What The Night Remembers

by TCSNxs

7. A Night For The Farmer

What The Night Remembers
By: TCSNxs

Chapter Seven
A Night For The Farmer

Stop this day and night with me
and you shall possess the origin of all poems,
You shall possess the good of the moon and sun,
You shall no longer take things at second or third hoof,
nor look through the eyes of the dead,
nor feed on the spectres in books,
You shall not look through my eyes either, nor take things from me,
You shall listen to all sides and filter them from your self.
~Excerpt from Walt Whitmare's "Song of Myself"

Usually, Celestia had maintained an air of nonchalance. The stoic smile was as practiced as any spell in her vast repertoire. However, inside, she was fuming. Despite any pretense she gave, she did have one pet peeve: lack of punctuality. Perhaps it was because her life was governed by a tight schedule. The petty grievances of the nobles and the kowtowing of her little ponies seemed to take up so much time when all she wanted was a cool glass of wine, a hot bath, a dirty novel, and an hour of quiet.

She mused, unbeknownst to her student, perhaps Luna's delay was because she really had destroyed a part of the castle. Of course, her sister had proven reliable since her return so she didn't entertain it seriously. That said, Luna's frivolousness had returned after she and Applejack hit it off. Applejack, who was every bit like her namesake, certainly wasn't helping. But such things weren't necessarily bad. So she hoped.

"Perhaps she was kept late," Twilight offered, looking up to her mentor with a soft expression and eyes having only a veil of concern. Twilight knew her teacher well enough to see past the facade.

"Perhaps," Celestia mused, "At least one can hope."

"Maybe Spike and I should return to Canterlot and..."

"Worry not, my Faithful Student," Celestia interrupted, "I am sure there's nothing to worry about."

Twilight accepted the explanation and nodded more to herself then her teacher. Celestia disliked not being entirely honest with Twilight. However, she innately knew something was not quite right. Whether it was sisterly intuition or or something else, she didn't know really. The coffee she was sharing with her student helped to a degree, though not enough.

With the plebiscite proceeding smoothly, Celestia found more time to spend with Twilight where she had hoped to find some long deserved enjoyment. Instead, she found worry where there should have been none. Celestia was about to change the subject when a green gout of flame burst and speedily grew in size. A scroll formed amongst the quickly dying flames. Celestia seized upon the scroll and opened it with her magic. Her magenta eyes raced over the words. Upon reaching the end, she breathed an audible sigh.

"Something wrong?" Twilight immediately asked.

"No," Celestia said with a shifted smile, some relief visible on her normally placid face, "Luna was just up late playing with Applejack and lost track of the time."

Twilight's face screwed up in confusion.

"Worry not," the Solar Regent said again, "she was simply preparing for the day's meetings is all."

"Oh," Twilight said.

"Now, my Faithful Student," Celestia said in her usual tone, setting the scroll aside with her magical grip, "You wanted to know more about amniomorphic magic?"

~(o)~

For the past few years, Applejack's life had taken many strange turns. Prior to Twilight showing up in town, her single goal in life was to find a partner and settle down, as her folks did before her. More than that, the farmer was content in that idea. That said, after the eventful Summer Sun Celebration, her life kept getting stranger and stranger. Applejack told herself she should have seen it when her brother, after many attempts, finally accepted the bet that resulted in him strolling through town while wearing Granny's girdle.

For all of the trials and tribulations of the past few years, the farmer felt she was stronger for those experiences. Despite all that, her life consistently proved itself to have a sense of humor. She was a time keeper now, as Luna had surmised none too subtly, but there were worse fates. As a pony who took enjoyment where she found it, the connection she now had to the moon was something interesting to be sure.

Earth ponies, as a matter of genetics, weren't prone to willful magical manifestations. Instead, their magic was more rooted of the spirit. Applejack was always stronger then most ponies, while Pinkie's infamous "Pinkie Sense" had its own uses. Regardless, any new experiences flying or experiencing magical manipulations she tended to relish.

Since that morning, Applejack felt the need to prod her thoughts along those paths she now controlled. Given Luna believed that those connections were temporary, she wouldn't likely get another chance. The farmer eventually figured out more about the connection and how to use it, gaining a greater feel for the messages that the moon sent her. Not that such things had any practical value. She pieced together how to send it ideas in form of thoughts and images, though the moon usually returned a nonsensical reply. It even once showed a hot mug of coffee in response to a query of what made it tick.

Applejack spent a better part of the afternoon trying to filter through everything, though she wasn't exactly sure how to go about it. She looked up from her cards and saw Luna staring impatiently at her.

"Do you have any Jacks?" Luna asked again.

"Nope," Applejack shook her head, trying to snap back into reality, "Go buck yourself."

Luna whined and picked up a card from the deck with her magic. The Lunar Regent shifted the cards around, but found nothing to set down. "Go Buck Yourself" was a game the two improvised, involving an odd mixture of "Go Fish" with reverse strip tease rules. Quill, Luna's Majordomo, walked in on the two, with Luna losing and nearly dressed in a gaudy, suggestive outfit. After telling Luna the meetings that day were rescheduled at her behest, he quickly left. Applejack smiled slightly. Luna was indeed losing badly, being a pair of red heels away from losing the contest.

"Any 7s?" Applejack asked. Luna whined again and set the card down with her magic. Applejack grinned broadly as she set her last card down with a hoof, "That's game, sugarcube. Now, put 'em on."

"Do I have to?" Luna pouted, going so far as to purse her lips.

"Rules are rules," Applejack chided.

Luna managed a small display of defiance, but in the end, her horn flared to life. She snatched the shoes with her magical grasp and slipped them on her rear hoofs, completing the outfit. The garment was mostly black pleather, covering her from barrel to just over her haunch. A pair of black stockings, a few strands of silver chains about the hips and the heels completed the outfit. Her auroral mane floating on those unseen celestial breezes simply enhanced the saucy effect.

"You are a sight for somepony's sore eyes," Applejack said, wriggling her eyebrows. The chances to torment Luna were few.

"This was your idea," Luna said accusingly.

"It was your idea," Applejack corrected, "Ah just went along with it."

"Do I have to?" Luna stamped a hoof down, though her eyes sparkled a bit. A half-eaten apple rolled around on the nightstand the two used as a makeshift card table.

"Ya took the bet. Ya get to live with it," Applejack said, slipping her way out of the sheer knee-high stockings on her rear legs.

"I cannot make hay fries and I can't win a game of chance," Luna said, "It seems my lot in life is to lose."

"Ah tried to warn ya."

"I know," Luna said. She stood up, the pleather creaked a bit in protest, "For the rest of the day?"

"Until moonrise or a fuzzy-hatted stallion named 'Huggy Bear' says otherwise."

Luna shook her head slightly, "Fair Applejack, if you were any other pony..."

"You'd tell me to go buck myself," the farmer finished for her, "Now, if ya don't mind, Ah'm goin' hop in the shower."

~(o)~

Applejack closed her eyes, letting the water cascade down her face. The hot water did its job, streaking down her orange fur and taking a bit of stress with it. The farmer stretched her powerful shoulders, grateful for a chance to relax. She told the Lunar Regent she would only be a few minutes, but she lost all track of time. The moon's incessant, derisory messages wasn't helping matters. For that matter, it was distracting her any chance it got.

The call of the lunar body giggled again at the edge of her thoughts, ripping her focus and attention away once again as she moved to turn the shower off. The farmer sent her thoughts out, attempting to ask it once again what was so funny. The celestial body replied with simple emotions of mirth, showing images of suits from a deck of cards. Applejack pursed her brows, but just shrugged to herself. Life continued to have a sense of humor, but it was wearing thin.

Applejack shook the water from her face and turned the shower off. Prying the shower door open and reaching out blindly for a towel, she finally happened upon a soft feeling piece of fabric. She stepped out and buried her face within the folds of it. She paused for a second when noted the towel felt extremely soft and smelt of a summer night. The moon seemed to giggle once again.

"Will ya stop?" Applejack asked aloud.

"It was you who grabbed my mane," Luna replied.

Applejack wasn't actually surprised. Fully embracing the course, she quickly tamped her head dry before working herself free of Luna's voluminous mane. By the time the farmer got her eyes clear, Luna stood grinning broadly, her mane's usual wave seemingly required more effort. Applejack blushed slightly, her orange fur taking on a darker shade of red.

"Ya never heard of privacy?" the farmer said, trying to regain some dignity.

"You were taking longer then you advised," Luna moved a towel towards Applejack with her magic, "So I came in to check on you."

"How long was Ah in there?"

"Half an hour?" Luna guessed as much as answered. She turned towards the farmer, the outfit taking on droplets of moisture from the steamy air.

"Ah think Ah I know where the rabbit in your head gets its commands from."

~(o)~

Luna, for all her facade of pretense, seemed to take pride in her self appointed mission and her outfit. Applejack admitted to herself that she was curious what Luna wanted to demonstrate to her. The chains about the Lunar Regent's waist clanged. Despite a few near falls, Luna managed her balance well in the heels. The farmer would have been lying if she said she weren't a little impressed.

"Did you have to wear the sunglasses?" Applejack remarked. .

"Of course, fair Applejack," Luna remarked, "Does it not go nicely with the stockings?"

"About as well as me wearing a tuxedo."

"I can arrange that."

"Ya ever seen a bonfire, sugarcube?" Applejack replied, shaking her head.

"Of course," Luna said while she smiled. She raised the sunglasses from her eyes, throwing a wink to the farmer, "You forget I was a filly once."

"They don't date artifacts that old. Besides, Ah wonder if you aren't relivin' your youth though me somehow."

"I'm sorry," Luna replied, "Say that again? I couldn't hear you over the ringing in my ears."

"Ah said...," Applejack then shook her head, "Never mind."

Luna's grin never abated. She slung the glasses back over her eyes when the two approached the stairs. The Royal Guards simply bowed as the two made their way up. Apparently the memo to disregard any unusual scenes involving the pair reached these two. Luna lead the farmer towards the top floor of the tower. Not that Applejack could take in full account of Luna's posterior while the moon continued its inane probings.

After a while, the duo made their way into the observatory. Applejack shook her head once, trying to snap her attention back into focus but it was of little use. The room itself was rounded, with shelves of books, couches, and a few desks lining the expanse with charts of the stars and a few sketches stretched out over a main central table. The end of a large telescope protruded a portion of the way into the room with a few knobs jutting out from that base. Luna made her way towards a bookshelf, perusing its contents while Applejack moved towards a table.

After a moment, Luna grasped a worn book cover with her magic and turned back towards Applejack. The farmer, for her part, seemed to have a blank look as she stared towards nothing in particular. Luna sat next to the farmer and set the book on the table. She fumbled through a few pages of hoof-scribbled notes. Finally finding the entry, she switched the focus of her magic and grasped the farmers tale, giving it a yank.

"Huh...oh," Applejack snapped back finally.

"It happens quite a bit," Luna offered with a smile, quickly perusing the notes as if refreshing her memory, "When I first gained dominion over the night sky, I had similar problems. Its easy to become distracted by it when you aren't otherwise engaged with something or somepony else."

Applejack leaned in a bit, peering closer to the book, "Ya got an answer?"

"Perhaps," Luna remarked as she read. She flipped a page over with her magic and continued reading. After finishing the entry, the Lunar Regent put a hoof to her chin. A nod finished the thought as Luna rose, the pleather creaking a bit while the chains about her waist jangled lightly.

"Are you familiar with meditation, fair Applejack?"

"What's negotiation got to due with this?"

"Meditation", Luna corrected, "Not mediation."

"Probably not then."

"It's a exercise where you clear your thoughts to establish a state of inner tranquility," Luna was speaking as if teaching a class, "It maybe possible to lessen the intrusions you are experiencing if we can get your mind into a state of peace. I shall guide you through the exercise."

Applejack thought for a second as she felt the moon's giggle again more forcefully. "Anything," the farmer replied to Luna.

Luna smiled brightly while Applejack wondered what in the hay she was getting herself into. Luna willed her magic, grasping a couch off in the far corner, bringing it around the telescope towards the pair. After she let it go, the Lunar Regent motioned her head towards the cushioned seat. The farmer removed her hat and laid back, making herself comfortable while Luna re-checked her notes in the journal.

~(o)~

Applejack felt the extremities of her body tingle for a minute before falling still. The tingling sensations didn't distract as much as relay subtle signals to a consciousness that was shutting down. Applejack could feel herself molding into whatever was supporting her. The machinations of the moon's intrusions took some effort to blank out, but as she focused on the tingling overtaking her body, those interruptions died away.

The sensations reached her hips and shoulders before feeding into the core of her body. She was distantly aware of Luna's counting down, but it didn't matter at the moment. The feeling of utter blackness was working its way through her as all physical sensations ceased upon the tingling reaching her head.

"Now you are relaxed," Luna called softly. Applejack could hear the Lunar Regent's discourse. Luna's voice fell away until it were indistinct as white noise. The conscious mind of Applejack processed the instructions, though Applejack's subconscious took over all ideas of reality.

In the blackness, Applejack could feel the silver tendrils of energy beginning to manifest. Starting as a faint whisper of light, the lines gradually came into a blurred focus. The farmer could feel a pulling of sorts come through her core. The moon's indistinct chatter rose again, gradually taking on an incessant proportion before it blurred into a electrical crackle. Suddenly, there was a pop. Her vision exploded again into the context of the room, though previous colors had a silvery hue to them. The celestial lines came into a sharper focus.

"Interesting," Luna whispered to herself as she felt the building vibrations in her horn before the 'pop'. Applejack's Astral self took over with no effort after that. Luna altered her plan for guiding her friend, though she didn't need to stray far. She also willed for a minor spell of passive detection of magical energies. Her horn faintly glowed while she continued her guidance.

Applejack realized the silver tendrils of energy began a motion of their own, slowly beginning to move and tangle about her. The farmer, as if on instinct, exercised her will in a single command. The turning lines of energy began to blur. As they moved faster, they became all the farmer could see. She looked around, though it seemed she were inside a sphere. As Applejack grew to understand, the moon's left over chittering became hushed and indistinct. While not completely drowned away within the silvery bastion, it was enough to do away with the overpowering distractions.

The Element of Honesty began to experiment with the bastion. She willed it a lesser strength and the silver sphere became more translucent. The energetical prodding from the lunar body became more pronounced. She put all her will into the sphere until the shield became nothing but a pure silver light. The nonsensical meanderings of the moon died away almost completely. The farmer smiled. She spent a moment adjusting the sphere until she were comfortable with the level of "discourse" the lunar body would have to live with. Much to its chagrin she was sure.

"Now, the sphere dies away," Luna continued on, "Though you know this is your's to command." The Lunar Regent continued on with her instructions, guiding the farmer back to her normal reality. The farmer's eyes flitted for a second before opening fully. The farmer was taking a few moments to digest the experience.

"Very interesting," Luna mused to herself. Normally, modifications within the Astral realm was the dominion of practiced magic users. She started to draw some connections between the power of Will, the inherent magic of earth ponies, and Applejack's connection to the moon when she saw the farmer stir.

"How do you feel," Luna asked, snapping the book closed with her magic.

"Like Ah took a hell of a nap," Applejack replied. The farmer sat up and fumbled with her hat. Seating it back atop her head, she looked to the Lunar Regent curiously, "Did you..."

"No," Luna answered, "All of that was your doing, fair Applejack."

"It seemed so real," the farmer spoke, blinking a few times.

"It...can seem that way sometimes," Luna spoke after deciding on her words, "Most curious."

"How's that?" Applejack asked while mentally playing with her newly acquired mental blocks.

"Suffice to say that if you were a unicorn, you actually maybe quite adept at the arcane arts," Luna said between bites of an apple produced from seemingly nowhere.

"You'd also no doubt take me as a student, call me Horny, and put me in that getup your wearin'," Applejack said offhoodedly while finding she could willfully lower the intrusions with a thought. She nodded to herself in satisfaction.

"There's always perks to being the personal student of a princess," Luna answered with a saucy smile.

"Ah'll send a sympathy card to any student ya take," Applejack said. Luna's cackle echoed out of the observatory.

Comments

[TCSNxs]

Sup guys.

To get the obvious out of the way, there is NO current plan to have Applejack become Luna's student. There's no way I could BS my way through it and make it plausible. I just liked how the line came out.

I will say this was a hard chapter to write in order to explore the ideas I wanted to. The idea of Astral Projection is something that has long fascinated me and, from the accounts I've read and things I've experienced, it seemed easily doable given how earth ponies like are portrayed in MLP:FIM. More or less, their "magic" would be more connected with the spirit then anything physical like pegasi and unicorns. This will be explored more in the next chapter as well as more building of their relationship. A heavy emphasis on the latter will be placed in the next Interlude due after Chapter 8.

The previous chapters (not the interludes) received a cosmetic touch with the "excerpts" like seen here. They have no baring on the story and otherwise are just there for looks.

As always, comment if you feel and thumbs up if you like.

ONWARD

Edit: I forgot to credit properly Walt Whitman's beautiful poem entitled "Songs of Myself". There was more to the passage, but I needed to edit it for fit. If you get a chance to read it, set aside some time and do so.

[TheAlmightySage]

Very nice.

[BenRG]

Interesting. I'm starting to wonder if this will turn into an Alicorn Applejack story. She's showing considerable magical potential and the ease of her connection with the Moon makes you wonder what exactly she could achieve with the proper instruction.

[TCSNxs]

1834959

I will say its a possibility. Staying within the confines of the story I wanted, this was simply to build up to where AJ and Luna hooked up, more or less. Applejack as an alicorn was kind of a vogue thing when this started, so I wanted to stay away from that outright. No reason to pay for the same real estate when you can put nothing original to it.

This story has already changed direction a few times, so who knows. If such a thing is appropriate and I can do something semi-original with the idea, it may go that route.

[fferror]

Finally finding the entry, she switched the focus of her magic and grasped the farmers tale, giving it a yank.

"tail", not "tale".