“Well I was right about it being a lot livelier during the day. Still aint too pleasant out though,” Applejack said to herself as she walked down one of the Citadel’s many winding streets.
She was taking the time to walk through and see as much of the interior town as she could today before the midnight curfew came around again. Applejack didn’t want to waste anymore time, she needed to learn as much about the Citadel as possible. Where everything was, how many guards there were, and if she could actually get into the main Citadel building. She highly doubted she’d be let in but perhaps she could find a different sort of entrance. For now though she was mostly walking around the random streets of the town, at least the place didn’t look so scary and miserable during the day and there were more than just guards out.
Applejack actually saw quite a number of ponies wandering around, either killing time or going out to eat. It seems that there was no restriction on movement in the main part of town during the day. Still—most every pony looked the opposite of happy. There wasn’t a single smile to be found. Most ponies didn’t look like they wanted to be bothered or were already talking with their own families or acquaintances, so Applejack was on the lookout for a pony she could talk to that didn’t look like he’d refuse her completely.
In the meantime she had come across a number of businesses as well, small bakeries, restaurants, bars, stores, all owned and guarded by those working directly for the Citadel. Though Applejack was fairly hungry she didn’t want to waste any of her bits just yet. Not until she was certain she couldn’t find food and room for any cheaper. She suspected that if she went into a bakery and asked for a single loaf of bread they’d want an entire golden bit in return. Everypony and creature here working for the Citadel was preying on the ponies trying to get to the other side of the canyon.
If the Citadel hadn’t always been like this then what led to everypony living here joining in this madness?
“Just nuts to me,” Applejack shook her head.
Applejack decided to make her way a little closer to the actual Citadel, even though she wasn’t sure where she needed to go to get inside it, she might as well get as close as she could. Maybe the ponies that were staying there knew a little more? The further she walked the more she kept her eyes peeled for the guards or anything that stuck out as abnormal. But the only thing she saw was more hopeless ponies walking around. Most of them didn’t even bother looking up at the sky despite how nice of a day it was.
She wanted to shout at them and ask why they were putting up with this but that was a quick ticket to getting kicked out by the guards and that wouldn’t help anypony.
Another couple of turns in the streets and Applejack was down a row of buildings that seemed maybe one street at most removed from the main building. Or there could’ve been an empty spot or some kind of other defensive perimeter that separated the real Citadel from the town. Applejack couldn’t see just yet.
What she did see was that there were fewer ponies out walking about, and one pony she saw was standing at a street corner all alone, staring at nothing.
Applejack paused and chewed on the inside of her cheek. She looked around and didn’t really see anything else going on. And that pegasus stallion at least didn’t look dead inside or anything. He stood there with a bushy brown mustache, probably in his forties, and a small hat on his head.
Applejack shrugged and walked over to him. He didn’t seem to notice her at all so- “Howdy there!” Applejack said to him and waved, being as friendly as possible.
The stallion jolted upright and swung his head over to her. “Huh? Who are you?”
“My name’s Applejack and to put it simply, well, I’m a new arrival here and I was wondering if I could ask you some questions. Aint exactly an information booth or anypony around I’ve seen who I could really talk to. And pardon me but you didn’t seem to be busy,” Applejack’s smile was slightly strained as she spoke. He didn’t seem to be reacting much to what she was saying.
“Oh. New, huh?” He sighed and rubbed his head. “Well… sure, I’ll answer what I can but I don’t know how much help I’ll be. Even though its been a while there’s not much to tell.”
Applejack tilted her head. “How long have you been here?”
“Three months.”
“You’ve been here three months?...” Applejack felt horrible, nearly going cold.
“Uh-huh. Actually came here with a larger group representing a big trade business that worked with a lot of businesses and city-states on the other side of the canyon. But our number was never called, even with all the money we had it eventually got whittled down and slowly my associates left the Citadel one by one to try and gather up more funds for a return visit. I’m the last one still here, though unless my number gets called even I’ll have to leave soon.”
“Is there really no pattern to the numbers that get called? How do ponies not go crazy when so few get to go through?” Applejack asked.
The stallion shrugged. “Nothing else we can do. My name’s Scraper by the way, nice to meet a pony who still looks normal. Sorry to say but after a month of being here that’s probably going to change about you.”
“Well I really don’t plan on staying here that long,” Applejack snorted. “Anyways though, is every inn going to try and take as much money as possible for me just for a tiny little room?”
Scraper chuckled mirthlessly. “Heh, every inn, every place to eat, they’ll ask you what you have on you first before deciding how much to charge you. I don’t know what you have for payment right now but I wouldn’t bother looking for a “cheaper” inn. It doesn’t exist.”
“Fantastic. Well I’ve got another question but I’m pretty sure I already know the answer. Can I actually go inside the real Citadel and talk to whoever’s in charge? Can anypony try to get their number bumped up or do anything?” Applejack asked.
“Guarded day and night and if you even try to walk up to the front door they’ll walk out and turn you away. My boss yelled at them plenty of times, demanded to see the Warden or somepony else in charge, got refused and turned away every time,” Scraper shrugged. “What else do you expect?”
“The Warden… he’s the guy in charge of the Citadel? What do you know about him?”
“Nothing. Don’t even know if he’s a pony. Nopony’s seen him, we’ve just heard his voice over the loudspeakers.”
Applejack scratched her head. “And uh… well is that front door the only way inside the citadel?”
Scraper raised an eyebrow at her. “Why do you ask?”
“Personal reasons,” Applejack stiffly responded.
“Well…” Scraper frowned but then snorted in annoyance. “Actually—I really don’t care. But for your information no, there’s no other way in. That front door is the only entrance that isn’t blocked off.”
“Blocked off?”
Scraper looked at her more suspiciously but still answered. “Yeah, there was a side gate on the southern side that’s now been completely barricaded. And… there was an old rumor that had been going around for a while by the time I arrived here. Apparently some ponies got the idea to break into the main Citadel through the sewers. Using the tunnels down there to try and slip through and get to the bridge. But from what I heard there are heavy gates and magical enchantments down there to keep ponies out from actually making it under the Citadel. The whole group eventually got trapped down there and surrounded by guards.”
“That so...” Applejack scratched her chin, thinking.
“Uh, Miss Applejack? I think you oughta stop thinking about whatever it is you’re thinking about.”
Applejack smirked and chuckled for a moment. “Thanks for your concern but unless my number gets called tomorrow I need to work on getting over that canyon a little faster.”
Scraper shrugged. “Be careful I guess. I suppose if something happens to you it only means my number has a better chance of being called.”
“How kind of you to think that way,” Applejack snorted.
“Three months in here, remember? I couldn’t care less about somepony stiffing it to the guards and Warden and getting the better of them, so it’s not like I’ll try and stop you if that’s really what you’ve got in your head. No skin off my bones.”
Applejack paused, taking a moment to breathe deeply. “No skin off your bones, huh? Well I’ve got a request to make of you before I go. If things get better around here, if whatever’s going on stops, and you find yourself in a good place, will you pay that good fortune forward to somepony else?”
“Huh? What are you talking about?” Scraper asked, confused.
“Just want to know if maybe you’d still be kind and generous to help others out, if your situation was just a little bit better and you could afford to. Just purely out of the kindness of your heart,” Applejack asked.
“I...” Scraper frowned, still puzzled by the strange mare and her questions. “Well… yeah. I wouldn’t want to be like the ones in control here… if I could help somepony else out I would. But things would really have to change in the citadel before any ponies could think of helping each other.”
Applejack smiled. “I wouldn’t worry about that too much.”
“Now if I was Twilight I could just magic my way on in. Or if I was Rainbow Dash I could just fly around it and find some other entrance. And I’m sure Pinkie Pie would be able to somehow get in there too...”
Applejack was looking directly at the large Citadel building, having finally found the street that actually led to its own front door. It rose up so tall, far taller than the outer curtain walls, and looked impenetrable to a normal pony. There were windows every now and then that dotted the exterior, but every single one was barred. And like Scraper said, the only entrance she could see was the front that was currently being guarded by a dozen different guards. They weren’t paying attention directly to her right now, but Applejack figured if she kept suspiciously walking around like this that one of them might do something. She’d have to leave soon.
“I could maybe break through the wall somewhere but… it’s all metal, could I really? I’d definitely be heard too or caught really quickly on the inside,” Applejack sighed and scratched her head. “It’s times like this where I wish I had a few more tools than just my hooves to work with.”
She frowned then as she thought about something. “Caught… where do the guards take ponies who cause trouble and tried to break in and get to the bridge? Did they kick them out or imprison them?” Applejack wondered about this new mystery. “The Citadel has been like this for a long time… if there is some kind of prison or dungeon in there… how many ponies have been taken there?”
She rubbed her chin, an idea forming in her head.
But right now she couldn’t act on it—or anything else. She wanted to explore and learn more about the Citadel and interior town, see if she could figure anything else out. Her bits wouldn’t last forever but she had a little time for now.
After a while though she decided she needed to get back to her inn. There was plenty she had found out and seen today and she didn’t want to look even more suspicious for the guards.
It was tiresome though. This place was so miserable and most ponies looked like they had given up all hope. Applejack couldn’t stand thinking about what some ponies might have sold or given up just for the opportunity to spend one more day here and then not getting their number called anyways. Inside here was even worse than the dirty grunge the ponies out in the shanty town lived in.
Bzzt!
Applejack stopped in mid-step. It had gotten later than she realized apparently. Unlike the last time the loudspeakers had come on, she wasn’t the only pony around either, the street was busier right now and every other pony here with her also stopped what they were doing and looked up at the nearest speakers.
“Attention Citadel of Al-Karamaretel—this is the Warden speaking. “This is your nightly announcement on which numbers are to be called. If your number is called, please report to the Citadel tomorrow at six in the morning sharp. The following numbers have been called: 58-AB. That is all. I repeat, number 58-AB has been called. This message will repeat in one hour.”
Bzzt!
Applejack heard a cry of astonishment from the other side of the street and looked to see a pair of stallions and a mare practically crying tears of joy. They were wealthy looking, and still had expensive clothes and jewelry on.
“I told you! I told you it would happen!” One of the stallions, wearing a gold-rimmed monocle, cheered to the other two. “Now we can finally get to Equinestan and everything will have been worth it! Come—we have to go and gather our things together—the business deal with the Miner Family won’t wait forever!”
The three of them then ran off to wherever it was they were staying—while many other jealous and angry ponies watched them go. Some of them even crying or collapsing to the street in agony that their number wasn’t called too.
Applejack shook her head. “At least some ponies actually get what they want.”
She picked her hooves back up and started walking back to the in for the night. Only one number. Just one number called tonight. She couldn’t get that horrid reality out of her head. It was a miracle the other ponies on that street hadn’t turned into a mob and went after those lucky ponies. But even if they had, the guards would’ve put a stop to it and then they’d be in an even worse spot...
As soon as Applejack made it back to the inn she opened up the door and started walking right to the stairs-
“E-E-Excuse me!”
Applejack stopped, nearly tripping over her hooves, and looked at the door to the office. The mare innkeeper was there, pressed right up against the bars, and staring at her with a terrified expression on her face. She held an envelope in her shaking hooves and pushed it through the slot under the bars.
“T-This came for you earlier today.”
“Huh?” Applejack blinked in surprise. “How could there be a letter for me?”
She took it out of the mare’s hooves and checked it out. Sure enough, right on the front was the name “Applejack” written in fancy calligraphy. Applejack turned the envelope over and her eyes widened. The back of it was sealed shut with a bit of wax and a big W embossed right in the middle of it.
“Is this from who I think it is?” Applejack asked.
“I-I don’t know… nothing like this has ever happened before,” the mare said, still shaking. “Who are you?”
“Nopony special,” Applejack mumbled and walked away, heading to her room.
The moment she was in there and had closed the door she opened up the envelope. A bit of sweat had coalesced on her brow and Applejack wiped it away before she unfolded the single piece of paper that made up the letter and began reading it. She grit her teeth and narrowed her eyes right from the first line…
Applejack from Equestria, Element of Harmony.
Greetings, I am the Warden and I have sent this letter as a way to welcome you to our Citadel of Al-Karamaretel. We have never had such an illustrious visitor inside our walls, it surprised and filled me with pride that you have come here. Whatever your reasons for wishing to use our bridge I’m sure it is for the most noblest of goals. Due to your special position and who and what you represent, I have decided that you will no longer have to pay for room and board for the duration of your stay here. Your number as well will be bumped up and called soon so you can get to whatever business you have beyond the canyon. While you wait here, please make yourself at home.
That was it. Simple and to the point. And the words within it bothered her immensely.
Applejack reread it quickly and clicked her tongue. “Well aren’t you a rotten liar.”