Foreigner in a Foreign Land

Applejack wasn’t sure if there were any gods, but if there were they probably thought this was a funny joke. Once an apple farmer, she was now in a country she didn’t know, living in a prostitute’s den and working as a bouncer. If there was a god that had their hand in this, they were probably laughing it up. Still, as long as she didn’t become a prostitute she could live with it.

Her first day as a bouncer was largely clam. Applejack stood by the door, trying to look intimidating. A few of the stallions that entered gave her an odd look and asked Saku if she was one of the working mares, to which Applejack replied by stomping her back feet on the ground. Saku would then say the same thing every time.

“Ask at your own risk.” They never did. Instead they would sit down on a couch with a jar of sake they bought at the bar. The mares would saunter up and sit beside them. They would pour the alcohol into their drinking dish and flirt with them. Applejack tried not to pay attention. No matter how ugly, fat or dumb they were, the mares acted as if they were the most desirable in all the land. The stallions drank it up, in both attention and booze. Finally, after a while they would choose one of the mares and be led by the arm to the back hallway. Applejack would occasionally have to close her eyes and shiver. She cursed the fact that she had an imagination. Despite the fact that she tried hard not to, her mind would occasionally paint a picture of the two of them in the middle of ecstasy. It was even harder not to imagine it when Kaede took a stallion to the back room, considering that she had seen her do such things before. In the end, all Applejack did was stand around. That is, until it got late.

When the sun went down the amount of stallions increased dramatically. There was a constant flow of them and alcohol. A few of them were getting stupid and Applejack was getting anxious. With the ridiculous amount they were drinking one of them was bound to get reckless. Then she would have to act. It also didn’t help that at one point she glanced over and saw something that made her pale. Kaede, in plain view, had her face in between a cackling stallion’s legs and was bobbing her head back and forth. All the other males were laughing along with him. Applejack almost lurched and jerked her away to Saku, who was staring at the country pony, concerned.

“They’re...” Applejack said, pointing. Saku only glanced for a moment before turning back to her bouncer and shrugging.

“Some of them like to do it public.” Saku replied. “As long as they pay they can do it on the roof for all I care.” Applejack gulped and tried not to look in that direction. When she dared to glance she instantly turned away and covered her mouth. Kaede was on her knees in front of him. The stallion was rubbing himself in front of her, finishing on her face. Applejack was trying desperately to think of something else, but anything of her past was unpleasant and anything current was horrifying. A few moments later however her attention was drawn back to the present.

“No way!!!” Came a shout from the hallway.

“C’mon! I’m paying you!!” Shouted a stallion.

“I’m NOT doing that!!” Abruptly, one of the mares pushed a stallion out of the hallway. She was nude, holding her clothes to her chest.

“I’m paying, and you’ll do what I want!” It was clear from his shouts that he had been drinking far too much.

“That’s disgusting! I refuse!” The stallion marched over and stood over her menacingly.

“Listen to me you cheap whore! You going to do what I want or so help me I will beat your face so far into the ground...!!!” Saku turned to Applejack and motioned towards the stallion. The country stallion, actually eager to have something to do, quickly marched forward. She remembered something her grandmother once said to her when she feared for her safety. If you hit a stallion between the legs, he may still keep going. If you cut off his wind pipe he’ll crumple like a dry leaf. Without the stallion suspecting a thing, Applejack came up behind him. In one swift move, the country pony reached around his neck and jerked him backwards. He instantly croaked painfully and flailed helplessly. Applejack dragged him to the door, which Saku had then opened. The country pony whirled him around, so that he was in the entrance.

“You bitch! Who do you think...!” He didn’t get to finish. Applejack whirled around, reared back and gave him a powerful buck. The stallion went flying, although more gently than Applejack’s first. He somersaulted across the street and slammed into the pillar that Applejack ruined before. It cracked again, this time almost snapping in half. The mares of other establishments peeked out; surprised that it had happened again. Saku then closed the door.

“Let that be a lesson!” She shouted to all the stallions inside. “We won’t tolerate any rabble-rousers anymore!” Most of the stallions lifted their booze and gave affirmative responses. Applejack turned back around to see the mare in the hallway give her nod and a “thank you” before turning and returning back to her room to fix herself up. Saku reached under the bar and retrieved several coins. She held them out to Applejack.

“Your pay for today.” She said. “You’ve earned it.” The country pony took them and gazed at them. It had actually been a hell of a long time since she’s held real money. It made her feel horribly poor and backward that she was so fascinated by money. A pony bounded over to her. She looked up and saw Kaede, now cleaned up.

“Now that you got paid, do you want to go eat?” She asked excitedly.

“Uh...yeah...but...” Applejack abruptly reached over and poured a cup of alcohol. She held it out to Kaede. “Wash out your mouth.”

“Huh? Oh. Right.” Saku actually chuckled.

“A gold one is worth ten yen, a silver five and a copper one.” Saku stated to Applejack as Kaede drank and washed the alcohol around her mouth. The older mare pulled out two pots, similar to the one Kaede had her rice in before. “ A pound of rice is three yen; don’t let them charge you higher.”

“Okay.” Applejack said, nodding and taking the pots. Kaede spit the alcohol back into the cup. As they exited the building she spilled it out onto the ground.

They walked through the district in the fading light, letting Applejack get a better look at it. All the buildings were similar. Most of the ponies were similar, wearing their mane in the same buns and the same kind of white makeup on their face. However a few were different. A few of them were bald and wearing loose orange robes. Some others were wearing clothes from head to hoof, face to tail...except for certain provocative areas. Then there were some completely nude and would flash their rumps at passing stallions. They were far fewer however. A few of the buildings had stallions sitting out front, drinking.

“This place is different in the light.” Applejack remarked.

“You haven’t looked around this place, have you?” Kaede asked. “It can get crazy sometimes. When the soldiers get paid, about once every three months, things get hectic.”

“Why are...some of them different?” Applejack asked, staring at some of the mares that were nude. Kaede chuckled.

“Some of them appeal to a more...base crowd.” Kaede explained, motioning to some of the naked ones. “The ones covered completely in clothes are following the ancient style of escorts. Long ago that was how they dressed and some stallions still like it. The ones that are bald and have orange robes are nuns.”

“Nuns!?” Applejack shouted, shocked.

“They’re of a particular order that believes that giving happiness in this life will give them just as much in the next.”

“Oh...” Applejack said, gawking.

“Most of us are modeled after geisha. Saku’s place is actually considered to be on high-end.”

“What about that stallions hanging around?”

“Those are the owners.” Applejack furrowed her brow. She still wasn’t too keen or happy with the fact that all the mares here had been bought and sold, although they didn’t seem to mind so much. They exited the walls on one side of the place to find various stalls set up. There were mares coming and going, all of them carrying the same kind of pot as Applejack and Kaede.

“Why are all the pots the same?” Applejack asked.

“Government issue.” Kaede replied. They then stood at the shortest line. Each of the places seemed to selling rice, in addition to other things. Applejack looked around at the small market. She spotted a single vendor whom no pony was at. He appeared annoyed and angry and sat without a single customer. This was odd, considering he was selling pretty much what everypony else was.

“What’s with him?” Applejack asked, pointing to him. Kaede glanced briefly before making an unpleasant face and turning back around.

“He’s a pig.” She said. “He always comments about our features in a demeaning way, tries to get the mares to pay with their body and when they do if they couldn’t get any customers he insults them, talks bad about them and demands even more from them next week.” Applejack raised her eyebrow. He sounded like a real gem...but he didn’t have a line. Applejack began trotting towards his stand. It took Kaede a few moments to realize that her friend was gone and a few more to see where she was going. She glanced curiously, wondering what the mare was doing. The vendor didn’t even notice as she approached. He was busy staring at the ground, brooding.

“Ahem.” Applejack said. He jerked his head up. His eyes widened briefly at seeing a foreigner in front of him. Then, as if remembering who she was, he groaned and looked away.

“Oh, it’s that foreign sow.” He muttered. Applejack felt that vein in her head pop, but she kept her cool. “What do you want?” Applejack lifted her pot. “It’ll be five.”

“Two.” She replied cooly.

“Five.”

“Two.”

“Five.” He gazed over the stand and studied Applejack’s body. “Or...we could work out a different deal...” Applejack lifted up one of her black legs and slammed it on the ground. It made an unusually loud pop. The stallion jumped and shrunk back. Apparently Applejack’s reputation preceded her because he abruptly appeared afraid. “Kidding, kidding!!” The country pony grinned innocently.

“Two.” Applejack said.

“At least give me four!” He sounded like he was begging now.

“Two.” The foreigner wasn’t budging.

“C’mon! At least three!!” Applejack stomped her hoof on the ground again. The vendor shrunk back again, more than a little scared.

“Two.” She didn’t budge an inch. The stallion grumbled and looked away.

“If I sell it for two then I won’t make a profit.” He sounded like he was being honest.

“You afraid your other customers will expect the same deal?” Applejack asked sarcastically. The stallion sneered at her.

“Make it three.” He said. “And I’ll throw in an umeboshi.” Applejack stared at his other wares besides rice. She spotted something that made her heart leap. She managed to keep it hidden however.

“I’ll make it three,” Applejack began. “If you throw in an apple.” Lying in a pile was a small batch of the red fruit. The stallion looked incredulous.

“Apples are expensive!” He declared. “It’s not worth it! Two umeboshi.”

“Gosh I can’t tell you just how tempting that is.” Applejack said, thinly veiling her sarcasm. “But no. Three yen, a pound of rice and an apple.”

“Are you serious?” He asked, now sounding angry.

“You better hurry; I bet all the customers behind me are eagerly waiting.” The stallion growled, his anger boiling over.

“Fine.” He spat. He roughly took the pot and loaded some rice into it. He then grabbed one of the red apples and dumped in there as well. Applejack counted out three of the bronze coins in front of him. He shoved the pot back into her hooves. “Pleasure doing business.” He said sneering. Applejack grinned and turned around. “You damn sow.” Applejack kicked the front of his stand as she walked away, loudly rattling it. The man squealed and ducked, as if expecting the kick to the heading for his head. Instead the country pony smirked as she trotted away gleefully.

The moment she was away from the stand however she stopped, reached into the pot and removed the red apple. She removed the few seeds of rice from it and studied it. It was bright red and ripe. The country pony leaned over and took a big whiff of it. The familiar smell struck her straight to her soul, the scent of a fresh, delightful apple, harvested and ready for market. Then Applejack brought the fruit to her mouth and took a bite. The juicy insides stirred memories in her mind. She could see herself when she was young, trying to buck her first apple tree. She could remember making zap apple jam with her grandmother, hopping around in a rabbit costume. She could remember the sweet apple cider, perfect on those cool autumn days. Then stirred some unpleasant memories. She could remember her first apple pie, given to her by her grandmother. She ate it through tears after her parent’s funeral. It was so sweet she couldn’t help but keep eating, even if her tears were landing on it. She could remember the day Granny Smith died. It was a peaceful summer day and the apple trees were in bloom. The whole place had that pleasant smell while Applejack cried and the old pony passed away quietly as she slept. Finally of that day when she had her last harvest of apples. She dragged herself up to her house, alone and completely exhausted. All she found however was that her door had a new lock and there was a paper posted on it with that dreaded word...

“Okay, I’m ready!” Kaede shouted. Applejack nearly jumped out of her skin as she was ripped from her daydream. Applejack quickly wiped her eyes, trying to hide all her emotion. “Are...are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Applejack said quickly. Kaede saw that she had an apple with a bite out of it in her hoof.

“Bad memories?” She asked.

‘I don’t want to talk about it.” Applejacks said, taking another bite out of the apple and turning back towards the district. The other mare followed her, still looking concerned.

“If they remind you of bad things why would you eat one?” Applejack chuckled and briefly wiped her nose.

“Because.” She replied. “I like apples.”

The next few days were uneventful, at least for Applejack’s job. Apart from the occasional exhibitionist there was nothing to it. Occasionally some of the stallions would get rowdy and start shouting. Applejack would simply bang one of her hooves on the wall loudly and they would all instantly shut-up. Word had begun to spread about her and she had all of the patrons running scared.

One morning, after a particularly uneventful day, Applejack led the last drunken patron out onto the street. She then snuffed out the hanging lantern outside, showing that they were closed until lunch the next day. She walked back inside and stretched. It was getting pretty tiresome standing there day after day listening to other mares having sex. She also couldn’t get over being around it so much. Saku was the only mare still up. She was washing the dishes leftover from the day in a bucket.

“Let me help.” Applejack said, picking up a few of the dirty cups.

“You can go to bed, I don’t mind.” Saku replied.

“I do. I’m bored.” Applejack retorted. She began washing the dishes along with the mare, whether she liked it or not. After several moments of scrubbing the drinking dishes Applejack noticed just how many of them there were. “They sure drink a lot.”

“Stallions come here to drown their troubles.” Saku replied. “Whether it be with the ladies or sake.” Applejack studied her employer. Despite the fact that she was middle-aged she carried herself in a graceful manner. It was very reminiscent of the other working mares. Perhaps it was something leftover from the time that she worked.

“How long have you been working here?” Applejack dared to ask.

“I’ve been working here all my life, owned it for seven years.”

“Were you a farmer like the rest of us?” Saku chuckled and then sighed solemnly.

“No, I wasn’t.” Saku gulped and gazed up the ceiling. “My parents were wealthy land owners. I spent my younger years actually getting an education.” She reached under the bar and retrieved her money bag for the day. She trotted over to a rather innocuous tatami mat on the floor and lifted it up. Underneath was a square section of the floor. She lifted it up as well, revealing a large hole underneath. Inside were neat, orderly stacks of bars of what appeared to be silver and a box of coins.

“Wow...” Applejack said breathlessly. “Are those, real silver?”

“Of course.” Saku replied, depositing the coins into the box. “Only nobles can own gold bricks, it’s illegal for commoners to do so. All we can have are gold coins no more than a certain amount or silver bricks, so here’s my treasure.” Saku then closed it and hid it once more.

“That’s...a strange law.” Applejack said, making a face. It wasn’t the only strange law she had come across in this land either. This country regulated who you could marry, your portion size of what you ate with those pots and now even what kind of currency you could have.

“The laws are there to assure obedience.” Saku stated. “Those in charge fear that if the common people starts marry up, become rich, start controlling the economy or become too educated that they will begin to rise up. Most ponies barely get enough to survive. I was blessed with education in finance and mathematics.”

“Really?” Applejack asked. Saku smiled and began preparing the sake for the next day.

“That and the sake dealer gives me a rather large discount. He’s...an old friend.” She seemed amused with herself.

“Friend?”

“He was one of my most loyal buyers back when I was young.”

“Oh...” Applejack said, nervously glancing at the ground. She began stacking the clean plates under the bar. “So if you were educated and rich how did you end up here?” Saku paused for a moment and sighed. A rather unpleasant expression came over her face.

“Marriages are arranged.” Saku began. “Especially among the rich and the nobles. My father arranged mine when I was a foal. When I was a teenager and stupid I fell in love with one of my father’s workers. He was handsome, built and a very smooth talker. Saku rattled one of the alcohol jars to discover that it was nearly empty. She tipped it over and poured the remainder into her mouth. She set the jar aside and sighed yet again, sounding sad. “We were caught in an illicit relationship. The usual punishment for such things is a fine and maybe some lashings. My father knew the magistrate however. He had his worker executed. As I was no longer pure I was no longer good for marriage. He sold me.” Applejack’s jaw dropped. How could...a father do that!?

“That was...!!” Applejack began.

“A very long time ago.” Saku said. “I’m over it. The stallion in charge of this place bought me. I spent the rest of my teen and adult years here. When he died I decided to take over the place. Built up a nice nest egg.” There was a long silence with Applejack fiddling nervously.

“I’m sorry.” She finally said.

“I don’t want your pity.”

“Whether you want it or not, you have it.” Saku laughed and gazed at the ceiling.

“You’re way too honest for your own good.”

“You have no idea.”

“Let me guess,” Saku gazed at Applejack. She had a determined look in her eyes. “If I hadn’t made you the bouncer you would have left here and struck out on your own?”

“Yep.”

“Even though everypony out there would hate and fear you?”

“Yep.”

“Even though you might be killed?

“Yep.”

“Even though, in the end, you would have starved?”

“Definitely.”

“You have a strong heart.” Saku finally finished her work and began walking into the hallway. “A pity you came here in such a dark time.”

Applejack went to bed that night more disturbed than when she got here. For the first time since her life fell apart, Applejack found herself wishing she were in Equestria. The powers of this country were very controlling, it was legal to sell your daughters in prostitution and said prostitution was considered to be a good profession. On top of it all, Applejack hadn’t left this place since she arrived. For all she knew it could be worse outside the walls. She fell asleep, her mind more troubled than ever.

“I’m sorry Miss Applejack, but you are nearly a year behind.”

“You can’t! Please, you can’t! My family built this place from scratch! Give me one more harvest! I know I can make up the money!”

“Miss, you and I both know that prices have been steadily dropping. Even if you did get a huge harvest I don’t think...”

“Please! Please! You can’t do this! Give me one more chance! Please!”

“Alright miss, we will defer one more time. However if you fail to pay we will be forced to...”

Applejack was jolted awake. For a few moments, she lay still, stunned from her vivid dreams. She could feel that her cheeks and the edges of her eyes were wet. She growled for a moment before wiping her face. She had cried enough for one lifetime already. Now she was going to be in a foul mood for the rest of the day. That was when she heard something alarming.

“No! You’re hurting me!” Applejack snapped up in her bed. It was Kaede, and she didn’t sound like she was having a good time. Through the shadows in the paper walls she saw a stallion on top of her, moving so violently that he looked like an animal.

“Good! I want it to hurt!” The stallion shouted. His front hooves came to her throat. Kaede made a sound of distress.

“You’re...you’re choking me!”

“That’s it! Gag! Gag you whore!” He was thrusting away, obviously enjoying it. The mare under him however was flailing and gurgling.

“Sir...can’t...breathe...” Applejack could feel a red haze set over her eyes. Hatred billowed in her gut once more. These mares had absolutely nothing in their lives. The only place they can move up to is becoming a prostitute...and they were happy to do it! They were trapped in these jobs, unable to move back or up. They work hard every day and the only thing they wanted were a few coins...and these stallions wanted to abuse them for it!!! Applejack jumped up, galloped out of her room and slid the door open to Kaede’s. Despite the fact that she ran in and got a good view of what they were doing, she felt no aversion. Her rage was too strong. The stallion spun around, appearing angry. The mare underneath him was actually turning blue.

“What the hell!?” He shouted. Applejack dashed forward, grabbed him by the throat and slammed him back onto the ground. The country mare held him roughly against the floor, causing him to instantly gag.

“Is it fun!?” Applejack shouted. “Do you like it!? What makes you think you can do this to her!?”

“Applejack stop!” Kaede shouted, managing to stand up. “It’s not that bad...he’s just...”

“Drunk!?” Applejack shouted at Kaede without releasing the stallion. “They’re all drunk Kaede! It doesn’t give them the right to do whatever they want! They shouldn’t hurt you no matter who they are!” Kaede flinched. No one had ever spoken to her like that. It was like Applejack was mad at her...for not standing up for herself. The stallion underneath the country mare abruptly spat in Applejack’s face.

“You bitch!” He croaked. Applejack’s eyes exploded with rage. She turned back to him and kicked him in the stomach harshly. He wheezed in pain.

“Time to show you some respect.” Applejack said, snarling. She grabbed him by the hair and immediately began dragging him down the hallway. He was yelling and screaming like a wounded animal.

Outside in the district a strange group of people were making their way down the streets. They were attracting tons of attention, with all of the mares and stallion owners gawking. At the head was a samurai, his garb and sword giving him away. Following him were perhaps the oddest looking ponies in the world. One was huge and fat, one was bald and wearing a monk’s clothes, despite being armed, one was a very thin and gangly pony littered with scars and finally there was one that was familiar with the district, a soldier with his chest bandaged and his face staring at the ground. Samurai rarely came looking around here, and when they did they generally hid their status. Most of the working mares were too stunned to try and solicit. Those that did only received a smile in return. The injured soldier continued pointing down the streets, apparently leading them. After heading down lane after lane the very thin pony turned to the Samurai.

“We’re meandering around the place.” He said, his voice thin and grating. “We’ve almost looped ourselves a few times. All the buildings look alike, but I can tell.”

“Toma?” The samurai said menacingly. “If you lie to me you are officially dismissed...with no pension.” The injured soldier groaned for a moment before pointing down the lane.

“We’re almost there, I swear.” He said. They turned the last lane. As they approached one of the buildings they heard a mighty shout.

“AND STAY OUT!!!!” A stallion exploded out of the door of one of the buildings. He careened through the air and struck a support beam on the opposite building. The support beam had been repaired in the middle with some kind of paste as well as wrapped with bedding to apparently soften the blow. It did no good this time however. The beam snapped completely, shattering apart. The stallion continued on, shattering through the front wall of the establishment and crashing inside, earning screams from the working mares. A few seconds later the portion of the roof that had been supported by the beam collapsed, sending wood everywhere. “Scum!!” The mare that apparently done the throwing shouted. She reached for their crashed door, picked it up and placed it over the entrance. For a few moments, the party didn’t move, instead marveling at what they just saw.

“I uh...take it that this is the place?” The samurai said. Toma only grumbled. The party walked forward, the injured soldier the least enthusiastic.

“Was that necessary?” Saku asked, now sounding a bit annoyed. Applejack now appeared annoyed.

“He deserved it.” Applejack said.

“The place across the street is going to be pissed.” Saku said. Kaede ran out from the hallway, looking worried.

“Applejack! Please calm down! He’s just...!”

“Don’t defend him!” Applejack said. “He doesn’t deserve it!” Applejack pointed to all the mares and stallions present who were gawking at her. “These mares deserve respect, and I’m going make sure they get it! Just because their job is to sleep with you does not mean you own them, you got it!?” Everypony of the place continued staring, unsure of what to do.

“Bravo.” A smooth voice said at the entrance. Applejack whirled around. A pony attempted to slide the door, but instead it just fell over. “Oh yes. Forgot for a moment.” That was when Applejack saw him for the first time.

He was different from all the scum she had seen before. There was something noble about him, almost regal. His mane and tail were black, his coat white and his eyes dark. His cutie mark was that of a curved sword in it’s sheathe. There was something kind about his face, as if he not only understood others but also cared. His robes were bright white, but in addition he had some kind of vest on over it with large shoulder flaps. On the vest were symbols that had been sewed on. He also had a curved sword strapped to his side. He trotted in, showing off a charming and disarming smile.

“I’ve heard stories about this place, I’m glad it’s true.” Saku’s eyes widened when he trotted inside.

“A samurai...!” She said breathlessly. Applejack looked equally shocked. She gazed him up and down. He looked both strong and graceful, making it difficult for Applejack to tear her gaze away from him. He walked up to her and flashed that roguish smile.

“You must be Applejack.” He said.

“Who? Oh, uh, yeah that’s me.” Applejacks said flabbergasted. The samurai held up his hoof for a moment.

“Come on in Toma.” As soon as the soldier entered Applejack instantly recognized him as the first pile of scum she kicked out of here. He entered with his head down and his voice grumbling. “Don’t you have something to say?” The samurai nudged the soldier. Toma then sighed.

“Applejack, Saku, Kaede, I apologize for my behavior.” He muttered. “It was out of line and I shamed myself and my family. Please forgive me.” Applejack seemed surprised. What kind of hold did this samurai have over this soldier to make him do something he obviously didn’t want to do?

“I accept your apology.” Saku said.

“Me too.” Kaede piped in. Applejack frowned, appearing stubborn. Kaede walked forward, giving the country pony a nudge. “Come on, he’s apologizing, you know how rare that is?” Applejack grumbled.

“Fine.” She said reluctantly.

“You know my policy Toma.” Saku said. “If this happens a third time you’re banned.”

“I understand.” Toma said.

“And you are forbidden from drinking here.”

“What!?” He jerked his head up. He appeared shocked now. “I can’t drink!? That’s not fair.”

“Honestly Toma,” Saku said. “do you think Sakura will be impressed with you getting wasted?” Toma blushed and jerked his head to one of the mares. The particular mare scoffed and lifted her fan, hiding her face. Toma grumbled and looked at the ground. Apparently he had a crush on one of the ponies.

“That will be all Toma.” The samurai said. “Return to the base, go nowhere else.”

“Yes sir.” Toma said. He turned and shuffled his way out of the building. The samurai then turned back to Applejack.

“Is it true that you are the one who kicked him?” He asked. Applejack flinched. This stallion was different than the ones before. He seemed much stronger and more skilled. She doubted she could get away with kicking him.

“Y-Yes.” The country pony admitted.

“That was a powerful kick. His entire torso is bruised and his ribs are cracked.”

“He deserved it.”

“I’m sure he did.” The samurai studied Applejack up and down. The mare blushed and felt very uncomfortable. What was he looking at? The stallion turned to Saku. “Excuse me madam, may I borrow your bouncer?”

“Borrow her?” The mare asked.

“I just wish to talk with her, do you mind? I’ll leave a temporary replacement for you.” A pony entered the place, although he barely fit. He was huge, so huge that Applejack felt tiny next to him. His stomach was large around, yet he also had large muscles underneath them. His hair was white, but his body red. His cutie mark looked like some sort of dress with a rope tied behind it. He also had a giant club at his side with metal studs in it.

“It’s up to Applejack, I don’t mind.” Saku said. The samurai turned back to the country mare.

“Well my lady, may we walk and talk?”

“Uh...uh...” Applejack was at a loss for words. This was the first time that a stallion had shown her respect in this country. Kaede nudged Applejack again.

“Go on.” She said. “It couldn’t hurt.”

“Uh...yeah...alright.” Applejack finally said.

“Thank you.” The samurai bowed and held his hoof towards the entrance. “Shall we?”

“O-Okay.” Applejack said. She tentatively trotted outside. The samurai winked at all of the mares before marching out the entrance. They muttered amongst themselves. They had never seen a samurai in full dress around here before. The massive pony left behind stood by the door, looking quite menacing. His eyes eventually rested on Kaede. They stared at each other for a moment. Then the mare smiled sweetly and raised her fan, hiding part of her face. The massive stallion cocked his eyebrow before smirking himself.

Applejack and the samurai walked out of the district, heading in the opposite direction she had first entered the place through. Behind them were the monk and the thin stallion, not saying a word. Applejack walked beside him as the district began to disappear behind them and they were rounding the dirt road. She was starting to get nervous. She was wandering deeper into a foreign country that hated and feared her. Where was she going?

“So...what is it you wanted to talk to me about?” Applejack asked nervously. “And where are we going? I don’t even know you.”

“My name is Saito Tama.” The samurai said, grinning nicely towards her. “In this country the family name comes first, so you can call me Tama.”

“Okay.” Applejack said.

“To answer your first question, I have a question of my own.” Tama explained. “What do you know about our country?”

“Not much.”

“And nothing good I’m guessing from where you work.”

“Yeah...” Applejack agreed nervously.

“It’s actually worse than you know.” The country mare’s head snapped around, surprised by his statement. “We have an Emperor, but he does not wield any political power. He is our spiritual leader and wisdom giver, telling us the will of the gods and giving us words to live by. The one who wields the real power is the Shogun.”

“Shogun?” Applejack asked.

“He is the most powerful daimyo of the most powerful clan. He’s the grand commander of the military and the head of the imperial court.”

“I see...” Applejack was quickly trying to absorb all of this information.

“For a century now, the shoguns of the Otomo clan have ruled. It is quite a testament to their cleverness and skill that they have managed to survive for so long.”

“They oppress the ponies with ridiculous laws.” Applejack said.

“You picked up on that did you?” Tama said, chuckling to himself. “What laws do you know of?”

“The one about gold, banning all foreigners, not marrying any other class and how it’s legal to sell your daughters.”

“There are more.”

“Like what?” Applejack now sounded worried.

“Farming mares are required to wash their husband’s hooves each night on their stomachs.”

“Huh?” Applejack sounded confused and stunned. Tama didn’t stop however.

“Each class is given a rank with the craftsmen and merchants being even lower than the farmers, this keeps them in check. Each class can only write documents and books in certain lengths depending on how high they are on the ladder. Clocks are officially forbidden. One cannot travel unless they are a samurai, soldier or have permission of the daimyo. The common ponies cannot carry any kind of weapon. Prostitutes may only operate in official districts. One cannot buy rice unless they have an official government-issued pot. Sake, weapons and any food other than rice can only be sold with a permit. If a province consistently gives less in tribute for three years they run the risk of having their finances taken over by the shogun treasury. Music, art, writing and new fashions must be approved with the official shogun censor. Things that are punishable by execution include building seafaring boats, possessing books in a different language, fraternizing with other classes except with official permission, possessing anything not manufactured inside the country, criticizing daimyo, samurai or the shogun and traveling to different provinces without a permit.”

“That’s ridiculous!!” Applejack shouted angrily. “Those don’t make any sense!”

“On the contrary, they all make perfect sense...if one were to think greedily.”

“I don’t follow.”

“Let’s think for a moment. Each law is meant to control or acquire more money. Keeping the craftsmen and merchants disgraced is to ensure they do not gain any financial power. Clocks are forbidden so that no official end work hour can be established. Land owners and daimyo can work their citizens as much as they want. Travel is restricted so other ponies cannot organize. Mares are degraded so that they will not gain any sort of influence. The government makes those pots to gain ridiculous amounts of money and show that one cannot live without them. They restrict other items to permits for the same reason. It’s actually very clever.”

“It’s cruel.”

“Indeed, more than you know.” Tama abruptly stopped. Applejack stopped as well, staring at him confused. “The shogun has been increasing the amount of taxes each year. This means the daimyo, to survive, have to increase taxes. This...can have devastating effects.” The samurai held his hoof out to the countryside. Applejack turned in the direction and saw shocking things. They were deep in the countryside now, without a sign of civilization anywhere. There were farming ponies going to and fro, but they weren’t in very good shape. All of them looked under fed and over worked. Their ribs were pressing against their skin and they looked dirty and tired. The stallions were tearing at hard and dry soil with simple tools. Mares and children were running all around with large pails of water. They were watering the dry ground behind the working stallions. Foals that looked so young they could barely walk were carrying water buckets almost larger than them. The buildings that were apparently their houses were simple shacks. They were all filthy, naked and hungry.

“Why...why are they like this?” Applejack said, instantly feeling horrible for them.

“Generally, when a daimyo has a surplus he puts some of it into subsidies for farmers to cultivate new land so there is no over-farming. However, with the tax rates on the daimyo so high there is no money for such things. Much of the farmland in this province is now almost useless...but there is no one to pay for more. In order to afford the tribute the daimyo must increase the taxes on things such as food and the landowners. With the landowners strapped, the daimyo paralyzed and prices on food high, no new land can be cultivated. Farmers are forced to use the same land over and over again, even if it’s completely tapped out.”

“This is...horrible.” Applejack could feel anger boiling in her gut again. “This is wrong.” She stomped her front hooves on the ground. “This is so wrong!!!”

“Glad you think so.” Tama said, turning off of the road and wandering into a grove of trees. “Most of the daimyo would agree with you.” Applejack gave him an odd stare, but followed him.

When they emerged from the group of trees they were in a field. Applejack saw that something was set up in the field. There was a giant sign with a target painted on it. There was also a wooden stand with a large, perfectly round stone on it.

“What is this?” Applejack asked.

“An exercise.” Tama said, walking up to the stand with the rock on it. The sign with the target on it was a straight shot from it, about fifty feet away.

“What kind?” The samurai chuckled.

“There are four sacred arts of Nippony.” He elaborated. “Sumo, Kenjutsu, Naginatajutsu and Iwado.” Applejack tilted her head. Where did they come up with these words? Seeing her confusion, the samurai elaborated.

“Sumo is wrestling, the giant pony currently playing bouncer was one up until a few months ago.”

“He must have been good.” Applejack interjected.

“One of the best.” Tama said with slight reverence in his voice. “He was one of my favorites and I followed him even when I was small. His name is Yokozuna Kato Saiga, Yokozuna being his sumo rank. His cutie mark is even a mawashi, the ceremonial loincloth they wear. He’s now one of my retainers.”

“Retainers?” Applejack asked.

“Bodyguard, servant, errand boy, retainers fill a lot of roles. Some lords and samurai even have ones of a sexual nature.”

“Huh?” Applejack gave him a blank look.

“Not me.” Tama said, smiling. “Kenjustu is the technique of the sword. Naginatajutsu is the technique of the naginata.”

“The what?” Tama pointed to one of the two stallions following him. It was the one dressed as a monk. Strapped to his back was a staff with a blade on the end of it.

“That’s a naginata.” The samurai indicated. “And finally, Iwado, or way of the stone. It is a collection of strength exercises usually involving stones.” Tama motioned towards the rock on the stand. “This is one of the final tests of the art. It’s called the stone kick.” Applejack’s mind finally connected what he was up to.

“You want me to buck this rock at the target.” Applejack said.

“Precisely.” Tama said, appearing pleased that the mare caught on.

“Why?”

“Call it a test. I want to see what you’re capable of.” Applejack didn’t look pleased with that answer, but gazed at the stone she was supposed to kick. It was massive, almost bigger than she was and it must have weighed more than she did. Kicking it would also probably be very painful for her. All the same, she had this strange desire to please this samurai...

“Alright, I’ll do it. What can it hurt?”

“Good. Ryu!” The skinny stallion walked forward. He reached into his pack and removed what looked like socks. He walked up to Applejack and held them out. The country mare took them and gazed at them. They were really thick and the bottom of them were stuffed with some kind of jelly.

“What is this?” Applejack asked.

“Those are meant to cushion your back hooves.” Tama replied.

“Oh.” Applejack said. She quickly slipped them on her back hooves. She then marched over to the rock and turned her back to it. Applejack took a deep breath and prepared herself.

“Bet you she doesn’t even knock it ten feet.” Said a very thin and grating voice. Applejack’s eye twitched. She had a feeling it was the thin stallion.

“It is immoral to gamble.” Replied a deep and soothing voice. And that would certainly be the monk. Applejack grumbled. She then reared up and with all her might, slammed her hooves into the rock.

The country mare knew she messed up however. She hit the rock in the wrong place, a little too high. On top of that she was too far away from it and she overextended. Applejack whirled around to see how it went. The rock soared a good thirty feet before bouncing and soaring again. It went another ten feet and rolled the rest of the way, stopping just short of the sign. The thin stallion cleared his throat nervously. He would have lost that bet. Applejack grumbled. She didn’t like messing up in front of others.

“Wow.” Tama said, having an impressed grin on his face. “That was nice.”

“Let me do it again.” Applejack said.

“Huh?” Now it was Tama’s turn to sound confused.

“I messed up. I hit it wrong. Let me do it again!” The samurai looked at her for a moment as if he was making sure she was being serious. He turned to the two stallions with them.

“You heard the mare, set it up again.”

“What?” Ryu complained. “But Saiga set it up last time. That rock weighs a ton.”

“Are you going to let a mare show you up?” The thin stallion growled. The monk that was with him had already set out towards it. They both walked out to the rock and began rolling it the fifty feet back. It then took them three tries to get it back on the stand. Ryu gave Applejack a dirty look as he walked out of the way. The mare sneered at him. Applejack trotted over to the rock again. She took a few more moments to prepare. She fidgeted her position a few times to make sure it was right. She took a deep breath, reared back and punched the rock with all of her might. This time it connected, she was sure of it. She whirled around to watch. The stone flew the full fifty feet. It was slightly short however. It hit the stick holding up the sign, rather than the target itself. All the same, the wood snapped in half and the rock rolled another ten feet.

“Damn it!” Applejack shouted. She almost had it! She turned to the samurai and stopped. He had a look on his face she hadn’t before. He was staring at her with a mix of excitement and determination. He didn’t seem disappointed in the slightest.

“Samurai work their entire lives to do that.” He stated. “Yet a young mare like you can. Why is that?”

“I...I grew up a farm...an apple farm.” Applejack explained. For some odd reason this stallion was making her nervous. “We spend half the year kicking the trees to get them down.”

“So you kick thousands of times a year against fully grown trees?”

“Yeah, that’s it.”

“Interesting, I should add that to the regimen.” He leaned against the stand that had previously had the rock on it. “Let me ask you something. Why did you become the bouncer of that house? You would have made much more money being a working mare.”

“I’m not going to sleep with random stallions!” Applejack said, sounding outraged.

“Why not?”

“Because I refuse! I will marry and sleep with who I choose.”

“What if you hadn’t been made bouncer, what then?”

“Well...I...uh...I guess I would have left.”

“You could have starved.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“So,” Tama tilted his head. “You would rather die than betray your beliefs?”

“Well I...didn’t think about it that way.”

“So you’ve pretty much mastered one of our sacred arts, you protect the weak, namely those mares where you work and you are willing to die for your beliefs. Do you know what that sounds like?”

“Um...no?” Tama walked up to her. Applejack blushed as their faces were only inches apart. Her heart was pounding in her ears. What was wrong with her?

“It sounds like a samurai.”

“Wait...what?” Tama motioned towards the monk. The monk walked forward and reached into his own pack. He extracted what appeared to be a book. He handed it to Tama, who handed it to Applejack.

“Does this look familiar?” Applejack stared at the book for a moment before her eyes widened.

“This is...this is in my language!” She had never been so excited to see a book in her life. Written on the cover in plain letters was the word “Bushido.”

“I was hoping it was, I had to guess.”

“How do you have this?”

“We weren’t always isolationists. Once upon a time we traded with nations around the world. We originally intended to write about our culture in different languages so they could see our superiority and they could change to our way. Obviously that didn’t work. All the same, some books were printed in different languages. Be careful, that book is over a hundred years old.” Applejack opened it gently, almost overcome with joy to see things she could recognize.

“I thought...books in different languages were banned.” Applejack said.

“They are, but our daimyo has some hidden away. No one messes with the daimyo, he’s the only one between us and complete starvation.” Applejack continued turning the pages, eventually coming to some drawings showing proper swordsmanship techniques.

“What is this book?”

“Bushido means “way of the warrior.” It’s a book on how to be a proper samurai.”

“Why are you giving it to me?”

“I want you...to become a samurai.”

“What?” Applejack appeared shocked. “But I’m...I’m...a foreigner, a mare...a...a...farmer!”

“Well the samurai had to start somewhere; they didn’t drop out of the sky. They were common ponies at first as well. As for being a mare, there’s no law specifically banning females, it’s just tradition, tradition I’m willing to break.”

“I mean...you just...make me a samurai?”

“You have to be trained as a soldier first. Then you have to perform a heroic deed and the daimyo might make one.”

“And you see me doing all of that?”

“From what I’ve seen already it shouldn’t be too much of a challenge.” Applejack cringed and blushed. She wanted to get out of that place...but into the waiting arms of the military!? The military of a country that abuses its citizens!?

“Why are you trying to recruit me?” Tama leaned in close once again, causing Applejack heart to leap. He looked deathly serious.

“The daimyo are done taking the abuse. The northern lords have entered into a secret alliance, with the daimyo of this province at the helm. They are preparing to oppose the shogun. We need every able-bodied pony to be at the ready. Somepony like you, with such great potential, should not be squandered with this time of trouble approaching. Wars in Nippony are usually long and bloody. We need ponies like you on our side.”

“I...I...wow...” Applejack felt her head spinning. How does she keep getting into these situations? “I...don’t know what to say.” Tama smiled once more and took a few steps back.

“You don’t have to answer now. The daimyo aren’t ready yet and I don’t expect your decision overnight. I’ll be back in a week or so. Why don’t you read that book and think it over?” Applejack gazed down at the pages before turning her eyes back up.

“If I say no?” Tama chuckled.

“You won’t.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because I can see the fire in your eyes. You feel for the ponies of this country, despite not being born here. You stand up for the week and you hate injustice. In the off-chance that I’m wrong...I guess you can just keep the book as a gift for your time and go on your merry way.” Applejack frowned, her mind once again thrown into turmoil. What was she supposed to do? “Why don’t you sleep on it?”

“Yeah, that um...sounds good.” She said.

Applejack and Tama reentered the house they had originally come from. Both of them noticed that there was no pony beside the door. They quickly scanned the room and spotted the hardest pony in the world to miss. Applejack half-shaded her eyes while Tama chuckled. Saiga the sumo wrestler was sitting on one of the couches, practically bending it in half. Sitting in his lap, feeding him alcohol and giggling, was Kaede.

“So I picked him up and tossed him over my shoulder.” Saiga said, drinking from the dish the mare brought to his lips. “He must have weighed twice what I did. It was after that they awarded me the rank of Yokozuna.” Kaede then cooed and ran her free hoof down his chest, which actually had muscles on them.

“You’re so strong!” She said, flattering him. “I bet everypony trembled when they had to fight you.”

“You bet!” The giant stallion leaned down and began nibbling at her neck. Kaede giggled and then made happy moaning sounds, as if she enjoyed the attention immensely.

“Ahem.” Tama said loudly. In an instant, Saiga jumped up, nearly sending Kaede flying. He instantly stood at attention, as if he were in the military.

“Sir! I was...thirsty...and I thought...” He quickly said, fumbling with his words.

“We can’t stay Saiga, we’re late already.” Tama said, sounding as if he understood. Saiga sighed and nodded. The giant pony turned to the mare beside him.

“Come again sir!” Kaede said, briefly rubbing her head on the side of his leg affectionately.

“Sure thing.” He replied. The giant pony then slowly trotted out of the building, again barely fitting through the door.

“Think about it.” Tama said to Applejack.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to stop.” She admitted. The samurai nodded. He then turned and left. Applejack stared after him for several moments before walking over the bar. She laid the book on it and turned to Saku. “Pour me a drink.”

“Huh? Oh! Yeah...okay...” Saku quickly poured Applejack a shot. The country mare jugged it and briefly coughed in disgust. She hated the stuff, but she hoped it would calm her nerves. She realized that Saku was gawking at her. The country mare gave her an annoyed stare.

“What?” She complained. She then realized that there were more eyes drilling into her back. She turned her head and saw that many of the mares had surrounded her, each one with a very curious glance, Kaede at the front. “What!?” Now Applejack was getting angry.

“Did he want to buy you?” One of the mares asked.

“What!?”

“Did he want to spend the night with you?”

“Did you sleep with him out there?”

“How much did he pay you?”

“Get ya’ll’s head out of gutter!” Applejack shouted. Briefly sweeping one of her hooves out, indicating for them to disperse. They backed away a bit, but didn’t go away.

“Tell us what happened!”

“Yeah, tell us!”

“Pleeeeaaaaaassssseeee?” The begging was coming from Kaede, whose eyes were big and pleading. Applejack grumbled.

“Well...” She began, not really knowing where to begin. “He...he asked me...to be a samurai.”

“He what!?” Saku shouted, sounding absolutely stunned. “Really?”

“Really.” Applejack replied. “He wants me to become a soldier and work my way up to samurai. He thinks I have potential.”

“Are you...going to do it?” Kaede asked, sounding apprehensive. She didn’t sound like she wanted Applejack to go.

“Don’t know.” Applejack said flatly. She hit the bar with her hoof, indicating that she wanted a new drink. Saku obeyed and the country mare quickly chugged down another shot. “Can’t this country just throw a kitten or rabbit at me rather than problems!?” Applejack turned towards the back hallway. “I need to think. Just...just don’t disturb me.” The country mare marched away from the lounge, more questions on her mind than ever before.