Bad Apple (My Little Pony)

Bad Apple is a minor villain from IDW's My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic comic series and the main villain of the Night of the Apples storyline (issues #32-33).

Bad Apple is a malicious and highly strategic evil mastermind whose ultimate goal is nothing less than the complete and utter conquest of all of Equestria. Using nothing but his strategic mind and several catapults, Bad Apple and his apple minions managed to completely take over Ponyville and rule it with an iron fist.

As his name suggests, Bad Apple is the polar opposite of his brother Good Apple.

Issue #32
In issue #32, Bad Apple and his fellow apples are brought to life when a meteor infused with the magic and hatred of Nightmare Moon lands in Sweet Apple Acres. When Applejack goes outside to investigate the mysterious crashing noise, Bad Apple and the other Apples fall from the tree she is standing under and capture her.

The Apples then slowly make their way into Ponyville, with the local ponies not noticing their presence. While he is walking past them with the Mane 6 (minus Applejack) and the CMC (minus Applebloom), the Apples capture Spike and later imprison him in the Apple Family Barn.

While looking for Applejack, the Mane and the CMC find that she and the rest of the Apple Family have become the prisoners of the Apple Army and are being forced to make catapults for them inside their barn. While trying to escape, the Mane 6 are easily overwhelmed by the Apples' superior numbers, and when Rainbow Dash tries to fly to Ponyville to get help, Bad Apple forces the Apple Family to shoot her down with catapults loaded with other Sentient Apples. Bad Apple then gloats about his victory and explains to Twilight that she and her friends are going to help them build more catapults for their upcoming take over of Ponyville.

That night, Bad Apple launches thousands of soldiers from his Apple army upon Ponyville (7463 apples in total according to an accountant pony named Nat) and the citizens of Ponyville are helpless to stop them, and, due to their magic absorbing properties and superior numbers, not even the Wonderbolts or Princess Luna can defeat them. While gloating about his success, Bad Apple states to his soldiers that they will use Ponyville as their base camp for future conquests.

The next morning, Bad Apple forces the captured Mayor Mare to sign a contract stating that, under Apple rule, no Pegasus will be able to fly without permission and no Unicorn can use any kind of spell on any Apple. Bad Apple then renames Ponyville Apple-Only-Ville and forces the rest of Ponyville to build more catapults.

Scootaloo soon overhears Bad Apple's plan to over throw Appleoosa and eventually Canterlot by the end of the week and rushes back to Fluttershy's Cottage to inform the Mane 6 and the rest of the CMC, who are planning to defeat the Apples. Using a spell, Twilight temporarily transforms Pinkie Pie into an apple so she can infiltrate Applejack's Barn and rescue Spike so they can write a letter and warn Celestia.

Pinkie (under the name Apple Pie), enters the barn to rescue Spike and discovers that he is held captive alongside another apple named Good Apple, who fully explains the Apples' backstory: When the meteor landed in Sweet Apple Acres, it gave life to all the apples, but created Good Apple and Bad Apple differently from the others. When Good Apple tried to figure out where he was and how he came to be, Bad Apple rallied the Apples to his side and convinced them to seek out conquest and destruction and, since he was a good influence, Good Apple was imprisoned by Bad Apple.

Upon getting word that Bad Apple was heading to Appleoosa, Twilight formulates a new plan by using a hypnotizing spell to transform Fluttershy back into Flutterbat.

Issue #33
In issue #33, the Mane 6 tie down the unstable Flutterbat and Twilight, using her as a template, uses a spell that transforms herself and the rest of the Mane 6 into creatures similar to Flutterbat, only with greater intelligence.

Leaving the Crusaders to watch Flutterbat, the Mane 6 begin to fight off the Apple Army using their newfound vampiric abilities. After taking out several Apple Guards in Ponyville, the vampire Mane 6 start the next phase of their plan by having Drinkie Pie and Nosfu-Rarity head to Sweet Apple Acres and rescue Spike and Good Apple as Spike then informs Nosfu-Rarity that the Apples get their power from a meteorite in Sweet Apple Acres.

Despite their new powers, the Mane 6 are quickly overwhelmed by their numbers as Bad Apple tells them that getting rid of the meteor would never stop them, just prevent them from making more, and that they already have enough apples to defeat them. However, the Mane 6 begin to regain their advantage when Flutterbat, now under Fluttershy's control, returns with an army of Vampire Fruit Bats and orders them to attack the Apples.

With the odds now at his enemies' favor, an infuriated Bad Apple orders his army to retreat and form into a gigantic Spike shaped Apple monster to destroy Ponyville. However, Good Apple realizes that if the Mane 6 switch him with Bad Apple at the center of the creature, he will be able to convince the Apples to stop their rampage.

While Twilight Sparkling, Drinkie Pie and Spike dispose of the meteor, Flutterbat and the rest handle the Apples, with Rainbow Bite planning on making the switch. While Flutterbat, Nosfu-Rarity, Appledrac and the Vampire Fruit Bats fend off the rampaging Bad Apple, Twilight, Drinkie and Spike use Drinkie's party canon, Spike's flames and Twilight's magic to blast the meteor into space, distracting Bad Apple long enough for Rainbow to make the switch. Upon being at the center of the Apple Monster, Good Apple becomes a good influence on the Apples and reforms them.

Bad Apple is last seem being dragged off in a cage by the Apples after Celestia and Luna give them an uninhabited part of Equestria to live in.

Trivia

 * Good Apple and Bad Apple's names are an obvious pun based off of the terms of the same name
 * Bad Apple is very similar to Queen Chrysalis, another Friendship is Magic villain. Both Bad Apple and Chrysalis are tactical militaristic conquerors who rely on their large armies and strategic planning to overthrow their enemies and both refuse to use better solutions due to the fact that doing so would usurp them from power and control.
 * It is unexplained why or how Bad Apple grew a mustache