To say it looked strange would be a great understatement. Looking up at it, Applejack could just sense it was something entirely different then anything she's ever come across!
The tree, which Applejack mistook for a great oak, stood as tall as the barn and bared triple the amount of the apples that the trees bared back at the farm. From the darkened colors of the peeling bark and drooping branches she'd have guessed it was a tree plucked straight from the everfree forest and planted right onto her family's land. It was an impressive sight, that much was sure. But if somepony wanted to try growing a new type of apple they should've at least had the courtesy to get permission from the Apple family first!
The leaves were a deep and healthy looking shade of forest green, even in the daytime they looked darkened and undisturbed by the light of the sun. The branches spanned out like malevolent appendages, the bark cracking away from the branch in a peculiar way. But what was most confusing was the fruit the tree bared in its canopy.
They were indeed apples, however they appeared.....otherworldly. Not like the zap apples that grew in the seasons. The apples themselves were a deep purple, almost entirely black, color. Were it not for the rays of the sun Applejack would have thought they were a new hybrid of apples and eggplants.
"What...in...tarnation?", she muttered to herself as she inspected the tree.
Rising up on her hind legs Applejack craned her neck and plucked one of the strange apples within reach. Careful not to bite down directly just yet, Applejack rolled the fruit in her hoof and inspected it with an appraising eye. After examining it the farmer sniffed at it before taking a loud bite. Looking more closely it was confirmed that the outer skin was indeed a black purple color with pure white flesh inside. It was as sweet as the rest of her family's apples, however it seemed to carry twice the juice in its succulent flesh. It emitted the same sweet and earthy aroma as a regular apple as well.
From what Applejack could tell, this was just like a regular red delicious apple tree, the only differences being the color of the outer skin and the excess juice stored in it. With a whole orchard full of these types of new trees she could supply cider season for a good thirty winters! With extra to spare! Coming across this new tree must've been a stroke of luck for the farmer, meaning more income for her family!
As she was making the business computations in her head, Applejack almost didn't notice how her hoof holding the apple was trembling. She caught sight of it from the corner of her eye but looking down at it, she couldn't even feel it moving. It was like the entire thing was spasming on auto-pilot! Panic welled up into her chest at the sight of it.
"W-Whoa nelly! What's goin' on here?!?"
By now her hoof was twitching violently, dropping the apple and letting it roll away on the grass.
A deep pain stabbed into her chest as her heartbeat echoed in her ears, making Applejack groan and crumpled in a heap onto the ground.
The pain began to spread from her chest and travelled in several directions; down her shoulders and seeping through her back and muscles. She tried to crawl back towards the farm but the pain was magnifying by the second, crippling her movements until she just laid there doubled over on the grass and groaning in pain with her eyes shut tight and her muzzle scrunched up in agony.
She felt it travel down her spine, writhing as she felt every segment detach and expand in length beneath her skin. It was the same with her ribcage. She screamed as both rows spread farther apart, as if they were being pried apart by an unseen force. From there she was able to open her eyes long enough to see her hoof shake again. This time, however, she felt it grow hot as if she were about to touch the oven back home. A scream tore through her as her hoof split apart, making a sickening crack as it broke off into four parts and making black claws jut out of the new parts. Her orange fur grew instantaneously, extending at her elbows and knees.
Her other legs let out the same loud bone cracking sounds as the hooves were split apart into fours. Her blonde mane and tail became wild, no longer bound by the red ribbons as they were before. Her ears extended and the excess fur fringed the tips, making her Stetson fall off her head. Her bones and joints twisted, detached and reattached themselves as her body underwent a transformation, her pleading cries for help going unheard.
Her snout became elongated and her jaw extended to accommodate fangs growing up from the roots of her former teeth, the taste of iron coating her mouth. Her screams and cries trailed off into growls and snarls, her lips peeling back and baring her fangs with a feral animosity. Her greens eyes, once wide, now narrowed and producing a fierce scowl on her muzzle.
Grunting, Applejack got onto all fours on shaking limbs. Sinking her claws into the ground she drew in a deep breath, arched her neck and let loose a terrifying roar to the skies above, making the treetops quake with the startled birds flittering away in fright. The creature was no longer the gentle farm pony of honesty as it stalked off into the opposite direction of the farm. It whipped its long tail to and fro as it vanished from sight, making its way to the everfree forest, its new home.
A lone Stetson lay abandoned on the grass, with a single bitten apple as its only company.
Another roar echoed in the distance.
Nothing would be the same anymore.
For anypony.
-End
Author's Note
A/N: Done as a challenge fic, as in something I've never tried to write before and have tried my damndest to keep away from but well, here we are. Critique is welcomed.
