Sweet Apples Under A Night Sky

Chapter One

"Bored again." Luna muttered to herself as she gazed out at the night sky.

The night princess had become increasingly bored lately. Something had happened inside her, something that made her hate the royal life she lived even more so than coming back from the moon. She thought back to her latest Nightmare Night and smiled at the memory.

That was her last actual time she'd smiled. Not the false smile she put on for her duties that she'd worn for thousands of years. Genuine happiness.

She sighed and turned back into her room and looked around sadly. "So very bored." she murmured and crawled onto her cold, lonely bed.

She gazed at the ceiling and brought her legs up in a fetal position and sighed again.

She heard a knock at the door and groaned as she got up. What now? she thought bitterly as she opened it.

"Hello Luna." Celestia said cheerfully. "May I come in?" the regal alicorn asked and spread her wings momentarily.

Luna nodded sullenly and let her bigger sister in. "Would you like something to drink?" she asked without looking.

Celestia frowned at her sisters behaviour. "Luna are you alright?"

Luna grunted in response. "I'm fine, 'Tia."

Celestia sighed. Luna was like this sometimes; beyond reason or without any response past 'fine'. "I'll have some water, thanks."

Luna used her magic to pour them both a glass of cold water. As cold as that bed. Luna thought miserably as she dragged her feet back to Celestia and sank into a chair, closing her eyes and downing the water in one gulp.

Celestia, with at least twenty percent more grace then her sister, nestled comfortably in the opposite chair and sipepd her water.

Luna opened one eye and glared at her sister. "What?" she grumbled.

Celestia shook her head, "Why are you like this, Lulu?" she asked, a trace of resent in her voice.

Luna snorted, "Because I hate this. Night after night, I'm forced to smile for those power hungry, backstabbing simpletons called nobility." her voice took on a small amount of the 'Royal Canterlot Voice' when she finished.

Celestia sipped her water again and spoke up. "Then don't. Let them think you're self centred and egotistical." she snorted in contempt.

Luna's eyes flared up at her sisters jab. "Oh, like you aren't?"

Celestia put the drink down calmly and glared at Luna. "I am not. I care about my subjects." she said and immediately wished she could reverse time and change the phrasing of that sentence.

"Your subjects!" Luna shouted "It's you who they love! You who they care about! You who-"

Celestia slapped her across the face. "Control yourself, Luna." she commanded with a voice that could halt entire armies and a cold gaze that would make even Discord shiver with fear.

Luna raised a hoof to the side of her face where she'd been struck and stared at her sister of a good length of time. "I think you should leave now." she whispered.

Celestia nodded curtly and stormed out the door, slamming it on her way out. She immediately regretted eveything she'd done and said and knocked on the door again. "Luna? I'm sorry. Can I please come back in?"

"No. Go away." Luna called back with sniffles.

Celestia hung her head and shed a single tear. "Luna, I'm really sorry, very and truly deeply. Just so you know, I am your big sister and will always love you. Goodnight."

***

Luna quietly cried in tears of rage and sadness. It was true though, all the ponies would remember her and love her. Nopony would remember or care about Luna. Save, maybe, for the few who still celebrate Nightmare Night in Ponyville. She sniffed and allowed a small smile creep onto her face as she remembered her first true friends in over a thousand years: Twilight Sparkle, the pony who'd introduced friendship to her; Applejack the honest farmer and who'd introduced 'fun' to her; and the adorable Pipsqueak in his pirate costume and Trottingham accent.

After a while of sitting doing nothing, she decied she would visit the spells archive. It was her night after all, so the guards would not question her in the slightest. They wouldn't question her at all though would they? She giggled at the thought of the royal guards quaking in their armour at confronting the night empress herself.

Of course she wouldn't even bat an eyelash at them, lest her sister should banish her again. No. That's not fair. she thought. Celestia did that because of Nightmare Moon, who because of the Elements of Harmony has been banished permanently. Luna still felt sad that her own flesh and blood could do something so mean-spirited, even if she was attempting a takeover.

The night princess calmly opened the door, half expecting Celestia to be standing there, ready to apologise and that other sister stuff. To her surprise, Luna found nopony but her own shadow in the moons glow. She smiled contentedly and waltzed off to the archives, searching for... something to raise her spirits.

"Perhaps a good, fake cutie-pox spell?" she mused to herself as she cantered along merrily, unfazed by the former sadness at her new plan. "Or perhaps a laughing spell? For when she needs to have a really, super, serious meeting with the nobles." Luna spat the last word. "Hardly nobility, all brutes and self centred as Celestia herself. Especially that brute of a nephew we have, the non-prince Blueblood." she sneered in contempt.

Allegedly, he had the gall to insult none other than two of the Elements of Harmony: Miss Rarity and Miss Applejack at the last Grand Galloping Gala, where Twilight Sparkle and her friend had successfully trashed the place and driven Celestia furious after months of planning, and sending six tickets at Luna's wish for Twilight's friends.

Luna chuckled at the memory of her sister tearing up her room in frustration at her prize students misbehaviour. She'd told the elder that she should just go and have some fun, like Luna did on a nightly basis, reading some of those Daring Do books and enjoying a few midnight snacks. Eventually Celestia had agreed and went to congratulate the six on making it the most... eventful night ever.

"Ah. Here we are." Luna said to herself as she reached the entrance to the archives. She pushed th e door open using her own hooves, she was a lot more humble than Celestia in not using magic for just about everything, only when it was necessary.

"Now, where is that joke-spell section?" she wondered aloud to herself. It would surely take until the morning to sort through all of them.

***

Surely enough, approximately six hours later, Luna had to lower the moon and let her sister raise the sun, when a certain 'disguise' spell caught her eye.

"For use to any pony who wishes to be another for a time." she read. "Oooh, this sounds fun." In fact, it's exactly what I need to get away from this place... for a time. she thought and grinned to herself as she scampered back to her room before 'Tia found she was gone.

Thankfully, Celestia was still not there and Luna hurriedly ran inside her room and locked the door. Eager to see what this spell did exactly.

"To cast, simply hold down left mouse button and click... Oh... this is the manual for a video game I had a while back. So this is where it went." she chuckled and flicked the instruction manual over her shoulder and read the real scroll. "To cast, simply charge energy into one's horn and imagine thyself as a different pony. No griffons, satyrs, minotaurs, dragons etc. Strictly ponies."

Luna warmed up her horn, feeling the magical energy store up at the base, then spread to her tip. The feeling was not unpleasant. She imagined herself as a dark blue pegasus that resembled her own self, but lighter, and her mane wasn't starry like the sky, it was pale blue and less wavy; and her cutie mark was different: a shining star against the pale, white moon.

She gasped as she began to feel different, the magic's unusual effect taking hold of her. A flash of light made her wince after hurting her eyes. She stood up slowly, intending to use her magic to get hold of the mirror. She sent the usual tingling feeling to her skull, except something was different. Something very important was missing.

She tentatively reached a hoof up and felt around for her horn. Her eyes widened when she felt nothing and she felt a rush of adrenaline and panic.

"This is what you wanted Luna." she told herself and began to calm down and trotted over to the mirror and looked at herself. She looked exactly like she'd pictured herself: a dark blue pegasus with a different cutie mark, only a bit smaller than she had intended, about the same size as Twilight Sparkle.

A sudden dawn of realization hit her: just what did she intend to do like this? She slumped down on her haunches and thought for a minute.

Celestia would definitely disapprove of this form. Luna winced as she thought of her sisters wrath.

Forget her, go out and have some fun. another voice in the back of her mind said reassuringly. She can't control every aspect of your life.

I know she can't. Luna thought, a touch mean-spirited perhaps but it was true. The white alicorn had tried to control every single breath of Luna since she'd come back from the moon. Yes. I will then. She thought back and smiled, then spread her wings and leapt out the window, soaring on the morning wind. "First I'll go to Ponyville..." she murmured as she flew in the direction of the train, hoping to catch the earliest one.

***

A royal guardspony and his marefriend were walking around the royal gardens, enjoying the sunrise and the smell of flowers around them.

"Who's that?" the marefriend asked and pointed up to a dark blue pegasus as she took off out of her window.

The guard looked up and frowned. "I'm not sure. At first I thought it was Princess Luna, but then she doesn't have a horn." he said, quite puzzled.

"Should we tell Princess Celestia?" the marefriend asked, wide eyed.

"Nah. I'm sure it's just one of her friends who stayed for the night." the guard chuckled and kissed his marefriend.

"But she doesn't have any friends." she sniggered.

The guard frowned, "Now that's not very nice." he grinned and gently squeezed her flank, nipping it a bit. "You'll have to be punished for that. C'mon, let's go somewhere a bit more... private."

He led her away, further into the castle labyrinth and enjoyed the sunrise. And more.

After a while the guard decided he really should go tell Celestia about the unknown pegasus.

"Hurry back." the marefriend giggled and batted her eyelashes at her strong guardspony.

He bowed respectively and trotted off.

***

Celestia groggily raised her head and yawned, she closed her eyes and brought a hoof to her head, trying to rub away th hangover after she'd drank herself into a stupor last night.

"Ohhh... I have got to quite drinking whenever we fight." she mumbled and dragged herself out of bed and over to the large vanity mirror, considerably smaller than Luna's and began brushing her light, rainbow coloured mane with a growing sense of dread of facing her sister again.

"It's her own fault." she told herself and regained that steely expression she used whenever confronting her sister after a fight or telling off a young filly or colt disrupting the peace of the palace.

She heard a knock at the door and an urgent voice.

"Princess Celestia?"

Oh, what now? Celestia thought irritably. The large door swung open with a golden glow and a guard stood there, looking quite flushed.

She sniffed the air and smelt hormones. She grinned as the guard detected her sniff and waved him in. "What can I trouble you with?" she said, not giving a single care to be honest.

"Ahem, I was in the gardens before -doing my usual rounds-" the guard said.

I bet you were. Celestia stifled a giggle and waved him to continue.

"When I looked up and saw an unknown pegasus fly out of Luna's tower."

Celestia's ears pricked up. "Are you sure it wasn't just Luna?"

"Quite sure. She was only a pegasus for one, and she was a touch smaller than the princess." the guard replied, fairly sure this was going well.

Celestia bit her lip and thought What have you done now Luna? she turned to the guard again, "Thank you for this information, guardspony. What is your name?"

"Corporal Storm Winters." the guard saluted.

"Well, Corporal Winters, thank you for this information and enjoy the rest of the day off. I suspect somepony is waiting for you." the princess grinned mischievously and turned Corporal Winters scarlet.

"A-a-at once m-m'lady." Winters bowed and hurriedly left, practically skipping on his way to his marefriend.

Celestia sighed and decided she'd better go see Luna. "That stupid young, foalish mare's gone and done it now hasn't she?" she grumbled.

She arrived at Luna's chambers and banged on the door, making the guards down the hall sucrry away. Like rats. Celestia smirked and turned her attention to the door again. "Luna? I know you can here me. Open the door."

No response.

"I'll kick it open if I have to."

Still nothing.

Fine. The white alicorn rose up on her back legs and pressed her full body force on the door, pushing it wide open and sprawling in the middle of her sisters hideous fur rug. "It was open?" she hissed in confusion. "Luna?" she called out realizing she was alone.

She began to feel cold and whistled for the guard. He hurried in and snapped to attention. "Ma'am?"

Celestia waved a hoof at the formalities and leaned forwards. "Tell nopony except the other guards, make them swear to secrecy; but Luna has gone missing." she whispered. "Go out and find her, she probably looks like a dark blue pegasus, not her usual self."

The guards jaw hung slightly open with a tad bit of drool escaping, making Celestia recoil a bit. "Control yourself guardspony."

"Right, yes. Sorry, your highness, I'll notify the captain immediately." the guard saluted and galloped off.

Celestia sighed and turned to the window and looked put at the sunrise. "Where are you, little sister?" she growled and turned back into the room, searching for clues to why she's gone. She walked around the room and stepped on a small scroll sticking out from under the bed. She frowned and picked up the scroll.

"Disguise spell - For use to any pony who wishes to be another for a time." she read. "Oh what have you done?" she whispered as she read the spell's instructions. She trotted to the window and looked out. "Where have you gone?" she murmured at the rising sun.

***

Luna sped through the air as she observed her surroundings and reached the train in no time. She momentarily forgot that she was in a different form to her usual self and was quite surprised when the crowd didn't part for her or grovel. She welcomed this change and embraced her new body.

Smiling like a madpony, she trotted up to the ticket master and asked for a ticket.

"Sure thing, miss. Here ya go." he smiled and turned to the next pony in line.

Luna held her ticket in her mouth, still adjusting to having no horn and thus, no magic, and cantered over to the platform, where she sat and waited for the train. She spied a rather handsome looking, red stallion across from her, loading a crate onto his back. She blushed as he turned to her briefly.

He nodded politely as an orange mare, who looked familiar, loaded another crate on his back. "C'mon big brother, y'all need to get that crate of apples on the train as fast as Dash." the mare chuckled and helped him.

"Eeyup." the crimson stallion said and cantered off.

Luna watched him go and casually walked up to the mare, inspecting her.

The orange pony looked up from her work and eyed the newcomer suspiciously. "Can ah help you, miss...?"

Luna panicked. "Um... Selene." she said, wiping some sweat away.

"Well howdy do Miss Selene. Mah name's Applejack. Pleased to meet ya. You headin' to Ponyville?" Applejack shook 'Selene's' hoof vigourosuly.

Luna smiled and withdrew her aching hoof. "Yes, I suppose I am."

"Well, ah'm sure Pinkie'll wanna throw y'all a surprise 'welcome-to-town party' when you arrive. Ah'll tell her to go easy on you." Applejack grinned.

Luna smiled thoughtfully. Just what was she intending to do in Ponyville anyway?

"I'll be sure to keep a look out for her."

She remembered Pinkie Pie. The pink, permanently hyper pony who was the ring leader of the frightened children at Nightmare Night.

"Hey, would y'all like to bunk with me an' mah brother on the ride? It's a long way to Ponyville and mighty lonely if you got nopony with you." Applejack asked.

Luna panicked again, was her brother that rather dashing stallion from before? If so... "Yes, please." she smiled.

"Woohee. I was hopin' ah wouldn't have ta bunk on mah own like ah did comin' here. 'Cause, you know, Big Mac's a gentlecolt and respects a lady's privacy." Applejack chuckled and put a hoof around Luna. "Selene, ah got a good feelin' about you."

Selene? Who did she mean- Oh, yeah. Me. A moment of sheer terror passed through her in that split second as Applejack withdrew her hoof.

"Y'all wouldn't mind givin' a hoof in help would ya? These crates is mighty heavy for even me an' Big Mac."

"No problem." 'Selene' smiled and began staring at one of the boxes.

"Uhh... Selly?" Applejack queried after a few minutes. "What're ya'll doin'?"

Luna snapped back to what was going on and remembered she didn't have a horn. "Oh... nothing... nevermind." she smiled meekly and braced herself for the load Applejack was about to place on her back. She felt her knees buckle as the crate took it's place between her wings.

"Y'all alright, sugarcube?" Applejack asked with a worried tone.

"Hnng... I'm... fine... where do I go?" Luna groaned under the pressure.

"Just over there, if you can manage it." Applejack smiled and pointed to the small hoofcart a few meters from them.

Luna grunted and shifted the boxes weight as she moved slowly to the hoofcart.

"Excuse me, miss? Do y'all need some help?" a warm voice asked.

"No, no, it's quite... hnng... alright." Luna replied without looking up.

"You're gonna hurt yaself if y'all keep that up for much longer. Like this." the owner of the voice sidled up to her and she allowed the weight to fall onto him, taking a sigh of relief.

She looked at the owner of the voice and blushed, turning as red as his coat. He was the stallion from before alright. And every bit as handsome and rugged as she thought from a distance up close too.

"Hi." she breathed and looked into his eyes.

"Hey." he replied. "Name's Big Macintosh, ah see you already met mah sister, AJ." he nodded to Applejack, who trotted over to them with a smile on her face.

"Howdy, big brother, you met Selly too then?"

"Eeyup. Is she comin' with?" Big Mac asked then turned to Luna, "Selly." he bowed respectively.

"Eeyup." AJ grinned in response, mimicking her brothers trademark approval.

Luna blushed at her new nickname and Big Mac's response. "May I say, that I'm rather pleased to be in the company of such fine ponies." she complemented Big Mac and Applejack.

Now it was AJ's turn to blush. "Aww shucks, Selly. Don't go all mushy on me now." she chuckled.

Luna laughed too. "But you are one of the Elements of Harmony are you not?"

Applejack narrowed her eyes for a bit. "How did you know that?" she asked suspiciously.

Luna stopped giggling, "W-well... um..."

Applejack burst into laughter, "You should see the look on your face, Selly. You went whiter than one of Fluttershy's chickens!"

Luna chuckled nervously and Big Mac gave Applejack a friendly shove. "Now, now, you gone and made the poor girl nervous." he mock-scolded her.

"Ah'm sorry, Selly." Applejack said through giggles. "You're an alright pony, solid worker and a strong back." it seemed like a light came on onside her head at this. "Say, how would you like to come visit us at Sweet Apple Acres? We're always lookin' fer a helping hoof, seen as how it's just me an' Big Mac, Applebloom being too young and Granny Smith being to old."

Luna contemplated this or a while. "...Yes... I would like that very much." she said. If not to help, at least to spend time with Big Mac. she thought, dreamily.

"All aboard!" the conductor shouted as the train pulled into the station.

"C'mon, Selly, ah'll show ya the bunk we'll be sharing while Big Mac get's these crates loaded up. That alright, brother?"

"Eeyup." Big Mac nodded and began pushing the heavy hoofcart onto the storage part of the train.

Luna followed Applejack to their caboose, where AJ plopped down and rested her Stetson over her eyes. "Ah'm gonna try an' get some sleep, feel free if you wanna look around, Selly."

Luna nodded and trotted off to have a look around.

Applejack lifted an eyelid and her hat a bit and watched her go. "Nice gal." she murmured and fell asleep.