//------------------------------// // Supply Station Ponywares // Story: Applejack at the Edge of the World // by MagicS //------------------------------// 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.”