Her life was over. Everything she had ever cared about or loved was becoming distant to the tan earth pony. Applejack thought long and hard about what she was planning. Her friend Twilight was now just a beast needing to be put down. Her friend had become a monster and as much as it pained her, needed to be brought to justice for what she did to Rarity. Rarity. The one and only mare she had ever truly loved with all the fibers or her being. As much as the two of them had squabled, she knew she loved her the fisrt moment they stole a kiss during Nightmare Night. Twilight Sparkle was many things, but she was never the type to murder a pony in cold blood. At least back then.
"Twi, ya better prey to Celestia' for mercy," AJ said softly to herself as she neared the Castle. The lights were on. As she opened the door, she caught sight of a grey earth pony entering the map room. The pony didn't see AJ, it was dark in the hallway. The Lights were on in the top half of the castle. Applejack made sure as not make any noise as she slipped down the long winding hallway unseen. As she got the stairwell, she ducked out of sight as the other pony came around the corner. AJ got a good look at who it was.
Octavia? What in lands sakes is she doing here? Applejack thought for a moment. then it hit her like a pile of bricks. Was this the mare that had cursed Twilight? Aj had known Octavia for years, she was considered part of the family even. She was related to AJ's Aunt and Uncle Orange, so Octavia was actually a 4th Generation cousin of the Apple Family. As Tavi ascended the stairwell, AJ followed behind her, keeping her distance as not to startle the grey earth pony. As Tavi walked into Twilight's bedroom, Applejack quickened her pace. The tan earth pony kicked the door to reveal Twi and Tavi in bed together. Twilight turned around startled at first. But when she saw who it was, her heart froze. The Purple alicorn had been able to expel the evil that tried to take ahold of her before AJ had gotten to the castle.
But that wasn't going to stop Applejack from getting revenge. Twi saw the anger and hatred in her friend's eyes. The hatred was overpowering. Twilight could feel it eminate from her friend like an aura. AJ was seething with it. Octavia tried to reason with their mutual friend, but it didn't look like it was having much of an influence on her. That's when Twilight saw the ax clenched in Applejack's mouth. The earth pony reared up and placed in her front hooves, before trying to slam it into Twilight's flesh. Octavia saw this and pushed Twilight out of the way. The Ax hit the bed, nearly hitting Octavia in the side. She ducked down and avoided the lethal strike.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING APPLEJACK?!", Twilight screamed in fear, " Octavia helped me dispel the force that was possessing me!," She yelled out. She saw AJ readying another swing.
" YA KILLED RARITY!," AJ hollered," MY WIFE!." As Applejack let that ring out, Twilight got a look of sheer horror on her face. AJ saw this and backed off. What was she doing? She looked at Twi one more time and came to the conclusion the alicorn was telling the truth, her coat was back to its normal radiance, as well as her mane. There was something more though. Octavia wasn't moving at all now. It turned out that at the last moment while AJ was in mid swing, the ax made contact with the cellist's flank. Twilight could see the horror in her friend's eyes.
"IT's ok AJ, it was an accident. Thats what we'll tell them if she's dead." Twilight reached out with her left hoof and felt for a pulse. There it was. the heart beat was faint, but it was still there. Twilight looked for something to use for a bandage. When her back was turned she felt something strike her in the back of the head. It was the handle of the ax, with AJ in possession. But whats more was there was a second pony behind her. Twilight blacked out as she hit the floor of her bedroom with a soft thud.
AJ and the pony in question, dropped Tavi off at the local hospital, with a note that read she had been in some sort of accident. It didn't specify what the accident was, just that she had lost some blood. AJ and her ' friend' though, took Twilight back to the farm and down into the new Apple Cellar that AJ had built the year before. They locked the door behind them and woke Twilight up with a cold bucket of water. The other pony next to her was Rainbow Dash. As she came to she took notice of where she was. Oh god she thought to herself. Dash was going to find out she had slept with another mare, and betrayed her trust and confidence. Twilight tried to reason with her two friends.
"Please dont do this. I told you, she helped me expel that force that took hold of me, why are you doing this AJ. I'm Sorry for what happened to Rarity, i am, but I HAD NO CONTROL WHATSOEVER?!." AJ seemed to relax after was out of the way.
But Dash, Dash was another matter. The Cyan pegasus punched Twilight in the stomach. She realized they had tied her to a post planted in the center of the cellar. She hit her again. Twilight knew she deserved it, she had betrayed Rainbow. She had told her multiple times before that there was nopony else. And it was true then, but not recently. She deserved each slap and punch the Pegasus threw at her. Rainbow backed up when she realized she had gone too far with it. Twilight was tied there, sporting a black eye, multiple bruises, and blood running down her nose and mouth. What have i done she thought, she had been upset at Twi for sleeping with another mare, but to do this to her?
Dash trotted over to Twilight and held her. The Alicorn didn't even bother to push her away, she knew that her marefriend was remorseful, that she didn't realize she was capable of something like that. But it also made them both wonder if this was something that might happen again. They both knew that Berry Punch had been in an abusive relationship, hence why the purple mare was now an alcoholic, although they knew that she never hit her daughter at least. Twilight's friend Moondancer had just gotten out of a bad relationship herself. The stories she told Twi in their frienship letters back and forth between here and Canterlot could fill volumes.
Rainbow Dash untied Twilight and continued holding her battered friend. Twilight could barely stand as it was now. She ached to much from all the blows she received. Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and cried in silence at what she had done to her marefriend. To think she was capable of that kind of damage to somepony she loved, was enough to almost break her heart. An abusive relationship was not something either mare wanted to dwell on. Now came the hard part. Getting Twilight and Applejack to forgive each other over the others actions. They turned around to see the cellar down open, and Applejack gone like the wind. She couldn't be near Twilight, not right now, not with all this hatred burning through her soul right now. AJ ran as far as she could, as fast as she could until she was in an open field half a mile away from the farm and away from the lights of town.
She turned to see a shrouded figure twice her size approach her position. There was something ominous about it, but something kept her there. That was when she heard his voice in her mind. A chilling, yet somewhat calm voice speaking to her now. It was something that on any other occasion would of frightened her. But not tonight. The voice continued speaking, whispering to her. It started to take on a sickly sweet tone.
"You know you should of killed her, dont you?", the voice chimed.
"what are you carrying on about?" AJ responded back.
"Your friend, the Alicorn." it spoke, " You should of just gone through with it, buried that axe in her neck the way she snapped your wifes," The voice began to take on a more determined tone.
"If you and i were to become one, we could work together to achieve it, to achieve the revenge you so want right now." The voice beckoned her, no, tempted her in to the thought.
"What would happen to me after?" Applejack needed to know what the drawback to a deal like this would be.
"You would become the Embodiment of Hatred, of Vengeance," The voice whispered to her.
" Ah cant' believe Ah'm sayin this, but you got yourself a deal." AJ then felt an intense gust pick up, and before she knew it, she was levitated off the ground. A black and hazy red aura surrounded her and then disappeared. As she opened her eyes she could feel the power washing over her. Applejack the Element of Honesty was gone now, replaced by something darker, albeit stronger in a sense. The lord of Hatred gained a physical foothold in the land of Equestria now. In this new body, she would be known as the Mare of Hatred. Her former friends had no idea what was coming their way. As she was getting used to her new form, something else was taking place in Canterlot. The Princess of the night was about to be tempted by a mystery guest He'd give her an offer she couldn't refuse.