers. Using the tunnels down there to try and slip through and get to the bridge. But from what I heard there are heavy gates and magical enchantments down there to keep ponies out from actually making it under the Citadel. The whole group eventually got trapped down there and surrounded by guards.”

“That so...” Applejack scratched her chin, thinking.

“Uh, Miss Applejack? I think you oughta stop thinking about whatever it is you’re thinking about.”

Applejack smirked and chuckled for a moment. “Thanks for your concern but unless my number gets called tomorrow I need to work on getting over that canyon a little faster.”

Scraper shrugged. “Be careful I guess. I suppose if something happens to you it only means my number has a better chance of being called.”

“How kind of you to think that way,” Applejack snorted.

“Three months in here, remember? I couldn’t care less about somepony stiffing it to the guards and Warden and getting the better of them, so it’s not like I’ll try and stop you if that’s really what you’ve got in your head. No skin off my bones.”

Applejack paused, taking a moment to breathe deeply. “No skin off your bones, huh? Well I’ve got a request to make of you before I go. If things get better around here, if whatever’s going on stops, and you find yourself in a good place, will you pay that good fortune forward to somepony else?”

“Huh? What are you talking about?” Scraper asked, confused.

“Just want to know if maybe you’d still be kind and generous to help others out, if your situation was just a little bit better and you could afford to. Just purely out of the kindness of your heart,” Applejack asked.

“I...” Scraper frowned, still puzzled by the strange mare and her questions. “Well… yeah. I wouldn’t want to be like the ones in control here… if I could help somepony else out I would. But things would really have to change in the citadel before any ponies could think of helping each other.”

Applejack smiled. “I wouldn’t worry about that too much.”

“Now if I was Twilight I could just magic my way on in. Or if I was Rainbow Dash I could just fly around it and find some other entrance. And I’m sure Pinkie Pie would be able to somehow get in there too...”

Applejack was looking directly at the large Citadel building, having finally found the street that actually led to its own front door. It rose up so tall, far taller than the outer curtain walls, and looked impenetrable to a normal pony. There were windows every now and then that dotted the exterior, but every single one was barred. And like Scraper said, the only entrance she could see was the front that was currently being guarded by a dozen different guards. They weren’t paying attention directly to her right now, but Applejack figured if she kept suspiciously walking around like this that one of them might do something. She’d have to leave soon.

“I could maybe break through the wall somewhere but… it’s all metal, could I really? I’d definitely be heard too or caught really quickly on the inside,” Applejack sighed and scratched her head. “It’s times like this where I wish I had a few more tools than just my hooves to work with.”

She frowned then as she thought about something. “Caught… where do the guards take ponies who cause trouble and tried to break in and get to the bridge? Did they kick them out or imprison them?” Applejack wondered about this new mystery. “The Citadel has been like this for a long time… if there is some kind of prison or dungeon in there… how many ponies have been taken there?”

She rubbed her chin, an idea forming in her head.

But right now she couldn’t act on it—or anything else. She wanted to explore and learn more about the Citadel and interior town, see if she could figure anything else out. Her bits wouldn’t last forever but she had a little time for now.

After a while though she decided she needed to get back to her inn. There was plenty she had found out and seen today and she didn’t want to look even more suspicious for the guards.

It was tiresome though. This place was so miserable and most ponies looked like they had given up all hope. Applejack couldn’t stand thinking about what some ponies might have sold or given up just for the opportunity to spend one more day here and then not getting their number called anyways. Inside here was even worse than the dirty grunge the ponies out in the shanty town lived in.

Bzzt!

Applejack stopped in mid-step. It had gotten later than she realized apparently. Unlike the last time the loudspeakers had come on, she wasn’t the only pony around either, the street was busier right now and every other pony here with her also stopped what they were doing and looked up at the nearest speakers.

“Attention Citadel of Al-Karamaretel—this is the Warden speaking. “This is your nightly announcement on which numbers are to be called. If your number is called, please report to the Citadel tomorrow at six in the morning sharp. The following numbers have been called: 58-AB. That is all. I repeat, number 58-AB has been called. This message will repeat in one hour.”

Bzzt!

Applejack heard a cry of astonishment from the other side of the street and looked to see a pair of stallions and a mare practically crying tears of joy. They were wealthy looking, and still had expensive clothes and jewelry on.

“I told you! I told you it would happen!” One of the stallions, wearing a gold-rimmed monocle, cheered to the other two. “Now we can finally get to Equinestan and everything will have been worth it! Come—we have to go and gather our things together—the business deal with the Miner Family won’t wait forever!”

The three of them then ran off to wherever it was they were staying—while many other jealous and angry ponies watched them go. Some of them even crying or collapsing to the street in agony that their number wasn’t called too.

Applejack shook her head. “At least some ponies actually get what they want.”

She picked her hooves back up and started walking back to the in for the night. Only one number. Just one number called tonight. She couldn’t get that horrid reality out of her head. It was a miracle the other ponies on that street hadn’t turned into a mob and went after those lucky ponies. But even if they had, the guards would’ve put a stop to it and then they’d be in an even worse spot...

As soon as Applejack made it back to the inn she opened up the door and started walking right to the stairs-

“E-E-Excuse me!”

Applejack stopped, nearly tripping over her hooves, and looked at the door to the office. The mare innkeeper was there, pressed right up against the bars, and staring at her with a terrified expression on her face. She held an envelope in her shaking hooves and pushed it through the slot under the bars.

“T-This came for you earlier today.”

“Huh?” Applejack blinked in surprise. “How could there be a letter for me?”

She took it out of the mare’s hooves and checked it out. Sure enough, right on the front was the name “Applejack” written in fancy calligraphy. Applejack turned the envelope over and her eyes widened. The back of it was sealed shut with a bit of wax and a big W embossed right in the middle of it.

“Is this from who I think it is?” Applejack asked.

“I-I don’t know… nothing like this has ever happened before,” the mare said, still shaking. “Who are you?”

“Nopony special,” Applejack mumbled and walked away, heading to her room.

The moment she was in there and had closed the door she opened up the envelope. A bit of sweat had coalesced on her brow and Applejack wiped it away before she unfolded the single piece of paper that made up the letter and began reading it. She grit her teeth and narrowed her eyes right from the first line…

Applejack from Equestria, Element of Harmony.

Greetings, I am the Warden and I have sent this letter as a way to welcome you to our Citadel of Al-Karamaretel. We have never had such an illustrious visitor inside our walls, it surprised and filled me with pride that you have come here. Whatever your reasons for wishing to use our bridge I’m sure it is for the most noblest of goals. Due to your special position and who and what you represent, I have decided that you will no longer have to pay for room and board for the duration of your stay here. Your number as well will be bumped up and called soon so you can get to whatever business you have beyond the canyon. While you wait here, please make yourself at home.

That was it. Simple and to the point. And the words within it bothered her immensely.

Applejack reread it quickly and clicked her tongue. “Well aren’t you a rotten liar.”

A Familiar Face

Applejack was still trying to discover and figure out more about the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel. She didn’t believe the words in that letter one bit or trust that the Warden cared about her—least not in the way he put it. It bothered her he even knew who she was too. How many ponies, or whatever he was, out here knew about her, Equestria, and the Elements of Harmony? It really made her uncomfortable, and she couldn’t get rid of the nagging feeling in her stomach. She most definitely was not just going to sit around and wait for her number to be called.

And she had the suspicion that even if it was called in the next day or two that the moment she walked into the actual Citadel she’d never be heard from again. She couldn’t let things go normally.

It was about noon right now though and wandering around the town had worked up a bit of hunger in her. Also because she’d been eating basically nothing to save on bits—but with her inn fees now taken care of then maybe she could afford to get a regular meal today? She wanted to try and question some other ponies about the Warden but… she was also worried his guards were paying closer attention to her than a normal “guest” here. It wouldn’t be good to rock the boat or tip him off right now.

She had a plan of action she could commit to soon, but just wanted to learn as much as she could first.

Trying to work on that hunger first, Applejack walked into a long building nestled in the crowded center of the town. A sign helpfully reading “Soup Kitchen” over its front doors was all she needed to know.

Stepping through the swinging front doors she emerged into a dining hall that took up pretty much the entire length of the building. Multiple long tables were put into two rows and an array of ponies were seated at them, drinking soup from simple plastic bowls. She mostly saw families here but there were a couple of individual ponies as well having their lunch alone. There were also a few workers wearing aprons going around and cleaning up left behind bowls and messes. On the far side of the long room was a counter where it looked like you could get your tray and bowl first and then go down a line where several ponies behind the counter would scoop up soup for you. The kitchen back behind the counter looked busy, Applejack saw a lot of ponies making and retrieving large pots of soup and washing old bowls and spoons.

At the front of the row where several trays and bowls were set up was also a mare behind a cash register. Applejack sighed—knowing she was about to be bilked—and started walking towards her. At least the soup smelled good from here.

There was a sudden sharp gasp from behind her and Applejack stopped, looking over her shoulder.

“It’s you,” a young mare said, staring right at her.

She was… vaguely familiar but Applejack didn’t know who she was. A yellow unicorn mare a few years younger than herself by the look of it, with a pink mane now pulled back and covered in a hairnet. She carried a bowl-filled tray in her magic that was now wobbling and threatening to be dropped to the ground.

“It’s you. It’s really you...” the mare repeated.

“Um… do I know you?” Applejack raised an eyebrow.

A small smile appeared on the mare’s face along with a few tears gathering at her eyes. “I’m not surprised if you don’t remember me, but I couldn’t be happier to see you again. You changed my life.”

Applejack looked harder and then realized where that familiar face was from. Her jaw dropped and her eyes widened in shock. “You’re that young mare from that cult I ran into all that time ago. I remember you… we met in the morning and then after I uh… after that stuff happened you...”

“Solar Streak,” Solar Streak smiled at her. “My name is Solar Streak. And you’re Applejack, the mare that saved me.” She set her tray down and took off her apron, piling it on top of the bowls and yelled over to the kitchen. “Mr. Ladle! I’m taking my break now!”

Applejack got her bowl of soup and sat down with Solar Streak at the far end of the dining hall, at a table nopony else was using.

“When did you get here?” Solar Streak asked from across from her. “I never thought I’d see you again in my whole life.”

“Just recently,” Applejack frowned and gave the young mare a sad look. “You… what happened after I saw you? I remember it wasn’t exactly a happy parting. You didn’t seem to like what I had done to your village and everything.”

Solar Streak shook her head. “I didn’t. At first. But you really made me think, about my life, my Cutie Mark, the kind of pony I wanted to be and what I wanted to do. I couldn’t stay there or continue with that cult anymore… most ponies felt the same way, it was all falling apart by the time I left anyways.” She took a deep breath. “It wasn’t easy at first, but I don’t regret leaving. I wanted to find myself… I still do.”

“Yeah… I guess my next question is how did you get here?” Applejack asked, grimacing as she looked around.

“Well after leaving the cult I didn’t have anywhere else to go or anything to do. I picked a direction and I walked. Ended up walking and traveling for a long while before I found myself on the way here. Even then I was working as a helping hoof on a caravan that went through most of the lands east of here before it came to the Citadel. Then I spent some time in that tent town outside the walls before actually working up the courage to come in here. I… didn’t really know what the situation was like. I had thought I’d just be able to cross the bridge someday and continue traveling, trying to find myself, but I was wrong obviously.”

“How much money did you have when you came in here? It sounds like you’ve been inside the citadel for a long time but you still haven’t gotten kicked out yet?”

“Mmm...” Solar Streak frowned, nervously rubbing her hooves together. “I ended up in the same situation most of the working ponies you’ve seen here are in. I’m sure you’ve seen a lot of ponies cleaning around the streets? Taking delivers or transporting things? They’re not actually ponies that work for the Citadel. Not like the guards and building owners. They’re ponies who ran out of money to stay here but… instead of leaving they chose to enter into debt, getting to keep their number but having to work for the Citadel to pay off what they owe. It’s a vicious cycle, you don’t make any actual money and you can’t live where you want or do anything like the average ponies waiting here, the more days you spend the more debt you accrue so you have to keep working and working yourself to the bone. The only way to really get out of debt is by skipping meals or taking on multiple jobs. We’re all more like indentured servants than anything. And now unlike the others who will just get thrown out when they run out of money, we couldn’t leave if we wanted to.”

Applejack brought a hoof to her forehead, looking down miserably at the table. “Solar Streak… how far in debt are you?”

“I don’t keep track anymore,” Solar Streak awkwardly grinned and shrugged, trying to laugh it off. “Heh… it just seems silly to at this point.”

“You can’t be okay with any of this,” Applejack frowned and narrowed her eyes at the other mare.

“What else would I be doing, Applejack? I wasn’t going anywhere, I wasn’t doing anything, even if I wasn’t working here I’d just be doing something similar somewhere else or traveling aimlessly. Sure I didn’t plan for this but I didn’t plan for anything else either. I’m not stuck here forever, after all I didn’t really care about even going across the bridge in the first case. I chose to stay here because… what else is out there for me? Until I really have a reason to leave… what does the debt even matter?” Solar Streak sighed and looked down. “I still feel more free than before.”

Applejack didn’t have anything to say to that. She stirred her soup around despondently before bringing a spoonful up to her lips and drinking it.

“So why are you here though? What brought you all the way to the Citadel?” Solar Streak asked.

“It’s… kind of complicated,” Applejack rubbed the back of her neck. “I didn’t come to the Citadel specifically, didn’t even know it existed or what was going on here until I started traveling, I just need to get over that bridge and to the other half of the continent. Got someplace to be. But… now that I’m here I couldn’t really leave even if I wanted to. There’s no way any of this should be happening.”

A small smile appeared on Solar Streak’s face. “I didn’t think you were the type of pony to let something wrong continue. You didn’t back at the cult after all. Good luck with whatever it is you need to do.”

“Thank you,” Applejack said.

It was a conversation ender. Applejack could clearly tell that Solar Streak meant it that way and the mare expected, and probably wanted, Applejack to get up and leave after getting to say hello to her.

She didn’t.

Applejack stayed where she was and stared deeply into Solar Streak’s eyes. “Solar Streak… are you… are you doing alright? For real?”

At first she was stunned for a second or two by Applejack’s words. Solar Streak’s lip quivered and the already small smile disappeared, her hooves shook and her eyes searched around, refusing to meet Applejack’s gaze. Slowly a few tears started to build up and she quickly reached up to wipe them away. “I-I’m sorry! I just… i-it’s been so long since anypony has asked.” Her sniffling turned into weak sobbing even as she fought against it. “I’m sorry, Applejack. It’s not… this place is...”

Applejack reached across the table and laid a hoof on hers. “I understand. You don’t have to say nothing more. And you don’t have to worry about this place anymore either, I promise I’ll help you and everypony else here.”

“I’ve seen so many ponies come through here, Applejack. They lose everything and nopony does anything about it—including me. So few get to go through, it’s all so miserable and awful. This place is horrible!” Solar Streak cried out and immediately covered her mouth, worried that she had been too loud.

She looked around and when it was obvious nopony heard—or cared—she lifted her hooves to her head and held it. “I don’t know why things are like this, why I go from one awful thing to another. I don’t want to be here anymore… I don’t know why I said all that stuff to you.”

“Sometimes it can be tough to admit something to yourself. I can’t imagine what it’s been like for you, stuck in here for so long,” Applejack sighed. “You deserve better, Solar Streak.”

“I’m sick of not having the guts to do anything, Applejack. I’ve always gone with the flow and never had the courage to speak up or think for myself. I want to find the life I was supposed to have when I got my Cutie Mark but...” she smiled painfully. “And here I am now, having you change my life again by the sound of it because I couldn’t be the one to do anything myself.”

“You don’t need to kick yourself over something like that. I don’t know how exactly you view me but there have been plenty of times where I’ve needed somepony else to save me too and point me in the right direction. Just hold out hope for a little longer, Solar Streak, I am going to change things here. I’m taking down the Warden. And after that, when you’re free again for real, you can get back to the life you want to lead,” Applejack smiled.

“Thank you...” Solar Streak muttered, still a little morose. “I-I should really get back to work though. G-Good luck, Applejack. And goodbye… in case we don’t see each other again.”

She stood up from the table and went to put her apron back on so she could get back to bussing tables. Applejack sadly watched her go, not having much of an appetite left for her soup.

“Tomorrow...” Applejack whispered to herself.

Truth

Applejack’s hooves splashed into sewer water after she jumped down from above, the dirty water splashing back up against her underbelly, making her wet and uncomfortable right from the start. It was a good thing she was used to dirty, smelly, work or this would be a real pain. Not that she expected anything pleasant from having to make her way through the sewers of Al-Karamaretel.

It was well past midnight at this point, Applejack having purposefully waited until after curfew to discreetly leave the inn on her mission to break into the true Citadel. While it might have been reckless she had been here long enough to know it was the only solution.

It actually wasn’t that difficult to get down here either. Thanks to her Hoof of the Earth abilities, Applejack could “see” any guards in the vicinity. Walls weren’t even a problem thanks to it. She always knew exactly where to go and when to stay hidden to avoid them. And the same ability allowed her to find and map out the sewers beneath the town. She didn’t have the range to see all of it of course, but she was at least able to figure out where there were tunnels and the holes that led down into them. Of course there had been a padlock on the cover she had found but Applejack was able to break it easily enough with a small tremor and head on down.

Right into the unpleasant and cold hoof deep water she was now wading through.

“Aint exactly my idea of a nice night,” Applejack mumbled as she walked through the sewer.

She couldn’t physically see anything with it being pitch black down here but a few tremors sent out at regular intervals gave her everything she needed to know. A bat would be impressed at how easily she traveled through the darkness.

I wonder if there actually are other things blocking off access to the citadel down here? Applejack wondered. The supposed gates and barriers hadn’t been found just yet but she still had a fair distance to make before she was under the citadel building.

At least she could tell that there weren’t any rats down here or guards that patrolled the sewer. It was just her and the water sloshing about her legs. The sewer tunnels, compared to the town above, were made in a much more sensible and easy to follow grid-like pattern. Applejack didn’t have to make any odd turns or get stuck at dead ends as she made her way forward. The water flowed regularly as well, all of it going in the same direction as her. She was pretty sure that all the sewer water, waste, and other garbage went right off the edge of the cliff and into the canyon. She wished it flowed fast enough where she didn’t have to be stuck in it like this but there were simply too many ponies and buildings living in the town over her head. There were a lot of pipes she passed under or by that were pumping out more water and refuse into the sewers.

She still couldn’t go very fast through here though thanks to having to rely on Hoof of the Earth and the water slowing her down and it took her well over an hour before her scouting ability told her she was getting to right underneath the true Citadel. If there was any blockade she figured she’d find it soon.

“Honestly a torch would still be really nice right now...” Applejack sighed and continued on.

Walking straight ahead—the next scouting tremor she shot out brought back an “image” of something in the way. Applejack frowned and picked up her pace through the cold water to get to the first real obstacle she had found. A steel grate. Blocking off the entirety of the tunnel so no pony could simply walk through it anymore. She could feel the water still flowing past it, and knew that it probably didn’t fully go down to the floor but still far enough that it would be impossible to squeeze under it as well. Even if Applejack was willing to dunk her whole body and head underwater.

Applekack stopped right in front of the grate and clicked her tongue. Something like this was much harder to break or get through than a lock, or any kind of wooden or stone obstacle. Hoof of the Earth couldn’t break or warp it nearly as easily and because all the bars of it went into the walls of the tunnel if she wasn’t careful she could accidentally badly damage the sewers—possibly even cause the tunnel to collapse. She needed to be both strong and very precise right now.

“Okay then,” Applejack exhaled and lifted a hoof, putting it on the center of the grate.

The metal groaned while minuscule cracks appeared in the stone around where the bars were planted in and ripples erupted through the sewer water. Applejack bit her lip and focused, really putting her all into it, and with another tremor the bars of the grate were torn inside or snapped in half to create a hole big enough for her to step through.

“Whew...” Applejack almost wiped a bit of sweat from her forehead before stopping herself—the grimy hoof across her face wouldn’t have been nice—and stepped through the hole. “Now let’s see if I can find a way up into the Citadel from here?”

Using more of her tremor scouting after getting through the grate, she knew she was pretty much directly under the main building. There were a lot of pipes she could see coming from above and dropping water into the stream—and directly ahead of her it looked like she was coming to an almost solid wall. When Applejack got closer she felt the water start to flow quicker and realized it was draining down into a deeper tunnel and pipe at the bottom of the wall. It would be impossible for her to swim through there and the pipe might get too narrow later on. Luckily there was something else she found. And it was something she didn’t entirely need her Hoof of the Earth abilities to see.

A sliver of light was coming down from above. She could see a circular lid silhouetted at the top of a ladder carved into the wall of the sewer to the right of the wall. Applejack walked over so she could stand beneath it and found that there was a ledge up out of the water, it looked like this was another entrance to the sewers just like the one she had used earlier. Except this one was inside the true Citadel.

Applejack smirked and headed up the ladder—looks like she found her entrance.

Unsurprisingly, the lid to the tunnel was also locked and she had to use her Hoof of the Earth to search out where the lock was on the other side and snap it first. But once that was done she was able to push it off its resting place and pull herself up into the new room. It looked like just a dirty old room whose sole purpose was to provide access for the sewers, Applejack saw nothing inside but an electric lightbulb hanging over her head.

“Well at least I’m inside,” Applejack said. She walked over to the door leading out but before opening it sent another tremor to see if there were any guards outside it. Coming up with nothing she tried to push the door opened but found it was locked—or to be more accurate blocked with a wooden board slid in front of it through some slots on the other side.

That was easy to fix though.

Once the wooden board was blasted into splinters she then opened the door up and walked outside.

“Okay. Now it’s time to figure this place out,” Applejack said as she looked around.

Though there were plenty of lights they didn’t help change the dark look of this place. The floors were brown stone and brick and the walls were made of the same black metal that the outer walls and defensive walls of the entire citadel were made from. The interior looked to be just as unfriendly as the exterior. To her left stretched a long corridor with several doors down it and to her right stretched the exact same thing.

Since she really had absolutely no idea where to start or which way to go in here she closed her eyes and sent out the biggest scouting tremor she could to try and get an image of the Citadel.

When she “saw” more of the Citadel she immediately frowned.

“What the? Now that don’t make no sense...” Applejack muttered and looked down at the floor.

This place was big. It already looked huge from outside but now Applejack realized she was still completely wrong about it. The Citadel of Al-Karamaretel was gargantuan. She was already at ground level and she sensed at least three floors going deeper below her. If they covered the same area as this floor and the rest of the building above them… it was probably at least twice as massive as it looked from outside. And likely more.

“How much of it is built underground?” Applejack wondered and sent out another big tremor, this time more directed at just going below her.

She gawked as she counted at least five more floors going underground and paused when she also felt the outlines of a huge group of ponies down below scattered on a few different floors but always right above or below one another. There were also guards as well, she could tell the difference because the guards were moving around and most were bigger than ponies. Narrowing her eyes, she was pretty sure about just what she was sensing down there, but it still confused her.

“What in the hay? I knew there was a prison or something in here but that big? With that many ponies in it? Something here doesn’t add up,” Applejack scratched her head. She looked to her right and left. “I need to find some stairs now.”

Choosing to go right since neither direction told her anything yet, Applejack kept a steady pace but still constantly sent out waves to make sure she wasn’t going to walk into any guards and to see if she could find a stairwell. Her efforts prevailed when after walking for a bit she did find stairs that went both up and down. Checking down the middle opening between them, she saw that the stairs traveled down so many floors that eventually they disappeared into darkness.

“This is crazy...” Applejack shook her head and started walking down them towards the first floor she saw other ponies on. She made sure to keep every step quiet in case guards were able to hear her from further away than she could sense them. After all the insides of the Citadel were already deathly quiet, the slightest noise could alert them.

Speaking of that—it’s real darn early. Are any of the ponies in that place going to be awake? Applejack wondered.

She’d just have to see, and maybe quietly wake them up herself and hope nopony shouted or nothing.

Getting off at the right floor, Applejack walked through the new set of corridors to what she suspected was the underground prison. The hallways were wider and the ceiling higher—a mess of pipes and vents and gratings that made her feel like she was walking through the bowels of some big machine or factory. Walking into an intersection she heard the sound of a pair of creatures walking around the next corner so Applejack moved to the adjacent corridor and flattened herself against the wall as best she could.

Two armored Minotaurs walked by where she was a moment later and Applejack breathed a sigh of relief that they didn’t bother looking around. Must’ve been on a set path and not interested in checking around. That more than anything at least told Applejack that nobody yet knew she was in here.

After waiting another minute and sending a few more tremors out to check where the nearest guards were—Applejack left her spot and quickly walked to where she saw the other ponies being kept. It looked like there were three total floors of the underground prison and Applejack was at the top one. Figuring out where the entrance to it was, she had to take a left at the next intersection and found herself walking down a darker hallway than normal.

Applejack narrowed her eyes as she came to a large steel door with a simple deadbolt lock so whoever was on the other side wouldn’t be able to open it up. She turned it and pulled open the big doors before walking into the next chamber.

It was as she expected—Applejack had found a prison.

Cells lined both walls in the large room, only broken up at the midway point where it looked like a pair of stairwells and ladders went down into the other sections of the prison. But the cells were huge, each one packed crowded with multiple ponies, and their adjoining walls were all just bars so they could see each other and all the rest of the prisoners on their floor. Applejack was shocked as she walked in, seeing only a few ponies awake or even stirring, there were far more prisoners than she expected. She couldn’t wrap her mind around this at all.

As she stood there, a few ponies actually started to notice her and more of the early risers were waking up. Applejack frowned and walked over to the nearest cell, worried that she was going to start a commotion. Most of the ponies didn’t really seem to think anything special of her though—or couldn’t bring themselves to care.

Applejack looked in the cell and saw a large, and seemingly random, group of ponies stirring. There were stallions, mares, and even colts and fillies. Some of them were huddled up like families or individual groups and there were a few loners off in their own spots. A quick glance down told her that each cell was like this. The imprisoned ponies also looked messy and malnourished—most of them did at least, there were still a few that looked normal. Some might have been down here a lot longer than others.

One of the ponies near her woke up and saw Applejack standing there outside the bars. He in turn woke up the other ponies around him and they regarded Applejack suspiciously.

Standing up, the stallion put on a brave face as he looked at Applejack. “Who are you? You don’t look like a guard.”

“I aint a guard,” Applejack shook her head. “I broke in here this morning—who are all of you and why are you being kept here?”

The stallion’s eyes widened as Applejack spoke and he grasped the bars of the cell, pushing right up against them. “You’re from outside? Please, help us get out of here!”

Applejack blinked as sudden recognition clicked in her head now that she saw him up close. She hadn’t noticed at first since he was no longer wearing his monocle, but Applejack knew this pony and some of the ones with him. “I know you… you had your number called just two nights ago! What happened? What’s going on with this crazy place?”

At this point most of the ponies in this cell had woken up and were paying attention—and so were a lot in the cells nearby as well. A lot of murmuring was going on…

“It’s all a trap! Everything about the Citadel is a lie!” The stallion cried. “As soon as we entered it yesterday morning we were surrounded by guards. All of our valuables, everything we owned, was taken from us and we were brought here!” He gestured around him to the other ponies. “All of us had the same thing happen, the Citadel isn’t actually letting anypony to the bridge at all!” He pointed across the way at the other wall of cells. “And them! They’re from the other side of the canyon! They’re ones who tried to get past the Citadel from the other way—but they were all taken prisoner too just like us! It’s what’s been happening since the beginning!”

“What?!” Applejack shouted before she remembered not to. She looked over at the cells on the other side of the prison. “Is that true? Are y’all from the other side?”

One old mare who had clearly seen better days walked up to the bars and nodded. “It’s true, I brought my family here from the Kingdom of Diamonds after it started to fall apart… we thought we could make a new life in the east but as soon as we reached the Citadel we were thrown in here by the guards. Everypony else suffered the same fate.”

“Are you here to get us out? Please, you have to get us out of here!” The stallion said, reaching to Applejack and shaking her shoulder.

“I-I am, but I can’t just yet! There’s too much that could go wrong and I don’t even know how many guards there are or where the Warden is to stop him. Do you know about the Warden? Did the guards tell you just why you’ve all been imprisoned?” Applejack asked.

“The guards never mentioned anything about that,” the stallion shook his head. “And nopony knows about the Warden. We’ve even heard the guards talking to each other about how nopony has ever seen his face or even knows what he is.”

“Eugh… making my job tougher,” Applejack dragged a hoof down her face and furrowed her brow. “Okay then. I’m curious but… is this the only prison here? Is this the only place ponies are being kept or are there others in here that I need to find too?”

“There’s also the detention center,” the stallion said.

“Detention center?” Applejack raised an eyebrow.

“The guards have mentioned it, and taken a few ponies from here to there. It’s for ponies that have caused trouble here, or ones that tried breaking in or did anything out in the town,” the stallion explained.

A smirk lifted up one side of Applejack’s mouth. “So it’s where I’d get taken if I was caught? That’s where all the rowdy troublemakers are, huh?”

“Well… yes, I believe so,” the stallion nodded. “But why-”

His words were cut off as the whine of an incredibly loud siren rang throughout the prison and the rest of the Citadel building.

Applejack Imprisoned

“Well it’s not like I didn’t expect this to happen at some point,” Applejack rubbed the back of her neck as she looked up at the ceiling where the roaring siren was coming from.

“Please! Help us get out of here!” The stallion shouted at her while panic erupted throughout the other cells.

“I will—but I can’t right now! There’s still more I need to do,” Applejack shook her head. “But I promise that soon you’ll get out of here. I promise!”

With that, Applejack turned tail and left even as she heard more shouting and pleading coming from behind her. She felt really bad about that but the ponies here weren’t in much condition to do anything. If she freed them right now without knowing just how many armor-clad and weapon-wielding guards were coming it could end real ugly. And she couldn’t leave behind the other ponies she knew were here or give the Warden an opportunity to escape. This had to all get finished at once.

Applejack threw open the door and ran out of the large prison, running through the hallways of the Citadel building. She didn’t know if the guards actually knew where she was or if they had just discovered that there was a break-in. Either way she didn’t even know where she was going, it didn’t matter, she just couldn’t look like she was getting caught on purpose or anything.

She could now hear guards running through the halls around her—they were getting closer. Should she try and fight them at first or just give up?

In another moment the siren finally went off but a familiar static crackle replaced it:

Bzzt!

“Announcement for Applejack, the Element of Harmony who is currently at large inside the Citadel. This is being broadcast only through this building. I implore you to cease what you are doing, stay where you are, and wait for the guards to apprehend you. If you do not resist you will not be harmed. That is all.”

Bzzt!

“Aint that nice of him,” Applejack rolled her eyes.

That announcement answered some questions for her but also gave rise to quite a few new ones. She really wanted to find out where he was before anything else happened and her first guess was at the top of the huge tower that rose up from the Citadel. Applejack made her way for the nearest stairs so she could get to the top floor and maybe find the way into that tower. A scouting tremor told her that multiple squads of guards on different floors were getting close to her though, she might get surrounded soon.

“Well this still aint the worst way this could go…” Applejack muttered.

Finding the stairs, she ran up them to at least get back onto the ground floor she had first arrived at. That had to lead to most of the other important places inside here, it was the only floor that had a normal entrance in and out of the building. As soon as she got back onto the ground floor though she could hear guards running up and down the stairs right behind her. And coming from the hallway in front of her.

“Tch,” Applejack ran to the right in an attempt to avoid getting cornered for as long as possible, pretty much going down new corridors at random. She didn’t see a single helpful sign or arrow telling her where anything was. A design choice that was probably intentional. The average pony breaking in here would get lost for certain.

The sounds were getting closer and Applejack ran around another corner-

And skidded to a halt.

A cadre of guards was already there waiting for her—their spears leveled at her. Applejack frowned and started to take a few steps backwards when the loud approach of another squad of guards came from behind to cut her off. And she could hear more coming from other directions as well. Applejack could maybe fight them and get out of here but it was almost inevitable that she’d have to hurt them and she didn’t really want to do that. For one, she just didn’t like hurting others at all, and two she wasn’t sure how complicit these guards really were in what was going on here or if they were just victims of the Warden and Citadel in another way. Such a big group, with rather sharp weapons, would be dangerous for her to get on the bad side of too.

One of the guards in front of her—a unicorn—narrowed his eyes at her. “The Warden told us if you ever turned up missing in town that it meant you had broken into here. Looks like he was right.”

“Guess so,” Applejack said back, she took a few looks around at all the guards. “I guess I can’t expect you to throw down your weapons and help me instead?”

“Nice try pony, but no,” a Minotaur said as he poked his spear at her. “Now turn around and start marching—we’re taking you to the detention center. You can stay there with every other pony dumb enough to cause problems here.”

Applejack sighed and shook her head. “Figured as much. But I was still hoping for the chance you’d see that what you’re doing is wrong…”

“Heh,” a pegasus smirked. “What do you mean? We know it’s wrong—we’re just paid too much to care.”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “Fantastic.” She turned around and started walking before she stopped and sent another glance over her shoulder. “Before you take me away… what about the Warden? Seems like he took a special interest in me, can I see him first? Maybe I can talk to him about all this.”

“Nobody sees the Warden,” a griffon snorted.

“That’s right, now keep going. Git!” The same Minotaur ordered.

Applejack scowled but didn’t retaliate just yet. It would’ve been helpful to have found where the Warden was, but she’d have to get to him later. Things were still going to plan. She just hoped the other ponies in the detention center were doing alright.

She was taken up to the third floor of the Citadel building, what she believed to be the top floor for the most part, and taken to the far right side of it. Eventually, while being corralled by the guards, she found herself in front of a similar door to the one that entered the prison down below. Though the hallway outside it and the door itself were much smaller. There were already guards there too on either side of it, a pair of unicorns, who once they saw Applejack and the others approaching unlocked the door to the detention center and held it open for them.

She was right about this place being smaller than the other prison. There was only a single row of a few cells to the right of the narrow hallway going inside the detention center. There didn’t seem to be as many ponies thrown into each cell either, and it wasn’t lit up as well with only a few lights in the ceiling that didn’t illuminate the entirety of the cells. Applejack was led right to the door of the first cell, where one of the guards from outside quickly went to unlock and open.

Upon which she was roughly shoved inside by the Minotaur, stumbling and falling flat on her face.

“Ngh!”

“Heh. Enjoy your stay here with the rest of the troublemakers, pony.” The Minotaur loudly guffawed as the cell was locked back up and the guards retreated out of the detention center. Leaving things quiet outside a few murmurs Applejack heard from around her.

“Jerk,” Applejack grumbled as she stood up, glaring after the guards.

“Well it looks like we’ve got a new guest—and hopefully one that’s better company than the rest of you.”

“I resent that.”

“Of course you do, you’re a criminal after all. And not a very good one at that, heh.”

Applejack turned and saw that there were seven other ponies in the cell with her, the light in the ceiling providing her a good enough view to see them now as they approached her. Six of them stood arrayed before her while the seventh shyly hung back behind them. One—a mare—walked up to Applejack with a friendly smile.

She was a scarlet mare with a deeper shade of red mane and tail and a pair of very deep blue eyes. On her flank Applejack could see a tornado Cutie Mark. For a moment, Applejack also thought she was an earth pony but then she noticed two little stubs on her sides. Wings. Just undersized ones that looked like they hadn’t grown since she was a baby.

“Hello there, honey. My name’s Valentine—Miss Valentine. Who might you be?” She offered a hoof to Applejack.

“Applejack. Pleased to meet you,” Applejack said and shook her hoof.

Miss Valentine’s smile widened a bit. “You seem like a decent sort—and I’ve got a good eye for ponies. The rest of this cell aint worth much at all but maybe the two of us can get along well for as long as we’re stuck here, honey.”

“There you go again with your petty insults,” another mare snorted. “You’re just a vagrant who got caught here, I don’t think you exactly have the right to look down on any of us.”

“I certainly do, criminal. And I wouldn’t be here at all if I hadn’t taken the offer to track down you and your friends after you escaped from Diminuendo,” Valentine smirked back at the mare.

“Diminuendo…” Applejack muttered. “I recognize that name, it’s the name of a Kingdom to the east of here, isn’t it?”

“That’s right,” Valentine said. “These five mares are escaped criminals from that Kingdom. They came running out here to try and get away past the canyon—only to get themselves thrown in here after causing problems for the guards and Warden. The other cells are full of ponies who just tried to break into the Citadel and get to the bridge, or maybe assaulted a guard out of frustration. They’re not bad ponies or did anything wrong before coming here. But you’ve been thrown into the cell for the Warden’s special prisoners.” Valentine winked at her. “We’re the ones who have been a bit more problematic for Al-Karamaretel.”

“Enough!” The same mare growled and walked up to push Miss Valentine out of the way. “We are not some common criminals you can insult and you’re still hardly any better! I know that you’ve done plenty of bad in the past, you’re not a noble hero, you’re a bounty hunter if that.” She huffed and looked over at Applejack, a not so genuine smile tugging up her lips. “Now allow me to introduce myself and my friends formally to you-“

Like Valentine, she offered a hoof for Applejack to shake. She was a purple unicorn with a curly pink mane and a Cutie Mark of a bright Nebula. “My name is Amethyst and these four are my close friends.” She gestured to the four mares standing behind her, who were a mixture of bored and nervous.

“This is Emerald-” she pointed to a caramel earth pony mare with sharp red eyes and a willowy green mane.

“Diamond-” she pointed to a white earth pony with a thin face and a sparkly blue mane and tail. Her eyes were a blue almost as deep as Valentine’s.

“Topaz-” a bored looking red pegasus with a fiery orange and yellow mane that didn’t even bother looking directly at Applejack. She blinked disinterestedly with violet eyes.

“And Opal.” Amethyst finished with pointing to another pegasus, teal, with a short black and white mane and tail and amber eyes. Her wings ruffled constantly and she looked bothered by something.

“The five of us have been best friends since we were children,” Amethyst said, still smiling that fake smile at Applejack.

“A-Amethyst, s-she’s-” Opal whispered but a glare from Amethyst quieted her.

Amethyst then coughed and turned back to Applejack. “Now then, I’m sorry, but what was your name again?”

“I’m Applejack,” Applejack said and shook the other mare’s hoof. This time leaving off the “pleased to meet you”.

Amethyst’s smile cracked and froze on her face as Applejack shook her hoof. A nervous laugh came up from her throat and she started to sweat. “Hehe… heh… y-you wouldn’t happen to mean Applejack as in Applejack from Equestria, would you? Element of Honesty? Friend of Princess Twilight Sparkle?”

“Yeah. Why?” Applejack raised an eyebrow. Out the corner of her eye she saw Valentine holding back laughter.

“N-No reason!” Amethyst quickly pulled her hoof away and backpedaled over to her friends, who were now all trying to look away and not meet Applejack’s gaze. “No reason at all!”

“It’s because-” Miss Valentine spoke up, a playful grin on her face. “From what I heard, these mares aren’t from Diminuendo originally. They’re from Equestria too and they were causing all sorts of trouble in small towns back there. I heard from Diminuendo’s own Prince that before they came to try and usurp control of Diminuendo that they were looking to do something similar in Equestria.”

“Oh really?” Applejack narrowed her eyes and glared at the five mares.

“N-No, not at all!” Amethyst fervently shook her head, sweating and smiling at Applejack. “We never did anything bad, not really. There were some aspirations, yes, but we never really did anything too criminal.”

“Stupid aspirations that we never should’ve followed...” Opal muttered.

“Shut it! If you had half the brain I did it all would’ve gone fine!” Amethyst growled at her.

“Opal’s right, Amethyst, everything we’ve done has failed. We should’ve stopped listening to you ages ago,” Topaz said.

“And what? Become dreary nobodies back in Equestria? I refuse!” Amethyst shouted.

“But now look at us… things are worse than ever. We’ll never be free or happy again...” Diamond grasped her head and started chewing on her mane nervously while Emerald silently patted her back.

While the five of them got into a full-blown argument, Applejack finally really noticed the seventh pony in the cell, who was shying away in the corner and looking away from her. He even had a hoof lifted up to hide his face for some reason. Applejack could tell he was a stallion, and an earth pony, with an orange coat and straw mane similar to her own. He was also using his tail to obscure his Cutie Mark for some reason.

“Hey back there!” Applejack said to him. “What’s your name—mind introducing yourself?”

“I’m nopony… just ignore me, I’m not anypony you need to pay attention to,” he said, mumbling under his breath.

Miss Valentine also looked over at him and frowned. “What are you acting like that for, Birdseed?”

“B-Birdseed? I’ve never heard that name before in my life, surely you’re confused,” the stallion coughed. He peeked past his hoof and met Applejack’s eyes briefly before turning away again.

Applejack tilted her head. “Hold on… have I met you before?”

“No! Definitely not!” Birdseed denied. “I’m sure I’ve never met you before.”

Applejack scratched her chin. “That name… and your mane and coat…” She frowned and walked up to him. “Now I remember where I met you before.” She grabbed his tail to reveal his Cutie Mark—an overflowing bag of bird feed. “Tch, thought so. You’re that thug who tried to blow up the dam at Mountain Town!”

Birdseed pulled away from her and tried to back up. “T-That was a while ago, I haven’t done anything like that since, I promise.”

“Hahahaha!” Miss Valentine laughed loudly. “Well, well, well, if it aint another mare you’ve wronged in the past. Blew up a dam? You’ve got a lot of explaining to do there.”

“It was just another job,” Birdseed growled at Valentine. “And the dam didn’t even get blown up—she stopped it all in the first place!”

“Can’t say I’m happy to see you again,” Applejack snorted.

“Likewise… just leave me alone, we’re already imprisoned anyways,” Birdseed said.

“And speaking of that-” Amethyst said as she pushed her way past her friends and walked up to Applejack. Her eyes suspiciously roamed up and down Applejack. “What did you do to get brought in here? And why is an Element of Harmony so far out here in the first place?”

“I just needed to get to the other side of the bridge actually,” Applejack shrugged. “Didn’t know about any of this. But when I learned what was going on here at the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel I decided I had to bring it to a stop. That’s why I broke in here, and I still really need to find the Warden so I can give him a piece of my mind.”

“You and I had a similar little trip here then, honey,” Miss Valentine said. “I came here originally chasing these fools but once I saw the place-” her lip curled. “This just aint right, not at all. Course I ended up captured too before I could do anything.”

“Well do you know anything about the Warden?” Applejack asked. “I’d like to-”

Before she could continue, they all heard the sound of the doors leading to the detention center open back up. Together, the prisoners watched as a pair of Diamond Dog guards came in, dragging a figure between them right over to the cell door. They unlocked the cell and threw the figure in before locking back up and leaving them behind.

“So annoying...” one of the Diamond Dogs muttered.

The figure squeaked in discomfort as she was tossed to the cold floor of the cell and Applejack’s eyes widened in shock.

“Vahar! What are you doing in here?” Applejack went over to pick her friend up.

The merpony looked up at the sound of her voice, she wasn’t wearing her usual robe or hat, and her eyes were red from crying. Seeing Applejack—Vahar’s lip trembled and fresh new tears started to pour down her face. “WAAAAAAAGGGHHH! APPLEJACK!” Vahar threw herself into Applejack’s hooves and started to cry her eyes out.

“Oh geez...” Applejack muttered and rubbed the merpony’s back.

“T-The guards, t-they came out and said I was being a bother to everypony! They brought me in here and they took all my stuff away!” Vahar hugged her and sobbed harder. “My robe, my hat, all my magical trinkets and tools, and they even took my loaded dice so I can’t cheat at games anymore!”

“Wait—what? Loaded dice? How long have you been doing that?” Applejack raised an eyebrow.

“Waaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!” Vahar just continued to cry and cry.

Miss Valentine grinned in wry amusement at the scene. “Well today is certainly turning out to be an interesting day.”

Break Free

Applejack placed a hoof on the cell door and grinned while the others watched. Not just the eight others in her cell, but the various other prisoners in the detention center gathered where they could watch her. Almost every single pony was incredibly confused by what she was doing. The cell bars, doors, and the locks were made out of solid steel and enchanted too. No earth pony could break them.

“What are you doing?” Miss Valentine asked.

“You’ll see—just give me one second,” Applejack replied.

Applejack closed her eyes and listened to her heartbeat. She focused and pulled a vibration from it, gathering it in her hoof, and turning it into a powerful tremor that she focused into all three cell locks at the same time. The ponies all felt a strong vibration hum through their cells before the three locks on the cell doors exploded with incredible force.

“Whew,” Applejack wiped a bit of sweat from her brow. “Needed to make that a bit stronger than I thought I would.”

“What was that?” Amethyst asked, gawking with her mouth hanging open as she walked up to Applejack and looked at the annihilated remains of the lock.

“Nothing,” Applejack said and pushed the door to their cell open. “Okay, anypony else coming with me?”

“Miraculous!” Vahar shouted and stomped out. “Come everypony! Let us follow Applejack and free the others! The Warden and the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel shall no longer get away with this!”

“Sounds good to me,” Miss Valentine shrugged and followed her out.

Meanwhile the other two cells full of ponies started to leave as well and the large group filled up the narrow hallway leading back to the door of the detention center. Applejack stood in front and held up a hoof to stop the others from just running out or anything. The door ahead was still locked and she’d need to break through it too. It must’ve been soundproof too or else the guards certainly would’ve heard the commotion by now. Miss Valentine, Amethyst, and Birdseed stood by her side, waiting for Applejack to act. It seemed all of them had willingly deferred to her after her speeches and her ability to break open the cells caging them.

“I just want to say one thing first,” Applejack said as she walked up to the door. “No killing. I know the guards might not follow that, I know they have spears and they really might not hesitate to use them, I know it’s going to be dangerous. But we should be better. We can’t meet wrong with wrong. So all of you, just incapacitate, or run away if you’re really in danger. But no killing.”

“I’m in agreement with that,” Miss Valentine nodded.

“None of us have ever done something like that anyways,” Amethyst shuddered.

Applejack looked over her shoulder at the crowd of ponies from the other cells. “That all good with you too?”

“We’re just businessponies for the most part—we hardly want to fight at all,” a stallion answered.

“Fair enough,” Applejack nodded and grinned. “Time to get out of the detention center then.”

She placed her hoof on the door. “This’ll be a little easier.” She got a thoughtful look on her face. “In fact… I think I’ve got a good idea on how to deal with those two guards on the other side. Wouldn’t want them running off and tripping an alarm or something.”

“What do you mean?” Miss Valentine asked.

“Just watch,” Applejack said and sent a tremor into the door.

The deadbolt was snapped in half and the two sides of the door slammed open—and smacked the two unicorn guards into the walls. Their armor crunched between the door and the wall and the two of them collapsed in a heap as soon as the doors pulled back after being forced open by Applejack.

“Ouch, that’s a broken bone or two,” Miss Valentine said as she stepped out and took a look at the unconscious unicorns.

“Might have overdone it...” Applejack winced.

“Nice work,” Birdseed said, impressed.

“Applejack, you truly are a mare of miraculous talents!” Vahar shouted from behind her.

Applejack rolled her eyes. “Thanks, Vahar. Now come on everypony—we’ve gotta get down to the other prison and rescue the others! Once I’ve gotten them out of their cells I’m going to go take down the Warden!”

“I think I’ll join you for that, you might need help,” Miss Valentine said.

“First things first though, let’s go!” Applejack said and ran down the hall while the few dozens of newly freed prisoners followed.

Just a short distance of running though and-

“Did you hear that?”

“It felt like a door exploded!”

“I can hear ponies running through the halls!”

“Was there a breakout?”

Applejack snorted. “Figures—too many guards in here for nobody to hear what just happened.”

“Not a problem. Just an obstacle,” Miss Valentine grinned.

“Any ponies who can fight—or at least think they can fight—get in front and protect the others!” Applejack shouted to her group.

Vahar, Diamond, Emerald, Opal, and Topaz immediately moved out of the way to let others get in front.

“You cowards,” Amethyst shook her head at her friends.

“Hey—we’re still helping!” Opal said.

Applejack and the ponies in the lead with her turned another corner and came out into a larger, much more open hallway, that led to numerous other corridors and rooms. There, right in front of her and coming towards her, was a squad of armored guards. A mix of Minotaurs, griffons, and ponies, they were all surprised to see the newly freed prisoners out here and most quickly leveled their spears at the group.

One of the ponies shouted to a griffon beside him. “Sound the alarm and alert the Warden!”

The griffon nodded and flew off down another corridor before Applejack or anypony else could stop him.

“You prisoners had best get back to your cells!” A Minotaur shouted at them in the meantime.

Applejack completely ignored him and started running at the guards. “Come on, everypony! Get ready to jump on them and take their weapons away!”

The guards, seeing that she wasn’t surrendering, started running to meet her.

Once they were in motion, Applejack slammed a hoof down and sent a tremor through the metal floor. It broke apart some of the panels, warped others, and sent screws and nails flying up. She couldn’t just destroy the floor as if it was made of stone or wood, but she could warp and bend it enough to cause all of the oncoming guards to trip as the tremor passed under them and shook them up as well. You might as well have been asking ponies to balance on a stick during an earthquake. The guards that were running full force fell onto their faces, sending a deafening clang throughout the entire room. A lot of them dropped their spears and let them go rolling or bouncing away.

“Now! Get them!” Applejack shouted to the others.

Seeing the guards go down, the other ponies sprung into action. They along with Applejack tackled the guards and knocked or pulled their remaining spears away, dogpiling on top of them and trying to detain them or knock them out. It was only a single squad of guards so armored or not they were still outnumbered quite a bit.

Amethyst used her magic to yank the helmet off a Minotaur so Miss Valentine could kick him in the back of the head and take him out while Birdseed jumped onto a pegasus and put him in a sleeper hold. Applejack as well helped out, tapping a griffon’s armor and making it explode off him—he didn’t have the guts to fight after seeing that happen.

The rest of the guards were either knocked out or surrendered after seeing how outmatched they were and Applejack’s group had a brief moment of respite. As well as a moment to savor this quick victory.

Of course, Miss Valentine had to bring up the obvious. “We still have to knock the ones that surrendered out—we don’t have time to do anything else with them and we can’t let them regroup with other guards.”

“Now hold on-” Applejack held up a hoof and walked over to the three guards that were still awake. “Do you three promise not to come after us? We don’t want any trouble.”

“Are you kidding?! I’m gonna sock you good once I get the chance!” An earth pony guard yelled at her while the other two groaned in annoyance and shook their heads.

Applejack rolled her eyes. “Okay yeah, just knock them out.”

Miss Valentine did so.

“Right,” Applejack nodded. “Let’s get down to the prison fast, we still have a long ways to go!”

An alarm rang out throughout the entire Citadel building. Loud enough that everypony had to cover their ears for a moment. After a few loud rings it quieted down and a familiar crackling buzz of static came from the ceiling.

Bzzt!

“Attention, this is the Warden speaking. There has been a prison breakout in the main building. All guards are being asked to come to the main building immediately to quell the problem. Those manning the Citadel’s front gate are to close the gate for the rest of the day and lock down the Citadel. That is all.”

Bzzt!

“You know he doesn’t exactly sound worried,” Amethyst raised an eyebrow at the ceiling.

“Well we’re going to show him that he should be,” Applejack said.

“That’s right, honey,” Miss Valentine smirked.

“I’m worried,” Birdseed grumbled.

Applejack gave him a playful tap on the shoulder. “Relax—you’re doing good. We all are. So let’s hurry up and double the pace, there are more ponies to save!”

Most of the guards summoned to the Citadel really had no idea what to expect or even where to go. This provided an advantage to Applejack’s group as they sped single-mindedly to their destination. Applejack always stayed in front to be the first pony in danger, and the first pony to protect the others, either jumping right at the guards or using Hoof of the Earth to disable as many as she could. The group with her was tired, not having the energy she had to begin with and having stayed in their cells for far too long, but they pushed themselves to keep up and fight through any guards in their way.

It wasn’t long before they arrived on the underground floor Applejack had been at earlier, close to the prison. She could sense many guards coming with Hoof of the Earth—though at this point the commotion in the building was so loud everypony could hear the guards coming from all around.

Perhaps by now though there were some who knew where the group was going and were going to attempt to corral the other guards down to the prison.

Applejack clicked her tongue. “I’m thinking we’re going to have to change plans a little bit—I’m not going to have the time to break open every cell down here before a whole army arrives!”

“So what then?” Miss Valentine asked.

“We don’t need to fight all the guards—take down the Warden and use the radio, broadcast, thingy, to let everybody in the whole citadel know what just happened. Like I said earlier, the guards won’t fight if they learn they aren’t being paid anymore. So while I go to deal with the Warden everypony else should just barricade themselves inside the prison and hold off the guards until then. It’s safer than trying to fight in the open or escape,” Applejack explained.

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Birdseed said.

“You just don’t want to put yourself in anymore danger,” Amethyst scoffed.

“And is that wrong?” The stallion raised an eyebrow.

“It aint,” Applejack said. “All of you be careful—I care a lot more about you not getting hurt than I do myself.”

Rounding another corner and the group came out into the hallway leading to the large prison doors. Applejack smirked when she noticed no guard had bothered checking and locking the doors back up. That was a nice half-second she could save. Applejack kicked the doors open when she reached them and let her group in, where she saw that the formerly listless ponies of the prison were all on their hooves, mired in confusion and panic, shouting and yelling at each other. None of them could possibly know what was going on outside their prison.

And now here was Applejack and a party of free ponies barging in here. Some of them who were recognized as previous residents.

The shouting increased as quite a few ponies from Applejack’s group ran to reunite with friends and family. The situation was getting a little out of control so Applejack handled it in the best way she knew how.

“All of y’all listen to me!” She shouted and slammed her hooves into the floor with enough force that even without it being enhanced by Hoof of the Earth it would’ve shaken most of the prison. “I can’t rescue all of you right now but I’m going to free some of you from your cells. You’re going to have to defend yourselves and work together because a lot of guards are going to be coming here. Don’t let that worry you too much—you’re in good hooves. Just stay safe in here and soon everything will be over, I promise!”

Despite the fact that her words didn’t really calm anypony down, Applejack moved to the left side of the prison and went to the nearest cell door. She ignored everything else—working as fast as possible—and sent a tremor into not just this lock but the locks on the several cells that were directly joined to this one. Just doing a bigger version of what she did earlier in the detention center. In sequence, all the locks exploded into pieces and the shocked prisoners were able to finally leave their cells. Applejack didn’t bother waiting for anypony to say “Thank you” before she ran to the other side of the prison and did the same with the few cells there.

Meanwhile the prisoners were being rounded up and given a much more detailed filling in by Birdseed, Vahar, and Amethyst’s friends.

As soon as the other cells were blasted open, Applejack caught her breath and steadied herself. “Okay… time to face the Warden.”

A hoof was placed on her back. “But not alone, honey.”

Applejack looked up to see Miss Valentine standing beside her. “You don’t have to-”

“I want to give that Warden a piece of my mind. Besides, you don’t know what you’re up against. None of us do. You might need my help,” Valentine said.

“M-Me too!” Amethyst skidded up to them. “I don’t want to just sit around here waiting for you to save the day, I want to fight! And my magic might come in handy, let’s take on the Warden together!”

Applejack grinned and nodded. “Alright… together.”

With the two of them Applejack walked over to the main group, seeking out Birdseed and Vahar in particular. “The guards are going to get here real soon, we need to leave and get on the way to the Warden without being seen. Do you think you can handle things here? Will you be okay?”

“I don’t exactly like the three of you leaving when you alone probably count for 90% of our muscle but if all we need to do is hole up in here then whatever,” Birdseed shrugged. “I’ve been in enough near-death experiences, what’s one more?”

“The Wondrous and Majestic Vahar shall make sure absolutely no harm comes to anypony!” Vahar shouted and stabbed her hoof towards the ceiling. “And she will most definitely not breakdown and cry either!”

Amethyst turned her gaze to her friends. “Diamond, Opal, Emerald, Topaz, I want you all to do the best you can to save the prisoners. Even if things get dangerous—I believe in you!”

“You’ve got it!” Diamond saluted her while the others smiled.

“Come on! Let’s do this!” Miss Valentine smirked.

Together, while guards still continued to rampage and run through the Citadel on the way to the prison, Applejack, Miss Valentine, and Amethyst ran out together to sneakily pass them and get to the Warden’s office. It was going to be a long trip considering where he was, and they’d probably have to hide from a lot of guards on the way, but Applejack believed it could be done. And she trusted her friends and her new allies who she might not have totally considered friends just yet to also protect everypony else.

Bzzt!

“Attention, this is the Warden speaking. There is a prison riot underway. Every guard must go to the underground prison immediately. Ignore the rioting in the town. That is all.”

Bzzt!

“Rioting in town?” Miss Valentine raised an eyebrow.

“Sounds like something flared up thanks to what we started,” Amethyst grinned.

Applejack wasn’t quite as happy—though she knew it might leverage the amount of trouble everypony else in the prison had to deal with. “I just hope nopony gets hurt—we’ve got to stop the Warden now!”

“Are you sure this is the right way?” Amethyst asked Miss Valentine.

“For the last time—yes! This is the right way, we should be getting to the private hallway that leads to the Warden’s office soon. This is the only place it could be!” Miss Valentine growled in annoyance at her.

Applejack, who had been throwing out sensory tremors the entire time the trio had been running through the Citadel building, silently agreed with Valentine. She was getting more and more of a picture of the building in her head and at the limit of her senses she could “see” a single long hallway going back and back to the far side of the building. And luckily (for them) there weren’t anymore guards they had to dodge at this point. Every guard had long since left this part of the building. It would just be the Warden to deal with.

Something Applejack admittedly was still a little worried about.

Five minutes later the three of them rounded a corner and came to a lone—and long—hallway that stretched west. It was devoid of anything, even the floor and walls appeared much smoother than the rest of the building and the lights in the ceiling were much brighter than normal. At the far end of the hallway the three could make out a single large double-door with a pair of golden handles on it.

The three ponies couldn’t help gulping in unison. There was an odd atmosphere emanating from this place.

But they needed to go there. They needed to bring down the Warden who was hiding behind those doors.

Applejack ran fast towards them and the other two followed right on her heels. The sound of their hooves clattering against the steel floor echoed through the entire hallway. Applejack didn’t just recklessly charge through the door, she stopped in front of it and waited for the others to skid to a stop behind her. Taking a deep breath—she placed her hoof on one of the door handles and used Hoof of the Earth to check out the door.

“It’s not locked,” Applejack frowned.

“He knew we were coming,” Miss Valentine’s eyes narrowed. “He’s been waiting for us.”

“And he’s just inviting us in?” Amethyst wondered.

Applejack bit her lip and sent another tremor into the room but although she could sense a living creature in there it wasn’t clear enough for her to see anything else. It made her uneasy, her scouting was failing her. “There’s definitely somepo—something in there. But I can’t tell anything else.”

“We need to be careful. There’s no telling what’s behind that door,” Miss Valentine said.

Amethyst gulped again and tried to wipe away some of her sweat. “I-I’m ready.”

After another breath Applejack nodded. “Me too.”

She grasped both door handles and pulled the doors open, and the three of them stepped into the Warden’s office.

The Downfall of Al-Karamaretel

The doors closed behind them and the trio stood arrayed in the room with Applejack walking out in front, Miss Valentine to her left and Amethyst to her right. There wasn’t much for them to take in or see in the room aside from the large window at the back and the large desk directly center. Even if there was—they’d be far too focused on the figure behind the desk, the mysterious Warden now finally visible to them all as he calmly sat there.

Applejack’s eyes widened as she recognized what kind of creature she was looking at. Only ever having seen one other before in her entire life.

Miss Valentine was confused, despite being well-traveled herself she had never seen a creature like the Warden before.

But Amethyst, a former Equestrian, recognized his nature as well. And it made her blood run cold thanks to the memories of the last one she and her friends had the misfortune of falling victim to.

His frame was large, even while sitting he dwarfed the ponies, with a powerfully built upper-body that held wide shoulders and muscular arms. Black fur lined his chest while a bluish-gray fur covered his arms and face, beady but sharp and intelligent eyes sat in his sunken face beneath bushy eyebrows and behind a pair of bifocal glasses while a long and wispy beard came from his chin in comparison to his bald head. Horns came from his head, curving like a ram’s once before ending in sharp points. And his large hands sat on the desk before him, his posture relaxed, confident, and nonthreatening.

“A centaur…” Applejack whispered.

“A what?” Miss Valentine shot a sidelong glance to her.

“H-He’s just like...” Amethyst stuttered, unable to finish her sentence.

“Tirek,” Applejack finished for her.

“Indeed,” came the low voice of the Warden, as calm and placid as it was over the broadcast system, as he lifted a hand to remove the bifocals from his face. He gingerly folded them shut and carefully put them on his desk, looking from pony to pony before resting his eyes on Applejack. “A pleasure to meet you face to face, Applejack of Equestria. I have not yet had the honor of meeting an Element of Harmony in person.”

“Sorry to say but the pleasure’s all yours,” Applejack narrowed her eyes at him.

“Not unexpected of you to feel that way. I assume trying to get you to return to your cell will be pointless? Though I assure you it is the best solution if you don’t want anyone to get hurt,” the Warden said.

Applejack shook her head. “No way. We’re putting a stop to what you’re doing here.”

“Regrettable. I had no intention of coming into conflict with a hero of Equestria. I assume you came up with the idea that the guards will no longer fight when alerted of my being disposed of?” The Warden gestured to the intercom on his desk.

Miss Valentine clicked her tongue, annoyed at their idea being discerned so easily.

“That’s right, once you’re out of the picture we can end this easily,” Applejack said.

“Of course you realize the same applies to your little… “festival”, don’t you?” The Warden said. “Once I have dealt with the three of you your friends will not have the will to fight nor the capability to win. And things will go back to how they should be.”

Applejack frowned, he had a point, but in the end all that mattered was winning. “That’s not going to happen. I’m not letting you terrorize and make all these ponies suffer anymore!”

“And I’m afraid I can’t let you tear down everything I’ve built here,” the Warden said.

“You didn’t build anything!” Applejack shouted. “I don’t know much, but I know the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel wasn’t always like this. You came in and changed things, for what? What are you doing out here? Do you have any idea how many places and ponies are suffering because of what you’ve done? It’s not just here at the Citadel but in so many lands and cities west of here! Why are you imprisoning everypony that wants to go from one side of the canyon to the other? Why are you stealing everything from them? You’re draining the life and hope of everypony around you!”

The Warden was unmoved by her accusations, but he raised an eyebrow in curiosity. “You truly know nothing of what I’ve been doing, don’t you? Did the Princesses not actually send you here at all to stop me?”

Applejack awkwardly grimaced. “It’s… it’s really just a coincidence that I came here.”

“Hm, is that so?” The Warden tapped his fingers on the desk. “Interesting, the world certainly has a sense of humor.”

“That doesn’t matter right now though!” Applejack shouted and pointed at him. “Why have you done all this? Are you just some power-hungry monster like Tirek?”

The Warden clasped his hands together and leaned in. “I do not have quite the lofty ambitions of the famed Lord Tirek, but I do desire power, and control, yes. Though of a different sort than he. Money and finances have always been my calling—I have a special knack for that world. I started long ago as a sort of financier and treasurer for many businesses and eventually the Citadel itself. All of it as a way to gain the power I desired. That’s what all of this has been for. I assure you I have not done any of this out of simple, base, amusement. I gain no sadistic joy from any of this, it is all a means to an end for me.”

“What end?” Applejack asked.

“Domination of the west,” the Warden answered. “You see, I realized quite long ago that the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel was the perfect place to manipulate the economy and development of both sides of what you Equestrians refer to as “The Undiscovered West”. It’s situated perfectly to either strangle or feed many nations and ponies on either side of the canyon. It is a unique place with a unique utility. That is why I eventually took it over completely. While of course intentionally staying out of sight and cultivating a mysterious and intimidating persona—the Warden title is just for show, a meaningless title, you ponies are a rather superstitious and easily frightened people.”

“Sorry for that,” Miss Valentine spat in derision.

“Moving on. All of this economic tampering I’ve been doing has been a way to buy up land for cheap without resorting to armed conflict. You see although I have managed to hire a considerable amount of guards now they are still nothing more than a cheap mercenary force. And in the early days I had no real army to speak of, but fighting with money proved to be far more effective anyways,” the Warden explained.

“I’m not exactly too knowledgeable when it comes to money or economics,” Amethyst frowned. “If you’re the same as Tirek I figured you’d just do things by force and steal everypony’s magic.”

“Lord Tirek was a special one and he had a direct way of doing things. I do not,” the Warden calmly answered. “As soon as I took over the Citadel I stopped almost all travel, both genuinely and artificially creating demand, as you know while also making it far more expensive to get through. And stopped the flow of gemstones from east to west and the flow of gold from west to east to further control things. What you—and everypony on this side of the canyon didn’t know—was that the moment this started I offered to buy the land of the largest kingdom to the west in return for reopening travel and allowing some gemstones through. When they refused I allowed trade and resources to trickle through to the other kingdoms with the wealth I had already stockpiled here through my thievery and let the largest kingdom starve and die out, the smaller kingdoms were quite happy to be my pet vultures. Then I repeated the process while continuing to stockpile more and more gemstones. My plan is to now acquire the lands of the kingdoms for nearly free and then buy out the more independent villages and places in the far west. I will then heavily tax and fine them on everything until they fall apart and I gain direct control of every piece of land and every business to the west of the chasm. I will have a monopoly on everything. And then of course when the far west is totally under my control I will allow all travel from east to west through again but for an exorbitantly high flat fee. It’s at this point that I will begin buying up land in the east as well, offering loans I know that can’t be repaid to towns, businesses, and whoever else has been hurt by my stifling of travel. When they inevitably can’t pay me back I will take everything they still own, easily able to weather the financial storm with the accumulated wealth and land I will already have at that point. Soon I’ll grow to own all the land and businesses on this side of the canyon as well. I will be able to cutoff trade with and isolate the larger kingdoms and cities that so far have not felt the pain of what I’ve been doing here. They will be forced to accept whatever bad deal I give them—if not outright sell their land and property to me. By this point as well I’ll have the money to amass the largest mercenary force the Undiscovered West has seen so no one will even be able to attempt to stop me by force. And so eventually I will own all the land, and tax every single being, business, and kingdom in the west all from the far coast to the very borders of Equestria. Complete financial and economic domination ending in my totalitarian rule. That is my ambition.”

“You’re just another megalomaniacal monster!” Applejack shouted at him. “All the suffering you’ve caused for something so selfish...”

“Quite so,” the Warden nodded, unphased. “Though I do not agree with your accusation of me being a megalomaniac. I’m too realistic and practical-minded for the term in my opinion.”

“Well words and definitions don’t matter much right now, honey. You still need to be stopped,” Miss Valentine said.

“T-That’s right,” Amethyst nodded and stepped closer to Applejack. “And the three of us are the ones who will bring you down.”

The Warden was unconcerned by their words, momentarily glancing at Miss Valentine and Amethyst before returning his gaze to Applejack. “For an Element of Harmony you have chosen some rather unsavory allies to work with. An amoral bounty hunter and a lifelong criminal? What would the Princesses think?”

“I’m not like that anymore,” Miss Valentine glared at him.

“And I’m… I’m trying to be better,” Amethyst said.

Applejack smirked, nodding at the both of them. “And I believe in them.”

“Indeed?” The Warden unclasped his hands and placed them back on his desk, raising an eyebrow at Applejack. “Then I suppose further words are likely pointless, but I’d still like to give you one last opportunity to stop this so we don’t have to resort to violence. Would you stand down and allow me to get back to business?”

“Aint happening,” Applejack shook her head. “Your time here at the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel is over.”

The Warden stared intently at her for a moment before straightening up. “Well then, I’m not sure how you managed to escape from your cell in the first place, or what other tricks an Element of Harmony might have up their proverbial sleeves, but you shouldn’t underestimate me either.”

He stood up fully now from behind his desk and the three ponies had to crane their necks up to continue looking him in the face. While the Warden was not so big and muscular as even a more middle-sized Tirek he was still an imposing figure and the crown of his head and curved horns nearly reached the ceiling of the room.

“Though I prefer to wage battle with usury and predatory loans, I suppose my fists will have to do for this occasion,” he said and clenched his fists.

Applejack, Amethyst, and Valentine all tensed up. Ready for him to make the first move.

The Warden suddenly kicked the desk out in front of him with his cloven hooves, sending it screeching and sliding across the floor at high speed towards the ponies. The three ponies’ eyes widened and they each had to jump out of the way quickly, Miss Valentine and Amethyst jumping to the sides while Applejack jumped over it. The desk slammed into the door behind them with incredible force and blocked it off. Nothing anypony could do in here but fight now.

As soon as Applejack’s hooves landed back on the floor, the Warden leaped out at her and pulled back a fist, punching down towards Applejack.

She jumped away from it towards Miss Valentine—watching as the Warden’s fist slammed into the steel floor and dented it easily.

Applejack winced. “Uh, I might be okay but I think the two of you probably might want to avoid getting hit.”

“You think?!” Amethyst shouted at her.

The Warden turned his attention to the unicorn—separated from the other two—and ran at her to take out the easiest target first. His powerful legs thundered over the steel floor straight towards her and he brought up his fists in preparation to turn her into mush.

“Ahhh!” Amethyst screamed and fired a wild beam of pure magic at his face.

Her magic though was not especially powerful and the Warden raised a palm to block it while not slowing down in the slightest.

Before he reached her though he was stopped—a tug on his white tail preventing him from going further. Looking over his shoulder, Applejack stood on the floor, her hooves planted into it, and holding his tail in her mouth. She was using all the strength in her body to hold him back and it showed. Sweat had gathered at her forehead and the veins in her muscles were popping.

“Amusing. You have quite the power in that small body,” the Warden said and reared up his hind legs, carrying Applejack off the ground and then bucking her right into the wall with them.

“Oof!” Applejack groaned as she collided with the wall and slid down it.

Amethyst had taken the opportunity to run from where she was and try to make a wide circle around the Warden to get over to Applejack. The large centaur turned to follow her when-

“Haaaaah!” Miss Valentine went screaming through the air, jumping at him and leading with a kick right towards his horse-body. She impacted right into the side of it, hard, and just as quickly bounced off the impenetrable wall of muscle right under his skin. She flipped in the air and safely landed on her hooves, but her teeth ground in frustration at the mountain in front of her. He was built far too solidly for her to hurt with her hooves and there was nothing else to work with in here.

“Please, you should give up now, I may still be lenient with your punishment,” the Warden said to her.

“Not a chance, honey,” Miss Valentine shook her head. “Maybe I can’t bring you down myself, but I’m still here to help.”

“You’re here to die,” the Warden brought a hammer fist down at her and Miss Valentine rolled out of the way.

His fist still smashed into the floor with enough force to send her tumbling further away. When she stopped and he tried to stomp on her with his hooves—Valentine plucked one of her very small feathers from her wings and threw it at his eyes like a dart. The Warden’s reflexes proved to be just as much of a problem as his physical strength though and he snatched it out of the air before it reached his eyes.

Miss Valentine grimaced. “Applejack? Amethyst? I’m not sure how much of a distraction I can be. Could you two honies back me up here?”

“On it,” Applejack said and picked herself back up from the floor. The Warden’s kick really hurt but she wasn’t out yet.

“A-Also on it,” Amethyst gulped and stood by Applejack.

“You ponies should clearly see already that there’s no point in fighting me,” the Warden said.

“That’s what you think!” Applejack shouted and ran at him. “Valentine, Amethyst, just back me up any way you can! I’ll do the heavy-lifting!”

“Okay!” Both mares shouted in unison and ran with her.

The Warden prepared for her charge and got ready to swing his fists down at her but Amethyst quickly created a ring of magic around his left wrist to hold it in place while Valentine threw more feather-darts at his face. The Warden was strong enough where he was able to break the ring of magic in an instant—but it was still an instant where his fist wasn’t plowing towards Applejack. However he didn’t waste using his other hand to grab Valentine’s feathers, instead moving his head out of the way and continuing to throw a strong right punch at Applejack. It was only one fist though and while Applejack didn’t consider herself the fastest of ponies or much of a real fighter she still was able to move to the side and duck her head down to make sure his punch didn’t connect.

And then Applejack attempted to end things in one hit. Sucking in a sharp breath she threw her hoof towards the Warden’s front left leg before he could jump back or kick out at her. Punching him hard, she saw him wince, but that was hardly the real attack. Applejack fired a powerful tremor from her body into his—directed right towards his femur.

The Warden’s eyes shot open in shock as the strange vibrating sensation went into his body and his leg started to shake uncontrollably. For the first time since the trio had walked in, honest surprise and confusion appeared on his face. Along with worry. He could feel a jackhammer on his bone trying to smash it apart and he clenched his jaw to try and beat the sensation and power through it until it was over.

Applejack meanwhile had her brow furrowed and sweat pouring down her face as she tried to put more force into the tremor—also shocked that she hadn’t been able to break his bone easier.

Suddenly the Warden’s leg lashed out at her, withstanding Applejack’s Hoof of the Earth attack, and Applejack was knocked to the floor.

His body’s so tough—his bones are like iron! Applejack glared up at the Warden while Amethyst and Miss Valentine came to help her up.

The Warden, for his part, looked down at his leg and stretched it out, flexing the muscles in it. The vibrations had stopped and it seemed totally normal again. “Odd. You possess an unusual power it seems. Is it part of being an Element of Harmony? Or perhaps something else? Either way you won’t be catching me off-guard again.”

“I guess he isn’t as easy to break as padlocks?” Miss Valentine sarcastically asked.

“Guess not,” Applejack said.

“Now what?” Amethyst asked.

“The same thing. I know I can bring him down, just help me out but be sure to stay safe most of all,” Applejack said.

“Ridiculous,” the Warden sighed in vexation. “You ponies just don’t know when to give up. A rather tiresome aspect of your species.”

He lifted his front legs up and slammed them into the floor—putting his full body-weight behind them. The force of the stomp caused the floor to shake and Applejack and the others wobbled and fell over while the Warden quickly took advantage of the situation and charged at them. His fists were already raised to pulverize them into dust.

Applejack clicked her tongue and pressed her hoof against the floor. Two can play at that game!

She sent a powerful tremor through the floor towards the Warden, practically causing the floor to warp up like a wave passing through water. The Warden ran straight into it and was tripped up, his large body flying over their heads and crashing to the floor—sliding towards the large glass window at the back of the office. His horned head crashed into the glass and cracked it with a painful sounding bang.

The Warden groaned in slight discomfort, but more annoyance than anything, and started to get back up. He sent an angry glare at Applejack that was readily returned.

Applejack got up and nodded at her friends before running at the Warden. When he tried getting back up, a slight tug of magic on one of his back legs stalled him for a moment. The Warden frowned and from his prone position he threw out a punch at Applejack instead. She pulled back her hoof and met his punch with one of his own—their appendages colliding with supreme force and a devastatingly loud sound. Applejack was throwing another powerful tremor into him but in terms of pure physical strength the Warden easily had her outmatched and he knocked her backwards in just a second. She didn’t stay connected long enough to try and empower her tremor and keep it going long enough to actually break anything. Instead his hand just wavered in the air for a second before it went back to normal.

At the same time, Applejack’s own hoof hurt considerably from matching his punch directly.

“Pesky,” the Warden growled and finally stood up in front of the cracked window. “But I have you figured out. Whatever it is you’re doing, you can’t harm me with just a small touch. I won’t allow you to touch me for more than an instant now.”

Applejack stared the Warden in the eyes and whispered to Amethyst and Valentine. “Keep his eyes off me for a second.”

“And how do we—nevermind,” Amethyst started and then got a nasty grin on her face.

“You ponies are merely delaying the inevitable,” the Warden said and raised his fists. “I will-”

His eyelids slammed shut over his eyes thanks to the helpful telekinesis from Amethyst, she had enough power in her horn to do something as easy as that at least. And as strong as the Warden was, eyelids were still just eyelids and he didn’t have much muscle in them. The Warden roared in frustration as he tried to open his eyes—finally reaching up and forcing them open with his fingers.

Which was right when Miss Valentine jumped on his back and started pummeling the back of his upper body. Her strikes were little more than taps to him but it was still annoying since she was hitting him from somewhere he couldn’t reach. No matter how he turned and how he tried to reach back she moved out of the way and stayed on him like a cowpony at a rodeo. Right up until he acted the part as well and hunched over while bucking up his lower body and launching her over his head and off him.

He couldn’t savor that short little victory though—while Valentine and Amethyst were distracting him, Applejack had closed the distance.

The Warden’s eyes went wide as he looked down and saw Applejack already at his legs with a hoof reaching towards him.

Applejack struck him in the same spot as the first time. His left front leg. And directed another powerful tremor into his femur. A tremor from Hoof of the Earth as powerful as she could muster, carried right from its origin in her heartbeat and amplified until all it took was an instant of contact for her to deliver it. Applejack’s own leg was shaking as it happened and sweat continued to pour down her face as she overexerted herself but she was sure it was worth it. Even as the Warden quickly lashed out at her with the same leg and kicked her hard enough in the stomach to knock the wind out of her. She went tumbling back until both Amethyst and Miss Valentine stopped her.

But the Warden didn’t press the attack. He couldn’t.

His eyes were focused on his shaking leg, his leg that was shaking much harder than before even after Applejack had been kicked away. The Warden clenched his teeth and sweat gathered at his brow as the vibrations in his bone only grew stronger and stronger. He fought his hardest to keep still—to try and beat the tremors again. But in the next instant they reached an intense peak and his leg spasmed—the tremors snapping his femur clean in half.

“AAAARRRRGGGHHHH!” The Warden yelled in pain and rage and partially collapsed to the ground when his leg gave out. Only a quick planting of his hand on the floor stopped him from falling on his face. He lifted his head up at Applejack, practically frothing with rage at her. “HOW DARE YOU!”

“Are you willing to give up and stop all this now?” Applejack asked him, breathing heavily.

“ONCE I FINISH THINGS HERE I’M GOING TO RUN YOUR FARM OUT OF BUSINESS AND PUT YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY ON THE STREET!”

“That’s a no,” Applejack’s eyes narrowed.

The Warden stood up on his three healthy legs, neck vein popping out, and raised his fists once more in preparation to attack.

“Valentine, keep his arms out of the way. Amethyst, throw me,” Applejack said.

“What?” Amethyst turned to her like she had grown a second head.

“Just do it,” Applejack said.

Meanwhile Miss Valentine was already running at the Warden, trusting Applejack enough to listen to her right now. The nimble pegasus removed a feather as she ran at the Warden and chucked it at his eye. With his lessened mobility he blocked it with a hand and threw a punch at her when she got close enough. The still just as agile pegasus though slammed her hooves down on his wrist and vaulted over his arm—kicking his hand away from his face.

He was left open.

And Amethyst had already lifted up Applejack in her magic and spun her around once before throwing the earth pony as hard as she could at the centaur.

Miss Valentine was flipping through the air and landing on the floor while Applejack was flying towards the Warden. Thanks to the distraction and hits provided by Valentine, the Warden couldn’t block or hit Applejack out of the way with his arms, nor could he dodge the way he was. Applejack turned around in midair and pulled her back legs up close to her body. As soon as she was in range she kicked out—bucking him in the chest with every ounce of strength she had. Hitting him with the legs she had spent years using to buck trees back on the farm with.

The Warden’s jaw dropped as he gasped out and was thrown backwards, colliding with the window and shattering the already weakened glass.

“NOOOOO!” The Warden yelled as he fell out the window and over the side of the Citadel, down towards the canyon.

Applejack hit the floor on her hooves and immediately ran to the glass with Amethyst coming right behind her. But by the time both of them looked out over the ledge the Warden had disappeared into the darkness of the canyon below.

Applejack exhaled and brought a hoof to her forehead—tired.

“Don’t rest just yet, honey,” Miss Valentine said from behind her.

Both Applejack and Amethyst turned around to see Valentine pointing at the Warden’s desk and the intercom atop it. “Gotta spread that word.”

“Right,” Applejack nodded and trotted over to the desk while Amethyst continued to look out the window at the massive canyon and bridge in the distance. When she reached the desk she saw the intercom looked to still be in perfectly good condition but all she could do was awkwardly bite her lip and raise an eyebrow at Miss Valentine. “Umm… I’m not entirely sure how this thing works.”

“Here,” Miss Valentine said and flipped every switch and pushed all the buttons on the intercom, at the last one a low buzzing sound came from the device and a green light lit up. She then whispered to Applejack. “Now speak.”

Applejack inhaled and gathered her thoughts—steeling herself for what she needed to say. “Attention, this is not the Warden speaking. This is Applejack, and hopefully the entire Citadel is hearing my voice right now. The Warden is gone. He’s no longer in charge here. And for all you guards who listened to his orders about stopping a riot earlier, these are your new orders—stand down immediately. Drop your weapons and stop what you’re doing. It’s over. The Warden’s reign of terror is over. And for everypony else here, we’ll get everything sorted out and taken care of soon. I’ll come back with more to say later.” She went to click off the intercom before she stopped briefly and smirked. “This message will not be repeated.”

Click!

Over the next day, a lot had to be done at the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel. First and foremost—the prisoners were all taken from underground and brought out to where they could get the food, space, and medical attention they really needed. After that, the massive storerooms and vaults held underground were soon discovered and ponies were able to start recovering their money and valuables. Miss Valentine and Vahar even found where their clothes had been tossed away. Most ponies who were looking to either get inside the Citadel or get across the bridge realized that had to be put on hold too—as soon as they learned from some of the prisoners what the situation was it became evident that the state of the Far West wasn’t what most thought. For a lot of them there was no longer a reason to travel at all. So the ponies gathered and waited together, trying to figure things out and get most of the downtrodden here back on their hooves, waiting for new caravans to arrive and word could be spread about what happened here. Instead of just becoming a massive horde and rushing to get to the bridge.

Applejack, of course, along with most of the other leaders from the breakout and some of the more “together” ponies were left organizing things.

Even though she herself was anxious to get to that bridge now that things were mostly taken care of here. She had already gone back to her inn to grab her saddlebag and what she left behind when infiltrating the Citadel building. Her landlord didn’t have much to say to her anymore.

Right now the group was gathered at a table that had been brought inside the main hall of the Citadel building—right inside its front doors. They wanted it to be accessible for ponies.

“So in some good news, the guards have all accepted a one-time payment of gold from the vaults to buzz off and never come back,” Birdseed said.

“Good, I was worried they would try something otherwise,” Applejack said.

“My friends are helping to sort through the vaults. There’s a lot of inventory,” Amethyst said.

“And I’m thinking of leaving pretty soon actually,” Miss Valentine said, now bedecked in a black vest that covered her whole body along with a black beret and sunglasses. Applejack wondered why she chose to wear clothes that must’ve been so dang hot. “I want to go back to Diminuendo and try to organize some help or relief for the Citadel and the nearby cities. It’ll be a long trip but I think it might be necessary for the west to get back on its hooves.”

“And I’ll… I’ll stay here I guess? Not like I have anything else to do or anywhere to go,” Birdseed shrugged. “Might as well make sure this place doesn’t devolve into crime and chaos.”

“Same here,” Amethyst said. “My friends and I don’t have anywhere else either so until things have settled down here we might as well keep helping out.”

Vahar then suddenly jumped up on her chair. “And I—the Wondrous and Majestic Vahar—shall stay here too and put on as many magic shows as possible to raise the spirits of the local ponies! I will be the shining light they need! They will be awed and amazed by my skills and will remember me as the one who filled their hearts with hope and warmth for the rest of their lives!”

Applejack sighed. “Vahar? I know you mean well but you could try and put that a little less self-absorbed sounding?’

“The Wondrous and Majestic Vahar shall consider your words!” Vahar then coughed and sat back down.

“And what about you, Applejack?” Miss Valentine asked, raising an eyebrow at her. “Don’t you have somewhere you still need to get to?”

“I… yeah,” Applejack nodded. “Yeah I do. But I didn’t want to just leave when things are still kind of a mess here.”

“To be honest I think you’ve done enough,” Birdseed said.

“I somehow doubt anypony would blame you for leaving. I don’t know why you’ve come out on such a long trip anyways but it doesn’t seem like you’d want to get stuck sitting around here any longer, right?” Amethyst asked. “Let us handle things here. And the other ponies who you rescued. I promise we’ll all do our best.”

“Even me,” Birdseed agreed. “Just so long as you can introduce me to that friend of yours with the birds later.”

Applejack chuckled. “I will.”

“From what it sounds like you have a long ways to travel still. Probably even longer than I do,” Miss Valentine said.

“Yep,” Applejack nodded. “I don’t even know how far exactly but I’m pretty sure I’m only about halfway there since the start of this trip.”

“Just getting across the bridge is going to take you a really long time itself, honey. I think you might want to pack some food and water up and head on out of here today. If you don’t, well, to be honest you seem like the kind of pony that’d get caught up in another problem that has nothing to do with her,” Miss Valentine smirked.

“Eugh,” Applejack dragged a hoof down her face—knowing Valentine was probably correct about her rotten luck.

“The Wondrous and Majestic Vahar will also keep a watchful eye on the Citadel and make sure nothing goes wrong! But I—she—we all owe you a debt of gratitude. If Applejack must make haste and get back on her journey then do not let anything stop you! Were it not for you we would all still be stuck in that cell or worse!” Vahar announced.

“The moron is right,” Amethyst nodded and pointed at Vahar. “You’ve earned it.”

Applejack sat back while Vahar glared at Amethyst, thinking and looking up at the pipe-covered metal ceiling of the building. Was it okay for her to just keep going? So many ponies here had their lives completely ruined or upended and still didn’t have a light at the end of the tunnel in sight. There was such a mess at the Citadel that most wouldn’t be able to leave or go across the bridge for a while. Which meant though that if Applejack was staying here until things had settled down more it might be a long time before she could leave too…

Could she afford that? It was just a normal friendship problem at Elysium’s View, wasn’t it? But the stuff Discord had said to her still had her worried. What the Warden was doing was horrible but he also wasn’t a pony trying to destroy the world or nothing like that. Applejack wasn’t sure if she could really sit around at the Citadel while something so big was potentially going on out there.

“Stupid Discord...” Applejack muttered.

“What was that?” Miss Valentine raised an eyebrow.

“Nothing,” Applejack shook her head. She furrowed her brow and thought for a moment longer. “Well… if I did leave later today I’d be pretty happy about that. Can’t deny it. But if that’s happening… then before it does there’s a mare I need to see first.”

“A mare? Who?” Valentine asked.

One of the larger buildings in the inner town of the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel was now being used to feed and house many of the freed ponies from the underground prison. The employees of the Citadel were finding themselves worked overtime—and without the power and authority they used to possess. There was a decent amount of bad blood in the air but nopony had started any fights. For the moment it seemed like the former indentured servants were accepting a “live and let live” attitude.

“When I heard your voice over the loudspeakers it was like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders,” Solar Streak said to Applejack.

Solar Streak was doing the same work she had been doing before but she looked a whole lot happier doing it. When Applejack had come in here she saw the young mare busily delivering food to ponies, helping the elderly and infirm eat when they had trouble, and cleaning up messes to make sure nopony slipped or got dirty. She was a new mare, with boundless energy and hope inside her.

“I guess I should thank you for saving my life twice,” Solar Streak smiled.

“You really don’t have to, but I just wanted to come find you and make sure you were doing alright before I leave,” Applejack said.

Solar Streak laughed quietly. “I’m not surprised you’re already leaving. You did the same thing with my old village. Came in and turned everything upside-down before getting back to your own journey. Heh, that sounds a lot worse than I want to make it sound. You have a way of leaving places a lot better than you found them and I think you know that. This place is no different—in fact this place is even better because there are other ponies here, like me, who will help make sure the Citadel becomes a better place.”

“Are you sure you’re going to be happy here? You can leave whenever you want, you know?” Applejack asked her.

“I know, and I’ll find happiness for myself one way or another, you don’t need to worry about me anymore,” Solar Streak said.

Applejack rubbed the back of her neck. “Well then… I’ll be coming back through here once I’m done at Elysium’s View, so maybe I’ll see you again on my way back to Ponyville. And if you’d like, well I’d really enjoy showing you my home.”

Solar Streak’s eyes widened as she realized what Applejack was offering. “You… you’d want me to come back with you?”

“Only if you want to, and just for a visit unless you feel otherwise cause I think it’s good you want to find your own path, but I think Ponyville would be a great place for you to see,” Applejack explained. “You’d get to know a lot of great ponies. Friendliest ponies you’ll ever meet.”

Solar Streak suddenly reached forward and embraced Applejack in a warm hug. “Thank you. And yes, I’d love to come with you when you’re returning home.” She chuckled and pulled back, wiping a tear from her eye. “I somehow doubt the Citadel will still need so many dishwashers by the time you’re back.”

“Then I’ll see you again soon,” Applejack grinned.

“You certainly will. Good luck on the rest of your trip,” Solar Streak smiled.

And with one last brief hug, Applejack and Solar Streak waved goodbye to each other.

“This… this really is a very long bridge,” Applejack said as she looked out at it from the back of the Citadel.

It just seemed to stretch on to infinity. It wasn’t even curved or sloped or anything, just a straight line that eventually went so far out she couldn’t even see it anymore. It looked like a simple stone bridge, with walls on the side of it only about a pony’s height, and the road down it a path of gray brick. Applejack couldn’t even imagine how something like this was made in the first place or how it stayed up. What a crazy piece of architecture that stretched over an even crazier chasm. How many days would it actually take to walk across it? Good thing she had listened to Valentine and actually grabbed plenty of extra food and water before coming here.

Speak of the devil-

“Certainly is, I’m kind of glad I’m not the one going across it,” Miss Valentine said from beside Applejack.

Applejack looked at her and then at the others that had gathered here to see her off. Vahar, Birdseed, Amethyst and her friends Diamond, Emerald, Opal and Topaz. She couldn’t help but smile—and felt no small measure of pride, even for a mare as humble as her, that she had managed to help so many ponies.

“You just have fun on your own trip back to Diminuendo,” Applejack said to her and smiled to the others. “And the rest of you, make sure you do a good job here, and look out for each other and the rest of the Citadel ponies.”

“We will,” Amethyst waved along with her friends.

“I’ll be looking forward to seeing you on your way back,” Birdseed said.

“The Wondrous and Majestic Vahar misses you already!” Vahar shouted.

Applejack rolled her eyes. “I’ll miss you too, Vahar.” She chuckled for a moment and waved to everypony. “Take care everypony! I’ll see you later!” And with that she began walking her way, taking her first steps onto the long bridge from the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel to the Far West.

“Thanks for everything!” Miss Valentine waved after her.

“See you soon!” Birdseed waved.

“Thanks for setting us on the right path!” Amethyst shouted.

“The Wondrous and Majestic Vahar is certainly not crying now!”

Far below the bridge and where the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel sat, a hand gripped a stone jutting out from the wall of the cliff.

“Ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous… that everything could be undone by her so quickly… my plans… my ambition… torn down by a single Element of Harmony who didn’t even come here on purpose!” The Warden growled as he climbed up the cliff. His other hand came up and his fingers dug—pierced—into the rock, allowing him to pull himself up further.

“Broken leg or not… I will catch you, Applejack. You don’t know what lies on the other side of the bridge…” a dangerous smile appeared on his face. “Red Agony Swamp… I’ll find you there… and end you!”

The Long Bridge

Applejack had walked far enough where she could no longer see the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel behind her.

And yet she could still see nothing in front of her either.

The canyon stretched on so far that it was really just darkness around the bridge and in the distance. If she squinted her eyes all she saw was a blur on the horizon where the bridge just kept going. It was no wonder only a single bridge existed and travel from one side of the west to the other was so difficult. The bridge itself, despite the lesser attention it had to have received recently, was in good shape. Good enough that Applejack wondered if there was something magical about it all. There wasn’t too much dust anywhere, nor any cracks in the brick or the short walls that she could see. Applejack considered herself a pretty decent craftspony but she could never imagine building something like this, nor could she picture any of the masonry and construction ponies she knew doing it. It was perfectly flat too with nary a single bump and stayed just as wide at about thirty feet across the whole way down.

“The Everfree is weird enough, and weird things keep happening to Ponyville, why do I gotta keep coming across strange stuff like this every time I end up outside Equestria?” Applejack shook her head.

Applejack reached into her saddlebag and took out the metal water bottle she had gotten from the Citadel. It was kind of strange to her, but so was much of the rest of the Citadel. She could easily unscrew the top and take a drink at least. There were several biscuits along with a tomato, a potato, wheat bread, and a can of lentils packed in her bag as well. The bridge was a several day journey across but this was more than enough food and water for her to last through it.

She only wished it was a little less lonely out here too.

There wasn’t a single bird flying over the canyon. Nothing to make a sound. She figured it kind of made sense since the birds wouldn’t have been able to fly all the way across but how come there weren’t any still close to the eastern side? Or around where they could land on the bridge and rest? Instead there was no other life besides her out here whatsoever. It just added to the weirdness of this whole thing—she wished she could ask the original makers and rulers of the Citadel about it.

Oh well, just one more thing for Twilight to be curious about when Applejack got home.

Applejack looked down at her shadow and then looked up at the sky. No clouds overhead either.

For the first time in a long while, Applejack set up and slept in her tent that night.

It was incredibly uncomfortable but compared to all the trouble she had gone through recently a hard “bed” was barely an issue. She only hoped that it would be a mere two more nights—three tops—that she would have to sleep on the bridge.

With all the walking she did today, and all the other stuff, and how even busier yesterday was, Applejack felt herself already starting to drift off to sleep.

She turned over a few times to try and find a more comfortable spot—to pretty much no avail. “Half way to Elysium’s View...” She sighed. “I hope there’s a train or something on the other side of the canyon I can ride to it.”

Applejack gave up and just rested her head on her bag, falling to sleep a minute later.

The next morning she started walking early, before the sun had even risen. That turned out to be a smart decision since once the sun had come up the day became rather hot. It wasn’t just the heat of the sun on her back but she felt the stone bridge collected and kept in a lot of the heat as well. Applejack began to sweat in the sweltering heat, only protected and slightly cooled off by the hat on her head.

“This is miserable. Ponies had to use wagons to cross this before, right?” Applejack asked nopony in particular.

Another check up at the sky and all she saw was blue and the sun. Clouds for some reason didn’t seem to want to fly over the canyon either.

“Nutty place...”

And no matter how much further she walked today there was still no end in sight. At one point Applejack went to the side of the bridge and just looked down for a while, looking into the dark abyss. It was almost mesmerizing—you just couldn’t tell how deep it was. It seemed liked you would fall for hours if you went over the side. Maybe there was no bottom at all. Maybe it was one of those bottomless pits you heard about.

Eventually she managed to tear her eyes away from it and get back to walking. There was still a lot of bridge to cover and she couldn’t waste time on it like this.

Since she was walking all day the heat subsided eventually as well when the sun started to go down. Applejack didn’t take that for granted and kept walking for several more hours—well into night. If there was nothing else to do on this bridge but walk across it she might as well push herself to only walk and sleep. That’d make it easier for her to conk out on the hard ground anyways.

When Applejack woke up the next morning she was hoping that by the time the sun came up she’d be able to see the end of the bridge and the other side of the canyon in the distance.

She couldn’t.

It looked like another day of full walking and then if she was lucky she’d finally reach the end of the bridge tomorrow.

“If there ain’t a train then please at least let there be plenty of signs and roads telling me exactly where I need to go,” Applejack muttered. “Hay, I’ll just keep walking straight anyways. That’s always worked in the past.”

Applejack stopped for a second and wiped a bit of sweat from her brow. Today was just as hot as yesterday, no clouds in the sky, and not even a breeze blowing by the bridge. Which was just as odd as anything else—normally it would be incredibly windy on a bridge like this. But Applejack had learned by now that the idea of “normal” didn’t go well with this bridge at all. It was a total dead zone. She doubted the bridge was to entirely blame for the strangeness, it was more likely the canyon itself that was the cause of all these oddities and the bridge just reflected that. It was funny to think that back at the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel if she looked past it and out over the canyon she would’ve thought she had reached the edge of the world.

But supposedly that edge was still far away.

Later that night she was too agitated to fall asleep straight away. It was still only about as long out here on the bridge as she expected, but it was frustrating not really knowing how much further she had to go. She ended up taking out the journal Twilight had lent her and started scribbling down stuff on the half-drawn map pages just to give herself something to do. From memory she tried figuring out where everything was, how long it took to travel, how spread out things were, and how big this canyon and bridge really were.

Twilight was sure to appreciate it. Right?

Applejack found herself getting more tired shortly after that and she soon slept through what she hoped was the final night on this bridge.

When Applejack had already been walking for several hours the next day—right before noon—the blur on the horizon started to change. It wasn’t just darkness ahead, there was color appearing once more.

“Please tell me I’m lucky for once,” Applejack said.

It took another hour of walking before she could see anything for certain—but far in the distance the darkness of the canyon started to fall away. She could see the cliffs of the other side. The Far West on the other side of this great chasm was finally visible.

Applejack sighed in relief, briefly stopping for just a moment and taking a drink from her water bottle.

The further she walked and the closer she got now the more she saw. Which actually wasn’t too much. Applejack would’ve figured that if not a city, or town, or sister Citadel, there would at least be some building or checkpoint where the bridge connected to the other side. But there wasn’t. There didn’t even seem to be a big sign or archway over where the bridge began. Maybe there had been at one time but as the Citadel closed down everything over on the other side vanished?

Beyond just where the bridge ended and the cliffs began, Applejack still couldn’t see too much, the distance was still too great and she didn’t have any height to see further. It looked like there was just a plains for a while on the other side since she couldn’t see any hills or mountains, but they could’ve been hidden by the blur for all she knew. It got a little better the more she walked but her initial estimation didn’t change—there really was nothing directly ahead, at least not for a while after the canyon ended. What she did see though was mountains to the north and south and even a forest that popped up at the foot of the mountains to the north.

However, that wasn’t the direction she was going in.

When her hoof touched down on the dirt road that led away from the bridge, a smile broke out on Applejack’s face.

Things weren’t as nice as they could be, but she was still here all the same.

Bogged Down I

It wasn’t long before she reached a crossroads.

The single large dirt road from the bridge, heading east and west, split into six different roads after only about an hour of walking from the edge of the canyon. One kept going west, one went south, two went north, and two more went southwest and northwest. The problem was there wasn’t really any indication of where they led to or what she would find on each individual road. The ones going directly north and south would certainly hit the mountains eventually but aside from that Applejack was clueless.

Even less helpful was that there was a hole in the ground on the side of the main road where a signpost clearly used to stand in. But whatever sign used to be there had been dug out and was now gone. Applejack didn’t know why anypony would do something like that but all it meant was she still had no idea where exactly she was going.

And since she didn’t have anything else to go on—she was still going to head straight. As long as she kept going west she’d eventually get to Elysium’s View. If there happened to be something blocking the way she’d just have to deal with it the same as the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel. Directly ahead did change slightly from just a flat plains, there were small rolling hills and Applejack could see green meadows further on. At least she wasn’t walking through a wasteland or a desert.

Applejack shrugged and started walking west, the day wasn’t as hot as the last few were on the bridge and she was comforted by the occasional breeze even. So despite her likely still having a lot of walking to do before she hit another town or any sort of civilization it should still be an easier jaunt. She even had clouds floating over her head again to give her a little reprieve from the sun. It would be nice if she saw some birds or animals soon too so it really felt like she was back in the “normal” world. And after having so many others to keep her company for a while she was kind of hoping she’d come across some ponies sooner rather than later too. Applejack liked the peace and quiet and she considered herself decently good at enjoying her private time, but she still loved being around and meeting others. Not to the level of some of her friends but she still could use some company.

“I know there are other cities and kingdoms out here,” Applejack said to herself as she walked. “Let’s hope they’re friendly.”

Later that day but still well before the sun went down, and Applejack now found herself walking through a completely different environment. The ground had flattened out once more after dipping below the small hills to the west and the road was bordered by very luscious and thick fields of tall green grass that came up to her chin. Not just grass but healthy flowers and other plants with the occasional tree sprouting up alongside the road. The Far West had become a colorful and pretty darn nice looking place to walk through.

The air had become “wetter” too. Not exactly humid but there was a moisture in the air for sure, the dirt under her hooves squelched with each step she took, just a little bit of extra dampness away from being mud. The grass also was covered in dew and Applejack could both see and hear droplets of water falling off the various leaves.

The further she went the more she saw things like cattails, marigolds, and ferns popping up around her. Glancing up, the sky became covered in a thin but still completely obscuring sheet of graying clouds.

“Rain a lot here?” Applejack wondered. It’d make sense with everything she had seen so far.

Things were cooling down again too, now with it later in the day and the sun mostly blocked by clouds, it was getting chilly and moist almost like a cooled basement. Applejack spied a couple of ponds the further she walked too and the dirt of the road was getting closer and closer to just straight up becoming mud. To add to the atmosphere Applejack started to hear croaking frogs and buzzing mosquitoes come from the wetlands around her.

She sighed, now well aware of what lied ahead of her. “I’m walking right into a swamp, aren’t I?”

She was more than familiar with swamps, enough swamps and bogs existed around Ponyville and spread through the rest of Equestria. How many had she personally been to? Most all of them weren’t pleasant places either so her previous good mood was dampened quite a bit. She just hoped that whatever swamps existed in the Far West didn’t have the kind of big and mean monsters that the swamps of Equestria had.

Applejack picked up the pace a little since she wanted to see if she could at least find someplace a little nicer to pitch her tent at before stopping and there weren’t many hours before dark now. Worse came to worse she’d just have to prop it up right in the road—probably still the driest and most even place around right now.

“Maybe there’ll be ponies out living here though. I mean, there’s gotta be a reason this road exists, right? And there were plenty of ponies back in Equestria that lived in the swamps...” Applejack tried to delude herself.

The further she went the more trees and ponds off the side of the road started to pop up, and a steady mist started to flow in from the west. It didn’t kill her vision or anything like that—it was too close to the ground—but it was a bit troublesome. Beyond the mist she could just now start to see dense trees covering the landscape completely and the tall grass on the ground was giving away to flatter, and far wetter, marshes. She almost slipped on the muddy road a couple of times just walking.

It seemed it was pointless to hope she might find a good spot to set her tent up at. Now she just wanted to cover as much distance as possible.

At least there was still a road at all.

Grass and dandelions were starting to grow up from out of the road beneath her hooves though, everything was becoming overrun by nature. Any rocks and trees she saw were covered with moss and the sound of frogs and mosquitoes only grew louder and louder. With the last bits of light from the sun, Applejack could see the road taking her into the dense trees ahead. While it wasn’t a swamp just yet because of the water level, it was still very wet and the ground off the road didn’t look safe to walk over at all. Surely any spot that looked safe was a trap—you’d put your hoof down and it would sink up to your knee in water and muck.

Applejack stopped for a moment and looked around. The tall grass had completely vanished, leaving puddles and pools of standing water surrounded by mud and rotting vegetation. She saw the road heading into the trees was slightly raised over the rest of the ground, where water could run off it so it wouldn’t become flooded. The muddy ground off it was close to being submerged but for the most part the ground still poked through. If you could see where the trees started then you weren’t really in a swamp yet. It was only when Applejack had to wade through water or find another way to get through here because it was too deep for her hooves that she would really consider it a swamp.

Right now she was staying with flooded forest in her mind and hoping it didn’t really get any worse than this.

Feeling in the mood for a meal before she actually entered the flooded forest she lifted up a hoof and started wiping it clean on her body—not caring if she was dirty but not wanting to get any of that dirt on her food. Applejack was more than used to being all muddy and unkempt anyways. Once the hoof was properly clean, mostly, she reached into her saddlebag and took out her last biscuit. There wasn’t much food left besides the emergency oats she still had with her, along with the metal water bottle. Unfortunately the murky standing water she found herself surrounded by now wouldn’t be safe to drink but maybe if it rained or drizzled soon she could collect some more.

As Applejack ate the biscuit she looked up at the sky, seeing it starting to get truly dark now as the sun went down. But almost right as it did, light from the trees in front of her caught her attention.

Blinking in surprise, Applejack looked as hundreds of tiny lights appeared in the forest. They blinked on and off and flew around in the darkness of the trees, creating a wild and exciting light show.

“Fireflies,” Applejack whispered.

It was pretty to look at, they all flew about in loops and spirals, talking to each other just with their lights. Trying to grab the attention of a mate and just showing off how bright they could be. Applejack was glad she got to enjoy a show like this while she ate. She doubted there would be much anything else nice to look at once she got further into the swamp. Just seeing them all going about their carefree display brought a smile to her face, sometimes a pony just had to enjoy the simple things.

Once she was finished with her biscuit she shrugged to herself and got a move on once more. She’d at least get inside the flooded forest so wherever she stopped for the night she’d have cover from the rain if it started pouring down in the middle of the night. The tent was going to be a muddy mess and probably get her other stuff dirty but it was better than lying unprotected in the mud herself and getting the saddlebag covered completely in muck. After walking a few more feet, leaving hoof marks behind in the mud, Applejack passed by the first line of trees and entered the flooded forest. Above her the tree branches and all the leaves on them created a broken canopy that half-blocked out the sky—something that would change the further she went. If this was anything like most swamps she was sure soon it would be dense enough that the sky would disappear.

At least right now the fireflies were still having their fun and the road was still straight so Applejack could see where she was going. She looked at a pool of water to her right and saw a frog sitting on a lilypad, croaking with his big stretchy mouth going bigger and smaller. When Applejack took another step she must’ve startled it since it jumped right off its pad and into the water. There must’ve been a lot of other frogs and animals in the swamp but they were unsurprisingly staying out of sight. The various creatures probably hadn’t seen a pony come through here in ages.

She still kept her eyes open anyways—hoping she’d see something like a cabin or even an abandoned boat that would tell her there were ponies nearby. Hoping she’d hear the plucking of a banjo coming from deeper in the swamp. But the further she walked the more her hopes seemed to be completely in vain. Applejack was alone in this swamp. Maybe alone for a long time after getting out of it too.

She had no idea if it was entirely because of what had happened at Al-Karamaretel or if the Far West was naturally like this but she didn’t enjoy how empty its first impression was.

A yawn came up out of nowhere and Applejack took that as a sign that she might as well stop for the night. There was clearly nothing she’d stumble across anytime soon, might as well sleep and wait for the sun to come up before continuing. She doubted this swamp would be as big across as the canyon, it didn’t seem possible, so hopefully tomorrow she could get through the entire thing. And then get started on the next leg of her journey to Elysium’s View.

Which was hopefully a nice and easy train ride.

Applejack rolled her eyes, knowing her luck would never be that good.

She checked out the road she was traveling on to see if there was any spot a little drier and sturdier than the rest. Not finding much, she decided to just set up right in the middle of the road so she at least could keep away from the water as much as possible. If it rained, like she was kind of expecting it to, part of the road would almost certainly become flooded. It was good that it was raised slightly and slightly higher again right in the middle. Whoever made it put a lot of thought into keeping it safe and able to travel on.

Everything, her hooves, her tent, her coat, were messy with mud by the time she had the tent set up and ready to sleep inside it.

Applejack shook her head. “Nothing to do about that...”

She tried wiping her hooves off on the canvas of the tent as best as possible before stepping in and resting her head on her saddlebag again. A lumpy and not very soft pillow but a pillow nonetheless. Another yawn came and Applejack closed her eyes, soon drifting off to her first night of sleep in the Far West.

Bogged Down II

A low mist covered the floor of the swamp as Applejack walked through it. And yes, it was truly a swamp and not just a slightly flooded forest, she wasn’t going to try and delude herself any further.

There was a slight drizzle last night and the road was covered in puddles of water, even almost slightly flooded in some places. Applejack’s hooves splashed and splashed every time she took a step and the rest of her body was wet with either mud or water dripping from the trees over her head.

It was early in the morning but there wasn’t a lot of light that made it down here into the swamp and a steady mist also spread out over the water off the road. The trees coming up from the water were gnarled and twisted, sometimes even around each other, not leaving much open space while the water level rose up higher and made it impossible to actually see the ground besides what was left of the road anymore. Long reeds and cattails came up from the water while lilypads floated through the mists.

“Well this still aint the worst place I’ve been through,” Applejack said.

There was a problem ahead though after about another hour of walking that morning.

The road disappeared.

Or more accurately—it was taken away. Water completely flooded it and the swamp just a few steps in front of Applejack, the earth pony standing there and staring flatly at the pool of water that blocked her from continuing. This wasn’t a simple depressed part of it that was flooded, nor was it just a half-inch deep layer of water, the swamp had completely devoured the road. It vanished into the murky, dirty, impossible to see through, water. As far as Applejack could see now it was just water with trees and plants sticking out of it. Nowhere she could walk without water coming all the way up to her body.

“Aint that just great,” Applejack sarcastically muttered and moved her saddlebag so it sat on her back.

She carefully checked out how deep the water was with her hooves before taking the first few steps and wading into it. Cold and heavy water swam between her legs and splashed up against her belly, it wasn’t quite deep enough where it actually reached her body yet but it was close enough that each step still caused the water to hit her stomach and chin. Applejack just had to trudge on and ignore it—still thankful that her hooves hit the ground at the bottom of the swamp.

“Better not be any cragadiles here,” Applejack said as she walked on.

Without the road though she didn’t have a straight path ahead any longer. There were so many trees popping up that she’d have to go twisting and turning around them and it worried her that she might get lost at some point. She doubted she’d end up going completely the wrong direction but she still might end up stuck somewhere if she was unlucky. And she was usually fairly unlucky.

There was also the issue that she didn’t have much food and water right now and she didn’t think eating or drinking anything found in the swamp was a good idea.

But she had ate recently so it wasn’t too pressing. Just something the well-prepared Applejack was thinking about. In a situation like this it was always best to be prepared for anything and have your mind on any future complications.

She then tripped over a root and almost ended up dunking her face completely into the water.

“Blegh!” Applejack yelled as she barely avoided it, water dripping off her chin. “Consarnit! I’ve already had enough of this!”

Applejack shook her head to try and get most of the water off her and kept walking—a little more carefully this time.

Three hours later and in the middle of the day, and Applejack felt that something was wrong.

Really wrong.

She was getting short of breath, and her throat hurt, for some reason her hooves were starting to feel cold and numb while her head was becoming fuzzy and hot. Her stomach was tied in knots and each new inhalation of breath made her cough and her lungs start to burn.

This aint right… I feel like I’m coming down with the worst fever of my life… Applejack thought as she continued to force herself on through the swamp water. Can’t be the swamp, haven’t been here long enough and I was feeling fine beforehoof… didn’t accidentally drink any of that water or nothing…

A deep shudder wracked her entire body and Applejack nearly stumbled and fell over—only saved from falling into the water by a tree that helpfully stood up right next to her. But even then the shaking didn’t stop completely. Applejack was helpless, feeling exhausted lying up against that tree as her legs shook and she felt on the verge of fainting. She closed her eyes just a moment to rest, drawing in a few ragged breaths, wheezing on every exhale. It just made her lungs burn more.

“Come on Applejack… come on Applejack...” she told herself.

If she was sick she couldn’t let herself stop here. That’d just make things worse.

It could in fact be the last bad decision she ever makes.

So she had to force herself to keep moving until she at least got onto dry land or some spot where she could actually rest. Applejack opened her eyes back up—sneezed—and left the support of the tree behind. Though she was still shaking she managed to get it at least a little under control. And the pain in her lungs and throat wasn’t the worst thing she had ever felt. She could do this. She could definitely do this.

It was the fuzzy haze in her head, the dizziness, the lack of coordination, that ended up being more of a problem. Applejack wasn’t even sure if she was walking in a straight line anymore and the swamp was all starting to blur together. Fevers had the tendency to do this, you couldn’t think straight, it was almost like you were in some sort of manic fugue. Applejack had experienced enough of them and nursed enough family members through them to know. This was so much worse than anything else though. Her head was hot enough where it felt like she could melt right through a glacier and every time she blinked a smattering of dark spots appeared behind her eyelids. That red cloud in her mind caused her to sway back and forth with every step, more water splashing up against her.

Applejack bumped into the log of a fallen tree before she could even notice it. She nearly slumped against it before catching herself, just coughing instead before hoisting herself over it and back into the water. She walked in a daze for quite a while longer after that—completely unable to tell what time it was or how long it had been since she started feeling sick.

Her extremities were numb.

Her body convulsed and shivered every minute.

Her lungs burned.

Her eyelids became heavy.

And finally her eyes themselves started to burn with irritation.

Applejack brought a hoof up to wipe them on reflex, accidentally getting some mud and dirty swamp water on her face, but at this point she didn’t really care. Even then she was sweating too much—the cold and numbness from her hooves and legs being overcome with hot flashes and a rising temperature through her entire body. A dull throbbing pain started right behind her eyes as well before enveloping her entire skull, soon becoming a piercing pain that felt like somepony was taking a knife to her. Despite her ragged breathing and worsening fever she could still hear mosquitoes buzzing all around her. It was starting to drive her crazy, she didn’t know where she was, her head spun and Applejack stumbled past another group of twisted trees into a more open pond.

Breathing heavily she stopped and stared down at the water beneath her—lower than the rest of the swamp she had just waded through—the water only came halfway up her legs.

Above her she could feel the sun and finally managing to raise her head she saw a break in the canopy of gnarled swamp trees. It was a clearing, with only a few cattails emerging from the water.

Since she at least wouldn’t drown here, Applejack stayed where she was and just tried to catch her breath for a moment. She tried to clear her mind and break through the fuzzy warped mental state she was in. The intense heat wracking her body at least gave her something physical, something real, to focus on. It was better if she was just tired and hot instead of barely able to tell what was going on.

Applejack considered herself a decently healthy pony so this sudden fever was even more strange.

She was a robust pony and yet for some reason walking through this swamp had brought upon her the worst sickness she had ever been through.

Taking in another breath brought on a hacking coughing fit and Applejack doubled over, nearly falling to her knees in the water. She really wished she had a friendly face with her right now to take care of her or at the very least reassure her that things would be okay. What she wouldn’t give for Pinkie Pie’s smile or Fluttershy’s warmth…

The coughing fit ended and Applejack managed to stand up straight again, getting as much fresh air from this clearing in the swamp as she could. The idea to maybe stop here crossed her mind—wondering if that was actually the correct decision. She could lean up against a tree and wait for the sickness to pass instead of risking going deeper into the swamp while sick. Here where the water was at least shallow was safer and with her feverish head the way it was she might get lost far easier if she tried navigating out of the swamp again.

But with her burning throat and lungs she also craved fresh water. The thought of a cool drink of water was so good right now. It was probably what her body badly needed and there was no way she could find any of it in the swamp. Not just a drink but a splash of it across her face and everywhere else to clean up.

She might not get better without any water.

Applejack took a few deep breaths and shuddered each time, finally resolving to continue moving on like she had decided earlier. The numbness, the pains, the shaking, it was all manageable to her right now, she had attempted to get used to it, but the heat in her head was getting worse. It was like the fever itself was concentrating now in one place. The irritation in her eyes was now getting worse because of that too, they felt dry and hot and no matter how much Applejack blinked it didn’t get any better. Instead with each blink more black spots appeared behind her eyelids.

Her vision had gone completely blurry, she hadn’t taken another step despite resolving to, and it was getting darker and darker.

“M-My eyes...” Applejack groaned, trying to blink them back to normal.

But it only got worse and soon—even with her eyes completely open—all Applejack saw was darkness. Intense irritation and burning was all over her eyes and right behind their sockets in her head, while the rest of the pain and sensations in her body had lessened.

“I-I can’t see nothing, what’s wrong with my eyes?!” Applejack said in a panic as she stumbled through the shallow water. “Sweet Celestia—I’ve gone blind!”

Out of reflex she reached up and tried to rub them with her hooves to see if that made any difference. All she did was get mud and dirty water on her face and the irritation didn’t abate in the slightest.

Panicking, and breathing harder than before, Applejack lost all sense of direction in her darkness. Her hooves plodded through the water, splashing everywhere while the buzzing sound of mosquitoes came from every direction to further disorientate her. She didn’t know where she was going in her blindness and she was panicking too much to walk carefully. All it took was a single spot where the mud was softer for her hoof to sink a little deeper than she expected and Applejack tripped. Falling onto her side in the water her saddlebag went flying off her back—she could hear it open up and spill its contents into the swamp.

“No!” Applejack shouted, trying to get up and find it and everything inside it. The bits, my oats, Twilight’s journal!

Her hooves helplessly searched through the water while she crawled about in the shallow pool. She tried to send out an exploratory tremor but she couldn’t get it to work—the pain in her body, the trembling, and her feverish mind made it impossible for her to focus and properly use Hoof of the Earth. Everything just slipped away or at best only sent out ripples into the water when she tried. Now she felt far more blind than ever before.

Applejack stood up and panted, trying to get her bearings, she knew she was still in the shallow clearing so she just had to calm down and stop panicking. She could find her stuff and then find her way out of this swamp.

“But what if… what if my eyes never get better?” Applejack shivered. “What if I’m blind for good?” Applejack raised a hoof to her forehead. “Twilight, help me out here… why’d this have to happen?”

“It’s the curse of Red Agony Swamp.”

Applejack’s head shot up as she looked around, pointlessly though since she still couldn’t see anything. “Who’s there?! Who said that?!”

“It has only been a few days, surely you haven’t forgotten my voice?” The deep voice asked as Applejack now heard heavy steps coming towards her from behind.

Her jaw tightened and she turned around to face him as best she could. “The Warden. How are you-”

“I assure you that climbing up a cliff and walking over a bridge with a broken leg—that is still painfully useless—is not easy,” the Warden said nonchalantly. “But I had to track you down. I needed to get you back for everything you destroyed, everything you ruined. Do you have any idea how long it will take me to fix this? I do plan on going back to the Citadel but you’ve still put me back years.”

She couldn’t get an exact place on his voice but she still tried to look where she mostly guessed he was standing. “You’re not going to do that again! I’ll never let that happen!”

A deep rumbling chuckle came from the Warden. “You’re not in any condition to stop me. I figured you would be going straight west after leaving the bridge, and it turns out I was right. You have no knowledge of the west and that is what brought you here. How are you feeling now, Applejack of Equestria? Feverish? Tired? Unable to see?”

“You… what’s happened to me?” Applejack growled.

“This is Red Agony Swamp—named for the disease carried within the waters here. All who cross through here, even me, will succumb to the disease. Fever, fatigue, aches and pains, and finally it all culminates in blindness as the disease reaches its peak. When I first traveled through the Far West and came through here the exact same thing happened to me as what’s happening to you now. There is a silver lining though, you will only catch the disease once and then be immune to it on any return trips. Well, not a silver lining for you.”

Applejack’s blood ran cold. “So you’re...”

“Perfectly fine aside from the aforementioned broken leg you gave me,” the Warden said as he began to walk around more and Applejack tried to follow his position as best she could.

“You had best leave me alone before I break your other legs then,” Applejack said in an attempt to still sound confident.

“I think not. The disease and its symptoms will naturally pass in a day or two after the fever reaches its hottest and your eyes feel like they’re going to melt. You can’t tell yourself obviously—but your eyes are red and bloodshot to an absurd degree at the moment. However, there is no lingering pain or any damage to your eyesight after the disease has run its course. By tomorrow you’d be perfectly healthy,” a smirk Applejack couldn’t see tugged up the Warden’s lips. “But since you’ll be dead very soon that hardly matters to you.”

Bogged Down III

A heavy fist collided into Applejack’s side and knocked her across the clearing before she even knew what was happening. She skidded through the shallow water for a few feet and came to a stop. Groaning and shaking, she struggled to stand up, the punch having knocked the wind out of her.

“I hope that you’re not going to lose consciousness just from one punch,” the Warden said. “I plan on beating you to death to relieve a little frustration, so if you were to fall unconscious right now it would be immensely disappointing.”

“Shut up...” Applejack bit out and managed to stand.

“That strange power you had… are you capable of using it in such a state? It doesn’t seem like you’re in the condition to do anything,” the Warden mockingly asked.

Applejack just kept breathing in and out, trying to figure out where he was.

“You’re sick, you’re exhausted, you’re blind, and even before you could barely fight me. What a pathetic situation you’re in,” the Warden said as he circled around her, keeping his one broken leg curled up closer to his body since he still couldn’t put any weight on it. “Unfortunately for you I don’t care about fighting fair. Never have.”

He kicked up a wave of water at her from the side and ran in as it hit Applejack. Punching through the water at the same time and hitting her in the ribs. The disorientated Applejack, whose ears also weren’t performing so well right now thanks to the fever, was helpless. Unable to dodge or block she was punched down into the water once more. A new intense pain in her ribs spiked up through her body and she grit her teeth in an attempt to overcome it. Slower to rise again she did her best to focus on the sounds he was making and his voice. It was difficult.

Not only was her mind still in a bit of a fugue, but a headache pounded in her skull and her ears just didn’t work right because of it all. She heard too many things that got in the way, his splashing as he strode through the water was too loud, the mosquitoes were too loud, all the individual vibrations and noises of the swamp and her body were too much! Not only could she not see but the cacophony and fever were making it impossible to even listen.

“Can you not fight back at all? Is an Element of Harmony going to meet their doom in a place like this?” The Warden sneered.

Applejack rose—muddy and water-logged—and shifted her ears around to try and discern his location.

“Truly that’s fine by me. I can enjoy beating you into submission whether you can or can’t fight back. It’s just shocking that a pony so noble and storied such as yourself can’t do anything. Didn’t you say you would stop me? Aren’t you worried about all of the ponies I’m going to make suffer once I’ve returned to power? I’m going to keep that promise about your family as well. No matter how long it takes I’ll run that farm of yours into the ground,” the Warden said as he continued his verbal assault. Every word designed to torment and anger her, trying to make her as miserable and depressed as possible for what he wanted to be her last moments.

The Warden moved towards her again and lifted up a fist, ready to smash it down onto her skull.

Applejack heard his general direction and did the only thing she could do—an attempt at Hoof of the Earth. It was dangerous and wild but it was her only option right now. She pulled a tremor from her heart and amplified it before unleashing it into the water. She would’ve liked to have been able to send it right into his body but the tremors dissipated too quickly in water and she didn’t know exactly where he was. And his body was strong enough to resist such a haphazard tremor too most likely. Instead all she did was create a huge blast of swamp water that went right into his face—causing the Warden to sputter and cough as it hit him and he backed up a few feet.

Applejack meanwhile felt a violent shake—almost a crack—in her hoof.

Tch, almost broke my dang hoof doing that! I need to focus more before trying that again. She thought while getting up and trying to get some distance between herself and the Warden. It was the danger of Hoof of the Earth that she had been warned about when first learning it, an improperly controlled and unleashed tremor could backfire on you and break your own bones and muscles if you weren’t careful.

Once the water calmed down and the Warden had wiped his face off he stared at Applejack warily. One broken leg was already bad news, if she could do that or something worse to him again it would be bad. He didn’t know her full powers or capabilities so it was better to be cautious.

“Of course you wouldn’t actually take this lying down...” the Warden grumbled and bent over to reach into the swamp and dig out a big handful of mud.

“That’s right,” Applejack said—oblivious to what he was doing. “Now I’m warning you, you’re gonna regret it if you don’t back off right now.”

The Warden scoffed. “An empty boast, Applejack. You are still the one in danger here.”

He dug his fingers into the mud and threw the big glob up into the air around Applejack. It came down in pieces all into the water and on her back, dozens of bits of mud splattering into the water and creating noise and ripples around Applejack that further deafened her. To her it sounded like heavy rainfall hitting a lake, or somepony dropping a bunch of rocks into a trough of water.

“W-What’s happening?! What are you doing right now!” Applejack shouted, turning her head from side to side to try and hear through the noise.

It didn’t work as she soon felt a hard kick to her face from one of his cloven hooves.

Applejack was knocked onto her back and she nearly sank into the swamp. One of her teeth was feeling a little loose too. She could hear the Warden moving and it caused her to get up but he was purposefully dragging his hooves through the water and making large splashes to be as loud as possible and obscure his exact location. She could hear the loud splashing but it lasted too long and sent ripples in every direction. It was a pain to keep track of where he was.

“Absolutely pathetic. To think a creature like you could’ve been the one to tear down my Citadel,” the Warden said.

“You’re the pathetic one… having to attack me like this… when I was practically half-dead already,” Applejack panted as she swiveled her ears around for him.

“Well, you’ve got me there. Pride is a flaw in my book though.”

Another sudden sharp kick hit Applejack in the side and she went tumbling through the water. Coughing and sputtering as she lied prone, her legs shaking and having difficulty getting back to her hooves.

Something doesn’t change real soon I’m… Applejack trailed off.

She could hear him charging her again and so Applejack sent another tremor into the muddy ground. Mud didn’t carry the vibrations from Hoof of the Earth too good either, but it was enough to do what she wanted. The tremor was sent out wildly all around her, directionless and unfocused, just designed to shift and warp the muddy ground under the water. It ended up working when she heard the Warden growl and go splashing down into the water and mud somewhere to the left of her.

Applejack smirked over in his direction and stood up. “Tripped you up again, did I?”

“Don’t get so cocky. It seems all you can do is little tricks and distractions right now,” the Warden said as he pushed himself up, mud and water dripping off his body.

He’s still right. Applejack thought but kept the smirk on her face to still look confident.

“You couldn’t break another leg of mine again, could you?” The Warden questioned as he circled around her. “I’ve stayed cautious around you because I don’t understand that strange ability you have. But it’s been for naught, hasn’t it? You don’t have the strength in your body to harm me anymore. You’re either too weak or too sick to use that power to its fullest.” He quickly changed direction and splashed through the water—seeing how Applejack’s ears swiveled and how her head jerked around, struggling to hone in directly on him. “And you can still barely keep up with me. Even if you could match blows with me you’d tire and fall first. How can you hope to fight back like this? As blind as if those eyes were gouged out.”

Applejack grit her teeth, hearing more and more of the Warden moving about around her, taunting her.

The frustration was building in her and she-

Stopped. Taking a breath to calm herself down. So what if he was right? If the problem was she couldn’t see him, then that’s the problem she needed to fix first. Applejack stood still and steadied herself. She blocked out every pain, ache, and shiver from the fever, she ignored the heat, ignored the irritation, forced her body to get over it so she could focus on the only things that mattered. Her heart beating in her chest, sending out vibrations at a steady and imperceptible rate to the world around her. From the swamp—she blocked out the sounds of the mosquitoes, the sounds of the water splashing, anything else. She blocked out all vibrations except the sound of the Warden’s breathing and heartbeat. Sound was merely vibrations—she knew that. And she felt the vibrations from the Warden meeting the ones from her. She felt him, she saw an outline appearing in her mind and focused harder, now on the vibrations that came just from the twitch of his muscles as he moved. His entire body was now visible, because even the smallest movement from him sent vibrations through the air that collided with the ones she emanated. Everything else was blocked out and ignored. No other sounds he made would confuse her again.

The Warden narrowed his eyes at her, confused by her sudden stillness and ready to attack. She had last been looking in the wrong spot, he knew another throw of mud would deceive her and he could move in to finish her off.

Applejack then calmly raised a hoof and pointed it directly at him.

The Warden froze.

She turned her head and opened her red eyes, blind as they were, and stared him down. “Is that you over there? I can see you just fine.”

The Warden felt himself sweat just a little bit before raising his fists. Shaking, in anger, he told himself, he glared right back at Applejack. “I don’t know what you think you’ve accomplished, but I’m not afraid of you! You’re just a single pony!”

He ran at her as fast as he could, forget any deception, and threw a punch down towards her head.

Applejack jumped to the side to avoid it and punched him in the wrist as he went by—sending a tremor into his arm. The Warden slid along the ground and fell into the swamp water, surprised and frightened by her counter, and grabbed onto his wrist with his other hand. He could feel the powerful vibrations in his arms but they died down well before any of his bones broke. A smile broke out on his face as he stood back up.

“Heh… hehehe… well, well, well, it looks like I was correct enough,” the Warden said as he turned around to look back at Applejack, who had stayed mostly where she was while she caught her breath. “Don’t even try to bluff either. You would’ve broken my arm right then if you could have. But you’re not that strong right now. I’ll still have to defeat you the old-fashioned way, but there’s still no chance you have of surviving here.”

“You keep telling yourself that,” Applejack said as she squared off against him. “I’m plenty strong even without Hoof of the Earth doing the work. Now we’ll have ourselves a normal fight, and we’ll see which one of us is toughest.”

The Warden’s fists shook in rage and he ran at her again. “AAARRRGHHH!”

He threw another punch directly at her—upon which Applejack pivoted and met it with her back hooves. His fist and her hooves smashed together like a pair of boulders and Applejack was pushed forward while the Warden stumbled back. Equally matched. Growling angrily, the Warden came at her faster and threw punch after punch at her, just trying to overwhelm Applejack completely. Applejack ducked and dodged between them while throwing quick jabs with her hooves back at him. This time the Warden was careful to not overextend and let her really hit his arms or anywhere else, and he still had a lot of reach on her so was in a far less dangerous position.

But it was still an even fight as Applejack weaved between his punches, sensing them even without being able to see. In frustration, the Warden kicked up a wave of water at her to try and douse her with it, get her to cover her face or protect herself on reflex. Applejack instead jumped backwards the moment he kicked it up and avoided it completely.

The Warden reached down and grabbed a pile of mud, throwing it as hard as he could at her.

Applejack ducked under it and ran over to his side, jumping at him to try and attack his exposed horse body.

He was still able to move decently as well despite his injury and he side-stepped out of the way so she had to come directly at his front again. The two of them each threw another punch at the other—his fist colliding with her hoof—and doing nothing but producing a small thunderclap. Their brute strength right now was simply even.

The Warden kicked out at her legs, trying to sweep Applejack off her hooves, and when she jumped up to avoid it he punched out at her instead. She couldn’t dig in to brace herself so even though she blocked his punch with her hooves she still went flying back into the swamp water. They might’ve been equally strong but he had a lot of weight on her. When he quickly ran at her to try and beat her into the ground, Applejack got up and jumped as high as she could, vaulting over his head. The Warden gawked in surprise and tried to punch her as she flew by him but Applejack kicked off his outstretched arm instead. When she landed she sprinted forward and managed to punch him in the side of his body before he could block her. All it did though was make him stumble a bit and growl angrily at her.

“Pointless, Applejack. You’re not strong enough to stop me!” The Warden yelled.

Applejack was panting, not rising to his taunts externally but his words still caused her inner turmoil. Yeah… dang it, he’s right about that. Even with Hoof of the Earth right now I’m not strong enough to beat him.

Her ears perked up as a sudden epiphany hit her. I don’t have the strength right now to beat him. But maybe together we do.

“What’s that contemplative look on your face for? Shouldn’t you understand by now that you should just give up!” The Warden furrowed his brow at her and pulled back his fist.

But can I even do that? Quartz and everypony else didn’t make mention of ever doing something like this with Hoof of the Earth back when I was learning it. Applejack thought as the Warden got ready to throw a heavy punch at her head. It’s definitely dangerous… but I’m a natural, ain’t I? And I need more power to beat him.

The Warden’s fist came thundering towards her—whistling through the wind enough that Applejack could have heard it coming anyways.

Looks like I don’t have a choice anyways. Applejack exhaled and steeled herself for the punch.

With a victorious smirk on his face the Warden watched as Applejack didn’t even try to dodge. His fist plowed into the side of her head like a wrecking ball. It would’ve been enough of a punch to knock down a brick wall. However—Applejack didn’t move. The Warden’s smirk fell as nothing happened at all. There was no thunderclap, no rush of air, no ripples in the water, and certainly no Applejack being knocked over. Instead he heard what sounded like the rumbling of an earthquake going through Applejack’s body and his eyes widened.

Applejack in that moment his fist struck had absorbed the force of the blow, absorbed all of its power into her and carried it along to somewhere else much like she would do with one of her own generated tremors. She carried it all from her head towards her right front hoof while amplifying and empowering it just like she did for her own heartbeat to use Hoof of the Earth in the first place. The power of the Warden’s own attack was made even more powerful than normal and then combined with the strongest tremor she could build from herself as well. If she didn’t release it somewhere else very soon it would shatter her bones to pieces.

Good thing she had a place in mind.

Applejack jumped up while the Warden merely stared in shock and utter confusion and uppercutted him in the gut.

The power of his own magnified punch and everything Applejack had within her erupted into his body—launching him into the air over the clearing while shaking his bones and organs. He could feel his teeth breaking and some of his bones cracking while he flew up until he reached the apex of his flight and started falling back down.

He crashed back into the swamp with a magnificent thud, blasting up a spout of water and sinking halfway into the mud in a mangled up heap. The only thing he could do was lie where he landed while he groaned in pain and defeat.

Applejack took a few deep breaths, feeling an intense wave of pain and exhaustion now going through her body. Total blindness had overtaken her again as she stopped using any Hoof of the Earth ability. She was shaking from the force of the vibrations that she had transferred through her. But otherwise she was alright. Applejack waited for a moment to make sure she wasn’t going to pass out before turning around and walking to where her instincts told her west was. Pausing at the edge of the clearing she “looked” back over her shoulder at the Warden. “You better not let me catch you in these parts again. Ya hear?”

Not waiting for any response, she looked back ahead and started walking deeper through the swamp.

The Warden watched her go until she completely disappeared before he let his head fall back against the mud and closed his eyes. “How? How can she be so strong… so determined? It doesn’t make sense… why did everything have to go like this?” He exhaled as unconsciousness started to come over him. “I’m retiring...”

The Still Undiscovered West

She still couldn’t see. That was the biggest issue facing her right now.

Leaning up against a tree, breathing heavily, burning up, and tired, the fever still wasn’t as bad as it was just a few hours ago. The irritation was mostly in her eyes now so she was hoping it would fully pass soon. She wanted to just get out of this swamp already and get to a nice bed with a cold glass of water to drink down. There probably wasn’t much more ground to cover, not with how far she had already gone. But again she was in a spot where the water level had risen up almost to her neck. Traveling through here was getting more and more uncomfortable.

She could push herself through it. She knew she could.

What was truly bothering her, what was on her mind more than any physical pain, was what she had lost in the swamp. Her bag and everything inside it. And Twilight’s journal most of all. She had really been contributing to it, she had really wanted to bring something back for Twilight to read about. Now it was gone—even if not totally lost it would be destroyed and degraded by the swamp. Everything she had drawn and written down in it was gone too.

“I’m sorry, Twilight… I swear I’ll make it up to you somehow.”

Her hat tilted down over her face a little and Applejack reached up to adjust it. While doing that she felt the two roses she had embedded in it. Remembering the gift, and their meaning, a somber look passed across Applejack’s face. She wouldn’t let her friends down—no way.

And she still had a job to do.

Applejack took one more deep breath to steady herself before leaving the tree and starting her final walk out of this swamp. She had to get to Elysium’s View one way or another.

Reedsville was a quiet town. It wasn’t always that way but it had been for a while. Used to be that quite a few ponies would stop here after coming around the swamp, or stop here before going around the swamp. That had pretty much all ended recently with what was going on at Al-Karamaretel. Reedsville was just a small town that existed in the wetlands right outside the swamp, they had always subsisted on the land and weren’t truly hurt by the lack of travel, but nopony in town was exactly happy with it either. The spread out town existed mostly of small wooden homes and dirt paths, with wildflowers and tall grass growing all around it.

Marzipan, with her green coat and maple-colored mane, lived in the house closest to the swamp. She was busy outside hanging up a few of her sheets on a clothesline when she heard a pony walking in her direction. A little surprised by that, she paused what she was doing and walked out from her yard to check the dirt path that came from the swamp.

Sure enough—there was a pony walking down it, right into Reedsville.

Marzipan knew well how bad the condition would be of anypony that was coming right out of the swamp and of course, whoever this was they looked like a mess. The sickness must have gotten them good. But since they were out of the swamp it looked like they had gotten over the worst it. Marzipan looked into the other mare’s eyes and saw that while they were still a bit bloodshot she could clearly see the world around her. When the mare noticed her she lifted her head and stopped where she was.

“Just came from the swamp, did you? Must not have known what you were getting into,” Marzipan casually said.

The other mare, with her messy orange coat and dirty hat, nodded. “Not exactly, Miss. Could I ask if you’ve got a place I can rest here and get a cool drink of water from?”

Marzipan raised an eyebrow, that accent was unfamiliar to her. “Do you have any money on you?”

“No Miss, no money,” the mare shook her head. “Nothing at all to my name. But… could I… just...”

Before the mare could finish she collapsed onto the ground, fast asleep.

Marzipan sighed and rolled her eyes. “I guess it would be rude if I just left you out here.”

Applejack woke up in a warm bed with a cool and damp washcloth on her forehead, staring up at an unfamiliar ceiling. “Where am I?”

“You’re in Reedsville,” a voice came off from the side and a mare Applejack vaguely recognized from before stepped into view. “Congratulations on making it here through Red Agony Swamp. Dumb as it was for you to travel through there on your own in the first place.”

“I didn’t know anything about it. Didn’t know anything about this side of the canyon,” Applejack said, still exhausted.

“Thought you had a strange accent. But if you came from the other side of the divide… then is Al-Karamaretel letting travelers through again?” The mare asked.

Applejack made herself sit up and took the washcloth of her head. “Al-Karamaretel isn’t blocking travel anymore, that’s for certain.” She glanced at the mare and raised an eyebrow. “That oughta be good news, right?”

The mare shrugged. “Most ponies here won’t care too much but it’s certainly not bad news.”

“I figured you’d want to spread the news to the lands over here as much as possible...” Applejack said.

“For the countries that care enough to begin with that news is a little too late for most,” the mare said.

Applejack sighed. “I was worried about that. Things must’ve gotten pretty bad over here.”

The mare regarded her strangely, raising an eyebrow at her. “Who are you? Where are you from and what’s it all to you anyways?”

“My name is Applejack—and thanks for taking me in,” Applejack smiled at her. “What’s your name?”

“Marzipan. And you’re lucky I was feeling generous today,” Marzipan snorted. “Can’t believe I’m taking care of a total stranger for no money or anything...”

Applejack chuckled. “Well thank you all the same. Anyways… I’m from far, real far, east. And I’m trying to get to Elysium’s View. Have you heard of it?”

Marzipan crinkled her nose in amusement. “Of course I’ve heard of Elysium’s View, it’s at the edge of the world.”

“So I’ve heard...” Applejack shook her head. “How far is it?”

“You’ve got quite a ways to travel and not a lot in-between anymore thanks to how much has fallen apart from what Al-Karamaretel was doing. There’s the remains of the Kingdom of Diamonds to go through, then you hit Equinestan which is pretty spread out, and then finally the White Forest, after that you’ll reach Elysium’s View,” Marzipan explained.

Applejack memorized all those names, nodding along. “And I suppose I can’t take a train through any of that?”

Marzipan tilted her head in confusion. “What’s a train?”

“Eugh, never mind,” Applejack dragged a hoof down her face. She then raised an eyebrow at the mare. “What do you mean by the “remains” of the Kingdom of Diamonds?”

“The Kingdom of Diamonds was the largest and wealthiest country on this side of the divide. Al-Karamaretel blocked off trade and then for whatever reason did everything it could to financially ruin the kingdom. The royal family was deposed out of anger and scapegoating, everything collapsed, other countries and rich vultures took advantage of it, all the ponies that could immigrated away from it like a sinking ship. The whole country is just a bunch of ghost towns and empty cities now. Might as well be a big wasteland between here and Equinestan,” Marzipan said.

Applejack winced, remembering part of what the Warden told her back at the citadel. So this was what his actions had caused. One kingdom reduced to basically nothing thanks to simple economics.

“The only ponies left in the old kingdom now are the ones who were too late to leave. Or too attached to leave. Some travelers told us there were packs of vagrants and vagabonds causing trouble in it too, though that might just be rumors ponies are spreading. Either way I wouldn’t advise heading through it. Especially alone,” Marzipan said.

“But going straight through it is still the fastest way to Elysium’s View?” Applejack asked.

Marzipan sighed. “Yep. Suit yourself if you think you can handle any of the trouble.”

“I’ve been traveling through the west long enough. And I can’t really afford to take detours,” Applejack said.

“Well if you do get through the old kingdom with all your legs still working the rest of the trip should be easy. Equinestan’s far enough from the divide that it could weather any of the problems that started up from Al-Karamaretel. That country oughta be more or less the same as always,” Marzipan explained.

“What’s it like?” Applejack asked.

“It’s not really a kingdom or a single unified country, it’s more like a big confederacy of a bunch of city-states that mostly share the same history and traditions and all that. Some might have different laws or customs but no matter what city you’re in the ponies there will consider themselves Equinestanians. All in all though it covers a pretty large area so you still might have to travel for a while before you get to the White Forest.”

“And why’s it called the White Forest? Please tell me there’s nothing horrible about it,” Applejack really wished that wasn’t the case.

Marzipan just rolled her eyes again. “It’s called the White Forest because it’s covered in fog almost the entire year. There’s nothing wrong with it. It’s a perfectly normal forest besides that.”

“And right on the other end of it is Elysium’s View… I’ll finally be there,” Applejack said with a wistful look on her face.

“Yep, edge of the world and all,” Marzipan shrugged.

Applejack raised an eyebrow at her. “You been there before?”

Marzipan shook her head. “Not even close. But everypony in these lands knows about it at the very least. The city on the cliffs that looks out over the clouds—where the whole world seems to just come to a stop.”

Applejack quietly tried to picture it, wondering what it would be like when she finally got there. Wondering what feelings it would elicit in her chest.

“Before you get back on the road you should probably at least rest for another day. Wait until the fever is totally out of your system,” Marzipan said.

Applejack had to admit that sounded like a good idea. She could see again and that was pretty good but she didn’t feel back to 100 percent. And she didn’t have any food or water with her so she should probably do something about that before getting on her way. Of course as she looked around the small house she was in and her memories of her initial encounter with Marzipan came back she doubted she would get much from the other mare. Not that Applejack wanted to impose on her or guilt her into anything, but she just knew she might need to go elsewhere for what she needed.

“Is it alright if I stay here on your couch for the night then?” Applejack asked.

“I don’t have a couch, just a bed,” Marzipan said and gestured around to the rest of her one-room home.

Applejack looked around again. “Oh. Yeah.”

Marzipan frowned and grumbled a little bit. “You can take my chair for the night though, it’s comfortable enough and I’ll get some sheets for you. And I’ll get you some soup. Least I can do.”

“Uh, thanks—again—for all this,” Applejack nodded in appreciation.

The other mare only clicked her tongue. “Don’t mention it, nothing to thank me for, it’s not a big deal.”

Applejack lied back for the moment, just resting a little more. “Well some soup sure sounds nice. I’ve been walking on the road for a while now so even a chair to sleep in sounds pretty dang good too.”

“I’ll get things ready. It’s already a little late in the day but maybe later I can go around town and see if anypony is willing to give you some extra food and water for your trip through the Kingdom of Diamonds,” Marzipan said.

“I’d much appreciate that,” Applejack said.

Marzipan just grumbled some more.

“So about how long until I actually pass through the borders and start traveling through the old Kingdom of Diamonds?” Applejack asked as she stood with Marzipan at the western edge of Reedsville. Looking down a road that winded through the green grasslands to the west.

A nice night of sleep, even in just a chair, was exactly what Applejack needed to fully get over her fever. The soup and water she had had might as well have been the greatest meal she had ever eaten in her life with how much it helped her in that moment. How satisfying it was to have some good food after getting out of that dang swamp. If she had a bit more time on her hooves now she would’ve enjoyed staying an extra day in Reedsville and meeting some of the other ponies here, but since she was perfectly healthy she figured it was best to get on the road and get back to traveling towards Elyisum’s View. No time to waste.

She had thankfully also received some generously given food and water from some of the other denizens of Reedsville to take with her. A flask of water that could last a day or two and some fruits and vegetables gathered from some small family gardens. Together it was all being carried in a drawstring pouch Applejack now wore on her side. Didn’t hold a candle to her old saddlebag but it was still serviceable.

“You have about a full day of walking before you hit the border. There’ll be a bridge over a river you’ll need to cross and then you’ll be in what was the Kingdom of Diamonds,” Marzipan said. “Don’t expect to see or come across anypony else for a while though. The outskirts of the kingdom are probably even more barren than the interior.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Applejack said.

“You’ll probably also have trouble finding food and water once you’re deep in there.”

“Thanks for the warning,” Applejack smiled to her. “I’m usually pretty good at scrounging up what I can though.”

Marzipan just frowned before shrugging. “If you’re still set on this then I won’t try and stop you. Enjoy your trip to Elysium’s View.”

“Maybe I’ll see you on my trip back, but goodbye for now, Marzipan,” Applejack said, giving her a wave.

“Yeah, yeah...” Marzipan waved her off.

And Applejack returned to making it through the Far West on her trip to Elysium’s View.

Diamonds to Dust I

Applejack walked west.

She walked through grassy fields, over green hills, through fields of flowers, past small forests. For hours she walked through these pleasant and healthy lands that existed west of Red Agony Swamp and east of the former Kingdom of Diamonds.

Traveling through the countryside she wanted to make the best of the nice weather. Utilize it to the fullest to get as far west as possible. It was definitely good out and she was considering herself fairly blessed right now—which was also a good thing since she didn’t have a tent anymore. Once night came around she was going to have to brave the elements and sleep outside. It didn’t seem like nights would be that bad around here though.

Still she didn’t plan on stopping until she at least reached the bridge Marzipan had entered. She wanted to be in the Kingdom of Diamonds today. The winding dirt road she was on wasn’t as fast as if she had just walked straight through some of these fields, but it was easier to travel on. And a few times she had to walk over a small cobblestone bridge that covered a creek. At least she knew she wasn’t going to trip and fall into mud or go through any thorn bushes by staying on the road.

There had been quite a lot of animals on her path too, so it was nice to know that whatever the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel had done, that the animals were still living their normal lives. It was a nice reminder that no matter what there was still a world out there that had nothing to do with ponies. She saw squirrels, rabbits, birds, and even some foxes running through the grass. It was enough to bring a smile to her face, she sorely needed some simple enjoyment and sweetness in her trip like this.

Especially since it sounded like once she crossed that bridge things would change.

Applejack had also done the smart thing and filled up her flask whenever she found a creek or brook that was flowing fast enough. She was thinking of packing her bag with edible flowers too when she had eaten some of the fruits and vegetables. Or if worst came to worst, plain grass. She wanted to be really prepared for a potentially tough trip through the old kingdom. After all, though she might have been exaggerating, Marzipan said it was like a wasteland now.

She was kind of surprised with the fact that there weren’t more ponies living out here, any small farms or small towns, when the countryside was so nice and alive. You could definitely live off the land here and not have to worry so much about the economy of the rest of the world. Applejack didn’t much get it herself, what would be so wrong with a simple life like that? But even back in Equestria there were plenty of beautiful places that hadn’t really been settled yet.

Ponies sure were strange sometimes.

Cresting a hill, Applejack got the urge to eat a little bit and pulled out a carrot and a peach from her bag. She wished there was a pony growing apples back in Reedsville but no such luck. While she chewed on them and looked out at the wide open grasslands in front of her she kept her mind on one positive thought: she was over halfway there.

And there was just no way something as troublesome or difficult to get by as the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel could be out there between her and Elysium's View now.

Applejack was willing to bet her life on that.

Dear sweet Celestia don’t let her be wrong about that.

Applejack finished up her meal and started walking down the hill, wishing again for not the first time that she could have some company with her. Any of her friends, all of them, right now would be great to see. Fluttershy to enjoy the nice and quiet nature, Pinkie Pie to always keep things lively and fun, Twilight to tell her about and explain everything about everything, Rainbow Dash to argue with, and Rarity to probably pull along her huge wagon of camping supplies. Applejack rolled her eyes and smiled, picturing all that in her head. If only the Cutie Map had bothered to send a pair of them out to Elysium’s View.

Why only her? What was the problem that only required Applejack to fix? It was still something nagging at her brain. She hated being the only called out so far. Sure, maybe Spike and Starlight had their solo-missions in the past but Applejack was used to doing this with her friends.

What was going on out here?

It was only pure luck that she was able to solve and get past everything else on her way to Elysium’s View so far too wasn’t it? Or did the map somehow know she’d fix that stuff too? For some reason—Applejack wanted to blame Discord again.

There was nothing she could really do about it though. Just keep making her way to Elysium’s View and then find out what the problem is. By now Applejack had plenty of experience with that, and if ponies were in need then she would surely help them out. Maybe she’d grumble and complain a little more on the inside—and wish she could just be back on her farm—but there was no way she’d leave these ponies hanging.

After walking for a bit longer Applejack finally saw the aforementioned bridge in the distance. She sighed in relief and quickened her pace towards it. Hopefully it was in good condition and was just normal-sized too compared to the canyon bridge. From what Marzipan said it sounded like it should be normal though.

When she made the last leg of the dirt path to the bridge she saw there was certainly nothing to worry about. While the river it spanned was moderately wide it was still normal, and the wooden bridge itself was like any you would find in Equestria. It had a gentle slope to it and was supported by great metal pillars rising from the river along with a metal frame that went up the sides. As expected of something that led into a big country it was more than wide enough to carry two or three wagons side by side on it if need be. Applejack took her first step on it and heard the wood creak under her hooves.

Looking to the other end of it, she saw structures of some sort but couldn’t tell what they were supposed to be. There looked to be a lot of rubble on the ground around them.

Not exactly a good sign but not unexpected with what she had been told.

Walking across the bridge she could hear the slowly flowing river below her, in a different season it might be higher, and rushing harder, but for now it was just pleasant background noise.

Once she reached the other end of the bridge she realized exactly what the structures and rubble she had seen were. Statues. Former statues at least. Their pedestals were still in place but the statues that had been placed on them were long tipped over and shattered. One on each side of the road leading from the bridge to signify entrance into the Kingdom of Diamonds.

Applejack took a closer look, judging by the piles of rubble the two statues would’ve been huge, and there were enough pieces still intact that she could tell they used to be of two big ponies. Perhaps symbolizing guards or soldiers at the very border of the kingdom. She walked over to the head of one of the statues—it was bigger than her whole body—and saw that its eyes had been carved out. Something might have been placed in them in the past. It made her shudder uncomfortably, not a very warm welcome to the kingdom.

To the wasteland that was the kingdom.

The road also off the bridge was far different from the other side. Unlike the destroyed statues it still looked to be in good condition. Made of stone and concrete, it was smooth and didn’t show any chips or cracks in it. A road fit enough to be found in Canterlot or Manehattan. Applejack hoped it would be easy on her hooves.

She walked past the destroyed statues and looked around—not seeing anything else. Even if she was inside the old borders now it looked like this was always a more destitute location in the kingdom. Far ahead the road continued west to some hills and a large forest, so Applejack shrugged and started making her way towards them.

Now walking through whatever remained of the Kingdom of Diamonds.

Diamonds to Dust II

The first thing Applejack passed by was an abandoned village in the middle of the woods. She went off the road to check it out and found it completely devoid of life. Along with most anything not nailed down having been taken away. Quite a few windows were broken and things looked to be in disrepair well before they must have been abandoned. By the look of it, this village had been in a bad spot for a long time even when ponies were still living in it. Probably suffering thanks to what was squeezing the life out of the rest of the kingdom.

It was also possible if there were roving bands of vagabonds that had been left behind, that they were responsible for some of what was done here.

Applejack was hoping that wasn’t the case. She’d prefer a quieter trip through the old kingdom.

Another thing that was a little concerning though was a farmhouse she found on the northern side of the village, it had burned down along with the fields for its crops. There was no way that wasn’t intentional. Bad things had definitely gone down in this village…

She took a deep breath and looked up at the sky—the warm sun and the clear blue sky a stark contrast to how things felt down here. At least no matter how bad things got in the former kingdom, the weather was still nice and the sun kept moving in the sky. Applejack would just focus on that. It’s not like there was anything else she could do here. Not anymore.

With a shake of her head Applejack returned to the road and kept walking west.

There hadn’t been a single sign yet telling her the distance to any other cities and towns, but there had been forks in the road. Applejack did her best to stay on the road going as west as possible but even now she was already going a little southwest. Much to her consternation. She wondered if any signs had been destroyed as well during the upheaval. Though she couldn’t imagine what that would accomplish besides petty vandalism.

Coming out of the woods and Applejack found herself up a big hill with the road winding its way from right to left all the way down it. But before she started walking down the hill she took a look at what lied ahead since she had such a great view. And as she stood there, with a frown slowly settling across her face, she thought about how much nicer the view must have looked a year ago.

She could see a large valley surrounded by more hills and then mountains to the north and south, in the middle of the valley a river ran through it with a city built up along its shores. But what was probably a colorful and green valley in the past was now a crisp and dried out wasteland. The city, even from here, Applejack could see that it was the victim of fires and destruction. A decently-sized castle in the middle of it was completely toppled over. Applejack could see large farms on the outskirts of the city that were only fields of dead dirt. In fact the only thing that still looked alive and healthy down in the valley at all was the river, there was even a dusty fog in the air caused by all the devastation and fires in the past that gave the entire valley a yellow sheen. It looked more like a city that had been ravaged by war than simple economic mayhem but Applejack knew the power of money as well. What sort of panic, terror, and desperation had gripped these ponies?

And it still looked this terrible months after it all had to have ended.

Looking down a little bit, Applejack also saw there was a small group of buildings at the bottom of a hill. A little family farm and maybe some other homes for ponies that lived outside the city ahead. She saw what used to be a windmill as well in the middle of it but its blades had fallen off. Either way it was the next place she would reach and stop at once she traveled down this hill. She doubted there’d be any point to checking it out but she still would in case there was any food she could find—or a pony still living there.

The lands around it were just as dead and dried out as the rest of the valley though. If anypony was staying down there they’d probably have to make regular trips up the hill and into the woods she just left to find anything fresh.

Applejack sighed and took a big stretch before continuing on down the zig-zagging road. It was kind of a pain that it didn’t go straight down but the hill was far to steep for that. No wagon could be pulled up at such a steep angle. While walking down it she wasn’t exactly surprised that she didn’t hear nearly as many chirping birds or see them flying in the sky anymore. They had all probably come to avoid the valley.

For more than once Applejack was grateful about how great of shape she was in as she went down the hill, a lot of ponies would probably be feeling it in their joints right about now. But not her. Applejack was as tireless as ever, this might as well have been a walk in the park. Probably weren’t many earth ponies who could boast about being in the shape she was. Helped that she was used to carrying heaving buckets of apples or pulling wagons everywhere. When she was only encumbered by a small draw-string bag she felt lighter than air. Making it to the bottom of the hill and continuing her walk on the now once-again flat road, Applejack took her first few steps into the burnt out and dead valley. She briefly looked behind her and hoped that those green hills, fields, and woods she had passed through weren’t going to be the last ones she’d see in the destroyed kingdom.

Turning her head back west the hazy dust clouds continued to roll by the city.

She didn’t have to walk far before she passed by the small settlement at the base of the hill—the buildings here didn’t look as ransacked as the village up above, not as many broken windows, but they were clearly abandoned for far longer. Vines and moss were crawling up their sides, trying to reclaim them. She could make out what used to be little paths in the dirt but were now overgrown with grass. At one point this would’ve been a vibrant stop on the way to the city down the road but now all it looked like was an abandoned hovel out of an old picturebook.

Applejack spotted a water pump between some of the houses and decided she’d try and see if there was still any water to fetch. Might as well fill up her flask now if she could. Otherwise she’d have to get down into the river somewhere in the city. Like the buildings though, vines had crawled up the metal water pump and covered most of it. Applejack had to pull some of them off before she could actually use the pump at all. Once that was done a few presses of the rusty pump didn’t get anything but Applejack could feel how atrophied it was, she wasn’t giving up just yet, it probably just needed a few big pumps. The dry sounds and squeaking of the metal weren’t enough to deter her.

Ten more minutes of doing that was enough to deter her.

Applejack rolled her eyes and snorted in annoyance, walking back to the road. It wouldn’t shock her if she was getting into one of her unlucky streaks where absolutely nothing went right for her.

She took a last lingering look up at the remains of the windmill before walking back down the road. It was the tallest building here and she wondered how long it would take before the vines crawled all the way up to the very top of it.

If any ponies were still in this place they would’ve heard her trying to pump water and come out long ago. Nothing here for her. It was dismaying to put it bluntly, she would’ve liked to have met some ponies, and she had already covered a lot of ground in the former kingdom.

While walking down the road and leaving the last building behind—Applejack saw something else that really caught her attention this time.

A small sign was propped up in the dirt to the right of the road, standing in front of a few fallen trees and an old fence that had partially rotted away. The sign was shoddily-made with a cracked wooden board tied to a crooked wooden stick. There was a very simple message painted on it with red paint:

DON’T GO WEST
NOTHING THERE

Applejack sighed as she read the sign. Signs have never been good to her.

She looked up at the sky and checked out the sun, judging by where it was it would be dark in a few hours. She could get to the city in that time and then spend the night there where there’d certainly be a nice home and bed to stay in so she could avoid roughing it. Possibly a better chance of food too even if the sign made that unlikely. Definitely where she could get the water she needed.

And most importantly of all—it was still west. No matter what was or wasn’t out there she still needed to go.

Diamonds to Dust III

It was twilight by the time she reached the city. The last hints of light from the sun were disappearing as Applejack walked from the road leading into it onto the abandoned main street with dust blowing by her. While the streets, much like the large road she had been walking on, were all paved stone and cement, most of the houses were wooden or half-wood frame and kept up with plaster and spackle. The only building she could see that was made of stone here was actually the destroyed castle, its towers and walls still big enough even in their state for her to see over the roofs of the other buildings.

Applejack didn’t know exactly how far the river was now but if she kept walking west she’d eventually reach it as it flowed through the city. Though she didn’t plan on that tonight. Right now she was looking for a home that was still standing and didn’t have any broken windows or nothing so she could stay in it for the night. Everything else could come tomorrow. She did plan to take a more careful look around the city and see if she could find any ponies but only when the sun was back up.

Before long Applejack found that her hooves had carried her into a wide open circle closer to the middle of the city, where numerous streets branched off from and tall buildings and shops gathered around it. Must’ve been an old marketplace or square in the past. There was a large fountain directly in the middle of it but the top half was broken off and scattered on the ground around it, and no water flowed through it anymore. The open shop fronts facing the “square” were all trashed and empty, some boarded up completely while others had fallen apart or even been the victims of fire. This place had likely been the center of chaos when ponies finally realized their kingdom was done for. Applejack looked down one of the streets that went in the direction of the castle and could see that most of the buildings leading that way were at least partially damaged or burnt. Even the stone street showed signs of wear and destruction with scorch marks and chips throughout it.

Applejack turned and looked down a street that appeared to mostly be residential homes. Figuring she could find a good bed there she ignored the destruction and desolation of the city and went that way. Once again she was sure there were no ponies in need or who she could help here anymore.

Walking down the street she found a two-story house that didn’t have any broken windows she could see from the front, the small front yard was overgrown with weeds and a discarded shovel lying on the ground. Applejack shrugged and walked up to the front door—pausing in front of it before just letting herself in, she wanted to be sure she wasn’t really intruding. So as silly as it was, she lifted up a hoof and knocked before entering.

“Hello?”

The house and the entire street remained as quiet as the grave.

Applejack went for the handle and pulled the door open—not locked either.

What she saw inside wasn’t surprising. Furniture was still left around, tables, chairs, bookcases, but they were all empty. No pictures were hung up on the walls, no decorations, it was closer to a brand new home than one that was lived in by anypony. Applejack walked through the empty living room to the kitchen and saw the same thing, looking out the back window she saw an old seesaw in the back yard covered in weeds and dust. She sighed, feeling kind of bad to be “invading” this home even if it was abandoned long ago. But without even a tent of her own she wanted someplace to sleep with a roof over her head.

Applejack went up the stairs to find one of the bedrooms, passing by a closet and a loft before seeing an open door at the end of the hall with a large room behind it. She checked it out and saw that there was no bed left but there was a pile of linens and a couple pillows still in the room. Applejack snorted in bemusement but shrugged and went to sort them out. Better than nothing.

As she curled up in the abandoned sheets inside the abandoned bedroom inside the abandoned house, Applejack thought about how she didn’t even know the name of the abandoned city.

When she woke up the next morning there was a beam of sunlight coming right onto her face thanks to the lack of curtains in the bedroom. Applejack was both thankful and annoyed at it. She was enjoying her sleep but she also was bothered by the fact she hadn’t been able to wake up earlier. Maybe she was more tired than she thought. Either way she had best get a move on so she could cover as much distance as possible today after taking a brief look around the city.

Applejack got up and stretched before leaving the bedroom and house behind—closing the door shut behind her out of politeness—and walked back to the marketplace. She wanted to take a gander at whatever was left of the castle before getting some water from the river. Once that was done she could make her way out of the city entirely.

She kept her eyes and ears open the whole time she was walking, just in case there were any ponies out now that it was morning and not night like when she first walked into the city.

Two burned down buildings on either side of the street, no idea what they used to be.

A destroyed wagon left in the middle of the street she had to walk around.

A fork in the road with a small park in the triangle made by it, the park benches and gazebo also burned to a crisp.

An alleyway blocked off completely by trash.

Graffiti on the side of a wall reading “Down with the royal family!”.

A large warehouse with its doors torn open, the insides totally empty.

Not a sign of any ponies. Not a single sign at all.

Eventually she reached the castle grounds and saw that there was no way anypony could be living at it, while the walls were more or less intact the stone buildings inside them had been completely smashed to pieces. Every tower pulled down and destroyed so the few that remained standing at all weren’t even at half their normal height. Compared to the simple destruction she had seen elsewhere in the city—this was an act of coordinated devastation. A mob with tools, time, and ferocity had descended on this castle in the past to try and destroy it and everything it represented completely. Applejack doubted this city was the capitol of the Kingdom of Diamonds for a multitude of reasons but this castle had to be connected to the rulers in some way.

And if the ponies here were going down they obviously decided to bring it down with them.

She just hoped they didn’t get violent with each other.

Applejack took a look around at the streets and the grass that bordered the castle and kept it away from any other buildings being built to close to it. Naturally the grass had been burned just like so much else in the city. She sighed and shook her head before walking west as straight as she could. Time to get to the river.

When she finally reached the flowing river it was pretty much exactly what she expected. There was no natural shore or edge of it inside the city, instead it all flowed through a big cement and brick channel. She had to walk up on one of the bridges that spanned it, lean herself over the side, and reach down with flask in hoof to dunk it into the water and fill it back up. Just a mild inconvenience though and it was well worth it to be able to carry as much water as she could. She took a big drink from the flask and dunked it back down to refill it once more.

Now if only she had also found some food while she was here.

There’d be something out there though. This valley might be mostly dead but Applejack bet she’d find something the further she went. That sign back there couldn’t mean there was nothing for the entire rest of the country…

Regardless she still had some vegetables left in her bag and that’d be enough for the next couple of days. Applejack could last just fine.

She pulled herself back up from the river and stretched for a moment before putting the flask away and walking across the rest of the river. On her way out of the city now and she mostly just saw the exact same thing in the other half of it. Graffiti, destroyed statues, burned down buildings, and not a single solitary pony. From what Marzipan said there were still ponies living in the former kingdom but they must’ve collected in other spots. It didn’t really fill Applejack with hope that she’d come across any if there weren’t even any still living here.

Maybe the burned out, dying, valley just held too many bad memories.

Once Applejack reached the edge of the city she stopped and peered across the yellow wastes, nothing but dirt, dried out fields, and clouds of dust rolling by. With a shake of her head she got back out on the country road and hoped that the hills making up the western side of the valley would lead somewhere nicer.

Diamonds to Dust IV

The plains to the west of the abandoned city, beyond the hills that boxed in the valley, were completely flooded. The road and the farmlands that formerly covered these lands had been swallowed up by water—Applejack could see farmhouses and silos that had their foundations covered in a foot of water. Fences that hadn’t been completely washed away were similarly sunk halfway deep into the water. The water didn’t flow like a river, it stayed around like a placid lake, keeping the plains drowned until the water finally subsided.

Applejack was able to easily tell the cause of this flooding with a simple look south. There was a small mountain range far in the distance and built between two of the mountains was a wide dam.

Formerly at least.

The dam was broken right down the middle, all the water it must’ve held back had come spilling out long ago and flooded these fields for miles. Applejack squinted her eyes to get as good a look as she could at the destroyed dam, estimating it was probably about a hundred feet high and a thousand feet across before it had broken. Now a huge gap several hundred feet wide claimed the middle and there was nothing more than a thin strip of water coming down from it and into the flat farmlands.

Sabotage was her first guess but honestly it could’ve happened entirely due to disrepair and ponies leaving it to rust when the kingdom started going down. Whatever happened, the artificial reservoir had destroyed the farms it was likely designed to help out.

Though she hated the idea of it—after just going through that swamp so recently—Applejack knew she was going to have to wade through this water too. For a long, long, distance by the look of it. For miles. There was nothing else she could do but continue on west until she eventually reached non-flooded land. She definitely didn’t want to be stuck here when night came around. Maybe she could stay in a flooded farmhouse or barn if it had a second story but there was no reason to be risky about it.

So Applejack took the plunge and started walking through the flooded farmlands, doing her best to stay on the road until she eventually lost track of it. Thankfully though the water was only about one or two feet deep at most anywhere and she could usually see the ground below it. Even as her hooves plop, plop, plopped through the flood she could both feel and see the stone road. It was cold but it didn’t feel as dirty or difficult to walk through as the swamp—helped that mud wasn’t pulling at her hooves every step of the way.

Walking through the water she stopped by one of the fences that separated the road from one of the farms. What used to be a farm anyways. She could see the barn listing to one side, in danger of falling over thanks to the water. Not just from how it must’ve pushed against the barn but how it was rotting the wood at the bottom as well.

Looking back in the dam’s direction to the south she wondered how many buildings were instantly washed away by the wave of water as it came crashing through the fields. There were probably a lot of destroyed remnants of other buildings floating in these waters. At least this place was likely long abandoned as well before that happened. Applejack couldn’t imagine being caught in a flood like that…

She shook her head and kept walking.

The cold water was a pain but with the weather as nice as it was and the sun bearing down on her she didn’t shiver or anything. It was alright thanks to that.

Applejack could even smile a bit at how nice the sky looked. There were only a few puffy white clouds floating by and even they were the nice kind of cloud that were perfect for cloud-watching if that’s what Applejack was in the mood for. Unfortunately she didn’t have the time for it.

Applejack was going to be all work and no play until she was on her way back from Elysium’s View.

Even then she should probably stay all work and no play until she was safely back in Ponyville. What a long trip this was turning out to be. Even when she saw that the Cutie Map was calling her to some spot literally off the map she didn’t think it would take this long just to get there. And now here she was trudging through acres of flooded farmland. So many things had slowed her down, it was hardly just the great distance from Ponyville to Elysium’s View.

An annoyed thought about Discord once again passed through her head. He could’ve helped her a little. Especially now that she was past Al-Karamaretel and had helped out there. What more was waiting on her journey to Elysium’s View that couldn’t be skipped?

She didn’t know if he could actually hear when she thought about him and read her mind or nothing but right now she was definitely hoping he heard her thoughts when it came to poofing in and teleporting her back home once the Map’s mission was accomplished. That’d be a real big relief. She could almost forgive him for being such a chore and putting all these weird notions about her journey in her head.

For now though it’s not like she expected anything to come up in this forgotten kingdom. It didn’t seem like those supposed vagabonds even existed here either, and if they did that was hardly a problem worth worrying about. Not for her.

While Applejack continued along the road through the flood a plank of wood with nails sticking out of it floated right on by her. Part of a wall somewhere that couldn’t stand up to the tidal wave. It was now adrift with everything else that stayed floating out here. A short while after that and Applejack passed by a large cornfield, the cornstalks still standing up but Applejack knew that wouldn’t be for long. Like most every other sort of crop they were drowning from this much water. It was a waste to see all that corn that was going to be dead sometime soon. Still, she could at least keep it all from going to waste.

Applejack walked over to the nearest rows of corn and pulled off an ear before shoving it inside her bag. Not her favorite vegetable in the world but hardly something she thought tasted bad.

And now she had some more food to last her while she walked west. The only downside was the ears were too big for her to put anymore in her bag, but perhaps she’d get lucky and find something else still edible out in these flooded farmlands.

Diamonds to Dust V

The following day and Applejack found herself walking towards a solitary house on a dying yellow plains.

She had exited the flooded farmlands some time ago and dried herself off, continuing down the same road to the western reaches of the Kingdom of Diamonds. Now she could see not too far in the distance a single house just to the side of the road. It was very different from other buildings she had come across so far. For one it was painted in multiple different gaudy colors and there were stars, rainbows, flowers, and ponies drawn in a childlike fashion all over its walls. There were also a few clotheslines set up out in back of it with sheets drying off in the wind, a large metal tub set up for some purpose, and most of all a small garden that was managing to grow even in these dry plains. Applejack could see tomatoes and flowers growing freely, their vines allowed to go anywhere.

It was weird looking but the one thing it didn’t look was abandoned.

Which was still odd as there wasn’t much else around. Applejack saw what she thought was a large forest to the north but these plains were all dried yellow grass and flatlands. This house couldn’t have been made after the kingdom started spiraling down, it must have served some other purpose in the old days. Maybe even as a small inn or rest stop between larger towns and cities.

As Applejack let her mind wander on that topic—a pony came walking out from the other side of the house. Applejack froze as the mare came walking into view towards the flowers planted up by the side of the house. She was probably five or ten years older than Applejack and was wearing a pair of worn overalls with a bandanna holding back her mane.

The mare's eyes flickered up and she finally saw Applejack on the road. She froze in surprise as well.

Applejack—feeling like she should be polite—tentatively lifted a hoof up and dipped her hat to the mare. “Uh, hello there ma’am.”

The mare found her voice and suddenly gasped, jumping up and smiling widely at Applejack. “Well I’ll be, another pony out here? How do you do, young lady!”

Applejack smiled back, relieved that the mare was friendly. “I’m doing pretty good. And you? Oh, my name’s Applejack by the way.”

“Pretty Petunia!” The mare walked over to the road and stuck out a hoof for Applejack to shake. “And I’m doing great!”

Applejack eagerly shook her hoof and looked over at the odd house. “You know I didn’t think any ponies still lived here like this.”

“We’re just about the only two—oh!” Pretty Petunia’s eyebrows shot up and she turned around before shouting at the house. “Hey, Winter Moon! Get on out here, we’ve got a guest!”

A door up on the second-story balcony of the house was thrown open a second later and a pegasus stallion with a slightly wrinkled face stepped out, looking down at the source of the yell. “Petunia, what in blazes are you talking about—oh.” The stallion stopped and blinked at Applejack. “Huh, that’s unexpected.”

He flew down to the ground and reached a hoof out to Applejack just like Petunia. “I’m Winter Moon, pleasure to meet you. But wow, you’re the first pony we’ve seen come by since we started living here.”

“Applejack,” Applejack said as she shook his hoof. “And yeah, you’re also the first ponies I’ve seen since I entered the whole kingdom.”

“You came from out east right? Not surprised then,” Pretty Petunia said.

Winter Moon nodded. “Yep—it’s all bad that direction. Worse than most of the rest of the kingdom. Or “kingdom” I should say.”

“Yeah it definitely didn’t look too good… but the two of you are alright here? Your home is uh, interesting, if I do say so,” Applejack said.

“Heh, we moved in here a few months ago and started renovating since nopony else was using it anymore,” Pretty Petunia said and gestured to the painted walls. “Without any other ponies around we decided why not get a little creative? If we were going to stay here we might as well have fun!”

“Mhm,” Winter Moon nodded. “We’ve got enough healthy soil to grow food and we collect rainwater in that tub over there-” he pointed. “And if we ever need anything more important I can just fly for a few days and get it. Hay, I’ve been going off and collecting any old trinkets and random junk I can find just for fun. This isn’t exactly how I thought my retirement would go but the two of us are making the most of it.”

Applejack smiled. “Retirement huh? So you aint stuck here in the kingdom?”

“Well we don’t have the money to move anywhere else if that’s what you’re asking. We did kind of get left behind,” Winter Moon said.

“But even before things started going bad here our son had already grown up and moved away long ago, so it’s not like there was anything else for us to do,” Pretty Petunia shrugged. “So we figured why not stay here? We’ve lived here our entire lives and if we couldn’t find anything better outside the kingdom then why not just stay? I think we’ve managed to have a decent time just by staying optimistic.”

“That’s really nice to hear,” Applejack said. “I’m glad there are still some ponies here who are making the best of things. Honestly from the rumors I had heard I was really worried about anypony still living here.”

“It probably aint great everywhere but the worst passed by long ago,” Pretty Petunia said.

“Can I ask what brings you here though? I’m a bit curious,” Winter Moon asked.

“Traveling west,” Applejack pointed down the long and empty road. “Didn’t come to your old kingdom specifically—just traveling through it on my way to Elysium’s View.”

“That’s quite a trip then,” Pretty Petunia said.

Winter Moon rubbed his chin. “Yep, you’re pretty far off still.”

Applejack sighed. “Yeah, so I’ve heard. Do you know if there are any other places ponies still live that I’ll reach if I keep walking down this road?”

“There’s New Jasmine Leaf Town. That’s a few days away by hoof if you stay on this road. Ponies have gathered there trying to rebuild and start up a semblance of a functioning town again. Haven’t been there in… about a month now though. Could be better or could be worse than when I left it,” Winter Moon shrugged.

“No vagabonds or criminals or nothing though?” Applejack asked. “I had heard rumors about roaming bands of vagrants being out here in the ruins of the kingdom.”

Winter Moon laughed. “Sounds like some ponies are letting their imaginations run wild. Things aren’t great here but there’s hardly anything like that. We’ve heard that there are some punks fighting over things in the old capitol but that’s well northeast of here. You don’t have to worry about that.”

“Some good news then. So I’m a few days away from a town—do you know how far I am from the western border of the kingdom?” Applejack asked.

“A week if you keep up a decent pace,” Pretty Petunia said. “If you’re going to Elysium’s View you know you’ll go through Equinestan first, right?”

Applejack nodded. “Yep.”

“Well just to make sure you know you’re on the right path, when you leave the Kingdom of Diamonds behind you’ll do it by walking over an old bridge that leads down from the mountains. It spans a canyon covered in spiky rock formations. Once you reach the other side of that bridge you really just need to keep walking straight west and you’ll be in Equinestan in no time,” Petunia explained.

“Thanks for telling me,” Applejack smiled. “Aside from names I really don’t know anything about where I’m going.”

“What’s the reason you’re going to Elysium’s View then?” Winter Moon asked.

“Uh… it’s kind of complicated actually. I guess you could consider it business?” Applejack shrugged.

Winter Moon shrugged back. “Well, good luck then.”

“Would you like to stay for lunch? Or stay the night? You must have been walking for a long time, we’ll give you the best hospitality you can get out here!” Pretty Petunia smiled, wiggling her eyebrows.

“I appreciate the offer but I really don’t want to take any breaks out here. With how long I’ve still got to go and all...” Applejack rubbed the back of her neck.

“I understand, it’s okay. You’re just the first pony who’s ever crossed paths with us out here,” Pretty Petunia said.

“As time goes by we’ll probably see more,” Winter Moon smiled and put a hoof over her back.

“If um...” Applejack hesitantly looked over at their garden. “If it’s not too much to ask, could I have a couple of tomatoes and some water?”

“Of course!” Winter Moon chuckled. “We wouldn’t want to send you off with nothing—especially since you’ve got a few more days before you’ll find somewhere else to stock up.”

“That’s right, have a few tomatoes, I promise they’re delicious!” Pretty Petunia smiled.

Applejack smiled back. “Thank you both very much. I guess I got pretty lucky today finding you.”

Diamonds to Dust VI

When Applejack left the home of Pretty Petunia and Winter Moon behind she continued to smile for a good deal longer. It was nice to know there were still ponies in this place that could find comfort and happiness. They just had to stay optimistic. That old couple was making the best of what they had, it was a lesson Applejack could take to heart.

For hours more she walked that day until the sun started going down and Applejack thought it would be pertinent to look for a place to spend the night unless she wanted to be stuck out in the cold. Any other old abandoned building would do—if there were more out here. It’s possible that there wasn’t even a farmhouse or windmill from that couple’s repurposed home all the way to that “New Jasmine Leaf Town”. Applejack should’ve asked if Winter Moon knew of any places like his house instead of just if there was another place ponies were living.

At least she had plenty of food and water to last her until she got to that town. That was her major worry before she had found their house. Applejack was pretty sure now that she could make it across the entire kingdom without having to worry about going hungry or thirsty anymore.

She squinted ahead as the road slowly sloped down a little bit across the grassy plains, barely able to see anything now with the sun almost down. This road was probably one of several that stretched across the countryside of the Kingdom of Diamonds before the kingdom fell apart.

At one point she saw the shadow of something in the distance just a little off the road. At first she thought it was a large boulder but as she got closer she could better make it out in the remaining bits of light. It actually was a building—or what was left of one. Compared to the large house that Pretty Petunia and Winter Moon used this was really nothing more than a shack on the side of the road. When Applejack walked up to face it directly she saw that it was broken down and missing part of its roof and own western wall. No door or glass in its windows either, by the look of it, this shack had been in disrepair for years.

It was certainly still better than nothing however so Applejack walked inside and tried to see if there were any flat or comfortable spots to curl up on the floor at. Unsurprisingly the wooden floorboards were all bumpy and torn up, would it really be better than the dirt outside? At least what remained of the walls might block out most of the breeze. There were holes in those walls everywhere though, no carpeting or rugs on the floor either, Applejack found a corner in the middle of the shack where the roof was still mostly supported so she lied down there and tried to just relax. Taking off her bag she placed it in the crook of her body since it was too thin and lumpy to work as a pillow. She had made good progress today.

Tomorrow she hoped the road remained flat and just as easy to travel. No more floods, no big hills, no burned fields, none of that anymore. That’s what she wanted most of all.

One week was what she was looking at. One week at most of still being in the remains of the Kingdom of Diamonds. After that was Equinestan and hopefully a much easier trip where she could find plenty of places to stop.

Where hopefully she wouldn’t have to really worry about anything anymore.

Her trip through the west at the beginning always had the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel hanging over her head. The negative effects of what the Warden had been doing seeped through the lands and created a storm on the horizon. But now after crossing the canyon there wasn’t anything like that anymore. Nopony had said anything worrisome about Equinestan or Elysium’s View. They seemed like ordinary places to visit. While there were still some unfortunate things surely going on in the Far West it was mainly thanks to Al-Karamaretel and now that was all over thanks to Applejack.

The only thing—the only thing—that was worrying her was what Discord had said at the start of her trip.

And if there was something like that, if there was some crazy pony out here, they hadn’t really made any waves just yet.

Applejack could hope that it was all overblown and Discord was pulling her leg. It would certainly fit his style. She’d have a real piece of her mind to give him when she returned to Ponyville if that was the case though. That wasn’t exactly the kind of thing you were supposed to do to your friend, there were okay pranks and there were not okay pranks. Giving her all this anxiety wasn’t something she considered okay. As if she hadn’t been worrying about this mission from the very beginning just when she saw it was her alone going on it and how far away it was.

She grumbled and shifted around on the floor—all this mental complaining was a little too much. She liked to think she wasn’t such a big complainer. Things were the way they were and there was no sense whining about it all. In the end, she just had to do it. It was the same as any other time she was in a hard spot in her life.

It was still a little tough trying to sleep though. Without her old saddlebag to use as a pillow unless she was dead tired it was difficult for her to really get into a comfortable enough position for her to sleep this early. Night had only just started but Applejack still wanted to fall asleep as quickly as possible so she could rise before the sun.

Thinking about her saddlebag brought back some sad memories too… she really needed to make up for losing everything. All her supplies were a bad enough loss but the journal is what hurt most of all.

Applejack would take care of that when the time came. The friendship mission came first.

At least it wasn’t raining or especially windy right now. The weather was still nice and even now at night it wasn’t actually that cold out here. The Kingdom of Diamonds must’ve been a pretty temperate place to live. Or it was just summer. Applejack wasn’t going to take this shack for granted, if the weather was a little worse she would’ve gladly sprinted to spend the night in here.

It was another two hours before she started to yawn, and another hour after that that she finally managed to fall asleep.

Diamonds to Dust VII

Her hooves currently had her walking through a nice looking forest while the sun’s rays shined down on her without a single cloud in the sky to block them. Unlike the last forest she had walked through she hadn’t spotted any destroyed or abandoned villages down any side roads. It seemed to just be nature all around her and Applejack was more than fine with that. Even if there was nothing else in this forest and she was stuck here by the time night fell there were plenty of trees she could sleep under. The grass here was green and the ground much softer than the plains she had just been through.

She was even lucky enough to see quite a lot of wildlife while she walked too. Squirrels mostly, a lot of them skittering up and down the trees, but even quite a few birds too. Applejack spied a colorful robin nesting in one of the trees, sitting on its eggs no doubt. This was the calm kind of walk she needed. Where she could just see heartwarming nature and not have to think about nothing else. Easy on her hooves, easy on her mind.

A rabbit poked its head out of the grass from right off the road and briefly looked at Applejack before ducking its head back down and hiding.

A little further and Applejack saw a large beehive hanging from a tree branch, a swarm of bees buzzing around it and protecting their honey.

Things were nice at the moment. It’s a shame the forest had to end but it did so in just a few miles and Applejack came to a river that divided the forest in half. The river was much larger than any others she had seen in the country, large enough where the opposite shore was barely visible. That said it still flowed fairly gently.

There was also a decently sized island in the middle of the river. Applejack could see its sandy beaches from here—but most of the river island was taken up by a large castle. The huge stone structure almost went from end to end of the island, it looked far older in design than the castle she had seen back in the city she walked through. Maybe it was from an older age in the Kingdom of Diamonds? There was nothing stylish or pretty about it, just a castle made of gray stone with moss and vines crawling up its walls and a few towers looking like they were steadily falling to disrepair. It hadn’t been willfully destroyed but it looked like there was nopony to take care of it anymore.

She would be able to get a closer look at it soon enough—since the road through the forest led to a large stone bridge that spanned the river. She had to walk alongside the river’s edge for a bit but eventually the road turned and Applejack could begin walking across it. This bridge was also very old looking compared to the others she had seen in the kingdom, long, flat, and wide, it was made of the same kind of stone that the castle appeared to be made from. It was low to the water with only a small gap in the arches between the underside of the bridge and the surface of the water as well as pillars holding it up every fifty feet. There were cracks in the walkway of the bridge but they seemed like ordinary everyday cracks rather than something that actually looked dangerous.

Applejack shrugged, honestly she could swim across the river even if something bad happened to the bridge or it was broken further down. She just didn’t really want to have to.

Starting her walk on the bridge she mostly kept her eyes on the upcoming castle and island, just out of curiosity. The river didn’t offer much else to look at.

The island and thus the castle were situated practically directly in the middle of the river, Applejack wondered if in the old days it was for a defensive reason. Any pony up on the towers would have a commanding view of the river and the forests on either side of it. She didn’t exactly know much about warfare though. Not exactly a subject Equestria taught a lot or had a lot of history with.

When she was practically at the island she noticed that the side of the bridge facing it opened up and turned into a ramp that led right onto the island into the small amount of open space still available. There was a dirt path leading from the ramp that was actually flattened out and looked pretty well taken care of and it went right up to a small wooden building constructed directly in front of the castle. The building was definitely much newer than the castle, it looked modern, and it blocked off the castle’s own gate with a gateway of its own.

Applejack got what she was looking at immediately. This was a tourist spot.

This much more new building was some kind of admissions hub ponies had to go through first before they were let into the castle. No wonder it all looked the way it did. Ponies probably wanted to tour this castle just like ponies back in Equestria wanted to tour Canterlot Castle.

At least before the Kingdom of Diamonds went downhill. Applejack didn’t know how long this place was abandoned but she had to assume that soon enough the whole island would be overrun by weeds and the castle completely covered in vines and moss. Either way, she didn’t plan on stopping here. While it likely would’ve made a good place to sleep for the night it was still early in the day. Applejack had a lot more ground she wanted to cover, and she should be getting decently close to New Jasmine Leaf Town anyways.

Applejack patted her bag, happy with the amount of food she had in there and the water in her flask, and started walking the rest of the way down the bridge. Maybe Twilight or Rainbow Dash would’ve gone exploring the castle but she didn’t have any such urge.

The brief thought of them though… what were all of her friends up to right now? Hopefully none of them had been dragged into a solo friendship mission of their own. Applejack was hoping they were all having a good time, having fun, working at the school, just living their lives like normal. Maybe she could surprise them when she got back? But she should probably stop at Sweet Apple Acres and say hi to her family first. There’d be a lot of business to take care of back on the farm and Big Mac especially was probably wishing for a break already. And just getting to see Apple Bloom and Granny Smith’s faces would be nice, the thought of that alone warmed up Applejack’s heart. A nice reminder of what she had to look forward to and what she did all this for.

By the time she made it to the other side of the river it was still only about noon and Applejack was looking forward to enjoying the rest of this bright and sunny day on the road. She didn’t know how much longer this forest would go on but at least it would be a pleasant place to travel through. All in all this was looking to be a really nice day. She had a feeling in her gut that things would be better around here after meeting Pretty Petunia and Winter Moon. Just something she somehow knew about the Kingdom of Diamonds not being that bad to get through.

There had been warnings and rumors, but this was hardly a desolate wasteland. Ponies always exaggerated.

Or maybe her luck really had turned around that much and she was just traveling through the nicest remaining spots.

Applejack wouldn’t count on that possibility so much.

Diamonds to Dust VIII

Considering the fertile look of the land and countryside around her, Applejack had to think she was walking through what used to be the heartland of the Kingdom of Diamonds. She had crossed through several different woodlands in the past couple of days, walked past meadows of wildflowers, and seen plenty of old farmland (that unfortunately had been left to rot recently). Today was the day she expected to arrive at New Jasmine Leaf Town, she just wished she had a map to tell her exactly where it was.

The road only went one way though so it’s not like she could’ve taken a wrong turn anywhere.

Soon enough today—Applejack glanced up and checked the sun to see it was a bit before noon—and she was walking up a small hill that should give her a nice view of what came next.

When she reached the top of the hill and could stare out at the upcoming landscape she ended up seeing far more than she even expected.

A huge lake stretched out to the north, farther than her eyes could see, while a series of rivers branching off from its southern end created a delta, the rivers extending and snaking through the land also to the southern horizon. In the gaps between the rivers along the shore of the lake a town had been built. Connected by small wooden bridges, the various islands depending on their size only had a few houses or several much larger buildings constructed on them. From here Applejack could also see a lot of boats in the rivers and gathered at the edge of the lake.

This had to be it, New Jasmine Leaf Town.

Applejack sighed in relief and smiled at the sight of it. The town even looked far more alive than anywhere else she had seen in the old kingdom.

She started walking down the hill and made her way towards town, it certainly looked like an interesting place to visit just because of where it was built and how it was designed. The closer she got she saw that there were some buildings clearly under construction and others that had fallen apart but it overall didn’t look as badly hit as the other places she had seen here. Obviously no real settlement could fully escape the pain the kingdom went through but this one was at least being patched up.

When Applejack reached the outskirts of it and started crossing the first small bridge onto the first island she also saw her first ponies of New Jasmine Leaf Town.

It was a trio of colts playing around, bouncing a rubber ball off the wall of one of the buildings and running after it to kick it back, keeping that up at a fast pace with each of them trying to be the first one to make the hit. The creak of the bridge Applejack walked over grabbed their attention and they looked over to see her right as she walked onto the island. The three of them stopped, regarding her a little suspiciously so Applejack threw on the best smile she could and waved at them.

“Hi there, don’t mind me, just passing through. Are any of your parents or other adults around?” She asked.

They still seemed a bit wary—it was likely they had never seen a single pony just walk in here like this—but one of them pointed towards one of the larger islands a few bridges down. Where Applejack could see a building under construction.

“Thank you,” Applejack tipped her hat to the colts. “The three of you have fun now.”

As she walked off to the other island she could feel the three colts watching her as she went. No surprise there. She was probably enough of an unusual sight to be more interesting to watch.

While walking to the big island she saw a few ponies paddling canoes through the canals or walking along some of the other islands, carrying out their own business. It wasn’t until she made it to where the colts had pointed her though that she came across a new group to actually greet. In the center of the island a number of ponies were working together to construct what looked like a windmill. They had scaffolding all around it and ropes hoisting up more boards of wood and the parts to make the actual blades. While a few worked on that there were others chatting around it and Applejack saw a few mares cooking some food by a large fire and grill outside one of the other buildings. When Applejack came out into the same open area everypony else was working she stood there for a moment, unsure how to introduce herself to them.

However it turned out she didn’t really need to, as one pony saw her and tapped the shoulder of another stallion he was talking with, pointing him at Applejack. That seemed to grab the attention of the other ponies around and most ended up stopping what they were doing to turn and look at her. Some of them a little oddly. Not that she could fully blame them, a small town like this with an even smaller population, they all had to know each other closely. A stranger like her—especially after what had gone on in the Kingdom of Diamonds—would stick out even more.

The stallion who had gotten tapped on the shoulder eventually decided to walk up to her. He didn’t look scared or upset at the very least, keeping an even look on his face. He was an earth pony with a robust built, a heavy jacket worn over his body, and his bronze mane pulled back in a long ponytail. Stopping in front of Applejack he looked her over, probably to judge for himself if she was dangerous, before speaking.

“Well—I apologize if this isn’t a proper greeting, but I’d like to ask who you might be and what brings you out here?” He asked.

Applejack nodded to them. “That’s fine, it’s your town. My name is Applejack and I’m just passing through here on my way to Equinestan. I heard from a pony named Winter Moon about your town a few days ago, is this New Jasmine Leaf Town?”

“Winter Moon, huh? Older pegasus with a wife named Pretty Petunia?” The stallion questioned.

Applejack nodded. “That’s the one.”

“Haven’t seen him in a while, good to hear he’s doing alright. I suppose if he told you about us being here then you must be alright. If you’re just traveling through and going to Equinestan… you must be from outside the Kingdom of Diamonds completely then?”

“Yessir, I’m from a bit farther east. There aint no problem with me coming through here is there?” Applejack raised an eyebrow.

“No I wouldn’t say so. It’s unusual nowadays but I suppose eventually we’d like ponies to start coming through here more often,” he smiled and stuck out a hoof to her. “I’m Marsh Hopper, pleased to meet you. More or less in charge around here, but we’re just a tiny community anyways.”

Applejack took his hoof and shook it. “Pleased to meet you too. That’s what I heard, but it’s nice to see you’re all doing pretty well.”

“We’re doing okay. Things could be better. Right now we don’t even know how many ponies are left in the kingdom but-” he sighed and shook his head. “Sorry, that aint anything to burden you with. You just want directions to Equinestan from here?”

Applejack pondered for a bit at his question. If she stopped here for the rest of the day to spend the night she’d be wasting hours of travel time. Though it might be the only real place to stop between here and Equinestan she still wanted to be faster than have a comfortable place to sleep every night. Maybe it was actually too bad that she had gotten here early.

In the end Applejack just nodded. “Yeah, I vaguely know how much longer I have to go but I wanted to know if I just needed to keep to one road until I get there. Winter Moon and Pretty Petunia told me about the bridge leading out of the kingdom to Equinestan.”

“Then you don’t really need to worry about anything. If you follow the road out of town here it forks off in a few different directions but there’s a sign up for Equinestan. Can’t miss it. Just to tell you though—you certainly won’t be seeing any other towns like this until you get into Equinestan. In fact you probably won’t come across any other ponies at all.”

“That’s alright, I’m used to it,” Applejack sighed.

“Guess you’ve been traveling pretty far.”

Applejack mirthlessly chuckled. “You really don’t know the half of it…” She took a deep breath and looked over at where she had seen the food being made earlier. “Could I fill up my bag before I leave if you have any food to spare?”

Marsh Hopper rubbed the back of his neck. “We do have food to spare but… can you trade anything for it maybe?”

“Fair enough,” Applejack said but frowned. She didn’t have anything to trade for it. She scratched her head for a second before an idea popped into it. “Well… what about if I trade you some good news?”

“Good news?” Marsh Hopper raised an eyebrow.

“Mhm,” Applejack nodded. “I imagine you’ll be quite happy to hear what I have to tell you about the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel…”

They were quite happy to hear about that. Ecstatic even. Marsh Hopper told her that they’d definitely be throwing a party in celebration later after Applejack left. After all, if things were fixed with Al-Karamaretel then it meant that things could only get better. Sure, they probably didn’t have any illusions about things being great or going right back to normal, but it at least gave them hope. It was still good news in a country that sorely needed it.

Applejack didn’t toot her own horn about what she had personally done at the citadel. She didn’t want to brag or have ponies thanking her for doing nothing more than the right thing. Even then the good news was enough for Marsh Hopper to send her away with a bag full of warm biscuits.

All in all, Applejack would call this a good day.

Diamonds to Dust IX

The river heavy lands had dried up a day ago and now Applejack was walking towards a wall of arid mountains in the distance. They had to be the last ones before Equinestan—where she’d eventually find another canyon and another bridge to cross to leave the Kingdom of Diamonds behind. Nothing she wasn’t used to, and she at least had the knowledge that this road would take her all the way there. All she had to do was follow it and there shouldn’t be any issue.

Applejack knew things would be quiet for a while, she was in an emptier part of the old kingdom, and it was looking much like the wastes she had seen in other places. There would be less to see, fewer animals around, and if she found any other towns she was assuming they’d be burnt out and abandoned wrecks.

Also the countryside she was walking through now was quite a bit hotter than the rest of the kingdom had been. She should’ve figured that such a large country would have colder and warmer spots, and right now she was walking through what was essentially a desert in all but name. The mountains ahead looked just as hot as well—the types that never saw snow. Unlike before when she was always happy to have the sun out and on her back she kind of wished for some clouds right now. Applejack was already sweating quite a lot just from the warm air, when she had to carry herself up those mountains it would probably be even worse. She was hoping there’d be a cool breeze traveling through them to give her a bit of respite…

The ground around her was completely dry and the dirt was cracking everywhere off the side of the road, it was good she had filled up her flask not long ago. Unless she came across an old well she probably wouldn’t see water for another couple of days.

Even in the old days before the kingdom went down she doubted many ponies would be living in or traveling through this part of the country unless they were ones going directly to and from Equinestan. If Equinestan was a big place she was sure she’d have seen some roadside inns at some point but there was just nothing out here like that. Not even anything destroyed or abandoned. It’s possible there was something in the mountains instead of on this desert road with nothing but dry dirt and a hot sun around you.

Applejack sighed, briefly removing her hat and wiping some sweat off her brow before putting it back on and continuing her walk.

Wouldn’t be too long before she reached those mountains.

She did finally see some wildlife though. A scorpion was out on top of a flat rock, soaking in the sun. Applejack figured it was probably best to not disturb its tanning session and so she just walked on by it. She couldn’t exactly say she had anything to gain from saying hi to a scorpion anyways, she wasn’t Fluttershy. It’d probably just run away or try and sting her.

Being sick once on this long trip was already more than enough.

She sure did wish she had somepony to talk to though. Again. The brief bouts of conversation she had had since leaving the citadel weren’t exactly enough for her who was so used to always having a friend or family by her side. Marzipan, Pretty Petunia, Winter Moon, Marsh Hopper, all nice ponies—mostly—but in her haste Applejack had always gone right by them. Maybe she should've relaxed a little, not let her mission and Discord’s words get to her so much, and spent more time with them. It would’ve definitely at least fulfilled Pinkie’s desire for her to make a bunch of friends out here. Instead she’d been so antsy it was like she just couldn’t stop herself.

For a pony who longed for a little companionship she’d sure been so bullheaded as to avoid any…

In the end though she couldn’t just ignore the nagging feeling she had had since getting over here—and how much she just wanted to complete her mission now that she knew she was more than halfway there to Elysium’s View. What was the phrase? You can’t have your cake and eat it too?

Applejack snorted. Wouldn’t Pinkie Pie just hate that phrase…

She glanced up at the sky to see if she’d get far enough into the mountains before it was dark. Judging from where it was she’d say she had a couple of hours before the mountains themselves blocked off most of the sunlight. If she could find any old place up in them to spend the night at that would be great. Otherwise she might just have to hop in a cave somewhere.

There had to be at least some kind of inn, or stop, or small mountain village if this was one of the main ways in and out of the kingdom. Applejack would go absolutely nuts if there really was just an empty road all the way to the bridge. That would be like Manehattan not having any trains going to or from it, it just wouldn’t make no sense. Not that she expected everything in her life to make sense, she’d been in far too many weird situations for that, but this kingdom seemed like it used to be a normal place.

In a relatively short amount of time the road started sloping up as she made her way towards the mountains and she left the empty wasteland of dry dirt behind. The road didn’t just ramp up straight of course but had to curve up and turn a few times to keep a steady slope. Just like the one from that hill a long ways back, it was clearly made for wagon travel. In the past there was no doubt in Applejack’s mind that a lot of importing and exporting concerning Equinestan was done on this mountain road. Apparently Equinestan wasn’t directly harmed by anything the Warden had done though.

Well, that was certainly something Applejack wouldn’t complain about. She’d like to visit a country full of life and ponies that didn’t know the hardship the rest of the west had been through.

Considering the typical nature of most friendship missions, she doubted whatever she had to do at Elysium’s View was quite as “dangerous” or pressing at what she had already done at Al-Karamaretel. Only a few times in the past had the Cutie Map really called her and her friends forth for something truly spectacular. And if it was only calling her then Applejack was sure that whatever the map wanted her to fix wasn’t as bad as some of the other stuff out here.

By the time she followed every curve of the road and made it up into the sandstone mountains most of the sunlight was blocked off by the peaks of the mountains and daggers of shadow went all across the road. The road itself also lost its more paved and smooth appearance, turning more into dirt and gravel than a well-made stone road. Not as easy on her hooves but she wouldn’t complain.

And although she didn’t see any mountain village or buildings just yet, she did see something else that was a little reassuring.

There was a signpost off the side of the road with a wooden sign hanging by chains from it. “EQUINESTAN” had been painted in big bold letters on it with an arrow pointing into the mountains right below it. She was on the right track out of here.

Diamonds to Dust X

The mountains were hot but it wasn’t an unbearable place to travel through. Not as bad as some of the colder and hotter places she had been in her life. A few times while walking through them she could see off the side of the road how far the cliffs went down into the mountain canyons and gorges, seeing only rocks and the occasional shrubby bush growing along the sides of them.

Last night was a miss. She ended up sleeping under an overhanging rock because she couldn’t find anything else. Woke up covered in dirt and staring a coyote in the face.

Course he ran off scared once she screamed in his face.

Applejack was pretty sure today would be the day she made it to the bridge and got out of here. Whether she found a city or town in Equinestan soon after that was anypony’s guess, nopony had told her what the nearest stop after crossing the border was.

The hot sun came down on her back the further she walked, over, between, and through the dusty and arid mountains. The colors of orange and yellow, just like herself, were her biggest companions in the mountains. Proud rock formations stood tall in the gaps between mountains, centuries old if not even older. She spotted a few mountain goats having a much easier time traversing the landscape around her every now and then. Occasionally a hawk would circle overhead or the sound of a rattlesnake’s rattling tail would grab her attention.

It was around noon that she finished curving around one of the mountains and came to a large flat area with a cliff going up and up to the right side of the road. Carved and built into the side of the cliff was a number of buildings. Some made out of wood with others clearly built from stone taken right from the mountains. Looks like she had found the supposed mountain village, for all the good it did her now. It was practically all buried in dust as well with quite a few of the wooden buildings looking like they were about to collapse. The ponies that lived here had probably ran out to Equinestan when they realized just how bad things were going to be in the Kingdom of Diamonds. Applejack suspected that this village was abandoned for longer than any other place she had come across in the kingdom.

Nothing to look for here. Any food would be long dried out or rotten, any water dried up unless there was a well or pump, and she didn’t want to waste time looking for one. Applejack just sighed and continued on through the mountains. She still had plenty of biscuits and enough water to last for a few more days. That was all she needed right now.

Past the abandoned village and she started to notice something nice though, the road was starting to slope down. Just ever so slightly but it was starting to go downhill. The village might have been the actual middle ground of the mountains and now she was on her trip out of them.

Applejack sure hoped that was the case.

The heat of the sun didn’t abate while she traveled, and her hooves were getting a might bit sore and hot at this point too. There was at least always something to look at compared to more desolate areas of the kingdom—whether it just be more interesting rock formations or more animals that found her to be a curious sight but still kept their distance. More than once she got the feeling she was actually being trailed by a coyote or two but they were being smart and not bothering her. Maybe they could tell she was too healthy to try and attack. If they did get the wrong idea she’d have to set them straight.

Fluttershy forgive her.

Thankfully there was nothing like those Rocs living in these mountains. Only animals like that could really prove a problem for her.

Speaking of Rocs, Applejack hoped Roc’s Nest and Fire Vent were both already doing a lot better now. At the very least, word had to have reached them by now about the Citadel. It wasn’t much but the thought of that still brought a smile to her face.

By late afternoon she had descended quite a bit through the mountains and if her eyes weren’t deceiving her she was just about walking through the last line of them. There weren’t any others she could see beyond in the distance. Despite the heat and a bit of exhaustion plaguing her, Applejack quickened her pace so she could hurry up and get out of these dang mountains. It was Equinestan by night or bust.

The road straightened out in a few miles, no longer sloping, and leading right between two mountains. Applejack squinted ahead at what she thought was a natural rock bridge connecting them for a moment but what was actually an archway constructed over the road. She could see it carved far smoother than any naturally forming rock formation could get. Further there looked to be a pedestal on top of it and a bunch of rubble on the road—after what Applejack saw when she first entered the kingdom she could guess what that all was: another destroyed statue.

Reaching the archway she found her assumptions proven correct, the destroyed remains of a pony statue were scattered all over the wide road. It had been pulled or pushed off from above on the archway. Well, Applejack hoped that the ponies who did that were doing a lot better now.

Regardless, she walked through the archway and came out onto a wide plateau where the road ended with the last line of mountains. Nothing was blocking the sun anymore and she was up high enough where she could see for miles into the distance.

The plateau she was on was definitely pony made, carved or blasted out a long time ago and perfectly square with a railing made of interlocked logs going all around it to keep ponies from the dangerous cliffs. Directly in front of her and at the middle of the plateau was the only gap in the logs, the bridge had to start there. There also were the remains of several shacks and buildings on the plateau, but nothing remained standing at all anymore. It had all been destroyed long ago. What must’ve been a busy place in the past for receiving visitors was as quiet as the grave today.

Applejack walked past it all towards the bridge and looked out across it and the canyon. Taking a glance down she saw what Pretty Petunia had mentioned, hundreds of feet below, the floor of the canyon was covered in sharp rock formations, essentially nothing more than a bed of spikes, with nowhere to travel up and out of it. This bridge was the only possible way for a pony on hoof to cross over to the other side. Applejack gulped, the thought of falling or getting stuck down there was very unpleasant.

And the bridge itself was odd. Right at its end here at the plateau were massive wheels built right into the ground with ropes thicker than her entire body wrapped around them and going into metal holes in the ground. Applejack bit her lip and sent a small exploratory tremor into the bridge, getting an image of it inside her head.

It split right at the midpoint, right in the middle of the canyon where the middle of the bridge rested atop a tall pillar that helped hold it up. If the wheels were turned clockwise they’d pull up the ropes and the bridge itself would be raised… it was a drawbridge.

Applejack nearly groaned in relief. Thank Celestia it was already down and nothing had happened to it. The way this bridge was constructed she was sure it was more susceptible to disrepair or breaking. Or being destroyed by the maddened citizens of the Kingdom of Diamonds. But thankfully everything about it still looked alright. Perhaps the ponies who ditched out on the kingdom at least had the sense to not destroy one of the only ways back into it from here. Applejack didn’t know how far one would have to travel to find another way through the mountains or just go around them altogether. She might’ve been in trouble if the bridge was out when she got here. Instead—she had her way into Equinestan and it was just a brief walk down the bridge to get there.

From here she could see out past the borders of the Kingdom of Diamonds easily too. On the other side of the canyon a vast forest stretched into the distance, starting up just a hundred yards or so away from the canyon. The dirt road leading away from the other end of the bridge split north, south, and west, the western road going straight through the forest.

Applejack breathed deep—happy that there was still an obvious and direct route to go in. And happy that it would certainly be a nicer place to travel through than these mountains or the desert before them.

Cracking her neck, Applejack started her way down the bridge.

Welcome to Equinestan

The forest was just as thick as it was vast and Applejack was thankful she had a road to stay on while she traveled through it. Looking to either her left or her right and all she saw was a nearly impenetrable wall of trees. They grew up so close together that all their roots had to be entangled. This road though, even though it was just dirt, was flat and clearly well taken care of. Ponies had traveled on it more recently than the roads she had gone down in the Kingdom of Diamonds. Was she already in what counted as Equinestan? Or would there be a more noticeable border. She heard that it was more like a bunch of independent cities and towns, loosely connected at best, rather than a country like Equestria.

But even Equestria in most places didn’t have a noticeable border…

So Applejack was just going to walk until she found another town.

She glanced up at the sky, now no longer bothered by the heat of the sun as the forest was much cooler, and checked to see how late in the day it was.

Just an hour or two before evening started to come around. Not what she wanted. From up in the mountains she had seen just how far this forest went and it didn’t look like there was any town built inside it. No open areas where ponies could build anything. So she’d probably have to walk all the way through the forest before she found anything and that was likely going to take longer than she had, even if she kept walking for an hour or two after dark.

Applejack rolled her eyes. Rotten luck. When was it that she was just wondering if maybe her luck had turned around? She shouldn’t even joke about that.

Eventually she was going to have to stop at some spot in the forest and go to sleep. Find a nice flat spot under a tree, with plenty of soft grass, and turn in. But not for a little while still, she wanted to get mostly through this big forest. And she was keeping her eyes peeled for any paths that branched off from the main road or any hidden houses or buildings that might have been built here. She didn’t expect to see any but if she could find some ponies or civilization in Equinestan early she’d be pretty happy.

Instead she saw more forest animals and a lot of birds watching her but not much else. Applejack briefly stretched and continued walking down the road, as long as the forest wasn’t as much of a pain to travel through as the Everfree Forest then what right did she have to complain? Things felt different here, more normal, there wasn’t an oppressive atmosphere hanging over her head anymore like in so many other places she had traveled through in the Undiscovered West and the Far West. A temperate, pleasant forest like this? It was like walking through Equestria. If it wasn’t for what Applejack knew and the words Discord had given her she’d think the bad had been totally left behind. Even then everything around her still gave off a nice feeling. Things managed to feel familiar and nostalgic, like she was walking down a forested road of her youth, making a trip she had made in the past while out delivering apples or visiting family elsewhere in Equestria.

When she was done with whatever she needed to do at Elysium’s View she felt like Equinestan would be a nice place to travel back through and just enjoy. Hopefully the various cities and towns scattered about it were the same kind of pleasant. Nopony back in the Kingdom of Diamonds had told her that ponies from Equinestan were unfriendly or anything and since they were basically neighbors they oughta have known.

Knowing her bad luck though she’d probably come across the one city where they didn’t like strangers or ponies just traveling through.

Applejack shook her head—silly to get all pessimistic like that even if she did have horrible luck. What would all her friends think about that attitude? Not a one of them would let themselves get such a cynical idea in their heads. Sure, Fluttershy might be worried but she’d always hope for the best and look for it in any new ponies she met.

She continued walking through the forest for several more hours after that, well after the sun finally went down over the horizon and all Applejack had for light was the moon and the stars. To be fair, they twinkled down brightly for her and Applejack never felt like she was walking through total darkness, but it was still just about time for her to stop for the night. A glance up at the full moon in the sky above the clouds brought a small smile to Applejack’s face. That was a welcome and familiar sight too.

Reaching into her bag she pulled out a biscuit and her water flask, eating up the biscuit in just a few quick bites and guzzling down a big gulp of water to help wash it down. It’d be a lot easier to find food and water in a place like this so she wasn’t really worried about rationing anymore. Satisfied with her late dinner she put her flask back and yawned—just about time to go to sleep now after getting some food in her stomach.

Instead of looking to continue on endlessly or trying to spy a building, Applejack looked for any good spots off the side of the road and below the trees to sleep at. Thankfully the night wasn’t much colder than it had been during the day and Applejack figured she’d be pretty comfortable just nestling up against a tree.

With just a few more minutes of walking she found a nice spot in the dense forest that didn’t look too bad. The ground was at least flat and not torn apart or bumpy thanks to any roots. And the grass growing there was plenty thick and should make the nicest natural bed she could ask for. The trees themselves should block most any breeze coming through as well. Yep, that was as good a place as any for Applejack to sleep for the night. She walked over to it and set her bag down and then her hat right on top of it, briefly gliding her hoof over the two roses before smiling and curling up into a ball right beside them. It didn’t take much longer after that before she drifted off to sleep.

A few hours after dawn the next morning, when she had already been walking for quite a while, and the forest opened up in front of Applejack.

The line of trees ended but the dirt road continued through a field of grass towards-

A city.

The city was surrounded by walls going around its entire perimeter but Applejack could see plenty of tall buildings that rose over them—it covered a lot of area too right outside this forest and to the north and south Applejack could see a number of other roads leading right to it. The buildings looked to be made of wood, stone, and plaster, fairly reminiscent of most Equestrian towns but some stood four or five stories high. And boy was it a big place, she had to guess three or four times the size of Ponyville, including Sweet Apple Acres.

The road Applejack was on, coming from the forest, went right up to a gate in the walls that surrounded the city. Maybe gate was the wrong way to put it however. While there were hinges where it looked like heavy doors could be put on them, there was absolutely nothing blocking entrance into the city. The doors weren’t even “open”, they just weren’t there entirely. It gave Applejack an optimistic feeling, if the ponies who lived here never needed to close their doors to the outside then they must be friendly and not really have anything to worry about. She saw no guards or anypony else watching the entrance into the city either.

With a smile on her face she started walking right to the entrance into the city. When she got closer she could hear the noise from it, the clattered sounds of ponies talking and walking through the streets, the sounds of any town or city full of life. She could even hear music coming from somewhere—either a band or a pony playing a record and letting the music pour out the open window of their home.

Yep, Applejack had a good feeling about this place.

When she reached the entrance to the city the dirt road turned into a sandy brick street and she spied a sign—more like a plaque—put up on the side of the wall.

WELCOME TO OAK CITY OF EQUINESTAN: THE BEGINNING OF THE END

“Beginning of the end, huh?” Applejack raised an eyebrow at the city’s own designation. “Guess that aint exactly wrong.”

She walked down the street, mostly just the walls of buildings around her right now with how the city was constructed, until she came out into a larger open market. There were dozens of ponies either talking happily with one another or pulling carts of food around or shopping at stores or watching their kids play around. Applejack saw ponies at stands selling an array of fruit and vegetables, larger stores built at the bottom of tall apartment buildings, one store selling trinkets like wind chimes and other decorations, a pony sitting on a bench and playing violin. Not since the very beginning of her journey had she seen a town so alive and happy.

Unlike New Jasmine Leaf Town the ponies here took no special notice of her. She was just another mare in a crowd.

Kind of meant she had to search around herself for anything she needed though. And she had absolutely no idea where to look. This city was dizzyingly big to her and there were so many streets going off every direction, so many alleys, and buildings that blocked her view she didn’t know where to start. Applejack instead just started looking around at the ponies here and tried to figure out which one of them would be a good bet to ask for directions from.

Was kind of easier in a way when guards were around.

Applejack had so many questions pertaining on how to get to Elysium’s View from here and if she would be able to get room and board along with food and water easily while she traveled through Equinestan. She was starting to get a little overwhelmed when she saw a sign saying “Chaser’s Tavern” hanging over a small building.

Well, that was always a good place to ask for information. Rarity always said that was how it went in those mystery novels she read. Though Applejack’s situation was just a tad different.

She went over to the tavern and opened up the door, pleasantly surprised to see that the inside was well lit and full of nothing but happy chatter and ponies enjoying their drinks. An array of tables were spread out across the floor with ponies drinking and eating or playing cards at them. On the back wall a player piano was giving the whole tavern some pleasant music to listen to. To her left was the bar—mostly empty—with a unicorn tending it. Wasn’t half a bartender’s job to talk to ponies?

Applejack walked over to the bar and took a seat right in front of the bartender, who kindly smiled to her.

“Hello, Miss. How can I help you?”

Applejack rubbed the back of her neck and grinned awkwardly. “Well uh, pardon me for coming in here but I want to be honest with ya right off the bat. I don’t have any money on me or any plans on getting a drink, I’m from out of town and I’ve got a few, maybe more than a few, questions for ya.”

He at least didn’t seem upset by her words, though a little confused as he nodded along. “Oh, okay then. From another city in Equinestan then? Cherry Brook maybe?”

Applejack shook her hoof. “Nope—a lot farther. I just came through the Kingdom of Diamonds to get here. And I’m on my way all the way to Elysium’s View.”

“Really? Don’t hear about ponies making that trip anymore. From the Kingdom of Diamonds I mean, still plenty like to travel to Elysium’s View. But I thought the kingdom wasn’t even really there anymore?” The bartender asked.

“It’s not. Mostly. But it was still the fastest way for me to get to where I’m going. Oak City here is the first place I found in Equinestan, I just wandered in out of the forest an hour ago. I don’t really plan on staying for long, I just need some directions and maybe a little more information about Equinestan. Can you tell me what’s the best route to Elysium’s View from here? I know there’s a place called the White Forest to the west of Equinestan so do I need to get there first?” Applejack asked.

“Well it sounds you know the big points already. And yeah, you’re right, the White Forest is right outside our western borders and once you’re through it you’re already at Elysium’s View. To get to the White Forest from here… the fastest route would be to take the main road leading west from Oak City and make your way to Elmsville and then Maple Town. Unless a new town has sprouted up recently that I haven’t heard about, Maple Town is the furthest western town of Equinestan and it lies pretty much right on the border.”

“Thanks for telling me. So how far away is Elmsville from Oak City?”

“About a day. If you want to go there I’d suggest staying the night here and leaving in the morning.”

Applejack sighed and hung her head low. “Great. I’m in kind of a hurry and I don’t really want to waste any time standing around somewhere...”

“Sorry, Miss,” the bartender shrugged. “If we had a faster way of getting from city to city I’d love to tell you about it.”

Applejack looked back up at him and raised an eyebrow. “Well I have another problem too. That whole no money thing? I’m assuming things like a place to stay along with food and water aint gonna be found for free here in Oak City?”

He winced and shook his head. “Er, no, I’m afraid not. I-I don’t want to give Equinestan a bad look to you, Miss, but we’re still a country that relies on the flow of currency. Things aren’t going to be free anywhere you visit.”

“I understand, that’s really no different than most places and you don’t have to apologize for it,” Applejack told him. “Just puts me in a bit of a bind. No money and nothing I can trade… kind of just leaves one option.”

“What’s that?” The bartender asked.

Applejack smiled. “Work. Do you know any work I can do that might help me out?”

The bartender gave her a look and thought for a second. “Pardon if me saying this is rude but you look like a mare who’s used to working with her hooves?”

“Heh,” Applejack smirked. “Nothing rude about it—I’m a farmer, yeah. Mostly in the business of bucking apples but I do all sorts of work around my farm back home.”

“Well we don’t have any farms within the city… but if you don’t mind heavy lifting then maybe the lumberyard? It’s tough work but Big Jaw, that’s the fellow who owns the lumberyard, could always use an extra set of hooves. He’s a nice enough guy too so I’m sure he’d give you enough for a place to stay and a decent meal if you put in an honest day’s work.”

Applejack shrugged. “Sounds like an alright job to me. Where’s the lumberyard?”

The bartender smiled. “I’ll get you some directions, just one second-”

The lumberyard was pretty dang big, with mostly a bunch of large stallions working in it and doing a pretty good job of making Applejack look out of place. It was situated on the northern edge of Oak City near one of the big gates so recently cut down trees could be brought inside and carved and split up to make lumber that the rest of the city used. Applejack currently stood next to a big pyramid of huge wooden boards all stacked up high—the fruits of the lumberyard’s labor—while on the other side of her were a few large logs stacked up the same way, waiting to be moved. Across the way she could see the mill where fresh logs were taken to be worked on, and ponies carrying axes, saws, other tools, and of course wood itself were walking to and fro throughout the yard.

And right now she was being looked down at by a large silver earth pony stallion who was just as big as her own brother.

“Don’t usually get mares asking to work here, what’s your situation?” Big Jaw asked her.

Applejack had given him her name and asked to work here for the afternoon but Big Jaw still seemed apprehensive. Not that she could really blame him.

“I may be a mare but I’m as strong as any ten stallions I can tell you that,” Applejack grinned up at him. “And I’m trying to make my way to Elysium’s View but I don’t have any money for making the trip through Equinestan. If’n I help out here for the afternoon can you cover me for the night and enough to get some cheap food and water on the way out tomorrow?”

Big Jaw rubbed his chin, considering her words. “Well if you really can put in the work it’s not like I’m gonna refuse...”

“Great! So what can I-”

“Hold on,” Big Jaw lifted up a hoof to stop her. “I’ve got a different sort of offer for you.”

“Different offer?” Applejack tilted her head.

Big Jaw nodded. “Yeah. You say you don’t have any money on you? Well then even if you work here for a day you still won’t have enough to pay for the rest of the way to Elysium’s View. Stay here for a whole week and by the end I’ll give you enough money for food and board to carry you for the rest of your trip. You’re probably hitting Elmsville next if you’re going to Elysium’s View? You’re just going to have to work more there. And Elysium’s View won’t put you up for free anywhere either.”

Applejack furrowed her brow and thought over his proposal. He had a point, she was likely going to have to find something to do in Elmsville and Maple Town at the very least before she continued further. But a whole week? Could she stay here for that long?

She glanced at the logs beside her, still waiting to be taken to the mill, and an idea popped into her head.

“What if instead… will you pay me for the whole week if I do a week’s worth of work in one afternoon?” Applejack asked.

Big Jaw started to guffaw loudly with laughter. “Hahahahaha! Miss, please, I understand you’re in a hurry and you’d like to make some money but nopony could do that much in one afternoon.”

“What if I can?” Applejack raised an eyebrow at him, dead serious.

Big Jaw blinked, realizing she wasn’t joking. “I don’t exactly know what you think you can do but sure, if you did a whole week’s worth of work then I’ll pay you for a whole week’s worth.”

“Okay then,” Applejack said and cracked her neck before walking over to the logs. She jumped up on them to the top of the pyramid, standing right by the top log. Each felled tree log was huge, at least three feet in diameter and she could easily stand atop one of them. She placed a hoof on the very top log and looked back down at Big Jaw. “So this log—you’d turn it into boards like the ones stacked up over there right?”

“That’s right,” Big Jaw nodded—confused but interested to see what she was doing.

“Give me a second,” Applejack smirked.

As Big Jaw watched, the huge tree log shook and vibrated before all the bark ruptured off of it and scattered to the ground. A second later cracks fissured down throughout the entire log and loudly exploded outward, showering the ground in saw dust and tiny bits of wood. So much that Big Jaw had to close his eyes and turn away briefly to avoid getting any in the face. He was about to yell at Applejack and ask her what in the hay she was doing once he looked back up at her but the words caught in his throat.

Applejack was standing right beside a pile of boards as perfectly straight as any normally made from logs like that.

She glanced down at him and raised an eyebrow again—not entirely able to keep a smug smile off her face. “Want me to do the rest?”

Big Jaw nodded. “Be my guest.”

Still Further to Go

Applejack was pretty proud of the work she had done yesterday at Oak City. Especially when Big Jaw had begged her not to go so soon. She hadn’t ever used Hoof of the Earth for something like that exactly (and she wasn’t totally sure it would actually work when she tried) but it sure did help her out. Now her bag had a smaller pouch in it with a bunch of tiny gold coins inside. Applejack remembered that gold was much more common on this side of the chasm while crystals and gemstones were supposed to be rare. The gold wouldn’t get her nearly as far as her old bits had back before the Citadel but according to Big Jaw it should’ve been enough to last her for a day or two at Elysium’s View.

First off though, she was making her way to Elmsville.

The trip down the road through Equinestan was an easy one so far as the country seemed to be mostly temperate with plenty of trees, flowers, and gently flowing rivers and creeks going through the countryside. Over head the sky was blue with puffy white clouds dotting it, no sign of rain or bad weather in sight. What she did learn though was that there wasn’t really anything that existed between the city-states. Nothing having to do with ponies at least. The countryside was unmarred by anything unnatural, no small farms or estates, no roadside inns, nothing of the sort.

It seemed the ponies of Equinestan either lived in their city-states or they didn’t live anywhere. There had to be big farms somewhere though. Maybe one city-state in particular was devoted to that and just exported the food to the others? As always when it came to farming, Applejack was a bit curious, but not enough to go out of her way to figure it out.

She was planning on getting to Elmsville in just a little while.

“Geez, for such nice ponies they sure do like their walls,” Applejack said as she looked upon Elmsville.

Much like Oak City it was completely surrounded by walls though Applejack could tell there was far more open space behind them and not as much of a big city with tall, clustered together, buildings peeking over them. Elmsville was clearly a lot smaller than Oak City in general too. Still bigger than Ponyville but not gigantic.

But, thankfully, the gates were still open for anypony to walk right in and that’s what Applejack was going to do.

As soon as she made her way inside she saw that the streets were still dirt just like the road leading to Elmsville. No paved or cobblestone streets here. Immediately she could tell how completely different Elmsville was from Oak City too, the amount of open space was like the exact opposite of the crowded city. Parks and fields covered most of the ground inside the walls while a few groups of houses and buildings popped up along the dirt streets every now and then. The biggest group of buildings lied dead ahead, probably right in the center of the city-state. Applejack saw a lot of ponies playing around in the fields or traveling the streets, there was just as much of a carefree and positive attitude as there was in Oak City, that was one thing that was the same. All the ponies of Elmsville she could see though were wearing elaborate clothes. Lots of frills and cuffs, heavy dresses for the mares and large overcoats for stallions. Even the fillies and colts ran about in suspenders and dresses. There were also a number of small lakes that she could see, where ponies were rowing clean white boats across in pairs.

Applejack decided she’d head right to the middle of town. That’s probably where she’d best be able to find a place to stay for the night and also get a little more information on Maple Town and the route to Elysium’s View.

As she walked down the winding dirt street towards the group of buildings she ended up getting waved at by quite a few ponies and Applejack was more than happy to wave back. They definitely noticed she wasn’t from Elmsville—staying polite enough to wave to and acknowledge her but not impose on her and stop her while she was going about her own business. Applejack might have stopped to say hi and introduce herself to some if she didn’t still have that nagging anxiety in her telling her she couldn’t stop and waste time.

When she reached the middle of Elmsville she saw that all the buildings were centered around an old petrified tree, itself blocked off with a guard-railing and a bed of flowers. Must’ve been some kind of old “monument” or symbol of the city-state. Either way as soon as Applejack entered the circle of buildings she began looking around for an inn or at the very least some ponies she could talk to. Thankfully there were a number of ponies also here, some eating at a small cafe, or standing around the petrified tree’s guard-rail. She also saw quite a few in the windows of the homes and buildings that made up the center of town. Unlike Oak City she didn’t need to go anywhere herself as now that she stuck out more and was clearly looking around in a little bit of a confusion, some of the ponies from Elmsville saw her and decided to come over and greet her.

The five ponies walked up to Applejack with a smile and the mare leading them brushed some of her mane out of her eyes as she said hello.

“Good afternoon, young lady. You seem a bit lost, can I help you?” The mare asked, her blue eyes and white teeth sparkling. “My name is Amber Twirl, is this your first time in Elmsville?”

Applejack smiled back at her. “Sure is, my name’s Applejack and yeah you could say I’m a little lost. I’m traveling through Equinestan and I just kind of need a place to spend the night before I leave tomorrow morning.”

“Traveling through Equinestan?” A stallion raised an eyebrow while he smugly grinned. “I guarantee you Elmsville is the nicest city you’ll see then.”

He and the other ponies all laughed together while Applejack raised an eyebrow.

“Um… well yeah, it’s a nice place,” Applejack awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck.

“Where else in Equinestan have you been to?” Another mare asked.

“Just Oak City,” Applejack answered.

The mares and stallions chuckled and the first stallion that had spoken glanced at the other mare. “Well it’s really no contest between Elmsville and Oak City.”

“Certainly not,” the mare giggled.

“Uhhh...” Applejack started.

“Excuse us!” Amber Twirl playfully batted her hoof. “Where are our manners? We just can’t help ourselves sometimes when it comes to the other… dwellings… of Equinestan. I certainly hope you didn’t have a hard time in such a dirty place as Oak City?”

Applejack frowned slightly. “No, can’t say that I did, ponies were plenty helpful.”

“I’m sure they were, you don’t need to say anything else,” Amber Twirl smirked and the others chuckled.

“You should spend more time here than just a single day so you can really come to appreciate Elmsville compared to the rest of Equinestan,” a second stallion said.

“Thanks for the offer-” Applejack said with a strained smile. “But I’m actually in a big hurry. You see I’m trying to get all the way to Elysium’s View and I know it’s still a few days worth of travel away from here. Tomorrow I want to get to Maple Town and then head right to the White Forest. So I’d also like to ask, just to make sure, if I keep heading directly west I’ll reach Maple Town by tomorrow won’t I?”

“Well it’s a shame you’re in such a hurry but you have the right of it. If you follow the road that leaves straight west from Elmsville and follow the right signs you’ll reach Maple Town in just one more day. Though probably quite late in the day, it’s right at the edge of Equinestan,” Amber Twirl said.

Applejack breathed a sigh of relief. “Well that’s fine with me, I’m used to long days of travel.”

“Oh but-” Amber Twirl suddenly blinked and bit her lip in apprehension sharing an unsure look with the others. “Is it alright to travel there right now? After what we heard the other day?”

“You’re right,” one stallion said, his eyes looking up as he thought about something. “But I’m sure it’s okay by now.”

“It didn’t sound like it was too big of a deal in the first place,” the other mare said.

Applejack frowned and looked between the five of them. “Uh, what’s wrong? Is something going on in Maple Town?”

“Oh there’s nothing wrong with Maple Town itself—aside from being a little dirty compared to Elmsville—it’s just that last week we heard there was some sort of bandit or brigand harassing the town. Even using violence against the ponies there, can you believe something so terrible? The mayor sent out some letters warning other nearby towns and asking for help if any could be spared. I’m sure whatever the problem was it’s dealt with by now. You might just want to be a little careful when traveling there,” Amber Twirl said.

“I heard they also called down some soldiers from Birch Hall so there shouldn’t be a problem anymore,” the first stallion nodded.

“Well thanks for the warning...” Applejack bit her lip, knowing her luck the problem definitely wouldn’t be taken care of. She hoped the ponies of Maple Town were okay and it was just some random thug and not anything worse. “Do they know if it’s a pony from Equinestan doing this or somepony else?”

“A pony from Equinestan would never!” The other mare shook her head. “Whether they be from Elmsville, Oak City, Sycamore Grove, Birch Hall or any other city. It must be some bandit from one of the other nearby countries.”

“Seems like there’s been more thuggish behavior in the rest of the world lately,” one of the stallions clicked his tongue.

“I see...” Applejack felt it was best not to kick the hornet’s nest.

“Let’s not talk about such nasty things. Best of luck to you when you get there to Maple Town. And you said you were going all the way to Elysium’s View? My, that’s quite the place to visit too,” Amber Twirl said.

“Is it going to be your first time there?” The other mare asked, also more than happy to change the subject to something lighter.

“That’s right,” Applejack nodded.

“Enjoy the view,” the first stallion chuckled and the other ponies soon joined in.

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean by that?”

“You’ll see when you get there. It really… well it really just can’t be put into words,” Amber Twirl said.

“I’ve heard that’s it a pretty special place,” Applejack nodded. She didn’t add that she had no idea just yet on why she was going there. “So anyways—can you tell me where I can stay for the night and maybe get some food to take with me tomorrow morning?” She tapped her bag. “I’ve got money.”

“Of course, there’s an inn for travelers right over there,” Amber Twirl pointed to the other side of the circle of buildings across from the petrified tree.

Applejack followed her hoof and found a slightly taller than average building compared to the rest of Elmsville. It didn’t have any signs on it signifying what it was but it definitely looked big enough to be a place for visiting ponies to stay. She wondered if whoever owned it and worked there would be as… proud about Elmsville as these other ponies. At least they were plenty nice to outsiders, and still helpful. Just a little smug in their attitude.

“You’ll be able to pick up any food you want tomorrow morning when you leave. There are plenty of places in Elmsville where you can get the freshest possible fruit and vegetables,” Amber Twirl said. “So long as you do have the money to pay.”

“I do. Made sure of that,” Applejack said. “Enough to last me for a bit in Elysium’s View when I get there, since I’m not sure how long I’ll be staying.”

“What are you going there for anyways? Sorry if I’m prying, dear, but you seem a bit… befuddled,” Amber Twirl said.

Applejack knew she didn’t mean to be rude but she still had to work to stomp down her annoyance. “It’s just a personal matter. Just something I need to take care of.”

“Well then best of luck when you get to Elysium’s View as well,” Amber Twirl smiled.

“Have a lovely trip. Be sure to tell ponies about how nice Elmsville is when you get there,” the first stallion said.

“R-Right,” Applejack awkwardly grinned. “Well thanks for being so helpful but I think I’ll be heading to that inn now so I can rest up for the rest of the day. I’ve got a lot of walking to do tomorrow by the sound of it.”

She waved goodbye to the five of them and they waved back, Applejack then quickly making her way around where the petrified tree stood. As she walked away she couldn’t help but hear one of them whisper to the others-

“Did you see that hat she was wearing? Dreadful!”

Applejack wasn’t going to miss Elmsville tomorrow morning.

Karza I

She passed by the western walls of Elmsville not long after dawn with a full flask of water and half a dozen carrots in her bag. More than enough to make her trip to Maple Town.

Ahead of her the road curved around grassy hills and meadows and led to another forest in the distance, the green grass all around her moist with morning dew. Despite the somewhat unsettling news she had gotten yesterday, and the somewhat unpleasant ponies she had met, Applejack had a smile on her face. She was determined to stay optimistic now that she was so close to her destination. She had made that decision yesterday knowing how close she finally was.

At the very least it looked like the weather would stay on her side for the rest of her time in Equinestan. The early morning sky was a light blue and the sun was shining down radiantly. A few birds, having just woken up, flew out of a nearby tree and scattered to the south. Applejack nodded to herself and left Elmsville behind, her coin pouch a little lighter than she was hoping but in the end that wasn’t a big deal.

With a longer distance from Elmsville to Maple Town than from Oak City to Elmsville, Applejack trotted along at a brisk pace. She wasn’t going to stop and enjoy the views even though the countryside of Equinestan was certainly nice to look at.

While walking she ate one of her six carrots for breakfast to give herself some energy and tossed the remains into the grass alongside the road. A rabbit or some other animal would be happy to find it.

Going up her first hill after leaving Elmsville and she saw that these parts of Equinestan were pretty much the same as they were right out of Oak City. It seemed there really must have been some sort of agreement between the ponies of Equinestan to not live anywhere outside the various city limits. An unmarred landscape reminiscent of the nicest parts of Equestria sprawled out before Applejack. Like she had decided earlier though, it was no time to sight-see and she quickly went down the hill and kept trotting at a fast pace down the road. To keep herself occupied though she started whistling, just to have something to do while she made the long trip to Maple Town.

By noon she stopped for a moment just to rest her hooves and eat some more. The clouds had filled up the sky a little bit and directly blocked the sun now, but they weren’t rain clouds or particularly thick so it was still decently bright out. Another carrot was chomped down and Applejack gave the stump to a curious squirrel that had come up to investigate her. She took a big yawn and stretched before getting back on the road—the dirt road now going around a large lake that stretched far north. Applejack could actually see the walls of another city state propped up on the northern edge of the lake, but that wasn’t her destination.

And by late afternoon the sun had started to go down a bit, Applejack could see a large mountain range to the southwest and was thankful she didn’t have to travel through it. She had already had more than enough of mountains on this journey. A few large birds flew over the road, casting their shadows for a long ways behind them thanks to the slanted sunlight. She had to pull down her hat slightly to keep the sun from getting into her eyes at this point—nothing new there when walking west at the end of the day. There had been a road branching off from this main one about an hour back, going south with a sign saying “Redwood Hearth” on it. The only other sign of civilization since she had passed by the lake. It was strange that Equinestan could have so many cities where ponies lived and feel totally uninhabited at the same time. It was a different feeling than traveling through the old Kingdom of Diamonds but she would’ve enjoyed crossing paths with a pony once or twice out here just so she had somepony to smile and wave at.

The walls of Maple Town were different than those of Oak City and Elmsville. They were made of wood and were much shorter with a lattice making up the last two feet. Instead of a more imposing sort of defensive wall it was really no different than a large fence around somepony’s property. At least in Applejack’s mind. There was no gateway or anything in the wall, it was just a gap that the dirt road went right through. And stayed a dirt road as well that really looked no different than outside of Maple Town. Right by the road, in front of where the wall opened up to allow ponies into Maple Town, there was a large signboard with a mural painted on it, welcoming ponies to town. A happy looking family standing in front of a line of trees waved happily at you with a big “Welcome to Maple Town” stylistically drawn in the sky.

Seemed like a nice town already to Applejack.

And when she walked past the wall she found herself surrounded by maple trees, not open space like Elmsville or a bunch of crowded buildings like Oak City. It’s like she was walking through a private forest now.

By now though it had gotten pretty dark. The sun had gone down and while it wasn’t late at night just yet, Applejack doubted she’d get much of a welcome once she reached the actual town part of Maple Town. She hoped this place wasn’t as big or sprawling as some of the other city-states looked. She just wanted to be able to find an inn to lodge in for the night. Regardless, she knew she was going to have to look around on her own for a little while unless there was some pony working out late.

As she walked though she started to see some lights ahead, past the forest. In another minute she came out of the forest and the dirt road emptied out into a wide open area about the same size as Ponyville—and there Applejack saw dozens of small buildings, homes, businesses, and everything in-between, scattered around like the ponies of Maple Town just felt like propping them up wherever they felt like on any given day. Lampposts with heavy candles stood around town, providing plenty of illumination for a pony to walk around at night.

Unfortunately Applejack still didn’t see any of those other ponies so she still had to walk in and go searching for them. Maple Town had a nice, familiar, feeling to it though. It had a much more quaint and small town atmosphere to it that Applejack loved.

The outermost buildings were small houses, even if their lights weren’t turned off Applejack wouldn’t have bothered them at this time of day. She walked past them and looked for places where ponies were more likely to gather casually. Again she had to think a bar was the most likely spot. Especially when it was already dark out. If Maple Town had something like that then Applejack was going to keep her eyes peeled for it. A café, a library, a theater, any other spot would’ve been perfectly fine for her as well. The more she looked around the more dark buildings she found—it didn’t seem like anything was open or most anypony was awake around her.

A sinking feeling built up in Applejack’s stomach—what if this wasn’t normal and that pony that was harassing Maple Town was to blame? Were the ponies even here? Were they okay?

As she started to panic though she heard something coming from somewhere else in town. Music.

Her ears perked up a bit—she’d recognize that instrument anywhere—somepony was playing a fiddle. They were playing it mighty slow though.

“Then don’t that just make it playing a violin like normal?” Applejack asked herself.

Shrugging at that question, she listened in as best she could to try and figure out where the music was coming from. Applejack followed her ears like that and walked through the outskirts of Maple Town, heading towards the center. There were still no ponies out anywhere that she could see but the violin playing got louder. Though it was muffled at the same time too. Whoever was playing it was indoors somewhere. She passed by several more homes and buildings until she was near absolutely certain she was walking right towards the middle of town. All it took was for her to pass one more home that she saw a much larger building smack dab in the middle of Maple Town, lit up by several lampposts around it.

The building was large but squat, looking only to be one large story, and round with a series of stained windows going around the exterior. On top of the building was a flagpole with a flag hanging straight down thanks to the lack of any breeze. Applejack raised an eyebrow at the building and walked around it until she found a large set of double doors on the southern side. There was a plaque over the doors that read: MAPLE TOWN TOWN HALL AND RECREATION CENTER.

Applejack smiled. “Alright, I’d say this is a good place to check out.”

She pushed the doors open and strode inside, letting the doors close back behind her. Directly ahead of her was a hallway that led to another set of open doors that looked like it went into a small circular room branching off into several more hallways. However her attention was taken up by the open archways to her right and left. An extensive library stood in the large room to her right, currently as quiet as any library should be, all the interior lights were turned off as well. Seemed reading hours were long considered over. But to her left, the sound of a violin came wafting through the air.

Applejack looked into the other room and saw a large lounge with many cushioned chairs and couches set up, along with a long bar at the far side.

Along with quite a few ponies seated inside it.

The bar itself wasn’t manned at the moment, but in the corner of the lounge was a mare playing the violin, her eyes shut as she slowly made music for the other ponies in the lounge. Most seats were taken up by a variety of ponies quietly enjoying the music, Applejack saw unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies who looked like they came from all walks of life in the lounge. All her age or older—and there was a fairly somber attitude in the lounge, with only a few small conversations going on or a few ponies reading books or having something to drink. Even if it was night Applejack didn’t think things needed to be so quiet inside a big building like this.

However, things changed when the ponies finally noticed her. It only took a few heads to turn and see her standing in the entryway but the conversation stopped and a few ponies gasped in surprise—causing the violin to stop. Everypony was staring right at her now and Applejack was starting to feel on the hot seat.

One pony suddenly stood up from his seat, gawking at her with eyes wide. “A-A visitor! Hello!”

He was an older blue earth pony stallion with a bushy white mustache, glasses, and a top hat. A smile quickly stretched out across his face and he looked to the other ponies in the lounge. “Hey now, what are you all doing just sitting around? We’ve got a visitor so give her a warm welcome!”

Smiles popped up on the other ponies too and quite a few stood up out of their seats in greeting or at the very least waved to Applejack.

It was slightly eerie to see their attitudes change so suddenly but Applejack appreciated that they were at least trying to be friendly. If anything they seemed to be genuinely happy to see her.

The top hat wearing pony came over to her in a rush and before Applejack could speak up he was already grabbing her hoof and vigorously shaking it. “Welcome, welcome to Maple Town! I’m the Mayor—Mayor Rooter! It’s a true pleasure to meet you, we always adore seeing visitors to our humble town! My apologies things are so quiet at nighttime, we would’ve given you a much warmer welcome if you had gotten here earlier. Oh! Listen to me just ramble on like a loon! I haven’t even asked your name yet.”

“It’s Applejack,” Applejack quickly replied and pulled her hoof away, nearly having her brains shaken up by his exuberance. “And it’s nice to meet you, Mr. Mayor.”

“Applejack, what a lovely name! And where are you from? Please don’t hesitate to ask for anything while you stay here at Maple Town. We pride ourselves on how well we treat visitors and ponies just traveling through,” he smiled even wider, if that was possible.

“Well thank you, that’s good to hear, I was a little worried that when I got here I wouldn’t be able to find anyponies up,” she smirked. “But I guess I’m lucky to meet the Mayor very first thing. And just so you know I’m from Ponyville—it’s a place real far away from here, far to the east. But it’s just a small town kind of like your own Maple Town. I wanted to tell you how nice your town looked while I was walking through it. My kind of town.”

“You’re too kind, much too kind,” Mayor Rooter then glanced over at the rest of the ponies in the lounge. “Everypony, isn’t it nice to have a visitor? She’s from a far away town called Ponyville, why not say hello! Gotta be nice and friendly to any new ponies here or it aint the Maple Town way!”

Of course before the other townsponies could do anything on their own, Mayor Rooter put his hoof around Applejack’s neck and started pulling her through the lounge and introducing her to the other ponies himself.

“A lot of important ponies from around Maple Town are here tonight, we all like to lounge together like this after a long day,” Mayor Rooter said and stopped Applejack off in front of a mare and stallion pegasus who had been sitting together. “This is Mr. and Mrs. Gust—they painted the murals you’ll see at every entrance and exit to Maple Town.”

“Pleased to meet you,” both pegasi said and shook hooves with Applejack. Mr. Gust was quite tall and Mrs. Gust was the exact opposite, nearly a head shorter than Applejack. Both had paintbrushes for Cutie Marks but his was dipped red and hers dipped blue.

“I came in from the eastern side, it was a really pretty mural,” Applejack smiled at the two of them.

“Thank you very much,” Mrs. Gust said while Mr. Gust smiled.

“And over here-” Mayor Rooter pulled her along in front of a unicorn stallion who was still seated but politely smiling at her. “This is Sure Suture, he’s our local doctor.”

“Charmed,” Sure Suture nodded. He was thin for a stallion, with a flowing orange mane, a tan coat, and rather bright blue eyes that made him appear younger than he certainly was.

“And pleased to meet you too,” Applejack said, more or less repeating herself at this point.

And she ended up being yanked right over to another unicorn stallion who held up a glass of frothy liquid in greeting once Mayor Rooter and Applejack approached. She guessed he was just around her age, and he was much more well-built than your average unicorn, with a swarthy brown coat and a messy but short sand-colored mane and tail. His eyes were green just like Applejack’s and a Cutie Mark of a pile of rocks rested on his flank.

“This here is Blast Miner—his family has owned a series of mines up in northwest Equinestan for generations,” Mayor Rooter said.

Blast Miner chuckled and wryly grinned. “Gold, silver, tin, and iron—right up until all the mines went dry. Sit around here now with nothing else to do.”

Applejack winced but smiled at back at him. “I understand, I’m a farmpony myself and I worry about business drying up sometimes.” She shook his hoof. “Nice to meet you too.”

“Oh and of course don’t let me forget to introduce you to Melody Jewel!” Mayor Rooter said and quickly pulled Applejack over to the mare that had been playing the violin in the corner.

She was a pegasus mare of Applejack’s age, with an exceedingly long and glossy purple mane and a lemon yellow coat. She smiled and nodded at Applejack as she approached with the mayor, showing off long eyelashes over red eyes and blue mascara. “Welcome to Maple Town. If you’re staying here please come by the lounge tomorrow too, I’d love to perform for a visitor to our home.”

Applejack smiled and nodded. “Your violin playing is really nice, I’ll see if I have time in the morning.”

“Thank you for indulging me,” Melody Jewel giggled lightly.

“And over here-” Mayor Rooter excitedly pulled her over towards another pony, an earth pony stallion. “This is Peach Pit! He has a peach orchard on the northern side of Maple Town.”

“How do you do?” Peach Pit asked and reached out a hoof for Applejack. He was a tall light red earth pony with a short, balding, brown mane and light gray eyes. He wore a shaggy wool vest and on his flank was a Cutie Mark showing off a basket of peaches. “I hope that Cutie Mark you have doesn’t mean you can’t appreciate peaches as well.”

Applejack grinned as she shook his hoof. “Nothing wrong with peaches but don’t expect me to say they’re better than apples.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Peach Pit laughed.

Mayor Rooter smiled and tried to pull Applejack away again. “Now here we have-”

“Ahem,” Sure Suture loudly cleared his throat, twisting his head around to fix the mayor with a gaze. “Mayor? I don’t think you need to personally introduce her to everypony here. It’s late and you’re wearing the poor mare out. If she wants to visit and learn about Maple Town I think you can at least let her do that tomorrow morning.”

“Oh,” Mayor Rooter stopped and apologetically looked over at Applejack. “I’m being rather pushy, aren’t I? I’m sorry—the good doctor has it absolutely right. You probably just want to find a place to stay right now. Well I’ll gladly take you to an inn for the night and tomorrow morning I’ll be more than happy to show you the rest of Maple Town!”

Applejack smiled but shook her head. “I really appreciate the offer and Maple Town seems like a really nice place but I’m in a big hurry. I just needed to stop here for the night but as soon as it’s morning I’ll be setting out west—making my way to Elysium’s View.”

The mayor’s face fell. And so did the faces of the other ponies. The atmosphere inside the lounge got cold real quick and the room went dead quiet as ponies shot worried looks at each other.

“Did I… did I say something wrong?” Applejack apprehensively looked around.

“West? You’re going west in the direction of Elysium’s View?” Melody Jewel asked her.

“That’s right,” Applejack nodded.

Mayor Rooter put his hooves on her, shaking his head back and forth. “No, you can’t go that direction, Miss Applejack. You’d be in danger.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Is this about that bandit? When I was at Elmsville they mentioned that-”

“Not just some bandit,” Peach Pit frowned.

“Yes—he many not even be a pony at all,” Mayor Rooter gulped. “If you try heading west of here you’ll become another victim of Karza.”

Karza II

“Karza? What in the hay are you talking about?” Applejack asked Mayor Rooter while around her she saw all the dismayed faces of the other ponies in the lounge.

“You said you heard about our plight from Elmsville didn’t you?” Mayor Rooter sighed and let Applejack go, morosely stepping away from her. “I-I wanted us to make you feel welcome and comfortable here, I didn’t know you planned to travel west out of Equinestan...”

“So you all were going to act like nothing had been going wrong here at all?” Applejack put together.

“Not for any malicious reason or because we wanted to deceive you! We just didn’t want you to be afraid...” Mayor Rooter answered.

“Well I appreciate that, really, but it still doesn’t change things for me. I need to go west and get to Elysium’s View. Also, I may just look like an ordinary mare and all but I’m pretty good at taking care of myself. I’ve dealt with bandits and ruffians more than once in my life,” Applejack said.

“But Karza’s not a bandit or ruffian,” Peach Pit said.

Applejack saw the others in the lounge nodding in agreement and finally had her curiosity piqued. She sighed and dragged a hoof down her face. “Alright—can I get the news on just what I’ve stumbled into then?”

“Well, he just appeared out of nowhere one day,” Mayor Rooter said.

“And he looks like a normal earth pony,” Blast Miner added.

“But he can’t be,” Mr. Gust said, shaking his head. “He has magical powers!”

“And he can fly like a pegasus!” Mrs. Gust said.

Applejack looked between all of them like they were crazy. “Are y’all pulling my leg? This sounds like some kind of nutty tall-tale. How can an earth pony do stuff like that?”

“Maybe he’s secretly something else...” Sure Suture murmured.

“But he really does have magical powers,” Blast Miner nodded. “He can levitate rocks and move the earth itself.”

“And I’ve seen him flying—even without wings!” Mrs. Gust repeated.

Applejack rubbed her head, feeling a headache coming. “Okay, okay, hold on for a second. Can I get the story from one pony at a time please. Mr. Mayor?”

Mayor Rooter nodded, a solemn frown on his face. “It started only about two weeks ago. A pony from Maple Town—Sugary Sweet—was starting on a trip to Elysium’s View. You see, directly west from Maple Town there’s a small forest and it eventually ends in a big field of rocks and granite boulders, almost like you’re walking through a canyon or the rubble left over from a mountain. Once you’re past that though you come out into another road that goes right into the White Forest and then to Elysium’s View. Well, when Sugary Sweet was in that rocky passage, she was confronted by a mysterious pony. She said it was just an earth pony, but he called himself Karza and he told her that these lands and soon all of Equinestan would belong to him. Naturally she thought he was just some nutjob at first but when she tried to just walk past him he… he used some kind of magic to raise a wall of earth up right in front of her. Sugary Sweet said she screamed in fright and turned tail to run away, but he didn’t let her go so easily. She said spikes of rock shot up from the ground all around her, and then she saw him flying over her head while levitating boulders and he started to drop and throw them at her. She said she barely escaped with her life. On the way out of the rocky passage she heard Karza laughing and telling her to warn the others of Maple Town… that was the first news we got of him.”

“So he can really do all of that?” Applejack frowned.

“He can. And many others here in town have seen it happen personally,” Mayor Rooter continued. “Naturally when Sugary Sweet came back and told us what happened a bunch of us went out to find this “Karza” pony and put a stop to him.”

“It didn’t go well...” Peach Pit muttered, and the others in the lounge shook their heads.

“We came to realize that Sugary Sweet was completely right about what he could do. He didn’t kill or even really hurt any of us, but he tore apart the ground, lifted up huge boulders with his mind, created huge holes below our hooves that we fell in before spitting us back out...” Mr. Gust said and shivered. “It was horrifying.”

“It’s so strange… there was no magical aura like with a unicorn’s horn or anything. But he could control rocks and the earth and make himself fly...” Sure Suture shook his head.

“Some of those boulders would weigh several tons too,” Blast Miner said.

“After he chased us all away and repeated what he told Sugary Sweet, we tried getting help from other nearby towns and even called for soldiers from Birch Hall,” Mayor Rooter said.

“Figured ponies that actually knew how to fight might have a chance,” Mr. Gust shrugged.

“Well they didn’t,” Mayor Rooter sighed.

“After they went out to deal with Karza we didn’t hear back from them,” Blast Miner said. “So we went out two days later and found them all buried up to their necks in the dirt, unable to get out or move at all. Half dead from dehydration at that point too.”

“When we rescued them they told us that Karza said if we tried to go out and get help again or try to remove him ourselves he’d destroy Maple Town… and we don’t doubt him on that,” Mayor Rooter said.

“So it might be best for you to not try going to Elysium’s View—for all of us,” Melody Jewel said.

“But why’s he even doing any of this? If he wants to take over Equinestan or something this doesn’t make a whole lot of sense,” Applejack rubbed her head.

“We’re not about to go out and ask him for the details,” Peach Pit said.

“We’ve all been afraid to leave or do anything around Maple Town now...” Mrs. Gust said.

“Can’t exactly blame you if this is all true,” Applejack said, thinking about the crazy things she had just heard. How could an earth pony do any of that stuff? And who was this guy really and where did he come from? And if he was blocking the way to Elysium’s View and tormenting the ponies here… well there was only one thing that Applejack could do about it. She looked over at Mayor Rooter and raised an eyebrow. “So what’s this Karza fellow look like anyways?”

“Huh? Why do you want to know?” He asked back.

“Just curious, sounds like such a strange pony,” Applejack said.

“Well aside from being an earth pony he is kind of odd looking,” Sure Suture said.

“How so?” Applejack raised an eyebrow.

“Wears a cape,” Peach Pit said.

“A red cape,” Mrs. Gust nodded.

“And he’s got a shiny golden mane and tail, with bright blue eyes, and… I’d say a sandy or light-brown coat?” Sure Suture rubbed his chin.

“Can’t remember seeing his Cutie Mark though—but he also has black fetlocks,” Mr. Gust said.

“Makes him pretty colorful all in all,” Mayor Rooter said.

“Sounds like it...” Applejack said, staring down at the floor, deep in thought.

“Miss Applejack? You seem to be thinking something quite concerning,” Sure Suture said.

Applejack smirked and glanced up at him. “Thanks for the concern. And you’re right. You say this pony has been terrorizing you? Threatening your town? Blocking off the way to Elysium’s View. Well that’s three reasons right there I need to go and put a stop to him.”

“Hold on!” Mayor Rooter shouted at her while all the other ponies in the lounge looked stunned. “He’s dangerous, you’re just a normal mare aren’t you? And if you go bother him what if he decides to destroy Maple Town?”

“Sounds like he might destroy the town or try and take over Equinestan no matter what anypony else does,” Applejack shrugged. “The only way to really be safe from a wacko like this is to put a stop to him. I know that from experience. And I aint just a normal mare-” she sighed. “Unfortunately. But anyways, believe me when I say I’ve dealt with ponies like him before. I know how to handle myself in a fight. I promise I’ll stop him for you so at the very least he won’t trouble Maple Town no more. Besides—one way or another I need to get to Elysium’s View. Unless you’re planning on stopping me from leaving town, I’m gonna go through this Karza to do it.”

She saw a few ponies share uncertain looks with each other, Peach Pit and Blast Miner, Mr. and Mrs. Gust with each other, and finally Mayor Rooter with Sure Suture.

“It’s not like things could really get that much worse,” Sure Suture shrugged.

“Maybe an outsider is just what we needed,” Melody Jewel suggested.

Mayor Rooter still looked pretty dismayed but eventually he gave in and nodded. “It’s not like we can stop you—we wouldn’t do something like that. Just please be careful, and please win. N-Now let me show you where you can spend the night. You’re probably going to want a long rest...”

“Definitely,” Applejack agreed.

The bed at the local Maple Town inn was exactly what Applejack needed after a long day of walking and right before whatever trouble she ended up getting into today. She was fully rested, had a nice breakfast of carrots, and was now ready to go out and find this strange Karza pony. As she stepped through the western exit to Maple Town there were a number of ponies watching her go: The Mayor, Sure Suture, Melody Jewel, Blast Miner, and a few other ponies who it looked like word had spread to.

Applejack didn’t want any of them to worry but she knew they would. And she couldn’t exactly blame them for that. But they’d just have to wait until she defeated or convinced this Karza pony to stop and came back to tell them. Right now Applejack wasn’t going to waste any words on reassuring them, she had said everything she needed to last night.

Taking a deep breath she started walking down the road in the early light of dawn.

The forest and western edge of Equinestan was just as pretty as the rest, Applejack had to acknowledge that. She didn’t know why the city-states weren’t closer together (metaphorically, not physically) but it was still such a nice looking country. She could see a lot of Equestrians enjoy a visit or even a long stay out here.

Of course that wasn’t the reason she was out here. Maybe when everything was good and done with and she was back home. But right now she had found herself on another mission to help ponies she barely knew. Well that was just normal for her by now. Even with her own friendship mission still needing to be finished she just couldn’t abandon ponies in danger. It wasn’t right. Even if she wasn’t an Element of Harmony and didn’t have to think about what all her friends would say, Applejack still wouldn’t leave the ponies of Maple Town hanging. There was also the mystery of Karza and his strange powers that made her curious. It just sounded bad. How could an earth pony do the sort of magical stuff he was doing? And if he wanted to take over Equinestan that was even worse.

Discord’s words rang in her ears… could this be the big problem? Could he be the pony?

Applejack still wanted to hope Discord was pulling her leg but she wasn’t going to discount what he said just yet. Despite many things, he was still her friend. Applejack would be wary of anything that happened out here.

It actually wasn’t too long before the forest ended and Applejack saw the rocky passage ahead. With boulders, piles of rocks, split apart rock formations, slabs of granite and sandstone, all shooting out everywhere and covering the ground like a quarry that had been halfway excavated. This must have been the actual western edge of Equinestan and right beyond it was the White Forest. So dang close… she was finally almost right there.

Applejack stayed alert as she walked down the rocky road, with boulders all alongside her she could potentially be ambushed from anywhere. So she kept her eyes open, her ears perked up, and much more stealthily she started using her Hoof of the Earth scouting to get a read on the entire place. If there was a pony out here attacking those who came through—she would sense him first.

So far her tremors were only giving her images of more boulders and rocks and Applejack kept walking at her normal pace to not give anything away. There were no animals around either—not even any birds in the sky—they might have all become afraid of this place after what had gone on here. She had left Maple Town really early so maybe Karza wasn’t out yet either? Perhaps he had some hidden home or place he stayed before coming out here and watching the pass. It’s not like he could be here all the time after all, a pony still needed to sleep and eat.

If he was a pony. Applejack wasn’t going to count out the possibility that he was something else entirely—even if he looked like a normal earth pony the things the ponies of Maple Town said he could do made her uncertain. A changeling didn’t fit the bill completely. Nothing Applejack could think of did. She’d just have to figure it out when she found him.

Applejack had now been walking through the rocky passage for a decent while and she was starting to wonder how big it was. When would the rocks disappear and she’d walk out onto the road that went through the White Forest? If Karza could control all these rocks he certainly set himself up in a good place to fight. Well, Applejack could fight here just fine too. Though she was planning to at least talk to him and ask him why he was doing all this nonsense first. She hoped he would give her the chance to do that instead of just immediately assaulting her. Which is why she was still scouting with Hoof of the Earth to find him.

Another tremor was sent out, totally imperceptible.

And Applejack frowned.

She felt something. Movement. But it didn’t feel like a pony. There were no hoofsteps, no other typical vibrations or signals that came from either a pony or any other living creature she could think of.

And it was coming from underground.

She stopped walking and stayed where she was, not leaving her spot. She didn’t look around or act scared or do anything else to show she was intimidated. Merely stopped to let him know that she knew he was there. Applejack wanted to show that she was different than any of the ponies that had come after him before. But for the moment he didn’t show himself. Applejack could feel the strange movement underground near her but whether that was him or his magical powers doing something she wasn’t sure yet. Either way she had no intention to give him any satisfaction.

“I know you’re there. Why not come out and show yourself already,” Applejack said loudly enough to reach into the boulders around her.

The vibrations below ground stopped somewhere in front of her. And Applejack could feel something moving through the ground—rising up to meet her.

The crown of his head looked like it was melting through the dirt. Applejack’s eyes widened, it wasn’t like he had been digging or traveling through the dirt, but like he had become merged with the ground and was now separating from it. He was fairly tall and slim actually for an earth pony but otherwise he was exactly what had been described to Applejack. A shiny golden mane and tail, bright blue eyes, black fetlocks, and a light brown body with a flowing red cape over it. When he rose from the earth completely he flashed her a confident, mocking, sneer.

Applejack narrowed her eyes back at him. “Karza, is it?”

Karza IV

Applejack turned and saw several ponies from Maple Town running towards her from up the road. She saw Mayor Rooter, Sure Suture, Peach Pit and a number of others that she didn’t know by name. They were navigating the now twisting and warped road, the ground not completely flat or free of boulders anymore thanks to Karza. Applejack merely stood there and waited for them, realizing she was more exhausted than she felt, and in a bit more pain now that the adrenaline had worn off. She still kept her guard up, using Hoof of the Earth to make sure Karza had truly left. She didn’t want any of the ones coming to get hurt.

“Howdy,” Applejack said as they finally got near. “Why’d you come out here? I told you I would take care of it.”

That didn’t sound so impressive with the way she looked.

“W-We got worried after a while—we couldn’t stop watching after you and thinking what you were doing,” Mayor Rooter said. “Before long we decided to follow you and then, well then we started feeling the ground move and heard all these loud noises and came running...”

“It was almost like an earthquake, really startled us. It also didn’t feel right to let you get hurt when you’re not even from here,” Sure Suture said.

Applejack looked down at her bruised and cut up body. Not like she was angry at them for coming to help—and she still wasn’t exactly sure how she was going to beat Karza when he decided to leave. She nodded in appreciation to the ponies and gave them a smile. “Alright… you mind if I spend another night in Maple Town then?”

“Ouch! You think you put enough alcohol on that danged thing, Doc?” Applejack grumbled as Sure Suture went about cleaning her wounds—currently in the process of dabbing an alcohol-soaked rag to one of the cuts on her leg.

“Just let me go about my business, you’re a tough mare aren’t you?” Sure Suture didn’t meet her eyes as he continued his work.

“Yeah, yeah...” Applejack muttered and just let him finish his work.

By the end of it she had a few bandages on her body along with some gauze and bits of cotton wrapped around her hooves and legs. For the most part nothing major had happened, but Sure Suture also wanted her to put some ice on the spot she had been hit by the larger rock. Applejack was pretty sure she’d be fine after a night of rest. Just needed some good food and a drink of water in her and she’d be right as rain.

She rested her head back on the pillow of the bed she was on in his doctor’s office. A fittingly small building for a small place like Maple Town—but still with everything a doctor needed. She wasn’t sure if she was going to sleep here or not but it probably wouldn’t be too uncomfortable.

That is if all the others crowding the office wouldn’t leave first.

Right now it was crowded with a very curious Mayor Rooter, Blast Miner, Peach Pit, and Melody Jewel, while quite a few other townsponies were standing around outside the building. They were all rightly curious of what happened. And the ones more knowledgeable about Karza were very surprised that she could still be called okay after facing him. Applejack was still hoping they’d have enough soon and leave so she could just get to sleep, she was already thinking about the rematch with Karza and what she was going to do about him.

Mayor Rooter cleared his throat and stepped up to her bed. “Well it’s good you’re okay. Melody Jewel was right that we should’ve gone out to see if you needed help...”

Applejack raised an eyebrow over at Melody Jewel. “You convinced em to do that?”

“Sorry I couldn’t come out myself...” Melody Jewel sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. “I was a little scared but I figured it was still wrong for us to not even make sure you were okay. You’re not from Equinestan, no offense, so us heaping all our problems on you just felt wrong. And knowing what happened to those soldiers we couldn’t just not make sure nothing like that had happened to you...”

“Truthfully it almost did...” Applejack rubbed at her neck where she had briefly been buried up to.

Blast Miner then walked up beside Mayor Rooter as well. “You know, and pardon me if this is rude since you’re recovering and all, but I can’t help but be curious how you actually managed to fight back against Karza for so long. How did you do it when he can control all the earth and rocks around you?”

Applejack normally wouldn’t have minded telling him the whole truth—but she had made a promise to keep Hoof of the Earth to herself and not let it become a spectacle. It was a private thing and she wanted to keep it that way out of respect. So all she could really do was keep Blast Miner and the others wondering. “Well I’ve got a few special tricks under my hat too. I aint the type of mare that can be bullied around by somepony like him.” She frowned. “That Karza though… you all really weren’t kidding about what he can do.”

“Yes… he’s really something. I can’t begin to think of how a pony could do what he does,” Blast Miner scratched his head.

“What are you going to do now?” Mayor Rooter asked. “Are you going to turn back since-”

“Turn back?” Applejack immediately cut him off. “Absolutely not. I said I’d help you and I meant that. I’m a mare who keeps her promises. If I didn’t keep this promise I couldn’t call myself Applejack anymore—that’s the way of it. Besides, although I may not like fighting I don’t like losing one bit either and I’ve got a score to settle with that crazy pony. Tomorrow morning I’m going back out there to settle things with him.”

“You are?” Melody Jewel asked, her eyes going wide.

“Sure am,” Applejack nodded.

“I can’t say that’s a good idea,” Peach Pit shook his head.

“Me neither. Perhaps we can get help from somewhere else again. Get more ponies who can fight together. Surely Karza’s threat of destroying Maple Town wasn’t real?” Sure Suture suggested.

“But she was already able to fight him far better than even that group of soldiers. Maybe we should trust her,” Blast Miner shrugged. “She’s definitely got some way of taking care of herself.”

“Well I… um… I’m not sure...” Mayor Rooter hesitated, his mouth was twisted up in turmoil as his eyes darted back and forth across the small room. “W-We still don’t want to foist all our problems on you… b-but you seem very capable, more than the rest of us. I’m not sure what we should do, do we need to fight at all? W-What if Karza just doesn’t bother doing anything else as long as we leave him alone?”

“You can’t do things that way,” Applejack shook her head. “I didn’t get a clear answer from him—in fact I think he’s totally crazy—but he’s obviously not just doing this to sit around doing nothing later on. He said he’d take over Equinestan soon enough. That alone means you can’t just ignore the problem, you already know he’s dangerous, ignoring him isn’t going to fix anything.”

“If that’s the case then I agree, but still, just what can actually be done? Are you certain you can fight him again? You were already hurt by him once,” Sure Suture said.

“I know what he can do now. I’ve seen him fight and I’ve seen him use his crazy powers. I’ll be better prepared tomorrow morning,” Applejack said.

“You don’t want any of us to maybe come and help?” Peach Pit asked. “Not that I really want to but maybe we can do something...”

Applejack shook her head again. “No, and it’s not that I don’t appreciate the offer, but you don’t need to and just downright shouldn’t put yourselves in danger like that. I might be able to take care of myself against him but Karza’s powers are way too dangerous for ordinary ponies like you. You’d just be getting in the way and I couldn’t fight him if he was targeting you, I’d never be able to figure myself if any of you were hurt doing that.”

“But you’re not an ordinary pony?” Blast Miner raised an eyebrow at her.

“Not… entirely,” Applejack sighed. “I mean, yes, but no. It’s—I’m just a regular earth pony like any other. I promise.” She rubbed her head and grumbled in annoyance. “Ugh, I’m making this sound way more suspicious and weird than it is. But just trust me again, alright? This Karza fellow is a bad, no-good, rotten punk but I’ve dealt with worse. I can tell that after meeting him.”

“You certainly speak with much more… conviction than any other pony I’ve met,” Melody Jewel said. “You have a certain charisma to you.”

Applejack awkwardly grinned. “Well thanks I suppose. Although I don’t think I really talk special none...”

Peach Pit scratched the side of his head and grimaced. “I guess if this is the way it’s going then the least we can do is get you some good food. I’ll take care of that.”

“And on that note I think I’d like the rest of you to file out now as well too,” Sure Suture said. “Let the mare get some rest, she’s been through enough today and we don’t need to bother her with more of this inquisition now that things are settled.” He looked over at her. “You can just stay in this room for the night, and don’t worry about a charge.”

“Thanks for the hospitality,” Applejack nodded.

Sure Suture snorted humorously. “We’re the ones who need to be thanking you.”

“Don’t worry about paying for anything,” Mayor Rooter said.

“Tomorrow morning I’ll make sure to see you before you head off again, just listen for my music,” Melody Jewel smiled. “And when you come back after taking care of whatever you need to do at Elysium’s View we’ll give you a warm welcome and gladly help you out in whatever way you need. Maybe even put on a welcoming back party—the best you’ve had.”

Applejack, briefly thinking about one of her friends in particular, knew that was very unlikely. She still smiled for the mare in front of her. “Thanks a lot, Melody. I’ll be looking forward to that. And for the rest of you… once I leave town, give it an hour or two before you head to the passage. If I’m not there anymore it means I won and you can rest easy.”

“We’ll do that. Goodbye for now then,” Mayor Rooter said, beginning to shuffle some of the others in the room out. “Rest well—and best of luck tomorrow. I suppose we’re all counting on you.”

Applejack waved goodbye to them as they left the room, Sure Suture included, and let her hoof fall down to the bed as soon as they were gone and the door had shut. “And I may not know how exactly I’m gonna beat him yet, but I still wont let you down.”

Though she ended up being pretty bored in the patient’s room she was now staying in, Applejack decided to be a good patient and just stay in bed so she could be at her best when she faced Karza tomorrow morning. Peach Pit later came back with some of the freshest and tastiest peaches she had ever eaten in her life along with a glass of carrot juice and the promise of a hot peach cobbler when she made her return visit to Maple Town. Applejack, as much as she would have preferred apples, had to admit that the simple meal of peaches was one of the best meals she had had on her entire trip so far. A later checkup from Sure Suture and a wash and that was pretty much all she did until it was night outside and Applejack felt the desire to sleep crawling up her body.

She glanced at her hat that was sitting on a chair on the other side of the room from her bed. The two roses in it looking just as colorful and alive as when she had first been given them. Applejack took a deep breath and rolled onto her most comfortable side, closing her eyes and falling to sleep.

Karza V

The following morning, Applejack stripped off all her bandages and gauze because even if not all of her wounds were fully healed she didn’t want to go back out to Karza looking like she needed them. Sure Suture wasn’t fond of that but her stubbornness won out in the end. She then had a quick breakfast consisting of one more peach and a glass of water before she felt ready to get on out of Maple Town and confront Karza again. Grabbing her hat she put it on and gave the doctor a last thank you and goodbye—trotting out of his office and heading west to the small town’s exit.

She was being watched. It was easy enough to see. Many stallions, mares and foals of Maple Town watched her as she went back to face Karza. They saw her fading bruises and scratches, saw the hat she proudly wore, the confident way she carried herself. They saw Applejack. Many were worried for her, many confused and surprised by her behavior, but she didn’t break her pace at all as she walked through Maple Town. Melody Jewel was playing her violin in front of one of the many buildings in town, playing a happy and upbeat tune compared to what she was playing when Applejack first came to town. The musician smiled at Applejack as she walked by and Applejack gave her a curt nod in return.

Her mind still on bigger things.

If any of the other ponies she knew were watching her they did so behind their own closed doors and windows this time. There wasn’t a group to say goodbye to her at the town’s wall.

That worked well enough for her.

Applejack strode on out of Maple Town and started making her way back towards the rocky passage where Karza waited for her. This would settle everything.

She didn’t keep track of the time while walking or bother to take notice of much anything else. Applejack this time knew exactly what she was getting into and where she was going. There’d be no surprises this time when she confronted Karza.

That was what she had thought at least.

The short trip through the forest ended and Applejack made it back to the rocky passage that Karza called home—or at the very least that he watched over to stop ponies from using. And in the short time since she had been gone he had made some changes.

The entire landscape had been morphed drastically with the road no longer winding through rocks and boulders but instead heading straight west while every large boulder that had helped form the rocky passage was arranged in concentric rings. Stuck halfway into the ground she saw at least three rings that got smaller the further you walked through them, all focusing on one central point in the middle of the former passage. It was outrageous that Karza had the power to manipulate the landscape to such an extent. Applejack realized that it might not have been an empty boast when it came to the threat of destroying Maple Town. Even if not, he clearly had a lot of destructive power along with the will and intent to use it. She had to stop him here.

Soon she made it past the final and smallest ring of boulders and came into the middle of the passage. The ground was flat with nothing but dirt all around, not even a pebble marring it. Applejack stepped into the middle of the ring and stopped, planting her hooves on the ground and flatly staring ahead. She didn’t bother looking around or doing anything else, just letting her mane and tail flutter a bit in the light breeze.

“Well?” She asked to seemingly just the air. “I know you’re there so are you going to come out already and we can finish this?”

The dirt in front of her warped and the crown of Karza’s head with its loose golden mane rose from the ground—along with the rest of his body. He was smirking again, still wearing his silly red cape, and holding himself with as smug and bombastic of an attitude as any pony could purely through body language. Just that alone was enough to annoy Applejack immensely.

When his hooves fully emerged from the ground he glanced around at the rings of boulders before raising an eyebrow at her. “Do you like what I’ve done with the place? I’ve made it more of a standard fighting ground you see.”

“I don’t rightly care one way or the other how you’ve changed it up,” Applejack shrugged.

Karza frowned. “You’re no fun at all. And here I was actually attempting to be magnanimous with you after discovering you had an interesting power of your own—clearly you’re different from the average peasant—but you can’t even humor me?”

“A pony like you, who’s pointlessly hurting others and destroying everything around him, doesn’t deserve humor,” Applejack glared.

“I am the mighty Karza and I can do what I want,” Karza glared right back. “My greatness is obvious even to you, and though you cannot fathom my grand ambitions it is not to say they don’t exist. Unfortunately for you you will not be alive to see them come to fruition. As soon as I discover the secrets of your strange power things will end here. I have shown you more than enough courtesy even as the foolish peasant you still are. Now you will witness my illustrious powers once more—and fall before me!”

“No chance!” Applejack yelled and slammed a hoof into the ground. It wasn’t a targeted tremor this time since Karza already knew what that looked like and could just fly up fast enough to avoid it. Instead she was taking a page out of his book and just used Hoof of the Earth to send a powerful vibration throughout the ground around them, shaking it and causing the dirt to ripple and warp under their hooves.

Karza was thrown off-balance and he stumbled backwards while his eyes went wide before the vibrations knocked him off his hooves and he fell to the ground.

Applejack immediately pressed her chance—attempting to end this fight all at once—and jumped towards him. She had another tremor prepared in her hoof to disable him with the slightest touch.

But before she reached him the dirt beneath him opened up like a mouth and swallowed him up, taking him down below ground to safety. Applejack instead landed on the dirt and sent the tremor into the ground to find exactly where he was and sensed the same strange vibrations and movements as before moving around the ring. Before Karza showed himself again several rocks and boulders shot up out of the dirt and floated around Applejack first. Though she didn’t exactly know how Karza could see what he was doing or where she was right now, he didn’t seem to have a problem with directing his rocks towards her.

They started flying at her at high speed and Applejack was again forced to dodge a swarm of rocks by ducking, diving, jumping, and running around. She was really tired of this and she didn’t exactly fancy getting cut up and bruised by more rocks again. Thankfully there wasn’t such a massive amount of them that she couldn’t avoid them at all and most simply went flying past her head without issue. Since Applejack knew Karza could do much worse she wondered if he was testing her on purpose, he truly seemed curious about Hoof of the Earth and wanted to learn about how Applejack could do what she does. Seemed it wasn’t enough for him to have unique powers that no earth pony should be able to possess, he didn’t want any other ponies doing something he couldn’t. He mistakenly might have thought it revolved completely around the earth itself like his own powers just because of the ways Applejack had been using it.

Well whether it was figuring out her power, beating her, or doing whatever he wanted to do afterwards, Applejack was going to make him work for it.

“Enough of you just hiding under the ground, come out and fight me! You’re not going to see me do anything with just this!” Applejack shouted.

Immediately the floating rocks stopped and after a second more they fell to the ground. Applejack kept lightly sending out tremors to make sure nothing was coming at her from underground that she couldn’t sense coming first—waiting for Karza to make his next move.

She felt something building underground but nothing focused directly at her—and then the ground suddenly tilted up at a slant—knocking Applejack sideways and causing her to roll down it before it tilted back the opposite direction and she started rolling the other way. Applejack grit her teeth as the ground split apart and started pistoning up and down like an uneven checkerboard. Pillars of earth rising and falling at rapid speeds while Applejack jumped and got tossed up between them.

“This is just getting silly,” Applejack frowned and tried to get her hoofing under control, safely jumping from pillar to pillar. Karza still wasn’t showing himself or really attacking directly, he just wanted to see what she could do.

That was when Applejack noticed that the ring of boulders on the outside of this dirt field where the two had confronted each other had all risen up. The much larger boulders had levitated out of the ground and were starting to float through the air above and toward Applejack. He was going to drop them on her just like in the first fight except now she had to deal with the ground going absolutely crazy at the same time. The shadows of the boulders passed over her head for just a moment before they started coming down at her and Applejack had to be even more careful of where she was jumping. She hopped from one pillar onto another that was coming up right as a boulder smashed down onto the one she had left and destroyed part of the “checkerboard”. Several other boulders came down in quick repetition—though never more than one at a time—and Applejack kept jumping around to avoid them while the ground and most of the pillars were pulverized.

He wanted her to do something, to show off her powers, but Applejack wasn’t indulging him just yet. And when Karza realized that he started to drop more than just one boulder at a time.

“Oh great,” Applejack gulped as three came down right around her.

The pillar she was on was shooting her up right towards them too so Applejack jumped from it onto a descending one right as the boulders started to smash into the higher up pillars. Rocks and dirt were sent exploding all over while the boulders crashed down to the ground. As soon as the pillar Applejack was on reached the ground she sent a powerful tremor into it and caused the ground to explode—creating a small crater for herself. When the three boulders smashed into the ground around her she had a small space to stay safe in. Even then a massive quake went through the ground when the heavy boulders landed and the rest of the pillars were destroyed.

For a moment the battlefield had gone back to being still and quiet, Applejack nearly wedged between three heavy boulders. A cloud of dust and dirt hung everywhere thanks to the chaos and Applejack wiped some sweat from her brow.

Right before the three boulders started to push through the dirt and begin to crush her.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me!” Applejack tried to get out from between them but it was already too late—they were too close together and moving through the dirt far too quickly. She pressed her hoof against the closest one as fast as she could and shot a tremor into it. The huge boulder vibrated with immense force and shattered into a million pieces, letting Applejack jump over and through its remains while the two remaining boulders smashed into each other behind her.

She panted heavily on the destroyed ground, rubble from boulders and the pillars of earth all around her. Things had stopped again but Applejack wasn’t letting her guard down.

“I must admit I am still vexed by your powers,” Karza’s voice seemed to come from all around before he once more rose from the ground in front of her—a safe distance away this time. He rubbed his chin as he regarded her. “But the way the boulder trembled and vibrated… is it that you can create earthquakes? Is that some hidden earth pony power that you’ve managed to discover within yourself?”

He’s about half right. Applejack thought. Not that she was going to say anything. And unfortunately she was no closer to figuring out his own strange powers.

Seeing she wasn’t going to say anything, Karza merely shrugged. “Very well, witness more of my power.”

He gestured and spikes shot out of the ground from all around the ring towards Applejack. The earth making them up was as mutable as rubber and the spikes snaked towards her at impossible angles, going over the rubble or twisting around to try and confuse Applejack. She jumped up right as they all converged on her and speared the ground instead, landing on top of them and starting to run towards Karza. But new spikes emerged from the elongated bodies of the previous ones and shot towards Applejack all over again.

However this time she could do something else about it. Since she was running on and connected more directly to the spikes, Applejack sent out a focused tremor throughout them, leading up towards the new ones coming at her. The spears of dirt exploded well before they could reach her and Applejack got the satisfaction of seeing Karza’s surprised face.

Once she reached the end of the spears she jumped off them and continued running at him, thinking he might start flying up to avoid her. But instead he had some other tricks to use on her first. He raised his hoof and a huge wall of earth came up in front of Applejack and started shifting towards her—both trying to block and push her back at the same time.

There was no way she could jump over or around it so Applejack dug her back hooves into the dirt and held her front hooves up towards it right before it smashed into her. Even as strong as she was she couldn’t stop such a massive wall of dirt but all she wanted to do was brace herself against it so she didn’t get thrown down and rolled along the ground by it. Much like the boulders she wasn’t just relying on her innate brute strength to stop this. Applejack took a deep breath and focused for just a second, drawing up another tremor and using it to blast a hole in the wall of earth directly in front of her. The middle part of the wall was blown outwards and Applejack ran through it while the rest slammed into the remaining earth spears.

“Hah! Don’t think you can keep using the same trick!” Karza gestured and the ground beneath Applejack’s hooves turned to mud.

Not wet as mud, but the goopy consistency was the same. The dirt pulled at her hooves and she sunk down into it slightly under her own bodyweight. Applejack grunted and tried to pull herself free but there was no place to go to anyways. Her running had turned into a fight to even keep moving at all without accidentally falling flat on her face.

“Ahahahaha! How miserable, you peasant!” Karza laughed at her predicament. “Now… what would happen if I made the ground even thinner?”

Applejack’s eyes went wide as the dirt suddenly lost any sort of consistency and she sunk into it as if falling into a lake. She shut her mouth to keep the dirt out and flailed her hooves around to try and swim up and back out of it to safety. Suddenly though she felt some of the ground beneath her become hard again and shoot her back to the surface. Applejack went flying out and when she landed the dirt was hard again, she crashed down atop it with a pained grunt and glared in Karza’s direction.

“Laughable. Even with your strange power it seems you cannot actually compare to me. You can’t even remotely do what the mighty Karza can!” He sneered.

“Why don’t you get a little closer and say that?” Applejack challenged.

“Haha—oh no, I’m not falling for that,” Karza laughed. “And I think I’m done with you for good this time. You’ve proven to be nothing more than an annoyance at best. Though it has been somewhat entertaining dealing with you, I have far better things to do.”

A slab of earth came up on each side of Applejack and slammed into her, wedging her in place. The dirt beneath her hooves melted slightly to allow her hooves to fall into them before rehardening and keeping her stuck. And then a shadow appeared over Applejack’s head and she looked up—seeing a huge boulder floating over her. Applejack began to struggle and try to free herself but the earthen holds were too strong.

Karza smirked, standing far off but directly in front of her. He raised his hoof in the air, holding it up towards the boulder as if he was holding it there himself. “Doing something like burying you deep underground or drowning you would be too miserable, even for my tastes, so I’ll end you in a far swifter manner. Goodbye.”

He dropped his hoof and the boulder fell towards Applejack.

“Gotcha,” Applejack smirked and put all the strength in her body into her back legs while firing a tremor out of them and into the ground as well. She kicked off the ground right as it was all blown to pieces, the slabs of earth breaking and falling away, and launched herself at Karza. The energy from the explosive tremor propelling her far faster than she could’ve ever gotten on her own. Behind her the boulder slammed down on nothing and Applejack was still flying right at Karza.

The caped earth pony’s jaw dropped in shock—he seemed to hesitate on whether to go up or down and instead just froze.

Applejack started skidding over the ground and she extended her hoof towards Karza, planning to tap his front left leg to break it. She stopped in front of him and he took a single startled step back while she reached out and tapped his left leg—sending a tremor into his bones.

Instead, his leg exploded.

Applejack now looked in shock as dirt and clay splattered over her face. She could only blink as Karza’s entire left leg had been blown away and cracks, cracks like in a breaking clay pot, were spreading up his body, his neck, and even just barely reaching his face. The front of his body started to fall away like pieces of ceramic and Applejack saw that his insides were empty. He was just a hollow pony made of dirt and clay.

“You’re… you’re… what?” Applejack barely managed to get out, dumbstruck.

Karza’s face was frozen in the same expression he had when she touched him. His body was frozen exactly where it stood. His mouth was frozen shut. And yet he spoke.

His voice somehow came from him as clear as before-

“So you’ve managed to destroy this puppet? I am surprised, but it isn’t important in the end. Karza may be destroyed but I’ve learned everything I needed to with him. It was quite the enlightening experience and now I know that I’m ready to move on. You also have shown me some interesting things, Applejack, so in turn I won’t harm Maple Town. Congratulations, do what you wish, this is only the beginning of the end.”

The rest of Karza then fell apart, falling to the ground into nothing more than a pile of dirt. Even the cape and his mane and tail had just been dirt.

Applejack, for a little while still, could do nothing but stare and gawk in surprise and confusion at it.

“What in the hay is going on out here?” She finally heard herself say. But she had won, sort of? Karza wasn’t a real pony, and she didn’t know who was really speaking to her just now, or what it meant. But at least for the moment things seemed okay. Maple Town wasn’t in danger and there was nothing stopping her from moving on to Elysium’s View.

Applejack took a deep breath and shook her head, getting ready to start walking west. She paused though as she saw something glinting in the pile of dirt. Frowning, Applejack reached down and swiped some of “Karza” away to reveal a small piece of shiny metal. She picked it up in her hoof and tilted her head at it—a tiny smelted heart no larger than a marble. It was warm to the touch but cooling off quickly.

“What’s this?” She wondered, looking back down at Karza’s remains and the metal heart she was now holding. Applejack had no clue, but she figured it was important so she opened up her bag and tossed it inside. There was nothing else she could do right now with it.

Applejack wiped a bit of sweat and dirt from her brow and left the battlefield behind—walking west to Elysium’s View and hopefully the last thing she would have to do out here before returning home.

The Final Town

The forest appeared ahead of her along the road, waiting for her.

Applejack had to admit though that it was a pretty dang odd looking forest. Fog covered the ground and shrouded the insides of the forest, it didn’t disperse like it naturally should have, especially in normal weather like this. The fog was dense and rose up fairly high as well, leaving wisps of it just below the tips of the valiant redwood trees that made up the forest. To the north and south, miles away, were a pair of large mountains that bordered the forest and cut it off from the rest of the world. Two gigantic and insurmountable walls of rock—if any pony wanted to travel west they would have to fly or walk through the White Forest to Elysium’s View.

And flight wasn’t exactly an option for Applejack.

The good news was she hadn’t heard anything bad about this forest. It was just a little unusual—but there was nothing actually malevolent about it. She didn’t get a weird feeling from it like she did the Everfree Forest. Even if there was something bad about it it wouldn’t matter to Applejack, because something far greater and happier was inside her head.

Her final destination was right beyond the end of this forest. Whatever friendship problem she needed to solve, at least she would be there.

Applejack took a deep breath and walked down the road to the forest’s entrance. Her body was still a little bruised, a little achy, but not enough to slow her down or get her to stop for the day. It was today, today for sure, that she’d get through the forest and make it to Elysium’s View. The road she was walking on was mere dirt and not anything special, she could see it splitting the trees in half just a short ways ahead now. Although she wasn’t sure if this was the only road going through the forest she couldn’t see any others from where she was. It looked wide enough to accommodate a carriage or two and that was probably all that mattered out here. She kind of hoped she’d run into another pony out here or traveling down it just so she could see a friendly face and know how close she was.

When she got closer to where the road went into the forest she noticed that there was a large sign up on the northern side of the road, right in front of the trees. It had been partially obscured by the fog earlier.

Applejack almost rolled her eyes and groaned—still having a bad knee-jerk reaction to signs. She just had to tell herself that most of the signs she had seen lately had actually been good ones. What’s to say this one wouldn’t be a perfectly normal sign too? Applejack rubbed her temples and walked over it to see what it said. The sign was actually really clean and seamless, clearly taken care of and well made to begin with. Obviously whoever had put it up really cared about it. The background of the sign was painted a nice sky blue and in big yellow letters in three rows it read:

ENJOY YOUR TIME AT
ELYSIUM’S VIEW AND SEE THE
EDGE OF THE WORLD!

While underneath the message was a bunch of puffy white clouds making up the bottom border.

“Alright, sounds good to me,” Applejack shrugged.

There was something else that caught her eye beneath the sign before she moved on though. A bed of roses had been planted and their blooming flowers and thorny stems had started to crawl up the legs of the sign. The vibrant red flowers were odd in a peculiar way though and it’s what really grabbed Applejack’s attention. Every last flower was tilted and facing northeast ever so slightly. Applejack had absolutely no idea why. Sunflowers would move with the sun but roses didn’t do that, did they? And that’s not even the direction the sun would be shining from.

Still, they were just roses, Applejack shrugged once more and started her walk through the White Forest.

By now it was close to noon and the weather was neither too hot nor too cold. It would probably be a little nicer if the fog wasn’t partially blocking out the sun from above. Instead Applejack never really felt the sun on her back as she strode through the forest, which was a strange sensation for this time of day. How in the hay could this fog never lift? When she was walking outside the forest the sky was mostly clear and the sun was coming down like normal. And yet this fog stayed and covered nearly the entirety of the forest.

Applejack was just going to chalk it up as another thing that just plum made no sense in the world. There were plenty of things that didn’t make sense in Equestria and plenty more outside of Equestria. At this point, Applejack decided not to get bothered by all of it. Life was too short.

The fog though did still make her traveling through the forest a little slow as she could barely see what was coming or if the road had any twists or turns. A few feet of visibility at best. She didn’t want to get run over by a carriage coming out right in front of her or accidentally walk into the trees, so she focused on the ground and took her trip through the White Forest slowly so she never lost track of the road. It was easier to be a little slower and not so anxious when she knew the goal was finally coming up at the end.

She didn’t see many animals out, but there were probably plenty just hidden by the fog. There had to be all sorts of squirrels, rabbits, and birds in a forest like this. In general though everything was so quiet. Maybe the ponies of Elysium’s View had run into Karza within the last week and hadn’t been using this road either. Or Applejack was just here during a time when travel was low. She wouldn’t really be surprised if the ponies of Elysium’s View were more or less oblivious to the going ons of the rest of the world. After all it seemed like they were fairly secluded, being at the edge of the world and all, and with the already closed off and insular Equinestan right next to them they probably didn’t get much news about what happened east of their town. What that went on in the rest of the world could really affect or have much to do with what went on here?

Nope, if Applejack lived in a place like Elysium’s View she’d probably keep to herself too. Just be a simple apple farmer living a simple life. Which is what she thought she had been doing in Ponyville until one day…

But with the friends she had gained on that day she didn’t regret it one bit.

Though things hadn’t gone as planned, boy oh boy did Applejack have a lot of stories to tell. She hadn’t entirely let Pinkie Pie down either when it came to making friends. And she had done some awesome stuff like Rainbow Dash wanted her to. She had seen plenty of fancy clothes that she could tell Rarity about. She had helped ponies in need just like Fluttershy would’ve wanted. And of course Twilight would be ecstatic to hear about every little thing that she didn’t already know because that’s just the type of pony Twilight was. Applejack would be so happy just to see them again that she wouldn’t mind indulging all of them—course so long as she got to say hi to her family first and check on the farm.

“Big Mac and Sugar Belle probably got everything under control...” Applejack muttered. “Granny Smith wouldn’t let him do anything silly. Apple Bloom… she’s probably out with the other Crusaders doing who even knows what.”

Applejack chuckled and shook her head. She could picture all that clear as day.

It was certainly a nice thing to think about and pass the time with—imagining what it would be like when she got back. The foggy forest didn’t provide her with much else to do at all. Even when Applejack had been walking through it for hours the forest had stayed the same with fog crawling through the trees and making the road vanish only a few feet in front of her. Whatever time of day it was the fog clearly had no intention of ever leaving its forest behind. She even looked up at the trees and simply couldn’t see higher than halfway up them thanks to how the fog clung to their trunks and branches.

“How’s anything even supposed to grow here without no sunlight?” Applejack raised an eyebrow.

Best not to think too hard about it in the end. So she didn’t. She took the forest just as she took her life, one step at a time.

Applejack rested up against a redwood for a moment, it sat practically on the road so she didn’t worry about getting lost off it, just taking a moment to relax and check her scrapes and bruises. She might want to find a place she could get new bandages when she made it to Elysium’s View, just for appearances if nothing else. She wasn’t exactly tired right now but all the action had left her body a little sore. By how long she had been walking in the forest she was expecting to get to Elysium’s View just as the sun was going down. Maybe a little earlier if she was lucky.

The money in her bag would hopefully be enough to get her by while she was there. She didn’t really end up spending any in Maple Town so she had a bit more than she expected. At least she wasn’t flat broke and had to rely on the kindness of strangers.

Applejack exhaled and left the redwood behind, walking through the foggy forest again. She saw a single animal this time—a bird perched on a branch of the redwood, watching her go. Might’ve been silly taking the bird as any kind of sign but Applejack was going to take it as a good one.

Her hooves made a steady crunch as she traveled over the road, walking over pine needles and the occasional small pinecones that had fallen down. Lucky her hooves in particular were as tough and solid as they were. Even if her legs got a little tired, Applejack could always count on her hooves to be like iron. In another hour of walking on them she ended up seeing her second animal—a squirrel that quickly ran up one of the redwoods and out of sight. Applejack kept trotting ahead with a smile on her face, staying positive with the thoughts of her friends in her head and the expectation of finally reaching the destination the Cutie Map had sent her to.

How many weeks had she been out here?

And she couldn’t even really get angry at Discord not just zapping her here anymore with everything she had accomplished on the way.

If Elysium’s View really was such a special place, as quite a few ponies had suggested, maybe Applejack would just take an extra day once the problem was solved to enjoy it. As much as she wanted to get back home she kind of figured she deserved some kind of vacation after all of this was done. The feelings of obligation she had, along with her homesickness, would likely win out in that situation though and Applejack would probably return right on schedule. Just the kind of mare she was.

Along the road she started to notice that she could see deeper into the forest, and the fog above her head started to list slightly too. More and more fog was lifting to give her a better view of the White Forest and all the trees within it. Applejack smirked and doubled her pace, knowing that meant she had to be close to getting out of here.

A minute later and her thoughts were proven correct as the fog started to thin ahead and Applejack saw a small wooden picket fence start up on either side of the road and continue west. The first sign of civilization since the sign at the start of the forest. The fence worked to lead you on in to the right spot and soon beams of sunlight were coming towards Applejack’s face, the fog no longer blocking them and the sun now going down enough where it was almost directly ahead of her. Applejack lifted a hoof to block it as she fully stepped out of the fog and then squinted to see if she could see Elysium’s View ahead.

What she saw was not the edge of the world just yet but it almost still took her breath away.

On white marble pillars a magnificent archway with a sculpted welcoming sign stood standing for any pony who just came out of the forest to see. Fifty feet in the air, sculpted smooth and to perfection, were the words “WELCOME TO ELYSIUM’S VIEW”, each stone letter itself five feet tall and the whole welcome stretching across the road from pillar to pillar.

But it was the town beyond that truly looked special. More buildings in the style of white marble, with pillars, arches, large steps, golden paint that reminded her of Canterlot, were standing in grassy hills and among luscious trees and vegetation. The sound of water reached her ears and Applejack looked to the north to see a cascading waterfall coming down from a small mountain covered in grass and plants. It pooled twice on the mountain before finally coming down and turning into a river that flowed west. Buildings as well dotted that mountain and the ground around it and the banks of the river. To the south she could hear music—loud orchestral music—coming from beyond the trees and even some much taller buildings of a contemporary style, wood and metal, showing themselves. Beyond the welcoming arch the road turned to white tile and a friendly looking town sprouted up along and down it, just waiting for her.

Applejack sighed in relief and smiled. “Finally.”

Edge of the World I

If there was one word Applejack could use right now to describe Elysium’s View and the ponies in it it would be varied. She quickly learned that not every building here was made of white marble, in fact most weren’t. Down on street level most buildings were made of brick or wood, though all were painted either white or another color and kept pristinely clean. A number of canals also ran through the town in this part of it, built from the rivers running down from the mountain she had seen earlier along with several others on the other side of the White Forest. Each look she took into the canals that ran parallel and even the ones that ran under the streets and into tunnels she saw gondolas with ponies directing them along. The ponies out on the streets represented the three tribes mostly evenly, Applejack saw plenty of earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns everywhere. Togas seemed to be the popular fashion trend but Applejack saw plenty wearing more casual clothes and even more wearing nothing at all just like a typical day in Ponyville. And now after walking down the street far enough she could see into the distance to the north and saw a much more modern looking city popping up between the hills. Not as dense as Manehattan or even Saddleport or Oak City, but still a city nonetheless. Though it was miles away it all seemed to be connected and still part of Elysium’s View.

Varied. That was certainly the correct word.

The small town that she was walking through now, that only made up a small part of Elysium’s View as Applejack knew now, was a nice beginning for new entrants. She saw numerous open stores and welcoming ponies while walking through the streets. More than a couple had waved and said hello to her as she passed, Applejack returning the favor even as she aimlessly continued walking west.

Yes, even though she was here now she didn’t exactly know where to go here. Elysium’s View had turned out to be much bigger and more complex than she expected. The Cutie Map could’ve called her here for any number of reasons. And unfortunately, or fortunately more politely, Applejack couldn’t just look around and tell what the big problem was. The place looked really nice and peaceful. Where was the problem? She knew things could look nice on the surface and be bad beneath but she was also starting to get a little suspicious that maybe Discord had been lying to her about not messing with the map…

Since it was actually approaching sundown maybe she should just look for a hotel to stay first and then start exploring and asking around tomorrow morning? With the size of this place she could be here for a while.

“Dang it, that’s not exactly what I wanted,” Applejack murmured.

There would have to be all sorts of places to stay in a place like this at least. Whether a hotel or renting a room, or a bungalow, or something like that. Applejack knew that wouldn’t be a problem. She stopped at a bridge over a canal, watching a gondola pass beneath and then looking south to where the town sprawled out in a dense series of narrow streets and clustered together white buildings with tiled roofs. It would be too easy to get lost here if she took a path off the main road. Leaving the bridge behind she soon passed by an outdoor café where numerous ponies sat and drank tea, the café grounds decorated with several potted plants and flowers with a pretty fountain in the middle of it all.

Applejack wasn’t sure if she should stop and grab a bite to eat, maybe ask some questions, or just keep going. The main road she was on looked like it kept going west for quite a while. Maybe she should just go to the end of it?

After all… the edge of the world should be there too right? She was curious about that. She had almost forgotten that the whole draw of this place, what made it special, was that it sat right at the edge of the world supposedly. Even if it was just a figure of speech since the world was as round as a melon. Equinestan called itself the beginning of the end, and now here she was at the actual end. What exactly was the edge of the Far West like? More than one pony had said she needed to see it for herself to understand what was so special. It’s not like there could really be a real end though, right? But there had to be something up with it.

So Applejack made up her mind that the hotel could wait too. She was walking until the road stopped. Until Elysium’s View stopped. Until the west stopped.

She still had some time before the sun went down all the way and she somehow doubted the town would become empty just because it was a little dark out. While walking she passed by a few more interesting, nice little places, in town. A large park with winding marble pathways sprawled to the south, containing healthy trees and verdant grass. Applejack spotted quite a few ponies walking through it, along with several resting at benches or enjoying the flowers. One of the buildings on the northern side of the road had large glass windows out front and Applejack could see inside them to see a large lounge where ponies rested while another played on a large piano. Giggling grabbed her attention and Applejack looked to see a young couple leaving a restaurant, the stallion twirling his marefriend around as they laughed together and ran off down another street.

If there was a problem that needed fixing here it sure was hiding well out of sight. Or at least in one of the other parts of Elysium’s View far removed from here.

Applejack then reached a crossroads. Really just a four-way intersection with one road each traveling a cardinal direction, but there was a metal signpost in the middle of the road and against her better judgment she was going to take a gander at it. Green signs in the shapes of arrows were affixed to the top of it, all with their own destination scrawled on them in fancy writing. Two of them meant nothing to Applejack—north merely read “Highgrounds” and south also simply read “Farms”—but the one pointing east read a familiar “White Forest” and west… “The Edge”.

Nothing else as simple as that, was there?

Well she had pretty good expectations now and Applejack picked up her pace just a little bit as she continued down the road. For a little while the buildings to her left fell away and another canal appeared before it made a sharp turn south and disappeared underneath a bridge. Ahead of her the sun slowly started to dip down further and further until it almost reached the horizon now—and the town became a little less crowded and busy with it. Not even close to empty but she saw and heard a few less ponies around.

And when she had gone a little further the town itself started to thin out too. There weren’t as many buildings on the side of the road, nor as many branching roads, nor anymore canals or parks. Instead what she saw was a series of white marble pillars leading to a large arch, after which the stone road seemed to go back to being dirt. She couldn’t actually see much further than that since the sun was coming directly into her eyes, nearly parallel with the ground at this point. Applejack continued on like that after tugging her hat a little lower and made it past the arch, now with healthy pine trees around her instead of buildings and a dirt road that lazily traveled west for a while longer before splitting to the north and south as well. It was probably just half a mile ahead where the road could no longer go any further west.

Because Applejack could see it now if she squinted and as her eyes adjusted to the light a little bit. There was a railing that ran alongside the dirt road stretching to the north and south, and a few outcroppings that jutted out along the path like overhangs over—a cliff.

Applejack’s eyes widened in realization. No wonder it was called the edge of the world. She hadn’t even noticed it because Equinestan, the forest, and everything else just seemed like they were at normal ground level. But what if they were actually high up on a huge continental shelf? What if the western edge of Elysium’s View was a huge cliff? That’s what it looked like right now. Applejack stared further ahead at where the sun was going down and noticed something else. It wasn’t exactly about to hit the horizon, she saw the color of what it was about to touch down on. White, fluffy, the sun was about to hit a layer of clouds stretching across the sky right at the same level as where Applejack was walking. Right at the level of the road and the rest of the town.

She started walking directly to where one of the outcroppings was, where the railing went out and formed a semi-circle for ponies to stand at and rest or take a look out over the cliff. There were even a few benches there for ponies to rest at if they wanted. In fact there was an older stallion there already, a wrinkled earth pony holding a cane and sitting on one of the benches. Applejack ignored him for now, walking nearly in a trance to the railing so she could see the edge of the world.

She left the dirt road and walked right up onto the overhang and put her hooves on the railing itself. Looking out and looking down.

It was clouds, just a bed of clouds spreading from the cliff and to the west as far as the eye could see. Applejack was amazed—she was above the clouds like it was normal or something. Like she was some pegasus flying over them. The light of the sun sent spears of orange and yellow across them but it didn’t stop their overall snowy white nature from being obscured. She was on the ground but in the sky at the same time—the world, the ground—just ended here and became nothing but clouds. Even her trips up to Cloudsdale had never brought her a sight quite like this. And the sun was going below them, disappearing into nothingness and leaving the bed of clouds behind. Though Applejack knew it wasn’t true, there was some sudden feeling that sprouted up saying maybe Twilight was wrong about the world not having edges. It was something she couldn’t help but imagine upon seeing this.

Applejack took her hat off and held it across her breast. “Well I’ll be. I’m finally seeing it.”

Edge of the World II

“This your first time seeing it?”

The sudden voice nearly startled Applejack, she still blinked and took her hooves off the railing, settling back on the ground. She had almost forgotten that old-timer was here with her. Applejack had to actively pull her eyes away from the bed of clouds that stretched far west, the sun now mostly below them and the sky darkening in turn. The stars were starting to appear above her head as Elysium’s View began to go to bed.

Applejack took a deep breath and put her hat back on her head, offering a smile to the old pony. “Yep. It’s… well it’s quite the view. I guess that explains the name.”

“You must be from out of town then,” the old stallion smiled.

“From very far away, yeah, that’s putting it lightly,” Applejack nodded.

The old stallion nodded a few times himself, clutching his cane in his hooves. “Come to Elysium’s View just to see it?”

Applejack shook her head. “No, not just for that. I… well… it’s kind of complicated. I don’t rightly know why I’m here.”

“Don’t know?” He raised an eyebrow at her.

Applejack could only sigh. “Yep, like I said it’s a little complicated. This cliff though? I wasn’t expecting it to be so crazy. I heard about this being the edge of the world but I didn’t know it would look like this. The clouds are incredible… just how high up is this cliff? And what’s down at the bottom of it?”

“The cliffs are about three-thousand feet tall, give or take. If you went below the clouds you’d see the ocean that smashes up right against the cliffs. It stretches just as far as the clouds do—no other land in sight. You can imagine why this place got the name it did,” the stallion said.

“I certainly can… three-thousand feet?” The thought of cliffs that high and being so far up was almost scary to Applejack. She wasn’t sure she wanted to look out over it again. Even though the sight was truly beautiful at the same time.

Instead Applejack stepped away from the railing and looked up at the now much darker sky and back towards the town she had walked through. Past the trees she could see the white pillars and the arch showing where the town began again. It was probably well past time that she should start looking for a place to stay while she was here in Elysium’s View. The problem is she really had no idea where to start. It wasn’t a lie to say that she was feeling a little overwhelmed right now—and more than a little clueless on just what the map had sent her here for.

She turned her gaze over to the old-timer once more. “Do you know where I can find a place to stay? Maybe even for a week if need be? I’m a little lost here.”

“Well I live up in the Highgrounds but those are a bit far from here… and a bit more expensive,” the stallion mused, rubbing his chin. “There are plenty of hotels back the way you came if you keep your eyes open. Since that’s where most new ponies pour into Elysium’s View from.”

Applejack tipped her hat to him. “Figured as much, guess I’ll stay on the lookout a little better. Thanks for letting me know, have a nice evening.”

“And you have a nice stay here at Elysium’s View,” he smiled and nodded to her once more.

Applejack took the quick walk back up the dirt road and through the forest, right back into town so she could find a hotel. By the time she had started walking along the marble stone ground instead of dirt the sun had gone down completely and the stars and moon shined down upon her now. Elysium’s View didn’t need them though, not really, there were plenty of lampposts and lights set up along the streets. Applejack didn’t know if the lights would be kept on all night but for the early evening at least there was absolutely no problem getting around. Once she was back into the main town too it didn’t take her long to reach the four-way intersection she had briefly stopped at earlier. This time Applejack took a bit of a longer stop there, gazing up at the sign.

“Farms” to the south, she noticed again. For obvious reasons that sign was calling to her. What sort of farming went on out here and how much space did they have with the cliffs so close? Applejack wanted to find out—and there still had to be hotels down this way so she was killing two birds with one stone. At least that’s what she was telling herself.

So instead of continuing straight back east Applejack decided to start walking south through the town of Elysium’s View, seeing more of the crowded white buildings and the ponies now enjoying an evening stroll. She walked over a canal bridge and entered a street where most of the buildings around it were shops that were in the middle of closing up for the night. Applejack saw ponies carrying boxes into the interiors of the buildings, closing up shutters and windows, and turning off their outside lights. Most ponies probably didn’t wait until the evening to buy groceries after all. That was fine—the business she was looking for was one that had to stay open all night. Or at least later than this to accommodate any travelers arriving late.

While she was walking though and looking around her stomach grumbled. Applejack frowned and lifted a hoof up to her gut. How long had it been since she last ate? She had been so busy with… everything that had happened today she might’ve forgotten. Now walking through a market like this and her body was trying to remind her to stuff something in her mouth before she went to sleep. Were there any places to eat? Any cafes or restaurants instead of just places where food was being sold as groceries?

Applejack had to walk over another canal before she saw a place that might fit the bill. Just a little outdoors spot, a coffee shop at most, that was attending to ponies sitting out at tables on the side of the street. They had a space cordoned off by a black metal fence that rose up to pony height but that was about it, it didn’t look like a place that was really trying to keep any ponies out. If Applejack could get just a small bite to eat there and maybe some real directions on where she could find a place to stay that was all she needed.

“How much can I spare though?” Applejack asked herself as she patted her bag. The coins in there, what if Elysium’s View was a more expensive place than she thought and they didn’t really cover it?

Well if she figured out what just a cup of water and some bread cost she figured that would tell her what other expenses here might be like.

A second later and Applejack was sitting at a table with a complimentary glass of water along with some bread and butter.

“Didn’t exactly end up how I expected but I guess it would be silly to complain,” Applejack said as she sipped some water down. At least she wasn’t going to be hungry anymore. And it boded well that the ponies here were nice enough where just sitting down at their cafe got her free food and drink, even if it was just water and bread. She’d have to leave a tip at the very least but this was still just about the cheapest meal one could ask for when traveling.

Applejack sighed and dragged a hoof down her face, momentarily taking off her hat and resting it on the table.

She stretched and sat back in her seat, taking a look at the other ponies around her who were all too caught up in their own thoughts or their own conversations to give her a second glance. After she finished her meal she’d ask the waitress where the nearest hotel was and that would be that. If she needed to find a different place to stay later because of her mission then so be it. It could all come later after she actually found out what she was here for. She might be going the right direction by heading to the farms or the complete wrong direction. Who knows? But since she had no clues she might as well let her curiosity dictate where she was going for now.

Elysium’s View was an interesting place and it wouldn’t hurt to explore it. Though she knew if she just wandered around for a couple more days she’d start getting annoyed with the lack of progress. Applejack didn’t exactly consider herself a patient mare when there was work to be done.

“But maybe everything about this is wrong? Maybe the problem was somewhere else? The Map’s gone on the fritz before and Discord is probably pranking me…” Applejack muttered.

Still, it’s not like she could leave until her Cutie Mark started blinking. No way would Applejack leave a job undone either. All that wondering about if this was the right or wrong place, or if Discord had something to do with it, was all wistful thinking. She knew that. It just annoyed her that the problem she needed to fix wasn’t more obvious. Why couldn’t it be right here in front of her? If something confusing or complex needed to be fixed then the dang Map should’ve called Twilight out here! Now Applejack didn’t think she was as boneheaded as Rainbow Dash but she still would’ve preferred having the problem sat right down in front of her. Then she could tackle it head on.

Maybe literally.

Applejack shrugged and went back to her water and bread, finishing them up and looking around for the waitress. Then she could get on her way unless something else came up first.

Something else came up first.

“A-Applejack? Is that really you?” A small voice came from behind her.

Surprised, Applejack turned around in her chair—and then had to look down at the ground to see the filly that had spoken up. She was a young filly no older than Apple Bloom’s age, with a deep green and messy mane and tail and a bright red coat. She currently looked up at Applejack with bright, golden eyes, that were wide open in wonder. But most striking and familiar of all was the hat she wore. It was like looking at a copy of the very Stetson Applejack usually had on her head, the only difference was the lack of roses.

Applejack blinked and gasped lightly in remembrance as she recognized the little pony. “Wild Strawberry?”

Apples, Strawberries, and Pears, Oh My! I

The two fruit-themed mares stared at each other for a moment longer before Wild Strawberry’s face brightened up in a huge grin—her eyes positively sparkling.

“It is you! I knew it!” She yelled and ran up to Applejack, practically tackling and hugging her out of the chair Applejack had been sitting in.

“Whoa there!” Applejack chuckled in amusement, patting the younger filly on the back and picking herself up. She didn’t care that the rest of the ponies were looking at the two of them—she was just happy to see a familiar face, a face she rightly didn’t expect to see ever again. Wild Strawberry had grown a little bit but the hat was still just slightly too big for her head and the filly had to adjust it with each movement. Still, Applejack just couldn’t help but grin. “Now what in the hay are you doing all the way out here? Ain't it far from home? Heh—but I’m sure glad to see you again, Wild Strawberry. I may have had to leave quickly last time but I’m glad it seems you’re doing alright.”

“I’m doing better than alright!” Wild Strawberry smiled. “And what are you doing all the way out here? Do you just go traveling around the whole world or something?”

“Uhh… not quite,” Applejack grimaced awkwardly and rubbed her neck. “I’m here on business—this place is just as far from home for me as I’m sure it is for you.”

Although truthfully Applejack had no idea where Wild Strawberry’s family farm actually was. She had been dead lost when she stumbled upon it in the past.

“I guess it’s just a real big coincidence—but a good one too!” Wild Strawberry laughed.

“Sure is,” Applejack smiled. “But really, Wild, what are you doing all the way out here? Is your family here too?”

At that question, Wild Strawberry’s smile somehow grew even wider. She puffed up with pride and stood tall before turning slightly and showing off her flank to Applejack. “I’m out here because of this!” She said and pointed to her Cutie Mark.

Her Cutie Mark. The mark that wasn’t there last time Applejack saw her.

“Well I’ll be,” Applejack whispered in quiet joy and appreciation. Wild Strawberry’s Cutie Mark was, not surprisingly, a strawberry—but with white eagle wings coming from it and a bright burst of light around it.

“I got it almost right after you left. I discovered that, as much as I love my family and my farm, my calling wasn’t just to grow strawberries on it forever. It was to spread the joy of strawberries all across the world. Ever since I got this mark I’ve been traveling, strawberry seeds in hoof, helping to grow them and do whatever else I can,” Wild Strawberry proudly told Applejack. “It’s been amazing. I never thought my life could become something like this.” She giggled and pointed up to her hat. “And I’ve had your hat with me all the way too.”

“Wild Strawberry, I can’t even tell you how happy I am to hear that,” Applejack felt a warmth in her chest as the little filly told her story. “I’m so dang relieved to hear you’ve found your place, sugarcube.”

“I really owe a lot of it to you. Meeting you changed my whole life,” Wild Strawberry said.

“Shucks...” Applejack blushed.

“It’s true!” Wild Strawberry pressed, nodding her head up and down at Applejack. A lightbulb then lit up right over her head as the filly got an idea. “Wait! Hold on one second!”

Wild Strawberry then turned around and ran off while Applejack watched, a little confused. She saw the young filly run over to the side of the street right outside the cafe where a bucket practically just as big as the filly was sitting. She struggled a mite bit, but Wild Strawberry was able to grab the handle of the bucket with her mouth and carry it over to Applejack, finally plopping it down on the ground in front of her. It was full of luscious red strawberries, as fresh looking as any Applejack had seen in her life.

“Have one, please!” Wild Strawberry said.

“Thanks for the offer, but-” Applejack tried to refuse out of kindness.

“I insist,” Wild Strawberry pushed the bucket closer to Applejack.

Applejack fought back the urge to roll her eyes and instead merely smirked at the filly, patting her hat. “Alright, alright, sugarcube. I get it.” She reached down into the bucket, finding a particularly nice and juicy looking strawberry, before taking it out and tossing it into her mouth. Her teeth came down and as she chewed… as she chewed…

Applejack didn’t hate strawberries. There was a mare who grew strawberries that got on her nerves every now and then, but Applejack didn’t hold that against the fruit itself. They may not have compared to apples, but she still didn’t hate them. They had a different flavor, a different sweetness, a different feeling when you ate them. She knew what a good strawberry was supposed to taste like.

That was exactly why she knew this wasn’t a good strawberry.

Her chewing slowed down and she swallowed it all the same—but instead of any sweetness there was only bitterness instead. Enough that she had to physically hold back from wincing.

She looked down at Wild Strawberry and saw the filly had a blank expression on her face as she watched Applejack.

“How was it?” Wild Strawberry asked, intently staring into Applejack’s eyes.

“Uhhh...” Applejack grimaced and looked away. “It was… um...”

“Bitter,” Wild Strawberry sighed and sat down resting her head in her hooves. “Darn it! I was hoping that maybe it was something about the ponies here… or that maybe it would taste different for you… or, or just something!”

“Something the matter? You knew these strawberries were bitter?” Applejack asked her, a little confused by this whole situation.

“Yes… I’m sorry for not telling you first but I wanted to see what you honestly thought of them,” Wild Strawberry apologized.

Applejack tilted her head. “Okay, but why?”

“The truth is… things aint exactly been perfect since I came here to Elysium’s View and all,” Wild Strawberry told her. “When did you get here? Did you know there’s a huge strawberry farm already here?”

“I just got here earlier today—and no, didn’t know about that,” Applejack shook her head.

“Well there is, just south of here and out of town the rest of the lands are used for farming. I found it out when I came here too, that there were already strawberry farmers. Maybe even long lost relatives of my family or something. But anyways—at first I was super excited to meet them! Strawberry farmers here at the edge of the world? It’s amazing! And their farm is so huge, they grow so many strawberries, there are so many ponies working on it!” Wild Strawberry’s excitement died down and she glumly looked at the ground. “But lately they’ve been having problems with their strawberries. They’ve lost their sweetness, every strawberry grown and picked is just bitter. Nopony knows why. This whole bucket here? They’re leftovers from the market today, we’ve been having trouble selling.”

Applejack scratched her head. She was no stranger to crop failures, they could come about for any number of reasons, but seasoned farmers out here should at least have an idea of what’s wrong. They’d especially know more about growing strawberries than she did. “That’s rather strange I say...”

Wild Strawberry sighed. “It aint the only problem either.”

“What else is wrong?” Applejack asked.

“So the thing is, there’s not just a big strawberry farm out here. There’s also a really big apple farm and a really big pear farm too-”

Applejack’s eyes widened.

“-all three of them were started around the same time a long time ago. Just families of farmers arriving at Elysium’s View together and trying to make a living. At least that’s what I’ve heard from Mr. Berries—he’s the boss of the strawberry farm. Their ancestors all came here before there was much of a town, the way he puts it, the three families were responsible for making sure Elysium’s View could grow bigger since they always had plenty of food around,” Wild Strawberry explained. She bit her lip and looked at Applejack’s Cutie Mark. “And well, I know you may not be happy to hear this but there’s been some problems between the families lately. A long time lately. Mr. Berries and a lot of the other Strawberry’s living here say they’ve been feuding with the Apples and Pears for years. And it’s gotten worse and worse because of the strawberries suddenly becoming bitter the past few months...”

Wild Strawberry sadly looked at the bucket and picked out a random strawberry. “I’m scared for everypony out here. And I feel so bad thinking that maybe nopony in Elysium’s View will ever be able to eat a delicious strawberry again...”

Applejack blinked, looking up and ahead to the south, staring into the distance for a moment, her eyes not seeing the buildings but picturing what lied beyond them. After a small sigh she then glanced at her own Cutie Mark.

There was no question about it.

“Well you know something, Wild Strawberry? I can think of exactly one mare in all the world who’s uniquely suited to solving the problems between a group of apple, pear, and strawberry farmers.”

“Who?”

“Me.”

It was late at night by the time the two of them were walking along the dirt road south of town that led into the farmlands, now with Applejack generously carrying the bucket of bitter strawberries on her back. Here there weren’t any lampposts or lights for the road, but the moon and stars were still out and provided enough illumination for now. Wild Strawberry trotted at a brisk pace with a smile on her face—happy as a clam to have met Applejack again. She was proud and excited to show her the big strawberry farm she had been working at even despite its issues. Applejack for her part was also excited but in a different way.

This was it.

This was absolutely it.

The reason the Cutie Map had sent her and her alone all the way to Elysium’s View. No wonder her friends hadn’t been sent with her. As an Apple and a Pear she would have a unique perspective. And the Map had to somehow know Wild Strawberry would be here too so she’d have a friend on their side. Shoot, the Map usually wasn’t this precise. Applejack was going to have to take back everything she said about it maybe being broken.

She just hoped she’d be able to help these ponies out and resolve their feud in a nice and timely manner. And maybe get to the bottom of why the strawberries had become bitter too.

As a fellow farmer she just couldn’t leave others hanging when it came to their livelihood.

Applejack was so caught up in her thoughts that she had completely lost track of time and didn’t even notice until Wild Strawberry started tugging on her hoof.

“There it is! There’s the Strawberry Family Farm!” She loudly said, pointing ahead down the road.

Just slightly further, past a grove of green grass and to the east of the road, was a massive expanse of farmland and row upon row of strawberry bushes. It was the most wide open spot Applejack had seen so far in Elysium’s View, the strawberries covered numerous hills and plenty of flat ground as well. The farm truly was massive—easily putting Wild Strawberry’s family’s farm that she had briefly visited to shame. In terms of pure ground covered it might even beat Sweet Apple Acres. Also because of how open this spot of Elysium’s View was, if you looked to the west you could see the land continuing all the way to the edge of the cliffs without any obstruction. It certainly gave the farms a unique character.

“Mighty nice farm,” Applejack nodded.

“It sure is!” Wild Strawberry beamed, puffing out her chest with pride. It might not have been her farm but she had been working on it. All the strawberries that must’ve been harvested from it probably made her quite happy. “The apple and pear farms are right behind it to the south, you’ll be able to see them tomorrow morning but right now I just want to take you to the Strawberry Manor and introduce you to Mr. Berries. You can get a room there for as long as you’re staying.”

“Are you sure I’m gonna be welcome? With everything you’ve been saying about their feuding...”

“I’ll vouch for you,” Wild Strawberry confidently held her hoof to her chest. “Besides—it’s not like you’re one of the Apples from here. They shouldn’t have a problem with you.”

“I wouldn’t expect everypony to act so sensibly if I were you,” Applejack muttered.

“Look—there’s the manor too!” Wild Strawberry said and enthusiastically pointed ahead.

It was beyond the first hill of strawberry bushes, sitting right in the middle of the huge farm. As expected by the name, the Strawberry Manor was a large three-story mansion that unlike the white marble style of Elysium’s View was constructed in a much more contemporary style. Applejack imagined numerous mansions just like it sat all over Equestria. It was a little big for her tastes—these were just farmers right? But they probably had more workers and more immediate family living together than at Sweet Apple Acres. Aside from just the manor there were a trio of large barns to the east of it, along with a few other smaller tool sheds and some wells dotting the strawberry farm. The mansion’s windows were mostly lit up so it seemed like Applejack and Wild Strawberry wouldn’t be waking the Strawberry’s up at least. Now it was just time to see if this Mr. Berries pony would really let Applejack stay there while she tried to help them. She might have to keep her reasons for coming here to herself, otherwise they could get suspicious or just flat out not believe her.

The road they were walking on continued going south but there was a side road that branched off from it and started going through the rows of strawberry bushes—leading right up to the manor. Wild Strawberry pranced down it while humming happily to herself while Applejack kept her eyes on the manor.

When they finally reached it, Wild Strawberry didn’t bother knocking, the filly pulled open the front doors and strode inside.

“Hey everypony! I’m back!” She shouted out.

The manor wasn’t quite so lavish or garish inside, instead furnished pretty simply, which Applejack could appreciate. The hardwood floor had a carpet lying over it leading from the hall they were in towards the stairs and down other corridors and into a few other large rooms on the first floor. Applejack could see from here a library, a billiards room, and some kind of den. On the wall to her left, beside one of the corridors, was a large and old painting of a family standing in front of rows of strawberry bushes. Maybe the founders of the entire farm.

When Wild Strawberry had announced herself, Applejack heard the sounds of ponies coming from a couple different directions. The first she saw though was an older stallion stepping out of the library. In his forties by the look of things, he was a tan earth pony with a deep brown mane and tail wearing a black suit. When he saw Wild Strawberry he smiled and started to walk over. Applejack noticed that on his flank he had a Cutie Mark of a bucket of strawberries, much like the one she herself was currently carrying.

“Welcome back, Wild,” the stallion said. “How were things today?”

Wild Strawberry winced, her happy attitude faltering a bit. “Same as yesterday, Mr. Berries. Sorry to say.”

“None of that’s your fault, you don’t need to apologize none,” Mr. Berries sighed. “If it keeps up though...” he trailed off before looking over at Applejack. “And who’s this? A friend of yours?”

Applejack placed he bucket down on the floor and smiled to Mr. Berries—offering him her hoof. “Name’s Applejack, pleased to meet you.”

Mr. Berries’ eyes narrowed and Wild Strawberry nervously chuckled.

“You brought an apple into our home?” Mr. Berries glanced down at her, checking out Applejack’s Cutie Mark he snorted in derision at her outstretched hoof. “Wild Strawberry—I thought you knew better.”

“It’s not like that! She’s not one of the Apples from here and besides, she’s my friend!” Wild Strawberry stamped her hoof for emphasis.

“Your friend?” Mr. Berries said.

“You heard her,” Applejack said, her patience wearing a bit thin. She put her hoof back down and confidently held Mr. Berries’ gaze. “I don’t know what exactly your problem with the apple farmers here is, but I’m not even from Elysium’s View. And more importantly, yes, I’m Wild Strawberry’s friend. Or does something like that not count for anything out here? Cause where I’m from, farmers got a little bit more character than that. And they’d be happy to show hospitality to anypony that came in for a visit.”

Mr. Berries held his head up and stared at her for a moment longer, before giving her a small nod. “It counts for something. Wild Strawberry here has been nothing but a blessing and a ray of sunshine since she came, and if you’re her friend… well then you’ll be treated like our friend too. I’m happy to extend the hospitality of Strawberry Manor to you.”

Applejack smiled and held her hoof out once more. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Mr. Berries shook it and they both put their hooves back down. “Besides, whether you have a relation to these Apples out here or not, if you’re not from Elysium’s View then it’s not like you’re responsible for anything they’ve done.”

“Anything they’ve done?” Applejack raised an eyebrow.

“Pa, I really wish you wouldn’t say stuff like that, it isn’t true,” another voice came into the hall.

“Why you always trying to defend those others? They wouldn’t say anything nice about us,” another voice said.

“Quiet you two—don’t argue in front of visitor,” a third and much deeper voice said.

Three ponies, a mare and two stallions, were coming down the stairs from the second level. Two of them around Applejack’s age while the other was probably in his late teenage years. Unsurprisingly they were all earth ponies just like Mr. Berries. While the mare and the younger stallion were average-sized, the one other stallion was a mountain of muscle. All three of them were shades of tan or brown, with the big one having a jet black mane and tail, the younger one having orange, and the mare a frizzy red mane and tail with a bunch of equally red freckles scattered on her face.

“Big Hoof! Sunshine! Peddler! How y’all doing?” Wild Strawberry waved up at the three of them.

“Oh, a little bit better now that you’re back. Things are so boring lately,” the young stallion said.

“Stow it, Peddler. Now the three of you come down here and say hi to our new guest. Be on your best behavior—do your family proud,” Mr. Berries said. He then graciously smiled to Applejack. “My children. Big Hoof, my oldest son, Sunshine, my only daughter, and Peddler, my youngest son. Got some grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews that also live and work around here. I’m sure you’ll meet plenty of them while you stay.”

The mare—Sunshine—came giddily hopping down the rest of the stairs. “Hey there! I’m Sunshine Berries, how ya doing?”

“I’m Applejack, and I’m doing pretty good,” Applejack smiled. Nice to know at least one of the strawberry farmers didn’t seem to care that she was an Apple.

Peddler then came up and offered his hoof to shake to Applejack, but when he saw her Cutie Mark he couldn’t help but cringe. “Eugh—apples.”

Applejack bit her tongue. She didn’t need to get in another argument just over another pony’s honest opinion when it came to apples. Especially when she was a guest in their house. So despite her feelings she shook his hoof as well. “N-Nice to meet you too.”

She then turned her gaze to Big Hoof as the big stallion came plodding up behind the others. He easily towered over them all and Applejack gave him a nod. “Howdy.”

“Mm,” Big Hoof quietly nodded back.

Taciturn, similar to another big pony Applejack knew.

“They’re all fine and dandy ponies who love strawberries just as much as me,” Wild Strawberry smiled. “I know you’ll all get along real well.”

“Yeah… I’m real sure too,” Applejack tried to stay optimistic.

“I didn’t hear yet why you’ve come out to Elysium’s View though?” Mr. Berries asked. “Did you come to visit Wild Strawberry?”

“Well, um…” Applejack knew this explanation was going to be either a little tricky or just weird. And she was still really curious about what was happening here. “Actually it was just a coincidence earlier that Wild Strawberry and I happened to run into each other. I came out to Elysium’s View for personal reasons I suppose you could say. And… well the reason I came back here with her was that she told me about the problems you’re facing. I’d like to help you out if I can.”

Mr. Berries’ face darkened slightly but he kept his voice even. “I don’t see how that’s any business of yours or how you can help us.”

“First off—although it might not be strawberries I’m still a farmer too and I know my way around growing fruit. Secondly, I don’t mean just with how your strawberries have gone bitter, I’d like to maybe stop you from feuding with the Apple and Pear families that live out here,” Applejack explained.

“Those Apples and Pears are the reason we’re in this mess in the first place,” Mr. Berries growled.

“Pa! That’s not true! You can’t know that, they’re suffering just like us right now,” Sunshine said.

Applejack looked between the two of them. “Is there something I’m missing here?”

“Um,” Wild Strawberry tugged on her mane. “The Apple and Pear farms are actually having the same problem as us. Their fruit’s all gone bitter too. Every apple and pear tree is just producing bitter apples and pears.”

“And it was one of them who must’ve done something wrong to mess up their crops. And then they probably sabotaged us—or were trying to sabotage us to begin with and ruined their crops too! That’s why our strawberries have gone bad!” Mr. Berries shouted.

Peddler nodded along with him while Big Hoof stayed aloof, it was only Sunshine who shook her head and disagreed.

“That’s just crazy talk, there’s no proof of any of that!” She shouted right back.

“We’ve had problems with them both for years now, it’s no surprise that it’s gotten worse. Now stop disagreeing with me,” Mr. Berries said to her. “This is what’s called a feud. They both couldn’t stomach that we were more successful and our strawberries were much better than their apples and pears.”

“Hold on—this sort of family feuding is all wrong!” Applejack said. “I know that from experience, there aint no reason why you can’t all get along.”

“Well I’ll tell you this-” Mr. Berries said. “This feud aint ending anytime soon so long as our strawberries keep turning up bitter. You’re a friend of Wild and you seem like a good mare, I have no quarrel with you, I’ll let you stay here and do what you want, but don’t expect me to start getting all friendly with the other Apples and the Pears out here. Even before this we didn’t get along and I don’t see why that would change.”

“At the very least I’d like to talk to them too and see if maybe you can all come to an accord. Then maybe your families can get to the bottom of what’s happened to all the fruit,” Applejack said.

Mr. Berries shrugged. “You’re welcome to go talk to them, though even if the Apples welcome you I doubt the Pears will be so kind. And like I said—my house is your house so long as you’re a guest here. We do believe in hospitality and treating guests with kindness.”

“Thank you. And I’m at least still going to try. Cause after all wouldn’t things be a whole lot better if you got along?” Applejack said, shrugging.

“Mmm…” Mr. Berries merely muttered before glancing at Wild Strawberry. “You can take her to the guest room next to yours. Try and get a good night’s sleep, still plenty of work to do tomorrow morning.”

Wild Strawberry nodded. “You got it, Mr. Berries!”

Mr. Berries then looked to Applejack. “Another thing, when it comes to getting to the bottom of this bitter business, the families are already coming together to hold a meeting in two days. I’d suggest you try getting on their good sides before then, since I can already tell you that the meeting aint going to end well.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Applejack grimaced.

What in the hay have I gotten myself into out here? She wondered.

Apples, Strawberries, and Pears, Oh My! II

Applejack knew when she woke up that she had a big day ahead of her. That’s why she went to knock on Wild Strawberry’s door right next to hers. She wanted to get out there to the Apple and Pear family farms as soon as possible.

Wild Strawberry opened it up quickly and yawned, still a little sleepy. “Applejack?”

“Hey there, Wild Strawberry,” Applejack smiled at the filly. “Ready to get out there? I need to talk to those apple and pear farmers today and see if I can solve this mess.”

“Oh,” Wild Strawberry blinked up at her. “Well...”

Applejack tilted her head. “Something the matter?”

“Um… it’s just that it’s probably a lot better if I didn’t come with you. Neither of them will be happy to see a Strawberry,” Wild Strawberry shrugged. “And I’ve got work to do around the farm here today too. Sorry, I thought you would’ve figured that.”

Applejack dragged a hoof down her face. “No, no, you’re right. You’ve already got your own obligations here, don’t you? And… yeah it might be better if I met the other families on my own. They might think things were a trick or something too if you were with me. Is it easy to get to their farms from here?”

Wild Strawberry nodded. “All you gotta do is go back out to the main road and keep heading down it. The apple farm is closest and the pear farm is right behind them.”

“Thanks for letting me know,” Applejack nodded. She then managed a peek inside Wild Strawberry’s room, seeing that it was very much similar to her own with a large bed, dresser, a few cabinets, and a table beside the bed with a fancy lamp on it. The one difference she spotted was that by the window, sitting in the early morning sunlight, was a potted strawberry plant. Just a small one obviously but a healthily growing strawberry plant all the same. Applejack admittedly was slightly envious—you couldn’t really grow apples in your own room.

“Got yourself a strawberry plant going?” She asked the filly.

Wild Strawberry looked back at it and nodded. “Yeah. The strawberries haven’t ripened yet but they’re close. They’re just gonna end up bitter but I still wanted to grow some of my own.”

Applejack smiled. “Bitter or not, I’d like to be the first pony to try the strawberries you’ve grown.”

“Heh,” Wild Strawberry smiled. “Thanks, Applejack.”

“Don’t mention it. And I guess I better hit the road about now. I’ll see you when I get back later today. And hopefully I’ll have some good news to bring,” Applejack said.

“Good luck,” Wild Strawberry wished her.

Early morning in Elysium’s View was pretty nice all things considered. It seemed like a temperate, comfortable, place and right now there was plenty of sun coming from the newly risen sun. No clouds were out just yet to block it so Applejack got to take in the view of the blue sky and the green lands around her. However she couldn’t really enjoy them all that much when she had other things to worry about and two big farms to visit first.

Thankfully the walk to the other farms wasn’t a long one. Applejack was walking over a hill when the apple farm came into view.

Trees and trees and trees almost as far as the eye could see. It sure reminded Applejack of home. From up here on the hill she could see the hundreds of trees with each one of them carrying a beautiful bounty of apples. Red to green and every apple color in-between. Aside from Sweet Apple Acres itself—Applejack may have never seen a greater looking apple orchard. It was a shame, a real crying shame, to think about how these apples had gone bitter too. This being an apple farm, the matter was far closer to her heart and Applejack had an even greater desire to solve the bitter mystery.

The home of the Apple family (that may or may not have been related to her) that lived out here was a bit different from the Strawberry Manor as well. Applejack could see it when she walked a little further. Instead of a single large mansion with some barns, there was a clear patch of land in the middle of the apple orchard with a complex of buildings built on it. Mostly a few houses, either one or two stories, and a couple of barns like the strawberry farm. It was more spread out and looked like there was a lot of open ground between the houses as well, probably for any sort of party or reunion occasion if they were anything like the Apples Applejack knew.

“There it is,” Applejack took a deep breath and started walking through the rows of trees towards it.

She knew she’d receive a warm welcome at first but then… well she’d just have to do her best.

When she reached the houses and barns of the Apple complex she saw that there was a fence running along its perimeter but there was no gate blocking off the road. Anypony could just walk on in. It certainly made her feel a little more welcome.

There weren’t any ponies out right now that she could see, unless some were working in the orchards on the other side of the complex. But they might have still been getting ready or having breakfast. It was certainly early enough for that. So Applejack decided to do the most sensible thing she could think of and walk up to the biggest house of the complex and knock on its front door.

“Time to be a good guest, Applejack,” she told herself.

It only took a few moment’s before she heard a pony walking up to the door and it was pulled open by a young lime-green mare close to her own age. The mare looked Applejack up and down for a moment as if trying to think if she knew her or not before raising a questioning eyebrow at the stranger on her doorstep.

“Can I help you?” She asked.

Applejack smiled. “I think you can. You’re the Apple Family of Elysium’s View, right? Well-” she turned to her side so she could show the mare her triple-apple Cutie Mark. “Do you think you can make some time for a distant relative from out of town?”

The mare’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped in shock. “Well I’ll be...”

“My name’s Applejack. From the Apple family in Ponyville, though I doubt you recognize the name,” Applejack said, still grinning happily to the other mare.

“Distant relative or not, any pony with apples on her flank is welcome here,” the mare said and showed her side to Applejack as well—revealing a large pink lady apple Cutie Mark. “I’m Maybelline, would you like to come inside?”

Applejack nodded. “Sure would.”

Maybelline stepped inside and allowed Applejack in. “Mama! Papa! We’ve got a guest!”

If any place in her journey through the west had felt like home—this was it. The quaint home was just like her farmhouse back at Sweet Apple Acres, with a cozy atmosphere and décor, Applejack happily drank it in. There were pictures along the walls of a large family, a fireplace that already had a nice fire going, and the smell of some delicious food from nearby. Maybelline led her right in the direction of where the food was—to a dining room just around the corner.

Applejack saw a big family seated at a big table, almost a dozen other long-lost Apples. Some of them were in the middle of rising to meet her or were already standing. She saw a few more around her age along with some a few years older and a couple of fillies and colts. The table itself was covered in all sorts of breakfast foods along with four apple pies and plenty of apple juice. Yep, that was an Apple family breakfast.

At the far end of the table were an older mare and stallion pushing sixty—but still bright-eyed and smiling at their guest.

“Well who’s this sweet mare?” The older mare asked, her voice as gentle as a silk sheet.

“Maybe a long-lost relative. I’m not too sure yet,” Applejack said.

The others looked around in confusion before Applejack showed off her Cutie Mark and they gasped in surprise and wonder. Applejack could see that most all of them had similar apple Cutie Marks as well. They all had to know what this meant. It wasn’t exactly a guarantee of kinship but it was the closest thing Applejack could think of.

“You’re an Apple?” The older mare asked.

Applejack nodded. “Sure am, my name is Applejack. I’m from a town called Ponyville in the land of Equestria far to the east of here. When I heard that there was an Apple family here I wondered if maybe we were long-lost relatives, my family settled in Ponyville years ago but we’re spread all over… maybe spread even further than I thought.”

“We’ve been out here for a long while but it’s not like we just sprouted out of the ground...” the older mare murmured. “Maybe we do have some sort of distant relation? Oh! But where are my manners? My name’s Ol’ Honeycrisp, matriarch of the Elysium’s View Apple family. This here’s my husband Lentil Soup and—hey now, the rest of you introduce yourselves and say hi to our guest too!”

Everypony that wasn’t already up made sure to get out of their seats as they greeted Applejack more personally. She got a lot of new names and a lot of different versions of hello pretty quickly.

“Howdy! I’m Appleseed.”

“Nice to meet you, Applejack, I’m Cider Barrel.”

“Hello, my name’s Springy.”

“And hi! I’m Vivian, it’s a pleasure to meet you!”

And so forth. Even the kids were the most charming and polite of hosts as they greeted Applejack. She in turn made sure to smile and say hello back to every individual pony that greeted her.

Once it was done, Ol’ Honeycrisp spread her hooves in front of the table and smiled at Applejack. “Well won’t you sit down and join us for breakfast? We’ll need to show you our brand of Apple hospitality. Did you hear about us being here and that’s why you made it all the way to Elysium’s View?”

“Uh, not quite,” Applejack awkwardly grinned and took an open seat next to Maybelline as the others also sat back down.

“Then what brought you out to the edge of the world of all places?” Ol’ Honeycrisp asked.

“It’s… kind of complicated. Let me spare you the details, there’s a more important issue I wanted to talk about with you. Regardless of what first sent me here, I’ve heard some things and figured out there’s a big problem here at your farm,” Applejack glumly looked around at the others—and at the apple pies sitting on the table. “I know about the Strawberry and Pear families that live out here too. Is it true you’ve been feuding with them for a long time. And… have all your apples really gone bitter?”

It was not exactly a tactful way to broach the subject but Applejack was nothing if not direct.

Still, unsurprisingly, a cold breeze seemed to settle across the whole dining room. Most smiles vanished or were awkwardly frozen on her distant kin’s faces. Maybelline was shifting her eyes back and forth between Applejack and her old parents. Lentil Soup also glanced sideways at his wife—the matriarch of these ponies—and seemed to wonder how she would react.

Ol’ Honeycrisp, her eyes sharp but decidely less friendly looking than a moment ago, gently took a drink of apple juice in front of her before staring down Applejack. “And where exactly did you learn all this?”

Applejack sighed. “I spent last night at Strawberry Manor as a guest of Mr. Berries.”

The coldness became even worse and the dining room was now filled with tension so think it could be cut with a knife.

“And you’re supposed to be kin of ours?” Ol’ Honeycrisp asked, barely holding back a biting snort. “Our feud with them is our business. Or do you maybe secretly prefer strawberries and pears to apples?”

A vein twitched in Applejack’s forehead. “Now hold on just one minute. There’s no pony who loves apples more than me—I just want to help you out here. I am family. But I know what feuds can be like and I want to help you. If it makes you feel any better, Mr. Berries wasn’t exactly welcoming until he learned I wasn’t from around here.”

“I’m surprised he’d put you up even then,” Springy said.

“Well I also had a friend vouch for me—she’s a strawberry farmer I knew from somewhere else,” Applejack explained.

“Friends? With a strawberry farmer?” Ol’ Honeycrisp nearly sprung up out of her chair. “You best be pulling our legs here.”

Applejack held up her hooves defensively. “I’m not, please just listen to me. I want to help you. Loving apples doesn’t mean you need to hate strawberries and pears—there aint no reason whatsover you can’t get along with the other farmers out here. I’m an Apple and my family back home gets along well with everypony else, even though we’ve had issues in the past. We’ve got Orange relatives and I’ve even worked for a cherry farmer at one point. There aint nothing wrong with any of it.” She took a deep breath, ready to explain something even more personal. “I know the pointlessness of a feud and how it can hurt ponies. Before my time, the Apples had a problem with the Pear family that lived nearby. But my pa, Bright Macintosh, fell in love with my ma Pear Butter and married her. Her father couldn’t stand it and he never made up with her and it was something he always regretted. But things are better now—me and my family are proof of that.”

There was another pause in the dining room and somehow for a moment things seemed even quieter than before. Maybelline was now flat out gawking at her and some of the younger ponies seemed confused. The adults though all realized what she had said and what it meant.

Ol’ Honeycrisp stood up straight, staring at Applejack with a fire in her eyes that was so unlike the soft sweetness Applejack had seen in the mare earlier. “Are you telling me… that you’re a Pear?”

“I’m Applejack. But my mother was a Pear and there ain’t nothing wrong with that,” Applejack coolly responded.

“You’re the daughter of an Apple and a Pear...” Ol’ Honeycrisp’s lip curled. “How… how… how shameful!”

This time it was impossible for Applejack to hold back.

“Shameful! Are you calling my ma and pa shameful?!” She shouted, standing up as well.

Ol’ Honeycrisp immediately snapped her mouth shut. Guest or not, feud or not, there were just some things you didn’t say and she knew she had gone too far. As had the other Apples here, even the ones also clearly unhappy to learn about Applejack’s lineage. Ol’ Honeycrisp calmly sat back down and looked at Applejack.

“I apologize for my words, that was wrong of me to say. But let me just say this—you aren’t one of us and this isn’t your problem. And frankly, you aren’t welcome here any longer either. I’d like you to leave.”

Applejack closed her eyes and calmed herself down a little. “I’m trying to help you here. It’s not just the feuding, we need to get to the bottom of why your apples have gone bitter.” She opened her eyes back up and looked at one of the glasses of apple juice on the table. Reaching down she grabbed it and took a small sip, cringing as the bitter taste immediately hit her. “Are you all in denial? How can you drink this and eat apple pies made of apples like this?”

“For all we know it was either the Strawberries or Pears who did something to our apples,” Ol’ Honeycrisp defiantly folded her hooves.

Applejack sighed and sat down. “That’s pretty much exactly the same sentiment Mr. Berries had...”

“Just get out of here!” Ol’ Honeycrisp pointed towards the door. “We have more than enough reasons to not want to get along with those other farms! Stop intruding in on business that has nothing to do with you, you aren’t any Apple in my eyes!”

“Fine! I’m going! But this isn’t the last you’re going to hear from me,” Applejack pushed her chair back and started stomping out of the dining room.

Maybelline followed her out towards the front door. “I-I’m sorry things went like that, my mother, she’s just, she’s just set in her ways and very passionate and-”

“I understand tempers can run hot in situations like this,” Applejack cut her off, still a bit angry herself but trying to not take it out on the much more helpful mare.

Maybelline swallowed and opened up the front door for her but before Applejack could leave- “Wait a second!”

“What is it?” Applejack stopped.

“You… your mother is really a Pear?” Maybelline asked.

“Sure was. Is that a problem?” Applejack narrowed her eyes.

“No, not at all,” Maybelline quickly shook her head. “Not all of us are so angry with each other. It’s mostly our parents who are still fighting… I know some Strawberries and Pears who… it doesn’t matter.” She sighed. “Have a nice day, it was nice to meet you.”

“I hope it will get a little nicer, I have the Pears to go talk to next. But it was nice to meet you too,” Applejack said and stepped out the door.

The pear farm was very similar to the apple farm at a glance. Something Applejack noticed with wry amusement, if she pointed that out to her family she had just left behind would that annoy them? Even though she still wasn’t sure if they were actually blood related or not, family was family.

But for now, the pear farm covered multiple hills and fields just like the apple and strawberry farms, all of its trees growing big and strong and carrying plenty of ripe pears on them. It was sad to think that just like the other two fruits they were all going to be bitter.

Another thing on her mind right now was the thought that maybe she wouldn’t even be allowed in to talk with the Pear family. Her name was Applejack, she had an apple Cutie Mark, even if they knew she wasn’t one of the other Apples they likely still wouldn’t be happy to see her. And once she told her story they’d probably get just as angry. Without Wild Strawberry to help her out she didn’t have a single solitary “in” with the Pear family out here. Applejack was just going to hope against hope that they at least didn’t slam the door back in her face when they saw her standing there.

Walking through the trees, down the road that branched off from the main one, Applejack eventually saw the house where they lived. It was a single large building but only one-story high, ranch-style, that spread across a large part of the farm. Applejack saw a few other barns as well that were spread out through the orchards instead of just being right next to the large home. Thanks to the time of day she had arrived here she also saw a large number of ponies working in the rows of trees. They couldn’t all be Pear family members, some probably just hired help, but Applejack was worried that her apple Cutie Mark would be spotted before she even got to the house.

In fact, when she got closer she saw a few ponies out on the porch of the large ranch home while its front door was held wide open in invitation. A few colts and fillies were playing around in the dirt and an older mare was resting in a rocking chair, watching over them. When Applejack approached, she could see that the mare was smiling… but it became more strained as she was able to make out the pony that was coming her way. The children as well had seen her and were watching the stranger approach their home.

Applejack stopped in front of the steps leading up the porch and looked up at the older mare in her chair. Who was not angrily glaring at her but still had an icy expression on her yellow face. Her mane was white and curly but starting to gray at the roots.

“Howdy,” Applejack said.

The creaking of the chair and the floorboards of the porch as it rocked back and forth were the only sounds for a moment before the mare nodded. “Howdy yourself. You’re not from the Apple farm, I know all of them by heart.”

Applejack nodded. “That’s right, I am an apple farmer but not from here. My name is Applejack—I came out to Elysium’s View for… personal reasons… and learned about all your farms here. May I ask who you are?”

“Mother Pear Jam. I happen to be the current head of the farm,” Mother Pear Jam continued rocking slowly back and forth.

“Well it’s nice to meet you. And um, I know this is gonna be a sore subject and I don’t want you to think I’m being rude but… I’ve heard about your pears going bitter from others. Is that true?” Applejack asked.

“If it is or isn’t what does it matter to you? An apple farmer, not even one from here, why don’t you keep your nose out of our pear business,” Mother Pear Jam said. There was a lack of real venom in her voice but she obviously didn’t want to talk about it with Applejack.

“Because I’d like to help—all of you. And… I have a bit of a closer connection to pears than you might think. It’s possible that you and me are even distant relatives,” Applejack said.

Now a frown settled over Mother Pear Jam’s face and she raised an eyebrow at Applejack. “And just what do you mean by that?”

Before Applejack could respond, a voice came from the open door leading into the house. “Mother? Who are you talking to? Do we have a visitor?”

“You and Cake should come on out here!” Mother Pear Jam shouted back to the door. “Seems we got a strange one!”

Applejack didn’t much appreciate that moniker but she didn’t want to get in a fight. Instead she watched as two stallions came walking out onto the porch. She had to blink and do a double-take—they were twins. About her age, with a darker yellow coloring than Mother Pear Jam, they wore suits and unlike their mother they had smiling, welcoming, faces.

“These are my sons, Pear Pie and Pear Cake. They’re next in line to take over the farm, though it’ll be a long time fore that happens,” Mother Pear Jam said to Applejack. She then glanced at the twins. “This here mare is called Applejack. She says she’d like to help us out with our little bitter problem. Why don’t you tell her what our policy is on Apples.”

Both twins winced and looked over at their mother awkwardly. Applejack had no idea which was which but one of them had the nerve to speak up to her.

“Mother… please, there’s no need for-”

“Do you want to take over the farm one day or not?” Mother Pear Jam cut him off.

The twins sighed and glumly looked at Applejack—reciting in a rote and apologetic fashion to Applejack: “Apples and Strawberries both should buzz off before they get what’s coming to them.”

They then mouthed “sorry” to her before their mother could see.

“Get it now?” Mother Pear Jam asked.

Applejack put a hoof to her forehead and sighed deeply. “This crazy feuding of yours has to stop. Not just because all your fruit has gone bitter and you need to find out why—but because you’ll tear each other apart at this rate. And that aint right. Ponies shouldn’t be fighting like this, especially over something so pointless.”

“Pears are better than apples and strawberries! But those two families never gave us any respect,” Mother Pear Jam shouted. “I wouldn’t expect an Apple like you to understand that though.”

“But you’re wrong. I aint just an Apple. My mother was a Pear,” Applejack said—as proud as she had ever been in her life about anything.

The twins gasped and Mother Pear Jam nearly fell out of her rocking chair. All the other kids that had been watching this were just as shocked too.

“Y-Y-Y-You what?!” Mother Pear Jam finally managed to say.

Applejack rolled her eyes. “Told you we might be related. I’ve been an apple farmer all my life but don’t think that I can’t appreciate pears too. Are you maybe willing to listen to me? Can’t you see and believe that I just want to help you all? Make things better for everypony?”

“G-Get out of here!” Mother Pear Jam angrily pointed Applejack out of the farm. “Just get out of here! You aint welcome on our farm!”

“Mother, please! You’re being-” the twins tried to reason with her.

“I don’t want to hear it, you two! You should be watching me and learning from me right now! This is what you need to do to take care of our pear farm—it was probably an Apple or Strawberry that caused everything to go bitter in the first place. Can’t give em an inch!” She continued to yell.

“I. Just. Want. To. Help,” Applejack said through gritted teeth.

“We don’t want it or need it. Tomorrow there’s a big meeting with those other Apples and the Strawberry family too, and we’ll get to the bottom of which of them caused our fruit to go bitter. Then once the culprit has been punished we’ll go back to normal and we won’t have to talk to one another ever again. Hmph!” Mother Pear Jam defiantly turned her nose up at Applejack.

“Okay! I’m going, sheesh!” Applejack shook her head and turned around. “But I’m not leaving Elysium’s View until you all get along and this feuding comes to a stop! Believe me, I’m way more stubborn than you!”

“Keep yapping all you want but I better not see you here again!” She heard Mother Pear Jam yell after her.

Applejack didn’t bother turning around or continuing a pointless argument as she stomped her way away from the house and back to the road leading out of the pear farm. This day had not gone nearly as well as she had wished. It seemed like she was going to have to place her bets on the meeting taking place tomorrow. As miserable as that was likely to be.

“I can’t believe I’ve gotten along best with the Strawberries of all ponies.”

Apples, Strawberries, and Pears, Oh My! IV

“I really wish that meeting had gone better, for all our sakes,” Wild Strawberry said as she lied on her bed and stared up at the ceiling.

Applejack meanwhile was pacing about in the room, still in a bad mood and still with no clue how to proceed. “Consarnit—can’t ponies just get over themselves?”

“It aint that easy. Even I know that and I’m just a kid,” Wild Strawberry shrugged.

“True… I’ve been pigheaded enough as an adult to know,” Applejack rubbed her forehead. “But it’s their precious farms, their livelihoods, what they want to pass on to their kids that’s at stake! Do they hate each other more than they love their farms and fruit?”

“Ponies are silly I guess. You know Mr. Berries doesn’t even know how this feud started? I bet Ol’ Honeycrisp and Mother Pear Jam don’t even remember either,” Wild Strawberry said.

“Ugh. I aint the giving up type but maybe I should go talk to that Council of Lords or see if anypony else in Elysium’s View can help me out here?” Applejack wondered.

“I think that’d just make them all angrier if more outsiders get involved...”

Applejack sighed. “You’re right about that. Probably wouldn’t be smart to get even more on Mr. Berries bad side when he’s still letting me stay here.”

Wild Strawberry hopped off the bed. “What do you want to do now?”

“I really got no idea,” Applejack shook her head.

“Me neither. I just… maybe I should pack up and leave soon too. There are other places that probably don’t have strawberries at all, I can help grow some there and teach them to love my favorite fruit. If I can’t help out here then what’s the point? I wouldn’t be following my Cutie Mark at all,” Wild Strawberry said.

“Growing and spreading the love of strawberries around the world, huh?” Applejack wistfully looked out the window of the room, and to the plant growing under it. She smiled. “Well, even if you got stalled here I’d say it was still good you grew these on your own.”

“Why’s that?” Wild Strawberry raised an eyebrow at her.

“So I can do this,” Applejack said and walked over to the bush, taking the ripest strawberry off it. “I’ll be honest with you, sugarcube, I’ve never cared for strawberries. If you weren’t out here I probably wouldn’t eat any. But since you are—well I can do a lot more than just appreciate them.”

“But it’s just going to be bitter anyways...” Wild Strawberry frowned.

“Doesn’t matter. If it’s your strawberry then I want to eat it,” Applejack said and took a big bite out of the juicy fruit. As the experience, the texture, the flavor, hit her, Applejack nearly immediately froze up. She took another bite and then another one, eating the entire strawberry and swallowing it all down, even licking her lips when she was finished.

“Uh, Applejack? You got a little quiet there, is something wrong?” Wild Strawberry questioned.

“It’s delicious...”

“Huh?”

“It’s delicious. That was one of the most delicious fruits I’ve ever eaten besides the apples and apple food my Granny and parents have made for me...” Applejack said.

“Huh?” Wild Strawberry repeated, running over to her and the strawberry bush. “But that’s impossible, I was only growing them as a hobby, I used the same seeds, soil, and water as the rest of the farm’s been using for their strawberries! Mine shouldn’t be any different.” She pulled a fresh strawberry off the bush and ate it—her eyes popping wide open at the sweet flavor that assaulted her mouth. “Y-You’re right… it’s so sweet… it’s like a normal strawberry.”

She scratched her head in confusion, Applejack’s old hat nearly falling off. “But I don’t understand! Why are the strawberries I’ve grown normal? This doesn’t make any sense!”

“Course it does.”

Wild Strawberry looked up at Applejack—seeing the older mare staring off into space with a big smile stretched across her face.

“I said it earlier didn’t I? Wondered if they hate each other more than they loved their own farms and fruit… that’s why this has happened. It’s not about the soil. It’s not about the work going into their growth. It’s not about any special farming techniques. The reason all the fruit here has gone bitter is because Mr. Berries, Ol’ Honeycrisp, and Mother Pear Jam have forgotten the most important thing of all when it comes to raising crops. Something that if it’s missing will make your fruit bitter no matter what else you do.”

“Umm, what?” Wild Strawberry asked.

“Love, sugarcube.” Applejack smiled as she closed her eyes and thought back on all her precious memories at Sweet Apple Acres. Every tree she bucked, every harvest she took part in, seeing trees grow before her very eyes. Working out there with Big Mac and Apple Bloom. Granny Smith teaching her about Zap Apple Jam.

Being guided through the trees by her mother and father long ago…

“The bitterness that these families have for each other has seeped into everything. It’s corrupted all their plants. It’s not the soil, the water, the trees, the plants, the fertilizer, nothing! It’s so much deeper than that. That’s why your strawberry bush is okay—because you grew it all on your own, innocently, pouring love into it the whole time!” Applejack lifted up Wild Strawberry into a big hug. “We’ve got it, sugarcube! I know what’s wrong now and I know how to save everypony’s farm!”

Wild Strawberry grinned and eagerly returned the hug, laughing in joy. “So what do we do now?”

“There’s a couple of ponies we need to find first.”

“Sunshine, how are ya doing today?” Applejack asked her as she and Wild Strawberry walked up to the mare.

They were all out in the strawberry fields, Sunshine busy watering some with a flower-patterned watering can. Applejack and Strawberry had big smiles on their faces that honestly kind of perturbed the other mare. What did they have to be happy about at this point?

“I’m fine I suppose,” Sunshine said, tipping up the can to make sure she didn’t over water any of the plants. “Why do you ask?”

“Well…” Applejack rubbed the back of her neck.

“What do you think about the Pear twins?” Wild Strawberry cheekily asked.

“H-Huh?” Sunshine looked around as if to make sure nopony else was around. “Well… we’ve known each other since we were kids. Can’t say my father ever let us be friends but we corresponded with one another a lot. Not so much lately though.”

Applejack got a knowing smirk on her face. “You like one of em?”

“Fancy one of em?” Wild Strawberry wiggled her eyebrows.

“I-I… um… well… P-Pear Pie and I have always gotten along particularly well...” Sunshine blushed.

“I thought so,” Applejack nodded. She stepped up to Sunshine and put a comforting hoof on her shoulder. “Now—you don’t have to say anything you don’t want, but would you like it if your farm got along better with theirs? And the Apples too?”

“Um…” Sunshine bit her lip. “I know how my father feels… and I don’t want to disappoint him… but at the same time things have gotten so bad here. It’s just… wrong.”

“Well the two of us would like to help. We want to fix things and maybe you’ll be able to get along a lot better with everypony else around here. And especially Pear Pie,” Applejack smiled.

Sunshine blushed and gulped hesitantly. “W-Well then...”

“We need you to help us first though. Do you think you can get us in contact with the Pear twins? Without their mother or any other pony knowing?” Applejack asked.

Sunshine thought for a second before nodding. “I think so. But why?”

“One thing at a time,” Wild Strawberry smirked.

Big Hoof was in the middle of pulling a plow, gouging up the dirt and getting it ready for planting when Applejack, Wild Strawberry, and his sister Sunshine came by. He was kind of surprised why his sister was out here but it’s not like any of their work was really especially important right now.

“Hey there, Big Hoof, getting a lot of work done today?” Applejack asked as she walked up to him. Wild Strawberry was right there with her while Sunshine was hesitantly following her steps.

“Mhm,” Big Hoof nodded, not slowing down.

“Must be tough pulling that plow, I know what that’s like,” Applejack said.

“Mhm,” Big Hoof grunted.

“Shoot, if I knew you were doing something so tough I would’ve brought a nice glass of water with me for you,” Applejack said.

“Mhm.”

“You really focused on your work there, huh? Guess you like strawberries as much as I like apples.”

“Mhm.”

“So how about that Maybelline?”

Big Hoof sputtered and nearly tripped, his head whipping over towards her. “W-W-What? Huh?”

He saw Applejack and Wild Strawberry both grinning up at him while Sunshine nervously chuckled.

“Could you maybe help us out a little bit, Big Hoof?” Applejack asked him. “If you do you’ll get to talk to Maybelline today. And tomorrow. And maybe a whole lot more.”

Big Hoof looked around at the three mares and raised an eyebrow. “What’s this about?”

“I’m glad you asked.”

Deep in the hills of the Pear family farm, an unlikely group of ponies met. It was just as confusing of a meeting in the first place for most of them. And scary too, as the children of the two heads of their farms were worried about what could happen if their parents ever actually found out about this. However, even with that, kindness and friendship was winning out for the moment as Pear Pie and Pear Cake had allowed this secret meeting at the request of Sunshine to take place. Surrounded by pear trees in a nearly hidden grove, there was an uncomfortable feeling hanging over most of the ponies. Except for Applejack and Wild Strawberry, who both smiled and radiated joy.

“I’m really glad you two met us out here,” Applejack said to the Pear twins.

“Anything for a friend...” Pear Pie said as his eyes wandered over to Sunshine.

“Exactly!” Applejack pointed to him. “Exactly that! Y’all know this is wrong and want to change things don’t you? And not just because your fruits have gone bitter, you want to be friends and start up a better relationship with the Apple and Strawberry families. Cause it’s just the right thing to do aint it? It’s the thing that would make everypony happy!”

“I don’t think it’s that easy,” Pear Cake said.

“But it is! It really is! And what’s more important right now is that you want to be friends with the other farms and fix all this, right?” Applejack asked.

The twins shared a look before both nodded to Applejack and spoke in unison. “That’s right.”

“So now how are we going to do that though? Why’d you want me to get in touch with them, Applejack?” Sunshine asked. Big Hoof stood beside her, silent but curious.

“Wild Strawberry?” Applejack raised an eyebrow at the filly.

“Right,” Wild Strawberry nodded and together both of them removed their hats.

The other ponies looked on in confusion as Applejack and Wild Strawberry both revealed a small bag of strawberries sitting on their heads. Ripe and freshly picked, the two removed their bags and held them out for the four other ponies to take. It was still... very confusing to them though.

“What’s all this?” Sunshine asked.

“Just eat one of em,” Applejack said. “All four of you.”

“They’re just going to be bitter like all of our pears,” Pear Pie said.

“Look, just take a bite,” Wild Strawberry said.

Sunshine shrugged and was the first to take a strawberry, with Big Hoof right behind her and the twins after him. Together they looked at and inspected the strawberries, wondering why they were being asked to eat them. Sunshine and Big Hoof weren’t looking forward to anymore bitter strawberries while the twins weren’t exactly keen on eating the other fruit at all. Bitter or not their mother wouldn’t be too happy if she found out. Still, since Sunshine was here and Applejack seemed like a nice pony, they’d at least indulge.

As Applejack and Wild Strawberry watched, the four other farmers plunked the strawberries into their mouths and bit into the fresh fruit. Just like Applejack they had an immediate reaction as the sweet and delicious fruit overwhelmed their tongues. It had been ages since any of them had tasted a fruit so nice. Sunshine and Big Hoof’s jaws dropped in shock while the Pear twins were left staring off into space as they swallowed the strawberries down.

“B-B-B-But how? Where did you find a fresh strawberry so sweet? Our entire farm is bitter,” Sunshine asked.

“I grew em,” Wild Strawberry proudly stated. “I had my own plant growing in my room, these strawberries you’re eating are the fruits of my labor!”

“But that still doesn’t make any sense...” Sunshine said.

Wild Strawberry chuckled and gently elbowed Applejack in the side. “Hehe, tell em, Applejack!”

“There’s something you’ve been missing now, and also, a poison really has seeped into your farms. But it’s not what you think,” Applejack smiled as she looked at the others. “And we’re lucky that this poison is easy to fix. And this ingredient you’re missing-” She looked at the Pear twins and then Sunshine. “You already know where to find it. But it might be a little tougher to convince your parents. I’ve got an idea for that, but I need some help. Pear Pie, Pear Cake? First of all, is there any tree here that’s not a normal pear tree for harvesting? One that’s special to you? The first one you planted or one you take care of personally?”

“Well... yes,” Pear Cake answered hesitantly. He looked a little unsure about speaking further but the sweet strawberry was still on his mind. “I don’t know if this is what you have in mind, but there’s the Pear Family Grove.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Pear Family Grove?”

“These trees aren’t for harvesting. One gets planted each time a new Pear is born,” Pear Pie explained as he took Applejack and the others through a small grove behind the Pear ranch.

“You’re supposed to water and care for them yourself,” Pear Cake added.

“When we were born, Mother decided to only put down one seed, so we could both share it. Said it would be a good way for us to stay close,” Pear Pie said.

“And she was right,” Pear Cake smiled and pointed up at a pear tree. “Look.”

Applejack looked up at a mighty big and healthy pear tree. It was in the middle of the grove and had dozens of just as delicious looking pears hanging from its branches. The bark, the leaves, everything about it was perfectly maintained. It was clear the Pear twins had put a lot of love into raising this tree. Which was exactly what Applejack was hoping for. A tree that was just theirs, untouched by the bitterness flowing through everything else. It wasn’t for harvesting or selling from, no wonder they hadn’t figured out that this one would be different.

At least she was hoping she’d be right and the pears from this tree wouldn’t be bitter.

“Could we try some of the pears growing from it? If that’s alright?” Applejack asked.

Pear Pie shrugged. “Generally I’d say no but considering the circumstances of the past few months and the generosity you’ve shown us...”

“I don’t see why you’d want to though. There’s no reason why these pears wouldn’t be bitter too,” Pear Cake said.

“Let’s just try them, please,” Applejack said.

The Pear twins did what pear farmers do best and the both of them gave a precise buck to the tree, dropping a pear for each pony in the grove, including themselves. When everypony had their pear they stood under the tree and got ready to eat. Big Hoof and Sunshine both looked at the fruit a little awkwardly, probably feeling the same short of shame Pear Pie and Pear Cake felt about the strawberries. The same kind of awkwardness Applejack might have felt long ago before she learned about her heritage. Ponies really were the same all over.

As soon as every pony bit into the pears, they were greeted with the sharp, aromatic, sweet, taste that the pears from this farm should always have. The crunchy flesh of the fruit was dripping with juice and Applejack closed her eyes to enjoy the flavor in an even purer way. She took a few more bits just to savor the sensation and the moment. Judging by the silence in the grove, the others were doing much the same thing.

“I don’t get it...” Pear Pie whispered and Applejack opened up her eyes.

She saw him and his brother staring at their pears, large bites taken out of them.

“Is this all that it was? Was that really the problem?” Pear Cake wondered.

“Simple, right?” Applejack said. “You understand how bad things have really gotten now, that your families have gotten on such bad terms that it’s destroying all of you. But we can fix it. Help me out here just a little more. We can fix how the fruits have gone bitter and fix how nasty your families treat one another.”

“What more do you need us to do?” Pear Pie asked, now far more invested. “Just because these pears are normal and taste so delicious, how is that actually going to fix things?”

“It’s just one part and I’ll tell you about the rest later. Right now it’s Big Hoof’s time to shine,” Applejack grinned over at the large stallion.

“Mhm,” Big Hoof nodded.

“This is my own apple tree, I planted it myself years ago and I’ve been saving it for a special occasion but I figured all the fruit on it would be bitter now anyways and... the special occasion I wanted to use it for seemed like it might never come,” Maybelline said as she glanced over the others and then stared at Big Hoof. A sad smile coming over her face. “I wanted to bake an apple pie for you one day. When our families were on better terms.”

“Mhm,” Big Hoof blushed and looked down, too embarrassed to meet her gaze.

“I’m the only one in the family allowed to touch this tree. Everypony else knows that,” Maybelline said and gave it a kick, dropping a single red apple from its branches and into her hooves. She looked at it with a blank expression on her face before walking over to Big Hoof and offering the apple up to him.

“Will you accept this apple?” She asked.

Big Hoof managed to meet her gaze and he shyly nodded. “Mm... mhm.”

He graciously took the apple from her hooves and brought it up to his mouth, taking a big bite out of it while Maybelline and the others watched. Big Hoof chewed a few times, quietly eating it and taking his time, not rushing the special occasion at all. To the others watching this all seemed far more intimate than the simple giving of a fruit to another pony.

After a moment he finished with his bite and swallowed it all down, silently gazing up and looking at the apple tree it came from.

“H-How was it?” Maybelline asked.

“Delicious. It was the best thing I’ve ever tasted in my life,” Big Hoof answered.

Tears started to gather at Maybelline’s eyes. “Oh, Big Hoof...”

“That’s my brother for you,” Sunshine smirked.

Maybelline wiped the tears away and looked at Applejack and Wild Strawberry. “So with what you and Big Hoof said... what does this mean? Will everything really be okay?”

“It will be. There’s just a little more work to do now,” Applejack nodded.

“What’s next? We’ve found pears, apples, and strawberries that are still healthy and taste sweet. So what do we do with them?” Pear Pie asked her.

“Now it’s time to finally convince your parents that what they’re doing is wrong,” Applejack said.

The others paled and looked around nervously, not exactly happy with that idea.

“Is um... is there anything else we can do?” Maybelline asked.

Applejack shook her head. “Nope. You gotta show them how their bitterness and grudges are ruining their farms. You gotta remind them about love, how important that is to raising your crops and making sure your fruit is the best it can be.”

“That’s right!” Wild Strawberry smirked.

“Yes but how exactly do we do that?” Sunshine asked. “They’re not going to like it if we tell them what we’ve all just done today...”

“I’ve got an idea for tomorrow but I’ll need your help again. Is there a place like that courtroom where you can bring all your parents—don’t let them know what’s going on first or that the other families will be there—a place that’s normal or kind of like neutral ground? I don’t want any of them to be suspicious,” Applejack said.

“I’m sure we can come up with a place like that,” the Pear twins shrugged.

“There’s probably a good spot in town,” Maybelline said.

“Okay,” Applejack nodded. “Then I just gotta ask you to trust me again, cause tomorrow we’re going to fix everything.”

Apples, Strawberries, and Pears, Oh My! V

The following morning found Applejack pacing back and forth in the back of a supermarket in the town part of Elysium’s View. It was one of the places where in the past the three families would have sold their fruit in bulk to. That stopped a few months ago for obvious reasons. Still, the Pear twins, Sunshine, Big Hoof, and Maybelline all knew the store’s owner and they were able to set this up. According to them, their parents were all familiar with the supermarket and the ponies who ran it as well. It wouldn’t be the strangest thing for them to come out here on sudden business.

Wild Strawberry was already here with her and now the two of them were waiting for their cohorts to arrive with the special guests. Applejack had it all set up, it felt bad to trick them into coming like this but there was no way the three of them would get together willingly. So she was forced to be a little deceptive and hope things turned out for the best.

At least she could rely on the others to make sure Mr. Berries, Ol’ Honeycrisp, and Mother Pear Jam wouldn’t be allowed to immediately turn around and leave. Their kids would be pleading with them just like Applejack and Wild Strawberry.

“Stop pacing around so much, Applejack. I’m sure things will be fine,” Wild Strawberry said to her.

“I sure hope so,” Applejack mumbled and looked around.

On the table here in this backroom they had three bowls of fruit set up. One with strawberries, one with apples, and one with pears. They were the key to everything. Possibly the only fruit on all three farms that still tasted good and hadn’t suffered the “bitter curse” like the others. Applejack paced and paced as she continued to worry that she might not even get the others to give this a chance.

“They oughta be here any minute...” Applejack said.

The clock ended up ticking for five more minutes before Applejack was proven correct and the backdoor opened up.

Maybelline led Ol’ Honeycrisp into the building and the older mare was already making a fuss about something.

“Now I don’t see why-” the Apple matriarch stopped as she saw the table in front of her and Applejack and Wild Strawberry standing there. Her eyes immediately narrowed at Applejack in particular. “You. What are you doing here? Just what’s going on?”

“Mother, please hold on and-” before Maybelline could finish speaking the door leading in from the front of the supermarket opened up and the Pear twins came in with Mother Pear Jam. But nothing happened before the side door into the room opened up and Mr. Berries was led in by Sunshine and Big Hoof.

The three families were now facing off against each other, each startled by the other’s appearance and each confused by Applejack being there with her table of fruits. So far though Applejack was grateful things hadn’t simply erupted into a great big shouting match right from the start.

Applejack took a deep breath and smiled at the three heads’ in turn. “Glad y’all could make it. Would you mind coming up to the table and saying hi to one another?”

“What is this?” Mr. Berries angrily spat out instead—scowling at the Apple and Pear family members. “Is this some kind of joke?”

“You tricked us into coming here?!” Ol’ Honeycrisp turned on her daughter with a furious expression.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to pull but I want no part of any of it! I’m leaving!” Mother Pear Jam said.

“Me too!” Mr. Berries shouted.

“Me three!” Ol’ Honeycrisp shouted louder so as not to be outdone.

Together the three of them turned around and attempted to leave—but their children blocked them from doing so.

“Sorry Ma, but I can’t let you just walk out like this,” Maybelline shook her head.

“That’s right, dad, we brought you here to work things out,” Sunshine said while Big Hoof fully blocked Mr. Berries off.

“It’s true, Mother. We didn’t want to trick you but something has to be done,” Pear Pie said to Mother Pear Jam.

“Well aren’t you a bunch of neerdowells then,” Mother Pear Jam narrowed her eyes at her twin sons. “Consorting with Apples and Strawberries, lying to your own mother, you think you can do this as the heirs to the Pear farm!”

“That’s why they had to do it,” Applejack said over the arguing. “Cause otherwise there wouldn’t be a pear farm in the near future.”

“How dare you!” Mother Pear Jam yelled at her.

“She’s right!” Sunshine shouted from across the room, stepping out to join Applejack and Wild Strawberry by the table. “She’s right about all of this! It’s not just the Pear farm that will die, it’s the Apple farm and our Strawberry farm too! All of you know how bad things are and how they’re about to get worse and none of you know what to do about it! None of you have figured out a way to solve the bitter problem, all you’ve done is double-down and make threats and insults to each other when what we needed to do from the start was work together! Maybe if you had set aside your pride, your differences, and any petty little grudges, it never would’ve gotten so bad in the first place.”

“Listen to your kids!” Wild Strawberry said and hopped up onto the table so everypony could see her. “I came here as part of my journey to spread the love and joy of strawberries everywhere! And when I got here, I thought I found a place that already knew about that. But instead what I found was a bunch of ponies who had forgotten what it means to grow and raise something you love—and to see others eat it and smile. Not just strawberries, but apples and pears too. All three fruits that should be full of love and sweetness and make a pony’s day when they bite into one of em!”

“You should be looking to spread the love of apples, strawberries, and pears to other ponies. Not stewing in your own bitterness to your rivals,” Applejack said.

“Like you actually know anything!” Ol’ Honeycrisp rolled her eyes. “None of this is going to solve any problems, even if we did all come together for a big group hug then so what? All our fruit is still bitter and nopony knows why! Pears and Strawberries can’t figure out their own crops and we can’t figure out our apples!”

“And I refuse to acknowledge anything good about these two!” Mr. Berries said, gesturing to Ol’ Honeycrisp and Mother Pear Jam.

“And I refuse to even entertain the notion that apples or strawberries could be as good as pears,” Mother Pear Jam stuck up her nose.

Applejack sighed and momentarily squeezed her eyes shut, rubbing her face in exasperation. Once she was finished she sharply looked back at Ol’ Honeycrisp. “We do know a lot. But I think it’s something the three of you really need to experience for yourselves. Come up here to the table and have a bite to eat.”

“Bite to eat? Like I haven’t had enough bitter pears lately,” Mother Pear Jam snorted.

“You won’t be eating pears,” Applejack said to her.

Mother Pear Jam tilted her head in confusion for a moment before she fully grasped what Applejack meant and her eyes widened. “No! You don’t mean-”

“That’s right,” Applejack nodded. “You’re all going to be eating each other’s fruit.”

And unsurprisingly, that proclamation set off the loudest and angriest bout of arguing so far. Applejack, Wild Strawberry, and the various children all had to wince and try to calm the others down as they shouted—slinging insults at Applejack and each other. It was amazing how they were so set against simply tasting fruits other than their own, or maybe just these particular fruits. Even Applejack was surprised at how deep their hate went. Wild Strawberry meanwhile just sat on the table and rolled her eyes, fairly amused knowing that she was being far more mature than some of the adults here.

Finally, Applejack got tired of it all and she started to lightly stomp her hoof on the floor. Of course lightly for her was still fairly strong and it easily got the attention of the others and quieted them down. “Okay, okay, okay! Have y’all had enough? Cause none of you are leaving here until we settle this.”

“That’s right, mother,” Pear Cake said. “It’s not the end of the world if you eat a strawberry or an apple. Just do it. You all need to come to appreciate each other.”

“They’re going to be bitter and disgusting anyways...” Mr. Berries mumbled.

“Just eat them, dad,” Big Hoof sighed and pushed his father towards the table.

“Hmph… ridiculous,” Ol’ Honeycrisp said but was also forced up by Maybelline.

Now all ten of the ponies gathered around the table and the gathered fruit, the three older ponies grumbling and mumbling under their breath but not fighting against things anymore. Wild Strawberry proudly stood next to the bowls of fruit while Applejack gathered two pieces from each bowl and set them down in front of the specific ponies. A pear and a strawberry for Ol’ Honeycrisp, an apple and a pear for Mr. Berries, and a strawberry and an apple for Mother Pear Jam. The three of them stared down at the fruits given them with total derision.

“Choose whichever one you want and take a big bite,” Applejack said.

“The sooner you do the sooner you can leave,” Wild Strawberry said.

“Tch,” Mr. Berries clicked his tongue. “It seems like you kids really got us in a pickle.” He reached for the apple in front of him and held it up to his mouth. “Fine then, if this is how it has to be I’ll at least try an apple out of respect to you, Applejack.” He glanced at the two matriarchs, waiting for them to pick up a fruit as well so he wasn’t the only one doing this.

Ol’ Honeycrisp snorted but still grabbed the pear in front of her anyways while Mother Pear Jam’s lip curled and she picked up the strawberry in her hoof.

“If you’re all ready, you can eat now,” Applejack said.

The three heads of the farms gave each other one last dismissive glance before they bit into their chosen fruits.

Applejack and Wild Strawberry smiled as the others expectantly looked on at their parents. Possibly because they had been expecting something bitter, possibly because they had nothing but contempt for the other fruits and couldn’t believe they would taste good, but the reactions were even more intense than when their children had eaten their first sweet fruit in months. Mr. Berries, Ol’ Honeycrisp, and Mother Pear Jam seized up and gasped around the delicious fruit in their mouths—so overcome by the taste that they momentarily forgot to even chew. Each one of them wasn’t just tasting the simple sweetness of a fruit, they were basking in the love that had gone into making them. They were feeling how different they were from the fruit they grew. They were tasting the difference.

And they couldn’t believe how delicious the other fruits were.

Wordlessly, they went for the other fruit they were given and took a bite out of it too to see if things were the same. Judging by the gasps and the sublime reactions they had, they were.

Applejack breathed a sigh of relief and so did the others as they watched Mr. Berries, Ol’ Honeycrisp, and Mother Pear Jam eat up every last morsel of the fruits they had been given. Applejack was sure they would’ve liked to have eaten the inedible parts of the fruit if they could. It was like all three of them were having some sort of spiritual moment. What was the sweetness and love in those fruits doing to them? Applejack even noticed a sort of far off look in their eyes as if they were reliving some part of their life, remembering something happy in the past, reminded of it thanks to the delicious fruit.

“How...” Ol’ Honeycrisp whispered. “Where did you get these? And how do they taste so good?”

“I never thought an apple or strawberry could be so delicious…” Mother Pear Jam said.

“It’s like when my mother made strawberry jam for me… I’ve never had something so nice,” Mr. Berries said.

“They’re the product of love. Real, honest, love. And not poisoned by the bitterness the three of you have been spreading through your farms,” Applejack told them.

“They’re what you’ve always known how to grow—but you’ve just forgotten what’s important and let everything bad get to you. All those bitter feelings are what led to things going bad,” Wild Strawberry said.

“Which is why nopony could figure out what was wrong,” Sunshine said. “It wasn’t the soil or the fruit itself.”

“It was you and everypony else letting hatred fester, growing our fruit for the wrong reasons, never having a kind word to say to anypony,” Maybelline said.

“But we remembered the first thing you had taught us about farming,” Pear Pie said.

“We just needed Applejack to come and remind us,” Pear Cake said.

“That anything raised with love will be delicious,” Wild Strawberry smirked and puffed out her chest.

“I can’t believe we were so wrong...” Mr. Berries said. “Was it really our fault?”

“I never imagined it could be something like this, that it could be so simple, that we had lost our ways so much...” Mother Pear Jam said.

“This pear, this strawberry that I just ate. They were as good as any apple I’ve ever grown with my own hooves. I could taste the love that was put into them,” Ol’ Honeycrisp said. “What happened to us? I didn’t know that the way we felt… the way we acted to each other would do something like this. And it’s not just the taste—but I honestly never believed you put this much love into growing your strawberries and pears.”

“Me neither,” Mr. Berries shook his head.

“I wouldn’t have believed it either,” Mother Pear Jam said.

“Do you understand now? And maybe have a bit more appreciation for each other?” Applejack asked them.

The three farm heads looked across the table at one another, meanwhile Sunshine stood with Big Hoof and hugged her brother, while Maybelline brought a hoof up to her chest and smiled at her mother, and the Pear twins stepped forward to put a comforting hoof on their mother. Parents and children had come together closer than they had been in months. Apples, Strawberries, and Pears closer than they had been… maybe ever before in Elysium’s View. It was the beginning of something new, something beautiful, something that wouldn’t be bitter any longer.

“I… I think we’ve all been a bunch of right fools,” Mr. Berries said.

“If this is what’s been missing because of our feuding then we need to put a stop to it,” Mother Pear Jam said.

“That’s right,” Ol’ Honeycrisp nodded. “For our fruit, our farms, and our families.”

“Yeah!” Wild Strawberry shouted and started jumping up in joy right on the table.

Sunshine, Big Hoof, Maybelline, Pear Pie and Pear Cake, all sighed in relief and went in to hug their parents. There were smiles all around as the families finally reconciled completely.

And as for Applejack…

While she was proudly looking on at the happy affair, she both felt and heard something coming from her flank. Her jaw dropped and she looked down at it—seeing her Cutie Mark blinking and flashing—the tell-tale sign that a friendship problem had just been solved and the mission the Cutie Map had sent her on was completed. Joy burst up from within Applejack and she reared up on her hind legs, kicking at the air.

“YEEEEEEEEEEEHAW!!!”

“I’m really going to miss you again, Applejack,” Wild Strawberry said to her while they walked to the road leading out of Elysium’s View.

“I’m going to miss you too, sugarcube. But let me tell you something—you’re welcome to come by and visit Sweet Apple Acres in Ponyville whenever you want. And I’ll be looking forward to seeing you again someday,” Applejack winked at her. “It’s a long trip from her but I’d say you’re pretty used to making long trips already, aren’t you?”

“Heh, yep!” Wild Strawberry smirked.

“I’ll treat you to some of my family’s apples and you can see how they taste.”

“That’s easy to say—I already know they’ll be the best apples ever.”

Applejack patted the filly’s head. “Just like I bet you grow the best strawberries ever.”

They had already passed by most of the actual buildings and Applejack could see the White Forest in the distance. Most of what was around them now was merely the great marble pillars and archways that Elysium’s View practically just used to show off to new visitors. Soon Applejack would be out of here and on the way home. Finally going back east instead of west. It had been an adventure, and though she had done some good deeds and made some new friends she was glad it was now over.

“How long do you think it’ll take before you get back home?” Wild Strawberry asked.

“Hopefully a lot less time than it took to get out here, but I’m not really sure,” Applejack answered.

“Well good luck. I just wish you weren’t leaving right now.”

“I know it was quick but I really do need to get home. Going out and doing stuff like this was never my calling. Or at least I never thought it was. Right now I miss my friends, my family, and my farm a whole bunch and I can’t wait to see them again.”

“I understand,” Wild Strawberry nodded. “I’ll make sure everypony back on the farms makes a toast to you at the party tonight—they’re gonna wish you stayed for that too.”

“Yeah…” Applejack rubbed the back of her neck. “Honestly I kind of needed to leave quickly or who knows what I’d get caught up in here. Might end up staying for days accidentally.”

The two of them reached the welcoming arch at the edge of Elysium’s View after a few more minutes of walking and for a moment they both stopped. Applejack taking a deep breath and looking ahead—thinking she’d probably be able to also make it out of the White Forest by the end of the day. It was then that she could consider her return trip to have begun.

“Guess this is goodbye,” Wild Strawberry said to her.

“Mhm. Maybe ‘see you later’ would be a bit more positive though,” Applejack said, looking down at the short filly affectionately.

Wild Strawberry smiled. “See you later then.”

Applejack nodded. “See you later.”

She turned to leave-

“Wait! Wait, hold on! Don’t go just yet!” A pony was loudly yelling from behind them.

Both Applejack and Wild Strawberry looked to see an unfamiliar stallion running down the street to catch up with them. He was wearing a blue and white uniform with a cap and carrying a large sack, that looked empty, with him. The stallion came running over to them at full speed before screeching to a halt. He had to rest and catch his breath for a moment before he could look up at Applejack.

“G-Glad… I c-caught you…” he panted. “Is your name Applejack?”

“Uh, yeah, it is. Why?” Applejack asked, fairly suspicious.

The stallion smiled and wiped some sweat from his brow, standing up straight. “Phew! I got lucky then I suppose. I’m a mailpony and I have a letter for you.”

“A letter for me? Can’t be,” Applejack shook her head. “Nopony would be sending me a letter out here.”

“I was really confused too,” the mailpony shrugged. “I was going through my deliveries like normal today and just when I thought I was done I look in my bag and I see this letter with a note on it saying to find you here. Look-” he reached his hoof into the bag and indeed pulled out a letter. “It has your name on it.”

Applejack took it from him, seeing her name embossed in black ink on the letter. She briefly looked over at Wild Strawberry but the filly only shrugged—just as lost as she was.

“Well, job’s done, you take care now!” The mailpony said and waved goodbye to the two of them, trotting away down the street without a care in the world.

“That’s kind of weird,” Wild Strawberry said.

“Weird seems to follow me around…” Applejack grumbled and opened up the letter. She was getting a bad feeling from this. Unexpected things never seemed to turn out well for her or her friends. And her luck especially always seemed to be comically bad.

Applejack took a deep breath and read the letter:

Dear Applejack,

If I’m right, you should be receiving this letter right as you’re about to leave Elysium’s View. And if that’s the case, sorry to suddenly spring this upon you but the world is ending in three days and you’re the only one who can stop it. Good luck.

-H.B.

Applejack sighed and looked to the east. “Why can’t anything ever be simple?”

End of the World I

Applejack walked at a decently brisk pace through the White Forest.

Despite the warning on the letter, without any extra details she had no idea what to do or how fast she needed to go. That letter, Discord’s words, her own foreboding, it seemed like it really was all coming together now. She just wished whoever gave her that letter had been a little more… specific. Three days was a short amount of time, could it really be true? And how was the world going to end in just three days?

It just didn’t seem possible. If the world was ending then why was the act of saving it falling on her shoulders of all ponies? Shouldn’t Twilight or the Princesses know something’s up? This is the kind of situation that all her friends would tackle together.

What could be going on out here?

She had to think. If that warning hadn’t given her any extra details then she had to be able to figure out the problem on her own. Right? Thinking about this kind of stuff wasn’t exactly her strength but there was nopony else around to do it for her. And if the world really did need saving then Applejack was just going to have to suck it up and save it.

Another strange thing was—why would anypony or any creature be wanting to end the world? Discord had expressly warned her about an evil pony trying to destroy the world, but that just didn’t make sense! What does anypony get out of that? Absolutely nothing, that’s what. Had she already met the pony? What crazy pony could or would want to do something like this? Considering some of the villains she had faced in the past, Nightmare Moon, Discord himself, Tirek, the Storm King, none of them really wanted to outright destroy the world. Whoever was trying to do this now—if Discord and that letter were telling the truth—had to be extra crazy.

Applejack looked up through the fog of the White Forest to check the sky. It was barely noon—she’d be back out of here and at the border of Equinestan with plenty of time left in the day. And she wasn’t going to rest until she at least figured out who was doing this and where they were.

“Dang it though… just what’s going on and why do I always get roped into stuff like this?” She grumbled. “Couldn’t I have just gone back home? Let Rainbow Dash deal with stuff like this, she’s the one who enjoys it, not me!”

The one positive fact she had right now was that she knew the world wasn’t going to end before the day after tomorrow so it’s not like anything could surprise her. In fact… was this day the first day or was tomorrow counted as day one? Applejack didn’t exactly want to chance it so she was going to assume the third day was the day after tomorrow. And if she was wrong all it meant was that she was saving the world one day early. And that probably made things better for everypony. There was still the problem of figuring everything else out though—so she was going to make her way back to Maple Town quickly and see if anypony there knew anything.

Applejack’s eyes widened as she swiftly trotted through the forest. “Hold on one second—don’t I already know something strange that was going on out here?”

Karza. Applejack’s mind had been completely preoccupied with everything happening in Elysium’s View that she had practically forgotten about him.

*

“So you’ve managed to destroy this puppet? I am surprised, but it isn’t important in the end. Karza may be destroyed but I’ve learned everything I needed to with him. It was quite the enlightening experience and now I know that I’m ready to move on. You also have shown me some interesting things, Applejack, so in turn I won’t harm Maple Town. Congratulations, do what you wish, this is only the beginning of the end.”

*

“The beginning of the end...” Applejack muttered. “Whoever Karza really is… whatever he really is… it has to be him.”

Applejack silently fumed as she made her way further through the White Forest. In her musings she hadn’t noticed how far she had gotten or how the sun had traveled further overhead, she was nearly out. That was good, that was just what she needed, real progress to be made. Her mind wasn’t taken up by looking around the forest and being bored, nor was it taken up by the mystery of Elysium’s View. And thus time flew while she racked her brain to figure things out—using every little bit of brain power she had to try and save the world.

Her ear twitched—a sudden realization hit her. Something she should have noticed earlier but hadn’t just now until she thought back on it.

*

“Applejack.”

*

“He knew my name,” Applejack’s eyes narrowed. “I never gave him my name but he knew it anyways. How?”

It was just another part of the mystery, but she knew it was a big part. There was something clawing around inside her head trying to get out and make itself clear. Applejack bit her lip as she thought harder. What did that mean? What did that mean when combined with everything else she knew about Karza?

In just a short minute she reached the end of the White Forest and the fog lifted, Applejack finding herself standing by the big sign she had first seen on her way to Elysium’s View. Her eyes were not drawn to the words on the sign at all this time though—but instead down to the roses growing around it. There was something else she was remembering.

*

“So this is my gift for you. Just remember that as long as you carry those roses with you, you’re never truly alone on your journey. And I’d also like to tell you that if you see any other roses out there where you travel—consider it a sign of good luck. Trust me.”

*

These roses were strange too. There had to be something significant about the direction they faced. All of them were still facing slightly northeast, it was completely unnatural, there had to be meaning behind it.

Applejack ground her teeth back and forth and looked in the same direction the roses were “pointing”.

“Northeast, northeast, northeast...” She repeated.

*

“This here is Blast Miner—his family has owned a series of mines up in northwest Equinestan for generations,” Mayor Rooter said.

*

Applejack blinked. The northwest of Equinestan was…

She then suddenly reached into her drawstring pouch, searching around for something she had taken with her recently. Her hooves felt the small metal object and she took the heart out that she had found in the remains of Karza, holding it in her hoof again. Looking at it intently she realized she knew what metal it was made out of. It was a metal that many of her tools and things back on the farm were made out of.

*

Blast Miner chuckled and wryly grinned. “Gold, silver, tin, and iron—right up until all the mines went dry. Sit around here now with nothing else to do.”

*

Her hooves started to shake in anger as she turned her gaze in the direction of Maple town.

*

And she ended up being yanked right over to another unicorn stallion

*

And a Cutie Mark of a pile of rocks rested on his flank.

*

“How did you do that?” Karza asked.

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Applejack smirked.

“Yes. I very much would. I am the almighty Karza, tell me what your power is so I can use it myself, peasant,” he demanded.

*

Applejack turned and saw several ponies from Maple Town running towards her from up the road. She saw Mayor Rooter, Sure Suture, Peach Pit and a number of others that she didn’t know by name.

*

Blast Miner then walked up beside Mayor Rooter as well. “You know, and pardon me if this is rude since you’re recovering and all, but I can’t help but be curious how you actually managed to fight back against Karza for so long. How did you do it when he can control all the earth and rocks around you?”

*

“But you’re not an ordinary pony?” Blast Miner raised an eyebrow at her.

*

He was just a hollow pony made of dirt and clay.

*

The certainty she felt caused her to shake in rage before she calmed herself down enough to not explode.

Applejack’s eyes narrowed as a fire lit up her heart. “Blast Miner, it was you from the start.”

There was plenty of time left in the day for her to make it to Maple Town before nightfall. She’d confront Blast Miner there—figure out what he was doing and why—and end it all at once. It might be a little awkward bursting in there with the other villagers around, who must’ve been completely ignorant, but she had to stop him. She had beaten the puppet earlier, now it was time to take care of the puppet master.

End of the World II

Now that she had a better idea of what she was doing, Applejack swiftly ran down the rocky road where she had fought “Karza” only a few days earlier. Running straight back to Maple Town. While at the same time a lot of questions were running through her mind. She had never suspected him at first, he just seemed like any other villager, why was he doing this? And how did he create Karza and do that stuff to begin with? Maybe he wasn’t just some ordinary unicorn. Applejack didn’t know but she intended to find out. Mayor Rooter, Sure Suture, Melody Jewel, and the others… they were all good ponies, Applejack was certain of that, and she didn’t want to distress them if possible. All she would do is find out where Blast Miner was and take care of things herself. And if things didn’t go exactly as planned then hopefully she could still rely on them. If they trusted her over their fellow villager that is. It’s not like she had any proof.

Hopefully it wouldn’t come down to something like that.

Applejack still didn’t know how exactly she would stop him either though. It’s not like she was going to kill a pony. No way, not even the worst pony. She’d just have to figure it out when the time came—cause right now she was drawing a blank. She still didn’t know his full capabilities and until she did any solution was just a guess at best.

Traveling down the road she noticed that most of the obstructions caused by her fight with Karza had been cleared away. The ponies of Maple Town likely fixed everything up shortly after Applejack left and now the pass was basically back to normal. Good. She didn’t want to have to run through torn up ground or navigate over all the excavated rocks and boulders.

Her eyes automatically glanced up at the sky again for just a moment—it was afternoon and starting to get into late afternoon. Two more days.

Plenty of time to save the world.

Applejack snorted and shook her head. It was all she had to work with and she was the type of mare to get any job done with the tools given to her. Normally it was a job she asked for though.

Taking a deep breath she decided to speed up and kick herself into overdrive. She had energy to spare and if she couldn’t beat a unicorn in a tussle then how’d she ever show her face in public again? Before too long she saw the forest that made up the western edge of Equinestan and knew she was getting close to Maple Town. Its walls weren’t visible yet as the forest it was inside was quite large but at this pace she should easily reach there in under an hour. There would be no relaxed jaunt through the woods, looking at the trees and the squirrels, stopping to smell the flowers, Applejack was going to be racing on through like she was doing the Running of the Leaves.

Once she got back into town she would find Mayor Rooter, ask where Blast Miner was, and then get him. It might even be easier than that, the first pony she recognized she would ask where he lived. Or perhaps if she was really lucky she’d spot him around first. She had the element of surprise going for her right now—Blast Miner likely didn’t know that she figured him out and even if he suspected she might know he didn’t know that she was coming back to Maple Town right now.

Applejack had this.

She easily kept up the pace she had been running at until she saw the familiar and welcoming walls of Maple Town. A grin pulled itself onto her face despite the situation, once this was over she’d like to say hi to everypony before she left again. Maple Town had after all been one of the nicer places she had visited on her journey.

Excluding one particular pony now though.

She ran right through the open gate and came onto the road flanked by maple trees, the actual town part of Maple Town still ahead. From here though Applejack could already see where the road opened up and buildings started to sprout up in town. She was going to make a beeline directly to town hall if she didn’t see anypony she recognized out and about.

Applejack took a deep breath as she rushed into town, past the first few buildings, while her eyes darted around looking for a few specific ponies.

She spotted one.

Mayor Rooter was outside the city hall, putting up some sort of poster on its walls while waving and saying hello to any local pony that walked by. Applejack sighed in relief and quickly ran up to him, she tried to keep herself composed, not wanting to come off as some sort of frantic crazy pony. As her hooves skidded to a stop behind him she saw the poster was for some sort of street party and he was happily humming along as he taped it up.

“Mayor Rooter!” Applejack loudly said to grab his attention.

He nearly jumped a little and turned his head to her, his eyes going wide before fully turning and greeting her joyfully. “Applejack! It’s great to see you again! We knew you must have defeated Karza and-”

“Sorry, Mayor, but I don’t have time to chat right now,” Applejack held up a hoof to stop him.

“Oh, um, alright,” Mayor Rooter was a little nonplussed but he still gave his full attention to her.

Applejack caught her breath and quickly looked around, a few other villagers were walking around, some even looking at the two of them, but she didn’t see Blast Miner. So she fixed the Mayor with a serious stare. “I need to ask you something, can you tell me where Blast Miner lives? I need to talk to him.”

“Blast Miner? Of course, his home is just up to the north of town,” Mayor Rooter pointed in the right direction. “It’s just a small house with a red door and a scraggly old welcome mat on the porch. You really can’t miss it.”

“Okay, thank you,” Applejack nodded and started walking to where he was pointing.

“Although if you want to see him you might have to wait a little while,” Mayor Rooter added.

Applejack stopped and dragged an annoyed hoof down her face before turning back to Mayor Rooter. “Why?”

“Well he’s out of town. Actually it was just about after you left and we figured out you had taken care of that criminal, Karza. He said he’d be away for a while and left,” Mayor Rooter said.

“Did he say where he was going?” Applejack asked—a little more loudly than she had intended.

Mayor Rooter shook his head. “N-No, just that he was leaving.”

Applejack rubbed her temples, frustrated and trying to think of where he might have gone. It came to her pretty quickly since there was really only one other possible place. “Where’s his family mine? You said it’s in the northwest reaches of Equinestan, can you give me some exact directions or maybe a map?”

“Well, sure I suppose… but why? Is something the matter?” The Mayor asked.

“It’s just some business. Just need to talk to him,” Applejack said. It was probably for the best she didn’t try and explain anything else if she didn’t need to.

Mayor Rooter shrugged. “Alright then. After everything you did for us I’m more than happy to help with anything you need. Let me get a map from the library for you. Would you like to come inside while you wait?”

She would like to get out of here as soon as possible but it seemed fate was going to make her stay around for a little bit. “Sure, thank you.”

Applejack stared intently at the map of Equinestan and tried to keep her eye from twitching. She saw dots labeled “Oak City”, “Elmsville”, and of course “Maple Town”. And then aaalllll the way in the top corner of the map, far away from Maple Town, she saw another dot labeled “Miner Family Mines”. It reminded her of how big Equinestan actually was and how spread out some of these city-states were from each other.

“Mayor… how long would it take for me to make it to those mines from here?” Applejack asked him.

“Oh I’d say a little over a day on hoof. If you started now you could probably reach Sycamore Grove tonight and then if you got up early enough the next day I think you’d be able to make it to Spruce City before midnight at least. Then it’s a short trip into the mountains to the northwest and the mines are right there, so you’d be able to get there by late morning the day after tomorrow,” Mayor Rooter said as he pointed out each city and finally the mines.

Applejack looked—Blast Miner’s family mine was only a short distance from Spruce City. Mayor Rooter was probably right, and it was probably a good idea to stop at that city for the night so she could fully rest before setting out to the mine early the next morning.

Which could indeed be the day the world was ending.

It was aggravating that she might be cutting things this close but what else could she do? Equinestan didn’t have trains or any faster way to travel and she couldn’t push herself to the point of exhaustion when she might have to fight Blast Miner at the end of it. After just barely being able to beat Karza she didn’t want to chance it when it was likely he was just as dangerous if not more so.

“Okay,” Applejack took a deep breath and kept looking at the map, memorizing the roads and exactly where she needed to go. She couldn’t let herself get too agitated. “I’ve got another favor to ask you then.”

“Go right ahead,” Mayor Rooter smiled.

“I hate to ask this of you, and I promise I’ll give back whatever I don’t use, but I need money. I still got a little in my bag but I’ll need enough to spend the night and get a meal or two at Sycamore Grove and Spruce City,” her skin nearly crawled as she asked. It just felt plain wrong to ask for money like that for nothing. Even if she was technically helping out by saving the world she still didn’t like for ponies to just hoof over money to her.

Mayor Rooter just continued to smile and shook his head. “Well you don’t need to feel bad about asking for that at all. We don’t know what Karza was doing but we still all see you as Maple Town’s savior. Because of you we won’t have any trouble with travelers coming to or from Elysium’s View either, the least I can do is give you some money.”

“Thank you very much, I promise that somehow I’ll make it up to you,” Applejack said.

“If anything this is me making it up to you for helping us with Karza,” Mayor Rooter shrugged. “Do you want to take this map with you too?”

“Yes,” Applejack nodded. “And sorry that I can’t stay longer but I need to get on out of here.”

“I understand, seems like you’ve got something important to do.”

“More than you know.”

With the map in her drawstring bag, Applejack made a swift run to the north of Maple Town. Sycamore Grove here she came. While she ran past the homes and buildings of Maple Town she was almost surely seen by a number of ponies who recognized her but Applejack couldn’t slow down or say hello to any of them. Before she actually left Maple Town there was a place she wanted to stop first anyways.

The red door of Blast Miner’s home was as easy to spot as Mayor Rooter said. And the scraggly welcome mat on the porch proved she was in the right place. As was the fact that it simply looked very empty at the moment.

Applejack caught her breath as she walked up to the front door, nervous, and not even sure if she had come here for a reason or not. She just wanted to see if there was anything weird about his house. Maybe anything he had left behind that pertained to what he might be doing, or might show proof of him being behind Karza at the least. She bit her lip as she brought up a hoof and knocked on the door first despite knowing it was probably stupid. Couldn’t help it—breaking in or even just entering without making herself known didn’t feel right.

Unsurprisingly, there was absolutely no response from inside and Applejack opened up the door on her own.

What greeted her was an empty house so devoid of anything inside it almost looked like nopony had ever lived here at all.

“This is… wrong,” Applejack grimaced. “He couldn’t have taken everything with him. Did he just live like this?”

There was nothing but the most basic furniture in the few rooms. No paintings, no pictures, no rug, no decorations, no flowers, it was devoid of personality. No—it was just that the pony here didn’t care enough for anything besides outside appearances.

Applejack immediately closed the door back up and left the house behind, running north. That home, if it could even be called that, told her everything she needed to know.

Only a couple of hours after Applejack left Maple Town did another mare arrive at it, holding a letter.

End of the World III

Applejack made it to Sycamore Grove late that same night. She was tired, frustrated, and impatient, but she needed a nice place to sleep where she didn’t have to weather the elements. A full meal to keep her energy up would also be helpful for the inevitable confrontation with Blast Miner. Thankfully she hadn’t arrived so late where everything in the town was closed up, it wasn’t past midnight or anything like that.

Unlike Maple Town, Sycamore Grove was a dense town constructed in a grid-like fashion with several blocks of buildings inside its walls. All of them separated by their own parks and trees to give them their own sort of town within a town. She didn’t have the time nor the desire to really check it out anymore than that though, she just wanted to find a place to stay for the night. That was just a little more trouble than she had been expecting though since Sycamore Grove was noticeably larger than Maple Town. Not as big as Oak City but approaching that.

So many of the blocks and the buildings that made them up looked the same that Applejack really had no idea where to start. It got to the point that instead of looking for an inn she was looking for any ponies out walking the streets that she could talk to. She must have looked like some kind of crazy mare with the way she was running around.

After solving the friendship problem at Elysium’s View she thought everything would be over and she could just relax and go home. Now she was suddenly thrust into something far bigger than anything else with a dang kitchen timer clicking down to zero at the same time.

Her luck in Sycamore Grove wasn’t so terrible though—after running past another block of buildings she saw a mare out for an evening walk so Applejack calmed herself down and went over to talk to her. The mare was more than helpful, giving her careful instructions on where to find an inn that would have plenty of vacancies for her, as well as one that was built right next to a diner. With that information in hoof, Applejack was able to relax and calmly make her way to the inn where she’d be spending the night. All the while her thoughts turned away from Blast Miner, Karza, and the supposed end of the world.

Now she thought about her friends and family. She thought about how long they had been waiting for her to return. She thought about all the trouble they might have gotten up to without her around. She thought about how happy they’d be to see her again. She thought about how much she loved all of them.

And of course, it only took her a moment before she started to think about what was at stake now. The nebulous words of Discord had formed a weight around her neck—no longer just a possibility or something she was hoping was just him pulling her leg. Applejack needed to save the world for everypony she loved and everypony else too. There was absolutely no way she could fail out here. She had been through so much already, what was saving the world one more time?

When she woke up in the morning she quickly left her room as soon as dawn broke and the rest of Sycamore Grove was awake. Normally she would have left even earlier but she wanted to stop at the diner next door and get a big breakfast first and they wouldn’t have been open yet. So she sat there, tapping a hoof on the table as she waited for a big plate of waffles while the ice in her glass of water slowly melted. She’d shove those waffles down her gullet and then leave faster than a jackrabbit. Even if she wasn’t reaching the mine today she wanted to get to Spruce City with plenty of time.

While she sat there at her own table she looked around and saw several families also waiting or already eating breakfast.

Just another reminder of what she was working to save. They all had no idea about what was going on. What was occurring right now. How the end of the world might be just around the corner. Applejack took a deep breath and calmed herself down, stopping her incessant tapping. Getting agitated wasn’t going to help. She needed to be at her best for when she confronted Blast Miner tomorrow.

So when her waffles were delivered she didn’t devour them like Twilight with a plate of hayburgers, she ate every last bite but she ate them calmly and chugged down her entire glass of water when she was done. Leaving a more than generous tip on the table, Applejack pushed her chair in and left the diner.

As nice of a place as Sycamore Grove seemed to be she couldn’t stay any longer. It was too bad, each little city-state had its own character and differences to the rest, but there was no way she could socialize or tour it any more than she already had. Applejack made a speedy departure through the many blocks and parks of the city, towards its northern walls where a road would eventually take her further up to Spruce City. Perhaps on her way back after saving the world (not even for the first, second, or third time) she’d be able to stop here for a little longer. The ponies were certainly more polite and down to earth at a glance than the ones in Elmsville.

On her way out, she even had a pony watching the gate give her a nice goodbye.

More reasons to save the world.

She shook her head in frustration when she was out on the road, an angry frown settling on her face. Just why would Blast Miner do any of this? It wasn’t even the how anymore that was bothering her. Why was so much more important. And she sadly realized it was probably going to be so much more disturbing and depressing.

The road to Spruce City was one that was well-traveled and Applejack actually found herself passing or meeting quite a few other ponies either on the way to it or back to Sycamore Grove. The forest around it was also full of evergreen trees that stretched on and on for miles all around. It was as nice of a road to travel down as any in Equinestan was, but much like Sycamore Grove Applejack couldn’t enjoy it. She was not taking a jaunt or a walk through the woods, this was not a casual pace she was going at. Whatever cute animals and pretty flowers were in the forest merely had to watch Applejack jet by.

There was nothing else to be done but run to Spruce City and then run to Blast Miner’s mine the next morning.

She noticed—after a solid two hours of running—that the forest was starting to get colder. She certainly wasn’t far north enough for them to be getting somewhere cold, after all Equinestan was probably just about in the same spot as Ponyville, so it must have been the altitude that was changing. Steady enough that she didn’t notice on her long run, but she had likely climbed up quite a bit. The northern reaches of Equinestan must have been elevated above the rest. Made a decent amount of sense if the mines were in the mountains too.

By the time noon came around Applejack needed to take a bit of a break.

Most anypony, even one like her, would get tired after all those hours of running.

It annoyed her right now to think that Rainbow Dash would’ve gotten to Blast Miner yesterday.

But still, she had to stop for a bit and rest by the side of the road. She had water she had also bought from Sycamore Grove along with some fruit. Everything she needed until she got to Spruce City. The break was more to catch her breath and rest her muscles than to fill her stomach, but it was the one moment Applejack took to just stop and attend to herself between the two cities. She wasn’t going to be stopping again until she reached Spruce City even if it tired her out a little more than she wanted. After this point, when the day was already halfway gone, she wouldn’t be able to relax again until she was there and could see her next destination.

So Applejack rubbed her stomach, took one last stretch to get all the kinks out, and started running north again.

Now that she was aware of it it was easier to notice the incline in the land as well. The chill in the air would’ve been worse if she was walking but with how fast her blood was pumping it wasn’t really a bother to Applejack at all. Her mind was laser-focused on getting to Spruce City anyways.

And when she approached it turned out Spruce City was quite easy to see from a distance, even when it became much closer to night time. The reason for that was it had very tall buildings spread out over quite a distance, they went much higher than the walls of the city-state, much higher than any other buildings she had seen in Equinestan. Even at night a lot of their lights in the windows were on and Applejack was easily guided along the road towards them. The land Spruce City was built on was not level in the slightest, in fact it seemed to be built on a number of hills that stretched into the forest away from the mountains to the northwest.

Applejack could see those clearly now as well. Her true destination.

They were still far off from the city itself, easily several miles before the mountains actually began and she knew the mine was a little further inside them, but she could see them. Some of the taller mountains had snow at the top of their peaks—not surprising after the climate had cooled down on the way to Spruce City. The map she still had would tell her the exact way she needed to go through them to reach Blast Miner’s mine, she’d take a closer look at it once she had a room to stay in at Spruce City.

Unlike the other city-states of Equinestan Applejack had been to though, the gates of Spruce City were actually guarded and she couldn’t just run in. She had to wait in line as a bunch of other ponies were also trying to get into the city at the same time. It sent a whole new wave of agitation through her that she had to fight to stamp out. At least when she finally got her turn the guards were happy enough to direct her to a hotel on the northwest side of the city.

Applejack’s two days of frantic travel were coming close to an end. The third day was just right around the corner.

It was the same when she had gotten to Sycamore Grove though, Applejack only took a passing look at the city and ponies around her with the internal promise to enjoy the city more once this was all over. Her body was aching right now anyways, begging for a soft bed and a night of sleep. Inside her head she couldn’t stop thinking about Twilight, Apple Bloom, Princess Celestia, the other ponies of Equestria, all the other ponies and creatures that existed in the world. It really was a good thing that this wasn’t her first time being thrust into the mission of saving the world or she would’ve collapsed from all the pressure already.

Why’d she have to do this alone?

Couldn’t anypony else be here to help her right now?

Applejack shook her head—she had to do this on her own and she knew that. She couldn’t complain, she just had to save everypony else. Not like she wasn’t used to sacrifice and putting the needs of others first. Right now she was the only Element of Harmony here and if saving the world fell squarely on her flank then that’s all there was to it.

Thankfully less than an hour after arriving in Spruce City and she was already plopping down on that bed. If it hadn’t been for how much she had been pushing herself her racing mind might have kept her up.

Instead, an exhausted Applejack fell asleep, knowing that when she woke up tomorrow it might be the last day.

A glass of water.

A breakfast muffin.

Out the door.

Jogging towards the northwestern exit of Spruce City after double-checking her map.

As soon as she passed by the gate and left the city she saw a red rose growing on the side of the road.

Applejack took that as a good sign.

The road from Spruce City to the mountain mines was much less direct than the one from Sycamore Grove to Spruce City. It winded through the forest and up and around several hills and Applejack even needed to cross an old swaying bridge over a ravine at one point. How ponies were meant to get the metal from the mines to any nearby cities was a complete mystery to her. She could think about it later though, the mountains were still looming ahead.

It was just as Mayor Rooter had said pretty much, her final destination was merely a few hours away from Spruce City even with the more relaxed pace she was traveling this morning. Didn’t want to get tired.

She glanced up at the sky, seeing the sun still rising. It was early, well before noon, and it looked like a beautiful day. Applejack was going to make sure it stayed a beautiful day.

When she reached the mountains she saw that the road split off into numerous branching paths that went up into them. The various mountains had a lot of hiking paths and buildings up through them and Applejack didn’t exactly know which way to travel anymore. Some of the buildings looked abandoned but there were a few that were clearly inhabited—however none of them looked like the entrance to a mine or anything like that. Blast Miner’s family mine had to be deeper in the mountains.

Applejack had to take a few deep breaths to calm herself down once more. Her heart had been pounding hard ever since she woke up and it had nothing to do with how much she had been traveling.

This was it.

She was here.

Where was the mine?

She spotted something along one of the many branching roads that caught her eye—another red rose.

Applejack nodded and swiftly went that way. The road took her into the bowels of the mountains, directly into their center where she started to see quite a few more abandoned buildings and excavation sites. It was as she was told, the mines and resources of these mountains had been tapped and run dry a long time ago. Every now and then she thought she had reached the right mine only to see another red rose further ahead. She kept following them like a trail of bread crumbs for easily another hour.

Ahead the road ended at a dilapidated building constructed at the foot of one of the mountains.

Three-stories high with the roof caving in, normally she never would’ve considered it, with its broken windows, rotting wooden walls, front doors nearly falling off its hinges, as the place she needed to go. Abandoned mining equipment, tools, minecarts, rubble, helmets, old maps, laid strewn around outside it. Along with much bigger things like heavy cranes with their ropes long since broken and huge trailers that a full team of the strongest stallions would’ve needed to been hitched to to pull them when they were full of whatever was being mined.

But what was really important right now and what told her she needed to go inside that building were all the roses growing up its walls. Fresh green vines that looked far more alive than any flowering plant should be in a place like this. They crawled up the walls halfway up the first story of the front of the building, with red roses budding from their tips. Dozens.

“I guess I’m here,” Applejack said and walked into the building, the door creaking and nearly falling off its hinges before it closed back up on her.

End of the World IV

Although she hadn’t been able to tell from the outside, the moment she walked into the building she saw that the lights were on. Partially at least. The central hallway that led back into the depths of the building—and towards what had to be the mountain and mine itself—had a series of flickering and blinking lights strung up along its ceiling. Applejack took a deep breath, tilted her hat back, and started walking.

“So he’s gotta be in there somewhere...” she said.

The hallway ended at a set of large double-doors about a hundred feet ahead. She was certain when she opened those doors she’d be in the mountain. This couldn’t have been the only building or way into this mine, but if it was the way Blast Miner was using then it had to be her way as well.

Could she talk things out with him? Maybe solve things peacefully once she got the full story? She highly doubted it after her confrontation with Karza and just based on what her gut was telling her. But she’d try. She’d try her hardest cause it was just the right thing to do. Her curiosity was still getting at her though. Was he even trying to end the world or was it an accident? Why’d Discord and that dang letter have to be so vague…

She’d figure out what he was doing and why soon enough though.

Her eyes searched around the walls and ceiling of the hallway, making sure she didn’t miss anything. “Creepy feeling from this place.”

The doors at the end of the hallway were in better condition than the front door to the building, no dust around them either. Applejack rested a hoof on the handle of them and steeled herself for what might be beyond them. When she pulled the doors open and walked in she found herself in a tunnel inside the mountain, perhaps the start of the mine or at least one part of it. The tunnel was much taller and wider than the hallway she had just left, with more lights along the ceiling and numerous wooden beams holding it all up. The wooden floor of the building gave way to dirt and gravel beneath her hooves that crunched slightly with every step Applejack took. She winced, doing her best to walk quietly ahead. She didn’t want Blast Miner to know she was coming.

Hopefully he wasn’t too deep inside. She didn’t hear anything herself coming from deeper within the mine, if any loud work needed to be done he had already finished it. Again though she had to wonder how exactly the world was supposed to end by whatever was going on in here of all places.

The rocky tunnel into the mine she was walking down didn’t have any doors or branching paths leading away from it—meaning all she could do was walk directly ahead. There was worry in her stomach, and her heart was still beating pretty hard, but Applejack knew what it meant to be brave. She had been brave her whole life. Had to be. That was why when she saw the end of the tunnel quickly approaching all she did was close her eyes, stop for a brief moment, and nod before continuing her walk towards it.

She could tell that whatever room, chamber, cavern, mine, existed at the end of this tunnel was well lit up—even better than the tunnel itself because the light was pouring in enough that she couldn’t see beyond. There was no gate or any sort of blockade, the tunnel merely opened up into something bigger. When she got closer to it she actually did start to hear something.

Humming. Pleasant, carefree, humming.

Applejack frowned and fearlessly walked out of the tunnel, emerging into the light and squinting for just a moment before looking around.

She was indeed in a large cavern under the mountain—the ceiling of which went up about a hundred feet and was covered in stalactites pointing down at her. The rock walls of the chamber were bumpy and natural looking, it didn’t look like much excavation had been done here, the cavern seemed like a natural formation. Everywhere though there were lights set up and embedded into the rock walls, along with scaffolding and platforms going up everywhere. A large crane and pulley system stood in the center of the cavern that could be used to bring things up to or down from a large rock face that went halfway up the height of the cavern and covered most of its back wall. There was enough space on the top level of that rock face for a decently sized house to be built on.

Instead it was being used for something different.

Applejack didn’t fully know what she was looking at or why it existed, but it was definitely something bad.

In the middle of the top of the rock face there was a great wooden structure, cubic in design, with four massive support beams at each corner to hold it up. It looked to be built over what looked like a pit in the ground, though Applejack couldn’t see it perfectly from her location just yet. The skeletal structure had numerous chains and ropes running through it—all to hold up a gigantic tin heart below it, in the middle of the four wooden legs holding the structure up. The tin heart matched what she had taken from Karza—only bigger by an exponential degree. Ten feet tall and weighing at least several tons for sure. Strangely, all taken together it looked like some sort of monstrous belltower with the tin heart swaying slightly over the pit.

And there he was standing up there right by it. The unicorn stallion who she had met back in Maple Town, who seemed perfectly nice, normal, and friendly. That pile of rocks Cutie Mark on his flank really stuck out to her right now. He was walking back and forth in front of the tin heart and the rest of the structure, inspecting it and humming happily the whole time. Smiling.

He hadn’t noticed her at all so Applejack decided to announce her presence.

She took a deep breath and felt her lungs expand, puffing out her chest, and yelled. “BLAST MINER!”

Applejack admittedly took a bit of pleasure in seeing him get surprised by her powerful shout that nearly shook the cavern. He jumped up and nearly stumbled off the rock face, turning around with his ears perked up and his eyes wide. When he saw her standing down there he quickly regained his composure and smiled.

“Well, I’m surprised to see you here,” Blast Miner stroked his chin. “And… hm. You know, there’s really only one reason you would ever show up here, so I won’t be playing the fool out of respect. When did you find out?”

“Couple days ago,” Applejack frowned, walking closer towards the rock face and the scaffolding that walked up it.

“Happy I kept my promise about Maple Town after you destroyed Karza?” Blast Miner asked.

“Normally I would be, but I’m pretty dang upset about everything you did to them in the first place. And everything you’re planning to do,” she narrowed her eyes at the gigantic tin heart behind him.

He saw where she was looking and glanced over his shoulder at it. “Ah, obviously you can guess I’m up to no good just by seeing this.”

“You could say that. But why are you doing this? What was the point of Karza? Just what in all the world are you doing out here!” Applejack shouted.

“You took Karza’s heart with you, didn’t you? I could still sense it for a while,” he pointed at her. “Is it still in your bag?”

Applejack’s ears perked up and she took the drawstring bag off, reaching into it and pulling out the miniature tin heart. “You could sense this? How?”

“It’s all part of my project, something I’ve been working on for a long time. You see—that little heart you’re holding is actually a receiver and storage device for my magic. With it I can use my magic over long distance, several miles at least. I found that tin worked incredibly well for that, possibly also owing to my special talent, and since I had so much tin on hoof… well, you get the idea,” Blast Miner explained. “Karza was a test subject, to see exactly what I could do with my magic from a long distance. How much control I could exert over the earth.”

“That’s why he could fly and merge into the ground like that...”

“Exactly. Karza was just dirt after all, molded into a specific form. It was just my own powers of levitation and earth manipulation. I could make him float, submerge him and have him stay underground for days, move other rocks and open up the ground, everything you saw. And all without the tell-tale sign of magic because it was coming from the heart inside Karza—received from my horn miles away, safely in Maple Town,” Blast Miner nodded.

Applejack threw the mini tin heart away in disgust. “I can’t believe you!”

He watched it bounce away and shrugged. “Karza’s old heart has been too far away from me for too long now. I’d need to physically fix it up if I wanted to use that one in particular again.”

“But what about… why were you so weird? What was with all that crazy stuff Karza was saying and the silly way he was acting?” Applejack asked, still confused about a lot of things.

“Hahahahahaha!” Blast Miner threw back his head and laughed. “Applejack, Applejack… first off I don’t know why you keep referring to Karza as if he was his own pony. Secondly, didn’t you ever read any storybooks as a filly? The villain has to be bombastic and over the top. I had a lot of fun doing all that, being silly, it made it quite enjoyable. I’d never have the opportunity to really just let loose like that otherwise.”

“Stop treating this like a joke! All those ponies you hurt, everypony you frightened and threatened, and it was all just a game to you?” Applejack growled.

“It was a test. I just made sure I had fun during it,” Blast Miner shrugged.

“A test for what though? Tell me just what exactly you’re planning to do with that thing,” Applejack pointed at the giant heart. “Tell me what all this has been for!”

“Alright, to be honest keeping this a secret from everypony has been horrible. I’ve been dying to tell somepony about it but I never thought I’d actually be able to,” Blast Miner chuckled and looked back at the gigantic tin heart again. “This thing, as you can obviously tell, is just a much larger and more powerful version of the heart I used to animate Karza and manipulate the earth from a long distance. It can receive my magic from much farther away than the other hearts I’ve made, and amplify it as well. I plan to lower it miles into the world’s crust using this old mineshaft that I’ve been renovating and expanding where it will then allow my magic to permeate the earth and give me control over the world itself in much the same way I was able to control Karza and how I can manipulate dirt and rocks so naturally with my magic.”

“What?!” Applejack gawked in disbelief. “That’s nuts! There’s no way that could work!”

Blast Miner shook his head with a smirk on his lips. “It can and it will. This heart will become the heart of the entire world. And I will control it. Mountains will rise and fall as I beckon, continents will shift, valleys and canyons will open up, fault lines rearranged, volcanoes erupting whenever I will them too. I’m going to mold and shape the surface of the world into my own design, controlling and doing whatever I want with it.”

“But all the ponies, every creature who-”

“I don’t care. I’m sculpting my perfect world. Everything else can be ground to dust and swallowed up,” Blast Miner said. “I can’t wait to make my own castle, my own kingdom, deciding where the mountains will be and how many continents and islands there are...”

Applejack’s jaw still hung open slightly as she looked up at him and listened to him prattle on. She brought a hoof up to her face and started rubbing her forehead in exasperation. “You… I thought you were just crazy or another evil pony. But it’s not just that. You’re dumb. This is the dumbest evil world-ending plan I’ve heard in my entire life. I can’t believe that this is what I have to stop to keep the world from ending. I’ve faced plenty of crazy villains who want to take over the world and stuff like that but none of them were just plain dumb like you. Why do I always have to deal with the stupidest stuff when I could be on my farm right now?”

“I don’t particularly care about your opinion. It’s why I’m getting rid of pretty much everypony else with this. My world, my rules,” Blast Miner said.

“You’re a child. Your parents never taught you about sharing your toys growing up, did they?” Applejack frowned.

“Why should I have to—ahem—that’s not important,” he shook his head. “I’m starting my grand plan today and I’m certainly not letting you get in the way of it.”

“Then come down here and let’s settle this like hero and villain from one of your storybooks!” Applejack shouted.

Blast Miner grinned. “Actually, that’s what I was about to do.”

His horn glowed an ugly copper color and steps came out from the rock face, the rock and earth of the cavern moving and getting manipulated just like Karza was able to do outside of Maple Town. It was like he really could control the earth like it was clay or water, making it any shape or form he wanted it to. Even if it was his special talent and what his magic was suited for it didn’t seem normal. An average unicorn shouldn’t have so much raw magical power. His telekinesis could lift and move so much that it was insane. Right now though all he was doing was creating a set of descending steps down to meet her at the cavern floor.

Once he was off the final step and on the ground with her Applejack sprung into action. She didn’t hesitate. She didn’t wait to talk any longer. She didn’t want him to be able to do anything else. The moment she could get him she had made her move.

Applejack sprinted towards him and closed the distance quickly, lifting up a hoof and getting ready to tap him in the center of his chest. A single tremor from Hoof of the Earth to break his front legs and disable him. That was all she needed. His eyes widened slightly as she ran at him without a single word spoken but he didn’t back up or try to defend himself.

Applejack’s hoof landed on his chest and she sent the tremor into him.

Nothing happened.

“Uhh...” Applejack awkwardly tilted her head as the tremor seemed to vanish and not do anything to him.

“You know I was very curious about your abilities,” Blast Miner said.

Applejack looked him in the eye and noticed the horn atop his head was faintly glowing. She slowly lowered her hoof and backed away from him. “I know...”

“And I figured them out,” he grinned. “It’s just vibrations. Honestly I was so disappointed when I realized that. I thought maybe you had some sort of unique magical powers that revolved around the earth like my own special talent, or it was some kind of earth pony magic. But no, it’s just controlling vibrations. And if it’s something like that. Something purely physical, well-” he pointed up at his horn. “Logically I can just cancel it out with my own telekinesis. Stopping the vibrations is easy enough. I just have to have a little power and that’s it. Knowing the trick behind your ability makes it easy to counter.”

“I uh, never met a pony who could do that so far,” Applejack winced. This was a slight problem.

“Now do you still want to fight as hero and villain?” Blast Miner mockingly asked.

Applejack frowned and stomped her hoof on the ground hard enough to crack it. “Since I can still do that to you—yeah.”

Blast Miner also seemed slightly perturbed by the brute strength she possessed. “You are quite strong aren’t you? Probably would be a mistake to fight you directly, so how about this instead?”

His horn glowed brighter and a number of familiar figures emerged from the ground and walls of the cavern around her. Karza. Multiple Karza dolls just like the one she had fought and destroyed outside of Maple Town. At first she thought they were all completely the same but she noticed that some of them had pegasus wings. Applejack kept her eyes open and her body tense, counting eight of them in total as they gathered around her and Blast Miner—some on the ground and some floating in the air.

“I made quite a few of them to make sure I had the craft down right. How do you like the pegasus models? The wings are kind of pointless I know but it gives them a nice look I think,” Blast Miner said.

“I don’t think I like anything about this,” Applejack said.

Blast Miner shrugged. “Fair enough. I’ll just have them deal with you now, it’s a little tough to focus on so many at once, but the hearts inside them give them a fair amount of autonomous behavior with my magic running through them.”

“And because you can’t really use your magic to manipulate the cavern and mine around us that much, right?” Applejack raised an eyebrow at him. “Otherwise you might damage that mineshaft and everything else you’ve been working on.”

His lip twitched. “Perhaps. But don’t think I can’t do anything. I can control my power very well.”

“And I can destroy these dirt puppets just like the first Karza,” Applejack exhaled. “Bet you can’t cancel out my Hoof of the Earth from a distance.”

“That’s what it’s called? Hm, probably not. But with the hearts animating them so close to me I can just rebuild them with the dirt and rocks around us even if you destroy them. So good luck,” Blast Miner smirked and the eight Karzas attacked.

Of course Applejack didn’t have to fight normally. And she didn’t intend to. When all eight of the puppets came at her she slammed a hoof into the ground and sent a powerful tremor into it. Blast Miner couldn’t predict or easily stop everything, and she didn’t have to worry about damaging this place like he did. The erupting tremor caused the ground in front of her to explode up in a shower of rocks, smacking and cutting into the Karza puppets. Another benefit she had when it came to fighting them was she didn’t have to worry about hurting them too badly.

A few of the Karzas fell to the ground, damaged or encumbered by pieces of rock embedded in them, some of them even now missing a leg. The rest simply floated up and over them and came down upon Applejack, trying to tackle, stomp on her, or punch her with their earthen limbs. Though she didn’t consider herself a fighter or anything like that she was still more than used to big tussles like this. Applejack bucked the first Karza right off her and kicked the next with enough force to make it go tumbling away. One that tried to punch her she ducked under its limb and punched it in the face hard enough to send cracks throughout its head. And she wasn’t even using Hoof of the Earth for that.

When the ones still on the ground rose up and came for her, Applejack sent another tremor through the ground and up into their bodies, breaking them into pieces. That bought her some time to deal with the other few that were in the air and not badly damaged enough to be stopped yet.

“You’re just delaying the inevitable you know,” Blast Miner said while he watched.

“Don’t tell me what’s inevitable! I’m stopping you!” Applejack shouted and bucked another Karza out of the air.

Blast Miner’s horn silently glowed as he got involved as well. “You’ll see now.”

And she did, the broken remnants of the Karzas on the ground repaired themselves, more dirt and rocks coming from the ground to rebuild their limbs and bodies until they were as good as new. To avoid her better they also immediately floated up into the air, the eight of them now revolving all around her. Applejack gulped and did her best to stop from sweating. She needed to find a more permanent solution and get to Blast Miner. If she could just make a small opening she could run right over to him and end it. He was still standing on the ground not even that far away, confident he was safe.

One Karza dove at her and she jumped away from it as it smashed into the ground. Another and then one more came at her next but Applejack swiftly jumped away both times—however they were still herding her away from Blast Miner. Two at once dove towards her, not attempting to pile on top of her but staying at a distance where they could still throw punches and kicks at her while the others tried to bulldoze into her. Everything was just a big distraction. There was too much going on and she didn’t have the speed or awareness to avoid it all. More than a few times she ended up taking a kick to the body.

Despite them being made partially of rock their kicks weren’t any worse than an average earth pony. Applejack was tough enough to deal with them with barely more than a grunt. But it was still wearing her down while meanwhile Blast Miner stood calmly away from her.

Need to come up with something to stop these things… Applejack grumbled internally.

She kicked one of the Karzas away and saw his body cracking where her hooves hit.

Applejack blinked. The solution was actually much more simple than she thought. Forget about their bodies—there was one specific weak-point that she should be targeting right now. Something that she could easily get to with Hoof of the Earth.

The next Karza that came at her she leaned away from and then tapped its outstretched hoof. It continued floating past her for a moment before it started to violently shake as the tremors she shot into it went straight for the small tin heart that animated it. Applejack could easily tell where it was, sensing it thanks to its greater density and how any exploratory vibrations bounced back from it. Though she couldn’t see it she knew what was happening as the Karza puppet jerked and suddenly exploded in a shower of dirt and pebbles—the fractured remains of a small tin heart falling to the ground in the middle of it all.

Applejack looked over at Blast Miner and grinned.

He narrowed his eyes back at her. “Do you have any idea how difficult it was to make all of these?”

“Well I hope it doesn’t hurt you too much when I break the rest of them,” Applejack said.

Each Karza puppet flew at her at once now in an attempt to simply crush her so she couldn’t destroy them one by one. Applejack clicked her tongue in annoyance and hunkered down—ready to take the attack. They all collided into her and the ground with enough force to cause it to crater and shoot up a huge spout of dust and debris. Seven Karzas stomping on and dogpiling Applejack, trying to keep her down and out with their own weight more than anything.

That was right up until they all exploded as well.

“Thanks for… making it easy… for me...” Applejack panted as she stood up in the shower of dirt and rocks, more destroyed tin hearts falling to the ground around her. She was bruised and beaten up and pretty tired after using such a powerful tremor, but at least all the Karzas were gone.

“You’re welcome.”

Applejack looked up at the source of the voice. Blast Miner had taken the brief moment she was buried by the Karzas to do something for himself. He was now standing on top of a pillar that had appeared out of nowhere in front of the rock face, while half a dozen large spikes made from rock levitated over his head, caught in his magical aura.

“Aw dang,” Applejack said.

“Let’s see if you’re as good at dodging when you’re this tired and beaten up as you were outside Maple Town,” Blast Miner chuckled.

“Only one way to find out I suppose,” Applejack said.

“True. Good luck,” Blast Miner said and levitated the spikes until they were directly over Applejack’s head.

The first one came down at her fast and Applejack barely managed to jump away in time to avoid it. He wasn’t just letting them fall at their natural speed, he was throwing them down at her. Two more came that she weaved between and then the final three came all at once and almost pinned her between them but she was able to dive and roll out of the way. Panting heavily, she looked up to see Blast Miner pulling more spikes from the walls and the ground. It seemed he had been analyzing what he could safely do while she fought the Karza puppets. Now safe up on his pillar he could manipulate the cavern to his desires and fight her himself.

She could probably destroy the pillar and maybe make him fall, but he’d easily see what she was trying to do and if she sent a tremor at it from this far away he’d have more than enough time to get off it or dislodge part of it himself. And when he started dropping more spikes on her and making her run around like a trapped rat she realized she wasn’t going to have enough time to really focus on anything else but survival. Running and jumping between spikes as they impaled the ground around her, she really wished she had some magic on her side or at least the ability to fly.

Sure would’ve made a lot of this trip easier… Applejack thought.

Applejack ran from another spike and saw three more floating over her head, Blast Miner shuffling them around to make it harder for her to predict where they’d go.

And while moving to try and avoid them she forget a very important thing.

He could manipulate the ground under her hooves just as easily as anything else too.

For an instant it felt like her hooves were moving through mud as Blast Miner changed the consistency of the ground. Softening it and letting her hooves sink for a moment before hardening it back up and locking her in place. The spikes rotated over her head and got ready to crash down on her even as she created another tremor to break apart the rock around her hooves and free herself.

“Darn it!” Applejack shouted.

“Not enough room to avoid this. Goodbye, Applejack. Defeating you is the perfect way to start my new world,” Blast Miner smiled and shot the spikes down at her.

Her vision was consumed by the sharp spears of earth coming right at her and Applejack squeezed her eyes shut—believing this to be the end.

There was an incredible crash and the sound of rock shattering but Applejack didn’t feel any pain. For a few seconds she kept her eyes squeezed shut before tentatively opening them. She was still alive. She was still breathing. She wasn’t impaled by a bunch of spikes. Applejack looked up and saw two things—one was a cloud of dust and debris that had to be from the spikes. The other was a powder blue shield of magic that protected her from them.

“Looks like I arrived just in time.”

Applejack and Blast Miner both looked towards the tunnel leading into the cavern as a unicorn mare strode out of it. Her horn was lit powder blue for a moment until she stopped it and the shield protecting Applejack dropped.

Blast Miner frowned at the mare. “Who are you?”

Applejack though recognized her. “Hold on one second… I know you.”

The white unicorn mare, with a yellow mane and tail with an orange streak running through it, along with a black bow on her head, blue eyes, and a Cutie Mark of the sun rising over the horizon, smiled to Applejack. “Been a long time.”

“Daylight!” Applejack smiled. “I remember! Boy howdy, it sure is nice to see you here! But, uh, what in the hay are you doing out here?”

Daylight Gleam levitated up a letter that she had been carrying on her back. “I got this strange letter saying you needed my help and to follow the roses to find you.” She glanced up at Applejack’s hat. “Guess that ended up being pretty literal.” She strode up right beside Applejack and smirked before glancing up towards Blast Miner. “So what’s the deal with this guy?”

“Just another crazy pony with crazy magical powers. Kind of got to stop him to save the world. Mind helping me out a little again?” Applejack grinned and raised an eyebrow.

“I suppose if I have to,” Daylight playfully answered. “Wouldn’t be that unusual for either of us by the sound of it.”

“Alright!” Applejack shouted with exhilaration and pulled her front hooves from the little remaining rubble around them. She slammed them together in front of her face and glared up at Blast Miner. “Let’s do this together!”

End of the World V

“It doesn’t matter if there are two of you, you can’t stop me from creating my new world,” Blast Miner said to them from atop his pillar.

“I hardly know what you’re even talking about but I still know you’re wrong,” Daylight frowned at him.

“Yep,” Applejack nodded. “There aint no way we’re letting you do this. Why don’t you just stop and give up so we don’t have to turn this into a fight? I’m giving you one more chance.”

Blast Miner smirked before an amused chuckle burst from his lips. “Oh don’t make me laugh! You think I’d give up on my goal so easily?”

“Nope, but I was hoping for it,” Applejack sighed. She felt every strain, every ache, in her body and knew this wasn’t going to be fun or easy. But no matter what they had to prevail here. Hopefully Daylight Gleam would be able to support her just like the last time the two of them were together. Applejack took a deep breath and stomped her hoof on the ground, sending a tremor through it and towards Blast Miner’s pillar, cracking and shattering the surface of the ground on the way.

“Tch,” Blast Miner clicked his tongue and broke off the top part of the pillar with his magic, levitating it and using it as a platform to fly himself back up to the top of the rock face while Applejack’s tremor broke apart the rest of the pillar.

“I see you’ve still got that crazy power of your own,” Daylight Gleam raised an eyebrow at Applejack’s use of Hoof of the Earth.

“Yep. Now you see that giant metal heart up on top there?” Applejack said to her.

“Yeah,” Daylight nodded.

“Gotta destroy that or at least defeat Blast Miner first. But be careful, you’ve already seen a little bit but he can pretty much freely control all the rock and earth that makes up this cavern,” Applejack said.

“Fantastic,” Daylight frowned as she looked around. “We’re really fighting in his territory then. Guess we need to get up to that gigantic heart quickly… that’s not a sentence I ever thought I’d say.”

“We’ll use the scaffolding and crane since he can just move the stairs he made earlier, let’s go!” Applejack said and ran for some of the scaffolding and crane that led up the rock face with Daylight right behind her.

As they ran up it, Blast Miner landed on top of the rock face and stood on its ledge, watching them. “Don’t think you can get up here that easily! I won’t let you bring any harm to my heart!” His horn glowed and he pulled spikes down from the stalactites in the cavern’s ceiling. Though he would’ve liked to have manipulated the rock face itself and knock the scaffolding down, he had already done too much to the cavern. He didn’t want to potentially damage the mine shaft or anything else.

Applejack realized that—after having so much first hoof experience fighting Karza and seeing what Blast Miner was capable of—she knew he would just crush or bury them if he actually could. That gave her a little hope that she and Daylight could actually win this. The spikes though were still plenty dangerous enough and Blast Miner sent them careening into the scaffolding and towards Applejack and Daylight. They tore chunks out of the wood and threatened to collapse the whole thing while Applejack kicked away ones that came close to her and Daylight blasted a couple to pieces with her magic. They were only about halfway up the scaffold when it started to sway while more spikes were brought down on them.

There were other platforms and stairs constructed on the walls of the cavern though, ones that still led up further to where they needed to go. As the scaffolding they were on started to sway towards the wall Applejack grabbed Daylight.

“Hold on!” She yelled and jumped with the unicorn while the scaffolding collapsed, taking the crane down with it. The two of them tumbled onto one of the platforms built into the cavern wall while the heavy crane falling caused a minor earthquake to shake the entire cavern. Blast Miner momentarily stumbled back and that gave Applejack and Daylight enough time to recover. There were plenty of other platforms, construction work, rocks, and scaffolding equipment for them to make it up the rest of the way to the top of the rock face now, but it could be a dangerous trip.

“Thanks for the help,” Daylight said to her.

“Don’t thank me just yet, we’ve still got to get up there,” Applejack said.

“And that won’t be happening!” Blast Miner shouted as he stood back up at the ledge. His horn glowed as he prepared to attack them once more.

“We’re still in a bit of trouble...” Applejack grumbled.

“Leave it to me, I’ve got an idea,” Daylight smirked and lit up her horn as well.

In an instant there was a bright flash, bright enough where Applejack and Blast Miner both had to squeeze their eyes shut. When Applejack opened her eyes she saw something rather surprising—there were a dozen copies or her and Daylight Gleam running up and down the side of the cavern. Illusions, mirages, they had to be, but they all looked totally real and were probably even tougher for Blast Miner to discern from where he was. It was a big distraction, he wouldn’t be able to tell which of them were the real ones and what path they were taking.

“Come on!” Daylight said and grabbed Applejack’s hoof, leading her further up the rock face while the copies went all over.

“Pesky!” Blast Miner rubbed his eyes to get the spots out and started throwing spikes at all the different Applejacks and Daylights.

Whenever one of the mirages was hit it shimmered and disappeared but most of them just kept running and climbing all over. The real Applejack and Daylight Gleam meanwhile took a slightly less direct route up the various platforms and scaffolding to make it up the rock face. A few times they had to jump away from spikes or avoid a shower of rocks as the spikes impacted into the walls of the cavern, but Blast Miner was so furious he hardly seemed to care enough to find the real ones. A few illusory ponies landed on top of the rock face and were immediately dispelled by spikes but that gave Applejack and Daylight the opportunity to land safely right behind them.

Blast Miner felt the thud on the ground when they landed and knew they were the real ones. He frowned and moved between them and the heart swaying beneath its tower. All around the rest of the cavern the rest of the illusions vanished.

“And what exactly do you think you’ve accomplished?” Blast Miner asked them.

“A lot,” Applejack glared right back at him. She then glanced over at Daylight and raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t know you could do something like that by the way.”

“Been improving my light magic a lot since we last met,” Daylight grinned.

“Simple illusions won’t help you up here. You can’t beat me with little tricks of the light,” Blast Miner dismissively waved a hoof.

“Shows what you know,” Daylight said and lit her horn up. In another flash of light she vanished.

Applejack blinked in surprise—remembering Daylight’s camouflage spell but how flawed it still was. But now the unicorn had just flat out gone invisible. Applejack could hear her as she ran across the top of the rock face to try and take Blast Miner by surprise, running at an angle instead of just directly at him. However, he didn’t seem to be taken off-guard. Or unable to figure out where she actually was.

Blast Miner’s horn glowed and part of the ground popped up, Daylight Gleam tripping over it instantly and sliding across the ground to the back wall of the cavern with a pained grunt, her invisibility falling at the same time.

“Daylight!” Applejack yelled.

“Idiot,” Blast Miner scoffed. “So what if you’re invisible? I can hear your hoofsteps and feel the vibrations keenly when you’re running on the same ground that I’m standing on.” His horn stayed alight as he caused several other small pillars of rock to shoot up from the ground around Daylight’s prone form, trapping her in place. She tried to struggle her way out but she just didn’t have the strength to break free of the rocks.

Applejack had strength to spare though. Before Blast Miner could do anything more, Applejack sent a tremor through the ground towards Daylight and shattered the rocks holding her down. She then slammed her hoof down and sent a second tremor towards the giant tin heart—aiming to send the tremor up through the tower’s wooden legs and into the heart to break it directly. However that plan was thwarted when Blast Miner’s horn pulsed with powerful magic and her second tremor was stopped cold in the ground in front of him.

“As if I would let anything get to my heart. I can still easily stop something like that with my telekinesis as long as its close to me,” Blast Miner said, narrowing his eyes at Applejack.

She bit her lip. With him between me and the heart I’ll never be able to get a tremor into it… do we really have to take him down first?

“Ugh...” Daylight groaned as she stood up, wiping herself off and warily keeping her eyes on Blast Miner.

Applejack also kept her eyes on the stallion as she walked over to her friend. “You okay?”

“For a given meaning of the word,” Daylight grumbled.

“You both should just give up and let me grind you into dust to christen the heart,” Blast Miner said. “There’s absolutely nothing you can do to beat me here.”

His horn flashed and several more spikes came down from the ceiling towards the two of them while the ground under their hooves warped and started to bounce like rubber. He was carefully only warping a small part of the ground directly where they were standing—keeping the rest of the level they were on steady. With how bad their hoofing was now, along with their injuries, they had almost no chance of avoiding the spikes he was raining down on them.

But Applejack had an idea—even if he was an extremely powerful unicorn he couldn’t focus on so many things at once. And the gigantic tin heart was by far the most important thing to him right now. She did her best to stay on her hooves and ignored trying to stop the shifting ground or run away from the spikes for the moment. All she needed was a split second and maybe the help of Daylight.

Applejack sent another tremor out towards the tin heart, knowing her would cancel it out. But that was really all she needed or wanted, Blast Miner frowned and stopped the tremor cold but since he had to momentarily focus all his magic on it the ground returned to normal.

“Shield!” Applejack shouted as the spikes were just a second from impaling them.

Daylight—now steady and focused—lit her horn up and created a dome of magic over their heads that the spikes crashed into. She was sweating a little bit after she turned it off and had to catch her breath. “My magic isn’t exactly suited for that kind of thing, I’ve got maybe one more shield in me so I’d like to avoid it if possible.”

“Hmph, let’s see you two deal with this then,” Blast Miner said as he returned to trying to destroy them.

The ground started to shake and Applejack kept throwing out sensory tremors to try and predict what he was going to do. A moment later she had to reach over and grab Daylight, pulling her in to her body right as a sharp spike of rock came up from the ground right where the unicorn had just been standing. It would’ve gone right through her midsection. That was hardly the end to it either as more spikes came up directly below the two of them that Applejack was barely able to dodge away from while keeping Daylight safe as well.

Applejack clicked her tongue and grabbed the unicorn, tossing her onto her back. “Hold on!”

“O-Okay!” Daylight nervously shouted and wrapped her hooves around Applejack’s neck.

Like that, Applejack had a much easier time of dodging the spikes on her own. Even as they came up directly beneath her, or behind her or right in front of her face, she could dance between them and not let any of them hit. For now at least, it was still tiring her out. She knew that she couldn’t do this forever especially with the condition she was already in. And Blast Miner certainly had more tricks up his sleeve, who knows when he’d suddenly turn the ground to water or drop a boulder on her. She needed to act before he did.

“What do we do?” Daylight asked, understanding how bad the situation was.

“I’ve got a plan,” Applejack confidently replied and whispered in the unicorn’s ear.

When several more spikes came up at the two of them, Applejack momentarily backed up and away from the dangerous ground. She gave herself a small moment of opportunity and exhaled before slamming both her front hooves into the ground and shooting an explosive tremor into them with enough force to blow apart most of the rocky ground around her and Daylight. She destroyed most of what Blast Miner had to safely work with while creating a huge cloud of dust and debris that momentarily obscured them from his sight.

He only glared at the cloud and kept his eyes open, waiting for whatever they might be trying to do next.

Suddenly Applejack came running out of it right towards him while Daylight Gleam ran out of it at an angle to his right, trying to make a long route around him to the heart behind him.

“Pointless,” Blast Miner said and used his magic to flip the ground under Daylight’s hooves without barely even looking at her. The unicorn was tossed off her hooves and crashed roughly to the ground, sliding out of view. “She’s no threat—and you won’t distract me.” He turned his full attention to the charging Applejack. She wasn’t using her power yet even though she had gotten closer, Blast Miner figured she was going to try and take him out in one close-range attack.

He had absolutely no intention of letting her fully close the distance.

Small parts of the ground between him and Applejack detached like mud being pulled up from the ground. The rock, acting practically like a liquid thanks to his magic, turned into four separate pieces that wrapped around Applejack’s hooves before re-solidifying. The mare was stopped instantly as he held her in place but Blast Miner knew that wasn’t enough to keep her down with the strange vibration power she possessed. He instantly spread his magical aura from the rocks and all over her body to hold her directly and then lifted her up from the ground so she couldn’t send anymore of those tremors through it either. And now she was still caught even if she did break the rocks around her hooves.

“There, it’s over. You—much like the rest of the world very soon—are finished. I commend you, Applejack, but you couldn’t be a good enough hero to stop me,” Blast Miner smirked.

Applejack panted, struggling in his magical grasp, before glaring at him. “You’re a little bit mistaken.” She said in a voice that was distinctly not Applejack’s.

Blast Miner’s eyes widened as her form shimmered—revealing Daylight Gleam in his grasp.

“Y-You-?!” Blast Miner began to shout.

“I wonder.”

His breath caught in his throat as he instead turned around and saw a twin of the white unicorn standing behind him, right in front of the heart and the tower holding it up. As he watched, her form shimmered and changed as well until he saw Applejack, the real Applejack, standing there instead. She was looking at the tin heart with a hard expression in her eyes before she turned to face him.

“You might be one of the strongest unicorns I’ve ever met. What you can do with that magic of yours is insane. But you’re still just a unicorn just like I’m still just an earth pony. You’re normal. So you might be right that you can stop my power with your own magic—but then all that means is I need to be even stronger to overpower your magic instead. I need to be stronger than I ever have in my entire life to defeat you,” Applejack took a deep breath and lifted up her front left leg, tensing her muscles and getting ready to slam her hoof into the tin heart. “So here’s everything I have.”

“Don’t you dare!” Blast Miner yelled and threw Daylight to the side, running towards the heart to defend it.

Applejack exhaled and slammed almost her entire leg into the heart, unleashing the most powerful Hoof of the Earth tremor into it that she had ever created. Right at the same moment, Blast Miner reached the heart as well and pressed the tip of his horn onto it—pouring all the magic he had into it to defeat her tremor. He had to cancel out her vibration and keep the heart safe.

Both of them strained incredibly hard, Applejack feeling her leg shaking and nearly breaking itself while Blast Miner felt a scalding migraine going through his head. The tin heart was shaking and vibrating too—a horrific screeching sound like tearing metal was filling up the cavern. Cracks spread into the wooden tower holding the heart and even into the rock of the cavern. Applejack winced as she felt something in her leg snap but despite the pain she kept pushing more power out, making the vibrations stronger and stronger.

Blast Miner shouted as his horn flashed with more magic and he grit his teeth hard enough to crack a tooth.

“Nghhh!” Applejack roared and forced the very last ounce of strength she had—the extra strength and tremors from her beating heart—through her leg and into the tin heart. She both heard and felt something else in her leg break but it didn’t matter. Cracks appeared in the metal, reaching all the way around the heart and up towards Blast Miner’s horn.

“EEEYYYYAAAAAGHHHHHAAAAHHHHH!” Blast Miner yelled as a fissure went down the very tip of his horn all the way to the base and the sharp appendage exploded. Bits of horn flying all over as Blast Miner’s eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed.

Applejack also fell over onto her back, pale, sweating, unable to feel her leg. She was quickly pulled back up and looked over by Daylight Gleam, who had been freed once Blast Miner’s horn broke. But the both of them had no chance to talk or make sure Applejack was actually okay—as the great tin heart was still cracking and shaking with enough force to cause the entire rest of the cavern to quake. Their eyes widened and their jaws dropped as the shaking and vibrations reached a fever pitch and the gigantic tin heart exploded into hundreds of pieces, taking the tower with it and sending huge cracks through the rock face, up the caverns walls, and everywhere else. The edge of the rock face fell away, with the unconscious Blast Miner and the remnants of the tower going with it, already being buried in rubble.

The two mares then looked up to see the ceiling of the cavern start to crumble and fall down towards them. The entire mine, the entire mountain, was falling to pieces.

“Boy howdy, that sure was a miraculous escape,” Applejack said to Daylight as the two of them stood back on the road outside the mountain and looked at the remnants of it and the destroyed mine and buildings right outside it. There was still a cloud of dust hanging over it all.

“I know, I really didn’t think we would make it for a moment there,” Daylight nodded—the injured Applejack partially draped over her back.

Applejack sighed deeply and grinned awkwardly to Daylight. “Sorry about this but do you think you can help me walk to the nearest hospital?”

Daylight grinned back to her. “I’ll manage.”

Author's Note

A few chapters to go.

The Long Way Home

“Your leg is broken in three places, you tore several ligaments and tendons in it in addition to the broken bones, two of your ribs are also cracked, and to top it all off you have a bruised liver,” Daylight Gleam said as she read off of Applejack’s chart. “Pretty impressive I must say.”

“All in a day’s work when it comes to saving the world. I’d say all the broken stuff is worth it,” Applejack said, her head resting on her pillow.

“And I’d say the painkillers rushing through your veins right now are probably doing a lot to help that,” Daylight snorted. “You going to be able to keep up that sentiment later on?”

“It’s not the pain that’s going to bother me, it’s the time I’m going to need to recuperate before I can leave,” Applejack sighed.

“Yeahhh… the doctors say at least a week in bed… then physical therapy… then maybe they can get you out on crutches or loan a wheelchair… and then maybe-” Daylight rubbed the back of her head.

“A week in bed and then I start to head home,” Applejack said.

“I don’t exactly think that’s a good idea.”

“Daylight—I’ve been out here for a long, long, time. I need to get home,” Applejack frowned at her. “I’m not staying in Spruce City for a whole month just waiting for my leg to get better. I can manage.”

Together the two of them had made it back to Spruce City two days ago—Applejack being unconscious for most of it until now. A lot of work had to be done to repair her front left leg and now it was in a full cast while a few other bandages and wrappings were around her midsection. Neither of them had gone into detail about how this had happened or about how one of the old mines in the mountains had collapsed. They agreed it was probably better to keep quiet. Applejack had at one point been worried about how they were going to pay for all this but Daylight had assured her she would handle it. Having no other reason, and not enough energy, to argue, Applejack let the issue end there. She didn’t have any of the money given to her by Mayor Rooter remaining anyways.

Now all she could really do for the next week was stare up at the white ceiling tiles of her hospital room while a series of nurses and doctors came in and out. Each one of them she knew would do their hardest to keep her here when they learned she planned to leave in just a week.

Daylight sighed and rubbed her eyes, herself having barely gotten any sleep since making it back here. “Well I know better than to try and stop you. I’ll help you get home as best I can.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow at her. “All the way?”

“All the way,” Daylight nodded. “I’m pretty sure you offered to come see your home the last time we met anyways. And you’re clearly going to need a pony to rely on if you want to make it all the way back to where you live in one piece. It would be a long trip even without a broken leg.”

Applejack smiled. “You’ve got that right… and thank you.”

“Don’t mention it,” Daylight shrugged. She looked around the hospital room absentmindedly before taking a glance out the window at the city beyond. Spruce City was a big place with a lot to offer—and it was a good thing their medical care was at a modern level. “I’m going to find my own place to stay for the next week then, but I’ll still come by every day to keep you company and get you anything you need.”

“Thanks,” Applejack nodded. And for the first time since they had met back up she really took a closer look at the mare. She didn’t exactly have the time for chit-chat earlier but now they could catch up, and she already noticed a couple of things. “You’re a little different you know? I remember when I first met you you weren’t exactly the most selfless of ponies, you were a grouch, and you barely smiled. What’s it been like since we parted ways back at Greed Volcano? That scar and bow are new too, aren’t they?”

Daylight smirked, the words from Applejack actually making her feel better. “Well you changed me, you know? After meeting a pony like you—seeing what you would do for others—I just couldn’t be my same old selfish self again. And you’re right, the bow is a gift from another good friend I made and the scar… that’s from a particularly nasty griffon I ran across a little while back. I’ve been traveling all over, just kind of going wherever the wind takes me, helping out where I can. I think a few of the friends I’ve made would still consider me a grouch though...”

“Well I’m glad to hear that you’ve been doing good—both ways. It’s nice to see any old friend again and hear that. Speaking of—what about your two friends? It was uh… Star Blaze and Sugar Spirit, right?” Applejack asked.

Daylight rolled her eyes and snorted in annoyance. “Yes. I haven’t seen them in a while actually. You see, shortly after we parted ways with you the two of them got married. And I accidentally got left behind while they went on their honeymoon. Haven’t seen them since but I’m sure we’ll run into each other at some point eventually.”

“Heh,” Applejack chuckled despite the rough feeling it brought through her chest, amused by the story.

“But anyways… everything I’ve been up to since I last saw you would take a little too long to tell,” Daylight said.

“Mmm...” Applejack nodded but then remembered something else. “Hold on first. What about that letter? Who was it from and how long have you been looking for me?”

“Don’t actually know who it’s from—I literally woke up one morning and it was on the pillow next to me,” Daylight shrugged. “It said it was from “H.B.” but for the life of me I can’t think of who that is… sounded a little familiar at first for some reason but I just can’t place it. And that was quite a while ago actually. A few weeks?”

“You got your letter a few weeks ago? I just got mine three days before we met!” Applejack groaned and laid her head back against her pillow. “Stupid cryptic world-saving letters… none of this makes a darn lick of sense.” She frowned. “And—hold on—but how far have you had to travel to find me?”

“Pretty dang far to be honest. By the way, I saw your hoofiwork at the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel. Got the story from the mares in charge there. Nice job,” Daylight said.

“Wasn’t just me,” Applejack insisted.

“I don’t just mean opening the Citadel back up. Those mares, Amethyst and her friends, I knew them from before when they were trying to take over Diminuendo. But you seemed to have changed them even more than you changed me. I was… surprised and more than a little apprehensive at first but we smoothed things out. They’re running the Citadel well, you’ll be happy to hear,” Daylight explained.

Applejack sighed in relief. “I am. Really am.”

“It’s gotten back to normal, ponies are freely going from one side of the canyon to the other, and a lot of aid has been given to ponies that were struggling there, I heard even more should be coming courtesy of Diminuendo,” Daylight said.

“If my other friend Valentine pulls through, which I’m sure she will,” Applejack smiled.

“She will,” Daylight smirked. “I know her actually—met her earlier back in Diminuendo—and ran into her on my way to the Citadel. We didn’t talk for long since we were both busy but thanks to her I already had an idea of what was going on. And the Prince of Diminuendo is a good pony too, when he gets the full picture on what’s happened at the Citadel he’s sure to help. Things will get a lot better shortly in my opinion.”

“Good… I’ve been to too many places recently that need help,” Applejack relaxed back in her bed and looked up at the ceiling, thinking of Fire Vent, Roc’s Nest, and everywhere else that was feeling the ripples of the Citadel.

“Me too since I’ve been following in your hoofsteps.”

Applejack blinked. “If that’s the case… then right after the bridge you would’ve...”

Daylight nodded, a mirthless grin on her face. “Yep. Right into the swamp. Went blind for a little while.”

“Sorry...”

“Eh. Met a grumpy mare right after getting out who set me on the right path through the Kingdom of Diamonds,” Daylight shrugged.

“Marzipan doing alright?”

“She didn’t kick me out without feeding me first at least.”

“You didn’t also happen to see any centaurs in that swamp either did you?” Applejack asked, a more serious expression on her face.

But Daylight only tilted her head in confusion. “What’s a centaur?”

“Nevermind,” Applejack shook her head. “Apparently it’s not important.” She yawned, the painkillers and who knew what else in her system making her a little tired. “So you had to walk through the entire Kingdom of Diamonds and then Equinestan too? You must’ve been doing that when I was in Elysium’s View.”

“Mhm. By the way, why were you even out here anyways? From what I’ve heard your home is really far east of here,” Daylight asked.

“Just got the call, it’s complicated,” Applejack snorted. “Don’t worry about it though—everything I came out here to do is taken care of. Didn’t even know I’d be saving the world when this all started either...”

“Yeah that was a weird letter to wake up to too in my case...” Daylight nodded.

“By the way, how did the Kingdom of Diamonds look to you?” Applejack asked.

“Uhh… empty. There was one town that looked pretty nice and I met some other travelers but the place was still really empty for how big it was,” Daylight answered.

“Probably can’t expect it to get back to normal anytime soon...” Applejack murmured.

“Thanks to you though I’m sure it’ll get back to something good. Eventually,” Daylight said.

Applejack smiled. “I guess that aint so bad.”

Daylight glanced out the window once more and saw that it was getting late. “Do you want to get some rest now? You probably should.”

“Yeah… guess I’ve been up long enough. If I want to only spend a week here I should probably get some sleep. And I will only be spending a week here,” Applejack resolutely stated. She raised an eyebrow at Daylight. “You’ll be back tomorrow?”

“Early. I promise,” Daylight winked.

“Then I guess we’ve both got a long and boring week to look forward to,” Applejack lied back and closed her eyes.

Applejack was indeed a mare of her word. In just one week she was out of the Spruce City Hospital.

That wasn’t to say she was one-hundred percent healthy though. She still had a cast around her broken leg, she still had a bit of pain from her ribs, and the only reason she was able to walk at all was because of the splint the doctors had made for her. A rod of wood had been secured to her cast to keep it straight and keep her weight off her leg as well. Thanks to that, Applejack was able to hobble along. Her doctors and nurses were incredibly unhappy with their decision and were pleading with her to stay in the hospital right up until the end but Applejack couldn’t be swayed. This time she was listening to herself—homesickness was proving to be stronger than anything else right now.

And so she and Daylight Gleam got ready to make the trip from Spruce City to Maple Town. Even though it wasn’t the most direct way through Equinestan at this point, Applejack had to say goodbye to the ponies of Maple Town and inform them of what happened with Blast Miner. It only felt right. There was another promise she had to keep as well and Maple Town seemed like one of the best places to go to keep it.

It was going to be a slow trip at first, that was certain. Daylight would be there to help Applejack along if she ever tripped, stumbled, or got a little tired, but their pace would be nothing like how Applejack rushed north from Maple Town a week ago. The entire trip home might be slow. Unfortunately that was something Applejack couldn’t really do anything about. She could push herself to keep a steady schedule but unless a train had magically gotten built in the Far West since she had traveled through it she could only walk.

Daylight had also attempted a few times to get Applejack to settle down and rest for a while longer but Applejack was adamant.

It had taken them a little while just to get to Sycamore Grove—Applejack needing to get used to the cast and splint first—and then they were out of there after just a day and on the road again to Maple Town. Since she was walking slower though, and eating plenty to keep her health up, Applejack was able to at least appreciate the place and the ponies who lived in it a little more than the last time she had been through. Since she couldn’t sleep on the side of the road in her condition they had to stay there the entire previous night.

Once they were out of Sycamore Grove though the both of them relaxed a little bit. Applejack was a fairly quick learner when it came to her cast, not being the first time she had broken something, and knowing Maple Town was their next stop put her mind at ease. They saw a few other ponies out on the road while they traveled south, a family or two out for a day trip, a pony pulling a wagon of goods from one city-state to the next, an old stallion just taking a walk for fun. It was nice. It was a reminder of what the both of them had saved. It was a reminder that the world was still moving. As homesick as Applejack was, as much as she wanted to get back to her friends and families to tell them she was okay, it still felt really darn good right now to know that the bad was behind her.

The familiar walls of Maple Town appeared to them shortly and Applejack’s hobbling may have sped up a little bit as a smile grew on her face. It was weird to envision walls as “welcoming” but the walls of Maple Town surely felt that way to her.

They’d be here for another whole day—staying the night before leaving tomorrow morning after their business was done.

It didn’t take too long before they passed the walls and made it back to the actual town that-

“Good heavens, Applejack! What happened to your leg?!” Melody Jewel yelled upon first seeing her.

“Hey there, Melody. Don’t worry about it too much, it’s… well, I just had a bit of a tussle with another pony,” Applejack awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck. “Um… could you maybe get Mayor Rooter, and probably Sure Suture, together and tell em I need to talk to them? Any place private will do.”

“I’m very confused right now but alright, I’ll find them,” Melody Jewel agreed.

“Thank you, you’re being a real big help right now,” Applejack said.

“You and your friend can rest somewhere I suppose. Good thing Maple Town isn’t very big…” Melody Jewel’s gaze lingered on Applejack’s broken leg for a moment before she left to find Mayor Rooter and Sure Suture.

In under fifteen minutes, all five of them were inside a seldom used office in city hall. That was the benefit of being in the sort of small town that Applejack loved. Applejack was offered a seat of course but chose to stand anyways, while Daylight stood back against the door, feeling more like a third wheel at the moment than anything. This was Applejack’s business, Daylight was just here because she was helping Applejack out. She didn’t have anything to add to the conversation that Applejack couldn’t say herself.

And after another fifteen minutes, Applejack had fully told them the truth about Blast Miner. It was not a pleasant story to tell but they had to hear it. By the end the three of them were looking on in a mixture of horror, disbelief, and outright nausea. Who could blame them for any of that when they had just learned that a stallion they thought of as a friend was not just behind the sudden attacks and threats on their town but secretly was planning to destroy the whole dang world? Applejack hesitated to tell them about his full plans at first—and the fact she had kind of been responsible for collapsing an entire mountain—but wanted to trust them when it came to telling the rest of Equinestan or any others about it. It was their right and she had the responsibility to tell them as such. But it made it even more difficult for them to take it all in than if she had just been vague with the details.

“I think I need to sit down…” Sure Suture said, holding a hoof to his forehead.

Melody Jewel’s jaw had dropped open in shock early on and hadn’t changed position at all since.

And Mayor Rooter almost seemed at a loss for words. Though not completely. “I… I can’t believe it. Blast Miner is Karza? And he wanted to do that? I-I’ve known the stallion for years! I never would’ve thought...”

Neither Applejack or Daylight thought it was appropriate to correct him that it should be “was” Karza.

“Goes to show that you can’t always say you know a pony,” Sure Suture sighed.

“But it’s just so absurd! That Karza—that puppet as you explained-” Mayor Rooter nodded to Applejack. “To think he and Blast Miner are the same? Were the same. I never would’ve thought… the magical powers… everything that had happened. And for such a dumb reason!”

Both Sure Suture and Melody Jewel nodded in agreement to that.

“I’m really sorry you all had to go through this,” Applejack said, grimacing. In part she felt kind of responsible. Even though she knew she shouldn’t, she couldn’t help but feel that the oddity of her own life and how she kept finding herself in situations like this somehow had something to do with it all. Like fate itself. Or chaos. If Applejack never got called out here would things have been different? It felt kind of crazy to even entertain such a silly idea but she couldn’t completely ignore it. That was kind of selfish though too wasn’t it? Thinking the world revolved around her like that. That was more of a Rainbow Dash way of thinking.

“Well you still saved us. In several different ways,” Mayor Rooter shrugged before sighing and collapsing over his desk, shaking his head in total exasperation.

“I never thought I’d ever be a part of something so crazy,” Melody Jewel muttered.

“Also—should you be traveling so much with your leg the way it is?” Sure Suture asked.

Daylight couldn’t help but smirk as Applejack awkwardly grinned.

“Well, no. But I’ve gotta get back home,” Applejack answered. “I’ve been through worse anyways and the doctors at Spruce City did a good job.”

“Mind me at least giving you a check up before you leave tomorrow?” Sure Suture asked again.

“I suppose I can’t exactly say no to that...” Applejack said while Daylight silently nodded behind her.

“At least it sounds like everything is over,” Mayor Rooter said, momentarily composing himself. “Now we can finally get back to normal… nothing to worry about anymore. Not sure I should tell everypony else about Blast Miner but… I’ll have to think about it. Maybe I’ll take a vacation for the next week first.”

“Maybe all of us should,” Melody Jewel agreed.

Applejack smiled. “Elysium’s View was a really nice place. Seems they’re always happy to have visitors.”

Mayor Rooter nodded. “I guess we’re done here then? If you want to stay in the same place you did last time you stopped here, Applejack, I think that can be easily arranged. We’ll all be sure to see you and your friend off tomorrow morning.”

“That’s what I was planning. And Daylight can get a room too?” Applejack glanced to the unicorn.

“Of course,” Mayor Rooter said.

“Great,” Applejack sighed deeply, most of the weight of her journey finally off her shoulders. There was that other piece of business she had to take care of now that she was here though. Something that the map in her bag she had received from Mayor Rooter last week helped remind her of. “Before we rest for the night and leave though, I’ve got something else I need to ask you. Actually—something I need to ask you for that I can take back with me to my home.”

The Maple Town locals and Daylight Gleam both regarded her with curiosity.

“What is it?” Mayor Rooter asked.

“A book.”

Despite the surprise of the others, they quickly filed out of the office and went down into the library inside city hall that Applejack had first seen when she came to Maple Town. While it wasn’t a big library it looked like it still had a good selection. When Applejack told Mayor Rooter specifically what she was looking for he said he was pretty certain they’d have plenty of books like that.

Now she was seated at a desk, looking over an atlas of the Far West.

It covered absolutely everything east of the chasm that divided the west in two. Multiple maps showing just geography, while others showed the borders of the various kingdoms, and others had every city and point of interest labeled. Between the maps were paragraphs and essays about the history of the land and the various kingdoms and groups of ponies living in the Far West. The lands immediately west of the chasm, the Kingdom of Diamonds, Equinestan, Elysium’s View, and every place Applejack didn’t visit were explained in detail. A huge history listen with even a few historical maps to show how things developed. Some maps were even just of individual lakes, mountains and forests that existed in the Far West. It had practically everything.

Applejack smiled as she closed the book back up and looked to Mayor Rooter. “You’re sure I can take this with me?”

Mayor Rooter shrugged. “Of course, we can get another edition from Birch Hall anytime.”

“Isn’t that atlas already going to be a little out of date thanks to what’s happened with the Kingdom of Diamonds though?” Sure Suture said.

“It’s more than good enough, believe me,” Applejack said. She gladly put the book in her bag and closed it up. “Twilight’s going to love this.”

She felt even more elated now. Ever since she had lost the old journal in the swamp she had needed to do something like this and now she was going to be able to bring something back far better than anything Applejack could’ve made herself. She had been thinking about it back in Elysium’s View and almost forgot thanks to what happened with Blast Miner, but luckily with plenty of time to think back in Spruce City she remembered the promise she had made. Twilight really was going to love this gift. Not only was it an actual new book but it contained the sort of brand new knowledge that Twilight craved. Applejack could picture how ecstatic that mare was gonna be when she presented this gift to her. Just the thought of the smile on her face was enough to invigorate Applejack for the rest of the trip home.

Daylight put a hoof on her shoulder. “We should probably go soon so you can get your check up and then get to bed early. If we want to leave as early as possible tomorrow morning.”

“Yeah,” Applejack agreed and stood up. “This is all I needed here—we can go.”

“Follow me to my office, you know the place,” Sure Suture smiled to her.

“I think it’s a little unnecessary but fine, I know I’ll be able to rest well tonight at least,” Applejack said.

Daylight looked over to Mayor Rooter. “Do you mind showing me where we’ll be staying while the two of them are busy?”

“Not at all,” Mayor Rooter said and nodded to Applejack. “And I’ll see you early tomorrow morning.”

The two pairs left the library and city hall while Melody Jewel stayed behind, knowing they’d all see each other and get to say a proper goodbye tomorrow morning. And things in Maple Town stayed just as nice as always.

It was barely dawn when Applejack and Daylight Gleam were both out of bed, out of the small inn, and ready to leave Maple Town. Though Daylight wasn’t in quite as much of a rush as Applejack she wasn’t going to slow her friend down either. They were now at the eastern side of the city-state where the walls ended, standing right before the road that would take them through the rest of Equinestan. And of course they had an entourage of a few ponies who had come to see them off, waiting to say goodbye. Mostly just for Applejack.

“Sorry I couldn’t stay any longer but it’s a long way back home for me,” Applejack said to the ponies of Maple Town. Mayor Rooter, Sure Suture, Melody Jewel were there, along with Mr. and Mrs. Gust and Peach Pit. All the ponies who personally knew Applejack more than just as a face.

“We understand, I hope the rest of your trip is nice,” Melody Jewel said.

“And I hope you take it easy on that leg of yours,” Sure Suture said.

“Such bad luck that something like that happened when you need to travel so far,” Mrs. Gust said—she along with her husband and Peach Pit not yet in on what really happened.

“She’s a tough pony though, I’m sure she’ll be fine,” Mr. Gust put a hoof on his wife’s back and winked at Applejack.

Applejack grinned back at him. “Sure am.”

“And the two of you oughta eat those peaches I gave you as soon as you can! You want them fresh as can be!” Peach Pit said, waving at the two of them.

Daylight patted the burlap sack she had been gifted that contained a water bottle, some other food, and the aforementioned peaches. “We will.”

Applejack cracked her neck and stretched as best she could while the cast was still on her one leg. Glancing up at the sky, clear and blue, she wanted to get a start on east quickly. “Well then I think we’re gonna be going. Just let me tell y’all first, but you’re welcome to come to Ponyville and visit me at Sweet Apple Acres anytime! I’ll repay all your hospitality in full.”

“Sounds excellent. I promise I’ll come someday,” Melody Jewel said and waved.

“Me too. Goodbye now, Applejack. And thank you for everything!” Mayor Rooter waved as well.

“Goodbye!” The others said and joined in on the waving.

“Bye!” Applejack said and gave a single salute. Together she turned with Daylight and the two of them left Maple Town behind—now truly beginning the long journey home.

Picking Up

The going may have been a little slow for Applejack’s taste but it was also something she really liked compared to her trip out to Elysium’s View in the first place.

Uneventful.

Though it would’ve had to have been some kind of dark miracle in the first place if things somehow managed to be more eventful. Applejack and Daylight Gleam were lucky, finally, to have an easy trip through the Far West back to the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel. And once they were through there the rest of the trip should be even easier. They’d be able to relax and enjoy the last leg of the return journey to Ponyville.

But they still had to travel for quite a long time before that. Elmsville, to Oak City, back through the Kingdom of Diamonds. It took weeks. Applejack’s “business” was over and done but her trip itself not even close. Just the unavoidable downside of having the Cutie Map call her out to someplace so far away.

The good thing was she got to see a lot of ponies she had made friends or at the very least acquaintanceship with again. Excluding those of Elmsville. But even Oak City, for the brief time she had spent there, was nice to walk through again and see how bustling and alive it was. She was happy to know that everywhere east of Equinestan would be doing a lot better than the first time she had traveled through it. And that was proven very quickly when the pair of ponies arrived at the Kingdom of Diamonds. They didn’t even have to get to a town or anything—there were other ponies traveling in and out of the old kingdom. That more than anything told Applejack and Daylight that things were better. Not just individual travelers, but merchants with wagons full of goods, and families going on long trips.

Things really were alright now. All over, Applejack hoped.

And then when they got to New Jasmine Leaf Town they saw that it was practically booming compared to just weeks ago. Construction was done on the main portion of town but new houses were being built on the outskirts as it became a hub for traffic through most of this part of the old kingdom. Applejack and Daylight Gleam spent the night there this time and Applejack learned that they had reestablished regular contact with a few other small towns that were picking themselves back up. Ponies were coming back into the kingdom to settle down, seeing it as a much quieter place that was nice for older families and couples.

Despite the desolation in parts of it and how the major cities were wrecked there were still more than enough places to live and get the economy started up again. Farms were being replanted, cities salvaged, and life was returning to a modicum of normal. It would likely never be the same but that didn’t mean it couldn’t be good. The population had dwindled to almost nothing compared to its height, but ponies were a persistent lot.

Applejack was happy to see Pretty Petunia and Winter Moon again, even if it was only a brief stop.

And after getting through the eastern half of the old kingdom, which was still not doing as well as the rest, Applejack and Daylight Gleam walked across a bridge and were happily done with a large portion of their trip. The moment Applejack’s hooves left the bridge she looked back—gazing across at what was once the Kingdom of Diamonds. It would very likely be the last time she looked upon it. At least for a very long time. She gave a wave, wishing the best to all the ponies living in it and beyond.

Next up the two of them got to say hi to Marzipan again together. And this time they had plenty of their own food and stuff with them that they didn’t have to be a burden on her. That made her considerably less grumpy. Although at the sight of Applejack’s broken leg she told the two of them not to expect any special treatment from her just because of it.

Either way they left Reedsville the following morning and made their way into Red Agony Swamp.

And for once, Applejack thanked the Warden. It turned out everything he said about the disease was true and although it was still a pain traveling through the swampy waters neither of them got sick. So in less than a day their waterlogged bodies were out of the swamp and walking towards the long bridge over the great chasm. They had only slipped in the mud a couple of times each.

The book was kept safe and secure.

Neither of them were looking forward to walking down the bridge but they were happy to see that the trip was going to be a lot different than the first time. Both of them had taken solo walks across the expansive bridge. With nothing but their own inner monologues for company. Now together, going the opposite direction, they saw that much like with the border of Equinestan and the Kingdom of Diamonds that plenty of other ponies were traveling up and down it. They hadn’t seen any others so far since none of them wanted to head straight into Red Agony Swamp, but the entrance to this side of the bridge was now covered in newly built buildings. It had become almost a boom town, a stop for ponies making their way to and from both sides of the west.

Applejack wondered if maybe one day there’d be a place just as big as the Citadel here on this side.

But hopefully friendlier looking.

They didn’t stop at the recent boom town though—with the halfway marker in sight they just wanted to continue on as long as possible. So Applejack and Daylight Gleam quickly started their way down the bridge with several others. Three days they spent going down it with nary a care in the world, chatting with some of the other ponies they met and just waiting for that moment the Citadel appeared.

When it finally did, it brought a strange feeling to Applejack’s chest. The Citadel was such an imposing building, it was hanging over her head like a monster for the first half of her trip out here, and it gave such a horrible feeling of foreboding when she first saw it. But now it was just an ordinary building. That nightmarish aura was gone. More than any other place on her trip, Applejack knew that this was going to give her the greatest feeling of having changed things for the better. Having changed the whole dang world for the better. Even in a way the actual mission she had been sent out here for didn’t.

Together, with an easygoing grin on Daylight’s face and a proud smile on Applejack’s, they stepped off the bridge and into the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel.

“It’s really good to see you again, you know?”

“Unsurprisingly—that might be the first time anypony has said that to me.”

Applejack and Amethyst walked together down one of the great halls of the Citadel as other ponies traveled through it, coming to or from the long bridge and getting started on the next part of their own personal adventures. Amethyst’s friend, Diamond, had been watching over the bridge entrance to the Citadel and when she saw Applejack it took her only a moment to alert Amethyst and her other friends. They were all quite happy to greet the mare that had changed their lives so much for the better. Applejack was also happy to see how they were doing and how well they were taking care of the Citadel and the ponies who wanted to use it.

“Everything looks a lot better here,” Applejack said as she looked around.

“Of course, ponies are actually smiling,” Amethyst chuckled. “How’d you break your leg that badly by the way?”

“Eugh… just got into another big problem out west. But it’s all taken care of now.”

“Just Element of Harmony things?”

“You know it...”

Behind them by a fair bit, Daylight Gleam was in a staring contest with Diamond, Emerald, Topaz, and Opal.

“Since we got here kind of early we’re not going to be stopping for the night or nothing but I wanted to say hi to you. And I have another couple of promises I need to keep,” Applejack said.

“I remember,” Amethyst nodded. “Something about that mare, Solar Streak?”

“Mhm, bringing her back with me to Ponyville,” Applejack confirmed.

“You know I’ve never been to Ponyville but I always heard it was a really nice town,” Amethyst smiled. “Maybe one day when things are more settled here I’ll take a vacation… if I can really ever show my face in Equestria again.”

“I’ll put in a good word for ya,” Applejack winked.

“Not sure I deserve it but thank you,” Amethyst said.

“Heh,” Applejack rubbed the back of her head. “Well, if you could tell me where Solar Streak is living right now I’d like to go meet her. But it wasn’t just her, I was also going to take Birdseed with me.”

“Oh—about that,” Amethyst started. “Birdseed isn’t here anymore. He left.”

“He left?” Applejack raised an eyebrow at the mare.

“He told me to tell you when you got back here that he wasn’t ready to come with you. Said he still felt too bad or ashamed of himself, something about not deserving what you wanted to give him yet. He promised he wouldn’t go back to his old ways but he still wasn’t ready to take up your offer,” Amethyst shrugged. “Sorry. I believe him at least when he says he won’t be a criminal anymore. After all, I’m the same way.”

Applejack sighed, a little disappointed but she could understand him. It was a big change, not everypony would be ready or feel right to just take up the offer she made to him. “Alright… well hopefully I’ll see him again one day under better circumstances. By the way, what about Vahar? Is she still here?”

Amethyst winced and chuckled awkwardly. “Ehehe… actually shortly after you left she accidentally set fire to one of the buildings here and decided it was probably best to leave the Citadel for a while...”

“Ughhhhh…. Vahar...” Applejack groaned and shook her head.

“I’m sure she’s doing alright but I don’t know where she is now,” Amethyst shrugged.

“I’m sure she’s fine too...” Applejack sighed. “Well, if that’s the case then, can you show me where Solar Streak’s home is?”

“Of course. Enjoy the rest of your trip home,” Amethyst said.

“I think it’ll be a lot nicer than the trip here.”

“Applejack!” Solar Streak shouted and hugged the orange mare. “You’re really back!”

“You didn’t think I’d keep my word?” Applejack happily hugged the yellow mare back. The best she could with one broken leg.

“O-Of course not! I was just worried and-”

“I’m only teasing,” Applejack playfully rubbed her head. “You been doing alright since I was gone?”

Solar Streak nodded. “It’s been a lot better around here. A lot easier.” She gestured behind her at the house she was staying in. “As you can see I’ve been living well too.” Her eyes then zeroed in on the cast Applejack was wearing. “What happened to your leg?”

“Nothing serious, just broke it while out west of here, don’t worry about it,” Applejack did her best to assuage the worries of Solar Streak.

“Well if you say so… traveling back here hasn’t been too much trouble?” Solar Streak asked.

“I’ve done alright, and now that I’m back here I wanted to say I’m really happy for you,” Applejack smiled.

Solar Streak smiled back. “So if you’re here now…”

“Done with everything. I’m heading back home to Ponyville. And if you still want to come with me I’ll gladly take you,” Applejack said.

“Yes!” Solar Streak shouted loudly. “Of course I want to come! These last few weeks—they’re the first time I’ve really been happy in years—but this still isn’t a home. It never could be my home. I-I want to see Ponyville. I want to meet your friends, and maybe find my own life. Finally.” She was nearly in tears, reaching up her hooves to wipe at her eyes. “T-Thank you so much. Thank you for not forgetting me.”

“I never would. Are you ready to leave now?” Applejack asked.

“Well it’s a big house but I hardly own anything myself. Certainly don’t have any precious keepsakes,” Solar Streak laughed bitterly. “But if we’re traveling together I guess I should get a bag so I can carry my own food.”

“That’d be good,” Applejack nodded.

“It’ll just take a second then,” Solar Streak grinned—she then looked behind Applejack and for the first time noticed the other mare standing on the sidewalk. “Um… who’s she?”

Applejack stepped to the side a bit so they could see each other better. “Oh—this is my friend, Daylight Gleam. She’s coming with us too.”

“Nice to meet you,” Daylight smiled and waved to her.

“Nice to meet you too,” Solar Streak nodded. “Well I guess we’re going to have plenty of time to get to know each other then.”

“Sure will… it’s still going to be a few weeks before we get back to Ponyville,” Applejack said.

“I’m used to taking long trips,” Solar Streak shrugged.

“Same here. Guess that’s one thing we’ve got in common if you want a conversation starter?” Daylight winked to the younger mare.

Applejack meanwhile took a deep breath and looked up at the sky. Clouds drifted by but they couldn’t fully block the bright and warm sun behind them. She smiled. In a moment she’d be saying goodbye to the Citadel, again for what was certain to be a very long time at the least. And she didn’t need to see any other ponies to know how much nicer things were here. It felt like the whole world was going back to normal.

Three mares now traveled together through the west on their way to Ponyville.

Applejack was happy to see that the shanty town that existed outside of the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel was no longer a den of poverty and despair. Most of it was cleaned up or had been completely dismantled and refurbished. It wouldn’t be as big anymore but it was turning into a spot much like the one on the other side of the bridge where ponies could stay at and get supplies from if the Citadel was too busy or full.

After that it was a long and uneventful trip back to Station Ponywares, filled with nothing more than the three mares talking to and learning all they could about each other. When they made it to the supply station, Applejack looked for the tent of the pony who had given her the roses she still wore in her hat—but it was gone without a trace. When she asked the others about it they told her they had no idea who she was talking about.

Applejack just chalked it up as another weird thing in her life.

They got to Roc’s Nest shortly after that, and spent the night there without trouble thanks to Applejack still being very well-regarded for what she had done for them. Herbal Remedy was great to see again. Alpine Climb wasn’t. But more than any of that—what was good to hear was how travel had picked up again. How things were going back to normal for them too and how the Rocs never attacked or harassed them since the time Applejack was here. The ponies of Roc’s Nest didn’t want Applejack and her friends to leave so soon (besides one) but Applejack was adamant that they had to get on their way as quickly as possible.

Once more she left the small village of Roc’s Nest with some warm and freshly baked rolls in her bag.

But Fire Vent was actually even nicer to see when they finally got there. It was like a completely new town and Applejack was welcomed even better than at Roc’s Nest. Crater, Tephra, and Maggie were ecstatic to see her—amazed that she was back after so long and grateful for what they knew she had done. The streets of Fire Vent were colorful and crowded with tourists and had been for weeks at this point. The bad blood that had been boiling over between the two groups had been healed. Fire Vent was close to returning to the vaunted tourist destination that it had been before the trouble with the Citadel began. As Applejack learned from them, most of the rest of the west was fully healing in the same way. From here, to the other towns on the river a short ways away, to the City of Opportunity and all the way to Diminuendo, things were all just getting better and returning to normal.

She had to think that Discord was right—it was just as much about the journey as it was the destination.

Fire Vent was also the last place they were stopping that had been in a bad spot when Applejack first came out here. Applejack, more than any other place, felt the urge to stay a little longer just because of that. Instead—they again merely spent the night before leaving early in the morning. Applejack making it known to Daylight Gleam and Solar Streak that they could truly relax for the rest of the trip to Ponyville now.

By now her leg was feeling a lot better too, Applejack had promised to not remove the cast until she got back to Ponyville but that didn’t stop her from trying to convince Daylight and Solar that she was totally okay.

The river barge they rode on for the next few days was a good opportunity to rest her leg some more too. All of them got to relax and enjoy the luxury of it. It was in fact the most relaxed and carefree Applejack got to be since the last time she was on the river barge. Even with them only being in normal rooms and not the big suite she had last time.

Once they were off the barge, Applejack could practically smell Equestria. They were that close. It took almost no time to get through Saddleport and make the short trip back to Hacksaw. The very first place Applejack visited in the Undiscovered West. Not so undiscovered anymore. This time though she wasn’t just walking through—the three mares arrived at Hacksaw late at night and quickly found a place to stay. Coincidentally the next morning, Applejack practically ran right into Jade Root as she was walking through town. The two exchanged hellos and had a small chat with each other, going back and forth about what they had both been up to before saying goodbye.

And then… there was no other stop but home. It would still be a few days but it already felt over.

The three of them walked through the wilderness, through the jungle, over the mountains, making their way out of the west and across the border of Equestria. Applejack didn’t know where exactly that border was—what was considered the start and stop or when it was they took their first steps into Equestria. But it didn’t really matter as they came down the eastern side of those mountains after a couple days. Now all that remained was making a quick little trip to a familiar train station…

“So when’s the train actually coming?” Solar Streak asked as the three stood on the empty and seemingly abandoned platform.

“Is there a train coming?” Daylight questioned.

“Yes, there’s a train coming,” Applejack frowned at Daylight but then switched to an awkward grimace. “Problem is I have absolutely no idea when.”

“So we could be out here all day or longer?” Daylight asked.

“Yes.”

“Well isn’t that fantastic,” Daylight rolled her eyes.

“Hey—at least we’re in Equestria already. We could just walk some more if you want?” Applejack glared at her.

“No, no, I’m fine. We might as well wait,” Daylight waved a hoof dismissively.

“I think taking the train will let us appreciate the landscape as it goes by for once,” Solar Streak said. “It’ll be nice to be rested for when we finally get to Ponyville too.”

Applejack patted her on the back. “You’re going to love it. The both of you.”

“Might as well take a seat while we wait...” Daylight said and sat down on the uneven boards of wood.

“I wonder when the last time was that there was anypony in that ticket booth,” Solar Streak said as she looked at the dusty old box.

“Guess is as good as mine,” Applejack shrugged and also sat down. “Let’s just relax—relax and dream about the delicious apples we’re all going to be eating soon.”

“I can certainly do that,” Solar Streak smiled and sat down with them.

Three mares, waiting for the train to Ponyville.

Back Where You Belong

Applejack looked out the window of the train as Ponyville came into view.

She had been asleep for a little while, nudged awake by Daylight just a few minutes ago when the unicorn mare had seen a sign showing their destination was coming up. Solar Streak was glued to the window as well—possibly the most excited of them all to see what the town was like. The familiar hills and trees opened up as the train went chugging down the tracks and the three mares could see Ponyville in all its friendly glory. Such a simple, quaint, and warm looking place, with all its small buildings and homes spread out in such a carefree manner.

Applejack decided to stay quiet for now, just letting her two friends take it in. If they had any questions she would answer but she didn’t want to interrupt their first look at her home.

Of course it didn’t take long before something dazzling caught Solar Streak’s eyes.

“What’s that?” The yellow mare asked—pointing at Ponyville’s most notable landmark.

“Hm? Oh, that’s just Twilight’s castle,” Applejack said, as if anything about that or it was normal. “Huh, guess I didn’t think about how much it stuck out compared to everything else.”

“It’s made of crystal,” Daylight Gleam tilted her head.

“Yeahhh… guess neither of you would’ve seen something like that before,” Applejack rubbed the back of her neck.

“It’s a really nice looking town though. Where’s your farm?” Daylight asked.

“You can’t see it from here, we’ll have to walk through town when the train stops. I’ll take you to the farm first so I can let my family know I’m back—then we can head back to the castle and I’ll introduce you to Twilight,” Applejack said.

“I’m going to meet a Princess?” Solar Streak sounded a little nervous.

“There’s nothing particularly special about being a princess,” Daylight shrugged.

“Exactly,” Applejack nodded. “Twilight’s just a normal pony too, and she loves making new friends. Just treat her like you would anypony else.”

“None of your friends will mind that I used to be in a cult? And that we tried to hang you?” Solar Streak asked.

“Nope,” Applejack shook her head—and then frowned as she realized she really needed to talk to Starlight about that first. But that could wait for another day.

“It’ll be fine—I did plenty of self-serving things in the past, but Applejack’s big on forgiveness, her friends have to be the same,” Daylight said.

As the train slowed down and arrived at Ponyville station, Applejack saw that there weren’t actually that many ponies out. Despite it being a normal day the town wasn’t very active right now for some reason. She saw plenty of ponies she recognized, like Davenport, Lyra and Bon Bon, Golden Harvest, Bulk Biceps at his nuts cart, but there were still a lot of familiar faces that should be out right now that were missing. She didn’t give word to her confusion, not wanting to make Daylight and Solar concerned by anything, but she wondered where everypony was? There wasn’t even a line or many ponies gathered over by Sugarcube Corner.

Applejack internally shrugged—clearly there was nothing wrong with Ponyville, she’d just have to ask Twilight what was up later.

When the train came to a full and complete stop the whistle blew to announce its arrival. Applejack didn’t wait for any conductor or anything, she grabbed her two friends and pulled them off their seats, down the steps out of the train car and right onto the platform. She took a deep breath of fresh air and spread her unbroken leg out in front of her. “Welcome to Ponyville!”

Solar Streak looked around, still a bit nervously, but also very delighted by what she saw. “Everything feels so… happy, and welcoming.”

“At a glance I’d give it a better rating than most places I’ve been,” Daylight smiled.

“Just gotta get used to the occasional monster attack but y’all don’t need to worry about that,” Applejack said.

“Sure, whatever you say,” Daylight looked over at her awkwardly while Solar Streak was still enraptured by the town and especially the castle in the distance.

“Well—let’s get on over to Sweet Apple Acres—come on!” Applejack smiled and beckoned them to come with her.

Applejack figured she’d give them both a more detailed tour later, so she just let the two of them walk behind her and check things out themselves without explaining too much. But boy was it nice to see everywhere like Carousel Boutique, Sugarcube Corner, town hall, the spa, and everything else. When they left the interior of Ponyville behind and started making the short walk to Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack felt a great big warmth welling up in her heart. As soon as the farm appeared in the distance she had to hold back from running towards it. It sure was a sight for sore eyes.

“Wow, this is a really big farm,” Solar Streak said as she looked at the farmhouse, the barn, and all the rows of apple trees.

“Sure fits your image,” Daylight nodded.

Applejack just smiled. “And now, welcome to Sweet Apple Acres! Where I was born and raised. And you’re lucky enough to get here on such a nice and lovely day too! Almost surprised not to see Big Mac, that’s my brother, out doing anything.”

“Now that you mention it—it doesn’t look like anypony is around. Is that normal?” Daylight asked.

“Uhh...” Applejack had to admit that even from here it looked like nopony was home. “Not really. But I’m sure it’s fine, let’s go.”

Together the three of them passed through the open gate, under the apple sign, and started walking right up to the front porch and door of Applejack’s home. Applejack was planning on throwing the front door open and loudly announcing she was back to her family—but something on the door made her pause. A little piece of paper had been tacked onto it. Applejack frowned and peered at it, reading the notice:

APPLEJACK—WE’RE IN THE BARN

“How…?” Daylight Gleam tilted her head in confusion.

Applejack also rubbed the side of her head but shrugged. “Well if that’s where they say they are. Sorry that this is a little, uh, weird.”

“I don’t mind. I’m having a nice time just looking around,” Solar Streak said.

Applejack led the two of them from there to the big barn doors—closed tight right now. And the barn itself seemed very quiet. If her family was in there then what were they doing that was so quiet? Applejack had no idea if Discord or Rainbow Dash or the whole world was playing a prank on her right now but she wanted an answer. With Daylight Gleam and Solar Streak right beside her she swiftly opened up the barn doors.

“SURPRISE!”

The deafening roar nearly flattened the three mares. Applejack felt her mane and tail blown back by the hurricane-force shout that came from inside her barn. Daylight Gleam and Solar Streak were hardly any better—all three mares wide-eyed and surprised so bad they nearly each had a heart attack. When Applejack’s eyes stopped spinning and her brain stopped rattling, she was able to focus on what had just happened and what in the hay was going on in the Apple Family barn.

Everypony—and she really meant practically everypony she knew—was crammed in her barn and smiling at her.

Apple Bloom, Granny Smith, Big Mac, Sugar Belle, Twilight, Starlight, Spike, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity were all front and center under a banner hanging from the ceiling reading “WELCOME BACK APPLEJACK!”. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were there too, along with a lot of other close friends and acquaintances from around Ponyville. The Flower Trio was there, so were Mr. and Mrs. Cake with the twins, Cheerilee and a number of fillies and colts Apple Bloom knew, Filthy Rich, Amethyst Star, Zecora, her students from the school, and Discord hovering around in the back with a grin on his face.

“How in the, who in the, what in the?” Applejack repeatedly blinked, stupefied.

Twilight Sparkle giggled and walked up to her, wrapping her in a tight hug for a moment before releasing her and looking her in the face. “Welcome back, Applejack.” She then noticed the cast around her leg. “How did that happen?! Are you alright?”

“I-I’m fine, Twilight. But why—how’d you get all this together?” Applejack asked her.

“Oh come on!” Rainbow Dash said, zooming on down right beside her. “After the welcome back party I got did you think we wouldn’t give you one too? Pinkie Pie was on it practically before you left!” She also glanced at Applejack’s broken leg. “Battle scar?”

“Thaaaaat’s right!” Pinkie Pie hopped on over and hugged Applejack too. “Knew you were coming—and that you were bringing some new friends!” She grinned widely at Daylight and Solar Streak, who somewhat awkwardly grinned back.

That was until Daylight, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Amethyst Star all caught sight of each other.

Four pairs of eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.

“You!” They pointed in shock.

Applejack didn’t know what that was about but she had way too much on her mind already. “Uhhh… this is a pretty big welcome back party…”

“It just kept getting bigger and bigger...” Twilight grinned sheepishly.

“Do you need a moment?” Fluttershy asked as she walked up.

“No, no, I’m okay, just really surprised,” Applejack said.

“Applejack!” Apple Bloom came running over to her and hugged her as well, the rest of her family right behind her. “I’m so happy to see you again! Um… your leg okay though?”

“Heh, guess I’m gonna be getting asked that a lot,” Applejack rolled her eyes and affectionately ruffled Apple Bloom’s mane. “But yeah, my leg’s okay, practically healed already.”

“Looking like you got into a little trouble out there. Kept your head on straight?” Granny Smith asked her.

“I did, Granny,” Applejack smiled and glanced at Big Mac. “Farm doing fine?”

“Eyup,” Big Mac nodded.

Twilight Sparkle looked between Applejack and the two other ponies that had come in with her. Seeing that the white unicorn was currently engaged in some sort of discussion with her friends, she raised an eyebrow at the shy yellow unicorn who was still standing behind Applejack. “So who’s your friend? Pinkie said there were others coming with you.”

Applejack looked back at Solar Streak with a grin and nodded at the mare, telling her it was okay to come forward. “This here is Solar Streak, she’s a friend I met a while ago actually and then met up with again just on this trip. She doesn’t have a home of her own so… well I really figured Ponyville would be the perfect place for her.”

Twilight’s eyes practically lit up hearing that. “Welcome to Ponyville! We’re happy to have you, and if you need anything just ask!”

“T-Thank you,” Solar Streak nodded and blushed. “I-I’ve never met a pony like you before… I’m sorry, this is a little overwhelming.”

“Don’t worry, I understand. I’ll do what I can to get you settled in,” Twilight placed a comforting hoof on Solar Streak.

“You know this party really got a lot bigger real quickly,” Pinkie Pie said, popping up right next to Applejack again. “I mean—I sent letters out to most of Ponyville but then these other ponies started showing up too.”

“Huh?” Applejack raised an eyebrow at her in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Wellll, it’s just that ponies started showing up earlier today before you got here, saying they knew you and wanted to see your home. They said they met you a while back and happened to find themselves in the area and remembered you said they could come by to visit any time they wanted,” Pinkie shrugged. “It just kept happening. Twilight thought it was weird but I just figured there was nothing wrong with the party getting even bigger.”

Applejack was perplexed. “Pinkie—what in the hay are you talking about? What other ponies?”

“Just look!” She pointed at the crowd of ponies gathered in the barn.

The locals started to move out of the way and a group of others that had been hanging back stepped forward to greet Applejack. And the mare of the hour was shocked. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

“It can’t be, what are you all doing here?” Applejack asked as her eyes darted from pony to pony, her jaw hanging open in surprise. Four ponies in particular smiled and walked up to her first—the stallion in front holding out his hoof in greeting.

“It’s great to see you again, Applejack,” he said, his face full of the faint scars Applejack remembered.

“Quartz! Obsidian! Marble! Bedrock!” Applejack looked between each of the Hoof of the Earth disciples. The last time she had seen them was so long ago but she wouldn’t ever be able to forget them. She eagerly took Quartz’s hoof and shook it while the others also came to give her a quick hoofshake or hug.

“It’s been too long,” Obsidian said.

“I-I can’t believe you’re all here right now,” Applejack had to hold her head, feeling woozy.

“Why not? From what I’ve heard you offered pretty much every pony you met the gift to come and see your home if they’re ever in the area. Just seems like we all happened to be in the area at once,” another pony from the big group said as he stepped forward.

“Sturdy Wheel!” Applejack grinned and gave him a hug. “How have you been?”

“Good—really good, actually. My father and sister are doing fine too,” the young earth pony stallion replied.

“And I think you’d be happy to hear that our towns are also doing excellently since you left,” another familiar stallion said, walking up to Applejack with a mare by his side.

“Wavy and Pepper!” Applejack hugged the both of them at once.

“Mr. and Mrs. Redwood now,” Pepper giggled happily. “Thanks to you.”

“And so Mountain and Valley Town are doing alright?” Applejack asked.

“Better than ever,” Wavy Redwood said with a smile.

“Ahem,” a small voice came from behind the other ponies that had gathered to meet Applejack. They now parted down the middle to reveal a brown mare with a chestnut mane and tail and a head of lettuce Cutie Mark on her flank.

Applejack’s breath caught in her throat. “Green Field...”

“Hi, Applejack. It’s nice to see you again. You have a lovely farm and an even lovelier family,” Green Field smiled at her, her eyes nearly watering.

“I’m...” Applejack sighed in relief and smiled warmly back at her. “I’m so happy to see that you’re doing alright too. How have things been for you since we parted ways?”

Green Field grinned a little nervously but shrugged. “It’s been tough at times to be honest, but I’ve kept my chin up through it all. Not a day goes by where I’m not grateful for having met you, Applejack.”

“It seems like you’ve helped way more ponies than either of us could have imagined.”

“Right? Isn’t she just amazing!”

Applejack’s head whipped over towards the two new voices. If she had been drinking cider she would’ve spat it out at the absurd coincidence right in front of her. “Star Blaze! Sugar Spirit! You’re here too?!”

“Course we are!” The exuberant pink unicorn said, hugging Applejack tight enough to squeeze the air out of her.

“We arrived last actually,” Star Blaze chuckled and pulled his wife off her.

Applejack caught her breath and looked past the crowd towards the front of the barn, where for some reason Rainbow Dash was giving Daylight Gleam a noogie while the unicorn glared at her. “D-Daylight! Get over here right now!”

Sugar Spirit and Star Blaze swiftly glanced over where she was yelling and their jaws dropped.

“Daylight’s here?!” They said in unison.

“Eeeeee! So many reunions!” Pinkie Pie shouted and blasted her party cannon in the middle of the big crowd. “Come on, everypony, let’s really get this party started!”

A chorus of cheers rang out between Applejack’s friends, family, and darn near everypony from Ponyville who had been crammed into her barn. Applejack’s head was still spinning and she kind of really wanted to just sit down but she could hardly disappoint her guests. If a welcome back party was what every pony wanted then that’s what they were going to get. She found a mug of cider quickly pushed into her hooves by Pinkie Pie and a shower of confetti coming down from the ceiling. All in all—this was a pretty good thing to come back home to.

After a lot of talking had been done. And dancing. And eating. Applejack was sitting back on one of the hay bales at the back of the barn, contentedly watching the rest of the party play out. Resting after a long day. It sure was good to be home, she couldn’t even describe how good it felt. Just getting to see Apple Bloom’s face, the smiles of her friends, her farm, nothing was better. Now as she watched—everypony letting her take things at her own pace whether consciously or subconsciously—she was just able to take all the life in.

Daylight Gleam had a happy reunion with her two friends before running out of the barn with Amethyst Star chasing after for some reason.

Solar Streak ended up talking with Twilight most of the night, she seemed a little nervous around the first Alicorn she had ever met, but she was eager to make friends at her new home.

Starlight was getting pretty heavy into the cider while Spike watched her with dismay.

The friends she had met on her previous journey out of Equestria were mingling with her friends from around town pretty well.

It was all a pretty strange sight but that was definitely just how her life was. And she loved it. If she had to be inconvenienced every now and then for moments like this to happen? Well dang, that was just plain worth it now wasn’t it?

Applejack was so caught up in just watching things go by and sipping on her cider she didn’t notice Twilight come up and sit down next to her until she spoke up.

“The party wasn’t too much, was it? I figured you might have just wanted to rest—but Pinkie Pie really wanted to put on something big and then ponies from out of town who said they knew you kept showing up and-”

“Twilight,” Applejack put down the cider so she could hold up her good hoof. “It’s fine. I’m having a great time.”

“That’s good, but you know me, I can never stop worrying,” Twilight giggled.

“Don’t I know,” Applejack chuckled. “Speaking of knowing you—I’ve got something. Was gonna bring it around tomorrow but might as well just give it to you now.” She reached into her bag and started rooting around for her gift. “Sorry in advance, I, uh, lost the bag you gave me and the journal you sent me out with. Things happened. But I hope this can make up for it.”

Applejack pulled out the book and hoofed it over to Twilight with a smile.

Her eyes lit up of course at the new book—a completely unfamiliar tome, practically her dream gift. “A new book? What is it?”

“That’s an atlas of the entire Far West. Everything past the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel and the canyon. And I mean everything. Also, I can at least help you out when it comes to stuff on this side of the canyon too. But I think that book has pretty much exactly what you wanted to know about the lands west of Equestria,” Applejack told her.

Applejack could’ve swore she saw hearts in Twilight’s eyes as she looked at the book before she hugged it tightly to her chest. “Thank you so much! This is amazing!”

“Figured you’d like it,” Applejack chuckled again and rolled her eyes.

“Oh I can’t wait to read it as soon as possible!”

“Want to leave the party early?”

“Y—No! Of course not!” Twilight blushed in embarrassment. “I-I can wait. But besides just this book I also want a fully detailed explanation of what you did and what you saw on your trip. From the mission the Cutie Map sent you on to anything else you got up. So please come by tomorrow morning so we can get started as soon as possible!”

“Eugh… alright,” Applejack dragged her hoof down her face and sighed.

“Why the long face, darling?”

Applejack looked up to see Rarity and the rest of her friends walking towards her and Twilight. She put on a happy smile for them. “Nothing, I’m just happy to be back. It was… I did a lot of stuff out there, and I’m just happy to see you all again.”

“Right up until the map sends you or one of us off again,” Rainbow Dash grinned.

“Heh, yeah. But let’s hope that doesn’t happen for a long time,” Applejack leaned back and closed her eyes. “Right now I just want to be with the five of you.”

She felt the others join her around the hay bales and a very tired, and very content, Applejack drifted off to sleep.

Author's Note

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed the story.

I have no idea when the Starlight Glimmer sequel is coming out.

Cops and Robbers I

Applejack walked into Fire Vent proper just a few minutes before sundown. The twilight orange glow just barely peeking over the mountains to the west was still enough to illuminate the streets. And even if it wasn’t there were still lampposts with burning torches in them already lit to provide light for the streets.

A huge archway held up by stone pillars led her into the town, Applejack found herself glancing up and looking at it as she walked right underneath. It was almost like a gateway without a gate. Maybe they didn’t want to put up an actual gate or wall since that would’ve deterred visitors. This was a vacation spot after all.

The streets of Fire Vent were a far cry from the dirt road leading to it from Lumberstock. They were a smooth, almost glassy looking, black rock that was all fused together. The buildings as well were built mostly in stone, probably granite if she was guessing. Or basalt might have been more likely. Only their roofs were made of something else, heavy, over-sized, and sloping panels of shingles or ceramic tiles, they hung over the tops of the buildings. Some painted emerald green or ruby red or sapphire blue. It gave the town a colorful look and made the buildings pretty easy to differentiate.

It wasn’t the largest town she had been to but it was certainly bigger than Ponyville or Hacksaw. Like she assumed, most of it seemed to be built at the foot of the mountains and the volcano, she could see streets and paths going north in their direction but couldn’t actually see any buildings built on the mountains. The buildings were mostly clustered together and there was definitely some planning to the town’s layout, everything was angular and linear, no random buildings suddenly blocking your path or anything appearing out of order.

So Applejack kept to the “main” street for now. On the lookout for… anything really. She was glad about those lights too cause this place in the dark would actually look a little spooky.

Partially because she didn’t see many ponies right now. Might have to do with the time of day but since this used to at least be a vacation spot that relied on tourism it was weird to not be greeted by more. There were some looking out windows at her, some sweeping the street, and looking quite forlorn as they did so. The state of the town just didn’t look very good. This was a place that should’ve been more active. More alive. And yet it simply wasn’t.

“This place really lost all its spirit already?” Applejack wondered as she looked around.

Some noise got her attention and she looked down a smaller street to see some kids out playing around in front of a row of houses. At least Fire Vent was still a place where children could act carefree. Though she could also see an adult watching over them from the steps leading up to one of those houses, and Applejack could see the subdued and defeated look on their face.

She shook her head and went looking for a place of business or where other ponies were still congregating like in Hacksaw. Somewhere she’d be able to get some information. Or if she did find an inn first she’d walk on into it.

Another thing she noticed as she kept walking down the street of Fire Vent was the attire most of the adult ponies were wearing. She was going to blame Rarity for her mind even thinking about that at all. But she did notice that they were wearing robes in various shades of white, grey, and black, with sashes tied around their midsection to keep it all together. Looked comfortable, Applejack had to admit. Probably cool and breezy in a place that was normally pretty hot. Of course they could just wear nothing but maybe it was a cultural thing or the strength of the sun here made that a little worse.

Applejack passed by one building that had “Fire Vent’s First Tea Shop” written over its entryway but the building looked dusty, cracked, and there was no light in any of the windows. There was just a single stallion sitting on a chair in front of it, drinking something from a wooden mug. His eyes caught hers and Applejack politely dipped her head to him.

“Howdy,” she said.

He didn’t so much as murmur, just turned his head and looked away.

That caused her to furrow her brow in annoyance. She might have really laid into him if she didn’t have other stuff to do. He clearly wouldn’t be happy to talk with her or share any information either.

Applejack kept walking and walking while the sun now went down completely and the orange glow disappeared. The only thing illuminating Fire Vent now were the various lampposts and candlelight pouring from the windows of some of the buildings. It wasn’t too late in the day, relatively speaking, so ponies wouldn’t be sleeping yet and she hoped she could find some gathered somewhere.

That turned out to be the case when she walked past a single-story building with a large open courtyard in front of it with many stone tables and chairs placed in it. A couple of decorative stone statues and pretty maple trees gave it a nice look, and about half a dozen ponies were quietly sitting at a couple different tables while a mare who was clearly a waitress took and delivered drinks to them.

The atmosphere was still lousy, but Applejack thought she had found the right spot. This place had to be some kind of restaurant or cafe. Though it looked like it had fallen on just as hard times as the rest of Fire Vent.

Applejack took a deep breath and walked into the open courtyard. Again the ponies quickly noticed her arrival and so she put on her best smile and tried to greet them all as politely as she could.

“Howdy there, how you all doing?” Applejack asked them.

“Oh, a tourist,” one stallion said—sounding surprised but apathetic at the same time.

“Don’t be silly—she’s gotta just be traveling through,” a mare said.

“Probably not stopping for more than just the night huh?” Another mare wondered aloud.

“Doesn’t look like she came to spend much,” a second stallion said as he regarded Applejack.

Applejack increasingly frowned the more they talked as if she couldn’t even hear them. “You know for a town that I hear used to be a popular vacation spot you all aint really the most hospitable of ponies. Hard times or not, you’re just being mighty rude right now.”

“Complain about it to our mayor then,” the first mare dismissively waved her hoof at Applejack. “Oh wait—he skipped town months ago.”

“Well I’m mighty sorry to hear about that and the trouble you’ve been going through but look-” Applejack sighed and calmed herself down, pinching between her nose. “Look, all I want right now is a place to stay the night and a little bit of information. I’m traveling real far west and was wondering if any of you could help me figure out how to get to the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel from here.”

Immediately the atmosphere changed and all the patrons and the waitress seized up and sharply looked at her.

They didn’t say anything, just glared angrily.

Applejack gulped. “I uh… I take that mentioning that place around here aint exactly a good idea.”

“It’s a sore subject,” one of the mares venomously said and the other ponies nodded.

“Well I don’t want any trouble, just directions,” Applejack reiterated.

“Go bother somepony else,” a stallion said to her. “We’re not in the mood to humor you.”

Applejack rubbed her head, the welcoming she’d received from Fire Vent had been such a stark contrast to the rest of her trip so far it was giving her a headache. She tried to keep calm, she tried to put herself in their horseshoes, there was no reason to make a scene here. Not the first time she’d been in a situation like this. She took a calming breath and spoke up once more. “Can I just-”

“That’s not the proper way to treat visitors to our town now, is it?”

Applejack turned around and the other ponies at the open courtyard looked as well to see three ponies walking towards them from the street. They looked like ordinary ponies from Fire Vent, wearing the same types of clothes as any of the others, but the way they carried themselves was different. Applejack was immediately put on guard, feeling a bit suspicious.

The pony in the center of the trio seemed to notice her apprehension and put up a hoof to calm her.

“We mean you no harm—quite the opposite,” he said to her. “I am the sheriff of Fire Vent, just recently we heard how somepony from the outside had recently entered our town. I decided to greet you and make your acquaintance.”

Cough “Self-appointed sheriff.” Cough

Applejack heard that from one of the ponies behind her and saw the sheriff frown and roll his eyes at the same time.

“Yes, well, nopony else was doing anything around here,” the “sheriff” said.

Applejack took a closer gander at him. He was an older pony, pushing fifty maybe, with a sharp white beard and amber eyes on a dull blue coat. There at least seemed to be quite a bit more spirit and life in his eyes and the way he spoke than the other ponies she had met in Fire Vent so far. She gave him a nod. “Pleased to meet you, name’s Applejack. Who’d you hear about me from though? I just got here not long ago.”

“Pleased to meet you too, Applejack. I am Crater. And word just happens to travel fast around here,” Sheriff Crater smiled at her.

Cough “Spying on you since you passed the archway.” Cough

“Would you eavesdroppers cram it? If you’re not going to be a good example for Fire Vent the least you could do is shut up,” Sheriff Crater growled at the restaurant patrons.

“Uh huh...” Applejack said, her apprehension only rising.

Sheriff Crater changed gears and flashed her a disarming smile. “Sorry about all that. Some ponies aren’t very appreciative around here and tensions are high in town. I heard you asking about directions to Al-Karamaretel, certainly you’ve heard why things are… imperfect here and what that place has to do with it.”

“I have, yeah. And I’m sorry about all that but I didn’t really come here to visit or anything, I’m just passing by,” Applejack said. “Would you be able to tell me how I can get to Al-Karamaretel from here? What roads I need to take and all?”

“Of course, but I insist that you enjoy our town and all it has to offer for at least a day. We need to show travelers that Fire Vent is still a great place to visit,” Sheriff Crater said.

“Uhh… that’s a nice offer and all but I-”

“I insist. And if you’re going to Al-Karamaretel you’re going to want to be well-rested and relaxed. It’s still quite a ways away from here. Before a long trip doesn’t a dip in the hot springs and getting the perfect spa treatment sound nice?” Sheriff Crater wiggled his eyebrows.

Applejack opened her mouth but then closed it back up, sighing as she dragged a hoof down her. “Yeah alright… I was going to stay the night anyways, what’s one extra day? Can you just draw me up a map or something tomorrow showing where I need to go? Then I’ll be fine.”

“Of course!” Sheriff Crater looked at the pony to his left. “Deputy? If you’d guide our new friend to the Lava Lily Hotel?” He then grinned at Applejack. “It’s the most lavish resort of Fire Vent. Please enjoy your stay there, and feel free to spend all your money tomorrow.” His smile trembled slightly. “Er, I mean, feel free to spend as much as you want tomorrow while enjoying the town.”

Applejack flatly stared at him and fought the urge to roll her eyes. “Okay then.” She looked at his deputy. “We can get going?”

“Yes, it’s just a short walk from here,” the deputy said and started walking down the street from where he had come from.

Applejack shrugged and followed him, throwing a glance at the Sheriff as she walked by. “Thanks for everything.”

“Don’t mention it,” he beamed. “And there’s nothing to worry about here.”

“Huh?” Applejack stopped and raised an eyebrow at him. “What do you mean? I didn’t say I was worried about anything.”

He blinked, gathering his thoughts, and looked away. “Oh. Yeah. Just forget I said that, it’s nothing.”

“Right...” Applejack frowned once more but let it go. Right now she just wanted to get to that hotel, the other stuff could be taken care of tomorrow.

“You know this is a real nice place you’ve got here,” Applejack said as the deputy guided her down the street. “I’m sorry things aint going so well for you, bet this town is a real fun place to be when it’s busy.”

“Yes, it is. Unfortunately we have some issues,” the deputy said.

“I understand. What’s your name anyways, pardner?”

“Sharp Rock,” he answered.

“Well it’s nice to make your acquaintance too.”

“Mhm,” he grunted.

Applejack frowned. Maybe not so nice.

They turned to walk down another street that had even better lighting than the others and on the north side of it was a very large building that took up almost the entire block. It had many maple trees planted in front of it in a row and there were exceptionally detailed stone statues on its walls and roofs, carved as lions and carp fish mostly. Sharp Rock took her to the middle of it and Applejack saw she had to walk up some steps to reach a big set of double doors painted red that really stuck out against the dark stone.

“Here you are. Even with things being like this there should be a pony at the front desk who you can talk to for a room. Have a nice stay,” he said before turning heel and leaving.

“Thanks for bringing me here,” Applejack waved after him but he didn’t bother turning and waving back. She rolled her eyes and started walking up to the door. “Alright then.”

Pulling open the door and walking inside she was greeted by a wide lobby with lacquered and well-polished wooden floors and several smooth stone pillars holding the ceiling up. Each pillar had a number of torches set up on it that gave the room an ample amount of light. To Applejack’s right she saw another doorway with “Rooms” written over it and to her left was a door with “Spa” over it. The walls were painted with elaborate landscapes of flowery orchards and pretty trees under bright blue skies. Directly in front of her, behind the front desk, was a painting of a mountain—or perhaps volcano—that was ringed with puffy clouds at the top.

And speaking of the front desk, an earth pony stallion was sitting behind it, face propped up in his hooves and drool leaking from his mouth. He was fast asleep and Applejack had to clear her throat before his eyes slowly fluttered open.

“Huh?” He drowsily said and looked up at her. His eyes then snapped open quickly. “O-OH! A customer! Really?!”

“Really,” Applejack nodded. “Guess it aint common anymore.”

“Uh, n-no, it’s super common! We get travelers and guests all the time, I was just surprised because it’s a little late… haha… ha...” the receptionist said. Not so convincingly.

Applejack had to fight the urge to roll her eyes or call him out. She was frankly too plum tired after everything else today to bother. “Look, I just want a room. I guess for… two nights now.” She reached into her saddlebag and took out the bag of bits, ruffling through it and pulling out two of the gold coins and putting them on his desk. “That cover it?”

He gawked at the gold coins and picked them up, clinking them together. “Are these real?”

“Course they are, I aint going to scam nopony,” Applejack frowned.

“Well then yes, these are more than enough to cover your room for two nights. Gemstones and crystals are common on this side of the canyon but gold is a rarity… where’d you get these?” He asked.

“I’m uh… from a little far away,” Applejack rubbed the back of her neck.

He shrugged. “Alright, well let me get you your room key.” He reached into a drawer under his desk and took out a big brass key with a tag attached to it by ring.

Applejack took it and noticed the big “1” printed on the tag. “Lots of travelers and guests, huh?”

“Uhh...”

“Look, it’s no big deal to me, just tell me if my room’s right through those doors or not?” Applejack asked and pointed to the right.

“Yep,” he nodded. “You can’t miss it. Tomorrow morning the spa will be open for you, as will the dining room. And I highly suggest visiting our hot springs further up close to the volcano. If you’re staying here for a whole day—well then you’ve gotta experience what Fire Vent is all about.”

“Experience it while spending my money you mean?” Applejack stared.

“Uhh...”

Applejack snorted. “Don’t sweat it, I already got the picture from the Sheriff.” She started walking over to the door leading to the rooms. “Thanks for the room.”

“You’re welcome, enjoy your stay here, and don’t worry about a thing.”

Applejack again stopped and backed up to the front desk, frowning at the receptionist. “Don’t worry about what? Why’d you say that?”

“Say what?” He shifted his eyes away.

“You said don’t worry about anything. What’s there to worry about?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Yes you did.”

“No I didn’t.”

“Yes. You did.”

“I didn’t.”

“You did.”

“Didn’t.”

“Did!”

“Didn’t. And even if I did, there would still be nothing to worry about so what does it matter?”

Applejack furrowed her brow in annoyance and huffed, walking away from the desk. “Alright… you win this round. But I want a nice and normal stay here, you got that? I’m planning on going to bed, eating breakfast, and maybe visiting a hot spring before I leave. That’s all I want from Fire Vent.”

“And I’m sure that’s all you’ll get since there’s nothing to worry about!” He smiled and waved at her as she opened up the door.

Applejack almost replied but instead just bit her lip and ignored him. She hoped the beds here were nice.

Around midnight, when Applejack and most residents of Fire Vent were fast asleep, several dozen ponies from higher up in the mountains started to descend towards the resting town. They were quiet, using the cover of dark to move. For a moment they stopped in the trees outside the town and looked at the nearest streets and buildings. There were a few ponies walking around outside, and the lampposts were still brightly lit.

One of the newcomers stepped out from the trees with a glare on his face and looked back at the others, with a jerk of his head he beckoned them forward and dozens of ponies quickly ran into Fire Vent.

Caravan Trails III

Surprisingly, Vahar was seemingly in just as high spirits as ever the following morning. Perhaps she was ignoring everything that had gone wrong but the mare was all smiles and small talk as she and Applejack went to get breakfast together once more. Now they were back in their wagon, sitting at the back of it and looking out at the road and the landscape as they passed by it. And the merpony magician would simply. Not. Stop. Talking.

“Do you think these grits are a little runnier than yesterday’s batch?” Vahar asked.

“Uh, I can’t rightly tell a difference-”

“And don’t you think the desert just looks beautiful this time of morning with the way the sun hits it just right?”

“Well it is kind of-”

“It’s a good thing we don’t have to travel through those mountains over to the south isn’t it? Getting over them would take forever.”

“Yeah that’s-”

“By the way what kind of food do you think they’re going to have to eat at-”

Applejack clamped a hoof over Vahar’s mouth and glared at her, wrinkles under her eyes. “Vahar—I know this is going to sound mighty rude, and I’m sorry, but please. Stop talking.”

She removed her hoof from Vahar’s mouth as the stunned merpony stared back at her.

“You’re a very nice mare but… uh...” Applejack stopped as she saw tears quickly filling up Vahar’s eyes. “Oh boy...”

“WAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!” Vahar cried loudly as tears cascaded down her face, she brought her hooves up to her eyes and tried to wring the overflowing tears out to no avail. “APPLEJACK HATES ME TOO!”

“Whoa, hold on! I don’t hate you and—what? You mean you know how the others here are talking about you and all?” Applejack tried shaking her gently to get her to calm down.

“Of course I do, I’m not deaf!” Vahar cried and snorted, bellowing and blubbering in the most unseemly and undignified way possible.

Applejack grimaced and looked back towards the front of the wagon, it was closed and it seemed like nopony else had heard Vahar’s crying yet at least. “Could you just calm down for one second? I don’t hate you. I promise. I’m still staying here in the wagon with you, aren’t I?

“But you think I’m annoying and you want me to shut up and it’s only a matter of time before you ditch me too!” Vahar sniffled, wiping away snot from her nose.

Applejack rolled her eyes. “I promise I won’t leave you all alone here. We’re… we’re friends, Vahar. Friends get annoyed with each other too.”

“A-Are we really friends?” Vahar managed to stop her crying long enough to look into Applejack’s eyes clearly.

“I’ve had way worse beginnings to friendships and made friends with mares who were a lot worse than just a little annoying at first,” Applejack shrugged.

“So you do think I’m annoying?” Vahar sniffled some more.

“Uhhh…”

Vahar threw herself down to the floor of the wagon and started crying some more. “Waaaaahhhhhh!”

Applejack sighed and picked up the merpony. “Vahar, if you know other ponies think you’re annoying then why do you keep acting like this?”

“B-Because-” Vahar sniffled and rubbed her eyes for a second. “Because a while ago I met the most wonderful and extraordinary pony ever. She was so cool, and confident, and different! And she saved my life and my entire village! I wanted to be like her—I just wanted to emulate her and be cool like she was! I just wanted ponies to like me! I had never left my village before, after meeting her I thought Equestrians and other ponies must’ve thought she was the coolest and most amazing pony ever, so if I acted like her...”

“Why don’t you just be yourself instead?” Applejack asked.

“Because myself is boring! I spent my whole life before this in a small village cut off from the rest of the world doing nothing and seeing nothing! I want to be the Majestic and Wondrous Vahar!” Vahar glared at her. She sighed in defeat and turned around, staring into the corner. “But I haven’t even been performing for a year yet… I love magic tricks and putting on these shows but I’m still so bad at them… money has been tough to come by too, I don’t have my own wagon to carry my stuff in or anything. I’ve been traveling around like a vagabond for months now with one failed show after another.”

“Nopony didn’t put any effort or practice into what they do. It takes hard work, especially if you’re starting late, to become great at something like this,” Applejack said. She rubbed the back of her neck and looked around the wagon, seeing a few of Vahar’s things lying around. “You’re still new at it, like you said, just keep working hard and don’t get discouraged. You’ve obviously got a real passion for performing magic tricks if you’re willing to keep doing it after everything you’ve been through.”

Vahar glanced over her shoulder at her. “Do you think I can be a successful magician?”

“Uhhh… I think you’ve got the drive to be a successful magician,” Applejack grinned awkwardly.

She was immediately tackled by Vahar and hugged with enough force to nearly break her ribs. “Thank you for believing in me! The Wondrous and Majestic Vahar will surely shine like the greatest and brightest of stars one day!”

“Y-Yeah...” Applejack wheezed and peeled the merpony off her. “Good luck with that.”

Vahar smiled at her. “The Wondrous and Majestic Vahar will not let anypony else or any new failures get her down. She will continue to be confident and emulate the amazing pony who set her on this life in the first place! I shall wow and mystify pony after pony with my great tricks and illusions! One day, despite not having magical power of my own, I will be known as the greatest stage magician the world has ever seen!”

“You just went through like three different ways of referring to yourself in one breath...” Applejack exasperatedly rubbed her temple.

“The Wondrous and Majestic Vahar is still working on that!”

“Then do you mind if I give you some other advice that you could maybe work on?” Applejack asked.

Vahar tilted her head. “Like what?”

“Ditch the juggling.”

Eight hours of slow wagon-pulling later brought the long train to the next place they were stopping on their trip to the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel. For the night they would spend it at a hole in the wall even smaller than Station Ponywares was. It was centered around a single well that still drew up water and the only buildings were made from adobe clay. Square and small, there was no real business here, just a few houses and a few places for storage for ponies traveling down the road to other more important spots. The moment the caravan came to a stop, ponies got out to stretch their legs and the stallions pulling the various wagons unhitched themselves to rest. Applejack knew by now that soon dinner would be served and Aquamarine would likely make an announcement about ponies not getting too busy with anything else before coming back to the wagons for lights out.

Vahar had other ideas.

“Come, Applejack! Come help the Wondrous and Majestic Vahar convince Aquamarine to let her put on another show again!” The merpony said as she dragged Applejack to the front of the caravan.

“Vahar, can’t we just get some rest instead? It’s been a long day and after the last performance I think most ponies are just going to want to rest...”

“Then we’ll put on a show for the ponies that live here!”

“We—wait. We’ll put on a show?” A pit was forming in Applejack’s stomach.

“Yes! I know many magicians have assistants, perhaps that’s what I’ve been missing this whole time!” Vahar grinned.

“Oh no...”

Despite Applejack dragging her hooves and not hiding her apprehension and reluctance, the far more excited Vahar was able to easily pull her along. They passed by the other wagons and their passengers, quite a few looking on in a mix of confusion and amusement as the well-known magician dragged her new friend along. It just embarrassed Applejack even more. But she just didn’t have it in her to outright refuse the silly magician, she was too pure-hearted and friendly, Applejack didn’t want to make her cry again.

They rushed up to the front wagon pretty quickly, just in time to see Aquamarine hopping off from it and kicking up a little dust on the side of the road.

“Aquamarine! Trail Boss!” Vahar called out.

The white mare looked over, her red locks and yellow eyes just visible under the brim of her hat. She had a smile on her face—it wavered slightly when she noticed Vahar but managed to mostly go back to normal once she saw Applejack was there too. The boss tilted her hat back to give herself a better view of the two other mares and slowly trotted over to them while they came to a stop before her.

“Vahar, Applejack, what can I do for you?” Aquamarine asked.

“I would like to put on another show tonight!” Vahar said and smiled widely.

“Um. No,” Aquamarine shook her head.

Vahar’s face fell completely. “But why not?”

“Because I know how your performance went last night. It did the exact opposite of relax and entertain everypony in the caravan. I really want everypony to just have a quick moment to themselves and then get to bed so we can get moving bright and early tomorrow. We’re almost at the Citadel and frankly a lot of other passengers are getting stressed out the closer we get,” Aquamarine explained.

“Then a great magic show is just what they need!” Vahar pleaded.

“Can you put on both a great and successful show?” Aquamarine raised an eyebrow.

“Umm...” Vahar gulped and looked away.

“Exactly. I’m sorry, Vahar, I know you’re trying your best and you just want to entertain others, but we both know how things have gone on this trip. I’ve seen too many of your shows. At this point, why don’t you just practice in your wagon until you can pull off your tricks without a hitch?”

Applejack sighed. “I’m sorry, Vahar, you’re probably disappointed but there’s-”

“What about for the locals?” Vahar pushed her face right up into Aquamarine’s face. “What about putting on a show for them? I wouldn’t be bothering any ponies from the caravan that way. Please, please, please, please, please let me just put on a small show for them, I promise it will be better and I’ll make sure it’s quiet and out of the way! We can do it on the other side of the buildings away from the road!”

Aquamarine rolled her eyes and looked over to Applejack.

Applejack shrugged back at her.

“Hahhh...” Aquamarine shook her head. “Fine. I won’t forbid you from performing for the locals—it’s the last opportunity you’ll get before getting to the Citadel anyways. Just keep it simple and try not to get them annoyed with us.”

“I promise!” Vahar loudly shouted.

Aquamarine frowned and glanced to Applejack. “Will you make sure about that?”

“I guess I’m her minder now?” Applejack snorted. “Well fine… I’ve already been roped into helping her out anyways, I’ll make sure things don’t get too wild.”

“Thank you both! The Wondrous and Majestic Vahar is colossally grateful to you!” Vahar yelled to the heavens.

Aquamarine winced. “And if you’re so grateful would you please stop shouting so loudly?”

Vahar coughed. “Yes, of course.” She grinned at Applejack. “Now come, my great assistant, we must meet the locals and tell them of the show I will be putting on.”

“Do not call me your assistant,” Applejack glared at her.

Vahar pouted at her. “Pleeeease? I need to refer to you by that during the show...”

“Just refer to me as Applejack!”

“But that’s not as professional!”

“You’re not a professional!”

“Please, the both of you, leave,” Aquamarine growled through gritted teeth.

“Right away ma'am,” Applejack tipped her hat and grabbed Vahar, taking her back to their wagon.

“This is going to be amazing! It will be my best performance yet, I’m sure of it!” Vahar said while Applejack dragged her along.

“I wish I had your confidence...” Applejack shook her head. Unfortunately, Vahar’s optimism was not exactly contagious. Even though some of that may have been pretty nice to have for the rest of Applejack’s journey—and not just the silly magic show they were going to put on.

“Wondrous and majestic? Aint those words pretty much mean the same thing?” Poncho—head of the small stop—asked after hearing Vahar introduce herself and announce her plans for the magic show.

“The Wondrous and Majestic Vahar assures you they are not merely repetitive! They are the most accurate descriptors of the greatest magician you will ever see!” Vahar proudly stated. Her wizard robe fluttered in the wind while the cone of her cap sat lopsided.

“Whatever you say,” Poncho shrugged. “I mean if you want to put on a little magic show then be my guest, don’t expect anypony here to pay you though.”

“I don’t!” Vahar beamed.

Poncho looked at her weirdly but just brushed it off. “There are only seven other ponies living here right now, I’ll spread the word and you can go get set up. Can’t say everypony will care to come watch but maybe some will be interested. We don’t exactly get many traveling magicians out here… how do you perform magic without a horn anyways? You’re not a unicorn.”

“Not that kind of magic,” Vahar shook her head. “And thank you for your support! I will get ready while you tell your friends about what is happening.”

“Won’t take long,” Poncho said and started walking away.

Vahar turned to Applejack, right beside her, with a very confident smirk. “See? This is surely going to be a happy occasion! These ponies will be utterly amazed by the tricks I show them, it will be like mesmerizing foals who have never even heard of magic before.” She looked the apple farmer up and down. “Also you should really be wearing a cape or something too.”

“Absolutely not,” Applejack shook her head.

“But my assistant needs to be majestic and wondrous too!”

Applejack frowned.

“My… my friend needs to be majestic and wondrous too...” Vahar corrected.

“The hat is good enough for that,” Applejack pointed. “Afraid you’re not getting much else from me.”

Vahar pouted. “Oh fine… just be up there with me and be ready to hoof me anything I need. And be sure to smile as bright and wide as I do. The audience needs to see how happy and excited we are!”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “I’ll try.”

Out of the blue, Vahar stepped forward and hugged her. “I really really do want to thank you, Applejack. I’ve been… lonelier than I want to admit ever since I left my village. It’s been exciting, seeing the world, performing, but I never got used to not having anypony around to call my friend. Or got used to ponies being downright annoyed by and angry at me. Every now and then there’d be somepony who put up with me for a little but they’d all get fed up and leave me soon enough. You’re the only one who’s actually tried helping me and listening to me.”

“Don’t mention it, Vahar,” Applejack smiled and returned the hug. “I like helping a pony out—you’re nice, even though you can grate on my nerves a bit. But don’t expect me to be a very good assistant.”

Vahar giggled. “It’s alright, I’m certain my wondrous talents will be more than enough for these ponies.”

“I… I’m sure they’ll be very entertained,” Applejack said, honestly.

Fortress

“You ever been some place that just makes you think “I don’t like the look of that place?” Cause that’s kind of what I’m thinking right now,” Applejack said as the caravan slowly made its way down the hill and towards the shanty town outside the Citadel. The huge dark walls of the citadel loomed in the distance and the gigantic tower that rose high above them constantly stayed in view. Even when they finally got level with the walls and wouldn’t be able to see into the rest of the Citadel anymore, that tower was so high it would always be peering over them.

“I thought the same thing when I first saw it years ago. And it’s only gotten worse since it started to halt the travel through it,” Aquamarine replied.

“If it was painted brighter colors I think it would be a very nice place. Imagine if there was a big rainbow spiral going up the high tower!” Vahar smiled and pointed at it.

Applejack rolled her eyes. “I think all the spikes and sharp angles would still hurt this place’s appearance a little bit...”

“You’re just not thinking positive enough!” Vahar pouted.

“And you’re thinking too positive.”

Their lead wagon reached the bottom of the hill and the rest of the caravan eventually made it down so the dozens of wagons were now going straight to the shanty town. Aquamarine said that they’d stop outside it with all of them together so they could create a big wagon circle and start taking all the supplies out. Applejack wasn’t planning to skip out on or speed through her work, but she was antsy already to just get to those gates and get inside the Citadel. Getting here was only half of what she needed to do, once she was inside she had a whole new slew of problems she’d have to solve. And there was no telling where to begin.

The sooner she got inside the Citadel the better. That was all she knew for sure.

Currently a crowd was forming at the outskirts of the shanty town. Watching them, waiting for them. Likely they had been anticipating the caravan’s arrival for a long time and were eager to finally be resupplied. It was obvious just looking around how much they relied on caravans like this one. There was nothing else here they could survive on.

It took a little while longer but the caravan went off the main road as it approached the shanty town and went into the field around it, slowly looping together under Aquamarine’s instructions and creating a tight circle. It almost looked like a defensive position, maybe Aquamarine was that worried about ponies potentially coming in and stealing things. As soon as their first wagon was front to back with the last wagon, Aquamarine whistled loudly and called for the whole caravan to come to a stop. She smiled and the stallions pulling the wagons began to unhitch themselves. One part of the job was done and now the next was about to start.

Aquamarine stretched her back and cracked her neck, looking over at her two passengers. “Well Applejack, about time for you to get to work and earn your ride. And Vahar… all you need to do is gather up your things and then you can go do whatever you want. So this is goodbye I suppose.”

“It is not goodbye! It is merely farewell for now! The Wondrous and Majestic Vahar will certainly see you both again!” Vahar announced and jumped up. She quickly hugged Aquamarine and then gave a much longer and tighter hug to Applejack. “She appreciates everything the both of you have done for her and will be excited to put on a future show for you. But now, yes, her magic show supplies and other belongings must be gathered up! The townsponies here will soon be wowed by The Wondrous and Majestic Vahar!”

And the merpony magician jumped off the wagon and jumped up into the “last” wagon now parked in front of them.

Applejack smirked before glancing over at Aquamarine. “I guess I should go and start unloading boxes? Meet up with my team for what I’m delivering later?”

“If you’d be so kind. And when you’ve finished all your deliveries why not come back here for a quick drink? It might be pretty late in the day,” Aquamarine suggested.

Applejack had to refuse though. “Sorry—but with everything I still need to do and figure out I want to get into the actual citadel as quickly as possible. That means tonight at the latest.”

“Suit yourself,” Aquamarine shrugged. “If you do need to come back for anything though we’re going to be staying and resting up here for at least a day or two.”

“I appreciate it,” Applejack smiled. “You’ve helped me out a lot, Aquamarine.”

Aquamarine scoffed. “Hardly, you offered to work for me and I gave you a job. Don’t go talking about me like I’m some real charitable mare.”

“Well still, thanks. Now time to get to work,” Applejack cracked her neck and jumped off the wagon.

“Sounds like I might not be seeing you again after all this either—so take care,” Aquamarine said to her.

Applejack tipped her hat to the older mare. “You too.”

Three stallions who went by the names Buddy, Brick, and Budge were already at the wagon by the time Applejack arrived and got around to helping them unload everything. According to them they had absolutely no relation to one another but Applejack thought they might’ve been pulling her leg. Since nopony was delivering anything before every wagon was unloaded, Applejack and the three of them took down quite a few extra boxes, bags, and crates and made sure to neatly divide them up in the interior of the wagon circle while other ponies did much the same. By the time that was finished there was enough food and supplies around to adequately feed and take care of a small town.

Applejack looked up at the sky as soon as the last box came down—it was already close to late afternoon going by the sun’s position.

She was suddenly nudged in the side and looked up to see Brick—with his red mane—standing right beside her.

“We’re getting ready for the first delivery,” he said.

“Oh,” Applejack blinked. “Well uh, just tell me where we’re going and I’ll follow along.”

He pointed to a couple of crates that Buddy and Budge were standing by. “You and me are taking those two crates to Artsy Hooves while Buddy and Budge make the delivery to Ivory Grace. The both of them have smaller orders so we can split em up like that. But for what Cloudsprint, Father Wool, and Voltbeat have ordered the four of us are going to have to come back here and carry it all together.”

“Sounds good to me. Aquamarine told me the three of you have been here before so whatever you think’s best I’ll go along with,” Applejack nodded.

Brick smirked. “Alright then. And we already know you don’t have a problem carrying heavy crates around.

Applejack smirked right back. “That kind of thing is easy.”

“Well come here and take one of the crates of food, and then you can get your first taste of the… town for lack of a better word,” Brick frowned slightly. “I’m sure Aquamarine has already told you and all, but watch your back and don’t trust nopony unless I tell you they’re okay.”

Applejack sighed. “I’m a mighty trusting mare already but I understand. This place aint like home.”

“Mhm,” Brick nodded.

The two of them grabbed the crates they would be taking to Artsy Hooves and placed them on their backs as Buddy and Budge did the same with the ones for Ivory Grace. The four of them left the wagon circle behind and started walking into the shanty town while quite a few of the “locals” checked them out.

“Just ignore em,” Brick said to Applejack.

“Yeah,” Applejack nodded.

She couldn’t entirely though. As they walked along the muddy dirt path into the shanty town, she could see out the corner of her eyes a lot of ponies keeping their eyes on her. Some whispering back and forth as they looked at her and the caravan. Quite a few with not exactly kind looks on their faces. Soon though she noticed that they weren’t really looking at or interested in her at all. Their eyes were completely focused on the crate she was carrying and the saddlebag she wore. Aquamarine was right, she was going to have to look out for her belongings in this place.

She followed closely behind Brick as they actually entered the shanty town, her eyes going from side to side to try and get as much of a look and feel for the place as possible. She didn’t like what she saw. There wasn’t a smile to be found and the ponies around looked dirty, tired, and disheveled. Some wore clothes that were torn and covered in mud while she could hear loud arguing coming from elsewhere close by no matter where they walked. A few looked out from their tents or from behind the wooden doors of their small huts to glare at her and immediately close themselves back up.

There were a few tents and buildings that looked more like “businesses”. She saw one with a sign that read “Doctor’s Office” above it, and another that looked like an open air bar where a lot of ponies were gathered around. The place may have been grungy and depressed but it had its own system. There was definitely a structure and a way of living to the place, Applejack couldn’t deny that.

She saw some upsetting things though—a family huddled together in the dirt between two buildings. Two colts viciously fighting over a bag of something. The sounds of a mare yelling about how somepony had just robbed her in the distance. A bunch of crows perched on some of the tents and buildings, eerily watching all the ponies. An older stallion being cornered by a group of other ponies.

I’ll fix it. I’ll fix all this soon. Applejack promised to herself.

Desperation brought out the worst in ponies.

“You doing alright? You’re dragging your hooves a little,” Brick said from in front of her.

“Uh, yeah, just got a bit distracted,” Applejack replied.

The stallion nodded. “I understand. You get used to it after a while but the first visit can definitely be uncomfortable.”

Applejack only grunted lightly and followed him. Truth be told it was taking a decent amount of effort for her not to do anything about some of the fights or problems she clearly saw or ask some of the more destitute looking ponies if they needed help. She hated it, but she had to look at the big picture right now too. Getting inside the Citadel was the only way to really solve this—everything else would just be a temporary bandage on a symptom, not the cause of the problems.

So she followed Brick along until they were in a slightly nicer looking part of the shanty town. There at least weren’t homeless or fighting ponies around and most of the buildings didn’t have holes in them or looked broken down. The torn up tents had disappeared and were replaced entirely by quickly thrown up wooden buildings and homes. Of course none of them were big or impressive, or painted or pretty in any way, but they were at least livable. Brick strode down the street to one house in particular—there weren’t numbers or names on any of them, he must’ve just known the right one from previous visits—and knocked heavily on the front door.

Applejack heard quite the commotion from behind it, a lot of kids yelling and running about, and the voices of adults trying to calm them down. She raised an eyebrow and looked around at the home—it was just of average size, single-story, a few rooms at the most, but it sounded like there were at least ten ponies in there. While that was going on, Brick took his crate off his back and placed it on the ground by the door so Applejack did the same. Felt good to at least let go of that burden.

In another second the door was opened up just enough for a stallion to squeeze his way out and stand in front of it. “S-Sorry I took so long, had to settle the family down.”

Applejack was shocked at just how tired he looked. Heavy bags under his eyes, stubble on his muzzle, bloodshot eyes, exhaustion rolling off of him. His orange and pink mane fell about his head carelessly, no effort put into his appearance at all. Which was all the more telling to Applejack, as thanks to all the time spent with Rarity and Twilight she could see that this was a stallion that was used to looking good and spending a lot of money on getting groomed. But either the lack of availability or the lack of his own funds had changed all that.

“Hello there, Artsy Hooves. Two boxes of food and supplies, just like you ordered,” Brick said.

Artsy put on a thankless and tired smile. “Yes, thank you. Aquamarine and her caravan can always be counted on to deliver…”

“Will you be putting in another order?” Brick asked.

Artsy looked down at the two crates, looked down for a while, before shaking his head. “No… no thank you.”

Brick raised an eyebrow, a concerned frown on his face. “Are you sure? Will you be moving into the Citadel or-“

“J-Just don’t worry about it,” Artsy Hooves held up a hoof to cut him off. “Just… we’ll be fine on our own from here on out.” He closed his tired eyes and brought a hoof to his forehead. “Things’ll be fine…”

“If you say so… well, we have other deliveries so we’ll let you go,” Brick said and nodded to Applejack, turning to leave the home of Artsy Hooves behind.

Applejack bit her lip. She couldn’t go just yet. “Um, pardon me Mr. Artsy Hooves, but can I ask you a question?”

The stallion opened his eyes and glanced at her. “What is it?”

“How… how many ponies you got living in this house?”

“Sixteen.”

“Sixteen of you? All in this little space?” Applejack grimaced.

“Family used to be spread out but… things happened. Money isn’t as easy to come by. Making a living here isn’t so easy to come by at all,” Artsy Hooves shook his head and went to pick up her crate. “Thanks for the delivery, but if it’s alright with you I need to get this all sorted out.”

Applejack knew she shouldn’t but she couldn’t help but ask one more question. “Were you staying inside the Citadel for a while waiting for your time to cross?”

Artsy Hooves paused, an angry frown coming onto his face for a brief moment before his exhaustion washed it away. “Inside there… it’s a trap. They never called more than a few a day, the Warden knew what he was doing. Knew exactly who he wanted to bilk all the money out of…”

“Warden?” Applejack tilted her head.

“Are you going inside there?” Artsy Hooves suddenly asked, looking at her with bloodshot eyes.

Applejack gulped. “Um… yeah. I have to.”

“Don’t. It’s not worth it. It’s just not worth it,” he shook his head and opened the door to his “home” carrying the crate and pushing the other one inside.

Most of the rest of the transporting and delivery work passed by in a blur to Applejack. Her mind was too caught up on the state of the shanty town and the ponies living in it. Not to mention the mystery and misery surely confined within the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel itself. Her behavior and all the work she did was completely automatic—the only things catching her attention were the occasional fights and yells too loud to ignore.

They had stopped to get a drink of water just once and then it was more work as Applejack finished the deliveries to Cloudsprint, Father Wool, and Voltbeat. Brick, Buddy, and Budge were all nice enough stallions but Applejack was grateful right now that they weren’t interested in conversation or digging into her personal life either. She wasn’t sure how good she’d be at talking. Any place like this depressed her too much, especially when it felt like there wasn’t much she could do about it. Things like this were more troublesome than your usual friendship problem.

Voltbeat’s place was their last stop—it turned out to be some kind of a mix between a general store and a trading station. He was being restocked and asked for the same thing from Aquamarine the next time her caravan came back here. Buddy took a bag of money from him and that was all it took to complete the transaction.

Meanwhile right outside his door was a homeless stallion and mare begging for money and food.

“You were a big help today, guess you really are used to working with your hooves.”

Applejack jolted and looked over to see Buddy smiling at her. He and the others were getting ready to head back to the wagon circle already.

She managed to put on a somewhat bashful smile for him. “Aint nothing special, just doing my job.”

“Well consider your job done,” Buddy grinned. “This is all Aquamarine wanted you to do in payment for taking you here. As of now you’ve officially paid off your debt to the caravan. We’ll tell her when we go back since, well, you’re going to the Citadel aren’t you?”

Applejack exhaled and looked in the direction of the Citadel’s walls. They were tall enough where she could easily see them past the roofs of the small buildings here. “Yep.”

“You sure about that?” Brick asked.

“I’m sure. Got… got a lot of stuff to do,” Applejack answered.

“Best of luck to you then, thanks for helping out. Just walk out to the main road and right to the gate—shouldn’t be many more ponies looking to get in at this time of day,” Buddy said and then nodded to Brick and Budge. “Come on guys, let’s get going.”

Brick and Budge both gave her a small wave that she returned, and Applejack was left in the road, staring at the Citadel walls in the distance.

“Here goes nothing,” Applejack grumbled and started walking back in the direction of the main road.

It wasn’t dark yet but it was approaching dusk and the sun wasn’t providing near as much light anymore, there was already an orange glow over most of the shanty town. And where she was going the walls already blocked off all light. She didn’t know how any ponies would see around there or inside the Citadel unless they had a lot of lanterns. Applejack was in the “good” part of the shanty town right now but she still kept her eyes peeled and her ears perked up for any trouble, she didn’t want to get accosted or robbed right at the end of the day, right before she got to the Citadel.

Luckily though, despite a few other ponies being there and warily watching her and her bag, Applejack didn’t get bothered by anypony. Maybe they had seen her with the others carrying those heavy crates and figured she wasn’t worth the effort.

Once she got on the main road she looked toward the gates and got a big surprise. There were two big bright lights on either side of the gate—perfectly illuminating everything.

“Electric lights? Didn’t expect to see something like that out here. Does the whole Citadel have electricity?” Applejack wondered. Nopony had said anything about it so far, but they might’ve been concerned with more important issues.

Thanks to those lights she could see that there were only a few other ponies at the gate waiting to get in, and just as she suspected earlier it looked like there were at least a few more interior gates before you actually got into the Citadel. Right now Applejack could see that the big outer gates were opened up but the few ponies she could see in line who were inside the gate were stopped right in front of another one.

And there were guards.

She was getting her first look at ponies who actually worked for the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel. And she got another surprise—since it certainly wasn’t just ponies. Griffons, Minotaurs, and even Diamond Dogs stood around the gates, shepherding the ponies in and making sure nopony went out of line. There were some pony guards she could see but it looked like an even spread between them and other creatures. She couldn’t remember seeing any non-ponies so far since she had entered the Undiscovered West and suddenly here were a whole bunch. Did they flock here for a specific reason? Did they come from the other side of the bridge? Applejack was just as lost as ever.

The guards also all wore a cold black and blue armor and while not all of them carried weapons a good amount were still holding onto spears. Applejack took a deep breath and walked forward to get in line, nothing else she could do.

The guards didn’t acknowledge her at all yet, they continued with the others ahead of her in line first and every now and then Applejack would see the smaller gate in front of her open up and accept the next pony or ponies in. It didn’t look like they turned anypony away. She took a glance at the lights while she was here and saw that they were indeed electric lampposts built into the ground. Somehow the Citadel had its own power.

Applejack frowned—just one more mystery about this place.

The last pony ahead of her went in and Applejack finally had her turn.

“Come forward,” the first guard—a Minotaur holding a clipboard—said to her in his guttural voice.

She did so, walking past the threshold of the first large open gate, and stood between it and the next barrier to getting inside the Citadel. The Minotaur stood to her left while a griffon—silent so far and holding another clipboard—stood off to her right. Behind them were both a duo of pony guards holding spears. They were stiff and not looking at Applejack at all but she doubted they weren’t paying attention to her.

The armored Minotaur cleared his throat and brought a pen to his clipboard, peering over it at her. “State your name, where you come from, and your reason for crossing the bridge, please.”

“My name’s Applejack and I come from Equestria,” she answered immediately and then internally winced. Aw shoot, should I have told him the truth just now? There’s no way they couldn’t tell if I was lying though. “And uh, my reason for crossing the bridge is business.”

“Business?” The Minotaur raised an eyebrow at her.

“Business,” Applejack nodded.

It was technically the truth. Any other explanation for what she was doing and they’d probably think she was pulling their legs.

The Minotaur didn’t seem to care much though, he merely nodded and jotted something down with his pen. On her other side—Applejack saw the griffon also intently inspecting her and writing something on his clipboard.

“And are you traveling alone?” The Minotaur asked.

“Yep.”

“Is that hat and the single saddlebag your only possessions?”

“That’s right.”

He quickly wrote down a few more things before stepping to the side and gesturing her forward. “You may proceed.”

Applejack blinked. That was a bit simpler than she had expected. She thought she’d have to pay or bribe them to continue on. But she already figured that there was more to checking into the Citadel than just this and she was right when after walking up to the next gate a buzzer rang from somewhere and it started to open for her. The sounds of heavy hydraulic pistons pulled it into the walls of the Citadel and a new chamber appeared. A gate within a gate, she still couldn’t actually walk into or see the interior of the Citadel yet.

Instead what she was treated to was a rectangular chamber with two armored unicorns and another cadre of spear-carrying guards.

The outer gate closed back up as soon as Applejack stepped through it and the two unicorns walked over to stand in front of her.

“Greetings,” one said. “We’re here to check your possessions before you’re allowed to continue further.”

“Check my possessions?” Applejack raised an eyebrow.

“Yes. We need to make sure you aren’t carrying a weapon or anything dangerous into the Citadel. Hoof over your hat and bag, please,” the unicorn ordered.

“I aint carrying nothing dangerous,” Applejack frowned.

“Then you have nothing to worry about. Now hoof over your hat and bag. Please,” he repeated.

Applejack grumbled but she couldn’t really do anything about it. She took off her hat and saddlebag and gave them to the unicorns. The one with her hat held it in his magic and inspected it—she wondered if he was doing something magical to it—and the one with her bag took it over to a long table inside the chamber and opened it up, laying her stuff out for him to look at.

She really didn’t like that but at least all he seemed to be doing was inspecting things with his magic and checking to see if it really was all what it looked like. Her journal, the old map, her emergency oats, her bag of bits, he went over each thing twice with his horn glowing the entire time. Seemingly satisfied, he put everything back in her saddlebag, carefully too at least, and walked back over to Applejack. The one with her hat was already finished as well, just waiting for his partner to be finished, and together they gave her her things back.

“You may continue, we found nothing suspicious,” the same unicorn said.

“Thanks,” Applejack sharply answered and took her hat and bag back.

Walking past them and the other guards another buzzer rang and the next gate opened up before Applejack entered the next chamber. This one was just like the previous except there was but one guard. A dragon.

Applejack felt her eyes widen as she saw him—though small for a dragon he was still about three times taller than her and he looked intimidating in the black and blue armor. Though on his purply scaled face there was only an expression of boredom and nothing else. He stood directly in front of the next gate and a ticket dispenser that was coming out of the wall to the left of the gate. Right when the gate Applejack had walked through closed back up, he breathed steam out his nose and pulled a ticket from the dispenser.

“Here’s your designation,” he said and held it out towards her.

Applejack stepped up and took the ticket from him, turning it over and seeing “47-XB” stenciled on it.

“Remember that number and keep the ticket with you. You wouldn’t want to miss when you’re called,” the dragon instructed.

“Got a time-frame on when my number might be called?” Applejack looked up at him.

A grin almost tugged up his lips. “No.” He stepped aside so she could walk through the gate when it opened. “This is the last checkpoint, through here is the interior town of the Citadel. You must pay for and acquire a place to stay before the midnight curfew—or else you’ll be thrown back out. Do you understand?”

“Midnight curfew, got it,” Applejack nodded.

“And of course that means if you run out of money to pay for your stay you’ll have until midnight of that same day before you are officially thrown out as well. Do you understand? We are very strict about this,” the dragon said.

“I get it. I’ll be fine,” Applejack answered.

“I’m sure you will be,” this time the dragon did smirk as he pressed a button on the wall behind the ticket dispenser that Applejack couldn’t see. “Welcome to the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel.”

A sharp ding from a bell came and the metal gates hissed as they split down the middle and started to open up for her. A louder groaning sound than any of the other gates came from them while they receded into the thick defensive walls. Applejack took a deep breath and stood before the portal, waiting to enter the Citadel.

Everypony Needs a Friend

“Waaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!" Vahar loudly cried into Applejack.

“Oh would you just shut up already?!” Amethyst screamed at her. “You’ve been crying for three hours!”

“Waaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!”

Applejack sighed and rubbed her temple, giving a pleading look to Amethyst. “Look, could you just cut her a little slack. Vahar’s uh… she’s a bit of an emotional mare.”

“She’s bothering the other cells too,” Miss Valentine said, looking at the cells next to their own.

“Uh, sorry about all this, folks!” Applejack waved to the other cells. “J-Just give me one moment.” She looked down at Vahar and started gently shaking the merpony. “Vahar, come on, you gotta stop crying.”

“Things can’t be that bad, honey,” Valentine added.

“You don’t see the rest of us crying,” Amethyst muttered.

“Vahar, please-” Applejack insisted. “Come on, things aren’t so bad in here and you’ve still got me. I promise I’ll help you get out of here and we’ll go get your stuff back too.”

“Wouldn’t mind finding where they took all of my clothes either. I feel naked without my clothes,” Valentine said, shivering a bit.

“You are naked without your clothes,” Amethyst glared at her.

Applejack rolled her eyes and ignored them, (though internally happy that the guards hadn’t taken her hat away) rubbing Vahar’s back to try and calm the merpony down. “Come on, Vahar, where’s that majestic and wondrous magician I know?”

Vahar sniffled but managed to look up at Applejack with her red eyes. “S-She’s still here...”

“That’s the spirit,” Applejack smiled. “Just buck up, okay? You’ll see that there’s nothing to cry about soon.” Applejack let her go and stood up, cracking her neck and walking over to the bars so she could talk to the adjacent cell and even the far one on the other side of it. “Hey there! You’re all ponies from around who got imprisoned here for breaking the rules while you were in town right? And some of you came from the other side of the canyon too? I heard from another pony in the other prison that the ones who fought with the guards or caused any disturbances and whatnot were brought here.”

“You’re right about that,” a mare said, stepping up to Applejack. “We tried breaking into the Citadel through the sewers a month ago.”

“And I socked a guard in the face when he tried taking me down to that prison,” a stallion said.

Applejack grinned and nodded. “Okay. Well I’m sure you’d all like to not just get out of here but get back at the Citadel and Warden?”

The ponies looked at each other in a bit on confusion before the mare nodded back at Applejack.

“Of course.”

“Well you just sit tight then. It’ll be dangerous, but I promise I’ll help you out,” Applejack said.

“What are you talking about?” Amethyst asked her with a sneer.

Applejack ignored her and went over to Valentine. “And you, Miss Valentine, what can you tell me about the Warden? You seemed to know something.”

“Probably not much more than you to be honest,” Valentine shrugged. “Don’t know what he is or where he came from before he turned the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel into this. But. I did hear something juicy from the guards while I was snooping my way through here before I was caught. Supposedly on this top floor of the building, there’s a room that overlooks the canyon on the far side of the Citadel. It was some kind of luxurious office for the old rulers of the Citadel. And no guards are allowed into it. They aren’t even allowed down the long hallway that leads to it. I’m certain the Warden has to be in there.”

“Seems as likely as anything else. I figured he was up in that tall tower,” Applejack said.

“You’d think so—but from what I’ve heard that’s actually just where a bunch of griffon and pegasi guards stay and watch over things. Make sure there aren’t any pegasi out trying to fly somewhere they shouldn’t.” Valentine said. “And why, honey, do you want to know exactly where the Warden is anyways?”

“Well when I break us out of here I’ve gotta go take him down of course,” Applejack shrugged nonchalantly.

“Ahahahaha!” Amethyst erupted in laughter. “Oh please—you can’t be serious. First of all how are you even planning on getting out of here? And second, have you seen all the guards in here? Absurd.”

“I wouldn’t doubt her if I was you,” Birdseed mumbled.

“I’m completely serious. I’m breaking out of here and I’d like all of you to help me bring down this Citadel and return things to normal. That’s why I let myself get caught in the first place,” Applejack said. “Once I get us out of this cell we’re going to go break out the other prisoners and then I’ll take care of the Warden. That’ll be all it takes. These guards don’t care about nothing except getting paid, so if the Warden’s out of power they won’t fight anymore.”

“And just how are you planning on getting out of this cell in the first place? Valentine-”

“Miss Valentine.”

“-couldn’t pick the lock and the cell is enchanted so magic doesn’t work on it. I’ve tried,” Amethyst explained.

“I’ve got a way,” Applejack smirked. Her face then became more serious. “But, I want your word that you’ll help me out. Knowing your history and all I want to make sure you don’t cause any more problems out there. Will you promise me that you’ll change your ways? And that goes for you too, Birdseed.”

Amethyst snorted. “Now I know you’re joking. If you can get us out of this cell then the moment that door is open the five of us are getting out of here.”

“Aint joking at all,” Applejack shook her head. “I’d just like you all to help me out and turn over a new leaf before I let you out of here.”

“Turn over a new leaf? You think it can happen just like that?” Amethyst asked incredulously.

“She wouldn’t be an Element of Harmony otherwise...” Opal grumbled.

Applejack nodded. “I sure do.”

“You’re nuts!” Amethyst threw up her hooves.

“No I’m not. I can take a look at the five of you and see pretty plainly where your choices have led you. Your friends have even been saying themselves how badly things have turned out for them. Sounds like a life of crime hasn’t treated you too well,” Applejack said. “So why not stop? Turn your back on that sad life and try and do something productive instead!”

“Pff,” Topaz flapped her gums. “Easy for a pony like you to say whose never had to make a tough choice in her life.”

“Yeah, what’s an Element of Harmony know about what we’ve been through?” Opal said.

“We only started doing all this because we could never fit into Equestria! We’ve always been losers, I-I mean, outsiders, that can’t adjust to ordinary life!” Diamond whimpered.

Emerald just sighed.

“And we don’t want that normal life. We will be special, celebrated, appreciated, ponies will grovel at our hooves one day. That’s what I—we’ve always dreamed about!” Amethyst glared at Applejack. “That boring life is not meant for us, we just haven’t succeeded at our true goals yet, but we will some day. That’s what we’re meant for!”

Applejack exhaled and looked pityingly at Amethyst. “Are you really sure about that? If you’ve failed and failed and failed at being criminals and trying to get fame and power, maybe it means you’re really not meant for it at all. Maybe it means you’ve been trying the wrong thing this whole time.” She looked at the others. “You’re right that I can’t really empathize with what you’ve been through, you’re wrong to think I haven’t had any tough choices or nothing to worry about, but I’ve always had a home and family with me. Yeah—there have been sad moments, but my life has been a nice one, I’ll give you that.”

“Exactly. So just leave us alone. Despite… setbacks… I’ll have the five of us back on track soon enough,” Amethyst declared.

“Do you speak for all your friends?” Applejack raised an eyebrow at her.

Amethyst’s face fell. “O-Of course I do! They’re my lifelong friends, I’ve always led them on the right path.”

“Really? Cause I haven’t gotten the feeling that you’re friends at all,” Applejack said. She looked behind her at the other mares. “You four! Are you happy with always listening to her? Do you like the way she treats you and talks to you? Are you friends?”

Amethyst turned to them and sent a glare at the four other mare. Daring them to say anything.

“We...” Opal hesitated before finding her courage and glaring right back at Amethyst. “We’re sick of the way you treat us. And sick of everything bad that’s happened because we listened to you.”

“You’ve only ever thought about yourself,” Topaz nodded.

“You say mean things to me and Emerald...” Diamond whispered while Emerald shrugged.

“Ungrateful little-” Amethyst growled and ran up to them. “You’d all be nothing—less than nothing—if it wasn’t for me! I was going to make us big! Important! We would’ve been able to accomplish anything if you fools weren’t so useless!”

“And that’s why you couldn’t accomplish anything,” Applejack said.

Amethyst whipped her head back at her and growled.

“How could five mares who aint even friends do all that? If you don’t really care about the mares you say you’re looking out for, then of course it was bound to fail,” Applejack shrugged. “You’ve known them your whole life but you were just using them for tools by the sound of it.”

“You’re wrong! Diamond, Emerald, Topaz, Opal, they’ve always been my friends. As much as I get annoyed by them, I would’ve left them behind long ago if I didn’t care at all!” Amethyst denied. “I’ve known them my entire life! The only reason I get angry at them and blame them for everything going wrong is because if I don’t then I’d have to blame myself!”

Amethyst’s eyes went wide and she clapped her hooves over her mouth. “Ah-!”

Opal blinked. “Really? Is that the problem? You just don’t want to accept any of the blame yourself?”

“You can’t stomach thinking you’re a loser?” Diamond asked.

Topaz snorted in amusement. “Of course...”

“I don’t want to be a failure… I’m not a screw-up!” Amethyst shouted, wetness gathering at her eyes. “After everything kept going wrong again and again, I couldn’t take it! I can’t stomach the thought that maybe I’m the one at fault. That maybe you were all right...” She sniffled and wiped at her eyes. “I’ve always wanted to be special but nothing ever turned out right! And each time I failed I just kept wanting more and more to prove the voices in my head wrong...”

She felt a pony embrace her and looked to see Emerald hugging her.

“Stop that, you idiot… I don’t deserve a hug from you,” Amethyst grumbled, ashamed. “I know why we’ve always failed… it’s because Applejack is right, I didn’t see you as true friends. I never respected or helped you or believed in you like I should have. That’s why everything always fell apart. How could five mares that didn’t believe in each other ever succeed at anything?”

“You’re not the only one who’s to blame in that case then,” Opal grumbled.

“I’ve never been able to believe in myself,” Diamond shrugged.

“You shouldn’t really treat it like such a big deal,” Topaz sighed and looked away. “We’re all equally screw-ups.”

“Fantastic, that’s exactly what I wanted to hear,” Amethyst said, clearly not happy. “And this silly pony who has everything she could ever want in life is just going to tell us to “Stop being bad”. Hilarious.”

Applejack shrugged. “I’m telling you it really is that easy.”

“Maybe she’s right about that too though? I mean… could it really be worse than the past year?” Opal said.

“If we’re going to try at something again maybe we should try doing something good for a change,” Diamond suggested. “I don’t really want to be a lowlife who can’t hold down a job anymore...”

“So what? Give up on the big aspirations and just become farmers somewhere or something?” Amethyst snorted.

“Hey—what’s wrong with being a farmer?” Applejack frowned.

“I think we can accomplish big things if we all believe in each other,” Opal said. “I mean—right now we’re being given the opportunity to do something good aren’t we? Maybe this is our time. If we listen to Applejack and help her out here and it all goes well then wouldn’t that be a sign that we were always capable but just going the wrong way in the past?”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to say!” Applejack repeated. “Y’all have been on the wrong path! Just change your ways and work to help other ponies instead of just yourselves! Even if you don’t become rich and famous or whatever you want, I guarantee you you’ll still feel a whole lot better!”

Amethyst looked at the others, uncertain, but hopeful. “Well?”

“I’m good with that,” Opal grinned.

“Eh, me too I guess,” Topaz said.

“Me too,” Diamond hesitantly smiled.

And Emerald enthusiastically nodded along.

Amethyst sighed and recomposed herself, pulling away from Emerald and standing up straight before Applejack. “I don’t know how well it will go but… we’ll help you.”

“And help yourselves in the process,” Applejack smiled.

“Yeah,” Amethyst managed a small smile. “I promise that we’ll do better from here on out. You… you Elements of Harmony are special but… I think you all must’ve been special in the first place before you became famous for that.”

“Ahem,” Miss Valentine coughed to get Applejack’s attention. “Not to rain on the parade, honey, but these mares didn’t just try robbing a store or something like that. They seriously attempted to brainwash and take over an entire Kingdom, and probably were planning on doing worse after. You’re just gonna let them off the hook for that? Not only that—but trust them and send them off with a smile after this is over? Just after one little talk and therapy session?”

“Yep!” Applejack nodded.

Miss Valentine raised an eyebrow. “I… I’m not sure I share your optimism, honey.”

“I’ve known ponies and other creatures who have come back from a lot worse,” Applejack said and smiled towards Amethyst and the others. “I believe they’re genuine right now. Let them make up for what they’ve done in the past.”

“If you say so,” Valentine shrugged. “I suppose whenever I make my way back to Diminuendo I can tell the Prince that they won’t be causing trouble anymore. If it’s true from any point of view that should be good enough.” She snorted. “Besides, I suppose I don’t have much moral high ground with the way I was in the past either.”

“Great!” Applejack said. She looked over at the lone stallion in the cell. “And that leaves you, Birdseed. Can I count on you too?”

“What? You want me to promise to not commit anymore crime or take up bad jobs in the future?” The stallion asked her

“That’s right,” Applejack plainly confirmed.

“Please. This is what I’ve been doing my entire life, I don’t know any other way of living,” Birdseed snorted.

“And it hasn’t gone well for you, has it?” Miss Valentine sniped.

Birdseed glared at her. “Partially because of you.”

“Enough,” Applejack held up her hoof to stop them both. “But Valentine’s right-”

“Miss Valentine.”

“-You oughta do the same as Amethyst here. What’s the point of living a life of crime anyways? Do you like being locked up?” Applejack asked.

Birdseed rolled his eyes. “Like I said, it’s all I’ve ever known. It’s not about liking or disliking it. Everything has just been a job to me.”

“Then get a new job,” Applejack furrowed her brow at him. “One you like.”

“Easy for you to say,” Birdseed said and pointed at her Cutie Mark. “I learned about you after our last encounter. An apple farmer—a pony lucky enough to spend her whole life doing what she’s best at. What she was meant to do. I found my Cutie Mark when I was just a dumb colt, family had stopped over in some small town while we were on the road. There was an old mare there who kept a lot of birds, had her whole own aviary and everything. I snuck away from my parents one afternoon to go see it cause I was curious. The mare let me in and see all her birds, she even let me feed a few, and I had my Cutie Mark just like that.” Birdseed shook his head. “When I went back to tell my parents the only thing I got from them was a smack across the face—and being told that there was no time to take care of birds on the road, not when there was money to be made and work to do. And it’s that same type of work I’ve been doing ever since. Now what would I do anyways even if I wanted to? It might be my talent but I don’t really know how to take care of birds or where to even begin! I’ll take my pointless life of petty crime and mercenary work, thank you very much.”

“And what if I told you I knew a mare who could get you started on taking care of birds?” Applejack offered.

“Huh?” Birdseed blinked.

“You heard me right. Got a best friend who’s the best mare there is at taking care of animals. And she loves birds. Not only that—she’s the kindest mare you’d ever meet and she’d be more than forgiving of anything you did in the past so long as you were honestly regretful and trying to make up for it. If I send you her way after I’m done with things here, do you think you could turn over a new leaf yourself?” Applejack asked.

“You’re saying… I could really raise and take care of birds? You’re really giving me that chance?”

“That’s right. What do you say?”

Birdseed blinked a few more times and scratched his head. Inevitably, he shrugged. “Well—alright then. I’m in.”

Miss Valentine gawked in disbelief while Applejack smiled.

“Okay!” Applejack walked up and patted Birdseed on the shoulder.

“How do you do that?” Miss Valentine looked from Birdseed to Amethyst in wonder.

“Haha!” Vahar cheered. “Applejack is almost as Wondrous and Majestic as myself!”

Applejack shook her head. “I don’t think I’m anything special, just a pony trying to help others. And speaking of that...” She grinned and walked up to the cell door. “Everypony? It’s time to get out of here.”

Karza III

“The very same,” Karza bowed his head slightly to her. And raised an unimpressed eyebrow at her right after. “I assume you must have heard of me from the ponies of Maple Town. You certainly aren’t from there—or from Equinestan at all, are you?” He stifled a laugh. “What a mistake you’ve made to stumble into my domain. Surely you were warned otherwise? Will I need to punish the ponies of Maple Town for your mistake?”

Applejack glared at him. “What’s your deal? And yeah, I was warned but I aint afraid of you or whatever crazy things you can do. I came out here to stop you from terrorizing the ponies of Maple Town, and to make sure you don’t do the same to the rest of Equinestan. So tell me why you’re doing this.”

“Ahahahaha!” Karza threw his head back and laughed loudly. “A mere peasant like yourself could never hope to understand the machinations and ambitions of the mighty Karza!”

“Humor me,” Applejack clicked her tongue.

Karza snorted in amusement. “No. Why should I? Now turn away and go back to town unless you wish to suffer my wrath. My power is far beyond your imagining.”

“That so? Cause you just sound like a total nutjob blowing hot air,” Applejack raised an eyebrow.

A dark shadow passed across Karza’s face as he glared at Applejack. He stood up tall with a nasty smirk on his face. “Such impudence. Very well then, foolish mare, I will show you the unparalleled, unique, and unstoppable power that I wield! Soon you shall tremble in fear and regret!”

Karza reared up on his hind legs while his cape fluttered about-

“There’s no way I’m letting you hurt anypony else!” Applejack yelled and ran at him.

She reached out her hoof and got ready to send a disarming tremor into his body, just one that would rattle him a bit, not break anything. When suddenly his body quickly rose off the ground and he began floating in the air. Applejack blinked, perplexed, at the earth pony levitating over her head like it was the most natural thing in the world.

“Fool! Gaze upon the glory of Karza!” Karza shouted.

Immediately several rocks lifted off from the ground around the road, floating up towards him and levitating or spinning around his body in rings. The rocks ranged from the size of coconuts to bowling balls, all effortlessly moving about and apparently controlled by Karza’s will. There were dozens of them—no magical aura or sign of anything else affecting them. Applejack had never seen anything like it and she found herself backing up to get a little distance between herself and him.

“Alright… so I guess everything they said about what you could do wasn’t hogwash,” Applejack said.

“Insolence! You will never be able to speak a word of doubt about Karza again!” Karza yelled and the rocks floating around him started to shoot out towards her.

They didn’t move super fast but it was fast enough for a rock to still do a lot of damage if any of them hit her, so Applejack quickly found herself running and jumping out of the way of them. The rocks slammed into the ground all around her, either embedding themselves deeply or kicking up piles of dirt, some smashed into the larger boulders around the passage and exploded as Applejack weaved between them to give herself some cover. Meanwhile Karza flew overhead, moving without moving his own body in any way, like a unicorn with a levitation spell but again no tell-tale magical aura around his body. He continued to fire rocks in her general direction, dozens of missiles raining down at her. It was only because of Applejack’s spry body and reflexes that she was able to avoid them. She ran through some of the boulders directly off the passage, jumping off one right as a rock the size of her head smashed into it, and came sliding back onto the road, glaring up at Karza but not even panting in exertion.

“Hahahahaha!” Karza laughed, not intimidated by her lack of exhaustion in the slightest. “All you can do is run around like a frightened peasant! But I have just been toying with you this entire time! Now watch and be amazed!”

And Applejack watched. And though she tried to keep any worry off her face and any doubts out of her mind, she still couldn’t help but grit her teeth as Karza started pulling huge boulders out of the ground. The giant boulders of granite easily floated up just like the smaller rocks, including some of the ones she had just been running through and jumping off of. Some were torn straight up from underground, leaving holes and scars in the dirt around the rocky passage. Dozens of them, just like before, were held up in the sky around Karza. Applejack couldn’t figure out how in the hay he was doing any of this but honestly she wasn’t sure if it mattered too much. No matter how he was doing it, one of those boulders would flatten her into a pancake.

He wasn’t waiting around for her to do anything either. Karza started throwing the boulders at her with glee. Perhaps because of their size or wind resistance they couldn’t move as fast, but they almost didn’t need to with how much bigger they were.

“Dang it,” Applejack muttered and started zig-zagging along the road while the boulders fell upon her.

The good news was she didn’t really need to keep her eyes glued on them—she could see their shadows on the ground and know where they were going to land well before they actually did. Applejack exhaled and put everything she had into her trusty hooves to avoid the boulders, hearing them flying down, and then feeling the ground quake as soon as one smashed right into where she had just been running. Clouds of dirt and dust were kicked up each time one of those boulders smashed into the ground—completely altering the layout of the passage.

Karza was throwing them all without any care—without any real strategy. Just throwing them in her general vicinity and hoping one would hit instead of boxing her in or trying to drop them all on her at once. Perhaps he was just toying with her all over again.

A vein pulsed on Applejack’s forehead. She was going to show him.

“Hahahahaha! Tremble before the almighty Karza!” He shouted even as her back was turned to him and she focused entirely on dodging the boulders.

One nearly the size of a small house came down and smashed into the road right next to her, it’s huge weight and the force of impact enough to knock Applejack off her hooves this time. She skidded across the dirt and saw a shadow over her head, growing bigger and bigger as the boulder came down at her. Applejack pushed herself back up and jumped out of the way just in time as another boulder pulverized the ground where she had been.

That was still hardly it though as Karza followed her along, more boulders levitating with him, and dropped them right at her.

There was less room to maneuver now as the passage had been peppered with so many boulders, quite a few that had been dug right up from underground. The formerly open road was now a maze of large boulders that Applejack had to run and twist around while Karza tried to smush her. She just didn’t really know what she could do against him aside from run as long as he was up there. She couldn’t fly after all. Or jump that high. And even if she could he would just move out of the way.

How was she going to beat him?

With two boulders left that Karza could throw at her, she got an idea. No more running away. As the two boulders came flying at her, one right behind the other, Applejack stood her ground.

“Have you accepted that you can do nothing, foolish peasant?” Karza yelled at her.

Applejack ignored him and steadied herself, taking a deep breath and concentrating as hard as she could.

Let’s hope I’m as strong as I think I am. She thought.

The first boulder was falling towards her and had taken up almost all of her vision when Applejack turned around and put all her strength into her hind legs. She bucked the boulder not just with all the natural strength of her earth pony body but with a powerful Hoof of the Earth tremor coursing through it as well. The boulder was launched backwards into the second one and the two collided—the great force and the tremor surging through the both of them and causing both boulders to explode in the air in a shower of rubble. Most of it rained down around and upon Applejack, but it was all just pebbles now so she ignored them, calmly standing in the rain.

Some of it though shot up far enough to almost reach around where Karza was floating and now the strange pony was no longer belittling and taunting Applejack. He stared down at her with a frown as Applejack turned around and looked up at him with her normal steely gaze.

He neither exploded in anger or pulled up more boulders to throw at her. Instead he slowly floated back down to the ground and calmly tilted his head in question to her.

“How did you do that?” Karza asked.

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Applejack smirked.

“Yes. I very much would. I am the almighty Karza, tell me what your power is so I can use it myself, peasant,” he demanded.

“How about if you promise to stop doing all of this I can teach you?” Applejack sarcastically asked.

“Ridiculous,” Karza snorted and rolled his eyes. “If you are still going to be defiant I suppose there’s only one thing to do.”

“Give me your best shot. I’m not afraid of anything you can throw at me,” Applejack furrowed her brow and tensed up.

Karza smirked. “You’ll now see why all of Equinestan will soon be mine to control.”

His hooves then sunk into and merged with the ground, the earth creeping up and melding around his black fetlocks. However, despite the fact that he had rooted himself in place, Applejack had no opportunity to attack him. Almost instantly the ground started rippling underneath her hooves, bouncing and stretching like it suddenly had the consistency of clay or dough. The boulders embedded everywhere moved around or sunk down like they were swimming through water and Applejack did her best to stay standing and not let herself get carried away by the frankly outrageous way the ground was now moving. It was almost like it had come alive and was moving with a mind of its own. Applejack knew though that somehow, someway, this was all the work of the smirking earth pony standing before her.

“This is but a taste of what I can do! Now fall, peasant!” Karza shouted.

Earth spikes shot up towards her from the ground. From her sides, from behind her, from in front of her, and some even directly below her body.

But she had felt them coming. Just as Karza was using his strange powers, Applejack was using Hoof of the Earth to feel the vibrations and changes in the ground. She was able to jump up and out of the way of the spikes right before they skewered her. Landing back on the soft ground that almost felt like jelly beneath her hooves now.

Karza’s eyebrows shot up in surprise and his smirk turned to a frown. “I don’t know how you’re doing that but it won’t help you for long.”

Applejack knew he was probably right with the amount of control he had of the landscape, but she wasn’t backing down. More spikes launched up at her that she jumped away from just before they actually broke the surface. While small rocks and pebbles fired out of the ground at her like arrows immediately after.

Applejack wasn’t exactly Rainbow Dash or Pinkie Pie, she couldn’t move so sharply, and thus a decent number of the rocks and pebbles hit her. Most just scuffing or bruising her, but some leaving small cuts in her skin as they flashed by her. The ground was continuously bouncing and shifting beneath her hooves too to make it harder for her to run or do anything besides just staying on her hooves. More pebbles came shooting at her along with larger and larger rocks, Karza simply overwhelming her with pure numbers.

One rock the size and shape of a pineapple hit her in the shoulder and Applejack was knocked to the ground again.

“Hahahahaha! Yes—fear the might of Karza! Realize that I could have ended things with you in but a moment but merely wanted you to witness all of the amazing things that I can do!” Karza madly laughed.

Applejack rolled her eyes from her prone position and shot a powerful tremor through the ground towards him.

Karza watched in confusion as the ground split and cracked as a snakelike trail made its way towards him. Possibly shocked because something was happening to the ground that he had nothing to do with. Either way he could tell it was dangerous and upon seeing it wasn’t going to stop anytime soon he unmerged from the ground, his body once again looking like it was melting away from the dirt, and he levitated himself fully up into the air and to safely just in the nick of time.

The tremor—with nowhere else to go—exploded right where he had been stuck in the ground. Dirt and rocks were blasted up and fissures shot up all around it.

Applejack clicked her tongue and stood up, she wanted that to finish it. At least the ground had gone back to normal.

“Peculiar,” Karza said, rubbing his chin as he looked down at the after-effects of Applejack’s tremor and then over at the orange mare herself. “But don’t think this means anything. If it’s something simple I hardly need to be touching the earth directly to use my great powers. I’ve had enough of you and I believe it’s time to end this for real.”

Karza made a slicing motion with his hoof and the earth split open beneath Applejack’s hooves before she could even react. She fell into it and in another split second before she could even shout or move the earth closed back up around her—only leaving her head above ground. The rest of her was buried and the pressure of all that dirt around her kept her from being able to move. Applejack struggled, trying to force herself out of the ground, but no matter what even her strength wasn’t enough for her to dig her body out. Not normally at least.

“I will leave you here as another warning and reminder of my power. You put up a better fight than those soldiers—so your defeat will have even more meaning. Tell the others when they find you that you could do nothing to the all-powerful Karza! Tell them of my greatness!” Karza shouted as he floated back down to the ground. He chuckled in amusement as he watched her struggle, just a head tugging and bumping around. “Fret not—ponies from Maple Town are coming already, just stay here and ruminate in your failure.”

Applejack stopped her struggling and sharply glared up at him. “You haven’t won yet.”

The ground shook and the surface cracked and Applejack launched herself up out of it with Hoof of the Earth, coming down easily on her hooves just a few feet away from Karza. And now they were facing off again. A brief moment of shock passed over Karza’s face before vanishing.

“I don’t know for sure if I’m more curious or annoyed with you right now,” Karza coldly regarded her. “But I suppose you’re right—this isn’t over yet. Come back tomorrow and we can finish things. And I will discover the secret behind the power you possess. Those Equinestanians coming this way would only get in the way of my goals.”

And with that Karza sunk into the ground—cape and all.

Applejack’s eyes widened as he slunk away, not expecting that. She sent an exploratory tremor into the ground but couldn’t find him at all. He was gone.

“Tch. Dang it,” she slammed her hoof down.

And only a moment later she heard hooves running towards her from the direction of Maple Town…

Apples, Strawberries, and Pears, Oh My! III

The next day Applejack and Wild Strawberry were together in another part of Elysium’s View where the meeting between the three families was to be held. Obviously none of them would accept meeting on one of their farms. It wasn’t back in the town in the middle part of Elysium’s View, but in the hills to the east of the farms where Applejack had originally seen other buildings and settlements on her arrival to Elysium’s View. The building they had chosen was apparently an old courtroom that was mostly repurposed to handle things like this instead of normal trials or hearings. Anypony could rent it out and use it if they had something formal and important to discuss.

And the problem of every apple, strawberry, and pear going bitter was definitely important.

Everypony had arrived by now and Applejack was pleased to realize she recognized most of them even if just from passing. It was mostly some of the Pears she didn’t recognize—not having even gotten in their home. A few ponies, when they had the time to bother, looked over and noticed her as well. She got quite a wide variety of reactions. It probably didn’t help her case that she was sitting with the Strawberries and not on her own, but there wasn’t anything she could do about that.

She wasn’t even allowed to talk according to Wild Strawberry and Mr. Berries—since she wasn’t from here and had no official stake in what was going on.

Though if things got bad she might have to break that rule. Wouldn’t be the first time she got rowdy at what amounted to a town hall meeting.

There were a couple of things she noticed before the actual meeting got under way. While most ponies were keeping to their own families and not even acknowledging the others yet, talking in hushed voices and throwing nasty glances at most, a few were different. In particular she saw Sunshine discreetly wave and smile at the Pear twins—and Maybelline caught the eye of Big Hoof and turned away with the slightest blush on her face.

Interesting… Applejack thought. Whether it was forbidden romance or just friendship in some cases, Applejack recognized the signs. It was already apparent that not everypony was so deadset against each other, but none could go against their parents.

Ol’ Honeycrisp then started rapping her hooves on the desk in front of her to quiet things down and get everypony’s attention. Seems with everypony here it was finally time to get things started. Although she wondered right off the bat if Mr. Berries and Mother Pear Jam would be annoyed that Ol’ Honeycrisp seemed to believe that she had the right to start their meeting. Either way things indeed got quiet as the little individual conversations died off and the three families of farmers all sat with each other and faced off. There were quite a few venomous gazes being thrown around already.

Mr. Berries cleared his throat. “I’ll just come out and say this then—we still haven’t been able to fix the bitter problem with our strawberries. I’m assuming you haven’t had any luck with your apples or pears either?”

“Nope,” Ol’ Honeycrisp frowned in annoyance.

“Not at all,” Mother Pear Jam replied.

“Okay,” Mr. Berries nodded before narrowing his eyes at the two matriarchs. “So are either of you finally going to take responsibility for what’s happened so we can deal with it?”

Applejack and Wild Strawberry both groaned and slammed their heads down on the table in front of them while angry shouting erupted throughout the courtroom.

Apples, Strawberries, and Pears alike were all trying to yell over one another. Even some of the more reserved ponies she had met or seen were stirred up by the accusations. Not that she could blame them. Applejack would be pretty dang angry too if some pony had accused her of poisoning their orchards—and in turn accidentally poisoning her own. She wasn’t sure if Mr. Berries, Ol’ Honeycrisp, or Mother Pear Jam actually believed that one of the other families had done this or if they just wanted somepony to blame.

“Your ugly strawberries were probably always bitter! It had to be you who sabotaged our farms!” An Apple shouted.

“Don’t you dare speak about our strawberries that way!”

“It was probably the Pears—they were the last ones to admit their fruits had gone bitter!”

“You’re jealous that we’ve been selling more than you lately!”

“Well none of us are selling anymore thanks to your sabotage!”

“We didn’t sabotage the fruit—one of you did!”

“The Apple family was here first and we would never-”

“No you weren’t, our Strawberry family was here first!”

“You Strawberries have always been dirty, scummy, and untrustworthy. At least pears and apples both grow in trees!”

“That’s what makes strawberries special! They’re sweeter, tastier, and just plain better than pears or apples!”

“How dare you!”

Applejack slumped over and rubbed her temples, trying to drown out the pointless arguments and insults that were being slung back and forth. At this point there were only a few ponies even attempting to regain any order. Next to her, Wild Strawberry despondently looked out around at the chaos, taking her hat off and resting it on the table with a sigh. This was going nowhere fast and Applejack didn’t know what she could do about it. If she had figured out why the fruits had gone bitter and knew how to fix things then maybe she could get them to get along again. But with things the way they were? There was far too much animosity and it was all getting worse and worse cause now their business and their livelihoods were being directly affected.

Eventually though, with some clamoring from the heads of the families as they got their ponies’ attention, the chaos of the courtroom started to die down once more. But there was a noticeable edge in the air as Mr. Berries, Ol’ Honeycrisp, and Mother Pear Jam all glared at once another. Any veneer of civility and politeness had been tossed away.

“Well then, regardless of who’s responsible for this or not or how we’re going to solve it, the Council of Lords has contacted all of us by now. Correct?” Mr. Berries asked.

“That’s right,” Ol’ Honeycrisp said while Mother Pear Jam merely nodded.

“They’re very upset with our harvests… it could damage Elysium’s View entire economy, food stores, the tourism industry. Our farms were central to the development of Elysium’s View after all and now they’re… failing,” Mr. Berries bit out.

“Those Lords can take their decree and shove it where the sun doesn’t shine!” Mother Pear Jam slammed a hoof down.

“For once I agree with the Pear,” Ol’ Honeycrisp snarled. “They got no right whatsoever to take control of the farms and kick us off! Not like they know how to grow our own fruit better anyways!”

Applejack’s eyes widened in shock. Things were actually a lot worse than she had thought, this Council of Lords—apparently whatever passed for the government in Elysium’s View—was threatening to take their farms away if the fruit didn’t go back to normal? No wonder everypony was this on edge and angry. And yet they still refused to get along and solve their problem together.

Mr. Berries folded his hooves and sat back in his chair. “True, but they’ve made their decision. We have a week to solve the bitter problem before they take ownership of all three of our farms.”

That sent a wave of angry and worried grumbling through the chamber. This time the ponies stayed talking to their own families, asking about what would happen to them, if the Council of Lords could really do that, wondering if there was something they could do. And of course—why nothing they did changed how bitter the fruit they were growing continued to be. Applejack was privy to hearing them talk about how they had changed soil, examined the water, checked for infestations, watched the trees 24/7 to see if any animals did anything, tested preserves against newly made jams and jellies, went over absolutely everything and anything that went into their farming methods.

And nopony came up with a single answer as to why this was happening. Applejack was starting to wonder if maybe it was somehow the result of magic, a wayward spell, a curse, anything. Since she had no way to explain it with her knowledge of farming. Or maybe it really was some kind of sabotage—even though with how much these ponies vehemently denied it she doubted it was any of them. Maybe somepony else was behind it? Or maybe even some kind of strange thing was happening to all the land in Elysium’s View and it was affecting the farms? After all, the Everfree outside of Ponyville could occasionally do things like that.

There was just no solid explanation Applejack could think of right now. And she didn’t want to boast but if she couldn’t figure out why all these apples had gone bitter she highly doubted anypony else could. And the apples, pears, and strawberries were all connected and in the exact same boat.

This was definitely the friendship problem she was here to solve but she didn’t know how! She had helped solve so many other problems but she at least had one of her other friends there with her. On her own like this she didn’t know where to start—bullheadedness probably wasn’t the right answer but that was usually what she brought to the table in situations like this. And it wasn’t just that the ponies here preferred their own fruits, they didn’t even respect the work the other farmers did, nor the differences and good things about the other fruits beside their own.

In that moment Applejack realized she had to take a slice of humble pie, since she had been just as bad in the past occasionally.

“One of you has to be at fault! We’ve done everything, short of moving the farm and growing our apples somewhere else entirely there’s nothing we can do!” Ol’ Honeycrisp yelled.

“Why don’t you let us inspect your farm if you’re so sure it was one of us who started this,” Mother Pear Jam glared at her. “Maybe some outside eyes can figure out what’s wrong with your apples.”

“All you would do is find some way to blame us—or plant whatever poison it is you used! Let us inspect your farm first!” Ol’ Honeycrisp accused right back.

“Maybe you’re both secretly in cahoots and this is all a trick...” Mr. Berries ground his teeth in paranoia. “It’s some way to get my land taken from me and then you’ll divide it up together. I bet maybe you’ve even gotten some of the Lords on your side...”

That accusation of course started up an entire new round of loud arguing as everypony tried shouting over one another once more. Some of the worst insults and suspicions a pony could sling at another got thrown back and forth. And all the while Applejack was getting angrier and angrier as well. Her already strained patience was close to breaking.

“Are y’all really going to just let this happen?” Applejack said.

She spoke at normal volume though so only Wild Strawberry could hear her. The filly looked up at her in confusion while the other ponies continued to argue.

“Are y’all really going to just let this happen,” Applejack repeated—louder but still drowned out by the arguing.

At last she slammed her hooves on the table with enough force to crack it. “ARE Y’ALL REALLY GOING TO JUST LET THIS HAPPEN?!”

The courtroom went quiet as all the ponies looked over in surprise at her. At most a few whispers were traded as some of the ponies not totally familiar with her asked their family who she was. Mr. Berries frowned, and Ol’ Honeycrisp and Mother Pear Jam were both glaring at her. She was an outsider, one who hadn’t even been here for long, and she hadn’t exactly made friends with any of them. Yeah, they had plenty right to be angry at her right now. But that still didn’t change the fact that Applejack needed to speak up.

“How can you sit here and argue like this when everything’s about to be taken away from you! Can’t you tell that there are bigger things that need to be done, that this affects everypony and every farm? You need to set aside your differences and figure out why all your fruit has gone bad! These sort of accusations aren’t helping anypony! Don’t you want to be able to pass your farm down to your children and to your children’s children? Isn’t that what should be the most important thing? Instead you’re about to lose everything because of these petty rivalries. Even if you don’t like each other can you really not even tolerate one another? Is that too much to ask? I know none of you are responsible for why your fruit has gone bitter—it’s something else! Stop accusing one another out of hate and paranoia and start working together!”

Applejack stopped her speech and started breathing a bit heavier, a little out of breath. She was getting a lot of different looks for sure. Some surprised, some engaged, some sad, and most of all—angry. And unfortunately three of those angry gazes were coming from the three current heads of the farms. She had broken the rules, she knew, but she couldn’t just sit here and listen to all that go on. There were a few sympathetic faces out there and even maybe a few that agreed with her, but the ponies who made the rules and decisions here were unswayed.

Ol’ Honeycrisp scoffed and pushed back her chair, standing up. “I think we’re done here. This has been just as pointless as I thought it would be—we’ll solve this problem on our own.”

“So will we,” Mother Pear Jam said and stood up as well. “The Pears will look out for their own, we don’t care what happens to your farms.”

“Well then you’ll both have to see our strawberry farm as the last one standing. When we figure out what you’ve done we certainly won’t share how to stop the bitterness,” Mr. Berries defiantly said.

“Bunch of hot air,” Ol’ Honeycrisp snorted. “Come on everypony! We Apples are heading home!”

The Pears got up as well and started to file out while Mr. Berries shot an unamused glare at Applejack before the Strawberries started to leave too. Wild Strawberry patted her on the back a little while Applejack continued to sit and stew in all her negative thoughts. This hadn’t gone well, nopony was even really willing to listen to or acknowledge her at all. Hopefully she was still going to be welcome at Strawberry Manor...

“We’ll figure something out,” Wild Strawberry said to her. “Not everypony was against what you said or doesn’t want to work together.”

“Mm...” Applejack grunted. “You’re right, and I’m certainly not giving up until we’ve helped these ponies here and can save their farms.”