Hollow Shades is a small town of Equestria, even smaller than Ponyville, to the west from Canterlot. A small village surrounded by a forest. There is a small apple orchard in the north of the town which belonged to the Apple family residing in there, it was so small that it wasn't even a tenth part of the orchard in Sweet Apple Acres.
Normally, it would be a cheerful place, where fillies and colts roam free on the sreets of a dirt, so soft that it felt like stepping on a mattress. But given the circumstances, there were bears, bunnies and birds all around the town, dancing some kind of Tango, obviously under Discord's influence. Just like in Canterlot, and every city in Equestria, some ponies have succumbed to the disharmony, while other still stood strong.
Applejack and her sister, visited Hollow Shades to prepare their trip to Foal Mountain, Discord was kind enough to keep the trains working, although they moved with the grace of the earthworms now. Upon reaching the town, they decided to visit their cousins' place. It was a small place, a small brown farm house with walls made of wood and a thatched roof from where a brick chimney was poking. The door was painted white but it had some dirt stains, there were round windows decorated with a cross shaped grill, and behind the house was the small apple orchard, but it was all burnt and damaged, there were marks of repairs on the house's walls, and on the orchard there were newborn apple trees, but their roots were turned into legs, and they were running all over the orchard.
The Apple brothers, as they are known by the locals, live in this small farm, which is a large terrain according to the Hollow Shades' standards. Both of them have a mellow yellow colored coat and green manes. Bushel is a tall and strong stallion, a bit shorter than Bic Mac and has a bucket full of apples in water as his cutie mark, nopony in the Apple family is as good as he is when it comes to washing apples. And Curly Clobber is a mare, her mane is as curly as her name suggests and she always combs it with two pigtails, her cutie mark is an apple brown betty, for she is an excelent baker.
Applejack knocked on the door, but there was no response, she stared at her sister looking a bit puzzled, so she knocked on the door a second time, "I'm comin', I'm comin!", Bushel's voice said. He carefully opened the door just enough so he could poke an eye to see the visitors, then, he completely opened the door, "COUSINS!", he shouted with excitement.
"What brin's you to the good ol' Hollow Shades?" He asked with a huge smile on his face.
"Hi there, Bushel," Applejack smiled back, "I'm glad to see you guys are ok, considering these... strange events."
"No kidding!" Bushel's smile disappeared, "First, a bunch of fire breathing dragons came and burned all of our apple trees, we heard of the fight in Canterlot, and just when we recieved the news of the victory, these weird crystals sprouted from the ground faster than you could say Yeehaw!, and ruined our house n' our land. And when we finally repaired the farm and our house this happens!"
Bushel pointed at the funny looking apple sprouts, but he wasn't laughing. He invited her cousins inside, and there they met Curly Clobber, her colors were all turned grey, and she had a grumpy attitude, and she was being mean to Applejack. After a short talk, the two sisters were disappointed to hear that Bushel and Curly Clobber had no apples to share with them for their trip, for their orchard was also destroyed by a dragon.
"Ohh! Of course, Applejack! Go ahead, take our apples!" Curly said, sarcastically, "Take all our trees, too, while you're at it! Y'know. since you don't have enough apples in Sweet Apple Acres!"
"Knock it off, Curly!" Bushel frowned, "Sorry Applejack, but we barely have some apples for ourselves."
"That's ok." Applejack said, "we understand..."
Applejack and Applebloom got no apples from their cousins, but they did got a direction of somepony who could lend them some food. The sisters walked a few houses to the east from the Apple brother's place, they passed by several small houses of wood, even smaller than their cousin's house, all the houses would look like the same to the eyes of any visitor, only the residents of Hollow Shades could tell the huge difference from one house to another. "Just folllow the road 'till you find a carrot garden", Applejack said, remembering the indications given to her.
There was a carrot field, but the house was completely destroyed, there were holes on the walls and on the roof, the windows were all broken, the door was dirty and the doorknob was all rusty and damaged, it looked like the whole house could crumble down any second, Applebloom looked around to make sure they reached to the right place, but her doubts were cleared when she saw the mailbox of the crumbling house, on which the word Serena's was written.
Serena was described as a light blue pony with a white mane adorned with an orange flower, she is the kindest pony known in town, and has one of the sweetest voice ever heard by pony ears.
Suddenly, the door was opened agressively, and a pegasus was thrown away from the house, landing on his back between Applejack and Applebloom. then, his head was hit with a Royal Guard's helmet which was thrown at him.
"Scram, and take your dirty helmet out of my sight!" Serena yelled at him with a rough, husky tone. She glared at Applejack and her sisters, and said, "and what are you looking at?", she slammed the door behind her, locking herself in her house.
The sisters helped the pegasus, he was dark blue with a clear yellow mane, and his cutie mark was a tornado. He stood up and shook his wings, cleaning them from the dust. He stared back at Serena's house with a sad look on his face, he sighed.
"Well, that was awkward", said Applejack after helping him out, "you ok, pal?"
"Still is for me", the pegasus responded, "sorry you had to see that, and thank you", he turned around and walked away, heading Foal Mountain's way.
"Wait, were are you going?" Applebloom asked him.
"Foal Mountain", he said, "I just came here to say hi, but... I should have known."
"Wait, you don't happen to be lookin' for the Element of Honesty?" Applejack started walking beside him.
The pegasus stopped, and stared at Applejack's face, and said, "No. I am looking for somepony. If you're heading for Foal Mountain, I could come along, it may be dangerous if we go alone, right?"
"Yes! That's a great idea, sister!" Applebloom nodded, "We can help each other out!"
"Sure we could!" The pegasus agreed, "besides, you're THE Applejack, right? I mean, you took on the huge fire dragon all by yourself, right? You are a legend!"
"Well, am i?" Applejack blushed. As they walked to Foal Mountain.
"By the way, my name is Spinwind", the pegasus introduced himself, "Spin for short, it's a pleasure to meet one of the elements and her cute sister." Applebloom blushed.
"Well, you already know it, but I'm Applejack", she responded, "Element of Honesty, yadda, yadda, yadda..."
"And I'm Applebloom! The cute sister!" she jumped out between Applejack and Spinwind immediately after her sister finished.
A couple of hours passed while they were visiting the stores to get some food for the journey. While traveling, the conversation revealed that Spinwind is a local, and he is Serena's fiancé, a little fact that dissapointed Applebloom a little.
He knew Foal Mountain like his own hoof, and even with the twisted decorations of Discord, he could still orient himself. They passed through a path that waved around one of the peaks, until the path splitted in three. Spinwind stopped for awhile and lifted off to examine the roads from up high. Flying left and right, shifting his sight between the three roads, he landed and started walking again toward his left road, as Applejack and Applebloom followed him.
Soon, they entered a forest with giggling bushes and grinning trees, their laughters sounded like they were making fun of the ponies. Walking through the woods, the dirt road they were fallowing began to fade between the weeds and bushes as they went deeper to the forest. Spinwind was keeping the pace, but Applebloom was losing her calm, and Applejack was losing her patience.
They began to tire and the forest didn't seem any closer to end, they felt like they have walked some light years, but it seemed like they have walked a a mile or two. "Where are we, anyway?" Applejack asked, who was less tired than everypony.
"I don't know, this forest isn't supposed to be here, in first place." Spinwind scratched the back of his head, and smiled. But Applejack didn't find this funny at all.
After being called with some nicknames that were not so friendly, Spinwind walked again in a hurry, intimidated by Applejack's rage. "Now I see why you represent the honesty", he mumbled to himself, Applebloom could hear this and giggled covering her mouth, and suddenly, they found a wall, part of a higher peak of the mountain, and there was a crag in the wall. "Here it is!", the pegasus exclaimed, right before getting in.
The two earth ponies went inside the crag after Spinwind. To their surprise, the inside of the crag was well illuminated with with candles on the walls, and another one on a table in the center. there was a small kitchen to the right of what it looked like a small living room, which it was decorated with two couches pointed at a coffee table set on a green carpet on the center of the living room.
"There you are!", a brown mare came out from a door in the back, wearing a hiker hat, she was as tall as Princess Celestia herself, if not a bit taller. she took off the hat, revealing a golden mane and a golden tail, "So zetta slow! why did it take you so long?", she said.
"So what-slow? Are you insultin' us or somethin'?" Applejack defied the mare.
"Calm down, Applejack!" Applebloom stopped her sister by biting her tail, "Zetta is a physics prefix. It means ten to the power of twenty one!". Applejack stared at her sister, and blinked twice, silenced by the confusion. "It means a realy big number. So she told us that we're very, very slow." Applebloom explained, while she midclosed her eyes.
"Wow! There IS a smart pony among you!" the mysterious pony praised Applebloom.
"Anyway, who are you? were you waiting for us?" Applejack lifted an eybrow.
"Yes, I was. But my name is not important right now", the mare stated, "what is it what you need, Spinwind?"
"I want your help", Spinwind said, "the princesses have lost their wings and horns. If anypony knows of a solution, it's you."
"Even if I could help them, what would be the point?" The mare turned around, and opened the oven, she took out a plate with plenty of cookies, while she responded, "the Draconequus is too powerful even for the princesses, the Elements are the only power that can hold him."
"But... There's gotta be another way." Spinwind was dessperate.
"The pony that can help you is right next to you," the mare pointed at Applejack, then with the same hoof, she picked up a cookie and ate it.
"Another way? Did princess Celestia asked for this?" Applejack asked, "why does she want another way besides the Elements of Harmony?"
"Discord keeps getting more and more intelligent", the pegasus answered, "he always finds a way to escape his stone prison, and cause havoc. The princesses aren't looking for a way to hold him, they are looking for a way to stop him once and for all."
"I see! That's why they tried ro reform him." Applebloom said.
"The Elements were created specifically to defeat Discord" The mare said, picking another cookie, "It's simple mathematics, the sum of a number with its corresponding negative will always equal to zero."
"So... isn't there another way?" Spinwind looked down.
"Of course not, there are plenty of ways to reduce a number to zero", the mare laughed, "But Discord's number is a variable. But anyway, now let's talk about you, Applejack."
"Me?" Applejack perked up her ears with curiosity.
"I've seen your foe", the mare's eyes shone with a disturbing feeling. "It's a terrible one, it will use all your strengths against you. If I'm sincere, I am happy I'm not standing on your hooves, right now. I've never been so scared of a foe in my entire life. It is totally a complex number."
"Can you stop talking in your fancy mathematic? How do I defeat it?" Applejack asked with even more curiosity.
The mare picked up another cookie, this time with a more serious expression, and she said, "The truth is just like this cookie, so sweet and so crunchy, but if no one eats it, it will get old and flavorless", Applejack didn't know what to say.
"Any advice for me, mistress?" Applebloom asked.
"Ah! Young Applebloom!" The mare was really happy to have met Applejack's sister, "you are so smart that I can tell you only one thing, and I will be completely sure that you will know what to do."
Applebloom got closer and her eyes glew with excitement. The mysterious mare stared right into her shining eyes and finally said something, "Inverse matrix."
Applebloom stood speechless and confused, as the mare took the cookies and put them in a pot, "That's all, you better get going if you want to find the Element. Spinwind, go with them, they may need your help", she said and pushed them out of her little house insie on the crag, then door closed quickly before any of them could say anything. After some minutes with an awkward silence, they turned around and continued their expedition in Foal Mountain.
Day after day, night after night, it didn't matter, one minute it was dawn and the next one it was midnight, and the forest went on and on, almost as if it was growing larger with every step the ponies made. The mysterious mare they met in the crag wasn't much of a help. They stopped to eat a few carrots they bought in Hollow Shades and take a break, that's when Spinwind saw a shadow between the trees, or thought he saw.
He stood up and went to take a look to make sure his fatigue wasn't playing any jokes. As he walked through some bushes, he could hear some hoofsteps to his right, "who's there?", he said, and this alarmed Applejack and Applebloom who also came to examine the place. Guided by the sound of the hoofsteps, they kept walking to a steep climb.
Bit by bit they went forward and upward to the forest, until the forest was finally left behind and they reached to a rocky peak of the mountain. "Hey! Are you ok?" Spinwind called for a sillouhette that was standing right next to a cliff, "are you lost?" he said, "she's just a filly" he mumbled to himself as he and the sisters went to meet the young pony.
Upon they reached a few yards to her, Applejack and Applebloom recognized the young pony. "It's you... Scrapped Cloak" Applejack frowned at the pony, who was giving them her back.
"That's Screwball", she turned around, she was wearing the necklace of the Element of Honesty, "looking for this?", she laughed.
"Give that back right now!" Applejack charged at Screwball, but she was stopped by some kind of invisible wall.
"Applejack", Screwball summoned a small notebook and began to read, "extremely strong, really fast, somewhat smart, extremely brave. Extremely dangerous, avoid frontal attacks, use mind tactics."
"What's that?" Applejack stood up, rubbing her head.
"This is daddy's Strategy Guide" Screwball smiled, "it says all your strengths and weaknesses, and all the tactics I need."
Then, Screwball made a cheerful smile, "let's play a game, shall we?", she said, "maybe you know it, it's called truth or dare. Whoever wins gets the element."
Applejack nodded silently with that rivalrous gesture, and Screwball advanced two steps toward her, "I'll let you start" the chaos pony said.
"Very well... truth or dare?" Applejack asked with an uneasy feeling.
"Dare" Screwball responded immediately, very confident and with that annoying smile.
Applejack smiled, "I dare you to give me the Element of Honesty". Screwball's smile disappeared, she took off the necklace and threw it at Applejack's hooves.
As soon as Applejack took the necklace, Screwball claimed her turn, "truth or dare?"
Applejack asked for a dare, and Screwball laughed like an innocent filly, Applejack realized it was a mistake, the rock peak opened forming a crater full of lava, and Applebloom trapped in a small rock platform floating on the lava. "I dare you to save your sister from dying" Screwball whispered to Applejack's ear.
Little by little the platform where Applebloom was on began to sink, Spinwind tried to dive on the crater, but Screwball stopped him "this is Applejack's challenge, wait your turn".
Applejack stomped, causing a tremor that dropped rocks inside the crater forming more platforms, then she jumped inside landing on one of the rocks that dropped from the tremor, and she proceeded to jump from one rock to another, and each rock sank into the lava as she jumped on them one by one. Applebloom also jumped on the rocks to meet with Applejack. When the sisters met on one same rock, it started floating and increasing until it covered the crater's hollow.
"Woah! Was that intense or what?" Screwball cheered at the sisters, who were exhausted and scared.
"Are you ok, girls?" Spinwind was concerned.
"Yeah, I'm fine", Applebloom said, "Thanks Applejack."
"I'm just glad...", Applejack was panting "that our friends don't have to deal with this crazy filly."
"Don't be so sure", Screwball said, "there are six of me, who are simultaneously kicking your tails. But you should be more worried about yourself, it's your turn to ask."
Applejack asked the truth or dare question to Screwball, and she asked for another dare. Applejack challenged her to build a cabin with only wood. But Screwball used the trees in the forest to do it effortlessly.
"Ok, Applejack it's my turn again", Screwball smiled again, "what's it gonna be?"
"Since you're challenges are a matter of life or death, I choose truth this time."
The distinctive laughter of Screwball which changed from innocent to evil demonstrated that Applejack had made another mistake. "Are you sure? You know? Honesty is one of the most painful weapons that have ever existed."
"Honesty is not a weapon!", Applejack replied.
"Then, answer to my question", Screwball said, "Have you ever lied to somepony you dear? Remember that you have to answer truthfully, but of course, as Element of Honesty, you have nothing to worry about."
Applejack hesitated a bit to answer, "Yes, I have lied to somepony I dear. We all say lies once in a while, but sometimes is to protect those we hold dear. My turn! Truth or dare?"
"Truth", Screwball replied, "I have nothing to hide."
"Fine! Who exactly are you and what do you have to do with Discord?" Applejack questioned.
Screwball answered immediately after the question, "I already told you, I am Discord's daughter, I was created by him with his powers, and he gave me the shape of a pony because he believes they are beautiful creatures. That's it. Well, Truth or dare?"
"Truth again..."
"Do you have a grudge against your sister?" Screwball turned serious suddenly. But Applejack started shaking, her hooves were sweaty and her lips were dry.
"That's ridiculous! My sister would never have a grudge against me!" Applebloom protested, but a strong wind blew at her face coming from Screwball.
"Let her answer the question", Screwball was getting mad, "well, Applejack? Answer!"
"Y-y-yes I have", Applejack looked down with a sad expression, "I've had a grudge against Applebloom for a while, now."
"Applejack... but why?" Applebloom gasped, she couldn't believe what Applejack said.
"You... have changed", Applejack couldn't see her sister to the eyes.
"Of course I have, I grew up!", Applebloom stated "you make me mad when you treat me like a filly sometimes, but I don't hold any grudge against you."
"You don't understand!", Applejack glared at her sister and yelling at her, "you are a whole different pony, you used to care for your family, but now you have left us behind just like the farm!"
"No, I haven't!", Applebloom was yelling too, "I love my family like any of our cousins! And I love Sweet Apple Acres as my home!"
"It's not your home anymore! You left it for that fancy workshop of yours, remember?" Applejack yelled, and then, she realised what she have said, she saw Applebloom's face and tears were dropping from her eyes, "No... Applebloom, that's not what I meant..."
"So... that's how you feel...", Applebloom was crying, "I didn't know I wasn't welcome anymore... I hate you!"
"You see how honesty is sharper than any weapon?", Screwball giggled, "truth brings sorrow not only to the ones you love, but also to yourself, if you're completely honest you will not make friends, you will only make everypony hate you"
"You're wrong!", Spinwind protested, "yes, sometimes, to hear the truth can be painful, but that will not make everypony hate you, because if they truly love each other, the simplest apology is enough to overcome the pain, and the bond will only get stronger!"
Upon hearing Applejack's eyes shone as two bright emmeralds, "Truth is like a cookie, so sweet and crunchy, but if no one eats it, it will get old and flavorless, I should have said my sister what I felt when she left the farm, we could have settled things back then, but I let it slide for too long, and it got worse with each day."
"Applejack... I...", Applebloom tried to say something but she was interrupted by Applejack.
"I can't take back what I said, Applebloom, because that's how I really feel, but I can ask for your forgiveness, you're always welcome in Sweet Apple Acres."
"I CAN take back what I said", Applebloom responded, "I don't hate you, sister." The sisters hugged each other for a while, until Screwball interrupted.
"Ewww, what a wet blanket!", she said, "this was just getting exciting! But it's ok, our game is still on and I'll make sure you lose my next turn."
"But it's my turn now", Applejack exclaimed, "truth or dare?"
"I choose truth", Screwball smiled.
Applejack stood slient and thinking, but Applebloom remembered the words of the mare they met in the forest, inverse matrix, Applejack tought of a way to reverse the situation using Screwball's game, "can I make the question?", she said.
"Very well, it won't make a difference.", Screwball replied selflessly.
"Applebloom, what are you doin'?" Applejack whispered.
"I think we can win this", Applebloom whispered back, "but it's not going to be pretty."
Applejack stood aside, letting Applebloom make the question, "do you really love your father?", she asked.
"Of course, my daddy is the most wonderful creature I have met", Screwball answered very proudly, "he is really, really fun, he is the only creature I love."
"But does he love you back?", Applebloom asked with curiosity, "I find that hard to believe."
"What do you mean?!", Screwball was getting mad, "he is my daddy! He loves me more than anything."
"I think you mean nothinh to him, he is just using you!", Applebloom replied.
"No! I am his only daughter!", Screwball yelled with frustration, "You're a liar!"
"Believe what you want," Applejack said, she understood what her sister was trying to do, "But my sister is right, Discord is not the kind of creature that could feel affection for anypony. That's how he is, he tells you that he's on your side, that he will help you, but in the end, he was only toyin' with you for his own personal purposes, he did that to Pinkie Pie, he did that to Fluttershy, and he is doing that to you."
"SHUT UP!", Screwball screamed in anger, and made the mountain crumble down under everypony's hooves. The ponies hurried to escape, and there was an avalanche of rocks chasing them. Spinwind held up Applebloom and Applejack each one in one of his front legs and lifted off, he dodged a few rocks and flew away from the mountain, back to Hollow Shades, and with the Element of Honesty in Applejack's possesion.
After the avalanche, Screwball stood on top of a pile of rocks, she was silently writing something in the Strategy Guide, with rage in her mouthwriting, and with hatred in her eyes.
Applebloom, not so strong, not so fast, really smart, extremely annoying. Extremely dangerous, attack to kill.