Applejack sat on her haunches inside the barn, in front of a circular coffee table, on which sat a cup of ice cold apple juice.
She lifted the cup to her lips, and took a single, long sip.
The atmosphere in the room was just right for her.
Peaceful, warm and quiet, save for the gentle cracking sounds of the wood in the fireplace.
Combined with the blanket of stars brought about by the coming of night over ponyville, the scene felt...calm, inviting, alluring even. As if the mere presence of such a feeling could draw one closer, further into the moment set before them.
And the best part about it?
She was alone. Granny Smith was off with Filthy Rich conducting business, Big Mac left to deliver more apples to his lady friend Sugar Belle, and Apple Bloom was off having a sleepover with the crusaders at Rarity's.
Applejack lowered the now empty cup, setting it back on its ornate tray and heaving a relieved sigh.
She reclined in the chair, stretching her forelegs a bit before letting them rest over the sides of the chair
Her half lidded gaze shifted to the cieling, and she finished her stretching, giving a satisfied hum as she felt several bones in her back pop into place.
She composed herself and fixed her posture, sitting up straight in the chair once again.
She let out a yawn, revealing to the world her pearly white fangs for only a moment.
And when she finally opened her eyes, their crimson color bore into you.
"Oh! Howdy there, partner! I didn't see ya there! Come on in and have a seat. I'll go and grab ya a glass of juice fer yer troubles."
"So, I guess ya found out about me, huh?"
"Well, ya wouldn't be here if ya didn't."
"Lemme guess, you wanna hear my story, don't ya?"
"Aww, fine then. I'll tell ya. Just...don't tell my friends, okay?"
"I hate lyin' to them, and just knowing that this is the one secret I can't share with 'em makes me...well, I don't feel too good about it."
"Ya see, im...a bat pony."
"Yeah, I know. I don't look like one, right? No wings, and all that?"
"Well, now I have a question for you."
"Whoever said you needed wings to fly?"
"Of course, I can only do it at night, when my powers actually manifest, ya know?"
"Back when Luna became Nightmare Moon, she created the batponies to be her army against princess Celestia. And when she returned to the throne as Luna, the batponies stayed as her night guard."
"But what you don't know, is that Luna has always had this power, to gift others with her strength."
"And my grandmother, Granny Smith made use of it a long time ago."
"One night, long before the events of Nightmare Moon she went to Princess Luna to ask a question."
"She and her husband were in love. So much so that they couldn't even imagine being without each other."
"So when she found herself on her deathbed some twenty years after they first met, she wished to the heavens to have one last wish granted. Faust must have heard her, because Luna appeared a few moments later, standing in all her royal, overwhelming glory, before my granny."
"What was her wish, you ask? Do ya really wanna know?"
"Immortality. Eternal life and eternal beauty. She wished that her and her husband could always be together, forever, for all of eternity."
"Luna, seeing only one way to do this, gave her the option to become a bat pony. She explained, however, that because of her anatomy and biological make up, the result might not be the same as a true bat pony."
"Granny didn't even flinch. She didn't care. Whatever it took for her to be with her love again, she'd do it. She gave the okay and Luna began the process."
"When it was over, she felt at least forty years younger. And that's because she was younger. A lot younger."
"The old, wrinkly, hard of hearing mare you've known for years is only a a fake. In truth, she's the most beatiful mare you'll ever lay your eyes on. And even still, no one knows."
"Because of the differences between our bodies and a true bat pony's, we of course, dont have the wings. But we can still fly if we use what little bat pony magic we do have, although it only last a short while and makes us very tired. But it does come with it's own set of perks. Our earth pony magic is a hundred times stronger than normal, and our tough nature also help us withstand sunlight much better than a normal bat pony, although it does still hurt a little. I wear this hat for a reason you know?"
"That time when fluttershy got turned into a bat pony, we were happy to lend her a hand in figuring out how to live with this power."
"Of course, her power is conditional, like ours, and can only be used at night. However, unlike us, she can also only eat fruit when in that form."
"We call ponies who get their powers this way, 'mixed bloods', as a sort of endearing play on the words 'mixed berries'."
"Now, the pears are yet another bat pony family. They are our worst enemies. Or at least they used to be."
"These days, Granny Smith and Grand Pear are friends, but that wasn't always the truth. Once, they were a rival family, and our mutual hatred of each other lead to a war that had thousands of casualties."
"Did you know that the only thing that can kill a bat pony is another bat pony?"
"My brother and i have already heard the stories.The only thing I can hope for is that Apple Bloom never finds out about our past. Because she's family, and there ain't nothin' more important than family."