Twisted

CHAPTER TWO

Apple Bloom glanced out of the window as she quickly threw on her bandana. It was an absolutely perfect morning from where she was standing. The youngest member of the Apple family had taken up residence in one of the smaller shacks that she had converted into a work-hut of sorts. She also kept a small cot inside; the small forge she used for both glass and metal also worked well as a fireplace for the colder nights. This was going to be the day she would create! She had no distractions, no real plans, and her bigger sister wasn't banging on her door and demanding that she work out in the fields.

"Ugh," she shuddered, cantering over to her worktable. She examined the somewhat dusty looking set of tools she had laid out and tried to figure out what she could do today.

"Aha!" she declared, discovering her notebook laying near one of her scrapers. Several weeks ago she had listed the things she needed to repair on the barn. As she reached over to pick up the small book she heard a crash and noticed a small glass of orange juice from the night before had fallen over and was now laying in pieces on the floor.

"Ah tarnations!" she grumbled, scooting over to the scene of the mess with a broom and dustpan. She couldn't figure out how the glass fell, it was placed in the center of the table. Weird. As she slowly swept up the broken glass, she could not help but stare at the shards for a moment.

"Sawry Dahmond Tiara. Ah din't know."

The pale pony heard herself speak as horrible and unpleasant memories started to fill up in her mind. It was Granny Smith's funeral. Nearly everypony in Ponyville, Canterlot and a few other towns had shown up to pay their respect for the beloved member of the Apple clan. It had already been late in the service when Apple Bloom and her two best friends, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, had retreated to the outside where they could relax and just talk. It had been a really stressful environment and all three crusaders were in tears. Apple Bloom really wanted to thank the light grey unicorn for the touching song she had just sung for the funeral. There wasn't a dry eye during the entire song, and the small earth pony could still hear the gentle, but strong words the filly had sung.

"This is no time to weep/ for memories live on/ even when loved ones pass/ together we can stay strong..."

She had started to open her mouth to express thanks when Diamond Tiara walked into view with her best friend, Silver Spoon.

"Oh my gawsh, why did dad make me go to this stupid funeral? Nobody is going to miss that crazy old mare!" she growled before noticing the Cutie Mark Crusaders were standing nearby. "What are you three rejects looking at?" she turned her head away, "Just a bunch of worthless blank-flanks! Come on Silver Spoon. If I complain enough, dad might let us leave early."

Sweetie Belle cold only gasp, Scootaloo stood near gritting her teeth. Apple Bloom was the first to say something.

"Everypony is going to miss mah Granny, why she was the-"

"Town nut," Diamond Tiara snarled, "surprised your family didn't dump her off at a home. Crazy old bat. I can't believe she lived for so lo-"

Now it was Apple Bloom's turn to interrupt. The small filly charged into the other mare with such a force, it felt like the ground was shaking.

"YOU DON'T SAY THOSE THINGS 'BOUT MAH GRANNY!" she growled, forcefully apple-bucking Diamond Tiara in the snout, drawing blood and causing the small pony to fall to her knees. The small crownthat she seemed to wear at all times fell to the floor, shattering into what appeared to be a hundred or so pieces.

The bespectacled earth-pony beside her let out a gasp as she quickly stumbled into the main house.

"Good Job! Little snot-nosed mule deserved it!" Scootaloo cheered, causing Sweetie Belle to let out a squeak.

"SCOOTALOO!" Sweetie couldn't help but look a little disappointed in both of her friends. The pegasus rolled her eyes.

"What? She deserved it! She's ALWAYS picking on us, but this time she went a little to far! How can you make fun of an elderly mare?" she glared at Diamond Tiara, but the pink filly seemed to be lost in her old little world. As she sat in the dirt, it appeared that she was trying to push the broken pieces of the small costume-crown. Tears and blood were quickly mingling together as she tried piece the broken glass together.

Apple Bloom later learned that the tiara was the last thing Diamond's mother had given her daughter on her death bed. Filthy Rich had tried to explain to the girls and his words haunted the little fillies.

"I'll always be with you my little Diamond", he had repeated what his wife had said as she placed the tiara on her head shortly before she passed. Strangely enough, he was not mad at the little Apple, or her family, but just very disappointed. Things continued to get worse that very day, after the funeral when Silver Spoon vanished. It was just the start of something far worse.

Apple Bloom  was so lost in thought, it took a sharp pain in the soft part of her hoof to break her out of it. A piece of the glass had embedded itself. She groaned, hating the sight of blood. She pulled out the first aid kit she had nearby and started to fumble around with a pair of tweezers. It took only a moment to remove the shard and bandage her very small wound. But that was enough. The memories, the blood. Maybe tomorrow she'd make something. She walked back over to her bed, crawled into a little ball and started to cry just a little more.

Across town Pinkamena woke up in her bed and rolled off and onto the floor. The mare didn't seemed phased at her bloody nose  and ran her hoof over it so it wouldn't look suspicious to others. She looked suspicious enough already, ponies always stared at her around town. She then trotted solemnly to the bathroom and stared at herself in the mirror. Her beautiful blue eyes were facing opposite ways. Her once bright, bouncy pink mane was flattened straight and greasy.

"Oh, I look so great!" she squealed, turning her head 90 degrees. She picked up her hair brush and began to talk to it in a cheerful tone, seemingly unnaffected by recent trauma.

"I just LOVE apples!" said the hairbrush in a low voice.

"Oh Mister Hairbrush, me too!"

"But you know what I hate? Yellow ponies with pink manes who abandon you!"

Pinkie Pie glared at the hairbrush, forcing it down onto her mane. She slowly pulled it from the top to the bottom of her head, not minding how disgustingly greasy it had become. She hadn't bathed in days, it was too much effort. Besides, she wasn't going to work! She'd been kicked out of Sugarcube Corner months ago! Her own little house just outside of town was secluded, and Pinkie really liked that. Ponies were stupid.

"Let's go see an apple!" Pinkie heard the hairbrush choke. The pink pony smiled.

"Of COURSE!"

She locked up her house (ponies were not to be trusted) and trotted into town at an intense speed. She remembered how she used to bounce everywhere, but that was just crazy. Even crazier than silly old Mr. Hairbrush! Pinkie pretended to be her happy old self so nopony would look twice, she even fritzed up her hair, which she hated to do.

In no time, or at least what felt like no time, she'd reached Sweet Apple Acres. She trotted around to Applebloom's shed, looking through a window, but saw that the filly was asleep. The farm was quiet and rotten apples were laying all around the ground by her hooves. That was just hilarious! Pinkie Pie let out a deep-throated cackle that escalated to screaming.

The pink mare then trotted right along up to the barn. Perhaps her ex-friend Applejack was inside! Yes! And perhaps Applejack would suddenly like her again! That WOULD happen!

Applejack had just been awoken by screaming noises and already she was high as a kite. Applejack brought her face up swiftly from her bedside table, violently sniffing up the excess powder under her nose. She had done it so many times it started to become difficult. Her nasal passages were swollen and prone to bleeding, as she clearly saw. The country pony looked across the room and could see herself in the mirror. She was wide-eyed and shaking. Though something was off. Behind her reflection she could see images on her wall. She turned to inspect this odd occurrence and glanced quickly at the now more prominent scrap book of memories on her wall. Each image was a moving clip from her life, before it all went wrong. Time spent laughing with her friends. Time spent with her family. Granny Smith. The old green mare's picture was suddenly alight and peeled of the wall. Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust. A singular tear ran down her cheek and met with the slight stream of blood staining her light orange coat. Applejack put her trusty lighter back under her pillow.

She turned back to the table and finished taking yet another line. This time she felt slow as she arose. She could feel a cold breeze brush through her mane. The gust of air taking the remnants of the substance from her face and causing white powder to glide slowly through the air like snow falling on a cold winter's night. The walls of pictures had dissipated into an unforgiving realism. Dark walls with the paper peeling off. The refreshing breeze was revealed to have come from her boarded up window. The Apple family house was falling apart.

The crack in Applejack's mirror aligned perfectly with her new found smile as she twitched and shook into a stable position.

"G'mornin Sugarcube."

Those words sounded to be filled with anger as her teeth ground against each other. A swift headache took AJ by surprise and she let out a cry of pain, smashing her hoof down against the table. A huge crack shot up and down the wooden frame. After taking a moment to compose herself she knew what was next. Work. Applejack took off out into the field of apple trees. She took very little time to prepare and shot straight into it. With each buck the tree's almost split in half. But as usual, every apple fell out. Her day went on like this for awhile.

She had became slightly accustomed to her new workload, after all it was unfair to force Apple Bloom to do it and Big Macintosh simply couldn't. Each kick was filled with more fury than the last. The orange mare suddenly remembered that she used to enjoy apple-bucking. What a pity.

She suddenly felt a chill down her spine. Something was wrong, or was going to be. She ran off to check on Apple Bloom but she was seemed fine. She peeked through the window to her work hut only to reveal her young sister sleeping. Her next stop was Big Macintosh's room. AJ was sure he'd be there, nowadays he always was. Suddenly, a flash of bright color appeared in front of her and the country mare screamed with surprise. Pinkie Pie was suddenly in front of her, a creepily wide smile stretching almost literally from one ear to the next. Her ears were twitching and her eyes were facing odd directions. Applejack gasped at the sight of her old friend. What in tarnation was she doing her?! Applejack had kicked her out of the orchard for good last week!

"PINKAMENA DIANE PAH, I DONE TOLD YA T' GET OFFA MAH PROPERTY!"

"Oh DID you now?! See, that's not what I remember best friend!" Pinkie insisted, eyes widening. She suddenly swooped close to Applejack and she felt a sharp pain stabbing into one arm. She screamed bloody murder, but realized that the pink pony was just hugging her tightly. She felt suffocated.

"Pinkie Pah, you need to leave!" she shouted, unable to give any rational explanation for why Pinkie needed to go. Pinkie Pie suddenly burst into wild tears, so unexpectedly that Applejack was startled.

"I HATE YOU! I HATE ALL OF YOU APPLES!" Pinkie screamed, picking up a nearby apple and whipping it straight for AJ. Luckily, she had good reflexes and moved out of the way quickly.

"LEAVE!" Applejack shouted again, and this time Pinkie smiled again, a slow, dark grin creeping across her mug.

"Okie dokie lokie...."

Pinkie Pie trotted away and Applejack watched as the pony left Sweet Apple Acres once more. For the first time in her life Applejack noticed many apples had rotten apples had fallen and were covering the ground, their rotten smell filling her nose. It was revolting.

The message was clear to Applejack; she simple wasn't working hard enough.