//------------------------------//
// Diamonds to Dust I 
// Story: Applejack at the Edge of the World 
// by MagicS 
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Applejack walked west.

She walked through grassy fields, over green hills, through fields of flowers, past small forests. For hours she walked through these pleasant and healthy lands that existed west of Red Agony Swamp and east of the former Kingdom of Diamonds.  

Traveling through the countryside she wanted to make the best of the nice weather. Utilize it to the fullest to get as far west as possible. It was definitely good out and she was considering herself fairly blessed right now—which was also a good thing since she didn’t have a tent anymore. Once night came around she was going to have to brave the elements and sleep outside. It didn’t seem like nights would be that bad around here though.

Still she didn’t plan on stopping until she at least reached the bridge Marzipan had entered. She wanted to be in the Kingdom of Diamonds today. The winding dirt road she was on wasn’t as fast as if she had just walked straight through some of these fields, but it was easier to travel on. And a few times she had to walk over a small cobblestone bridge that covered a creek. At least she knew she wasn’t going to trip and fall into mud or go through any thorn bushes by staying on the road.

There had been quite a lot of animals on her path too, so it was nice to know that whatever the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel had done, that the animals were still living their normal lives. It was a nice reminder that no matter what there was still a world out there that had nothing to do with ponies. She saw squirrels, rabbits, birds, and even some foxes running through the grass. It was enough to bring a smile to her face, she sorely needed some simple enjoyment and sweetness in her trip like this.

Especially since it sounded like once she crossed that bridge things would change.

Applejack had also done the smart thing and filled up her flask whenever she found a creek or brook that was flowing fast enough. She was thinking of packing her bag with edible flowers too when she had eaten some of the fruits and vegetables. Or if worst came to worst, plain grass. She wanted to be really prepared for a potentially tough trip through the old kingdom. After all, though she might have been exaggerating, Marzipan said it was like a wasteland now.

She was kind of surprised with the fact that there weren’t more ponies living out here, any small farms or small towns, when the countryside was so nice and alive. You could definitely live off the land here and not have to worry so much about the economy of the rest of the world. Applejack didn’t much get it herself, what would be so wrong with a simple life like that? But even back in Equestria there were plenty of beautiful places that hadn’t really been settled yet.

Ponies sure were strange sometimes.

Cresting a hill, Applejack got the urge to eat a little bit and pulled out a carrot and a peach from her bag. She wished there was a pony growing apples back in Reedsville but no such luck. While she chewed on them and looked out at the wide open grasslands in front of her she kept her mind on one positive thought: she was over halfway there.

And there was just no way something as troublesome or difficult to get by as the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel could be out there between her and Elysium's View now.

Applejack was willing to bet her life on that.

Dear sweet Celestia don’t let her be wrong about that.

Applejack finished up her meal and started walking down the hill, wishing again for not the first time that she could have some company with her. Any of her friends, all of them, right now would be great to see. Fluttershy to enjoy the nice and quiet nature, Pinkie Pie to always keep things lively and fun, Twilight to tell her about and explain everything about everything, Rainbow Dash to argue with, and Rarity to probably pull along her huge wagon of camping supplies. Applejack rolled her eyes and smiled, picturing all that in her head. If only the Cutie Map had bothered to send a pair of them out to Elysium’s View.

Why only her? What was the problem that only required Applejack to fix? It was still something nagging at her brain. She hated being the only called out so far. Sure, maybe Spike and Starlight had their solo-missions in the past but Applejack was used to doing this with her friends.

What was going on out here?

It was only pure luck that she was able to solve and get past everything else on her way to Elysium’s View so far too wasn’t it? Or did the map somehow know she’d fix that stuff too? For some reason—Applejack wanted to blame Discord again.

There was nothing she could really do about it though. Just keep making her way to Elysium’s View and then find out what the problem is. By now Applejack had plenty of experience with that, and if ponies were in need then she would surely help them out. Maybe she’d grumble and complain a little more on the inside—and wish she could just be back on her farm—but there was no way she’d leave these ponies hanging.  

After walking for a bit longer Applejack finally saw the aforementioned bridge in the distance. She sighed in relief and quickened her pace towards it. Hopefully it was in good condition and was just normal-sized too compared to the canyon bridge. From what Marzipan said it sounded like it should be normal though.

When she made the last leg of the dirt path to the bridge she saw there was certainly nothing to worry about. While the river it spanned was moderately wide it was still normal, and the wooden bridge itself was like any you would find in Equestria. It had a gentle slope to it and was supported by great metal pillars rising from the river along with a metal frame that went up the sides. As expected of something that led into a big country it was more than wide enough to carry two or three wagons side by side on it if need be. Applejack took her first step on it and heard the wood creak under her hooves.

Looking to the other end of it, she saw structures of some sort but couldn’t tell what they were supposed to be. There looked to be a lot of rubble on the ground around them.

Not exactly a good sign but not unexpected with what she had been told.

Walking across the bridge she could hear the slowly flowing river below her, in a different season it might be higher, and rushing harder, but for now it was just pleasant background noise.  

Once she reached the other end of the bridge she realized exactly what the structures and rubble she had seen were. Statues. Former statues at least. Their pedestals were still in place but the statues that had been placed on them were long tipped over and shattered. One on each side of the road leading from the bridge to signify entrance into the Kingdom of Diamonds.

Applejack took a closer look, judging by the piles of rubble the two statues would’ve been huge, and there were enough pieces still intact that she could tell they used to be of two big ponies. Perhaps symbolizing guards or soldiers at the very border of the kingdom. She walked over to the head of one of the statues—it was bigger than her whole body—and saw that its eyes had been carved out. Something might have been placed in them in the past. It made her shudder uncomfortably, not a very warm welcome to the kingdom.

To the wasteland that was the kingdom.

The road also off the bridge was far different from the other side. Unlike the destroyed statues it still looked to be in good condition. Made of stone and concrete, it was smooth and didn’t show any chips or cracks in it. A road fit enough to be found in Canterlot or Manehattan. Applejack hoped it would be easy on her hooves.

She walked past the destroyed statues and looked around—not seeing anything else. Even if she was inside the old borders now it looked like this was always a more destitute location in the kingdom. Far ahead the road continued west to some hills and a large forest, so Applejack shrugged and started making her way towards them.

Now walking through whatever remained of the Kingdom of Diamonds.