//------------------------------//
// An Apple a Day 
// Story: Purple Batteries 
// by Xutiepops 
//------------------------------//

The farm that laid in Ponyville was just like any other. Good crop and acres upon acres of land. Though, the far in Ponyville had something different. 
In other farms, you'd see unhappy ponies working the farm and chores. Nothing was happy and the sun just didn't shine the right way there. Though the farm in Ponyville... it was much more. 
Sweet Apple Acres, Ponyville's pride. Acres upon acres held a strong apple orchard that stood right under the princesses sun. The sun made each apple shimmer, made every leave get a hint of light, and gave the whole farm a radiant glow. Happy smiles were all any pony saw when they stepped hoof on the farm. 
An orange earth pony walked down a row in the orchard, smiling proudly at the crop. She had a golden mane that resembled straw, it was pulled into a ponytail and she had a brown cowboy hat on her head. Her eyes were an emerald green. 
She trotted up the hill and into the house. The shining red barn looked so cozy and inviting on the hot summer day. She smile even widened as she walked into the kitchen. A bright green made up the kitchen, along with some purple jam splatters everywhere. 
The floorboard creaked under the working filly and elder who playfully bantered. In the pot they were cooking in, the spoon hit the same edge of the pot every time. And the ticking of the timer played quietly in the background. It was as if they had their own farm band right in the very kitchen, it certainly sounded nice to Applejack. 
She stared at the old green pony with her white hair pulled into a bun, her name was Granny Smith. She took a look at her little sister, Apple Bloom, who had a bright yellow coat and bright red hair, a big pink bow sat on the back of her head. 
Both were covered in purple jam as the laughed and Applejack raised her eyebrow and smirked. She knocked her hoof against the white door frame and the two ponies turned to her and burst into laughter as the timer ringed. 
Applejack turned the timer off and pulled whatever was in the oven -an apple pie- and placed it on the table that had a green and white checkered patterned cloth sprawled across it. 
She opened the window and the two ponies finally settled down. Applejack took a look outside and saw the bright clear sky as the sun shown down and lit up her farm, helping her crop. She smiled as her mind only thought that the clear sky was the fastest pony alives work. She then shook the idea out of her head and knew it was the weather team. Not some myth. 
"How's the jam coming along, granny?" She asked to get away from her thoughts. 
"Just fine, deary, don't you worry 'bout me. You and Apple Bloom go wash the pigs," she made a shooing motion with her hoof as she stirred whatever was in the pot. She turned off the stove top and reached for something in a high cabinet. Only to yelp and have Apple Bloom jump up on the counter to get it for her. 
"It seems you fillies are gonna start doin' everything around here, now doesn't it?" She asked and ruffled Apple Blooms mane. Apple Bloom puffed her chest out and smiled widely at the praise. Her grandmother just turned back to the pot and Applejack started slowly dragging her little sister out by her tail. "I remember when I was just a filly..." 
Applejack and Apple Bloom started snickering as they ran from the house and their rambling grandmother. They trotted over to the pigs pen, only to see it all done. Even Applejack looked confused. 
"Oh right! I cleaned them earlier!" Applejack put her hoof to her head in annoyance for not remembering. Her little sister seemed concerned. 
"Jeez AJ, you do an awful lot 'round her, don't you think you should take a break and finish that book you've been reading?" Apple Bloom asked with closed eyes as she trotted down what seemed to be a random row of apple trees. Applejack was caught off-guard by the question. 
"What in the- who in the? I ain't reading no book," she fibbed and looked around nervously, turning her head away from her sister. She finally got a look at a tree and saw the carvings in it. 'PB + BM' was carved into it in the inside of a heart. Applejack smiled and knew where Apple Bloom was leading them. 
"Yes you were," Apple Bloom said, not realizing her sisters discomfort. "Saw ya reading it last night before ya went to sleep. Had some cool dragon on it... Hey! You think I'll see a dragon some day?" 
The filly was practically bouncing with each step as she turned to look up at her sister who seemed nervous, like something big got under her skin. 
"Huh? O-oh yeah," she recollected herself. "You silly, of course ya will see a dragon, there is the dragons migration." They came to the end of the row and there lied an opening to a clearly beyond the farm. Apple Bloom climbed underneath a leaf while Applejack lifted it over herself. They continued for only a few seconds before coming across the clearing. 
There was a big treehouse right in the middle. Apple Bloom smiled happily at the thought and Applejack simply smirked at old memories. Both sighed in unison in relief at the sight. 
It was painted pink with a red roof and door. The door had a heart carved into it near the top, and the top window had a few flowers planted in a pot at the windows edge. The rickety way up was painted green with the unpainted wood at the bottom and legs. They led down from the door and turned at a left down to the ground. 
Apple Bloom jumped and ran to the steps, Applejack simply walked behind, trying to act cool when really, she was just as excited to see what was more an old relic to her. 
The two walked into the safety of the clubhouse, taking in the sweet apple air that seemed to mix with childhood dreams in the walls. She smiled at what her sister had done with the place after she let it go. 
"This place looks great, Apple Bloom! You did a bang up job!" Applejack exclaimed happily as she looked around, happy her sister didn't push on why she was reading a fiction book. Well, she assumed her little sister to think the book was fiction, due to the dragon on the cover. 
"I know! I love it! A little bit of TLC and everything's back to normal," her little sister sighed in happiness. Then she looked depressed as her face fell and she sat down, letting her tail wrap around her. "Just wish I had some friends to show it to." 
Applejack had an expression of sympathy as she put her hoof on her sisters back. "Oh c'mon, Peppermint Twist's your friend, ain't she?" 
"Yeah," Apple Bloom pouted. "Before she went boy-crazy, now she only talks to Snips and Snails." 
"Hey, I didn't have many friends back then either," Applejack soothed sweetly. "You'll make some friends, Sugar Cube." 
"You said you had a best friend in the whole entire world back then," Apple Bloom pouted, though her sister didn't seem to notice she lied. Probably forgot about her 'best friend'. Then Apple Bloom realized, if she was able to forget her, then she probably wasn't that special to Applejack. 
"Yeah, she was a hoot," Applejack smiled at the old memories, "you two would've gotten along great! Though you would need somepony to calm you two down. She gets ideas stuck in her head as much as you are stubborn." 
"Wish I could meet her," Apple Bloom looked out the window at the sun, she noticed it was maybe an hour before noon. "What was her name?" 
"Uh, we should go back to granny. We got lots to do today," Applejack got up and started out the door, leaving her little sister all alone. 
Apple Bloom sighed and kicked at the ground. "If only Sweetie Belle didn't have to move to Canterlot." 



Applejack grumbled offensive words and comments about her grandmother for where Apple Bloom led her, and she was getting the trouble for it. She sighed and looked at the list Granny Smith had made her. Just anything that wasn't apples was there, like grapes and all kinds of berries, like raspberries and blue berries. There were a few basic things that they had at the farm, or could make, that is. 
Butter and milk were there, even if Applejack offered to make it herself -which she always did- her grandmother always bickered about the taste and wouldn't use it unless it was bought from the market. She sighed and put the list back in her satchel bag as she continued towards the market place. 
The town was bustling with ponies getting ready for the festival. The flower girls were watering everything in sight to make it sparkle in the sun. A puppet show had all the foals entertained as their parents bought what they needed without silly foals bothering them. Ponies chatted in delight at the café she passed, even if they resembled snobs, they were some of the nicest ponies in town. 
She passed a light brown earth pony practicing the cello as a quartet sung along. There was an underlying beat to the whole thing that sounded more electronic than hoof tapping. That's when she noticed the head banging unicorn smirking as she worked at a portable turntable sitting behind a bush. 
She passed two girls exchanging friendship bracelets. She passed a magic pony preforming tricks to entertain passer byers who had a few extra bits. A banner said 'The Great and Powerful Trixie!' above her show as she stood on her hind legs and fireworks set off behind her. 
She passed a line of ponies wanting to get into Sugarcube Corner -the local bakery. 
She basked in the glory of the town as she trotted over the ground and she heard passaging carts bounce over stones in the road. As she got to the market place, she started in awe at the smiling faces and genuine acts of kindness. There was a bustling of ponies and she realized it felt much more homey and cozy than the usually empty apple orchards. 
Every distasteful thought in her mind about her Granny Smith faded away.
She loved visiting town every once in a while, it reminded her of her lovely little town, right under Canterlot. 
From what she read in newspapers, Canterlot turned into Manehattan. She didn't hate Manehattan, but the ponies were so rude, and to hear the capital ended up that way? She couldn't believed it. 
Since Canterlot was so close to Ponyville, she was afraid they'd be next for the 'Manehattan invasion'. It's what she called it. Rude snobs from Manehattan started hating it since they couldn't use ponies anymore, so they went to other places to use ponies, thus infecting another part of the nation. 	
She didn't want Ponyville to end up that way. But her fear subsided once years passed and she never saw a new face stay long in Ponyville, especially not a rude one. There was that one pony that always came into town though, mysterious little filly she was. Never stayed, and she always went to that abandoned cottage, though when ponies went looking for her, she wasn't there. 
Still, there was no pony here to infest Ponyville with Manehattan fever -another thing she called what her heart hated. She'd take care of any pony who wanted to infect her home town.
Her fear came rising back in her throat at what she saw. 
A purple unicorn in a red cloak, a small purple dragon beside her. 
Applejack's joints buckled and she caught herself before she fell face first into the ground below her. Her eyes stared wide at the mare and her dragon. This was a Canterlot pony, here to infest Ponyville, yet it was also Applejacks idle. She swallowed as she stared at the duo, looking around curiously. 
Applejack picked herself up from her frozen stance and decided the only way to see if the infestation on Ponyville was happening now was to see if she was friendly.
"H-howdy partner," she smiled nervously at the two. They turned to her with equal smiles. Then, Twilight stared in confusion, Applejack assumed it was the accent. "You two new here?" 
Twilight still only stared in question, so Spike popped in and answered. "Uh, yeah! We're looking for a library." 
Now Applejack was the one confused. "Uh, no pony owns that thing, ain't been open for ... maybe a decade or so?" She questioned her own math once she made the conclusion. 
"Oh, we're staying there while we're here, Princess Celestia said we were," Spike smiled and Applejacks mind froze to a stop. 
Celestia? She thought. So they aren't just Canterlot ponies who could possibly be infected with Manehattan fever, but they also work under the princess?
Well, no reason not to be humble, besides, it ain't like they're staying. She thought and smiled at the two. They seem nice enough, just trying to manipulate me, I see.
"Sure, follow me, Twilight Sparkle, is it?" Applejack asked and turned to the entrance of the market place. Upon hearing her name, Twilight broke free from her trance. 
"Huh? How do you know my name?" Twilight asked, tilting her head in confusion as she followed Applejack. 
"Are you kidding me?" Applejack turned to her with a smile, still walking ahead. "Everypony in town knows you! We live right next to the creepy and spooky Everfree, ya really expect only Canterlot ponies to read your book?"
She cocked a smirk as they left the market place and took a right. There were lanes of cottages with open windows, though it seemed like no one was inside. Everypony was enjoying the nice day outside. 
Twilight flushed pink and laughed nervously. "I-I guess I just didn't expect someone to recognize me. Wait, how'd you know it was me? The book says nothing of my looks." 
Applejack chuckled and pointed at Spike. "Little fella looks just like the dragon on the cover." 
They passed a few smiling ponies who smiled at Applejack and Twilight, but they ran in fear from Spike. He shrugged, he expected it anyways. 
"Oh," Twilight turned pinker, though it was a combination of nervousness, worry, happiness, and the heat that was underneath the cloak as the noon sun bore down on them. And having Spike on her back wasn't helping. "So, what's your name?" 
"Oh me?" Applejack asked and smirked proudly, raising her eyebrows triumphantly. She puffed out her chest and closed her eyes, "I'm Applejack, best farmer in town and resident of Sweet Apple Acres." She opened one of her eyes and blew away a lock of hair, only for it to fall right back in the same place. It was obvious she was prideful. 
Though she was less prideful of herself, and more prideful of the farm she lived on. She suddenly remembered the list of food and the list of chores back home. She picked up her pace.
"So miss Twilight-" 
"Just Twilight is fine, I'm not royal or anything," Twilight snickered to herself. 
Certainly seems kind and modest, Applejack thought as she suspiciously eyed the mare. "So Twilight, what brings ya to town?" 
"The Summer Sun Celebration, Princess Celestia wanted me to help check how the preparations are going before the ceremony," Twilight smiled as she took in the city around her. 
It was nothing like Canterlot. Every pony was kind, the town wasn't divided into two, the air was so much cleaner and nicer. Though, the sun was getting on her nerves. 
"And to check out the Everfree Forest!" Spike piped in happily and Applejack froze, her muscles visibly tensed as he turned to them.
"C-check out the E-E-Everfree? Are you Canterlot ponies that crazy?" Applejack blurted and Twilight only seemed confused at her reaction. If she knew Twilight, her book, and the myths inside, then why did she seem so confused why they would venture inside? 
Twilight simply nodded. "It is actually really important that I get there, the whole of Equestria could be in danger." Applejack just relaxed and started laughing. 
"Ain't nothing in those there woods gonna come out and hurt no pony, and any pony that steps hoof in those there woods is gonna get chunked right out, so good luck," she said seriously. "Besides, don't you know what's in them woods?" 
Twilight only rolled her eyes, "I studied myths for two years and made a book out of it, do you really think I don't know what's in there?" 
Applejack sensed a challenge. "If you knew, then you wouldn't be risking yer lives going in there."
"I'm fully aware of how normal the woods are."
"Normal? Now your spitting nothing but nonsense." 
Ponies started gathering by to see the bickering of the kind earth pony, and an unknown unicorn whom they've never seen before.
"Oh really? So animals living on their own is crazy because we always had ponies to take care of animals from the day Equestria was created," Twilight started sarcastically. "And we always had plant ponies to take care of the plants, and we always had weather ponies to take care of the weather." 
Twilight trotted past Applejack who seemed at a lost for words. "The only scary things about those woods is how it kicks ponies out." 
"Then how do ya expect to get it?" Applejack's voice snapped and Twilight turned to her. The sun hid Applejacks tears from Twilight. 
"With magic, of course," Twilight replied as if it was the most obvious of things. She mistook Applejacks sorrowful look for one that said 'I'm right and yer not'. "If the woods are so dangerous, why don't you tell me what makes them dangerous?" She snapped. 
"Them woods ate my friend alive!" Applejack yelled and turned away to smash through a crowd of ponies, the sun moved just at the end to see her tears. Twilight stared with wide eyes back at the crowd, then she saw something she recognized. A divide. 
Half sympathetic faces that understood she didn't understand Applejacks circumstances, another half were scowls and rude looks that she had made the girl cry. No middle, just hatred and support. Something she was way too used to. 
Twilight turned and ran away from the crown, forgetting the heat on her back and lower body. She ran into the safety of the library, a treehouse full of books. She smiled in awe, then remembered she'd have to go back outside soon. She suddenly remembered something.
"Doesn't the Doctor always go home for holidays?"



Twilight knocked on the door of a rickety old cottage. It seemed like it hasn't been used in decades. Boards covered the windows, the roof was covered in soot and seemed barely functional, the wood holding up the house had holes covering it. Everypony who walked by either ran from the shack or stared at Twilight before running from the shack. 
The plants next to the cottage were dead and the grass seemed like it was dying and all the flowers either grew tall or wilted with over watering. A set of vines grew up the side of the house. 	
The door opened to reveal a happy, grey mare with bright yellow eyes. Her wings flapped and she jumped, hitting her head on the doorframe. 
"Ow," she said and rubbed her head. Soon, a light brown pony with a brown mane stepped next to her. "It's so nice to see you!" The mares wings flapped again. The stallion only smirked at her and turned to Twilight and Spike. 
"May I ask why you're here? Shouldn't you be in Canterlot helping the princess or drowning in books?" The Doctor asked and the two saw the state the inside of his house was in. Everything inside looked spotless and sparkled in the light from the lantern in the middle of the room. 
"Oh, I am helping the princess!" Twilight snapped her attention away from the spotless house. "She sent me here to check on some things for the celebration, I'm surprised to see you two here at all!" 
Derpy smiled and hugged her tightly. "It really is nice to see you! I see a lot of ponies all the time with the Doctor, but I never make any friends. So it's nice to have a friend!" 
Twilight only smiled back and hugged her, "I have to agree, even if we don't talk much." Derpy nodded and trotted back into the house, giving Twilight and Spike a full view of all the polished copper and metal gadgets and machines. The Doctor smirked happily. 
"In one reality you were married to some stallion, I think his name was Flash Sentry? Anyways, it was a surprise to you married at all, even in another reality!" The Doctor smiled and trotted inside, inviting the two in. 
"What about me?" Spike jumped off of Twilights back. They turned to see Derpy sleeping in what seemed like a kids bed, but also an airplane. It was small and hung from the ceiling, they questioned how she fit in it. 
The Doctor sat in thought for a second, "I think you were captain of the royal guard, don't really remember since we went to Canterlot and not the Crystal Empire where you were stationed." 
Spikes eyes sparkle with admiration as he imagined his life as captain of the royal guard in the Crystal Empire. Twilight rolled her eyes and smiled. Suddenly, she turned to the Doctor with a serious expression on her face. 
"I know you aren't one for myths, but do you have any idea where the old sisters castle is, or the Everfree Forest for that matter?" Twilight asked and the Doctor instantly shook his head, as if he had no need to even consider it. 
"I'm sure I have a map, but if you're asking me to accompany you, then no thanks," he smiled as he turned switches and levers on a machine. Twilight just seemed confused, the Doctor always went on adventures, surely he'd go if he knew a life was at risk... 
"But I'm saving lives! Don't you think you should come along?" Twilight smiled innocently to tempt him, he still shook his head and pointed at Derpy. 
"If I leave she goes after me and if she goes after me then she will get hurt out there, this Everfree Forest is worse than the millions of others I've seen, and I've been in enchanted forests that contain huge crogs, stymphs, and spiricks." The Doctor explained as the whole house rumbled and shook. Dust fell from a ceiling that didn't even have dust and rocks bounced against a floor that didn't even have rocks. 
"But all of Equestria could be in danger! And your abilities don't have limits, mine do," Twilight begged and suddenly a piece of the ground shifted and revealed a flight of stairs downwards. Spike and Twilight peaked down and heard the humming of what seemed hundreds of machines. They heard pipes clink against each other and they heard water gushing through pipes. They turned to the Doctor who only smirked and started down the stairs. 
Then he stopped in his tracks, "How would you know Equestria is on the brink of danger?" He turned to Twilight who was gone, then he looked at the bottom of the stairs and saw her appear there in a flash of magenta light. He chased after her. 
"The pony who is going to endanger Equestria told me!" Twilight exclaimed and looked around for something that even concerned Spike. 
"What in the world are you looking for? And why do you expect me to have it? I'm sure I know of it, but I honestly doubt I have it here," The Doctor explained as she trotted over to a chest and unlocked it with magic. Then she ran over to a couple of glass pipes that had different levels of water in them. She ran past functioning machines and past a shelf of antiques from different realties and dimensions. 
"The Elements of Harmony! That's what she said defeated her in the first place... but that doesn't free her of being Nightmare Moon," Twilight sat in thought and the Doctor tensed. 
"D-did you say Nightmare Moon?" He asked and she stared at him in confusion before nodding. Then she put her hoof to her head in annoyance at her own stupidity. 
"Do you know how to stop her?" Twilight asked with a smile. The Doctor only nodded and started dragging Spike up the stairs so she would follow. Once they were on the top floor -or ground floor- the Doctor moved a lever an inch and the floor moved back to place. The Doctor was tackled in a hug by Derpy.
He smiled and Depry flew back up to her air place to listen to what he was saying. "I know of Nightmare Moon's prophecy and how to defeat her," he pointed at Twilight, "Because you solved it." Twilight became ecstatic. "With the help of five other ponies."
"I don't know five other ponies that could help, all I know it is you, Derpy, and Celestia. But you won't help and I'm sure the princess won't-" Twilight rambled. 
"Derpy, the princess, and I are not of the few that help you. I forget their names exactly, but I honestly doubt you know them," The Doctor stated. 	
"Do you know what they look like?" Twilight pressed, "I might know them!" The Doctor only sighed and nodded. 
"A white unicorn with purple hair, a pink earth pony with even pinker hair, an orange earth pony with a blond mane, blue pegasus and rainbow mane, and a yellow pegasus with a pink mane," He nodded as he listed each of them. He turned the Twilight, "Do you know them?" 
Twilight sighed, "Only the pink earth pony." She felt something grip her fore leg harder and looked down to see Spike staring at the Doctor with wide, scared eyes. 
"I assume you know more than your friend?" The Doctor asked and Spike swallowed and nodded. Twilight could only worry. 
"I- uh, I know the white unicorn -Rarity-, and the blue pegasus," he turned to Twilight. "And I think the orange one is Applejack, she knew about the woods, and your book! She must like myths, or is at least interested."
Now Twilight understood why he was worried, she hung her head and groaned. 
"What's wrong, Twilight?" Derpy asked with concern. Twilight only smiled at her and turned back to the Doctor. 
"Well, it seems one of our candidates to stop Nightmare Moon hates me because her friend died in the Everfree and I kept telling her the Everfree wasn't dangerous," Twilight groaned and saw the Doctor pale.
"You see why I don't want to help you? Try and be friends with that Applejack pony, if that doesn't work, then I'll help. Don't worry about the yellow one, fate proves itself unchanged until changed," The Doctor explained and started pulling at levers, turned dials, and pushed buttons. 	
Twilight stared in confusion, "Fate proves itself unchanged until changed, you do realize fate is kind of ... you know... finalized!" 
The Doctor sighed and turned back to her, "I know that. What I mean is all worlds start out the same until something changes and they separate, leaving the 'correct' one to continue its coarse while the other goes on the function until it changes again.
"So, your fate technically ended as long ago as did mine, to my belief it is sentient beings that throw off the balance, but I'm not to sure. That is one of the only hypothesis I have for being stuck in these 'pony' timelines," The Doctor rambled, Twilight and Spike saw Derpys expression fall, but the Doctor didn't seem to notice.
Twilight got a thought to cheer her up, she shot Derpy a wink and turned back to the Doctor who had his back to them, turning what seemed like a pirates wheel. 
"If you have a hypothesis, can't you finalize it and go back to your timeline?" Twilight asked, pretending to be curious in it. The Doctor started pushing her out of the house. 
"Go find that Applejack and go to the Everfree Forest to stop Nightmare Moon, I can't have you spending all your time asking questions," he pushed her out and shut the door. He saw Derpy sulking slightly and smiled, turning back to his machines. 
A silence sat between them, well except for the rushing water, clinking pipes, rusty turning dials, rusty levers, and the humming of machines. 
"You know I only stay here for you, right?" He smiled and saw her head perk up. He could see the confusion in her eyes. 
"B-but you always talk about how much you loved your old life! Why stay here when you have a way back to your home?" Derpy asked with her desperate voice that only told him she would want him to go back home. "Just because you meet some mare doesn't mean you should give up your old life." 
He sat in thought. "You're correct." She looked like she was shot by a bullet. "I only figured this out a few years ago, two years, I've been here for a while. I knew I wouldn't find the answer that soon, so what was the point not to make friends? I made a friend, you, until I fell in love with her and married her. I only found the answer for when you would die, then I can go back to my time like nothing happened." 
"B-but wouldn't you just go to any other version of me? I'm practically the same everywhere," Derpy sulked even farther. 
He still smiled, "I love the Ditzy sitting in front of me, not any other." 
She finally smiled and engulfed in a tight hug. "I love you, Doctor." 



Applejack fought through the crowds, she forgot why she was there, she forgot where she was running. She galloped up the hill to Sweet Apple Acres and burst through the door to the house. She breathed loudly as her hooves sat on the door, her adrenaline came to a stop. 
"You're back already?" Granny Smith smiled as she poked her head out from the kitchen. Once she saw the state Applejack was in, she walked over there a put a hoof on her back. "What happened?" 
Applejacks expression hardened and she shoved her grandmothers hoof off with her shoulder. She trotted through the kitchen and out the door, all without a word. 
"Oh, why did Bright Mac have to give that little filly his stubbornness?" Granny Smith pouted and sighed. She walked back into the kitchen where Apple Bloom was sneaking a bite from the pie. Granny Smith stifled a laugh as she acted like she didn't catch Apple Bloom. 
They worked in silence, Granny Smith was too worried and Apple Bloom was so distracted and bored. The clattering of dishes and pots and silverware was all that was heard other than Granny Smiths emotionless orders. 
After an hour or two, it was getting dark and Apple Bloom was getting tired. "Go to bed deary, I'll wake ya early enough to see the sun rise." Apple Bloom only nodded and yawned as she trekked up the stairs. Granny Smith looked outside and started going to the woods edge. 
Applejack sat at the edge of the woods, she stared tiredly up at the jagged trees and the dark entrance. The moon picked up and only made the darkness seem darker. The tops of the trees didn't even glow under the moons light. She stared at the line that separated the fresh grass of the farm and the dead grass of the woods. 
She could see the eyes staring back at her, watching her every move. She could see the plants and creatures move around in the dark. She saw a scorpions tail, a chickens head, a long body she had no idea what could be apart of, a timber wolves form-
She could name just about any creature she saw, until she saw a pony. She stepped back in shock, why would a pony be in those woods? After what happened to Scootaloo, no pony in Ponyville was supposed to be in those woods. That's when she saw something with scales on it's back. 
Of course, she thought, they ain't from Ponyville! Applejack chased after Twilight and her dragon friend. She couldn't think of a reason why she was following this pony to save her from the woods inhabitants. 
She felt the dirt she picked up hit her back hooves. She felt the eerie breeze and she heard the creatures snickering. She noticed that Twilight started running, clearly scared. She ran faster -not using logic- and turned the corner the path took her down. Jagged trees stared at her, watching her every move. Creatures lurked within bushes.
Her mind was running with fear, she picked up the pace just to get away. She was terrified, no longer focusing on Twilight. 
She ran through flowers, trampled them. The trees nicked her as she turned tight corners and she finally stopped and let out a yelp once one scratched her side. She fell to the ground and looked around for Twilight. Once she couldn't even see the figure of the pony, she looked at the trees, trying to see the moonlight through them-
Her heart stopped as she heard the snarl of a timber wolf, she froze in place and swallowed, her whole body was encased in sweat. She glanced over at her left, nothing, her right, nothing. She looked back at the sky, her body shaking as she heard the cracking and crunching of branches.
"TWILIGHT!" She yelled as she saw the timber wolf pounce-
It was shot away by a magenta ray of light, momentarily lighting up the woods. A dragon ran to her side to help her as Twilight fought off the timber wolves. 
"Are you okay?" Spike asked worriedly. He helped Applejack up as she nodded and she saw Twilight shoot a ray of light at another -and the last- timber wolf.  A beeping was heard somewhere and she looked around. 
She raised her head left, it wasn't from that way. She raised her head right and once she heard it was from that way, she walked closer to Twilight. Until she walked past Twilight and heard it wasn't as strong, she turned to Twilight as the beeping stopped. 
"You ate something mechanical or somethin'?" Applejack asked and Twilight couldn't help but laugh as Spike lit up a lantern with a smile. Then, he noticed the scratch on her side. 
"You're hurt!" Spike yelled and pointed at the scratch, Applejack simply rolled her eyes as Twilight seemed shocked and worried as well. 
"I take it you really are from Canterlot, look, it's fine. I've seen worse," Applejack smiled and dusted off her hooves. "Uh, t-thanks by the way." She looked around and her eyes were wide with horror. 
Trees had holes that made them look like faces with hand-like branches. She saw crows fighting over a worm, along with vampire fruit bats drinking from apples she could tell were from her farm. On the ground were red-eyed animals viciously fighting. In the sky over head they heard haunting squawks.
The ground and trees looked dead, like they didn't listen to the sun. The trail was dirt with dead grass bordering it. Everything was unsaturated and darker, Applejack got a shiver up her spine. 
"U-uh, hey partner, w-w-why don't we l-leave already," Applejack stammered and backed up closer to Spike and Twilight. "B-before we, uh, y-ya know," she stared up at the trees, she swallowed. "Get eaten alive!" She jumped up and tried running off, but something kept hold on her tail and she turned to see the end of it encased in a magenta aura. 
"These woods aren't creepy and you definitely aren't going to get eaten alive," Twilight smiled. Then her expression fell, "I know your friend got lost in these woods, but she just got lost. These woods don't eat ponies, the creatures here can't really kill ponies." 
Applejack turned away, she knew it was true, she just didn't want to believe it. "I need your help," Twilights voice pierced the silence. She turned to the robot who let go of her tail. She didn't run.
"What do ya need?" Applejack asked, feeling as if she had a debt to her. 
"I need you to help me stop Nightmare Moon," Twilight said seriously and Applejack just turned and stared at her like she was a madmare. 
"Are you crazy!? That's an old ponies tale!" Applejack exclaimed, throwing her hoof to pick up some of the dirt and make her cough. "If these woods ain't dangerous, then your Nightmare Moon don't exist."
"Please, Applejack," Twilight pressed, her expression softening. "We need you to break her free, and I have a feeling you know these woods."
Applejack stared at her, the leaves of the dead trees rustling in the breeze that hit the woods. She finally shook her head, which deflated Twilight and Spike's happy spirits. "Fine, but only cause I wanna see what the mare in the moon looks like," Applejack grumped. 
Twilight stared in shock, "You know Nightmare Moon is the mare in the moon?" 
Applejack looked at her like she was an idiot. "Any pony who likes myths and has some common sense knows that. Though I didn't really make the connection till your book said so." Applejack trotted past her. "So, what'cha lookin' for?" 
Twilight was still caught off-guard, she shook her head and chased after Applejack. "Oh, um, the Two Sisters Castle. Apparently its near a -"
"A rickety bridge," Applejack sighed. "I know." 
The two walked in silence until Applejack and Spike stooped dead in their tracks. Twilight just chuckled. "Don't tell me you're scared too, Spike." 
"Uh, maybe she should see this, Twilight." Spike pointed at a spot behind a set of trees, hiding any light from the area. Twilight smirked as she looked, then she froze. Two big teal eyes stared back at them. 
"Who are you?" A soft voice asked.