> Apples in the Moonlight: Crackshipping Applejack and Luna
>  by bahatumay
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> In The Orchard
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Applejack irritably kicked at the tree. Not that it was the tree's fault she was working at midnight, but still. It made her feel a little bit better. 

And maybe a little bit guilty at the same time. 

“Sorry about that, Fern,” she apologized to the tree. “Don't get me wrong, I love my friends; but sometimes I don't think they get it. Farm chores don't just go away, no matter how great the trip to Canterlot is, or how awesome the show was.” She accented this last word with a powerful buck, sending a shower of apples raining down into waiting buckets. “If'n I don't do it during the day, I gotta do it at night, 'else nopony in Ponyville gets their apples.”

She sighed and tried (and failed) to suppress a yawn. She smacked her lips. “Don't mind me. Just feeling a bit unappreciated, that's all. Kindof like Luna, I suppose.” She cracked a smile. “Maybe I'll become Nightmare Apple.” She dropped her voice lower and crouched down. “This harvest will last… forever!”

An owl flew away into the night at her shout. Applejack laughed to herself and then sighed. “Oh, I'm tired,” she mumbled as she returned to her chores. 

She had only filled one more round of baskets when she paused, ears flicking, sensing something wasn't right. Her intuition was correct, and she jumped as she heard a sudden thump behind her, like a pony landing out of the sky. Applejack spun around and to her surprise, she saw Princess Luna standing there, looking at her through narrowed eyes. 

She blinked. This was unexpected. “Howdy, princess-”

But that's as far as she got. Applejack found herself slammed into the nearest tree, with Luna's hoof pressed firmly against her neck. Applejack struggled for air, desperately scrabbling at the hoof holding her prisoner and weakly kicking at Luna. This, too, was unexpected. Luna was larger than the average pony, true; but still her hold was impossibly strong, and struggle as she might, she could not free herself. 

Luna's eyes met Applejack's, studying them intently, and she soon rendered her verdict. “You are not possessed of the nightmare,” she said, withdrawing her hoof and letting Applejack slide to the ground. 

Applejack rubbed her throat, panting for air. “No, I'm not,” she said hoarsely. “Why would you think that?”

“Why would you suggest that you could be?” Luna retorted. 

Applejack's ears dropped. “I was… just joking?” she said sheepishly. 

“You should not even joke of such things,” Luna said evenly. 

Applejack slowly pushed herself to her hooves. “How did you even hear what I said?” she asked. 

“I was… informed,” Luna said simply, gesturing behind herself with a small head motion.  

Applejack tilted her head to see past her and squinted. She couldn't see-

Her jaw dropped. There in the shadows of the trees stood a bat pony stallion, much like the ones that had pulled Luna's chariot last Nightmare Night, except this time his armor was light and camouflaged with shadowy splotches. Had she not been shown where to look, she would never have seen him. His fur and mane were a dark steel blue, making him blend in seamlessly with the shadows in the moonlight. Even his dark golden eyes looked fitting, like they were a natural part of the night. He met her eyes and smiled, revealing sharp fangs that glinted in the moonlight. It suddenly dawned on her (pardon the expression) that it hadn't been an owl that had flown away earlier. 

Applejack looked back at Luna. “How long has he been there?” she asked, jerking her head towards the bat pony. She frowned and squinted as she looked back and realized that he had vanished. 

“All night, every night.”

“Do you have them following the rest of us?” Applejack asked incredulously. 

“I do,” Luna said, a hint of ice entering her voice. “Forgive me if I feel the necessity of watching over and protecting the ones who rescued me.”

“What do we need protecting from?” Applejack had to ask.

Luna met Applejack's eyes. “Do not ask a question you do not want the answer to,” she said softly but firmly. 

Applejack shut her mouth. 

“I suppose I should congratulate you,” Luna said conversationally, beginning to pace. “You're only the second to discover my watch.”

“Who was the first?” Applejack had to ask. “Twilight?”

“No, she is as yet unaware. The first to discover them was Pinkie Pie,” Luna said, as if still puzzled by this fact. “She threw a little party for Steel Wing, complete with chocolate cupcakes with dark chocolate frosting and bat-shaped sprinkles in honor of his service.” She paused, and then leaned in as if to share a secret. “I do not understand that mare,” she confessed with a slight frown. 

“That's ok. Not many do,” Applejack said with a wry smile. Her expression flattened. “Sorry to drag you out here; I didn't mean nothing by it. Just a bit frustrated that I'm still out here, that's all. The night's not for working.”

Luna's eyes met Applejack's once more. “And what is the night for, Applejack?” she asked quietly. 

Applejack flinched. Luna's voice had been calm, but she had sounded pretty offended, and Applejack got the distinct impression that answering 'sleeping' wouldn't help any, even if it were true. “Well, you know… there's Nightmare Night for one… and, you know, other night time things,” she said lamely. 

Luna was not letting her off the hook that easily. “Such as?” she asked. 

A little bead of sweat trickled down Applejack's brow. She didn’t want to offend Luna; but it might have been too late for that. “Well, you know… like the post harvest party we're throwing next week. It's here this year and everything. Starts at sundown and doesn't stop until the cider is gone.”

Luna's expression didn't change. 

“You can come if you'd like?” Applejack tried. 

Luna blinked flatly a few times. “I appreciate the invitation. We shall see,” she finally said. “Good evening, Applejack.” And with that, she turned to leave. 

Applejack wiped her brow with relief as Luna faded away into the darkness. 
	
> At The Party
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Macintosh grunted as he placed the last barrel of cider on top of the other four. He smiled. It was going to be a good party. 

Behind him, Applejack checked over the food table, though that was more of a formality; Granny Smith had never failed to deliver. She did pause at the charred mess on a cracked plate sitting at one corner of the table, but nearby Apple Bloom's wide, angelic smile killed any protest Applejack might have had. So what if Cutie Mark Crusaders Pastry Bakers had been a no go? Besides, the smokey soot on the kitchen walls would wash off. 

Eventually. 

Applejack could feel her excitement begin to grow as the first few family members began to arrive. The musicians arrived first and filled the barn with the sounds of cacophonous tuning, but somehow that made Applejack feel good anyway. 

The party wasn't supposed to start until sundown, but family members from all over Equestria began to show up early anyway. Some brought food while others had only themselves and their appetite; but all brought willing hooves to help out. Soon the bonfire outside was blazing and the inside of the barn completely cleared and ready for its new purpose as a dance floor. 

It wasn't long before the party had begun in earnest. Family members were dancing and eating and catching up and eating some more and just having a great time. 

It was about an hour into the party when Applejack happened to walk by the door. She slowed to a stop and frowned as she heard three repeated noises. “Sounds like somepony's knockin',” Applejack thought aloud. Who on earth knocked on the door at a party? That'd be almost as weird as not taking seconds at dinner. 

Nevertheless, Applejack trotted over and slid open the door, and her eyes widened as she recognized the flowing silhouette of the pony lit from behind from the bonfire. She only knew of two ponies in the world that had manes like that. 

“Princess Luna?!”

The music and party quickly ground to a screeching halt as either curiosity or fright prompted everypony present to stop whatever they had been doing and turn and look. 

Sure enough, Princess Luna stood in the doorway. She looked around at the shocked faces and scuffed a front hoof nervously, looking more like a young filly forcibly thrown out of her comfort zone than the princess she was. 

Applejack suddenly remembered her manners. “Come on in,” she said, taking a step back. “There's plenty of room for everypony.”

Luna walked in slowly, looking around as the ponies bowed low before her. Her eyes swept over the gathered ponies, and the corner of her mouth tightened as she saw some of them shaking with fear. 

And then Granny Smith shouted, “Told you my cookin' was fit fer a princess!”

Scattered laughter broke the tension, and the music picked back up. Ponies began again to dance and eat. 

Luna cracked a smile as well. “Thank you, Applejack,” she said. She cast her gaze over the ponies there. Her smile widened slightly as she saw them dancing and playing in her night. 

She sat against the wall, observing all the excitement, but not feeling comfortable enough to join. She soon became aware of somepony standing next to her, and looked over to see Apple Bloom, with a wide, happy smile on her face. For some reason, this unsettled Luna somewhat. 

“Hiya, Princess!” she said cheerfully. 

“Salutations,” Luna responded hesitantly. 

“Bless you,” Apple Bloom said pleasantly. 

Luna cracked a wry smile. “It is a greeting. Or was, it seems. Apparently, it has fallen out of style recently.”

Apple Bloom considered this, then moved on to her actual purpose for visiting. “Wanna try an apple fritter?” she asked, holding up a plate. 

Many new foods had been invented since Luna had… left, and every so often she found herself compelled to ask about the food that had been served on her plate. She had heard of these apple fritters, but she was fairly certain that they were supposed to be a crisp golden brown, not a charred black as these were. “I came to observe, not to intrude,” she declined politely. 

Apple Bloom narrowed an eye suspiciously. “Intrudin' nothin',” she said. “Nopony comes to a Harvest Party without eating. That's, like, the best part of this night!”

Luna couldn't help but feel pleased that even the filly felt this night was important; but at the same time, felt no desire to consume food that looked more like charcoal than food. 

Luckily, she was spared needing to answer tactfully by a frightened yelp from high up in the barn. 

Two ponies, one red and one gray, tumbled down out of the rafters and crashed into the ground. This time, the party stopped instantly as everypony looked over. 

Granny Smith rolled over, awoken by the noise. “Party over already?” she mumbled, adjusting her bun. 

Applejack recognized one of the party crashers. “Mac! What in tarnation?” she asked. 

Mac scrambled to his hooves and took a few steps back. The other pony had taken the majority of the impact, but her armor—for she was wearing a beautiful set of dark purple armor with silver-gray trim—showed little damage as she quickly rolled up to her hooves. Applejack's eyes widened further as she recognized the dark fur, fluffy ears, leathery wings, and slitted eyes of a bat pony. 

“Uh... What's goin' on?” she repeated, this time with apprehension. 

Mac gestured frantically at the pony. “Up in the rafters,” he said, scared spitless. “Owls were bein' too quiet, went to go see what was happening, then Ah saw it up there!”

The mare's ears flicked back and she bared her sharp little fangs as she hissed, letting him know in no uncertain terms that she did not appreciate being called an 'it'. 

Luna raised an eyebrow, more concerned with something else. “You let yourself be seen?” she asked disapprovingly. 

The bat pony's ears drooped, and she turned around to face Luna and gave her a weak smile before she spread her wings in preparation to fly.

Luna's face curled into what could only be called a predatory smile. “Hold,” she ordered. “As long as you are here, you might as well join the party.” She lit her horn and lifted the burnt fritters from Apple Bloom's back. “Here,” she said, offering one. “This is a night for eating and celebrating.”

Applejack understood instantly. This was her punishment. Applejack had been a taste tester for a few of Apple Bloom's concoctions, and she suddenly felt sympathy for the bat pony. 

The bat pony's eye twitched ever so slightly. She, too, understood that she was being punished. Luckily, Apple Bloom did not, and the wide smile never left her face. 

Gamely, the bat pony took one of the charred fritters, examined it, and then took a bite. The resulting crunch could be heard across the barn, and more than one pony had shivers run up their spine. 

Applejack was impressed to see her finish it, swallowing the rest with a barely-noticeable grimace. But alas, she was not to get off that easy. Luna wordlessly gave her another, and she resolutely crunched her way though that one, too. 

Mac was a bit more compassionate. As she finished choking down the second, he brought over a mug of cider for her and held it out invitingly. 

The bat pony mare took the mug, looking very suspiciously at Mac. Apparently, that little experience had shattered her trust in Apple foods. Not breaking eye contact with him, she bent her head down, extended her little tongue, and lapped up a bit of the cider. 

Her eyes popped open. She lapped up a second time, then a third, and then she gave in to the cider's call. She dropped to her haunches, and chugged the rest, leaning back as she did until she landed on her back. She drank the last drop and exhaled as she closed her eyes, feeling euphoric. 

“I take it you enjoyed it?” Luna asked dryly. 

The bat pony's eyes snapped open and she shot to her hooves. She lowered her ears and looked rather sheepish. 

Luna stared stonily at her before cracking a smile. “Then I would like to try some as well,” she said. 

Apple Bloom, ever eager to help, brought it over, balanced on her head. Luna took it and, much like the bat pony, regarded it with a hint of suspicion at first. She lapped at it, then drained it, and then rendered her verdict. 

“Delicious!” She threw the mug on the ground. “Another!” 

There was a pause. Applejack subconsciously noted that the bat pony had disappeared again. 

Luna frowned and looked around at the other ponies, their expressions ranging from surprise to shock to amusement. She took the smallest of steps back. “Is that not what is done anymore?” she asked hesitantly. “Were we supposed to say 'please'?”

Applejack chuckled as she walked back over to the bar. “Nah. Nowadays we just say, 'Eh! Pass me another!'” She held up a hoof, and with perfect aim Apple Strudel slid another mug over to her across the table. She picked it up, took a sip, and gestured for Luna to try. 

Luna hesitantly raised a hoof. “Eh!” she said, her voice sounding stilted as the unfamiliar syllable crossed her tongue. “Pass me another!” 

Apple Strudel obliged, and Luna raised it to her mouth. 

“Slow down there, your highness,” Applejack chuckled as Luna drained this mug, too. “There ain't too much alcohol in it, but it's there. Wouldn't want you spillin' any national secrets or anything 'cause you can't hold your cider or something.”

Luna cracked a smile. “Oh, I doubt it will get that far. We alicorns are quite resilient.” She threw the mug to the ground again. “Eh! Pass me another!”

Applejack winced as the wooden mug visibly cracked. “Also, maybe stop doing that.”



*  *  *



Luna finished her next mug and looked over at Applejack. “And that is why the earth ponies were my least favorite of the tribes,” she admitted, her words connected with just the tiniest hint of a slur. “To the last colt, they were ponies who happened to love the sun because that was the only time they could work.” She sighed. “I spent years searching for a fruit that would grow at night, hoping that that would make them love me; but I was unsuccessful in my search.”

Applejack nodded, feeling the tiniest of buzzes herself. “I'd grow it," she said. “Fruit's my favorite. Especially apples.”

“I find myself loving apples as well,” Luna admitted. She lifted yet another mug and smiled at it lovingly. “They make such lovely things.”

Applejack grinned. Once she'd tried fritters that weren't blackened beyond recognition, Luna had declared them delicious as well, and she didn't stop until she had repeatedly sampled everything on the food table. She had ended up eating enough to put a slight bulge in her royal stomach. 

Needless to say, this had done nothing but swell the Apples' collective ego. 

“It is hard, though,” Luna continued. “Everything that blooms at night is at the most awkward time. Moon flowers are the most beautiful of any flower I know, and are also quite tasty; but they bloom near two thirty in the morning and close two hours before dawn.”

“I bet they're something special,” Applejack agreed. 

“I just… I want the earth ponies to see,” Luna said wistfully. “There is so much beauty that they miss by sleeping during the night. They only love me not because they know me not.”

“You might have better luck this time around,” Applejack said comfortingly. “Farm technology improvements means we got a lot less earth ponies on farms and more growin' other things and stayin' up later because the lights are getting better. There might be a market.”

Luna cracked a smile. “Any light drowns out my stars; but that aside, I certainly hope you're right.” She frowned as she looked into her empty mug. She looked over at Apple Strudel, who shook the barrel and then shrugged. Luna could hear from there that it was empty. 

She paused. Now that she listened, she could tell that the party was winding down. Apple Bloom lay sleeping on a haybale, and somepony had placed a saddle blanket over her to cover her as she slept. It was quieter; many ponies had left and some were instead electing to sleep on the tables. Or perhaps they had merely passed out. That would also make sense. Luna cracked a smile. At least some things never changed. 

She stood up and shook out her hooves one by one. “The cider is gone, the party ending, and I fear to overstay my welcome,” she said regretfully. “By your leave?”

Applejack cocked her head. 

“Uh… may I be excused?” Luna tried. 

Applejack cracked up and quickly hid her mouth behind a hoof. Luna had probably been the hostess for most of the parties she'd attended; it was no wonder she was a bit confused as to leaving protocol. “If you want to go, just give somepony a hug, say thanks for the party, and promise to see them again soon.”

Applejack gasped as Luna suddenly reached out and pulled her into the tightest of hugs. “Thank you, Applejack,” she murmured into her mane. “You truly are a dear friend unto me, and we shall meet again soon.”

“You're welcome, your highness,” Applejack managed to choke out. 

Luna released her and spread her wings. She walked regally out the door, paused to glare at the bonfire, and then flew away. Applejack watched her leave, and then her eyes widened slightly as she saw four other shadowy figures fly up after her. Had they been in the barn the whole time, too? She shook her head. Those lunar guards were really creepy. 

But Luna had been very nice. Really. Applejack pondered. She'd stepped out of her comfort zone, tried to meet a few ponies and attempted to reintegrate herself into pony society; and from what Applejack had seen, she'd had a good time. At least, she thought so; the princess of the night had eaten and drunk enough for at least four ponies. 

She nodded. She should send Luna something, an encouraging / 'thank you' gift. She'd really liked the apples. Applejack nodded confidently. A nice, big bushel of her recently-harvested apples would definitely bring a smile to her face. 
	
> Gifts and Answers
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Luna awoke as the sun was setting. She stretched and fluffed her wings, and a smile spread across her face as she slid out of bed, headed over to the window, and eased up the moon to its proper place. She smiled as its softer light gently overtook Canterlot. It was a good night already. 

She turned around and then froze. There by her door sat a large bushel of apples that certainly wasn't there yesternight. She frowned. She would have remembered asking for such a thing, and she certainly didn't remember requesting this. Eyes narrowed, she gingerly neared, expecting a trap or a trick of some kind. On top was a card made of white paper. She lit her horn and her magic enveloped it. After determining that it did not contain a curse, she brought it to her eye level and opened it. 

The writing was messy, in her eyes, at least. Writing and spelling and orthography in general had changed in the last thousand years, and Luna was unable to decipher many of the words she saw every day. Yet, being too proud to ask for help, she would muddle on through her day anyway, and this note was no different from her daily challenges. She recognized her own name on top, and what was possibly 'Applejack' at the bottom (or perhaps it had been an A followed by a scribble), with only a few words in between. She also recognized 'apples', 'visit', and 'you'. They must have been a gift. 

Luna considered this, and then her eyes widened. Surely, this wouldn't have changed in a thousand years...? She stomped twice. “Guard!” she called. “Attend me!”

A bat pony stallion quickly emerged from the shadows and bowed. 

“Do ponies still send gifts to one another as a courtship invitation?” Luna asked. 

He cocked his head, looking over the big bushel of apples. “If your highness is asking if ponies give presents to ponies they want to date, then yes; but usually it's something smaller, like chocolates in heart-shaped boxes, or roses, or an invitation to dinner.”

“But if it were a farmer?” Luna suggested. 

The guard tried to control his excitement. The lunar guards were all of the collective and fervent opinion that Luna desperately needed to get laid; and if there were a chance of her getting into a relationship, then he was all for it. Furthermore, farmers of all tribes tended to be hard workers with plenty of strength and endurance. 

But of course, you can't just tell that to a princess. 

He settled with a much safer, “Yes, it would be believable.”

Luna nodded. “I believe I can work with this. Thank you. Dismissed.”

He bowed and faded back into the shadows. Luna picked up an apple and bit into it. The juice ran down her chin and she couldn’t help but smile. 

Delicious.



*  *  *



Breakfast (or dinner, depending on which princess you asked) was always a pleasant experience. 

Celestia paused her devouring of her large plate of angel hair pasta as she observed Luna pick at her fruit salad. This was most unlike her. A thousand years of nothing but moon dust meant that Luna had developed a supreme fondness for any food with a high water content, and normally she would have been on her third bowl by now. “Luna, are you alright?” she asked. 

Luna flicked one of the strawberries over back into the yogurt with a little motion of her fork. “Perhaps,” she said distractedly. “Though I have been thinking about a personal matter of utmost importance, and I wonder if I might ask you a question.”

Celestia began twirling the fork in her bowl. “Ask away,” she said. 

“Is it illegal to court one of our little ponies?”

Skreeek!

Celestia's expression didn't change, but her fork had carved a deep gash in the metal bowl. Though she had tried to hide it, this question had blindsided Celestia completely. “No,” she answered evenly. “There is no statute that regulates love in Equestria; barring that of age, of course.”

“Even… even if it were another mare?” Luna asked. 

Celestia took a bite to buy herself some time to think of a good response to this. She chewed slowly and took her time before answering and didn’t swallow until she had decided upon a satisfactory answer. “Love is not really my domain,” she finally said. “I've never bothered to care one way or the other as long as both parties are in agreement, and the laws in place as they are currently reflect that.” She cracked a smile. “After all, I don’t allow anypony else to interfere with the happenings in my bedroom.”

She had intended it as a bit of a joke; but Luna didn't laugh. She merely nodded thoughtfully and speared the strawberry. “I suppose I shall continue thinking, then,” she said. 

Celestia continued eating, but more slowly and thoughtfully this time. She didn't mind that her sister was thinking of courting again; no, far from it. Luna had been feeling alone, no matter how hard she tried to just play it off as nerves from having to adjust to these modern times. She had taken to nervous habits such as wandering the halls at the oddest hours of the day (and giving some of the new Royal Guard recruits a bit of a scare), plucking feathers out of her wings before they were ready to fall out on their own, and eating sweets at noon (her version of a midnight snack). If Luna had found love, that would be another step forward for her healing. 

But if her heart were broken, it would likely have nightmarish consequences for all of Equestria. 



*  *  *



Luna sat on her bed and pondered. Applejack had sent her a gift. There was no other way to interpret it than an indication that she wished to begin courtship, and she was waiting for Luna to respond. If she was ok—she did like that new phrase, it was quite useful in many situations—with courting, then Luna felt that she could go along with it, too. Besides, who knew better what a mare wanted than another mare?

And it certainly didn't hurt that she was an earth pony. For centuries Luna had been wanting the earth ponies to love her; and now here was one making the first move. It was her own dream coming true. She nodded slowly, quickly warming up to the idea. She could show her love for this earth pony, show that she could be a worthy mate, and the others would see this relationship and surely grow to love her as well.

“Yes!” she proclaimed, jumping to her hooves while still on the bed. “So shall it be! I shall court Applejack!”

> First Move
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Applejack awoke and stretched, cracking her neck and popping her back. She let out a relieved grunt after one particularly loud pop. It was a good morning already. 

She hopped out of bed and headed towards the shower when she noticed something on her nightstand that hadn't been there last night. It was a flower, resting on a silver plate, encased in a blue magic bubble. She squinted. She had never seen such a flower before. Next to it was a card, written with beautiful thick swirly letters Applejack found impossible to decipher. Some of the letters looked familiar, but they just didn't make any sense; they were tall and flowy and almost looked foreign. She turned it ninety degrees, and then upside down; but neither position helped. She flipped it over, and found a helpful translation scribbled on the back. 

Princess Luna sent this to say thanks for the apples. It's a moon flower. Eat it!

Applejack was never one to turn down gifts, much less free food. She stretched out a hoof and reached for it, and the bubble popped at her touch. She started, but quickly recovered, and took a bite of one of the petals. 

She let out an unintentional moan. This was delicious, and she wasn't saying that because she woke up hungry. She took another, and another, and soon the whole flower was gone. 

“Well, I'll be,” she muttered. “That was the best thing I've eaten all month.”

Unbeknownst to her, a watching bat pony stallion grinned and flew away. 



*  *  *



Luna paced irritably. It was light outside and she was tired, but she wouldn't sleep until she had received her report. Out of habit, she lifted a wing towards her teeth, and stopped and winced as she realized that bare patches were noticeably showing through on the underside of her wing. She spread both and grimaced as she noticed bald patches on both. Picking really was a nasty habit. She refolded her wings and resumed pacing. 

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, a bat pony entered through the window and bowed deeply. 

“Well?” Luna demanded sharply. 

“She ate it, Princess,” he reported. “Said it was the best thing she'd eaten all month.”

“She accepted!” Luna whispered gleefully. 

For some reason, that particular choice of words set off a little yellow flag in the guard's mind. “Accepted… accepted what, your highness?” he asked. 

“My courtship invitation!” Luna pranced in place like a filly. “She accepted!”

The guard froze. Something didn't quite add up. “Your highness, I'm not sure that's-”

“Leave me!” Luna said joyfully. “I have much to prepare for our first date!”

The guard hesitated, then bowed and faded back into the shadows. He was not about to contradict his regent to her face; but he had the feeling that there was a major misunderstanding and that this wasn't going to end well. 



*  *  *



Later that evening, Macintosh was putting the leftovers away in the icebox. There weren't that many, of course; but sometimes you can't just eat that fifth pie, no matter how much you want to.  

He paused and squinted as he saw a gray splotchy reflection in a metal lemonade pitcher that wasn't supposed to be there. Granny Smith would have had a fit if she'd known he'd put something dirty away; but when he rubbed it, the dark spot remained. Was it a reflection? Curious, he turned around—and came snout to snout with the same bat pony mare from the party. 

He gasped and stumbled back into the icebox, and she smirked slightly as he spun back around and scrambled to make sure nothing fell off of the shelves from the impact. 

When everything stopped rattling, Mac turned back around. He squinted. What are you doing here? he wordlessly asked. 

She shrugged nonchalantly and looked away at the ground. Mac learned something about bat ponies that night: at least one of their fangs will peek through their lips when they're trying to hide a smile.

Still, scary as she might have acted, she was still a pretty mare, and so instinct kicked in. Mac lifted the pie tin and held it out as an offering. 

The bat pony mare straightened up proudly and briefly brushed off the symbol on the front of her armor. Without saying a word, it was clear what she had said. I'm on duty. 

Mac blinked. It wasn't often he found somepony else who was comfortable communicating without words. Still, he was nothing if not polite. He shrugged and turned around to put the pie tin away. He turned back around to offer something else; but when he looked, she was gone. 

Mac paused. That just wasn't right. Where else could she appear?

He had a sudden image of her popping her head over the shower curtain as he was showering. Imagination Mac was so startled at this intrusion that he slipped and slammed his imaginary head against the imaginary faucet, which broke off of the wall sending imaginary water spraying all over the imaginary bathroom. 

Mac chuckled as he returned to reality. His fantasies definitely needed work. 



*  *  *



Applejack's ears flicked up at the sound of heavy hoofsteps. “Mac? That you?”

“It is not Macintosh,” Luna said with a smile. 

Applejack jumped and spun around. Sure enough, Luna stood in her doorway. “Your highness!” she sputtered. Luna! Here! In her bedroom, no less!

“Please,” Luna said. “Just 'Luna' is acceptable. We are closer than that, are we not?”

Applejack chuckled nervously. “Yeah, I guess we are,” she said. 

“I thank you for your gift,” Luna continued, taking another step closer. Subconsciously bidden by her pegasus genetics, she briefly spread her wings as she crossed the threshold, showing them off and placing herself momentarily on display before folding them against her sides again. “It was unexpected, but not unwelcome.”

Applejack shrugged, blushing slightly. This was some of the kindest thanks she'd ever received. “I figured you deserved a souvenir of some kind from the party,” she said. “Might as well be something tasty.”

“And they were savory indeed,” Luna agreed, folding her wings. 

Applejack cracked a smile. “Thanks; but I can't help but think you didn't come just to stroke my ego,” she said.

Luna blinked. So straightforward! Was that what it was called these days? And such an offer on the first date, no less? Luna felt a slight twinge of worry. She could not remember the last time she had pleasured a female, and was probably terribly out of practice. But perhaps she was mistaken. There were so many new euphemisms these days. Just in case, she decided to ask for clarification. “To do what, now?” she asked. 

“Didn't come all this way just to compliment me,” Applejack translated. 

Luna exhaled, slightly relieved. There was still time for wooing. She was a princess; how hard could it be? “Oh, but I do compliment you,” she said. “You are quite the beautiful mare.”

Applejack blinked. That was unexpected. And somewhat personal. “Thanks?” she said hesitantly, her forehoof coming up guardedly. 

Luna winced internally. Something told her that this was not how flirting was to be done in this day and age. The gears in her mind quickly turned. Mares could also be wooed by a show of power and confidence. She quickly changed tactics as a new thought occurred to her. “I have come to invite you to Canterlot,” she said. As she spoke, she warmed to the idea, and her voice grew more confident. “I would show you the grounds of Canterlot castle at night. There is a subtle beauty there that the harsh light of the sun washes out.”

“That sounds fun,” Applejack said, setting her hoof down. Earth ponies always did have a thing for gardens. “When?”

“Tonight,” Luna said, deciding on the spot. 

“Tonight?” Applejack repeated, somewhat startled. She stifled a yawn. “Your highness, no offense; but I'm bushed. There's no way I'm going anywhere tonight,” she said apologetically.

Luna smiled. “I understand. I did come on rather short notice.” She lit her horn. “But fear not; I believe I have a solution.”

Applejack paused. The hair at the back of her mane instinctively prickled up, and that was never a good sign. “Wait. What?”

But that's all Applejack could say before Luna cast the spell. Her eyelids fluttered closed and she collapsed on her bed, fast asleep. 

Luna smiled as she lit her horn and slid the sleeping pony under the covers; and then with her hooves tucked Applejack in. “I shall see you tomorrow night, rested and awake,” she said, pleased with her cleverness. “Good night, my little earth pony.”

> Sleeping Beauty?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The sun shone through the window, illuminating the strange sight of an orange mare sleeping nearly an hour and a half after she was normally up, and a smaller yellow filly prancing in place nervously at the side of the bed as she reached out to try and wake up her sister. 

“Applejack? Applejack!” Apple Bloom continued shaking her sister, but she was not waking up. She wasn't dead—her chest still rose and fell—but clearly there was something wrong. 

Apple Bloom inhaled, then exhaled. It was time for desperate measures. And maybe it might have been slightly possible that she'd always wanted to try this.

She walked over to the bathroom and returned with a cup of cold water. She waited, giving her sister one last chance for mercy, but Applejack still lay still. Apple Bloom grinned mischievously. It was time. “Wake up!” she cried, overturning it on Applejack's head and showering her with cold water. 

Applejack flicked an ear, sleepily brushed some of the water off with a forehoof, and then rolled over and continued snoring. 

Apple Bloom's jaw dropped. There was only one course of action now. 

She spun around and began running downstairs. “Maaaaaac!”



* * *



“So what's wrong with her, Mac?” Apple Bloom asked. 

Mac dropped the smelling salts, looked back at Apple Bloom, and shrugged helplessly. He'd reached the end of his first-aid abilities. 

Granny Smith turned. “Applejack? Run and get Twilight. Applejack isn't wakin' up!” She then paused. “Wait a minute,” she frowned, eyes flicking back and forth as she tried to process what she'd just said. 

Luckily, Mac was a bit quicker on the uptake. He turned and headed out the door and made a beeline for the library. 



* * *



Twilight looked up and shrugged. “I don't understand,” she said, confused. “All the vital signs I can test are perfectly within normal ranges, but she's just not waking up. It's like she's under a sleeping spell of some kind; but if she is, it's stronger than any I've seen before.”

Apple Bloom cocked her head. “You mean like a true love's kiss breaking kind of spell?” she asked. 

“Then kiss her, already!” Granny Smith said impatiently, nudging Twilight forward with a hoof. “We've got all the whole south field to clear today!”

Twilight blushed bright red as her wings flared in shock. “N- not me!” she stammered. “I'm not… I don't…”

“Perhaps we might be of assistance?” a new voice broke in. 

Every pony looked over. Three bat ponies, two stallions and one mare, all wearing large sunglasses, peeked over the windowsill. 

Macintosh's eyes widened as he recognized the bat pony mare from the party. She recognized Mac, too. She lifted her sunglasses slightly and winked at him, though her eyes were squinted nearly to slits the whole time. 

“What in tarnation…?” Granny Smith wondered. She'd been alive for longer than she could remember, and she'd never seen a pony like this before.

Thinking she meant the situation, the bat pony gestured. “It's a simple answer, but a somewhat complicated circumstance. May we enter?” he asked.

Granny nodded, and they quickly entered and stood near the closet. It was clear that even with their sunglasses on, they did not enjoy the light. 

Apple Bloom, ever curious, walked right up to them. “Ah've never seen ponies like you before,” she said, raising a hoof to poke at the stallion closest to her. The stallion narrowed his eyes (the warning visible even through the sunglasses) and he bared his teeth threateningly, and the filly's eyes widened and she quickly retracted her hoof. The mare bat pony extended a wing and slapped him upside the head, glaring harshly even through the sunglasses she wore, and he had the decency to look somewhat abashed (even if a bit defiant). She pushed him aside, stepped forward, and spread her wings, letting Apple Bloom get a good look. 

Mac expected Applejack to restrain her sister. Then he remembered what had happened and he grimaced. Applejack had just been such an integral part of this family for so long that it was just foreign to think that she wasn't here. 

The stallion who had spoken first also scowled at the other bat pony stallion, then turned and cleared his throat. “I apologize. We don't talk to day ponies often,” he said with an apologetic shrug at Twilight. 

Twilight blinked. His voice was deep and syrupy, and would have made most mares—not including herself, of course—swoon. “Well, you should,” she murmured. 

The bat pony cracked a smile, revealing his fangs. “That I shall take as a compliment,” he said. He exhaled and then continued, “Princess Luna has cast this spell.”

“What? Why?” Everypony wanted to know at once. 

The bat pony grit his teeth slightly. Apparently, his fluffy ears were a bit more sensitive to the cacophonous noise. “Her highness wishes to spend more time with her, so she cast this spell for her to sleep during the day so she would be awake all night tonight.”

“That doesn't make any sense,” Twilight protested. 

The stallion winced, torn slightly between reason and allegiance. “Not to speak ill of our regent, but she does tend to be a bit… shortsighted at times,” he confessed. “We three felt you needed to know. She doesn't even know we're here.”

Twilight's scathing yet carefully and respectfully crafted mental letter vanished in a plume of smoke. “So it'd be a bad idea to tell her what a terrible, horrible, awful idea this was?” 

The bat pony nodded through a tight smile. 

Twilight sagged a bit. “Fine,” she murmured. 

“And now, our apologies, but we must take our leave. Our liege cannot know we were here; but we will be back tonight to retrieve her.”

“She can't just…? Oh. Right.” Twilight chuckled sheepishly. “She's asleep. And it's not like you can just find a friendly narcoblix to help her move.”

The second male scoffed. “Hardly. Narcoblixes tend to be… troublesome.”

Twilight giggled… and then paused. “But there's no such thing as a narcoblix… right?”

The first stallion smiled, a half-smile that was definitely hiding something, and then turned towards the window. Twilight and the rest of the Apple family watched as the bat ponies flew away. 

“That was awesome,” breathed Apple Bloom. “Did you see her?”

“Eeyup,” Mac nodded. She was becoming quite difficult to forget. 



* * *



Macintosh was wiping down the counter when he was surprised by a tap on his shoulder. He turned around, but saw nopony. He frowned. Maybe it was just a figment of his imagination. Or maybe it was a muscle twitch from the effort of having to do Applejack's chores today. He definitely missed her already. 

He paused as he felt another tap on his other shoulder. He looked behind him-

-and came muzzle to muzzle with the female bat pony from before. Except this time, she was upside down, hanging from the ceiling somehow. Startled, Mac scrambled back and slipped on the wet floor, falling backwards and landing right on his rump. 

She giggled, and if Mac hadn't been so irked at being startled by this mare twice, he would have found it appealing. He scowled. You again? he asked wordlessly. 

She smirked as she dropped silently to the floor. Yep. Miss me? she responded. 

He snorted, but still remained polite. He stood and gestured at the kitchen. You want anything?

She shook her head and gestured proudly at her armor once again. Still on duty. 

He squinted one eye. Then what brings you here?

She glanced down and scuffed a hoof, not really wanting to answer. 

His eyes widened, and they flicked towards upstairs. You're here to take Applejack, he suddenly realized. 

The bat pony mare smiled sheepishly and nodded. 

Mac exhaled, knowing it was already too late to protest. “Just… keep her safe,” he pleaded. 

She nodded, then brightened. She stepped over to the door and motioned with a wing for him to follow. He poked his head outside and saw what looked like a whole squadron of bat ponies, taking his sleeping sister out through the window and gently loading her onto a metal chariot. They had blankets and straps, ensuring a safe and warm (if somewhat awkward) ride. A pained smile crossed his face. At least she'd be taken care of. 

He turned around to go back inside—and nearly trampled the bat pony mare. She scampered out of the way and glared at him. 

“Sorry,” he said quickly, holding up an apologetic hoof. “Thought you were going to do that whole 'disappearing on me' thing again.”

The bat pony mare grinned and spread her wings. You mean this thing? She turned and quickly flew towards the wall… and vanished into the shadows, right before his eyes. 

Mac's jaw dropped. 

He felt another tap on his shoulder, and there she was, hovering right at his eye level in the air behind him.

Mac stared, then nodded weakly. Yeah. That.

She didn't even try to suppress her smile now. She winked playfully at him, and then turned around to go join her bat brethren. 

Mac's eyes narrowed, but for some reason, he found himself hoping she would return with Applejack in the morning, too. 
> Canterlot at Night
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Applejack yawned and stretched, feeling surprisingly refreshed. She pulled one foreleg across and stretched. It almost felt like she had slept for a full day. 

Her contented smile faded when her eyes opened and she realized that she didn't recognize the bed she lay on. Her fear only subsided incrementally when she realized that the bed was much larger and softer than any she'd ever seen before, and thus it was unlikely that she had been foalnapped for ransom or anything like that (not like that would happen; but sometimes Pinkie had some interesting ideas). The strange bed was in a room much larger than any she'd seen, with fine masonry and vaulted ceilings. Even through sleepy eyes, she could see that the room was huge. In fact, if she didn't know any better, she'd say she was in-

“Good evening, Applejack.”

Applejack sat up straight. “Princess Luna?” she stammered.

“Indeed,” Luna said, a smile crossing her face. 

Applejack grabbed at the covers. “Wh- what am I doing here?”

“You are here to see the castle at night,” Luna said. 

“I what?” Applejack nearly shrieked. 

The first inklings that this course of action had been unwise began trickling through Luna's mind. “You are here to see the castle, at night, with me,” she repeated slowly. 

“Did I sleep all day?” Applejack demanded, hopping out of the bed. She instinctively reached for her hat, but her hoof hit air, and as she glanced around it was nowhere to be seen. She scowled. She didn't like being without her hat.

Luna wilted slightly. They were more than inklings, now. “Yes?” she said meekly. 

“I… I can't do that!” Applejack protested, beginning to pace frantically. “We were gonna do the whole south field today! Yesterday! Today! I- augh!”

Luna grasped at straws. “But the harvest party…”

“There's more to apple farming than just harvesting! Harvest is over doesn't mean work is over! There's still so much to do, and I can't just prance off and leave everypony else my share of the work…”

“You said any time,” Luna protested softly, but she could tell this was a losing battle. This was not how she'd pictured this happening at all. 

“That's just an expression!” Applejack nearly howled. “It means I'd really like to; not foalnap me and take me tonigh- uh, tomorrow night! Augh!” Applejack placed her head in her hooves. Time was hard. 

Luna's face fell. “I just wanted to spend more time with you,” she said meekly. 

Applejack exhaled slowly, mentally reviewing her plans. She could fix this. Somehow.

“We- I am sorry,” Luna continued. 

Applejack frowned and sat up. Sure, she'd lost a lot of time; but Luna just looked so sad. No, that's not right. She looked… disappointed in herself. That was it. Disappointment. She had been trying desperately to fit in, to return to normalcy after a thousand years of isolation, to be a friend; and she had messed up. 

Again. 

She probably felt awful, like she'd burned a bridge she hadn't meant to burn. Luna didn't need to be scolded; she needed a friend who would be understanding. 

Luna continued speaking, not meeting Applejack's eyes. “I can call for my chariot, and you can be returned to your home before the second watch.”

Applejack knew she should have just left and tried to pick up any slack back at the orchards; but she couldn't just leave Luna like this. She sidled up closer and poked her with a hoof. “Hey, it's fine, sugarcube,” she said comfortingly, the term of endearment slipping out unintentionally. “You didn't mean no harm by it. And hey, as long as I'm here, maybe we could look at those flowers?”

The bright smile that crossed Luna's face let Applejack know she had made the right choice. “The flowers do not bloom for another few hours; but there are other things I could show you?” she offered hopefully. 

Applejack smiled. “Sounds great.”



*  *  *



Applejack walked with Luna down the halls. The soft glow of starlight seemed to accent different things than the sunlight did. Either that, or they were walking down completely different halls, with star motifs and lunar cycles gleaming instead of sunrises and sunbeams. Both were entirely possible; her internal compass didn't seem to work as well at night and all she could tell was that she was probably going east. Her ears flicked; the uncomfortable lightness of her head without her hat bothered her. 

Luna walked out onto a balcony and smiled. She gestured proudly. “This is one of the projects I have been working on.”

Applejack's eyes widened. It was a pegasus mare flying through a cloud obstacle course, and even though she was an earth pony, Applejack could tell that the difficulty was intense. The pegasus was wearing a uniform that looked much like a Wonderbolts uniform, but with a dark purple base and more shadowy color scheme. When she saw Luna, she abruptly left her course, flew near, and bowed deeply before straightening up proudly. She seemed determined to not make eye contact with Applejack for some reason. 

“Behold, my Shadowbolts!” Luna paused, then coughed. “Shadowbolt,” she corrected herself. “I have but one currently; but I imagine the ranks will swell by and by.”

Applejack squinted. It was dark, but even so, that coat and mane looked awfully familiar… 

“Lightning Dust?”

The mare flinched ever so slightly. 

Luna turned, mildly surprised. “Yes, that is her name. You know her?” she asked. 

Applejack nodded. “Yeah, I know her.”

Lightning adjusted a forehoof slightly, though she tried valiantly to hide it. 

“She's one of the greatest flyers I've seen, and she's always striving for perfection. She'll make a good Shadowbolt.”

Lightning Dust froze. Though her expression was masked by the goggles she wore, her head did cock slightly, as if in confusion. 

Luna smiled. “I knew I had chosen wisely,” she said. “We will leave her to her training; there is still much for you to see.”

Applejack followed Luna back down the hall, but she paused and looked back over her shoulder as she did. Lightning Dust was still staring at her. It was mildly discomforting. 

Shaking that off, Applejack quickly trotted up and caught up to Luna.  



*  *  *



After passing yet another bat pony guard, Applejack's curiosity got the better of her. “Luna?”

“Yes?”

“Did you… create the bat ponies?”

Luna chuckled. “No. Creating new living beings is not within my realm.”

Applejack's first instinctual interpretation was incorrect; her eyes flicked briefly to Luna's hindquarters. She closed her eyes quickly, hoping Luna hadn't noticed. 

But notice she had. Luna chuckled a bit harder. “Oh, no; that's not what I meant. Those organs work, I can assure you of that,” she said with a smile. 

Applejack blushed hotly and reached for her hat to cover her face, but once again her hoof hit nothing but air. Ponyfeathers.

Oblivious to her embarrassment, Luna continued. “Creating a new tribe is simply not feasible. The noctrali have been a part of Equestrian history since the dawn of time.”

Applejack frowned. “Wait. If you're part earth pony, part unicorn, and part pegasus, are you part bat- uh, noctrali, too?”

Luna shook her head regretfully. “Unfortunately, no. They remained quite literally underground during our ascension and only reemerged later, many years after our reign had begun. I do not blame them for hiding for so long; they are a remnant of a somewhat darker time of Equestria's past, and their history has been… bloody at best.”

Applejack couldn't help but have her eyes be drawn to the next bat pony's fangs. She may have sped up her walk just the tiniest bit. 

Luna continued, “I would not have minded, though. I would have loved to have inherited their ability to shadow travel.”

“Shadow travel?” Applejack wondered. 

A devious smile spread across Luna's face, and she slowed to a stop. “Perhaps a demonstration is in order.” She stomped once. “Guard! Attend me.”

A bat pony appeared and bowed low. 

Luna recognized him. “Ah, young Orry,” she said by way of introduction. “One of my newest recruits. Show fair Applejack your abilities,” she said. 

The guard's eyes widened, but then he frowned, confused. 

“Shadow traveling,” Luna clarified flatly, “not your ability to make your armpit sound like flatus.”

The guard brightened and saluted. He winked at Applejack, then turned and sprinted towards the dark wall. Before Applejack could even raise a hoof to warn him of the stupidity of that course of action, he had vanished. 

Applejack's jaw dropped. “Where did…?”

There was a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see Orry, standing behind her and grinning widely, even if he was breathing a bit harder than before. Bowing once more to Luna, he turned and melted into the shadows again. 

“It makes it quite convenient to travel by chariot,” Luna remarked nonchalantly.  

“I… I bet,” Applejack stammered. 

Luna smiled again. “Come. It is almost time for the moon flower to bloom.”



*  *  *



Applejack and Luna lay down in the cool grass to watch. The moon flower was still a closed bud, but Luna still watched excitedly. Applejack wasn't sure how to feel about this. Part of her itched to do something, as she wasn't very good at laying still. But part of her was curious and intrigued by this new plant, and so she managed to suppress her wiggles. 

Luna suddenly gasped. “Here it is,” she whispered. 

Applejack's eyes widened as the petals suddenly split apart and the flower unfolded before her very eyes. It was beautiful, a milky white bulb that looked like it was speckled with stars. 

“Try them straight from the vine,” Luna offered. She picked up and held out a vine with her magic, and Applejack leaned forward and took a bite. 

If she'd thought the flower in the bubble had been good, this was exquisite. She chewed slowly and swallowed. “This might be worth staying up for,” Applejack breathed. 

Luna released the vine. “It was not the case before,” she murmured. “Ponies could not justify getting up early the next morning to avoid the 'waste' of their precious sunlight.”

“Hey now,” Applejack said, surprised at the rancor in Luna's voice. 

Luna exhaled. “I mean no offense,” she said quietly. “It is… difficult for me, still.” She lapsed into a contemplative silence. 

Applejack felt the need to defend herself. “You know, not all earth ponies hate the night.”

“I know you do not hate it; but you do not appreciate it,” Luna sulked. 

“We do sometimes,” Applejack said. “I mean, I really like your stars, and…”

Luna chuckled lightly. “You know nothing of my stars.”

Applejack looked over at Luna, slightly offended. “Don't I?” she challenged. 

Luna stood up and shook herself off. She turned herself and crouched, then made a motion with her head, as if in invitation. It almost looked like she wanted Applejack to…

“Get on,” Luna said, with a half-hidden smile. 

Applejack had a hard time processing this. “B- b- but you're a princess,” she said dumbly. You don't just mount royalty!

Luna sighed and rolled her eyes. “Then as thy princess I order thee to get on,” she said impatiently. 

Not wanting to risk angering Luna further, Applejack swallowed, and then climbed on, making sure to give Luna's wings free range. Luna's coat was thick, plush, and soft; but the muscles underneath felt almost rock solid, and held firm even through the little adjusting movements she made. Applejack wasn't sure how she felt about this, but she wrapped her forelegs around Luna's neck anyway. 

When Luna was sure Applejack was secure, she took off, and Applejack reached back to grab onto her hat before remembering that she hadn't had it all night. Luna flew higher and higher, taking Applejack above the clouds and further and further away from civilization. 

She flew for at least twenty minutes, flying high and far. The cool night air rushing past made Applejack shiver, and she wrapped herself a bit more tightly to Luna. She couldn't see, but she could have sworn that Luna had cracked a smile when she did.

When they'd left the lights of the city far behind and Applejack could barely see the ground, Luna lit her horn, and a familiar tingling sensation ran across her hooves. 

“Cloudwalking spell?” Applejack guessed. 

Luna nodded. “I invented it for times like this.” She tossed her horn again, and a large, fluffy cloud formed around her hooves. Applejack jumped off, and bounced slightly on the thick cloud. 

“Lay on your back,” Luna ordered. 

Applejack blinked, but slowly obeyed. She lay down, curled slightly, and rolled over. 

Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped open. Countless stars filled her view. She thought she had seen stars before, but never like this, had never seen so many. Away from the lights of the earth, far out from even the low lights of the farmhouse and the guiding lanterns on the borders of the farm flickering in the darkness, designs and patterns hidden in the sky suddenly became clear. All she could do was stare. 

A small smile spread across Luna's face. 

“Ponies slept through this?” Applejack breathed. 

“They're sleeping now,” Luna observed regretfully. 

Applejack winced. Luna, on the other hoof, seemed… comforted. Finally, she'd had an audience. 

Finally, an earth pony had seen. 

> Interlude: CMC Vampony Hunters!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“Ah'm tellin' you, they're vamponies!” Apple Bloom insisted. “It's all there. They hate light. They had to be invited in. They knew Luna had done some spooky magic!”

“Maybe they're just nocturnal and very polite?” Sweetie Belle suggested. 

“Knocked your who now?” Scootaloo asked. 

Apple Bloom shook her head. “Ah'm not knockin' on nopony,” she said. “Ah'm just sayin' the evidence is all there. That they're vamponies, that is. They're even supposed to be super polite so their victims don't notice they're vamponies!”

“So, what? We're going for vampony hunting cutie marks?” Scootaloo asked, frowning. Then she brightened. “Sounds fun to me!” She stuck her hoof in, and her friends followed suit. 

“Cutie mark crusaders vampony hunters! Yay!”



*  *  *



Apple Bloom grinned as her friends returned. “Got everything?”

“Garlic!” Scootaloo said, producing bulbs on a string. “Nice and nasty-smelling.”

“I got mine!” Sweetie said, holding up a bag. “Lots of rice. And Rarity doesn't even know it's gone.”



*  *  *



Rarity stared slack-jawed at the little pile of rice in her pantry and the narrow trail that led out the kitchen door, across the floor through her workshop, and out into the street. Her eye began to twitch, and finally her steam managed to gather itself in her chest and force itself out of her mouth, coalescing into an ear-splitting shriek. 

“Sweetie Beeeeelle!!”



*  *  *


“And Ah've got this!” Apple Bloom said, holding up what looked an awful lot like…

“A crossbow?”

“Eeyup! With a wooden stake and everything.”

“Where'd you get that?” Scootaloo demanded. 

“Ah made it myself,” Apple Bloom said proudly. 

“You aren't going to use it though, right?” Sweetie Belle asked. 

“Uh…”

“Do you know how much trouble we'll get in if we kill one of Luna's guards?” Sweetie asked, her voice raising nearly two octaves. 

“We can call it self defense,” Apple Bloom said weakly. 

“It's not self defense if you're hunting one,” Sweetie Belle pointed out. 

“What are you, ponies for the ethical treatment of vamponies?” Apple Bloom asked. 

“Actually, she's got a point,” Scootaloo said. “And what's with the whole stake in the heart thing, anyway? That would kill anypony, not just vamponies.”

Apple Bloom sighed. “Fine. The crossbow goes; but the other stuff stays. Now let's get ready.”



*  *  *



Orry, the young bat pony night guard, is many things. Mature, however, is not one of those things. So when he arrived that evening on his night assignment to cover Applejack's little sister and found her and her friends hard at work in their clubhouse with 'cutie mark crusaders vampony catchers' scrawled on the blackboard, well… he just couldn't resist. 



*  *  *


Sweetie Belle glanced outside and froze. “Girls…” she breathed. 

“What?”

“Look.”

They turned to look and gasped. 

There was one of the bat ponies, meticulously counting the pile of rice by sliding it over grain by grain to another pile. 

“Arithmomania,” Sweetie Belle whispered. 

“Arith-who now?”

“A compulsive desire to count things,” Sweetie explained. 

They watched, fascinated, as he counted. 

“What happens when he's done counting?” Scootaloo asked. 

Sweetie Belle froze. “Uh…”

This question needed to be answered quickly; the to-be-counted pile was quickly shrinking. 

“I dunno! What's next on our list?”

“Mirrors?”

Sweetie quickly grabbed one… but it slipped out of her hooves and though she tried her best to recover it, it fell against the ground and cracked right up the middle. 

“Oh no!” she squeaked.

“Seven years bad luck!” Apple Bloom hissed. 

“And I think it's starting now!” Scootaloo said shrilly, pointing outside. 

The bat pony had heard the glass break, and now he looked up at the clubhouse intently. 

“Quick! Try the garlic!” Apple Bloom said. 

Scootaloo picked up a bulb and threw it out the window. The girls watched as it seemed to travel in slow motion, directly in a beeline for his face. 

As it flew in slow motion, the bat pony shifted his head at regular speed two inches to the left, dodging the projectile while barely making an effort to do so. 

“He's got the speed,” Apple Bloom observed uncomfortably. “And the eyesight.”

“Maybe we're supposed to eat the garlic?” Sweetie suggested. 

“And then do what? Breathe on him?” Apple Bloom asked. 

Scootaloo shivered. “You know, I don't even like garlic. Let's not do that.”

“Well, we'd better think fast, because he's…” Sweetie's voice trailed off. 

The bat pony was nowhere to be seen. 

“Take erasive action!” Apple Bloom ordered as she ducked under the table to retrieve her supplies. 

“Evasive!” Sweetie instinctively corrected as she followed suit. 

“Stop doing that!” Scootaloo shouted. 

They grabbed their defenses. Sweetie Belle picked up the broken mirror, Scootaloo grabbed the candle, and Apple Bloom began spreading silverware everywhere in a protective ring. 

“Isn't that for wolf-ponies?” Sweetie Belle asked. 

“It's worth a shot,” Apple Bloom shrugged. 

Scootaloo had begun laying the ring of salt when there was the sound of breaking glass, and Sweetie shrieked. Sticking out of her now shattered mirror was a wingblade, but not like any they'd seen. It was curved, and looked somewhat like a bat with spread wings. 

All the crusaders stared. 

And then there came a knock on the door. It opened at his touch-

“Who forgot to latch the door?” Sweetie Belle demanded in a high-pitched squeak. 

-and he looked inside. 

Sweetie Belle began a desperate mantra. “It's ok he can't come in it's ok he can't come in it's ok he can't come in…”

Orry poked his head in through the door and grinned widely, showing off his sharp teeth. Slowly, he placed one hoof inside, across the mantel. “Actually, that rule only applies to dwelling places, not other buildings.”

“He's even got the silky smooth voice!” Apple Bloom wailed. 

“He's going to drink my blood!” Sweetie cried. 

Screaming, the cutie mark crusaders clung together, faces buried in each others' manes and coats as they quivered and waited out the inevitable. 

And then Sweetie Belle felt a most uncomfortably familiar sensation on her nose. 

“Boop.”

Her eyes shot open, and she squinted in confusion. Had he just…?

Apple Bloom pulled her face out of Sweetie's coat and looked up at the odd sound, only to receive the same treatment. 

“Boop.”

Scootaloo worked up the nerve to peek out from under Apple Bloom's mane, and got a gray hoof to her own nose for her trouble. 

“Boop.”

Orry turned and left. He managed to make it to the doorframe before bursting out laughing. He cackled uncontrollably as he flew away and disappeared into the night. 

Well, he did; but then he dove under a tree and shadow-traveled back under the window to listen in on their reac- er, that is, make sure that his charge was not left unattended. 

Sheepishly, the cutie mark crusaders gathered their wits, dusted themselves off, and did their best to regain what little self-respect they had. 

“Ah, vamponies are stupid, anyway,” Scootaloo grumbled as she kicked at the shards of glass. 

“Agreed,” Sweetie Belle said. 

Orry snickered. 

> 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. 

> Early in the Morning
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Applejack smiled widely to check her teeth, which sparkled in the light. With a self-satisfied smile, she dropped her toothbrush back in the holder and reached for her hairbrush. Having a morning routine made early mornings like this one nice, because she could think while going through the repetitive motions of getting ready.

However, the knock on her door was not a usual occurrence. She paused, lowering her brush and squinting at the door. “Apple Bloom?” she guessed, judging by how loud it was. Apple Bloom didn’t usually knock; she usually burst in, brimming with excitement for her plans for today, regardless of privacy considerations. This hesitation could only mean that something had gone terribly wrong. Visions of the kitchen going up in flames burst unbidden to her mind.  

The pony on the other side of the door giggled. “Nay.”

Applejack dropped her brush. That had sounded an awful lot like… “Princess Luna?”

“Aye.”

Applejack blinked. “You?” she asked. 

“Aye.”

“So… you?” she tried again. 

“Aye, it is I.”

Applejack paused. She shook her head and opened the door, and there indeed stood Luna. Applejack blinked. “It is you.” She had been half-expecting a Pinkie prank. 

Luna frowned slightly. “Art thou… disappointed?”

Applejack quickly shook her head. “No, it's just… I didn't expect to see you out here, that's all.”

Luna shrugged. “I yet had a few moments before I was to retire to my bed, and I always feel the need to spend my time wisely.”

Applejack paused. Those few minutes before sleeping were some of her favorite moments of the day. They were a good time for self-reflection and planning for the next day. So if Luna had used her minutes to come see her… “I… see…” she finally said. 

“I cannot stay long,” Luna continued. “It is soon morn, and it seems as though your grandmother is not a fan of my chariot pullers.”

Now curious, Applejack walked over to the window. Her jaw dropped as she saw Granny Smith waving a broom at the two circling bat ponies. 

“Varmints!” she cried. She swung again, nearly overbalancing and falling on her face as she did. “I don't care how big you overgrown fruit bats are, ain't nopony gonna steal our apples on Granny Smith's watch!”

Far from feeling threatened (or even offended), the bat ponies circled and dove surprisingly close to their attacker, sticking their tongues out teasingly and blowing raspberries every time they buzzed by. 

Applejack blushed. With a nervous glance at Luna, she opened the window. “Granny! It's fine!” she hollered. 

“What?”

“It's ok! They're friendly!”

“They're deadly?!” Granny shrieked. “I knew it! Get a broom an' come help me!” She began swinging her broom with renewed vigor. 

Applejack shut the window and suppressed the urge to facehoof as she turned back to Luna. “I'm real sorry about that…” she started. 

Luna laughed lightly. “Noctrali are playful creatures by nature. This is exactly the sort of thing they enjoy.”

“Playful, huh?” Applejack said. She winced as Granny Smith scored a direct hit on one noctral's head with her broom. The noctral who didn't get hit pointed and laughed at his partner's misfortune… and took the broom to between his hind legs for his trouble. 

Applejack winced again and reddened in embarrassment as he dropped painfully to the ground and Granny Smith continued her assault; but Luna merely chuckled. “Perhaps that will teach them to keep their eyes open at all times,” she said. “They do try valiantly, but 'warrior' is not in their genes.”

Applejack cocked her head. “They look it,” she said before she could stop herself. 

Luna's mouth tightened and she nodded. “Noctrali are generally peaceful beings. But if a pegasus bent on reclaiming the sky's dominance saw a race that was most active at night, bore sharp fangs, had excellent hearing, and had the ability to shadow-travel anywhere the sun does not see, well… you may well imagine what he saw in them.”

Applejack definitely could. “They'd make perfect shock troops,” she realized. 

“And their shadow-traveling makes them nearly perfect assassins,” Luna added. “A little foalnapping and the threat of familial torture can provide quite the incentive to use their abilities.”

Luna's previous statement that the noctrali history had been long and bloody came to mind, and Applejack shuddered slightly. 

“No matter,” Luna said abruptly. “I came to deliver an invitation.”

“An invitation?” Applejack asked. 

“To a party?!”

Both spun around to see Pinkie Pie, poking her head in through the window. 

“Pinkie?” Applejack questioned; though by now she had a hard time questioning anything Pinkie did. 

“Not exactly,” Luna said, attempting to take this interruption in stride. “My research has discovered a species of crystal berry tree that seems to grow fastest in the evening, and I would enjoy it if Applejack would… accompany me to see it.” She glanced over at the window. “Alone.”

“Ooh, that sounds like fun!” Pinkie said. “I've always wanted to try baking with crystal berries. That sounds so… crystally!” She gigglesnorted at the thought.

“Alone,” Luna emphasized. 

“Yeah! I get it! All alone, together!”

“Just the two of us,” Luna said, gesturing at Applejack. 

It finally dawned on Pinkie that she was not being invited. “Oh… ok.” She straightened up and huffed, a disgruntled frown crossing her face. “Well, I'll do my own crystal berry testing! With jelly and cookies!” And she withdrew her head, slammed the window shut, and pronked haughtily off. 

Luna paused as she watched Pinkie disappear. “Perhaps I was a bit harsh,” she said. 

“A bit,” Applejack said honestly. 

Luna sighed. Could she do nothing right? “I did not mean to be. I just wanted this trip to be personal. I will have to make it up to her somehow...” She turned back to Applejack. “But would you accompany me?”

“Sure,” Applejack said hesitantly. 

Luna smiled. “Then I shall send for you this Saturday. And this time, you can come of your own free will.”

Applejack cracked a smile, and Luna took her leave. 

That smile faded slightly and Applejack bit her lower lip as she watched Luna walk down the stairs. Perhaps she was just seeing things, but she'd be prepared to swear that Luna was swaying her hips a bit more than strictly necessary as she descended. 

Darn you, Lightning Dust, she thought. 



*  *  *



Meanwhile, another mare was cursing a name, but this time it was her own. 

Now back in her chariot and headed towards home, Luna buried her head in her forelegs and groaned. She was mildly upset, to put it lightly. She didn't want to offend Applejack by not inviting her friend, but she didn't want to bring her, either. Pinkie was many things, many of them good; but her hyperactivity would not be conducive to the romantic atmosphere she'd hoped for. She wanted Applejack to be hers and hers alone. And then talking about the noctrali history? Yes, let's bring up war and blood and foalnapping and pegasus warlords. Ramblings, like a young, inexperienced noble in front of court for the first time. Foolish, at best. At the very least, she'd have to watch and make sure Applejack didn't have bad dreams this coming night. 

She exhaled and rested her head on the cushion, feeling the gentle rocking of the chariot as the noctrali pulled in tandem. Hopefully, she could recover this situation. But for now, she would just have to wait until Saturday to see how much damage she had actually done. 
	
> 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. 

> Dreams and Things
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Celestia's heart skipped a beat as Luna walked in, nearly an hour after her guards had returned without her. Luna's head was bowed, and she walked slowly, but Celestia was just relieved to see her sister again. “Oh, Luna; there's-”

“Leave me be,” Luna murmured, not even slowing her pace as she crossed the hall towards her chambers. 

Celestia licked her lips, a nervous habit she thought she had left behind centuries ago. “Luna, are you all right?” she asked. 

Luna spun around. “We do not wish to speak of it!” she roared, loud enough to rattle some of the candlesticks out of their brass holders along the walls.  

Celestia opened her mouth, but then closed it. Even from this far away, she could just make out the telltale signs of tears on Luna's cheek, and redness in her eyes. 

Luna turned and with a haughty 'hmph', strode purposefully out. 

Celestia closed her eyes and bit her lower lip. She doubted she’d be doing much sleeping tonight. “Please, sister,” she pleaded in a whisper. “Stay strong.”



*  *  *



Luna lay despondently on her back, wings and legs spread in a position most unbecoming of a princess. The empty tubs of ice cream littering her bedroom were also unbecoming of a princess, but she had heard that this 'bingeing' was how mares these days handled stress, and she had said she would make every effort to be like the mares of these days. 

Also this creamed ice was much creamier than she remembered it being and found it quite suitable to her taste, even if they did call it ice cream now (which made no grammatical sense at all). Not to mention all the lovely new flavors that had appeared over the years. No longer was it mere fruit and honey; now little edible treats were mixed right in.

She had downed her fourth carton of cookie dough ice cream and reached for her third of cookies and cream when she paused. She was a princess of Equestria. She didn't need to sit here and wallow in self pity. 

She paused, reconsidered her actions and reflected on her personal life… and then she tore the lid off and dug out a heaping spoonful of ice cream. Yes, she did. She most certainly did. 

When that carton was empty, she exhaled and tossed it away before letting her magical spoon construct vanish as she flopped onto her back. Why? Why had her beloved earth pony rejected her? What had she done wrong?

She rolled over and sobbed silently, hitting a hoof against her pillow. She always messed things up, didn't she? No wonder her sister was always the revered one. She would have known what to do.

More questions flooded her mind. What was Applejack doing now? Did she find something better? Somepony better? Who could be better than she, a princess? 

She sat up and scowled, brushing a hoof roughly against her eyes. Now she was curious. Now she had to know why. 

Was it a bad idea? Yes, probably; but then again, Luna wasn't exactly known for making good decisions. 

She sat back and settled into her pillows; then she sat up, irritably pulled a crushed carton from underneath her and tossed it aimlessly at the wall, then lay back down. She closed her eyes, and entered the Dreamscape, prepared to do a little dream manipulating. 



*  *  *



Applejack trotted slowly through the forest, looking around. A cool wind blew through the orchard. The leaves had fallen; the tree branches were bare, their long empty branches reaching out like claws.

She slowed to a stop. There, through the trees, stood Luna, facing away from her. Her head was bowed, and her eyes were closed. 

She blinked. “Your highness?”

Luna did not respond. A chilling breeze blew through the orchard once more, making Applejack shiver. What was going on?

A bat pony stepped from the shadows. “Applejack,” he murmured. 

Applejack jumped. “What?”

“It is probably for the best that you do not disturb her for now,” he said quietly, taking a step back and wordlessly inviting her to do the same. 

“What happened to her?” Applejack asked. “She looks as though she ain't seen a sunny day in a month.”

“It seems she went to go see somepony she really cared about this evening, but she did not return her affection.”

Applejack nodded slowly… and then her eyes widened. “Wait. Me?”

The bat pony nodded. 

Applejack laughed nervously. “You- you can't be serious? She's a princess! I'm… not! I'm just an earth pony farmer! There's no way me and her could-!”

Luna sat up with a start, unceremoniously yanking herself out of the Dreamscape. Applejack felt unworthy? Undeserving of a princess's love? That was why she had rebuffed her advances? Luna clenched her teeth angrily. This would not stand. She would not let this mare, this most wondrous of earth ponies, feel this way. 

She stood up, determinedly kicking aside the empty cartons and striding purposefully out the door. She would step up her efforts. She would research how love was done these days, and she would personally show Applejack that she was somepony to be loved. 
> Luna's Attempt
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Applejack was trotting through the orchard, distractedly examining the trees. Though winter may seem an odd time for tree care, it was important that her trees remained in top shape now so they'd be at their best come spring. But after her odd dream last night, she found herself unable to focus on her current task.

Suddenly, there was the unmistakable sound of a pegasus pony landing hard on the ground with a grunt and skidding through the dirt, as if she had come in for a landing too quickly. Applejack's ears pricked up.  “Rainb-?”

But it was not Rainbow Dash. 

“Congratu-pony-lations,” Lightning Dust started angrily as she stomped over. 

“Whoa, now. There's no need for that kind of language,” Applejack said, stumbling backwards. 

“I don't know what you said to her, but Luna's got her feathers bent way out of alignment.”

“I have no idea what you're talking about,” Applejack said, feeling a bead of sweat start to trail down the back of her neck. “I didn't do anythi-”

“She asked me for relationship advice. Me!”

Applejack blinked. “And that's… bad?” she guessed. 

“It means she's desperate!” Lightning spat. “Do you know what she was doing earlier? She was reading trashy magazines and practicing pick-up lines on me!”

Applejack blinked again. 

“Yeah!” Lightning agreed. “It's that bad. I mean, I like having my flank commented on just as much as any other mare-” here she looked back and wiggled her flank appreciatively before turning back and glaring again, “-but the lines she's trying are…” She shuddered. “You'd have to be half-crazy with heat before you'd even think of falling for these.”

“But… she's a princess,” Applejack protested dumbly. It sounded hollow, even to her own ears.

“And you're the biggest idiot who ever ate hay,” Lightning Dust spat. “She. Likes. You,” she said, accentuating each word with a none-too-gentle poke to Applejack's forehead. “Get that through your thick skull.”

“But-”

“But nothing. She's convinced that the only reason you turned her down is because you think she's too good for you, so she's going to be going crazy trying to convince you that you're something special and should agree to a date, so practice your swooning and stuff, because she's coming to see you soon.”

“I- what?” Applejack wasn't sure she had followed all those pronouns. 

Lightning cast a glance at the sky. “Look, I gotta get going. Luna thinks I'm sleeping.”

“You fly this far without her noticing?”

Lightning Dust smirked proudly. “I'm a Shadowbolt. I eat flights like this for breakfast.” She winked, slid her goggles down, and took off, leaving behind her quickly-fading signature contrail.  

Applejack watched her leave. “I do not swoon,” she stubbornly maintained. 



*  *  *



That evening, Applejack trotted upstairs, ready to lay down and take a good, long look at her life before drifting off to sleep.

Yet to her surprise, when she arrived, she found that her bedroom was occupied. 

She opened the door to find Luna, waiting on her bed. As if that weren't odd enough, she was wearing a black saddle, strapped tightly to her body, and had long, black, lacy socks pulled up on all four legs. 

“Your highness?!” Applejack sputtered. 

Luna smiled in what she hoped was a sultry gaze. “Forgive the intrusion; I just… missed you.” She leaned down and pointedly sniffed Applejack's pillow. 

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Th- that so?” she said. 

Luna frowned. Perhaps that magazine had been flawed in its advice. Still, she pressed on. Such things never worked at first, after all. “It is my opinion that thine cutie mark is flawed.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow, unsure where Luna was going with that. “Is that so?” she asked again. 

“Aye. Such a fine specimen of hindquarters as thine should be adorned with nothing less than a golden medal.” Apparently, laurel leaves were no longer in vogue as first prizes. Odd, that. Golden medals certainly weren't edible. 

Applejack stared. Her jaw worked wordlessly as she tried to process the words and their source at the same time. Finally, she managed to squeeze a few words out from her mouth that adequately conveyed her confusion and disbelief. “Did you eat moldy hay this morning?”

Luna's ears drooped and she bit her lower lip. “Is this… wrong?” she asked. 

“It's more'n a bit creepy, yeah,” Applejack admitted. 

Luna frowned. “But the magazine said…”

“Oh, burn those magazines!” Applejack spat, stamping a hoof. “I get enough of that fakey-romantic junk from Rarity. It's nothin' but a load of nasty hogwash that ain't got nothin' to do with real love.”

“Thank you!” came a voice from outside that sounded suspiciously like Lightning Dust's, followed by a few concurring mumblings in the smooth voices of the noctrali. 

Applejack spun around and spluttered. “Do you mind?! Private conversation!”

Silence answered her. An owl hooted off in the distance. At least, it sounded like an owl; Applejack felt like she'd have trouble trusting the creatures of the night ever again. Scowling, Applejack slammed the window shut, barred it, and drew the drapes closed before sliding her dresser in front of it. Then she turned back around. 

The two mares stared awkwardly at each other for a moment. Luna brought a hoof up to scratch at the straps of her tight saddle, and Applejack adjusted her hat. 

Luna finally spoke. “I believe we… got off with the wrong hoof?”

“Something like that,” Applejack agreed. 

“I do wish to court you, if that is not already obvious.”

“Yeah,” Applejack said wryly, “you seem fairly set on it.”

“And it seems that you are only opposed to my affections due to my station?”

Applejack cocked her head.

“Princess,” Luna said, pointing at herself, and then pointed at Applejack. “Not.” She set her hoof down. “This troubles thee.”

Applejack cracked a smile. She had a sudden vision of Celestia signing a law and then raising the sun while wearing a saddle and long socks, complete with a halter. It was, to use Rarity's phrase, quite scandalous. 

“Do you really think me so special?” Luna asked, her voice a murmur now. “I can assure th- you, I am a mare like yourself. I have weaknesses. I am subject to happiness, sorrow, pain, joy, fear, lust…” Her voice dropped even lower. “Loneliness…” she added in a tiny whisper. 

Applejack nodded. 

“Love is not my domain, but I have seen enough dreams in my time to know that love has no bounds. I would court thee, and if thou canst- if you can feel it in your heart to give me a chance, I would show thee that thy princess is quite capable a lover.”

Applejack exhaled. Luna apparently knew what she was getting into, and if she was ok with it—and if she were that dead-set on it to come down here with that getup on—the least she could do was give her a chance. “All right,” she said. “I'll give it a shot.”

Luna clapped her hooves together. “Excellent! But I admit I am still somewhat unlearned as to today's customs.”

Applejack hid her mouth behind a hoof. “Wouldn't've guessed,” she said. 

Luna shrugged modestly, taking this as a compliment. “Perhaps you could instruct me on how this is to be done?”

Applejack sighed and hopped up in the bed next to Luna. “I'm not much better at it myself,” Applejack admitted, pulling off her hat and playing with it in her lap. “Always been busy in the orchards.” She chuckled dryly. “Can't even remember the last time I went on a date.”

“Then perhaps we can muddle through this together,” Luna suggested. 

Applejack cracked a smile. “Maybe we can. But let's start small.”

“Small?”

“Yeah, you know? Like a picnic or something.”

This was also a new word. “Picnic?” Luna repeated. 

“Yeah. We just go out and eat some food together. Nothin' too fancy.”

Luna considered this. “So it is a visit to a restaurant?” she guessed. 

“No. We make the food at home, then put it in a basket, take it out to a field somewhere and eat it, on a blanket.”

Luna frowned, considering this. “Would it not be more efficient to merely eat the food where it was prepared?” she asked. 

Applejack adjusted her hat. “Well, y- yeah, I guess; but… stop overthinking this!” Applejack scolded, pushing her hat back up. “It's just for fun.”

Luna's ears perked up. “Fun, you say? Then I am, as they say, in,” she said, trying one of her new phrases. 

“And, uh, Luna?”

“Yes, Applejack?”

She grimaced and gestured with a hoof. “Lose the socks.”

Luna nodded, conceding defeat. “And the saddle?” she asked. 

“That, too,” Applejack said. 

Luna lifted up a foreleg and rotated it. “It is a shame. I wonder why more ponies do not wear these. They are quite comfortable,” she observed.

“They're also bedroom clothes,” Applejack pointed out, “and walking around in public like you're hopin' for… uh… a roll in the hay… might not give the best impression.”

Luna frowned. “This is poor apparel for rolling in hay,” she protested. “Hay would get caught in the needlework.” She held out a foreleg for Applejack to examine. “And the fishnet ones would be even worse at entrapping it.”

Luna had fishnet ones? Applejack shook her head to clear it. “That's… not what that means,” she said. 

Luna frowned, and then her eyes widened. “That is a euphemism for sensual conduct,” she realized. 

Applejack nodded. 

Luna's cheeks tinged slightly with red. Memories from only an hour previous returned, and suddenly a few passing comments and overheard hushed conversations made sense. “That explains a few things,” she murmured. “And here I had considered that the Solar Guards stationed tonight were merely poorly trained…”

It was Applejack's turn to realize something, and her eyes widened as well. “You walked through the castle wearing that getup, didn't yo-?”

“Oh, my, observe the time, we must commence with the picnicking! Come along, Applejack!”


> Applejack's Answer
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Applejack lifted the lid, took out a plate, and placed it near Luna, whose body was now devoid of clothing. She then withdrew the first sandwich. “Cheese, tomato, a little lettuce, and mayonnaise all on wheat bread,” she said, setting it down on the plate.

Luna squinted. “Mayonnaise?” she repeated dubiously. 

“I like it,” Applejack said, digging in the basket again and retrieving another. “There's some with horseradish sauce if you want that instead.”

Luna squinted suspiciously at the sandwiches, but decided to stick with the food she knew; though she was fairly certain horseradish had had medicinal purposes before she'd left. Still, she doubted Applejack would intentionally try to poison her, so she took a bite. The sandwich bit back, but it was not unpleasant. “This is… savory,” she said, pleased. 

“Glad you like it,” Applejack said, taking this as a compliment and getting a sandwich for herself. “And that's not all I've brought.”



*  *  *



Mac watched the two mares from a distance. Even if it was a princess his sister was dining with, he still instinctively felt the need to watch over her. After all, it wasn't every day his sister made a bunch of food in the kitchen with a princess out in the living room waiting patiently.

He grinned as he watched Applejack pull a small flask of cider out of the basket next. Luna's wings flared out, and Big Mac could hear her joyous “huzzah!” even from here. 

The hair on the back of his neck stood up suddenly, and he looked behind himself. Standing a fair distance behind him was the same female bat pony as before. Tonight she wore no armor, and thus being naked she seemed to be even more one with the night, though how that was possible he didn't know. Now that she'd been noticed, she approached; apparently she'd gotten bored of her scaring him game. Her hoofsteps were nearly silent in the night, sounding no louder than the quiet breeze of the night skimming across the grass. Her flank bore a single star in the center, small but nearly perfectly white. 

She neared, slowed to a stop, and raised an eyebrow. Spying on your sister? she asked wordlessly. 

Mac shrugged. Older brother thing. His eyes narrowed slightly. Besides, you're here too. 

She nodded and pursed her lips, conceding this point. She looked over at the pair and smiled. She looked down, drew a hoof through the dirt, and then looked back up. They look pretty happy together. 

Mac nodded. Food was a universal constant that could bring everypony together.

She looked back at him and tossed her head towards the orchard. You want to take a walk with me?

Mac paused. He probably should say no, because he didn't want to leave Applejack alone. But then again, Luna probably had a ton of her invisible guards floating around. They would be safe. 

And besides, this bat pony was pretty cute in an exotic sort of way. Strong, too. And nice to Apple Bloom. 

Exactly the kind of pony you wouldn't mind getting to know a little better. 

He smiled. I'd love to. He had a pretty good idea of what to do with her.

She smiled, and together, they walked away. 



*  *  *



The bat pony hesitated as she neared the door of the barn. Maybe it was the enclosed space, or maybe it was because her last experience here had included burnt, crunchy food. 

Mac gently nudged her forward with his hips and nodded encouragingly. You're going to like this, he promised.

The bat pony looked at him suspiciously, but followed. She remained tense as he led her to the top of the barn and over to one corner. He picked up a stray stick from among the piles of hay, wedged one end into the wall, and pried off one of the panels. 

The bat pony stared, mildly confused as to why he'd intentionally destroy his own building, but then her eyes widened as he withdrew a small flask. She looked hopefully up at Mac. 

He set it down and nudged it over towards her with his nose. She reached out a hoof and pulled it closer, thankful for the offering but obviously feeling guilty that she had taken it all. 

This feeling was assuaged when he reached in and took out a second one for himself. Now wasting no time, she bit down on the cork and tried to pull it out to release the deliciousness inside. She was unsuccessful in her first attempt, and Mac hid a smile. 

But she was not about to be denied her prize so easily. Soon, she was rolling on her back, fangs working furiously at the cork, hooves scrabbling against the bottle, trying to loosen it to release the sweet contents. 

Mac chuckled. She looked somewhat like a kitten. A large, gray, fluffy, adorable kitten. 

She turned her head back towards him and glared. She rolled to her hooves and slid the bottle over in challenge.  

A tiny smile crossed his face, and Mac accepted. With a gentle rolling motion, Mac popped the cork off and gave the bottle back. She licked her lips and gave him a grateful look, then proceeded to drink half the bottle in one go. 

Mac cracked a smile. Impressive. He took another drink of his, but he nearly choked on it when she then gave him an unexpected appreciative nuzzle under his head. He had not been expecting this semi-intimate contact. 

She giggled at his startled expression and then lay down. She patted the hay next to her.

Mac blinked, then hesitantly followed suit. As soon as he got settled, she rolled over, leaning against Mac's side. She looked over back at him. You don't mind, do you? she asked coyly. 

As if in a daze, Mac shook his head, and she kicked her hind legs out, relaxed further, and resumed drinking. 

Mac lay his head down on his forelegs, his own flask of cider forgotten at this new sensation. She was warm, oh so very warm, and her fur was soft, better than any blanket. He could stay like this all night, easily. 



*  *  * 



Luna exhaled as she finished her last bite of apple turnover. So simple, yet so delicious at the same time. 

Applejack grinned as she put the empty plates back in the basket. “So, how was your first picnic?” she asked, stifling a yawn. 

“It was enjoyable,” Luna said, pleased, “and I would not be opposed to doing this again.” She looked at Applejack and grinned. “Though perhaps at an earlier time; you look as though you should be abed.”

Applejack nodded blearily. She should have been asleep an hour or two ago. “Yeah, just a bit.”

Their picnic completed, Luna brought her wing up to her lips, curled the feathers into a u-shape, and whistled. At least, it looked like she did; but Applejack couldn't hear anything. 

Over inside the barn, though, the bat pony's ears pricked up. She sat up, and this small motion roused Mac, who was mildly embarrassed as he realized that he had fallen asleep. He cracked an apologetic smile, but she didn't seem to be offended. She looked over at Mac, then back over towards where Luna was, and then back towards Mac again, and smiled sheepishly. She was being called; their date was over. 

Mac put two and two together and briefly wondered if the bat pony had been specially assigned to distract him; but was distracted from that train of thought as she nuzzled him once again, brushing her cheek against the underside of his neck and then moving in tiny circles upwards across his cheek, culminating with a tiny lick on the tip of his nose. He blushed, grateful for the red coloring of his coat. Her tongue was the tiniest bit rough, like fine sandpaper, but it had still been a pleasant sensation. 

She withdrew, winked, and turned to leave. 

“C- come back soon,” Mac stuttered as she departed. 

The bat pony smiled. She slowed to a stop and turned around, then brought her hoof up and slowly crossed her heart, silently promising that she would; and then she flew off silently into the night. 

Mac watched her until she had disappeared from sight. Not even caring that both bottles of cider were now empty, he trotted back to the farmhouse, a new spring in his step as he did. 

Unseen by him, the bat pony watched from the shadows as he left. A smile crossed her face as well, even when she heard Luna's hoofsteps behind her.

“I take it you... had fun?” Luna asked.

She nodded.

Luna grinned widely. “Huzzah,” she said, holding her hoof out for bumping.

The bat pony returned it with a wry smile. She really did try hard to fit in.

As the bat pony hitched herself back up to the chariot, Luna paused. “You have tomorrow night off, do you not?”

The bat pony nearly missed a latch on the harness. She did.

Luna said nothing else, but smiled a knowing smile.
> The Old Castle
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Applejack was washing the last dish after breakfast when Apple Bloom hesitantly poked her head back in the kitchen. “Applejack?”

“Yeah?”

“There's… somepony here to see you,” Apple Bloom said, jerking her head back towards the front door. 

Applejack blinked, but Apple Bloom didn't elaborate. She grunted interestedly, flicked her hooves to get the water off, and trotted over towards the front door. 

And stopped short. Princess Luna stood at the door. 

“Prin- Luna!” Applejack blinked. “What brings you over?”

Luna glanced over. The bat pony secreted there in the shadows of the porch nodded encouragingly, and she turned back to look at Applejack. “I have a… favor to ask.” The words felt strange crossing her tongue—normally, Luna was the one granting favors—but her guards had told her that this kind of invitation was almost never turned down, and she really wanted to… what was it? 'hang up' with Applejack again. 

Applejack's forehead crinkled. What kind of favor could she do for a princess? “Sure, I guess. What kind of favor?”



* * *



“I thank you for accompanying me,” Luna said as her hooves trod the hauntingly familiar flagstones of the Castle of the Two Pony Sisters. “Returning here alone is… uncomfortable.” That part was definitely true. She looked up at the familiar tapestries, now frayed and worn with time.

“No problem,” Applejack said with a smile. “We come here all the time. Well, Twilight does, especially. Lots of old books she likes to read here, you know?”

Luna's mouth tightened slightly. “There are some books secreted here that should never be read again,” she murmured. “I shall advise her to take caution.”

The two walked further through a large room with vaulted ceilings. Luna couldn't help but smile as memories surfaced. “This was the main dining hall,” she said, and suddenly the presence of a crumbling, rotting wood pile in the center made sense to Applejack. She glanced up and her smile turned wry. “I always felt the ceiling was higher than strictly needful. When I was bored and eating my midnight meal alone, I would sometimes try to throw my cutlery up and stick it in the ceiling. I never did quite get it.”

Applejack slowly looked up and whistled. Their last experience here had not lead to good sightseeing; she hadn't noticed any of that. “Looks like a place to hold a dance.”

Luna chuckled. “Nay; that would be the ballroom.” She led Applejack further and opened a door into a larger room. 

Applejack's jaw dropped. Even though it had faced what had once been the gardens and had long since been reclaimed by vines and leaves, it was still quite the sight. “Even the one in Canterlot isn't as large as this,” she breathed.

“True. It may be nicer and have two stories, but this one is larger.” Luna turned and continued walking, and Applejack followed behind. 

Luna ducked into a small corner that Applejack hadn't seen, and they emerged in another wing she hadn't seen before. Luna walked for a few moments longer before pausing in front of an ornately-carved door. “And this was our- my old quarters. Remain here,” Luna said, pushing open the doors to her old room. “Our room was warded strongly against intrusions of all kinds, and I know not what may have happened here over the years.”

“I'm not coming with you?” Applejack had to ask. 

“The path to what I seek is littered with tricks and traps, nearly impossible for the unaware to safely traverse.”

“Like I said, I've been here before,” Applejack said, gingerly moving a hoof to a less suspicious-looking floor tile. “I've had enough of trapdoors and such to last me a lifetime.”

“Yes,” Luna said with only the briefest of hesitations. “Trapdoors and such.”

Applejack wondered what other kinds of dangers existed here that would make an alicorn hesitate, but she decided not to ask. 

Luna headed over to the door. “Remain here. I will return anon.”

Applejack was naturally a curious pony, so when Luna left, her attention was drawn to some of the things in Luna's old room. She made faces at herself in the metallic trophies and shields on the wall. She looked at some of the weapons and hefted a few of the knives. She could sense something different about these. They were heavy, but perfectly weighted. She tossed one up experimentally, and it rotated smoothly—and much faster than she'd expected. Instinctively, Applejack jerked her hoof out of the way, and the tip of the knife fell and buried itself in the desk. It sunk deeply into the old wood.

Applejack had a mild heart attack. She reached out a hoof to pull it out, but then stopped. A thin trail of blood ran down the back of her hoof. She glanced over and saw that in her instinctive attempt to avoid the knife, she had scratched it against a metal statue of a majestic mare, possibly Luna herself. At least, it looked metallic; but the reflection patterns on the surface looked like they were shades of purple instead of silver, and the little thing gave her the willies for some unknown reason. 

She became aware of a burning sensation on her hoof and she looked down. Maybe it was because it was dark, but she could swear that the cut and the blood seeping out looked almost black. She shook it, trying to clear the pain before pressing her other hoof against it to staunch the flow of blood.

The sound of hoofsteps sounded behind her, and she quickly spun around. Luna had returned. A little smile crossed her face as she saw the knife impaled in the desk. “I see you've found some of my weapons,” she said. 

Applejack scratched the back of her neck. “Yeah…” she said sheepishly. 

Luna chuckled and walked closer. “Fear not,” she said, lighting her horn and pulling the knife out. She tossed it in the air a few times, and it rotated just as smoothly as before. “They are curious things, are they not? I am not disappointed that they have little use besides decoration in these days.” She set it down gently. 

“Did you get what you were looking for?” Applejack asked, scratching at her aching hoof again. 

“Indeed. Behold!” Luna held out an ancient book. 

Applejack squinted. “What is it?”

“We have- I know that Pinkie Pie is a player of pranks and a cracker of jokes…” She paused. “That is the phrase, right?”

Applejack grinned. “Something like that.”

“…and this is one of the finest books of pranks ever written,” she finished, holding it up proudly. “The book itself plays pranks on its readers, and I believe she would find it most amusing. It is to be a peace offering for my actions last week.”

Applejack paused, noticing something for the first time. “Does that have something to do with the fact that your cutie mark is now pink?”

Luna placed the book in her saddlebag. “I was not fast enough to avoid some of its tricks,” she admitted, looking embarrassed but somehow remaining regal at the same time. “Apparently, my ability to riddle has been… rusted over the years. But I have no doubt Pinkie Pie will find it most amusing.”

“I'd agree with that,” Applejack said. 

Luna gestured with her head, smiling. “Come. Let us present it to her together.”

> Interlude: Narcoblixes in the Night, Part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------




Narcoblix: n. A mythical creature said to be able to take full motor control of any pony they have previously bitten whenever their victim is asleep. See also vampony, viviblix, TABLE: mythical creatures and their powers



Twilight sighed and shut the dictionary. The definition was nearly identical to the others she had found already, and it hadn't helped her much. Ever since one of Luna's Night Guard had mentioned narcoblixes being generally unfriendly, she had wanted to learn more about them, and that required research. She had previously thought they were just mythical creatures, and most of her sources seemed to agree with that sentiment. Either that, or they really were better hidden than anypony had thought. She was beginning to wonder if the noctral had been playing a little prank on her.

Still…

“Spike!” she called. 

“Yeah?”

“I think I'm going up to the Canterlot library. You want to come with?”

Spike suppressed a grimace. He'd spent plenty of time there when he was younger, and had no real desire to walk its familiar halls again. “You go ahead. I'll… find something important to do here.” He smiled widely in what he hoped was a disarming smile.

“That's fine. Just don't burn the castle down while I'm gone,” she said. 

“You kidding?” Spike said, knocking on a nearby wall. “This castle has grade A heat-dissipating crystalline structure all through it. Any heat gets spread through the whole structure before any damage happens. I've used my dragonfire on it and taken it up to five hundred degrees and you can't even tell that I… uh…” His eyes widened and his voice trailed off, and he put his claws innocently behind his back. “I mean… I have been nothing but safe and responsible here in the Friendship Castle.” He smiled disarmingly. 



*  *  *



Twilight walked into the Library of Canterlot. She couldn't help but giggle like a filly half her age. It was good to be back in such a hallowed hall of learning!

Spike grumbled as he followed close behind. One little experiment, and Twilight acted like he had tried to release an eldritch abomination on the whole town. 

Of course, knowing Twilight, she'd probably rather deal with an eldritch abomination than with damaged books. 

Twilight trotted by the security guards, but then slowed to a stop. She paused and walked backwards until she was back in front of the posters demonstrating the current displays. As the Library of Canterlot was a repository library, they had massive collections of items stored underneath the mountain, and they rotated this stock often. This particular poster, emblazoned with a picture of a folded Night Guard uniform complete with tarnished brass badge, looked as though the artifacts it advertised would be most helpful. 

She read it and looked over at the nearest security guard. “Does this mean you've got actual Night Guard memorabilia from before the time of Nightmare Moon?” she asked. 

“Indeed we do,” he said proudly. “Night Guard equipment, weapons, uniforms, and other items from noctrali history. This month's special item is actually a mouth-written crime log from chief inspector Night Wing, one of the first captains of the Night Guard.”

Twilight clapped her hooves. That sounded exactly like what she was looking for! “I would like to see that,” she said. 

The security guard chuckled. “I'm afraid that's not going to happen. That's a priceless artifact, and you'd need some really good connections to even open that case.”

Spike coughed a laugh. 



*  *  *



Sure enough, within minutes, Twilight was poring over the log. Though the writing was messy and abbreviated at times, and archaic spellings and phrasings abounded, she soon fell into a rhythm of mental interpretation. Spike had found something interesting among the weaponry, and was pretending to fight innumerable invisible enemies with a rolled-up map. 

Then, out of the blue, she gasped. There it was. 



	12 November 465
Sent out to bring in a moste troublesome narcoblix. He was ready for us and had prepared a moste curious powder which he blewe upon us. I did cease to breathe and was unaffected but it made guard Misty Evening sleep whereupon the criminal bit him and took controll of his body. Misty is a moste formidable fighter and it was an awful fight as we did not want to harm one of our own nor did we wish to perish at his hoofs.  
This fight was ended when little Midnight Blossom secreted herself in the dark and then stabbed the treacherous narcoblix through the heart with a wingblade which did kill him anon. The experience has left Mist with a painful headache which has yet to leave him regardless of tea or other remedy. 



But it was the information in the back pages that really made Twilight giddy. They were a long hoof-written compendium of all the creatures the night guard would have to face; more or less a cheat sheet for all the less-friendly creatures of the night. Where to find them, what to do when you came across them, their weaknesses, and their strengths. 

And one of the columns was labelled 'narcoblix'. 


*  *  *


Octavia finished her song, drawing the bow across the strings slowly and letting the final note ring off long into the night. 

As it faded away, ponies stamped politely for a good three minutes, the refined version of what her roommate might term 'bringing down the house'. She bowed gracefully, and then walked off stage, followed by her fellow members. 

“Perfect as always, Miss Octavia,” Beauty said with a congratulatory nudge.  

“Oh, you know,” Octavia said with a demure blush. “It's as if I can't sleep until I get it perfect.”

“Well, keep up the sleepless work,” Beauty said with a wink. “They'll be inviting us to every event in Canterlot at this rate.”

Octavia finished putting away her beloved instrument, and tightened the strap. She lifted it and began walking. 

Yet she slowed. Her ears flicked around. There was somepony else there. The security here had always been more for show than anything else, and she knew she was on her own if anything were to happen. She turned to glare at her stalker. 

She saw nopony. 

She scowled. This might have been her roommate playing a trick on her.

A moment later, though, she discarded that theory. Vinyl couldn't sneak around to save her life, but whoever was following her was eerily quiet. 

She abruptly changed her route, heading downstairs. She wound her way through the lower levels and the dark hallways beneath the stage, and going down out the back alleyway. 

At least, that was the idea. 

She grabbed for the doorknob and then quickly retracted it, shaking her hoof and hissing in pain as her hoof suddenly burned, as if she had grabbed hot iron instead. She squinted at it and snarled as she recognized the white powder coated on the brass. Then she recomposed herself. “Powdered mistletoe,” Octavia observed dispassionately. She turned back around. “You've done your research.”

“I try,” the other pony said loftily. 

Octavia began to circle, but the other pony had chosen well; the hallway was too cramped to do much besides pace. Certainly not enough room to spin and strike with her powerful earth pony hind legs, and rearing up would only give her a shot at her sensitive underbelly. She would have to think her way out. “Very well. You wanted me, and now I'm here; what do you want?”

“Honestly? I want to perform a few… tests.”

Octavia facehoofed. “Twilight Sparkle…”

“How did you know it was me?” Twilight demanded, stepping into the light now that her identity was revealed. “I followed the steps in 'How to Stalk Prey' to the letter! The letter!”

“Nopony knows about narcoblixes,” Octavia said flatly. “I lived with my marefriend for two years before she even started suspecting something; and it would have been much longer had I not gotten careless one night. And then mentioning tests? You really could have just sent me a letter and saved the both of us all this trouble.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Would you have come if I had?” she asked. 

One side of Octavia's mouth curled up in a half-smile. “Of course not.”

“That's what I thought.” Her curiosity piqued, Twilight had to ask. “What made her suspect you, anyway?”

Octavia smirked. “Waking up on the dinner table, on her back, legs spread, wearing only one of my bow ties.”

Twilight grimaced.

Octavia smirked evilly. “What? I got hungry.”

Twilight grit her teeth. “And that I will add to my list of things I could have gone my whole life without hearing,” she grumbled. 

Octavia chuckled. “It gets better. That was only the first time I erred. She really started to suspect something after I forgot to put her back in bed after I engaged herself in sexual conduct.”

Twilight blinked. That would mean…

Octavia translated, “She was performing autocu-”

“And that's enough of that!” Twilight said quickly. 

Octavia chuckled briefly before dropping back down to a serious mode again. “As I was saying… the fact that you've chosen this method of contact leads me to believe that I won't enjoy these… 'tests'.”

“Well, most of what I had in mind is inherently unethical…” Twilight admitted. 

Octavia bared her teeth, revealing tiny fangs normally hidden by her lips.

“…but they wouldn't be unethical if I performed them on myself.”

Octavia squinted, unable to comprehend. “So you're saying…?”

“Yes.” Twilight swallowed. “I want to become a narcoblix.”

Octavia blinked. 

She blinked again. 

Then she burst out laughing. “You- you can't be serious!” she choked. “There is no undoing becoming a narcoblix!”

“I know; but it's-”

“You are off of your rocker,” Octavia said firmly. “Being a narcoblix is nowhere near enjoyable. You can't sleep at night.”

Twilight shrugged. “All the better for studying.”

“You're tired all day and can't spend as much time in the sun. Life doesn't start until the sun starts going down.”

“I'm always tired; and I spend most of my time indoors, anyway.”

“You get the urges to bite everyone you meet.”

“I handle my estrous using only meditation.”

“And you get 'welfare checks' from Luna's batty brats every other week or so.”

This one Twilight hadn't quite anticipated. “The Night Guard?” she asked. 

Octavia rolled her eyes. “If you wish to be politically correct, yes, ‘the Night Guard’. They're more of a nuisance than anything. Just listen for the insects. They go quiet when they're around. Bats eat insects, after all.”

Twilight cracked a smile. “You gave me advice. You want to turn me.”

Octavia scowled. “I want to bite you,” she corrected. “That's my instinct. But I won't.”

Twilight lit her horn and levitated a needle, but this was no ordinary needle. It gleamed strangely in the light of the candles on the walls, and it looked far too shiny to be an ordinary needle. 

“Silver…” Octavia breathed, fear flickering in her eyes for the first time. She was fast, it was true; but she was not faster than magic. 

“So that one is true,” Twilight whispered.

Octavia exhaled, her expression now fear tinged with hatred. “Yes; but I trusted the last pony I let pierce me.”

Twilight blinked, and the needle lowered. The journal seemed to indicate that while pierced with silver, the narcoblix would be forced to obey whomever had pierced her. The only pony she could have trusted that much was… “Your roommate?” she suggested. 

Octavia nodded. “It was the best way to get her to trust me. Furthermore, I knew she wouldn't make me do anything too dangerous.” Her expression hardened. “You, on the other hoof, I don't trust; you as a pony or your intelligence.”

Twilight narrowed her eyes and raised the needle again. 

Octavia closed her eyes and sighed. She turned around, leaned down, and opened her cello case. “Very well. If it's all the same to you, I'd rather remain in control of my facilities. You want it?” She pulled a small knife out of a compartment, like the kind used for cutting musical reeds down to proper size, and slid over across the ground. “Take it.”

The knife bumped to a stop against Twilight's hoof. She stared. “What?” she finally managed to ask. 

“You've read the legends,” Octavia said, walking over and extending a foreleg. “You've done your research, right? You know what to do.”

Twilight nudged the knife with a hoof and grimaced. “I was really hoping that was a mistranslation… Can't you just bite me?”

“That binds you to me. And biting somepony as special as you would propel me to the top of the batty squad's naughty list, so I'm afraid my hooves are tied, so to speak. You want it, you know what to do.”

Twilight grimaced as she neared Octavia's outstretched foreleg. “How much do I have to drink?”

“I really don't know,” Octavia said flippantly. “I suppose you'll find out.”

Twilight nodded and pulled out a few pills. 

“Sleeping pills. You did plan ahead,” Octavia murmured. 

“I didn't want to take any chances on the blood wearing off before I went home,” Twilight said. She took eight pills dry, then looked at Octavia. “Can you at least take me home afterwards?” Twilight asked hopefully. 

Octavia smiled. “Yes, that can be arranged.” Her eyes narrowed. “No piercing necessary.”

Twilight nodded, swirled her tongue around her mouth once more to get the chalky taste of the pills out, and then steeled herself. “Ok. I'm ready.”

Octavia held her leg steady as Twilight lit her horn and lifted the knife. She hesitated, then gritted her teeth and brought the knife down across Octavia's foreleg. 

Octavia inhaled sharply through gritted teeth, but she didn't flinch. 

Twilight hesitated once more, and then brought her lips to the cut. She sniffed, smelling the metallic tang of the blood, and then she extended her tongue and began to drink. 

Octavia grunted, but made no further motions as Twilight lapped at her cut. 

Twilight eventually sat back and wiped her lips, forcing herself to not gag. “It's done?” she asked, her words coming out slightly slurred. 

“I guess you'll find out soon enough,” Octavia said. Her visage began to swim, and Twilight slowly drifted off to sleep. 



*  *  *



Twilight groaned as she slowly regained consciousness. Her ears flicked. Someone else was shuffling nearby, hesitantly shifting their weight between two legs. The only one she knew that fit that description was… “Spike?” she asked. 

“Yeah. Uh, good morning, Twilight.” His voice was quieter. Why was he whispering? “Rough night last night? There's a hangover cure recipe I found in one of those old books, and I took the liberty of making you some. It's here on the nightstand.”

Twilight groaned and rubbed her eyes. “Not that I want to be ungrateful, but why would you offer that?”

Spike, pointedly averting his eyes, gestured at Twilight's lower frame. 

Twilight looked down and gasped. 

Her tail had been braided tightly, all the way up to her dock, and she had a loose rope tied to her, connecting the middle of her tail and a collar around her neck. To make it worse, she was wearing a pair of panties, emblazoned with a hauntingly familiar purple treble clef. She blushed furiously and clamped her hind legs together. “I hate narcoblixes,” she grumbled under her breath. 
	
> Interlude: Narcoblixes in the Night, Part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight Sparkle was very good at resisting temptation. It was a talent, really. Many, many times as a filly she had restrained herself from such temptations such as sneaking into the restricted wing of the library, correcting adults that should have been much more knowledgeable about things, and eating all the pancakes before Shining Armor could come down to the table. But combine temptation with scientific curiosity…

Spike chuckled as he dug his fork into his baked pasta. “So you're doing the cooking now, huh?” he asked.

Twilight shrugged. “Call it an experiment,” she said. 

Spike held up his loaded fork and placed a sprig of parsley as garnish on top. He placed it into his mouth, and then his eyes widened. He swallowed and quickly started loading his fork again. “Well, I deem this one a success. Maybe you should experiment like this more often.”

Twilight chuckled modestly as Spike chewed. “Cooking is an art, Spike; I just follow recipes. Now, you, on the other hoof…”

Spike swallowed and shrugged modestly. “I do what I can.” He glanced over at Twilight's setting, which was only a glass of chocolate milk. “You're not hungry?”

“I ate a lot earlier,” she explained. “Turns out you do a lot of taste testing when you're trying out a new recipe.” She smiled disarmingly. “If I ate any more, I'd probably explode.”

Spike guffawed. “More for me, then!” he said, digging in again. 

“Don’t eat too much,” Twilight said with a smile as Spike reached for his third serving. “I’ve also made dessert.”

Spike's eyes widened, then narrowed. This was too good to be true. It had to be a trap somewhere. “Dessert?” he asked cautiously. 

Twilight lit her horn and teleported back into the kitchen, only to return in seconds bearing a large chocolate cake. “Cooking is an art, but baking is a science, Spike,” Twilight said pleasantly. “And you know how much I like science.”

Spike chuckled as Twilight cut a piece for each of them. “There’s always room for dessert, amirite?”

“So right,” Twilight agreed as she took a bite of her cake.

Spike managed to eat one piece before he yawned hard enough that his jaw popped. “I'm thinking I'm gonna hit the hay early tonight,” he said, rubbing at his eyes. 

“That's fine,” Twilight said a bit too quickly. “I'll just be…” She lit her horn and pulled over a random book from off the nearest shelf. “-doing some reading!” She glanced down at the book she had retrieved and read the title aloud. “'Scientific Naming and Cataloguing of the Coniferous Trees of the Whitetail Woods'! This one's a real page turner!” She looked up, but Spike had already vanished. 

She chuckled. Perfect. 

Twilight slowly crept into his room and poked her head in. Spike lay in bed, already snoring quietly. The sleeping pills she had slipped into her dinner had worked. A smile played at her lips, and she opened her mouth and ran her tongue along the bottoms of her teeth. Two tiny spikes, almost invisible if you weren't looking for them, now adorned her two incisors. 

She wasn't sure how deeply she'd have to bite. His scales were thick enough that he probably wouldn't feel a normal bite; but if she needed to taste blood before the magic took effect (and she'd had enough blood recently to last her the rest of her life), then this would present a problem. For obvious reasons, all of Night Wing’s notes had been about protecting noctrali, not dragons. 

Still, science wasn’t always clean, and sometimes sacrifices had to be made for science. She crept forward and leaned down, and then froze as Spike grunted and rolled over. She held still, not even breathing as he scratched at his stomach, and then he settled back down and his breathing steadied again. Twilight sighed with relief… and then froze as he once again shifted at the sound. She grimaced and held her breath again. Thankfully, Spike relaxed once more, and mumbled something that sounded vaguely like ‘airity’ before dropping off and snoring lightly once more.

Twilight shook her head. She’d just have to do it. She leaned down. Instinct told her the neck was the best position, and she bit. She didn't even make a dent in his scales, and she wondered if it had worked.

And then she felt it. Spike was available. She didn't know how else to describe it. An excited giggle nearly escaped her throat. Fascinating! 

She walked back outside and found a nearby desk so she'd have a comfortable place to sit as she experimented. She rested her head and closed her eyes, and then slowly opened Spike's. 

The first thing she noticed was that she was much closer to the ground than she had been as a pony. The second thing she noticed was the amount of dust under the dresser that had not been cleaned. She grunted in moderate displeasure and made a mental note to talk to Spike about the cleanliness of his room, but then she realized that she was in complete control of Spike's body—the sound had come from him, not her; and she had heard it with his ears, not hers. She pushed herself up and blinked in surprise. Spike had claws, and she could wriggle each one. This was a strange yet familiar sensation. They were short, but felt strong, and she idly wondered if he'd ever accidentally caught them on anything and shredded it. 

Grabbing the edge of the basket, she tried to step out and go exploring as Spike. 

Instead, her rear claw got stuck on the wicker basket, and she found herself toppling forward. She barely had time to register that this might be the reason Spike usually quite literally jumped out of bed in the mornings before her chin hit the ground. 

She gasped in pain as she was back in her seat with the painfully familiar headache born of magical feedback pulsing in her skull. 

Spike sat up, now awake. He groaned, too, but more in confusion. “Whoa,” he said. “Did I go sleepwalking or something?” Then he glanced up at Twilight sheepishly. “I didn't wake you up, did I?”

“It was 'or something',” Twilight answered, rubbing her head. “And it was fine. I just… was awake because I… uh… thought of a new magical breakthrough!” She smiled widely, even through the pounding headache, hoping he would buy it. 

He did. Spike got up and climbed back into bed. “Sounds fascinating. Save it 'til morning?” he pleaded sleepily. 

“Deal. Good night, Spike.”

But the feeling that Spike was once again available let her know that he was already fast asleep. 

She giggled. Spike was right. This was fascinating. 

> Interlude: Narcoblixes in the Night, Part 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	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.”

> Interlude: Going Batty?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Later that evening, Macintosh chuckled quietly to himself as he passed Applejack still working on his way back to the farmhouse. Farm chores had to be done, no matter what; she'd left this morning with Luna, so she'd be working later tonight to get everything done. 

Still, he wouldn't be a complete tree stump about it. He would most likely bring her a snack or something later before he went to bed. 

And then he stopped. 

Sitting on the porch was the bat pony mare from before. She rocked back and forth on the rocking chair, wings spread wide for balance, an exuberant smile on her face as she played with her new toy. 

Mac couldn't help but chuckle, and she jumped in surprise at the sound, tipping the rocking chair over backwards; but she flapped her wings and managed to keep herself upright, even if the chair didn't. She landed and gave him a coy smile. Mac paused as he noticed that she was wearing a black ribbon in her mane and intricately formed metal bracelets on her hooves; and for some reason, he got the distinct impression that she hadn't actually been scared by his sudden appearance. 

Still, he wasn't about to just let this opportunity go. He bowed apologetically, and she 'forgave' him with an affectionate cheek nuzzle. 

Soon, the two were walking through the woods, silently. No words needed to be said; they were content merely enjoying each other's company. 

The night grew darker, the stars grew brighter, and their steps slowed. Soon, they were laying down on the grass, looking up at the stars. 

Mac yawned, though he tried to suppress it. 

And then he realized that he was resting his head on her shoulder, and had been doing so for some time. He jerked upright. “Sorry,” he said quietly. 

She smiled demurely, completely unoffended. In fact, she seemed almost to be blushing. 

“You have really soft fur,” Mac continued. 

She shrugged; but she was definitely blushing now, even through her dark fur. 

“Do you do something special to it?” he asked. 

She shrugged. 

Mac chuckled. “Maybe it's just a bat pony thing?” he suggested playfully. 

“Noctrali.”

Mac looked up. It was the first time he had ever heard her speak. She had a lovely voice. His ears were soon blessed with a second sentence. 

“We are noctrali. And my name is Nova.”

Mac stared. Sure, this made perfect sense with her star cutie mark; but he had bigger things to worry about. “You talk,” finally came out. 

A smile played at her lips. “So do you,” she pointed out.

Mac subconsciously licked his lips. “You should do that more often,” he said, half suggesting, half requesting. 

Nova shuffled her hooves slightly. “We'll see,” she said demurely. “But if you're going to be my lover, you should use my species' real name.”

There was a pause as both suddenly realized what they'd just done. 

Did I just ask him out?

Did she just ask me out?

She looked up. “So are we…?” she started.

“Ah think so,” Mac said. 

Nova smiled. “Good,” she said, and she lay her head down on his shoulder. 

Mac flushed bright red; but then he hesitantly rested his head against the top of hers and then, in a moment of daring, rested a foreleg over her shoulder and pulled her closer to him. She stretched slightly and he could almost swear she was purring in delight. His breathing eventually slowed in time with hers, and soon, he was fast asleep, this time with her full approval. 



* * *



Mac woke up, alone, in the middle of the orchard. He frowned, but cracked a small smile as he realized he had a purple blanket over him, emblazoned with decorations of moons and stars. That was surprisingly touching.

He folded it up neatly and placed it on his back before turning back towards the farmhouse. With a quick glance at the sky, he judged the time and realized with a start that he'd have to hurry to make it to town on time. He increased his pace to a trot and hurried on his way. 

He soon arrived at the barn, and slowly dragged the ajar doors open all the way with a screech of metal on wood. 

“Mac? That you?” Applejack asked. She was back behind the stacks of barrels, making sure that all the stock was rotated for proper freshness and selecting only the best of the best apples. 

“Eeyup.”

She chuckled as she closed the top of another barrel. “Have a good night last night?” she teased. “Saw you had a visitor.”

“Eeyup,” Mac said, a bit more quietly this time, and with just a tinge of blush on his cheeks. 

“I'll tease you more about that later,” Applejack said, grunting as she loaded the barrel up and pushed it up to the top of the stack. “Right now you've got some apples to be selling.”

“Eeyup,” Mac agreed as he hitched himself to the wagon. With a few movements of his powerful muscles, he budged the cart forward, and then strode forward. Once he had broken it loose, it became easier, and he pulled it along easily. The cart bumped along behind him as he briskly approached the town. He was ready for anything. 



* * *



Setting up the apple stand was almost second nature by now. It wasn't long before Macintosh stood proudly behind his family's wares. 

Now, Macintosh was not completely ignorant of his situation. He knew he was a large stallion in a town where stallions were not particularly plentiful, and as such, more often than not he would receive playful attention from the mares around him.

Yet today, something seemed especially off. Mares giggled and gestured at him a lot more than usual. Even fillies giggled, and the colts' looks were more confusion than jealousy. One even stopped short and squinted with his head tilted before he was pulled forward by his friends.

Strange. 

This pattern continued until two twin ponies walked up. Aloe and Lotus, the spa ponies, approached, giggling madly behind their hooves. He raised an eyebrow, but for some reason, that just set them off even further.

Finally, one managed to speak. “That is quite the look for you, Mr. Macintosh,” Aloe giggled. 

Mac cocked his head. 

“It is always nice to see a stallion in touch with his more… feminine side,” Lotus added with a giggle of her own. 

Mac cocked his head. 

“Oh, you know…” Aloe gestured to her mane. 

Mac frowned. He squinted, but didn't see anything in her mane. 

Oh. His mane. 

He glanced over and caught the eye of a pony who was selling pots and pans. He grabbed one from off the table and lifted it like a mirror so he could see himself. 

His jaw dropped. Nova's ribbon was woven into his mane, which had been curled and topped off with a dainty little bob at the end. 

“Nova!”



* * *



Inside Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie Pie's ears pricked up at the sound of the bell over the door ringing. She turned around, wiping her hooves off on her apron. She brightened as she saw Macintosh. Her smile turned confused as he neared; he wasn’t so much walking as stomping, and he certainly looked perturbed about something.

“Hey, Big Mac,” she said. “You ok?”

“Nope.”

“What's up?”

In response, he raised a hoof and pointed at his mane. 

Pinkie’s eyes slowly followed his hoof up, and her eyes widened. She gigglesnorted and hid her mouth behind a hoof. “That's a good look for you!”

Mac stomped. It wasn't funny!

“It's a little bit funny,” Pinkie protested. 

Mac shook his head. 

“Fine,” Pinkie sighed. “So how’d you do your new do?”

Mac snorted. “Nova,” he growled.

Pinkie tapped her hooves together, thinking quickly. “Oh, I think I get it. Your girlfriend played a prank on you, and now you’re here because you want to get back at her?”

“Eeyup.” Mac nodded firmly. There weren’t many ponies that could understand his silence, so he was certainly glad that Pinkie could. Having her on his side was always an advantage, and he really wanted an advantage right now. He wasn't even going to question how Pinkie knew her name when he himself had just found out last night.

Pinkie tapped her chin. “Now that you mention it, I recently came into possession of a very interesting book…” Her smile turned devious. “What kind of prank did you have in mind?”



* * *



Nova frowned as she walked past yet another window. She lifted her sunglasses and peeked inside, but just like the last few times she’d checked, Macintosh wasn’t there.

Strange. He should be here. She hadn’t seen him in the orchard. Or maybe he had been. No, he would have come out if he’d seen her. Her ears swiveled from side to side. Something was up, but she wasn't sure what. 

She looked up as she heard tapping on the window. There was Macintosh, waving at her to get her attention. Nova grinned. In his bedroom? Oh, how cheeky!

She flew up and pushed the window open with a hoof. Macintosh took a step back, and Nova smirked as she stepped inside. 

“Nova! I’ve got a surprise for you.”

Nova smiled and perched on the windowsill, kneading her hooves like a cat. She did like surprises. Most surprises, anyway. 

Her ears dipped slightly as she realized that Macintosh was all alone in the room. No surprises were visible. Unless… 

“It’s in the barn,” Mac explained, pointing the way.

Nova’s ears perked up. Much better. Last time she’d been there, there had been cider.

Mac headed for the door, but paused to look over his shoulder. “Race you there?” he offered.

Nova smirked and spread her wings. She stood up and let herself tip over backwards out the window, only to catch herself easily and begin gliding towards the barn. She looked back long enough to wink at him, and then she flew off.

She quickly found the barn door. Her eyes brightened as she saw a drawing of her cutie mark taped to the outside. Clearly, this was where he meant to bring her.

She looked back and saw Macintosh, running to catch up but still so far behind. She giggled and pushed her way inside… 

And was promptly met with a banana cream pie to the face.

She stood there, stock still, as frosting slowly trickled down her cheeks and fell off onto the ground under its own weight.

Macintosh caught up, panting from his quick run. He looked over at her and grinned. Gotcha.

She turned and stared at him, her expression frozen still expressing mild surprise. For a horrifying moment, Macintosh wondered if he had gone too far. What if he had scared her off?

And then a smile slowly spread across her face, and she met his eyes as she slowly dragged her tongue across the front of her teeth. 

And that was when Macintosh realized that it had not driven her away at all. Oh, no. 

Instead, his little prank had had quite the opposite effect. 

No sooner had he processed this than Nova tackled him into a hub. But it was not just a hug; she rubbed her face everywhere she could reach, rubbing the frosting into his fur. Macintosh couldn’t help but chuckle as he made a half-hearted attempt to hold her off. That was an appropriate response to a prank, he supposed.

She slowed down, and frowned. She batted at one of his hooves and stuck out her lower lip. Apparently, she wanted to actually wrestle.

Now, Macintosh was not ignorant of his situation. He was a big stallion, and had voluntarily recused himself from some of the more physical activities at Apple Family Reunions for fear of hurting others. But if she really wanted to play, then maybe he’d-

Mac yipped. She’d bitten him! Lightly, of course; but it had definitely been a bite there on the inside of his hind leg. And her little fangs were sharp! 

She looked back up at him and smirked. Now convinced that Nova wanted to play a little bit rough, Macintosh flipped her and held her down with his own body weight.

At least, he tried to; but Nova squirmed out of his grasp. Macintosh gasped as she somehow reversed his hold and squeezed out. The next thing he knew, he was still on the ground, but she was on her hooves in front of him. She gave him a little head nod, and then nudged him gently with a forehoof.

Now convinced that she wanted to play rough, and also that he wasn’t going to hurt her, Mac grinned and stood up as well. He reared up and threw a fake kick or two, and Nova’s mouth split in a wide grin as she lifted up and returned the gesture. 

And then she bopped him lightly on the head with a wing and took off running. Macintosh grinned and chased after her.

Now in the daylight with no opportunity for shadow travel, it was just her and her natural abilities. She was quick, and oftentimes Macintosh would catch up, only to have her dart around. Sometimes he'd actually bump into her, but she gave just as good as she took, and Macintosh was knocked back on his hooves more than once. She may have been little, but she packed plenty of power in her little frame.

Eventually, she slowed to a stop. She looked down at both of their bodies, their fur now covered in frosting. She jerked her head back towards the barn. Want to go get cleaned up?

Macintosh nodded and turned towards where he knew the stream laid, gesturing with a head nod that she should follow. He couldn’t keep a smile off his face. He hadn’t had that much fun in a long time; most ponies had foregone trying to wrestle him after he’d hit his second growth spurt.

And then she leaned in and licked the frosting off of his cheek. Macintosh blushed bright red. 

Oh.

So that’s what she’d meant.

Nova turned around and flicked her tail in his face, and then slowly sauntered back into the barn, her tail swishing, clearly expecting him to follow. Macintosh stared for a few seconds before cantering after her. 

And all in all, it was a good day.

> Revelation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Applejack sat up and groaned. She kneaded at her eyes with her hooves and angrily squinted at the window. “Stupid sun,” she grumbled, sliding out of bed. “Always so dang early.” She leaned over and glared out the window before pushing it open and sticking her head outside. “Decent ponies might want to sleep a bit longer, you ever think of that?” she shouted at the sun.

Of course, the sun didn’t respond to her question. Instead, it continued shining brightly. Nearby, a bird decided that the morning was too quiet, and began to chirp happily, which, of course, set off a chain reaction of other birds singing as well.

This did nothing to help Applejack’s attitude. Cursing the sun, birds, and Celestia’s name and hindquarters under her breath, she slammed the window shut and scratched absentmindedly at the back of her dominant hoof. It had been nearly two weeks since she’d scratched it, but it still ached and throbbed at strange times. 

She stumbled over to the bathroom. As she made her way over, she accidentally stubbed a rear hoof against her desk. Scowling, she delivered a punishing kick, splintering the post and making her desk topple over and collapse, sending books sliding across the floor as one of the supports was crushed into sawdust.

Not even bothering to look back, she shuffled into the bathroom and stepped into the shower. 

Now, Applejack had lived in this house her whole life, and she knew how the taps worked. They were old, but still more or less functional. All it took was a gentle touch to get the water temperature just where you wanted it to be.

Today, though, it was as if the shower had specifically decided it wanted to annoy her. It was either too hot or too cold, and she couldn’t get it just right. 

She ended this problem by punching the knob clean off and deciding showering was highly overrated. As water cascaded down, now uninhibited by the plumbing, she stepped out of the shower and shook herself animalistically, sending water droplets splattering all across the bathroom and all across the mirror. She then headed downstairs, ready to eat something to make up for her ridiculous morning. 

“Good morning, Applejack,” Apple Bloom said brightly as she passed by her in the hallway. 

“Ain't you right chipper this morning,” Applejack snapped as she trotted by, not deviating from her path and bumping Apple Bloom’s hindquarters out of the way. 

That was enough to make Apple Bloom slow to a stop. “Applejack?” she questioned.

“That's my name, don't wear it out,” Applejack called as she trotted down the stairs. 

Apple Bloom frowned. This wasn’t like her sister at all. “...Applejack?”



*  *  *



Breakfast at the Apple household was always delicious. Granny Smith never failed to deliver something good for breakfast, and today was no exception.

What was an exception was when Applejack didn't even wait for everypony to arrive before pulling a pancake over and digging in.

Granny Smith raised an eyebrow. “You forgettin’ somethin’ there, missy?” she asked.

Applejack looked down at her food. “Oh, right,” she said blithely, reaching for the apple butter and slopping a large spoonful across the pancake before dropping the serving spoon onto her plate and digging in messily again.

Granny Smith frowned. That hadn’t been what she’d been thinking of, and that most certainly wasn’t where the serving spoon went.

Macintosh very nearly waltzed in. A wide smile crossed his face, and he opened his mouth as if to say something important.

“Bout time you got here, ya fat lard,” Applejack grumbled. 

Macintosh paused. Offended--or was it more hurt?--he scowled at Applejack and dropped to the table. Irritably, he took a pancake for himself. 

Applejack didn’t seem to notice. She crammed the rest of her pancake into her mouth and without even an ‘excuse me’ she got up and trotted outside, leaving her plate behind.

Apple Bloom looked over at Granny Smith. “Is it just me, or has Applejack been in a right mood recently?”

Granny Smith rubbed her chin. “Now that you say that, she has been pretty ornery… I'll have a talk with her tonight.”

“Eeyup,” Macintosh added bitterly.



*  *  *



Applejack bucked the tree and all the apples fell into the waiting baskets below. Just like last time. And the time before. 

So what made this so different?

She pressed a hoof against her temple. She was really crabby today and she had no idea why. Why was she so angry? What was with this headache? Why did the back of her hoof burn? What was…

Why…

Maybe she was just sick. Maybe she had just had bad dreams all night. She’d been having strange dreams; nothing worth bothering Luna over (probably because she couldn’t remember them exactly), but some very strange dreams. Maybe a little night- maybe a little sleep would help her feel back to normal. As it was, she was about as steady as… steady as a… a cornfield in a… no… an apple tree in… in winter? No… 

She needed rest. That’s all it was. She'd feel right as snow after a nap. 

Snow?

She shook her head and tried to walk back towards the farmhouse, but she stumbled and was unable to catch herself. She hit the ground hard. She tried to push herself up, but her forelegs gave out and she collapsed to the ground once more.

For a while she just lay there, content to rest a while here, and then-

Applejack let out a cry of pain as her body began convulsing. Her whole body shook and shivered and she couldn’t control it and then- 

Then, she lay still. She lay there for a few minutes, completely ignorant of anything going on around her. A leaf drifted down and landed on her flank. 

And then her eyes snapped open, revealing bright green eyes with slitted pupils…
	
> Tai̴nted
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	That evening, Luna was completing paperwork at her desk when one of her night guards entered and bowed deeply. Luna finished writing out her sentence before looking over at him. “Yes?”

“You have a visitor,” he said, finally raising his head.

Luna raised an eyebrow, and glanced back over at the large stack of paperwork behind her. Really, it seemed to multiply every time she looked away. “Now?”

“You’ve instructed us to never bar her entry, your highness.”

Luna’s ears pricked up, and she set her quill down. Only a few ponies had earned that high distinction from her. “Then let her enter,” she said.

He bowed and walked backwards, and a mare stepped into the space of the doorway, her details obscured by the brighter lights in the hallway behind her. Still, even cloaked in shadow, her long tail and a large hat on her head were visible.

Luna’s heart nearly skipped a beat. “Applejack?” A smile spread across her face. “Please, come in! How goes your evening?”

“Oh, it’s going quite well; but my name's not Applejack.” She stepped forward into the light and raised her hat. 

Luna gasped. Her coat was darker, now a burnt orange to go along with the faded, dirty yellow of her mane, which now looked longer than it had before. It was no longer bound, but rather flowed freely around her shoulders, in stark contrast with her tail, which had been braided tightly and was held together at the end with a thin chain attached to a heavy, spiked ball. The pupils of Applejack’s eyes were slitted, and the cruel smile playing at her lips revealed little fangs where teeth should be. 

Applejack had been possessed of the Nig̴h̕t̴m͏are.

“How is this possible?” Luna whispered, horrified. 

“You must be more careful with where you put your things,” Nightmarejack grinned. “Some innocent pony might… prick themselves by accident.” She made a little motion with her hoof without breaking eye contact. 

“No,” Luna whispered again. The desk in her old room suddenly sprang to the front of her mind. The statue she'd used to trap the tendrils of darkness that had sought her out before willfully submitting to their pull. 

“Oh, yes,” Nightmarejack grinned. “And you know how painful it is the first time. Especially for an unwilling host.”

“Are you here to torment me?” Luna roared her challenge.

Nightmarejack recoiled slightly, raising an eyebrow; she was more curious than frightened. “Oh, so it’s true, then,” she murmured. “You do care for the earth pony. Interesting. Quite interesting…” She began to walk forwards. “Nothing of the sort, actually.”

“Release her!” Luna ordered.

Nightmarejack shook her head, a half-smile playing at her lips. “You know it doesn’t work that way, Luna,” she said. “I’m going to help her fulfill her desires.” Her tongue flicked across the front of her fangs. “Her deepest, darkest, most hidden desires.”

Earth ponies are known for being strong, and they’re also known for being fast. The Nigh͠tm̡a̶re had enhanced her speed; she had run but she had almost seemed to have teleported right in front of Luna. “And as it turns out, her darkest desires were for you,” Nightmarejack whispered. She brought a hoof up and reached out for Luna’s chin. 

Luna jerked her head away and took a step back. “You mock our love,” she seethed.

“Oh, I don’t know if it’s love,” Nightmarejack said, slowly placing her hoof back on the ground. “It’s pretty one-sided, isn’t it? You, the Princess of the Night, able to choose any mare or stallion you could ever desire; and you choose a farming mare from a tiny town? Tell me, was it pity or desperation that caused you to choose her?”

“You are trying to get a rise out of us!” Luna roared.

Nightmarejack frowned. “The formal ‘you’? Now, Luna, I thought we were closer than that.”

Luna ground her teeth together.

Nightmarejack trotted off the raised dais and walked to the center of the bedroom. Now facing away from Luna, she stomped her hooves. Nothing happened at first; but then, plants started to grow. Thick brown vines began forcing their way out of the cracks in the stone floor. “See what you've done, Luna?” Nightmarejack whispered. “Do you like them? Applejack has always wanted to do something… big… for you. She’s worried that she doesn’t quite deserve your attention.”

They weren't brown vines, Luna realized. They were roots. 

She was growing an enormous apple tree around Canterlot castle. 

“Just a little ol’ farmpony from a little town,” Nightmarejack finished.

Luna stomped. “Desist!” she ordered. 

Nightmarejack simpered. “But, Luna, aren’t you proud of me?”

Luna shook her head, lit her horn, and charged. 

But as she ran, deep down inside, she knew she couldn't. How could she fight the one she loved?

Luna closed her eyes… and the light around her horn faded as she skidded to a stop, inches away from her. 

Nightmarejack laughed as she reached up and caressed Luna’s cheek. Luna flinched, but didn’t pull away. “Love,” Nightmarejack scoffed. “It makes ponies weak.”

“It makes ponies strong.”

The new voice made Nightmarejack spin around and take a step back. Celestia stood there in the doorway to Luna’s room, eyes narrowed, mane and tail waving in the wind only she could feel. 

Nightmarejack snorted and pawed at the ground, ears pinned back, tossing her head as if preparing to charge. Celestia lit her horn and fired a pure blast of energy. 

“No!”

The golden energy beam was deflected off a midnight blue shield, exploding harmlessly against the stone wall. Luna stood to the side, horn glowing. 

“Luna…?” Celestia asked, stunned. 

Luna stood resolute, even if her voice shook slightly. “I will not allow Applejack to come to harm.” 

The two sisters looked at each other in a silent standoff, until the sound of slow, sarcastic stomping made them both look. 

Nightmarejack was stomping with a single hoof. “Well, now. Ain't that precious,” she whispered. “The two sisters disagree. What happens now, I wonder?” A devious smile curled her lips. “Do they fight like mad over little old me? Or maybe they'll settle this like grown ponies, with words instead of powerful magical artifacts. Does Luna submit, go face-down flank-up like she always does? Or will Celestia yield to the sister she’s never considered her equal?”

Luna’s hackles rose, and even Celestia's face contorted in rage for a split second. 

Nightmarejack stepped in front of Luna and faced Celestia. “It really doesn’t matter,” she said. “See, Applejack’s deepest desire was to do something worthy of Luna; but her darkest desire was a night filled with… passion.” As a demonstration, she lifted her tail out of the way, giving Luna an eyeful. 

But Luna quickly refocused her attention with Nightmarejack’s next sentence.

“And if I need to get you out of the way to fulfill that, so be it.”

“No!” Luna spun around, and now there formed a three-way standoff.

Nightmarejack’s eyes flicked back and forth between the calm but angry Celestia, and the heaving and conflicted Luna. She smiled at this new development, and her fangs glinted in the light.

And then… 

“There is a third option,” Luna whispered, closing her eyes.

Celestia realized what Luna was going to do instantly. “Luna, no!” she cried. 

Luna continued. “I will offer myself-”

“I won’t allow it!”

Nightmarejack growled and stomped her hoof. Roots exploded out of the ground, wrapping themselves around Celestia. Her eyes widened. She lit her horn and shredded a wide swatch with a powerful blast, but there were too many roots; they came from behind and wrapped themselves around her horn and wings. In seconds, she was encased in a tree root, with only her face and hindquarters exposed. She struggled, but it was no use; the thick wood bound her horn back at an awkward angle and she couldn't see where to cast her magic.  

Nightmarejack smiled and turned back to Luna. “Willing hosts were always a weakness of mine.” She tapped a hoof on the ground. “You know what to do.”

“Don't do it!” Celestia cried desperately. “Please, Luna! We can find another way!” Even so, she knew it was hopeless. This had always been Luna's fatal flaw: she was loyal and strong and experienced, but she placed too much importance on winning the short-term victory. She wanted Applejack safe, and would give up anything and everything for that.

Luna ignored her. She removed her crown and necklace, and knelt down in front of Nightmarejack, bowing her head to the ground. Nightmarejack smirked and leaned over and bit the tip of her horn. Luna winced and grit her teeth, but made no sound. Nightmarejack almost looked disappointed, but didn't remove her teeth and bite again. The fur on Applejack's hind legs began to lighten, crawling upwards as the darknès̀s left her. The tip of Luna's horn began to darken. 

Now Luna began to squirm and grimace in pain as the taint began to claim her again. Nightmarejack held tightly onto her horn even as she began to shrink. Her tail began to unravel and her fur began to lighten even brighter, and the spiked ball holding her tail in place fell and disintegrated. 

It was over in a matter of seconds. Applejack collapsed as the taint left her body completely. Now weak, but in control of her own facilities again, she twitched. She groaned and her eyes flickered open, only to widen in horror as she took in the sight. 

It had not been a dream after all. 

Luna writhed in pain as the taint reclaimed her. Applejack gasped as Luna's fur and mane grew darker, the darkness spreading like an ink stain down her body, and even as she tossed her head from side to side as if trying to shake it out, her legs seemed to grow longer and her body leaner. Her mouth was open and she was panting, and her teeth visibly sharpened. She looked up, glaring through slitted pupils at-

She roared and tossed her head wildly, and when she looked up again, it was with Luna's eye. Her whole body shook with the effort needed to speak. “Run,” she managed to choke out before she screamed and shuddered and collapsed to the flagstones. 

And when the alicorn raised her head again, Luna was there no longer. 
	
> Spirited Discussion
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Applejack could only stare in shock. Luna had sacrificed herself for her! 

Nightmare Moon looked over at the captive Celestia. Applejack was horrified to see her eyes widen with delight as she took in the sight of her former enemy, even if she was relieved to not be currently in the line of fire. She turned and struggled to walk away. The Nig͝htmar͏e leaving her had drained her of most of her energy. She felt as weak, and she stumbled along like a newborn foal as she headed towards the door. She needed to get help!

“I must say,” Nightmare Moon murmured as she walked around the trapped Celestia. “It seems I always know just how to decorate.” Black smoke slowly trailed from her flowing mane and tail, subtly congregating around her body.

Celestia's narrowed eye followed her movements. “Don't get too used to it,” she warned. 

“Ironic,” Nightmare Moon continued as the black smoke continued to cover her body, now trailing down her legs and up her head. It slowly condensed and solidified into her familiar ethereal armor and helmet.  “I was just about to tell you to get comfortable. And as for you…” 

Applejack froze. She could hear Nightmare Moon turn her attention towards her. She wasn't even halfway to the door yet. 

Nightmare Moon’s newly-shod hooves echoed through Luna’s room as she approached Applejack. “I must thank you. It's not every day a willing host-” Nightmare Moon stumbled. She scowled. “Not willing,” she mumbled, correcting herself. She seemed almost disappointed. “Not willing at all. She fights me! For you.” She paused, taken aback. “She fights for you,” she repeated, almost dumbfounded. “We can't have that.” Nightmare Moon strode forward once more and continued conversationally, “So I suppose I shall simply have to banish you to the moon.”

“What?” Applejack gasped, scrambling backwards. 

“You heard me,” Nightmare Moon said conversationally. “You're a risk. As long as you’re here, I don’t have complete control over my host. You need to be eliminated. And it seems oddly fitting to give you the same punishment given me.” She grinned and winked. 

Applejack jumped as she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. Two lunar guards burst in through the window and swirled through the air, extinguishing the nearest torches and sending glass shards everywhere. Nightmare Moon was forced to protect her face with a wing. They swooped in, physically grabbed Applejack, and flew backwards, dragging her into the shadows of an alcove. 

Nightmare Moon smirked. “You think the darkness is your ally?” She strode forward, her sharp eyes adjusting quickly and cutting through the darkness. “The darkness is…”

Her voice trailed off as she realized that the alcove was empty, aside from the tapestries. Nightmare Moon growled and lit her horn. They burst into flames, but there was no screaming; and when they fell, there was no secret passageway behind them, only the stone wall.

Applejack was gone. 

“Where are you?” Nightmare Moon screeched. She held her breath and swiveled her ears, listening for…

“Ah don't think this is such a good idea.”

Foals! She grinned maliciously and sprinted over to the dark, empty corridor. 

And then Nightmare Moon skidded to a stop. Empty? But she'd just heard her voice! She paused, and forced herself to relax, forcing her breaths to come more slowly. She stepped forward, and whistled as if calling for a dog. “Applejack? Come out and play!” Her eyes half-closed as she let her ears swivel once more. 

“We’re safe. She'll never look here.”

Nightmare Moon's sensitive hearing picked up another voice, this one the quiet and syrupy voice of a bat pony, and she looked up at the ceiling from whence it had come. 

The stone ceiling stared impassively back. 

Nightmare Moon scowled. She would not be made a fool of! She lit her horn and blasted the ceiling.

This, of course, was not a wise course of action. In fact, this could be considered her most foolish action thus far. 

The new hole in the ceiling substantially weakened it structurally, and Nightmare Moon’s eyes widened in the split second before the whole floor collapsed under the weight of a heavy mahogany dining table above, burying her in a mound of rock and table with various dishes and silverware. One leg of the table was sticking up at a jaunty angle almost like a sword of legend.

From her hiding spot on top of the little ledge just under the window (specifically, pressed up against the wall as far away from the edge as possible), Applejack gasped. She looked over at her two guards, still winded and panting from the effort needed to shadowtravel with a guest, and they seemed concerned, even if they did share a look that bordered on ‘relieved’. Together, they helped Applejack over the ledge and back into Luna's room. Applejack hesitated, then rushed over to the rubble pile. “Luna?” she whispered quietly, reaching down to slide a rock aside. 

Bat ponies emerged from the shadows, and quickly they began to move the rubble in an attempt to unbury their regent. 

“No!”

Applejack jumped. She'd nearly forgotten Celestia was here. 

Celestia was still trapped in the tree. She had her eye turned as far as it would go so she could see, but she was too far away to do much of anything else. “Get back!” she warned as she struggled to pull herself free. “That won't even faze her!”

The bat pony nearest the pile hesitated, and this proved to be a mistake. The entire pile vibrated as Nightmare Moon, who was very much alive, struggled to stand up. A rock fell from the top, tumbling right into his helmet. It resounded with a violent clang, and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Nightmare Moon struggled harder, but she was stuck. Alive, terrifyingly alive; but stuck. 

But not for long. She relaxed, exhaled, and then closed her eyes. Blue smoke seeped from the rocky pile, and slowly gathered itself just outside of the rubble until it reformed into an awfully familiar shape before solidifying into an awfully familiar form.

Applejack froze as the bat ponies scattered once more. 

Nightmare Moon, none the worse for what had just happened to her, opened her eyes. “Well, that was uncomfortable,” she said pleasantly. “Now, where were we?” She turned back towards Applejack with a predatory glint in her eyes; but was distracted once more by a bat pony flying behind her.

He swooped around the room, the wake from his wings blowing out the torches. He circled around, heading back towards the darkness…

Nightmare Moon snarled and lit her horn, filling the whole room with light. Too late, he realized what she was doing. He dived desperately for the quickly-disappearing shadows, but the light from her horn was too bright; the shadows were banished and he collided with the wall, unable to shadowtravel where there was no shadow. He sat back, dazed, and shook his head. 

Nightmare Moon grinned as she approached. She opened her mouth, and her fangs gleamed in the light of her horn. 

But he wasn't done yet. Reaching with his wing, he grabbed something from under his armor and threw it at her, and Nightmare Moon quickly shifted her head and dodged it. It embedded itself in the wall. She squinted at it and recoiled. A sleeping dart. Scowling, she turned back, ready to remove his head from his body…

But her turning away had brought enough darkness to the corner that he had been able to shadowtravel and make his escape. 

She let out an angry growl… and then a second dart ricocheted off her helmet. Surprised, her concentration faltered. She spun around and nearly fell victim to another, this one bouncing off her chestpiece.

Huh, Applejack thought dumbly. The armor does work.

Nightmare Moon scowled and lit her horn even brighter in warning. 

The darkness suddenly was lit up by a myriad of bat pony eyes (shielded from the light by hooves, of course) and the glint of armor, and more darts ready to be thrown. 

And throw they did. Nightmare Moon was forced to throw a shield up to protect herself. More darts and now teeth, jagged ponyshoes, and wingblades clattered repeatedly (but harmlessly) against the shield, and her eyes narrowed. 

Applejack took this opportunity to run towards Celestia. Maybe she could free her. She kicked at the wood, but could not use her entire strength; she didn't want to hurt Celestia by accident. “How did I even do this?” she wondered aloud as she tried pushing with her forehoof instead.  

“The tain̛t is a powerful thing,” Celestia explained grimly. “It amplifies your magic even as it lowers your inhibitions. Hurry! You won't hurt me; but you need to get me out! The noctrali won't hold her off forever!”

Applejack nodded and got into bucking position. She briefly checked on Nightmare Moon. 

Sure enough, over on the other side, Nightmare Moon scowled under the constant onslaught, unbeaten and definitely unbowed. She couldn't work like this. Her half-lidded eyes flitted back and forth as she scanned Luna's memories for…

There it was. 

She brought her wing up to her lips, formed a small u-shaped divot by her tongue, took a deep breath, and then blew. A shrill whistle sliced through the air, making Applejack wince and miss her third buck. It rose up in pitch until Applejack couldn't hear it anymore. 

She was the only one thus unaffected. Bat ponies everywhere screeched in pain and retreated, stuffing their hooves in their ears as their sensitive hearing was assaulted. Applejack could swear she saw blood coming from the ears of some of the fleeing noctrali, and she winced. 

Nightmare Moon continued her auditory assault, and bat ponies began fleeing. 

Applejack grimaced and took a few steps back. She felt as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. 

When the last of the noctrali had disappeared, Nightmare Moon lowered her wing. She looked over and began walking towards Applejack, and her eyes flickered up the crack Applejack had put in the tree trunk. “Naughty, naughty,” she chided as she shot a magic blast between Applejack and the still-captive Celestia. Applejack was forced to duck and managed to dodge it, though her hat was not so lucky. Nightmare Moon fired again, and Applejack scampered back, getting further away from Celestia. Nightmare Moon slowly circled around, horn still lit threateningly, forcing Applejack to keep moving, until finally stopping when she was between Applejack and Celestia. “Now then,” Nightmare Moon said pleasantly. “Where were we?”

Her answer came in the form of an exploding window, and she was forced to bring up a wing to shield her face again. Lightning Dust, still wearing her Shadowbolt uniform, had made a dramatic entry. This was made even stranger because this window had already previously been broken during the escape of the bat ponies; she could easily have missed the glass remnants entirely and still entered just fine. 

Lightning Dust grinned confidently at Nightmare Moon as she hovered in the air and delivered her challenge. “We're at the part where I kick your butt!” she proudly proclaimed.

Applejack could only stare, unable to comprehend this. If anything, Lightning Dust seemed to be relishing this situation. Was she insane? She had to have been. That was the only possible explanation.

Nightmare Moon paused and looked around, as if waiting; then squinted. “Since when do Wonderbolts travel alone?” she wondered aloud. She sniffed, and her expression soured. “And when was the last time you washed that uniform?”

Lightning Dust scowled. “I am a Shadowbolt,” she corrected angrily. “Do you not see the color scheme?” 

Nightmare Moon looked over at Applejack. “You're seeing this too, right? Crazy mare?”

Lightning Dust growled. “I'm here to stop you in the name of the Night!” she threatened.

Nightmare Moon chortled. “You're joking, right? You've got to be joking. Do you understand? The Shadowbolts were a joke when I made them, and they're a joke n-” 

Nightmare Moon stopped her taunt short as she took a hoof to the chin for her lack of respect. She couldn't suppress a choked cry of pain as her head snapped backwards under the force of Lightning Dust’s flying charge. 

Lightning Dust whooped triumphantly, and looped around for another try. 

But Nightmare Moon was having none of that. She spat out blood and her eyes narrowed. In a flash of light, she teleported to about three paces in front of where Lightning Dust was flying and extended a foreleg. 

Lightning Dust couldn't react in time. Her neck hit Nightmare Moon’s foreleg, stopping short; but her body’s momentum continued forward. She flipped flank over teakettle through the air until she collided with the wall, stopping her flight short with a sickening crunch. She slid back to the ground and groaned painfully, but she managed to push herself to her hooves and drunkenly bring her head up. Blearily, she looked ahead. Her eyes were skewed and unfocused, and blood trickled from her nose and lip. 

She panted. “That… did not go as good… as I would've hoped,” she muttered, and then she stumbled once and collapsed, unconscious. 

“Oh, horseapples,” Applejack swore under her breath. Now she really was up a creek without a paddle. 

Well, maybe not completely, she realized. Luna had been fighting for control. That meant Luna was in there somewhere. 

And maybe she could reach Luna. It would be a desperate move, but one she had to make. After all, Luna was willing to sacrifice for her; Luna deserved a little sacrifice from her.

She stood up, ignoring the frantic bat ponies (now with cotton and other fabrics stuffed haphazardly into their ears) motioning her to stay down. “Luna?” she started.

The alicorn looked over and stared down her muzzle at her. “You will address me as Nightmare Moon,” she said coldly.

“Luna,” Applejack repeated, stepping closer. She was now within a few paces of her. “I know you’re in there. I believe in you.”

Nightmare Moon snorted.

“Fight her, Luna,” Applejack urged, taking another step forward and looking deeply into her slitted eyes. “Do it, for us.”

“Applejack, no!” Celestia warned, her voice desperate. “You cannot reason with her! She is not the one you love!”

Applejack looked back and cracked a half-smile. “I'm not trying to reason with her,” she pointed out. “Love don't exactly need reason.”

Nightmare Moon squinted and cocked her head. She wouldn't.

Celestia’s eye widened. She wouldn't.

She would. Applejack met Celestia's eye and shrugged. “True love overcomes all.” And with that, she turned back towards Nightmare Moon, leaned in... 

...and pressed her lips against hers.
	
> Heroes
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	It was technically their first kiss. While Applejack was not much of a romantic--usually, she was too busy with farm work for that--she had hoped that it would be a happy occasion to remember. Still, their first kiss being the one that saved the world from eternal night (or whatever this incarnation of the Ńightm̀are̵ wanted) wasn’t such a bad option, either.

For her part, Nightmare Moon was definitely taken aback. Having ponies kiss her hooves, yes, of course; having ponies kiss her lips, not so much.

Still…

Nightmare Moon tilted her head, pressing back into the kiss. With gentle, practiced motions, she slid Applejack’s lips apart with her tongue and slowly and thoroughly explored the back of Applejack’s mouth. Bat ponies stopped and stared, some even dropping their weapons, as the most feared pony in all of Equestria quietly made out with one of the heroes.

Applejack relaxed, feeling a strange combination of vindication and violation at the same time. She knew it! She knew this would work!

Nightmare Moon pulled back slightly, and her breathing seemed to come a little bit faster. She licked her lips and raised her hoof as if to caress Applejack’s cheek… 

And then crossed over and delivered a powerful backhoof to the side of Applejack's face that landed with a sickening crack, snapping her head to the side. The force of the impact was so great that Applejack left the ground, quite literally spinning through the air, and she landed hard on the ledge of a nearby window. Pain exploded through her lower back as it hit the mantle, and stars exploded behind her eyes as her head continued traveling and slammed into the corner of the wall. She dropped to the ground and felt something wet trickle out of her nose. She choked and gasped for air; a sharp pain let her know that something in her face was broken. Her left ear rang, and she was fairly certain it, too, was bleeding. Everything hurt. Everything. 

She heard the sound of magic blasts and noctrali squealing in pain as Nightmare Moon took revenge on the voyeurs. Celestia shouted something in protest, but Applejack couldn’t hear very well. All she knew was agony.

Finally, it grew quiet, aside from the moans of a few of the unluckier noctrali; but for only a moment. 

“I changed my mind,” came Nightmare Moon's cold voice, near enough and loud enough to cut through the fog around Applejack’s brain.

Still fighting for breath and fighting through the pain, Applejack painfully forced one eye open. Nightmare Moon looked most displeased as she towered over the injured mare. 

“I must kill you outright,” she murmured, lighting her horn. “You are becoming a most irritating thorn in my side. Not to mention just how much my host is fighting me right now. No, no; you have to die.”

Applejack grit her teeth and narrowed her eye. If she was going to go, she wouldn't do it quietly. “Go ahead,” she spat, her words slightly garbled by the blood pooling in her mouth. “You didn't win last time; you sure as thunder ain't gonna win this time.”

Nightmare Moon smirked. “Brave words from one so grievously injured.” She paused and looked up, as if listening to a conversation only she could hear, and then looked back down. “Luna wants me to tell you that she loves you, to tell you that it will be all right, and that when this is all over, she will take you on a most romantic journey to the wonders of the world as she remembers them.” She laughed. “I almost feel bad crushing both your dreams.” She leaned down and came close to Applejack's ear, near enough that her breath brushed against the fur on her face. “That's a lie,” she admitted quietly, her words making Applejack’s ear twitch. “I don't feel bad at all. In fact, I'm really going to enjoy this.” Nightmare Moon straightened up and lit her horn. 

Applejack closed her eyes and braced herself for impact. 

The sound of both the spell and its impact came, but it wasn't her screaming that accompanied it. She opened one eye to see Nightmare Moon, now with a large semi-circular crater out of her side that still smoked and sizzled, bringing with it the acrid stench of burned flesh and fur. Behind her, Celestia stood, horn blazing and eyes narrowed; and behind her, a few bat ponies, glaring defiantly, carrying serrated knives and other kitchen implements that they had used to free her.

“You again?” Nightmare Moon hissed as dark magic swirled around her injury, knitting her flesh back together until there was no trace of the previous wound. 

“The sun always rises, no matter how dark the night,” Celestia hissed right back, none the worse for the wear of being encased in a tree. 

Nightmare Moon growled and lit her horn. 

Celestia's head bobbed slightly, and Applejack realized she was weaving her magic into golden chains that held down Nightmare Moon's hooves. 

Nightmare Moon quickly realized this, too. She growled and began jerking her hooves free, shattering the chains; but still Celestia kept weaving. 

Nightmare Moon soon grew tired of this, and began focusing on stopping Celestia. Applejack could only watch in horror as Celestia managed to rotate her head and avoid the first blast only by the tiniest of margins. It continued on, splintering the solid rock of the castle wall behind her. Nightmare Moon's beams were devastating in their power, and Celestia was having trouble keeping her spell maintained as she dodged her attacks. 

And then she changed her tactics. She aimed lower, blasting the stone floor directly in front of Celestia. The explosion sent stone shrapnel flying, and Celestia recoiled as chunks and slivers of stone left bruises along her chest and cuts on her cheek.

Nightmare Moon snorted triumphantly and tried again, this time aiming for a nearby wall. Celestia didn’t give her the chance; she dove out one of the broken windows and flew up. She hovered, waiting.

Nightmare Moon took the bait. Not even bothering to fly through a window, she blasted her way through the stone wall to take Celestia on. Lighting crackled and Applejack’s mane stood up as the two alicorns fought. Bat ponies paced nearby, wanting to help, but afraid to get in the way.

Applejack flinched as something was placed on the back of her head. She looked up to see a guard there, wearing the tiny crescent marking her as one of the noctrali medics, and she gave Applejack a comforting (if shaky) smile. She quickly placed absorbent pads on all of Applejack’s external injuries, and then drew up a needle filled with some kind of medication.

“Wait! Don’t give her that yet! We need her!”

Applejack recognized that voice. “Twi?” she asked, rotating her head (though it felt as though she were trying to move a boulder). Her head ached. “Fancy seein’... you here.”

“We’re all here, Applejack,” Twilight said. “But we need you for this.”

Sure enough, now that she squinted, she could see her other friends. That one was Rainbow Dash. There was Fluttershy. And Rarity. And Pinkie Pie. Had they come to visit her? That was nice of them. She should get up and offer them something to drink.

Twilight crouched next to Applejack and nudged her, dragging her back into the present. “Come on! Celestia can’t distract her much longer!”

“Distract her? From what?” Applejack asked.

Twilight straightened up. “From this,” she said as her mane and tail began to grow. New colors threaded their way in. Rarity was next, followed by Rainbow Dash. Pinkie Pie slowly rose up as new colors darted across her mane. 

Finally, Applejack remembered. They were her friends. They needed her help. With an intense effort, she tried to push herself up on at least her forehooves. That was enough for the magic; she found herself levitating as well, and her mane suddenly doubled in size. 

Nightmare Moon didn't even see it coming. The rainbow of light blindsided her, hitting her harder than anything Celestia had thrown at her. Before she could recover, it had wrapped around her, muffling her scream of horror and despair. It wrapped tighter and tighter around her, as if squeezing her in punishment for her earlier actions. Applejack closed her eyes as the power coalesced into white and exploded, making manes and tails of everypony wave in the wind. 

As the power faded, the levitating ponies dropped back down on their hooves. For most, it was a painless landing. 

But as Applejack hit the ground, sharp pain tore through her back and she collapsed, howling in pain. It felt as though she were being ripped in half. She couldn't lift herself; she couldn't even feel her rear hooves. The bat pony medic from before darted in; but Applejack was writhing and rolling too much for her to get a clear shot. Her throat ran ragged and her body felt nothing but pain. Her vision swam, and right before her eyes closed and the glorious darkness overtook her, she was vaguely able to make out a blue blur, coming closer to her. 

“Applejack!” Luna's desperate voice sounded as though it came from miles away. “Applejack!”

> Interlude: Narcoblixes in the Night, Conclusion
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	It would never cease to amaze Twilight just how many excuses Pinkie could come up with to throw a party. She was fairly certain that Pumpkin hadn't really realized that she had discovered a chrysalis; she probably thought she had found something new she could put in her mouth. Luckily, Pinkie had recognized it, and Fluttershy had set up a little butterfly garden. And now here Twilight was, drinking punch to celebrate Pumpkin's butterfly's metamorphosis.

And frankly, seeing that long word written in curly writing on a cake made her heart happy. 

Suddenly, she paused and frowned. Lightning Dust was available. That wasn't right. Now that she was awake, she should have stayed awake for the rest of the night. She wasn’t the napping type; her personal training regimen or tasks from Luna should have kept her awake for another five hours at least.

Either way, this required a little more research. She set her punch down, politely excused herself, and headed over to the bathroom. She entered one of the stalls and locked her knees, closed her eyes, and opened Lightning Dust's eyes.

It only took her a few moments to realize exactly what had happened.

“Girls!” Twilight shrieked, bounding out of the bathroom. “It's an emergency! Code red!”

Pinkie popped her head up. “Is it that time of the month?” she asked, reaching for an inconspicuous pot. “Because I keep spare…”

Twilight flushed bright pink. “No! I- just- Come on! We have to get to Canterlot, pronto!”



	

“So that’s how you knew Nightmare Moon was back,” Spike said. “You literally saw it, but through Lightning Dust's eyes.”

Twilight nodded and looked abashedly at Spike. 

Spike, for his part, seemed as though he were having trouble trying to comprehend the entirety of what Twilight had confessed. Finally, he spoke. “So you're actually a narcoblix.”

“Yep,” Twilight said. 

“Full motor control of a pony who's asleep.”

Twilight nodded.

Spike exhaled. “I thought there were no such things as narcoblixes.”

“I didn't think there were, either,” Twilight said. “But after I heard one of the night guards talking about them, I had to do some research.”

Spike snorted. “That's your answer for everything.”

“My answer for almost everything.”

“And you tested your research out on yourself?”

Twilight nodded and kneaded the ground with her hooves. “Not my proudest hour,” she admitted quietly.

Spike nodded. “And does this have anything to do with your new bar earring?”

Twilight grimaced and brought up a hoof to bat at her new jewelry. “Yeah… turns out that narcoblixes can pierce themselves with silver and give unbreakable orders to themselves,” she said. “It’s a nice little loophole. Keeps me grounded so I don’t go out on nightly binge-biting sprees. Luna approved of it… after giving me the chewing out of my life.”

Spike crossed his arms. 

Twilight buried her face in her hooves. “I didn’t- I wasn’t thinking!” she whimpered. “I didn’t realize how powerful those urges would be!”

“Don’t tell me. You bit a few ponies in town.”

Twilight nodded, her ears burning red with shame. “Not too many,” she defended herself weakly. “One or two. Dozen.”

Spike exhaled. “And I’m one of them, aren’t I?”

“You... may have been the first one I bit,” Twilight whimpered into her hooves.

Spike facepalmed. “Twilight…”

“I’m sorry! I’m really sorry, Spike! I know I've let you down, and I can't imagine how you feel-”

“You turned your number one assistant into your number one test subject! How do you think I feel?”

“I know, and I'm really sorry, Spike.”

“How sorry?” Spike challenged.

“I’ll… get you a really big gem next time I go to Canterlot?”

Spike snorted and folded his arms again. “Oh, yeah. Let’s just betray my closest friend and number one assistant and pretend a little gem will make it all better,” he snarked. “You can't get back trust with food, Twilight.”

“Don’t-ask-don’t-tell on your visits to Rarity’s?”

Spike dropped his arms and turned around to leave. “If you’re not going to take this seriously…”

“Wait!” Twilight grimaced and hung her head. She exhaled, low and long. “I’m going to be doing most of the cooking around here from now on, aren't I?”

Spike turned around and faced her, considering her offer. He nodded, but motioned with a claw for more.

“And the cleaning?” Twilight tried.

Spike looked away and scratched his chin, thinking.

Twilight looked up with one eye hopefully. “I’ll do library reshelving day on my own?”

Spike froze, and he slowly looked back over to meet Twilight's eyes. “Promise?” he whispered.

Twilight nodded. “I’ll even let you pierce me if you want,” she said.

Spike shook his head and grabbed Twilight in a hug. “Nah,” he said. “It’s fine. I trust you.” He pulled back and gave her a playful nudge. “Because that’s what friends do.”

Twilight would rather have had him jab his claws through her ribs.

Spike started walking towards the kitchen, and Twilight followed. “But seriously. For breakfast tomorrow, I’m thinking an emerald-studded waffle, stuffed with hay bacon bits. With orange juice, no pulp.”

Twilight grinned. “You can eat gems, but you complain about the pulp. I don’t get it.”

Spike held up a claw defensively. “That’s because those little flakes are nasty,” he said. “Gems, on the other hand, are delicious. Two very, very different things.”

“The pulp is the best part, though.”

“I chew my food. I do not chew my drinks. And that’s the way it should be.”

“It adds texture-”

“Yeah; if you like the texture of maggots in your drinks!”

They continued the playful bickering all the way to the kitchen. As much as it comforted Twilight to be having this kind of conversation, she knew that she had burned a lot of trust, and it would take a long time to rebuild it.

But that was fine with her. After all, narcoblixes can live for a very, very long time… 
	
	
> Recovery
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Applejack galloped through the fields of waving grass. It was tall and golden, and it smelled wonderful and felt even better as it brushed against her legs and underbelly. 

She skidded to a stop as the ground suddenly dropped away, revealing a steep descent down to a river below. To her left, a beautiful waterfall fell hundreds and hundreds of paces until it crashed against the rocks beneath in a dazzling display of foam and rainbows. 

Her ears pricked up as Luna approached. “Do you like it?” she asked. 

“I do. It's beautiful.” Applejack inhaled deeply, held it for a moment, and then slowly exhaled. “You know, this place doesn't even exist anymore,” she murmured. “Earthquake changed the course of the river a good hundred years ago. It's just a lazy river now, with houses everywhere.”

Luna smiled as she sat next to her. “I know. A thousand years of erosion changes many things. But this is how I remember it.”

“It's beautiful.” Applejack leaned over and rested her head on Luna's shoulder. Luna wrapped her wing around Applejack and pulled her in close. Together they sat, just enjoying the view. 

Though it seemed Luna was enjoying Applejack's company more than the view. She suddenly dropped onto her back, dragging Applejack with her and making her fall on top. 

Applejack snorted, but did not resist. For being so much larger than she, Luna really was quite gentle. And honestly, she made a pretty good pillow. 

Luna leaned forward and gently kissed Applejack on the tip of her nose. Applejack grinned. 

“It still molests me that ‘I’ was not present for ‘our’ first kiss,” Luna pouted, “and I intend to rectify that as often I can.”

Applejack rested her head on Luna’s chest. “No complaints here.” Her plush fur seemed to pull her in, and she surrendered to its call.

Luna gently removed Applejack’s hat. Now that Applejack’s head was on her chest, Luna was free to stroke her mane, and so stroke she did. 

Applejack whimpered quietly. “That’s… that’s really nice, Luna.” She shifted slightly. “You sure you don’t want me to-?”

Luna answered by wrapping her wings around Applejack, simultaneously preventing her from getting up and pulling her in even closer. “Do not worry yourself. It is but a small token of appreciation for one who has dared to love me so deeply,” Luna whispered back. 

“There’s a lot to love.” 

Applejack froze as she processed what she'd said. She looked up, and Luna was staring flatly at her. “That… didn’t come out right,” she said sheepishly.

Luna held that expression for a few moments longer before breaking into quiet laughter. “Fear not; I understood your meaning.”

Relieved, Applejack laid her head back down. 

“It is no small task to willingly take on the Nig͟htma̕re͘ alone. Truly, the heart of an earth pony is the largest.”

“Well, you sacrificed yourself to get the Nightmare-thingy off me,” Applejack protested.

Luna shrugged and kissed Applejack on the cheek. “And yet now I am not possessed of it because of the actions of you and your friends. Therefore, I still believe the debt to be mine.”

Feeling like she wasn’t going to win this argument, Applejack elected instead to gently brush a hoof against Luna’s chest, running it in a small circle. This was the right choice; Luna almost seemed to purr as she went back to stroking Applejack’s mane.

“I cannot wait until this is reality,” Luna murmured.

Applejack grinned. “I dunno, Princess, feels pretty real to me.”

Luna gently flicked the tip of her wing against Applejack’s cutie mark, producing a slight sting that was not entirely unpleasant. “No titles here, remember?” she scolded. “Here it is just you and…” Luna’s voice trailed off, and then she sat up sharply, accidentally dumping Applejack onto the ground. 

Applejack looked up and frowned with disappointment. “It ain't time to wake up yet,” she protested. “Dinner ain't for another hour or so.”

“Your friends are coming,” Luna said, looking off at something only she could see. “I hear their approach.”

“Aww,” Applejack said, disappointed; but she too stood up and shook herself off. It would only be right to greet her friends, especially since they'd come all this way just to see her. 

“But fear not,” Luna said, leaning down to kiss Applejack on the forehead. “This is far from over.”

Applejack closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, she was awake, back in her hospital room, with the acrid smell of antiseptic everywhere and the beeping of the machine and the dull, aching pain in her back that never seemed to go away no matter how many painkillers they gave her. Near her sat Luna, head bowed. She opened her eyes and straightened up, voluntarily removing herself from her dream world. She winked at Applejack before disappearing from view.

And not a moment too soon. Within seconds, the door was gently pushed open, and her friends entered. 

“Hey, Applejack,” Twilight said, rushing over to the side of her bed. “They said you were improving quickly. How are you feeling?”

Applejack shook her head weakly. “Like a withered old cornstalk,” she admitted, looking around. She cracked a smile as she saw Rarity arranging even more ‘get well’ cards on her little nightstand. “My back still aches like a boulder the size of a house fell on me, and I can't rightly tell if I'll ever get all my hearing back. But they're letting me have solid food again, so I ain't about to complain.”

Luna lowered her head to conceal a smile. That had been her doing. Out of morbid curiosity, she had waited until after Applejack was asleep and tried some of her hospital food. She had thrown it against the wall and loudly proclaimed her conclusion that calling it ‘food’ was rather generous. 

“That's good,” Twilight said. “You sustained some serious injuries.”

“You don't have to remind me,” Applejack muttered, glaring at her hind legs being held in traction. 

Twilight blushed a bit. 

“Aaanyway,” Pinkie interjected, steering the conversation into what she thought was a better direction. “I brought you a ‘get well soon’ cupcake!” She reached into her mane and pulled out a tiny glass cupcake stand, with a beautiful cupcake inside. She placed it on the table nearby, knocking over a few of the cards Rarity had organized (and making her ‘humph’ with disapproval). Its green frosting topped with a perfectly sliced apple slice seemed to glow in the stark hospital light, and Applejack felt her mouth begin to water at the sight. 

“Go ahead!” Pinkie said, sliding it over within her reach and lifting the glass cover off. “I mean, we gotta get you all healed up in time for the wedding. Right, Rarity?”

Rarity nodded, supremely pleased with herself. “Oh, the designs I've created are simply to die for! You absolutely must see them!”

Applejack choked on her cupcake. “The what now?”

Pinkie nudged Rarity, completely oblivious to the real reason Applejack was so surprised. “Maaaaybe you could have worded that better,” she stage-whispered to Rarity. “I mean, talking about dying in a hospital? Huh! Talk about insensitive!”

> Two Become One
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Cadence stood tall at the front of the altar with a small smile playing at the edges of her lips, visible even through the flickering lights of the candles. She did manage to contain her giddiness, though, as she spoke. “I can honestly say I never thought I'd ever officiate a wedding like this; but rest assured, I—and I'm sure the entirety of the night guard—wholeheartedly approve.”

Luna and Applejack smiled at each other. They most certainly did, too. 

Cadence continued. “Do you, Macintosh, take this mare, to have and to hold, to provide for and protect her, and love her as long as you both shall live?” Cadence asked. 

“Eeyup!” Big Mac said proudly. 

Cadence turned to the bat pony standing across from him. “And do you, Nova, promise to guard and protect and love this stallion, as long as you both shall live?”

The noctral nodded. “I do,” she said softly. 

“Then by the power vested in me by virtue of my position as princess, I now pronounce you mare and colt. You may kiss.”

And they happily did so. 

A pony stepped forward and took a picture. His camera flashed once.

Then he slumped to the ground, numerous sleeping darts embedded in his back. 

Luna leaned over to Applejack and whispered an explanation. “My noctrali don't like flash photography,” she observed dispassionately. 

Applejack cracked a smile. It turned a bit more wry as she saw that Macintosh was still kissing Nova. She turned to Luna. “Do you think-?”

“I say let them,” Luna murmured. “It has been a long time since my noctrali have had anything to celebrate.”

Applejack glanced around and she wasn't so certain that all the noctrali were celebrating, but still she smiled anyway. 



* * *



Vinyl Scratch lay slumped over her turntables, sleeping darts embedded in her back. Apparently, the noctrali didn't like flashing rave lights, either. In her defense, though, she had managed to last fifteen minutes before activating them. The temptation had just been too strong. In hindsight, it might have been wise to not have connected them to a big red button. 

Her playlist had soon run out; but Apples were good at improvising. With barely a break in the music, they had pulled out instruments and had started providing their own music, turning the dance into a square dancing shindig.

And as it turned out, noctrali like to dance. They're also quick learners, picking up on the caller's patter almost instantly. It wasn't long before all the noctrali and Apples were dancing together, interlacing and stamping and promenading side by side,.

Well, all but one, that is. 

Luna returned to Applejack's wheelchair, bringing with her two mugs of fresh cider. She set them down on the table and then pulled one closer to herself. 

“Thanks.” Applejack watched the dancing jealously. “Wish I could be out there,” she grumbled as she reached for the mug. “This dang contraption…”

“Worry not,” Luna said comfortingly. “You will get out of that… er… contraption soon enough.”

“Yeah, well, soon enough isn't,” Applejack groused, taking a drink. She looked wistfully at the ponies on the dance floor. “At least Mac is having fun.”

Sure enough, the large red pony was having the time of his life, dancing with his bat pony bride, who was also enjoying herself. She was laughing gleefully, and her fangs gleamed in the low light as she kept up easily with his dance pattern. The caller seemed to take this as a challenge, one they were only too happy to accept. Applejack recognized some of the more advanced patterns coming out as the dance progressed, and she couldn't suppress a smile. They looked so happy together. She turned to Luna. “Do you think we'll ever get something like that?” Applejack asked. 

“It is possible,” Luna said. “In fact, it is very likely. But a royal wedding requires much planning and preparation.” A smile played at her lips. “And a bride who is physically capable for the… demands of that first wedding night.”

Applejack choked on her drink. She wiped her mouth and stared in shock at Luna. “Did you just…?” she sputtered. 

Luna full-on laughed then, hard enough to bring a tear to her eye. “It is one of the things I enjoy most about this new era. Speaking of sensual matters is less taboo than before, and we can discuss such things without shame.”

Applejack's eyes widened in equal parts shock, surprise, and arousal as Luna, hidden by the tablecloth, surreptitiously drew her wing across her cutie mark; something she'd never done in public before. 

“Because the night,” Luna concluded, “is made for loving.”

> Stinger
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The party was winding down. The noctrali technically on duty had left, but more had stayed, finishing apples and chatting with Apples. If Applejack didn't know any better, she'd say that this would be the first of many noctrali/earth pony unions.

Luna, who had been drinking more cider than she probably should have, suddenly stopped and looked around. "Macintosh and Nova have left," she observed, with just the hint of a slur in her words.

"Yep," Applejack said. "No prizes for guessing what they're up to."

Luna laughed. "It will probably be awkward," she said. "The first time always is." She leaned in close to Applejack and whispered, "But one as special as you deserves more. I promise, dear Applejack, that I shall blow up your mind on our wedding night."

Applejack cracked a smile. "Just 'blow', Luna," she said.

Luna nodded hesitantly and tried agai. "I shall blow you on our wedding night?" 

Applejack snorted a laugh.

"Is that not right, either?" Luna asked.

"N- y- well- Yes and no," Applejack said. "It'll probably be."

Luna humphed and sat back. "Actions speak louder than words," she said. "I shall merely show you when the time comes."

Applejack smiled as she felt Luna wrap her tail around hers. Their conversation lapsed into silence, and that was alright with both of them.

"Is Macintosh afraid of heights?" Luna suddenly asked.

Applejack blinked. That had been unexpected. "Kinda, yeah," she said. "Why?"

Luna frowned. "Then their first night will probably be awkward indeed," she said.

Applejack decided it would be safest to not ask.