Dusk to Dawn

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.