Author's Note
this chapter explains what has happened with Applejack, while also showing how Twilight behaves in this AU.
CONTAINS MENTIONS OF BLOOD/GORE
All Apples Rot…
All Apples Rot…
“So… That took effect rather quickly didnt it…?” Twilight spoke up, her magic holding up a clipboard and quill. Her eyes dull and unmoving, her fur mangled and matted. Her mane just as mangled. The ends of her mane were singed from previous experiments. Her wing feathers were still in perfect condition, and her whole body colour was slightly grey, almost as if it was dirty.
She wore a pure white lab coat that had the sleeves ripped off at the elbow, and the backs of her front legs, as well as her flanks were covered in old scars. Self inflicted.
“It sure has…”
Pinkie spoke up, her ears folded back as she stood beside Twilight. Her mane and tail are flat and shimmering. Her face mostly covered from a royal blue mask that hooked around her ears.
She wore a light grey sleeveless vest that covered her torso, while her legs were covered with black latex gloves to protect them from what was contained within the cage in front of them.
Inside the cage was their earth pony friend, Applejack. Her body was slowly rotting away from something. The skin came free from the muscle with little to no resistance, exposing the raw hide underneath.
This rotting had spread throughout most of her body, and blood was slowly spilling to the cell floor below.
“Tell me about what I injected her with again, Pinkie?” Twilight instructed, her eyes widening and her pupils shrinking as she looked like a mad scientist. Applejack swore she could see a smirk go across her face.
“With pleasure. What you have given Applejack over there is a flesh eating virus named “Cabin Fever”. Once injected into the subject, it slowly eats your subject from inside out. It progresses rapidly and becomes fatal within about 2 months.” She finished her sentence with a chuckle and adjusted her mask and gloves while she spoke.
“How long do i have to cure it?” Twilight asked with a curious eyebrow raise. Her wings ruffled up a bit as she took down a few notes while speaking to Pinkie about this disease. She was on limited time here.
“Judging by the fact the skin and muscle has been exposed like that, i’d say you have about 2 weeks.”
Pinkie explained and looked at Applejack, who had her face covered with her front hooves, as the rotting on her face had got pretty bad, her teeth being fully exposed. The air stung Applejack's bare muscle and exposed nerves, and every little movement made was rather painful.
She couldnt help but wince with each breath she took, her rib cage expanding and forcing some of the flaps of skin to be lifted up, exposing more muscle to the musty air, of Twilight's basement.
Applejack's infection hadnt shown many symptoms within the first 6 weeks of treatment. But these last few days,the rotting and loss of skin, rapidly showed up, almost as if the virus was trying to catch up with itself.
Applejack didnt say a word, as Twilight and Pinkie stared at her. Their eyes unmoving, until Twilight's pupils shrank down to mere Pinpricks.
The alicorn then looked at Pinkie with a psychotic giggle, her ear twitching as she slowly walked away from Applejack’s cage.
“Then let's get to work… We can't have experiment number 3 dying on us now can we?”
Miss Cake was laying in her cell, petals falling from her lips and to the floor below as she looked around for anypony nearby. Not that she could communicate to them anyways.
Twilight had injected Miss Cake with a certain disease while passing by her in the streets.
The symptoms began to show rather quickly when Mr Cake found Miss Cake walking through ponyville, with a few flowers growing from her ears.
Twilight raised an eyebrow, she wasnt expecting the affects to start so soon, but then remembered that Miss and Mr Cake’s relationship had started getting very one-sided recently. Mr Cake’s love had become very bitter and lacking, to the point that Mr Cake was leaving the bakery early, leaving Miss cake to close up shop and take care of the twins. Mr cake would then walk around ponyville and could be seen talking with some other mares, these mares were younger than Miss cake and seemed to tick all the boxes for Mr Cake...
Miss Cake still loved Mr Cake with all her heart, as well as their children. But sadly, Mr Cake seemed to be losing feelings, or had just decided to abandon the relationship all together without saying a word.
Now Miss Cake lay in the holding cell of the castle's basement, where Twilight was running tests, when Pinkie Pie walked in. Or what used to be Pinkie.
“So… What's going on with Miss Cake?” Pinkie spoke up, lowering the mask from her face.
Twilight was busy scribbling away on a clipboard, taking down notes of her findings, before telling Pinkie what she had learned about her new disease.
“She has what is called The Hanahaki Disease… It is a disease i made, as per usual... Apparently it occurs when somepony is experiencing one sided love. This causes them to cough up flower petals. As well as cause fully blossomed flowers to grow out of any opening in the body, including the mouth, ears, nostrils and sometimes even eye sockets. It comes to an end when the beloved returns their feelings… This needs to be romantic love only, deep friendship is insufficient… Otherwise the disease will come to an end when the victim passes away from choking on the flowers”
Twilight explained this, looking at Miss Cake as she laid on the floor of her cell, tears filling the baker's eyes as she avoided looking at the 2 ponies.
Twilight continued to explain what the disease was.
”I had injected Miss Cake with this disease a while ago. If their relationship was stable and continued to last as it did a while ago, then nothing would have happened, and Miss Cake would have most likely experienced symptoms, similar to that of the common cold, since her immune system could have easily fought off the dormant bacteria... Normally, the flowers that grow are their partner's favorite flowers. For Miss Cake’s case, the flowers are forget-me-not's. The flowers can be healed by surgical removal, but once the infection is gone, so do the victim’s romantic feelings about their relationship… It's pretty risky, but if Miss Cake gives us her consent, then we could cure her right now. Since it is currently getting rather close to its fatal stages.”
Twilight finished her explanation with a sigh, looking at her notes, skimming them to make sure she hadn't missed anything.
"I may have abandoned my duties as 'princess of friendship'... But i know what Mr Cake is doing, is wrong. Very wrong... So we'll be having him pay us a visit at some point, so be excited for that Pinkie." She then turned to Miss Cake, who was rather worried about forgetting everyone if the flowers were removed via surgery. So she kneeled down and locked eyes with Miss cake, her tone sincere and somewhat comforting.
"Dont worry, when we remove the flowers, the memories of Pound and Pumpkin Cake will remain, since that isn't romantic love, that's family. She wont forget them."
Twilight explained this as her crazed, wandering eyes broke eye contact, and began to shoot around the room to the different cells, seeming to never be able to settle on looking at a singular thing.
"Well, Miss cake? What do you say? Shall we get these flowers out of you so you can return to your kids?" Pinkie asked in a sincere tone. They may both be crazed maniacs, but they knew when someone wasnt supposed to go through something, and they're going to right this wrong.
Miss Cake nodded and stood up, Twilight opened the cell door and the 3 of them made their way further into the basement where there was a surgery room, all sanitized and professional looking. Like it had been taken straight out of a hospital.
Around 2 days later, Miss Cake came wandering out of Twilight's castle, flower free with a big smile on her face. They all exchanged pleasantries before parting ways, where Miss Cake made her way back to the bakery to see her children. All memory of Mr Cake, wiped from her memory.
