Princess Luna navigated the Dreamscape, performing her usual duties of searching the subconscious of ponies to rid them of their nightmares. But there was one being in particular whose consciousness she sought out—a being who was not a pony.
Before the Princess of the Night were the various windows into the minds of ponies with nightmares. But to her frustration, her work had not yet yielded the subconscious of the Terra Prime Twilight Sparkle.
"Blast it!" Princess Luna bellowed with more than a bit of annoyance. It had been a month since she learned about the appearance of the human Twilight in Equestria, and she was still no closer to finding even a trace of her. Luna knew she shouldn't be frustrated with herself. There were on average of 60,000 ponies in the realm having a nightmare, and she could only help as many as 500 each night. Luna knew she shouldn't be upset over not being able to find one single mare; Her powers were for soothing the minds of her little ponies, not for the location of others. Due to the oaths she took once she became an alicorn and various treaties with other kingdoms regarding espionage, her dream-trotting abilities were only to be used in psychology.
But for some reason, she felt a particular self-loathing at not finding the human Twilight. Maybe it was because the absence of the counterpart of her sister's student was ominous. Maybe it was-
Luna paused. She looked into the nightmare of another pony and saw...
Humans with their two-legged locomotion, clothing and flat faces appeared in the mind window. Just as Luna remembered them the last time she ventured to the planet of Terra Prime, they had an ape-like appearance. And since very few ponies were privy to what humans looked like, this could only mean one thing. With a hopeful grin, Princess Luna entered the nightmare.
Luna found herself in the middle of a city with buildings of incredible height. She knew this was a human city because their height was the only thing remarkable about them. Like most modern human cities, based on the picture books of Terra Prime that Princess Twilight brought her, these buildings were ugly stacks of glass and concrete. Equestrian cities had skyscrapers, but city planners and architects built them with the beauty and character of the town in mind. Luna knew it wasn't right to generalize about humans. Still, many wealthy humans seemed willing to sacrifice beauty and quality of life in the name of profit when constructing their cities.
On closer inspection, Princess Luna saw that this city wasn't just ugly; it was in utter disrepair: cracked windows dotted the tall buildings, the sidewalks were full of decay and erosion, rusted abandoned carriages littered decrepit roads, factories lay abandoned, low rise homes were in a severe state of neglect, a cloud of poisonous smog hung over her head, the sky was a blood orange, what little foilage there was rotted and yellow, and smokestacks billowed toxic fumes into the atmosphere. While the city was empty of any sapient life, all around her were the sounds of civil disorder: smashing glass, yelling, riots, and explosions.
Princess Luna's trepidation grew as she observed the desolate environment, as only a mind that was depressed and broken could be imagining such a bleak landscape. The human Twilight was either internalizing the mistreatment she endured or, even more depressingly, her attempt to adapt to Equestrian life had gone poorly, and she failed to make friends. Princess Luna frowned over the idea that human Twilight could have endured the same mistreatment in Equestria that she endured back on Terra Prime and that she might have given up on life altogether. In any case, the human's mental state was not in a good place.
The Mare of the Night was broken out of her melancholy thoughts when she heard a sorrowful cry. "Please, leave me alone! The voice was too quiet to discern, but Princess Luna could make out the sheer desperation and pain. She took to the air to be able to locate the source. She followed the sound to a run-down park full of rotting foliage. In the center of it was a crowd of humans. Repulsive humans of various ages, genders, and skin colors mocked and jeered at a prone figure covered in shadow but whose size showed she was a pony.
"What are you doing here?!" One human girl asked with a nasty sneer. "No one likes you!"
"You thought you belonged here?" Another asked with an even nastier sneer.
"Loser!"
"Freak!"
"Wimp!"
"Please, I just want to be a part of you!"
Luna's heart broke when she heard the sheer agony and pain from the voice. The alicorn's despair turned to shock when someone from the crowd threw a tomato at the figure. The entire group descended into mocking chuckles that gradually crescendoed into a loud sadistic cackle that echoed all around Princess Luna. The figure's crying also grew increasingly shrill and agonized.
Luna's sadness gave way to righteous anger. If this is what the human Twilight endured at that awful school, or even just a representation of Twilight's mental health, she had a strong temptation to travel to the other world and punish that wretched professor and any other miscreants that had wronged human Twilight so horribly.
For now, she would perform her duty as Princess of the Night and offer a scared child comfort. She lit up her horn, and with a single spell, Princess Luna banished these monstrous humans. The horrible jeers ended, and the crying stopped. The figure was now only sniffling; with that, Princess Luna strode toward human Twilight with a warm smile and kind eyes. "Do not fret. You're safe, Twilight-," Luna's voice trailed off when instead of seeing a lavender unicorn, she saw a mint-green unicorn instead.
"Princess Luna!" Lyra Heartstrings chirped, wiping away her tears. "Thank Celestia, and you, of course, that you're here!" Princess Luna remembered this pony. She frequently played the lyre at performances in Canterlot and was known for her eccentricity.
"Miss Heartstrings," Princess Luna said after regaining her royal composure, remembering that the musician was apparently in distress and the alicorn ought to soothe her. Although Princess Luna began to wonder if this was anything serious, "What is this-,"
"I was in the park promoting my 'Humans 4 Life' club when some meanie-meanie pants told me," Lyra began, before collapsing into whimpering again. Once the mint-green pony calmed down, she continued, "that I wasn't a real human!" Lyra began crying again. Princess Luna's brief fliver of concern gave way to confusion, annoyance, and exasperation (although after months of training in royal etiquette, she maintained her calm visage), having wasted time on what was a pointless non-emergency.
After a few moments of serious thought, Princess Luna thought of a way to calm the upset-for-no-good-reason pony. "Young Lyra," Princess Luna began, aping her usual sage-like tone, "do not allow the words of one pony to make you feel weak."
Lyra's smile instantly returned to her face. "OK, sure. You bet."
Princess Luna was taken aback by how quickly the musical mare had overcome her "issues." Biting back a sigh, she continued. "Also, human isn't about appearance. It is about what you believe in your heart," Princess Luna continued, remembering some of the more nonsensical morals she picked up from the tasteless literature she had the misfortune of reading. "If you think human, then you are human. Or something of that nature."
"I understand," Lyra said with an oblivious gaze that indicated that the unicorn didn't understand the nonsense Princess Luna was offering. (Then again, Luna herself didn't understand what she was trying to tell the wacky mare). Lyra accepted the awkward words as divine wisdom since they came from Luna's divine vocal cords.
"And, if Princess Twilight allows it, you can go visit the human world and become a human if you wish." Suddenly, the dark and foreboding atmosphere of the dream city faded, returning to a more lively, if still tacky, design. The humans returned with more welcoming expressions and started saying things like "Go, Lyra" and holding up signs that read, "Lyra Best Human!"
"YAY! Thank you, Princess!" Lyra cheered. "And since this is a dream...I can have hands if I want to." The pony's hooves morphed into hands. "Aren't these cool, Princess?"
"Yes," Princess Luna said, not wanting to say how freakish the mare looked. "Anyways, I'll be off now. Good Night!" Princess Luna took off with more speed than she usually had.
"Wait, Princess!" Lyra pleaded. "If I think I'm a dragon in my heart, does that make me a-?" but Princess Luna was gone. "She must've not heard me." Lyra then narrowed her eyes, and after a few moments of serious thoughts, she became a dragon. "Dreams are the best!" The unicorn-turned dragon with human hands gushed.
Princess Luna burst into her private den, her face laden with disappointment. Another night had gone by and there was still no trace of the Human Twilight Sparkle. Knowing that ruminating over her failure would do her no good, the Princess of the Night settled for enjoying her hour of rest before she would lower the moon and allow her sister to take over during the day. She began to settle in her chair when she heard a strange noise.
"What was that?"
RING RING
The noise was there again. "Who goes there?"
RING RING.
"REVEAL YOURSELF, FOUL SPECTER!" Luna bellowed in the Royal Canterlot Voice, which she would use when in a stressful situation. The Princess of the Night's eyes were white with power as she prepared to defend herself. "Nopony dares cross....the MARE OF THE NIGHT!"
RING RING.
"WHERE ARE YOU!" Princess Luna followed the strange ringing noise to some strange device on a small end table that hadn't been there when she entered the dream realm. The device was white, boxed shaped, and shook a little as it let out the same hysterical cry.
"WHAT FOUL PURPOSE DO YOU INTEND!" Luna bellowed. The contraption continued to ring. "Answer me, interloper!" Luna noticed a note on one part of the object.
It read, "Pick me up!"
"What game dost thou play?" Princess Luna asked with a suspicious voice. The object just rang. "Very well, I shall play along! But any foul play, and I shall cast you into Tartarus!" Princess Luna lifted up the object, a rectangular prism that seemed to curl downward at both ends. There seemed to be some white curly cord connecting to the device. The device also had a wire connecting to the wall.
"What-,"
"Luna!" To Luna's shock, she heard her sister's voice emerge from the strange rectangle.
"Sister?!" Princess Luna said with horror. "What has occurred?"
"A monster has trapped me inside this device," her sister said with fear and some weird coughing. "Please, free me!"
"What?!" Princess Luna bellowed with clenched teeth. "Don't worry sister! I shall free you from this-," Luna paused as she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around and lept into the air with terror.
"What creature dares disturb the Mare of the Night when she-" Luna paused when she saw her very much OK older sister grinning at her.
"Gotcha!" Celestia said with a cheeky tone.
"Sister!" Princess Luna admonished. "Must you do that! I have had a hectic-," Luna's frustration trailed off when she noticed her sister was holding another one of those ringing devices. "What is this contraption?" Princess Luna asked her sister with a suspicious glare.
"A telephone." Princess Celestia said, holding up the device. "This contraption allows humans to communicate across vast distances using wires. Juniper Montage, the human engineer, came to Canterlot to set this up."
Princess Luna's eyes widened in amazement. "Are you, as they say, pulling my legs?"
"Nope."
"Communication over long distances," Luna marveled in guarded excitement. "So this the human version of dragon fire?"
"In a way," Celestia said with some interest. "You should've seen how my prized pupil reacted to it."
"So this is the device that shall help us locate the human version of your student?" Princess Luna asked with a curious expression.
"No, what Juniper is setting up is a bit more advanced."
Princess Luna was incredulous. "Advanced?! This device seems quite advanced to us."
"Actually, that device is outdated by about thirty years," Princess Celestia said with a more quietly impressed tone. "Since then, humans developed more advanced telephones they can carry in their pockets, and they can use poles and metal boxes sent into space to send messages."
Princess Luna's expression is one of shock. "Are you saying young Miss Montage is bringing us into the space age?!"
"Not exactly," Princess Celestia said. "Only the wealthiest nations in Terra Prime can send what they call 'satellites.' What Miss Montage is building is a substitute system for poorer nations that she says we can build here. Instead of space boxes, she is using balloons to do it."
"How soon will it be set up?" Princess Luna said.
"She says it will take another few months," Princess Celestia said. Princess Luna let out a sad sigh, remembering her failure from today. Celestia, the understanding older sister, cottoned on. "I'm guessing your search for her didn't turn anything up."
"Today, I thought I found something," Luna barked. "Instead, it was a unicorn who had a nightmare over not being human." The night pony let out an annoyed scoff. "Ponies from our time had nightmares about hunger and war. They didn't fret over unimportant things like..." Luna just let out a tired sigh.
"Luna, I understand you're worried. I'm worried about her too," the elder sister assured her youngest. "Don't tear yourself up over this."
"I'm not," Princess Luna said defensively. "It's just..."
Celestia realized her sister wasn't merely tired but deeply upset over something. "Sister, what doth trouble you?"
Princess Luna knew her sister only spoke in Old Ponish when she was feeling upset herself. "I've looked into the memories of Sunny Flare and her companions and..." she paused, remembering she was under oath.
"You remember how those human girls persecuted her," Princess Celestia said with a somewhat. Luna was surprised. "Twilight told me about it."
"But not just her," Princess Luna said. "The Human Twilight was a prodigy, but not only did her classmates persecute her, the Cinch woman..." Luna said with some trembling anger in her voice.
"I understand, Luna," the elder alicorn said. "You not only sympathize with the other Twilight, but you can understand the persecution, alienation, and lack of appreciation she received because you experienced those same things. And you wish to offer her the same warm hoof others gave you."
Princess Luna looked at her sister with surprise at her insight. "Yes, sister. But I not only wish to help her but...part of me wishes to guide her. To show her the way and give her-,"
"Oh, I see," Princess Celestia said with a teasing expression. "You want your own pupil Twilight Sparkle to love and cherish."
"Well, not quite," Luna said.
"I can't blame you," Celestia said in a more playful tone. "Twilight as a filly was so cute and adowable."
"Sister."
"And she was soft and fuzzy, which made cuddling with her so amazing."
"Sister."
"And you want to help her build a cute widdle book fort-,"
"Sister." Celestia ceased her rambling, realizing that Luna was not in a joking mood.
"You're serious about taking the younger Twilight as a student," Celestia exclaimed.
Luna nodded. "Celestia, she was able to discover and harness magic without even knowing what it was. Combined her knowledge of human technology, and one can only imagine the marvels she could create if given proper instruction and what great discoveries we could make together."
"It's called bubble wrap," human Twilight told her alicorn mentor.
"What is this bubble wrap for," Princess Luna said, pressing down on one of the bubbles with one of her hooves.
"Well," Human Twilight said, "it is for,"
POP!
"WHAT WAS THAT SOUND?! ARE WE UNDER ATTACK?!" Princess Luna bellowed in the Royal Canterlot Voice, inadvertently blowing human Twilight away into a nearby table, leaving her dizzy. When Princess Luna broke from her fear, she looked at her pupil lying on the ground in a daze.
"Who dared attack you, my faithful disciple!" Princess Luna said, cradling her student. "Don't worry. I shan't rest until I have avenged thee!"
Human Twilight let out a tired groan.
"Luna, that would be a wonderful idea," Celestia gushed. "But remember, you would have to ask the Human Cadence and Shining Armor if it was OK. She is chronologically 15, but she's still a minor according to the laws of the United Provinces, the human country where Twilight originated."
"But I'm not just fantasizing over what marvels she could create," Princess Luna said in a more somber tone. "Remember this: the other Twilight endured hardship and loneliness, and if those feelings go untreated," Princess Luna's voice became softer and more melancholy. "Well, you know where that led me."
Princess Celestia's expression became more worried. "You fear that the other Twilight could go down the path you went down. Of vengeance and anger."
Princess Luna's face became more fearful. "Our Twilight is worried about this too. And while I told her not to worry," Princess Luna took a breath to reign in her emotions. "The fact is this: the human Twilight is an anti-social being who has found herself in another world with rules and traditions she does not understand. What if she can't find friends or," Luna paused as her mouth trembled, "a wicked being should find her in her vulnerable state and lead her down the path of vengeance like the infamous Tempest Shadow."
Princess Celestia frowned thoughtfully at that. Tempest Shadow, formerly Fizzlepop Berrytwist, had been a good unicorn until a childhood accident had robbed her of her horn and many opportunities for advancement. After having the bad fortune to encounter the Storm King's forces, she joined that monster and was now the Scourge of the South Lands, devastating kingdoms in the name of the wicked king.
Moments of this reminded Celestia that no matter how hard she worked to give her ponies plenty, her nation had cracks, and others had fallen through it. She set up a welfare office for maimed ponies, but it had come too late for Tempest. Princess Celestia lost all sympathy for the mare after the war crimes she committed, but she still agonized over the trauma and loneliness that tore away at her.
"Or what if human Twilight joined the Storm King."
Princess Celestia put aside her fears and looked at her sister with an encouraging smile. "Sister, I can understand your dread. But the same forces that brought the human Twilight to Equestria are the same that cured you of your madness."
"The same forces that banished me to the moon for 1000 years," Princess Luna said with some anger.
"Harmony wasn't angry at just you," Princess Celestia assured her forlorn sister. "It also punished me for my vanity and selfishness. But if we, beings of celestial power, can move past those things, then I know the human Twilight can prosper in these realms."
With that, Princess Luna pulled her elder sister into a full-bodied wing hug, silently thanking her for offering wisdom. Princess Celestia happily returned the hug, happy to hold her sister again after so many years of separation. If they could find love for each other after all that had occurred between them, then there was hope for the human Twilight's future.