Day One
It was a tranquil morning as another Zap Apple Harvest has began. And like the previous times, Applejack and Big Macintosh hurried in the Zap-apple tree populate part of their orchard, carrying their carts with bushels. That event is a very special tradition since is thanks to those apples that Ponyville was founded. Having the Zap Apple trees being planted in the past in their orchard is quite of a bliss, but is still a hassle due to the zap apples' tendency to disappear after the fifth day. And that moment was very crucial to them.
The two family members started to bucking the trees, trying to harvest every apple that they can take, as fast as possible. In one hour, they managed take almost all of the zap apples and fill their carts. The weather was good which really helped them, especially for the refreshing satisfaction that Applejack was feeling for this labor as she put the last apple filled bushel on the cart.
"And here we go." Applejack said, breathing a sigh of relief. "You know, this harvest is more fruitful than the last one, don't ya think?"
Big Mac doesn't respond. He just nodded. The work wasn't done yet.
"Well, time to go back home." Applejack announced. "There shouldn't be any other zap-apple tree gone unchecked, so our work here is-"
Her sentence was interrupted by sudden strong gust of wind blowing on her.
"What the hey!?" Applejack exclaimed as her hat flew off her head and goes toward the forest outside the orchard. "That is the third time in this week." She then looked to her brother while hastily galloping to recover her hat. "Big Mac. Could you please watch over the carts?"
"Just not get lost, sis." Big Mac replied, gesturing caution.
"Don't worry! Ah just make sure ah won't!" Applejack replied.
Following her still flying hat, Applejack started to consider that wasn't a smart idea to leave the job unfinished, even if is just for some minutes. A doubt that was then shrugged off by her own stubborn certainty that she would had recovered it in not time. Since her previous hat was damage by a lightning and buying a new one costed her a lot of bits, there's now way that she would let it go.
Her chase continued for a while until the wind stop blowing, leaving the hat to descend slowly on the roots of a zap-apple tree. Applejack approached her iconic stetson and she picked it up. But as she lifted her treasured item, her eyes instantly caught something curious. Something very obscure and foreign from her knowledge.
It was a fruit, a pretty grotesque one. It looked like a apple but it's form almost resembled a spiral and it's petiole was seemingly made of ice. It was rainbow colored just like a zap-apple, but all of it's seven colors were covered by a dominant shade of red. Such form wasn't ever seen from anypony or hadn't even met the light of Celestia's sun.
"That's new..." Applejack said, not knowing how feel about that. "Is that even a actual fruit?"
Applejack looked at the top of the tree to see if that apple fell from it, only to see that, much to her confusion, there isn't any similar apple of that caliber being appended on the branches. She returned her attention to the spiraled apple. It aroused her curiosity, but also invited her caution. It could be a poisonous fruit or something very arcane that could be handed by a expert like Zecora or somepony on her level.
"What in tarnation is that thing?"
Before she could even thinking about that, she froze suddenly at the growl of various animals in the distance and the sound of the unnatural flora in general, which snapped her back to reality. Looking around, Applejack realized to being nearby the edged of the Everfree Forest. She had been so focused on going after her hat that she wasn't minding her surrounding. She doesn't know how much she has strayed from the orchard but know for sure that she followed a straight path during her run, which should make much easier for her to go back without getting lost.
"Ah shouldn't waste more time here. Big Mac'll be probably worried about me at this point." Applejack said as she was about to leave but then stopped, glancing at the apple once more.
Applejack knows that she had to return to her orchard to meet up with Big Mac as soon as possible, but she was then tempted to take it with her. She knows couldn't trust a fruit if she never saw or tasted, but she also wanted to show it to her family. To tempt her even further was the idea to plant the apple's seeds on her orchard, just like Granny Smith with the zap-apples before her.
"Ah don't see any problem with that," Applejack said optimistic as she stretched her hooves on the spiraled apple to pick it up.
Touching the fruit, Applejack was suddenly struck a unbearable, piercing pain on her forelegs that caused her to yell painfully while instinctively shutting her eyes. She fell on her side with her hat falling on the grass, screaming as she felt her hooves being cut by some unknown force. That horrible sensation then traversed her head and then the rest of the entire body, making difficult to her to think. Applejack wriggled in agony, prey of her own convulsions and keeping her eyes shut. That atrocious pain, however, started to dissipate slowly. It became weaker with the passing of the second until it alleviated itself.
Wanting to know what happened, Applejack opened her eyes and looked at where the spiraled apple was supposed to be, but wasn't there anymore, adding more confusion in her mind. She then looked at her hooves but didn't saw any cut wounds as she believed to have felt before. Putting aside that for a second, she slowly rose up and looked at where the apple was before.
"What in the most wildest blazes just happened?" Applejack demanded, disturbed by that.
The country pony couldn't understand what had transpired in that moment, but one thing was sure. She doesn't want to repeat that awful experience ever again.. She only touched that strange apple and all of sudden she suffered the worst agony imaginable. And then disappeared as wasn't even looking at. Applejack considered for a moment that someone took it, but she didn't heard any clops or footsteps.
All of these dilemmas were instantly putted aside as she remembered that Big Mac was still waiting for her. Applejack turned around and looked upward to see the sun just to have a idea about how much time passed. Her face became a worried one upon seeing a pillar of smog rising in the distance. Knowing that is in the same direction as the orchard, she immediately feared the worst.
"Oh, no!" Applejack's mind shouted.
Without wasting any time, Applejack promptly rushed toward where the smog was rising, hoping that nothing happened to Big Mac. Her mind was racing, filling it with some horrible implication regarding the entire Sweet Apple Acre being on fire. Applejack immediately shrugged off that thought to keep her focus on her path, but she seriously hoped it's not the case. After a while, she finally arrived to where Big Mac is supposed to be and discovered in shock what happened.
The two zap-apple filled carts were set on fire. Applejack shook her head in dismay as the entire harvest of one hour was being consumed by the flames in front of her eyes. All of the zap-apples and the wood of the carts became ashes, slowly confusing with each other. Nearby that burning scenario, Big Mac was lying on the ground, untouched from that fire.
"Oh my gosh!" Applejack said as she rushed toward him.
Applejack tried to call him multiple times while shaking him to wake him up, but he didn't gave her any reaction.
"Can you hear me!? " Applejack yelled, but there's still no sign from him. "Please! You had to wake up!"
As she insisted insisted to waking him up, somepony silently approached her from behind, no saying any words until he get close to her.
"Nothing personal, but it has to be undone." He said coldly. "You are now both menaces."
Hearing his voice, Applejack quickly looked back to see who he was, quickly assuming that is responsible for that crime. She immediately flinched upon seeing a masked pony in a black coat holding a molotov, looking at her with inquisitive eyes filtering through the mask like he was about drop some judgment on her.
"You must BURN!!" The masked pony screamed furiosly.
The masked pony was about to incinerate Applejack when somepony flew very fast toward him, overwhelming him and dragging him far away from her. The molotov flew away from the attacker's hand and crushed into the already flaming pyre, feeding the fire even more.
For a second, Applejack thought that her rescuer was Rainbow Dash, but then discarded that idea since she is currently at Cloudsdale under the Wonderbolts' request of comparison. Instead that pony was rather a gray maned emerald pegasus with a golden armor, possibly a Royal Guard but without wearing any helm. After having overpowered the masked aggressor, the pegasus blocked him on the ground and removed his mask, revealing a scarlet maned azure stallion with almost crazy eyes. Despite this, the pegasus could see some trail of sanity in him, but cannot still be trusted according to his own personal experience.
"Destruction of property and inventory weren't enough for you and now you tried to kill them?" Pegasus asked bluntly.
"They don't know to be beyond hope!! I had TO BURN THEM ALL!!" The unmasked pony screamed, gesturing at Applejack and Big Mac.
"Just go to hell." Pegasus retorted with calm anger before punching him violently, knocking him unconscious.
After that, he pulled out a rope from his armor and used it to tie up the lunatic. He then returned his attention to Applejack and ran toward her.
"Are you alright?" The pegasus asked worried.
"Yep but isn't the same thing for my brother and the harvest!" Applejack said irritated by that horrible experience but then sighed heavily a she slowly calmed down a little. "Ah'm sorry, but ah'm just havin a hard time to understand what's going on... Can you help me with mah brother?"
"Of course," The pegasus responded. "Don't worry about the fire. I have called reinforcement for this."
While Applejack and the pegasus dragged Big Mac toward the farm, a flock of other pegasi Royal Guards was crowding the sky above the orchard, using a storm in the attempt to extinguish the fire with the rain. Two of them descended upon the tied up lunatic to arrest him.
Thirty minutes after that incident, the whole family was reunited in the living room, except for Big Mac who was transported into the hospital under the eyes of the medics, escorted by unicorn Royal Guards who were assigned to prevent any other aggression to his persona. The pegasus calmly talked to Applejack about the culprit being behind previous incidents before this. Granny Smith, being present in that moment didn't faint upon hearing that but wasn't any happier at all about that.
However, the family and the pegasus weren't the only ones being present in the room. The notorious trademark of business tycoon Filthy Rich was also present in that reunion, righteously angered by the zap-apples being reduced into ashes by the fire. Diamond Tiara was here as well, intended to mocking Apple Bloom at big time... But not today.
"Tiara? Could ya please wait outside with your mother?" Filthy Rich asked.
"Seriously, daddy?" Diamond Tiara replied in reluctance. "I don't even had to-"
"NO TODAY, TIARA!" Filthy screamed at her like no other, frightening her.
Not only Tiara, but even the pegasus Royal Guard, Applejack and even Apple Bloom looked astounded at him. Granny Smith, on other hooves, abstained to give any reaction but knows fully well his current animosity. Not matter how contained was.
"Not. Today." Filthy said with a commanding tone.
Tiara wouldn't even cry or complain at this point. She looked freaked out to see him this furious, and knowing that is not convenient to foment his anger, she walked out without saying any word. Filthy closed the door and glanced upon the present ponies with a displeased look.
"That is definitively one of the multiple things I never wanted to see," Filthy said sternly; not knowing who has to blame. "Despite this, I couldn't even blame you for that. That arsonist was the one who burnt all of the zap-apples that you had harvested for no reason, and hopefully he's brought to the justice that he deserves."
"He won't hurt anymore harm since is under heavy surveillance," The pegasus assured.
"Whatever," Filthy retorted. "Look, I know how you feel, but put yourself in my shoes for a second! I have multiple clients and shareholders to take care off! How am I supposed to do with that!?"
"If is money the only thing that is worrying you," The pegasus said. "I will provide you and the Apple family a preventive financing to fix the incoming damage that you would had received from that incident and hospital bill for Applejack's brother."
Applejack gasped in surprise upon hearing that while Filthy Rich wasn't so impressed.
"A-are you kiddin' me? And how?" Applejack asked, surprised.
"As you see, I'm indeed a Royal Guard," The pegasus said. "However, I'm also member of a family that managed a large company."
"What's yer name, youngster?" Granny asked.
"I'm sorry for having not introduced myself earlier. I'm Jade Crest," The pegasus said.
"I know you for sure," Filthy Rich said. "You are somepony who had the inopportune habit to take the things very seriously and not seriously at all. A paradox that irks me anytime that I hear your name."
"Well... Sorry to be who I am in this moment." Jade replied, almost missing the point.
"Is also inopportune of you since you don't see the rest of the actual picture," Filthy retorted; walking toward the window. "The money are not the only problem. I'm talking about the inability to met the clients' need and the possible loss of their trust toward me."
"Chill out, sir. Nopony will die for the absence of zap-apple jam." Jade pointed out calmly.
"That is true, but the customers' reaction can be quiet predictable. And a entire year without zap-apple jam is quite a gambit, you know." Filthy remarked before walking toward Applejack. "However, I don't want waste anymore time on that, so let's get to the point. I will accept Jade's humble offer. But is not enough to compensate the damage."
Applejack and Apple Bloom looked at him in confusion. Jade wasn't so surprised, having saw that coming.
"Whaddya mean with that?" Applejack asked.
"The bright sight that your family can possibly afford in this moment is just one," Filthy Rich said with no inclination of alternative but wanting to lean a hoof. "To fill that remaining gap in two ways: Pay me a price that is equal to half of the sum that Jade proposed to me in order to fix the loss of zap-apples, which are 5000 bits or sell part of your zap-apple orchard."
The silence grew in the room, filling the air with it's gravity. Everypony except Jade were stunned by Filthy Rich's ludicrously punishing proposal. Seeing Applejack being about to say something, Filthy Rich held out a hoof to halt her.
"I know how you feel about it, but I was bluffing about the 'zap-apple orchard' part." Filthy Rich admitted. "That should at least invite you to not commit even the slightest negligence, not even for a hat. Thought that your mistake wasn't intentional, that still resulted my product to be lost, regardless that arsonist being the real perpetrator. So of course your family should pay me that sum, for I would hate see you facing serious consequences."
"Are ya insane?" Applejack protested, incredulous. "How do ya expect us to gain a sum like that? The sales of Apple Cinders won't be enough!"
"First of all, you didn't even said the time of the payment," Jade pointed out, almost opposing him.
"I was in fact calculating one factor as we were talking," Filthy said, half apologetic about that. "There is still your brother in the hospital, right? In that case, depending of his recovery, you had nineteen days to pay the debt."
"What!?" Applejack exclaimed in horror.
"He cannot be serious." Apple Bloom whispered incredulous.
Jade scanned the family members and Filthy Rich. He know that could happen, but cannot doing nothing to mitigate that. What partially broke his stoic composure was Applejack's negative reaction. Her face looked very distressed with eyes almost giving into despair. Jade had predicted that she would be upset, but not like this.
Applejack thoughts were addressed to a possible grim time for her farm. She felt very guilty about leaving the carts unguarded, that is for a brief time or not. She was also mentally dumbfounded about the masked culprit being able to knocking out Big Mac without any problem. But all the consideration regarding that incident didn't mattered anymore to her.
"How could Ah possibly gain all this money!? Harvesting some apples would not be enough. And Ah don't even know when Big Mac will be dismissed."
"He's not going to reconsider." Applejack whispered.
Filthy Rich was immovable and wasn't inclined to give any alternative. Applejack's hooves trembled in response of that prospective. Her blood pressure raised and her heart raced rapidly, but before her mind could jump to his conclusion, something bizarre surfaced from her mind.
A alien voice whispered inside of her, unexpected to her.
"Not for long..."
Startled, Applejack looked behind her but there is no one there. She was very taken aback from that, not knowing what happened. Deep inside, she knew that wasn't her. That whisper was almost loud and a unnatural one to be that of her mind. Not wanting to know what it is and fearing a possible case of insanity, Applejack looked back at Filth Rich. She looked very pale as she holded her head with her hoof.
"Is that too much for you?" Filthy Rich asked, half worried, putting a hoof on his shoulder.
Upon touching her, Filthy Rich was met by a sudden piercing pain infesting his hoof, causing him to yell, startling Applejack. That pained immediately died off after one second, but that was still something. Filthy Rich was even more angered, but then considered that wasn't her doing. That doesn't remove the fact that the other ponies looked at him in confusion, not knowing what happened.
Astonishment was his only visual response.
"W-what just happened?" Filthy said, mostly confused.
"A-ah don't know..." Applejack said; not knowing what happened.
"That must be static electricity," Jade butted in the conversation. "Still, I think is better stop right there, She isn't in the right mindset to continued. Still, I'm considering to gave her a little aid for the debt, the next day."
"Pardon?" Filthy demanded, confused.
"I have my own resources."
"Now now Applejack, Ah'm sure we could work something out in this situation," Granny reassured.
"I apologize for that unwanted debt, but I have my own credibility to take care of." Filthy Rich reminded as he opened the door and walked out. "Good Evening."
After that, Filthy Rich leaved the farm accompanied by his daughter and her wife, not changing his position regarding the deal. What he leaved behind him was the shadow of a major crisis and the dismay of Apple family in general. Jade walked toward Applejack in attempt to comfort her before leaving. Not for duty but for empathy, or at least, that was his philosophy
"I will paying a visit to you tomorrow. I didn't said anything until now, but tomorrow I will give a little aid," Jade assured her.
"T-thank you, but you don't had to." Applejack replied.
"Why not? At least let me try," Jade said confidently. "Now I have to go."
"Where?" Applejack asked.
"I have to replace one of my subordinates who was guarding Big Mac."
"About him... How is he?" Applejack asked with pleading eyes.
"He's fine, so don't worry," Jade assured. "And take care of yourself."
Applejack sighed in relief for that good news but she know the trouble that her family would had to face has just began. Knowing that Jade could perceive her worrying, she tried to distract herself with a sporadic question.
"Why aren't ya wearing a helmet?" Applejack asked.
"Let's just said that it prevented me from enjoying the wind," Jade said without minding that question. "Could a arrow struck in my head, a magic beam going through it and a rain of spears falling upon me, nothing will put in between me and the breeze... That's all."
"That is so nonsensical of you." Applejack responded.
"I know. Unlike the other guards, I have my own style," Jade said gleefully before flapping his wings and taking his leaved.
With the night falling upon the farm, the family members goes each one in their respective beds... Except Applejack.
While Apple Bloom and Granny Smith were already on their bed to rest, Applejack headed toward the point of the orchard in which the zap-apple they had harvested were burned in that fire. She was angry for Filthy Rich's deal but was more furious for that masked lunatic being responsible not only for her family current crisis but for having tried to kill her and her brother as well. And yet that didn't made any sense to her. There are also his sentences being sculpted in her mind.
"Nothing personal, but it has to be undone."
"They don't know to be beyond hope!! I had TO BURN THEM ALL!!"
"What the heck does that even mean? Why us? And what's his own reason to burn the zap-apples!" Applejack said; still shaken by that.
"It has nothing to do with the zap-apples..." The alien voice whispered again, startling Applejack again.
"WHO'S THERE!?" Applejack yelled, frantically looking around.
"Standing there will do nothing good to you, so is recommended to go to sleep..."
Applejack gripped her head with both her hooves, fearing to the sudden idea to go completely insane. She dismissed the voice having spoke to her, thinking is just a delusion being born by her own stress and nervousness for the toll that Filthy Rich putted into her family. That voice is so unnatural that cannot be trusted. She couldn't trust it... But agreed with it about one thing.
"Is probably better for me if Ah go to sleep," Applejack murmured, not wanting waking up her siblings. "But don't get me wrong, mind. Ah'm not doin' this because some voice said so."
She traveled all the way back to home silently while trying to shrugging off all of her sudden paranoia. She never wanted her siblings to see her in such a state. She had to be strong and prepared for what is going to happen from the next day. Resting was more than enough for her to appease her mind.
It wandered in the halls of the hospital. It wandered aimlessly, running at a very unnatural speed. It wandered through the darkened hall. It explored every floor of the hospital.
Reaching the third floor, it slowed down his speed. It walked silently through the corridor. It never minded his surrounding except for it stands in front of it.
During his wandering, he entered into the room. Big Mac's room. Big Mac was supposed to be in his bed, but he wasn't. It turned around and spotted Jade Crest being in front of it. He looked disturbed and the horrified.
Without thinking for a second, It leaped toward him. There was a chilling, throat shredding scream, and everything was tinted in red.
Applejack woke up screaming in her bed, panting and being half covered in sweat. She took a moment to mentally adjust for a bit her own senses. She was greeted by the luminosity of the sunlight, which means that is morning.
"Are you ok, sis?"
She quickly turned toward the one who spokes, being a worried Apple Bloom standing next to her. Applejack felt a little sorry for that. The only thing that she can do is to talk to her normally without mentioning that hideous nightmare that she had.
"It's ok, sugarcube... It's ok." Applejack said with a tired tone.
"Did ya want Granny to prepare a Hot Chocolate?" Apple Bloom asked.
"...... Yep. That would do the trick."
Getting the hint, Apple Bloom leaved without saying anything else, leaving her elder sister alone with her own thoughts. Applejack tried to make sense of her own dream without recalling that brutal finale. Not matter how many time she tried to digest that. That was so vivid that it chilled her blood every time she tried to think about that.
"What in the dire inferno is goin' on?"
Day Two
Three hours after the breakfast, Applejack, Granny and Apple Bloom arrived into Ponyville Hospital. Upon entering in the corridor, they heard a chorus of voices coming from the stairs.
"What is all this ruckus?" Apple Bloom demanded curious.
"Nothing that should matter to you, missy." Applejack responded bluntly. "Granny, take care of her for a moment."
Applejack went upstairs and headed toward the hall where Big Mac's room was supposed to be. They were met by a nine medics, including Red Heart, being in front of his room, looking down. She didn't know what they are exactly watching, but she saw something lying on the ground. Wanting to known be noticed, she silently approached them.
She stopped, keeping her distance from the medics. Applejack looked down to see what it was. What her eyes were seeing made her face shifting in utter horror, staring at the reality in front of her. It was too late for her to regret that.
That thing lying on the floor was Jade Crest, being brutally mangled and now being just a corpse bathing on a pool with his own blood. The most shocking part was his face, being stuck in a horrified scream.
Just like in the nightmare.
"Is reality gone mad?"
