Element of War

Applejack sat on a pile of hay. She looked around.

"Where is that blasted pony? She was supposed to be here about 5 minutes ago!" Applejack said herself. She looked down at the pile. She got off of the pile and stared at it for a while. She crouched down and took a bite of the hay. "Not bad, not bad." She continued to eat the hay.

The patter of running hooves came towards to Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack didn't acknowledge it. As the noise came closer, Applejack started to look up. She saw a green mane waving in the wind. Her eyes widened and realized that it was Nandi Star. Nandi was already there when Applejack tried to spit out the hay. "Applejack? What are you doing?" Nandi lowered her neck to Applejack's level. Applejack's pupils were almost swallowed in her green irises. Applejack spit out the rest of the hay that was in her mouth. "Ah, uh er...." Applejack quickly swung up her head to normal height, bumping Nandi's chin. Applejack's hat fell off of her head in front of her. "Ow! Applejack, you have to be more careful!"  "Ah'm sorry. But what took you so long?" Applejack said as she put her hat back on her head. "Rainbow Dash and I were practicing again. But did you see our Dark Rainboom?" Nandi smiled. "So that's what that was?" Applejack said looking back at the sky.

"Anyway, we need to start bucking these trees! These apples aren't going to shake themselves off of the tree themselves ya know." Nandi looked at Applejack, then she looked at the trees. "Maybe the apples will fall down if the wind is strong enough!" Nandi put a wide smile on her face. Applejack stared at Star with a stern look on her face. "Anyway, let's get to buckin' these apples!" Applejack started to trot towards to orchard. Nandi Star followed her. Applejack stopped walking in her tracks. Star wasn't paying attention, so she continued trotting. Soon, she bumped into Applejack's flank. Star backed up after bumping into Applejack. Applejack moved up 3 inches after the bump.

Applejack looked at Nandi Star and said, "Here are the best apple trees ah got. Pick one ya wanna buck." Nandi looked around and saw a tree that caught her eye. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped with a smile. She ran over to a tree with at least 13 apples. She turned back to Applejack. "Hey AJ! Is this one good?" Applejack was trotting to a tree across from Nandi. Applejack turned to look at the tree Nandi Star was at. "That's a good tree. Wait a minute! I forgot to bring the baskets! Lemme get to the barn to snatch 'em." Applejack ran from the tree with pattering hooves. Nandi sat her flank on the ground and look up at the tree she under. Her horn glowed a pink aura and she closed her eyes. A red apple glowed from Nandi's aura. It began to move down towards Nandi. It soon snapped off the branch it hanging on.

As the apple floated down towards Nandi, she opened her mouth. A hissing noise was heard near Nandi. Her horn stopped glowing and the apple fell the the ground beside her. She turned her head around abruptly, looking for what made the noise. There were bushes nearby, so she slowly trotted towards them. When she got to them, she crouched down and poked her head through the bushes. Her mane caught onto the branches of the bush, causing her to not go any farther. She slowly turned her head both ways to see if there was anything there. There wasn't, so she pulled her head out of the bushes. She untangled her hair from the branches and stood up correctly. She turned around and bumped into something. But it wasn't something.. It was someone.

She backed up and stared in awe. A changeling was looking straight at her with a menacing smile. She started to back up, but it tackled her. They were so far from the barn, Nandi couldn't yell for help. The changeling bobbed its head at Nandi, trying to bite her. Star's hind legs were holding it back, but they would give out soon. And she couldn't focus enough to blast it away. Her legs began to give out and the changeling got closer to her face. Now, her legs gave the changeling the ability to bite her. As it lunged for her face, she turned her head to the left, and it bit her right eye. She lost all her thoughts with the outside world, only feeling the unbearable pain in her eye.

Soon, she felt a surge of some sort, and her horn glowed very bright. In a blast of magic, the changeling flew through three trees, and the trees came tumbling down. She regained her thoughts and could only see out of her left eye. Then it hit her. She needed to get help. She got up with her legs wobbling like crazy. She looked at the fallen trees in surprise. She didn't even bother to think what happen. With wobbling legs, she ran to the barn.

Applejack was carrying one basket in her mouth, and one on top of her head. She was looking for what made the noise. She wasn't looking in the direction she was walking, but then she heard a voice screaming. She looked where she was going, and saw Nandi staggering towards her. Applejack dropped the basket out of her mouth and shook her head to get the basket off her head off. The basket fell off, along with her hat. She ran to Nandi. "Applejack... It's not safe here. You have to leave now!" Applejack stared at Nandi's face, in utter horror. "First show me what in the hay happened, then I need to take you to Twilight.." Nandi looked at Applejack confused as to why she needed to see Twilight. She turned around and closed her eyes and focused really hard that she heard ringing in her ears. Her horn glowed and she and Applejack were teleported to the sight of action. The tree had collapsed and was smoking from Nandi's blast. "Applejack, there was a ch-ch-changling here! And it attacked - W- wha??" She turned her head to the fallen tree, only to see that the changeling was gone. "I-I swear, there was a changeling here, and it attacked me!" Nandi turned to Applejack with pleading eyes to believe her. "Ah- believe you, but we have to tell Twilight about your injuries and this incident." She never took it to mind but now, but the pain from the bite kicked in and the blood from her eye was all over the right side of her face. She started to hyperventilate, as she was processing what was happening. Applejack was trotting over to her when she started to fade away. "Nandi..?" She blinked as Applejack got closer. "You need help!" Nandi could barely see anything, and she was still hyperventilating. "Nandi? NANDI!!" Nandi Star blacked out.