The Night Mare's Nightmareby kudzuhaikuChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 1Author's Note This will be a short story. It will be dark, disturbing, and unpleasant. It will have themes that are bound to be disliked, painful to read, and even hated. But it is a story that is stuck in my head and must be told. This is more or less to satisfy my own itch to tell a story, and I didn't write this for anyone other than myself... but I did decide to share it. I wrote this out of a wishful desire for justice in the world. Chapter 1 Disturbed. Princess Luna felt disturbed. Unable to sleep, Princess Luna stalked the hallways of Canterlot Castle, her eyes red and bleary. With each step her shoes struck sparks upon the marble tile floor. Unable to sleep, Luna prowled about in a terrible mood. It was the dream again. The same horrible dream again. Halting mid step, Princess Luna’s whole body tensed as she shuddered and closed her eyes, trying to make the memory of her nightmare go away. When she opened her eyes again, the memory was still there, and along with it, the confusing jumble of emotions. Was it even a dream? Princess Luna did not know. It all felt so real. Each of these dreams felt too real. And in these dreams, Luna had no power to make them stop, no control over them, no means to wake herself up. Luna did not know what was more terrifying; the content of the dream or the feeling of being powerless, having to go along and endure the dream as it happened. Coming around a corner, Princess Luna saw a familiar sight. A painting of her and her sister, a piece of art just finished not long ago. She had seen it seven times previous and this was the eighth. Eight trips around the castle. Eight laps around the outer expanses, through the many twisting hallways. Dropping her head, Princess Luna came to a halt, took a deep breath, and then let it out in a pained sigh. She felt exhausted. It was more mental than physical. Everything between her ears ached. Standing before the painting, Princess Luna tried to make her mind stop thinking. Are you really a pony princess? It had been such a strange question, so full of innocence and curiousity, asked during a moment of what had to be horror. Feeling cold, Luna shivered, closed her eyes, and tried to make the lump in her throat go away. When I feel him climbing on top of me, I let myself drift off and I float away. The thought made her stomach churn and her heart ache. Princess Luna tasted bile in the back of her throat as she thought about her dreams of a little human girl that dreamed of a pony princess to escape her own nightmare. It was a dream, or at least Luna hoped it was. It was too real, too raw, and too painful to think about. If what Luna was experiencing was reality, Luna wasn’t certain she wanted to deal with reality anymore. Looking up at the painting, Luna saw her sister looking back at her. Celestia’s eyes were merry and Celestia had her tongue sticking out. It was a painting that very few ponies saw, the public seldom had access to these particular corridors. Luna had stuck her own tongue out for the painting and the artist had captured the silliness of the moment, preserving it on canvas. This time, staring at the painting helped. Feeling a little better, her heart not so heavy, Princess Luna returned to her aerie with the hope of slumber on her mind. “He came into my room again.” Drifting among the stars, there was nothing that Princess Luna could do. She was a prisoner here in this place, a spectator, her only action was to watch. She looked at the small human girl drifting through the stars with her, a creature from beyond the mirror. Princess Luna felt a growing sadness as she looked at the small helpless looking little girl with red hair, pale white skin, green eyes and more freckles on her face than there were stars in the sky. “I felt him pushing me down and then he was on top of me. He pushed my face down into my bed and then he started hurting my bottom again. Why does he keep doing this?” Blinking, Luna did not know what to say. Inside of her, her rage came to a low simmer. “You seem quiet.” “You must forgive me, I do not know what to say.” “I like these dreams. When I am here, I can’t feel him hurting me. My daddy says he loves me over and over in my ear but he keeps hurting me as he’s saying it.” This was the worst sort dream. It had enough realism to be painful, enough truth to cause agonising pain, and enough horror to bring about the worst sort of fear. Luna felt her jaw muscles clench and she worried that her teeth might shatter from the sudden force placed upon them. She suffered a worrisome mental image of it happening and felt a cold rush of terror stab through her bowels. “There are no talking ponies where I live. Just regular ponies and horsies. This is how I know I’m dreaming, there is a talking pony princess that keeps me company after I drift away.” This felt like madness. Luna was dreaming of a little human girl that was dreaming of Luna. “Maeve, I am a princess. I am Princess Luna of the land of Equestria—” “And it’s full of talking ponies. I wish I could go there. Anywhere is better than here.” Heaving a sigh, Princess Luna realised that neither dreamer fully believed in the other. The thought was troubling, it weighed heavy in her mind, and something about this realisation disturbed her. “Maeve, tell me more about yourself,” Princess Luna said in a low voice, after she had made a decision to explore this madness to its depths. “My name is Maeve Rosethicket and I live on the island town of Pemberton. I just had my eleventh birthday and I go to Chapelwood Elementary School. Six months ago, my mother died and my daddy says he gets real lonesome without her and I look just like her and it makes him hurt down in his pants when he looks at me.” “Have you tried telling anyone what is happening?” Luna asked. “Daddy says I have to keep this a secret. If told someone about how he hurts my bottom, he said that mean people would take me away just to hurt him and then he’d die from being lonesome,” Maeve replied. “You have told me.” “You’re not real. You’re just a dream, a figment of my imagination. You’re a talking pony princess.” “Do you have any friends?” “I am a redheaded girl with too many freckles. I don’t have any friends.” The girl’s reply caused an overwhelming sensation of confusion for Luna and Luna shook her head in reaction. “Why would red hair matter?” “Try being a red haired little girl instead of a pony princess.” Maeve tented her fingers together as she drifted through the starry void with Princess Luna. The stars dimmed and Luna felt a peculiar pulling sensation on her body. She did not want this dream to end. If the girl was real, Luna did not want the girl to wake up. At least here, in this dream, the girl was safe from harm. “I think I’m waking up. Goodbye, Princess Luna.” Maeve waved her hand at Luna. “I’m sorry, but I have to make you disappear for a while. I’ll dream about you again soon!” There was a dull thudding between Luna’s ears. The sun, still high in the sky, burned her eyes. Following her sister’s advice, Luna was now spending some time in the royal gardens, hoping that the time spent among the greenery would bring some serenity. Sitting among the flowers and the buzzing bees, Luna considered two possibilities. The dream was real. Or… The dream was not real. Either option presented troubling issues. If the dream was real, Princess Luna was witnessing the suffering of a little red haired eleven year old girl from a place called Pemberton, and the dream was a refuge for the girl’s mind while the girl’s body endured unspeakable abuse from one who should know better. Fathers had a sacred obligation to protect their daughters from all harm. To make matters worse, real or not, the dream presented a problem; Princess Luna had no control over the dream. She was powerless. She had no authority. She had no means to wake herself, no means of asserting her will, there was nothing that Luna could do. Dreams were her dominion. In dreams, Luna was the supreme authority. She made dreams for others. She was the source of all dreams. All of them it seemed, except for this one. For a moment, Luna wondered if perhaps she really was the figment of imagination in an eleven year old human girl’s mind. She watched a bumblebee go buzzing past and wondered for a moment what was real. Princess Luna was a talking pony princess from the land of Equestria. It seemed like a reasonable thing to be. Maeve Rosethicket was a human girl from the land beyond the mirror, a land with little to no magic. Twilight Sparkle had found a strange magic beyond the mirror, but Twilight Sparkle was magic. There was no way that a human girl could or would have any magic, any means of reaching Luna, and with this logic in mind, it was safe to assume that the girl could not be real and these dreams were just troubling dreams. In which Luna found herself powerless and unable to escape. Which led Luna back to the beginning of her conundrum. The dream had a troubling amount of realism and a number of problematic elements that had to be addressed. Shuddering, Luna was not certain she could face these troubling thoughts on her own. There seemed to be no way to deal with this problem but to endure it, and Luna’s endurance seemed to be slipping. Rising up off of her haunches, Luna departed the gardens and went in search of her sister. The larger sister looked at the smaller and felt pity. Celestia could see that Luna looked terrible. With heaviness in her heart, Celestia wondered what could be done about this situation. Luna had poured out her heart, her thoughts, and there were several times that Celestia had been forced to make Luna stop babbling. “How long has this been going on?” Celestia asked, trying to fill in the gaps of information that she did not know. “About three weeks,” Luna replied in a dull voice. “It started off infrequently, but quickly grew into a regular occurrence. Now it seems to happen every time I go to sleep.” Pursing her lips together, Celestia wickered, making an equine sound of worry as she continued to study her sister, Luna. Her sister looked tired, her eyes were red, and there was enough baggage under poor Luna’s eyes to take a trip to the fabled city of Oasis in the San Palomino desert. “This is becoming a bigger crisis than you realise sister,” Luna said in a flat monotone. “Why is that?” Celestia asked in a low voice that was filled with concern. She watched her sister’s every movement. Every eye blink, every muscle spasm, every ear twitch, Celestia watched everything almost as if the answer was right here in front of her and she just wasn't looking hard enough to find it. “When I have these dreams, all of my consciousness exists within the dream. All of me. None of me exists anywhere else, I have no awareness of other dreams around me. This is keeping me from my duties and pulling me out of the dreamscape. How can I safeguard our subjects if I am trapped within a nightmare of my own making?” “Or trapped in the dream of an eleven year old girl.” Celestia’s eyes narrowed as she spoke, she hated saying the words that had just come out of her mouth, but she had to acknowledge all possibilities. “This has become a serious matter. I too, am at a loss for what to do.” “I have considered the possibility that something is attacking us… some unknown foe, some devious threat that is pulling me into a dream that I cannot escape so that they may infiltrate unnoticed into our midst.” “Sister, that thought frightens me.” Princess Celestia looked into Luna’s bloodshot teal eyes. “Luna, I would like for you to visit Twilight Sparkle. Perhaps Twilight could study you as you sleep. See if there is some strange magic. Some unknown force. Perhaps she can unravel this mystery.” “Then I shall leave to see Twilight Sparkle as soon as possible. I am in need of rest.” Chapter 2Princess Twilight Sparkle’s library castle of friendship felt empty. Princess Luna detested this place, much preferring Twilight Sparkle’s old home, the library tree. This place was cold, cavernous, and was the breeding ground for echoes, plaguing those who had booming voices. “Twilight Sparkle.” “Luna.” Both mares exchanged a glance and a nod with one another. It was all of the recognition that either of them needed. Each knew who the other was, titles only served to muddle the clarity of what was already known and established. “I am already hard at work solving this bizarre issue. I sent a message though the portal mirror to my friends. Princess Celestia sent me all of the information you sent her. Maeve Rosethicket, age eleven, who lives on Pemberton Island, and attends Chapelwood Elementary School.” Twilight Sparkle paused, stepped forwards towards Luna, and began to examine Luna’s face before she continued speaking. “I asked my friends on the other side of the mirror for a little favour. To see if they can contact the authorities. For all we know, this issue might already be resolved.” Drawing in a deep breath, Luna closed her eyes and hoped for the best. Opening her eyes, Luna let her breath out as she said, “Thank you, Twilight Sparkle.” “Meanwhile, as we wait to see how this develops, we need to continue addressing the problem. I have read through Princess Celestia’s report a number of times now. I must confess, the symptoms are troubling. No control at all, no means to escape, an absolute loss of your power.” Feeling too tired to make a verbal response, Princess Luna nodded. “You know Luna, there have been times where I have felt weak and powerless. I didn’t know what to do and I thought about giving up. Every time I was stuck in a situation where I had no control, it ended up being a moment of greatness. When Discord returned and all my friends were turned against me. When I accidently switched all of my friends cutie marks and our lives seemed to be damaged beyond repair. When I had to go through the mirror to find the Element of Magic after Sunset Shimmer stole it… each of these opportunities became a chance at personal growth. I became a better pony after having endured each of these events.” Taking a moment to consider Twilight Sparkle’s words, Luna nodded. “Thank you, Twilight Sparkle. After hearing you say that, I do actually feel better.” “As bad as this seems right now, this might be the beginning of something great. Something grand. But I will admit, from the details Princess Celestia has given me… this seems very dark. I won’t give up on you and we’ll face this together, somehow.” Raising an eyebrow, Luna gave Twilight an exhausted smirk. “This is why you are the Princess of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle.” Sipping a calming cup of chamomile, Luna watched the portal mirror and waited. Every now and then, the smooth surface would ripple and then hum, Luna would feel her hopes rising, but then, nothing would happen. There were books piled everywhere. There were books in crates, piled in stacks upon the floor, books in carts, books in small wagons, books still in canvass courier bags, and even books arranged into what appeared to be a small fortress that was just big enough for a pony to hide inside. Curled up in a chair, Princess Luna felt the need to rest her head for a moment. She set down her teacup upon a small stone table that was beside her, squirmed in her chair while trying to find the always elusive comfortable spot that could be found in all chairs, if one looked long enough, and then lay her head down upon the overstuffed arm. It was quite comfortable. After laying her head down, Luna yawned once, then twice, and then by accident, Luna drifted off into the realms of sleep, becoming a prisoner trapped within her own domain once more. This was the room of a little filly, a little girl, the terms were interchangeable, the room was distinctive to something young and feminine. No matter where you were, some things remained the same. There was a faint smell of perfume, of soap, a teasing whiff in the air. On a bedside table, there was a picture of a little red haired girl and a red haired woman, their similarity was striking. There were shelves upon the wall, and on the shelves there were dolls as well as stuffed animals. They sat all together, all of them facing the bed, and for one moment, Luna imagined that their expressions were all of wide eyed horror. After Luna blinked once, the animals just seemed apathetic as they stared at the bed, their little button eyes lacked warmth or even a soul that would allow them to feel empathy for whatever it was they bore silent witness to. The bedspread was pink with a sunny yellow and orange trim. The room was cheerful, beautiful, the brass bed frame held a warm glow. There was a wooden desk in the corner, the wood was well polished, and sitting on the desk was a collection of snowglobes. A lone doll sat on the desk, a small tattered thing with only one eye, matted hair, and clothing that was little more than rags. This was the sanctum of a little girl, the sort of place where little girls go to escape the world, this room was a chrysalis where a little girl might hide as she sorted out her thoughts, dreamed her dreams, made plans for the future, and then one day, when she stepped through the door, she did so as a mare, or as a woman in this case, ready to face the world and do what needed to be done. The many dolls, the many stuffed animals, all surrogates, all dreams of future foals, future children, the imagined need that seemed inherent to be caretakers, learning the first skills that would eventually make them mothers. This was a sacred place, a place responsible for incubating a functioning member of society, and Luna felt a growing sense of horror for knowing its secrets. This was the worst sort of nightmare, seeing the illusion of innocence, the false veneer of goodness, the thin patina of normalcy, but knowing what really went on within this seeming sanctuary. For a moment, the room changed, becoming dark, and Luna saw moonlight streaming through the window. The well made bed was a mess and two figures were in the bed, one on top of the other, one pinning the other down, one larger, one smaller, much smaller, and there were soft, whimpering cries muffled by a pillow, frenzied grunting, and heavy breathing. The bed springs creaked. The scent of blood lingered in the air. A leather belt lay looped upon the floor, and a pair of pants had been thrown over the chair that stood by the desk. When Luna blinked, the room was normal again, the bed made, the bed empty, and the room had regained its appearance of innocence. Luna blinked once more and the room suffered its nightmare shift. “I love you… I love you… I love you…” The words were panted, grunted, they were guttural lies spoken during frenzied lust. Hearing them made Luna feel sick. It was the worst sort of betrayal, one of the most terrible acts that Luna could think of, a violation of sacred trust, a unkept oath, a broken promise . And Luna was forced to watch. She closed her eyes, willing the image to go away, and when she opened them once more, the horrid scene was still playing out. Pained squeals filled Luna’s ears, the sort of sounds that drove one to madness, and Luna was powerless to make it stop. Oh how she wanted it to stop. This violation was now upon her body as well, in her mind, and she was every bit as trapped as the little girl in the bed, being savaged by her own father. Luna closed her eyes once more, trying to make the dream end, trying to summon all of her willpower. The world around her warped and shifted, there was horrendous, penetrating pain, and a feeling of suffocation. Luna realised that the perspective had shifted. She was now the one face down in the bed, and she felt everything. The wet softness of the bedsheets against her skin. The dreadful weight of the body atop her. The piercing pain that lanced between her legs and bored through her guts. The horrible feeling of shame, of disgust, and the worst feeling of all. Love. Buried under all of the other feelings, buried under the revulsion, the agony, crushed beneath the many other emotions, at the bottom of the pile, love still existed. It was one of the worst things Luna had ever experienced. The little girl still loved her father. Even as drool dribbled down the back of her neck, even as there was frenzied hot breathing against her ear, even as she suffocated from not getting enough air because her face was crushed into the pillow, even as she felt as though her scalp would be torn free as four fingers and thumb clutched her hair in a balled up fist and shoved her down, Luna still felt the weak, fragile spark of love. Love was like the little girl, held down, buried, violated ,and smothered, almost to the point of death. Luna awoke with a snort, the nightmare still fresh in her mind. Her skin felt cold and clammy. She was soaked with sweat, covered in an equine foamy lather, and the chair she had dozed in was drenched. Overcome with emotion, Luna began crying, soft muffled sobs that she tried to hold in, tried to keep to herself, she didn’t want anypony hearing. Rising from the chair, Luna’s horn blazed with blue light for a moment. The chair became dry. Another spell dried her pelt. Luna lifted her teacup, gulped down the remains of her tea, which was now cold and made bitter. The portal hummed for a moment, the room filled with a thrum, it made Luna’s eyes vibrate in a most unpleasant manner, and a strange sensation coursed through her teeth. As the peculiar sensation intensified to the point of being more painful than annoying, a single ivory coloured envelope popped through the portal and then drifted down to the floor. Luna wiped away her tears with her foreleg as she stood looking at it. A disembodied bell rang. As Luna stood there, still trying to recover from her ordeal, Twilight Sparkle came through the doorway, saw the letter, and her eyes widened in hopeful surprise. Twilight Sparkle’s horn glowed magenta, the letter lifted, held in magenta bonds, and it was torn open with gentle, careful force. A sheet of paper was pulled out and Twilight Sparkle held the paper up to read it. After waiting for a dreadful moment, Princess Luna asked, “Well, Twilight Sparkle, what does it say?” Twilight Sparkle’s face became crestfallen. She slumped, her wings drooping at her sides. Her eyelids hung heavy over her eyes, and the corners of her mouth sagged, as if pulled down by some horrible, heavy, unseen force. “Dearest Twilight Sparkle,” Twilight said as she began read the letter. “After a thorough search through the internet and checking many maps, there is no Pemberton Island township and there is no Chapelwood Elementary School. Neither of those things exist here. We’re sorry that we could not be of more help, but we tried. We’re still looking with the hopes that a mistake was made, but we thought we would inform you of the results that we had found. With much love, your friend, now and forever, Sunset Shimmer.” Twilight Sparkle paused, her eyes moving over the paper, and then continued: “Postscript, Pinkie Pie says to remember to smile, no matter how dark things seem. Things have a funny way of working themselves out.” Confusion crept over Luna and the cold, clammy feeling she had intensified. “So… the dream is not real?” “Either that, or we are dealing with a different reality.” Twilight Sparkle’s face became wizened with worry. “I don’t know what is going on, but I am determined to do all that I can to help you.” “Thank you, Twilight Sparkle…” Chapter 3Resist. Feeling conflicted, Princess Luna knew that going to sleep was the only way to sort this out, but she did not want to go to sleep. The feeling of violation was still with her from her last dream. That dream had been different than all of the dreams previous, and Luna hoped that it was not a sign of things to come. Luna was terrified of a future of dreams where that sort of violation happened and she had no power, no means to protect herself, no method available to make it stop. An unwilling thought crept into her mind, a dark and horrible thought, a bleak and depressing thought. Humans had short lifespans. This was bound to end in some form or another. “Okay Luna… using the mirror, I’ve made a sort of catch-all that I hope will work to detect dimensional rifts. I don’t actually know if this will work just yet, so we might not get it right on the first try… or it might not work at all. But if this works as I hope it will, we might be able to detect dimensional protrusions as realities begin to overlap. Maybe. If all goes well. If it all goes bad, I might cause reality to collapse in upon itself.” “What?” Luna turned to look at Twilight Sparkle. “Oh… did I say that last part out loud? I’m sorry… that was supposed to be my internal dialogue. Don’t worry, the chances of that are so infinitesimally small…” Twilight lapsed into a nervous titter. “It only took me two tries to calculate them instead of taking dozens of attempts to determine the miniscule odds, so, uh, nothing to worry about, I assure you.” Blinking, feeling alarmed, Princess Luna did not feel reassured by Twilight Sparkle’s words. This was not the sort of calm, comforting conversation that was conducive to a good sleep. There was more nervous laughter from Twilight Sparkle and a sheepish grin as well. Looking at Twilight, Luna did not feel as optimistic about this as she should. “Twilight, do you think it is possible for humans to have magic?” Luna asked as she watched Twilight scribble something down inside of a notebook. “Strong magic I mean. Sorcery. I know what happened to you on the other side of the mirror, but this seems different somehow. I do not know how to put it into words.” The quill ceased to move and the faint scratching sound it produced went silent. Twilight lifted up her head, her expression thoughtful. “Humans have stories about magic, magical creatures, wizards, they even tell stories of unicorns and pegasi, but they stopped believing in magic, or most of them did, and magic seemed to go away as human belief gave way to rationalism. I don’t know… it doesn’t seem rational to to refuse to believe in magic.” “What if human beings still had magic, some of them anyway, but did not know how to control it? Like a unicorn foal with reflexive magic.” Allowing herself to be distracted, Luna began to look at the many books in the room. So many different colours of bindings, so many titles, so many names. Books allowed an author immortality, of a sort. A collection of thoughts arranged into words, a means to communicate and share ideas even after death had claimed them. Books were a magic all their own. “I suppose anything is possible.” Twilight tilted her head sideways as she pondered Luna’s question. “I used to scoff at the idea that friendship could be magical.” Moving, her head held low, Princess Luna began to pace around the bed that Twilight Sparkle had moved into the portal chamber. The fresh bedding smelled of lavender and hibiscus. Looking at the bed, Luna felt her stomach tighten. It was like having centipedes crawl over the soft, tender, exposed flesh of one’s belly, little prickles, hundreds of them, a lingering sensation of pure ickiness. Much like a recalcitrant foal, Princess Luna did not want to go to bed. Sensing Luna’s hesitation, Twilight Sparkle’s face became pinched with fretful concern. Splaying out sideways, Twilight’s ears expressed her inner emotions and her eyes appeared to be as heavy as her ears. Her whole face was tugged down by the invisible weight of fear and worry for Luna. She took a single step closer, her drooping tail sliding around her hind legs as she moved forwards, and then she stood with her front hooves almost touching one another, her neck bowed, and her posture, combined with her facial expression, made Twilight appear to be struggling to stand up. As Luna stared at the bed, she realised she had something in common with Maeve. A fear of going bed, a phobia of what might happen next once the body settled down against the soft, smooth, cool sheets that slid against the skin as one slipped between the mattress and the blankets. With this realisation, the bed became a waiting maw, a hungry orifice waiting to devour Luna, swallowing her and sending her down into the blackness. Luna’s control over her emotions slipped, her guard dropped; she let out a fearful whimper, a soft pained sound that was very foalish, a wordless communication of fear, apprehension, and anxiety. Hearing Luna, Twilight Sparkle felt her own spirits dropping. This seemed bad. Luna was afraid, and Twilight Sparkle had never known Luna to be afraid of anything. “I’ll be right here to watch over you, Luna. I promise I will not leave this room, I will stay with you until you wake,” Twilight Sparkle said in a soft voice, the same voice that she used to reassure and comfort Spike when he was feeling dejected, hurt, or afraid. It was a voice that few ponies ever heard. When Luna at last worked up enough nerve to reply, her voice was shrill. “Thank you. The fear is overwhelming. I do not know if I can deal with it.” There was the sound of claws tapping on the stone floor and Spike waddled forwards towards Luna, clutching a small, white stuffed pony in his arms. The dragon looked solemn, worried, but somehow brave as well. He approached Luna, raised his arms, and held the stuffed white pony aloft. Her eyes narrowing, Luna saw that it was a small, stuffed Rarity doll. It appeared to be well loved, somewhat threadbare, and some of the velveteen had been rubbed away by many hugs. “This always helps me feel brave,” Spike said, still holding the stuffed pony aloft, offering it to Luna. “Rarity made this for me, she said she made it so she would always be there for me when I needed her.” Twilight Sparkle felt her eyes watering. “I was listening outside of the door… I’m sorry… I was worried.” Spike felt his Rarity doll pulled from his claws and he gave it a final, loving pat as Luna took it. “Thank you, Spike… of all of the dragons I have met, you are the most brave and most noble,” Luna said as she accepted the doll. She held it aloft, noticing how Spike had touched it one final time, and looked it over. The care and love that had gone into its creation was obvious. She saw the blankets pulled back from the bed, tugged by Twilight Sparkle’s magic. Closing her eyes, Luna took a deep breath. Opening her eyes, she climbed into bed, clutched the doll against her neck, got comfortable, and rested her head upon the pillow. She felt the blanket pulled over her. She watched as Spike climbed up into a chair not far from the bed, settle in, and get himself situated. “We’ll both be here for you.” Twilight Sparkle hopped into the chair with Spike, squishing the dragon against the arm of the chair, and then pulled Spike close to her with her foreleg and wing. Sighing, Luna settled herself into the cozy bed, glad to have two watchful guardians. With her eyes locked on Twilight Sparkle and Spike, she waited for sleep to claim her. Luna did not wait very long. There was an endless expanse of stars stretching in all directions. Luna found herself adrift in the horizonless sea space once more. The sensation of floating was pleasant, almost comforting. She saw Maeve floating beside her, laying on her back, staring upwards at the stars above them. The silence seemed like an uncrossable chasm between them, at least for Luna. Kicking her legs and waving her arms, almost as though she was swimming on her back through an unseen current, Maeve drifted closer to Luna, a sad smile upon her face. “I would give anything to come and visit your pony kingdom. I daydreamed about it in class today. I checked out a book about ponies, horses, and mythology from the library.” “Had I the power, I would bring you to Equestria,” Luna replied in a somewhat strangled voice. She felt a painful tightness in her throat, a dull ache that she could not swallow nor make go away. “Is there no one you can turn to for help?” “When I was a little girl, we came across the ocean on a steamer ship. We left our family behind, our old farm, our old lives. Now, I am the little red haired girl from across the sea that talks funny and has too many freckles. I spend too much time with my nose in books and all of my teachers worry about my overactive imagination.” Maeve’s face darkened and she looked troubled. “Everyone says my daddy is doing the best he can. It’s hard to be a widower. Not long after my mama died, I complained about my daddy drinking… and I got shamed real bad for it.” Luna did not know what to say. She knew that Maeve still loved her father, even with all of his faults, even with the horrible things he was doing. “Folk told me I had no gratitude for all the hard work my daddy does and how he works his fingers to the bone in the mill. When I complained about his drinking, I got a whipping in front of all my classmates.” “Why? Why would anyone do that to you? What sort of world do you live in?” Luna asked, trying comprehend the barbarity of Maeve’s statement. “My mother said the world is a good place, but I think she said that just to make me feel better. We just had a great world war where a whole bunch of men fought and killed one another and then there was a plague and now we’re heading for something called a depression and I don’t understand what it means, but it sounds bad, and we just had a depression just before the great world war,” Maeve replied. Perplexed, Luna contemplated the word depression, wondering what else it might mean. “We’re told not to complain. As children, we’re supposed to be seen and not heard. You do what you are told, you speak only when spoken to, and you obey the rules. If you don’t follow the rules, things go bad for you.” “Your world sounds awful,” Luna said as she turned her head towards Maeve. “Is there no happiness? Is there nothing that brings you comfort? Do you have any means of solace?” Maeve shrugged. “My daddy gave me a bottle of my mother’s perfume for being a good girl. Now when he hugs me he, he starts to sniff me and I can feel his beard against me and it tickles. I start laughing and he starts laughing and neither one of us have laughed much together since mama died. When I smell her perfume, I can close my eyes and it is like she is right there next to me, like she hasn’t gone away, and I feel happy.” Feeling empty inside, Luna wished there was some way to fill the void. Then she thought about the girl smelling like her mother, and the full connotations of the girl’s father smelling her struck Luna like a physical force. She felt ill. “Are there any other pony princesses?” Maeve asked, her eyes now bright and cheerful. “I imagine that there are… what are they like?” “I have a sister, her name is Celestia. She is kind and good. There is Princess Cadance, she is the Princess of Love and she lives in a crystal castle. There is Princess Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship, she also lives in a crystal castle, and she is a librarian—” “That sounds so perfect… like the best fairy tale ever. I wish I could see it. I wish it was real,” Maeve said as she pressed her hands into her cheeks and squeezed her face. She kicked her legs and closed her eyes. “Do you live in a crystal castle?” There it was, the painful reminder that neither of them truly believed the other was real. For a moment, Luna had forgotten that Maeve might be just a dream, something intangible and out of reach, a bit of madness, a dream gone wrong. She had felt empathy for something that may or may not be real. This realisation caused Luna to overflow with melancholy despair. “No Maeve, I do not live in a crystal castle. I live in a city called Canterlot. The castle I live in is made of white and pink marble, and—” “And I bet you have a big luxurious bedroom at the top of the tallest tower, just like a beautiful fairy princess in one of my books!” Maeve looked at Luna, her green eyes were wide and glittering with happiness. Sighing, Luna thought of her aerie. It was at the top of the second tallest tower. Luna now understood that any answer she might give would only add to Maeve’s fantasy, reinforcing the notion that this was all a pleasant dream, a distraction, a place she went to while she escaped from the horrible embrace of her father. “The book I checked out said you can use chalk to draw doorways between this world and the world of the fairies… I wonder if I could draw a chalk door into the world of the ponies?” “Maeve, it is my heart’s fondest wish that you could,” Luna replied, offering Maeve a brave smile. “I wish I never woke up. I wish I could sleep forever and that this dream would never end. I wish I could be with you, you’re nice. But you're only nice because you’re a dream and I want you to be nice.” Maeve sighed. “The dream is still better than being awake though.” “Maeve, while I am here, and we are dreaming together, there is something I want you to try to do… could you do it for me?” Luna asked. “What is that?” “Close your eyes, believe with all of your heart, and try to make something appear in your dream. It can be anything you want… just try to wish for something with all of your heart and soul, and then see if it appears.” “Okay Luna… I can try…” Chapter 4Three days had passed, and there was so little to show for it. On the first day after Princess Luna’s arrival, Twilight Sparkle had found nothing, but had continued to tinker with the mirror, hoping for something to change. While Twilight worked in the waking world, Luna had begun to teach Maeve lucid dreaming. On the second day, Twilight had found something, but was unable to determine what it was that she had found. For Luna, each of her excursions into the dreaming world brought frustration, grief, and sorrow. Luna had discovered that time seemed to pass at different speeds for both her and Maeve. On the third day, Twilight had discovered a way to lock on to the magical signature, but was unable to do anything but tell that it was there. Luna’s condition had taken a turn for the worse on the third day. Luna was losing her control over the moon and weakening. This was becoming the worst sort of nightmare and Luna had sent a worrisome message to her sister, informing Princess Celestia of the news. There was so very little to work with. Twilight Sparkle’s face collapsed into worried wrinkles, the sort of wrinkles that would leave Rarity in hysterics, complaining in a high pitched squeal about crows feet and worry lines. No doubt, Rarity would be hauling Twilight off to the spa right about now, trying to undo the damage being done, with long soaks in a tub, mud baths, and clay facial masks to soften the skin. There was the possibility that this was an attack; the thought would not leave Twilight Sparkle’s thoughts. Some insidious force, worming its way into Princess Luna’s mind, gaining a feel for her empathy, her sympathy, her pity, exploiting her need to protect, and then wearing her down, weakening her, hitting Luna when and where she was weakest. And Luna was growing weaker with each passing day. The thought caused no end of terror for Twilight and now she was losing sleep as well. The only thing Twilight had to go on was a tiny spark of magic that was so alien to her that she could not even begin to comprehend it. It was like opening a book and discovering a whole new language that had never been seen before. Twilight Sparkle wasn’t certain she had the time to study this magic, to gain understanding, to find some means of making a connection or blocking it out and preventing it from reaching Luna. For a time, Twilight Sparkle entertained the notion that some extra-dimensional version of Nightmare Moon might be trying to awaken Luna’s inner rage and feelings of isolation. Everything that Luna had said about her encounters was just that horrible. Twilight Sparkle doubted she was strong enough to keep facing that sort of soul crushing darkness, and yet, somehow, Luna endured. Rubbing her jaw, Twilight Sparkle tried to figure out what to do. “Here you go, I brought you some tea.” Spike smiled and held up a tray. On the tray was two mugs of steaming tea, a small plate with a blackcurrant muffin, and several sugarcubes. Spike waddled over and placed the tray upon the small table that had been placed by the bed in the mirror chamber. Standing near the table, Spike turned to Luna, clutched his tail, and began to fret. Turning her head, Luna’s dull, vacant stare fell upon one of the mugs. On the side, the words ‘#2 Researcher’ had been printed. It has to be the sleep deprivation, Luna thought to herself as she felt the corners of her mouth turn upwards as she entertained a very juvenile thought. “The muffin is yours, I already ate,” Spike said as he let go of his tail and took one of the mugs, his mug, from the tray. He sauntered off, climbed up into the overstuffed chair without spilling any of his tea, and got comfortable. “Thank you, Spike,” Luna said as she looked at the dragon sitting in the chair. “So you are working under the assumption that all of this is real.” Spike settled back into his chair, holding his mug in both hands. “Twilight tells me that you are trying to teach the girl how to control her dreams.” Nodding in reply, Luna drew in a deep breath, lifted up her mug, and inhaled the fragrant steam of the tea. She eyed the muffin for a moment, but felt no desire to eat. Lifting one of the sugarcubes, Luna placed it in her mouth, crunched it between her teeth, and savoured the sweetness as it spread over her tongue. “I guess you aren’t feeling very well.” Spike slumped in his seat, and his ear frills drooped. “I am sorry, Spike… I fear I am not a very conversational companion at the moment. But I do so very much appreciate you and the effort you have made to make me feel better.” Luna leaned back into her pillow, propping her body against the headboard of the bed. “Princess Luna, can you die?” Spike asked in a low worried voice as he clutched his teacup in his trembling hands. Spike’s question was at first met with silence as Luna stared down into her teacup. She took a deep breath, sighed, took a sip of tea, and then looking up from her cup, she turned her gaze upon Spike. “I do not know. If my connection to the moon was completely severed, I do not know what might happen. I can feel my power weakening, and it concerns me a great deal.” “Twilight will find a way. Twilight always finds a way. She doesn’t know how to quit.” Spike’s tail twitched beside him and thumped against the arm of the chair. The silver sleeve over Luna’s horn had a strange heaviness. It felt warm, but not in an uncomfortable sort of way. A cable of silver and crystalline fibres ran from the sleeve to the mirror, where it was anchored into a collection of crystals that glowed with flashing, pulsating internal brilliance. “Since I can’t seem to track the magical signature from its source, I figured I would track you. If this works like I think it will, it should allow the mirror to lock on to wherever it is you're going. If you are in the mind of an eleven year old girl that lives in the country known as the Sovereign Unified States of East Sylvania, then I should be able to lock on to your location… but possibly not on the first try.” Twilight Sparkle reached out her hoof and tapped on the horn sleeve. “Once I can lock on to where you are going, we’ll figure out the next step. I still don’t know what that is just yet.” “Twilight Sparkle, you are amazing,” Princess Luna said as she snuggled beneath the blankets. “You will be remembered as one of the great minds of this age.” “Pshaw…” Twilight took a step backwards from the bed. “I’m just doing what I can for a friend. You’re in trouble and I am going to find some way to help you.” “So do you think this is real? Or am I dreaming?” Luna asked in a worried whisper. Twilight Sparkle shrugged. “I don’t know yet. That’s what we need to find out. Could be that the magical signature originates from here in Equestria… and then we’ll need to figure out if something is attacking you. If it comes from somewhere else, then we can assume that there is something out there, but I wouldn’t want to say what it might be until I know more.” The pillowcase crinkled as Luna nodded and a few blue hairs were left behind as Luna’s cheek passed over the soft cotton flannel fabric. “Good luck, Luna. We’ll both be right here when you wake up,” Twilight said as she dimmed the lights. Laying in bed, Luna waited for sleep. The hallway was dim, almost dark. The wallpaper was yellowed, peeling somewhat, and the gas lamps in the hall had sooty glass that sheltered flickering pale blue flames. The runner rug that ran down the length of the hall was threadbare and had seen better days. At the end the hall there was a door, and from the crack beneath the door, pale light shone out over the hallway floor. Behind Luna, stairs led downwards. There were two other doors in the hallway, Luna, looked at both of them. The ornate brass knobs reflected the light from the gas lamps and looked almost ghostly. The wainscotting lining the walls was scuffed, its better days had been long ago, and now it seemed almost rotten. The plaster on the ceiling was crumbling, crackled and even missing one spot, revealing a wooden beam. From behind the door at the end of the hall, Luna heard water splashing. And something else, something her ears had to strain to hear. She stood, still as a statue, her perfect alicorn ears perked forwards, her head cocked so that sound would first hit one ear, then the other, improving her hearing. She heard sobbing. Nervous, her throat feeling constricted, Luna took a step forwards. Dust puffed out from the hallway rug when she stepped on it, it had not been cleaned in a long time, it had not been dragged out and the trapped dirt beaten free. Luna forced her legs to carry her forwards and she approached the door. The soft sounds of muffled sobbing grew louder. Luna heard a splash and smelled soap. Overcome with worry, Luna hurried forwards towards the door. It opened as she approached and Luna found herself in a small bathroom. There was a toilet, but it was strange, different, there was a sink, and there was a massive claw footed bathtub that could have been found in almost any bathroom in Equestria. In the bathtub was Maeve. She sat with her knees hugged to her chest, squeezing herself, rocking back and forth in the water. Luna looked down. There was blood in the water, red droplets oozed from somewhere down in the depths, and strands of white stringy goo floated on the surface of the bathwater. Maeve had her face pressed into her knobby, freckled knees as she sobbed. “Maeve?” Luna lowered her head and placed her lips near Maeve’s ear. There was no response. It was as if Luna wasn’t there. Luna pushed her muzzle forward, hoping to give Maeve a reassuring nuzzle, and Luna watched as her nose passed through Maeve’s head. There was nothing Luna could do to comfort the girl as she rocked back and forth in a tub whose water was soiled with blood and her father’s semen. Angered, frustrated, Luna felt her heart breaking. She kicked the tub, but her hoof passed through. She was a phantom here. “Maeve? Maeve? You almost done in there? Come out darlin’... daddy… he’s powerful lonesome and he needs you… so finish up and come on out… I won’t tell ya twice.” Luna turned. The door was closed now, it had opened when she approached, and she had not heard it shut. Luna stood, frozen, she heard footsteps just outside the door. The doorknob rattled and turned. “Maeve, what have I told you about locking this door? Now you come out of there and you do what I say! Open this door! Don’t make me get a hairpin again or you’ll get a whippin’!” Gasping, Luna awoke, startled, kicking and thrashing about in the bed. After a moment, her body went still as her heart continued racing. She could hear the blood rushing through her long, slender neck and coursing through her own ears. “Luna! Luna, it’s okay! You’re okay… this is real… I have a signal to work with, I was able to follow you! This worked! Now we just need to calibrate the mirror and figure out what to do next.” Luna heaved a sigh relief and then, with the memory of the dream still fresh in her mind, Luna began to sob. Chapter 5Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
Chapter 1Author's Note This will be a short story. It will be dark, disturbing, and unpleasant. It will have themes that are bound to be disliked, painful to read, and even hated. But it is a story that is stuck in my head and must be told. This is more or less to satisfy my own itch to tell a story, and I didn't write this for anyone other than myself... but I did decide to share it. I wrote this out of a wishful desire for justice in the world. Chapter 1 Disturbed. Princess Luna felt disturbed. Unable to sleep, Princess Luna stalked the hallways of Canterlot Castle, her eyes red and bleary. With each step her shoes struck sparks upon the marble tile floor. Unable to sleep, Luna prowled about in a terrible mood. It was the dream again. The same horrible dream again. Halting mid step, Princess Luna’s whole body tensed as she shuddered and closed her eyes, trying to make the memory of her nightmare go away. When she opened her eyes again, the memory was still there, and along with it, the confusing jumble of emotions. Was it even a dream? Princess Luna did not know. It all felt so real. Each of these dreams felt too real. And in these dreams, Luna had no power to make them stop, no control over them, no means to wake herself up. Luna did not know what was more terrifying; the content of the dream or the feeling of being powerless, having to go along and endure the dream as it happened. Coming around a corner, Princess Luna saw a familiar sight. A painting of her and her sister, a piece of art just finished not long ago. She had seen it seven times previous and this was the eighth. Eight trips around the castle. Eight laps around the outer expanses, through the many twisting hallways. Dropping her head, Princess Luna came to a halt, took a deep breath, and then let it out in a pained sigh. She felt exhausted. It was more mental than physical. Everything between her ears ached. Standing before the painting, Princess Luna tried to make her mind stop thinking. Are you really a pony princess? It had been such a strange question, so full of innocence and curiousity, asked during a moment of what had to be horror. Feeling cold, Luna shivered, closed her eyes, and tried to make the lump in her throat go away. When I feel him climbing on top of me, I let myself drift off and I float away. The thought made her stomach churn and her heart ache. Princess Luna tasted bile in the back of her throat as she thought about her dreams of a little human girl that dreamed of a pony princess to escape her own nightmare. It was a dream, or at least Luna hoped it was. It was too real, too raw, and too painful to think about. If what Luna was experiencing was reality, Luna wasn’t certain she wanted to deal with reality anymore. Looking up at the painting, Luna saw her sister looking back at her. Celestia’s eyes were merry and Celestia had her tongue sticking out. It was a painting that very few ponies saw, the public seldom had access to these particular corridors. Luna had stuck her own tongue out for the painting and the artist had captured the silliness of the moment, preserving it on canvas. This time, staring at the painting helped. Feeling a little better, her heart not so heavy, Princess Luna returned to her aerie with the hope of slumber on her mind. “He came into my room again.” Drifting among the stars, there was nothing that Princess Luna could do. She was a prisoner here in this place, a spectator, her only action was to watch. She looked at the small human girl drifting through the stars with her, a creature from beyond the mirror. Princess Luna felt a growing sadness as she looked at the small helpless looking little girl with red hair, pale white skin, green eyes and more freckles on her face than there were stars in the sky. “I felt him pushing me down and then he was on top of me. He pushed my face down into my bed and then he started hurting my bottom again. Why does he keep doing this?” Blinking, Luna did not know what to say. Inside of her, her rage came to a low simmer. “You seem quiet.” “You must forgive me, I do not know what to say.” “I like these dreams. When I am here, I can’t feel him hurting me. My daddy says he loves me over and over in my ear but he keeps hurting me as he’s saying it.” This was the worst sort dream. It had enough realism to be painful, enough truth to cause agonising pain, and enough horror to bring about the worst sort of fear. Luna felt her jaw muscles clench and she worried that her teeth might shatter from the sudden force placed upon them. She suffered a worrisome mental image of it happening and felt a cold rush of terror stab through her bowels. “There are no talking ponies where I live. Just regular ponies and horsies. This is how I know I’m dreaming, there is a talking pony princess that keeps me company after I drift away.” This felt like madness. Luna was dreaming of a little human girl that was dreaming of Luna. “Maeve, I am a princess. I am Princess Luna of the land of Equestria—” “And it’s full of talking ponies. I wish I could go there. Anywhere is better than here.” Heaving a sigh, Princess Luna realised that neither dreamer fully believed in the other. The thought was troubling, it weighed heavy in her mind, and something about this realisation disturbed her. “Maeve, tell me more about yourself,” Princess Luna said in a low voice, after she had made a decision to explore this madness to its depths. “My name is Maeve Rosethicket and I live on the island town of Pemberton. I just had my eleventh birthday and I go to Chapelwood Elementary School. Six months ago, my mother died and my daddy says he gets real lonesome without her and I look just like her and it makes him hurt down in his pants when he looks at me.” “Have you tried telling anyone what is happening?” Luna asked. “Daddy says I have to keep this a secret. If told someone about how he hurts my bottom, he said that mean people would take me away just to hurt him and then he’d die from being lonesome,” Maeve replied. “You have told me.” “You’re not real. You’re just a dream, a figment of my imagination. You’re a talking pony princess.” “Do you have any friends?” “I am a redheaded girl with too many freckles. I don’t have any friends.” The girl’s reply caused an overwhelming sensation of confusion for Luna and Luna shook her head in reaction. “Why would red hair matter?” “Try being a red haired little girl instead of a pony princess.” Maeve tented her fingers together as she drifted through the starry void with Princess Luna. The stars dimmed and Luna felt a peculiar pulling sensation on her body. She did not want this dream to end. If the girl was real, Luna did not want the girl to wake up. At least here, in this dream, the girl was safe from harm. “I think I’m waking up. Goodbye, Princess Luna.” Maeve waved her hand at Luna. “I’m sorry, but I have to make you disappear for a while. I’ll dream about you again soon!” There was a dull thudding between Luna’s ears. The sun, still high in the sky, burned her eyes. Following her sister’s advice, Luna was now spending some time in the royal gardens, hoping that the time spent among the greenery would bring some serenity. Sitting among the flowers and the buzzing bees, Luna considered two possibilities. The dream was real. Or… The dream was not real. Either option presented troubling issues. If the dream was real, Princess Luna was witnessing the suffering of a little red haired eleven year old girl from a place called Pemberton, and the dream was a refuge for the girl’s mind while the girl’s body endured unspeakable abuse from one who should know better. Fathers had a sacred obligation to protect their daughters from all harm. To make matters worse, real or not, the dream presented a problem; Princess Luna had no control over the dream. She was powerless. She had no authority. She had no means to wake herself, no means of asserting her will, there was nothing that Luna could do. Dreams were her dominion. In dreams, Luna was the supreme authority. She made dreams for others. She was the source of all dreams. All of them it seemed, except for this one. For a moment, Luna wondered if perhaps she really was the figment of imagination in an eleven year old human girl’s mind. She watched a bumblebee go buzzing past and wondered for a moment what was real. Princess Luna was a talking pony princess from the land of Equestria. It seemed like a reasonable thing to be. Maeve Rosethicket was a human girl from the land beyond the mirror, a land with little to no magic. Twilight Sparkle had found a strange magic beyond the mirror, but Twilight Sparkle was magic. There was no way that a human girl could or would have any magic, any means of reaching Luna, and with this logic in mind, it was safe to assume that the girl could not be real and these dreams were just troubling dreams. In which Luna found herself powerless and unable to escape. Which led Luna back to the beginning of her conundrum. The dream had a troubling amount of realism and a number of problematic elements that had to be addressed. Shuddering, Luna was not certain she could face these troubling thoughts on her own. There seemed to be no way to deal with this problem but to endure it, and Luna’s endurance seemed to be slipping. Rising up off of her haunches, Luna departed the gardens and went in search of her sister. The larger sister looked at the smaller and felt pity. Celestia could see that Luna looked terrible. With heaviness in her heart, Celestia wondered what could be done about this situation. Luna had poured out her heart, her thoughts, and there were several times that Celestia had been forced to make Luna stop babbling. “How long has this been going on?” Celestia asked, trying to fill in the gaps of information that she did not know. “About three weeks,” Luna replied in a dull voice. “It started off infrequently, but quickly grew into a regular occurrence. Now it seems to happen every time I go to sleep.” Pursing her lips together, Celestia wickered, making an equine sound of worry as she continued to study her sister, Luna. Her sister looked tired, her eyes were red, and there was enough baggage under poor Luna’s eyes to take a trip to the fabled city of Oasis in the San Palomino desert. “This is becoming a bigger crisis than you realise sister,” Luna said in a flat monotone. “Why is that?” Celestia asked in a low voice that was filled with concern. She watched her sister’s every movement. Every eye blink, every muscle spasm, every ear twitch, Celestia watched everything almost as if the answer was right here in front of her and she just wasn't looking hard enough to find it. “When I have these dreams, all of my consciousness exists within the dream. All of me. None of me exists anywhere else, I have no awareness of other dreams around me. This is keeping me from my duties and pulling me out of the dreamscape. How can I safeguard our subjects if I am trapped within a nightmare of my own making?” “Or trapped in the dream of an eleven year old girl.” Celestia’s eyes narrowed as she spoke, she hated saying the words that had just come out of her mouth, but she had to acknowledge all possibilities. “This has become a serious matter. I too, am at a loss for what to do.” “I have considered the possibility that something is attacking us… some unknown foe, some devious threat that is pulling me into a dream that I cannot escape so that they may infiltrate unnoticed into our midst.” “Sister, that thought frightens me.” Princess Celestia looked into Luna’s bloodshot teal eyes. “Luna, I would like for you to visit Twilight Sparkle. Perhaps Twilight could study you as you sleep. See if there is some strange magic. Some unknown force. Perhaps she can unravel this mystery.” “Then I shall leave to see Twilight Sparkle as soon as possible. I am in need of rest.”
Chapter 2Princess Twilight Sparkle’s library castle of friendship felt empty. Princess Luna detested this place, much preferring Twilight Sparkle’s old home, the library tree. This place was cold, cavernous, and was the breeding ground for echoes, plaguing those who had booming voices. “Twilight Sparkle.” “Luna.” Both mares exchanged a glance and a nod with one another. It was all of the recognition that either of them needed. Each knew who the other was, titles only served to muddle the clarity of what was already known and established. “I am already hard at work solving this bizarre issue. I sent a message though the portal mirror to my friends. Princess Celestia sent me all of the information you sent her. Maeve Rosethicket, age eleven, who lives on Pemberton Island, and attends Chapelwood Elementary School.” Twilight Sparkle paused, stepped forwards towards Luna, and began to examine Luna’s face before she continued speaking. “I asked my friends on the other side of the mirror for a little favour. To see if they can contact the authorities. For all we know, this issue might already be resolved.” Drawing in a deep breath, Luna closed her eyes and hoped for the best. Opening her eyes, Luna let her breath out as she said, “Thank you, Twilight Sparkle.” “Meanwhile, as we wait to see how this develops, we need to continue addressing the problem. I have read through Princess Celestia’s report a number of times now. I must confess, the symptoms are troubling. No control at all, no means to escape, an absolute loss of your power.” Feeling too tired to make a verbal response, Princess Luna nodded. “You know Luna, there have been times where I have felt weak and powerless. I didn’t know what to do and I thought about giving up. Every time I was stuck in a situation where I had no control, it ended up being a moment of greatness. When Discord returned and all my friends were turned against me. When I accidently switched all of my friends cutie marks and our lives seemed to be damaged beyond repair. When I had to go through the mirror to find the Element of Magic after Sunset Shimmer stole it… each of these opportunities became a chance at personal growth. I became a better pony after having endured each of these events.” Taking a moment to consider Twilight Sparkle’s words, Luna nodded. “Thank you, Twilight Sparkle. After hearing you say that, I do actually feel better.” “As bad as this seems right now, this might be the beginning of something great. Something grand. But I will admit, from the details Princess Celestia has given me… this seems very dark. I won’t give up on you and we’ll face this together, somehow.” Raising an eyebrow, Luna gave Twilight an exhausted smirk. “This is why you are the Princess of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle.” Sipping a calming cup of chamomile, Luna watched the portal mirror and waited. Every now and then, the smooth surface would ripple and then hum, Luna would feel her hopes rising, but then, nothing would happen. There were books piled everywhere. There were books in crates, piled in stacks upon the floor, books in carts, books in small wagons, books still in canvass courier bags, and even books arranged into what appeared to be a small fortress that was just big enough for a pony to hide inside. Curled up in a chair, Princess Luna felt the need to rest her head for a moment. She set down her teacup upon a small stone table that was beside her, squirmed in her chair while trying to find the always elusive comfortable spot that could be found in all chairs, if one looked long enough, and then lay her head down upon the overstuffed arm. It was quite comfortable. After laying her head down, Luna yawned once, then twice, and then by accident, Luna drifted off into the realms of sleep, becoming a prisoner trapped within her own domain once more. This was the room of a little filly, a little girl, the terms were interchangeable, the room was distinctive to something young and feminine. No matter where you were, some things remained the same. There was a faint smell of perfume, of soap, a teasing whiff in the air. On a bedside table, there was a picture of a little red haired girl and a red haired woman, their similarity was striking. There were shelves upon the wall, and on the shelves there were dolls as well as stuffed animals. They sat all together, all of them facing the bed, and for one moment, Luna imagined that their expressions were all of wide eyed horror. After Luna blinked once, the animals just seemed apathetic as they stared at the bed, their little button eyes lacked warmth or even a soul that would allow them to feel empathy for whatever it was they bore silent witness to. The bedspread was pink with a sunny yellow and orange trim. The room was cheerful, beautiful, the brass bed frame held a warm glow. There was a wooden desk in the corner, the wood was well polished, and sitting on the desk was a collection of snowglobes. A lone doll sat on the desk, a small tattered thing with only one eye, matted hair, and clothing that was little more than rags. This was the sanctum of a little girl, the sort of place where little girls go to escape the world, this room was a chrysalis where a little girl might hide as she sorted out her thoughts, dreamed her dreams, made plans for the future, and then one day, when she stepped through the door, she did so as a mare, or as a woman in this case, ready to face the world and do what needed to be done. The many dolls, the many stuffed animals, all surrogates, all dreams of future foals, future children, the imagined need that seemed inherent to be caretakers, learning the first skills that would eventually make them mothers. This was a sacred place, a place responsible for incubating a functioning member of society, and Luna felt a growing sense of horror for knowing its secrets. This was the worst sort of nightmare, seeing the illusion of innocence, the false veneer of goodness, the thin patina of normalcy, but knowing what really went on within this seeming sanctuary. For a moment, the room changed, becoming dark, and Luna saw moonlight streaming through the window. The well made bed was a mess and two figures were in the bed, one on top of the other, one pinning the other down, one larger, one smaller, much smaller, and there were soft, whimpering cries muffled by a pillow, frenzied grunting, and heavy breathing. The bed springs creaked. The scent of blood lingered in the air. A leather belt lay looped upon the floor, and a pair of pants had been thrown over the chair that stood by the desk. When Luna blinked, the room was normal again, the bed made, the bed empty, and the room had regained its appearance of innocence. Luna blinked once more and the room suffered its nightmare shift. “I love you… I love you… I love you…” The words were panted, grunted, they were guttural lies spoken during frenzied lust. Hearing them made Luna feel sick. It was the worst sort of betrayal, one of the most terrible acts that Luna could think of, a violation of sacred trust, a unkept oath, a broken promise . And Luna was forced to watch. She closed her eyes, willing the image to go away, and when she opened them once more, the horrid scene was still playing out. Pained squeals filled Luna’s ears, the sort of sounds that drove one to madness, and Luna was powerless to make it stop. Oh how she wanted it to stop. This violation was now upon her body as well, in her mind, and she was every bit as trapped as the little girl in the bed, being savaged by her own father. Luna closed her eyes once more, trying to make the dream end, trying to summon all of her willpower. The world around her warped and shifted, there was horrendous, penetrating pain, and a feeling of suffocation. Luna realised that the perspective had shifted. She was now the one face down in the bed, and she felt everything. The wet softness of the bedsheets against her skin. The dreadful weight of the body atop her. The piercing pain that lanced between her legs and bored through her guts. The horrible feeling of shame, of disgust, and the worst feeling of all. Love. Buried under all of the other feelings, buried under the revulsion, the agony, crushed beneath the many other emotions, at the bottom of the pile, love still existed. It was one of the worst things Luna had ever experienced. The little girl still loved her father. Even as drool dribbled down the back of her neck, even as there was frenzied hot breathing against her ear, even as she suffocated from not getting enough air because her face was crushed into the pillow, even as she felt as though her scalp would be torn free as four fingers and thumb clutched her hair in a balled up fist and shoved her down, Luna still felt the weak, fragile spark of love. Love was like the little girl, held down, buried, violated ,and smothered, almost to the point of death. Luna awoke with a snort, the nightmare still fresh in her mind. Her skin felt cold and clammy. She was soaked with sweat, covered in an equine foamy lather, and the chair she had dozed in was drenched. Overcome with emotion, Luna began crying, soft muffled sobs that she tried to hold in, tried to keep to herself, she didn’t want anypony hearing. Rising from the chair, Luna’s horn blazed with blue light for a moment. The chair became dry. Another spell dried her pelt. Luna lifted her teacup, gulped down the remains of her tea, which was now cold and made bitter. The portal hummed for a moment, the room filled with a thrum, it made Luna’s eyes vibrate in a most unpleasant manner, and a strange sensation coursed through her teeth. As the peculiar sensation intensified to the point of being more painful than annoying, a single ivory coloured envelope popped through the portal and then drifted down to the floor. Luna wiped away her tears with her foreleg as she stood looking at it. A disembodied bell rang. As Luna stood there, still trying to recover from her ordeal, Twilight Sparkle came through the doorway, saw the letter, and her eyes widened in hopeful surprise. Twilight Sparkle’s horn glowed magenta, the letter lifted, held in magenta bonds, and it was torn open with gentle, careful force. A sheet of paper was pulled out and Twilight Sparkle held the paper up to read it. After waiting for a dreadful moment, Princess Luna asked, “Well, Twilight Sparkle, what does it say?” Twilight Sparkle’s face became crestfallen. She slumped, her wings drooping at her sides. Her eyelids hung heavy over her eyes, and the corners of her mouth sagged, as if pulled down by some horrible, heavy, unseen force. “Dearest Twilight Sparkle,” Twilight said as she began read the letter. “After a thorough search through the internet and checking many maps, there is no Pemberton Island township and there is no Chapelwood Elementary School. Neither of those things exist here. We’re sorry that we could not be of more help, but we tried. We’re still looking with the hopes that a mistake was made, but we thought we would inform you of the results that we had found. With much love, your friend, now and forever, Sunset Shimmer.” Twilight Sparkle paused, her eyes moving over the paper, and then continued: “Postscript, Pinkie Pie says to remember to smile, no matter how dark things seem. Things have a funny way of working themselves out.” Confusion crept over Luna and the cold, clammy feeling she had intensified. “So… the dream is not real?” “Either that, or we are dealing with a different reality.” Twilight Sparkle’s face became wizened with worry. “I don’t know what is going on, but I am determined to do all that I can to help you.” “Thank you, Twilight Sparkle…”
Chapter 3Resist. Feeling conflicted, Princess Luna knew that going to sleep was the only way to sort this out, but she did not want to go to sleep. The feeling of violation was still with her from her last dream. That dream had been different than all of the dreams previous, and Luna hoped that it was not a sign of things to come. Luna was terrified of a future of dreams where that sort of violation happened and she had no power, no means to protect herself, no method available to make it stop. An unwilling thought crept into her mind, a dark and horrible thought, a bleak and depressing thought. Humans had short lifespans. This was bound to end in some form or another. “Okay Luna… using the mirror, I’ve made a sort of catch-all that I hope will work to detect dimensional rifts. I don’t actually know if this will work just yet, so we might not get it right on the first try… or it might not work at all. But if this works as I hope it will, we might be able to detect dimensional protrusions as realities begin to overlap. Maybe. If all goes well. If it all goes bad, I might cause reality to collapse in upon itself.” “What?” Luna turned to look at Twilight Sparkle. “Oh… did I say that last part out loud? I’m sorry… that was supposed to be my internal dialogue. Don’t worry, the chances of that are so infinitesimally small…” Twilight lapsed into a nervous titter. “It only took me two tries to calculate them instead of taking dozens of attempts to determine the miniscule odds, so, uh, nothing to worry about, I assure you.” Blinking, feeling alarmed, Princess Luna did not feel reassured by Twilight Sparkle’s words. This was not the sort of calm, comforting conversation that was conducive to a good sleep. There was more nervous laughter from Twilight Sparkle and a sheepish grin as well. Looking at Twilight, Luna did not feel as optimistic about this as she should. “Twilight, do you think it is possible for humans to have magic?” Luna asked as she watched Twilight scribble something down inside of a notebook. “Strong magic I mean. Sorcery. I know what happened to you on the other side of the mirror, but this seems different somehow. I do not know how to put it into words.” The quill ceased to move and the faint scratching sound it produced went silent. Twilight lifted up her head, her expression thoughtful. “Humans have stories about magic, magical creatures, wizards, they even tell stories of unicorns and pegasi, but they stopped believing in magic, or most of them did, and magic seemed to go away as human belief gave way to rationalism. I don’t know… it doesn’t seem rational to to refuse to believe in magic.” “What if human beings still had magic, some of them anyway, but did not know how to control it? Like a unicorn foal with reflexive magic.” Allowing herself to be distracted, Luna began to look at the many books in the room. So many different colours of bindings, so many titles, so many names. Books allowed an author immortality, of a sort. A collection of thoughts arranged into words, a means to communicate and share ideas even after death had claimed them. Books were a magic all their own. “I suppose anything is possible.” Twilight tilted her head sideways as she pondered Luna’s question. “I used to scoff at the idea that friendship could be magical.” Moving, her head held low, Princess Luna began to pace around the bed that Twilight Sparkle had moved into the portal chamber. The fresh bedding smelled of lavender and hibiscus. Looking at the bed, Luna felt her stomach tighten. It was like having centipedes crawl over the soft, tender, exposed flesh of one’s belly, little prickles, hundreds of them, a lingering sensation of pure ickiness. Much like a recalcitrant foal, Princess Luna did not want to go to bed. Sensing Luna’s hesitation, Twilight Sparkle’s face became pinched with fretful concern. Splaying out sideways, Twilight’s ears expressed her inner emotions and her eyes appeared to be as heavy as her ears. Her whole face was tugged down by the invisible weight of fear and worry for Luna. She took a single step closer, her drooping tail sliding around her hind legs as she moved forwards, and then she stood with her front hooves almost touching one another, her neck bowed, and her posture, combined with her facial expression, made Twilight appear to be struggling to stand up. As Luna stared at the bed, she realised she had something in common with Maeve. A fear of going bed, a phobia of what might happen next once the body settled down against the soft, smooth, cool sheets that slid against the skin as one slipped between the mattress and the blankets. With this realisation, the bed became a waiting maw, a hungry orifice waiting to devour Luna, swallowing her and sending her down into the blackness. Luna’s control over her emotions slipped, her guard dropped; she let out a fearful whimper, a soft pained sound that was very foalish, a wordless communication of fear, apprehension, and anxiety. Hearing Luna, Twilight Sparkle felt her own spirits dropping. This seemed bad. Luna was afraid, and Twilight Sparkle had never known Luna to be afraid of anything. “I’ll be right here to watch over you, Luna. I promise I will not leave this room, I will stay with you until you wake,” Twilight Sparkle said in a soft voice, the same voice that she used to reassure and comfort Spike when he was feeling dejected, hurt, or afraid. It was a voice that few ponies ever heard. When Luna at last worked up enough nerve to reply, her voice was shrill. “Thank you. The fear is overwhelming. I do not know if I can deal with it.” There was the sound of claws tapping on the stone floor and Spike waddled forwards towards Luna, clutching a small, white stuffed pony in his arms. The dragon looked solemn, worried, but somehow brave as well. He approached Luna, raised his arms, and held the stuffed white pony aloft. Her eyes narrowing, Luna saw that it was a small, stuffed Rarity doll. It appeared to be well loved, somewhat threadbare, and some of the velveteen had been rubbed away by many hugs. “This always helps me feel brave,” Spike said, still holding the stuffed pony aloft, offering it to Luna. “Rarity made this for me, she said she made it so she would always be there for me when I needed her.” Twilight Sparkle felt her eyes watering. “I was listening outside of the door… I’m sorry… I was worried.” Spike felt his Rarity doll pulled from his claws and he gave it a final, loving pat as Luna took it. “Thank you, Spike… of all of the dragons I have met, you are the most brave and most noble,” Luna said as she accepted the doll. She held it aloft, noticing how Spike had touched it one final time, and looked it over. The care and love that had gone into its creation was obvious. She saw the blankets pulled back from the bed, tugged by Twilight Sparkle’s magic. Closing her eyes, Luna took a deep breath. Opening her eyes, she climbed into bed, clutched the doll against her neck, got comfortable, and rested her head upon the pillow. She felt the blanket pulled over her. She watched as Spike climbed up into a chair not far from the bed, settle in, and get himself situated. “We’ll both be here for you.” Twilight Sparkle hopped into the chair with Spike, squishing the dragon against the arm of the chair, and then pulled Spike close to her with her foreleg and wing. Sighing, Luna settled herself into the cozy bed, glad to have two watchful guardians. With her eyes locked on Twilight Sparkle and Spike, she waited for sleep to claim her. Luna did not wait very long. There was an endless expanse of stars stretching in all directions. Luna found herself adrift in the horizonless sea space once more. The sensation of floating was pleasant, almost comforting. She saw Maeve floating beside her, laying on her back, staring upwards at the stars above them. The silence seemed like an uncrossable chasm between them, at least for Luna. Kicking her legs and waving her arms, almost as though she was swimming on her back through an unseen current, Maeve drifted closer to Luna, a sad smile upon her face. “I would give anything to come and visit your pony kingdom. I daydreamed about it in class today. I checked out a book about ponies, horses, and mythology from the library.” “Had I the power, I would bring you to Equestria,” Luna replied in a somewhat strangled voice. She felt a painful tightness in her throat, a dull ache that she could not swallow nor make go away. “Is there no one you can turn to for help?” “When I was a little girl, we came across the ocean on a steamer ship. We left our family behind, our old farm, our old lives. Now, I am the little red haired girl from across the sea that talks funny and has too many freckles. I spend too much time with my nose in books and all of my teachers worry about my overactive imagination.” Maeve’s face darkened and she looked troubled. “Everyone says my daddy is doing the best he can. It’s hard to be a widower. Not long after my mama died, I complained about my daddy drinking… and I got shamed real bad for it.” Luna did not know what to say. She knew that Maeve still loved her father, even with all of his faults, even with the horrible things he was doing. “Folk told me I had no gratitude for all the hard work my daddy does and how he works his fingers to the bone in the mill. When I complained about his drinking, I got a whipping in front of all my classmates.” “Why? Why would anyone do that to you? What sort of world do you live in?” Luna asked, trying comprehend the barbarity of Maeve’s statement. “My mother said the world is a good place, but I think she said that just to make me feel better. We just had a great world war where a whole bunch of men fought and killed one another and then there was a plague and now we’re heading for something called a depression and I don’t understand what it means, but it sounds bad, and we just had a depression just before the great world war,” Maeve replied. Perplexed, Luna contemplated the word depression, wondering what else it might mean. “We’re told not to complain. As children, we’re supposed to be seen and not heard. You do what you are told, you speak only when spoken to, and you obey the rules. If you don’t follow the rules, things go bad for you.” “Your world sounds awful,” Luna said as she turned her head towards Maeve. “Is there no happiness? Is there nothing that brings you comfort? Do you have any means of solace?” Maeve shrugged. “My daddy gave me a bottle of my mother’s perfume for being a good girl. Now when he hugs me he, he starts to sniff me and I can feel his beard against me and it tickles. I start laughing and he starts laughing and neither one of us have laughed much together since mama died. When I smell her perfume, I can close my eyes and it is like she is right there next to me, like she hasn’t gone away, and I feel happy.” Feeling empty inside, Luna wished there was some way to fill the void. Then she thought about the girl smelling like her mother, and the full connotations of the girl’s father smelling her struck Luna like a physical force. She felt ill. “Are there any other pony princesses?” Maeve asked, her eyes now bright and cheerful. “I imagine that there are… what are they like?” “I have a sister, her name is Celestia. She is kind and good. There is Princess Cadance, she is the Princess of Love and she lives in a crystal castle. There is Princess Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship, she also lives in a crystal castle, and she is a librarian—” “That sounds so perfect… like the best fairy tale ever. I wish I could see it. I wish it was real,” Maeve said as she pressed her hands into her cheeks and squeezed her face. She kicked her legs and closed her eyes. “Do you live in a crystal castle?” There it was, the painful reminder that neither of them truly believed the other was real. For a moment, Luna had forgotten that Maeve might be just a dream, something intangible and out of reach, a bit of madness, a dream gone wrong. She had felt empathy for something that may or may not be real. This realisation caused Luna to overflow with melancholy despair. “No Maeve, I do not live in a crystal castle. I live in a city called Canterlot. The castle I live in is made of white and pink marble, and—” “And I bet you have a big luxurious bedroom at the top of the tallest tower, just like a beautiful fairy princess in one of my books!” Maeve looked at Luna, her green eyes were wide and glittering with happiness. Sighing, Luna thought of her aerie. It was at the top of the second tallest tower. Luna now understood that any answer she might give would only add to Maeve’s fantasy, reinforcing the notion that this was all a pleasant dream, a distraction, a place she went to while she escaped from the horrible embrace of her father. “The book I checked out said you can use chalk to draw doorways between this world and the world of the fairies… I wonder if I could draw a chalk door into the world of the ponies?” “Maeve, it is my heart’s fondest wish that you could,” Luna replied, offering Maeve a brave smile. “I wish I never woke up. I wish I could sleep forever and that this dream would never end. I wish I could be with you, you’re nice. But you're only nice because you’re a dream and I want you to be nice.” Maeve sighed. “The dream is still better than being awake though.” “Maeve, while I am here, and we are dreaming together, there is something I want you to try to do… could you do it for me?” Luna asked. “What is that?” “Close your eyes, believe with all of your heart, and try to make something appear in your dream. It can be anything you want… just try to wish for something with all of your heart and soul, and then see if it appears.” “Okay Luna… I can try…”
Chapter 4Three days had passed, and there was so little to show for it. On the first day after Princess Luna’s arrival, Twilight Sparkle had found nothing, but had continued to tinker with the mirror, hoping for something to change. While Twilight worked in the waking world, Luna had begun to teach Maeve lucid dreaming. On the second day, Twilight had found something, but was unable to determine what it was that she had found. For Luna, each of her excursions into the dreaming world brought frustration, grief, and sorrow. Luna had discovered that time seemed to pass at different speeds for both her and Maeve. On the third day, Twilight had discovered a way to lock on to the magical signature, but was unable to do anything but tell that it was there. Luna’s condition had taken a turn for the worse on the third day. Luna was losing her control over the moon and weakening. This was becoming the worst sort of nightmare and Luna had sent a worrisome message to her sister, informing Princess Celestia of the news. There was so very little to work with. Twilight Sparkle’s face collapsed into worried wrinkles, the sort of wrinkles that would leave Rarity in hysterics, complaining in a high pitched squeal about crows feet and worry lines. No doubt, Rarity would be hauling Twilight off to the spa right about now, trying to undo the damage being done, with long soaks in a tub, mud baths, and clay facial masks to soften the skin. There was the possibility that this was an attack; the thought would not leave Twilight Sparkle’s thoughts. Some insidious force, worming its way into Princess Luna’s mind, gaining a feel for her empathy, her sympathy, her pity, exploiting her need to protect, and then wearing her down, weakening her, hitting Luna when and where she was weakest. And Luna was growing weaker with each passing day. The thought caused no end of terror for Twilight and now she was losing sleep as well. The only thing Twilight had to go on was a tiny spark of magic that was so alien to her that she could not even begin to comprehend it. It was like opening a book and discovering a whole new language that had never been seen before. Twilight Sparkle wasn’t certain she had the time to study this magic, to gain understanding, to find some means of making a connection or blocking it out and preventing it from reaching Luna. For a time, Twilight Sparkle entertained the notion that some extra-dimensional version of Nightmare Moon might be trying to awaken Luna’s inner rage and feelings of isolation. Everything that Luna had said about her encounters was just that horrible. Twilight Sparkle doubted she was strong enough to keep facing that sort of soul crushing darkness, and yet, somehow, Luna endured. Rubbing her jaw, Twilight Sparkle tried to figure out what to do. “Here you go, I brought you some tea.” Spike smiled and held up a tray. On the tray was two mugs of steaming tea, a small plate with a blackcurrant muffin, and several sugarcubes. Spike waddled over and placed the tray upon the small table that had been placed by the bed in the mirror chamber. Standing near the table, Spike turned to Luna, clutched his tail, and began to fret. Turning her head, Luna’s dull, vacant stare fell upon one of the mugs. On the side, the words ‘#2 Researcher’ had been printed. It has to be the sleep deprivation, Luna thought to herself as she felt the corners of her mouth turn upwards as she entertained a very juvenile thought. “The muffin is yours, I already ate,” Spike said as he let go of his tail and took one of the mugs, his mug, from the tray. He sauntered off, climbed up into the overstuffed chair without spilling any of his tea, and got comfortable. “Thank you, Spike,” Luna said as she looked at the dragon sitting in the chair. “So you are working under the assumption that all of this is real.” Spike settled back into his chair, holding his mug in both hands. “Twilight tells me that you are trying to teach the girl how to control her dreams.” Nodding in reply, Luna drew in a deep breath, lifted up her mug, and inhaled the fragrant steam of the tea. She eyed the muffin for a moment, but felt no desire to eat. Lifting one of the sugarcubes, Luna placed it in her mouth, crunched it between her teeth, and savoured the sweetness as it spread over her tongue. “I guess you aren’t feeling very well.” Spike slumped in his seat, and his ear frills drooped. “I am sorry, Spike… I fear I am not a very conversational companion at the moment. But I do so very much appreciate you and the effort you have made to make me feel better.” Luna leaned back into her pillow, propping her body against the headboard of the bed. “Princess Luna, can you die?” Spike asked in a low worried voice as he clutched his teacup in his trembling hands. Spike’s question was at first met with silence as Luna stared down into her teacup. She took a deep breath, sighed, took a sip of tea, and then looking up from her cup, she turned her gaze upon Spike. “I do not know. If my connection to the moon was completely severed, I do not know what might happen. I can feel my power weakening, and it concerns me a great deal.” “Twilight will find a way. Twilight always finds a way. She doesn’t know how to quit.” Spike’s tail twitched beside him and thumped against the arm of the chair. The silver sleeve over Luna’s horn had a strange heaviness. It felt warm, but not in an uncomfortable sort of way. A cable of silver and crystalline fibres ran from the sleeve to the mirror, where it was anchored into a collection of crystals that glowed with flashing, pulsating internal brilliance. “Since I can’t seem to track the magical signature from its source, I figured I would track you. If this works like I think it will, it should allow the mirror to lock on to wherever it is you're going. If you are in the mind of an eleven year old girl that lives in the country known as the Sovereign Unified States of East Sylvania, then I should be able to lock on to your location… but possibly not on the first try.” Twilight Sparkle reached out her hoof and tapped on the horn sleeve. “Once I can lock on to where you are going, we’ll figure out the next step. I still don’t know what that is just yet.” “Twilight Sparkle, you are amazing,” Princess Luna said as she snuggled beneath the blankets. “You will be remembered as one of the great minds of this age.” “Pshaw…” Twilight took a step backwards from the bed. “I’m just doing what I can for a friend. You’re in trouble and I am going to find some way to help you.” “So do you think this is real? Or am I dreaming?” Luna asked in a worried whisper. Twilight Sparkle shrugged. “I don’t know yet. That’s what we need to find out. Could be that the magical signature originates from here in Equestria… and then we’ll need to figure out if something is attacking you. If it comes from somewhere else, then we can assume that there is something out there, but I wouldn’t want to say what it might be until I know more.” The pillowcase crinkled as Luna nodded and a few blue hairs were left behind as Luna’s cheek passed over the soft cotton flannel fabric. “Good luck, Luna. We’ll both be right here when you wake up,” Twilight said as she dimmed the lights. Laying in bed, Luna waited for sleep. The hallway was dim, almost dark. The wallpaper was yellowed, peeling somewhat, and the gas lamps in the hall had sooty glass that sheltered flickering pale blue flames. The runner rug that ran down the length of the hall was threadbare and had seen better days. At the end the hall there was a door, and from the crack beneath the door, pale light shone out over the hallway floor. Behind Luna, stairs led downwards. There were two other doors in the hallway, Luna, looked at both of them. The ornate brass knobs reflected the light from the gas lamps and looked almost ghostly. The wainscotting lining the walls was scuffed, its better days had been long ago, and now it seemed almost rotten. The plaster on the ceiling was crumbling, crackled and even missing one spot, revealing a wooden beam. From behind the door at the end of the hall, Luna heard water splashing. And something else, something her ears had to strain to hear. She stood, still as a statue, her perfect alicorn ears perked forwards, her head cocked so that sound would first hit one ear, then the other, improving her hearing. She heard sobbing. Nervous, her throat feeling constricted, Luna took a step forwards. Dust puffed out from the hallway rug when she stepped on it, it had not been cleaned in a long time, it had not been dragged out and the trapped dirt beaten free. Luna forced her legs to carry her forwards and she approached the door. The soft sounds of muffled sobbing grew louder. Luna heard a splash and smelled soap. Overcome with worry, Luna hurried forwards towards the door. It opened as she approached and Luna found herself in a small bathroom. There was a toilet, but it was strange, different, there was a sink, and there was a massive claw footed bathtub that could have been found in almost any bathroom in Equestria. In the bathtub was Maeve. She sat with her knees hugged to her chest, squeezing herself, rocking back and forth in the water. Luna looked down. There was blood in the water, red droplets oozed from somewhere down in the depths, and strands of white stringy goo floated on the surface of the bathwater. Maeve had her face pressed into her knobby, freckled knees as she sobbed. “Maeve?” Luna lowered her head and placed her lips near Maeve’s ear. There was no response. It was as if Luna wasn’t there. Luna pushed her muzzle forward, hoping to give Maeve a reassuring nuzzle, and Luna watched as her nose passed through Maeve’s head. There was nothing Luna could do to comfort the girl as she rocked back and forth in a tub whose water was soiled with blood and her father’s semen. Angered, frustrated, Luna felt her heart breaking. She kicked the tub, but her hoof passed through. She was a phantom here. “Maeve? Maeve? You almost done in there? Come out darlin’... daddy… he’s powerful lonesome and he needs you… so finish up and come on out… I won’t tell ya twice.” Luna turned. The door was closed now, it had opened when she approached, and she had not heard it shut. Luna stood, frozen, she heard footsteps just outside the door. The doorknob rattled and turned. “Maeve, what have I told you about locking this door? Now you come out of there and you do what I say! Open this door! Don’t make me get a hairpin again or you’ll get a whippin’!” Gasping, Luna awoke, startled, kicking and thrashing about in the bed. After a moment, her body went still as her heart continued racing. She could hear the blood rushing through her long, slender neck and coursing through her own ears. “Luna! Luna, it’s okay! You’re okay… this is real… I have a signal to work with, I was able to follow you! This worked! Now we just need to calibrate the mirror and figure out what to do next.” Luna heaved a sigh relief and then, with the memory of the dream still fresh in her mind, Luna began to sob.
