What The Night Remembers

by TCSNxs

5. Up In The Night

What The Night Remembers
By: TCSNxs

Chapter Five
Up In The Night

The inherent mystery of the eventide is, dare I say,
greater then that of the day. Though the Lunar Princess controls
the moon and all the stars in the night's sky, she is as
much a slave to their whims as we are to our own wiles.
As such, I would even go so far to say that the dominion
of the moon is proof enough against the concept
of predestination.
~ Excerpt from Atmos' "The Beauty of Shadows"

After bidding farewell to Celestia, Twilight and Spike; Luna and Applejack were winding through the vast expanses of Canterlot Castle. Luna decided to move through some of the lesser used corridors towards the throne room. She scheduled the meetings early in deference to Applejack, who usually was anything but a night owl. Given that any high level government meetings were likely foreign to the farmer, Luna felt it wise to get the preliminaries out of the way and give Applejack a taste of things to come. Though few ponies traveled those expanses of marble, guards were still posted at various points and the halls always shined under the great care of the cleaning staff.

"Fair Applejack, I apologize for imposing such things upon you," Luna said with a genuine look on her face. She figured her friend had little use of for concepts like "Title" and "Station".

"Don't worry none," Applejack shrugged slightly, "Ah'm guessing it's more ceremonial than anything else."

"If only. The title of 'Lady' is real and shall be carried by you whenever you travel the halls of the castle, within Canterlot or throughout Equestria."

"Ah ain't goin' to be kissin' up to ponies that Ah'd rather buck in the teeth, am Ah?" the farmer felt her fur bristle a bit even as she spoke. To the always practical farmer, she never wanted a part of higher society, let alone a title that carried wait. To her thinking, such things didn't matter.

"Hardly," Luna looked directly into Applejack's eyes as she put a hoof to her friend's muscled shoulder, "It means is that whenever you walk these halls, you shall be treated with the respect you are due. It also means that you are guaranteed the protection of Celestia and myself anywhere in Equestria. The title was necessary to give your voice weight, should such needs arise."

"But besides that," Luna continued, "there is no obligation beyond that of simply being a friend. These things have been discussed at great length between Celestia and me. We wanted to bestow them upon you and other Elements after the incident with...my madness. The deeds you've done, fair Applejack, were no small feats. We...I simply wished to express that gratitude, my friend."

Applejack closed her eyes and nodded. She could accept that. Eventually, the farmer resumed her normal smile. The two continued their walk with Applejack leaning into the Lunar Regent for a moment. Luna's heart grew warm at the touch.

"So what do ya need from me then?" Applejack asked.

"Simply put, keep me from making a fool of myself."

"May as well ask a duck not to swim."

"Or a farmer to drop her accent."

"Ah can find where you sleep," Applejack threatened.

"And I know when you dream," Luna shot back while both ponies wore an easy smile.

The duo made their way through the halls to the throne room. Luna went over a few things for Applejack to expect. More or less, she was simply to clarify things and give her input into the meetings as she saw fit. To Applejack, it seemed straight forward enough.

The two ponies turned the last corner towards the decorated double doors that marked the entrance of the throne room. Silverhawk and Storm Wind were on either side of the doors. The leader of the Lunar Guard approached while Applejack whispered something into Luna's ear. The Lunar Regent gave the farmer an inquisitive look to which the farmer only nodded encouragingly. Silverhawk stopped a few paces in front of the Lunar Regent and broke into a quick bow.

"Your Highness, Lady Applejack," Silverhawk addressed in his usual tone, "The representatives from the Ministry are assembled inside. All those expected have been accounted for."

"Very good," Luna said while seemingly contemplating something, "Resume your post."

Silverhawk, Head of the Lunar Guard, snapped his hooves together with practiced perfection. Silverhawk had spent years drilling while under the watchful gaze of Captain Shining Armor and was as dedicated as any pony in the service. When Luna returned from her exile and put out a call for volunteers for her resurrected Lunar Guard, Silverhawk was the first to volunteer and took his oath to serve Equestria and Luna seriously. In his mind, those were the only things that mattered.

"Oh, and one more thing," Luna called after Silverhawk as the Lieutenant began to move back to his original position.

"Yes, Your Highness?" the guard answered quickly while he turned around, resuming his normal rigid stance

"Silverhawk, you've been the head of my beloved Lunar Guard for how long now?" Luna spoke in a bit of a husky tone. A half smile creased her face as she shifted her weight to her right.

"Three years, Your Highness," he puffed out his barrel a bit in pride.

"And if I were to ask you do something that, let's say, ran counter to everything you were trained to do," Luna moved very casually around him. She traced the tip of her wing along his armor, flicking it with a tinging sound once she reached the end. Luna circled around, looking him over as if she were appraising a piece of art, "Would you do it?"

"If it pleases Your Highness, of course," the guard stammered in slight confusion, though his expression never broke. Storm Wind, his usual duty partner, fought hard to keep the smile from his face.

Luna stopped in front of him, her eyes pointedly looking into his. Her lips were barely an inch from his while her breath was hot on his face. Silverhawk valiantly fought to keep the images of the logical course of events far in the back of his mind. He allowed himself a few fantasies about this sort of encounter, as any stallion would. But now that he was faced with it, he was unsure how to proceed. Luna looked longingly into his eyes.

"Smile once in a while, would you?"

To his credit, Silverhawk's confused expression only broke through his composure for a few seconds. It was enough to be noticeable to anypony with vision had they been there.

"Gotcha," Luna smirked. Applejack and Storm Wind worked hard to stifle their chuckles.

Silverhawk stepped back and bowed, as much to give him space to fully resume his composure as for any other reason. After rising, "If there is nothing else, Your Highness?"

"Of course. My apologies for any...misunderstanding," Luna returned to her normal, slightly amused look, "Resume your post."

As the flustered guard returned to his position, Applejack and Luna remained behind for a moment.

"Now why did I do that?" Luna asked.

"To settle a bet," Applejack remarked, "Dash owes me twenty bits."

"Oh."

Both ponies resumed their trot towards the double doors as the guards opened it before them. In place of the normal open space of the hall, there was a long table set up with all sorts of fineries while some important looking ponies milled about. One even wore a crown. Applejack took a deep breath, attempting to quell her nervousness.

"Announcing Her Royal Highness, Princess Luna and Lady Applejack, Advisor to Her Royal Highness," one of the ponies spoke while sporting a silly looking white, curly wig. Applejack wondered if he were some relation to Hoity Toity. The collected ponies bowed to Luna and Applejack.

Luna gave a deep nod. Applejack stood looking out at the collective affair before feeling a telekinetic yank on her tail. She quickly moved into a nod of her own. She glanced over to Luna, who wore a polite, formal look while the glow of her horn died away. Silverhawk and Storm Wind closed the doors slowly once the two were inside. Storm Wind quickly put a hoof to his mouth, futilely trying to suppress his laughter.

"Shut up," Silverhawk growled to his partner. He quickly took a whistle from under his armor and blew a quick cadence into it. Though it made no sound, a silver glow pulsated with the exhaling of Silverhawk's breath. After he finished, he maneuvered the whistle back under his chest plate. A minute later, an eager and recent recruit to the Lunar Guard by the name of Zealous approached. He paused in front of Silverhawk, snapping an crisp salute to his superior.

"Private," Silverhawk spoke in all the manner of a grizzled veteran, "Stand post until relieved. I shall return shortly."

Zealous dropped his salute and stepped aside as Silverhawk moved on his way. Zealous quickly assumed his superior's post with all the mannerisms befitting his name. Once Silverhawk turned the distant corner, Zealous looked towards Storm Wind, who merely grinned. No reason to inform the ranks of their leader's need to get acquainted with his bunk.

~(o)~

The meeting proceeded about as Applejack would have expected.

Despite promises of brevity from Luna, Applejack found the ponies droning on about taxes, revenue and subsidies. The farmer was unsurprisingly bored by it. Luna was more at home in this part of it as numbers were ever her forte. Calculations that took most ponies a few hours with calculators, Luna took minutes with her abacus. As the beads clacked and ideas of revenue flew over the meeting, Applejack tried her best to stay awake.

It wasn't entirely a losing effort thanks to the amounts of a smooth, hot drink she was given at Luna's behest. Where she was used to the acrid taste of the coffee Sweet Apple Acres usually brewed, this drink from the castle kitchen was more mellow and had a hint of vanilla. Into the second cup, felt her attention span returning. Applejack could feel her heart pumping mightily and the gears in her mind spinning quickly after the third. Luna urged her to nurse it, but Applejack was fighting against tedium and such battles demanded overwhelming force.

"Does the drink suit you?" Luna asked as the meeting broke for the evening. Luna counted about four cups by that time.

"Oh yeah. Ah thought I'd be a sleep right now, but Ah feel like Ah could buck an orchard's worth of trees and have enough energy left over to raise a barn. What do y'all put into this anyway cause Ah can't get my mind to settle down and think in a straight line. Not that it matters anyway cause of all the numbers y'all were doing. Oh hay, why's my muscle twitchin' like that?" Applejack spoke in rapid succession, "Hey, can Ah get another cup of that? It's mighty good stuff! What's it called anyway cause Ah think I might like it every day, ya know?"

Luna was counting away the seconds in her mind before the farmer actually breathed. Finally, Applejack paused for a breathe as Luna got to the count of 45, "It's called a 'Quad Shot'. It only takes one to 'wake up', as it were."

"Ah can see sounds," Applejack remarked as she continued streaming at the mouth. Luna simply sat bemused.

~(o)~

A few hours and many pints of water later, Applejack managed to calm enough to regain coherency. Luna understood the earth pony's fabled resiliency better then most, but even she marveled at Applejack's constitution. She made a personal note to test it later as they two walked through the private gardens the royal sister's maintained. Despite the layers of snow, the place held a floral aroma that reminded Applejack of late spring.

"Ah take back what Ah said earlier," the farmer remarked as the two walked towards the center of the gardens. She had a bit of a headache, but it was easing.

"About the rabbit in my head?" Luna queried as she looked towards the farmer.

"Nope. About wantin' that drink everyday."

"I did warn you," Luna said dismissively while shrugging a bit.

"Ah know, but it's still your fault."

"How so?"

"Ah'm pretty certain it says that in a contract somewhere."

"Perhaps I could give you access to the Royal Archives," Luna spoke as they rounded a bend. The chill breeze nipped at the their cheeks, though that seemed the last thing on their minds, "Maybe you might find the contract I made with Discord that says it's my fault that a certain mare's sister helped trigger his release?"

"Darn it," Applejack shook her head gingerly, "Ah apologized for that already. How many more times do Ah have to say Ah'm sorry?"

"As many times as I can get away with," Luna smirked as they continued their jaunt. Their hooffalls fell quiet against the snow while a few guards stood as impassive as the statues that dotted the hedged maze.

The sun was setting and Luna could feel the moon pulling at her as subtly as it did the oceans. Few ponies could ever understand the intimacy of that connection. Nature was ever an eternal thing, even more so than Luna and Celestia. While most simply respected and lived with it, the royal sisters revered it. Life was always different as when one lived as an aspect of something so eternal.

As they approached the center of the gardens, a fountain that was halfway completed marked the very center point of the gardens. Statues of other ponies, each with a purple gem at the base, rimmed the outside of the circular area. A tall, continual bush ran the circumference, save for the entrance. A gazebo and small stream marked the area while the sun hung lazily in the western sky. Luna could feel her sister's grasp on the solar body.

Applejack adjusted her Stetson as she looked around, "A monument to your vanity?"

"A private retreat," Luna corrected.

Applejack smiled softly as Luna felt herself warm again. The Lunar Regent contemplated it for a moment as she simply bathed in the glow she felt in the center of her chest. The moon's pull became more incessant though, stealing her attention away.

"Tis time for me to raise the moon," the Lunar Regent remarked.

"Ah won't stop ya."

"Not that you could."

"Ah don't know," Applejack quipped as she turned a sly eye to her companion, "Ah bet your as ticklish as a foal."

"Do be quiet!" Luna stomped a hoof as she hissed, "If such things were to ever get out, it would mean the end of all things."

"Yup. The griffon's would storm the gates cause our beloved Princesses could be felled with feathers."

"You know stranger things have happened," Luna remarked.

Applejack chuckled as she parked herself near the half-completed fountain. The farmer remarked quietly as she turned to Luna, "Sometimes Ah wonder what it's like."

"Being the butt of your jokes?"

"Besides that. Ah mean bein' able to raise the moon and all."

"Tis something," Luna moved next to the farmer, "Such things are difficult to describe in words."

"Ah can only imagine," Applejack was still smiling despite herself, "Ah've been on the receivin' end of a few of Twi's spells. Gotta imagine its something like that," the farmer finished. Something clicked in Luna's mind while Applejack spoke. After a moment passed, the Lunar Regent turned to the farmer with a mischievous look.

"Fair Applejack, do you trust me?" Luna asked in due seriousness as her horn began its silver glow, bathing the area in an ethereal light.

Applejack was about to respond flippantly, but she saw the Lunar Regent was putting effort into something, "Of course, sugarcube."

Luna smiled as she worked through a few spells. Like her horn, her eyes took on a silver glow, both growing in intensity. Applejack could feel her body growing warm, as if she were being swaddled by a warm blanket. Something began tugging at her consciousness, as if bidding her to slumber. In the pits of her stomach, she felt something building to a release.

"Luna, what are ya doing?" Applejack asked, hoping she didn't misplace her trust. Her body began to levitate a bit as it became encompassed in a silver aura.

"Relax, my friend. I've done this before," Luna said. She smiled sweetly while working her magic towards release. The Lunar Regent pointed her horn up as this before as the aura still grew in intensity, sparks slowly dancing off her horn. Luna's eyes closed as she willed her magic to release. Of course, the chance to torment Applejack was to good to pass up. She said in a triumphant fashion, "It almost worked then and I'm sure it will work now"

"Wait, what are you doing!" Applejack asked as her vision slipped into a blackness akin to sleep. Her voice trailed away into a tremendous yawn, "Luna..."

Comments

[TCSNxs]

Sup guys.

Sorry for the delay with this chapter. It started to run long, so the remainder will be spliced into an Interlude that'll hit shortly. Also, I decided to alter the tags a little bit. Somehow, this got marked with "Gore", which I've no idea how that happened. In addition, while there will still be feels in this, it won't be soul crushingly sad, so that tag has been removed.

As always, comment if you find something I screwed up something or whatever ya feel like. Thumbs up if ya like.

[Y1]

Silverhawk totally should have used the line "I'll be in my bunk." Okay out of character maybe, but references!

Also, a cliffhanger? Come on...

I spotted a couple of grammar mistakes. I can only remember one though. You replaced 'water' with 'what'.
Here it is:

A few hours and many pints of what later, Applejack managed to calm down enough to regain coherency.

[TCSNxs]

1695591 Ick, I thought I got them all. Thanks and corrected.

[BenRG]

She's gonna try a mind-meld, isn't she?

[fferror]

To the always practical farmer, she never wanted a part of higher society, let alone a title that carried wait.

That should say "carried weight".

"Ah bet your as ticklish as a foal."

"you're"

"Tis time for me to raise the moon,"

"Tis something,"

As a contraction of "it is", "Tis" should have an apostrophe before it: 'Tis.

[TheSillyDuck]

"Ah can see sounds," Applejack remarked...

Oh Applejack, who's a silly pony?

This fic is amazing!