After what felt like hours Nightmare finally found a dress that she liked. She stood in front of a mirror, admiring the simplicity of the dress she was in. It had two pieces, a slate blue full dress piece and a deep red over jacket that was long enough to be called a mid length dress. The jacket had a high collar. The jacket and the dress were both very form fitting around her barrel, almost like a corset. It went well with her coat and mane, surprisingly enough it also went along with her dark purple eye shadow. The fabric of the dress was lightweight and free flowing, it was soft to the touch.
"It's not silk. Satin? No, it looks to be a weave of sorts. Charmeuse perhaps?" She said aloud.
Giving a twirl in the dress she smiled. 'It looks wonderful,' she thought as she looked at herself in the mirror. 'I probably should do something with my mane.' She looked at a small box that sat next to the mirror. Using her magic she took off her helmet, her bangs fell limply onto her face. Blowing the hair out of her eyes she opened the box, taking out a few hair pins she clipped her bangs out of the way. The hair pins themselves had crescent moons on them. Taking a hair tie she put up her hair into a tail, allowing her man to still flow freely. "I'm not one to be narcissistic but... I'm looking good. But it needs something else."
She looked down to her hooves. "That's it." Walking around she found a pair of small silver hoof slippers. Taking off her metal horseshoes, she slipped on the slippers. Giving one last twirl to test out the slippers and one last look into the mirror to see how she looked, she finally left the larger than life dressing room.
When she opened the door she didn't expect to walk out into the backyard of her and Strife's house. The backyard also had changed. It now had a white picket fence. There was also lush green grass running along the fence. Looking down she saw she was standing on a wooden porch. Turning completely around she saw a glass sliding door leading into the kitchen. Turing once more her gaze fell onto the far end of the yard, where a large glossy chess board sat, almost like a dance floor built into the ground. Trails of white lights hung around the yard. Four Stone statues sat along the dance floor. A variety of species, including an earth pony, a pegasus, a griffon, and even a minotaur. They were all holding cellos and were all standing on pedestals.
Snap
ka-ka-
Looking to the stone statues Nightmare Moon saw they began to form cracks along the joints.
ka-ka-KCRACK
Her eyes widened as they begun to move. The statues themselves were still stone and didn't move from their pedestals. But they began moving there arms and necks as if trying to get a kink out. The Statues all looked at Nightmare Moon, before leveling their bows to their cellos, and began to play a song.
The griffin plucked the strings on his cello. Then the pegasus used his wing to slide the bow across the strings. Soon the Earth pony and minotaur joined in. The soft sound of cellos filled the soundless landscape of the moon. Slowly, Nightmare walked out onto the chess board dance floor. The statues sat at each corner of the board, they surrounded her in their music. They also payed her no mind as they played. She took in a deep breath of the moon's cool crisp air.
"Ahem."
Nightmare Moon jumped ever so slightly as she turned around. She saw that Strife stood behind her, in an all black suit, with a simple grey under shirt and tie. "I take it was you that set this up?" She asked.
"Who else?" Strife asked with a raise of his eyebrow. Looking at her dress Strife asked. "I take it you liked the selection of dresses?"
"Of course, they were all beautiful. For your tastes anyway." She teased.
"Agh. My pride." Strife said griping his chest, as he faked pain.
She let out a laugh. "Strife I must ask however, where did you get all of those dresses."
"Well I made most of them with my magic. That's why they were so good. For my tastes anyway." He said with a laugh. " The others I acquired over time." Strife said softly before clearing his throat. "Any how... I didn't come out here to just talk about dresses. Today is a special occasion, and I set this all up so I could ask you something." He said walking up close to Nightmare.
"What is it?" Nightmare asked in a soft, almost dream like tone.
"I wanted to know, if you would be ever so kind to" Strife held out his paw. "let me share a dance with you?"
Lifting one of her forelegs she looked into Strife's yellow and red eyes. A smile formed on her lips as she set her hoof in Strife's paw. "Yes, of course I'll share a dance with you." She said calmly.
Smiling he lifted Nightmare Moon onto her hind legs. With her hoof in his paw and his claw on her waist, he took the lead. Step after step they danced around the chess board. Nightmare Moon looked up to the sky. 'The hanging lights seemed to blend in with the stars at this angle.' she thought. Strife dipped her ever so lightly as they did a slow spin. Looking to Strife, Nightmare asked "Strife you said it was a special occasion. Would you be so kind to tell me or remind me what it is?"
"Sorry, but that's a surprise." He responded with a smirk.
"Oh is it?" Nightmare moon asked with a sly tone.
"Yes, but tonight isn't over just yet, we have all night, and then some." He said happily.
"And then some?" Nightmare moon asked confused.
"I manage to make the night last a little bit longer."
"W-what! How did you do that with out without Celestia finding out?" She asked with disbelief.
"Well Moonie, That is for me to know, and for you to find out." He said with a cocky almost evil grin.
"Gah! You just love pushing my buttons don't you?" She said agitatedly.
"Only as much as you love to push mine." He said with a laugh.
Letting out a sigh Nightmare let out a small laugh. "Karma?" She asked with a raise of her brow.
"Karma." Strife confirmed. They both gave a laugh at that. Not to long after it started, their laughter slowly died down. Sighing Nightmare Moon rested her head on Strife's shoulder. "Nightmare, thank you."
"What for?" She asked, head still on his shoulder.
"For accepting this dance." He said as they danced, dipped, and swayed to the music. Closing his eyes a smiled made it's my onto his lips. "It means more than you could imagine."
"I think you underestimate me." She said as she took her head off of his shoulder. She looked into Strife's eyes and fluttered her own. "Without you I surely would have gone mad." She said coyly. Then the music picked up. The pegasus slid his bow across the strings, ruffly. Then the rest of the statues' music exploded as Nightmare Moon closed her eyes. Leaning in she kissed Strife and his eyes went wide, they stopped dancing and Strife stood there stunned. Blinking a few times he broke free from his trance, closing his own eyes he leaned into the kiss. Once the kiss ended they were both panting for breath. The music slowed once more as Nightmare Moon rested her head onto Strife's shoulder once more. Then they danced continued to dance until the song ended. After ending the statues stopped playing and turned back into just ordinary stone, but the two dancers kept dancing.
They held each other closer, as if they never wanted to let one another go. Neither of them talked once the music ended, each other's heartbeat and breath being enough music for one another. After what felt like forever they stopped dancing, both of them however secretly wished forever could of lasted just a little bit longer.
"So yeah." Strife said rubbing the back of his head with a claw.
"Yeah." Nightmare Moon said rubbing the back of her neck with a hoof.
"Heh. So I had another thing I wanted to show you." He said holding out his paw. "Wanna see it?"
Nightmare moon looked at Strife then to his paw. Taking his paw she nodded.
"Then let us be off." He said with a smile.
Snap.