Dusk to Dawn

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10

Chapter 1

The moon high in the sky and the smell of autumn crisp in the air, the beautiful and majestic Princess Luna loved the way the fresh air felt as it glided across her face and body. After having made so many friends only last Nightmare Night, Princess Luna no longer hated (or feared) stretching her wings and flying around her and her sister’s land. She couldn’t help but smile at herself as she looked up at the moon and thought about how beautiful it really looked on a night like this. It was amazing she thought, that she was the goddess of the moon, and yet its beauty never ceased to amaze her.

As she was flying though, a delectable, lingering scent found its way into Luna’s keen nostrils. She had never smelled anything so wonderful! “What IS that scent?” Luna whispered to herself as she neatly tilted to the left and began to dive towards the ground and the scent. Within a second or two, all four of Luna’s hooves landed with a soft thud on the ground beneath her. She looked left, then right, and then all around again, and instantly she noticed it as none other than the main field of Sweet Apple Acres; she was double assured at seeing the large, lit farmhouse just ahead of her.

“Think we’ll take the express route,” Princess Luna thought jokingly to herself as she opened her wings up and bounded off into the sky, impressively leaping over a sizeable clump of the neatly arranged apple trees and landing even more impressively in the front barnyard. Princess Luna stood for a moment and looked at the house with an unsure look on her face. She wanted to say hello to her good friend Applejack, but at the same time, she didn’t want to disturb whatever surely tedious task the family was doing inside. Princess Luna sniffed the air once more and decided that it would probably be best to come back some time the following day, perhaps later in the afternoon.

Just before she could stretch her wings and prepare for takeoff, Princess Luna jumped as she heard a familiar voice shout, “Well a’ howdy there Princess Luna, your majesty!” She turned her head to sure enough see Applejack coming out of the barn with a small tub full of apples in front of her.

Princess Luna smiled and trotted the short distance over to meet Applejack. “Err… How-dee… Applejack,” Princess Luna blushed as she noticed how silly she had sounded. Luna had been trying really hard, but she just couldn’t seem to get the hang of the new, current language, the many tones and forms it had; she struggled with the greetings especially.

Despite her awkward and unsure greeting, Applejack didn’t laugh but instead asked, “So what brings ya’ll all the way out here?” Applejack nudged the tub forward a few more inches so that she could step out and with two swift kicks shut the large barn doors.

“Oh, We…I mean, I…” Luna shook her head in embarrassment and tried to remind herself that it was ‘I’ now, “was taking a flight across the sky and we…” Luna almost sounded like she grunted in frustration, “just happened to smell an absolutely wonderful scent coming from this location.”

Applejack smiled and instantly knew which scent Princess Luna was referring to. She replied, “Ya’ll must be smellin’ my latest fresh apple pie.” Applejack lowered her head down and then before pushing the bin any further said, “You’re more than welcome to come on in and try some!”

Princess Luna smiled, and instead of wanting to embarrass herself again nodded her head and walked alongside Applejack. Before they got more than a few steps in, Princess Luna noticed that Applejack seemed like she was struggling with the sizeable bin of large apples and the hill they were starting up. “Here, let me…” she said.

Applejack stopped her pushing and jumped a few inches away from the tingling sensation of the blue haze that surrounded the bin. “Oh no Princess Luna! I can’t ask you to do that!” Luna couldn’t help but softly giggle as she sensed that Applejack was trying to figure out how to get the bin back on the ground and prevent Princess Luna from doing a task that certainly wasn’t fit for royalty.

“Er…You lead the way,” Princess Luna said in her new, quiet voice as she refused to let Applejack take her apples back. Applejack looked at her once more with a ‘I wish you really wouldn’t do this,’ face, but walked ahead anyway, deciding it was probably best not to argue. Applejack led them up the path towards the farmhouse, and once they had slowed to a leisurely pace, Luna asked, “So… what is thou…are…” Princess Luna physically shook her head in frustration and continued, “Why are you preparing a meal so late on this night? Is it not customary that ponies make their meals during the morning or daytime?”

Applejack laughed a little and answered, “Granny Smith’s asleep, and so is Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom. I couldn’t sleep myself, so I decided to get up and get tomorrow’s sales batch ready to go.”

“Resourceful pony aren’t you?” Princess Luna complimented Applejack’s time and business savvy sense of thinking.

They walked up the couple of steps that lead to the back porch of the house, and Applejack pushed the screened door open and held it for Princess Luna as she replied, “Aw shucks Princess Luna, ya’ll are making me blush.”

Princess Luna frowned as she looked at Applejack’s face and replied, “But your face is not changing shades.”

As Applejack led them through the dining room and over into the kitchen, Luna noticed the entrancing scent got stronger, but she listened as Applejack explained, “Of course not sugarcube. What’s it Twilight calls em’ again… ‘figures of speech’ or somethin’ like that I think. I say somethin’ but it ain’t really happenin’, see?”

Luna could only nod her cocked head, but in truth she had no idea what her friend had just explained to her (Applejack herself didn’t have the most lingual smarts). “Maybe I should ask Twilight Sparkle about these, ‘Figures of Speech’ sometime in the near future?” Princess Luna continued to follow Applejack as she made a mental note to check with the knowledgeable Twilight Sparkle about such things concerning the modern language.

As soon as they set hoof in the kitchen, Applejack continued forward and said, “You can just set those down anywhere.” Princess Luna looked around and placed the bin on the floor next to the table closest to the oven. Once she had set them down though, Princess Luna’s eyes could only wander over to the batch of warm, fresh apple pies sitting in a neatly arranged line on the nearby table with another set inside the warm oven. Luna couldn’t help but feel rather at home with the warm heat in the homey little kitchen. It was nothing like the massive kitchen at the palace, but that was a good thing.

As she was placing her muzzle down into the great bin of apples and carefully lifting apple after apple out, Applejack looked up and saw Princess Luna eyeing the pies. She took a sniff herself, and Applejack couldn’t help but feel hungry. She had been in here all night, and hadn’t even had a tiny pinch of one of the pies. “Would you like ta split a pie?” Applejack stopped her apple-shoveling and looked at Princess Luna for an answer with a smile on her face.

“Oh, no my dear friend, Applejack. I could not ask you to give a vital part of your business to me.” Princess Luna stopped looking at the pies and smiled softly at Applejack to show that she was being truthful and minded Applejack’s family business more than she did her own hunger (she hadn’t eaten before coming out hours before).

“Vital part of my business?” Applejack laughed a couple of times, turned from Luna and walked towards the oven where she grabbed a cloth from the handle, “Hoo wee! Them sure is some fancy words ya’ll use there your majesty.” Applejack grabbed the warm pie with her muzzle and cloth and then set it down on the table. She noticed that Luna still looked hesitant though. She knew how Luna felt, wanting be as polite as she could possibly be, having a remembrance of how she had frightened and had, to a decent degree, been rather rude to many of the ponies on Nightmare Night.

“Come on sugarcube. You know you want to,” Applejack tempted her quietly as she grabbed a piece of the pie and held it out in her hoof.

Luna looked at the piece of pastry, then at Applejack, and then back at the pastry again, still in hesitation. After a minute or so though, the Princess finally gave in and she thought to herself, “Perhaps a nibble wouldn’t hurt…” with a gracious smile on her face, Luna took the piece of pie from Applejack using her magic. A hopeful look on her face, Applejack wanted to see what Princess Luna thought of the pie. She had worked on it all night, but if it was for the wellness of Sweet Apple Acres, she’d do it all again in a hoofbeat. Princess Luna brought the pie to her lips and took a ladylike bite of it. As soon as it hit her tongue though, Princess Luna let her fun and playful side take over, and she took the whole pie down in just a few chomps.

“What do ya’ll think?” Applejack asked, more positive tone in her thoughts now at having seen the way Luna had eaten her pie.

“My, Applejack, that was simply delectable! We… were wondering if we might be able to have one more piece?” Luna asked a bit embarrassingly, apparently having not noticed her grammar slip-up.

A wide smile crossed Applejack’s face, and she trotted over to the nearby table to pull a chair out. “Of course you can sugarcube! Go on and have yourself a seat!” Princess Luna nodded her head in gracious thanks, and sat down at the table where she watched Applejack take the pie from which she had pulled the piece and place it in the middle of them. Applejack took her seat across from Luna, and like she normally did at every breakfast, lunch, or dinner, said, “Well… dig in!”

A playful smile crossing her face, Luna used her magic and grabbed two pieces where she placed them in front of her. Applejack did the same thing and dug her muzzle straight in as soon as it landed in front of her. Eating like a pair of young schoolfillies, they kept up their routine for another half-hour.

Once they had finished though, Luna had sensed that the day was arriving and that she would have to return to the palace soon. She did not want to be rude to her friend who had invited her in, and who had had some fun with her, but at the same time, Princess Luna valued and acknowledged her royal duties to her sister and to the ponies for which they ruled. “Please forgive me, my dear friend Applejack, but I must go. The day is nearing and I must return to my home for rest.”

Understanding what duties Luna had to fulfill (living in the life of work herself), Applejack smiled and led Luna to the front door so that she could easily take off from the hill which the home sat on. “I must confess Applejack, I find this… this ‘country life’ rather fun.”

Applejack smiled at her and replied, “I’m glad you think that Princess. It’s hard at times, but we here at Sweet Apple Acres see no reason you can’t work and have fun at the same time.”

The two of them walked out onto the front porch and down the steps, where Applejack followed Luna all the way down to a nicely elevated spot on the hill. “It is also very beautiful out here…” Princess Luna complimented as she looked at the big red barn and its yard, then the rows upon rows of apple trees, and finally up at her moon. She liked the way the calm surrounding complimented it perfectly, not like the always lit, noisy, and awake streets of Canterlot.

“Yep, it sure is,” Applejack agreed as a calm silence overcame the two and they were left standing on the hill and observing the sight before them. After a couple of seconds though, it was Applejack who broke the silence as she bid her farewells, “Well, it sure was a mighty pleasure havin’ ya’.”

Luna walked forward a little bit and looked back towards Applejack where she smiled and said, “It was a pleasure being here, my friend.” Her wings fully outstretched now, Luna looked back once more and finished, “Fare-thee-well Applejack.” Luna then lifted herself off into the sky and started gaining altitude.

“Ya’ll come back now, ya’ hear?” Applejack shouted as she waved Princess Luna off. She then turned and began to walk slowly back to the house where she would bake one more batch of pies, along with a replacement for the one that herself and the Princess had shared, and after that, return to her bed for some attempted shuteye.

Before she could get too far though, Applejack turned around as she swore to herself that she heard “I will!” ring back towards her from the dark, majestic sky up above.

Chapter 2

The work day started as it usually did at Sweet Apple Acres, fast and tiring. Applejack and her big brother ran from orchard to orchard and bucked this week’s batch of apples down from the trees on which they hung. Once they had filled the many bins up to the brim, Applejack and Macintosh used their great strength to push the bins and load them onto a cart where some hired hands and some more Apple family relatives who lived nearby carried them off to town to be loaded into the family fruit stands and sold at local grocers.

Eventually though, the two of them loaded the last batch of apples onto an unhitched cart and readied to finish the work day. It was Applejack’s turn to stay behind and rest (she would be the one to take the cart to Ponyville next time around) while her brother delivered the goods. She helped hitch him up, and asked, “That right enough partner?”

Big Macintosh said his usual “Eeyup,” in his deep voice, and Applejack backed away she told him to have a safe trip and waved him off.

Once she watched him go down over the passing hill, Applejack turned around and headed back to the farmhouse, her tongue practically tasting the cold and refreshing apple cider. Once she reached the front steps, Applejack turned around and admired her and her family’s job well done and then headed inside where she poured herself some cider and then filled another mug up nearly to the brim, which she placed in the nearby icebox for her brother.

“Yep, just another fine day at Sweet Apple Acres,” Applejack said quietly to herself as she looked out of the windows and observed row upon row of apple trees to the south which they would tackle next week. For now though, Applejack didn’t want to think about the hard day she had just worked through. No, now she just wanted to kick back and relax herself. Knowing just what would freshen her up, Applejack trotted down the spacious hallway in the farm house and approached a closet that was at the very end of it. From there, she grabbed a nice, soft towel and a box of sweet smelling soap suds (Sweet Apple Flower Soap Suds), and with a swift kick, closed the door behind her.

She walked back through the kitchen of the home and then walked back out onto the deck where she looked around to make sure that nopony was in sight. Once assured that she was all alone, Applejack walked over to the barn and pulled its large red doors open. She walked inside, and using some ropes at the sides of the doors, pulled them almost to a complete close, leaving only a small crack in the doors. The crisp hay crunched underneath her hooves as Applejack walked ahead silently until she got almost to the extreme back of the barn. From there, Applejack ascended a small ladder where she uncovered her own little secretive “spa”, a large wooden bin that was usually used for apples, a bottle of apple cider (which she made herself), a small bag of apples which she often snacked on, and some magazines and books which mainly dealt with rural life. The house had several bathrooms and bathtubs yes, but Applejack always felt at peace out here.

Using the hose system which she had jury rigged to reach up this far, Applejack filled the tub up to the brim with some water that was just right, not too cold and not too warm. Satisfied with the level of the water, Applejack then poured some of the sweetly scented suds into the water and mixed them around with her hoof. Applejack nudged the towl just a little closer to the bin so that she could quickly hop out and dry off if needed, and then slowly slunk into the pool where she sat in a comfortable position.

Applejack looked around the massive barn and admired the way the sunlight complimented the passionately hoof built interior perfectly. Relaxed, but bored nonetheless, Applejack reached over and grabbed a fresh apple. Still admiring the barn construction and space, Applejack took a bite of it and continued to sit there in silence as she let her thoughts ponder on. She thought about things such as the income from today’s sale, to the successfulness of her new pie recipe, how it would fare with everypony.

Once she had finished her apple, Applejack reached over for a magazine and flipped through it as she flipped her tail around under the water to get any dirt and debris untangled from it. As she was flipping through the magazine, Applejack couldn’t help but stop on one page and blush as she admired the cute, brawny country stallion which had been placed for some type of ad. “That’s what I’m gonna’ have me one day, a good ol’ stallion like this one here,” she thought to herself as she admired the picture just one more time. She flipped through a couple more of the magazine’s pages, but seeing nothing that really grasped her interest, she threw it aside. The water still at the perfect temperature, Applejack set to cleaning herself. She used the sponge that was lying near the base of the bin, and using her hoof, ran the soggy sponge up and down her upper body and neck.

She closed her eyes and did her face a couple times over, making sure to get any sweat that sill lingered. Then, she reached below the water and did her lower body. Knowing perfectly well that it was her hoof touching her body, Applejack still couldn’t help herself from looking down and blushing as she ran her hoof and sponge over her breasts and around the top of her vagina. “N…No sense in not wanting to be clean,” Applejack thought to herself as she continued to look down and sponge herself, not able to stop herself from doing this every single time she climbed into her bath.

The afternoon was nearing, and things were finally starting to slow down at the palace. Her magical senses kicked in, and Luna’s beautiful, and easy blue eyes opened to the chamber around her. Luna stood up and allowed her wings to stretch out as she sluggishly walked towards the elaborate observation window at the far end of her room. When she reached it, Luna drew the drapes and let a small whimper as the evening sunlight temporarily blinded her. She closed the drapes back and laid back down on her bed, not really ready to start the night. Luna sighed heavily as she realized she didn’t really have an option, and stretched once more, letting out a quiet yawn as she did so.

Luna walked out into the hallway she shared with her sister, Princess Celestia, and instead of going down the winding staircase turned to her right and walked outside onto the upper terrace. She walked over to the stone guard and crossed her forelegs atop it as she looked down with a frown on her face. “We wish it wasn’t so noisy here,” Princess Luna said in a whisper to herself as she looked down and watched the ponies trot, the carriages roll, and the mouths move.

The Princess wasn’t complaining, she loved Canterlot, she loved its ponies and their way of life, she loved everything about the city below her. It was just that so much had changed since Luna had returned. Not just the language either. Populations had quadrupled, more probably, she figured, townships had grown from small villages to sprawling cities, new inventions had come around, and so many more things that she was just not accustomed to. But then Luna thought about the previous night when she had visited Applejack. The more she thought about it, the more she seemed to like that life, the way it was old fashioned. There was no noise, most of the small farming villages were exactly what they were, small in population, the ponies didn’t care how you spoke, and (from what she had observed at the farm) there was little technical innovation over a farm that would have existed before Luna’s banishment.

Then, Princess Luna remembered that she had promised to return and see her friend Applejack, promised to return to see Sweet Apple Acres. Princess Luna looked down at the bustling streets one more time and then backed off of the wall. She walked a little ways away from the wall and once satisfied with her takeoff area, spread her graceful wings and lifted off into the afternoon sky.

Chapter 3

Applejack felt so naughty, so embarrassed at the way she was touching herself, the way she liked it. She rubbed her soaked and soapy pussy a couple times with the sponge, and then a couple more times with her bare hoof. Her sensual and current sense of mind told her that rubbing with her hoof only got her genitals dirtier again (though in reality her hoof was as squeaky clean as could be). As the cycle repeated over and over again, Applejack knew she couldn’t lie to herself. She blushed as she acknowledged the fact that she was doing this on purpose.

She didn’t want to do this, but it was just so hard for her! She was in estrus right now, aroused at just about anything she believed could put a colt inside of her or get her off at the very least. The only bad thing was, not many of very few single stallions in Ponyville had an eye for a county mare like her. They all liked the attractive mares like Rarity, or the shy ones like Fluttershy (those who liked that type of filly were no less shy than the mare they lusted after), or the smart ones like Miss Cheerilee. It shamed her to resort to this just to pleasure herself! But then again, there was no harm in it all as long as nopony found out, like a little game that she had all to herself.

Fearing to be discovered, Applejack peered out the loft window just to her right and made sure that the farm was still abandoned. Seeing that it was, but still wanting to be sure, Applejack turned her head around, still rubbing her vagina at a steady pace, and looked down at the abandoned barn floor to make sure that it really was abandoned. Deciding that it was safe enough to really get caught up in her little game, Applejack did just that.

An even redder blush crossing her face, Applejack thought about how her dream stallion would crawl into the bed with her. It just seemed too real to her. The way the big, caramel colored stallion courted her with his sweet talking and easy caressing, then the way she kissed him on the lips and allowed him to escort her upstairs. To the way he tossed her softly onto the bed, locked the door, and proceeded to kiss her body all over. It all aroused and excited her! Applejack had closed her eyes and had phased her senses out so that she could focus on the cinematic that she was playing over in her head. Her head leaned back and her body excited, Applejack tossed the sponge out of the equation completely and proceeded to rub herself only with her bare hoof.

But then, through all of her excitement, the barn was bathed in some brighter light, the creaking of the barn doors could be heard, and a soft voice called out “Applejack? Art thou in here?” The soft voice’s reply came back with a loud and frantic splashing sound from up above. It sounded like a pony was struggling for dear life to keep from drowning!

The surprised, and increasingly uncomfortable Princess Luna could only look up at the massive looking barn lofts and rafters in search of whatever it was that was making this strange noise in an even stranger place. It was then, that Luna got her answer. From the loft that was closest to her left, Luna looked up to see Applejack crane her head over the side and look down from up above. “H…howdy there Princess,” Applejack said, she sounded shaken, and she was wet.

Concerned for her friend, Luna cocked her head and asked, “Is everything all right, my dear Applejack? We did not disturb anything did we?”

Applejack looked left and right a little nervously and then replied, “Uh… wait just a minute your highness.” A frown still on her face, Luna watched as Applejack went back into the loft and returned a few seconds later where she climbed down the latter with a towel wrapped around her.

“Are you sure we did not disturb anything Applejack? Never mind my friend, we will just go,” Luna frowned and turned away to head towards the door, realizing in fact that she had disturbed something.

Before she could get too far though, Applejack stopped her. “Wait just a minute Princess! Ya’ll didn’t disturb nothing, I was just having some trouble with a hose that runs up there, that’s all,” she lied.

Luna cocked her head and asked, “What was all that splashing for? Did we startle you?”

Applejack smiled and replied, “Yep, but don’t you worry. You comin’ in made me trip over a loose board and fall into a spare tub up there. Now come on,” she smiled at Luna and led her out of the barn, “a smelly old barn isn’t the place for a princess.” Princess Luna smiled weakly and followed her friend out of the barn and into the evening sunlight. “So, what brings ya’ all the way out here again, Princess?”

Her face turning red, Luna looked down at the ground which she kicked at with her hoof a couple of times and then answered, “We… I… I… I mean I was wondering if you could maybe teach me how um… to “buck apples” and… and maybe do some other “country” things?”

To be absolutely truthful with herself, Applejack didn’t know how to quite respond. Was Princess Luna joking with her, or was she being serious? She remembered that Princess Luna had made a comment about finding life away from the city rather attractive to her, and beautiful to some extent. “I… er… Ya’ll sure you want to learn how to do this? I mean, I ain’t got no problem with it, but it’s a little difficult, all of this.

To her surprise, Luna nodded her head eagerly and replied, “Yes, tis what I want! Let us go ‘live the country life’!” Luna was a bit awkward and noticed this as she blushed and looked down.

“Hold your ponies there Princess, this little filly has to get dried off before she does any apple bucking,” Applejack replied. “You’re more than welcome to come on into the house for a little something to drink while I do that,” Applejack offered as she walked side by side Princess Luna.

“That would be nice, thank you Applejack,” Princess Luna expressed her gratitude as she stepped inside the cool farmhouse and waited patiently as Applejack poured her a glass of cold cider. Sitting at the table in the kitchen, Princess Luna sat quietly and looked at the window as Applejack stood in the sun to dry off.

“Somethin’ on your mind sugarcube?” Applejack asked as she noticed that Princess Luna was quieter than she usually was.

Princess Luna looked towards her and replied, “I am only meditating my thoughts, my friend. We… I mean I, am flattered that you are concerned though.” Applejack smiled at her and looked back at the wall to observe a photo that had been taken of her and her family quite some time ago, and Luna too returned to merely gazing out the window at what appeared to be nothing.

After a few minutes, it was Luna’s turn to ask a question. Partially dried off, Applejack deemed it alright to go ahead and move around the air conditioned house. “Applejack,” Princess Luna continued to look out of the window, “what more can you show us to do?” Luna obviously hadn’t noticed her grammatical slipup. “I mean me, what more can you show me to do? Is there anything else I can do other than buck apples?” she caught it though and quickly corrected herself.

Applejack thought a moment, but before she answered, she asked a question back, “Princess Luna…”

The Princess cut her short and said, “Forgive my interruption Applejack, but I would like to request that you call me simply, ‘Luna’.”

Applejack smiled and replied, “You betcha’ Princess. Now as I was sayin’, are you absolutely sure ya’ want to do this,” Applejack unwrapped the towel from her body and walked into the next room over where she tossed it into the clothes bin.

Luna too answered this question with another question, “Yes my friend, I am sure. Is there something that I should be concerned about?” Luna looked at Applejack.

Applejack thought answered quickly, “Nope, but you do get really dirty and sweaty. All that sweat pouring over your body and all that dirt flying up,” Applejack chuckled a little bit, “it don’t make for a good equation Princess.” It was then that Applejack noticed she’d be getting dirty again, but she didn’t really seem to mind.

“I think we will be able to handle it Applejack,” Princess Luna smiled at Applejack knowingly, still grateful to her for being so considerate.

“But what about yer sister, Princess Celestia?” Applejack asked.

“Yes, what about her?” Luna asked.

“Don’t ya’ think she’ll throw a fit if ya’ll trudge in there all dirty and sweaty?” Applejack inquired, knowing that Granny Smith often got onto her for not cleaning herself up before coming to the dinner table or sitting on the furniture.

“I do not think that will be a problem,” Princess Luna answered. Before Applejack could ask why it wouldn’t be a problem, Princess Luna pointed out, “When my moon is high in the sky, it is my sister’s queue to recess to her chamber and have her rest. And when I return to the palace,” Luna giggled at doing this under her sister’s nose, “I will simply bathe myself off.”

Applejack couldn’t help but smile at how much Luna reminded her of herself, always devising some kind of scheme to do something productive, but at the same time avoid getting into trouble. Also the way that Princess Luna liked to do things slower, she like the quietness and the pace of the small town, which Applejack could completely understand. Of all the times that Applejack had ventured to larger cities like Canterlot, Manehattan, and Fillydelphia, she just couldn’t see how those business owners did it; the pace was just simply too fast for her!

“What is so funny?” Luna asked with a smile on her face as she looked over and saw that Applejack was giggling softly.

“Ya’ just remind me so much of well… me!” Applejack explained how they had a lot in common. Princess Luna agreed with this, and couldn’t help but join in Applejack’s laughing. After a couple more minutes, Applejack got a little more serious and answered Luna’s question. “Well, as long as ya’ have that sense of mind, I ‘spose I can teach ya’ how to make cider and maybe how ta… you know what? I’ll keep that part a surprise.”

Saying this only peaked Luna’s interest, so she wanted to know more. “Please tell us more Applejack! What have you in mind?”

Applejack only smiled softly and replied, “I wanna’ keep it a surprise Princess, but I will tell ya’ that it’s a little game I used to love to play with Big Macintosh when we were younger.”

“That’s sounds like it will be very fun!” Princess Luna complimented.

Fully dried off now, Applejack gathered her rope for effect and asked, “Ya’ll ready Princess?”

Luna could only excitedly nod her head as she followed her friend out the front door and off the deck. Applejack explained, “Me and Big Macintosh cleaned most of the main orchard out, but there’s more than enough apples to buck at the other orchards. Since it’s closest, I think I’ll take us to the West Orchard,” she made her decision.

While they were on the subject, Princess Luna decided to tell Applejack a little personal thought. “Your brother, Big Macintosh is quite handsome,” Princess Luna blushed to a playfully cock-eyed Applejack, “He is also very sweet, quiet.”

Applejack let out a little laugh and replied, “Yep, that sounds like Big Macintosh. He’s really popular with the mares here in Ponyville, but he’s just too shy and focused on his work to get out there and do anything.”

“I suppose that all but makes him even more of a stallion though,” they finished the conversation with Princess Luna’s statement.

They walked on just a little more, and then eventually found themselves in the western-most orchard. Applejack led them around the orchard a little ways until she found the perfect, shady spot underneath two trees which already had the wooden apple bins placed underneath them. “Alright now, watch closely,” Applejack instructed her student. Wanting to impress her the first time around, Applejack ran forward, flipped around, and then delivered a hard kick to the sturdy tree. Luna clapped politely as eight apples fell and landed neatly in the bin. “Think ya’ve got it sugarcube?” Applejack asked.

“I think we are ready to give it a try,” Princess Luna replied. Applejack walked over to her side and sat down as Princess Luna stood up. Looking at her for approval, Applejack nodded her head towards the trees, and as soon as she did so, Princess Luna took off towards it with impressive speed. A look of surprised amazement crossing Applejack’s face, she watched as Luna used her wings to jump up in the air, whip around quicker than a flash of lightening and then deliver a literally earth shaking kick to the tree which swayed permanently over a couple of inches. Big Macintosh couldn’t even kick that hard! Applejack struggled to keep up the counting pace as the apples fell one after the other into the bin.

“H…how did we do?” Princess Luna asked quietly, unsure if she had done a good job or not. Princess Luna’s breathing hadn’t even escalated, and a drop of sweat had not formed on her head.

Applejack, still awestruck, walked forward and looked into the bin which was now halfway full. “Well sugarcube…” Applejack was cut short as one more apple fell from the branches up above and landed on her head, falling next into the bin. Princess Luna had to hold herself back from letting a giggle out. Applejack rubbed her hat and head as she replied, “That… was really somethin’. I ain’t never seen a pony kick like that! I think ya’ll are gonna’ get the hang of this just fine.”

The compliment made Luna smile a little as she finally felt a little better about herself. “Well, I spose it’s my turn!” Applejack smiled quickly at Luna and ran towards the opposite tree, determined to break Luna’s apple drop record (she thought that it was pretty safe to say she wouldn’t be able to shake the ground and nearly knock the tree over with her kick). Trying to copy what Luna had done, Applejack launched herself up into the air and flipped her hind end around kicking towards the tree. She succeeded, but her kick was mediocre compared to Luna’s, though she did knock considerably more apples from the branches than she had done the previous time, just not enough to match the amount that Luna had dropped.

Having nothing but the smartest wit, Princess Luna caught onto their game fairly quickly. She was beating Applejack by Celestia knew how many apples, but they each knew that it was all just in good fun. Eventually though, their fun had to be momentarily interrupted as Luna’s magical horn began to glow of its own accord signaling to her that it was time to raise her moon. “E…excuse us,” Luna said a little nervously. She had never actually raised the moon in front of anypony and didn’t want to show off her magic, the very thing which had caused her much pain and embarrassment in the past. Watching in awe, Applejack looked on as she watched Luna shut her eyes tight, and in a mere second or two, she watched as the sun shot down under the horizon and the moon replaced it high in the sky, bathing them in a cool darkness.

As soon as she had finished her duty, Princess Luna was all but aware at the problem they faced now. “Oh, our stupid moon is the ruin of all fun!” Princess Luna exclaimed quite sadly as she saw that there would be literally no possible way for them to buck apples with it this dark and with the branches of the trees above blocking out any moonlight.

“Ah, now don’t you think that for one second Princess. Your moon’s beautiful,” Applejack tried to comfort the disappointed Luna. The poor mare only wanted to get to know her friends better, and to have a little fun with them. Unluckily for her though, most of the ponies she knew retired to bed once her moon was in the sky.

It sounded like Princess Luna tried to hold herself from sniffling as she said, “I… I suppose we must say farewell Applejack. It was fun while it lasted, I suppose.” Looking down at the ground with a frown on her face, Luna slowly opened her wings.

Before she could take off though, Applejack stopped her. “Wait Princess, I thought ya’ wanted to learn more than just buckin’ apples off the trees?”

Luna closed her wings and turned back towards Applejack with one eye cocked, yet some hidden hope in her voice, “What do you mean?” she asked, “the sun is hidden and it is nighttime. I do not think we can operate in this shroud of darkness,” Luna indicated the basically pitch black darkness they were hidden in, the only source of light coming from the patches of moonlight and Luna’s horn which glowed its mystical and ever beautiful shade of blue.

“No sugarcube, the only thing we do out here is buck apples, load up the carts, and feed the animals. We do all the rest inside. Now, if ya’ll want to, we can head over to the barn and I’ll show ya’ how to make some of the best Sweet Apple Cider this side of Ponyville!”

Luna could only be ecstatic as she accepted immediately, “Lead the way my dear friend!” With that, Applejack used her acute knowledge of the orchard paired with Luna’s light to lead them to a patch of the orchard that was much more lit. From there, she took them to the outskirts of the orchard and back to the main barnyard, the house left as it had been before the two had gone out on some extra work hours. Applejack assumed that the family had either returned and gone straight to bed after a long day, or had stayed in town and had stopped by the local pub for some cold drinks and good conversation to celebrate a very successful day.

Ignoring the house for the moment though, Applejack took them straight to the barn. As she opened the doors for them, Applejack couldn’t help but blush as she remembered how she had nearly been discovered touching herself by the Princess, the Princess of all ponies! Shaking it off though, Applejack led them to a special room in the barn that was used for squeezing apples to make cider.

“First things first,” Applejack instructed, “Ya’ gotta wash off yer hooves to make sure they’re nice and clean.” Princess Luna looked down at her cover-shoed foot, and deciding that Applejack knew what was best, took all four of her shoes off and placed them atop a wooden crate. Following suit, Luna carefully used the hose to spray her hooves clean. Looking at her hooves to make sure that they really were clean, Applejack smiled and then nodded her head. “Next, we’re gonna have to put these things on,” Applejack tossed Princess Luna four, strange looking hoof covers. “These are socks, as Rarity calls em’. I jus’ call em’ hoofies.” Applejack blushed as she realized how ridiculous her nickname was for the socks.

On a more serious note, Applejack explained, “These keep ya’ from gettin’ too dirty, and they make double sure that no germs get into the mix.” Luna looked down after she had fidgeted with getting the strange, mid-leg high material on all four of her hooves, and blushed at thinking she probably looked ridiculous in them, but if it stopped her ponies from getting sick, it was what she wanted; she noticed that the clothing did in fact look new and sanitary, for Applejack had pulled each out of a sealed crate (most likely purchased in bulk from Rarity).

Regardless though, Princess Luna didn’t quite understand what all the preparation was for, so she asked, “Er… Applejack. We… I mean I, must ask, what is all this preparation for? What task is so great that it requires us to cover half of our very own legs?”

A smile crossing her face, Applejack replied simply, “I’ll show ya’!” Luna watched in amusement as Applejack jumped into a bin full of partially squashed apples and finished the process. “Big Macintosh takes care of getting the apples down to a squashier size with his big hooves, and me and Applebloom usually finish up the job. It ain’t the most modern way to squeeze yer apples for cider, but it is the freshest.”

Luna watched, a bit unsure of what to do. Reading the look on her face, Applejack assured her, “Jump on in sugarcube! Once ya’ get yer hooves in there, all ya’ve gotta do is stomp, like this.” Luna watched as Applejack hopped up and down on the apples underneath her. Princess Luna did admit that it looked pretty fun, the sound of the apples liquefying underneath her heavy hooves, the way it seemed like Applejack made a type of dance out of her jumping, and even the way the liquid was flying up over her body.

“Oh, what the hay, you never know until you try it…I…I believe that is the saying,” Princess Luna shook her vocabulary studies away, and taking a small breath, leaped into the air and landed in the bin, giggling softly as the juice from the apples tickled her hooves, even through the socks.

“See, it’s fun ain’t it?” Applejack continued to hop about as she asked for Luna’s opinion.

“Yes, it is quite fun!” Luna replied as she looked down and watched the fruit squash beneath her and the juice fly up on and around her.

Much like they had done the last time, Applejack and Luna made a game of their afterhours work, and much like the last time, Luna headed Applejack greatly. The fruit beneath her was no match for Luna’s almost infinite stamina and powerful legs. Applejack wasn’t far behind her though, her experience at this task was what gave her the edge.

Like the last task, it all had to end at some time. Not able to squash the pool of liquid beneath them down anymore, Applejack jumped first out of her bin and proceeded to show Luna what to do next. Princess Luna hopped out of her bin and followed Applejack’s lead as she first took off her socks, or “hoofies”, and tossed them into a garbage can. Once that was completed, Applejack instructed Luna to “take hold” of one of the bins (Princess Luna used her magic, and Applejack used her head) and follow her to the ice house. Going out of a side door in the barn, Applejack led them to a smaller wooden building that was just next to the barn. Bringing her head up, Applejack pushed the door open and led them into the cold building. “And ya’ just push it anywhere!” Applejack pushed her bin into a corner, and Luna sat hers down beside some others.

Shuddering from the cold, Princess Luna watched the mist come out of her mouth as she asked, “W…why is this place so cold? How do you keep it so cold?”

Applejack laughed as she led them outside into the warmer night and closed the door behind them. “We keep it cold in there to keep the cider preserved, otherwise it might spoil. And we use some…gosh darn it, what was it Twilight called em’ again… ‘refrigeratin’ units, or something like that. It ain’t cheap or traditional, but it gets the job done.”

Princess Luna nodded her head and replied, “I understand.”

Feeling a little awkward, just the two of them standing in the middle of the barnyard in the dark, Applejack scratched the back of her head and said, “Well sugarcube, that’s about all I can teach ya’ll. All the rest has been done already, or don’t need doin’.”

Seeming to only be a little disappointed by this, Princess Luna asked, “But thou…I mean you, said that you would show us… I… I mean me, some type of ‘game’ that you had used to play with your brother,” she reminded Applejack.

Applejack slapped her hat back on and cursed, “Gall darn it, ya’ll right Princess! I almost forgot, come on and follow me back to the barn.” Princess Luna smiled and did as she was told, following Applejack back inside the warm and well-lit barn.

“What is this game you wish to educate us about?” Princess Luna looked around the barn, seeing only farm equipment, bins for apples, carts, and the massive stack of hay. “It does not seem like there is much to have fun with in here.”

Applejack began ascending a ladder which was close to her, and once she was at the upper most loft in the barn, leaned her head over and said, “Beg yer’ pardon yer’ majesty, but I think I can prove you wrong. Come on up here and I’ll show ya’ what I mean.” A confused look on her face still, Luna did as she was told and used her wings to fly up to the rafter and join her friend’s side.

As soon as Luna’s hooves touched the loft flooring though, Applejack picked her hat up and placed it back on her head, and with a smile on her face and her eyes closed, said “Howdy!” and then leaned just to the left and said, “Goodbye!” and then she promptly fell off the loft.

“Applejack!” Princess Luna exclaimed as she tried to leap forward and catch her, but was forced to helplessly watched the pony fall towards the barn floor, only to land in a pile of hay. Sick with fear, Princess Luna flew down from the loft and landed beside the stack of hay where she started sifting through it and calling out, “Applejack! Applejack! Where are you?”

A sigh of relief escaped her breath though, when Applejack popped up out of the hay only to be chewing some of it. “Well, what did you jump down here fer? All the fun starts up there!” she said coolly, obviously unaware of Princess Luna’s worry.

“Thou scared us!” Princess Luna said as she completely ignored her grammatical errors.

Applejack climbed out of the haystack fit as a fiddle and replied, “Yeah, that’s what I told Big Macintosh the first time he showed me how to do it.”

Beginning to calm down a little bit, Princess Luna looked at the haystack and the unharmed Applejack and asked, “What kind of game is this?”

Applejack explained, “It’s called hay divin’. You jump from one of them rafters up there and see which haystack you can land in. Ya’ get the most points for hitting the stack farthest from yer’ jump point.”

“Interesting…” Princess Luna said. “Maybe I should give it a try…” she thought to herself as she looked up at the loft and back at the pile of hay. “Very well Applejack,” she said, “I think I’ll try my hoof at your little game.”

Applejack nodded and said, “Princess’ first,” as she indicated the ladder. Getting the gesture, Princess Luna thanked her and flew up to the rafters. For a moment, Applejack saw beneath Luna’s tail, but knowing that it was for the better, brushed it quickly from her mind. She then climbed up to the waiting Luna and asked, “Well, which one of us jumps goes first?”

Princess Luna peered over the edge of the loft and saw that it was very high up. She was used to being higher up than this, but if something did go wrong and she needed to open up her wings and catch herself, she’d smack muzzle first into one of the barn’s confined walls or rafters.

“We… would be most appreciative if thou went…” It was all too obvious now to Applejack that Princess Luna was nervous.

So she cut Princess Luna short and offered, “I understand Princess. Well, as they say in Appleoosa, ‘Adios!’” and with that, Applejack jumped over the barn loft flipped around to where she landed in a haystack that was one over from the other she had landed in. As she fell and landed, Princess Luna paid close attention to it all. She observed the area of the hay and determined that one would have to literally be a Pegasus who opened her wings and flew way off to miss. She also noted that each stack of hay was very deep and had no spaces in between them, so regardless of however she fell, she would land in a stack of hay one way or the other.

“Oh yeah!” Applejack called up to her, “don’t forget to snag ya’ a bite when ya’ get down here.” Princess Luna couldn’t help but giggle at how unladylike and “country-to-the-core” Applejack was, she liked it. She watched Applejack climb out of the stack and begin ascending the latter.

Looking over the edge of the loft once more, Princess Luna took a deep breath and placed all her trust in faith that her calculations had been correct. As soon as Applejack got to the top of the loft and was standing on all four hooves, Princess Luna gulped and then jumped over the edge of the loft, screaming rather loudly as she fell to the ground. Applejack now looked over the edge and watched as Luna’s screaming was silenced as she buried herself into a haystack, the same which she herself had landed in on her very first jump.

Jumping out of the haystack, Princess Luna was a little shaky from her nervousness, but smiled up at Applejack to indicate that she had liked it. Reminding her of the splashes created from the pool at the palace she often jumped in, Princess Luna giggled softly as Applejack took her turn and hopped off the loft, landing in the same pile of hay, and sending some thistles of the dried up grass flying into her mane.

Up for seconds, Princess Luna flew back up to the loft and readied herself for another jump, this time deciding that she wanted to try and hit one stack over. Once Applejack had cleared away, Princess Luna jumped and landed successfully, earning applause from Applejack who had already gotten back to the top of the loft.

After a while, Princess Luna no longer had doubts about jumping into the hay below. It was quite fun actually, though the grass stuck in her mane and tail and it made her quite itchy, Princess Luna did like the sensation that it gave her as she fell and landed successfully. For around thirty minutes, the two of them took turns diving and climbing, diving and climbing. Eventually though, it was Applejack who had decided that she was ready to stop the fun, though she offered to sit to the side and watch Luna.

All too aware of the country pony’s demanding farm duties, Princess Luna said that it was quite fun and she enjoyed it, but that Applejack’s well-being was more important to her. “Well shucks,” Applejack said after a yawn, “that’s might thoughtful of ya’.”

Nodding her head, Princess Luna let Applejack lead the way, and so as to let her friend conserve her strength, closed the barn doors using her magic. Princess Luna then walked her worn out friend to the house on the hill and bid her goodbyes, “It was truly a gift to have done all of this with you Applejack.”

“Shucks, it ain’t nothin’,” Applejack insisted, though Luna could see the tired look in her eyes. “I’m just glad ya’ll had a good time. I’m also mighty grateful that ya’ helped me with the apple buckin’ and cider squeezin’, means I won’t have to do as much come next harvest.”

Princess Luna nodded her head, and then just like it was an everyday thing, reared up and delivered Applejack a hug. “Thank you again, my friend. Farewell,” she whispered. As quickly and as unexpectedly as she had come, Princess Luna trotted off a little ways, opened up her graceful wings and then took off into the sky, heading out to resume her duties as goddess of the night.

Still standing in surprise, Applejack watched her fly off, and then noted to herself, “My goodness, she smells wonderful.”

Chapter 4

“She is a very sweet mare…” Princess Luna even hesitated in her own thoughts, “and a very beautiful one at that.” She thought this to herself as she headed back towards the bustling city of Canterlot so that she could sneak back into the place and wash herself off before anypony discovered the dust and sweat on her body, the hay in her mane and tail, and her rugged smell.

Successfully slipping past the watchful eyes of all the guards below, Princess Luna landed on the terrace from which she had taken off, and slipped quietly back into the hallway. Sneaking past her sister’s room, Princess Lana continued to quietly sneak down the stairs and find her way to the bath house, which for reasons she couldn’t really explain, was not really a “house”, just a very large room.

Shrugging the strange naming off (much like she did the new, alien words that she saw all around her now), Princess Luna pushed the door open and walked inside the steamy, warm room with its graceful, decorative waterfall which had not changed any since she had last seen it all those many years ago. Walking around the pool on the intricate marble floor, Princess Luna circled around it all and found the place where the water was deepest, closest to the waterfall. Wanting to outstretch her wings and simply jump in so that she could wash more off in less time, Princess Luna knew she shouldn’t try it, lest her sister hear. It wasn’t unusual, sure, for the goddess of the moon to take her baths at night, but Luna knew her sister too well. A simple “Oh, I’m just taking a little bath” explanation wouldn’t fool her at all, any pieces of filth that might remain on her could be seen.

That in mind, Princess Luna walked down the first couple of steps into the nice, warm, and welcoming water, and then quietly swam the rest of the way out to the center of the pool. Dunking her head beneath the water, Princess Luna let her mane soak and watched as the debris from it floated easily toward the filter (ingeniously created to send all of the debris down a pipe and filter out the rest of the water so that it would come back clean from the waterfall, a rather astounding technical feat Luna thought).

Coming up for a breath of air, Princess Luna continued to swim around and let the warm water cover her body. Eventually though, she felt through her mane and some choice spots on her body to come to the conclusion that she had cleaned herself and had thoroughly washed away any evidence of her late night farm work and play.

But she still felt unclean, not “fresh” as she had heard all the other mares call it. That problem, she knew, lay between her hind legs. Flipping onto her back, the Princess backed up against the wall which faced the door and perched herself up on its fine marble seat. Looking down into the clear water, Princess Luna took notice of her vagina and saw that indeed was perhaps the sweatiest part of her body.

A frown on her face, Princess Luna rubbed it with her hoof gently as she tried to get some of the debris off from it, but to no avail. Princess Luna looked up and searched through the steam to find a sponge which had always been kicked around a never put up. She found it eventually by the towel rack and pulled it closer to her. As she usually did, Princess Luna located the bottle of always fresh and extravagant smelling suds, and poured a quarter of it into the pool. The waterfall mixed it up quickly and filled the whole room with sweet smelling bubbles. She dipped the sponge into the water once, twice, and then three times, making sure to get a good bit of soap onto the sponge.

Using her magic, Princess Luna brought the sponge to her hoof. Letting a little, bored sigh out, Princess Luna plunged the sponge beneath the water and targeted her “dirty” organ. It felt good, arousing to her, she could not deny, as she rubbed all over herself with the soapy sponge. It had been so long since she had approached a stallion and had been aroused in any way. She had never actually had intercourse, but she had read about it, and it seemed like somewhere, buried deep within her mind with the memories of the old world, that she would come into this very room and touch herself every now and then. It all seemed ludicrous though, so she pushed the thought aside and decided that it was not a real memory, just something that she thought had happened as a result of her cycle.

Smiling just a little bit, Princess Luna accidently hit her clitoris and caused herself to wink, sending a pleasurable little tickle up her spine. Satisfied that she had sponged herself off enough, Princess Luna brought the sponge up again, and grasping it with her magic, dunked it into the water once more.

Satisfied with her previous job, Princess Luna moved up to her breasts. She couldn’t really explain this strange feeling, a feeling which she had forgotten in all that time of banishment, but she so liked the feeling of the soapy sponge gliding over and tickling her breasts.

If there was one thing that Luna knew though, it was that she was in estrus. The two sisters had the mind-set to keep their sexual desires under control. Because, as they saw it, the needs of the ponies were always greater than theirs, a rule which Princess Luna had so foolishly forgotten so long ago; she frowned.

It wasn’t like she hadn’t washed down there of course, it was just that she had never been aroused by it. “Should we be aroused?” she thought as she looked down and started to swap the sponge between her breasts and her vagina. These feelings conflicted her. She felt guilty, dirty for doing this to her body, but at the same time, she felt it was ok of her because she had not felt aroused in so long.

Then, Princess Luna touched herself with her un-shoed hoof, she couldn’t resist it. “It... it has been a long time,” Princess Luna reminded nopony but herself as she looked below the water and watched her hoof rub. “Mmh…” Princess Luna let out a quiet squeak as she massaged her clitoris slowly, circling around it.

She continued to watch herself masturbate, but shifted her eyes up to see some of her juices flowing down the pool and towards the drainage filter. She felt so dirty! She was a princess for crying out loud, she shouldn’t be doing this! But the princess just couldn’t stop, she needed to pleasure herself.

“Ah…Ah…” Princess Luna quietly squeaked as she had a small orgasm, some juices flowing out into the pool. Wanting a little more out of herself though, Princess Luna stopped rubbing her clitoris and used her hoof to go up and down her entire vagina, pleasuring herself very much. “I…I wonder what sister would say if she walked in?” Princess Luna smiled weakly, her blush deep red as she glanced at the door.

To excite herself just a little more, Princess Luna stopped rubbing her pussy and moved up to her breasts. She touched them only a few times and then went back to her vagina.

The princess sped up her massaging, and soon, she could sense that she was close, close to getting the stress and tension out of her body. She stopped rubbing up and down herself entirely, and moved up to her clitoris which she hoofed quickly. Only after a few seconds more, Princess Luna had an orgasm which sent the most wonderful feeling throughout her body and through her nerves. She continued to rub herself, and placed her free hoof over her mouth to muffle the micro-screams she was letting out. Starting to slow her massaging down, Princess Luna looked down and watched her juices string out of her vagina slowly, and like the last juices had, flow down towards the drainage filter, leaving no evidence of her little activity.

But then, Princess Luna felt choked up with tears. She felt so guilty! It was true, she had studied books on pony anatomy and breeding habits, sure, she even clearly recalled reading the section which detailed masturbation as tending to be a natural process, but it still seemed unlike her to be doing this. Princess Luna was then angry, irritated. She had not had these sexually driven impulses until after she had returned from her banishment. Her sister could control her sexual impulses perfectly! She didn’t need to pleasure herself to get this feeling to go away! A few seconds later though, Princess Luna was sad. A frown on her face, she ran her hoof through the water, making little splashes as she thought about how she had nopony. Granted, her sister didn’t either, but Princess Celestia had never really taken an interest in wanting a relationship. Each and every stallion Luna had come across in this time had shown remotely no interest in her, or had feared her, seeing her as a strange, alien relic, something which did not belong.

Some tears running from her eyes, Princess Luna dried them quickly and scooped up some of the warm water in her hooves, splashing it onto her face. Deciding that she was clean enough, Princess Luna climbed out of the pool and walked slowly over to the small towel closet. Using her magic, she pulled one out and began drying herself off. She used her magic to multitask, and rolled her mystical mane and tail dry while she wrapped the towel all around her body and got the water out of her coat. Blushing, and demanding her mind to stay clean as she did so, Princess Luna used her magic to bring the towel underneath her and rub her breasts and vagina dry.

Successfully preventing herself from becoming aroused and caught up in the moment once more, Princess Luna tossed the towel into the nearby bin and walked slowly towards the door. Not really caring if anypony heard, Princess Luna trudged back to the hallway, her great, shoed hooves making a loud tap as they hit the floor. She walked right past her sister’s room and back out onto the terrace from which she had taken off from earlier.

The wind continued to dry her off even more as she walked across the terrace and went back to the very same wall from which she had leaned over. Doing as she had previously done, Princess Luna propped herself up onto the stone wall and looked down at the bustling city below. Hearing its soft buzz, Princess Luna looked straight forward and saw a yacht flying in the distance, most likely for some type of party over the sea to the north. Getting bored of the fancy flying contraption quickly, Princess Luna returned to looking down.

“What is there to do?” Princess Luna thought to herself, acknowledging that her “shift” was nowhere near close to over, and being bored out of her mind. Normally, she would take a flight out somewhere, but tonight she just didn’t feel like it. She looked back towards her flank and watched with a bored look in her eye as she outstretched her left wing and bent and flexed it.

She put her wing back against her body and returned to looking down at Canterlot. At this point in time, it really seemed like Princess Luna would simply have to “tough” this night out. “I believe that is what ponies say…” Princess Luna shook off the vocabulary usage and prepared to go back inside and perhaps go down to the library. Feeling rather relieved that it did, Princess Luna’s stomach grumbled, and she decided that it would be OK to treat herself out and go get something to eat. Backing away from the wall, Princess Luna outstretched her wings and jumped from the terrace to fly to the streets below, going to Canterlot in search of something to do to end this night faster.

Chapter 5

A few days later, the sunlight paired with the rooster’s cackle pried Applejack’s sleepy eyes open. Of all the days she didn’t feel like working, today was one of them. Sighing deeply, she rolled out of her bed and walked across the room to grab her hat off of the shelf. Yawning, she placed it on her head and walked out of her room, down the stairs, and straight outside. “First things first,” she thought as she looked over towards the animal pens and the hungry creatures inside of them.

One by one, she went through to the pens and dropped food in for the barnyard critters. As she was tossing some corn mix into the chicken’s pen, a rooster let out a loud cock-a-doodle-doo. In response to his annoying squawk, Applejack muttered, “Ah, shut up,” and tossed some of the mixture directly at him, moving on after she did so.

Once that was finished, Applejack proceeded to finish up with the rest of her morning farmyard duties. She met up with her brother, and after some stretching to prepare for the work ahead of them, proceeded to gather up the bins from the freezing room and place them in the kitchen so that Granny Smith could pack the cider inside of them to jars so that they could be sold individually. Once that was done successfully, she went off with Big Macintosh towards the East Orchard to buck some apples.

“Impressive kick, Sis,” Big Macintosh said rarely more than one word as he watched her run forward and copy the move which she had learned from Princess Luna.

“Thank ya’,” Applejack said playfully smug as the two of them continued to run from tree to tree and kick the fruit down to the bins. As all their other tasks had, this one ended. To Applejack, it seemed like today was going to be like any other normal day at Sweet Apple Acres though, other than her slow start of course. But then, Applejack felt a warm sensation from behind her which forced her to blush and keep her tail buttoned down.

Looking left and right nervously, Applejack couldn’t shake the thought that she needed something inside of her right now. She was ready! “N…Nopony’s around,” she thought to herself as she looked again to the left and right. “M…maybe if I can just do something really quick…” the thought seemed absurd! She just couldn’t run out into the middle of an abandoned orchard and start masturbating! Against her normally better judgment though, Applejack took off into the closest orchard to do just that. She quickly trotted into the deepest outskirts of the orchard and practically just plopped down on a soft patch of grass that was covered by two intertwined apple trees.

The sensation was killing her! She just had to get rid of it! So, without a second more of thinking, Applejack opened her legs and began rubbing herself. Her mind raced with mental images of a stallion breeding her, and her heart throbbed with excitement. “Ah…” she let out a muffled yelp as she hit her sweet spot. She couldn’t be too loud, otherwise the others would think she was hurt and coming racing to her rescue only to find that she was far from danger.

Applejack circled around her clitoris and pushed the top-most part of her hoof inside of herself, giving her all the more pleasure. As she got closer and closer to orgasm, Applejack could feel the relief begin to wash over her. Making sure that she was safe, Applejack peered around the two trees which she laid behind, and then turned her head around to look behind her, even deeper into the orchard. Satisfied that she was safe, Applejack let her mind return back to the pleasurable task at hoof.

Then, in a matter of only a few more seconds, Applejack had an orgasm which sent waves of relief surging through her body. This was what she needed. The juices ran out of her like a miniature waterfall, and Applejack looked down to see some of it trickle down on the inside of her tail and form some droplets on the grass below her.

Feeling as satisfied as ever, Applejack stood up, flared her tail a couple of times and went back towards the farm at a leisurely pace. Once she returned back to the farm and walked back to the farmhouse, she found Granny Smith and asked if it would be alright if she took a small nap, worn out from the day’s work (actually tired out by some task other than work, secret self-pleasure deep in the orchard). “Ah, get yer’ lazy flank upstairs if it suits ya’,” Granny Smith commented, acknowledging not much was to be done today.

“Thank ya’ Granny,” Applejack said as she walked up the stairs at a slower pace. She walked into her room and closed the door behind her. As she usually did when she came into her room for a nap, Applejack placed her hat on the shelf closest to the door and walked forward to plop down on her bed. “How do those fillies do it?” Applejack sighed to herself as she regarded her friends’ ability to control themselves when it came to sex. Poor Fluttershy would cry if the thought of sex or masturbation even found its way into her mind, Twilight was a shut-in and didn’t want much to do with dating (though she had made a comment that Big Macintosh was pretty cute), Pinkie Pie was way too energetic and if she didn’t scare stallions away normally just pushed the whole thing aside, Rarity was too caught up in her work to think of such vulgar things as breeding (she felt a foal was too expensive anyway), and Rainbow Dash had never really taken an interest in dating, preferring to focus on her bodily strength, wellbeing, and future goals to care.

She hadn’t worried about it in the past, and she didn’t need to worry about it now, it didn’t concern her all that much. Yawning, Applejack settled her head down on her pillow and fell asleep, tired out by her stressful work morning and her naughty excursion into the orchard.

Chapter 6

A nightmare startled Applejack awake, making her shoot straight up in her bed. She looked all around and saw that the room was bathed in darkness and her room was lit by the pale glow of the moon seeping through the window. She rubbed her face over with her hoof and cursed at the fact that she had slacked off on anything else that needed doing, and that she was now wide awake in the middle of the night. She sighed and decided that it would be pointless to try and go back to sleep, so she got up and placed her hat on her head, heading out to the barnyard to see if she could do anything to help kickoff tomorrow’s tasks on the farm.

Tonight was cool, it wasn’t too hot, nor was it too cold, just the way Applejack liked it. It was a full moon tonight, and Applejack could only look up at the beautiful round moon in the sky as she walked towards the barn. She pushed the door open and looked around, and as expected, saw nothing she could do. The cider had been pressed, the hay had been distributed, and all the equipment had been cleaned and placed back where it needed to be. She sighed, and finding little else more to even consider, walked back out to the barnyard. Based on what she could gather, there should be some apples left to buck deeper into the east orchard. Knowing that she should at least try to correct her slacking off, Applejack grabbed a bin and threw a lantern into it; it would be dark in the deep recesses of the orchard, even with a moon as bright as this, she knew.

She pushed the bin to a cart, for it would be easier to roll the bin, lantern, and what apples she gathered with her entire strength and vision than trying to push without either. Before hitching herself up, Applejack proceeded to light the lantern and adjusted it to a decent level of brightness, so that it would both keep her warm on the cool night and pierce the darkness deep in the orchard. All ready to go, Applejack made sure that she had everything and then set off into the deep, dark orchard.

As she walked through it, the soft glow of the lantern’s flame lighting her path, Applejack couldn’t help but think she didn’t need it in the first place. Well, she did, but it was just that she had known these orchards all her life. She bet herself that she could walk through all four orchards of the farm, west, east, south, and north, while blindfolded. She knew she could do it, actually. Applejack took her last look at the moon up above and proceeded into the part of the orchard which was shielded by its light.

Confirming her thoughts, Applejack in fact didn’t need the lantern to navigate the multitude of trees in front of, behind, and all around her; she did however need it to scan the limbs up above for apples. Jumping as the wheel of the cart landed with a rather loud thud on the ground after bumping over a rock, Applejack went on deeper into the orchard. “Alrighty here…” she mumbled to herself as she looked up at the limbs above her, seeing only empty trees at first, she continued on down the path and found eventually found a tree which was nearly full of apples.

She first unhitched the cart from her midsection and gathered the lantern in her mouth, and placed it in the back of the cart. She pulled the bin out, and by the light of the lantern, placed it underneath the tree. Making sure that everything was set so that she could work, Applejack backed up a little bit and ran forward, kicking as hard as the confined space would allow her, and dropping some apples into the bin. She kept up this process until she eventually just got bored of the not-too-demanding work, and frustrated with the limited light. Breathing a sigh, Applejack grabbed the lantern only and headed back towards the farm (the cart and bin would be collected during the next round of bucking in this orchard).

Walking back through the dark orchard though, Applejack heard a snap and then a rustle which made her stop dead in her tracks. She looked left and then right, and then deciding that it was just her mind playing tricks, Applejack continued on. She heard it once again and stopped, whipping around to see what was making the noise. Upon seeing nothing again, Applejack turned and proceeded at a quick canter, uneasy for the first time in a long time of the orchard. She heard the sound and the rustle once more, and then she took off in a trot, zipping in and out of the trees, the lantern swinging left and right in her mouth.

Then, in all her speed, Applejack plowed right into something heavy and soft, dropping the lantern. She fell head over hooves at the base of a tree, the other creature not far from her. Scrambling for it, Applejack grabbed the lantern in her mouth and backed up against a tree, actually shaking, something which was just unheard of for the brave applejack. To her surprise though, Applejack saw what, or who, she had hit and saw that instead of being fearful or angry, she should be apologetic. In front of her, Applejack saw none other than Princess Luna sit up and rub her head in a disoriented way, but upon seeing that she had been jumped on by something, jumped up and hovered on her wings, ready for combat. But then she saw the surprised Applejack backed against the base of the tree, and landed, running towards her.

Already frantic, Princess Luna asked, “Are you after the fire too?” The princess looked left and right, and then sniffed, for smoke apparently.

“I…I’m sorry about…” Applejack tried to apologize, but she was cut short as Princess Luna pulled her up quickly.

A serious look still on her face, Princess Luna looked left and right again, and answered, “It is fine Applejack. Where is the fire?”

Applejack scratched her head and asked, “Err…Fire? Where?” Applejack was confused.

“When we… or I… or ahh…” Princess Luna grunted in frustration of being frustrated and continued, “was flying over, we saw a fire in your orchard!”

“What?” Applejack seemed concerned now, as she looked around, but after seeing nothing only cocked her head.

“Please, wait here!” Princess Luna said, already jumping up into the air in search of the ‘fire’ she had seen in the orchard. Applejack watched through the trees as she saw Princess Luna fly higher and shift her sight towards the part of the orchard which Applejack had just come from.

It was then that Applejack realized it! Princess Luna hadn’t seen a fire, she had simply seen the light of the lantern from above, the way it shown through the canopy of the trees making it seem like they were on fire. “Princess Luna! Princess!” Applejack called up, making the princess look down at her. “Come on down here!” Applejack shouted up to the now high hovering princess.

Looking back towards where she had seen the glow of the lantern, Princess Luna eventually flew down and landed softly beside Applejack. Before Luna could ask why Applejack had called her down, Applejack set to explaining, “Sugar…Princess, ya’ll didn’t see a fire, you saw the glow from this here lantern.” Princess Luna blushed and looked away as she too noticed her blunder. In Princess Luna’s secret defense, Applejack had seen the light of lanterns within the orchards from the surrounding hills, and they did in fact, alarmingly look like fires.

“We…I…I’m sorry for bothering you,” Princess Luna was still blushing as opened up her wings and prepared to take off rather speedily.

Before she got to the point that was wide enough for her to take off, Applejack stopped her. “Err…Err, wait princess!” she shouted.

Princess Luna turned her head, the embarrassment still showing on her face, and asked, “What is it, my friend?” She sighed.

Applejack began walking towards her and asked, “Did you need somethin’? Flyin’ all the way out here?”

Princess Luna looked down and answered, “Actually…there was one thing…” the hesitation to reveal her secret could be heard in Princess Luna’s voice.

“Well, what is it sugarcube?” Applejack asked, wanting to know what was on Princess Luna’s mind.

“It’s just that… it’s just that…” Luna hesitated, but then suddenly looked down and in a sad tone finished, “we are so lonely now. There is nopony who will be there for us…me, or who will just talk to me of the night. I am alone…” Princess Luna actually looked like she was on the brink of crying.

Normally knowing better, Applejack wrapped her foreleg around Princess Luna’s neck and replied, “Aw, nonsense. I’m a here for ya’, Twilight’s here for ya’, so is Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and heck, even Rainbow Dash. Now dry yer pretty little eyes, and come on with me back to the house.

Princess Luna wiped her eyes with her hoof and with a weak smile on her face, replied, “As you wish.”

As they walked through the orchard though, Applejack couldn’t help but notice that something was different about the princess. She had not spoken a word since their encounter in the orchard, and hung her head as she walked, only taking the occasional glance up with her eyes to ensure that she did not find herself walking towards a tree and was still right behind Applejack. There was no way that Applejack could deny it however, despite all the good things that had happened to her since her return, coming back to all of this was no walk in the pasture for Luna. Ponies, some young, some old, outside of Ponyville or not, still viewed her as different, something before their time, a creature that should not exist. Applejack gritted her teeth as she thought about how angry it made her.

“That’s right. At least we are in good company,” Princess Luna tried (with much difficulty) to think positively. She looked up momentarily to see Applejack still walking with her smooth and easy pace back towards the farm. While she was looking up however, she noticed something more than just Applejack’s pace, she noticed her flank too. A working mare that was always active was bound to have a nice, firm flank, and that, Applejack had. Luna felt so dirty and selfish for noticing her friend’s body this way, but it was just something she couldn’t help. Not jerking her eyes away as she normally would have, Princess Luna merely looked down at the ground and hung her head in shame once more.

They walked silently on for a few minutes, and then eventually found themselves back at the moonlit barnyard. Frowning as she glanced back at Princess Luna, Applejack saw now how truly saddened and, to a very great degree, depressed she was. Smiling weakly as she lead them up onto the front porch, Applejack held the door open for Luna who, head still hanging only mumbled a simple “thank you.”

Princess Luna was royalty, but that didn’t mean she didn’t have manners. Her head still hung, Princess Luna did not take a seat at the table until Applejack invited her to do so. Desperately wanting to cheer her friend up, Applejack fixed Luna a nice, refreshing cup of cider and pushed it across to Princess Luna who only eyed it rather sadly. “So, what’s botherin’ ya sugarcube?” Applejack asked as she sat down across from Luna and crossed her hooves on top of the table.

“This…This is very kind of you, dear Applejack, but we, or I…or whatever…” Princess Luna said slowly, “cannot waste your time with our problems. We are royalty,” Princess Luna flicked a crumb across the tabletop as she finished, “tis’ something we must deal with, I suppose.” The fact that she had gotten at least one use of grammar right made Princess Luna cheer up, but only for a second or two.

“Aw, nonsense, tell me what’s eatin’ ya,” Applejack ushered the princess on gently.

Once Applejack said that, Princess Luna went from being depressed to being confused and depressed. “ ‘Eating me’? I... I’m sorry, but I don't quite understan...”

Princess Luna had to say no more, Applejack already understood. “I mean, what’s on yer’ mind Princess? I mean no disrespect, but ya’ll don’t seem to be in the happiest mood tonight.” Princess Luna looked back down and frowned, acknowledging that Applejack was right. “Now come on, ya’ can tell yer’ old friend Applejack anythin’!” she encouraged the princess a little more.

“You are very kind Applejack,” Princess Luna eventually spoke, “I can tell you that not many ponies would make this effort for us… or… me,” she corrected herself and finished her thanks.

“We…we have been thinking,” Princess Luna’s voice faltered as she struggled to hold her tears back, “we have no use in this world. We can’t do anything right, we know nothing about the advancements here, we can’t even get my grammar right!” She slammed her hoof down on the table, but remorsefully placed her head in her crossed forelegs afterwards, silent. She continued to speak with her muffled voice, this time with correct grammar, “I’m royalty, I shouldn’t be acting like this. I do not think I am fit to rule this land,” she finished, silent now, only for her soft breathing.

Applejack knew just what to say though. “Now, don’t you think that fer’ one second Princess. Them are all lies,” she said.

Princess Luna rose her head up and asked, “What is your proof?”

“Equestria ain’t nothin’ without you. And just cause yer’ royalty don’t mean you can’t be sad or mad, or have emotions. Everypony has em’ Princess, and I think yours is beautiful, not no different than mine, or anypony else’s.” It looked like a weak smile was beginning to form at Luna’s lips.

“And when it comes to ‘grammer’,” Applejack said with a country tint thrown into it, “you n’ I are two ponies in the same barrel. You should see how many times Twilight and Rarity get flustered with me for not usin’ the right words.” Princess Luna let out a little giggle, as the thought was a little funny.

Still though, if there was one thing that Applejack knew, it was when a pony was sad, or angry, she just had a way of being able to notice. Not having to think about it for long, Applejack reached across the table, touched Princess Luna’s foreleg in a comforting way and said, “Follow me.” Princess Luna smiled, willing to follow her friend. That was just it, it had been a very long time since somepony had talked to her as a friend and not as a ruler, did not live in fear of her.

Going out the way they came, Princess Luna followed Applejack all the way down and into the barn. “Just a little more now,” Applejack said as she ascended a ladder by the door. Princess Luna wondered if they were going to do some more hay diving, but pushing her wondering aside, Princess Luna opened up her wings and hovered up to the very top loft where Applejack was sitting, looking out over the whole barnyard.

“Applejack?” Princess Luna asked, “what are we doing up here?”

Applejack said nothing, but patted a spot on the soft hay beside her and asked, “Will ya’ sit down here and look?”

A little confused, Princess Luna walked forward a couple of steps and took a seat right beside Applejack. “What are we looking at?” she asked. Princess Luna saw nothing. She only saw the never-ending orchards, the sleeping animals, and her boring old night sky over all of it.

“Yer’ tellin’ me ya’ don’t see it?” Applejack asked as she was seemingly unable to peel her eyes away from whatever lay before her.

“No, I’m afraid I don’t,” Princess Luna sighed, thinking that her night had probably just impaired her vision now as well.

“Ya’ don’t see that bright, big, beautiful moon over there?” Applejack asked as she glanced over to make sure that Princess Luna really did look up. A confused look on her face, Luna only nodded her head. “It completes this here farm,” Applejack explained, “to me, the little ol’ country home wouldn’t be near as calm without that,” she pointed to the moon.

Princess Luna was smiling now, “Do you really mean that, Applejack?” she asked as she too observed how the moon really did seem to amplify the beauty of the calm, country surrounding.

“Course I do,” Applejack said. After a few moments of silence broken only by the chirp of the crickets, Applejack felt like she needed to make a confession of sorts. “Princess Luna, can I trust ya’ll with a secret?”

Princess Luna looked over at her, and with a nod of her head, replied, “Anything, my friend.”

Smiling at her, Applejack let her thoughts pour out. “I…I have to say that this here spot is my favorite in all of Ponyville.”

“Why is that?” Princess Luna asked as she looked up at the sky.

“Cause’ I can see the moon and the stars so good from up here. It don’t get any better than this,” Applejack said, “I’ve known this spot ever since I was a little filly…it’s all I’ve ever known as far as beauty,” Applejack looked down to see the top of the open barn door beneath her.

Princess Luna was smiling at her and now had a new sense of admiration for this pony. Princess Luna couldn’t help but think deep within her mind that she did not merely like Applejack as a friend, she loved her as a friend, and as something more than just a friend, a family member it seemed.

A little laugh escaped Applejack’s mouth as she couldn’t believe what she was telling the Princess, but she let out a deep secret, “I…I wanna have my very first kiss up here.” Princess Luna was familiar enough with her to know that talking about kissing and romance wasn’t exactly Applejack’s type of thing, but knowing that she confided this secret in her fueled the Princesses’ level of admiration for her even more.

Applejack had a partial blush on her face as she looked down and laughed quietly again. It was then that Princess Luna’s temperament shifted once more. Applejack had cheered her up, Princess Luna wanted nothing more than to lurch over to her and give her a tight hug, but she just couldn’t. The thought that Applejack could actually think of romance and having a family, a luxury which Princess Luna did not have, was what saddened her. Luna did not cry or show her sadness, but quietly poked Applejack and asked, “D…Do you think I am beautiful?”

Chapter 7

Applejack was taken by surprise, but at the same time, she was struck with pity. What in the name of Equestria would make Princess Luna have to even ask that question, to think that she wasn’t beautiful? “I…er…” Applejack hesitated. Should she answer? Was this a test, or was it nothing more than an innocent mare to mare question? Applejack exhaled and decided she should just answer truthfully, she knew perfectly well that lying would get you nowhere. “Sugarcube, Princess, yer’ just as beautiful as that night sky up there,” she smiled at Princess Luna to show her sincerity.

Princess Luna smiled back and replied, “Thank you… I… I haven’t been told I’m beautiful in quite some time. I have to say that you too are very attractive,” she too smiled to show her sincerity.

“Thank ye’ Princess,” Applejack said, looking away once more to observe the night sky. “Truth be told,” Applejack seemed to be getting closer to starting a conversation with Luna, “I don’t really think I’m that pretty. I mean, I ain’t never even dated before.”

“I suppose that makes two of us that haven’t then,” Princess Luna said. There were many things in this world that surprised Applejack, technology, knowledge, friendship, but the fact that Princess Luna of all mares had never even had a quick run with a stallion was just unbelievable. Perhaps Princess Luna had romanced before, long before her banishment maybe, and she had just forgotten it? Applejack thought it best to just trust her word and not bring it up at all.

“So…Why do you think stallions don’t look at us types a lot?” Applejack asked.

“‘Types’?” Princess Luna inquired, unsure of what Applejack was getting at.

“Yeah, you know, like I’m a country filly and yer royalty…” Applejack answered her question.

“I think I see what you are saying,” Princess Luna said, “the reason they do not consider us as mates?” Applejack nodded her head. “To tell you the truth, Applejack, I think it is because I was… well… I was a horrible pony. I think that I deserved to be feared sometimes.” Princess Luna no longer frowned when she mentioned this, it seemed that she was used to all of it now.

“Aw, shucks,” Applejack replied, “What about all that stuff on Nightmare Night? The ponies here seemed to love ya… after a while. And I did hear some stallions say that yer’ mane was pretty,” she pointed out.

A hopeful look in her eyes, Princess Luna looked up and asked, “Really?” in shock that a stallion had called her mane “pretty”.

“Yup!” Applejack replied with a smile.

“So… out of being curious, what was this stallion’s name?” Princess Luna asked, trying to be casual, but Applejack could just see right through her.

Struggling to hold a giggle back, Applejack replied, “I didn’t catch his name sugarcube, sorry.”

Princess Luna shrugged it off and thought that her chances with him would have been small anyway. After some minutes of silence, Princess Luna blushed and asked, “H…have you ever kissed before?”

Applejack replied too a bit quietly, “I… I thought I just told ya’ I wanted to have my first kiss up here,” she pointed out.

“No,” Princess Luna asked, “I mean, have you ever had somepony kiss you at all before?”

“Well, when I was a little filly Granny Smith and Big Macintosh used to kiss me goodbye before I went off to school,” Applejack answered.

“We’re just a little curious,” her slip of grammar indicated her nervousness, “h…how does it feel to be kissed?” Princess Luna was blushing now, looking in Applejack’s direction, but looking at the ground instead of her.

“They always kissed me on my cheek, but it feels kind of ticklish. Sometimes ya’ might even laugh if they kiss ya’ in the right spot,” Applejack pointed out with a little giggle.

“That sounds fun… unfortunately though, I have not had the luxury of being kissed… anywhere,” Princess Luna pointed out, a frown on her face.

All this talking to her, getting to know her better than anyone else, it made Applejack have a powerful sense of admiration for Luna. There was an instant or so where Applejack thought that she was more affectionate of Luna than of her other five, closest friends. Was that true, and furthermore, why? Was it simply because Luna had a small amount of friends, none so it seemed? She didn’t know, she didn’t care, just as long as she could make her best friend happy.

“So… ya’ve never been kissed before?” Applejack asked, inching a little closer to Luna.

“Er…no… we… I haven’t,” Princess Luna was beginning to get nervous, though she herself didn’t even know why.

A blush on her face, the normally daring Applejack said, “M…maybe I can show ya’… from… from what I’ve read in books and seen and whatnot.” In an instant though, Applejack felt like slapping herself as hard as she possibly could across the face. What she had just suggested to the princess practically spelled banishment for her. “Goodbye Sweet Apple Acres!” Applejack thought hopelessly.

To her surprise though, Princess Luna asked, “C…could you really?” It was all but obvious that the princess was nervous and uneasy, but at the same time, it was true that she had no idea of how to kiss or be kissed. It was a rather sad fact when one thought about it.

“Heh, heh…” Applejack laughed a little nervously, “I… I… you don’t really have to do this with me. I mean, I’m sure you’ll find a nice stallion one day.”

Princess Luna was persistent though, Applejack had offered, and she wanted. “But what if we embarrass ourselves? Please, show us Applejack! We’ll keep it a secret!”

“I… I don’t know if…” Applejack mumbled, looked away, and scratched her left foreleg in nervousness. It was silent for a time as Princess Luna sat there looking down in nervousness (embarrassment too probably), and Applejack looked out at the farmland from the loft window. She saw the apple orchards, the farmhouse, the animal housings, everything beneath them, and then she looked up and saw the moon. She saw how it completed everything on the farm, how empty it would look without it; Applejack had to secretly admit to herself that she hadn’t noticed the moon to be this beautiful when Celestia was responsible for the raising and lowering of it. She thought to herself that all this beauty had to be strenuous on the poor, lonesome mare sitting in front of her. After all, Princess Luna needed love too.

“Alright,” Applejack said a bit quietly.

“Alright?” Princess Luna asked, a little unsure of whether or not she was hearing correctly.

“I’ll do it sugarcube… for you,” Applejack said and looked down at the ground, it was a little too embarrassing in this moment to look Luna in the eyes. “Now just come on over here a little closer,” Applejack said softly as she gently pulled an unresisting Luna forward a couple of inches and then too moved closer to her. “You just uh… you just uh…” Applejack couldn’t quite think of what to say, she was just so embarrassed; she didn’t quite know how to explain and show her vision of a kiss without making a complete fool of herself.

As it seemed to Applejack, there was only one thing that she could do. She could only kiss the princess and hope for the best, as she too had no idea how an actual impulse driven kiss was delivered. “Ya’ place yer hoof here,” Applejack took Luna’s hoof and steered it onto her midsection. Once satisfied that it was in the proper place, Applejack took her hoof and placed it on Luna’s cheek which turned red the second she did so.

“Then ya’ just...” slowly craning her head forward, her eyes shut tight, Applejack was ready to touch her lips to Luna’s. As soon as her lips touched the princess’ though, Applejack had a sudden realization, one that shocked her beyond belief. Luna hadn’t been kidding! She had actually intended to kiss Applejack! Something was keeping her from pulling back though. Was it the fact that this was a moment, a lesson, which was shared between only the closest of friends? Was it Luna’s virgin-like simplicity of using her mouth? Or was it the fact that Luna seemed to actually be kissing her back? Applejack didn’t know, and she didn’t care, just as long as this moment lasted just a little longer.

As all good things must though, Princess Luna eventually pulled her head away and asked timidly, “H…how did we do?”

Applejack was dumbfounded. She knew that kissing was pleasurable, but she had never imagined that it would feel like that! “I… er… ya’ did excellent,” Applejack replied, blinking her eyes a couple of times to reassure herself that she was in fact in reality. “You… uh… yer’ a pretty good kisser,” Applejack complimented as she blushed and scratched the back of her mane a little nervously, unsure of what else to say or do in such an awkward moment.

Princess Luna giggled softly, “Thank you,” she simply replied. She then mumbled something inaudible, forcing Applejack to ask her to speak up. “M…maybe we could try once more? J…just to make sure that we really have the idea of it all,” she cleared her throat and finished. Being the Element of Honesty, if there was one thing Applejack knew, it was when a pony was lying, and this beautiful, dark-blue princess was in fact not being truthful; Applejack knew she had other reasons for wanting to go a second round. Applejack knew, that much like herself, Luna had liked it and she wanted more.

Chapter 8

It was quiet for a time in the loft as each mare sat there and thought about what Luna had just offered. If there was one thing that was apparent, it was that each wanted one more kiss. The only thing was, Applejack and Luna didn’t quite know how to come out and say it to the other, being too fearful and nervous to do so. “What would she think of us?” Luna thought as she glanced from the moon to Applejack.

“Oh, Celestia! She’d banish me to no end if I told her I wanted to kiss again!” Applejack thought as she glanced over at Luna, caught her eye, and quickly looked down at the floor.

Fortunately for Applejack though, she did not have to do much thinking or worrying about getting banished, for it was none other than Princess Luna who came out of her rather shy shell and made the first move. She moved so close to Applejack that Luna’s lovely smelling coat was nearly touching hers. “Just one more,” Princess Luna whispered, and as Applejack looked at her, locked their lips together.

All but taken by surprise by the unexpected kiss, Applejack toppled onto her back, Luna landing on top of her, sitting atop her chest. The way Luna’s lips ran over Applejack’s and the way her tongue hovered so closely from the opening of her mouth was enough to make Applejack’s resistance weaker and weaker by the second. She couldn’t lie to herself, she liked this, it was a very guilty pleasure, but she liked it. But then Applejack took into consideration that Princess Luna had made the first move, not her; perhaps it wouldn’t hurt anything if she enjoyed this while it lasted.

But in another second, her temperament changed once more to embarrassment and fear as she noticed that her hoof was brushing up against something warm and moist, discovered to be Luna’s pussy. Applejack tried to jerk away, tried to apologize, but her lips could not get more than an inch away from Luna’s for when they did, Princess Luna thrust her lips passionately back onto Applejack’s.

Luna may not have had any kissing experience at all (or at least any that she remembered), but she did an excellent job of it regardless. Her lips were not spread too far apart, nor were they closed too tightly, they were just right. Her tongue wasn’t back into her mouth, but nor was it touching Applejack’s, it merely licked across her lips. There was no denying that Applejack was becoming more and more aroused as she kissed Princess Luna, she couldn’t help it, her body couldn’t help it, she had never felt any of these sensations before.

Princess Luna unlocked her lips from the still stunned Applejack and looked her in the eyes only to whisper, “I…I think we… are falling in love with you,” a gentle smile spread across her face. Before Applejack could say a single word, Princess Luna placed her lips back on Applejack’s and continued to kiss her passionately.

In another moment though, the out-of-her-shell princess touched her tongue across Applejack’s and reached back with one of her hooves, landing it right between the country pony’s hind legs. Applejack let out a quiet moan and closed her eyes tightly as she tried and tried to control the pleasure she was getting from all of this. She was a mare destined to be with a stallion, not a mare destined to be with a mare! But something about this moment though seemed to say otherwise, and deep within her mind was a thought that was becoming more and more clear, perhaps Applejack liked the feel of a mare more; perhaps she didn’t want to know what a stallion felt like.

Applejack opened her eyes and looked into Princess Luna’s eyes, now glowing a soft white which indicated intense mental and magical activity; it was a rather frightful sight to her, but at the same time Applejack was calmed by the haunting white hue.

Not able to help herself, Applejack blushed as she ran her own hoof down her stomach and joined it alongside Princess Luna’s on her own pussy. Continuing to kiss each other, they rubbed smoothly on her vagina. Applejack was becoming soaked, her liquids pouring out and making small puddles on the floor of the loft.

Applejack jumped, feared that they had been discovered with her powerless to push the larger Princess Luna off of her, she was relieved when she looked over to see that it was nothing more than Luna’s magic quietly closing the loft doors, though leaving a tiny crack in the doors so that they might have some light to work by. Just thinking about the romantic scene and situation around her aroused Applejack all the more, making her twice as wet.

Soon enough also, Applejack learned that she needed not to fear Luna while she was in this state. She observed that when she reached way back with her hoof and began to take a couple strokes of the Princess’ pussy that Luna smiled easily and kissed her once more. Still though, Applejack did become a little nervous upon seeing that Luna’s eyes had returned to normal, and she no longer seemed to be driven by a magical passion or a long forgotten memory, but rather her bodily yearnings. Her concerns subsided though when Princess Luna broke the kiss between the two, and with a smile and a beautiful blush on her face asked quietly, “Will… will you make us feel like we never have before?” Before Applejack could ask what she meant or even think about what she had just been asked, Luna swiftly turned around in one quick move, placing her nice, firm rump right in Applejack’s face.

Applejack was so unsure of what to do. She didn’t want to hurt the princess doing something she had no experience at, but at the same time, Applejack was a quick learner, so it did not deter her. She rubbed Luna’s vagina with her hoof gently as she craned her head around and tried to get a glimpse of how the princess was using her tongue to pleasure her. Satisfied that she had gathered enough, Applejack took her first lick. After that, she knew she loved it. She loved everything about it, the feel of it on her tongue, the taste of Luna’s sweet bodily fluids, even the smell of it, smelling sweet and fresh as the rest of Luna’s body always did. Luna let out a little moan as Applejack licked more and more, she didn’t think that she could get this much pleasure ever, didn’t think that anypony would want to give her that pleasure.

After only a few minutes, it had seemed that Applejack was becoming a regular pro, having strayed away from her problem with the whole situation by now, her nervousness and timidity vanished. She quickly learned that she was getting more pleasure from Luna than she was giving, simply because the daring princess had no fear. Having a strong mind and a strong will though, Applejack removed all of that fear from herself and concentrated on being ladylike (as Rarity put it) and returning the favor, giving this mare all that she wanted.

She pulled Princess Luna apart with her hooves and ran her tongue up and down and all around Luna’s pink insides. Getting bored with that, Applejack licked all the way up and down on her. Seeing her chance as the princess winked, exposing her clit, Applejack dove her tongue in and gave it several good licks, forcing a muffled shriek of pleasure to escape Luna’s throat.

It seemed crazy, it was crazy that the two of them were doing these things to each other, but it was just something which couldn’t be resisted. Princess Luna pushed her unsure thinking away and set to pleasuring Applejack, determined to force her to orgasm first. She massaged the country pony’s clit for a couple of seconds, but then pushed her tongue into the equation. After having licked her for only a few minutes, Princess Luna had made Applejack sopping wet, the juices pouring out of her tight opening like a waterfall.

Applejack pushed her tongue inside of Luna as far as she could and then pulled it out completely, rolling it around her clitoris. The whole sensation seemed to make the princess shudder.

Much to her surprise though, Applejack was forced to stop her licking as the princess wheeled around and planted a kiss on her lips; she blushed at the taste of her own liquids on Luna’s tongue. While the two of them were locked in this position, Applejack couldn’t help herself as she ran her hoof down the princess’ body and placed it between her hind legs. Princess Luna didn’t object to this, but rather repaid the favor by reaching her own hoof back and massaging the top of Applejack’s vagina at the same time.

Close to orgasm already as a result of the oral sex each had been giving each other, it wouldn’t take long for one of them to cum. With that as the case, they couldn’t help but turn the whole thing into a friendly and sensual game. The goal of the game was fairly simple: Make the other mare cum first.

It looked like Princess Luna was the one with the upper hoof in this game as she used both her tongue and her hooves (having flipped back around) to make Applejack feel wonderful. For such a strong mare, Applejack was faltering quickly, so quickly in fact, that after only a mere minute or two, she was struggling to keep her integrity. She had an idea that sex could feel good, but never in her wildest dreams could she imagine that it would feel this pleasing!

In the end though, it was a literal tie with the two mares. Princess Luna and Applejack came near simultaneously; emptying their sweet vaginal juices into the other’s awaiting mouth. Applejack thought that the Princess tasted delicious, better than any apple, vegetable, or grain she had ever tasted. Princess Luna, on the other hoof, wasn’t as crazy about the liquid as Applejack was. She was a determined mare though, and swallowed all of the liquid surrounding her mouth so that she could please Applejack just in case she happened to be watching.

She wasn’t quite sure what it was, but once Princess Luna had swallowed, something compelled her to move from her position atop Applejack, and wheel around once more to kiss the mare passionately. Her eyes closed in bliss of the moment, Applejack ran her hoof gently down Luna’s cheek and smiled at her once they had finished.

Strangely though, there was another change of mood in one of the mares. The glow gone from her eyes now, Princess Luna backed away from Applejack, her wet rump hitting the wall of the barn as she stared, frightfully almost, at Applejack. The red blush on her face said it was more embarrassment than fear though. Applejack wanted to ask what was wrong, as she was concerned for Luna as a friend and now a lover, but before she could say a word, Princess Luna’s eyes shot from Applejack to the loft opening and back again. “I…I must go,” she said quickly, quietly. With that, she spread her wings open and literally burst through the loosely open wooden doorway, making them bang loudly against the rest of the barn.

Running forward, Applejack could only watch as Princess Luna flew off into the night sky. For a moment, Applejack could swear that she saw the Princess’ form breeze across the full moon up above.

Chapter 9

A week passed, another week passed, and soon weeks turned into months, up to two, before Applejack saw even a sign of Princess Luna. The Princess’ absence hurt Applejack. Her friends and family noticed that she was considerably quieter than she normally was, but when they tried to approach her, she merely smiled at them and thanked them for their concern, never stating what her problem was. Her work soon began to fail, and when hurried away by Big Mac or another of the farmhands to correct her mistakes, she would stand in the shade of the trees, frowning and merely hoofing at the ground, sometimes drawing a crescent moon in the dust.

Applejack would even sneak out at night and sit in the loft of the barn, keeping an eye out for the Princess. That night, the things they had done, it had bonded Applejack to the princess, though she feared that Princess Luna didn’t share the same feelings as her. Applejack only wanted to talk to the Princess one more time, to hear her voice, she really didn’t seem to care if the Princess had negative feelings toward her.

But one night, all of Applejack’s patience paid off. In the dark of the night, Applejack stood outside the bright red barn, stacking hay cube after hay cube atop each other and inspecting the new paint job on the doors, making sure that she and her brother hadn’t missed a single detail. Applejack heard a swoosh of air behind her and whipped herself around only to see a dark blue alicorn standing in the middle of the abandoned yard, not far from her. “H…howdy Princess Luna,” Applejack didn’t quite know what else to say as she could only look at Luna.

Her head was hung, her wings were tucked in tight, and there was a bright red blush across her face as she looked up at Applejack, and meeting her eyes timidly replied, “Greetings Applejack…”

Applejack could swear that she felt the bravest pony in all of Equestria, the great and powerful Princess Luna herself, jump as she rushed forward and tightly embraced the blushing pony. “I’m so sorry if I hurt you…” Applejack began, choking tears back.

Before she could finish her apology though, Princess Luna placed her hoof on Applejack’s lips and softly replied, “It is I who should be apologizing dear Applejack. We left thee like a coward, and… and we are just so sorry…” Princess Luna hugged into her lover tighter and tried to stop the tears from falling from her eyes.

“It’s alright sugarcube,” Applejack replied as she placed a gentle kiss on Luna’s head and smiled down at her.

Princess Luna backed only an inch or two away, and in the quietest , most innocent and sensual voice she could conjure up said, “We… we figured that because of the pain we must have caused you during our absence, it would only be fit if… if I gave you a gift…” That being said, Luna reared up on her hind legs, wrapped her forelegs around Applejack’s head and kissed the mare passionately. Applejack could only close her eyes and sink in the beautiful abyss that was Luna’s kiss. Wanting to show that she was a strong and dedicated mare, Applejack placed her right foreleg on Luna’s cheek and tried to slide her tongue into Luna’s open and awaiting mouth. She accepted Applejack’s tongue and rolled it around hers, never letting their kiss falter.

But then Applejack sensed a new sensation, a sensation she had been oblivious too because she was so mesmerized by the way royalty kissed her so expertly. The sensation she felt was one of movement, movement backwards! Princess Luna was walking the kissing couple into the open barn behind Applejack.

Still kissing as they entered into the barn, Princess Luna didn’t even open her eyes or break the passionate kiss to close the door behind them with a rather loud crash, almost telling anypony that may be out at this time of night to leave the two lovers alone and let them have their intimate moment.

They backed up a little more and Princess Luna stopped them. She broke their kiss and smiled at Applejack. Though she only kept that kiss broken so that she could push Applejack down on a soft patch of hay and to climb on top of her.

And finally Applejack heard the words she had been wanting to hear from her special somepony (whoever it may have been) for a very long time. “I love you Applejack,” Princess Luna said, perfectly and truthfully.

For one of those rare, difficult times in which she wanted to, or was driven to, Applejack tossed her country accent aside and told Luna as perfectly as she could, “I love you too.” They smiled at each other for a few moments and dove back into their kissing.

Applejack made the first move now, knowing that Luna wouldn’t mind, knowing that the Princess trusted her with every inch of her being. Applejack moved her hoof down Luna’s curvature and eventually down to her rump. As she kissed the Princess even more passionately, she ran her other hoof down Luna’s other side until she had both of her hooves resting atop Luna’s rump.

Leaning up just a little bit, Applejack took sizeable patches of the fine fur and skin on Luna’s firm rump and squeezed, hoping to excite Luna. Her attempts didn’t fail either. Applejack had squeezed her butt so hard that Luna couldn’t help but raise her tail higher and higher with each and every rub and squeeze. But Applejack didn’t stop there. She wanted to mix it up. She took her hooves off of Luna’s butt and raising them in the air landed them hard on the Princess’ royal rump. The smack aroused Luna so much that it prompted a sensual moan from her.

But Princess Luna was modest royalty; it was only common practice that she repay the favor. Letting out quiet and sensual moans and Applejack resumed her rubbing, Princess Luna broke the kiss and backed up just a little bit so that she could pick up one hoof and place it between her legs, right on top of Applejack’s breasts. Before she continued with her plans though, Princess Luna laid herself down flat on Applejack and moved her whole being up and down a few inches so that she could move her own breasts over Luna’s.

Judging by the blush on Applejack’s face, Luna knew that she was doing good already, but she wanted to make sure that Applejack was nice and wet for what was about to come. She reached her hoof back and wet her entire un-shoed hoof with her own and Applejack’s vaginal liquids, applying it with two or three dabs to each of their breasts. Applejack was stunned at the way Luna was making her feel; the way she didn’t even have to touch her. She was so aroused in fact that she had to discretely close her legs in hopes to make sure that she didn’t orgasm, simply from the way her mind and body had been taken over by Luna’s movement.

Princess Luna giggled quietly to herself and pecked Applejack on the head with her lips. Closing her eyes, Luna then stopped all of her movement and kissed Applejack on each side of her neck. From there, she worked down the mare’s chest and belly, and then inched herself down a little so that she could kiss Applejack’s breasts. She didn’t quite know what compelled her to think so, but Luna entertained the fact that she thought those breasts tasted better than any other part of Applejack’s body that she had tasted…apart from the sweet treat between her legs, of course.

But then Applejack did something which she knew would arouse Luna very much. Whilst Applejack had been roaming around the library one day, she encountered a book on pony anatomy, and upon flipping through the unicorn and alicorn section noticed a paragraph which explained the sensitivity of the hardy head horn; Applejack wasn’t the reddest apple on the tree, but she was intelligent enough to figure that it was also sensitive to the more explicit types of contact. Armed with her knowledge of the sensitive appendage, Applejack craned forward and popped Luna’s sharp horn into her mouth, careful to not let the pointy tip rip a gash into the back of her throat and prompting a delighted gasp from the Princess. “Ah, it feels so good,” Luna mumbled quietly.

Luna was down between Applejack’s legs now and began eating her out, bringing her head up to take quick kisses of her breasts. Meanwhile, Applejack was bobbing her head up and down slowly on Luna’s horn, knowing that Luna wouldn’t be able to hold on long when Applejack got her turn. She sensed that the horn was lubricating itself, but brave as ever towards the strange liquid, Applejack continued her sucking. The sounds of Luna’s moaning excited Applejack, forcing sweet juices out of her pussy and into the Princess’ awaiting mouth.

Luna craned herself forward and began sucking on Applejack’s breasts, arousing her to the point of no return now. Feeling that Luna had mixed it up, Applejack followed suit, and taking extra care, began deep-throating Luna’s horn. The way Applejack was sucking her horn off was literally making Luna’s lower region shake, the liquids pouring out of her.

Luna closed her eyes, trying to contain herself, and dove her head back down between Applejack’s legs. She shot her tongue inside of Applejack and then pulled it out of her so that she could lick Applejack’s outer labia and make sure that it was free of her juices.

Applejack rolled her tongue around Luna’s horn, never expecting what was about to happen. The way she was pleasuring Luna’s horn forced the Princess to orgasm. She let out a piercing, high scream, giving Applejack the warning she needed so that when Luna uncontrollably yanked her head up she wouldn’t put a gruesome end to their late nights, for which she was sure they would have more of.

Luna was strong, but she wasn’t that strong. The powerful orgasm that Applejack had forced her to have literally threw Luna to the ground and made her writhe around. But she wasn’t done with Luna yet, so she quickly jumped forward onto her stomach and dove her tongue inside of Luna. “Oh my… it feels so… good!” Luna struggled to scream out her thoughts as Applejack began eating her out.

The Princess was helpless. She could only let Applejack finish up with her and plan out what she was going to do to the country pony when she was finished. As Applejack ate her out, it didn’t take Luna anywhere near as long to orgasm. This time though, she could only let out a little, pitiful whimper as she orgasmed once more, though not as violently as she had at first.

Applejack pulled the Princess closer to her and kissed her on the lips, letting some of the royal vaginal juice leave her mouth and pour back into the attractive body from whence it came. Luna giggled once more, the mix of Applejack’s saliva and her own vaginal juices inside of her mouth making her feel so naughty. Making sure that Applejack was watching, and with a smile on her face, Luna tilted her head back slightly and swallowed all of the liquids inside of her mouth. She loved the taste.

Now it was Luna’s turn to make Applejack feel amazing. Mustering all the strength she could, she pulled herself up and rolled over on top of Applejack, her head already between her legs. Applejack let out a sensual moan as Luna plunged her tongue inside of her and began circling it around as fast as she could.

But Luna was royalty, and it was only natural royal behavior to get bored with something after a while. Applejack had mixed it up, and so would she. Drawing her powerful magical abilities, her saliva soaked horn glowed as she used her magic to vibrate Applejack’s pussy. Applejack was so surprised and aroused at the feeling that her body yanked backwards a few inches, and her foreleg shot out to hold onto the wall. The Princess wasn’t about to let her get away that fast though. She stayed constant with Applejack’s movement, kept her horn glowing, and kept her tongue plunged deep inside of her. “I… I love ya’” Applejack said quickly. She was too busy trying to playfully prove that she was just as tough between the legs as the Princess could be.

But Luna didn’t fall for it; she didn’t want to raise her head up. She mumbled, “Mhmm love thee as mhmm well,” and continued her licking. Luna had her feeling so good now that Applejack couldn’t resist placing her foreleg on the Princess’ head. She entertained the thought of reaching over and giving her horn a few good, pleasing rubs, but decided against it, concluding that it was Luna’s turn to give to her.

And give she did! It didn’t take long for Applejack to begin to falter between her legs the way Luna was doing her. She looked down just in time to see Luna doing something that the mere thought of could push her to orgasm. Luna felt naughty already, more naughty than any royalty should, but she wanted to feel even naughtier. She tilted her head forward and gently, carefully pushed her horn inside of Applejack’s awaiting pussy. Applejack moaned in delight, blushing as she looked down and watched Luna push and pull her horn halfway in and halfway out of her. “Ya…yer doin’ great sugarcube,” Applejack managed, biting her bottom lip in bliss of what she was feeling.

Her eyes closed, Luna finally pulled her horn out of Applejack, but only to circle her tongue around her pussy and kiss it once or twice. Once she was finished doing that though, she tilted her head forward once more and pushed her horn back inside of Applejack.

Luna kept sliding her head forwards and backwards, inside and out of Applejack, for a few more minutes. When she carefully pushed her entire horn inside of Applejack’s pussy, she felt the most delightful feeling of constriction around her horn. Seconds from orgasm, Applejack’s pussy constricted tight around Luna’s horn and not but a second after that, she struggled to control her moaning as she came and sent her juices flying out and coating Luna’s beautiful royal head, soaking her mane.

Princess Luna pulled her horn out slowly and licked some of the juice that had managed to land on her nose off, swallowing it in hopes of pleasing her lover. Applejack could only smile as she watched the Princess, twice as cute with those liquids in her mane. Luna giggled at the naughty thought of using the vaginal liquids as a conditioner for her mane and decided to let the liquids remain where they rested; she saw no reason to stop the fun just because each of them were exhausted from the powerful orgasms they just had.

“I love you!” Applejack exclaimed as she leapt up from the hay pile and tightly embraced the now standing Princess.

“We…I…I mean I love thee to,” Princess Luna said in her broken new tongue. In mid-embrace she blushed deep as she noticed a long strand of mixed saliva and vaginal juices dangling from Applejack’s pussy. The sight was beginning to arouse her, but she knew that she must resist, she knew that there was no way a simple, yet beautiful and strong earth pony like Applejack could take another round of their game.

But each of them acknowledged that they didn’t need the intercourse. All it did to them was strengthen their relationship with one another, and to some degree, make it more pure. Eventually, they broke their embrace and kissed each other. Not a sensual kiss, but a simple, meaningful kiss. Deep within their very alike hearts, each had a secret inside, coining this kiss as their favorite of all time; aside from their first ever kiss of course.

And finally they broke their kiss and backed away from each other, though only a couple of inches. Each of them in that moment felt like embarrassed little school fillies, blushing as they shot innocent glances at one another and ran their hoof back and forth in the hay which covered the barn floor, at a loss for words. With a blush on her face, Applejack looked Luna right in her big, blue, beautiful eyes and asked, “Will you stay here with me Luna?”

Smiling sincerely, Luna walked forward and placed her head atop Applejack’s to snuggle her in an affectionate way. “I shall never leave you,” she said, “but for those times when I must, remember that I shall always be with you in your heart. I would be honored to stay with you my love.” Applejack looked up at her and smiled, and embraced her for a few more seconds.

Eventually, things became quiet in the room and nothing remained other than the two’s soft breathing and the rather romantic cackle of the nighttime insects and wildlife. The two made a makeshift bed in the upper loft and laid there side by side, not saying a word. They merely looked at each other and cuddled. As the hours ticked on, Applejack eventually fell asleep, wrapped in Luna’s forelegs, lying as if she never wanted to leave the safe haven she was in.

Though it pained her deeply, in the early morning hours Luna knew that she must leave. If it could be up to her and not to the elements of harmony, she would make it to where she never had to leave Applejack. Luna could be unusually quiet when and if she needed to, so using her skills, she inched quickly, yet carefully and gently away from the sleeping Applejack. Before she left though, she leaned down and kissed her on the head. She stood at the edge of the loft and looked back at the sleeping figure, a smile crossing her face as she thought about the many wonders that Applejack had shown and given her. But then her smile turned to a frown, and after a moment’s hesitation, leapt from the loft, opened her graceful wings and flew off into the night sky with tears in her eyes.

Chapter 10

That night, Princess Luna was far swifter to return. She landed at the exact spot which they had decided upon two nights ago, a dead apple tree which stuck out like a sore hoof on the verdant and lush farmland. Applejack was already standing there with a smile on her face when she landed. As she had done and as she planned on doing, Applejack rushed forward and embraced Luna the second all four of her hooves touched the ground. There was something different about this encounter though. She heard sniffling and felt wetness land on her back; her smile changed to a concerned frown. “What’s wrong?” Applejack asked as she backed away from Luna.

Finally, she saw it. Either the second most or the most powerful creature in all of Equestria was crying. Applejack had seen many things, but never did she think that she would see one of the Princesses actually cry. But that wasn’t important now. What was important was figuring out what was making the love of her life, the pony she honestly wanted to spend the rest of her life with cry. “Sugarcube, tell me please, what’s wrong?”

Luna looked up, and Applejack was stunned at how beautiful her eyes looked with tears in them. They looked more beautiful than anything she had seen. In a broken and tearful voice, Luna replied, “I… I have been hiding this from you these past few days, but… but it has just occurred to me, I cannot have you, though I want you very badly. A…Applejack, I want to see the end of days with you!” Driven by sheer love, she lurched forward onto Applejack and hugged her tightly.

“W…what do you mean you can’t have me?” Applejack asked with a confused look on her face. She didn’t understand what was wrong, and it made her feel so guilty!

Luna backed away from Applejack and began to explain. “I am royalty. The ponies of Equestria, my sister and our court, they would all frown upon me if I was discovered to be romantically engaged with you. They might not even allow it. I… I cannot be banished again,” Luna’s voiced pitched higher as the mere thought of banishment scared her, “They could frown upon and hurt you as well, I do not want, and I cannot allow that. I cannot have you though I want you simply because I am royalty.” Then, Applejack noticed a change in Luna’s voice. She saw a flash in the pony’s eyes and watched as the land beneath her crumpled slightly. Applejack backed away as Luna said through gritted teeth, “Yes… because I am royalty. Because I AM ROYALTY!” this was the loudest she had ever shouted. Then her horn brightly glowed, full of violent power, and ripped the tiara from her head, tossing it at a violent and great speed into the nearby tree. So powerful in fact, that the magically crafted steel tiara went a quarter of the way through the solid wooden trunk. Applejack was actually frightened at seeing Luna this way. She knew that Luna would never do anything to hurt her, but the raw amount of power that she possessed was enough to shake even the hardiest of ponies.

But then Luna plopped down on the ground and sighed, her head hung. She glanced up and watched as the crown magically and slowly disintegrated into a mystical vapor, not surprised to feel it materialize perfectly on her head. She used her magic, now much more calm to remove the tiara from her head once more and then dropped it onto her hoof. Staring blankly at it as she rolled it around and observing how not even a scratch or dent had formed on it, she said in a rather defeated tone, “I have flung this a great many times, you know?” She glanced up at Applejack to see if she was listening; naturally, she was, and continued, “But no matter how hard or far I throw this accursed crown, it always comes back to me. It just always comes back.” She frowned, sighed once more and placed the tiara back in its rightful place.

Applejack felt pity for her. Luna was such a sweet and innocent pony that tried very hard, but in her mind, she could never get things right. It seemed to her that she was always the black sheep in the eyes of her subjects and in the eyes of the court that she shared with her sister. Applejack thought that it was only fair and right for her to cry or fling her crown, she knew it had to be difficult. She admired Luna’s determination though. After all that had happened, and all that was happening, and all that was inevitably going to happen, Luna remained strong. Applejack knew that she certainly wouldn’t have the guts or the will to do it.

She approached Luna and sat down in front of her, wrapping her forelegs around Luna tightly. In a sincere voice she said, “I understand sugarcube. Ya’ll do what you think is best. I just wanted to let you know that you’ve shown me what nopony else could ever show me, and that’s love, true love. It… it’s something I’ve always wanted but was never to brave to admit it. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I love you. I love you Princess Luna,” she repeated.

Her words touched Luna, and still locked in embrace with her, she could feel the tears land on her head. She backed up a little and watched as the most beautiful tear drop she had ever seen fall from Luna’s eyes. Finally, she realized what made Luna’s tears look so beautiful. They were mirrors, literal mirrors of liquid with little specks of white in them, mimicking the stars it seemed. One could see themselves clear as day in those tears.

Though the moment was sad and heartbreaking for each of them, something about those tears that worked to make Applejack feel not so sad. She watched them fall, one by one in front of her eyes and as each one passed her, observed those white specks in each drop. Yes, those white specks did look like stars, like the specks in her mane too, like little miniature versions of the things which Luna presided over, the things she was the goddess of. Yes, stars. Applejack saw them every night, and as she looked up at them, she knew that if she couldn’t physically touch or even physically see Luna, she was still there with her. Luna was the night! You didn’t have to see her or touch her to love her, and that made their love all the more magical to her.

“But that is just it!” Luna exclaimed softly through her tears, “I do not wish to be royalty, I… I wish to be with you!” she embraced Applejack tighter and cried harder. She truly did not want to leave her behind.

“Shh, shh, there, there,” Applejack shushed the Princess quietly, like she used to do to Applebloom when she was a little filly who got hurt and cried when she was outside playing, or ran from her room and jumped in bed with Applejack after having had a nightmare. “I wanna be with you too, Princess, but maybe it just isn’t meant to be. And just remember, I don’t gotta see you to know that you love me. You are the night! As long as the night shall be, I know that you’ll be with me,” she said so romantically.

Luna was touched even further by what Applejack said. She just didn’t want to accept the fact that this could really be the end. They let each other go and sat there smiling at each other. Tears were forming in Applejack’s eyes too. She glanced down at her hoof and asked, “W…what’s happening to my hoof?” in a surprised tone.

Princess Luna sighed, and moved a little closer to Applejack so that she could pick up her hoof and observe it. The hair at the top of her front left hoof was changing to a whiteish-silver shape, but it was appearing in the form a great blob with smaller circles forming around it, the rest remaining her shade of orange. “ ‘Tis the mark of royal love.” Applejack only stared at the new fur forming on her hoof, but continued to listen. “You will observe,” Luna stood momentarily only to move her flank in front of Applejack’s face so that she could better see, “that it is the same shade as my moon and is the same pattern as the one which surrounds it.” Applejack finished looking and Luna sat back down. “My sister and I each have one, for we are pure magical royalty. When…when one of us,” Luna choked up again, “when one of us loves a pony very much, honestly and truthfully love a pony very much, this pattern of fur appears around either the left hoof or on the right side of the neck.”

Applejack thought that the new fur forming on her was so romantic! But at the same time, she didn’t really want to keep it. If she truly could not be with Luna, she did not want to have to look down at it and know that Luna still loved her, but that she could not even physically see her. It would absolutely tear Applejack apart! Trying her hardest to not be rude or uncaring for feelings, Applejack innocently asked, “Well how do I get it off?”

Luna sighed, stood up and faced away from Applejack, looking up at the stars. “That is just it, I’m afraid,” Luna said, “there are only two methods of removing it. Method one, as you can imagine, is to prevent me from loving you anymore, to change my temperament towards you. But the second method, it is a little more complicated…” Luna hesitated, nervous to go on; Applejack continued to listen intently. “The… the final method is… is matrimony between myself and the pony I love… which… which happens to be you.” She turned her head to glance back at the understandably bewildered Applejack, but only for a moment before she turned her head back straight and continued to look at the stars.

Sensing that Applejack was about to say something, Luna cut her off to quickly throw one more thing in. “I know what you are probably thinking, my dear Applejack, but… but I am afraid that I cannot stop loving you. I… I don’t know how, I don’t want to know how.” The way the tears took the breath out of her forced her head to fall and look down at the ground. Feeling guilty and selfish for the way her magic was affecting Applejack, she ran her hoof back and forth over the ground and cried her last couple of tears; everything she had told and experienced with Applejack in those few minutes had practically stolen all of the tears from her eyes.

In a solemn tone Applejack asked, “So… the only way to remove this is by either forcing you to stop loving me, or by me marrying you, huh?”

Luna didn’t look back at her, but merely nodded her hung head and gave vocal confirmation, “Yes, it is.” She moved her eyes momentarily up towards the stars.

Applejack stood up, walked over to stand beside Luna, and used her hoof to gently pick Luna’s head up and look into her eyes. Luna smiled at her in a loving way, but it was a sad and sorry smile that hurt to be on her face. Applejack removed her hat and nodded her head in utmost respect for her lover. “Princess Luna, if it’s all the same to you. I… I think I want to marry you.” Applejack was so sincere and truthful with her words that she hesitated none.

Yet another first happened with Luna, she was absolutely dumbfounded and swept off of her hooves. “But… but what if they hurt you? What if they look down upon you? Wh… what if I am banished once more?”

Applejack only smiled and placed her hoof on the Princess’ mouth so that she could silence her. “They won’t do that to us Luna. You know why?” she said softly, “Because we have each other. Don’t you see? As long as we have each other, nopony else matters.”

“Th…that is true…” Luna dried her eyes and smiled momentarily at Applejack. But her smile changed to a frown as she once again raised the question, “And what if I am banished? I… I cannot do it once more! For when I returned I was a virgin to this world. I am not but a broken shadow of what I once was before my banishment.”

Applejack smiled, but her voice was true and firm as she said, “If you go, I go with you.” She knew that Luna was terrified of even the mere thought of banishment, if not by her sister, then by some other form which was capable of delivering the cruel punishment. She also knew that if that were to happen, there was almost nothing she could do. So, as a result, if her lover went down, she would go down with her. What was life to Applejack without Luna and her magnificent night?

“You… you would do that for me?” Luna asked, staring at Applejack in amazement.

“Ya’ll can bet your bottom hoof!” Applejack said as she stomped the ground with her hoof in determination.

“It… It, it is an interesting thought,” Luna said as she looked at the ground. Applejack knew though, that inside, the thought to Luna was much more than just “interesting”. Princess Luna gulped and looked Applejack straight in the eyes. “If… If I go down…”

Applejack held her stare with Luna and jumped into finish her with a tone of truth, “We both go down.” Luna looked away and thought about what it would be like being married to a mare. The practice of mare-on-mare marriage was heard of throughout Equestria, but it was very rare. But a princess, an actual, real royal princess marrying a female commoner, that was just unheard of nonsense. But still, Luna loved Applejack. She didn’t notice Luna look up at her with a conflicted frown on her face for she too had taken to staring blankly at the stars. She had never felt this way about a pony before, male or female, at least not that she could remember. Applejack had shown her many wonderful things too. She had shown her how to do common pony tasks, she had educated her on some of the new technology of the world, and she had basically just fulfilled her dream, her dream of wanting to become a common pony, even if it were only for an hour. And the things Applejack did to her sensually! They made her feel amazing, better than she guessed she could ever feel! In the matter of one night, Applejack released all of the sexual hidden tension that had built up inside of Luna over the hundreds of years she had been banished.

But it was all so hard for her! She loved Applejack dearly, more than anypony on this Earth, but she loved her subjects too. After all she did to them they still welcomed her back with open hooves, even though sometimes there were the cautious ponies who didn’t know any better. And she was afraid of being banished. She couldn’t go through that again! Coming back to Equestria was the greatest embarrassment to her, it was something that would scar her for the rest of her life. She didn’t think she’d be able to live through another one of those scars.

But Luna didn’t care either. She still loved and respected her subjects, but she wanted to be with Applejack. Perhaps the “dim-wit” (a phrase used jokingly around the royal court) small-town pony was right. As long as they had each other, what did it matter what anypony else thought? It wasn’t their business. And finally, Luna realized it! Talking to somepony is nice, and hugging somepony is even nicer, but you do not have to do any of these things to know that their heart beats for you, and only you. All that matters is that you know that at the end of the day your very special somepony will come back to you.

Upon having this realization, Luna jumped forward, tackled a taken-by-surprise Applejack and pinned her on the ground, placing her lips firmly on hers. The kiss was short lived though, for Luna had something that she desperately wanted to tell Applejack. She yanked her lips away from Applejack and said rather loudly, “I shall stay with you!” She smiled at Applejack once more and kissed her, saying in a calmer voice, “I’ve been thinking about what you said, Applejack, and you are right. You need not see, hear, or touch somepony to know that they love you and that you love them.”

A smile was beginning to cross Applejack’s lips. “Then what are you thinking, Princess?” she asked eagerly, yet softly.

“We… I… I mean I,” Luna was so nervous, she cleared her throat and restarted, “I guess what I’m trying to put clearly is… will you give me the title of a married princess?”

Applejack had tears in her eyes as she moved her head quickly up to meet Luna’s lips. They broke their kiss after a minute and merely sat in that position and looked into each other’s eyes. Luna climbed off of Applejack and helped her up, using her magic to wipe some of the dust from her back.

When Luna looked back over at Applejack though, she saw that she had a frown on her face. She was getting married, there was no reason for her to be sad! Luna had to find out what was troubling her bride to be! “What is wrong?” Luna asked as she moved a little closer to Applejack.

With an embarrassed and somewhat guilty blush on her face, Applejack looked at the ground and scratched her foreleg nervously with her other foreleg. “You see,” she began, “this is my home…” she stopped for a moment and looked up at her farm from the hill they were atop. “I… I don’t think I’ll be able to just up and leave it behind. My… my family could go hungry and homeless without my help,” she said pointedly.

But that didn’t deter Luna. She was royalty after all, and with royalty came a big brain, and that brain might have been a little outdated, but it still worked like a dream; she had thought of everything. So she began her explanation, “I have just thought about this, and I am also saddened to say that I will not be able to leave the palace either. It is my home, and it is the place where my sister and I may watch all that occurs from a central point of view.” Applejack’s frown grew sadder and she looked down at the ground with a hopeless expression. But Luna continued, “We are not lost though.”

Applejack looked up and asked, “What do you mean by that, sugarcube?”

“What if our marriage was shrouded in secrecy? Nopony knows of its existence except us. And if you will wait for me, I shall continue my late night escapades to see you,” Luna explained. “What shall it be?” Luna asked, awaiting Applejack’s reply.

She approached Luna and hugged her, “Till death do I part,” she sincerely said as she hugged in tighter to the Princess.

Princess Luna kissed her lover on the head and looked up at her night sky to conjure a romantically correct shooting star and repeat, “Till death do I part.”