Dinner went by smoothly. Well, as smoothly as a dinner featuring two of the same pony could go. Spike had nearly fainted at the sight of the two Twilights, but the alicorn version quickly explained the situation to him. After calming down, he served his special asparagus casserole along with some mushroom soup. For dessert, they had strawberry cupcakes that he had bought from Sugarcube Corner. Sci-Twi enjoyed the meal, though she wished there was some meat to go along with the copious amounts of vegetables. Then again, considering she was in a world filled with ponies, not humans, perhaps eating meat was a taboo, or possibly a crime.
With dessert over, Spike cleared up the table and washed the dishes while the two Twilights took a train to Canterlot. Sci-Twi wore a large, black cloak with a hood to disguise herself. Having to explain to other ponies why there was another "princess of friendship", particularly one with glasses instead of wings, would be a hassle and could cause total mayhem. Twilight did tell her counterpart that there were several ponies in Equestria who looked very similar to each other, save for a horn, wings, or a cutie mark, but figured it was best to play it safe in their case.
The train ride was long, but relaxing. Sci-Twi stared out the window, gazing up at the stars in the night sky through the trees that whizzed past them. They looked just like the stars in her world, if not brighter. Perhaps it was because this world didn't have as much light pollution as hers. Meanwhile, the Princess Twilight was trying to hide from the other passengers who wanted photos or autographs from her, making Sci-Twi feel a little thankful that she wasn't a princess herself.
Eventually, they arrived in the royal city of Canterlot. As they walked through the city towards the royal castle, Sci-Twi couldn't help but look around at everything in awe. The architecture was magnificent, featuring tall, white towers adorned with golden roofs and spires. Purple flags waved up high, sporting some sort of symbol that Sci-Twi assumed represented Equestria. Amongst the towers were smaller shops and restaurants that were simpler in design, but also felt warm and inviting. And even though it was night-time, there were still many ponies out on the streets enjoying the night life. Ponies were laughing, chatting, drinking, and gambling with each other, yet it wasn't as noisy or as smelly as the cities in the human world. If not for her nightmare issue, Sci-Twi would've loved to spend a short vacation here.
Finally, they trotted up to the Canterlot Castle. The guards stationed outside allowed Princess Twilight to enter, and upon hearing her explanation that she was with a close friend, they let the other Twilight pass without further questions. The interior was grand and daunting, effective at instilling some fear into Sci-Twi's chest. The walls were lined with gorgeous stained glass windows that immortalized notable events. Sci-Twi saw several that depicted her counterpart defeating various magical creatures, retrieving important artifacts, and becoming an alicorn. Some of them even pictured ponies who had similar color schemes to her friends in the human world. None of them resembled Sunset Shimmer, however.
"Wow, you and your friends sure have done a lot throughout your lives, huh?" remarked Sci-Twi. Twilight blushed and rubbed the back of her head with one of her hooves.
"Yes, I guess so, hehe..."
Wonder why Sunset Shimmer isn't here... thought Sci-Twi.
After walking through the hallways for what seemed like forever, they finally arrived in the throne room. At the other end of the room, a dark-blue alicorn with a flowing mane that resembled a starry night sky sat upon a massive throne. She stared at the two ponies in front of her with cold, piercing, icy-blue eyes. Sci-Twi gulped and shied away from the dark alicorn's gaze, but Twilight trotted up to her without fear.
"Princess Luna," spoke Twilight, bowing down in respect to the other princess. Sci-Twi immediately bowed as well.
"Twilight Sparkle, it is a pleasure to see you," replied Princess Luna, though the tone of her voice was as serious as her expression.
"Princess, I apologize for coming here without notice, but there is a favor I must ask of you," explained Twilight.
"Do not worry, I am more than willing to assist you however I can," assured Luna, her tone softening a little. "What is it you need help with?"
Twilight motioned Sci-Twi closer. When Sci-Twi finally stood next to Twilight, she slowly removed the cloak disguising her figure. However, unlike Spike, Luna showed no reaction to seeing the duplicate princess. She simply looked upon the two calmly with the same gaze as before. Sci-Twi gulped and looked down at the floor, staring at the red carpet underneath her hooves. A few moments later, Twilight broke the silence.
"So, you're not surprised to see another me here?" questioned Twilight.
"I do not mean to brag, but my magic sense is quite advanced," explained Luna. "I am aware of everypony within this castle. I know who and where they are, and if I focus, I can get further details such as what they're doing or saying. Ahem, of course, I try not to do that too often." Luna's composure wavered for a brief moment during that last sentence, but only for a moment.
"Anyways, the moment you two entered the castle I felt your presences, but I noticed one of your magical signatures did not match that of normal Equestrian magic. At the same time, it carried some similarities to that of Princess Twilight. Thus, I concluded that the second pony must be your counterpart from the other world."
After Luna finished her explanation, both Twilights stood there, shocked. Sci-Twi started getting paranoid about what other impossible abilities these ponies had, while Twilight desperately wanted to ask Luna to teach her how to use magic sense. Pushing away her curiosity, Twilight returned to the task at hand.
"Princess Luna, although she and I are counterparts, the events of our lives are not quite the same. This Twilight has recently gone through some... traumatic events and is experiencing endless nightmares about them. We were wondering if you could help her, er, me."
"What sorts of events and nightmares are you going through, Twilight of the other world?" asked Princess Luna. Sci-Twi prodded the ground a few times, nervous to share her experiences with this alicorn princess she had only just met, but if Twilight said she was the best source of help, she had to get over her reservations.
As Luna heard the alternate Sci-Twi's story of her evil deeds as Midnight Sparkle, she couldn't help but think of her own experiences as Nightmare Moon. Although their motives for turning evil were very different, the fallout and aftermath were nearly identical. It was apparent that the alternate Twilight's mind swarmed with regret, apprehension, and guilt, just like herself after reverting back from Nightmare Moon. Her cold expression changed into one of sadness and understanding.
"Twilight Sparkle," said Princess Luna, addressing the alternate version, "It seems that in your world, you have many friends who are doing their best to support you, but despite that, you are having difficulty forgiving yourself. Is that correct?" Sci-Twi nodded.
"I know they mean well," answered Sci-Twi, "but I don't think they truly understand how I feel about all this. Also, it doesn't matter how they feel, because I still did all those horrible things as Midnight Sparkle! There's just no way I can possibly forgive myself after all that..."
Tears started flowing down her cheeks. Princess Twilight moved closer to her counterpart and gave her a warm hug. At the same time, Princess Luna rose from the throne and gracefully flew down to where the two Twilights were sitting.
"Forgiving yourself is never easy," admitted Princess Luna, "but I believe that once you get closer to your friends and talk to them some more, you will eventually gain the strength to do so. As for your nightmares-"
"You can fix them now, can't you?" interrupted Sci-Twi with a desperate tone in her voice. "Twilight said that you're the princess of dreams! So that means you can come into my nightmares and defeat Midnight Sparkle, right?" Twilight stared at Sci-Twi, shocked that she had just interrupted a royal princess. Then, Twilight started to laugh and grin nervously.
"Hahaha... Err, Lun- I mean, Princess Luna, I'm really sorry about her- my interjection just now! Please forgive h- US!" Twilight quickly dropped to the floor and ducked her head downward, assuming an apologetic position. Princess Luna, however, simply tapped Twilight on the shoulder and helped her get back up.
"Listen," sighed Princess Luna, "while it is true that I can enter nightmares, I do not simply make them disappear. I guide ponies and help them deal with their problems. Now, if you would really like for me to enter your nightmare, I am more than willing to do so. However, we must deal with the problem slowly and properly. Is that understood?" Sci-Twi, now calm but determined, nodded.
"Good. Then let us retreat to one of the guest bedrooms in the castle," suggested Luna. "There, you shall sleep while I enter your dreams."
The trio of ponies proceeded down more seemingly endless hallways before finally entering a bedroom. The room wasn't decorated with much, but the bed that was situated in the far corner was all that they needed. Sci-Twi climbed into the bed and pulled the covers over herself, having trouble finding a comfortable position due to her pony physiology. After much tossing and turning, she eventually found one and removed her glasses.
"Whenever you are ready, Twilight Sparkle, you may go to sleep," explained Luna. "Once you have done so, I will perform a spell that will allow me to enter your thoughts and dreams. Once we meet up in the dream world, we shall talk further."
"Thank you, Princess," replied Sci-Twi, closing her eyes.
This is it, thought Sci-Twi. I will finally be rid of my nightmares! With a cheerful smile, she drifted off to sleep.
Meanwhile, the two princesses sat in the center of the room on a small rug. Then, Luna's horn began to glow. A string of white light then flowed out of the tip of her horn. It gently drifted towards Sci-Twi's forehead, then connected with it. Suddenly, Luna's eyes glowed white, indicating she had successfully entered Sci-Twi's mind. She then lay down on the rug and drifted off to sleep.
Princess Twilight, now the only one awake in the room, looked at Luna, then Sci-Twi, then back at Luna again.
"Now what?"