On the Line

Chapters

A Cup of Tea
Fade to Black
Clear
Breaking Luna
All Just a Game
Teardrops
Pony Royale
A New Novella
Epilogue
Waiting in the Rain
Night and Day

A Cup of Tea

All across Equestria, ponies lay in their beds while images of anything and everything popped into their minds. Many ponies dreamed of love, riches, or adventure. However, some ponies found themselves locked in dark worlds of their own creation, where their innermost fears came to life. These worlds, from which there was no escape until sunrise, were called “nightmares."

However, one pony did not fear the night. Deep in the halls of Canterlot, an alicorn sat in the middle of a rug in her room. Her eyes were shut tight, and her horn glowed brightly. A blue aura surrounded her, and the energy from her magic caused her blue hair to continuously flow. In an instant, her horn stopped glowing, the aura faded, and her eyes opened.

The princess looked around her room. No matter how many times she cast the spell, she could never get used to the transition between the dream world and the real one. Moments ago, she was standing in the middle of an infinite-stretching road out in the forest, but now she was back in her home at Canterlot. She looked at the queen-sized bed against the wall. After spending a thousand cold years on the moon, the coziness of a bed seemed strange and unfamiliar to her. Not only that, but she had gotten used to having nothing around; aside from her bed, a mirror, a dresser, and the circular red rug she used to meditate, her room was completely bare.

Luna stood up, stretched her wings, and walked out of her room into the halls of Canterlot. The moonlight shone in through the windows, and her hoofsteps echoed in the empty hallway. At that time, most ponies would be preparing to go about their daily routine, including Luna's sister, Princess Celestia. Luna took a short walk to the kitchen, where she was sure her sister would be preparing the two of them some tea. As she walked, Luna pondered the strange beeping noise she heard just moments before. She thought it sounded familiar, but nothing came to mind. She pushed the idea to the back of her mind and entered the kitchen, where she saw her sister boiling some water on the stove.

“Good morning, Celestia!” Luna said. “Did you sleep well?”

Princess Celestia turned around and gave Luna a glare that would have turned most ponies to stone. Luna had learned a long time ago that her sister was not a morning pony, but considering how kind and patient she was during the day, it was easy to forget about this side of her. Celestia's normally beautiful pink and light-blue mane was a tangled mess. The feathers on her wings were ruffled from being slept on for the past several hours, and her white fur was in desperate need of grooming. Before Celestia could head out for her royal duties that day, a team of stylists would have to make her presentable. At the moment, she was only concerned about a single thing.

“Morning,” Celestia grumbled, turning back to the stove. Her squinting eyes watched the tea kettle as if her burning gaze would cause it to heat up faster.

“Isn't it, um, almost time for us to start raising the sun?” Luna asked with an awkward smile as she sat down next to the kitchen table.

“Don't rush me.”

After a moment, the teakettle finally whistled, and Celestia wasted no time in pouring herself a drink. With a glow of her horn, the tea kettle hovered over to the table, along with an extra cup for Luna. Celestia sat down opposite her sister and began dropping the teabag into her cup.

“I had an interesting dreamwalk last night,” Luna said, pouring her own cup of tea.

“Is that so.” Celestia's response was less of a question, and more of a statement. Her eyes stared at the teabag as she steeped it into her cup in a rigid, mechanical motion.

Luna decided not to let her sister's mood bother her. “I met this young filly who was waiting on the side of a road in the rain for her mother.” Luna hovered a teabag and began steeping her cup as well. “Had I not shown up, I imagined she would have stood there all night and never seen her.”

“Sounds pretty lonely.” Celestia took a sniff of her drink. She sighed in relaxation as the aroma drifted off the table. “I'm guessing you cheered her up by the end?”

“It seemed that way,” Luna pondered, looking to the side in thought. “Normally at this point I would move on to help another child. However...”

“Hmm?” Celestia raised an eyebrow.

“I heard this strange noise as the child began to wake up,” Luna explained, frowning. “Normally when dreams end, there shouldn't be anything left for me to see or hear.”

“What kind of noise was it?” Celestia dropped a sugar cube into her cup.

“It was a sort of... beeping.” Luna told her.

Her sister raised an eyebrow as she stirred her drink. “A beep? Like an alarm clock?”

Luna's eyes opened a little. “That could be it...”

Celestia had a small laugh and shook her head. “You had me worried there for a second.” She closed her eyes and nonchalantly continued stirring. “Haven't you ever heard anything else at the end of a dream? Like a mother calling to her child, or a rooster call?”

A lightbulb went off above Luna's head. “You're right! I completely forgot!” she said, laughing. “It must have been an alarm clock!”

Celestia grinned and closed her eyes. “You overthink things, Luna. I know you see a lot of strange things in those dreams, but remember that most ponies still manage to get through their lives just fine.” Celestia hovered the teacup to her mouth and took a sip. “Aah, just what I needed. Ready to start the day?”

“Of course,” Luna said.

The two of them bowed their heads and closed their eyes. Their horns glowed. Outside, over the horizon, the sun began to rise, and the moon disappeared. Morning had arrived.

Celestia got up from the table. “I have a long day ahead of me. Get some rest, alright Luna? You still look a little unsure to me.”

“I'll be okay.”

Celestia headed out the door, her cup floating in front of her. Luna stared down at her own cup of tea. Unlike her sister, Luna slept during the day. That meant that putting any cream or sugar into the cup would make it difficult to get to sleep. Luna raised her tea to her mouth, took a sip, and tasted its bitterness.

It was often difficult for Luna to keep herself busy in the early parts of the night. Most ponies were winding down for the day and did not need assistance, so it would be several hours before anypony would be in deep enough sleep to dream. After her encounter with Novella, she decided to use this time by checking out a Daring Do novel from the Canterlot library.

As she read the book on the rug in her room, she noticed several oddities in the story. The ruins within the tale seemed to have no purpose other than to provide a danger for the eponymous character. Not only that, but Do's methods of escape seemed impossible and illogical. Without magic, how could anypony toss a hat with enough force to pull a lever? However, Luna still found herself entertained by the story, and considered reading more of the series in the future. Upon finishing the last chapter, the princess set the book aside on her dresser. It was time to dreamwalk.

Luna sat on the rug in her room and closed her eyes. Her horn glowed, and the blue aura surrounded her once more. Soon, Luna was floating as a disembodied consciousness in the skies far above Canterlot. Off in the distance, she could see the mountains that bordered Equestria. In one direction, she could see Fillydelphia. In the other, Appleloosa. As Luna gazed upon the landscape all around her, millions of white glowing orbs floated up around the cities. Each orb represented a pony's dream.

Luna floated from city to city in the blink of an eye, looking for a dream to enter. While many orbs looked the same, each one gave off a different aura. An orb Luna inspected in Ponyville gave the impression of a sweet bunch of cotton candy. A different orb in Baltimare seemed to have orchestral music flowing from it. Of course, these weren't the dreams Luna was looking for. Many of the orbs were not white, but grey. When the princess approached one of these, she would feel fear, anxiety, and despair emanating from it. A nightmare.

Since it was impossible for Luna to enter every dream, she always felt indecisive when it came time to decide which dream to choose. For everypony she helped, dozens of others would cry out in need. However, what Celestia had said earlier was correct; most ponies lived their lives just fine, regardless of whether or not they got Luna's assistance. Some nights, it seemed like Luna was barely even helping. She often felt like an intruder, viewing dark secrets that the sleeper would never reveal to even their closest friends.

Luna was about to settle on a poor colt in the Crystal Empire, whose dark orb gave off the impression of millions of eight-legged creatures. However, she thought back to the filly she visited the previous night. The beeping she had heard... still bothered her. If it was an alarm clock, wouldn't the noise have been louder? Not only that, but it should have ended sooner, since the filly would have gotten up to turn it off. Luna felt like the noise was something she had heard before. Whatever it was, it made her feel uneasy, and she made the choice to abandon the colt, who was likely running from spiders in his own dreams.

Luna floated over to Manehatten, where she had found the filly the previous night. After looking around for a few minutes, the princess found an orb that seemed familiar. The dark grey orb looked no different than the others that floated nearby, but to Luna, it was like meeting a friend. However, rather than the cold, wet loneliness she felt from it the night before, this time the orb seemed panicked, almost desperate. With her target selected, Luna took a deep breath and floated inside.

The princess' hooves landed on solid concrete as she dropped into the dream. Luna shook her head and took a moment to reorient herself. It appeared as if she was standing on a street corner with tall buildings around, similar to the city she was floating over just moments ago. However, now the city was in disarray. Carriages were toppled over. Streetlights were busted. Off in the distance, Luna could see buildings on fire. She looked above her and saw dark clouds blocking the sky overhead, obscuring the tops of the skyscrapers. On the side of a nearby building, the message “the end has come” was written in red. The 'e' at the end seemed to trail off.

Luna jumped when she heard a trash can get knocked over around the corner of a building. She turned to face whoever was there, and heard a groan. The princess cautiously walked over to the edge and peeked around the side of the building. A pony with messy fur struggled to push himself back up from the garbage can he had just knocked over. Even though this pony was just a figment of a filly's imagination, Luna couldn't help but feel sympathy. She headed closer to get a good look at the pony, and saw that his side had a nasty bite taken out of it.

The pony heard Luna approach, and turned his head to face her. His eyes were undilated and looked unable to focus. However, he approached her nonetheless, dragging himself across the ground. From the stumbling pony came a low groan that echoed across the ruined city streets. Luna looked around, and soon saw other ponies emerge from inside buildings and behind broken rubble. Each of them had some sort of defect, whether it was a missing limb, a nasty wound, or rotting flesh. Everypony headed toward Luna, yelling and moaning, and moving as fast as their rotting limbs could carry them.

“Oh, great,” Luna grumbled, rolling her eyes. “Zombies.”

Fade to Black

Luna stood in the middle of the street as zombies closed in on her from all sides. As they stumbled forward, the horde moaned in anticipation of its next meal. Many of the zombies tripped and fell, soon to be trampled underneath the weight of their brethren. Every possible path on the ground was blocked off. In a few moments, she would be overwhelmed.

Fortunately, she had wings.

Luna jumped several feet up and hovered overhead, watching as the zombies walked into each other. A few of them noticed her floating above the horde and futilely clawed at her from the ground. Luna looked down at the confused mass and sighed, shaking her head.

“Idiots.”

As she floated above the streets, the princess looked around at the tall buildings lining the road. Luna had only been traveling through dreams a few months now, but she had learned some things about the limits dreams had. The fact that she landed on this particular street and not near one of the smoke trails off in the distance meant that Novella had to be nearby. But which building was she in?

Luna noticed a large window surrounded by two fire escapes. When she flew over to it to peer inside, the window shattered as a zombie leaped through it. The princess gasped and narrowly avoided being tackled by the rotting pony. As she watched him fall and splatter against the ground, her heart pounded. Luna quickly turned her attention back to the now-broken window, expecting a second zombie to hurl itself at her. When she saw that the coast was clear, she sighed in relief. Afterwards, she came to a realization.

“What am I doing?” she asked, rolling her eyes. “They can't turn me into a zombie. If they bite me in here, I won't even feel it.”

Luna floated over to one of the fire escapes and stood on the grating. She leaned over the railing in order to survey the street. She looked down at the hungry mass of ponies beneath her as they stumbled and moaned, looking for a meal. As terrifying as they may have appeared, it was a scene that Luna had seen many times before. It seemed like the princess couldn't even go a week without stepping into a zombie dream.

It wasn't hard to figure out why the undead were so common in the dream world, especially among children. They represented the feeling of being overwhelmed, of being the last sane pony in a world gone mad. Zombies might be slow and easily outwitted, but with a single bite, they would turn their victim into one of their own. Sometimes Luna would encounter smarter and more agile versions, where the threat had to be dealt with immediately, with little time to prepare. In one colt's dream, the princess came face to face with crystal zombies, whose hard skin made them impossible to destroy. That child had issues.

Luna heard a groan come from just below her. The princess looked down through the grating and saw a zombie pegasus slowly rising up toward her. With its rotting wings, it was nowhere near fast enough to be a threat, but unlike the other zombies on the ground, it could at least follow Luna. The princess sighed and closed her eyes. With a flash of her horn, the wings were ripped off of the pegasus, who fell to the ground with a splat.

“No point in waiting around here,” Luna mumbled. She hopped off the railing and floated around the street a bit. “Now, if I were a survivor, where would I be hiding?”

Luna looked around at the various buildings. Seeing as how Manehatten had some of the tallest buildings in Equestria, it would be impossible to search every room on each floor. Not to mention that there were likely countless zombies wandering the halls. They were of no danger to the princess, but the flesh eaters would be very real to Novella. If that were the case, then a random room would be a terrible place to stay, considering how populated the living areas were. Even though supplies would be on the ground levels, survivors would be too close to the action to be considered safe. Which meant that there was only one place the filly could be...

Luna flapped her wings and flew up as high as she could. Soon, the zombies on the streets below her became tiny specks. Now that she was up high, the princess could see all of the destruction in the city. The clouds above were dark and filled with smoke. Fires consumed skyscrapers. Somewhere, a pony jumped out of a window on the 20th story.

Luna shook her head. “How in Equestria can a filly like her even imagine such horrors?”

The princess realized she had yet to locate Novella. She scanned the tops of the surrounding buildings. Down the street, she noticed a small group of ponies taking refuge on the roof of an office building. Luna nodded and flew towards them without wasting any time. Before she landed on the roof, she called out to them.

“Hello?”

“Get away from us, you freak!”

Luna only had a moment to react before an older stallion on the roof hurled a brick at her. She instinctively moved just fast enough to avoid it slamming into her face. Dream or not, Luna didn't like being hit with blunt objects. She saw the pony ready another brick.

“Stop!” Luna yelled. “I'm not one of them!”

“You moron!” An older mare whacked the stallion on the back of his head.

“Ow!” the stallion yelled, turning toward his aggressor and rubbing his hoof where he had been hit. “What was that for?”

“You almost killed the only living pony we've seen for hours!” The mare looked him straight in the eye. “What in Equestria were you thinking?”

“Well, excuse me for being on edge!” The stallion pointed his hoof toward Luna as he yelled at his companion. “The last thing I want is another one of those undead fliers sneaking up on us!”

As the two ponies argued with each other, Luna hovered onto the roof and observed their conversation. Had this been real life, the two would have immediately recognized her, considering she was one of the most famous ponies in Equestria. However, dreams had no need for such logic.

Luna took a look at them as they argued. The stallion had blue fur and a messy, dark blonde mane, both of which were graying, and bore a picture of a briefcase on his flank. The mare, on the other hoof, had green fur and a long, red mane. Her hair was a tangled mess. It looked like it would have been carefully styled hours ago, but all that work had been ruined in the wake of the zombie apocalypse. Her flank had a picture of a pearl necklace.

“Ahem,” Luna said, standing beside them. The two ponies broke out of their argument and looked at her.

The mare addressed her. “Please forgive my ex-husband,” she said. “We just have a bit of a... problem at the moment, and we're all on edge.”

Luna raised an eyebrow, looking at her quizzically. “What's the matter?”

The stallion rolled his eyes. “You mean, aside from the fact that the city's destroyed and we're trapped here on this roof waiting for a rescue team while those... things attack us from all sides?”

The mare slapped him on the back of his head again. “Will you drop the sarcasm for just a second and let me explain the situation to her?”

The stallion grumbled and looked away from the two of them. “I'm gonna go watch the perimeter.” He glanced at his ex-wife. “And before you say anything, this time I'll make sure they're dead first before I try to kill them.” The stallion walked away and shook his head, muttering, “That doesn't even make sense.”

The mare sighed and looked back toward Luna. “Sorry about that,” she apologized again. “He can be so insensitive. Even before the city was destroyed, he was still a pain in the flank.”

Before the mare could go on any further, Luna decided she should get back on topic. “So, what happened here?”

“Well,” the mare explained, frowning. “We had an incident earlier.”

“What kind of incident?”

“Maybe it would be better to just show you.” The mare looked toward an air conditioning unit where two ponies were.

Luna noticed a filly leaning against the unit, breathing heavily. When she saw the filly's dark blonde hair and green fur, she realized that it was Novella. Luna rushed past the mare she met on the roof and ran straight toward the child. After dodging zombies and searching the streets, it was nice to finally see the source of the nightmare.

“I wouldn't get too close if I were you.” A teenage mare stepped between Luna and Novella, holding a baseball bat over her shoulder with her hoof. “She's been bit.”

Luna looked at the mare blocking her path. She bore the same dark blonde hair and green fur that Novella had, but the resemblance ended there. Her hair was spiky and stood up straight, as opposed to Novella's neatly-trimmed mane. Her ears were pierced both high and low, and her tail was cut extremely short.

“What're you starin' at?” the mare asked, squinting her eyes at Luna.

The princess blinked a few times, then shook her head. “Sorry.” She looked back at the older mare, who had just now caught up with her. “How long ago was she bit?”

“About an hour ago.” The mare frowned. “I don't think it'll be long now before she turns into one of them.”

“L... Luna?” The group turned toward Novella, who had become aware of their conversation. “Is that you?”

The princess walked around the teenage mare and knelt beside Novella. “Yes child, it's me.”

The two of them jumped as the stallion in the group yelled from the other side of the roof. They glanced over and saw him leaning over the edge, holding a crowbar.

“And tell your friends to leave us alone while you're down there!”

The group sighed and turned its attention back to Novella. The filly tried her best to keep her eyes open, but it seemed like she could barely focus. She was panting hard and sweating profusely. Dream or not, it was hard for Luna to watch the child suffer like this.

“You know my daughter?” the older mare asked.

Luna stood back up and addressed her. “We've met once before. Not too long ago, actually.”

The mare gave her a weak smile. “Well, I'm glad. She got to see a friend one last time before... you know...”

As the mare trailed off, Luna thought about what she said. If the mare was Novella's mother, then the stallion patrolling the roof must have been her father. Which made the spiky-haired teen her sister. With a strict mother and a surly father, it was no wonder that the child felt so alone. Luna brushed Novella's hair with her hoof.

“You're getting awfully close there,” the teenage pony warned, pointing the baseball bat toward them. “You know what'll happen when she turns, right?”

Luna closed her eyes for a moment and nodded. “I'm not worr-”

As Luna said that, the whole world flashed to black for just a moment. In the blink of an eye, everything except for Novella and her disappeared. But as soon as it happened, it was back. Neither Novella's sister nor her mother noticed the flash.

“That was... strange,” Luna muttered to herself. In the months that she had been traveling through dreams, nothing like that had ever happened. Dreams had a tendency to be random, but they never just stopped, even for a second. Before the princess could dwell on it, Novella's sister stepped close.

“She's not going to last much longer.” She held the baseball bat over her shoulder. “We need to bash her brains in right now before she becomes a threat.”

Luna's eyes opened wide as she turned to face her. “You want to kill her just like that? Your own sister?”

Novella's sister squinted her eyes. “Don't give me that. She's nothing but a liability. Even if she wasn't bitten, she still couldn't fight. She can't do anything. All she ever did was sit around and mope.”

Luna thought about what she had just heard. Was Novella's sister just as dismissive in the real world? It was no wonder that the child spent so much time reading books. It was a safe escape from a family that likely fought just as often as they did here.

“Now step aside,” Novella's sister commanded, raising the bat over her head. “Let's just get this over with.”

“No!” Luna yelled, holding Novella close to her. “I won't let you hurt her!”

Novella's sister stared intensely at Luna. “If you don't move soon, I'm going to swing.”

“Back off!” Luna yelled.

“Get away from her!” Novella's sister readied her bat.

“I said BACK OFF!”

With a glow of Luna's horn, Novella's sister flew backwards. She dropped the bat as she skidded across the roof. Luna turned back toward Novella, and held the filly closely. Novella's eyes were shut tight, and she was panting and breathing heavily.

“Stay with me, child,” Luna said to her. “You're going to be fine.”

Just then, the world flashed to black again. Luna looked around and saw that Novella's family had disappeared. The two of them were the only ones on the rooftop.

“What's going on?” Luna wondered aloud.

Novella's pants became quicker and quicker. As Luna held the filly, she noticed that the air conditioning unit Novella was leaning on was also fading. The princess looked up at the world. The world was slowly disappearing. The fires off in the distance disappeared, as well as the buildings that housed them. The smoked-filled sky was getting darker as well. Was Novella waking up? If she was, then this didn't make any sense. When the dream ends, the world always faded to white, not black. What was going on?

Beep... beep... beep...

Luna's eyes opened wide. It was the sound she had heard the previous night. Celestia had convinced her that it was just an alarm clock going off, but listening to it again, there was no way that could be right. The sound wasn't noisy. It was steady. Luna swore that she had heard the noise before, but she couldn't remember from where. She continued to look around, watching the landscape disappear before her. Not only that, but the roof became distorted. There was another flash of black, this one lasting longer than before.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

The beeping became faster than before. Luna panicked. She looked down at Novella, whose breathing became more and more erratic. The door on the roof that led back into the building had disappeared as well. Another flash of darkness.

Beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep!

Luna gasped. She finally recognized the sound: a heart rate monitor. It was a machine ponies used in hospitals to watch the condition of sick patients. When a pony's heart rate increased, it meant that the pony was under a lot of physical stress. If Luna could hear the monitor here, it must mean that Novella was hooked up to one of those machines in the real world. It was going off like crazy.

Novella was about to die.

Clear

“No...”

Luna stared out into the darkness surrounding the roof. Between the disappearing city and the incessant beeping, she hadn't even realized that she had let go of Novella. The filly lay on the concrete, panting heavily.

“This can't be happening...” Luna lowered her head, and a tear fell from her eye. Her legs wobbled, barely able to support the weight of it all. “It's supposed to be a dream,” she told herself. “Novella can't actually be dying, right?” Luna forced out a laugh. “This is all just a misunderstanding!”

Luna weakly lifted her head back up to look at the filly. Aside from her breathing, she wasn't moving. The darkness had overtaken the edge of the roof. Novella and she were now on nothing but a concrete plane in the middle of a dark void. The darkness formed an ever-shrinking circle around the two of them. Every second it crept closer and closer.

Luna gritted her teeth. “What do I do, what do I do?!” She stomped her hoof on the ground repeatedly in frustration. “There's got to be something! I can't just let her die!”

Beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep...

“And enough with that infernal noise!” Luna shouted into the darkness. Her command was ignored. Luna screamed and held her hooves against her ears in an attempt to drown it out. "If only I could just make it disappear with my magic!" she yelled.

Then, her eyes opened wide. She found the solution.

“My magic! A healing spell!” she exclaimed. “How did I not think of it sooner?”

Luna wasted no time. She turned toward Novella's body and closed her eyes. Her horn glowed brightly, and the magic emanating from it caused her mane to wave in the wind. A bright ball of light swirled around Novella, lifting her into the air. After the filly hovered over the ground for a few moments, the ball exploded with a bright flash. The spell was over.

Luna rubbed her eyes. The light from her magic stung them, but she was okay. A little pain was nothing compared to saving the filly's life. Once her eyes readjusted to the dark, she looked down at Novella.

The filly wasn't moving.

“No...” Luna whimpered, slumping to the ground. “Please... not this...” Tears filled Luna's eyes. “Why...?”

Luna bowed her head and sobbed. The spell was useless here. The body lying in front of her was just a part of the dream. The real Novella had to be lying in a hospital bed, hooked up to all sorts of machines. Luna could change the dream world all she wanted, but she could not help the filly now. The circle of darkness was only feet away from them. In a matter of minutes, Novella would be dead. As Luna cried, she listened to the still-beating heart rate monitor, and the flurry of voices that accompanied it.

Luna's eyes shot open. She hadn't noticed any voices earlier. She couldn't make out what they were saying, but they sounded rushed. One voice seemed to command the others. After a few moments of listening to the voices yell instructions at each other, Luna heard one word stand out among all the others.

“Clear!”

The entire world shook, knocking Luna off of her feet. In an instant, she saw millions of images flash all around her, too fast for her to make out. Afterward, everything was dark again. Luna stood back up and looked around, trying to comprehend what had just happened.

“Clear!”

The world shook again, but this time Luna was ready for it. She held her balance and watched the images flash by, just like they had before. Luna took a close look at the scenes that appeared in the darkness. She saw Novella's mother sitting in the carriage next to her. Her father, exhausted from a hard day of work. Looking through a window at her older, more cynical sister. The school the filly went to. Books. Drawings. Classmates. The hospital. But as quickly as they appeared, they were gone.

Beep... beep... beep...

Luna listened to the heart rate monitor. It was no longer beeping rapidly. It maintained the slow, steady pace she had heard the night before. Before long, the noise faded, and all Luna could hear was silence. The doctors had used a defibrillator. Her magic had failed where modern technology had succeeded. She reminded herself to study up on modern medicine the next time she had a free evening.

Luna looked over at Novella, who was still lying on the ground. The filly's heavy breathing had stopped, and instead, she was breathing normally. As Novella stirred, the circle of darkness that surrounded her edged away. However, instead of a concrete roof, a grassy field emerged from her.

Luna looked around as the world rebuilt itself. Healthy green trees sprung from the ground. A clear sky appeared overhead with white, fluffy clouds. A dirt path formed on the ground, leading off somewhere in the distance. Around them, birds chirped and butterflies flew around. Bees buzzed around batches of colorful flowers. A river flowed nearby with pristine water. However, the world didn't look like the Equestria that Luna knew. The blue of the sky looked as if it was not fully filled in. The tree bark's brown colors were overlapping with the green leaves. The birds were simplified to their most basic features, ignoring all rules of anatomy.

It was as if the world had been drawn with a box of crayons.

Before Luna had a moment to think about the implications of this new world, Novella woke up. The filly yawned, stood up, and stretched her legs. When she opened her eyes and spotted Luna, a big smile appeared on her face.

“Hiya, Luna!” she said, walking over to her friend. “Want to go for a walk?”

Luna's mouth hung open. Moments ago, this filly was on the verge of death. Now, she was more cheerful than Luna had ever seen her.

“What's wrong?” Novella asked, tilting her head. “Somethin' on your mind?”

Luna blinked a few times before shaking her head. “No... everything's fine, child.”

“Great!” Novella smiled brightly and started down the dirt path. As she walked, she turned her head toward Luna. “C'mon, let's go!”

“Oh!” Luna trotted a bit to catch up with Novella, then kept the same pace as her.

Luna watched the filly hum to herself as they walked. If Luna hadn't witnessed it herself, she would never have guessed that Novella just experienced a zombie apocalypse and a shrinking circle of death. Then again, they were walking through what looked like a picture book. Even if Novella couldn't consciously remember her traumatic experience, she must be happy to at least be alive.

Luna turned toward Novella as they walked. “If you don't mind me asking,” she said, “where are we headed?”

Novella's eyes shot wide open. “You don't know?!”

“Well... err...” Luna found it hard to match the filly's enthusiasm. “I've never been down this road before.”

Novella laughed. “We're heading over to Doggieville! It'll be the cutest place you've ever seen!”

Luna raised an eyebrow. “Doggieville?” The name sounded silly – the kind of name that would only appear in a story intended for children.

“Yeah!” Novella happily trotted along, completely unaware of Luna's skepticism. “I can't wait to introduce you to everydoggie!”

Luna closed her eyes for a moment and sighed. Zombies would be easy to handle compared to the saccharine world she was now a part of. Still, Novella was happy. It didn't matter that Luna was uncomfortable as long as the filly was safe.

Except that Novella wasn't safe. The doctors may have saved her life, but she was still asleep. Who knew when that heart rate monitor would start up again? Then again, the last time it happened, Novella was dreaming of dying. As long as the world was this colorful and carefree, the filly would be okay.

“We're here!” Novella exclaimed.

Luna snapped out of her daydream and saw that they had arrived in Doggieville. It was arranged like an ordinary town in Equestria, with various houses, shops, and places of interest scattered about, but every building was shaped like a doghouse. They were of different sizes, shapes, and colors, but each of them had the large hole in the front as an entrance. Luna stood there with a blank look on her face. She wasn't sure whether to roll her eyes, gag, or cover her forehead with her hoof.

A German Shepherd walked up and greeted them. “Good to see you, Novella! Who's your friend?”

Novella giggled. “This is my pal Luna!” The filly turned to look at Luna. “Luna, this is my friend German!”

Luna quickly put away the notion of a talking dog and greeted the stranger. “Nice meet you, German.”

“You too!” the dog said. “Well, I can't stick around and chat! My bakery is having a sale today, so I have to get moving before things get too ruff!”

“Bye!” Novella waved to the dog as he ran off toward town.

Ruff. Luna sighed at the pun. Then she realized that the German Shepherd was named German. That's uninspired. How much more of this would she have to put up with?

Novella tugged on Luna's shoulder. “C'mon! Lemme show you around town!”

Before long, Luna was being dragged by Novella all over the place. Everywhere they went, dogs went about their day, completely unaware that two ponies were walking around their town. Luna put this down as part of Novella's fantasy. The dream would hardly feel fun if she was treated as a stranger, would it? Instead, she's everyone's best friend, even though she's never met them.

“And that's the hat shop, and there's the collar shop, and they have a bunch of cute dog toys over here!” Novella went on and on about this world she was so familiar with that Luna couldn't help feeling overwhelmed. The filly eventually stopped in front of a building with a picture of a dog bowl above the door. “Let's go in and get something to eat!”

Luna didn't have a choice. Novella dragged her inside and sat her down at one of the tables. Apparently, in this world, dogs sat and ate at tables just like ponies did. While Novella was looking over the menu, practically drooling, Luna looked very concerned over all of her options, which seemed to be variations on dog food. When she told Novella she wasn't sure what to order, the filly recommended a dish instead.

The waiter, a Chihuahua, took their orders, along with bringing dog bowls for them to drink water out of. Luna frowned when Novella started lapping up water like a common pet. Instead, Luna used her magic to float the water out of the bowl and into her mouth, being careful to make sure that none of the dogs in the room noticed. A short while later, the Chihuahua came back balancing two large dog bowls filled with chow on his back. The sight of the tiny dog carrying the bowls with little effort made Luna chuckle. Perhaps the cuteness of the world was finally getting to her.

“Thank you, Chipper!” Novella said as the dog placed her food in front of her.

“But of course, m'lady.” The dog bowed after setting their food down. “Please enjoy what the chefs have cooked up.”

After the chihuahua walked away, Novella wasted no time in digging in. Luna grimaced as the filly plowed her face into the slop in front of her, making a huge mess.

Novella looked up at Luna. “Aren't you going to eat, too?” A piece of dog food dripped from her face.

Luna looked down at the bowl in front of her. It didn't look like any food she had ever eaten – just a big brown mess. “I don't think I have much of an appetite right now.”

“Aw, that's too bad!” Novella said before burying her face in the bowl again.

At this point, Luna would normally have been poking at her food with a fork or spoon, but utensils apparently did not exist in the dog world. Instead, she glanced around the room as Novella scarfed down her food. The restaurant looked exactly like the kind of place she was used to in Equestria, aside from the crayon-inspired art décor and paintings portraying dogs instead of ponies. There were canine couples out on dates, dogs wearing ridiculous-looking business outfits while sharing stories with each other, and even a few dogs eating by themselves, their noses buried in books.

Novella rested her head on the table with a big grin on her face. “Soo good...”

Luna was still surprised at Novella's table manners. She didn't think that a pony so shy would be able to let loose like that.

Novella looked back up at Luna and laughed. “It's so nice here. I wish I could live in Doggieville. Then I wouldn't have anything to worry about.”

Luna's ears perked up. “Er... what do you mean?”

Novella sighed. “Everydoggie is just so nice here. They're a lot friendlier than the ponies I know back home.” The filly's expression soured. “None of the dogs here would make fun of me for always carrying a book around. And if I was alone, I could go anywhere and make a new friend!” Novella looked away from Luna, and her voice quieted. “I wish it was that easy in real life...”

Luna picked up on those last two words. Real life. Novella was starting to realize that the world she was in now was nothing more than a work of fiction. In that sense, many good dreams were far worse than nightmares. Nopony enjoyed waking up to face the harsh world they lived in. If Novella didn't want to wake up, then she could force herself to stay in the dream world. The longer she stayed here to avoid the troubles in her real life, the harder it would be to wake up.

“Hey Luna, the carnival's in town! We should go!”

Luna snapped out of her daydream to see the filly tugging on her shoulder. She should really start paying more attention to the world around her. Novella's dim mood had disappeared, and she was cheerful once more.

“Let's go, let's go!” she said, hopping up and down. “I don't want to miss anything!”

Novella practically dragged her out of the restaurant. Luna sighed as she tried to keep pace with the filly. There had been no indication that there was a carnival in town earlier. How could they have possibly missed it?

Oh wait, they were in a dream. Of course it would show up out of nowhere.

Luna and Novella walked outside the restaurant to find the street covered with all sorts of booths. There were games they could play to win prizes, places to buy popcorn or cotton candy, and some of the buildings in town had been transformed into tourist traps. In the middle of the street, a Beagle in clown makeup juggled knives while standing on a beach ball. A crowd watched him intently. Novella's eyes opened wide at all the events in town. Luna, on the other hoof, sighed at the ridiculousness of it all.

“What should we do first, Luna?” Novella looked up at her friend and smiled brightly. “Let's play the dunking booth! I wanna see a dog get wet! It's so cute watching them shake the water off!” Novella frowned. “Luna?”

Luna's attention had shifted away from the carnival in town to a massive wave of water about to hit Doggieville. The wave looked like it was a mile high, and moved with the speed of a coursing river. Despite the wave looming over town, the dogs paid it no attention.

Something wasn't right. The two of them had just walked into a carnival. If the wave was part of the dream, why would it appear so suddenly? Whatever the reason, Luna didn't have time to think. The wave moved through Doggieville as if it wasn't even there. Dogs and buildings disappeared under its mass.

Novella followed Luna's gaze toward the wave, then looked back at her. “Are you okay?” The filly waved her hoof in front of Luna's face. “Hello?”

When the wave of water swept over Luna, the world disappeared.

Breaking Luna

“What did you say?”

Novella's sister rolled her eyes. “We're working with dangerous stuff here. Get a suit on before you choke on the fumes.”

Novella's sister put her hazmat helmet back on and walked away before Luna could respond. She glanced at the row of suits on the wall of the laboratory. The fumes may not be dangerous to her, but they still smelled nasty, so she opted to play along with the dream. Luna found the suit surprisingly difficult to fit into. In most dreams, she could put the suit on her with just a burst of her magic, but this one forced her to get in manually. After putting on everything but the helmet, Luna noticed a small pony looking at her from behind one of the containers. The pony was wearing a suit as well, obscuring its face and body, but it had to be Novella. After all, it was her dream. Luna gave the filly a weak smile before tucking her hair into the suit and attaching the helmet.

Now that Luna was suited up, the three ponies got to cleaning up the lab. The suits muffled their speech, so all communication had to be done through body language. Their first task was to open up a large, cylindrical container and scrub it clean. Luna and Novella held a ladder still for Novella's sister, who seemed to take her time as she sprayed the container down before scrubbing the green gunk out. Luna sat at the bottom with Novella, wishing the two of them could talk to each other rather than just look at each other through the window in the front of their suits.

Every so often, Novella's sister would gesture for a specific tool, which Novella went and delivered without hesitation. Luna had no idea what the purpose of the lab was, so there was little she could do other than hold the ladder. As she watched the two sisters work, she wondered what the significance of the lab was. It didn't resemble one of those mad scientist labs where monsters were created. Instead, it looked like something was being manufactured here. Was this scene from another one of Novella's stories? If Luna was more well-read, the setting might clue her in on what was going through the filly's mind. But for now, she would have to sit back and watch. After a long while of vicious scrubbing, Novella's sister finally climbed down and took off her helmet, sighing.

“It should be safe to breathe in here now.” She turned to Luna. “You can go ahead and take off that helmet, princess.”

The tone of the word 'princess' made Luna uncomfortable. Novella's sister said it as if it was an insult. Was she suggesting that Luna was afraid to get her hooves dirty? Was it a thinly-veiled reference to how they argued during the zombie dream? Whatever the case, Luna didn't answer. She took her helmet off and pulled her hair out. It felt nice to flow free once again.

In the meantime, Novella had taken her helmet off as well. It was nice for Luna to see the filly's face again, but the enthusiasm Novella had during the dog dream was gone. Once again, she was silent, staring despondently at the ground

“How're you holding up?” Luna asked, running her hoof through the filly's mane.

“I'm okay...” Novella looked up at Luna for just a moment before turning her attention back to the floor.

“Anything I can do to help?”

“I don't think so...” Novella poked at the floor with her hoof.

The sooner Luna could get Novella to open up, the easier it would be to sort out her issues and wake her from her coma. Unfortunately for Luna, the direct approach wasn't working. She would have to figure out another way to dig into the filly's thoughts.

“So what is this place, anyway?” Luna asked, turning her attention away from Novella to observe the room. “What were you making in here?”

“None of your business.” Novella's sister didn't bother looking at Luna as she spoke. Instead, she turned her attention toward the filly. “Novella, go sweep under the containers. We don't want all that dust getting into our next batch.”

Luna glared at her. “What's that supposed to mean?”

“It means you don't ask questions.” Novella's sister got out of her hazmat suit and tossed it aside. “Now, are you gonna help clean up or what?”

“Don't boss me around!” Luna stomped her hoof so hard that the sound echoed through the room.

Novella's sister glanced at her without turning her head. “My lab, my rules.”

“Now listen... you...” Luna suddenly realized she only thought of the pony as Novella's sister. Luna sighed and rolled her eyes. “What's your name?”

Novella's sister stared at Luna for a moment before answering. “Call me Nova.”

“Well then, Nova,” Luna responded with the same insulting emphasis. “If you want another pony's assistance, you should be more respectful. If you just boss ponies around like that, nopony is ever going to want to help you!”

Nova frowned at her and raised an eyebrow. “Is that what they tell you in Canterlot?” Nova said with an eye roll. “How about you spend some time away from that fancy castle? Of course ponies are going to listen when you're a princess.” Nova's uninterested expression turned into an angry glare. “Try being a commoner and see how many ponies care what you say!”

Nova's words stung Luna so hard she was left speechless. The princess had always had trouble connecting with common pony folk, but never before did she think of her royal status as a barrier to building relationships. Her sister Celestia never seemed to have problems garnering respect from the ponies of Equestria, but then again, she worked hard every day in order to establish peace in the kingdom. Luna, on the other hoof, kept herself hidden for fear of upsetting the kingdom. She had taken on more responsibilities as of late, but still far less than what Celestia did on a daily basis.

“Looks like the princess of the night isn't so tough after all,” Nova snarked. “Now go make yourself useful. I have organizing to do.”

As Nova walked off, Luna found herself standing in the middle of the lab, unsure what to make of everything that was just said. Novella had been so sweet to Luna, but her sister Nova was rude and dismissive. In dreams, Luna rarely spoke to anypony but the dreamer, but this encounter raised some odd questions. Was Novella's subconscious imagining how Nova would interact with Luna, or was Nova an outlet for the filly to say things she would normally be too afraid to? Perhaps this was a clue to getting Novella to wake up.

Luna finished taking off the hazmat suit and hung it on the wall on the lab. She wasn't sure how she could “make herself useful,” considering she was in a dream, but perhaps now that Novella was separated from her sister, she might be more willing to speak up. A quick glance around the room didn't reveal Novella's location, but Luna eventually found the filly crawling under one of the test tube stations, furiously scrubbing away at the floor.

“Your sister's not the nicest pony, is she?” Luna asked, poking her head under the desk.

“Huh?” Novella stopped what she was doing and looked back at Luna.

“Nova?”

“Oh. Yeah.” Novella went back to scrubbing the floor. “She's nice, I guess.”

Luna raised an eyebrow. “Nice?”

Luna pulled her head out and used her magic to drag Novella out from under the desk, who stared up at her with wide eyes.

“So far, Nova's been nothing but rude and bossy,” Luna said. “I know she's your sister, but you have to stand up to her!”

Novella tilted her head to look away from Luna. “It's okay. Everything's fine.”

Luna looked around to make sure Nova was nowhere to be seen. When she saw that the coast was clear, she leaned down to Novella and spoke quietly. “Why do you let her treat you like this? What's going on between you two?” The filly's submissive attitude toward her sister worried Luna. Was this how the two of them behaved in real life? If Novella had a hurtful sibling to wake up to, it was no wonder that she was scared. It was becoming more and more obvious that Nova was the main source of the filly's troubles. Sorting out the relationship between the two would be the key to waking Novella up.

Novella frowned and spoke quietly, avoiding eye contact with Luna. “She's strong.”

“That's it?” Luna raised an eyebrow. “Just because she's bigger than you doesn't give her the right to be bossy.”

Novella shook her head. “No, that's not what I mean.”

“What is it, then?”

Novella sighed and looked Luna straight in the eyes. “She stood up to mom and dad. Mom was always so strict with me. Everything had to be just perfect with her. But Nova... changed all that.” Novella rolled over and stood up on her hooves in order to face Luna. “She didn't want to be bossed around. Even after mom and dad split up, Nova still looked after me in a way my parents couldn't.” Novella broke Luna's gaze and looked down at the floor. “That's why I let her treat me the way she does. I wouldn't be where I am without her.”

Luna didn't know what to make of Novella's words. On one hoof, it was understandable that the two sisters could still be close despite their differences. Celestia was not afraid to behave harshly toward Luna when the Canterlot staff was absent, but she still showed Luna kindness when she needed it the most. However, Luna could not shake away the vision of Nova in the zombie dream, ready to put down her sister once and for all. Even Novella's current dream was worrisome; whatever the two of them were making in this lab, they had to work together. That meant Novella obeying every word and command that her sister gave without hesitation.

Luna still had a lot to learn about the filly's sister. “Was Nova always so bold?”

Novella's eyes looked away from Luna. “Well... you see...”

The two ponies suddenly heard a crash from the other side of the lab. A blue parasprite flew away from the noise and up onto the floor of the railing where Luna had entered the dream. A moment, later, Nova walked up to Luna and Novella, keeping her gaze fixed on the pest.

“Novella, get it,” she barked.

“R-right!” Novella said, wide-eyed. Without a moment's hesitation, the filly grabbed a nearby swatter and rushed off to get the parasprite.

As Luna watched Novella slowly climb the stairs, she couldn't help but notice the filly's reaction to her sister's command. Novella wasn't obeying Nova out of a sense of loyalty; instead, she seemed afraid. Admiring her sister while simultaneously being afraid to stand up to her made Novella seem like a walking contradiction. Was the lab meant to symbolize this back and forth struggle? Working with chemicals could be dangerous work that would require one pony to lead and others to follow.

“Ah!” Novella leaped at the parasprite with her swatter, but the pest dodged it just in time. The filly got back on her hooves and looked around for where the parasprite buzzed off to.

“It's on the ceiling, next to the stairs,” Nova yelled up. “You might have to stand on a crate or something to reach it.” Novella nodded and searched the upper level for something to stand on.

Luna glared at Nova. “You're going to put her at risk just to swat an insignificant bug?”

Nova gave an uninterested glance. “It's not insignificant. If parasprites aren't dealt with, they can cause all sorts of problems.”

“But there's no food in here,” Luna growled. “Not to mention, all the chemicals are locked up tight. The parasprite will probably wander off on its own!”

“I'm not risking it.” Nova looked back at her sister, who had moved an unsteady barrel next to the stairs. The filly looked hesitant to climb it.

“This isn't about the parasprite, is it?” Luna asked, eyeing Novella carefully. “You just want to make her work.”

“She's not going to get anywhere being as timid as she is,” Nova said. “Even if she falls, she'll be fine. The filly needs to learn to take some risks.”

Novella had found a steady balance on top of the drum and looked up at the parasprite, who was still clinging to the same spot on the ceiling. She made a few weak swings with the swatter, but none of them would be able to swat the parasprite.

“You need to learn some empathy,” Luna told Nova. “I'm going to help her.”

“Suit yourself.”

With that said, Luna quickly trotted over to the stairs and kept a close eye on Novella as she walked up the steps. After a few more practice swipes, the filly braced herself and swung at the parasprite as hard as she could. If Novella had hit her target, it would have taken the pest out for good. However, she missed her mark and lost her balance as well.

“Novella!” Luna cried out, heading up the stairs.

The filly fell off of the barrel and hit her right front leg on the top step of the stairs, but she was caught by Luna's magic before she could fall any further. Novella curled up around her leg, whimpering and holding back tears.

Luna hovered her onto the top of the railing and rushed over to check on her. “Novella, are you okay?”

The filly groaned in response.

Luna checked the filly's front leg. It was bruised, but Luna had stopped her from what could have been a nasty fall. If the injury had happened in the colorful dog dream from before, she might have been able to get back on her hooves in no time at all. However, Novella wasn't in the best state of mind, so the injury would remain.

“What's wrong with you?” Luna yelled over at Nova. “She would have been really hurt if I wasn't here to save her!”

“It's her own fault!” Nova yelled back from the ground. “If she knew what she was doing, that parasprite would be a splat on the ceiling right now!”

“Grr...” Luna felt like she was arguing with a wall. Nova refused to take responsibility for her sister. Instead, she just tried to rationalize her words and actions in any way she could.

Nova looked around the lab. “Where did that pest get to?”

The buzz of the parasprite's wings still hummed through the room, but Luna didn't see it anywhere. She decided that it wasn't her problem, and went back to tending to Novella. The filly was hurt, but she would be okay. The dream hadn't flickered or darkened like it did when Novella was near death, so Luna knew she still had time.

“Get off of there!” Nova shouted at the sound of glass shattering echoed through the lab.

Luna looked up. “What's going on?”

“We need to get right of that parasprite right now!” Nova sounded rushed. “It just knocked over one of the test tubes!”

“So?” Luna didn't see the problem.

“Have you ever seen what happens when a parasprite eats something?”

Luna sighed. “Alright, I'll take care of it.” Luna ran her hoof through Novella's hair. “I'll be right back.” Luna didn't want to help Nova after everything that had happened, but she was right. The parasprite had to be taken care of quickly. Fortunately, Luna could fly, and would be able to get rid of the pest far quicker than Novella.

Luna ran and leaped off the stairs in order to fly through the air. The lab was not small, but it didn't leave a lot of room to maneuver, either. Luna hovered around the room, looking for the parasprite. She spotted Nova on the ground, frantically cleaning up the mess the pest caused. Luna looked up above the mess and saw the parasprite clinging to the wall. Luna slowly fluttered over to the wall, then in a sudden movement, clapped her hooves against the wall. Unfortunately, she was too slow, and the parasprite flew off.

Luna chased the pest around the room as fast as she could, though the various containers and shelves limited her speed. She tried to destroy the parasprite with her magic, but it was a small target and moved too fast for her to focus on it long enough to cast a spell. Luna swatted at it repeatedly whenever it landed, but each time she was too slow.

Finally, the parasprite landed on top of the large container they were cleaning out when Luna first entered the room. This was her opportunity. Luna knew the container was empty, and because this was a dream, she did not care about whether or not the container was damaged. She steadily hovered over the parasprite, then quickly dropped and struck the container with her hooves. Upon impact, the sound of the crash echoed through the room. The parasprite was no more, but now there was a new problem: she couldn't move.

Luna cried out in pain. Her ears rang, her legs stung like mad, and she was too dizzy to focus on the ceiling above her. Luna lay in the container, quietly whimpering, wondering what had happened. While the Canterlot staff did a great job of monitoring Luna's diet, the princess was not used to strenuous physical activity. Nor did she ever require it. Whenever Luna visited a dream, she could pass through walls and other objects with ease if she focused on it, and she could manipulate the dream world however she pleased.

What was going on?

All Just a Game

Nova called out to Luna from outside the container. “What in Equestria were you thinking?!”

Luna squinted and blinked her eyes until they regained focus. After a moment of struggling, she was able to look out of the container at Nova, who was peering over the edge. Nova looked like she was about to explode.

“When I told you to get rid of the parasprite, I didn't think you would wreck the lab in the process! Do you have any idea how much money this is going to take to fix?”

A fictional lab was the last thing Luna was concerned about. She ignored Nova's lecture and examined her injuries instead. Her legs were stunned, but they didn't feel seriously damaged. On the other hoof, her wings were sprained. It took a huge effort to move them at all. Thinking back to the instant of the crash, Luna realized that the clash of her hooves against the metal felt far too real. It was as if she wasn't in a dream at all.

But Luna had to be. She remembered laying on her rug, floating over to Manehatten, and entering Novella's dream for the third time in two days. Not to mention, if this were real, why would Novella be mixing chemicals in a lab with her sister? Luna was in a dream, currently playing the role of a princess losing control of her magic. She may have been in another pony's dream, but it felt like a nightmare of her own.

Before doing anything else, Luna decided to test her dream magic to make sure it was still working right. As she lay down, she pressed her hoof against the side of the container. Cold, solid metal. Luna stared at her hoof and focused on pushing it through. Her hoof disappeared through the metal as if it wasn't even there. She pulled her hoof back and saw that there was no hole in the metal. Luna could still break the dream's rules, but it was considerably harder than it should have been.

Was this a result of her dream spell going wrong? Celestia had warned Luna not to wear herself out. Whatever the case, Luna didn't know how long Novella could hold out. Luna could rest once the filly was safe. Fortunately, Nova's attitude toward her sister provided a key to figuring out the source of Novella's trauma. But before Luna could further help the filly, she would have to escape the container.

“Stand back!” Nova shouted from the outside the container.

Luna tried scooting away from the sound of the mare's voice with what little strength she had, but there was not much room to move. Luna watched as a red line with sparks shooting out of it slowly moved down the container, followed by a second one spaced a few feet away. When the two lines were completed, the container was pulled away, revealing Nova wearing a welder's mask with a still-warm blowtorch at her hooves.

Nova pulled the mask up and sighed, glaring at Luna. “I thought you were supposed to be some all-powerful princess whose job it is to protect Equestria. Yet here I am, saving you instead.” Nova shook her head. “No wonder the kingdom gets attacked so often.”

“I'm not all powerful,” Luna mumbled as she crawled out of the wreckage. “You try being a princess and see how well it goes.” Her patience for Nova was wearing thin.

Nova rolled her eyes. “Oh, it must be so pitiful. All those ponies pampering you day after day, and you're cursed with magic capable of raising the moon? I can only imagine.”

A voice cried out from the other end of the room. “Leave her alone!”

The two of them turned to see Novella walking toward them. Evidently, the filly felt well enough to walk down the stairs on her own.

“Luna just saved me from a bad fall!” Novella yelled. “I'd trust her with my life long before I relied on you for anything!”

“Well what'll happen next time, when she's not around?” Nova asked. She turned to look at Luna. “I bet you can't even stand, let alone walk.”

“Don't give me that,” Luna said, gritting her teeth. With a groan, she adjusted her feet and steadied her balance until she was safely up on all fours. Luna looked over at Novella and smiled. “Give me just a moment, child. I'll be okay.”

“See?!” Novella said excitedly to her sister. “I bet Luna can handle anything!”

As Nova rolled her eyes, Luna wondered what was next in store for them. She would be able to walk, but she doubted she would be able to save Novella again if the filly was in danger. With dreams that morph as rapidly as hers, it likely wouldn't be long before they found themselves in another tight spot.

“Fun's over.” Nova dragged a garbage container over to the spot where Luna landed and began filling it with wreckage. “I have a lot of cleaning up to do, and the longer you stick around, the more likely you are to to screw it all up.”

Novella opened her mouth as if she was about to yell at her sister, but instead just muttered, “Fine.” She turned and started walking toward the stairs out of the lab. “Luna, let's go.”

Luna figured by the filly's silence that she would prefer to leave the lab to dealing with Nova any longer. Luna agreed, and mustered up the strength to walk over to the stairs.

Novella trotted up the stairs with ease, but was forced to watch helplessly as Luna struggled to move up them. Luna's limbs felt stiff and still stung from her fall, making each step as difficult as scaling a mountain. Novella moved next to Luna and tried to provide physical support, but the filly was too small to help Luna with her balance. After several minutes of walking up, Luna collapsed on the top floor, exhausted.

“Luna!” Novella cried out, kneeling by the princess's side. “Are you okay?!”

“Don't... don't worry about me.” Luna took a deep breath and stood back on her feet. Now that she was on level ground again, she would be okay to walk. “Just keep moving forward, okay? I'll follow you.”

A smile appeared on Novella's face, but Luna didn't find it very convincing. Up until now, Luna had been watching out for the filly, but because of Luna's injury, the tables had been turned. The filly remained quiet and walked toward the door, watching behind her to make sure Luna was following. The last time Luna tried opening the door, it had been locked tight due to the restrictions of the dream. This time, however, Novella didn't have the same problem as the princess. As she held the door open for Luna, a bright light shined through the door. Luna squinted as she exited the lab, unable to see what lied beyond the door.

As Luna stepped through, she felt a wave of fresh air run over her, which felt much nicer than the stagnant air in the lab. Luna smiled and took a deep breath, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the sunlight. Her hooves made clopping noises as they stepped onto a solid cobblestone path. After a few moments, Luna could identify tall, brightly colored buildings on the sides of the street. Many of the buildings had shops on the first floor, with signs hanging in the windows advertising clothing and accessories that had long since gone out of style. The streets seemed unusually quiet, but other than that the town seemed like a picturesque society. However, one end of the road was fenced off due to the fact that there was no ground – the entire city was floating in the sky.

Luna walked over to the fence and watched white, fluffy clouds float beneath the world Novella and her had just entered. Sky cities were not uncommon in Equestria, since they provided pegasi a place to live without taking up space on land, but it had been a while since Luna had visited one for herself. Because of the difficulties involved in making a city float, they were considered a masterful showcase of craftsmareship and engineering. Luna would have loved to fly out and see the city for herself, but unfortunately her wings were still not up to the task. That, and this was another fictional city within the filly's dream. It was likely such a place should not exist at all.

Novella called out to her. “Come on, we have to get going.”

Luna looked back toward the door that had brought the two of them to this place, but it had vanished into thin air. Instead, Novella stood by herself, tapping her hoof against the ground in impatience.

“We don't have time to dawdle,” Novella said. “It's not safe here.”

Luna frowned. “Not safe? Why, what's wrong?”

Novella sighed. “You'll find out soon enough.” The filly started down the other end of the street, waving a hoof for Luna. “Come on, follow me. We need to find an airship so we can get down to the ground.”

Luna scoffed at the idea but followed Novella anyway. An airship wouldn't bring them to safety; this was just another instance of Novella's subconscious taking control. So once again, Luna had to figure out the significance of this world.

The two ponies walked through the streets of the city in silence. The old-fashioned society was nice to look at, but the lack of any other ponies in the streets made Luna uneasy. Perhaps Novella was right when she said they should get moving. Luna imagined it wouldn't be long before they ran into trouble.

Was that why Novella brought them here? To look for a fight? The idea seemed absurd to Luna, considering that the filly was so sweet and helpful, as troubled as she was. However, only minutes ago the filly looked helpless as Luna struggled to climb the steps in the lab. Her wings were useless and her legs barely let her walk. If anything, Luna was a liability. Is that why Novella brought them to a potentially dangerous area? To try and show that she could protect Luna?

The two ponies arrived in a circular garden in the city. As they walked through the path to the center of the garden Luna could not help but be impressed by the floral arranged. Healthy, colorful flowers of all shapes and sizes lined the sides of the street.

“These ponies are pitiful, aren't they?” Novella said.

Luna walked toward the center of the garden, where she saw what the filly was referring to. A large stone statue of the Changeling Queen Chrysalis, a ruthless figure who nearly succeeded in overthrowing Equestria, stood high and mighty within the beautiful garden. Chrysalis' pony-like figure starkly contrasted her bug-like wings, twisted horn, and limbs filled with holes. Luna's fears were confirmed. No matter how beautiful the city looked, any ponies who would worship a figure like Chrysalis were not to be trusted.

“Quick gawking, Luna!” Novella stomped a hoof on the ground as she stood in front of one of the exits. “The longer we stay here, the more likely somepony will find us!”

“Oh!” Luna exclaimed, and walked toward Novella. The filly rolled her eyes and moved down the path.

Novella strode down the path to the city with urgency, stopping only to look back at Luna to make sure she could keep up. The filly was no longer acting like the quiet, nervous pony Luna had met only a day before. She was insistent and impatient, almost to the point of being rude. Luna had no idea whether Novella was merely emulating her sister or trying to be strong for Luna. The way the filly took charge and commanded her around made Luna feel like a supporting character in somepony else's story.

After a few minutes of walking down another empty street, Novella raised a hoof in the air.

“Stop.”

Luna quietly stood next to Novella and looked forward. The road up ahead opened up into a large area where they spotted pegasi of all ages running booths and playing games at some sort of festival. The ponies all looked friendly and playful, laughing and yelling as they played musical instruments and tossing balls at carnival games. It reminded Luna of the festival in Doggieville, but she knew that these ponies were not as friendly as they appeared.

“What do we do now?” Luna whispered.

Novella grimaced. “I don't think we have any options. We'll have to try and just blend into the crowd.”

Luna stared at her. “Are you crazy? They're all pegasi! The two of us will stand out like crazy!”

Novella gave Luna a sour look. “Do you have any other ideas?”

Luna frowned. “Well, no, but...”

Novella closed her eyes and sighed. “Look, we'll just try not to attract any attention, alright? I doubt they'll try anything with so many kids around.” The filly gave Luna a confident grin. “Besides, I think we can handle ourselves. Don't you?”

Luna didn't know what to think of Novella's attitude. On one hoof, she wanted to stop the filly from getting into any more trouble. On the other, delving into this dream deeper would give her a greater understanding of Novella's subconscious. With her recent injuries, Luna didn't know whether or not she could handle being attacked in the dream world at this point, but there was no point in idling around. Luna nodded, and the two of them walked out into the open.

At first, it seemed like everything was going smoothly. As Luna and Novella walked through the crowd, most of the pegasi were too busy having fun to notice them. Luna wondered how an alicorn like herself avoided standing out, but it was best to not question dream world logic. As Luna looked around, she briefly made eye contact with a young, brown-haired colt off to the side. The colt stared back at her with wide eyes, but did not say anything. Luna shrugged off the encounter and continued walking forward along with Novella.

“I think the festival ends down there,” the filly whispered, pointing at a tall, golden gate beside one of the buildings.

Luna nodded in agreement. However, as the two of them walked toward the gate, Luna heard murmurs coming from all around them. The music had slowed down, and rather than playing games with each other, the fillies and colts merely looked at Novella and Luna with fear in their eyes.

“Let's pick up the pace,” Novella said, less concerned about being quiet.

Novella and Luna worked themselves up to a light trot, but before they could reach the gate, two black-haired stallions wearing old-fashioned police pony outfits stood in their way.

“We think the two of you might be lost,” one of them said unflinchingly.

“Oh no, we're fine,” Luna told them. “We were just passing through.” Luna braced herself, expecting to be attacked at any second.

“Come with us,” the other stallion commanded. “We don't want anypony to get hurt.”

“Don't give me that!” Novella yelled, glaring at the two police ponies. “This is the only warning you're getting! Let us through!”

The police pony in front of her scoffed and put a hoof on her shoulder. “Listen, filly. Why don't you just come along and-”

With a swift motion, Novella grabbed a baseball bat laying beside her and swung it into the stallion's back as hard as she could. The pony fell over in an instant, but before the other one could react, Novella leaped on his back and wrapped her front legs around his throat.

“Luna, run for it!” she yelled.

The princess nodded and galloped toward the gate with as much strength as she could muster. Luna still felt weary from her fall, but the adrenaline rush helped get her moving. As she ran toward the edge of the festival, she couldn't help but notice the chaos erupting around her. Ponies old and young gasped at the sight of the police pony lying on the ground with an ugly bruise, not to mention a filly taking on a pony twice her size. Luna wasn't sure she would have believed it if she didn't see it for herself. Dream or not, she never thought Novella would resort to violence. As she neared the gate, Luna used her magic to open the bolted lock. It wasn't the same as merely willing the gate out of existence, but it would do for now.

“Novella, come on!” she yelled back as the gate opened up.

The filly hopped off the police pony and sped toward Luna as fast as she could. Once Novella had caught up, Luna and her ran down the road, wherever it led.

After running down several streets, making turns, and knocking over a stand full of candy apples, Novella spotted an alleyway off of the road. “Quick, in here!”

The two of them darted into the alley and hid behind a dumpster. Luna peeked out from behind it and looked at the road they came from. Luna didn't see any ponies pass by the alley, so she thought the two of them might have a moment to catch their breath. Now that Luna knew they were safe, the weariness in her legs caught up to her. “Hold on,” she told Novella as she lied down. “I need a moment.”

“Don't make it too long,” the filly said, opening the lid of the dumpster.

“I'll manage.” Luna raised an eyebrow at the filly's behavior. “What are you doing?”

“Looking for food,” Novella responded, surveying the contents.

“In a dumpster?”

Novella stuck her head in to take a closer look. “I doubt they'll let us have any food if we ask, and I need to keep my energy up somehow.” The filly took her head out and shook her head. “Nothing edible in this one.”

Luna knew that the filly was likely just acting out a role she had seen in a story, but the princess couldn't imagine what kind of hero scavenged food and solved problems with violence. Bludgeoning that pegasus with a baseball bat was probably the right choice given the circumstances, but why would Novella even dream up such a scenario? Just like the zombie dream, the level of violence felt far too grotesque for a sweet little filly like Novella. No wonder she felt so distant from her parents; they paid no attention at all to what she was exposed to.

Novella walked past Luna toward the other end of the alley. “Let's go,” Novella said, picking up a discarded crowbar. “If we stick around, I don't know how long it'll take before they find us.”

Luna nodded. She knew she should have been worrying about the filly's mental state, but since Luna's dream magic was going haywire, she could be in danger as well. It would be best to stick by Novella's side. Unfortunately, the longer Luna stayed in the dream, the weaker her magic would become. It could be wise to get some rest, but she didn't know how long the filly had left to live. Luna was learning more about Novella every moment, but how long until she figured out the secret to convincing her to live?

As Luna followed the filly toward the airship, she couldn't help but notice that the environment seemed to be leading them in a certain direction. Boxes were stacked on top of each other blocking potential exits, and a fair amount of the roads were gated off, with endless sky on the other side in place of ground. It was as if the two of them were being railroaded along. There was no way the local population could have devised a trap so quickly, and it was an odd coincidence that the path to the airship was also the only direction they could travel. If the dream was just another one of Novella's stories, then it would make a certain degree of sense; stories are linear by nature, and it wouldn't be a good story if the two of them got lost exploring the town. Still, Luna felt a sense of dread knowing that her fate was out of her hooves.

After wandering around what seemed like endless alleyways through the city, Luna and Novella found themselves in an alley opposite the shipping facility. The building was tall and wide, which it would have to be in order to house both the airship and materials for transport. Unfortunately, news of the attack at the carnival had spread throughout the city, and a couple of police pegasi were patrolling the streets. Two guards, but no civilians.

“Alright, here's what we'll do,” Novella said, keeping a close eye on the police. “When the one on the right turns his back, we'll sneak out and take them both out simultaneously. Got it?”

“What?!” Luna looked at her as if she had gone mad. “Take them out? You mean kill them?”

Novella turned to the princess and looked as if she had asked if the sky was blue. “Of course we kill them. How else are we going to get past?”

Luna knew that these ponies were fictional, but she couldn't help but be appalled at Novella's disregard for life. “Can't we just sneak past them? My wings are feeling a little better – I might be able to just fly us over there.”

“We'll be spotted,” Novella told her. She looked back at the guards and shook her head. “Nevermind. I think I can do this by myself. Wait right here.”

“Novella!” Luna called out.

The princess watched as Novella crept up on the right police pony, who was readjusting his hat. In the blink of an eye, Novella had lept on the pony's back and wrapped her front legs around his mouth, muffling his attempts to alert his partner. The pony struggled, but Novella held on, using her bottom legs to choke his neck, cutting off his air supply. Within moments, the pony lacked the energy to fend her off anymore, eventually falling onto the ground.

Luna didn't know what to think. The young filly had just strangled a pony in broad daylight with no hesitation at all. Before Luna could dwell any further, Novella grabbed the police pony's baton, then crept over to the other pony. She lept on this one as well, but this time pressed the baton against his neck instead of using her legs. Just like his friend, he stumbled to the ground as he gasped his last breath.

“We're okay now, Luna!” Novella called out. “Let's get inside!”

The filly ran forward, toward the warehouse, but Luna couldn't do anything but sit there with her mouth open. In the last dream, Novella seemed weak and helpless as her sister commanded her, but in this world, she was playing the role of the oppressor.

“Luna, are you coming?”

“Oh!” Luna shook her head to snap out of her thoughts. “I'm on my way.”

The princess trotted forward toward the warehouse, but took a look at one of the dead police ponies as she moved. The pony wasn't breathing, and Luna saw the fresh strangle marks around his neck. It's possible that Novella still felt like the one being oppressed – after all, the entire city was after them for seemingly no reason. But the way Novella strangled them with minimal effort made it seem like she was the one in control.

When Luna finally caught up to Novella at the entrance to the warehouse where the airship was, the filly was peering inside the door.

“I've spotted five stallions in there, but there could be more,” she told Luna. “We're gonna have to take down all of them if we want to steal the airship.”

“Is that really necessary?” Luna pleaded. “Those are lives you're taking.”

“They're evil,” Novella told her. “It doesn't matter if they live or die. As long as we escape, nothing else matters.”

“But...”

Luna felt like Novella was just rationalizing her actions. The filly was correct in that these ponies were likely evil, but that didn't mean killing them. Even though this was all a dream, Luna still cringed when she saw her strangle those two police ponies to death. Luna knew that those deaths weren't real, but did Novella?

“If you don't want to kill anypony, then just stay out of the way.” Novella pushed the door open just enough to walk through. “Stay behind me, and I'll do all of the work.”

Novella snuck into the building, with Luna following her. The princess was much taller and had longer hair than the filly, so Luna uncomfortably crawled behind crates as Novella peeked over them and led the way. From the few glances Luna saw, the warehouse was filled with shelves full of crates and boxes. Rolls of bubble wrap could be found laying on the floor next to unwrapped goods. A few forklifts could be seen around the area. On the other side of the building, Luna could just make out a large door where goods could be transported onto the airship. However, the hard metal floor made a clopping noise whenever one of them took a step, so they had to tread as carefully as they could. It wasn't long before they came across one of the workers at the facility stacking some boxes onto one of the forklifts. This stallion was much larger than the police ponies outside.

Luna whispered to Novella. “He's too big. I don't think you'll be able to strangle him.”

Novella nodded. “You're right.”

Luna gave a small, relieved sigh. At the very least, Novella wouldn't be strangling this pony. However, she then noticed the filly grab a box cutter off of one of the shelves.

“What are you doing?” Luna asked her.

“Improvising.”

Before Luna could say anything else, Novella had moved forward and jumped on the back of the stallion. The filly covered his mouth with one hoof and jammed the box cutter into his neck with the other. The stallion cried out, but the sound of his screams were muffled. Novella jammed the box cutter into him over and over, until he was nothing more than a bloody mess on the floor.

The filly turned toward Luna. “I knew this wouldn't be hard,” she said with a satisfied grin on her face.

Luna's jaw dropped. Novella had just killed somepony with a box cutter... and enjoyed it. The attack wasn't done out of desperation or self-defense. She had killed the pony in cold blood under a flimsy justification of needing to do so in order to escape. But instead of treating death with the weight it deserved, she looked as if it was nothing more than a goal she had accomplished.

Luna stared at the filly, wide-eyed. “You're psychotic.”

Novella's grin fell. “What?”

Luna stepped forward, growing furious. “You don't care about the lives of other ponies. You took pleasure in taking that pony's life! It's nothing but a game to you!”

Novella stood as tall as she could to stand up to Luna. “You don't understand me at all! Of course I take things like life and death seriously!”

“Oh do you?” Luna asked, rolling her eyes. “It all doesn't matter to you. Everything is just an escape from your family!”

Their conversation had grown louder to the point of attracting the other work ponies in the room. However, neither Luna nor Novella paid them any attention.

“What do you know?” the filly yelled at her. “You're just like all the other ponies who treated me like I was crazy! You jumped to conclusions and didn't even bother to try understanding!”

“What's there to understand?” Luna stomped her hoof. “You can't handle the real world, so you just immerse yourself in these stories! You're so obsessed that you can't even tell the difference between reality and fiction!”

As Luna spoke, a stallion carefully trotted up behind Novella, ready to swing a crowbar at her.

Tears streamed down Novella's face. “Of course I know the difference! This isn't real life!”

The stallion standing behind Novella froze. A moment later and he would have bashed Novella in the skull. Instead, he stood there, not moving.

Novella's legs wobbled as she cried. “Do you think I'm an idiot?!” she yelled. “I abhor violence! I think taking anypony's life is terrible! I can't believe you're making judgments about me based on some dumb story!”

Luna instantly felt terrible, but couldn't help but feel that things were about to get much, much worse. “So... you knew all along?”

Novella wiped her eye. “I can't fly. What would I be doing in a sky city? Why would there be a society full of pegasi who want to capture outsiders? What would a princess like you be doing with me?”

Luna bit her lip. Novella's eyes opened wide.

“This isn't real. I'm dreaming.”

Teardrops

“Haha... I am in a dream, aren't I?” Novella smiled and looked at the warehouse around her as if she was just seeing it for the first time. “It's been a while since I've had a lucid dream...”

Luna wasn't sure what to make of Novella's revelation, but she had a bad feeling about it. Whenever Luna entered dreams, she often seemed out of place, since she was not a part of the pony's subconscious. However, the dream would still continue on uninterrupted, as the pony is not in a state to question the logic of her presence. This time, it seemed like Luna may have pushed the boundaries too far.

Novella turned to look at the stallion behind her. He was frozen in time, with a hoof raised high in the air with a crowbar, ready to attack. Novella pushed him with her hoof and watched him fall over.

“This is so cool!” she said to herself. “I've never had this much control over a dream before!” Novella looked at a nearby stack of crates. “I wonder...” The filly raised her hoof up and pushed forward in the air. The crates fell over and spilled their contents on the ground. Novella laughed at her new abilities.

Luna suddenly felt very vulnerable. She had never seen a pony take control of dreams like this before. Even at Luna's best, she never had this much control over dreams. If Novella could consciously control the environment, Luna could be in danger, considering how weak her powers had become.

Novella summoned an ice cream sundae onto the floor in front of her. She started shoveling the dessert into her mouth with a satisfied grin on her face. When Novella finished the sundae, she looked at Luna with curiosity. “Are you part of my dream too?”

“Well, you see...” Luna paused, wondering whether or not to tell the filly the truth.

“Oh wait,” Novella interrupted. “I know how to tell.” She waved a hoof in Luna's direction, but nothing happened. The filly frowned and raised an eyebrow. “Are you really the princess?”

Luna nodded hesitantly, and made sure to choose her words carefully. “That is correct. I am not a part of your dream. I am the real Princess Luna, and I am using my magic to visit you in your dreams.” Luna smiled as best as she could.

Novella tilted her head. “You're visiting me? What's a princess doing coming into my dreams?”

Luna's eyes darted away from the filly. “Well, um, you see...” She wondered if it was wise to tell a young pony that they were on the verge of death.

Novella stared at Luna, waiting for a response.

“It's... complicated.”

“Luna?” Novella's expression had turned from curious to concerned. “What's going on?”

“I-it's nothing, child. I, um...” The situation was turning dire, and Luna didn't know the right words.

Novella's legs began shaking. “What's going on?” she said again. “Tell me!”

Luna remained silent. As she tried to think of an excuse, any excuse, she noticed how silent the dream had become. Not only that, but aspects of the world were slowing fading away. The ponies and the shelves in the warehouse had disappeared, and the room itself was disappearing into a white nothingness. Soon, the entire warehouse was gone, except for a circle of floor where the two of them stood.

“Luna.” Novella looked dead straight at the princess. “What's happening to me?”

The last time the world had disappeared like this, Novella was on the verge of waking up. However, this time the filly remained in the dream with her. Novella's stare drilled into Luna's chest. The silence was deafening. Luna hoped to Celestia that she wouldn't hear the noise that drove her mad, but her wishes were ignored.

Beep... beep... beep...

The sound of the heart rate monitor echoed through the dream. The last time Luna had heard it, Novella was on the verge of death. The filly's heart rate was steady, but the sound of it sent a chill down Luna's spine.

Novella's eyes opened wide. “I'm in a coma.”

“Novella, I-”

“Is that why you're here?” Novella said louder, walking toward her.

“Let me explain-”

“I get it.” Novella looked Luna directly in the eye. “You're here to give me some motivational speech about how life is precious and all that crap.” Novella rolled her eyes. “Did you ever think that maybe I don't want to wake up?!” Novella stomped a hoof on the ground. “That there's no point to living with a family that doesn't care about me?!”

Novella was rapidly losing control of her emotions. Luna had to be careful with her words. “I'm only trying to help.”

“And you're doing a great job.” Novella rolled her eyes. “What kind of princess invades a pony's privacy like this? Do you think being royalty makes you better than me?”

Luna winced. The filly's words stung, but Luna knew that Novella didn't truly feel that way toward her. She took a deep breath to calm herself. “My ability to enter dreams is a special gift. If I can use that gift to help ponies in need, then I am fulfilling my duty as a princess.”

Novella's tone turned sour. “So you have it so easy that you have to go and look for problems to solve?”

“How dare you!” Luna yelled and stomped a hoof, sending an echo throughout the white void. For just a moment, she wanted to leave the filly behind. If Novella wanted to ignore the time they had spent together, then she wasn't worth saving. Novella was no better than all the other ponies who assumed the worst about Luna.

However, as much as Novella's words dug into old wounds, Luna was able to contain herself. Not many ponies respond well to learning that they had limited time left to live. For a young filly like Novella to discover this fact, in a dream, no less, could not be easy.

Luna stared to the side, avoiding eye contact with Novella. “I... I saw you suffering.”“How could I just leave you alone?”

“You think you can fix my problems for me?” Novella's legs trembled. “Do you think you can undo a lifetime of being ignored?”

Luna looked back at the filly, whose eyes were filling with tears. Luna put on the best face she could. “I can't fix anything for you.” She took a step forward. “All I want you to do is wake up.”

“No!” Novella yelled. “Get away from me!” the filly said, stomping her hoof.

Luna jumped back as a light gray wall burst up from the ground in between the two ponies. The wall seemed to stretch into the sky infinitely. Luna stepped close to the wall and knocked her hoof against it. It was as hard as solid marble.

“Novella!” Luna cried out, knocking her hoof against the wall. No answer. “Novella!”

The filly was refusing to respond. Now that Novella knew she was in a dream, she was consciously trying to block Luna out. The princess had no intention of leaving Novella alone, so she pressed against the wall and focused. It took much more willpower than normal, but Luna was able to pass through the wall. However, as she passed through, Luna suddenly got a painful headache, and caught a brief glimpse of her bedroom in Canterlot. Not a good sign. Luna took a moment to reorient herself, and spotted Novella in the white void. The filly was yelling at her sister Nova, who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

Novella bared her teeth at her sister. “You're always taking these stupid risks and getting us into trouble! You think you know what's best for us, but you don't! You're just making it up as you go along and hoping things turn out okay!”

Nova rolled her eyes. “At least I'm trying to fix things.” She pointed her hoof at Novella. “You've always been content to sit back and let everypony else make their decisions for you!”

The siblings argued in circles as Luna processed what she saw. When confronted with her own mortality, Novella thought of her sister, who was likely the pony closest to her in her life. Aside from the physical similarities, the two of them were nothing alike. Novella was shy but friendly when she wasn't provoked, while Nova was cynical and bossy. The filly was having a battle for dominance with an imaginary version of her sister.

At some point during the argument, Nova noticed Luna's presence and pointed it out to her younger sibling. “I told you you couldn't hide from her forever. Good luck, kid.” After saying those words, she vanished.

As Novella turned her head to see Luna, her eyes widened in fear. “No... you're still here?” The filly took a few steps back.

Luna had only been gone a few moments, but Nova behaved as if the princess had been gone for a while. Luna slowly stepped forward, trying not to alarm the filly. “Novella, I just want to talk to you.”

“No!” Novella yelled. “Stay away from me!” The filly took off running away from Luna into the white void.

“Novella!” Luna cried out, giving chase.

It was strange to gallop in a world without any color. Luna could still feel the hard floor of the warehouse beneath her hooves, but there was nothing to step on. There were no obstacles for Novella to hide behind, so all she could do was run in a straight line. Luna had longer legs and was more athletic than Novella, so it would not have taken long to catch up to the filly. But when a gray pillar sprouted up from the ground in Luna's path, she remembered who was in control.

Luna didn't want to risk losing Novella again by manipulating the dream, so instead she galloped around the pillar. Novella didn't seem to be trying to wall off Luna, but instead trying to put distance between them. Luna continued the chase, but more pillars sprouted up between the two of them. When several pillars lined up in a row, Luna jumped and flew up over them.

However, the sprain that plagued her wing earlier sent a jolt of pain throughout the princess's body. Luna landed, and found that she couldn't move faster than a trot. If Novella had wanted to keep Luna away from her, she was succeeding. But even if Luna was capable of catching up to the filly, would she even listen? Novella was hysterical.

Luna stopped trotting and slumped onto the ground. Her limbs were tired. She had trouble focusing her magic. All that she had gone through this past day was going to go to waste. Novella was going to let herself die, and there was nothing Luna could do to convince her otherwise.

“Luna?”

The princess's eyes widened. She stood back up, but didn't see the filly anywhere. There was nothing but the white void.

“Luna?”

“Novella!” the princess yelled up into the nothingness. “I'm here!”

“I'm scared, Luna.”

“It's okay to be scared, child.” Luna slumped. It was getting difficult just to stand.

“I don't want to go back there.”

As the filly's words echoed through the dream, Luna noticed a light drizzle coming down out of the sky. Novella's tears?

“Something has to change, Luna. But I can't just go back and expect things to be different.”

Luna felt weak, but she responded as loud as she could. “You're stronger than you think, child. You can't give up!”

The rain began pouring down harder. It reminded Luna of her first encounter with Novella, back on the road in the countryside. Back then, the rain passed through Luna as if she wasn't even there. But this time, she could feel the rain soaking her coat and mane. All of Novella's sadness washed over her like a cold shower.

Another headache came to Luna, this one much stronger than before. Luna laid on the ground holding her head.

“What should I do, Luna?”

The princess couldn't respond. It was taking all of her effort just to stay conscious.

“Luna?”

“I'm... sorry... Novella...”

“Luna!”

Luna gasped as she woke up to her room in Canterlot. She still shivered from the coldness of Novella's tears. The princess sat on her rug for a moment, going through everything that had just happened. She knew that she couldn't leave Novella alone, and wanted to return to the dream as soon as she could. But before Luna could close her eyes and enter the dreamscape again, her head throbbed. Every beat of her heart felt like a drum inside her head. It was the worst headache she ever had, rivaled only by her time spent as Nightmare Moon. If she wanted to help Novella, she would have to get her head straight.

Luna stood up on her hooves and fell over almost immediately, crying out in pain. Her room was a blur, and it took her a moment to refocus her eyes. The combination of a lack of sleep, extended use of the dream spell, and the pain she felt within the dream made the simple task of walking a struggle. As she struggled to get up again, a Canterlot soldier opened the door.

“Princess Luna?” The soldier rushed over to assist her, along with another soldier right behind him. “You're a mess! Are you okay?”

Luna squinted at them. “What are you doing here?” She shut her eyes and gritted her teeth. The headache was not going away.

The first soldier helped Luna back onto her hooves. “Princess Celestia asked us to stand guard at your room and check on you every so often.” He looked over her and frowned. “How are you feeling, Princess? You don't look well.”

Luna glanced over at the mirror over her dresser. Instead of the smooth, flowing hair she had before, her mane was tangled and messy. Her eyes were bloodshot; it was clear that she had not gotten any rest. Her legs were holding her up, but they wobbled and looked unstable. She was exhausted, but she wasn't ready to give up.

“You!” Luna pointed at the second soldier, who immediately stood at attention. “Bring me a cup of coffee! As much sugar and cream as you can!”

“Y-yes, ma'am!”

The soldier was surprised at Luna's request, but did not waste time to go fetch her drink. Luna hoped the caffeine and sugar would help wake her up. It was not the best option to regain her focus, but she did not have many options at her disposal, especially when every moment counted.

The first soldier looked unsure now that he had helped her onto her hooves. “Is there anything I can do?”

Another migraine hit Luna, who shut her eyes in pain. “Get me some aspirin.”

“Right!” The soldier glanced around the room and saw how bare it was. When he realized Luna likely didn't have any nearby, he ran out to fetch her some, calling out, “I'll be right back!” as he left.

Luna knelt on the ground. If she got some rest, not only would she would be able to think clearly, but she would regain control of her magic. However, there was no way she could fall asleep with the weight of Novella's life on her shoulders. After seeing the filly's psyche crumble, Luna knew that she did not have time to spare. She would have to take the aspirin for her headache and hope the caffeine from the cup of coffee would be enough to get her through this final trial.

The first soldier came back in the room balancing a plate on his back with a cup of water and two aspirin pills. When Luna drank from the cup to swallow the pills, she realized just how long she had been away from the real world. The freshness of the water as it slid down her throat felt far different from the dream rain. Dreams always felt realistic while in motion, but once Luna adjusted to the real world, there was no comparison.

The soldier waited until she had finished the entire cup to speak. “Your coffee is being brewed as we speak. It shouldn't be long.”

Luna closed her eyes and sighed. Every minute seemed like an eternity at this point. She dismissed the soldier, then laid down on the floor, trying to get whatever rest she could without succumbing to sleep. She strained to keep her eyes open, knowing that if they closed, she could fall asleep, dooming Novella. After a few minutes, she heard hoofsteps come into her room, accompanied by a familiar voice.

“Luna?”

Luna looked up and saw Celestia standing in the doorway, hovering a coffee pot and two cups in the air next to her.

“Did you succeed? Is the filly okay?”

Luna whimpered. “I don't know.”

Celestia sighed and sat down next to her. “Luna, I see how much this means to you. And I really admire how far you're willing to go for this filly.” Celestia looked her sister straight in the eye. “But I won't let you torture yourself.”

Luna whimpered. “Please, sister.”

“Luna, I have some bad news,” Celestia said, frowning.

Luna's eyes opened as wide as they could, considering how little energy she had.

Celestia closed her eyes and sighed. “We couldn't find Novella.”

Luna gasped. “What do you mean? Have you not had time to check all the hospitals?”

“I had some contacts check with the pediatric wards in every hospital in the city.” Celestia looked at the floor. “In not one of them did we find a filly with Novella's name and description.”

Luna's jaw dropped. “How... how is that even possible?”

“We're still looking for her,” Celestia said, looking back up at her sister, “but I assure you I'm telling the truth.”

Luna stared off into space. “I just know I found her dream hovering over Manehatten. Multiple times, in the same place.”

Celestia frowned. “I believe you, Luna. But right now, we need to focus on you.”

“No!” Luna protested. “I have to get back to her as soon as I can!”

“Just look at what this adventure has done to your health!” Celestia pointed at Luna's reflection in the mirror. “You can't even stand, you have the biggest bags under your eyes; this is the worst I've seen you in a long time, sister.”

“I don't care.” Luna whimpered. “I have to know what happens to her.”

Celestia closed her eyes. “I have a compromise.”

Luna stared at her sister with a blank expression.

“The next time you go in, I will give you one hour,” Celestia said, unblinking. “If that hour passes and the filly is not safe, then I am cutting you off from her.”

Luna gasped. “One hour? That's not enough time!”

“It doesn't matter.” Celestia spoke strictly. “I won't let this kingdom lose a princess. Not again.” Celestia looked away.

Luna considered what her sister had proposed, and realized that it was the only option she would be allowed. “Understood.”

“I'm glad we came to an agreement.” Celestia hovered the coffee pot over to Luna and poured her a cup.

Luna brought the cup to her lips, but before she could take a sip, Celestia stopped her.

“After you drink that,” Celestia told her, “go immediately to sleep.”

Luna's eyes widened. “What? Why?”

Celestia smiled. “You'll be okay. It takes about fifteen minutes for the caffeine to get through your system. If you take a nap in the meantime, you'll get both the jump start from the coffee, as well as the benefits of some sleep.”

Luna smiled. “Thank you, sister.” She lifted the cup to her mouth and drank the contents.

After a short nap, Luna was back to navigating the dream landscape. She was still exhausted, but her sister was right – Luna felt much better than she did before. As she floated back over toward Manehatten, she realized how much easier it was to see compared to earlier. Rather than beating down overhead, the sun was beginning to set, bathing Equestria in an orange glow. While she was in dreams, time often passed by much quicker than she expected, and Novella's was no exception. She had been awake for over the length of a full day at this point.

Luna had been inside Novella's dream so many times that she had memorized the location of the filly's orb. Since the hour Celestia had given her was already counting down, Luna wasted no time in floating over to it. However, when she arrived, this time she discovered that the orb was not gray, but pure black. When Luna floated close, she could feel panic and terror emanating from the orb. Luna worried that with her magic so weak, she might not be able to defend herself from the dream. However, she had come too far, and this was her last chance to change Novella's fate.

Luna took a deep breath and entered the dream.

Pony Royale

Luna stepped onto a hardwood floor. The area was much darker than she expected, and it took her eyes a moment to adjust. From what Luna could tell, it looked like she was in a home office. A desk was placed against the wall with several papers, pencils and a reading lamp on it. Across from the desk, a few wooden shelves filled with all sorts of books lined the opposite wall. Next to Luna, in the corners of the room, were several boxes containing stacks of paper documents. A door was on the wall across from her.

Luna turned around. Behind her was a window with faint white drapes that allowed moonlight to illuminate the room. Luna brushed the drapes aside and saw an ocean not too far from the home. Judging from the distance to the ground, the office was on the second story. Luna could hear the crash of the waves off in the distance. The moon's reflection off of the water looked absolutely stunning. It was a picture-perfect scene that would have put Luna at ease if not for the fact that she had just entered a nightmare.

Luna quietly walked toward the door at the other end of the room. As she passed by the desk, she noticed a picture frame on the wall above it. In the picture were a mare and stallion posing cheerfully with a green-furred foal. It was Novella with her mom and dad. The three ponies in the picture looked content, like they didn't have a care in the world. Nova was nowhere to be seen. Could this dream be taking place in the filly's home? Luna decided not dwell on the picture further and continued walking. When she reached the door, she opened it just a crack, peering into the hallway. On the other side laid a dead colt with a pool of blood forming underneath a wound on his stomach.

The princess gasped in terror and shut the door. She didn't know who killed the colt, or for what reason, but now she had an idea of what she was up against. Even though the colt was imaginary, Luna still felt awful for him. Knowing that the body laid dead in Novella's home made Luna feel sick to her stomach.

Luna took a moment to collect herself. If she wanted to save Novella, she would have to press on. The fact that this dream even existed was proof that the filly was still alive. However, Luna would have to tread carefully; while she was feeling better than before, she knew she couldn't rely on her magic too heavily. If only she had a weapon...

Just after she thought that, Luna noticed a butcher's knife lying on the desk. The princess swore that the knife was not there moments ago. Was the dream making a suggestion to Luna? Suddenly she felt very vulnerable knowing that the dream was aware of her presence. Not to mention, the weapon itself was disturbing. A butcher's knife is too short to be a defend against any attacks, and it would be a poor choice for trying to disable an opponent without injuring them. The only upside is the ease at which it could be used to kill. Is that what the dream was suggesting?

If that was the case, then Luna wasn't willing to play by the dream's rules. She slid the knife under a shelf and went back to the door. Once again, she opened it slowly to take a better look at the dead colt. He looked a little bit older than Novella, though not by much. His fur was scuffled, like he had been in a fight. Luna didn't know much about identifying wounds, but it looked like his stomach could have been stabbed by a butcher's knife like the one she was presented with.

However, the most unusual thing about his appearance was a metal collar around his neck. It almost resembled a dog's collar, but it didn't look like it could be removed very easily. A dog collar is meant to help control the animal's behavior. Did this metal collar have a similar purpose? Luna figured she would find out soon enough. It was time to start searching.

Luna crept out into the hallway, making sure not to step on the lifeless body. She checked both directions of the hallway to make sure nopony was coming, and quietly moved down the hall to her right toward a corner. Her heart raced as she passed a door in the hallway, half-expecting a pony to jump out and attack her. As much as she wanted to leave the door alone, she felt that she could be ambushed at any moment, and would rather confirm that it was empty before moving on. She held her breath and turned the doorknob, opening the door to reveal a closet with nothing but cleaning supplies.

The princess gave a quiet sigh of relief as she closed the door and continued on toward the corner. When Luna reached it, she poked her head around to check on what was ahead. The hallway opened up into a dining room area, with a large table covered by a white tablecloth in the center. On one side of the room was a cabinet, with several nice-looking plates and silverware were on display through the glass doors. Beyond the end of the table opposite the two ponies was a living area, with two couches and a coffee table between them. Just as Luna was about to enter the dining room, she heard breathing.

It was slow and faint, but it was definitely there. It sounded desperate, but controlled. Somepony was just out of sight, either hiding from or waiting for Luna. The princess gulped, ready to confront whoever was there. She took a step around the corner. When her hoof hit the ground, a pony yelled and jumped out from behind the doorway, only to stop when she saw the princess.

“L-Luna?” Novella dropped the knife she was about to stab Luna with. “Y-you're back!” The filly hugged Luna's leg as tightly as she could. “I'm so sorry about what I said earlier! It wasn't fair of me to accuse you of having it easy!”

Luna smiled and nuzzled the filly. “It's okay, child. I understand. I'm here for you.”

As they hugged, Luna saw that Novella's coat had been scratched up, like she had been in a fight. She had no visible wounds, but regardless, Luna felt awful for what the filly must have had to contend with during the princess' absence. Luna glanced around the room to see if any other ponies might appear. The two of them were very vulnerable at the moment, but after a little time passed with no sounds or movement, Luna concluded that they were safe. Once the princess was able to relax, she noticed the cold metal collar around Novella's neck pressing against her. Luna pulled away and raised the filly's neck so she could inspect it.

“What is the purpose of this device?” Luna asked.

“Oh! It, um...” Novella looked away. “It's meant to keep us in line.”

Luna tilted her head. “In line? How does it do that?”

Novella looked up at the princess. “If any of us try to escape, the collar will explode.”

Luna's mouth hung open.

Novella looked down at the floor to avoid Luna's gaze. “The only way to remove it is to be the only pony left alive.”

Once again, Luna was being dragged by the filly into a world of violence. During the sky dream, Luna had thought that Novella enjoyed action-packed stories where death was of little consequence. But this time, the filly was terrified for her life, and for the actions she would have to take to keep it. It seemed like with every dream, Luna's preconceptions of the filly changed.

This time, Luna wanted to spare the filly's suffering. “Well, I could help you remove the collar with my magic...”

“NO!” Novella looked dead at Luna, her eyes as open as they could possibly be.

Luna was taken aback. “But Novella, you have nothing to worry about. It's just a simple matter of-”

“Please!” Novella pleaded, on the verge of crying. “Leave it on! I can't risk taking it off!”

Luna paused for a moment, sighed, and relented. “Alright, Novella. For the time being, I will leave it.”

“Thank you!” Novella tightly hugged Luna's leg.

At first, Luna thought that the filly was just being difficult again. Luna still had energy left, so it wouldn't have been troublesome at all to bend the dream and free Novella from the collar. But then the princess realized that Novella had subconsciously put herself in this nightmare. If Luna were to interfere, then she would be fighting Novella's battles for her. It didn't matter who or what had put those collars on the ponies; Novella had to survive, no matter what. Luna's role was not to save the filly from her problems, but to help her through this ordeal.

Once Luna knew what her objective was, she then needed to have information. “How many ponies are left?” she asked.

Novella let go of Luna and thought for a moment. “I don't think there are many left. Just a few.”

Luna felt somewhat relieved. If the “game” wouldn't last much longer, then she wouldn't have to worry about the hour Celestia gave her running out. Of course, she had another question. Luna lifted Novella's chin with her hoof and looked her in the eye. “Did you have to kill somepony yet?”

The filly shook her head. “No. I've just been hiding and running away all this time.” She looked away from Luna, sighing. “I'm nothing but a coward...”

“Oh, don't say that...” Luna lifted the filly's chin and smiled. “You've lasted this long, right? I'd say that's something to be proud of.”

“I guess you're right...” Despite her agreement, Novella wasn't smiling. “But if I want to be free, I'll have to-”

As Novella was speaking, Luna noticed a figure about to throw an object from the other end of the dining room table. The princess barely had time to react. Luna grabbed Novella and pulled her aside just as the knife flew past them and stuck in the wall of the hallway. A colt with a black mane and dark blue fur with several cuts in his coat stood up from behind the other end of the table. His rage-filled red eyes seemed to glow in the dark.

“Don't try to protect her!” He said, jumping onto the table and galloping toward the two of them.

Just as the colt was about to leap onto Novella, Luna hit him with her magic, hovering him in the air above the table. The colt struggled, but he had no way to escape. As he twisted and turned, trying to find some way out of her spell, Luna saw that he had a metal collar on him as well.

“No!” the colt yelled. “This isn't fair! Nopony else was capable of using magic like this!”

Luna wanted to keep the colt at a distance, but she knew that her magic wouldn't last much longer. “Quickly, Novella. You have to finish him off.”

Novella froze. The colt and her looked each other in the eyes. He was completely at her mercy. Novella picked up the knife lying by her hooves, but continued standing still, contemplating what she had to do. She took a single step toward him, but that was all she was able to muster. After several seconds of silence, she dropped the knife and knelt onto the floor.

“I can't do it...” Novella whimpered.

Luna knew that the filly hated what she was being forced to do, but the princess didn't see any other options. Luna shut her eyes, trying to restrain the colt as much as she could. “Novella, I can't hold him up forever! If you don't make a move now, he's going to attack us!” The princess's magic was already weakening; the colt was getting closer to the table beneath him.

“But I know him, Luna!” Novella pleaded, looking up at the princess. “He was my first crush!”

“What?”

Novella's comment caught Luna off-guard, weakening her spell to the point where the colt dropped on the table. Before the colt could move again, Luna threw up a force field in front of him. The field wouldn't last forever, but it was clear that Novella wasn't ready to kill.

Now that they were momentarily safe, Luna had to dig to the bottom of Novella's psyche. She knelt down to see Novella eye to eye. “You have history with this pony?”

Novella nodded, avoiding Luna's gaze. “I know all of the ponies in this game,” she said, speaking quietly.

“Why are they here with you?” Luna asked.

During the city in the sky dream, Novella hadn't pointed out any ponies she recognized. There had to be some significance to the fact that the filly was being forced to kill familiar faces in order to escape.

As Novella pondered her response, the colt began attacking the force field with another knife, presumably one that had appeared out of nowhere. The force field was holding strong, but Luna didn't know how long it would last. She wanted to disable him herself, but she remembered how Novella wanted to keep the collar on herself. Standing up to her past was something the filly would have to do on her own.

“He... embarrassed me.” Novella admitted, looking at the colt through the force field. “I was young, and I didn't know much about what it meant to 'like' somepony else. I was too shy to talk to him, so instead I just followed him around, watching him.” Novella looked down at the floor, avoiding eye contact with the colt. “Eventually,” she said, her tone dropping. “He told everypony about how creepy I was acting. I started getting teased and bullied. I was already bad at making friends, but after that...” Novella closed her eyes and sighed.

Luna and Novella stayed quiet for a little while. Even the colt had gotten tired of trying to break the barrier and simply sat down on the other side of the force field, watching them. He didn't try to respond to Novella's story, though since he was a creation of her subconscious, he couldn't have said anything she didn't already know. Luna wanted to give the filly more time to think, but she knew she had limited time before Celestia woke her up. She decided it was time to break the silence.

“Novella,” Luna said. “Do you find yourself wishing you could just forget what happened?”

The filly looked up at her and weakly nodded. “I've been trying to let it go for a long time. It was so long ago that it shouldn't even matter anymore!” Novella looked through the force field at the colt who had broken her heart. “It's time for me to put this behind me once and for all.”

Novella picked up the knife off the floor with her mouth and braced herself ready to attack. Luna hated to see the filly commit such a vile act, but the princess knew that it wasn't real, and that it may be necessary in order for Novella to let go of her past. Luna stood up straight and mentally prepared herself to let down the wall.

“Right now, my magic is limited,” Luna told her. “Once I bring the force field down, I won't be able to restrain him. You will have to fight him on your own. Are you ready?”

Novella nodded, staring straight at the colt, who was also getting ready for a fight.

Luna counted down. “Three... two... o-”

Before Luna could let the field down, the colt yelled out in pain. Blood spilled out from his backside where a knife had been planted. The colt slumped onto the ground, bleeding onto the wooden floor. Over his body stood Nova, who dug the knife out of him as she looked at the two ponies left.

“Sorry, Novella,” Nova said unflinchingly. “Killing is dirty work. Not everypony is cut out for it.”

Luna listened for smugness in Nova's tone of voice, either for stealing Novella's opportunity or for the thrill of the kill itself, but instead, the pony's tone was flat and stoic. Back at the lab, the pony seemed to have taken pleasure in Novella's suffering, but this time there was none of it. Nova merely stood still, watching the colt under her hoof breath his last breaths. Just like the other ponies in the game, Nova had the metal collar around her neck.

Despite Nova's calmness, Novella's every muscle was shaking. Luna could only imagine what was going through her mind. The filly had finally committed herself to taking action, only to have it snatched out of her hooves by her own sister. Novella's head hung down, unwilling to look her sister in the eye.

“How many are left?” the filly muttered.

“None,” Nova replied, kicking the colt's lifeless body aside. “You and I are the only ones left in this game.”

“Good. It's time I finally stood up to you.” Novella looked straight at her sister. “It's time that I took back my life!”

“Luna, take down the force field,” Nova instructed, bracing herself for battle.

“I'm ready, Luna,” Novella said, readying her knife in her teeth. “I need to end this once and for all.”

Luna wanted to put an end to this madness. She didn't want to see two sisters fight each other to the death. She would have given anything to just calm Novella down and wake her up. But at the same time, she knew that she had only seen a fraction of the filly's life. As much as she wanted to pretend that everything would be okay, she could not possibly know everything that Novella had been through. Luna had been doing her best to protect the filly, but Luna finally realized that Novella could fight her own battles.

“One more thing,” Nova said, turning her head toward Luna. “You are not to interfere. Do you understand?”

Luna nodded. Not that it would be wise to try and stop the fight; she could already feel the effects of the spell weighing on her.

“Three...” Luna counted down.

Novella gripped the knife in her teeth, ready to move.

“Two...”

Nova planted her hooves in front of the table, directly across from Novella.

“One...”

The two sisters looked each other in the eyes, ready to move.

Luna let the force field down and stood back. Novella immediately jumped high in the air over Nova, higher than a filly her size would have been able to had this not been a dream. Nova reached for the filly over her head, but Novella was too fast for her. When Novella landed on the table, she ran across it and leaped off the other end, pulling out the chair on the end of the table. Nova jumped onto the table to follow her, but when she landed on the floor, Novella kicked the chair with her hind legs into Nova, knocking her off balance. The filly threw a knife at Nova while she was vulnerable, which cut into the side of one of her legs. Nova yelled out in pain, but quickly got back up, ready to hunt the filly down. Novella ran into the kitchen, where her sister was quick to follow.

Luna felt conflicted. On one hoof, she hated to see Novella suffer like this, and wanted to just sit back until it was over, no matter which sister won. On the other hoof, Luna was proud to see Novella being resourceful and smart, even if she was bending the rules of the dream in order to do so. Luna could hear all sorts of clanging from the kitchen, as well as pained grunts from both ponies, but the princess was scared to get closer to observe the fight, worried that she would get caught in the crossfire.

Before too long, the fighting spilled back out into the living room. Novella hit Nova's backside with a frying pan repeatedly, though the filly's short limbs limited her strength. Nova pulled her sister forward and bit one of her legs hard. Novella cried out in pain, but managed to kick her sister in the gut and limp away. Nova tried as best as she could to stand up, but Luna noticed a trail of blood coming out of her side. If this fight were real, the pony would need medical attention immediately. Instead, Nova crawled forward, ready to keep on fighting.

Novella found a broken table leg lying on the floor nearby. She limped back over to her sister, then began attacking her with the leg. After several hits, Nova caught the leg with her hooves, then pulled it away from her sister and began hitting her back. Novella squealed with each hit, but managed to kick the leg away. Soon, both sisters were exhausted, but only one could remain alive.

At this point, they simultaneously noticed a butcher's knife laying just a few feet away from them. Luna watched as the two sisters scrambled to move, both of them horrifically beaten within an inch of their lives. As they crawled toward the knife, Luna noticed the home getting significantly darker. It wasn't just the light from outside dimming, but the entire environment was going black. Luna cautiously walked toward the two sisters, knowing full well what was about to happen. Novella reached the knife first. She grabbed it and held it at her sister's throat.

Beep... beep... beep...

The house had completely disappeared. All that was left was Luna and the two sisters, the younger of which was about to slit her sister's throat. The heart rate monitor beeped loud and clear, slowly speeding up. Nova had completely run out of energy. She couldn't do anything except stare into her sister's eyes and wait for death. She didn't plead for her life, didn't make any last comments on how Novella had changed. She was completely silent, and had accepted her fate.

Yet, Novella stayed still. She was completely in control. All she had to do was push the knife a few inches, and her task would be complete. Luna noticed the filly's hesitation, and saw that maybe Novella wasn't ready to let her sister go.

“Novella.” Luna stepped forward, so that she could see the filly's face. “You don't have to do this.”

The filly looked up at Luna and back down at Nova, not saying anything.

“I know that it can be hard having to remember your past every day,” Luna assured her. “I know I've done some things that I regret.” Luna looked away from Novella, up into the darkness. “I've pushed away ponies who cared for me. I've been less than patient with those who do not know what to think of me. Every day I wonder if the choices I'm making are the right ones.”

Both Novella and Nova looked up at Luna in silence, taking in her every word.

“But trying to forget isn't the answer.” Luna sat down so that she could see Novella eye to eye. “Without our mistakes, our embarrassments, our failures... we will never learn. It is impossible to forget all the ponies that have wronged us throughout our lives.” Luna reached over with a hoof to stroke Novella's cheek. “So instead of giving up on the things that make us happy, or conforming to a life that we despise, we have to carve out our own path.”

Both of the sisters began tearing up, unable to say a word. The heart rate that had been making noise during the darkness was slowly going quiet.

“Nova may have caused you a lot of pain,” Luna continued. “But you told me yourself that she was willing to stand up for you. She took risks because she knew something had to be done, and was willing to accept the consequences. Even if you're ashamed of some of the things she's done, she will always be a part of you.”

Novella nodded. Without saying a word, she took the knife away from Nova's throat and tossed it away. The two ponies stood up and looked at each other. Both of their wounds faded away, and the collars around their throats dissolved. The house began to reform around the three ponies, but this time, it wasn't a scene of violence. Instead, warm sunlight beamed in from the windows, and the furniture was comfortably arranged for guests. No butcher's knives could be found.

Luna smiled at the reformation of Novella's home. After all this time, it seemed that she finally figured out how to get through to the filly. It wasn't through trying to save her or take control of her life for her, but by letting her make her own decisions and her own mistakes. Yet, just by being there, reminding her that she had a friend close by that she could count on, could have been enough to steer her in the right direction.

Luna cheerfully admired the scenery in the home. This all may have been a distant memory from when Novella's family was happy together, but it was sure to be a much-needed reminder of how great life could be.

Luna rustled the filly's hair and laughed. “I guess soon you'll have to wake up and say hello to your family again, won't you?”

Novella was still in shock from the wave of emotions running through her, but she managed to giggle at Luna's playfulness.

“I know you may not be on the best terms with them, but I'm sure they'll be happy to have you back.” Luna knelt down and hugged the filly. “And be sure to have a talk with your sister, okay? I'm sure Nova is more sensitive than you think.”

“Um, Luna?” Novella said, hugging her back.

“Yes, Novella?”

“Nova's not my sister.”

Luna pulled back, shocked. “She's not?”

Novella shook her head.

“Then who is she?”

“I'm Nova.”

A New Novella

“Y-you're Nova?” Luna stammered, having difficulty processing what she just heard. “You mean, you're her?” Luna pointed to Nova, who was standing next to them not saying a word.

Novella avoided eye contact. “I'm sorry if I misled you...”

Luna took a step backwards and looked at Nova. The pony had the same colored hair, mane, and facial features as Novella, but she never once thought that they could be the same pony. “But how?” Luna asked. “I mean... so you're not a young filly?”

Novella shook her head. “No, I'm not.” She looked up at her sister, or rather, her other self. “And I'm not a teenager either. I'm actually a young adult.”

Luna looked on in shock, not sure of what to think. “So, um... if you're actually an adult...” She tried her best to process her thoughts. “...then why did you look like a filly when we first met?”

“Isn't it obvious?” Novella asked.

Luna shook her head, as she was still going over it all in her mind.

Novella looked down at her hooves, frowning. “Because this is how I saw myself. Small. Weak. Insecure.” The filly looked up at Luna. “You and I got along so well that I wanted to keep it that way. I thought that maybe if you felt sorry for me then you would stick around.”

Luna stared at Novella, speechless.

The filly panicked a little bit. “N-not that I was trying to deceive you or anything, Luna!” She gave an uneasy grin. “I-I mean, you know how dreams are, r-right?”

Now that Novella was feeling uneasy again, Luna realized that she had to get her act together. The princess composed herself before responding. “I understand, Novella.” Luna managed to put on a smile. “You've taken me on quite the emotional journey, but I feel honored that you were able to share it with me.” The princess frowned and looked at Nova. “Though, I am curious...”

“What is it?” Novella asked.

“Throughout the dream,” Luna said, observing the pony she thought was Novella's sister, “Nova constantly antagonized us.” The princess directed her attention back at the filly. “If you and Nova are one in the same, then why did she treat you with such disgust?”

“Well...” Novella looked up at the teenage version of herself. “She represents a period in my life that I'm not very proud of.” The filly motioned toward Nova's spiky hair. “I styled my hair like this to annoy my mother, who was always insistent that I remain 'proper'. I felt for the longest time that my mother was trying to control my life, so I rejected everything she taught me in order to try and find myself. I even shortened my name to 'Nova' to try and start over as a different pony.” Novella sighed and looked down at the ground. “I got into a lot of trouble during that period. Made a lot of decisions I wish I could take back. I pushed myself to do things that were self-destructive, all because I wanted to grow up. I felt like the only way to avoid being a pushover was to become a bully myself.”

Novella sat on the floor and sighed before she continued.

“At some point, my parents split up. At the time, I didn't care. I was too busy being a disobedient teen who did nothing but argue with them. With all the stress I put them through, maybe they decided that they had had enough of each other.” Novella took a moment to collect herself. “For the longest time, I thought that I may have been the reason that they divorced. That without me there, there was nothing left holding them together.”

“Novella...” Luna couldn't believe that the filly had been keeping this inside of her so long.

“When I finally got through that rebellious phase,” Novella continued, “I found myself with nothing. No friends who I could depend on, no family to return to. I took jobs that I despised in order to take care of myself. I fell into a deep depression, unsure of what to do with my life. The only source of happiness I could find...” Novella looked up at Luna. “...was through stories.”

Luna thought back to the violent dreams she was thrust into. At the time, she had found it odd that such a young pony would be able to comprehend that level of death and despair.

Novella glanced over at the bookshelf in the home. “I was so terrible at making friends that I buried myself in books. I found myself able to relate to the ponies in those stories, even if they weren't real and never would be. Even reading depressing books made me feel better, because they made me feel like somepony else could understand me.”

Novella sighed. Luna watched on in silence.

“Eventually, the stress of work got to me. After I collapsed in the middle of a shift, I woke up in the hospital. I drifted in and out of consciousness for a little while, but my desire to live had all but vanished. I was in constant pain, with nothing left for me even if I did recover. Until... you showed up.”

Novella glanced up at Luna, looking her straight in the eyes.

“When I woke up from the first dream with you, I thought it was funny that I had made friends with the famous Princess Luna. But it was only a matter of hours before I succumbed to my depression once again. I wanted to go to sleep and never wake up.” Novella began to smile. “But to my surprise, you came back to me. And this time, you stayed. Even when I thought I had lost you the second time, you showed up again. For the first time in years, I had made a friend that I could count on.”

The filly rushed forward, hugging Luna as tightly as she could.

“Thank you, Luna.” Tears ran down Novella's face. “You saved my life.”

Luna hugged the filly back, taking in the enormity of it all. If Luna had not decided to come back to Novella after their first encounter, then the pony would likely be dead right now. In fact, instead of finding the filly waiting on the side of the road in the rain, Luna could have chosen any one of the hundreds of thousands of nightmares all across Equestria.

“You are lucky to be alive,” Luna told her. “You should cherish it.”

“I will,” the filly responded. “I promise.”

“Now then,” Luna said, letting go of Novella. The princess looked down at her, straight in the eyes. “I will have to leave soon. The magic I used to bring me here has taken an enormous toll on my physical health.”

“It has?” Novella asked, confused, before realizing what she had done, wide-eyed. “Oh Luna! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean-”

“Shh...” Luna said, putting her hoof over the filly's mouth. “It's okay.” Once Novella had calmed down, Luna continued. “Though I am curious. What will you do from here on out?”

Novella looked off to the side. “Well I... I guess I should apologize to my parents...”

Luna smiled. “That's a good start. What else will you do?”

Novella gave Luna a blank look. “I, um...” The filly sighed. “I guess I don't know. But I'll figure something out.” She gave Luna a reassuring smile.

Luna laughed, rustling Novella's mane with her hoof. “A little optimism can go a long way.” The two ponies were silent for a moment before Luna remembered something. “Hey,” she said, pointing at the filly. “Didn't you tell me that you wanted to be a writer?”

Novella's eyes looked up for a moment, thinking. “Did I? I can't remember...”

“Well,” Luna continued, “I'm pretty sure you said you've tried writing before.”

The filly frowned and looked down. “Yeah, I did...”

Luna lifted Novella's chin. “Hey, don't be like that. From what I've seen for myself, you have a lot to say.”

Novella brightened up. “You think so?”

Luna nodded. “Absolutely. You've done a lot of reading throughout your life, Novella. I think that it's about time you started writing your own adventures.”

The filly grinned, happier than Luna had ever seen her. “You're right!” she said. “It won't be easy, but I'll try as hard as I can!”

Luna laughed. At long last, it looked like her work was done. She wanted to stay with Novella further, but Celestia could wake her up at any moment. “Well, Novella, I think it's time that I took my leave.”

Novella frowned, but she seemed to understand. “Will I ever see you again, Luna?”

Luna sighed and thought about it for a moment before responding. “I don't know, Novella. There are a lot of ponies that need my help, and even if I wanted to visit, it may be hard to find you amongst all the other dreams I see everyday.”

Novella slumped, afraid that she would lose another friend. However, she soon realized a solution. “Would it be okay if I visited you in Canterlot?”

“Definitely!” Luna told her, glad that their friendship could continue on. “I may not always be around, but if you're there and I'm available, I'll do my best to make time for you.”

“Yes!” The filly smiled so hard that she began crying once again. “Thank you, Luna! I can't wait to see you again!”

“Me neither.” Luna sighed, frowning. She knew that she was only delaying the inevitable.

“Oh, one last thing before you go!” Novella said. “Do you want to see what I look like now?”

“Huh?” Luna asked, realizing that she only knew what filly and teen Novella looked like, not her adult self. “O-of course. Go ahead!”

“Okay!” Novella smiled, then focused.

A flash of light engulfed the filly, forcing Luna to shield her eyes. In a moment, the light dimmed down, revealing a tall but skinny mare with the same green coat and dirty blonde mane that the filly had. Short bangs covered the sides of the pony's face, and while her shoulder-length mane was messy in the back, it was still a cute cut that suited Novella well. The newest feature of the pony was a small pair of glasses with blue frames she wore. They looked a little dorky, but Luna wouldn't have expected anything else. Nova, who had been standing next to the two of them all this time without saying a word, had disappeared.

“Y-yeah,” the pony said, blushing and crossing one hoof over the other. “This is me, all grown up.”

Luna laughed at Novella's shyness. “Looks like you've turned into quite the mare.” As Novella stood awkwardly, not sure what to say, Luna noticed a picture of a book on the side of the mare's flank. “You have a book as a cutie mark?”

“Oh!” Novella jumped a bit, evidently having forgot about it. “Y-yeah! You know, because I like reading so much!”

Luna grinned. “Or maybe because you want to write books of your own.”

Novella smiled, brushing her bangs behind her ears to show more of her face. “Th-that too!”

Luna sighed once more, thinking for a moment to make sure there was nothing else to tie up. When nothing came to mind, she put a hoof on Novella's shoulder to say goodbye. “Well, Novella, it's time for me to get going.”

Novella responded, looking away. “You're right.” She turned to face Luna, smiling as much as she could. “Thank you so much for being my friend.”

“Anytime, Novella.” Luna said, hugging her.

As Novella hugged back, a voice called out from the kitchen called out. “Novella, honey! I've got some food in the kitchen that I need help with. Can you come here for a moment?”

“Sure thing, mom!” Novella called out. She stepped away from Luna. “I guess I've got to get going, too.”

Luna smiled. “Take care of yourself, Novella.”

“Goodbye!”

Novella trotted off to the kitchen to help her mother. Before she stepped through the doorway, she turned and waved to Luna, who happily waved back. Once Novella entered the kitchen, the house began to fade away into white. Before long, Luna was once again standing in the middle of a white void by herself. She heard the sound of the heart rate monitor, but this time she knew that she had nothing to fear. Luna focused, and with a glow of her horn, she disappeared.

Luna woke up in her room to the sight of her sister hovering a bucket of water over her head. As soon as Luna opened her eyes, Celestia jumped back a bit, accidentally spilling some water on the floor.

“Luna!” Celestia cried out, laying the bucket on the ground and rushing over to aid her sister. “Are you hurt? I'm so glad you're awake!”

“Don't worry, sister,” Luna assured her, readjusting to the real world. “I'm perfectly... augh!” Luna's words were cut short when a migraine overtook her. Celestia rushed over to Luna's side, cradling her head in her hooves.

“Luna!” Celestia did her best to hold her sister up. “Do I need to call for help?”

“No, Celestia, it's fine.” Luna looked up at her sister, giving a weak smile. “I did it. I saved her.”

“Novella's safe?”

Luna nodded.

“Oh... oh thank goodness.” Celestia laid her sister down and slumped onto the floor herself. “I was so scared to wake you up. I thought that I might be condemning her to die." Celestia held her head in her hooves. "I was expecting you to be furious with me, and I didn't know if I would be able to handle it.” Celestia wiped a tear from her eye. “I'm so glad everything turned out alright.”

“Me too, sister.” Luna struggled to stand up. “Also, I think I know why you couldn't find her. You said you checked all the pediatric wards, right?”

Celestia gave her sister a confused stare. “Well, yes. You did tell me she was a filly.”

“Well, she's not a filly. She's a full-grown adult.”

“She's... what?” Celestia gave her sister the same blank stare that Luna gave Novella when she found out the truth.

Luna sighed and closed her eyes. “...You know what, Celestia? I think I'll just explain it all tomorrow.” She didn't have the energy to go through the entire ordeal with her sister. “For now, I have other things on my mind.”

Celestia was still processing what her sister had said. “What other things?”

“Like sleep.”

Before her sister could say anything, Luna climbed onto her bed and laid her head against the pillow. In an instant, she was fast asleep, ready to have dreams of her own.

Epilogue

In the nights following her adventure with Novella, Luna would return to the pony's dream orb. Luna never entered the orb; instead, she only checked on it to make sure that Novella was no longer having nightmares. Sure enough, each night, the orb shone pure white, indicating that whatever dream the pony was having, it was fun. After several days of this, the orb disappeared, only to be replaced by a different orb a few days later. Most likely, the pony had finally checked out of the hospital.

Celestia offered to help her sister locate Novella, but Luna decided that she should give the pony some space. For weeks, Luna hoped that one day she would be told she had a surprise visitor, but instead, life went on as normal in Canterlot. Luna soon settled back into her normal routine, though she found herself checking books out of the Canterlot archives much more often than she used to. Luna continued to visit colts and fillies in their nightmares, but she never was able to connect with any of them as well as she had with Novella.

Over time, Luna realized that Novella had been one of the few close friends she had made since she returned to Canterlot. Novella had thanked Luna for being the sole light of hope in an otherwise lonely existence, but Luna soon realized that aside from her sister Celestia, Luna also had few close friends. Over time, the princess made an effort to reach out to other ponies, sharing stories about Canterlot, magic, and the various books they had read. It wasn't long before Luna had several friends who she could count on in times of need. As the months went by, Luna thought of Novella less and less as her circle of friends grew, though she still hoped that the two of them would meet again someday.

However, one day, a small package arrived for Luna that she had never ordered. When the princess opened the box, she was surprised to find that there was a children's book inside titled, “When I go to Sleep.” The book had large pages with easy-to-read text, as well as lots of colorful illustrations for young readers. Luna wondered why this book had been sent to her, until she noticed the name of the author: a pony named Novella.

When I go to Sleep

When I go to sleep at night,

I always wonder what I will become.

When I go to sleep, I could be a pirate

Searching for treasure on the high seas,

Or I could be taking my pet elephant

Out on a walk by the beach.

Sometimes my dreams are embarrassing,

Like when I forget to turn in my homework.

Other times, I laugh and wake up when I realize

That I've been juggling pies at the circus.

However, some nights are really scary,

And I wake up hoping I'll never have to sleep again.

But soon I remember...

That it's okay for me to go to sleep.

Because when I go to sleep,

If I'm really lucky,

A friend will come to visit me in my dreams.

And then we can both have an adventure –

Together.

Waiting in the Rain

A young filly stood next to a bus stop in the pouring rain, waiting for a carriage that would never come. She held an umbrella over her with one hoof, though it did a poor job at keeping her from getting wet. The filly looked down the left side of the road and saw nothing but the rows of trees lining each side. She turned her head the other direction, but it was just as empty. The pony sighed and looked at the trees behind her. If she hid under the branches, she would get some cover from the rain, but her feet would get wet from the mud instead. The filly sighed and decided to stay in the same spot she had been in for what had seemed like hours.

A short while later, a tall pony she had never seen before walked up in the rain beside her. The filly looked up and saw a mane filled with long, flowing, light blue hair that appeared untouched by the water falling from the sky. This pony was unusual, because she had a unicorn horn in addition to a pair of wings. Not only that, but the pony wore a tiara on her head and a necklace with a picture of a crescent moon. The young filly didn't know why an alicorn would be standing on the side of the road in the rain with her, but she didn't question it. The filly looked forward and stared at the road in front of her, waiting for her ride.

The alicorn stood next to the filly and faced the road as well. As the alicorn waited, she observed her new acquaintance. The young filly's green fur was sopping wet from waiting in the rain, but her dark blonde mane remained dry thanks to her umbrella. Her hair was neat and didn't hide her face, exposing the freckles on her cheeks. The back of her hair was trimmed evenly around her neck. Her tail, on the other hoof, stuck out from under the umbrella, and was sopping wet from the rain. The alicorn and the filly stood next to each other for a few minutes. The only noise anypony could hear was the sound of water hitting the ground. The alicorn sighed, took a deep breath, straightened herself up, then turned her head to address her acquaintance.

“My name is Luna. What is yours, young one?”

The filly looked at her for a moment, but did not say anything before turning her attention back to the road. Luna frowned and stood in silence next to her for a few more minutes. She used the opportunity to look around and observe her surroundings. As far as she could tell, the road on either side of them stretched to infinity. The rain was cold, but fell through Luna as if it did not even exist. The paved road in front of them looked worn, as if it had seen decades of use. She then observed the bus stop sign that the filly stood next to. It seemed odd to have a bus stop out in the middle of nowhere. How could this filly have even gotten here? Luna decided that it didn't matter, and tried talking to the filly again.

“Are you waiting for somepony?”

The filly nodded, staring straight ahead.

“May I ask who?”

She squeaked out a response. “My mom.”

Luna was not the best at talking to other ponies, but this filly's shyness echoed her own. Luna knew that she would have to watch what she said from this point on. “You look like you've been waiting a while. Is your mother late?”

The filly silently nodded in response.

Luna tilted her head. “Is she late a lot?”

The young pony whispered a “yes.”

“What about your father? Does he ever pick you up instead?”

For the first time since Luna arrived, the filly turned to look at her. The young pony's eyes met Luna's for a moment before they dropped and stared at the ground. “Sometimes.”

Luna stopped to consider what the filly said. From what she could gather, this pony had issues at home. It had been eons since Luna had anything resembling a parent. Although she couldn't relate to the filly's problems with her parents, Luna at least knew what it was like to be forgotten. “Why do you think your mom is late?”

“She forgets,” the filly said, sighing. “Or she's busy. I don't know.”

Luna frowned. “Have you said anything to her about it?”

The young pony looked up at Luna. “Sometimes I do.”

“What does she say?”

The filly looked back toward the road. “She says she'll try not to do it anymore." Her voice dropped in tone. "But it's never long before it happens again.”

The two of them became silent again. The rained that poured down all around them showed no sign of stopping. Luna noticed that the filly's leg was getting tired from holding the umbrella for so long.

“Here, let me get that for you.” Luna's horn glowed and the umbrella floated in place, allowing the young pony to set her hoof on the ground and relax it.

“Thank you,” she mumbled, continuing to stare at the road.

Luna pondered for a moment before speaking again. “If your mother is late so often,” she said, “why don't you try going home on your own?”

“She thinks it isn't safe,” the filly told Luna, looking straight ahead. “She says it's dangerous out there. She wants to know I'm okay.”

“And you want to obey her wishes?” Luna asked, looking down at her.

“Mm-hm.” The filly was barely audible, especially in the rain.

Another question popped into Luna's head. “How well do you get along with your parents?”

The young pony considered the question for a moment before responding. “Alright, I guess.”

“What do you mean?”

The filly looked up at Luna for a moment, then back at the road. “They take care of me. I'm never hungry. They don't yell at me or anything. So I guess it could be worse.”

“You don't sound very close to them,” Luna observed. “Do you have any friends?”

The filly looked down at the ground. “Not really,” she said.

“What about hobbies?” Luna asked her. “What do you like to do for fun?”

“Well...” The filly thought about it for a moment. “I do read a lot...”

As a princess, Luna didn't have a lot of time for reading and other leisurely activities. She had seen the libraries of Canterlot a few times, but she rarely picked up a novel and read it from cover to cover. However, Luna had just found something the filly seemed to enjoy. That alone made her curious.

“Have you ever read... what was it called?” Luna searched her mind for the name of that book series that seemed so popular. The title started with a 'd', it was an adventure series, the protagonist was a pegasus... “Oh!” Luna exclaimed. “Daring Do! Have you read that one?”

The filly's ears perked up at the sound of the title, she turned to Luna and smiled for the first time. “I love Daring Do! She's so cool!”

The young pony's enthusiasm infected Luna, who smirked back. “What do you like about her? I've never read the books.”

“Oh, you really need to!” The filly began to talk excitedly about her hero. “She's really brave, and clever, and she always knows how to get out of trouble! I really love in the third book how she handled those bandits in the city...”

The filly went on and on about Daring Do as Luna listened. A lot of the conversation was lost on the princess, but it didn't matter. Luna finally discovered what made the filly happy. She was a little concerned about how the filly seemed more enthusiastic about a fictional character than her own mother, but it was hardly uncommon. After all, most children only see the mundane aspects of their parents, not the hardships they endured in order to get where they are today.

As the child talked, Luna noticed that the rain that surrounded them began to dissipate. Slowly but surely, the clouds were scattering. The darkness that had covered the road started to light up, revealing a beautiful sky overhead. The filly, however, had barely noticed the change in scenery, as she was too busy telling Luna all about the adventures of Daring Do.

“I can't wait for the next book in the series!” she told the princess. “There's going to be this lost civilization covered in snow! I hope she gets to meet a yeti! I've never seen one myself!”

Luna laughed, thankful that she managed to catch one of the young pony's excited comments. “It sounds like you have quite the active imagination.”

“Mm-hm!” The filly nodded excitedly

“Have you ever thought about writing your own story?” Luna saw where the filly's enthusiasm lay, and wanted her to use it in any way she could.

The young pony frowned and her eyes looked away from Luna. “I've tried, but when I do it, it never comes out any good...”

Luna put a hoof on the filly's shoulder. “Just keep at it. It just takes practice, that's all.”

The filly looked back up at her. “You think so?”

“Of course.”

The filly perked up. At this point, the rain had completely stopped. The two of them looked around. The trees shone a vibrant shade of green, and the sunlight reflected off of a few puddles on the road. The filly's fur coat looked completely dry, and Luna was finally able to see how neat and groomed her mane and tail were. Without her sour mood weighing her down, the pony was quite cute.

Off in the distance, the two of them heard the sound of hooves hitting the ground. As the noise got closer, they saw a carriage being pulled by two workhorses.

“My mom's here!” The filly turned to Luna. “Thanks for keeping me company, miss! You're really nice!”

Luna smiled at the girl's compliment. “Why, thank you.”

The carriage rode up, and the filly walked up to it and opened the door. Luna couldn't see anypony inside, but all that mattered right now was that the filly was okay. She watched the young pony climb inside before remembering something.

“Oh!” Luna exclaimed. “You never told me your name!”

The filly stuck her head out of the carriage window and laughed. “It's Novella! Your name was Luna, right?”

“That's correct!”

“See you later, Luna!” The carriage walked down the road, and Luna sighed in relief.

As the carriage disappeared out of sight, Luna took a look at the scenery. Slowly but surely, everything began to fade to white. One by one, the trees dissolved into nothingness, and the ends of the road on each horizon started to disappear. Soon, the only thing in sight was the small patch of grass Luna was standing on.

“I guess that's it for tonight,” she said to herself. Her horn began to glow before she heard a peculiar sound.

Beep... beep... beep...

“That's unusual,” Luna wondered out loud. “I shouldn't be hearing anything right now.”

She continued to listen, and the beeping continued. Over time, the beeping grew more distant before disappearing altogether. Luna shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. With nothing left to do, she closed her eyes and focused. Her horn glowed brightly, and with a flash, she was gone as well.

Night and Day

Luna opened her eyes and gasped for air. While she could interact with the dream world to a certain extent, the coldness of the water took her by surprise. Luna shut her eyes tight and held her legs around her, shivering. Once she had a moment to adjust to the cold, she realized she was no longer standing on the dirt road in Doggieville. Instead, she was laying on her rug in her room in Canterlot. Luna opened her eyes and saw the hooves of her sister, Celestia, standing in front of her. An empty bucket hovered over Luna's head.

“I had a feeling that would work,” Celestia said, tossing the bucket aside. “Do you have any idea how long you've been out?”

Luna got on her hooves and moved her wet mane out of her eyes. “Wh-what have you done?” she said, whimpering. She was just starting to get a feel for what Novella was going through, but now her sister had torn her away. Would Novella remain in Doggieville now that Luna had left her?

“What did I do?” Celestia asked, rolling her eyes. “I woke you up! You've been in that state for so long that I had to raise the sun by myself!” Celestia pointed her horn toward the window. “Just look!”

Sure enough, Luna's sister was right. Sunlight illuminated the room from behind the curtains. Morning had come and gone hours ago. Had Luna really been inside Novella's dream this long? It was true that she had gone through multiple dreams, as well as nearly witnessing Novella's death, but it was hard to believe that it was morning already.

“Now hurry up and get to sleep,” Celestia said, turning to walk out of the room. “We're princesses, after all. We need our rest.” She sighed and started mumbling to herself. “I can't believe I had to wake you up just to tell you to go to sleep.”

“No!” Luna said, kneeling back on her rug. “I'm going back in! I can't leave Novella alone!”

“Novella? Is she that filly you told me about yesterday?” Celestia sighed and turned toward her sister. “Look, I know that your dreamwalks are important to you, but she'll be fine. However bad her dreams are, she'll overcome them, with or without your help.”

“You don't understand!” Luna pleaded. Her horn glowed, ready to cast the spell again. “She needs me!”

Celestia walked back toward her sister, raising an eyebrow. “What has gotten in to you? It's not like this is a matter of life and death.”

“Yes it is!” Luna yelled. She closed her eyes and focused, trying to picture the Equestrian landscape again. However, all she could think about was Novella laying on the ground as darkness closed around them. Luna caught glimpses of the land over Canterlot, but they were gone as fast as they appeared. When Luna felt her sister place a hoof on her shoulder, the images disappeared. Luna opened her eyes and looked up at Celestia, whose cold demeanor from moments ago had vanished.

“Luna, what's going on?”

“So she's in a coma?”

The conversation had moved away from Luna's bedroom to the royal kitchen. The warm tea Celestia had made for Luna had calmed her down just enough to explain what had happened. During their conversation, many staff members of Canterlot had come looking for Celestia, but she had turned all of them away. Luna's story both fascinated and concerned Celestia, and she was fortunate that there were no particularly pressing matters at the moment.

“I never thought something like this would happen!” Luna rested her chin on the table and held her hooves over her head. Her drink had helped, but there was only so much that tea leaves and sugar could do. “I've always been careful helping ponies with their problems, but now I feel like if I make a wrong move, she'll be gone forever!” Luna turned her head and laid her cheek on the table. “Even right now, she might be suffering without me there to comfort her.”

“Luna,” Celestia said, stroking her sister's mane with her hoof. “She's lucky that you were there for her. The doctors may have saved her, but who knows? Your very presence may have convinced her to hold on long enough for the doctors to help.”

Luna gave her sister a weak smile. “Thanks, Celestia.” However, her smile faded quickly. “But I don't know how long that will work. She seems like she doesn't even want to wake up.”

Celestia closed her eyes and sighed. “Luna, you've done your part. I think she's in the doctors' hooves now.”

“Hrm...”

Luna's eyes closed as she thought about everything that had just happened. She felt so useless in the dream – her healing spell couldn't work on a fictional body. If she had been with the real Novella, than maybe things would have been different. Hold on...

Luna's eyes opened wide and she lifted her head off of the table. “I know what to do!” she told Celestia, who quickly retracted her hoof from Luna's mane. “We need to find Novella's actual body! Then my healing spell will work!”

Celestia closed her eyes and shook her head. “That won't work.”

“Why not?” Luna asked, tilting her head.

“Because that's what hospitals are for.” Celestia turned her head away, not wanting to be the bearer of bad news. “Our healing magic only works for minor wounds. If Novella is on life support, that means that they're already doing everything they can to keep her alive. At this point, our magic won't do anything but prolong the inevitable.”

Luna sank in her seat, her eyes watering. “Is that it, then?” she mumbled. “Novella's just going to die?”

“We don't know that,” Celestia told her. “She may still pull through.”

“How?” Luna asked, a few tears dripping from her face. “Novella doesn't even want to face her family. From her perspective, all they do is make her feel invisible.”

Celestia looked at her sister, who was on the verge of breaking down. Celestia closed her eyes and took a deep sigh. “Then maybe somepony needs to convince her otherwise.”

Luna wiped her eyes with her hoof and looked up at her sister. “You really think so?”

Celestia's eyes darted away from Luna's. “Well, it makes sense if you think about it. If the doctors can keep her alive, then all Novella needs is to convince herself to wake up. Right now, you're the only pony in Equestria who can reach her.”

Luna sniffled, then straightened herself up. “Then it's settled. I'm going back to my room right now to help her.”

“Not so fast.” Celestia held a hoof up and looked back at her sister. “Your dream magic isn't the same as going to sleep. The longer you keep it up, the more you'll wear yourself out.”

“So I'll be a little tired,” Luna replied. “I think I'll be able to handle it.”

Celestia stood up. “This isn't like studying for a test, Luna! You're dealing with a magic spell that's still relatively new! If you cast it improperly, or your physical body becomes too exhausted to handle it, what do you think will happen?”

Luna stood up and glared at her sister. “Well I'm not going to just go to sleep and hope she doesn't die! Is that what you expect me to do?!”

“Of course not!” Celestia yelled back. She sighed and tried to calm herself down before continuing. “I'm just asking you to be careful.” Celestia looked away from her sister. “This whole ordeal makes me wonder...”

Luna tilted her head. “What do you mean?”

“Well...” Celestia said, turning her gaze back to Luna. “Why are you so concerned about this filly anyway? You barely even know her.”

“I just...”

Luna looked down and thought about what her sister had just said. There had to be more to it than being scared of watching a pony die. Every day, sick or injured ponies breathed their last breath. Why was Novella so special?

Luna lifted her head. “I think it's because Novella reminds me of myself.”

“How so?” Celestia asked.

“In the first dream where I met her,” Luna explained, “She was waiting in the cold by herself. When I saw how lonely she was, I thought back to the thousand years I had spent on the moon. Just like her, I couldn't do anything but wait for an eternity.” Luna walked over to the kitchen window and looked outside at the sky. “Over time, I grew to hate a sister who had nothing but the best of intentions for me. I saw Novella's ambivalence toward her parents, and was afraid that she would grow to resent them.” Luna turned back to Celestia. “Just as I had grown to resent you.”

Celestia's mouth hung open.

“But that's not all,” Luna said, walking back to her sister. “When I returned to Canterlot, I found that it was difficult to get along with other ponies. After a millennium of talking to nopony but myself, I had to relearn everything about society as if I was a filly once again. I've gotten a lot better after these past two years, but I still have much to learn.” Luna hovered a novel that had been left on the coffee table over to her and looked at the cover. “Similarly, Novella felt alienated by her peers, and buried herself in these texts. Somehow, she's able to connect with fictional stories better than real ponies.”

It was a lot to take in, but Celestia felt she was seeing a side of Luna that she never had before. “Is that why you go into ponies' dreams?” she asked. “Because it's easier than talking to them yourself?”

Luna frowned and looked to the side. “I suppose so,” she said. “Seeing their problems for myself reminds me that they're just as vulnerable as I am.”

For a moment, Luna and Celestia were silent. Instead of saying anything, Celestia walked over to Luna and hugged her. Luna reciprocated, and a tear fell from her eye. A minute later, Celestia let go and smiled at her sister.

“Alright, go on.” Celestia pointed her horn toward the door. “You have a filly's life to save.”

Luna smiled back. “Thank you, sister.” Just as she was heading through the door, she remembered something else. “Oh, and Celestia?”

“Yes, Luna?”

“Could you see if you could find Novella? I don't know if having her physical body would help me at all, but it couldn't hurt to try.”

Celestia frowned. “It'll take some time. Manehatten's a big place with multiple hospitals. Not to mention, there are rules about sharing sensitive information...”

“But you'll still do it?”

Celestia nodded. “Of course. No matter how long it takes, we'll find her.”

Navigating the dream landscape during the day was much harder than it was during the night. The white orbs that represented dreams were much harder to spot with the sun beating down. Light reflected off of the various dust and dirt particles in the air, obscuring Luna's vision. Even her eyes were an obstacle; they were used to the darkness, not the sun. However, Luna pushed herself forward, determined to save Novella.

As difficult as it was to make her way over to Manehatten, Luna found that spotting the filly's dream was remarkably easy. After all, few ponies slept during the day. Luna was about to enter the dream when she realized this was her chance to figure out which hospital Novella might have been staying at. The orb floated far above the city, but hopefully Luna would be able to identify the hospital with an educated guess.

However, when Luna floated closer to the ground, she ran into complications. Ponies walking on the street were nothing but brightly-colored blurs. Buildings were nothing but brown, gray blobs, and signs were unreadable. When Luna tried floating into one of the buildings, she was greeted with nothing but darkness. It seemed her dream spell had limits. Even if Luna could figure out which building was Novella's hospital, she wouldn't be able to see the building's name, and the street signs were illegible as well.

Defeated, Luna floated back over to Novella's dream orb. This time, the orb wasn't as dark as it was the previous night, but it wasn't glowing purely white, either. Instead, the orb was a solid gray. As Luna approached it, she felt a sense of resentment. Not panic, as it felt during the zombie dream, just frustration. The happy puppy society the dream had been when she left was definitely gone. Luna braced herself, ready to save Novella's life.

When Luna entered the orb, her hooves landed on a solid grate. The air smelled disgusting and caused her to cough a few times before she could adjust to it. Luna held her breath as she took in her surroundings. The grate was on the second floor of some sort of laboratory. Several metal containers of various shapes and sizes were spread across the floor. The grate Luna stood on was off to one side of the room. She turned around and saw a door, but when she tried to open it, it didn't budge. It must have been the limits of the dream.

Luna walked down the stairs on the end of the grate and got a look at the room from the ground level. The linoleum floor was solid red, and whenever Luna took a step on it, it echoed. As she walked around, she saw several test tubes that were sealed shut. Each of the metal containers had several switches and buttons, and they looked arranged in a very deliberate way.

It didn't take long before Luna heard hoofsteps. On the other side of the room, a pony wearing a bright yellow hazmat suit stepped out from behind one of the containers. The pony's mask kept its gaze on Luna as it walked forward. Luna wondered if the pony could be threatening, but it was moving at a normal walking pace, and was not carrying a weapon. Soon, the two of them were standing in front of each other. The pony wearing the hazmat suit lowered its head and took off the helmet, revealing a spiky blonde mane and pierced ears. Novella's sister.

“Get a suit on. We're trying to clean.”