Apples in the Moonlight: Crackshipping Applejack and Luna

by bahatumay

Best of Intentions

That evening, Applejack trotted into the fields and stopped when she was about right in the center. “Lightning Dust!” she called, rotating slightly to broadcast her voice further. “Lightning Dust, I know you're out here! Get down here, front and center!”

Applejack could hear a pony scowl. She spun around to see Lightning Dust, still wearing her Shadowbolt outfit, pushing her goggles up as she approached. “How did you know I was out here?” she asked accusingly.

“Lucky guess,” Applejack said. She paused, and then crinkled her nose. “But I might be able to smell you 'afore I see you pretty soon. When was the last time you washed that suit?”

Lightning flinched ever so slightly and her ears turned pink. “I don't like taking it off,” she said, smoothing it absentmindedly with a hoof. “But seriously. How did you know?”

“I just figured you were going to show up and brag about being right.”

Lightning straightened up. “Of course I'm right,” she said, head up, chest out, eyes closed in a show of personal pride. “I'm a Shadowbolt.” She paused, and then half-opened one eye suspiciously. “Right about what, exactly?”

“Luna having… the hots for me,” Applejack said, the slang term feeling odd on her tongue. “She's taking me to see some new type of crystal berry this Saturday. Just us. Alone.”

Lightning laughed. “Yeah! Told you!” she said, hitting Applejack lightly on the shoulder and bumping her with her flank, apparently a gesture of congratulations. “Get some, filly!”

“Yeah, but what am I gonna do?” Applejack asked.

Lightning blinked. “Go with her?” she suggested, as if the answer were that obvious.

Applejack suppressed the urge to facehoof. “You can't just date a princess of Equestria!”

“I've never tried,” Lightning said nonchalantly. “But I bet if you're a princess, you can pretty much do whatever you want; so if she wants to, you should probably just roll with it.”

She had probably been joking, but still Applejack grunted, unamused.

Lightning sighed. “Come on,” she said placatingly. “Luna's pretty cool. I mean, she gave me a second chance. The least you can do is give her a shot, just like you would a normal pony.” She paused, and continued a bit more quietly, “That's all she wants, really. To be treated like a normal pony.”

Applejack had to think about this. She'd never really considered herself involved with romantic activities; there had always been too much to do on the farm. And especially not with a princess. A princess and a farm worker? Sounded like some kind of fairy tale.

Then again, didn't all legends and fairy tales have truth somewhere in their history?

And if she wanted to know history, there was always one pony she could ask.

* * *

The next morning, Applejack trotted into the library and quietly shut the door behind her. She looked around furtively, and then sidled closer to Twilight and her chalkboard, attempting to look nonchalant.

This failed quite drastically; her out-of-character actions drew more attention than usual, and Twilight's writing slowed to a stop. She looked over and raised an eyebrow.

The jig was up, so Applejack trotted over and just started talking. “Hey, Twilight, is Spike around?” she asked, bringing a hoof up to scratch at her opposite foreleg.

Twilight turned away from the chalkboard to face her. “No, but he should be back soon. What do you need?”

Applejack scuffed a hoof. “Actually, I was hopin' to get a question answered without him here.”

Twilight frowned and set the chalk down. “Like what?” she asked.

“It's… sorta personal,” Applejack said.

Twilight licked her lips, somewhat apprehensive about where this was going. She was not good at sharing personal things. “Well, we're friends, aren't we?” she asked rhetorically, more to convince herself than Applejack.

Applejack steeled herself. “Have you ever thought about dating Celestia?”

Twilight exhaled, relieved that it was something trivial. “No, I can't say I did,” she said. “I was really young when I met her; I saw her as more of a maternal figure and a teacher than a love interest, and that's just how it's always been with me. But it's been done before. The histories show a few times where she's taken a lover. Why do you ask?”

“No reason,” Applejack said far too quickly.

Caught up in her lecture mode, Twilight didn't notice and continued. “She hasn't had one in many years, though. I guess it gets too hard to watch your husband wither away and die when you're immortal.”

Applejack's heart plummeted to the ground. She hadn't even considered that.

“And then there's that whole size issue,” Twilight continued. “I suppose that could be worked around in daily life, but I imagine it would make for some awkward wedding photos, as well as… a few other things.”

Applejack's face reddened a bit as it fell slightly further.

“And that's without considering how hard it would be for that stallion. Princesses are busy. It's a whole different lifestyle. Ponies just don't realize how much the princesses actually do. Even as her personal student, sometimes I'd have to wait hours to see her until she was done with her other duties.”

Applejack's ears drooped.

“Well, it felt like hours,” Twilight amended, “but I was a young filly. It probably wasn't; but I thought it was.”

Applejack grimaced. That didn't help.

“Either way, I doubt any relationship she could have would be very healthy. Besides, she's survived this long alone. I'm sure she's used to it. If anything, she'd turn down a relationship just so both ponies would be happy.”

“I see,” Applejack said slowly. “Thanks, Twi.”

“Any time!” Twilight said, blissfully unaware of just how hard she had just rained on Applejack's parade.

* * *

Applejack kicked the tree again, and, just like last time, only a few apples fell. She sighed. Her kicks had been of poor quality all day and she had lagged behind in her chores, but she had too much to do and could not simply stop working.

She glanced up at the sky and sighed. It was growing darker, and she still had no idea how she was going to tell Luna.

And then it was too late for planning. With a gentle rustle of the leaves, Luna approached. She walked closer to Applejack, apparently not wishing to offend her flightless companion. This time, she wore plain saddlebags, and simple eyeshadow, and she had chosen to travel sans ornamentation. It was a good look for her.

“Good evening, Applejack. Are you ready for tonight?”

Applejack turned to face her, but couldn't quite meet her eyes. “Uh…”

Luna continued, gushing. “I have brought Crystal Berry juice, for testing purposes, of course; and then-”

“I… I can't.”

Luna frowned, but quickly recovered. “That is acceptable,” she said. “It is not needful to do it tonight.”

“No, I mean… I can't.”

Luna's frown returned and her ears dipped slightly.

“I- I'm sorry,” Applejack said, before turning and running away.

Luna silently watched her leave. Eventually, Luna spoke, her voice low and quiet. “Guard? Attend me.”

A bat pony emerged from the shadows behind her, scampered in front of her, and bowed.

Luna's eyes never left from the spot where Applejack had disappeared. “Those are the words of a mare who is not interested in my advances, are they not?”

The guard grimaced, unwilling to answer. “Uh…”

“Answer me truthfully, Steel.”

The guard grit his teeth, for once cursing his regent's impeccable memory. “Yes, your highness.”

She nodded tightly. “Then leave me.” She turned and began to walk, then raised her voice. “All of you, leave me.” She looked pointedly over at the two ponies hitched to her chariot. “I will fly home on my own.”

Steel hesitated as Luna turned to do just that. “But, princess-”

Luna stopped, and she looked straight ahead. “Did my speech falter?” she demanded quietly. Her voice was slow and harsh, but still not louder than a whisper.

Steel quickly changed tactics. He tucked his tail down and scurried back into the shadows, vanishing instantly. Other noctrali took to the sky, fading away silently into the night. The chariot drivers flew apart in opposite directions and were yanked back together by the chains connecting them to the chariot, sending them crashing headfirst into each other before they managed to get their act together and fly away together.

Luna exhaled and continued to walk. She knew her stars. She knew her location. She knew her destination.

It was not often a princess roamed the Everfree. Luna couldn’t help but chuckle dryly at the animals’ noises in the night. Her night.

Her lovely, unappreciated night.

Soon, she arrived at the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters. Her hooves took her through its halls, over ruined staircases and through ruined walls, over rotted wooden spars and crumbling flagstones.

Finally, she returned to her room. Her eyes traced around her former quarters, lighting on familiar tapestries and patterns in the walls and even that broken candlestick on the wall she'd never gotten fixed. A sudden fit of rage seized her, and she threw the glass bottles of Crystal Berry juice that she had brought for Applejack against the wall, and felt only the tiniest bit better as she heard them shatter and spill their precious cargo all along the floor.

She paused to examine some of the things on her table, and her eyes rested on a metal statue of a mare with both wings and horn, but only briefly. She shook her head, dismissing those dangerous thoughts, and walked away. She had wreaked enough havoc in her past. There was no need for that again.

She would handle this on her own.

Comments

[Hobbestc]

[p61blkwidow]

this wasa really heart breaking chapter! luna needs apple jacks love,and trust.she has been hurt enough. i hope luna and apple jack will have a face to face talk soon.

[CryoKing96]

Well, you nailed Twi's oblivious attitude perfectly. She's my fave of the six but sometimes I want to give her a good shake.

Poor AJ and Lulu...

On an unrelated note, give me more Mac x Batgirl.

[wlam]

Twilight exhaled, relieved that it was something trivial. “No, I can't say I did,” she said. “I was really young when I met her; I saw her as more of a maternal figure and a teacher than a love interest, and that's just how it's always been with me.

Well, thank God for at least one story actually acknowledging that little bit. Twilight/Celestia stories always creep the hell out of me for exactly that reason.