Apple Peeler
By J. Sabo
Warning: the story that follows is a Grimdark pony story and is intended for mature audiences. Content follows bloodshed, character death, disturbing scenes, and may ruin the views of certain MLP characters. Viewer discretion is advised.
Copyright Hasbro and the Hub Television Networks.
Applejack had not been feeling well for the last few days. Her stomach churned and faced burned. "I reckon I got hay fever." She said sitting in the living room with Granny Smith and Applebloom. Big Macintosh has pulled double shifts working his and Applejack's work. "Don't worry, sis," Applebloom said. "It'll pass." Applejack sure hoped so. She had the flu before but her face has never burned so much.
Granny Smith brought Applejack a bowl of fresh chicken noodle soup. "Thanks, Granny." She said. Applejack sipped the warm soup; her stomach didn't react well to the broth or something. Applejack rushed over to the window and puked everything she had eaten the last 24 hours. "Oh my word!" Granny Smith and Applebloom watched Applejack puke in pain.
Dizzy and disoriented, Applejack tumbled throughout the living room. She felt her face and something occurred that Granny Smith and Applebloom couldn't see. Applejack stared at her hoof and her eyes widened and her mouth gaped with terror. "I gotta go!" she screamed. "Wait sis!" Applebloom tried to stop Applejack from trotting away but Applejack dashed away into the trees of Sweet Apple Acres. "Applejack!" Applebloom's sight of Applejack faded.
Using her magic to pull a book from the top shelf, Twilight brought the book over to her and she opened it. "Slumber Party scary stories to tell" said the tittle. Twilight smiled, "I can't wait to tell these stories the next time the girls are over." Maybe next time it'll be better than last time. She reminisced the time with Rarity and Applejack.
She began reading the stories. One of the stories was a mad pony with the unspeakable tastes of torture. One was a pony who suffered from facial scars and turned crazy. Tales that no little filly should read or hear.
Her eyes drifted from the pages and to the picture of her and her friends. She looked at Applejack. Lately, no one has seen her. Not even her family. Everypony was getting worried. Especially Twilight. "Where could you have gone?" Perhaps she went back to Dodge City, or Apple Lossa. However, they've looked there and Applejack was nowhere to be seen. It has gotten to the point of putting Missing signs across Ponyville.
The door blasted open. It was Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy. "Hey everypony." Twilight said. "What's going on?"
"Well," Rarity began. "Applejack has been missing for near over two months now." She sounded terrible. "We were going to visit Sweet Apple Acres and give our apologies to the Apple family."
Pinkie, always smiling and cheerful, had a slight frown. "We brought them a cake." She said. She knew that it wasn't the occasion for a cake, but cake seems to cheer ponies up. "We were wondering if you wanted to come along." Fluttershy said in her low voice.
It was a thoughtful thing that they were doing. How could Twilight say no? She shoved her book away and replied, "Yes, I'll come along." She followed her friends out the door.
As they trotted their way over to Sweet Apple Acres, Twilight noticed another Missing sign. This had the picture of the mailpony Derpy Hooves. More and more signs were frequently showing up as of lately. Nopony had the slightest of idea as of why. Twilight thought it was unfortunate coincidence that ponies started disappearing just as Applejack has.
A knock at the door echoed in throughout the house. Twilight and the others waited for somepony to open the door. It took more than a few moments. "What's taking so long?" Rainbow Dash flew above the others. "Patience, Rainbow Dash." Rarity announced. "This is their home."
It was Applebloom who opened the door. "Hello."
"Hello Applebloom." Twilight said. "May we come in?" Applebloom peered over her shoulder and around the door. Then she looked back at them. "Sure, come on in."
The girls walked into the Apple home. "Come this way." Applebloom said. She led them to the living room where Granny Smith was taking a nap. "Granny Smith!" Applebloom said. "We've got visitors." Granny Smith, noted for her talent from never waking up from her nap, woke instantly. "Well, howdy there youngins'." She said. "What brings you here?"
"We just came by to give our sincere apologies for Applejack's disappearance." Twilight said. "We can't imagine what you're going through right now." Sure, Twilight and the others were her friends, but Granny Smith, Applebloom and Big Macintosh are her family. It hurts just a little more.
"Yes," Granny said. "It's hard. But we're getting through."
Pinkie Pie presented a box that was neatly wrapped with pink wrapping and a blue ribbon. "We brought this for you." she pushed the box towards Granny. She took it and set it on the table in the middle of the room. "Thank you, dear." Twilight noticed something about the two Apples; they didn't seem at all sad that Applejack has been missing. They seemed more tensed.
They were constantly looking over their shoulders or peering out the window, as if someone was watching them. Rainbow Dash even caught Granny Smith looking toward the kitchen and nodding. "What you looking at, Granny?" she asked. Granny smiled nervously, "You know me, I'm old and I think that there are ghosts of my pasts in the kitchen." She laughed.
"Things have been rather lonely without Applejack." Applebloom said with her head down. Rainbow Dash flew over to the young filly and told her, "Don't worry, small fry, we'll find her if it's the last thing we'll do."
That didn't reassure Applebloom. She was quiet, so was Granny Smith. Their quiet nature was starting to unease the others. Fluttershy even went up to Twilight and whispered, "Why are they so quiet?" Twilight didn't have an answer. Of course one of their own was missing, but usually somepony would be asking questions or finding closure to a situation like this. Granny and Applebloom did neither.
"Twilight…" Applebloom said.
"Yes?"
"We're so sorry."
Quickly and swiftly, Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Rarity were attacked. A club to their heads knocked them out cold. Granny and Applebloom looked at their assailant: Big Macintosh. He had in his hooves a club with a red stain on it. Granny Smith and Applebloom walked over to the unconscious bodies of Twilight and the others. "Good work, Big Mac." Applebloom said.
"Let's get them over there," Granny explained. "She's getting impatient."
Big Mac responded, "Yup."
It was quiet. All she could hear was the stitching of fabric and heavy breathing. Twilight slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry, but as soon as her vision returned, it was dark. Twilight could see the faint figure of a table. She could also make out that she was in a room.
She tried to move, but she was choked by a metal color around her neck. Twilight was chained to the wall. By Celestia, what's going on?
Turning to the side, Twilight found Rarity and Fluttershy chained to the wall as well. To the other side was Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash. "Girls! Wake up!" Twilight nudged Pinkie and Rarity. They slowly woke up. "Ah, what hit me?" Rainbow Dash moaned. "It's worse than that time I slammed into Applejack's old barn."
The others were stunned to see themselves in a dark room and chained to the wall. "What is the meaning of this?" Rarity demanded. Fluttershy formed tears in her eyes. "Twilight, I'm scared." She cried.
"I don't know what's going on," Twilight said. "But stay calm, girls."
"Who did this to us?" Rainbow Dash questioned.
"I did." A voice echoed through the room. The voice startled the girls. They then heard the schreeching of the door in the far corner. The girls readied themselves for the pony who did this to them. A face appeared; Derpy's.
A sense of relief came over them. Rainbow Dash, on the other hand, grew angry. "Derpy! What are you doing ponynapping us?"
Derpy approached them slowly. Only Derpy's face was visible. "I am truly sorry, sugar cube." That word… only one pony calls them sugar cube. "What did you say?" Pinkie asked. Derpy answered again, "Sugar cube."
"Applejack?"
Derpy, or Applejack, grinned grimly. "Thank you for catching on." Confusion filled Twilight's mind. "How come you have mask of Derpy?"
"This?" Applejack pointed to the mask she wore. "Well, I'll say this, she didn't give it to me without a struggle." That grim statement brought the worst image in the ponies' minds. "Did you…"
"Peel her face off like an apple?" Applejack looked at them with wide, psychotic eyes. "I sure did." Fright overcame the ponies. "It was just a simple mail delivery to the farm," Applejack told her story. "I watched her walk up to the house with an delivery just for me. As I went up to her, upon seeing me, she screamed at my condition and tried to fly away. I just couldn't let that happen."
"What condition?" Rarity asked.
Applejack smiled, glaring her yellowing teeth. "Tell ya honest truth; it'll scare the cutie mark right off ya." She grabbed the Derpy mask from the neck and peeled it away. Stitches lined around her neck. Slowly, wounds and open gashes appeared. Her smile was widened by scars that spanned to almost her ears. More scars covered her cheeks. Her eye was bloodshot. And her hair was greasy and stained with blood.
"Love the new look?" she asked. They were all appalled by the deformity that has occurred to Applejack. "Applejack… why didn't you see me?" Twilight asked. "I could've found a diagnosis for you. We could've helped."
Applejack shook her head with the same grin. "You are going to help me." She said. "You know I can't go anywhere looking like this."
"What are you saying?"
"I need new faces." She responded. "This one," she threw Derpy's peeled face on the ground. "It's getting rotten. Now… which one of you to choose…"
The anxiety of Fluttershy grew. She panted quickly. Then, her wings opened up. Adrenaline flew through her body and her flight response kicked in. "I can't do this!" she screamed. She flew up in the air and, despite the collar around her neck, tried desperately to escape. Fortunately, the chain was weak and it snapped. Fluttershy flew around until Applejack took her lasso and restrained Fluttershy.
With a strong yank, Fluttershy dropped to the ground and hit it hard. The impact snapped Fluttershy's neck and she died on the spot. "Looks like I've got my new face." She said happily. The girls all had tears forming in their eyes; Fluttershy was now dead because of their dearest friend. "Applejack… please don't do this." Twilight said.
Applejack started reeling Fluttershy towards the door. "Please… call me Apple Peeler." She soon stopped. "That reminds me." She looked at Rarity. "I am terribly bad at sewing, so I'll let you live if you help me." It was a dark request, and Rarity would rather shave her mane off then help this dark, twisted side of Applejack, now called Apple Peeler.
Rarity stuck her nose in the air and denied. Then Apple Peeler said this, "If you don't, well… I'll just have to wear your beautiful face instead of this Pegasus reject." Rarity looked into the demented eyes of Apple Peeler and knew she wasn't lying. Despite having a new personality, she still is the element of… honesty.
"Fine…" Rarity reluctantly said. Apple Peeler unhooked her collar and Rarity followed her into the other room, tears flowing down her cheek. The door slammed.
The girls, even the daredevil Rainbow Dash, were scared out of their minds. Pinkie was crying, Rainbow Dash felt her stomach rumble with disgust, and Twilight was still in shock. How could this happen, and how can they escape? Her mind tried to figure out what to do, but it was still full of images of Apple Peeler's hideous face.
"Twlight! What the FUCK are we going to do?!" Rainbow Dash demanded. Twilight yelled back to her, "I don't know!" frustrated and scared, Twilight couldn't think straight. It was only a matter of time before Apple Peeler chose their faces.
"Use your fucking magic!"
Of course! It was that simple. Twilight used her magic on her collar and it popped open. Success! Twilight released Rainbow and Pinkie. "Great! Now we get the hell out of here!" Rainbow was about to burst through the window. Twilight stopped her before she could. "Not until we get Rarity."
"We'll come back for her when we don't have a maniac in the room with her!" So much for loyalty… "No pony left behind." Twilight responded. "We have to be careful about this." As risky as it is, Rarity is their friend.
"Let's go!" the three ponies made their way across the room and carefully out the door.
Blood gushed out as Apple Peeler took a butcher knife to Fluttershy's face and peeled it away. All from this, Apple Peeler never had a frown; it was just a grin the entire time. "It's just like peeling an apple." She said. "But there is soooo much juicier than an apple." Rarity watched as Apple Peeler enjoy defacing one of her friends. It was just monstrous.
"That's disgusting." Rarity cried.
"Perhaps one day you'll enjoy the gushing of blood, miss Rarity." Apple Peeler laughed. She finished peeling Fluttershy's face off and threw it at Rarity. She shrieked and wiped it away from her. "Make it into my new face. And make sure that the neck stitches perfectly to the stitches on my neck." She pointed to her stitches.
Rarity, looking at the eyeless face of Fluttershy, cried but she did as the demented Applejack wanted. She took some threads and stitches Apple Peeler provided and took Fluttershy's face to a sewing machine. Carefully, as she would her famous dresses, Rarity stitched the threads to the edges of the face.
This is wrong…
Twilight, Rainbow, and Pinkie found out that they were in an old barn on the far edges of Sweet Apple Acres. So far off that no one besides the Apple family knew about the barn. It would be easy to break out of this barn; however Apple Peeler had barricaded the entrances.
"Let's hurry up and find Rarity!" Rainbow Dash yelled.
"Sure are scared, aren't ya." Pinkie said.
"Uh… Yeah! Did you see Applejack? She's lost it!" Rainbow said. "She's probably far from saving too!"
Twilight didn't believe that. She saved her from Discord, so there's a way to save her from this. Of course, killing Derpy Hooves and Fluttershy is unforgivable. It is clear as day though, Applejack needs help.
Trailing through the hallways of the barn, the girls checked the doors on each side on the hallway. Each room just harbored tools for harvesting apples, or Apple Peeler's new tools for unspeakable things. The girls didn't part from the group they formed.
From corner to corner, the girls kept looking for Rarity. Finally, they heard the faint noise of a sewing machine. "I think that's Rarity!" Pinkie announced. Rainbow and Twilight agreed. Slowly, they made their way to the noise. Then Pinkie stepped on a stick that snapped. The three stopped in shock. The crack echoed throughout the hall.
From the room with Rarity and Apple Peeler, Apple Peeler heard the snap. Her grin faded. "I'll be right back." She said. With her mouth, she grabbed the bloody butcher knife and headed to the door. She opened the door and took a look out in the hallway, but no pony was there.
Deep down, she knew Twilight, Rainbow, and Pinkie had escape. She was actually counting on them escaping. She enjoyed a challenge. "Come out; come out, wherever you are!" Apple Peeler yelled. "Oh Pinkie! I know how much you like to play hide and seek!"
The girls all hid behind bales of hay set aside. All held their mouths shut. Apple Peeler now just crept around to give them more dread in their hearts. "I'll find you all… and I'll make your faces mine! Perhaps I'll wear them on each day of the week." Her tone echoed through the hall.
While Twilight and Pinkie held their breaths, Rainbow Dash felt herself uneasy and her wings started to flap slightly. "Rainbow! Stop moving!" Twilight whispered. But Rainbow Dash snapped. "I can't take it anymore!" she yelled. She flew up and tried to fly up to the roof with the intention of breaking through. However, Apple Peeler saw her hindsight. She threw the butcher knife straight at Rainbow Dash and it managed to slice one off Rainbow Dash's wings. Blood splattered out of the veins from the stub, covering the walls.
Screaming with agonizing pain, and unable to fly with only one wing, Rainbow Dash fell and slammed on the cold ground. Apple Peeler fetched her knife and ran over to Rainbow Dash. She sat herself on top on the one-winged Pegasus and waved the knife in front of her face.
"After I wear Flutthershy's face for a while, I'll take great joy in wearing yours!"
Twilight would not let another one of her friends perish at this deranged pony. She jumped out of her hiding place and her horn glowed with magic. "Back away you crazy BITCH!" From her horn, a ray of magic shot out and struck Apple Peeler. Apple Peeler took the entire ray head on and the force pushed her to the wall. She crashed through the wall, leaving a gaping hole.
Pinkie Pie went over to Rainbow Dash and tended to her gashing wound. "Twilight! There's so much blood!" she yelled. Twilight could heal it, but it was not the place or time. "Grab her! We need to get her out of here!" Pinkie lifted Rainbow Dash and helped her out. "I'll get Rarity!" Twilight rushed into the room with Rarity.
"We're getting out of here!" Rarity couldn't be happier. She joined Twilight in getting out of the room. With the remaining group of ponies, Twilight blasted another hole in the wall leading to freedom outside. They all jumped through the hole onto the soothing feel of the grass outside. Once outside, Twilight used one more trick; her teleportation spell. She used it and in a flash of purple light, they were all gone.
Emerging with a trail of blood oozing from one of her gashes, Apple Peeler frowned angrily and furiously. "No!" she screamed. "No! No! NO!"
At Twilight's house, a purple light flashed suddenly and there was Twilight and the others. "Get her into the house!" she talked about Rainbow Dash. Rarity and Pinkie took her into the house and laid her on the ground, belly first. All of while, Spike, who before all this was doing some nighttime cleaning, jumped in fright. "What in Equestria happened?" he asked.
"Never mind that, I'll tell you later!" Twilight shouted. "I need a letter, NOW!" Spike grabbed a scroll and a feather pen. Twilight said what Spike wrote down,
Princess Celestia,
We have a major problem! Applejack, my dear friend, has gone bonkers. She has come down with a flesh eating virus and I believe she couldn't handle the fact that she'll look different from now on. That's not the problem though. She has gotten the idea if she wears other ponies's faces that she'll look normal again. She has killed and taken the faces of Derpy Hooves and Fluttershy. We need military assistance, Princess!
Twilight Sparkle
Spike rolled the scroll and sent the message. With that out of the way, Twilight went over to Rainbow Dash. "Don't worry," she said softly. "I'll fix this." Twilight used her magic to soothe the pain at the stub where her wing would've been.
Not long after the message was sent to Princess Celestia, the ruler of Equestria took immediate action. She had sent the Royal Guard, Shining Armor leading the party, to Sweet Apple Acres to arrest Applejack. And doing so, Granny Smith, Applebloom, and Big Macintosh were also arrested because of involvement with Applejack's gruesome actions.
The company of stallions and unicorns trotted into the fields till they reached the barn of Apple Peeler. However the barn was empty. As they inspected the entire barn, they have never seen a more bloody scene in the history of Equestria. Blood lined the walls and Apple Peeler had specifically picked places out on the wall to put her faces. All what was left in the barn were the two faceless bodies of Derpy and Fluttershy. Apple Peeler was nowhere to be found.
There was a panic. Celestia had ordered a Wanted sign of Applejack, the picture of her old self, not the gashed face new, demented Apple Peeler, to be posted everywhere in Canterlot and Ponyville. The sign said, "Wanted, Apple Peeler. Extremely dangerous, Do not engage." A pony had walked up to the Wanted sign and stared at the picture of Applejack. "She looks so pretty." She said. "How can such a beautiful pony be so dangerous?"
The pony chuckled creepily under her breath. She had walked away from the sign. As she passed other ponies, they all spotted a shine on her neck. Looks like a line of stitches… one colt thought. The pony grinned as she came in sight of Canterlot and its castle. "You're next, Princess Celestia!" Apple Peeler said. "Your face will be mine."