Twilights Mane Passion

by Darkonshadows

96

Applejack, Ditzy and Rainbow were all off making sure Sunset Shimmer didn’t get terribly hurt. Applejack was a tough pony and could handle herself and was good at tracking varmints down, Sunset was definitely an ornery one. Ditsy was raised in the Ever Free Forest until she was eight, long story short she would be perfectly fine asking her mother and father if they’ve seen a grumpy pony wandering the forest. Rainbow knew the path to the castle and if Sunset strayed from it, she’d be able to find her quickly if Ditzy’s parents didn’t first.

At the town hall in Ponyville, Rarity had just finished complimenting Fluttershy on her adorable outfit when the mayor announced Princess Celestia. The stars outside moved to the moon and the mares image disappeared, that was when the dark smoke started rolling in and the mayor signaled that it was Luna to every pony.

“Well at least she knows how to make an entrance, let’s just hope she doesn’t start a monologue.” Tress whispered aside to Twilight as they stood near the snack table. “It’s one of the most annoying things a villain will do.”

“Oh come on, she’s not a comic book villain Tress. She’s just a princess that’s missed a thousand years of progress after letting jealousy consume her, she’s not about to do something like that.” Twilight whispered back.

“Ten bits says she does, also that her laugh is nowhere as good as Tress’s evil laugh.” A few ponies took up Lyra on her bets as Luna finished coalescing into existence with a flourish and a flap or two of her wings.

One major part of the plan was that Celestia’s guards didn’t cause problems, so they were still outside unaware of what was going on here. The mayor had thankfully made sure they stayed outside.

Starry blue mane and tail, black coat and a blue moon cutie mark surrounded by purple splotches. Her blue green eyes were draconic in nature and they looked down upon all the ponies before her. Her gaze went throughout the room, no pony seem particularly surprised at her appearance and were all looking at her with… smiles? Something weird was going on here; she shook her head and decided to start her spiel.

“Oh my beloved subjects, it has been so long since I have seen your precious sun loving faces.” Nightmare Moon started off, still feeling a bit awkward at all the ponies paying an especially large amount of attention to her. It was making her really skittish, she decided to giggle it off and it didn’t sound particularly as evil as Tress’s insane laughter. Lyra got a few bits from some of the surrounding ponies after that since her voice just sounded cute. “Why, am I not royal enough for you, don’t you know who I am?”

“Hello Princess Luna!” Every single pony in the room including Tress shouted cheerfully in unison, causing Nightmare Moon to balk and back away from all of them.

“What… did you all just say?” Nightmare Moon teleported to the floor in confusion and glared at the ponies they all gathered around her. Instead of being scared off by her angry countenance, three foals and a baby dragon cuddled up to her hugging her legs, it confused the ever loving snot out of her. She gently shook them off of herself.

“Welcome back from the moon Princess Luna.” Twilight said making her way forward, first plan befriend the crap out of her. She bowed to the princess and could see the shocked look on the Nightmare Moon’s face. “It certainly has been a long time hasn’t it.”

“Thou will tell thee what is going on and I am Nightmare Moon!” Nightmare Moon threw her hooves up in the air angrily and none of the ponies reacted in fear, only sadness and sympathy, which bothered her a great deal.

“Well Luna, wouldn’t it be bad for night to be eternal? Daytime isn’t eternal and you already know it and to be fair it truly hasn’t been your night for an entire millennium.” Looking outside Twilight stared wistfully at the bright glowing full moon. “It’s good to meet you, because ponies of the world can see a full moon again. The light of the beautiful night has returned to us all. Even if we fail to reach you now, it’ll be a beautiful end for us. If only you’d let go of your anger for the slight you thought was done to you.”

“A slight, is that what you think made me angry?” Nightmare Moon approached looking down on Twilight who bravely stood her ground. “Neigh, I was ignored and forgotten while my sister was revered by our subjects.”

“You were never really forgotten Luna. You just need listen better to hear our hearts.” It had taken some nudging before Fluttershy got the idea of what Tress wanted her to do, she shyly approached the princess. She at least understood why she was wearing the maid outfit now, it was really comfortable.

“Oh, pray tell how you explain the attention to those who think me the lesser of two equals!?” Despite Luna’s roar of anger, Fluttershy walked up to her with maid dress bouncing each step of the way and then she pulled Luna into a soft comforting snuggle. Nightmare Moon tried to deny the warmth that filled her, the feeling of compassion spreading through her body and the beauty of the mare that was making her feel happy instead of bitter.

“Luna, have you truly become as heartless as to harm even little fillies? There are still tales of the past where ponies slept outside under the moon knowing that it was safe with you watching over them.” The maid outfit was embarrassing; even then Fluttershy continued talking barely above a whisper while holding Luna and she started to cry a little. “Did you ever bother to try and talk to them as the night was coming before they slept or just after they even woke up before dawn? Do you really care about acknowledgment or were you just being selfish? Did you truly even think of your past subjects? They needed their rest; they were not tireless as you or your sister. It was said a thousand years ago Celestia actually talked to her subjects, where it was said that you were the one ignoring them.”

Nightmare Moon winced at the questions. She put a hoof up to her head, her right eye changed to a normal looking pony eye blue as the sky; it quickly flickered back to its draconic appearance. Instead of roughly shoving Fluttershy away she slowly pushed the gentle pony off of herself, something about the butter yellow pegasus was causing her heart to quicken. She was a beautiful pony, dressed in fabrics both black and white which was oddly attractive on her form.

“Did you watch ponies during the day Luna; did you notice that not all of them frolicked all the time? When you attacked Celestia and proclaimed the night would last forever, did you think of what that would do to the ponies that trusted you with their safety back then?” Continuing to hammer home the point Twilight made sure that Luna knew she had become her own worst monster. “You became a monster in their eyes and rightfully so, after you were sealed away many ponies were stricken. They even started a celebration called Nightmare Night because of it, it’s a holiday that paints you in a bad light and it was not Celestia’s idea before you ask. For years after your downfall ponies had unceasing nightmares that Celestia could not personally deal with. The EUP was soon formed, a group made to protect the remaining princess of Equestria and the many ponies left exposed to all forms of danger in your absence. Your sister ferried your moon and the sun for a thousand years without complaint doing twice the work, millions of ponies likely died because you weren’t there to protect them. The years of your absence are definitely not forgotten; those that truly missed you started jobs and businesses that required them to be awake at night. Those jobs and recreations still exist nowadays.”

“They… missed me? I caused them all nightmares? Ponies died… because of me.” Nightmare Moon frowned splotches of her coat turned a lighter shade before darkening again, she took a few steps back shaking her head. “What are these recreations and jobs you speak of?”

“I can answer that Loony.” Vinyl stepped up to the princess threw a hoof around her, off to the side Octavia could be groaning before she moved to stop Vinyl from making a large mess of things only to be held back by Bonbon. “You see the night became a time where many ponies came together to think about things. Ponies use telescopes to look up at the stars. There are these guys, bards I think, that created fancy poetry about it. It’s considered a romantic time for two ponies to get together. There are rare flowers that can only be found growing at night that makes healing medicines and gardeners started cultivating them in the dark; I learned that one from my friend Octaves.”

“Your manner of speaking is strange and yet as of the night as if it was your domain.” Nightmare Moon just watched as Vinyl nod with a smile before moving back over to Octavia, she turned to Twilight. “Still I sense there is something you are not telling me!”

“Celestia made a plan for your return Luna; she would have a group of ponies activate the elements of harmony. To force you back to being her little sister, one that she still loves dearly.” Seeing the anger that flashed on the dark mares face, Twilight slowly trailed into what was happening now with complete honesty. “I’ve derailed that plan thoroughly already; those who were supposed to use the elements will never do so. I don’t believe we need to use the elements of harmony to force you to be some pony you’re not Luna. You chose this path and if it’s what truly you want then that’s up to you; I personally will not take that choice from you.”

Luna paused in her anger; all these ponies were not here as part of a plan made by her sister? They weren’t going to use the elements of harmony on her like her sister did to her so long ago? Her sister did have a valid reason to seal her away, but why not as a statue like Discord? Why the moon of all places? She was sealed inside her own celestial domain, a place that would be of some comfort to her instead of sitting in one place where harmony could be seen thriving without her. Had her sister truly been trying to protect her from the same torture they put Discord under? Slowly, her doubt at what she thought she knew to be true started breaking through the inky darkness.

Many ponies watched on as her cutie mark slowly painstakingly morphed into a white moon and the purple splotches started turning black as if the moonlight could not be dimmed by the darkness that surrounded it. Even the regalia, in its dark form, started reacting to her slow change by becoming less threatening in appearance, only after a moment did something snap.

Her moon became half blue and half white; the purple still coloring her flank was the hidden poison in her heart; only half of it fled her as she accepted the fact that she had wronged her subjects. There was still something inside Luna that refused to let go of her hatred completely and it appeared she was fighting herself over it.

Twilight watched in confusion as she had thought they had gotten through to Luna, only for her to grip her head and a lot of ponies shouted out to her in worry while moving towards her. Luna stomped her hooves and all the ponies backed away looking to be worried for her instead of afraid, she frowned at the ponies with worried expressions. They feared for her, the feeling was… welcoming… including from the beautiful maiden and her heart gave an odd painful twinge at even hurting one so innocent.

“She reminds me of myself. All lonely and confused while lashing out at everything around her. We haven’t exactly introduced ourselves and she looks like she really could use a friend right about now.” If there was one thing Tress knew about Twilight, like Pinkie she was always willing to befriend new ponies and put an effort into doing it. Her friend’s eyes gleamed with little sparkling motes and she knew that Twilight would eventually end up attending Luna’s mane at some point in the future.

“Luna, I apologize for being so rude as to not tell you my name. I’m Twilight Sparkle and these are all my friends.” Twilight gave a wide sweep of her hoof at all of the other ponies in the room, male, female, young and old. “This is my best friend Tress Ravel and this is Fluttershy. Can you tell me what’s wrong? We just want to help.”

“There is still much anger in my heart. I can forgive ponies of the past for I see the fault was mine, but thyself and thy sister I find harder to forgive… Twilight, was it?” Saying the name eased some of her hearts suffering, she looked at the three mares that smiled at her so pleasantly alongside every other pony there. “I am not exactly safe to be around at this moment, please leave.”

“No, you need help now more than ever princess! History has waited so long for you to return and we’re not losing you again!” Twilight, Tress and Fluttershy tried to approach her but were blown back by an explosively powerful cry. Princess Luna certainly had a set of lungs on her to create a powerful noise of sorrow like that; it left her body muddled between her personification of Nightmare Moon the doom bringer and Luna the protector.

“Luna, I’m sorry for what I’m about to do to you. I hope that you’ll forgive me afterwards, but I’m going to beat the rest of that darkness out of you now.” Tress calmly looked to an injured Twilight on the floor lying on her side. Twilight had been the closest to Luna and had been hurt the most by the ancient voice. Slowly Tress’s eyes started to bleed from their blue to green and red. “Citizens of Ponyville I’ve long since held a secret, I’m sorry you had to find out this way. Please get to a safe distance, hopefully to a well fortified building.”

The last all the ponies saw of Tress; she just flickered and disappeared leaving behind a large hole in the wall. She had just rammed an alicorn giving her one hundred percent from the start.

Comments

[Mad Maudlin]

*raises hand*

Having just run across this story, could someone give me a short summary of what it's about? Twilight has a hair fetish or something?

I'd like to know what I'm getting into before digging into 200k+ words

[unknownwisdom]

4602199
kind of twilight finds a book on magic pertaining to mane care it resulted in her having a different understanding of magic and things spiral from there.
she doesn't surge during her exam meaning Celestia doesn't notice her and she doesn't become Celestia's student
spike is hatched female and named barb.
she animates Smart E. Pants into a miniature pixie pony
she accidentals pulls her best friend out of a comic
fluttershy moves in with twilight in canterlot
through all of this she does have a mane fetish but it is a fairly minor part she is also gay (and Fluttershy)

the story is mostly random but still mantains a destict plot

[TGM]

Oh hey, this looks inters—

>200,000 words

>almost 100 chapters

Hah! Nope!

[Olinn]

4602673 ?? you don't like stories with depth? there was a time when i wouldn't even consider a story unless it had 100k+ words.

[TGM]

4602693 some of us don't like taking the time to read a 100k + word fic. Please don't misunderstand me, it looks like a good fic, and I'm not hating on it, but I think I would have been more likely to read it as it was being created rather than spend the amount of time it would take me to read this, I'm far enough behind on my favorites as is

[Sporkz]

Inb4 Sunset Shimmer ruins everything.

[Xaldon Ajide]

4602199 Ask me if you want a longer explanation sent via PM than 4602282 .

4602758 you're right.

[Darkus Relling]

ALICORN PARTY!