Blame It On The Moon
"Now lets see. Snacks, check. Drinks, check. Telescopes, check. Waterproof cushions... check. Astronomy books, check. Sable."
Twilight looked around the expansive main reading room of the library and found, to her continued disappointment, a lack off any Princesses of the Night. She looked down at her checklist and sighed.
"Not check. Spike, did Sable say where she was going at all?"
"She told me the same thing she told you, Twilight." Spike clambered down from atop the high shelves, another star catalogue gripped in his paws and a bright red flush on his face from the exertion of so much climbing. "She wanted to go for a walk."
He dropped the book on the pile with the others and wiped his brow.
"And you've asked me that every five minutes for the last hour."
"Oh. Well, I just—I really hoped she'd be back by now. We need to prepare for this trip."
"The sun hasn't even set."
"It has to be perfect!"
The yell managed to echo around the room despite every wall being lined with several inches of high quality acid-free paper and parchment, and the echo bounced back and forth for far longer than seemed strictly necessary too. Spike shook his head to clear the ringing in his ears, held up a hand for Twilight's silence and tapped the pile of books.
"You know you checked off the books before I was done collecting them, right?"
"Spike, don't be silly! I knew that you'd have them all ready when we wanted to—oh, very clever." Twilight packed the books into a carry-case and added it to the slowly growing pile of equipment. "I know what you're trying to prove, Spike, but books are always where you want them to be. Ponies can wander off and do all sorts of things that you don't expect, like getting married or spending a fortune on a new dress that they just have to show off to everypony—"
The door crashed open and Luna pranced in, grinning from ear to ear. "Twilight, I have invited Applejack to our viewing this evening!"
"–or that," Twilight concluded, as Luna circled the library. She looked ridiculously pleased with herself. "I thought we were going to invite the others when the conjunction reached its primary phase."
Luna paused and stared up at the ceiling. Her smile faded, but then returned with a vengeance. "It is all right Twilight, I simply wished for Applejack to share her love of the stars with you."
"Her wha—Applejack? Really?" Twilight rubbed the side of her head as she returned to stockpiling equipment and supplies for their brief foray. "You think you know a mare."
Three ponies. That meant she didn't have enough coffee and they'd need an extra seat. Twilight lifted up her checklist and glowered as she erased the items she'd checked off. At least now she had a Sable, but now she'd have to add an item for Applejack as well, though... that would already be ticked too, so it wasn't a problem. Not exactly.
"When did Applejack take an interest in astronomy?"
"She has been enamoured with my sky since she was a filly," Luna replied. She opened up one of the telescope cases and busied herself examining the contents. "She and her brother Macintosh would tell one another stories using my stars as their starting point. She even relayed to me one of their tales. It was highly entertaining!" Luna paused to tap her chin. "Though somewhat rustic."
"Ahh let me guess, it featured a great many feats of apple-related heroism and an orchard?"
"Yes! Much of it was foalsplay, but they independently named nearly all of Ptunia's forty-eight constellations and crafted an entire family mythology around them. Few have viewed my stars so personally, Twilight." Luna turned from her telescope and pressed a hoof against her chest. When she spoke next her words were accompanied by a warm smile. "It was most touching. She is a great heart."
"Well I'm glad you enjoyed it," Twilight replied, her mind still concentrating on her checklist. She might have to start a new one. First item: study old checklist to find out what went wrong.
"You are extremely lucky to have a friend such as she, Twilight. Applejack is so carefree and unconstrained by the meaningless complexities of life. When we worked together that day she bore her responsibilities without rancour or complaint and she freely shared her time with me despite the sacrifices she had to endure. I would dearly like to spent more time at her side."
"Uh-huh." Twilight wondered if she'd have to prepare more coffee or if the flask she'd provided would be enough to split three ways, and then considered the possibility that Applejack might be bringing snacks or drinks of her own. So many unknowns from a single unplanned event! She had to find some way of accounting for these things. She could anticipate a certain number of known unknowns, but it was the unknown unknowns that kept biting her on the butt. "Spike, make sure to pack extra parchment and quills."
Silence crawled through the room after Spike had scampered away to the supply cupboard. For a while Twilight continued scratching at her lists, trying to create something that didn't require a complete overhaul every time somepony decided to invite a friend until the near-complete silence finally burrowed deep enough into her subconscious to finally become noticeable. She looked up at Luna; the Princess was staring at her telescope but her thoughts were clearly focused elsewhere.
"Sable? Are you okay?"
"What—oh, Twilight. Forgive me, I appear to have lost myself in idle fantasy. Had you asked something of me?"
"Oh. No, no I was just, ah, checking my checklist." Twilight held up the scratty parchment and gave Luna an awkward grin. "It—it needs a little revision."
Luna smiled in return, but it was clear her mind was still on something else given the way she had opened and shut the same case five times while they were talking. As the last few minutes of their conversation finally began to filter through Twilight's list-addled brain and into her consciousness, the quill and parchment she held aloft fluttered in Twilight's faltering magic.
"Did you just say you want to spend more time with Applejack? As in working?"
"Of course!"
"But—"
Sable held up a hoof almost directly in front of Twilight's face. The simple gesture brooked no argument, made as it was with all the authority and poise of a pony used to instant obedience. It was all Twilight could do not to fling herself to the floor in a grovelling bow.
"Twilight, we have discussed this. I came to you first as we share many interests in common and I have previously enjoyed your company, but you and your pursuits are not the sole reason I am here. I wish to once again experience life amongst ponies as their equal, which requires that I come to know them and spend time with as many of them as possible." A smile crept to Luna's muzzle and she turned away to her telescope again. "If you wish to know why Applejack would be one of those ponies... she inspires me. Her life is the complete opposite of that which I have lived in recent years and I wish to experience more of it. I have not felt so connected to this earth than as these last few days as I do when I am working at her side."
"I—"
"Much as you have shown me that my stars are no longer ignored, Twilight Sparkle. Together the two of you have brought me closer to contemporary life far sooner than I had ever thought possible! For this I cannot even begin to thank you."
So easily bought, Twilight's mind growled. Yet it was hard to remain upset in the face of Luna's boundless enthusiasm; the unicorn she now was bounced gleefully around the library as she helped Twilight finalise their packing, declaring constantly her optimistic expectations for how she would befriend more ponies and learn from them.
The pile of equipment was soon loaded into a large truck and readied for their journey. Twilight ushered Spike out of the room with the promise of treats if he behaved himself alone for the night. She returned to find Luna perusing a history book.
"Looking for anything in particular?"
"I merely wished to refresh my memory."
Luna turned a page, her eyes never leaving the book as she replied. Now she had found something to entertain her Luna's enthusiasm had damped down quite significantly and along with the relative peace all of Twilight's earlier worries had started to sneak back, gnawing and nibbling at the edges of her mind and reminding Twilight of how little time she might end up having with her new friend. Not to mention how much of that time would be taken up by Applejack.
The Princess tilted her head as she continued to peruse the text. Her eyes paused on a page about the fall of the Pegasus city-states and widened a fraction as she read. "It is interesting to find what history considers important when you have personally witnessed the events in question."
"I wouldn't know about that."
"Perhaps one day you shall," Luna replied with a mysterious smile, just as there was a knock at the door.
For a moment Twilight thought about simply ignoring the visitor until they went away, just in case they did something to spoil her evening, like invite the Wonderbolts to fly around in front of her telescope, or maybe set fire to the moon. Unfortunately it wasn't quite late enough to be able to say she was asleep, nor could she pretend to be out considering all the lights burning in the library. Sighing, Twilight forced a broad smile to her face and turned toward the door.
"Twilight, y'all in there?"
Of course it would be Applejack. Who else would it be at this time of day when she was about to go out and have fun? Twilight pushed her ire down into the pit of her stomach and opened the door. Silhouetted in the fading light of the evening, Applejack stood and grinned awkwardly back, rubbing a hoof against her leg. The bulging saddlebag slung over her back clinked ominously as she moved.
"Hello Applejack."
"Hey Twilight, I came to—uh, Sable said—"
"Applejack! You are here!" Luna bounced up to the door, grinning broadly, her history book abandoned at the foot of a shelf much to Twilight's chagrin. Against her better judgement she tried to ignore the misplaced tome and returned to smiling at her friend. It was very difficult against the tightness of her jaw, but she managed it well enough that even Applejack was apparently fooled.
"I guess I am at that." Applejack smiled and relaxed under Luna's friendly nuzzle. She glanced at Twilight a little uncertainly, before looking past the pair to the pile of astronomy equipment. "That there what y'all are takin' tonight?"
"Yep."
"Spike said we are making a meal of it, but I did not see anything other than snacks," Luna added.
"Well, I can't rightly say I know better 'bout this than you two." Applejack pushed her hat back and scratched her head. "But y'all thought about how you're getting that big ol' truck out this tiny door?"
Luna and Twilight looked at each other, then at the door and finally at the cart. It was strange how certain ponies could just so casually spot something so profoundly, frustratingly obvious and point it out in the most annoyingly innocent way possible. Twilight put her head in her hoof and sighed, only glad that Rainbow Dash wasn't here or she wouldn't have lived it down for weeks.
Luna's foalish giggle didn't help matters.
The next half hour was spent carefully manoeuvring their equipment out of the library and onto the truck. On any other night Twilight might have had Spike carry it, but she knew that many of the items they were carrying were probably worth more than a significant portion of the entire library's contents – not counting the extremely rare books she kept in her personal collection, of course – which meant she had to keep an extra careful eye on everything.
Strangely it was Applejack who took the most care with their equipment. Luna simply flung boxes and cases around with her magic as if they were lumps of rock, whilst Applejack displayed a disconcerting gentleness that didn't quite fit with the brash and heavy-hoofed image Twilight held of her farm pony friend.
The pair talked away as they worked, Luna quizzing Applejack extensively about apple cultivation and Applejack responding with the sort of arcana that would baffle even the most learned of unicorns. It certainly baffled Twilight.
With the cart finally loaded and Spike safely tucked into his basket for the night, the trio sat down for a moment's rest whilst Twilight contemplated her checklist again. It was almost in order, almost complete, just one final item to tick off.
"Location," she muttered, glancing at the horizon and the last limb of the sun as it slowly fell behind the trees. "So. I thought we should head up to the Saddles. There's a fairly good view of the sky out there and not much incident light from the town."
"Ain't that all the way out near the Everfree Forest?"
"Well, yeah," Twilight replied, rubbing a hoof against her foreleg. Just a half hour and already Applejack was dismantling her carefully prepared evening. "It's isolated and gives us a good view of the southern and eastern sky."
"Everfree forest, isolated and dark ain't the sort of things I'd want to hear in the same sentence, Twi." Applejack ran a hoof through her mane and shook her head, becoming every inch the staid and unadventurous voice of caution Twilight had feared she'd be.
"It's perfectly safe."
"Y'know Ginger said exactly the same thing right before she fell in that there hay baler? She's just lucky the dang thing weren't workin' properly."
She nodded once, as if the point had been made and then sat down with another ominous rattle of earthenware. The annoying thing was, she had a point. Twilight had been so set on finding a good isolated spot that she hadn't really considered the possible dangers. Oh she'd been quite sure that the area wasn't that close to the Everfree and she wasn't aware of any dangerous creatures sneaking out there during the day. As far as she knew the only possible 'danger' in the daylight was an early morning encounter with Lyra on her way to the meditation spot she maintained out there, but at night things might be very different.
With a sound not unlike a collapsing rockpile, Applejack cleared her throat and stared at Twilight for a while before glancing up at the sky. Obviously she'd been expecting some sort of response from Twilight, but the unicorn had no idea what to say.
"If ya want a view east, why not come out to Sweet Apple Acres? There's a spot—" Applejack pushed her hat back and turned to Luna with a broad grin. "Sable, you remember that place I took ya?"
"I remember that it was swaying a great deal," Luna replied. She eyed Applejack's saddlebags with renewed interest before turning pleading eyes toward Twilight.
"Am I going to regret this?"
"Enope! I swear on this here hat of mine it'll be the best place for seein' stars, Twilight." Applejack glanced at her saddlebags and grinned. She took off her hat and held it across her chest. "One way or the other."
Luna's face hadn't changed. If anything her eyes had only grown wider and more desperate as she stared at Twilight with the sort of longing look that must have taken centuries to master. Twilight flopped forward on her belly and cast her breath into the musty grass. Even if it hadn't been her Princess she just didn't have the will to resist a face like that.
"Fine. We'll go see this mysterious swaying spectacle." She pushed herself back onto her haunches and glared at Applejack and Luna in turn. "But you promise me you don't do anything stupid. Especially you."
Applejack reeled from the accusing hoof pointed straight at her, but she was grinning all the same. She must have thought it was a joke. As far as Twilight was concerned the whole night had become one great big cosmic joke at her expense.
"Come on now Twi, would I do anythin' like that? I got responsibilities!"
It wasn't a lie. Not exactly. There was a time when Twilight had thought Applejack was incapable of lying, that her apparently simplistic and up-front demeanour translated into a scrupulous truthfulness. In a way it was true. Applejack didn't lie. Not exactly lie. She left out details, mixed up tales and tall stories, told the parts she thought ponies needed to hear or exaggerated what she thought was important, but she never lied. She wasn't lying now either.
Not exactly.
Twilight bowed her head, admitting defeat. Had any other pony suggested the idea she would have leapt at it, so why did it suddenly become a problem with Applejack was the one to bring it up?
"We'd better get going or we'll miss everything."
"What exactly are y'all lookin at anyway," Applejack asked as they set off toward the farm. She soon joined Luna in tugging the truck, much to the latter's obvious relief. The disguised princess gave Applejack a heartfelt smile and bowed her head to explain.
"As I said at lunch, we plan to make a presentation of certain planetary phenomena and we hoped to find a suitable vantage to do so." Luna shifted her posture as she hauled at the truck and soon the pair fell into a comfortable rhythm trailing Twilight by a few steps. The unicorn slowed her pace, the better to listen to her two friends talk.
"This ain't exactly my purview if ya know what I mean. Does it really make that much of a difference where y'all sit?"
"Why of course!" A grin plastered across Luna's face as she spoke, her eyes rising to the stars again. "The night sky is easily lost behind even the faintest of earthly lights. These stars are not like the sun, who alone will dominate the whole sky and hide everything behind her glory. The stars wish to share their sky with one another and with the moon, but this means that none can ever be that much brighter than the others lest she come to dominate the whole. The others will hide away when such a brighter light is near. Only when we are alone can my stars show their true nature to us."
"Your stars?"
Twilight stumbled at the skeptical note in Applejack's voice. She held her breath as she waited for Luna's reply.
"Well—that is I—"
"Don't sweat it none sugarcube," Applejack said, her voice quiet. She touched her cheek to Luna's and smiled. "It's clear y'all are sure as sugar into you're whole astroomy thing and ya just got a mite excited. Just don't let Princess Luna hear that sorta talk about the stars bein' yours, she might clap you in irons or teleport you to the sun or somethin' and then where would we all be?"
"I doubt that'll happen," Twilight replied. She slowed again to let the cart catch up to her despite the temptation to just run off ahead and escape the—the... she had no idea. They'd barely had a conversation, it wasn't like Applejack was doing anything wrong just by talking. Even if it was a conversation that Twilight should have been having.
"Well that's true. Princess Luna's a lot nicer'n ya would have thought from the stories everypony tells about her."
The truck shuddered as Luna's gait faltered. She coughed and looked away from the path for a moment. "Stories?"
"Oh, just foals talk. Like sayin' she can sneak into your dreams an' steal your soul and stuff? Folk'll come up with all sorts of tales about things they don't rightly understand."
Twilight realised she was holding her breath and let it out as a gentle sigh. This, she reasoned to herself, was why bringing Applejack along was a bad idea. The farm pony had absolutely no sense of propriety sometimes. Wait, wasn't that more Rarity's line? Come to think of it, what was Twilight's line these days? 'Friendship is magic' didn't seem to apply and in any case it seemed a bit stale. Great, another problem to solve.
She shook her head to try and clear the thoughts away. "They're just silly stories from silly ponies."
"Exactly," Applejack replied, casting a small frown at Luna. As Applejack saw her, Sable was staring off toward the horizon with a distant gaze, seemingly lost in the view and also lost to the conversation in general. The farmer gave Luna a gentle nudge to try and draw her out of the melancholy. "Hey, so I thought I might team you up with Pixie and Nickajack on the south orchard tomorrow. Ain't quite so heavy that way. Or mebbe—"
Luna's head snapped around. "Maybe? Applejack, if you no longer feel I am of any use—"
"Sable, you start that agin..."
Luna recoiled and blinked. Her mouth had formed a small 'o' that snapped shut. "I am sorry, Applejack."
"Don't sweat it none sugarcube. Y'see I was just thinkin' about how Ginger was one of my markers." Applejack's mouth turned down a fraction as she spoke. "An' that doggone son of a mule Narrow was another. I've been stuck markin' with Spritzer 'cause those replacements we hired is about as new at the job as you are."
Applejack glanced at Twilight as if seeking permission to go on, to which Twilight could only respond with a shallow nod. As if it'd make any difference. She sidled up alongside Luna as the conversation continued and tried to pay attention.
"They ain't up to much 'cept kickin things and lookin' pretty. I swear Spritzer picks em for their docks 'cause they ain't got more than half a brain between 'em, wouldn't know an apple if it landed on their dang head."
"Whereas I have ample experience in that particular field," Luna replied with a half smirk. The apple farmer choked back a laugh.
"Ain't that the truth!" Applejack rolled her neck until it cracked. The sound seemed unnaturally loud in the still night air as it echoed back and forth amongst the trees. "Anyway, I couldn't help notice ya'll are pretty observant, kinda like Twilight here when she ain't—uh... kinda like Twilight here."
"I certainly am able to observe that Twilight appears less than enamoured with your implied criticism of her more errant behaviours," Luna said, her expression solemn as could be. Her eyes were closed and she couldn't see the slightly confused glaze that crept across Applejack's as she tried to parse the sentence, nor could she see the death glare Twilight shot at the two mares.
"That ain't exactly what I—"
"It is well, Applejack! I am sure all three of us appreciate a jest spoken in good humour."
"A good joke, sure," Twilight grumbled. Luna slowly turned her head to look at Twilight, confusion narrowing her eyes until she looked away again. Maybe she just didn't realise what she'd said? Maybe Twilight was taking things too personally. Maybe Applejack shouldn't be implying that she was crazy.
But had she been implying that? Or was Twilight just inferring from an innocent statement? Luna had said she—but then Luna could have been needlessly inferring as well, extrapolating meaning where non existed and frankly it was easy to assume that no meaning existed in anything Applejack said be—Now now Twilight, you're just being mean for the sake of mean this time.
"Twi, mind the gate!"
"What—"
Twilight heard the crunch of breaking wood at the same time as a sharp pain shot through her horn and into her skull. She clamped her jaw against a reflexive screech. Iead of her, just at the edge of her vision she could see her horn embedded in a thick gatepost, deep enough to cleave a slight crack in the grain. She tugged her head back to free herself and was rewarded with another sharp pain that shot to the base of her skull.
Her pained yelp drew the others closer. Applejack's face swam into her vision, upside down and radiating concern.
"You all right?"
"I've been better," Twilight managed between gritted teeth. She didn't even consider trying to pull herself free this time. "Lu—"
"Twilight, do not speak."
"I think she's stuck." Applejack's face receded and was replaced with Luna. Through Sable's eyes she gave Twilight a knowing look and just the hint of a grin whilst her magic probed gently at the wood.
"Indeed, you do appear to be rather firmly embedded, Twilight Sparkle," she said. The timbre of Luna's magic shifted subtly as she altered the focus of her spell. "It is the lot of the unicorn to always remain aware of her life's direction, lest she place her horn places it was not meant to be."
"Quoting Starswirl isn't getting me out of—" Twilight hissed as the wood suddenly released its grip on her horn, sending another jolt of pain into her head. She flopped backward onto her haunches and gripped her skull with both hooves as a pained moan escaped her mouth. "That really hurt!"
"I am sorry that you were inconvenienced, Twilight," Luna said as she backed away.
"No I mean it really hurt," Twilight shot back. She gently tapped her horn and winced at another sharp stab of pain in her skull. "I think might have sprained it."
She saw Applejack glance at Luna and then raise a hoof. "Y'all can do that?"
"Yes! Ow..." Twilight lowered her head and tried not to think about anything sharp. She felt a warmth before her and saw the shadow of Luna's truncated form lingering before her. A gentle hoof lifted her chin.
"Forgive me Twilight, I did not wish to make light of your injury." Luna smiled. Her head turned briefly as she looked toward Applejack but Twilight could already see the skein of magic curling around her horn again. "It seems she has partially dislocated her medial fornicoma. We call it a sprain because the sensation is somewhat similar, though it can be much more dangerous if left untreated."
A frown crossed Applejack's face, the one she tended to get when Twilight was trying to explain even the most basic of magical concepts. After a few moments the frown faded. "Ya want me to get some bandages or, I dunno, a sling maybe?"
"It is well, Applejack. All that is required is a little of my own spellcraft."
"Right, right."
Luna's amused eyes returned to Twilight as her magic began to probe at the injury. "And you were worried I or Applejack would do something silly. You ought to be more careful, Twilight."
"Yeah well that gate post just came out of nowhere," Twilight mumbled. She sighed gently as Luna's magic worked into her flesh and soul, filling up familiar pathways with an entirely unfamiliar power. As the spell expanded she could sense the immense pool of power Luna was holding back and briefly wondered if other unicorns reacted to her own strength the same way. Then she heard a voice.
We spoke not of your accident, Twilight Sparkle.
Twilight gasped. The voice was certainly Luna's; not the one she spoke with as Sable, but her own. It sounded immense, seeming to come at Twilight from every direction at once and impossible to ignore.
In your anger you all but spoke our name and would have revealed our nature to Applejack. You would not have done so had you accepted our friendship toward her without rancour or resentment. It ill behooves you to treat her so harshly.
There was a strange echo to Luna's voice as it flowed around her mind; Twilight had a sense that it was somehow linked to the ebb and flow of Luna's magic as it worked deeper into her body. The magic was alien, a tangled web of light threaded with what Twilight's mind could only interpret as strands of dark emptiness. Without thinking she pushed her mind toward the threads, trying to discern their structure.
The power she sought began to wane like a flow of water constricted by a valve.
Twilight, you must relax! We cannot complete this magic if you are attempting to analyse it.
Twilight's head bobbed, almost a nod. She pawed at the ground, letting herself fall into the flow of the magic until even that tiny, analytical part of her mind was lost in the experience. A relieved moan escaped her lips as the pain receded.
And then, as gently as it had begun, the spell ended. For Twilight it was like waking from a dream. She had no idea when she'd closed her eyes but now opening them was the last thing she wanted to do. Twilight let her mind drift in a fuzzy emptiness for a while, but that same small part refused to let her relax for very long. There were still traces of Luna's magic teasing at her perception, hinting at the structure of the spell she had just endured, tiny strands clinging to her consciousness like cobwebs.
It was no good. With her mind winding itself into problem-solving mode, the last vestiges of her blissful rest were burned away like mist in the morning sun. Twilight let out a contented sigh and opened her eyes.
Applejack stared back at her. The farmer had seated herself just inside the gate, in the shadows of a gnarled old tree spotted with shrunken-looking crab apples and incongruous blossoms; she looked as if she'd been watching Twilight for some time. The slightest crease of a frown had formed on her forehead. Without warning she stood and returned to the cart, where she began fussing with the equipment in some apparently futile attempt to distract herself. Futile because every now and then she would turn to look at Twilight, still frowning, before looking away again.
Luna stepped across Twilight's vision, cutting off her view of Applejack and everything else.
"Do you feel better, Twilight?"
"Oh." Twilight gingerly tapped her horn and then ran a simple spell through it. "Oh much better! That magic—"
"Shall be explained another day," Luna replied, her expression solemn, though her eyes twinkled at Twilight's eagerness to learn. "For now I must speak to Applejack of our work tomorrow."
"O-okay."
Twilight watched Luna and Applejack as they convened at the cart, returning to whatever topic had animated their conversation until now. Any last dregs of Twilight's relaxation were gone, washed away by the fierce beat of her heart and the buzzing sensation in her legs that all but forced her to dance on the spot. The urge to move became irresistible and she soon found herself tramping back and forth as the pair talked. Finally they resumed their journey, hauling the cart between them. As Twilight cantered through the gate to follow she heard Luna's raucous laughter echoing back along the path.
Her legs locked. For a moment Twilight considered simply abandoning the night and going home to a well-deserved rest, but the thought of Luna and Applejack enjoying her special night would have made it impossible for her to relax anyway. With a frustrated growl she kicked out at the tree. The ancient trunk shuddered under the blow, sending a cascade of bright white blossoms over Twilight's head that in any other moment she might have found beautiful, but which now became nothing but a cruel mockery of the night sky she loved. Adding injury to the insult a single apple dislodged from the tree and bounced off her head with a quiet pok. She glared at the bitter fruit as it rolled to a halt before her. Kicking it wouldn't achieve anything, she told herself. It was only a piece of fruit.
The crab apple was sent flying into the shade of the orchard by a well-placed hoof. Grumbling under her breath, Twilight set off at a trot to catch her companions before they were equally lost amongst the trees.
The moon had crested the horizon and was hauling slowly into the sky by the time the trio reached Applejack's 'thinking spot', a name she'd had to pull out of nowhere when Twilight had demanded the information for her notes. Apparently it was important, although Celestia knew why. The place was the place. It didn't need a name.
"A personal place is named in our heart," Sable had said out of earshot of their friend, which had felt like an agreement and that was good enough for Applejack.
They were unpacking equipment, most of which seemed to Applejack to be expensively pointless and needlessly complicated. Both unicorns had assured her everything here was necessary but she couldn't quite see how. Why'd they need two telescopes anyway? And why the expensive seats when a blanket and a pillow would be just fine?
Sable hadn't laughed at the questions but the amusement in her replies had been obvious, so Applejack just left it at that. No point making herself look dumb. She hauled one of the larger boxes onto her back and carried it over to the crest of the escarpment, where Twilight had seated herself with a little stack of parchment and a flask of coffee.
The scarp stood proud of a little knot of wildlings, their branches heavy with lush golden fruit that Applejack occasionally took as a nice late-summer treat. From her vantage, even in the dark, Applejack could see the weight of the year's crop in the sluggishly exaggerated motions of the cultivated orchard below. She shook her head yet again at the ridiculous nature of her worries, the irony of having too many apples, but at the same time she felt an odd little tingle in her chest at the thought of the extra help that meant she'd be getting.
Twilight didn't acknowledge her approach at first, seemingly lost in the night sky above. Applejack scuffed her hoof in the dirt and waited a moment before speaking.
"So. Where do y'all want this one?"
The unicorn jumped and squeaked at the sound of Applejack's voice. As Twilight turned Applejack was sure she saw the fleeting traces of a frown on her friend's face, but the expression was gone before it could properly register. Perhaps it had been a trick of the light.
Twilight tapped her chin and peered at the box. She pointed to a spot near the trees. "Leave it out of the way over there for now. I'm not sure we'll need it after all."
"Oh." Applejack looked over her shoulder at the box resting on her back and shrugged. "What is it anyhow?"
"Instruments," Twilight replied with a shrug. She levitated the box from Applejack's back and set it on the ground. "Actually I should probably keep the astrolabe and spectrograph. The rest can—is that a helioscope? Why did I bring a helioscope?"
Twilight held up a small wooden instrument that looked like a cross between a telescope and an old-fashioned chaff cutter. A small white panel on the back faced the eyepiece of the scope where it caught a faint glow of moonlight as the instrument moved its lense across the sky.
"That for lookin' at the sun?"
"It—yes. Yes, how did you know?" Twilight lowered the helioscope carefully back to its case and closed the lid. The case floated away in her magic while she turned her attention to Applejack.
"I hear you talkin about sunspots an' things sometimes, and I figure ya ain't gonna be staring right at the sun to see em, right?" Applejack paused for Twilight's confirmatory nod. "Y'all want some way of seein' em without looking straight at it. So you'd want to take your telescope into a dark room maybe and point it at the sun through a hole somewhere, an then let the light shine through on something else like that bit of paper at the back, right? Sort of like when you use a magnifyin' glass to light a fire. Only without the fire."
"That's pretty accurate," Twilight replied. She was frowning again. With another gentle flare of her horn the helioscope was retrieved from its case and laid on the floor between them. Twilight stared at it for a while, deep in thought, one hoof gently stroking the helioscope's seasoned wood frame. She looked up at Applejack again. "You worked all that out just from looking at it?"
"Sure, I guess. Just seemed obvious is all."
"Oh." Twilight's gaze lowered to the instrument again. "Applejack, I—"
"Hold that thought, sugarcube," Applejack said, holding up a hoof for silence before Twilight could protest. She looked back into the orchard, trying to pin down the sound she'd just heard. "I'll be right back."
Ignoring Twilight's frustrated sigh Applejack cantered back toward the shelter of the trees, her ears perked and roving as she tried to catch hold of what had sounded suspiciously like groaning wood. She halted on the very cusp of the orchard and peered into the darkness. "Sable? Y'all wanna come here for a minute?"
Applejack waited for Sable's quite approach. The unicorn seemed very timid all of a sudden, barely lifting her hooves from the ground as she trotted to Applejack's side. Her eyes were fixed on the darkness under the trees.
"Is there something you wished to know, Applejack?"
"More something I wanted to tell—" Applejacks ears perked as the same sound echoed between the trees, almost silent in the still night air. She let her ears roll toward it and waited. "You hear that?"
"I did not."
Applejack shrugged and took a careful step toward the treeline. Again a quiet, creaking groan came to her ears, rolling softly over the scrubby grass of the orchard floor. Sable's frown deepened and she too took a step toward the orchard.
"How about now?"
"I believe I heard something."
Applejack smiled slightly to herself, a tiny knot of pride forming in her chest at how fast her 'student' was learning. "That'll make things easier when you're marking tomorrow."
"I do not understsand."
"When pappy started teaching me how to buck apples one of the first things he did was bring me out here to the orchards late at night. To listen, he said it was, and to learn."
Applejack's smile broadened a little at the memory of those early days of her life. The world had seemed so enormous and exciting. She took another step and soon was walking in amongst the trees with Sable following close behind, the unicorn's head twisting left and right as she looked around the silent trunks.
"Trees talk if you're careful to listen. They can tell us what the weather's goin' to do, what they're goin' to do, when they're ready to be harvested and a whole bunch of other things in between. Sometimes you can get two trees right next to one another and one'll be ready to go while the other'll need a week's wait. If your hearin's right they can tell you that."
"Is this not an earth pony skill? To hear the trees..." Sable's steps faltered at the sound of another quiet groan nearby. Wind rustled the canopy about their heads, leaves shivering in the breeze and setting their trees moving to a gentle rhythm that soon had Applejack swaying along with it. Beside her Sable raised her head and closed her eyes.
"Maybe y'all got a little earth pony somewhere in ya family huh?"
"I—that is not—" Sable bit her lip and her body tensed. She looked away from Applejack as she spoke.
"Oh sugar, I didn't mean to—"
"It is well, Applejack," Sable replied stiffly. "I am not offended despite what you may feel, but I do not believe this is a productive use of our time tonight."
"That so?"
Sable lowered her eyes as she stepped closer to Applejack's side. She brought her head close to the farmer's neck and held it there so that their coats weren't quite touching. "I am sorry, Applejack. I made a promise to Twilight. I intend to keep it."
"Sure," Applejack replied. She smiled despite inwardly cursing her stupidity and forced her ears forward before they could put the lie to her cheery expression. "I guess I got ahead of myself."
"Perhaps. I do not wish to reject your tutoring in this way, but as I said, I have obligations this night."
"Maybe. Ya gotta learn this some time if you're gonna help out, but I suppose tomorrow is as good as any."
"Of course," Sable replied as she turned away. She paused to look over her shoulder at Applejack before cantering back toward the scarp. Applejack waited until the unicorn was out of earshot and then thrust her hoof against the nearest trunk. The sturdy tree shuddered under the blow, casting free a few dry leaves that slowly spiralled to the ground around Applejack.
"Aw horseapples." Applejack leaned against the tree, gently pressing a hoof to its bark. The tree shivered and seemed to lean toward her in the faint breeze. Shaking her head she let her hoof trace over its rough bark and tried to ease the tension out of her back and shoulders. Maybe another visit to the spa... "You think maybe I'd learn to keep my big yap shut once in a while, huh?"
The tree remained silent as trees were wont to do, being generally rather poor conversationalists at the best of times. Applejack gave its bark a final pat and moved away, her mind turning over the conversation, trying to find some way to reverse the damage she was sure she'd done. After just a few steps she heard a crack and thrash of something falling through the leaves above; she looked up just in time for an apple to bounce off her forehead.
"So that's what that feels like," she mused. The apple had fallen to the floor at her hooves and Applejack, not wanting to waste a perfectly fine fruit, picked it up. She considered downing the apple there and then, but then a better idea came to her. Two swift kicks to the tree later and Applejack was carrying a trio of perfectly ripened bright red apples out to her friends.
"Snack time," she called as she stepped out of the trees. The two unicorns turned to look at her, Sable with a smile and Twilight with a scowl that she was trying very hard to hide. Between them a pair of telescopes had been set up to point at different parts of the sky. Most of the cases Twilight had insisted on bringing remained in a neat stack near the cart, unopened.
Not receiving any obvious response, Applejack cantered to Twilight's side and dropped the apples on a low table she'd set up. Before they even landed one of the apples was seized in Sable's magic and whisked away for close examination.
"Are these not the winesaps we shared yesterday?"
"Nope. Red Delicious," Applejack replied. Sable seemed to be in high spirits, for all that Applejack was sure she'd insulted the mare again just moments earlier. The unicorn had already chewed through half of her apple before Twilight even bothered looking at the other one.
"So many names for a humble fruit." Sable took another huge bite from the apple and chewed slowly as her attention returned to the telescope. Magic flickered across the surface of the instrument as she adjusted it. "It is as if each has its own life and purpose."
"They're all still just apples when you get to the core of it," Twilight muttered. Applejack chuckled at the pun, but her mirth was short-lived as Twilight shot her a sour look. Trying to fill the awkward silence between the three, Applejack sidled up to her friend's side and tried to look at some of her discarded notes. Twilight hastily pulled the sheets of paper into a neat stack and flipped them over.
Okay then. Applejack pushed her hat back and turned her face toward the heavens. "So. What are y'all lookin' at tonight?"
"A conjunction." Twilight's reply was curt and without the excitement she usually displayed when she was involved in anything remotely scientific.
"It is the conjunction of Erato and Pistis, the event we wished to show to you and your friends a few days hence."
"Or we could tell everypony now and ruin the surprise."
Sable gave Twilight a sideways glance before rolling her eyes, though she was smiling all the same. Applejack wasn't quite sure what to make of that smile. It seemed far too knowing.
"I would tell you more," Sable continued as she made a few final adjustments to her telescope. She smiled again at Applejack as the farmer sidled over to the scope. "Apparently I am sworn to secrecy on that matter, however I cannot stop you from observing the night sky."
"So y'all need to look at 'em through that thing?"
"Oh heavens no! The telescopes allow us to more accurately gauge the motion of the planets so that we might know when they will reach their closest apparent approach. The conjunction will be clearly visible to all when it reaches its peak a few days hence. In fact it is already visible now."
"I guess, uh—" Looking around the horizon, Applejack tried to spot whatever they were talking about. "I don't rightly know where I'm supposed to look."
Sable moved around the 'scope and up alongside Applejack, pressing herself just a little closer than Applejack was comfortable with. She tried to shuffle away but Sable's foreleg caught around her shoulders, pulling them together. The astronomer head out a hoof toward a bright light close to the horizon.
"Pistis." The hoof swept toward a second light a little higher in the sky. "Erato. In current astronomical terms they are called two of the Late Planets, but they and their compatriots were once called the Lights of Luna's Mane. Each one was said to represent something close to her heart."
"That ain't something I ever learned in school."
After a short silence Sable's leg slipped from Applejack's body and she moved away, resuming her place on the far side of the telescope. She looked up at the stars, blinking her eyes but smiling. "It is not widely known beyond a select circle."
"That's true, even I didn't know until right this second," Twilight muttered. When Applejack turned to look the unicorn had her eye pressed firmly to the eyepiece of her telescope; the other was still open but staring at nothing. A large book hovered near her head, filled with ranks of neatly ordered numbers and carefully drawn diagrams.
"You never asked about it."
"Neither did Applejack," Twilight shot back. Sable huffed and took a step toward Twilight but her response was cut short when Applejack lifted a hoof to her chest. Shaking her head, Applejack gave the unicorn a short but meaningful glare.
"She's right, y'know. I didn't ask in so many words, ain't no point gettin' mad at her for tellin' the truth is there?"
"Of course you are right, Applejack." Sable lowered her head and closed her eyes as she spoke. "I apologise for involving you in our dispute."
Applejack shook her head. It seemed Sable and Twilight shared more than just book smarts and telescopes. "I ain't the one ya should be apologisin' to, sugar."
She nodded her head toward Twilight and gave Sable another firm stare. The unicorn frowned briefly; for a moment Applejack wondered if she might have to make the point more bluntly, but then Sable bowed her head again and slowly trotted over to Twilight's side. The two spoke quietly, though most of the conversation seemed to be dominated by Twilight's urgent whispers with just the occasional muted response from Sable. After a moment of silent contemplation Sable muttered a final thought to Twilight and then gently but briefly nuzzled Twilight's cheek and neck. The move seemed to surprise Twilight almost as much as Applejack, leaving her blinking and staring at Sable's retreating form as the dusky unicorn made her way back to Applejack's side.
"We have reached an accord," Sable said quietly. A confused frown flashed across her face as if some important thought had occurred to her. Tilting her head, she smiled at Applejack. "That is, we have come to an agreement. This place will be adequate for our purposes, if you so choose to allow it. However her acceptance of my apology was conditional on she and I spending some time alone here."
"What? But that ain't—"
"Applejack." Sable's ears turned briefly toward Twilight as she took another step forward. She held her head close to Applejack's own and lifted her mouth close to Applejack's ear. At the same time Applejack felt a hoof brush against her chest. "As you said, I was at fault and if this is what it takes to regain Twilight's affections then it is what I must do."
Lowering her eyes again, Sable turned away to gaze at the horizon to the east. As Applejack followed Sable's gaze she saw Ippomeda cresting the treetops. Each of the constellation's stars glowed bright and clear against the night sky, far brighter than she ever recalled seeing them before; around it she could see other parts of the tale of bucking butch shining like beacons
For the shortest of moments even the faint breeze across the scarp died, leaving the air still and silent as a summer noon.
"Perhaps it is my quest," Sable murmured. A gust of wind ruffled her mane and forelock as she turned to look at Applejack, a faint but determined smile gracing her features. She lifted her chin; the smile disappeared. "Please indulge me this small way, Applejack. I shall see you at first light if you still desire it."
"Uh, sure," Applejack mumbled, rubbing the back of her head. She wasn't entirely sure what had just happened, but it was probably up there with the top ten strangest things she'd seen on the farm. "Bright'n'early, like you say. I'll make sure y'all get a proper breakfast this time."
"My thanks, Applejack," Sable replied with an overly formal bow. A the very base of it she looked up and winked, grinning at Applejack's discomfort with the peculiar honour. Chuckling nervously, Applejack pushed her hat forward and turned away from the scene.
Applejack paused near the cart to retrieve her saddlebag and took a moment to look back at the two unicorns; they were already deep in conversation, Twilight gesticulating broadly at the sky as she spoke and clearly in higher spirits than a few minutes earlier. Sable seemed to have perked up too, sitting quietly to one side and nodding occasionally as Twilight spoke. Now and then she would point to some part of the sky and say a few words, which would set Twilight off on another monologue.
They seemed happy.
With a sigh and a shake of her head Applejack turned away from the scene and trotted back beneath the cover of the orchard. Beneath the trees the moonlight shone bright and clear, dappling the meadowgrass between the tree trunks like a summer glade wrought in fine silver. She soon found herself slowing to take in the sights and smells of the night, her hoof-falls slow and gentle as she enjoyed a feeling of absolute peace.
Despite the peace she felt restless, her limbs burning with a desire to run. No direction in mind, no place to run to, just a feeling, a demand that she run. Applejack almost did run, but the weight of her saddlebag and the knowledge that running in the dark was asking for trouble – even with the moon so bright as it was tonight – kept her hooves planted firmly on solid ground as she fought the urge all the way back to her home.
That night Applejack dreamed of galloping through a vast and trackless wood, her laughter flowing freely as her mane, her hooves cutting divots in the loose litter of the forest floor. She danced between the trees as she led her unseen companion on a wild chase, calling to one another in wordless joy as they ran.
She woke just as they tumbled together in a broad, sunlit meadow. Applejack found herself wrapped in her sheets, drenched in sweat and panting furiously. Her room felt muggy and warm, the air humid and stale on her tongue. Wordlessly Applejack struggled out of the snake-like tangle of sheets and stumped across to fling her window wide, letting in a cool morning breeze. The moon had long set and a faint thread of light stretched across the eastern horizon.
Applejack stared at the light for some time, but even as she turned away to her morning routine her mind was still lost to that sun-soaked grass, the distant paradise of forests and fields, and the longing that had filled those bright blue-green eyes gazing down at her.