On the Line

by TheBigBob

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?

Comments

[Avenging-Hobbits]

CUE INCEPTION MUSIC

THIS IS GETTING EPIC

[Changeling-Drone]

???

[MadNimrod]

My opinion of Nova has simultaneously increased and decreased.

[Quartz]

Hmm. I'm beginning to wonder if Nova and Novella are two parts of the same mind.

[Usernotfound]

I thinkid this is real

[Snuggie88]

Dat ending.

[Amber flicker]

2422827
Indeed.

[Zoegrace1]

So...

I just started reading this. It's great!

Just a question, what are they doing in the lab? I know it has something to do with chemicals, but what?

[TheBigBob]

2429003 It kind of does have to do with the chemicals, and kinda doesn't. All of the dreams were a reflection of Novella's mood in some way (rain = loneliness, zombies = overwhelmed), and the lab was no different. In this case, it's the feeling of being bossed around by someone who knows more than you.

It's also a reference to a TV show. I'll leave you to figure out which!

[Stalwartheart14]

2422827 tru dat

[The White devil]

2432083
Hazmat suits.... Fumes... Danger...

Oh my God...

They're cooking meth!

Walter white is a fucking trans pony!