Apples in the Moonlight: Crackshipping Applejack and Luna

by bahatumay

Day After

Applejack sat inside the shade of the barn, tapping a barrel back into the proper shape and within the bounds of the metal restraining bands. A cooper she was not, but she wouldn't dare call herself an Apple if she couldn't get every necessary chore on the farm done. And she had indeed made good headway; after sleeping all yesterday, she'd worked hard all day today to try and catch up on the chores she'd missed. She'd certainly sleep well tonight.

The hairs on the back of her mane suddenly prickled, as if somepony were approaching. She looked up at the door, half-expecting to see her brother, but nopony was there. She shrugged and returned to her tapping.

The feeling wouldn't go away. Just to humor it, she looked up again.

Lightning Dust, still clothed in her Shadowbolt uniform, stood not four paces from her.

Applejack jumped, knocking her barrel to the ground. It fell to pieces as she glared at the trespassing pegasus. “How do y'all keep doing that?” she demanded.

Lightning Dust spread her wings. Now in the daylight, Applejack could see them better. Her wings were covered in a purple cloth that must have helped dampen the sound of her wingbeats.

Applejack frowned. “But I'm guessing you didn't come here just to show off your wings?”

Lightning Dust gave a little smile and held her wings outstretched for a bit longer than strictly necessary as she raised her goggles to her forehead; after all, every pegasus is proud of her wings. Then her expression became more serious as she folded them back down. “You didn't tell her,” she started.

Applejack blinked. “Tell who what?”

“Princess Luna, about that whole Wonderbolts Academy thing. You almost... you almost died.”

Applejack cracked a smile. Most of their adventures recently seemed to fit that statement. Frankly, now it would be more of a surprise to have a safe adventure. “Yeah?”

“You totally could have thrown me right into the microburst. She practically worships you all for un-nightmare-i-fying her. If you'd told her I had put you in danger, she would have stripped me out faster than a broken feather.”

“Yeah…?” Applejack repeated, still not understanding where Lightning was going.

“So why didn't you?” Lightning asked. She was almost desperate for an answer; her voice seemed almost pleading.

Applejack shrugged. “Why would I?”

“I dunno if you've noticed this, but you aren't exactly my number one fan,” Lightning Dust deadpanned.

“No,” Applejack admitted, “but that don't mean I hate you, either. Sure, you're an idiot, and more than a mite reckless, and maybe you’ve got an ego the size of a heifer pregnant with twins; but that don’t make you a bad pony. You’ve got good qualities, too. You’re driven, you’re focused, and you're willin' to sacrifice for what you want. If you calm down a bit and take some time for the ponies around you, and maybe let some of that hot air outta your head, you'll be a great Shadowbolt, and that's the honest truth.”

Lightning paused and pulled the goggles back down over her eyes… was she blushing? “Thanks,” she murmured. She took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. She turned to leave, but then shuffled back to face Applejack and lifted her goggles again. “Look… before I go, I gotta tell you something.”

“Shoot.”

“Luna's got the hots for you.”

Applejack stared at Lightning Dust for a full twenty seconds before bursting out laughing.

Another twenty seconds later, she realized that Lightning Dust was not laughing along, and her laughter slowly died, replaced by suspicion. “You're not pulling my tail here, are you?”

“Nope. She's been talking about you the whole time, ever since you left. Apparently, you're the greatest thing since sliced bread. And she really likes sliced bread. I guess it wasn't a thing a thousand years ago.”

Applejack shrugged. “So I made a good impression on her. Doesn't mean she's… what'd you say, 'got the hots' for me?”

Lightning Dust raised her hooves in a gesture of innocence. “Look, I just call it as I see it,” she said irritably, “and from what I saw, she's on the prowl and you're on the menu. If you end up having an amazing dream tonight, that's probably why.”

Applejack chuckled and rolled her eyes. “I'll keep that in mind,” she said, shaking her head. “Of course, with how long I've been up and with all the apple fritters Granny Smith's makin' tonight, I'll be sleeping like a rock anyw-”

Her voice trailed off. Lightning Dust was gone.

Applejack scrunched her nose. She hadn't even let her finish her sentence. “That was uncalled for,” she said loudly.

* * *

Applejack galloped through the orchard, laughing. The orchard was full of fragrant apples. She galloped through the fallen leaves and then reared up in exuberance, laughing as the leaves swirled around her. She continued running, and then suddenly she stopped in awe.

A patch of Moon flowers grew there in her orchard, planted in a deep red, clay-like mulch and surrounded by a small rock wall. It was pristinely kept; it looked as though it would easily have fit in in one of Canterlot's finest gardens. She leaned in and took a bite, and grinned over at Luna, who was standing nearby. She smiled at her pleasantly and gave her a satisfied nod before trotting away and fading into the shadows.

Then Applejack paused. This didn't make sense. Leaves on the ground and the trees? What season was it? And what was with these flowers? Didn't they only bloom at night?

Then she sat up. She was back in her bed, under her covers. Applejack frowned. She could swear she could still taste the Moon flower. “That was… strange,” she said.

She curled up and tried to sleep again, but doubt entered in her mind.

Maybe Lightning Dust had been right.

* * *

Luna chuckled softly to herself. Anything that made Applejack laugh was a good thing. She settled back on her couch and closed her eyes again as she reentered the Dreamscape. There were other subjects she needed to watch over, other nightmares that needed to be stopped; but she could always make time for Applejack.

Comments

[Aatxe360]

The gears turn.

[Hobbestc]

Of course there's always time for Applejack. AJ and Luna are the best ponies after all. Great story so far, keep it up!