//------------------------------// // Interlude: Narcoblixes in the Night, Part 3 // Story: Apples in the Moonlight: Crackshipping Applejack and Luna // by bahatumay //------------------------------// Lightning Dust hit the cobblestone floor silently, her hooves barely making a sound on impact. She smirked to herself. She was picking up this whole sneaking around at night thing quickly. “Lightning Dust,” Luna said, not looking up as she continued to write. “Thank you for coming so quickly.” Lightning winced and her pride quickly deflated. Maybe she wasn't as good as she'd thought. Still, she tried to save as much face as she could. She straightened up and pulled a smile onto her face. “I live for speed, your highness; call me and I'm right there.” Luna smiled and turned around. “Indeed; and now that I need you in Ponyville, I am certain you will be right there as well.” Lightning winced again, harder this time. “P- Ponyville, your highness?” “Yes; you know of it?” “I'm… familiar,” Lightning said, deciding to not mention her history with the ponies that lived there. “Excellent. There are rumors of a narcoblix in the area, and I wish for you to go check it out. Seek it out. Interview the townsponies, if needed. Seek out anything suspicious.” “You mean the ponies in Ponyville?” Lightning asked, her voice a bit more shrill than she would have hoped. The scratching of the quill stopped. “Is there a… problem with that?” Luna asked. “Not at all!” Lightning said quickly. “No ma'am. Not in the slightest.” She pulled what she hoped was a convincing smile on her face. Luna seemed to buy it; she looked back down and the scratching of the quill continued. “Good. You will find a necklace in the armory that has been set out for you. It has been enchanted and will point you towards the narcoblix. Remember, your mission is to observe, not to attack; unless you are engaged, of course. Stay safe; do not get bit.” Lightning saluted smartly. “You can count on me, princess!” she said. Luna looked up and watched her leave, and then returned to her writing. Then she paused as a new thought occurred to her. Did Lightning realize she was also to take the narcoblix kit with mistletoe-infused woolen scarf, thick rib cage padding, and silver-splintered shoulder pads and hoofguards as well? She dismissed the thought with a quick shake of her head. Surely Lightning Dust would not be so reckless as to attempt to take on a narcoblix wearing only her thin Shadowbolt uniform. * * * Wearing only her aerodynamic Shadowbolt uniform, Lightning Dust crept into the town. There was a narcoblix in this town, and she was going to kick its flank into next Tuesday. If it tried anything funny, of course. And it probably would; there was a reason Luna had sent such an awesome pony like her. She hefted the necklace with a hoof and glanced down. The intricately carved stone suspended in the middle of the charm rotated, pointing her in the right direction. She looked up… and it was pointed right at the large purple crystal castle. “Oh.” Lightning Dust shifted her weight. If she remembered correctly (and she was pretty sure she had), that one new princess lived here. The purple one. The one that was good friends with Rainbow Dash. She groaned and dragged a hoof down her face. She didn't want to hurt Rainbow's friends. As much as it had pained her to be asked to 'try out again next year' at the Academy, she still had more than a few shreds of respect for Rainbow Dash. She often dreamed that Rainbow would go flying with her; there weren't many ponies who could keep up with Lightning Dust, and so she would have liked to remain on good terms with the few that could. Still, she had a job to do. She would never be a good captain of the Shadowbolts if she couldn't get done what needed to be done. And besides, if it all went south, she could find other training partners. Now resolute, she dropped the necklace and stood up. She had work to do. * * * Twilight's eyes snapped open. Her mouth turned down into a frown, and her eyes narrowed. There was somepony in her castle that should not have been. She slowly slid out of bed. Creeping along, she slid across the carpet and poked her head out. Her eyes narrowed. She could see a pony up in the air, looking around. Her eyes narrowed further. Why would such a delicious target waltz right into her lair? She reached for the desk just inside her room and picked up a small ink pot that had been capped firmly to prevent the ink from drying out. She hefted it once, then rolled it over across the top of the stairs. The distraction worked. The pegasus spun around. Twilight thought she could almost see her smile. She crept along the roof and then dove down. Too late, she saw that there wasn't anypony there. She couldn't stop in time, and crash-landed right into the stair parapet. Twilight chuckled and backed further into the shadows. The pegasus sat up and scowled. She looked around to see where her target had vanished to. Being able to see in the dark, Twilight recognized her attacker was blind. With a devious smile flitting across her face, she slid her rear hoof over and knocked a book off the second floor balcony. It fell through the air silently, then hit the ground with a thump that sounded amplified in the quiet night. The pegasus dove back down, but skidded to a stop midair as she realized once again that she had been tricked. She growled and pushed up her goggles and scanned the castle once more; and the way she curled her hooves and swished her tail made it clear that she was looking for a fight. Twilight grinned maliciously. Why not give her visitor a little of what she wanted? She stepped into the shaft of moonlight and whistled, as if she were calling a dog. Enraged, the pegasus charged… but Twilight was faster. Calculating her trajectory, she sidestepped at the very last second to get out of her way, shifted her weight, reached out with her forehooves, and slammed Lightning Dust to the ground. Lightning's chin slammed against the ground, stunning her, and then she got the wind knocked right out of her when Twilight pounced on her back. Before she could roll over to recompose herself, Twilight leaned down and drove her teeth into her neck. Twilight straightened up, shocked at her body's instinctive reaction. Lightning rested a hoof against her neck. Twilight's teeth had penetrated her thin suit. “You bit me!” she accused. “I bit you…” Twilight stammered. “Why would you do that?” Lightning whined. “Instinct?” Twilight offered. “Twibright!” “Twilight,” Twilight corrected instinctively. “What am I gonna do?” Lightning whimpered. “I got bit! She specifically said to not get bit and I got bit!” She looked back at Twilight, and her eyes almost teared up. “Am I going to die?” she whispered. “No, no no no,” Twilight said hurriedly. “You're just… irreversibly bound to me now and I can control your body whenever you sleep or are otherwise unconscious.” She smiled widely, trying to put Lightning at ease. Lightning Dust fainted. Twilight grimaced as she suddenly felt that Lightning Dust was available. That had gone well. * * * A bat pony guard entered and bowed. “Your highness?” “Mm?” Luna asked. “Lightning Dust has returned.” Luna straightened up and set down her scroll. “She returns quickly,” she said, pleased. “Let her enter.” Sure enough, when she turned around, Lightning Dust was there, bowing deeply. She took a steadying breath and made her report. “I have found and made contact with the narcoblix. It is the new princess, Twilight Spackle.” “Sparkle,” Luna corrected. Her eyes narrowed and she began to pace. “Yes. That is exactly what I meant to say,” Lightning said quickly. “She always was curious,” Luna grumbled, “but this is going too far, even for her.” “It sure is,” Lightning said. “I must have words with her.” “Yeah, no kidding. Nopony gives words like you, princess.” Luna slowed to a stop and raised an eyebrow. “Is there a reason you're being especially agreeable tonight?” “N- no, not at all,” Lightning said. Luna had been alive far too long to fall for such simple deflections. She lit her horn and pulled over the neck of Lightning's suit. The two holes caught the candlelight and seemed to sparkle in the darkness. “You were bitten,” she observed flatly, releasing her hold. It didn't even have to be a question. Lightning Dust blushed through the fabric and bowed her head. “Yes, your highness.” “You didn't take the protective armor?” “I didn't realize it was for me,” Lightning defended herself weakly. Luna pointed to where the armor was still sitting, and now that she wasn't in a rush, Lightning found she could easily read the descriptions. She blushed harder and kept her eyes low. Her cheeks burned bright red. The question wasn't if she was to be punished, but how. Luna wouldn't kick her out, though. Would she? She might. What if she did? What would happen to her, then? Luna nodded, and then raised her head ever so slightly. “While your misconduct was grievous, and your foolishness immense, no real harm was done. I more than any know the value and need for second chances.” Lightning Dust exhaled shakily, relieved. Warm tears sprung at the corners of her eyes. But she had relaxed too soon. Luna straightened up. “Guard? Attend me.” A bat pony stallion stepped out of the shadows and bowed deeply. “How high can you count?” If the stallion was surprised by this question, he didn't show it. “As high as you need me to, your highness.” Luna nodded, approving of this answer. “Good. Lightning Dust here has chosen the path of strength in lieu of the path of wisdom. As such, she has just requested to do one thousand wing-ups to strengthen herself. Count for her; if her barrel does not touch the ground with every one, or if she ever loses control of her body and drops to the floor, she will start over.” The bat pony turned and looked at Lightning Dust, and he grinned. His fanged smile looked positively predatory. Lightning gulped. Luna glanced up at the clock, which read somewhat after three. “You are both dismissed when she completes her thousand, or when the clock strikes seven. Do not let her stop until then. Begin.” Lightning grimaced as she began. Her wings had just flown her to and back from Ponyville and were definitely not in prime, rested condition. At least she'd be ripped after this, right? Luna sniffed dispassionately. “Now, if you will excuse me, I have to have… words... with Twilight Sparkle.”