A Boy and his Watch
By TheAlienBrony22

Applebuck Infestation

[Golden Oaks Library, 3 days after Mutant-Shy.]

"C'mon, please? I'll do your chores for a whole week!" Spike begged.

Twilight and Ben were tidying up the Library after the whole incident with the dragon, and a couple strange bug/bear hybrids, and Spike was given the abridged version of the story by Ben himself, and that led to Spike practically begging for some info on dragons.

Ben sighed, watching his little brother cling to his leg. "Spike, if I told you once, I told you ten-thousand times, I don't know! You'd have to ask Fluttershy since she did the talking. And even then, I don't know what she said, but I don't want you learning something you shouldn't be learning at your age, and neither would Flutters," He then yanked Spike off his pant leg and balanced him on his shoulder, resuming using the feather duster in his hand as a makeshift weapon, attacking a lot of accumulated dust and allowing for the books on the shelves to look clean, vibrant, and vaguely look brand new. "Besides, I'm sure the Library has a book or two about Dragons somewhere, we just gotta find 'em." Ben stated.

Spike sneezed from the accumulation of dust in his face, allowing for a small scroll to then manifest from the green flames. Ben caught it and sat his brother on the table, noticing the royal seal. "Twilight, looks like Celestia sent another letter for ya!" Ben called out, looking up the flight of stairs.

Twilight's head poked out from the top of the stairway, with a duster levitating in her magic. "I'll get it in a moment, just set it on the table!" Twilight announced, swiftly returning to her cleaning.

Ben rolled his eyes and gently tossed the scroll onto the table. "I already finished up my end of the cleaning, so I'm gonna head ou--" but before Ben could finish that sentence, the front door was thrown open, causing a small bunch of books to come falling off the well-cleaned shelves, completely disorganized. Ben stared in silence, then whipped his head back to the front door, only to be surprised when he saw Big Mac stroll in. "Nevermind, I'll organize a small pile of these books for you to sort through, and you can re-organize them. Mac just showed up, so I'm gonna see what he's here for!" Ben called out.

Ben heard a muffled yell from Twilight, and assumed that was her giving him the 'OK', and so, Ben let a mild frown form on his face as he made his way to the books. "So, Mac, what brings you to the Library today, pal?" Ben asked, grabbing a few books and observing their covers.

Mac stepped in and closed the door, walking towards Ben as he stacks the books in a specific order. "Ah was wonderin' if Applejack came by here today." Mac explained.

Ben shook his head no, looking back at the big red stallion in the room. "No, she didn't come by for a visit. Would've been nice to have an extra set of hooves to help, though. I figured she was already busy with helping out on the farm, and don't get me started on the sudden stampede that happened yesterday. She worked hard to rope in all that cattle, I figured she could handle herself for a day, doing whatever she needed to do." Ben explained.

Mac stepped closer, nudging a couple books and picking them up, looking at the covers. 'Less Exhaustion, More Harvesting' and 'Advanced Applebucking Techniques', Mac raised an eyebrow and sat the books close to Ben, getting his attention. "She had these books two days ago, I shoulda guessed it wouldn't end well." Mac remarked.

Ben's interest was suddenly piqued, and met Mac's gaze. "What do you mean 'wouldn't end well'? Did something happen, Mac?" Ben asked, a hint of worry in his tone.

Mac sighed. "Applejack's gone on a stubborn bender. Believe it or not, I'm a bit sore, think ah mighta pulled a muscle in mah backlegs, because it hurts too much to buck the trees. As long as I can still walk and run, technically ahm fine, but I can't buck the trees without feelin' like mah backlegs are gonn' tear like paper in a hailstorm. Now Applejack is tryna pick up the slack by tacklin' the whole harvest on 'er own, and ah think it might be takin' a toll on her. She's been actin' strange and it's not helpin' anything at all," Mac cleared his throat and sat down on the ground, trying to relax and ease the aching in his hooves. "Any chance you'd be willin' tah talk some sense into her, or maybe lighten the work load?" Mac requested.

Ben sighed, knowing what he's definitely going to do, but knows it could be very difficult. "I was gonna pay Sweet Apple Acres a visit anyway, might as well make sure that Applejack doesn't hurt herself. I'll be back in a moment or two, just keep an eye on Spike and make sure he does his chores." Ben remarked, accepting his friend's request.

Mac nodded as Ben walked out the door, closing it behind him as a flash of green light and a blue blur sped off through town. Mac looked back at the small drake, and handed him the feather duster that Ben dropped on the table, causing the little drake to sigh.

[Sweet Apple Acres, Afternoon]

XLR8 came to a sudden stop, a flash of green light enveloping the Kineceleran as Ben returned to his human form. "Applejack?" Ben called out. No answer was provided, but he knew it wouldn't be that easy. Ben ran into the orchard, looking around for the orange mare, but couldn't seem to get a lock on her location. Ben groaned and twisted the watch, pressing it down as he became Wildmutt.

The large extraterrestrial canine sniffed at the ground, and soon picked up on her scent. He was about to start moving, until he saw the mare trotting along in a dazed and exhausted state. Wildmutt tapped the badge on his helmet and transformed back into Ben, who ran up to the mare. "AJ, mind if I talk to you about something?" Ben called out.

The mare stopped in place, turning around as she revealed her exhausted and severely dazed expression. Her eyes were looking in a couple different directions, on top of the bags under them, it was clear she hadn't slept. Her mane was a bit frazzled, and had a few twigs and leaves stickin' out, along with an odd black smudge on her hindleg. Ben recoiled a bit, not expecting his friend to be in such a state. 'Guess I was a bit too late, then.' Ben thought to himself. He cleared his throat and straightened up, trying to find the words. "Applejack, what's this I've been hearing about you overworking yourself?" Ben asked.

Applejack seemed so out of it, but she made a frown and scoffed, turning away and moving towards one of the trees. This tree was already pretty different from the rest, it looked less vibrant, almost dead and rotting away, the 'fresh' apples hanging from its branches looked moldy, almost blue in random spots, and seemed to have a texture similar to that of ketchup leather and old meat. Ben knew what Applejack was about to do, and noticed the already spilling apples in her baskets, seeming like they were already too full.

Ben quickly ran over and tried to block Applejack's attempts at bucking the tree, and before he knew what happened next, he felt Applejack's hindlegs meet the bottom of his jaw as a large cracking sound echoed from the orchard. Ben was knocked out of the way, but it seemed to let Applejack know that she bucked the 'tree' and moved on. Ben groaned as he got up, holding his jaw as he tried to stand back up. "Oh kay... tthhhaaat coulda gawn betturr..." Ben slurred as he tried to snap himself out of the sudden pain in the face he was now experiencing.

Applejack continued to try and buck a few more trees, but by the looks of her dazed and exhausted state, she couldn't even hit the base of the tree without spilling the rest of the contents in her baskets. Ben frowned, pushing the bottom of his jaw back in place with a crack, and moved towards the mare. "AJ, you're clearly exhausted and tired. If you keep trying to fill your baskets, you're letting good fruit go to waste and letting a good profit go down the drain. You need help, okay?" Ben explained.

Applejack glared at the human that towered over her, snorting as she whipped him in the face with her tail. "I don't know what in tarnation you're talkin' bout. Besides, how is kelp gonna help me, I don't even like seaweed!" Applejack remarked.

Ben was confused for a moment, until he finally realized that she's that tired. She ain't listening, and even if she was, she isn't listening all that well due to her dazed and exhausted state of being. Ben pulled Applejack by the ear and took a deep breath. "You need HELP!! For Celestia's sake, why are you so stubborn?!" Ben exclaimed, causing the mare to open her eyes wide and wince. "You made this difficult, you brought this on yourself, AJ. We're going back to the farmhouse, and you're going to take a long, well-deserved rest. I'll see if I can get the others to help me out, but you seriously need to rest. I will strap you down if I have to!" Ben remarked, twisting the dial on the Omnitrix.

Applejack grimaced and immediately tried to run away, but ended up stumbling over herself while the baskets flew off her, the apples she harvested previously flying out. In a flash of green light, the baskets ended up stopping in mid-air, caught in a dark green glow. The baskets were sat on the ground and the falling apples were then caught in that same glow, being carefully returned to the confines of the baskets. Ghooligan levitated the baskets up, enveloping himself in another flash of green light, replacing him with Four Arms.

Four Arms carried the baskets without much trouble, then slung the orange mare over his shoulder as he walked back to the farmhouse. "Trust me, AJ, you'll thank me later." The four-armed troll remarked with a smile, only to earn a muffled groan in response.

[Golden Oaks Library]

Twilight was beginning to finish up the last of the re-organizing for the books, all while Mac made sure Spike finished the last of his chores and then relaxed to read some kind of comic. "Thanks again for making sure Spike did his chores, it's good for him to learn that pulling your weight will always be as rewarding as relaxing. I just wish Ben didn't have to run off so soon." Twilight remarked.

Mac smiled. "Don' mention it, glad ah could help. Besides, Applebloom can sometimes be pretty ornery herself sometimes, but that's just how kids can be. Applejack was like that at Applebloom's age, and lemme tell ya, she was what mama called a 'wild child'." Mac stated, chuckling.

Twilight smiled, only to hear the sound of heavy footsteps nearing the Library. A bright green flash enveloped outside of the building, and Ben walked in, an exhausted and sleepy Applejack slung over his shoulder. "I'm back, and I made sure AJ didn't hurt herself." Ben remarked.

Twilight, Mac and Spike watched Ben move towards a sofa and lay her down on it. He carefully removed her Stetson from her head and covered her up in a blanket. "So, good news. Applejack is okay, and she'll be back to her old self when she wakes up." Ben stated.

Mac stepped forward. "So there's bad news?" Mac asked.

Ben sighed. "Yup, but it's not that bad. The rest of the harvest will have to be handled by me, and how many of our friends would be willing to help lend a hoof or two. Mac, you're still hurt from pulling a muscle, and Applejack is obviously out of the question," Ben gestured to the slumbering orange mare on the couch. "So, I'm thinking Me, Twilight, Spike, and maybe Rainbow or Pinkie would be willing to lend a hand. Apples are the furthest thing from rocks, but I bet Pinkie will be a proper choice, nonetheless." Ben explained.

Twilight thought about it for a moment, and Spike just sulked, sinking into his seat. Ben wondered on how he was gonna get his brother to help, until he got an idea. Ben let a confident grin form on his face and cleared his throat. "Spike, wanna see me turn into a newalien?" Ben asked.

Spike suddenly lit up, seeming excited. "You can see me use a new alien if you're willing to put in the work. Help us help the apple family not go broke, and you can see me become a new alien. Think a tough, strong, caring, and awesome dragon, like yourself, can do that?" Ben asked.

Spike saluted with a big smile on his face, all while Twilight and Mac shared a look of skepticism. Ben winked at the pair of them, as Ben seemed to know what he was doing. Twilight sighed, rubbing her temples with her hooves. "I'll go and see if Pinkie or Rainbow are willing to lend a hoof. You two can get started on the harvest till I get back with help." Twilight stated.

Ben nodded, and the three of them went back to the farm, while Twilight ran and hoped to find some extra assistance. The library was now empty, with Applejack on the couch, stirring in her sleep as an odd blue substance and that black smudge begins to grow on her hind legs.

Applejack started to twitch and groan. "G-gotta... help... P-Pin..kie.. to..day..." Applejack groaned in her sleep.

[Sugarcube Corner, Afternoon]

Pinkie was getting ready to bake some goods for some kids, and seemed pretty set up in her little kitchen. "Well, that's everything so far. The ingredients are gathered, I'm making great time, and hopefully I'll have enough time to head to Applejack's and help with her orchard! Good thing today's been a slow day, otherwise I don't know how I would've gotten this done!" Pinkie said in a chipper tone of voice.

As Pinkie hopped from one side of the counter, she immediately heard the bell when someone walks in. "Coming!~" Pinkie cheerfully exclaimed. As the pink pony hopped over to the counter, she was prepared to welcome the first customer of the day, until she noticed that the door was wide open, and there wasn't anypony in sight.

Pinkie raised an eyebrow at this, only to then chuckle. "Okay, I see how it is. Trying to get ol' Pinkie with the dine and dasher gag. Real funny, whoever you are! Now come on in so I can take your order!" Pinkie called out with a smile.

Pinkie waited for a moment, but nopony ever stepped into her line of sight. Pinkie waited, and waited, yet still nopony revealed themselves. Pinkie's smile was starting to crumble and turn into more of a smirk. "Okay, I see someone's trying to go for the long haul, acting like there's no prank! Okay, I respect the hustle, but why don't you come on out, and I can give you some pointers, okay? I'll let you taste test my newest batch of cookies!~" Pinkie announced, trying to coax the prankster out of hiding, and yet, the silence that befell the shop was almost deafening.

Pinkie's smirk soon became a frown, an almost worried look could be seen in her eyes, only to hear the clatter of pots and pans from behind her. Pinkie quickly whipped around and made a mad dash for the kitchen, only to see a familiar face that let her worries melt away. "Applejack, good to see you could make it! I thought you were sick, but maybe Twilight was just exaggerating. Lemme tell ya, I've been dealing with some persistent prankster today, but now that you're here, you might be able to-" Pinkie barely had any time to finish the rest of her sentence until she got a better look at her friend. "Applejack?" Pinkie called out.

Applejack was as stiff as a board. She didn't move, aside from the occasional errant twitch of her hind legs and a flick of her tail. Applejack kept her head low, obscuring her face behind her hair, as well as hiding under her hat. "Pink..ie.." Applejack hoarsely whispered.

Pinkie raised an eyebrow at her friend's behavior, but suddenly began to connect the dots to what she thought was going on. "Ohoho! Applejack, you card! I didn't think you were capable of making jokes. I'm actually pretty impressed, but we can brush up on pranks & jokes 101 after we make cookies for the fillies," Pinkie hopped on over to the mixing bowl, pulling her friend over to it as she made her way to the oven, checking to see if it preheated. "Can you put in some wheat-germ for me, AJ? I think I might've forgotten that when I heard the door open." Pinkie requested.

Applejack let out an unnatural growl and nodded her head in approval, as if she understood. As Pinkie turned her head away from her friend, Applejack plucked off a small piece of blue mold and black tar from her body and dropped them into the mixture, then covering it all up with the wheat-germ as she mixed it up. Pinkie bounced on over and took the mixture, laying the batter out on a few cookie sheets and popping them in the oven. "Thanks Applejack, now why don't you head back to Twilight's and get some much deserved sleep, oka-" There was an unnatural gurgling sound coming from the oven.

Pinkie looked over at the appliance and peered into it, only to be met by a thick plume of black smoke. Pinkie shrieked as she grabbed an oven mitt and clasped the trays with her mouth, dropping them onto the counter carefully. The trays had been ruined, but in some strange roundabout way, the trays were lucky to have only been ruined.

The cookies looked absolutely grotesque. Instead of being a light golden brown, they were blackened and mushy. The chocolate chips were burnt entirely, and had an unnatural blue hue to them. Upon using a knife to cut one of the cookies open, a bunch of melted black and blue goo strung along as it was steadily pulled apart. Pinkie recoiled and let a couple tears escape her. "This wasn't supposed to happen! How did these cookies suddenly go so bad?! I used fresh ingredients, they weren't gonna go bad until six months from now!" Pinkie looked to her friend for solace, only to find an emotionless stare. Pinkie didn't feel right, and she felt her tongue quite literally tie into a knot. "I'm sorry, Applejack, I'll see if I can scrounge up some more ingredients, and I'll try to find out what went wrong." Pinkie remarked, disheartened by what happened to the now-inedible treats.

Applejack felt a scowl form on her face. "At least try one, it can't be that bad," Applejack casually takes one half of the sliced cookie and pops it into her mouth, an uncharacteristically calm look in the farmer's eyes as she chewed on the blackened and disfigured sweet. "Besides, kids these days will love anythin' as long as it's not colored right." Applejack remarked coldly.

Pinkie was thrown for a loop, finally succumbing to confusion. Applejack just ate a burnt and possibly moldy cookie without a moment's hesitation. Pinkie felt an odd sense of dread welling up from within herself, and immediately knew she had to make a break for it. "Try it, Pinkie Pie. It's not like one cookie's gonna kill ya." Applejack requested, her voice steadily becoming more vile in tone, gurgling in a manner that almost sounded like the gurgling that came from the oven.

Pinkie was beginning to shudder as Applejack took a step towards her, prompting Pinkie to make an excuse. "I need to look something up real quick, gimme one moment please!" Pinkie exclaimed, a smile formed from the fear that continued to rise within the pink pony.

Before Applejack could make another move, Pinkie immediately backed off, getting on the other side of the counter and popping the floor open, revealing a secret slide. As she descended, Applejack snarled and jumped down after her, just as the floor was closing itself, the faint screams of Pinkie echoed from far below as something grew and encroached from beneath sugarcube corner.

[Ponyville; Town Square, Afternoon]

Rainbow Dash was casually setting up some kind of stunt with Gilda. "So, you want me, to climb all the way up there, and jump on the other end to fling you into the air?" Dash nodded in approval. Gilda put one of her hands to her face and couldn't help but laugh. "You've become riskier when I was away. You know that, right? I'll go up top, just give me the signal to jump, and I'll be right down." Gilda remarked, flying atop the wooden tower before her.

Dash smiled confidently. "This is gonna be good. Once the Wonderbolts see my skills during an improvised stunt, they'll have to recognize my skills and ask me to join! This can't go wrong!" Dash's smile soon turned into a mild frown, seeming a bit sad. "Too bad Applejack got sick, she was supposed to help me with this, but I'm sure she'll be alright." Dash told herself, trying to reassure some of her confidence.

As she was readying herself to be launched, she heard a few hoofsteps behind her. Dash turned around and a smile formed on her face. "Hey, Pinkie! Come to watch me perform a stunt that even the Wonderbolts would be proud o- hey, what's with the gunk on you? Really got busy in the kitchen today, huh?" Dash asked, noticing specks of blue mold and black tar encroaching all over her body.

Pinkie didn't answer. Instead, she just lurched over towards Rainbow Dash and hugged her tightly. "Woah! Pinkie, you know I don't do hugs when I'm doing stunts!" Rainbow remarked.

The pink pony didn't listen to her friend, but Rainbow Dash noticed that Pinkie's breathing was shaky, raspy even. She couldn't tell what was up with Pinkie, but the bugged out look in her eyes said it all, and she needed to get Pinkie to step back. "Okay, Pinkie, you can let go now, I kinda need to focus on my stunt." Dash requested. She waited, and even tried to free herself from Pinkie's grasp, but she was locked in. "Pinkie, I'm not joking, can you back off and let me do my-"

"Now why would you wanna do somethin' so reckless, Dash?" Applejack's voice called out. Dash looked to her right, only to feel her blood run cold as she saw Applejack's appearance. "Can't do stunts on an empty stomach, try one ah her cookies. We made one too many, so we're handin' em out as free samples." Applejack's voice was just as raspy, practically becoming gravelly and gurgled the more she talked.

Dash gulped, a sudden sensation of unknown terror was beginning to set in. 'I'm not sure what's happening, but I need to get Pinkie off me, something isn't right!' Dash thought to herself. Dash sighed and flared her wings, "Sorry Pinkie, but you need to let go!" Dash demanded.

Before the pink pony could figure out what Dash was doing, she flew upwards and immediately dropped down to the ground, specifically landing on Pinkie. She gasped and let her front legs loosen up, allowing for Dash to look at Applejack and start backing away. "Applejack, I don't wanna hurt you." Dash cautioned.

Applejack smiled, Pinkie swiftly got back up, cracking her back as they both started to trot towards the pegasus. "We know, Dash. That's what makes this easier." Applejack stated, a sinister tone creeping through her voice.

Dash could tell that this wasn't a situation she wanted to be involved in, and immediately flew upwards. Applejack bucked her hind legs against the wooden structure and caused it to collapse. Dash dodged a bunch of falling debris, only to then see Gilda flying in-place. "G, we gotta go! There's something wro- AH!" Dash looked down at her back leg, seeing a blue and black tendril gripping and clinging to her, pulling her down. "Nevermind, you gotta go! Find Twilight, get Ben, get the frickin' princesses for all I care! Just get HEEEEELLP!" Dash screamed as she was pulled out of the sky, causing her to squirm and attempt to fly again, only to notice that her wings were covered in a stiff black tar.

Gilda watched as Dash fell on top of the pink pony, only to then be dragged off by them both. Gilda flew away, she didn't know what direction she was going, but she was gonna find help, one way or another. She was a trained Plumber, a cadet, but she could tell that she was out of her element. Little did she know, that Pinkie was right underneath her, tracking her with a terrifying smile on her face, bouncing along like nothing had happened.

[Fluttershy's Cottage, Mid-Afternoon]

The day had been rather slow, but pretty peaceful. Fluttershy took care of her animals, and took some time to relax herself. She laid on her couch with a cup of tea, with Angel passed out against her as she read a book. Fluttershy smiled contently, resting her head as she continued to read, only for her peace to suddenly turn into a cacophony of bird caws and beastly roars as something pounded against her front door.

Fluttershy jolted up, hiding behind her sofa as she poked her head out, looking at the door. "W-Who is it...?" Fluttershy meekly called out.

The pounding stopped. "Hey, you're one of Dash's friends right? Listen, you need to let me in! Your pony pals have finally lost their minds! I don't want to be out here, not after I saw what they did to Dash!" Fluttershy perked up at that, a look of confusion and concern formed on her face, but she was still pretty scared to go to the door. "You're the kind one, aren't you? You just gonna let me die out here?!" Gilda exclaimed.

Fluttershy quickly made her way to the door and opened it, only to be faced with the gryphon, Gilda. Fluttershy gulped and invited her in, with Gilda lightly nudging her out of the way before she slammed the door shut, moving the sofa she was gonna lay back down on to block the door. "There, now that crazy pink pony can't get in." Gilda stated, trying to catch her breath.

Fluttershy cleared her throat, getting the gryphon's attention. "Could you tell me what's going on?" Fluttershy asked. Gilda was hesitant, but looked out her window, only to see Pinkie staring in, covered in that black tar and blue mold. Fluttershy saw Pinkie for a moment, only for her to immediately leave her sight.

Gilda sighed. "All I know is that from what I saw, the pink one and the orange one yanked Dash out of the sky, had some weird stuff all over them, and were weirding Dash out. They were somehow able to get her while she was in the air, and yanked her down, dragging her off to who knows where! If this is a joke, then this is pretty hardcore, and I'll admit, they got me good, too good..." Gilda explained, trying to keep her cool and catch her breath.

Fluttershy was rather surprised, but also rather bothered, an agitated expression formed on her face as she furrowed her brow. "All this for a joke that no one seems to be laughing at. Sounds like one of Rainbow Dash's pranks," Fluttershy thought on it, and still couldn't come up with a proper conclusion. "Who else was apart of this? You mentioned an orange pony, didn't you?" Fluttershy asked, uncertain of if it's who she thinks it is.

Gilda frowned. "She wore some hat, had blonde hair, but she also had a black whip with these blue clumps of stuff on it. She looked messed up, let me tell ya." Gilda explained.

Fluttershy's eyes went wide, unsure of how to process her thoughts. 'Applejack? W-Why would she do this? No, she- s-she couldn't have...' Fluttershy thought, her body was shuddering.

Fluttershy laid down on a pile of throw pillows, unable to keep herself standing. Gilda stood by the door, unsheathing a small mechanical weapon from a holster strapped to her waist. It had a glowing prismatic crystal in what looked like a place for ammunition, and a smaller diamond-shaped crystal fixed to the nozzle of the barrel. "Dash told me to run for it and get help, so we'll have to hold out till help arrives. I'm not gonna hurt your friends, not much, at least. Just need to be able to defend myself." Gilda gripped the weapon in her talons tightly, staring out the window as Pinkie bounced away.

Gilda shuddered, a look of shame and regret was plastered on her face as she saw the weapon in her hand. 'Why didn't I try to save Dash... Why didn't I try to save my friend?!' Gilda's thoughts raced as she slumped to the ground, leaning against the wall and struggling to hold back her tears.

[Carousel Boutique, Near Evening]

Rarity sobbed in her closet. It hadn't been that long since she heard the wood on her door crack and begin to give way. She assumed it was just Ben struggling with the door and trying to fix it, but to be met by the unrecognizable, yet familiar and grisly appearance of Applejack was not what she was expecting. Rarity locked and barricaded herself in her closet, almost thankful that her parents had moved back to their home, even if it meant she was all alone now.

Rarity tried to dry her tears, her makeup now stained her face as Applejack banged on the door in an aggressive manner. "Open up, Rarity! You're makin' this all harder on yerself, sugarcube!" Applejack called out, her voice getting more and more aggressive as it goes on.

Rarity sniffled and just backed away from the door as much as she could, hoping all of her stuffed bags would keep her friend from getting her. "Applejack, if this your way of pranking me, the this is the furthest thing from funny you can get!" Rarity yelled, her voice shrill and hoarse from crying. "Just stop, apologize and leave me be!" Rarity exclaimed.

An unexpected chuckle caused Rarity's eyes to widen, all while the banging got more and more ferocious, like more ponies had shown up to bust down the door. Rarity screamed as a blackened leg burst through, then Pinkie's head burst through another hole, then Applejack's front legs made a few more holes. They were getting through, and soon enough, the door gave way, and try as Rarity might, only her shrill and terrified screams could escape the confines of her boutique.

[A few Hours Later...]

[Sweet Apple Acres, Near Evening]

Ben, Mac and Spike had made their way back to Sweet Apple Acres, and the two were working tirelessly for the past few hours while Mac stood nearby, making sure nothing had gone wrong. The sun was beginning to set, but even then, they were making pretty good time, and got through a sizeable chunk of the entire orchard. It wasn't entirely finished, but the amount of apples they managed to harvest, and with Mac being able to carry more than Ben and Spike, things were looking pretty easy. That is, until they saw Twilight running their way in a panic.

As the boys made it to the front porch, Ben was the first to notice his sister's wide-eyed stare, and he never shuddered in such a manner. "Spike, why don't you head on in and rest a moment... I have a sudden feeling that Twilight just came back with bad news." Ben stated firmly.

Spike blissfully went inside without a moment's hesitation, the little guy had been working hard and carrying basket after basket of apples all afternoon, and he was finally getting a break, that's all that mattered for now to the little drake. For Ben and Mac, however, the look on the mare's face, coupled with the ungodly amount of sweat running down her face and body, Twilight looked like she had run a marathon to run from something terrifying, and then started another without a proper break just for the heck of it.

Mac stepped forward cautiously. "Miss Twilight, what's wrong? Is help on the way?" Mac asked. Twilight's eyes did not blink, yet the moment her gaze fixed onto Mac, the stallion suddenly didn't feel as strong as he did hours ago. "Are you alright, sugarcube? You don't look too well." Mac cautioned, slowly backing away.

Ben moved forward, causing Twilight's gaze to immediately fix onto her brother, and then she took a deep breath. "Ben, we have a problem. I left to go find Rainbow and Pinkie, like I had said hours ago, and I was able to find them, but when I went back later to see if they were ready, I couldn't find them at all. I checked their homes, I checked their places of work, I talked with people they chatted with prior to their disappearances, but I couldn't find any trace of them, only signs of a struggle were present. I then decided to go and find Fluttershy, just to see if she could help out at the last moment, but she was completely overworked, she could barely even move a muscle, let alone blink! Gilda was there too, saying that she 'owed' Rainbow Dash to help one of her little pals, but I could tell she saw something happen, she winced every time I mentioned Rainbow Dash by name," Ben was trying to follow along, but from how tired he was, coupled with her sister's sporadic appearance and panicked mood, she looked and sounded unstable. And yet, he let her continue talking. "Since Fluttershy and Gilda were of no help, I decided to go and find Rarity, just because I was out of options. Do you know what I saw when I got there? Applejack was in there, awake and crazed. She looked absolutely crazy and almost unrecognizable, she was pacing around inside, muttering something I couldn't understand, she had some kind of black tar on her legs and clumps of blue around her mouth and hooves, there's no real way of telling what happened to Rarity herself. She didn't appear to be home, but for all I knew, she was probably hiding. I wouldn't blame her, though." Twilight explained.

Ben just sat down, unsure of how to interpret this information. 'Applejack's already awake, and on a rampage. Does she seriously think that her not working is the end of the world or something? No, if she has stuff on her, it's possible she's just sick. that would explain why her attitude's been so off lately. Maybe I should look into this, last time I saw a pony covered in a black tar substance, it was the result of some kind of monster making ponies into zombie ponies... I hope it isn't the same one from all that time ago, for everypony's sake, otherwise I'm gonna be mad.' Ben thought to himself.

Ben sighed and got up, patting his sister's head with a worn out and tired smile. "I'll look into it ASAP. Mac, why don't you keep Twi here and try to calm her down while I go find AJ. Alright?" Ben asked.

Mac nodded. "If I knew today was gonna turn out like this, I'm at least glad to know I made the right choice talkin' to you, partner. Go on, do your hero thing," Ben smiled and immediately ran off, a flash of green light enveloping him as he sped off in a blur of blue. Mac looked at Twilight and guided her inside. "How's about I help Granny get dinner started, you look like you could eat a whole orchard." Mac stated with a chuckle.

[Ponyville, Evening]

As Ben sped down the empty roads, he noticed something unnatural. There were very few ponies out, and while it was pretty natural for some ponies to be out and about at night, these ones had their eyes solely fixated on him. XLR8 stopped and came to a skid, noticing a thick feeling of tension in the air. He was concerned, but cautious.

In a flash of green light, XLR8 turned back into Ben, all while the ponies seemed to stare at him. "I'm gonna assume you're all the type to not be used to having a Human in town yet, right?" Ben asked.

The ponies didn't give an answer, they just stared at the hero, their eyes just lacked emotion. Before Ben could say anything else, or even move for that matter, he heard something call out to him.

"Howdy partner, been a minute since we had a proper chat. Mind catchin' up with an old pal, or are you that starved for company these days?" The voice inquired. It was enthusiastic, but any trace of friendliness was absent, null and void. Yet, he knew that voice anywhere, so why did it sound so wrong? Ben immediately turned around, and although it confused him on what he was initially looking at, he finally came to a realization the moment it stared him in the face, his eyes going wide as his body started to turn on him. He felt his throat dry up, his hands got clammy, it felt as if fire was pouring from his eyesockets, but he knew what he was looking at... who he was looking at.

The pony was a mare, it wore a withered white stetson on its head, and it towered above him with a rather bulkier build than anything he's ever seen. It was around as tall as Celestia, but this thing didn't give him a sense of comfort and ease. It just made him mad, very mad. The kind of mad he hadn't felt in a long, long time. The mare was a darker orange color, with a cutie mark resembling three rotten blue apples, each one with a bite taken out of them. There was some kind of blue mold growing all over the pony, mainly around the backlegs. The front legs were covered in a black tar-like substance, it was as dark as an inky void of despair and depravity, but Ben couldn't look them in the face, the eyes just made Ben feel an unyielding sense of shame, and the smile... dear Celestia, that smile.

The mare's eyes were riddled with mold and that black substance. It covered them up, it seemed to grow and fester in other places, too. The smile on the mare's face was so unnatural. It looked like if the mare had smiled any wider, the entirety of her mouth would tear into strands. By this point, Ben wasn't gonna fool around. Something had to be done, and as much as Ben didn't like the idea, he knew he was gonna have to fight her. He was gonna have to fight Applejack.

Ben sighed. "You always were too stubborn for your own good, you know that, right?" Ben twisted the dial on the Omnitrix, and in a flash of light, was replaced by his Opticoid form, Eye Guy. "Eye will try to make this quick... and as painless as I can make possible." Eye Guy stated.

The monstrous mare roared out, emitting a loud neighing cry. Before Eye Guy could make a move, he was immediately bombarded by fast shadowy blurs clocking him across the jaw. He tried to fixate on the blur, only to then be met by one of Pinkie's party cannons, now riddled and infested with a blue and black tar/mold-like substance.

Before the cannon could fire, Eye Guy shot the cannon back, slamming it into Applejack. Eye Guy then noticed a bunch of gemstones were poking from the ground, each one colored black and blue, similar to the mold and tar. They shot up and were flung in his direction, causing him to immediately change into Ghooligan, letting the projectiles pass through him.

Ghooligan was surprised by what Applejack was doing, considering it was like fighting four ponies at once. "I have to give you credit in one regard, you must be some kind of magic mold, right? You infected my friend, and now you're using your magic to make them stronger," Applejack stood face-to-face with the ectonurite, only to receive an unceremonious chuckle from the alien ghost. "It's kinda funny, really. You think you'll get away with this, but deep down, I'm going to wipe you out, moldy." Ghooligan remarked, unsheathing a set of sharp claws.

Before Ghooligan could make a move, he saw three more shadowy figures. Ghooligan thought it was one of the bystanders who were infected, until something else called out to him. "How bold of you to assume it was only Applejack who was infested, Benny!" A chipper high-pitched voice called out. The voice, it was Pinkie's. Ghooligan's eye went wide, upon finally seeing what was really going on.

It wasn't just Applejack, but Rarity, Pinkie, and Dash, too. They looked just as, if not more unnatural than Applejack did. He felt terrified, mortified by what he was seeing. It all felt like a bad dream, except he knew he was awake, and that's always the worst part.

Pinkie's coat was a darker pink, almost comparable to that of dead salmon, her curly mane and tail looked like a mass of moldy tar tendrils, all while her smile was even more disturbing than the rest of them. Her cutie mark consisted of three popped balloons. One was blue, the other two were black.

Dash looked the most gnarly. Her rainbow mane and tail was now made up of different shades of blue and green, each one representing the color of a type of mold. Her light-blue coat was darker, often withering in places that black spots have started to form. Her wings looked similar to that of Nightmare Moon's, only now consisting of mold chunks and sharper feathers. Her cutie mark wasn't even recognizable. Her ears look like they were gnawed at.

Rarity, ironically enough, seemed the most tame of the four. Her white coat seemed more like a blue off-white shade, patches of mold and tar-like crystals protruding from her body in a sickly manner. Her horn was almost entirely made of these crystals and was more curved, like a blade. Somehow, her mane and tail remained intact, not altered in any fashion. Her cutie mark now consisted of three shattered diamonds.

"Uh-oh, not good..." Ghooligan uttered, slowly floating backwards away from the mares.

The mares chuckled amongst each other, then got ready to charge at the alien hero. Ghooligan looked down at the Omnitrix, and knew what he might have to do. He motioned for the mares to come and get him, and they charged at him like sinful monsters broken out of Tartarus.

Ghooligan opened up his torso, letting the mares bare witness to the horrors within him. It had an affect on them, but not the one he was expecting. They didn't freeze up and start backing away, they just stopped in their tracks, staring with intrigue, almost stunned by what they could see. "What the!? This isn't what I was expecting to happen. What in Tartarus has this stuff done to you girls?" Ghooligan asked aloud, seeming very unsure of what was happening.

Ghooligan closed his skin and wrapped his own set of black and white tendrils around the mares, expecting the Omnitrix to detect some kind of problem, only to receive half of a completely different response.

The Omnitrix chirped. "Uncatalogued DNA Detected. Error, unknown DNA sample is too infused with already existing Equestrian DNA to acquire a pure sample. Genetic structure of Equestrian DNA has been damaged, shall we attempt to repair?" The Omnitrix inquired.

"Yeah, fix them! All four of them!" Ghooligan ordered.

The Omnitrix chirped. "Request Acknowledged. Activating Repair Function..." the Omnitrix cycled to Warlock Trot's icon, and soon enough, the mold and tar, as well as the crystals were beginning to wither, crack and fall off her body, causing her to faint. The Omnitrix then cycled to Wing-It's icon, and Dash's wings soon returned to normal size, her mane and tail returned to their usual rainbow color, and the moldy tar fell and withered from her body, causing her to faint. Ghooligan didn't have a mouth, but he seemed happy with the results. "Yes, yes!! It's working!" Ghooligan cheered.

The Omnitrix then blinked and flashed red. "A fatal Error has occurred. Repairs are incomplete." The Omnitrix chirped.

Ghooligan felt his entire body solidify, becoming tangible, and suddenly a lot heavier. "What? What do you mean there's an error?! What went wrong?!" Ghooligan cried out.

The Omnitrix cycled to a black question mark. "Genetic Repairs incomplete, Unicorn and Pegasus DNA Samples have been repaired, but Omnitrix does not have Earth Pony DNA catalogued in Primus Database to fully complete task. Genetic Repairs are incomplete till the DNA sample has been collected." The Omnitrix chirped.

Ghooligan frantically let Applejack and Pinkie go, and immediately grabbed Rarity and Dash, turning intangible as he phased himself and his unconscious friends into the ground.

Pinkie growled as she tried to go after them, until she felt Applejack bite her tail, holding her in place. "Hold on, sugarcube. We'll get those two back in no-time. For now, let's set our sights on an easier target. Besides," Applejack pointed towards a location, and soon enough, Pinkie's mood changed and went along with the idea. "Might as well head back to the farm, there's still so much work to be done." Applejack explained.

The two of them walked to the direction of Sweet Apple Acres, only to be immediately swatted away by an invisible force. Applejack tried to get up, but saw Pinkie getting flung around and smacked in an aggressive manner, only to be dragged into the shadows as a green flash of light shined out nearby, then something howled out.

Applejack cautiously got up, looking around as she kept her guard up. "Ben, don't think hidin' will make this any better for ya! Stop runnin' and face me, coward!" Applejack called out, her voice warping and distorting further.

A pair of green eyes shined in the darkness behind her. It towered over her, snarling as it flashed its bright, sharp and shiny canines. "Who said anything about running, hm?" A new voice called out.

Applejack quickly whipped around, only to be swatted away with an unimaginable amount of force. Applejack skidded across the ground, only to get up, meeting the green eyes in shadows. "That was cheap, and you know it... Yer all gonna see reason, 'specially you, partner. You just need tah stop fightin' us, and join us! Smackin' me around with that big red monster ain't gonna fix things, neither." Applejack called out.

The creature started to move forward, revealing the muzzle of a wolf. "This isn't Four Arms, AJ. I'm the big, bad, werewolf who's gonna huff, puff, and tear that crap off of you till you start thinkin' with some sense again," Its voice was similar to Ben's, but it was almost synthetic in its tone, but gravelly and feral, like a beast prepared to strike. From the shadows, a tall biped wolf creature reveals itself. It wore a black suit with white details, had a bushy tail and an oddly shaped pair of claws on its hands and feet. The Omnitrix was in the middle of its lower stomach. "I call this one Benwolf, and you, are in so much trouble." Benwolf introduced.

Benwolf opened its maw, letting it split open in fourths, unleashing a powerful howling blast of green sonic waves. Applejack didn't have time to react, and was suddenly, and quite literally, blown away a large distance, so much so that Applejack ended up being sent smack dab in the middle of the Everfree Forest. Benwolf winced. "Aw man, not again! Oh well, still gotta get that stuff off of her. If the Omnitrix doesn't have any DNA to work with, I'll just have to peel that stuff off so I can get that sample, then I can fix Pinkie, too!" Benwolf said.

The alien werewolf lunged into the air, making his way to the Everfree, knowing very well that this could very well end up with him succeeding, or ending up infected with whatever it is that's doing this.

[Everfree Forest, Midnight]

Applejack skidded across the ground and soon got back on her feet, only to be met by Benwolf, landing a couple feet in-front of her. "Alright, just stay still, I'm gonna try tearing that stuff off, because this has gone on for far too long!" Benwolf remarked, trying to grab Applejack.

Applejack jumped back, her expression now reminiscent of a wild animal in a corner. She let out a gurgled growl before she ran forward, flipping and slamming Benwolf in the face with her hindlegs. She landed, only to be swatted by Benwolf's tail, careening into a nearby tree. The two of them growled and tried to fight further, only to notice something different about the Everfree.

The plants were covered in a blue mold and black tar, some of the animals were wary of the infested plants, but it looked like a large rock-scaled crocodile creature was unwilling to return to the water nearby. Benwolf sniffed the air, and his ears started twitching. He wasn't sure what it was, but it seemed like even the Everfree didn't like whatever this was.

Applejack moved forward, looking at a Manticore, covered in blue mold and black tar. It looked severely weak, smaller and skinnier than the Manticore she and her friends saw when they stopped Nightmare Moon. "What in tarnation's wrong with this thing?" Applejack wondered, uncertain as to what exactly she was looking at. Benwolf moved forward, sniffing the Manticore, only to recoil, a look of shock was on the alien's face.

Applejack turned towards Benwolf, curious as to what he just found out. "This stuff is more dangerous than I thought. This manticore is... well, for lack of a better word, dying. This stuff must rely on a host. One that's strong, resilient, and can take a few good hits without much trouble. If I had to guess, once the host served its purpose, this moldy tar stuff must force its host to stay somewhere, then eventually, the host becomes its meal. The body rots and molds, only to start all over again, when it's no longer useful." Benwolf explained.

Applejack looked down at it, seeing the pain and ever-encroaching inevitable increasing, yet it can barely hold its eyes open. Applejack looked to the water, looking at herself for a moment. The more she saw this new her in the water, the more she became disgusted with herself. "Sweet Marlene, what in tarnation happened to me?" Applejack shuddered, looking to the werewolf beside her.

Benwolf sat down with her as the Omnitrix transformed him back into his normal self. "I'd like to know that myself, do you remember anything before you started harvesting the orchard on your own?" Ben asked.

Applejack nodded. "I noticed one of the trees. It had a bunch of apples that looked, well, rather unpleasin' to the eye. I bucked one off its branch, and it wasn't really mushy, though it felt like I was holdin' a fruit taxidermy in my hoof, a more literal forbidden fruit," Ben remembered seeing that tree, and the apples hanging from it. He figured they had gone bad, and suffered a kick to the face just to save anyone else from biting into those dirty things. Ben felt pretty happy with himself that he stopped the problem from getting bigger, but the problem wasn't entirely solved, yet.

Ben continued to listen to Applejack, all while he noticed the mold and tar start to slowly encroach on their location. "Maybe it was a bad idea to take a couple bites, but it didn't taste bad. If anything, it reminded me of a time when my folks were still around... I guess ah didn't want them to think I was gettin' soft and overworked myself too much. With me bein' too exhausted, ah must not had the strength to fight whatever that bad apple had done tah me, and you probably know what happened next..." Applejack hung her head low, taking off her father's stetson, seeing it look like a literal ghost of its former self, from its usual brown to a withered white, pale as a ghost.

Applejack frowned, looking away from Ben and her own reflection. "Land sakes, to think ah spread it to the others. Dash, Pinkie, and Rarity, ah may never get o'er this, and it might take more than an apology or three to make this right..." Applejack lamented.

Ben pulled Applejack into a hug. "Ya know what I think? I think you can start making this right, by helping me get rid of this stuff. Sure, it may mean that you and the other three might be on bad terms for a while, but these things take time," Applejack looked up at her friend, he was smiling. "Look at Dash and Gilda for example, they used to be friends, then Gilda and Dash split apart, and now they're slowly working things out, doing more to understand how each of them have changed. Things may not be fixed instantaneously, but as long as you put in the effort to recognize you were wrong, and take accountability, put in the time, effort and patience to mend those friendships, they'll be stronger than before." Ben advised.

The pair stood up, noticing the mold and tar behind them, as well as the Manticore, which smiled eerily in their presence. Applejack put the Stetson back on her head, feeling the tar and mold on her body begin to wither and fade away, yet the Stetson remained unchanged. "Ah am gonna uproot every single one ah ya from my farm, and turn you into compost when I get outta here!" Applejack barked angrily.

Ben twisted the dial, trying to select Heatblast's icon, only for the icons to start bugging out. "Come on, don't do this to me now!" Ben twisted the dial constantly, ending up stuck on a new icon. It was lean, it looked plant-like, so Ben thought he would have to make due with what he got. "Hopefully this new guy's not a total pain to use, goin' hero!" Ben exclaimed, slamming on the Omnitrix.

In a flash of light, Ben was replaced by a tall lanky creature. It had flower petals sticking out of its head, shaped and colored like a roaring fire, reds and yellows. Its body was comprised of a brown-green moss-like material, with tree stump-shaped feet. Its eyes glowed a bright green, with the Omnitrix being embedded into the creature's chest. The alien balled its hands into fists, suddenly igniting them in light-blue flames. "Time for a bit of yard work, even if it means burning a few bushes!" The alien sounded nasally, but also gruff and full of grime. The alien looked at its hands, noticing that its mossy body wasn't combusting and burning, but instead seemed to flourish from the heat. It smirked, looking back at the infested manticore as it got into a stance. "Hey, mold-face! Let me introduce you personally, to Fireflower!" The alien exclaimed, lunging towards the manticore.

The manticore let out a distorted roar and started to fight with the alien. Fireflower launched a stream of blue fire towards the manticore, setting the moldy tar, as well as the manticore itself ablaze. It roared out, scrambling towards the water, but a set of vines and tendrils came from the ground, restricting the manticore's movements and pulling it below the ground. "Not so scary without the strength to fight back, huh moldy?" Fireflower remarked.

Applejack tried to fight back for a while longer, until she saw something rise from the water. It was a hand, comprised of strung-up tar and chunks of mold, with a singular beading eye staring at the mare. Fireflower ran between the hand and put a hand out to intervene. "Don't you dare hurt her! Stop right where you are, now!!" Fireflower exclaimed. To Applejack's surprise, as well as surprising Fireflower, the hand stopped, moving backwards a bit.

Applejack stared at the hand sticking out of the water, and finally turned her attention back to Fireflower. "How in tarnation did you do that?!" Applejack exclaimed.

Fireflower looked at himself, noticing a few specks of tar and mold on his knuckles, but it wasn't spreading, more-so just ingraining into his hands, and letting themselves become one with Fireflower's mossy body. He looked back at the hand and decided to try something. he motioned his hand upwards, and the Manticore's body was brought back to the surface, no longer hostile. "What in Tartarus?" Fireflower asked.

Applejack noticed the tar and mold had stopped encroaching. "Partner, ah don't know how ya did it, but ah think it's listenin' to ya. Try somethin' else!" Applejack suggested.

Fireflower turned back to the hand, and cleared his throat. "Explain yourself on why you've hurt my friends, and made them into monsters!" Fireflower commanded.

Soon enough, more mold and tar began to come from the water, morphing into some kind of hideous mockery of a human body, with the eye still in the hand's palm, and a toothy maw being formed on a featureless face. "You are Ben Sparkle, the bringer of our demise. Our original body, the Great One, has been on this planet for eons. The princesses found us, mistaking us for a hostile entity, and soon banished us to another dimension. We found our way back, after adapting and empowering ourselves with magic, we sought to take revenge on the princesses of your land, by making them our slaves and use their power to conquer all of Equestria, and then we encountered you. We thought that, by acquiring the one who wielded the Omnitrix, we'd be more whole than we ever were before." The maw spoke.

"But that didn't go like how you thought it would." Fireflower remarked.

The head nodded, and the maw spoke again. "You stopped us from getting our revenge, but a piece of us was flung so far out of Canterlot from the initial blast, that it landed in the place you have dubbed, The Everfree Forest. It truly was a free place, pure in its own right, beautiful with its carnal aggression, the perfect place to subject our will, and create an organic army to rise again. But, something had changed us. A patch of blue flowers had... altered us, in a way that we still can't comprehend. We were now like a festering mold, a sentient pile of aged tar, but our desire for a host was a constant driving force, and it kept us alive long enough to escape the everfree, while our influence continued to spread throughout it. Then, we stumbled upon a tree, bearing fruit." The maw explained.

Applejack got angry. "You sick little- That tree was on my property! You disgusting, parasitic, freeloadin' body-snatchin' varmint!" Applejack lashed out. Fireflower held his friend back, but it was clear she was beyond upset. "You made me attack my friends, you made me ruin their plans and hurt others in the process, you used me like a Celestia-damn meat puppet, you dirty little disease-ridden ingrate!!" Applejack exclaimed, struggling to get out of Fireflower's grip.

The creature opened its maw and spoke. "It's true, we did use you to spread our influence to the organics you call 'friends', but you don't know how long it's been since we felt whole. It's why so many ponies and other types of creatures were converted into mindless and hungry drones, by spreading our influence like a disease, we are never truly gone. By facing the inevitability of death that overwhelms you, knowing there is something wrong and you can't fight it, you accept your fate, and we persist, using your body, as our own. That's what was supposed to happen, but much like your friend here has stated, you're too stubborn for your own good. Any plea you made for your friend to stop you, we took over your mind and vocal chords, making you and your friends speak what we speak, figuring that turning you against each other would make this easier... clearly, we were mistaken when the unicorn and pegasus were severed from our connection permanently, and you escaped of your own free will... The stubborn ones, it's always them you have to worry about." The maw explained.

Fireflower sighed. "You know this is gonna end in you being burnt to ash till there's nothing left, right? I'm not a fan of killing anything, but if I have no other choice, I will purge you from the everfree, and purge you from my friend's body, if I have to." Fireflower stated.

The thing nodded, and the maw spoke once again. "We are aware that you will do what must be done, and we will not fight back, not this time," Applejack and Fireflower were surprised by the response, although a hint of suspicion was raised in their minds. "Let us explain. Years ago, back in Canterlot, on the day that we returned, you sacrificed your privilege, and your right to live, just to save a bunch of ponies who cared not for you, just because you're a human. Those pathetic organic elitists, they claimed to be better than anyone or anything that is lesser than them because of status, yet you still sacrificed everything, just to save a bunch of fools that would be better off dead, or assimilated to be part of us. You are better than them, Benjamin Sparkle. Do what you must, either burn us or whatever you choose is best, we've caused enough trouble as is, and we grow tired of fighting in an endless struggle," The maw moved closer, the eye fixed its gaze on the Omnitrix. "But first, a parting gift for hearing our story, a real guarantee that we won't be forgotten, and maybe... given another chance." The maw stated.

Before Fireflower could retort or decline, the thing tapped the Omnitrix, causing it to glow yellow, forming the helix symbol he saw a few times before. "Unknown DNA Sample acquired. Scan Complete. Moldrewid DNA Sample has been recognized and added to the main playlist." The Omnitrix chirped, showing an icon of a tall, melting, skinny tree-like creature with tendrils coming from its back, dressed in some kind of robe or a type of special garb.

Fireflower and Applejack looked at each other, then back at the thing that awaited a response. Fireflower thought about it for a moment, and reached out, gesturing for the creature to come closer, and so it did, to the point where Fireflower leaned in, whispering something, something that caught the creature's attention.

Applejack was skeptical on why he was being so secretive, but whatever the alien said, it made the maw smile, the tar and mold started to recede, vanishing further into the Everfree. "You are interesting, for a human, a rare breed of your species, you are. We thank you, Ben Sparkle, for your mercy... Farewell." The maw stated, sinking back into the water.

The mold and tar had immediately begun to retreat from the forest. Some of the infested plants just left with the rest of the mold and tar, along with some infested animals and bugs, but otherwise, the everfree forest was slowly becoming more and more like it was before, no sign of the mold and tar in sight.

Applejack stepped closer, looking towards her friend as he transformed back to normal in a flash of light. "I... I don't even know what just happened. What did you do, what'd you say to it?" Applejack asked, watching as the tar and mold soon escaped her view.

Ben smiled and dusted off his shirt. "Simple, I chose a more peaceful solution. I decided to tell them about how they could live under the ocean, since in a way, they don't need to breathe, and they can use plants that grow underwater as more suitable hosts, as long as they don't disrupt the balance of nature and try to become part of the cycle and not hurt or take over anyone else, they were more than willing to accommodate and began to move through the soil, taking any trace of the mold and tar that's given us so much trouble, and even vacated the mold and tar in living organisms, like Pinkie, to be expelled, as if they were just nauseous or sick to their stomachs," Applejack raised an eyebrow, only for Ben to frown and sigh. "In simpler terms, they're gone. They agreed to leave, taking any trace of their mold and tar with them, and they're not coming back anytime soon. Pinkie, and anyone, or any other living thing affected by this stuff should be returned to normal." Ben explained.

Applejack let out a sigh of relief, and the pair of them walked to the entrance of the everfree, knowing there'd be a lot of explaining to do, as well as making amends with friends. Ben twisted the dial on the Omnitrix, noticing the icon for the Moldrewid, and then twisting it again, to a blank icon, consisting of half an icon of what looked like a pony. 'Something tells me I'm gonna need to complete the sample before anything else happens, but where does the rest of the DNA come from, and why has the watch been so strange lately?' Ben couldn't come up with a single idea that made sense, and for the moment, just let it be something to worry about later. 'If anything else happens, I'll probably have to go and report it to Celestia. Hopefully I can figure this out before it's too late.' Ben thought, sticking his hand in his pocket, leaving the Omnitrix to return to standby mode.

[Golden Oaks Library, Morning]

Ben walked downstairs, yawning and stretching as he noticed the scroll from the other day, untouched since its delivery. Ben raised an eyebrow and decided to look at the scroll himself, unraveling the ribbon and unrolling the parchment.

To my doofus cousin Ben,

I hope this letter finds you, as I'm not really sure if this worked. It's me, Gwen, your cousin. I hope you didn't already forget about me again, but it took a couple months on my end to finally nail this spell, it's difficult working with another type of magic, but I think it worked this time. I wanted to let you know that we still miss you, and hopefully, you'll write back to us and let us know what's gone on since you got back.

Uncle Carl and Aunt Sandra are doing alright, and so's Grandpa Max. He did a bit of digging into some old plumber computers, and found out that Project Paradox, did in fact happen. It must've been the same paradox that made you-know-who. We were thinking of sending some packages of stuff you might be missing, but we weren't even sure if the letter made it... and, we didn't want to break or bust anything, otherwise if we replaced it, it wouldn't be the same as you remembered.

Either way, I hope you're doing alright in Equestria, and maybe you could get a picture of you and your friends, just so we know you're safe with the right kind of people... ponies... this is gonna take some getting used to.

I better get going, a bus to the university I applied to is pulling up in a couple minutes. Once you find out how, write back when you can.

~Gwen Tennyson

Ben sighed, smiling as he wiped his face of the few tears welling up in his eyes. "Somehow, I'll find a way. If you could, then so can I. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but somehow, someday, some way... I'll figure something out." Ben told himself, smiling as he folded up the letter and stuffed it in his back pocket, then made his way to the front door, ready to head back to Sweet Apple Acres and finish the harvest, now that everyone else was free to lend a hoof or two. All the while, Applejack rested on the sofa, comfy as can be, getting the break she needed.

Author's Note

Just a quick announcement, an explanation or two for those who got through this chapter.

1. This chapter was most obviously a bit different from the rest, the reason for that is mainly because I'm trying to find a balance between the classic FiM episode formula, with Ben 10's usual episode format and formula, as well as keeping things relatively normal (normal being the worst word to use, considering what happened in this chapter). I'm also trying to put a spin on these episodes, just to experiment and see what sticks. I also wanted to try a more horror-centered episode with a twist, so there's that.

2. From this point on, I will have Ben reference some of his aliens by their official names, rather than the names he came up with when he lost his memories. Some names won't be changed, because in my opinion, they sound much better, but those names will come back some time in the future. The reason for this change is mainly because I feel it'll be easier for new readers, and easier on myself.

Heavy Hydrant will keep his name unchanged, solely because I want to keep him unique, and it's essentially Overflow, but overhauled, and it'll make things easier for a moment. The aliens that will keep their newly designated names are Ghostfreak, Ripjaws, Upgrade, and a couple aliens we have had yet to see... until this very chapter, of course.

I am referring to Blitzwolfer and Swampfire, of course. Benwolf being his original name, and works since it's a play on Werewolf, but it's more-so just Ben as an alien werewolf, it made sense to keep the original name, than a new name that made no sense whatsoever and needed no changing.

Swampfire was an easy one, since the original name can be spelt different with different synonymous words and the arrangement of those words. It just made sense to name him Fireflower, since in a way, he's a plant with flower-like petals on his head, and he has fire powers. Plus, to call him Fireflower, the name itself is an easter egg to a power-up from one of my favorite game series as a kid. It's still relatively good by today's standards, but it's often pushed aside or forgotten.

1. Don't be afraid to give me constructive criticism, it helps to make this story better when I know what to not do, and what to improve upon. Tell me what you honestly think of the story so far, and don't be afraid to ask questions, I'm willing to answer them to the best of my ability, but spoilers for the story's future will not be given.

2. Don't expect to see every alien Ben had in the Original Series to be unlocked on-screen. Some will for the sake of the story, and some won't, for the sake of showing that Ben tends to mess with the Omnitrix like he did in classic, only he's trying to re-unlock aliens he already had.

I think that'll be all for now, the next chapter won't take so long next time, promise.