"I am not entirely certain that what you propose will work, Twilight," Luna said as the two walked through the halls of the Tower of Duty. "Dreamwalking is an imprecise art, as you learned while combating the Tantabus. And if she is merely catatonic, her mind may not lapse to sleep in such a way for her to create a dreamscape."
"I know," the lavender alicorn said. "But I'm no closer to finding answers than I was when we found her. Something horrible happened to her, and I want to find out what it was and make it right, especially if somepony is out there ripping cutie marks from other ponies. We have a duty to the citizens of Equestria to protect them, do we not?"
The midnight mare closed her eyes and sighed as she opened the doors to the balcony of the Tower. Celestia stood there, her horn shimmering with golden light as she lowered the sun.
"Sister," Luna said with a dip of her head. When it rose again, her midnight blue aura flared into being and the moon slowly rose into the night sky.
Celestia turned to her sister and gave her a brief nuzzle before noticing Twilight. "Twilight! I didn't know you were coming to visit."
"I had something to discuss with Princess Luna and I knew it would go faster face to face," Twilight said. "I should have at least told you about it. The visit. I'm sorry I didn't."
"Don't worry, my little pony," the alabaster alicorn said. "We all have concerns that can outweigh our minds. Please, while Luna finishes creating the night sky, won't you please fill me in?"
"This is indeed grave news," Celestia said as she lowered her teacup. Luna sat beside her at the table as Twilight finished the recounting of her finding of Tabula and her sinking into distress and catatonia. "I can organize a discreet investigation for a missing Pegasus matching her description, but it will be slow, given just how vast Equestria is."
"Thank you, Princess," Twilight said, bowing her head slightly.
"Please, we are in private," Luna said, lifting her cup and taking a sip. "I at least would prefer not to be called by my title by a friend outside of official duties."
Celestia nodded. "I notice that you don't refer to Cadence by her title, either," she said. "Is it so difficult for you to see us as ordinary ponies?"
Twilight waved her hooves in front of her. "No no," she said. "Just years of habit. It's hard to break free of the traditional forms of address. Cadence was my foalsitter before I even knew she was a princess, let alone destined to be the Empress of the Crystal Empire."
Luna closed her eyes for a moment, a faint sheen covering her horn. Opening her eyes, she looked to Twilight.
"The first dreamers are starting to enter the Dreamscape," she said. "Lead me to our troubled mare."
"Of course," Twilight said, moving to give Celestia a quick hug before trotting onto the balcony with Luna and making their way to Ponyville.
Luna glanced at her companion as they flew.
"This spell you have described should allow us to see her innermost thoughts," she said over the sound of the wind. "But be forewarned, dreams are the domain of subconscious fears, and they can be most dangerous to the unprepared."
Twilight nodded as they landed in front of the hospital and entered. "I'm aware," she said. "That's why I wanted you with me." She saw Starlight and Sunset standing outside Tabula's door. "Do you have everything?" she asked.
Sunset held out a crystal pendant. "I'm not sure this is a good idea, Twilight," she said. "Gem shielding is a new enough branch of magic as it is, but to combine it with dream magic?"
"I agree with Sunset," Starlight said. "I know you plan on using it as a tether, but you could at least test the theory first on one of us."
Twilight hesitated for a moment. She had checked, double checked and triple checked the calculations, and they had come out the same each time. This was safe on the theoretical level, but she had seen theory trumped by reality before.
She opened her mouth to speak when a whimpering moan came from Tabula's room. Luna's horn glowed for a moment. "She slumbers, but fitfully," she said. "She may form a nightmare if this continues, and that would be the easiest time to enter her Dreamscape."
Twilight took the pendant. "We may not get another chance," she murmured. She glanced at Sunset. "How's Fluttershy?"
Sunset shrugged. "Little more amorous than normal, but in control of her faculties," she answered. "I think the effects will be fairly mild this time around."
Twilight glanced down for a moment. "Let her know that I'll keep looking into a way to reverse the spell," she said, a flash of guilt flaring in her mind. "I think I have some ideas that might work this time."
She pushed the door open and saw the olive Pegasus laying in the bed, her wing splinted and bandages on several areas of her body. Her eyes were closed, and she seemed to be sleeping, a frown on her features. Twilight slipped the pendant onto the sleeping mare's neck and glanced at Luna, her horn starting to glimmer with power.
"Ready when you are," she said.