The Apple of My Eye

by Brian Jacko

A New Terror in Town

Twilight Sparkle paced around her room anxiously. She was so worried about Applejack and it was her deepest prayer that she would come to visit her.

Spike made her some herbal tea to calm her down.

She must have drank about twenty cups of it, but she just couldn't relax. Her friend was suffering and it ripped her heart to pieces.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

Twilight Sparkle opened it and three of her friends stood there with a look of horror on their faces. "What's wrong girls? Have any of you seen Applejack lately?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

Rainbow Dash stepped forward and said, "I think you want to come outside and have a look around. Pinkie Pie get back over here!"

Pinkie Pie came bouncing over to Twilight Sparkle. She was giggling madly and there was chocolate all over her face.

Twilight Sparkle stepped outside and it was raining chocolate! She paused for a moment and said aloud, "Discord. How in Equestria did he break free again?"

Pinkie Pie ran back outside under the rain and started eating all of the chocolate that fell from the sky.

A very sudden, harsh laughter came down from the sky.

The five mares looked up to see Discord sitting on a cloud.

He took his finger and ran it through the cloud and said, "My, my, my. Did you girls miss me?"

Pinkie Pie bounced over to him and shouted, "I missed your chocolate rain, Discord!" She opened her mouth as more chocolate rain fell into it.

Discord giggled. "Good! I'm glad some pony missed me. It looks like we'll be experiencing some farm weather shortly." Discord snapped his fingers and the chocolate rain turned into dirt.

Pinkie Pie spat out the bitter tasting earth.

Twilight Sparkle looked back over to her friends and said, "Come on girls, we need to get Applejack! We still have all our element necklaces. We just need to get Applejack over here and..."

Discord cut her off with more laughter and said, "Applejack isn't with you anymore. She found someone that appreciates her for who she is! Oh Applejack, why don't you show them your new move! The sonic appleboom!"

Applejack flew across the sky breaking the sound barrier with her wings.

Rainbow Dash's jaw hit the ground. "Hey! I'm the only one who can be the fastest flier in Equestria!" Rainbow Dash protested.

"Not anymore Rainbow Dash," Discord said. "I think Applejack might be giving you a little competition in the skies from now on."

Applejack raced over and sat next to Discord on the cloud. She used her unicorn powers to change the dirt rain into apples. She caught one falling from the sky and took a bite out of it.

Twilight Sparkle gasped in horror. "She has unicorn powers too now!" Twilight Sparkle looked up angrily at Discord and shouted, "Give us back Applejack now! How dare you take her away from us like this!"

Discord laughed again. "Oh I didn't take her away from you. She willingly followed me. Isn't that great? She is my Princess of chaos and disharmony!"

Twilight Sparkle looked back to the girls and called for them to get into ready position. "OK girls, I have a spell that will clear the corruption from Applejack's mind so that we can win her back. Every pony get ready!" Twilight Sparkle's eyes glowed white as she shot out a powerful beam of light at Applejack.

Applejack erected a force field that surrounded herself and Discord.

Discord laughed in delight. "Oh you silly ponies! Magic isn't going to help you now. She follows me by will and it's her choice to stay with me."

Applejack leaned over and whispered something in Discords ear.

Discord sat up straight and smiled. "That sounds like a wonderful idea," he said.

Applejack's horn glowed and a bright beam shined down upon the five mares.

Suddenly, their wings and magic were gone. They were forced to get around like Applejack did in the past. No flying and no magic.

Twilight Sparkle frowned and said, "We will be back for you, Discord. You won't last here forever. Come on girls! We need to see the Princess."

With no wings or magic, it took them a very long time to reach the Princess's palace, but eventually they made it.

Twilight Sparkle knocked on the door.

The royal guards opened it and they walked inside.

"Princess!" Twilight Sparkle shouted. She ran over and sat next to her. "We're in terrible danger! Applejack is no longer our friend and Discord is busy ruling Ponyville. We need your help!"

The Princess thought deeply about this situation. She finally came up with a solution to the problem. "Girls," she said. "I need you to go find and send Applejack..." Suddenly, the Princess turned into a toad.

Laughter could be heard outside the windows.

Twilight Sparkle became furious with Discord and called him out. "You're a coward Discord!" There was no answer back.

All the girls could hear was the croaking of the toad that sat on the royal throne.

Twilight Sparkle yelled at the other girls, "Come on, we need to find something that can save Applejack."

They left the royal palace.

Twilight Sparkle wondered what the Princess meant by go find and send Applejack... "Send Applejack what?" she thought to herself.

Weeks had gone by and Twilight Sparkle and the others did everything they could possibly think of to win Applejack back, but nothing worked.

Applejack refused to talk to them.

Twilight Sparkle and the others, eventually gave up hope.

Pigs were flying upside down. Night turned into day within seconds. Ponyville was in utter chaos.

Twilight Sparkle went back home. She sat down in the middle of the room and cried. She cried for a very long time.

Spike tried to comfort her, but it was no use.

They were absolutely nothing without Applejack and she wouldn't leave Discord's side.

Upon going through her drawer, she found precious pictures and letters from Applejack written about their friendship. This made Twilight Sparkle cry even more, as she missed her dear friend very much. She then got the idea to take these precious documents outside to show Applejack.

The town was now covered in apples.

Twilight Sparkle nearly had to swim through the sea of fruit to make her way around town. There she saw at the top of the hill, Applejack, sitting there casting spells down upon the terrified town with Discord. "Applejack!" Twilight Sparkle called out in a desperate voice. "I have something special for you." She walked up the hill with the pictures and letters held in her mouth. Once she got within certain proximity of Applejack, Applejack blasted her with a beam of white light knocking her back down the hill.

The letters and documents fell beside Applejack. She bent over and looked at the pictures and read some of the letters. A single teardrop formed in her eye and her emotions began to run wild.

Discord picked up the letters and pictures and hurled them away from Applejack. He grabbed her necklace and brought her face to his own. "Don't read those nasty lies, Applejack. Your friends are trying to trick you so that you can lose your wings and magic and be the inferior pony that you once were. They are simply jealous of your success and want nothing more than to take away what you so rightfully deserve."

Applejack's tear hit the ground and she looked very angry. She turned away from Twilight Sparkle and continued to reign with Discord.

Twilight Sparkle felt defeated now and picked up the fallen letters. She swam back home in a sea of apples and chaos.