Applejack wiped the sweat off her forehead, and looked at the buckets of apples under the tree she just bucked. It glistened in the sunlight, basking in its glory. They were as beautiful and shiny as gold. Applejack walked over to them, and hauled it onto her back. It was heavy, so she struggled, but alas, she needed to get this to the barn, as it was getting late. The sun was starting to settle, which covered the sky in a red sheet. Applejack trotted closer to the barn, and sweat rolled down her face, as she tensed her muscles, because she was holding a large amount of weight. Applejack was panting; she had not had a drink for a decent 2 hours, and the sun was digging into her skin, until somepony caught her by surprise. Suddenly, the weight on her back was lifted, followed by a monotonous masculine voice.
"Ah think yah need help there. Allow me."
Big Mac shoveled the load onto his firm back, supported by 4 sturdy legs that could hold twice as much as Applejack. Applejack peered over to Big Mac, who smiled at the poor, sweaty mare. Applejack is grateful from this kind act, and she kindly said through her cracked lips:
"Thank you, Big Mac, I appreciate it. I might not have been able to finish without somepony’s help."
Big Mac did not respond, but trotted off towards the barn, with Applejack close behind him. He got there with ease, and dropped off the apples on a pile next to barn, to be processed. He then took one last look at Applejack, and he held open the door for her.
"Ladies first."
Applejack slowly walked past Big Mac, with a smile on her face. As she walked in, Big Mac closed the door behind her, and shook his head side to side, like a dog.
"Thank you Big Mac."
Big Mac nodded in approval, and walked up the stairs with a yawn on his face. Applejack looked over to the clock, and noted the time. 8:00. This took her by surprise. She was usually never this late. She yawned, and let out a small grunt. She meandered off upstairs, and turned of the light on her way out. Darkness. Her voice echoed through the house as she pushed open the door to her room.
"Good night, y’all!"
Applejack flopped onto her bed, and dug herself under her sty. She yanked the covers over her cold body and let out a sigh. There was a lot of work to do tomorrow.
And then she remembered. Braeburn was coming to visit!
Applejack zonked asleep before she could even start counting sheep. She must have been really tired from all of that work. Her snores traveled through the house, which made it the only noise that interrupted the silence of the night. Applejack hastily fell into a well needed, lucid dream.
She was in the farm. And it was dark all around her. Fog limited her view to only a few feet ahead of her. But she could walk around, like normal. only one thing bothered her. A feeling. She was scared. And she was sweating. She stepped forward into the fog, and it became harder and harder to breathe. Eventually she started wheezing for air, but all she breathed in was cold, dry moisture. She couldn’t stop walking though, she was forced to do it, without herself subconsciously knowing. She became slower and slower, and very, very dizzy. suddenly, she stumbled onto the ground, nose first, with a thump.
She pushed herself up with her 2 front hooves. And blood spilled out of her nose. From shock, she took one, hard breath in, but all she could taste was blood from the harsh air. A small blood puddle started to form below her, from her pissing nose. But she was calm. She couldn’t feel emotion anymore, confusingly. She was just a mesh of emotions clumped together. And then she saw it, and all she felt was fear.
She was forced onto the floor, her face splashed in the blood pool, which drenched her fur in crimson. With her last bit of energy, she resisted for a second, and looked back into the puddle. There, she saw what pinned her to the floor. Braeburn lied on top of her, with a grin his face. She cracked her head round to glare at him. But he was terror inducing, something made her stop in her tracks. It penetrated her mind with pure fear. Braeburn’s teeth were blood red, and chunks of raw, dead, flesh hung off of his jaw. Applejack screamed, and Braeburn moved in closer to her, crunching down on her hoof, and ripped it clean off.
"Just what i wanted…"
Applejack woke up with a jolt, as she hyperventilated and coughed. She spun her head around the room for any signs of danger. None. She looked at her hoof. No damage. She sighed with relief, and looked at her clock. 1:34. The taste of blood was still in her throat for some reason. Curious, she climbed out of bed and stumbled into the bathroom, parallel with her room. She flicked on the light and trotted to the mirror, looking at herself. Her mane was crumpled and messy, like hay, and her face was droopy from tiredness. She opened her mouth and her tongue rolled out, like a red carpet to her throat.
Suddenly, she felt pain in her mouth.
"Hnng…"
Applejack noted a cut on the end of her tongue, leaking blood and it dripped down her neck. That explained the bad taste. She bit her tongue in her sleep. But then a noise caught her by surprise.
"Applejack.. are you OK? Are you hurt?"
Applebloom stood by the bathroom door looking at Applejack, and she had not noticed her oral wound. Applejack shut her mouth and swung round to Applebloom, forgetting blood was down her neck. Applebloom’s eyes went wide and she screamed, run, and slammed a door behind her.
"…BUCK!"
Applejack wanted to go help her, but she just probably scarred the foal for life. She looked back at the mirror, to return cleaning herself. She will see to her soon, after she is clean. But then she saw something in the corner of her eye… in the mirror…
Applebloom was not screaming at her… Applejack jumped onto the floor behind her and her jaw went wide. The mirror…
there, written on the mirror in deep, red blood was a sentence. It said in its mangled, deformed text:
"Just what i wanted."
Applejack passed out on the cold, hard floor.
Applejack slowly opened her eyes, and harsh light was brought in. She brought a hoof to her head, and rubbed her forehead. It was all a dream. But why that dream in particular? There seemed to be no reason whatsoever for that nightmare, she had never thought or done anything recently that would have triggered it. The worst part about it was the fact that it was so lucid, that she could feel it, hear it, and remember vividly what happened. She climbed out of bed, and landed on the floor on all four hooves, nearly stumbling over onto her head.
Oh Applejack! Such a silly pony!
She trotted slowly over to Applebloom’s room, and very carefully, pushed open the door so it was ajar. She peeked in, only to notice that she was fast asleep, under the covers, and with a smile on her face. Applejack closed the door, and sighed with relief. Satisfied with her reaction, she progressed down the corridor to the stairs that lead her onto the farm. Applejack pressed on down them as quickly as possible, to get herself ready. She yawned, and approached the kitchen counter, but then she noticed the clock. 10:00 am. A sudden panic rose on her face, and she remembered that Braeburn was coming to visit! At 11:00! Hastily, Applejack bolted out the door without having breakfast, and ran like a banshee towards Ponyville train station. She does not want to be late.
Applebloom, back at the house, was slowly beginning to regain consciousness. She sat up in her bed, and rubbed her eyes, while she uncovered her body to the warm air in the room. She looked at her door, and decided that it was time to get up. Yawning, she staggered out of bed and walked towards the door, before she nudged it open. She exclaimed:
"Mornin’ Y’all!"
Applebloom trotted down the hallway, and walked downstairs. She heard a late response from Big-Mac, who sounded like he was just awoken. He let out a long, loud groan/yawn and whispered at the bottom of his lungs:
"eeyup."
Applebloom reached the kitchen, and noticed that the front door was wide open, which let all of the cold air in. Surprised, she walked over, and saw Applejack running for Ponyville. Now confused, she shrugged, but then shivered, which resulted in her closing the door, to conserve the heat. She went to the counter in the kitchen and picked up a cereal box, a bowl, and some delicious milk. Big Mac came down the stairs and greeted Applebloom, followed by:
"Where’s Applejack gone off to?"
Applebloom looked outside and stated:
"Ponyville, I guess."
Big mac nodded, and looked out the window.
"Well she better be fast, it’s getting foggy outside."
The train station came closer and closer to Applejack with every step she made. Eventually, she reached the platform, and just in time too, a train was coming. She looked at the time on the board in the station, and it read - 11:00. So, using logic, this was the train that contained Braeburn. The train tooted as it slowed down to a halt, and the doors swung open, which released a swarm of ponies, eager to get to work, or wherever they needed to be. Applejack was budged out of the way several times, causing her to be slightly aggravated by them. She pushed through the crowd, and came to a clearing. Braeburn emerged from the train, and spotted Applejack immediately after. Braeburn smiled, and walked over to the orange mare, who embraced him with a warm hug. Applejack greeted him with:
"Heya, Brae!"
Braeburn broke the hug, and looked at Applejack, noticing that she looked rather rough this morning. He stated -
"You look like you was in a rush this morning, you OK?"
Applejack looked at him awkwardly and whispered:
"Yeah… I overslept…"
Braeburn smiled at her, and gave her another hug. After 5 seconds, Applejack took him, and lead him to the farm, through town. When she arrived, Braeburn started a conversation whilst he gawped at the scenery.
"So, Applejack, how has things been going at the farm?"
Applejack looked at him and replied
"Like normal. Yours?"
"Yes, it’s been alright, i guess. We recently had a business pony come over and offer us a certain amount of bits per crops we farm, as her works for a secondary sector manager, and he believes i’m the best for the job. I said to him that i would consider it. What do you think?"
Applejack thought about it for a moment, and said:
"I think you should do what you want to do, but to me, that sounds like a good idea, i mean, you’re not losing anything, right? All that you’re doing is giving him some of your product to be processed, and you get the bits?"
Applejack and Braeburn reached the end of town onto a dirt track, and the gravel crunched under their hooves. Applejack reached over to unlatch a gate, and it swung open. She saw that it was getting foggier, and she suddenly remembered her dream. She looked at Braeburn, who smiled at her, before noticing a look of panic in her face.
"AJ - What’s wrong?"
Applejack shook her head and looked at him.
"Nothing, just a bad dream i had."
Braeburn raised his eyebrow, and shrugged it off, But he was still worried about her. He followed Applejack down the dirt path, keeping a close eye on her, she didn’t seem right, but alas, he helped her. The reach the barn, and Big-Mac was already there, waiting for them. He waved them in, and opened the door for them.
"Get in, no work today, its getting foggier."
Applejack was shivering with fear at this point, which concerned Big Mac and Braeburn. When she walked in, Braeburn put his hoof on her back, and sat her down on the chair. He looked deeply at her eyes, and he noticed that she was riddled with horror, because her irises shrank to the size of peas. Braeburn snapped -
"AJ!"
Applejack gasped inwards, and glanced at Braeburn, his face close to hers. Calmer, Braeburn questioned with the mare:
"Applejack, tell me what is bothering you, I can see it in your face that something is wrong."
Applejack sighed, and she breathed steadily. She closed her eyes, and calmly, yet monotonously, said:
"It was a nightmare i had. It was foggy, and I was trapped on the farm, dying from a lack of breath. I fell on to the floor, with the taste of blood in my mouth. And then i saw Braeburn."
She opened her eyes and looked at him, as she quivered her irises. She continued -
"You had mangled flesh hanging off of your jaw, and blood leaked on to my body."
Braeburn took his hoof of her head and looked at her, shocked, jaw open. Big Mac glanced over with his eyes wide.
"But that’s not all. I thought i woke up, but I was still dreaming, and I was unaware of this. I went to the bathroom, and I had a blood pool in my mouth from biting my tongue, in my so called sleep, and as I was cleaning it, Applebloom walked in and saw me in a horrible state. She ran out, screaming, but I couldn’t chase her. And then I saw it. As i looked behind me, on the mirror, written in blood, said: Just what I wanted."
Applejack opened her eyes and looked at Braeburn, who was traumatized by her thoughts. He opened his mouth and replied
"And the fog outside caused you to feel uncomfortable around me from this…"
Big Mac Patted Applejack on the head, and stood her up.
*beat*
"You need some rest. C’mon, let me help you."
Applejack willingly let Big Mac assist her up the stairs, and she walked step by step to the bedroom. Braeburn, his eyes wide, sat down on the sofa that Applejack was on, and was still shocked to the core with what he had heard.
Meanwhile, Big Mac let go of Applejack as she crumpled onto her bed. And within seconds, she fell asleep. She must have been tired.
Big Mac stepped back towards the door, while he peeked at Applejack as he moved. She drooled over her pillow. Big Mac closed the door as her left but he kept it ajar, just to keep an ear out for her. Pleased, he retraced his steps back down the stairs with a beam on his face, which warmed Braeburn when he was present. Braeburn curiously stared deeply and worryingly at Big Mac, before exclaiming:
"Is she..."
Big Mac cut him off -
"Yes. She is already fast asleep and the door is ajar."
Applejack dreamed that she was in the farm again. She was already sweating, and she was stuck. Her eyes squinted and she immediately began crying, and she wished for it to be over. But it wouldn't. She squealed for help. But it didn't come. She shook in horror, as she (or the situation) was not right. She gulped, understanding that the only way out of her twisted nightmares was to progress with them, and deal with them herself. She took a deep breath in, gathering her bravery, and attempted to move her left hoof forward. Unfortunately, upon bringing it in, she realized that it was stuck. She glanced down, to notice that thick mud engulfed her legs. Thick, brown, gooey, warm mud. She limped her body onto the floor in defeat. She couldn't control herself, even in her own mind. She brought her hat over her head and whimpered, as hoof noises neared her.
They stamped over to her, and stopped right in front of her. It breathed on her hat, which was very intimidating. It induced fear deep into Applejack's soul, and she was quivering for mercy, weak, even in her own world. The figure ripped apart Applejack's hat of her head with such a force that could have easily ripped off her whole head in one go. This left her exposed to his stare. Braeburn has taken on a harsher look. Applejack vomited in her mouth, after Braeburn's mangled, bloody, deformed hoof clamped it shut. It left a sickening, sour taste in her mouth, which drove her to roll her eyes to the back of her head in a prevented gag. Braeburn's deep, gored voice moaned at her.
"Aww, don't do that. You will only get yourself mucky!"
Applejack let tears flow down her eyes. Her cheeks bulged with vomit being pumped into her mouth, but Braeburn's clamps held her mouth so tight that she felt like she was going to burst. Braeburn growled a blood-curdling noise as he said:
"Swallow you filthy horse."
Applejack shut her eyes and the taste got even worse. A mixture of blood, last nights dinner and shame stung her mouth as well as Braeburn's dirty hoof bruising her muzzle. She couldn't contain it anymore. So she did the only thing she could do.
Obey.
She sent some of the gore to the back of her throat, only for it to tickle her taste buds. She nearly coughed it back up, but she knew that it would only make it worse. Braeburn grinned at her and showed her his decaying teeth with maggots crawling around inside. It let out a demonic stench that nearly made Applejack pass out. But she needed to go through with it in order to wake up. She gave him an angry look, and swallowed the entire lot, leaving a horrible taste and feeling in her mouth as chunks of vomit slid down her tongue. Braeburn released his grip and smiled.
"Good mare. That is just what i wanted."
Applejack woke up with shock and sweat pouring out of her body. Big Mac and Braeburn hastily flew to her room. Applejack heard screaming. When she looked at her door to see her family, she looked at Braeburn, and then at Big Mac. They were not screaming... She did not realize it was her own. She took control of herself for the first time and scowled at Braeburn, who returned a sorry yet confused gesture.
Applejack was the first to grunt:
"Sorry... I had a nightmare. All of this stress can really add up to bad things... I should get some more rest. Sorry."
Braeburn stuttered and said:
"A...Are you OK?"
Applejack laid back down on her bed, covering her face with her blanket.
"Yes... I am fine. Just a nightmare."
Braeburn looked at Big-Mac, who shrugged.
"At least you're OK, because that is just what I want."
Applejack froze in horror, as Big-Mac and Braeburn wandered off downstairs again.
Just what I want.
Just what I want.
Just what I want.
Just what I want.
Applejack didn't know what to think anymore. She tossed and turned in her bed falling into a spiral of insanity. She grinded her teeth together, which wore away the serrated edge of them, and made a horrible grinding noise. Wild ideas chucked themselves around Applejack's head, trying to piece together everything.
Just what I wanted.
It seemed that in her dreams, Braeburn got what he wanted. So maybe, she needed...
Applejack lied disorientated on her bed, giggling to herself. She had completely lost her mind. She keep kicking her legs slowly and kept whispering to herself.
Just what I wanted
It then hit her. She needed to get what she wanted.
She laid completely and her eyes widened. She wanted to get rid of Braeburn... She wanted to... to...
She passed out.
Applejack's crazy, demented mind threw her back to hell, where she was psychologically tortured for the last time. She was not on farm, which made a change, but in the barn. Except she was tied to a chair. And it was dark. The wind whistled through the cracks and brushed her mane over her head. It was silent, and peaceful. But something still was not right, there was a force keeping her there, besides the ropes. Deep, dark, evil magic. Imagination. And then Braeburn ruined the moment, although she was stronger than ever now. Applejack showed no emotion, but Braeburn still yanked on her head, pulling her head back to be a basin for his mangled jaw to rest on.
"Back so soon, are we Applejack?"
Applejack showed no emotion, and said nothing. Braeburn looked her in the eyes and glared at her. No feedback. He grunted:
"Fine. Be a stubborn horse."
He released his grip from her hair and walked round to her front. His tail rubbed against her face as it happened.
"So, what makes you come to the doctor today then, hmm?"
Braeburn picks up a surgical knife from a table and looks at Applejack's emotionless eyes. He continued:
"Amputations? Eye problems? Prostate?"
He laughed, before he plunged the knife deep into her stomach, blood spilling out. He was carried away, and started to hyperventilate. He looked up. No emotion. His facial expression became hot and furious. He screamed.
"SHOW SOME EMOTION YOU BITCH!"
He smacked her round the face with his solid hoof, leaving a red mark on her face. The knife was still inside Applejack's body, blood dripping on to the floor. No emotion. Braeburn looked at her. And then she spoke.
"I came back to get what I wanted."
Applejack ripped her hooves from the tight bond that held her to the chair and lunged at Braeburn. He was took by surprise, and in one motion, they stumbled to the ground, with Applejack throwing punches at his head. Blood spurted out of his nose with every punch, until he came back and threw her off, following up with a few kicks. Applejack hastily got up, she was not losing to her own mind now. Braeburn shook his head and little droplets of blood dropped onto the floor. He growled and glared at Applejack, before shouting:
"If you want it that way then fine!"
Braeburn threw the chair-side table at Applejack, who managed to avoid it, but, it gave Braeburn some time to follow through. He ran towards the mare, who could not defend herself quick enough, and grabbed the knife in her stomach. He twisted it to the side, which crippled Applejack momentarily as her organs screamed and bled. She jumped backwards, so the knife left her body, and she took heavy breaths, holding her fresh wound, which was spraying blood like a volcano. Braeburn looked up, brandishing the bloody knife.
"Teehee, look at yourself! You're useless! Can't even properly defend yourself in your own dreams!"
Braeburn threw his head up in laughter. Apple opened her mouth and calmly exclaimed:
"Well, i may be weak in power against you, but there is one thing you lack that i have too much of. Determination. No matter how much you try, you are always unsure. Take your farm, for example. You got a business opportunity. Of course you should take it! But no. You don't know. You want what you like. And most of the time, you get it. You see, it's harder here. We have to work all damn day to get scrapings off of a plate. So it's time to make a change."
Applejack closed her eyes and sighed.
"It's my turn to get just what i want."
She opened her eyes, and stared at Braeburn. He was disgusted at her speech, and decided that it was time to end her. He Jumped her, but then he froze. Applejack held him there for a few seconds, admiring his pose.
"Imagination is fun, isn't it? You can play with what you want, how you want it and how much you do it."
Applejack took the knife from Braeburn.
"And best of all, I can use it against you. Just what I wanted."
Applejack let out a maniacal, deep, evil laugh, and brandished the slaughter in her hoof. Her stomach wound no longer bled, it was just an open hole showing her organs. She had no need for blood in her world.
"You're right Braeburn. Lets end this."
She dangled his body upside down, and stuck his back legs to the ceiling using her imagination. All she needed was a bit of willpower. He dangled down, swaying back and forth, as he struggled to free himself, panicking. But there was no use, Applejack had him stuck there tighter than the clench of Zeus. Applejack held onto Braeburn's head, to keep it still, and she looked at his eyes. They were filled with agitation and fear.
"Shame. You never really were any good at using your mind."
She brought the knife close to his neck, the cold, bloody silver kissing him. He clenched his eyes shut, accepting his imminent death. All of a sudden, she pressed against his throat, and sliced it to the side. It was over. As Braeburn's warm blood showered her body, she stopped and laughed. It was over. She got what she wanted. A puddle of blood formed underneath Braeburn, and Applejack licked her lips, lapping up the blood around her mouth. She slowly drifted down, satisfied with her work.
And then she woke up in bed again. She was refreshed, and felt like a new mare. She was no longer sweating. No longer scared, or tired. And best of all, she was free to do what she wanted again. Her imagination can't stop her now.
Braeburn was only that weak apple under the tree, not strong enough to be with the others.
Author's Note
As always, open to abuse about my work! Don't be shy, I don't bite!
