Applejack Through the Ages

by Paradise Oasis

Go West. Young Mare, Go West

Go West. Young Mare, Go West

There Apple Blossom, now wasn't that delicious? The Satin Slipper always has the most delicious of treats. Now, where was I in my story?

Your time as a saloon mare?

Oh, right! See, following the fallout with Honeyberry, I was left emotionally wasted. Princess Rosy and the royal family of the isle of Pony soon let me leave the island after I promised, under oath with Celestia's name, not to interfere in my adopted daughter's life anymore. Totally forlorn, I decided to return to Equestria, the land of my birth. But three hundred years had passed since I had lived at Sweet Apple Acres, and Equestria had become a much different place than in the age of harmony. And so, I decided to start my next life in a dusty desert town in which I had sought refuge in once before, a long time ago. See, I had decided if I was immortal, I was going to try out every kind of life this world had to offer... even some of the more unsavory ones...

The wind swept across the harsh and unforgiving southern desert, blowing sands across the lifeless dunes amidst the sweltering heat. Water was scarce in this this burning wasteland, which made any kind of life out here even scarcer. But a few ponies still managed to cling to life out in this harsh environment, a few small communities desperately clinging to life in this wasted inferno.

Dodge Junction... once a great and bustling community of the Equestrian frontier, the drying up of most of the local wells had reduced the town to a small collection of buildings. No more than seventy or so ponies still dwelled in the once great frontier community- joined by those wanderers through the wastes who stopped off here- drifters, ner-do-wells, ponies who didn't want to be found- to rest, before returning to their endless journey through the burning sands.

At the center of this small town stood the Holiday Saloon- a broken down old wooden building with cracked plaster and peeling wallpaper. Inside, rugged and grimy stallions sat scattered around the bar, hunched over half-filled glasses of ale and hard cider, slowly washing their troubles away in an endless stream of booze. In the corner sat an old piano, its keys worn from decades of playing. And out in the center of the room sat a table covered in scattered playing cards, and reeking of the smell of spilled ale.

Behind the bar, a blue mare with blue and yellow mane and a mountain cutie mark cleaned and put away glasses, all the while keeping an eye on the bar around her. Clad in a pink dance hall mare's dress, Countryside divided her time between serving her customers, and making sure none of the ornery patrons tried anything funny. The middle aged mare had seen better days, much like the town, and it was getting harder and harder to keep up with these rough thugs, who kept filling her establishment every night.

"Hey, you little scuzball!" She snapped, rushing over and smacking an unshaven stallion behind the head. "Keep your flanking hooves out of the tip jar!"

With a sigh, Countryside was about to finish up her work, when she heard the sound of the saloon doors open behind her. Turning and expecting to see another drifter in a ten gallon hat, the old mare was shocked to find young orange mare with a candied apple cutie mark step into the establishment.

"Hello, is anybody here?" The obviously greenhorn pony called out trotting past the horde of sleazy stallions who all had their eyes on her. "Excuse me miss, but is this the Holiday Saloon? My name's Candy Apple and I had read about a posting for a job..."

Looking the pretty young mare up and down, a smile suddenly crossed the older pony's face lit up. as she realized her prayers had finally been answered.

...

"Remember now, Candy, your job is to keep these stallions happy." Countryside told her, Adjusting the straps on the back of her dress. "Serve them drinks talk to them, make them feel special."

"Yes, I understand that." Candy Apple grunted, as the other mare pulled on the strings. "But does this thing really need to *urk!* so tight?"

Looking down at herself, Candy couldn't believe what she was wearing. The poofy saloon mare's dress was far too tight, the fishnets really made her legs itch, and these barely-covering tiny lace covered undies really rode up her flank. This outfit reminded Apple of the dance hall mare's outfit that Pinkie Pie once wore, although Apple's dress was a more somber brown.

"Candy, you need to understand... many of these stallions have been out on the trail for months, they haven't seen a mare in a long, long time." Countryside whispered coyly, as they trotted down the stairs towards the bar. "Your job is to relieve them of those hard earned bits as they guzzle booze and try to forget about the harsh world around them."

And Candy quickly found that's exactly what these ponies wanted. As she wandered from table to table, carrying trays of drinks balanced on her flank and talked with the patrons. In the eyes of many of these stallions Candy saw an empty, hollow look... a sorrow that came from the cruel and unforgiving world Equestria's frontier had now become. One stallion was missing an ear, cut off during a skirmish with a hostile tribe of buffalo who took it as a trophy. Another stallion had a very obscene tattoo of Princess Celestia doing something risque- such a thing would have gotten him arrested on the spot in Canterlot.

Is this what Equestria has fallen to since my day? Candy asked herself, looking around at all the burned-out patrons. Have these ponies fallen so far from the ideals of friendship and kindness, that now our kind are no better than pond scum?

As she trotted from table to table, Candy Apple did try to make them feel better. Laughing at their jokes that weren't funny, enduring hoof slaps on the flank an other annoyances. If she could help these poor souls forget about life for awhile, Candy was more than happy to ease their burdens.

It was then that Candy noted a card game going on at the big table, between two stallions in cowpony hats. A small crowd had gathered around the two competitors, and the orange mare noted that both were a little cleaner and nicer looking than the other patrons, although just as rugged.

"Five card pick up, Butterfly Hunter." The blue stallion with a pink mane snarled, a foul grin on his face. "You gonna play, or you gonna fold?"

"I'll make my move when I'm good and ready, Curly!" The pink stallion with the blonde mane snapped back. "You just pay attention to your own damned cards!"

Seeing that another of Countryside's saloon mares had sat herself down next to the arrogant stallion named Curly, Candy trotted up and plopped herself down in the lap of the slightly more noble looking stallion named Butterfly hunter.

"Ya'll know, somethin, mister hunter..." She purred in a sultry voice, trying her best to emulate the tone she had heard Rarity talk to a stallion in once. "...a real Stallion always knows how ta cut the cards!"

It was a cheesy line, to be sure, but it appeared Butterfly Hunter was too drunk to notice. And so the card game went on and on, neither side seeming to gain an edge as the hours passed by. Getting bored, Candy began to grab drinks from the other mares for herself and Hunter, downing shot after shot as the night wore on. Candy Apple got more and more woozy, and it was hard to tell what was going on at that point. She remembered the card game ending... she remembered taking and giggling with Hunter after his victory... she remembered leading the stallion up the stairs to one of Countryside's upstairs rooms... and Candy Apple also remembered on of the longest and most passionate nights of making love a mare had ever experienced...

Later, Candy would learn that they other dance hall mares had failed to warn her not to drink the swill, an initiation prank they play on all the new saloon fillies. And while she was certainly angry, she couldn’t help but laugh when they told some of the stories about where they had each ended up on their first night.

“Don’t worry, Candy.” Countryside said with a laugh, “I think you’re gonna fit in nicely around here!”

Comments

[Aatxe360]

It seems AJ lost her tolerance for the drink.

[Paradise Oasis]

4682141

Or they're making drink so strong, she's never had something that strong before.

[FleetlordAvatar]

4682141 Perhaps they now brew Orakh in Dodge Junction? See if they get shipments from the Discworld now and again.

[Pump It Up]

No more than seventy of so ponies still dwelled in the once great fontier community-

Or.

Inside, rugged and grimy stallion sat scattered around the bar, hunched over have filled glasses of ale and hard cider, slowly washing thier troubles away in an endless stream of booze.

Stallions; have; their.

In the corner sat an old piano, it's keys worn from from decades of playing.

Its.

And out in the center of the room sat a table covered in scattered playing cards, and wreaking of the smell of spilled ale.

Reeking.

"Excuse me miss, but is this the Holiday Saloon? My name's Cady Apple and I had read about a posting for a job..."

Looking he pretty young mare up and down,

Sorry. I don't like seeing errors. I might mention, there are still a few more errors I didn't put here.

[Paradise Oasis]

4700158

I hate my spell checker. Thanks again.

[Pump It Up]

4700202
Welcome.

[Butterkeet]

is... is Butterfly Hunter related to Flutters?

[wolfdreamer]

Wait, AJ is telling this story to her daughter? Her school age daughter!

[Paradise Oasis]

5168054

We, the audience, are hearing more than AJ is telling her daughter...