The Element of Corruption

Applejack was dreaming. In the dream, she was galloping through an endless field of grass, for no apparent reason. She could hear her heart beating wildly. She looked back at where she had come from. The grass just went on forever.

Suddenly, she woke up and realised that the beat of her heart was just somepony knocking on her bedroom door. She looked down and saw that the Element of Honesty was still around her neck.

"Err... Come in." she said.

Twilight opened the door and walked in. "Applejack, we need to talk."

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"So you found it in the back of the temple thing?" Twilight said.

"Yeah, ah found it when you were all distracted by the Elemental Stone."

Twilight studied the necklace.

"Can I take it back to the library with me, so I can-"

"No!" Applejack exclaimed. "I mean, umm, if this isn't the real Element of Honesty, then what's the problem?"

"That is the problem! There can't be two Elements of Harmony, we don't know where it came from!"

Twilight went to take the necklace off her, but Applejack pushed her hoof away.

"I want to keep it!" she said.

Twilight shrugged her shoulders. "Alright, okay." She went to leave. "Just... let me know if anything happens."

Applejack looked out the window and watched suspiciously as Twilight walked away.

"What are you up to?"

Applejack walked through the town, trying to avoid walking near other ponies. She was afraid that they would try and take her from her for some reason. If she saw somepony coming her way, she would turn and walk in another direction.

"Hello Applejack." Fluttershy said from across the street.

Applejack looked at her suspiciously. "Hello Fluttershy..."

"Oh. You're still wearing that?"

"What are you tryin' ta say?"

Fluttershy was a little surprised by this response.

"Nothing, it's just that, you were kind of attached to it yesterday."

"Yeah, I've err, gotta go." Applejack said, trying to make an excuse to end then conversation, and then she galloped off, leaving Fluttershy a bit confused.

Applejack sat on a little bench outside her house and looked at the necklace, which was difficult to do since her muzzle was in the way. Every second she stared at it, she felt more and more attracted to it. She didn't know why, she just wanted it. She didn't want to take it off either.

She looked around and saw a little purple mare walking up the hill toward her house. She stood up and looked at her. "Twilight? What does she want?" she said to herself.

"Applejack," she said when she reached the house. "I just came by to check on you."

"Why? Ah'm fine."

"I don't know, I'm just a bit worried about that necklace of yours. I'm not sure where it came from."

"It's fine. Just leave it." She said sternly. She was lying. She wanted to tell her how attracted she was to it, for no apparent reason.

Twilight looked at Applejack with a concerned expression. She was worried. Applejack didn't normally act like that. Today, she acting a bit... differently.

Applejack surprised herself. She wasn't the lying sort. In fact, she was the opposite. The Element of Honesty.

Applejack was tired as she walked across her bedroom to her bed. She pulled away the blanket and got into it. She took of her hat and pulled her headbands out of her mane and tail, and placed them on her bedside table. She put her hoof onto her necklace, wondering whether to take it off or not. Of course, she decided to keep it on. She pulled the blankets up, over her shoulders and closed her eyes.

However, she couldn't fall asleep. She was staring at her ceiling, trying to drift off to sleep, but she couldn't. Her necklace kept flashing through her mind. She wasn't sure what it meant, but she still didn't take it off. She still didn't want to.