Applejack at the Edge of the World

by MagicS

A Familiar Face

Applejack was still trying to discover and figure out more about the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel. She didn’t believe the words in that letter one bit or trust that the Warden cared about her—least not in the way he put it. It bothered her he even knew who she was too. How many ponies, or whatever he was, out here knew about her, Equestria, and the Elements of Harmony? It really made her uncomfortable, and she couldn’t get rid of the nagging feeling in her stomach. She most definitely was not just going to sit around and wait for her number to be called.

And she had the suspicion that even if it was called in the next day or two that the moment she walked into the actual Citadel she’d never be heard from again. She couldn’t let things go normally.

It was about noon right now though and wandering around the town had worked up a bit of hunger in her. Also because she’d been eating basically nothing to save on bits—but with her inn fees now taken care of then maybe she could afford to get a regular meal today? She wanted to try and question some other ponies about the Warden but… she was also worried his guards were paying closer attention to her than a normal “guest” here. It wouldn’t be good to rock the boat or tip him off right now.

She had a plan of action she could commit to soon, but just wanted to learn as much as she could first.

Trying to work on that hunger first, Applejack walked into a long building nestled in the crowded center of the town. A sign helpfully reading “Soup Kitchen” over its front doors was all she needed to know.

Stepping through the swinging front doors she emerged into a dining hall that took up pretty much the entire length of the building. Multiple long tables were put into two rows and an array of ponies were seated at them, drinking soup from simple plastic bowls. She mostly saw families here but there were a couple of individual ponies as well having their lunch alone. There were also a few workers wearing aprons going around and cleaning up left behind bowls and messes. On the far side of the long room was a counter where it looked like you could get your tray and bowl first and then go down a line where several ponies behind the counter would scoop up soup for you. The kitchen back behind the counter looked busy, Applejack saw a lot of ponies making and retrieving large pots of soup and washing old bowls and spoons.

At the front of the row where several trays and bowls were set up was also a mare behind a cash register. Applejack sighed—knowing she was about to be bilked—and started walking towards her. At least the soup smelled good from here.

There was a sudden sharp gasp from behind her and Applejack stopped, looking over her shoulder.

“It’s you,” a young mare said, staring right at her.

She was… vaguely familiar but Applejack didn’t know who she was. A yellow unicorn mare a few years younger than herself by the look of it, with a pink mane now pulled back and covered in a hairnet. She carried a bowl-filled tray in her magic that was now wobbling and threatening to be dropped to the ground.

“It’s you. It’s really you...” the mare repeated.

“Um… do I know you?” Applejack raised an eyebrow.

A small smile appeared on the mare’s face along with a few tears gathering at her eyes. “I’m not surprised if you don’t remember me, but I couldn’t be happier to see you again. You changed my life.”

Applejack looked harder and then realized where that familiar face was from. Her jaw dropped and her eyes widened in shock. “You’re that young mare from that cult I ran into all that time ago. I remember you… we met in the morning and then after I uh… after that stuff happened you...”

“Solar Streak,” Solar Streak smiled at her. “My name is Solar Streak. And you’re Applejack, the mare that saved me.” She set her tray down and took off her apron, piling it on top of the bowls and yelled over to the kitchen. “Mr. Ladle! I’m taking my break now!”

---

Applejack got her bowl of soup and sat down with Solar Streak at the far end of the dining hall, at a table nopony else was using.

“When did you get here?” Solar Streak asked from across from her. “I never thought I’d see you again in my whole life.”

“Just recently,” Applejack frowned and gave the young mare a sad look. “You… what happened after I saw you? I remember it wasn’t exactly a happy parting. You didn’t seem to like what I had done to your village and everything.”

Solar Streak shook her head. “I didn’t. At first. But you really made me think, about my life, my Cutie Mark, the kind of pony I wanted to be and what I wanted to do. I couldn’t stay there or continue with that cult anymore… most ponies felt the same way, it was all falling apart by the time I left anyways.” She took a deep breath. “It wasn’t easy at first, but I don’t regret leaving. I wanted to find myself… I still do.”

“Yeah… I guess my next question is how did you get here?” Applejack asked, grimacing as she looked around.

“Well after leaving the cult I didn’t have anywhere else to go or anything to do. I picked a direction and I walked. Ended up walking and traveling for a long while before I found myself on the way here. Even then I was working as a helping hoof on a caravan that went through most of the lands east of here before it came to the Citadel. Then I spent some time in that tent town outside the walls before actually working up the courage to come in here. I… didn’t really know what the situation was like. I had thought I’d just be able to cross the bridge someday and continue traveling, trying to find myself, but I was wrong obviously.”

“How much money did you have when you came in here? It sounds like you’ve been inside the citadel for a long time but you still haven’t gotten kicked out yet?”

“Mmm...” Solar Streak frowned, nervously rubbing her hooves together. “I ended up in the same situation most of the working ponies you’ve seen here are in. I’m sure you’ve seen a lot of ponies cleaning around the streets? Taking delivers or transporting things? They’re not actually ponies that work for the Citadel. Not like the guards and building owners. They’re ponies who ran out of money to stay here but… instead of leaving they chose to enter into debt, getting to keep their number but having to work for the Citadel to pay off what they owe. It’s a vicious cycle, you don’t make any actual money and you can’t live where you want or do anything like the average ponies waiting here, the more days you spend the more debt you accrue so you have to keep working and working yourself to the bone. The only way to really get out of debt is by skipping meals or taking on multiple jobs. We’re all more like indentured servants than anything. And now unlike the others who will just get thrown out when they run out of money, we couldn’t leave if we wanted to.”

Applejack brought a hoof to her forehead, looking down miserably at the table. “Solar Streak… how far in debt are you?”

“I don’t keep track anymore,” Solar Streak awkwardly grinned and shrugged, trying to laugh it off. “Heh… it just seems silly to at this point.”

“You can’t be okay with any of this,” Applejack frowned and narrowed her eyes at the other mare.

“What else would I be doing, Applejack? I wasn’t going anywhere, I wasn’t doing anything, even if I wasn’t working here I’d just be doing something similar somewhere else or traveling aimlessly. Sure I didn’t plan for this but I didn’t plan for anything else either. I’m not stuck here forever, after all I didn’t really care about even going across the bridge in the first case. I chose to stay here because… what else is out there for me? Until I really have a reason to leave… what does the debt even matter?” Solar Streak sighed and looked down. “I still feel more free than before.”

Applejack didn’t have anything to say to that. She stirred her soup around despondently before bringing a spoonful up to her lips and drinking it.

“So why are you here though? What brought you all the way to the Citadel?” Solar Streak asked.

“It’s… kind of complicated,” Applejack rubbed the back of her neck. “I didn’t come to the Citadel specifically, didn’t even know it existed or what was going on here until I started traveling, I just need to get over that bridge and to the other half of the continent. Got someplace to be. But… now that I’m here I couldn’t really leave even if I wanted to. There’s no way any of this should be happening.”

A small smile appeared on Solar Streak’s face. “I didn’t think you were the type of pony to let something wrong continue. You didn’t back at the cult after all. Good luck with whatever it is you need to do.”

“Thank you,” Applejack said.

It was a conversation ender. Applejack could clearly tell that Solar Streak meant it that way and the mare expected, and probably wanted, Applejack to get up and leave after getting to say hello to her.

She didn’t.

Applejack stayed where she was and stared deeply into Solar Streak’s eyes. “Solar Streak… are you… are you doing alright? For real?”

At first she was stunned for a second or two by Applejack’s words. Solar Streak’s lip quivered and the already small smile disappeared, her hooves shook and her eyes searched around, refusing to meet Applejack’s gaze. Slowly a few tears started to build up and she quickly reached up to wipe them away. “I-I’m sorry! I just… i-it’s been so long since anypony has asked.” Her sniffling turned into weak sobbing even as she fought against it. “I’m sorry, Applejack. It’s not… this place is...”

Applejack reached across the table and laid a hoof on hers. “I understand. You don’t have to say nothing more. And you don’t have to worry about this place anymore either, I promise I’ll help you and everypony else here.”

“I’ve seen so many ponies come through here, Applejack. They lose everything and nopony does anything about it—including me. So few get to go through, it’s all so miserable and awful. This place is horrible!” Solar Streak cried out and immediately covered her mouth, worried that she had been too loud.

She looked around and when it was obvious nopony heard—or cared—she lifted her hooves to her head and held it. “I don’t know why things are like this, why I go from one awful thing to another. I don’t want to be here anymore… I don’t know why I said all that stuff to you.”

“Sometimes it can be tough to admit something to yourself. I can’t imagine what it’s been like for you, stuck in here for so long,” Applejack sighed. “You deserve better, Solar Streak.”

“I’m sick of not having the guts to do anything, Applejack. I’ve always gone with the flow and never had the courage to speak up or think for myself. I want to find the life I was supposed to have when I got my Cutie Mark but...” she smiled painfully. “And here I am now, having you change my life again by the sound of it because I couldn’t be the one to do anything myself.”

“You don’t need to kick yourself over something like that. I don’t know how exactly you view me but there have been plenty of times where I’ve needed somepony else to save me too and point me in the right direction. Just hold out hope for a little longer, Solar Streak, I am going to change things here. I’m taking down the Warden. And after that, when you’re free again for real, you can get back to the life you want to lead,” Applejack smiled.

“Thank you...” Solar Streak muttered, still a little morose. “I-I should really get back to work though. G-Good luck, Applejack. And goodbye… in case we don’t see each other again.”

She stood up from the table and went to put her apron back on so she could get back to bussing tables. Applejack sadly watched her go, not having much of an appetite left for her soup.

“Tomorrow...” Applejack whispered to herself.

Comments

[Doctor Axiom]

Thoroughly impressed by how quickly you update for good quality work like this, and very much enjoying your fic- it's been the light at the end of the day for me after a busy workday.

Thank you for writing.

[redmar]

The Citadel really needs to have things shaken up since it seem s tat this horrible situation has been going on for a long time.

[RoboRed]

A familiar face, indeed. Solar Streak seems to have been a lot of places since she and AJ last met. Glad her life's been mostly on the up-and-up...present time notwithstanding.

Wonder if she got dropped off there from the previous Aquamarine caravan trip where she and Amethyst were on.