Once upon a time, long ago, before the great frost claimed the land. There were two earth pony sisters, who were traveling the land in search for wealth, and fortune, so that they could help their family during the hard, and struggling times, with all the problems the races were brewing up from their mutual distrust .

They eventually ended up on a mountain, whose peak pierced the sky, and on the very top, was a hidden cave, that they took to exploring, so that they could see what treasures it held. It was shortly after entering, when they became separated, and the youngest of the two began to wander the recesses of the tunnel. After trotting for what felt like days, she ended up in a deep cavern, deep within the mountain. The room was filled with an ethereal glow, emanating from gems that looked like stars within the night-like sky of the caverns roof. Within the center of the cavern, was a giant tree in a little island in the middle of an inky-black pond.

On the island, grew a single tree with bronze bark, and silver leaves. On the branches grew golden apples. Feeling quite hungry, she entered the shallow pond, and trotted to the island, as she approached, a fae approached her. Its glowing body taking the shape of a pony who was naught, but skin and bones, “Hello pony, I am the guardian of the wishing tree. If you were to eat an apple from the tree, then any wish you make will come true. But if you try growing a tree from its seeds, then any wish you make will become a bane, rather than a boon.”

“Thank you kind spirit, but may I take some apples for my family as well?” The young filly asked.

“But of course. Although, no one must grow a tree made from the seeds of this plant. As long as you follow that rule, then anything you wish, shall be yours.” As the fae said this, five apples fell from the tree, which the filly collected into her saddlebag and made her way back up to the tunnel.

Eating the golden apple, the young filly wished that her, and her sister were outside the cave. A whirling wind blew around her, and with a flash of light, her sister, and herself were standing outside the cave.

“Sister dearest, how’d we get here?”

“Easy sister, I got these magic apples, one for each of our family to make a wish. Well, and a wish that got us together outside the cave’s labyrinth.” She replied.

Taking an apple, the eldest sister ate the apple, and stated out loud, “I wish I were a unicorn, this way my special talent can truly help our family.” As she ended her wish, a horn grew rapidly from her forehead, and her cutie mark, which represented her connection to nature glowed with a brilliant orange light. A large orange glow emanated from it, and a pack of goats appeared, to carry them down the mountain.

With the eldest fillies magic, the trip back home was a smooth one. The land sprouted life, and food even in the most inhospitable of places. And to the youngest’s delight, the apples she was saving never formed rot, or showed signs of spoiling. So it was with great ease, and relaxation, that they made it back to the dying farm their parents owned.

“Hello Mother, and Father, we are back from our journey, and have brought the most wonderful of treasures.” The eldest said with a grin.

“Dearest daughter, why do you have a horn growing from your head?” Her mother asked, while her father’s mouth was agape.

“Show them!” The eldest sister said happily, while looking at her sister.

Opening her saddle bag, she withdrew two golden apples, “All you need to do is eat one, and make a wish, but I was warned to never grow a tree, or the wishes made would turn out bad.”

Now her mother was a gentle sort, who had knew what was best for the family. Eating her apple, she wished for a container that would stay with the family, and have a forever refilling amount of gold. With a flash of light before them, sat a chest filled to the brim with bits of the highest quality gold.

The father was not such a gentle being, and wanted the power, and prestige that life had denied him. Seeing the chest of gold, and knowing that they could have so much more, he wished that their land was a mighty kingdom, and his family its ruler. The dingy house twisted, and grew, forming a gigantic, obsidian black castle. The dying farm erupted with life, and an army of clockwork ponies sprung up to serve the new king, and his family. The treasuries filled with all manner of jewels, gold, and magical artifacts. So much so, that it would have been worthy of fifty dragon hordes.

The father, high off of greed, and power, looked at his eldest daughter, and tossed her the cores from his, and his wives apples, “I want you to plant these, and help them grow. With all the wishes we can gain, there is no stopping what we can accomplish.”

Heeding her father’s wishes, and against the warnings of the youngest daughter, a small orchard was built. That evening, a serving of Wishing Apple Pie, was served before the now royal family, each of them eager for the things they would gain, other than the youngest, who stoutly refused to partake in the disaster she saw coming.

The father ate the first pie, and wished for a rain to come so that the wishing tree would always have water for it. With a flash of light a ferocious rainstorm appeared, and within seconds the land was flooded, and bitter hail chipped away at the castle's exterior. Wanting to save the trees, the mother ate her pie, and wished that she could have a breeze that would control the storm clouds, so the land would be safe from the floods. As before, a flash of light appeared, and the winds mimicking the emotional state of the mother, became a frantic gale that threw away the rain clouds, but bowed the trees, and let loose a furious roar throughout the castle, that only grew worse the more the mother grew frightened.

The eldest sister seeing this, smacked her mother telling her to calm herself. As the mother grew calm, the winds died down, and the rains came back. Seeing that between her mother’s emotional state, and her father’s misplaced wish, she knew what needed to be done. Eating her pie, she wished for a barrier that would allow the right amount of water, and wind inside. Around them grew a large hollow mountain, with their land in the center. This controlled the previous wishes, but the surrounding lands now flooded, and attacked by mighty winds, drew in all sorts of monsters, and beasts into their lands for safety.

The next day they tried again, but what they didn’t know was that the father had switched out the youngest daughter’s apple with a corrupt one so that he could have one more good wish. Letting his other family members wish first, he sat back with a grin upon his face. The wife wished for their lands to expand, hoping that doing so would give space between the monsters, and themselves. The mountain grew into a range of mountains that absorbed, and over ran the surrounding territories, and drew a war against the family, as the mountain gave visions of who was responsible for their lost livelihood.

The wife seeing this as the mountains magic showed them the invading forces, fell to the ground in an inconsolable heap. This caused a tornado within the land to attack ally, and foe alike. Ripping, and tossing parts of the mountain, like an angry child throwing a fit. Seeing war upon them, the eldest daughter wished that she could control monsters as well as she could the beast of the earth. Of course monsters are a perversion of the natural order, and this perversion ripped at the eldest daughter’s body, making her body monstrous, and her heart blackened by it’s primal taint. Her body twisting, and converting into a Draconequus, reflecting the darkness now taking a hold of her very soul.

She trashed the dining room in a yell of rage, before rushing out to meet the invaders to force them to bow in submission of her. Screaming obscenities, and half formed threats as she ran into the field of battle. They youngest seeing that their family was destroying itself into greed, ran to her room before things could get worse. Not seeing her father walk to his pie, “This is all the fault of my youngest daugher. If she would have talked more to that spirit to learn how to sneak around this rule, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

He sat before his pie, and thought of what he could wish to make things more better for him. Then just as he ate his pie wishing that his daughter would take all the suffering, and badness from the corrupt pies. His daughter had made a wish that all the wishes made by her families wishing trees would return to normal. Caught between two conflicting wishes, the wishing apple chose an alternate route.

With a flash the land returned to normal, other than a giant mountain from the day before, it’s lands ripe and lush, under control of it’s own rules, and laws. And there in the dining room, where the family once stood were three statues of an Earth Pony king, a grieving queen, and a Draconequus wrapped mournfully around them. And bound to the castle forced to eternally roam the castle halls is a clockwork pony, who will tell all who will listen the horrors of greed.

Author's Notes:

The next story is going to be The Prince's Black Crystal Heart.