//------------------------------// // The Nightmare // Story: Guilt: An Applejack Story // by CapNTilfy //------------------------------// Applejack opened her eyes to find herself outside her home. The air was crisp and clear, and not a cloud in the sky. The natural scent of apples filled her nostrils as she took a deep breath and let it out. "Harvest time!" she said excitedly. Wait, she thought. Why am I working in my dream of all places? She smiled, rolled her eyes and shook her head. I guess I just enjoy the simpler things in life. Rolling up her sleeves, Applejack did a few stretches and cracked her knuckles. Before she could do anything else, the sky was suddenly darkened with clouds. "What the hay?" said Applejack, looking up to the sky. Almost immediately, it started raining seeds. "Whoa!" said Applejack, and ran for cover under a tree. Slowly, but surely, her cover shrank until it could no longer shield her from the falling seeds. "Hey, what gives?" said Applejack as she ran for another tree. Each tree shrank faster than the last, until there were no more trees to find cover under. Several of the seeds that rained on the ground sunk and took root. Before Applejack's eyes, countless giant pea pods shot out from the ground. Applejack thought she could hear mumbling in the distance, but it was too faint to make out. One of the pods burst open, revealing Rainbow Dash. Applejack looked on in shock. "You're supposed to represent the Element of Honesty, but you never told us what you did? How can I be friends with someone I can't trust?" said Rainbow Dash, an angry look on her face. "What are you talking about, Rainbow Dash? I've been honest with you since I first met you!" Applejack said, horrified by the words of her closest friend. Another pod burst open. Rarity emerged, in tears. "How could you, Applejack? After everything we've done for you. After everything I've done for you! I'm ashamed that I wasted my time on making fabulous clothes for you!" Applejack stood dumbstruck, still trying to process both Rarity and Rainbow's harsh words. Another pod burst open. Pinkie Pie walked out, hair limp and lifeless. "I can't believe I ever believed any of the words that came out of your mouth. Now that I know the real truth, I'm never speaking to you again!" said Pinkie. Applejack felt tears forming in her eyes. "But...but I've always told the truth. It's what's made me who I am today!" Another pod burst open. Twilight exited her cocoon. "Now I know that's a lie. You've been hiding a secret from us. You're basically lying by omission!" said Twilight. Applejack felt a lump in her throat. "How can you say that? I've got nothing to hide, and I never will." Another pod burst open. Fluttershy came out, in tears. "Why did Sunset Shimmer get voted 'Biggest Meanie' in our Freshman yearbook? She was an absolute saint her first year...compared to you!" Fluttershy pointed an accusing finger at Applejack, her face filled with rage and sorrow. "I can't even look you in the face, Applejack. You disgust me!" Applejack put her hands on her mouth, at a loss for words. Her knees started to buckle. Another pod burst open. This time it was Sunset Shimmer. She, too, had tears in her eyes. "Wow. Unbelievable. I thought I knew you. Even when I was at my worst I didn't do anything as bad as this. I think you're beyond redemption for what you've done." she said as she slowly turned her back on Applejack. "But...what did I do? I don't understand." Applejack choked up. Another pod burst open. To Applejack's surprise, Twilight, the Equestrian Princess of Friendship, had emerged. With tears in her eyes, Applejack begged. "Princess Twilight! Can't you talk to everyone? At least tell me what I did wrong!" Princess Twilight gave Applejack a stern look, then said to her in a tone of disgust and disappointment "Applejack. I have no words for what you've done. No words except these: I hereby rescind your power as the Element of Honesty. You don't deserve it, and you do not deserve friendship." Applejack felt all of her super strength fade, and her geode disintegrated into thin air. She began to sob openly. "But...Princess Twilight. After everything we've been through. You're like family to me!" Another pod burst open. Apple Bloom walked out. "I don't think you deserve even that!" she said, giving her older sister a look of scorn. Applejack's eyes shot wide open. "Oh, god, no. Not you too!" Apple Bloom looked Applejack straight in the eyes. She said to her in a tone that dripped with fury, "You are dead to me. I don't have a sister." Applejack could only manage a whimper. Another pod burst open. Her older brother, Big Mac, emerged. Barely able to hold her emotions in check, Applejack managed to choke out a couple of sentences between sobbing. "Big...Mac...what did I...do? What...did I...do...to deserve...this? Aren't you gonna...tell me?" Big Mac stared at his sister, his expression neutral. After a few tense seconds, he said "Nope. You can go to hell for what you've done." Something broke inside Applejack, and she started bawling, having completely lost control of her emotions. Another pod burst open. Granny Smith came out. Granny Smith ambled towards Applejack, her face red with anger. "I can't believe you don't remember what you did!" She yelled. "You really wanna know what happened?" Suddenly, two pods grew and burst right behind Applejack. She turned around, only to see the decaying corpses of her mother and father. Their expressions were just as livid as Granny Smith's. "M-m-mom? D-d-dad?" Said Applejack before falling back into whimpering. Bright Mac and Pear Butter stared at her, making seconds seem like an eternity. Finally, Applejack's parents said at the same time, "You killed us!" Upon hearing her parents say that, memories that she had repressed from long ago had resurfaced to the forefront of her mind. --------------------------------------------- Applejack woke up, shrieking in horror and anguish.