DeviantArt (July 10, 2021 at 2:23:20 AM UTC)

Duskverse: Petrified.
As the Revolution of Equestria raged on, many battles had erupted across the kingdom between the rebels, who sought to remove Princess Twilight from the throne, and the royal guards, who had devoted their lives to her. Fed up with the conflict, and looking to see the return of their peaceful home, the other members of the Mane 6/Council of Friendship decided to travel to Canterlot in hopes of reasoning with Twilight and ending the war. However Spike, who was directly opposing Twilight, became concerned when days had passed and none of them had returned. Though it was risky, he flew to the Equestrian capital to stage a search and recon mission. But en route to the city, it wasn't long until he spotted a battered and nearly unconscious Applejack, who had managed to flee and take shelter in a nearby forest. Spike rushed to her side. She appeared heavily bruised and scratched, and her bandanna was terribly shredded. But worst of all were her eyes. They were clouded. "S-Spike!!!?" she shouted suddenly, startling the dragon. "S-SPIKE!!! SPIKE!!!! SPIKE I-I CAN'T SEE!!!!!". She was trembling more and more as she clutched her hooves to his coat. "Applejack!!! It's okay I'm here!!!" he responded. He tried his best to console her but to no avail. She was hysterical and petrified. The beautiful world that she once knew was gone...forever. As he held her tight in his arms, Spike knew that Twilight had done the unthinkable: She had tortured her own friends, desperate for information on the rebellion. And worst still, if Applejack was the only one who managed to escape, then the others were most likely still within the city, and who knows what horrible things were being done to them. "How could you?" he whispered angrily.

So back in the Grand Council of Equestria drawing, people have noticed and wondered why Applejack was suddenly blind in her old age. s Back then, it was just an interesting detail that I added to her. However after thinking it over, I decided to give her blindness an origin story.