//------------------------------// // River Barge // Story: Applejack at the Edge of the World // by MagicS //------------------------------// 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.