//------------------------------// // Apple Jack // Story: Synthetic Discord (a Rainbow Factory retake) // by discord7 //------------------------------// Apple Jack was last, I had to make this quick. I went to Sweet Apple Acres to tell her that the rest of the girls wanted to have an important meeting. She kept asking what it was but I told her that she would find out when we got there. Scootaloo was going to be waiting there to help me ambush her. She was talking the entire time, it was starting to remind me of Pinkie every time she started yammering on about some random thing nopony listened to. I tuned out her incessant blabbering. As we reached the clearing on the edge of the farm where Scootaloo hid I stopped and sighed. I knew it had to be done; I couldn't take it back now. "Everythin' all right sugar cube?" AJ asked. I looked at her sincerely, but with sadness behind my stare, and smiled. "Ya," I told her, "everything’s fine." Out of all of my friends, I'd have to say that AJ was my best friend. She above all the others understood what it meant to me to be the best. How it wasn't me being stubborn, it was just me trying to prove to not only myself but to everypony else that I wasn't a pushover. That's why I saved Apple Jack for last. I wanted to see her happy for one last time before I shut down the factory. We entered the clearing and immediately Scootaloo jumped on Apple Jacks back and pulled her hair. Apple Jack bucked and riled yelling with surprise. "What the hay is goin' on here," she yelled, "Rainbow get this crazy foal off uh mah back." "Sorry AJ," I said darkly and quietly, "it has to be done." She stopped and looked at me with the mad filly still struggling to take her down. "Now Scoot." I said, Scootaloo took a rag and the vial out and pressed it to AJ's mouth. She gasped in surprise she breathed in the rank smell of the potion and she was out. I walked over to the orange pony, one who like all my other friends would never trust me in death. Scootaloo and I stuffed the body into the bag and proceeded to Cloudsdale. All the way there Scootaloo kept looking around as if looking for somepony. I stopped and the sudden jolt shocked Scootaloo. "What are you looking for?" I asked. "Oh... uh nothing, just making sure nopony is following us." She said innocently enough. I glared at the filly accusingly, she had worried about that kind of thing before, then again she was becoming more and more paranoid. I accepted her excuse, after today I wouldn't put her or anypony else through this. We got to Cloudsdale, strapped AJ in and waited for her to wake up. When she did she groaned, she took one look at me and came too immediately. "What are you doin' Rainbow," she asked, it sent sparks of anger into my stomach, "why haven't ah seen any of our friends in a week now?" "Because AJ," I said turning to look her in the eyes, "I killed them." I stared at her intimidatingly, it worked, and she cowered behind her emerald eyes. She could only utter one word. "Why?" "Why?" I repeated, "WHY?! WHY?!?! I'll tell you 'why', to keep Equestria safe that’s 'why'. Don't you see AJ this is what will keep Equestria safe, we have to do this? You all die, and the world moves on." My voice was becoming softer throughout my speech. "With the sacrifice of your happiness and the rest of my friends, Discord won't return... ever!" "Rainbow," AJ said looking at me tears welling in her eyes, "what has gotten in to you, that doesn't make any sense." "Don't worry AJ it will," I told her, "it will soon enough." I said turning up the dial. "Let the extraction begin." I took one last look at my friend, she had turned her head and had her eyes closed, she didn't even want to look at me. This once again filled me with anger. I didn't pull the switch yet. "Toggle!" I yelled. Toggle snapped into attention, so did Apple Jack, peeking to see what was going on. The extraction wouldn't be as powerful if she didn't see me. I yelled to Toggle to pull the lever when I gave the signal. I grabbed a head vice and went over to Apple Jack, placing it in between her shoulders. She looked at me with terror in her eyes. "I want you to see me when you die." I whispered. She shut her eyes. "Never!" She said. "That's how you want to play huh?" I reached over to the table and grabbed a scalpel; I pulled one of her long eye lashes on her right eye. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" She screamed terrified. I cut into her eyelid the blood dribble into her eye, she wasn't able to close it though, and she screamed and howled in pain. She had brought this upon herself. I repeated the process with the other this time something hard came up and whacked me in the eye. I looked; Apple Jack had freed one hoof and punched me. I felt blood dribble down my face. "I might die today Rainbow," she said staring at me with her lidless eyes, "but ah ain't goin' down without a fight." And indeed she didn't my other engineers struggled to rescuer the strap. When it was done I climbed back to my position on top of her and stared her in the eyes. Her blood had irritated her eyes, making them even more bloodshot. She was unable to blink it away. I took one last look into her eyes, the blood seeping from my cut dripping on her face. "No one escapes the Rainbow Factory!" I whispered. I looked to Toggle and nodded, he pulled the lever. I watched as my friend let out a painful scream, the blood vessels in her eyes popping, making them entirely red. Color faded from her coat, but the blood remained the same luxurious red color. When it was over her coat was a dull, drab gray. The machines cut her up and probed her insides. I climbed back on top and watched as the color faded from her organs. I watched as her blood red eyes showed one last emotion: betrayal. I looked at the faded friend; there was still red blood, all over her face. I noticed it was mine; I looked in the mirror to see one long gash over my eye. I knew that for the rest of my life this would be the one reminder of my terrible past. Every morning from then on when I got up to ruffle my mane, I would see this scar and be reminded of my biggest mistake. This factory was now closed, we began clean up. I had no idea that it wasn't the end just yet.