Dark Paradise: the TwiLuna Group Collab

by Habanc


COLLABCEPTION

Collabception

*****

(Fuzzyfurvert)

Luna breathed in the cool air high above Ponyville through her nose before letting it out slowly to mist around her muzzle. Snow fell gently from the cloud she sat on; the white flakes flashing through several different colors as they reflected the sparkling lights that adorn The Golden Oaks Library. The sounds of a happy Hearth’s Warming celebration floated up to the low hanging cloud where Luna gathered her courage.

“I hope you like my present, Twilight.” Luna sighed and hefted the wrapped parcel she had brought with her from Canterlot. The wrapping seemed gaudy to her eyes, patterned with images of snowponies and foals hurling snowballs. The whole thing was topped with an oversized bow and gold gilded lace ribbons.

“Well,” Luna rustled her feathers and looked down the library below, “Let's see what this holiday has morphed into in my absence. It can’t possibly any worse than last year’s party at the castle with the nobles.”

Luna leaned forward, letting gravity do its work and begin pulling her toward the ground. She flared her wings, catching the air and angling herself downward in a lazy spiral. As she passed the upper boughs of the library tree, Luna could hear the music inside swell. Through the windows, she caught a glance of several someponies moving about the gaily decorated interior.

With a quick flap, Luna arrested her momentum and landed in front of the door where the snow had been compacted under the press of many hooves. She checked the package in her magical grip again before lifting a hoof and knocking. It took barely a moment before the door opened and warmth and light poured out into the darkness. Twilight stood there, framed in that warmth, her Hearth’s Warming cap sat crookedly on her brow, and smiled.

“Luna! You made it! I’m so glad you decided to spend the night with us.” Twilight stepped aside to let Luna enter and in that very moment, Luna knew that while the traditions of the holiday had certainly changed, the spirit of it remained strong.

(twilight the scribe)

Twilight loved Hearth's Warming. it had always been her favorite festival of the year, with everypony just being together and having fun. The chill of the snow outside couldnt possibly compare to the warmth inside every home.

The Party was already in full swing, with Pinkie leading the room in a rousing carol when she heard the knocking at the door. That must be her! She thought, eagerly trotting towards the door. She lit up her horn and pulled the door open, revealing the midnight blue alicorn standing nervously at the door.

"Luna! you made it! I'm so glad you decided to spend the night with us!" She pulled the older alicorn into an hug with her wings, noting how cold she was. "Come on in and warm yourself up!"

Luna shyly walked into the room, taking care to conceal something under her wing. She smiled at everypony, and Twilight was happy to see that they all responded with welcoming smiles and hugs of their own. some of Luna's initial trepidation seemed to melt away, and she started enjoying herself too, and when Pinkie started up a game of Pin-the-tail-on-the-pony, she even volunteered to go first.

The night was spent in partying, caroling, games and eating. Luna had been so happy when she realized that the party was going to last all night! Twilight didn't know why, but she loved to see Luna smile and laugh. she was so radiant and beautiful when she was happy. throughout the night, she stayed close to Luna, laughing, talking, and even dancing with her. But what was this strange feeling in her chest?

(Piece Bot)

Princess Luna was enjoying the dance with Twilight Sparkle and all the party games. A lot has changed in the past thousand years that she's been away. During Pin-the-Tail-on-the-Pony Pinkie Pie had accidentally switched her tail with the one from the game although how she did that ... nopony knows. Especially without any pain as that must have really hurt.

Luna wandered outside to escape the thrill of the Party for a few minutes. 'I fear I've drinken too much of the ale. Or is it eggnog now?' Luna thought to herself. After being stuck on the moon for a thousand years she missed the beverage. She headed back inside to get some more.

SOMEWHERE IN DISTANT SPACE ....

Soon. Soon I will have my revenge. Soon.

BACK IN PONYVILLE ....

Luna was amazed at Pinkie's ability to go all out on a keg of beer without even getting drunk.

"How is Pinkie Pie doing that?" Luna asked Twilight.

"Trust me. You don't wanna know." Twilight visibly shuddered at that. After the fifth or so keg of beer Pinkie Pie passed out on the floor. Everypony was shocked that she lasted that long.

(Pearple Prose)

Luna's wings fluttered as she watched the party unfold in the humble Ponyville library. The gift under her wing poked at her chest and her sensitive wings, as if it were pushing her towards the lavender unicorn making a delightful fool of herself on the dance floor.

"Not now," she rebuked it, with a hash whisper. The present, to her dismay, continued to poke. Luna almost shushed it, before realising that she was talking to a gift-wrapped mass of inanimation, and promptly facehoofed.

"Luna?" a voice said, from right next to her. "What are you doing all the way over here?" Luna peeked from behind her hoof and saw Twilight, staring at her with those big purple eyes, full of concern. It saddened her, somehow, that such perfect eyes could ever be anything but happy.

"Oh. I was just, uh... getting some more of this wonderful beverage!" Without looking, she picked up a random cup and put it to her lips. Immediately, the taste of strong alcohol hit her like a freight train, and the image of Pinkie Pie chugging an entire keg popped up in her mind.

Luna put down the drink and immediately went to her happy place.

The sound of Twilight's sweet giggling broke her from her self-induced catatonia. "Well, do you want to join in the dance again? Vinyl Scratch finally showed up, so we don't have to listen to Pinkie's one-pony band anymore!"

Luna hesitated. "We are... not sure..."

"Oh, come on! You only danced for, like, ten minutes before!" Twilight playfully grabbed Luna by the hoof and tugged her to the centre of the dance floor.

Again, Luna's wing twitched, and, again, she hesitated. There was something else, this time—More than the present that was burning a hole in her side.

~~~~~~

Outside the golden hearth light of Golden Oaks library, the snow continued to fall. Slowly, the trees began to dance in the wind, the howling gale that only increased in intensity as the seconds passed. Before long, leaf and branch whipped to and fro in a mad frenzy as the blizzard descended on the small town.

The pitch-black night sky poked a hole in the dense layer of cloud. The darkness bent, ever-so-slightly, before a piece of the night itself split off and floated toward the street below, forming and reshaping itself as it fell. Eventually, midnight hooves descended, and touched the ground like a delicate whisper. Where they landed, the stone froze over with ice.

White mist emanated from its form as it took in the warm light of the Golden Oaks library.

(Fuzzyfurvert)

Luna giggled as she twirled around Twilight, her hooves skipping across the hardwood floor in time to the quick beat of the music. The present, neatly tucked under her wing, jostled against her side, a constant reminder of her ulterior motives for the night. She only needed to wait for the right moment to present it.

~~~~~~

On the other side of the dance floor, Spike was thumping his tail into the floor along to Vinyl Scratch’s holiday remix as he watched Rarity dance. The scales on his crest perked up when he heard a knock on the door. Everypony seemed to already be in attendance, so he decided to ignore it.

Rarity dipped and bobbed, her hips shaking in a way that gave young dragon hearts palpitations. The knocking at the library door came again, more incessant this time. Spike frowned and huffed to himself. “Fine. I’ll get it… nopony else worry about it…”

Spike walked to the door and pulled it open, launching into his welcoming spiel. “Hi! Welcome to the Hearth’s Warming Eve Party of Twi-iiii-iii--TWILIGHT!”

~~~~~~

Twilight grinned and leaned in to sweep her wings over Luna in a complicated dance move that Dash had shown her a few weeks previously. Luna blushed as the move brought them face to face. Luna looked like she was about to say something when Spike’s yell startled them both. Twilight turned gasps as a cold wind hit her like a hoof to the chest.

The fire in the fireplace went out like a candle and the party plunged into murky shadows. At the door, a tall, slender-built pony stepped over the threshold, its coat as black as night and its eyes aglow. Each hoof step coated the library floor in a thin covering of ice crystals as the eldritch mare stalked towards the two alicorn princesses.

“You… you dare to celebrate this night? To enjoy the company of ponies near and dear to you? To share stories and play the night away in these warm confines? You dare - WITHOUT ME?!”

Twilight shuddered as all the windows in the library rattled in their frames and more than a few books fell from their shelves. She gulped and looked up at the towering form above her, her mouth working silently as she tried to stammer out a response. Her knees felt weak as she caught a look at the moon shaped cutie mark on the visitor’s flank.

“Um… I-I-I didn’t know…”

“Let me handle this, Twilight.” Luna stepped forward, her chest thrust out in what she hoped was a regal and intimidating pose. “We did not know where to send the invitation, oh Nightmare! But you are welcomed here so long as you cause us no strife!”

The Nightmare glared back and forth between the princesses for a moment and then snorted. Then huffed and blew a strand of ephemeral mane out of her eyes. “Perhaps getting mail into Limbo might prove difficult. I apologize for my rude behavior.” The Nightmare shrugged. “And for freezing your dragon servant in a block of ice. I suppose.”

(Piece Bot)

"You what? You froze Spike in a block of ice!?" Twilight ran over to the still-swcreaming drake. It turns out that he was trapped in a block of ice. There were crystals coming out of his nose and everything. She turned on the Nightmare and prepared to unleash a spell that would banish the Nightmare back to wherever it came from.

“Twilight. What are you doing?” Luna trotted in front of the mare that she’s grown fond of. She leaned in and whispered, “Whatever you are doing, please stop. She is here only for the celebrations.”

“But she froze Spike.” Twilight felt tears begin to well up in her eyes.

“You can use a flame spell on him.” At that, Twilight’s eyes lit up and she turned on Spike. She quickly changed tactics and unleashed a torrent of flames that engulfed Spike and the area around him. Spike unfroze in an instant but then noticed everywhere else was lit up in eldritch fire.

“What did you do Twilight!?” Spike turned on Twilight and prodded her with a claw.

“I, uh, whoopsie?” Twilight nervously smiled before putting out the flames. She couldn’t believe what she just did.

“Why did you do it Twilight?” Luna asked.

“You told me that I could use flames to unfreeze Spike. I unfroze him and I applied a bit too much power into my flamethrower spell.” Twilight chuckled nervously as everypony looked at her. The Nightmare did nothing during this change except look on and observe. ‘NOW!’ She thought. Nightmare leapt forward and grabbed Princess Luna before teleporting off to somewhere on the other side of Equestria.

“Where did Princess Luna go?” Pinkie Pie asked Twilight. Twilight was too shocked to speak. She looked down at the ground and noticed a present with her name on it.

(twilight the scribe)

With a flash, the two alicorns reappeared in an open field. Nightmare Moon trotted around agitatedly while Luna watched with a bit of exasperation.

"Are you still unhappy about not receiving an invitation? I thought we made it perfectly clear that you were welcome there." She remarked.

"NAY, IT IS NOT THAT WHICH TROUBLES US, LUNA." Nightmare Moon replied in the Royal Canterlot Voice.

Luna rolled her eyes. "Are you mad that the little ponies are enjoying a festival other than Nightmare Night?"

"NAY, IT IS NOT THAT EITHER!"

Luna sighed and contemplated rolling her eyes. Now that she was on the receiving end of the Voice, she began to understand why the other ponies had been put off by her initially. "Then what is it, Night? What troubles you?"

Nightmare Moon turned and gazed at her nervously. "WE ARE...WE ARE..." she then hung her head so her next words eluded Luna.

Luna raised an eyebrow and trotted closer, bending her neck until she was level with Night's head. "I couldnt hear that, Night. You'll have to speak louder."

Nightmare Moon (Night) took a deep breath. "We are...not sure how to act. We are...afraid." She then tried to hide her face behind her flowing blue mane.

Luna blinked. Night? afraid? She barely restrained the small smile that crept up her face. she touched her horn to Night's and giggled. "you know, that sounded like exactly how i felt my first Nightmare Night when i came back from the Moon."

Night flinched. "Because of my image, I suppose."

Luna put her wing around Night. "There is no need to feel ashamed for our mistakes of the past. And there is certainly no need to fear the ponies. they are a loving and accepting race, and they truly care for each other. Twilight Sparkle taught me that that night." She smiled, recalling how Twilight had tried her best to get her accepted, and how they had become the best of friends ever since.
Night looked up at her hesitantly. "Do you...do you think they would still accept me? They fear me. They could accept you because you weren't me anymore. You're Princess Luna, Celestia's sister now. I'm still Nightmare Moon, the pony who tried to blot out the sun."

Luna rubbed Night's back with her wing comfortingly. "Come now, the past is the past. We were confused and angry and made rash decisions. The Elements of Harmony have cleared our minds. They gave both of us a second chance. You no longer need to remain under that shadow. I have stepped out of it. You can too."

Night sighed and pawed the ground nervously. "Do you really feel that?" she asked quietly.

"I do. now, I want to take you to meet Twilight Sparkle. she's the Princess of Magic and one of the best friends i could ever wish for." Luna smiled fondly as she felt for her gift under her wing. she froze. her gift was gone. had she dropped it? Panicking, she teleported to the Golden Oaks Library in a rush.

Night stood where she was for several minutes, then took a deep breath and focused her magic. she would give this a chance. A small smirk tugged at her mouth. Luna spoke so highly of Twilight, could there be something between them? That would be something to tease them both about, if it was true. She then disappeared from the cold field in a flash of light, into the warmth and happiness of the party.

(SHL)

"Damn it!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "That evil and twisted mare kidnapped Princess Luna! We must find them!"

"Dash, calm down, ok?" The voice of AJ sounds worried, but also a little bothered with the pegasus. "We don't know what happened and where they could be. So, yelling like a little filly doesn't help."

Dash groaned after calming down a little, with the others looking at the point where the two night alicorns were before they disappeared. Twilight was still in shock, her eyes fixed on the present with her name on that sat in the floor. It was Rarity who broke the silence again.

"Darling, do you know where they could be?"

Twilight shook her head. "No... I can't follow the trail of their magic, so they could be even in the moon." She tried to draw her attention away from the present and focus her mind on the problem. Had Nightmare Moon really kidnapped Luna? Was her appearance a plan to possess Luna with evil intentions? They didn't have the Elements of Harmony anymore, so that was a very good moment for the Nightmare to attack. If that was the case, she had to do something, anything, to warn Princess Celestia. But maybe that could be avoided...

"Ok, girls, here is what we go to do." Twilight spoke, looking at her friends while she grabbed the present with her magic to pot it apart. "Maybe they went too far, so Rainbow and I will do aerial reconnaissance of Ponyville and his surroundings. The rest of you stay here. Spike, start writing a letter to Princess Celestia telling what happened, just in-"

Before she could end the sentence, a flash of light appeared in the center of the room, bringing back Princess Luna and Nightmare Moon. Nightmare had her head down and her ears fixed to her skull, in a look of... embarrassment? Fear?

Twilight and her friends looked at the two taller mares without saying a word. Well, Pinkie wasn't saying anything because she had her mouth full of Hearth Warming cookies.

"Hello again, girls." Luna said, smiling softly. "Sorry for the sudden vanishing. Nightmare wants to tell you something." She pushed the darker alicorn a little with a wing. "Come on. Go ahead."

Nightmare swallowed, muttering next. "W-we're sorry for what happened. We... We were scared about how everypony will react before our presence." She raised her head to look to the ponies in the room. "We are still scared a little."

(Fuzzyfurvert)

Twilight stared at Luna and the Nightmare with wide unblinking eyes; a torrent of questions and responses running through her mind. Should she confront the Nightmare about her attempted royal kidnapping? Should she make sure Luna was ok first? Should she just welcome them back? She lost her chance to say anything and her grip on the box in her aura as the last mare Twilight would have bet on being an arbiter of peace swooped forward and landed in front of the two alicorns.

Rainbow Dash landed with a soft ‘thud’ and fixed her trademark smirk on the Nightmare. “Hey. You don’t have to be scared here, we’re all friends. It’s Hearth’s Warming Eve for cryin’ out loud! There isn’t a holiday more about forgiveness and friendship than this!”

“Except for Friendship Day!,” Pinkie supplied from near the snack table.

Dash rolled her eyes. “Anyway, all are welcome here. No one is going to ruin this holiday for us, or you, since we’re the super-awesome-amazing Rainbow Dash and Five Other Ponies!”

“We never ratified that name, darling,” supplied Rarity from near the door where she was helping to warm up Spike.

“Whatever!” Rainbow Dash shrugged and stepped closer to the two alicorns. “You came back, nobody is seriously hurt and the night is only half over. That means to me, we still got plenty of party left in us.”

Dash flared her wings and pulled both Luna and the Nightmare into a three-way hug. While they embraced, Rainbow passed the present back to Luna and whispered, “You should get a move on Princess, the night is almost over and you still haven’t given Twilight her present yet. If you don’t hurry, somepony else is going to beat you to it.”

(Pearple Prose)

Twilight watched from her balcony as ponies trotted, stumbled, fell, flew, tumbled, vomited, and generally made a mess out of the front door. Despite the late hour and the unforeseen interruptions during the party, the whole night had been a great success. Twilight waved goodbye to an irritatingly sober Pinkie Pie—who happened to be supporting the weight of one catatonic Rainbow Dash on one shoulder—and sighed in content.

Behind her, two sets of teal eyes watched from behind the door to the room. One pair looked to the other and asked, "So you are going to leave now?"

Nightmare Moon gazed over to Luna. "Yes. Honestly, I don't understand how or why I was able to manifest here, on this night." She held up a midnight hoof, and watched as it began to disappear. "Perhaps I was the one part of you—the one part of the Night—that was in conflict with the rest. Perhaps I am but your anxieties, your fears, given a familiar face." Nightmare shrugged, then glanced at Luna's wing, a smile gracing her lips. "I see you still haven't given her your gift yet."

Luna blinked, then blushed. "Yes, yes, I know, it's silly of me. I just... Couldn't find the right time. Or place. Or... pony. I don't know. Do you think she'll want it?" She looked up at her counterpart, eyes dancing with worry, excitement, and what Nightmare knew to be genuine hope.

A great black wing settled gently over Luna's withers. "Believe me, Luna—this is more than a gift from one pony to another..." Nightmare Moon smiled, as her body disappeared into the aether. "This is a gift from the Night itself. I will be watching, Luna."

And before she knew it, Nightmare Moon was gone.

Luna breathed out, gathered her nerve, then knocked on the door to the bedroom.

~~~~~~

"...A gift?"

"Yes," Luna said, tearing her eyes from the starlit sky above them. "I wanted to give it to you earlier, but..." she cleared her throat. "We all got rather distracted."

Twilight looked down at the small box. "Well, gosh, Luna, I don't know what to say!" Taking hold of the pretty pink bow in her magic, Twilight carefully unwrapped the paper, and found one small black box. She removed the lid, and gasped. Inside sat a simple silver necklace, with a silver chain clasped around a shard of lunargentum, which had been shaped into a small crescent moon and star.

"D-Do you like it?" Luna suddenly asked. "I made it myself from my—uh, Nightmare Moon's old helmet. It's not too tacky, is it? Oh, gods in heaven, it is, isn't it? I am a failure! A waste of a friend! I—"

She was promptly cut off by a pair of purple lips pecking her own.

"Yes, Luna," Twilight said, giggling. "I like it."