The Eye over Sweet Apple Acres
To the pony reading this:
Let this serve as a record of the events witnessed by my eyes, so that, hopefully, none shall have to suffer as I have. But, I fear, this will also serve as my last testament. My name is Applejack Apple. The manuscript you now read was composed in the attic of my farmhouse at Sweet Apple Acres. There is, as I can reckon, no one left of the Apple Family. At least, none that possess their mortal souls. At least, this is my hope. The fate they would suffer if they be conscious must be a fate worse than a life on the cold, unmeadowed surface of the Moon. Celestia save me, and keep Apple Bloom safe in your embrace.
It began, like many of my happy adventures, in the Everfree Forest. In their search for their cutie marks, the girls had returned one day visibly shaken. They ran from the forest, stopping only when they burst into the library of Twilight Sparkle. Twilight, myself, and the girls were all there. Apple Bloom fell at my feet in tears.
"Ah-ah-Applejack!" She cried, "We, we was looking through some old castle in the woods when we found this pony at the top of a tower, but, sis, I swear, there was something wrong with him! His face was twisted and he kept twitching and walking weird and smelled fu- and"
"Apple Bloom! that's no way to treat a pony just cause he's a little a funny. What have I told you?"
"But Applejack, he knew our names. He told us he wanted to show us our cutie marks. He started walking funny towards us and tried to grab Sweetie Belle. There was some black stuff dripping from his mouth."
"What? He tried to grab y'all? Where was this pony? Take us there!"
Apple Bloom shook her head frantically and buried her head in my chest. "No! I don't want to go back, sis. Please don't make me." I held her close and looked over to Rarity who was having a similar conversation with Sweetie Belle. The filly seemed even more frightened. It must have been because of her particularly close encounter. Rainbow Dash was hugging Scootaloo.
All of the commotion was making me more worried by the minute. I tried to think clearly. Somepony had to. Damn it all, I thought to myself, I'm Applejack and I know better than to lose my head. Think this through, girl! I decided that the best answer would be to rush to find this pony and beat his stupid, filly-grabbing head in.
"Apple Bloom, I need to know where this happened. I know your scared, Sugarcube, but you need to be brave for me. Where is this pony?"
"Please don't make me go back. It's too scary! Please, Applejack!"
"Applejack, maybe we should let them rest." Twilight nosed in.
"I'm going to take Sweetie Belle home." Rarity said
"Don't y'all want to get the pony that done this?"
"I'm with you, girl!" Rainbow Dash, always the fighter, backed me
"Yes, but the girls are too scared. Wait until tomorrow." Twilight responded
.
"Please, sis." I looked down at Apple Bloom. She was still sniffing.
Damn those eyes. My heart weakened, and I relented.
"Fine, but first thing tomorrow, we're going."
If I only I had been stronger.
We all exchanged goodbyes to one another, and I walked with Apple Bloom back home. She was jumpy, but, otherwise, seemed to have calmed down some. The tears had stopped, at least. The sun was setting, I remember. The sky was like painting of warm reds, oranges, and purples. Those were always my favorite. That sky is burned into my head now. It seems to peaceful.
(There's some shuffling again downstairs. They're probably trying to get in again. Yup, there's a scrapping on the door now. One of them calls out. It's Granny Apple's voice, "Applejack, let me in, dear. It's so late, aren't you tired? Applejack?" I wonder if her neck is still broken.)
That night, Apple Bloom slept next to me. I made sure of that. She tossed and turned and worked her little hooves. Something was there, in her dreams. It was almost 12 o'clock when I went to the kitchen to get some water. I was dead tired, but I still couldn't sleep. My gut was twisted so bad. There was a scream from my room. I ran in to find Apple Bloom hiding under the bed.
"I seen him. He was here. He was looking at me! He told me he wanted to show me my cutie mark!"
I looked around the room and out into the hall. I checked the rooms, the doors, and the windows. The doors and windows were still locked. I breathed a sigh of relief. Satisfied that the house was secure, I returned to find Apple Bloom on the bed with Winona. Winona sat defensively at her side. Good girl, were my thoughts.
"That'll do, pup." Winona got to her feet and departed out to the hall. Apple Bloom looked up at me.
"Well, did you find him?" She asked
"Everything's fine. You were probably having a nightmare, hun. I'll get you some water, then you need to go on back to sleep. Ain't nothing in the world what can touch you with your big sister around."
She sniffed, "Okay, but hurry back."
Back in the kitchen, I poured some water from a pitcher into a glass. As the water flowed, I caaught sight of a pony in my garden. It walks with a pronounced limp, stops suddenly, and just stands there. My heart was in my throat. The figure continued to stand motionless. It was eery how still it was. I quietly walked to the front door. It's unlocked. Thoughts rushed into my head. Surely, this was locked when I made my checks. Apple Bloom!
She's in my room, sleeping. Winona is watching over her again.
"Watch her, girl."
I ran outside to my garden. The figure was gone. The rest of the night I spent sitting upright next to Apple Bloom. Tomorrow, this pony would pay.
The next day, at dawn, I woke Apple Bloom. The sun was a welcome relief. I check outside again in the garden. There was a recent shower which left the ground soft. Any pony would leave tracks. There were none. My mind seemed to be playing tricks on me. But, the unlocked door and what I saw were just too much.
I met with the girls at Twilight's place again. Rarity was quiet, but shared the same nervous look as I'm sure I did. We looked at each other knowingly. We broke away from the group. I started,
"You saw something too?"
She nodded. "I don't know who it is, but the girls aren't safe."
"Should we tell the others?"
"I don't want to panic them. I've been telling Sweetie Belle it was all a dream. If I admit to what I saw-"
"I know. I did the same with Apple Bloom. My doors were unlocked last night. I think. I think it was inside."
"That's horrifying."
"Is everyone ready to go? Applejack? Rarity?"
Twilight called out to us. The others were itching to leave. We nodded and set out to the Forest.
The path we took was unfamiliar to us. Judging from the lack of any real trail, I could only assume it was unfamiliar to any other pony as well. The little ones managed alright, but we had a lick of trouble getting through them brambles. As we proceeded deeper, the light began to fade as the canopy grew thicker and thicker. Eventually, we reached a part where almost no light shined through nor did any wind blow. It was unsettlingly silent. I took some small comfort from the sound of my steps. Something to keep the maddening silence at bay.
The ground became wetter. Dark water pooled in larger puddles until it was obvious we were walking through a swamp. A smell of gas and rot lingered in the air. There was a thick fog which only grew thicker. Trees became obscured in the distance, appearing suddenly as skeletal claws reaching out of the earth.
The girls stopped. There, in front of us, stood the ruins of an old manor. It was made mostly of stone. The forest had grown into it in several places. The wooden room was collapsed in. In the back was the tower they were referring to. It was tall enough to break through the trees. The vegetation around it was spares comparatively. I started for the entrance.
"Well, there's that tower. Let's go find us this pony." I said over my shoulder as I proceeded to the door.
"Wait!" Fluttershy squeaked behind the rest of us.
"What is it, Fluttershy?" We said, turning back.
She squirmed a little, "Well, it's just. That's a big, scary house. I think it would be best if I stayed out here, and, you know, act as a look out for trouble. In case he tries to run or something."
Apple Bloom and her friends all stood by Fluttershy
"We'll stay here with Fluttershy." They eyed the manor with dread.
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, "Fine, stay out here. I can't wait to see the inside of this house. Do you think there are ghosts or something in there? This is so cool!" She beamed up at the house.
Twilight, Rarity, nor Pinkie Pie protested. I decided it was for the best.
Inside, the mansion had more of that rot smell. Anything made of timber was all collapsed. The curtains were covered in mold. The stone was cold and moist. Even here, the fog was present.
Decind that the logical thing would be to go up, we chose to search upstairs first. After a short search, we found the door we were looking for. It was at the end of a hall, marked by a small, brass sign. It read: Observatory. The door was open. There was a spiral staircase leading upwards. We climbed.
At the top, we discovered the room the girls must have been referring to. The room had a dome roof of copper. It had turned green long ago. Embossed into it was a map of the stars. There was a single table in the center with an opened book. I tried reading it for clues, but found the text incomprehensible.
"Hey, Twi. Come take a look at this old book."
"Book? Let me see that." She shoved me out of the way and began to stare intently at its pages.
"Well?"
"It's strange. It looks like some of the languages used by some of the Eastern ponies, but it's a lot more archaic. Although, it seems to talk a lot about magic related to astronomy."
"Makes sense, this is an observatory."
"Yes, but this is the strangest part. Look at this picture." She pointed to an image to something like a pony, only it was lanky and had knobby horns. There was a pipe in its mouth from which came a thick smoke. The smoke turned into monsters which were devouring ponies.
"What does this have to do with anything?"
"No, the bit under it."
There was a notation added by another hoof.
"Translates: Like the phases of the moon, all things come again. Look for the star of Boff in the sky. It opens its eye."
"That doesn't seem to mean a lot. What's Boff?"
"I think it means Bauph. And, look! Bauph is directly above us. That only happens once every century. This is amaz-"
We heard a scream outside. I had never run so hard in my life. The girls were there, but Fluttershy was gone.
"What happened?"
"The pony came back! Fluttershy told us to run and find you."
"Where's she gone?"
"We don't know. She ran off into the fog."
"Well, we need to go after her!"
"Applejack, wait!"
"No time, Twilight. I'm not letting that pony get Fluttershy."
I ran into the swamp before they could follow me, crying Fluttershy's name. My voice became hoarse long before I quit. Try as I might, I couldn't find that pegasus. Deciding to find my way back to the others, I turned to make my way back to the mansion. There, in the fog, stood Fluttershy. She had a dazed look on her face.
"Fluttershy! Are you alright, sugarcube?"
"Yes." Was her response. Her voice was flat. She continued to stare.
"Darling, what happened?"
There was a long pause as she seemed to think hard about what to say.
"Fluttershy-?"
She turned to face me for the first time. Those eyes seemed to look beyond me. She began to approach me when I heard the others. Fluttershy stopped.
"Nothing. It got away. Let's get out of here." Her voice was strange. The pitch and tone shifted chaotically.
By this time the others had found us. They were all panting hard and flooding Fluttershy with questions. She answered the same to them when they asked what happened.
"Nothing. It got away. Let's get out of here." The voice was flatter now. Closer to normal.
"Yeah, let's not stay here. Come on, girls." Twilight began to lead us out. I walked close to her the way back.
"Twi, do you notice anything strange about Fluttershy?"
She was trailing behind and still had a strange look. Her movements were a little stiff and she never really was in step with the rest of us.
"Yeah, but she's probably just in shock from what ever she saw. We shouldn't stay here."
I reflexively looked back at Fluttershy. She never met my eyes. I noticed Rarity nervously glancing towards her as well. When we were back at the Library and breaking off again for the day as the sun set, I pulled Rarity to the side.
"Do you notice Fluttershy's behavior."
"Yes." She looked at me. "Something's wrong. She offered to watch Sweetie Belle tonight."
"You didn't say yes, did you?"
"Of course not. She's not leaving my side."
"Good."
I looked over to Fluttershy as I left with Apple Bloom. She stood more awkwardly than normal. Her rabbit, Angel started to love on her hooves. She swatted at it.
"Get away, pest!"
I didn't know what I was looking at.
That night, as I sat with Apple Bloom and the family before the fire, I heard a knock at the door. Big Mac went to answer. He returned with Fluttershy.
"Oh, hi, sorry for bothering you. I was scared of being alone tonight. Do you think it would be alright if maybe I can stay with you guys?"
Granny Apple nods her head, "Of course."
"No!"
The Apple family looks at me in shock. Granny visibly angry.
"Uh, I mean, we really can't have guests, tonight. Apple Bloom is so upset and-"
"Hush, Applejack, she can stay."
"Yup."
I stared at Fluttershy. She stared back.
"Come on, A.J. I'll be fun. We can have lots of fun. You, me, and Apple Bloom can play a lot of fun games."
"I'm fine tonight, thanks. I'm a little too tired, so is Apple Bloom."
She nodded in agreement with me. Smart girl.
"Oh, that's too bad. What about you, Big Mac?"
"Yup."
"Great, I want to show you something out in the forest."
"Be careful you two." Granny said with a laugh
They walked out into the woods. I followed them into the forest.
The fog had returned. It was thicker than before. I could barely see my own nose. Still, I rushed forward. Finally, I found Big Mac standing with Fluttershy. They turned to face me. A black liquid was pooled between them. Big Mac began to approach while Fluttershy circled around.
"Hey, Applejack. We're glad you could make it. Come here, we have something to show you."
Big Mac spoke these words. Like Fluttershy's they were uneven and chaotic. He started to cough up more of that poison. I turned to run. Fluttershy let me pass with a dumb look on her face. They followed me at a slow, meandering pace. They were just shadows in the fog when I looked back. They seemed to twitch.
I locked the door inside and barricaded it. I spent the night with Winona and Apple Bloom and Granny Smith in the living room. At 11 o'clock, there was a knock on the door. Granny Smith jumped up to answer the door before I could stop her. Big Mac walked in several minutes later. He was alone. I wondered where Fluttershy went.
"Big Mac, where have you been? It's so late, deary. Have fun with Fluttershy?"
She giggled a little
"Yep."
"So cute, you two at that age. Why, when I..."
She was asleep in her chair. I was thankful she was so apt to that. Unfortunately, I was sitting in the room with It. I dared not move that night. Apple Bloom and Winona slept peacefully at my side. I watched him until even the embers of the fire burned out and we sat in a dark room. It stared back. I don't think it blinked once.
As the sun rose, as did It. It simply walked out the door and into the forest. I watched it go. The twitch was more pronounced now. Its gait was like that of a marionette. The fog was spreading now. I could see it touched Ponyville. I ran through it quickly to reach the library. Inside, it was dim and moist. The books had rotted.
"Twilight? Where are you? Twilight?"
I called out. There was no response. I took some tentative steps in. The place was even more a mess than I first noticed. Things were thrown about randomly. The wood staircase had fallen in on itself.
I gasped.
"What is it-?"
I cut my sister off and covered her eyes.
There were tears in mine.
There, upon the the floor, lay the twisted remains of Spike.
His body mutilated
He was eviscerated
And left upon the floor
There was a circle beneath his body and old candles
The door shut
"Hello, A.J. glad you could make it to the party."
I spun around. Twilight and Pinkie Pie were standing there. There was more of that black tar coming from their eyes. Pinkie Pie laughed. It sounded like a broken record playing a hyena's laugh.
"Apple Bloom, would you like to party, too? Everypony's invited!"
Pinkie stepped towards Apple Bloom.
I grabbed my sister and shoved past them, running out the door and into the streets. I tried to scream for help. There, in the fog, I could make out the shape of twitching ponies. They looked up when I cried out and began to shuffle towards us. I looked for a place to hide. The store fronts were all rotted away. The sky was blocked out by the fog. Only one star shone through like an eye.
"Applejack! It's me, Rarity! Quick, over here!"
I saw Rarity frantically motioning to me from her boutique. Following her orders, I jumped into her store. It was ruined like Twilight's library. The dresses all rotted away. The mannequins were a sickly yellow. The mirrors were either shattered or covered in a thick dirt. That smell was everywhere.
"Rarity! What happened?"
"Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo came last night. Fluttershy must have got her. She asked if she could come in, so I let her in. Then, she- she. Oh, poor Sweetie Belle! I couldn't stop her. She and Scootaloo held her down and did... something. I don't know what."
"Where's Sweetie Belle now?"
She began to sob and pointed towards the door to her room. It was closed and locked. She had pushed several pieces of furniture in front of it. I slowly began to move them out of the way. It was made even more difficult as the wood collapsed in on itself when I pushed too hard into it. Even the floorboards could hardly handle my weight and sagged heavily. Finally, it was clear. I reached towards the handle and paused to look back at Rarity. She wouldn't meet my eyes.
I grasped the door and walked in. Sweetie Belle was on the bed. She appeared asleep. Something was off, I walked closer. Her chest was still.
"I didn't want her to be one of those monsters."
"Rarity?"
"I had to do it. You need to understand, Applejack. I had to."
"What did you do to her?"
"They just left her in that state. I thought I could save her, but then she just changed. She changed Applejack."
"What did you do?"
"I smothered her, A.J. Death is kinder than that. She's with Celestia now. That's the only thing I can tell myself to keep from going insane. I'll never forgive myself."
"Rarity? Rarity? Are you there?"
The tiny body of Sweetie Belle twitched. It got up on its hooves and stared dimly at its sister.
"Rarity, why did you hurt me? It hurts so bad. Come and make me feel better. Please! it hurts."
Rarity reels back in shock and starts to cry.
"Sweetie Belle, please. Oh, Celestia, no!"
Sweetie Belle starts to walk towards her cowering sister.
"No, no, no. Don't do this. You're still my sister."
"That's right. We're still sisters, Rarity. Forever."
"Rarity, let's go." I tried to tug at the unicorn, but she was paralyzed on the ground.
"Rarity!"
The front door bell rang. There was a shuffling of hooves.
I couldn't stay any longer, I grabbed Apple Bloom and charged through the crowd of ponies at the door. I ran to the only place I knew left. I ran to the farm.
I found Granny Smith and Big Mac inside. Winona was on the floor. Big Mac was busy stomping on her head.
They turned to face me.
"Welcome home, deary. Oh, and you've brought Apple Bloom. Wonderful. The last piece is here. Come on, Apple Bloom! We're going to show you your cutie mark!" Granny smiled mechanically at Apple Bloom. It looked like a skull. Big Mac started to advance towards her. I stood between the two, backing Apple Bloom towards the stairs. There was a crash at the door as more ponies came in. Rarity was there.
Apple Bloom screamed out my name.
I turned.
Granny Smith was leaning over her. The black liquid began to drip.
I shoved her off my sister. She was back on her feet again with an unnatural speed.
I pushed my sister up the stairs and felt her grab at my hooves.
I kicked.
There was a sickening crack.
Looking back, Granny's head now hung limply from its stump.
Still, it advanced.
"Come to us, deary. We can play all sorts of games."
We get to the attic, and I lock the door behind me. Apple Bloom is rocking in a corner, traumatized from the events. Time to be the adult pony here, I think. Time to come up with a plan, but nothing comes. I see Sweetie Belle again and think of Rarity there on the floor. The fog began to seep in through the cracks in the wood.
All night, at least, I believe it was night, they scratched at the door. Every friend and family member of mine in town begged to be let in. Rarity was the hardest to listen to. I couldn't save her. I couldn't save anyone. When that failed, they called to Apple Bloom. I remember Big Mac's words well,
"Come on Apple Bloom, Winona wants to play with you. She's so lonely!" And he barked.
The fog started to get to me. It reduced even this room to shadows. Then, I remember the words Granny Smith had said. Apple Bloom was the final piece. Something about her was the key to all of this. I looked over to where she slept on the floor. I knew what I had to do. This had to end.
Rarity was right.
It was kinder this way.
But she was too soft.
Her heart was too weak.
It always was.
I'm not weak.
I stroked her mane. I became aware of her smell for the first time in years. It was the sweetest thing I've smelled. Better than the freshest apple. Everything about her was captured in my mind at that instance. Every little hair.
I couldn't be weak.
Not this time.
I raised my hooves above her head. I brought them crashing down.
I couldn't look at what remained.
Next, I sat here to write this. My greatest crime for all the world to see. They are scratching at the door still. I wonder what they'll do to me now. Well, they won't if I have anything to do with it. I've found some rope. I've tied a noose to the ceiling beam. These are my last words.
Celestia forgive me
I loved Apple Bloom
