Your walking back to the farm with a basket in hand. Its hard to figure but you can't help but think that everything here weighs slightly less than you would think.
The apple basket, just one of several, didn't weigh as big as it looked, similar to the hay bale you hauled last time. You sigh, easing it down near the front of the barn just in time to see AJ trot out.
"Morning Anon, have a nice night?"
Yu grin, the thought of it brought some interesting expressions to your face as AJ seems puzzled
"Girl, I got stories like you wouldn't believe!"
"Ah, really now?"
You tell Aj of your escapade with Luna, she is certainly surprised, but she shows quiet a soft expression when you tell her what you told Luna of the night, leaving out the insanity with the horn and apple of course.
You felt bad about avoiding that subject to Aj, who was the Element of Honesty, and hopefully, you could poker-face enough that she wouldn't question.
"-I think she's quiet special, not often you get to meet someone who can rule the night."
AJ seems quiet pleased, surprised, but pleased.
"That's mighty sweet of yeh Anon, I'm surprised how well she seemed to take you... not many Ponies willing to open so easily to Luna."
"I think that's just stupid."
You bark that line, AJ looks at you.
"I think suddenly revoking her of being able to spend time with her subjects just as much as Celestia has been is not just stupid, but not fair"
"Darling, ah told ya'll why she can't, Celestia herself made it so, Ah sure as shootin can't argue with the princess."
"But thats just it! Luna is a Princess too! They're BOTH princess's, neither should command the other!"
AJ looks quizzically at you, a bit to her left, then to her right.
"Ah aint one to talk bout this Anon, but that goes against a lot of trust we have to the princess." she begins to walk towards the Orchard, stopping just at the edge.
"Well ya'll coming?"
You follow AJ.
"Whats the deal?"
"Ya'll a smart one Anon, trust me on dat, but you're putting yourself into deep water. Princess Celestia is the ruler of Equestria, Luna is her little sister."
"But she is also the Princess."
"Yes, but Celestia has shown her strength already, and Luna, well, you know her past."
"That still don't make it fair. She went ballistic because she felt her role unjust, she wanted her subjects to love her night as they loved her sisters day."
"Anon, you and Ah both know dat aint possible."
"Yes, I do, it takes a lot to work day and night, so I can understand her pain."
"Can yeh? Can yah understand the pain of eternal night?"
Aj seems a bit hissy about the subject, as though the very values she had of the Princess could be questioned.
"You're agreeing with me arent you?"
AJ continues to trot ahead.
"You know that Luna and Celestia are, by all means of authority, equal, and that Luna should be granted the same rights, the privileges to spend time with her subjects."
AJ keeps going, checking out trees.
"You know that, yes,she did do bad things, but she is still royalty, and as she surely has been forgiven by her sister, she is still being treated like a criminal. Furthermo-"
A sudden slam as AJ rams her back hooves into a tree.
"Now just you hang on there Anon, ya'll be shooting from the hip on a matter ah don't want to be pushed into. I love our princess, we all do, but we cannot just drop dat fact Luna, as sweet as she is, went about trying to rule us all, even bring HARM to us."
She sighs, fixing her hat as she exhaled deeply
"Luna got what she deserved, but she also got a chance to better her'elf"
"By being locked away during the day and only let out at night."
"Now you don't know thart for sure Anon!"
"I see no evidence of it not being a lie, if she was given free reign, why has she never come to Ponyville to see you, You and your friends were the ones who freed her right?"
AJ doesn't respond, she turns and walks deeper into the Orchard leaving you with a deep sigh.
"Great, nice going brain."
"No problem Anon, fucking you up since you were born."
You slam a fist into your head as you walk on after AJ, she had made it several meters before she started bucking trees, not to far where you stopped last night.
You caught a glimps of the tree Luna had punctured, just behind the one AJ was bucking.
DEAR WHATEVER ENTITY ABOVE SHE DOESN'T SEE.
"Anon"
AJ begins
"Ah can understand ya'll want to feel for Luna's problem, ah may not know her well nor would ah know you, but mah gut tells me yu're a bit too smart for all this."
she knocks the apple tree harder
"You care for Luna... you told me you had a nice time with her last night, so I can gather that much, but your barking up a tree you aint suppose to be near."
"Why?"
"Because matters of Princess Celestia and her siblings aint ours to question."
"So you're saying whatever she asks of you, you do."
Aj nods
"God...thats...well...."
"She aint never steer us wrong Anon, you got to understand that."
"Oh I do...its just...." you can't really argue with that, these Ponies loved their Princess, but you still felt uneasy about Luna being mistreated, even if she did cause a lot of shenanigans before.
"Anon...what'ya'll suppose this is?"
AJ suddenly breaks your train of thought as she points to a small hole right through the tree.
"Uh...wood pecker?"
"We aint got any of those round here...no dead trees."
Shit, she knows that much.
"It looks like...somep0ny..."
"Oh for fuck sakes...." you bark out, AJ looks at you in surprise
"Luna and I had a complication when we first met."
"Complication?"
"A disagreement. I was pulling her leg."
"AH can imagine she'd take wrongly to having any of her legs pulled out from-."
"No no no, not Literally...I mean that I was joking around with her, playing a prank and all, and well, she got pissed about it and tried to skewer me."
"Skewer you?"
You point two fingers at your chest.
"I think it was more out of fear, I did kinda...mess around with her in my vilious mode."
Aj rolls her eyes and sighs
"So wha happened after, I take it you got her free?"
"Yeah...but her horn was in serious pain..so I massaged it.
Aj looks up instantly at you
"You...massaged her horn?"
"Y-yeah....I even used an apple to do it...she liked it."
Aj seems rather...unsettled by the notion of you "massaging" a princess's horn.
"Anon, ya'll one crazy coot."
"What, certainly felt quite relived after I finished."
Aj's hat seems to perk off her head
"You...ya'll didnt... you perv-"
"NOT like that" you bark at her instantly
Aj pauses
"I found her horn sensitive to touch, so I used an apple, its juices much cooler than my hands, to relax her horn. Turns out she got quiet the rush... I cleaned her downstream a little afterwards."
AJ looks at you with the utmost "what the fuck" look you could imagine for a pony.
Shit...now she might think your some perverted bastard...
"Applejack, I tell you with the utmost truth in my heart that I didn't touch her in any way, shape, or form to be consider violation of her body. I merely found an unexpected twist to a means of helping her and made sure she was taken care of in the most respectable means possible."
Her look calms, and she trots over to you as she smirked a bit, easing up right to you.
"Well, I aint gonna be saying you're a monster for doing that, but ah am gonna say you're a fool for doing it none the less...savvy fool, but a fool."
You sigh
"Did she enjoy it?" AJ asked.
You blink
"Uhh...I gu-"
"Enjoy what!?"
A sudden familiar, almost annoying voice perked up from above as you and applejack look to see Pinkie sitting in a tree, almost like a cat would as she grinned with a big sheepish grin.
"How long..."
"Just a few moments, I got up to "Did she enjoy it"
"Pinkie, whatcah'll doin up there?"
"Nooothing...just seeing my favorite Non-Pony."
"Non-pony?"
"Yup, you're not a pony, but you're still a friend Anon, maybe AnonPony would be a good name?"
"Lets not and say we did."
"But we didn't?"
"FIGURE OF SPEECH!"
"Ya'll certainly have a lot of those Anon, could be more trouble then there worth."
You shrug
"Meh, its how I roll."
"But you're standin-"
you raise a hand
"SHush!"
//
Luna sighed as she settled next to Celestia at the table. Despite the tardiness of her nighttime sister, Celestia could see that LUna was slightly distracted by something. She took a bit longer than normal to put down the moon and stars for the night, but she had felt that with the smile and happiness attitude in her that certainly was not there before. Of course, Celestia was pleased her sister was happy, but she was slightly concerned, how, and why was she so happy?
'Dear sister." Celestia began, gently sipping her morning coffee "what kept you from your duties? You were a little on the tardy side today."
Luna eeps as she levitates a scone "Oh...oh I was...sorry, I had just the most wonderful evening in a long time that I nearly forgot entirely...I-I am sorry dear sister."
Celestia simply smiled with a soft giggle.
"It is no harm sister, I am glad you enjoyed yourself, but your duties are your duties, they always come first."
"Oh but of course Sister, I know far too well my duties MUST be done so that the sun may rise and the moon may sleep, but for that one night I had enjoyed myself beyond what I would have expected, beyond what I may have seen, even beyond what I may know of the creatures of this world."
Celestia looked puzzled, edging a bit closer
"What do you mean beyond what you know?"
"Oh, it was a creature none of which I had ever seen before. It was certainly not a p0ny, but it was not a beast as I've seen in the Everfree forest, even in the realms of other creatures WE know already...it just was...different."
Celestia sighed a bit, sipping her coffee and putting it down as she seemed intrigued.
"Can you describe it?"
Luna blinks, easing back as she begins to nibble on the blueberry scone.
She liked scones
they were so sweet and tasty...
what did she have to do again, her mind kept going back to the creature...Anon...should she say his name, of course not, perhaps she could keep Anon as her own...Sister dear did have the whole love of her subjects, but Luna had so little...
She blinked as she saw Celestia still staring at her
"Errr...well he's taller than I, perhaps around your height....he stands on his rear hooves, but...he doesn't have hooves, instead he has...well..fingers...like those monkeys in the garden..."
She pauses
"He is a hairless ape, he walks upright and his words, those words are sweet and sophisticated...I was quiet... allured by it."
Celestia nearly choked on her coffee as her expression instantly went sour
"Allured?" She muttered as she swallowed it
"Oh..dear me, is it too strong a word?"
Celestia coughs, covering her maw with her hoof "P-perhaps..."
"Oh...well...as he would say,"Its how I roll."
"But dear sister, you're not rolling anywhere."
"I think its a figure of speech..."
Celestia seems amused by this creature, this hairless ape.
"Is there a name for these things?" Celestia asked
"He called himself a Hoo-man, not sure if its exactly that, but he said they were very adaptive creatures."
"It certainly can explain his nocturnal capabilities."
Luna nodded
"Indeed, oh but it was so fascinating to be with him, he certainly has a way with words."
Luna seems triplicated almost by this thing...
Strange
Celestia couldn't help but feel more and more interested the more Luna spoke of it.
Again, it was sweet, but it was troublesome.
Such a creature was for her sister
that was pleasant but...
it would also make her
more...powerful.
Celestia kept that thought to herself, if a creature was indeed there for Luna, and if she seemed attracted to it, what was stopping it from becoming attracted to HER?
The power of Love was strong, surely it would make Luna much stronger than she already was...
Could it be that she would even demand a bit more...
NO
Celestia put down the cup, cursing those thoughts of EVER thinking her sister would revert to Nightmare Moon a third time, it was unlike her to want to cause harm.
Celestia knew this thing, this Hoo-man, could pose a great threat of not observed properly, she knew that this thing had to be studied and decided if it should remain in their realm.
Shifting her wings, Celestia eased from the table
"My Dear sister, I must be off for my duties, tell me, shall you be seeing this creature again?"
"Oh yes!"
Her answer was instant
"He spends his night at the farm...Sweet Apple Acres I believe, I wouldn't be surprised if he
slept
there
during
the
day.
Celestia was on her feet, shifting her wings as she smiled
"I am pleased to hear that, I do hope you enjoy the rest of your day and yes, go on and see your friend of the night, it should be good for you."
<Back at the farm>
You explain the nights events to Pinkie about how you and Luna met and what you did, excluding the excitement of her horn.
"She really did enjoy the night, I think it touched her to finally find someone that was out at night to talk to."
Pinkie smiled a bit as she began to hop.
How does she do that?
"I'm glad you got to befriend Luna...I would love to see her come by so we can throw a super welcome party for her!"
You look at Aj, she looks at you.
"AJ's told me a lot about how your townsfolk find Luna."
Pinkie stops jumping
"You mean how they're all afraid of her? Well Duh, she did do something pretty awful last time she was here."
"Yeah, but that was Nightmare Moon."
Pinkie shakes her head.
"It was still her, she still was Luna, and she really did some mean and nasty-"
"Pinkie"
Pinkie looks at you as she meeps a bit, easing away
"Ya;ll seem awfully attached to Luna.
AJ asks as you blush a bit
"Well... I" you pause a bit.
"I took comfort in knowing somep0ny else had been dealing with troubles I can relate to. You both are wonderful ponies and am glad to have met you, but I don't think you've had the same issues with friends as I have."
The two ponies blink, look at one another and then back, nodding
"Ah see whatcha mean suga cube, perhaps it is right dat ya;ll mingle with the night princess."
"Yeah, who knows, maybe you'll bring some cheer into her!"
'Comrade, we have problem."
Cerminas voice rings clear in your head
"The white one, she is coming, I sense her magic drawing close, you MUST hide."
You don't need your brain to tell you that.
You look at Pinkie and AJ
Shit,
Shit
Wait...
"Hey Gals."
"Yuh?" they both say
"I'm just going to...finish something elsewhere...I uh...gotta go...like now."
AJ looks puzzled
"Wahtc'ya'll mean?"
"I think...my headaches are coming back....I'm going to lie down..."
You start walking away as thw two ponies seem confused.
"Uhh sure thing darling." AJ calls "Ill see you at the farm."
Not a moment too soon as the sudden wing-beats of one giant white Alicorn whip up a storm of leaves as Celestia herself lands atop a tree.
Celestia spread her wings wide before folding them back to her flanks.
Majestic in every sense of the way
AJ and Pinkie bow instantly to their princess.
"Good morning Celestia." they say together
"Good Morning Apple Jack, good morning Pinkie Pie, how are my loyal subjects?"
"We're fine and dandy your highness, just gettin ready for the day of apple buckn'
"Oh that sounds splendid, and you Pinkie?"
The pink mare smiles
"Just helping out Applejack, she can use all the help she can get with all these apples, i mean, just look at them all."
Celestia looks at all the apple trees
"It certainly does seem so, but i have faith you and AppleJack can accomplish this."
"Well thank yeh kindly your majesty."
Celestia smiles
"I'm sure its wonderful for AppleJack to have help from her friends, I'm certain you can use hands to help you both at day...and during the night."
Celestia paused, smiling.
"Luna had mentioned to me this morning she had seen something in your orchard during the night. She had said "it was picking apples" and I had to be quiet surprised that nothing from around here can do that easily....Were you aware of this AppleJack? It would be a sorry instance to realize something is taking your apples."
Both ponies tense up instantly
AJ looks at Pinkie whose just smiling and staring at Celestia
"She had said that whatever this thing had done much to bring her happiness for the night she spent with it, and of course, my sisters happiness comes first. However, I need to make sure her safety is number one."
AJ removes her hat from her head.
"Well Princess ah don't think anything wrong would'a happened to your sister here, these farms the safest in the land. Only thing we ever hear at night is dem Timber Wolves, but they hardly come out to the farm."
"Well, if its not too much trouble, perhaps I can pick up some of your wonderful apples? Luna seemed to enjoy the ones I had purchased from you before."
"Ah be more then happy to yer highness."
AJ smiles, but Pinkie shoots her a quick look, a look that spoke "HE's in the barn!"
AJ bit her lip, this was the PRINCESS, she couldn't just lie to her, but Pinkie was right, Anon was in the barn sleeping, he had made a note to keep out of sight.
Something in AJ's head turned a bit.
How did he KNOW Celestia was coming before she arrived?
Celestia smiled at AJ
"Well, shall we?" she asked "I still have much to do, so I do not wish to dally."
Celestia walks towards the barn, passing both Applejack and Pinkie as the two ponies follow.
AJ kept passing looks as Pinkie just keeps smiling
AJ huffs, seeing nothing much her friend could do as she trotted ahead of Celestia
"pardon your highness, but I can bring the apples to yah, just gimma bit to get em ready."
"Oh that's quiet alright AppleJack, I would be just as happy to see the rest of your family before I conduct my duties. Ah is that your brother Macintosh?"
AJ turns to see big Machentosh walking over, he seems suprised but bows quickly to the princess.
"An honour Macintosh, are you well?"
"E'yup."
"Wonderful, do you have any spare supplies of apples?"
"E'yup"
"Splendid, may I acquire some?"
"E'yup."
He points to the barn as AJ is already off towards it, quickly rushing inside....but finding no one there.
She looks around then upwards at the "'spot" Anon would be sleeping, only to feel a sudden chill down her spine.
"Ah AppleJack, is there something wrong?" "
Celestia smiles down at AJ as the mare turns "
"Ah err nothing princess, just seeing if we-"
"Had any ready, well I see one basket right there, I would be happy to take it." she points to one basket oddly set in the very center of the barn, Aj is puzzled, but Celestia just has her smile as she trots over and levitates it with her magic.
"Thank you kindly Apple Jack" she said as she walked out, drawing out one apple and biting into it
"Delicious" she mutters between bites as a dozen or so golden bits float into the orange mares hoof.
"A little extra from me, thank you kindly." Celestia said before she took flight with the basket and apples within as BM and Pinkie walk up beside her, all three standing there in semi-dumbfound as their princess flies back off to Canterlot.
"I'm surprised, I never thought the princess would just come by unannounced."
AJ said as she looked back at the barn. Her expression of concern relived as she looked at Pinkie
"You think she knows?"
The Pink mare nods
"I know she does, did you see her eyes, she kept looking around, she kept trying to find Anon, and we nearly led her to him!"
AJ groans, sighing as she goes to the ground, her fore-hooves covering her head.
"darn shootin, we nearly brought a whole lotta trouble to poor Anon."
Pinkie nudges AJ
"Don't feel glum AJ, she came and went without a problem, so we shouldn't feel bad."
AJ sighs, easing back up and smiling at Pinkie
"ya'll right, ah guess we can be glad she didn't find him, but ah feel bad not telling her bout it."
"What she won't know wont hurt her..." Anon mutters from above as he looks down at AJ who looks up, first in surprise, but calms as he smiled down at her.
You are Anon
You had the shit scared right out of you just seconds before.
thank God or whatever entity like beast there was that the Princess didn't sense you.
In fact, you were glad you got a chance to see Celestia again, closer this time. She's elegant in style, but you still feel its unsettling.
Cermina had warned you well in advanced of Celestias arrival, she had sensed her a mile away.
"Her magic reeks of strength, she is a force to be reckoned v'ith comrade."
"You think she knows of us?"
"Perhaps..."
Cermina had suggested she would follow Celestia, so while you had slunk off to hide in your little getaway place, she had spent the short period of time studying the sun princess.
She had left, so the place was safe as you clamber down to the main floor, watching AJ trot off into the orchard to conduct her duties for the day.
"How did she find out about this place so easily?"
Cermina hurred
"SHe had mentioned Luna had said something..."
You sighed
"Well, that's something, but can't blame her for that. Guess she spoke with Celestia about it then."
Cermina nodded
"Seems dat way, shall we relocate?"
"No...not a wise choice. Celestia doesn't think where here, oddly so, how she didn't even detect me was a miracle in itself."
You turn to see Pinkie standing there.
"Hi Anon, whatcha doing?"
She comes closer
"Who yah talking to? Is that some new friend?"
You look at Pinkie, then Cermina, then pinkie again, who got even closer.
Shit, she's kinda creepy.
Cermina sighs, nodding
"Tell her, better she knows then princess."
You look at Cermina
she's cool with this...
"Pinkie...I'm going to be straight with you."
You kneel a bit to go eye to eye with her.
"I have a special friend."
"A special friend?"
"Shes... how do you say it...mystical...only I can see her."
"Ooooo sounds exciting!"
"Yeah...well she's able to go around your world without a problem and its because of her that I've been able to...shall we say "feel" things that I may need to avoid."
Pinkie head tilts
"Avoid the princess, but why?"
You rub the back of your head.
"Lets just say that I have a few...theories in my head...and that if I decide to befriend the princess, she may want to find out a bit more about those sorta things that I'd really much not give to her."
"But...but shouldn't that sort of thing be shared among friends?"
"Thats just it Pinky, I'm not sure I am friends with the princess, let alone would I prefer to tell her those things....they are kinda my secret...so hush hush."
Pinkie blinks a few times, but nods quickly "oh okay, so its a secret to not let the princess know your secrets?"
"Uhhh, yeh I guess..."
Pinkie nodded slowly
"As hard as it is to keep it from the princess, you got reason to keep your secrets yours."
You smile at her.
"so, tight lipped?"
Pinkie notions a hoof over her maw with a smile.
"Good girl."
You ruffle her hair as she pushes into your hand.
"So, what are you going to do now that you are awake?"
You sigh
"Well, seeing as I nearly had a heart attack from Celestias impromptu arrival, my heart is beating a mile a minu-"
Pinkie presses a hoof to your chest, feeling the rhythmic beating of your heart.
"It doesn't sound that fast."
You sigh, way too literal for ponies...
"Anyway...I'm far to excited to want to go back to sleep so maybe I'll go help Aj..."
"Why not go to Ponyville with me, we can celebrate your welcoming!"
You blink
Go to Ponyville?
But Celestia was just here, perhaps finding nothing would ease her mind but you didn't feel going to Ponyville just yet would be a good idea.
Shaking your head, you pat Pinkies.
"I thank you for the offer, but it's still too early, if Celestia is aware I exist, I don't want her getting to over-protective of her subjects, let alone her sister, if she thinks I'm not a safe thing to have around then it would be best to try and wait her out."
Pinkies head lowers, big eyes saddening.
"But you can't just stay here!"
"I know, but I don't feel I'd be comfortable going to Ponyville, at least during he day."
Pinkie sighs
"I think your just torturing yourself Anon, why do you choose to be alone?"
You pause, exhaling slowly.
"Because the mind I possess, I would dare not wish to be seen as a threat to you or anyone else. This is a peaceful place, I don't want to have to be feared by those here."
Pinkie just pushes into you, full body to hug as you sigh, embracing her.
"I won't let you be alone Anon, noPony should have to be."
"Thanks Pinkie, I may not want to meet your other friends just yet, but soon. I know I will be happy to."
Cermina smirks, watching this from the doorway.
"Cute."
"Shush."