Princess Twilight Sparkle’s library castle of friendship felt empty. Princess Luna detested this place, much preferring Twilight Sparkle’s old home, the library tree. This place was cold, cavernous, and was the breeding ground for echoes, plaguing those who had booming voices.
“Twilight Sparkle.”
“Luna.”
Both mares exchanged a glance and a nod with one another. It was all of the recognition that either of them needed. Each knew who the other was, titles only served to muddle the clarity of what was already known and established.
“I am already hard at work solving this bizarre issue. I sent a message though the portal mirror to my friends. Princess Celestia sent me all of the information you sent her. Maeve Rosethicket, age eleven, who lives on Pemberton Island, and attends Chapelwood Elementary School.” Twilight Sparkle paused, stepped forwards towards Luna, and began to examine Luna’s face before she continued speaking. “I asked my friends on the other side of the mirror for a little favour. To see if they can contact the authorities. For all we know, this issue might already be resolved.”
Drawing in a deep breath, Luna closed her eyes and hoped for the best. Opening her eyes, Luna let her breath out as she said, “Thank you, Twilight Sparkle.”
“Meanwhile, as we wait to see how this develops, we need to continue addressing the problem. I have read through Princess Celestia’s report a number of times now. I must confess, the symptoms are troubling. No control at all, no means to escape, an absolute loss of your power.”
Feeling too tired to make a verbal response, Princess Luna nodded.
“You know Luna, there have been times where I have felt weak and powerless. I didn’t know what to do and I thought about giving up. Every time I was stuck in a situation where I had no control, it ended up being a moment of greatness. When Discord returned and all my friends were turned against me. When I accidently switched all of my friends cutie marks and our lives seemed to be damaged beyond repair. When I had to go through the mirror to find the Element of Magic after Sunset Shimmer stole it… each of these opportunities became a chance at personal growth. I became a better pony after having endured each of these events.”
Taking a moment to consider Twilight Sparkle’s words, Luna nodded. “Thank you, Twilight Sparkle. After hearing you say that, I do actually feel better.”
“As bad as this seems right now, this might be the beginning of something great. Something grand. But I will admit, from the details Princess Celestia has given me… this seems very dark. I won’t give up on you and we’ll face this together, somehow.”
Raising an eyebrow, Luna gave Twilight an exhausted smirk. “This is why you are the Princess of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle.”
Sipping a calming cup of chamomile, Luna watched the portal mirror and waited. Every now and then, the smooth surface would ripple and then hum, Luna would feel her hopes rising, but then, nothing would happen.
There were books piled everywhere. There were books in crates, piled in stacks upon the floor, books in carts, books in small wagons, books still in canvass courier bags, and even books arranged into what appeared to be a small fortress that was just big enough for a pony to hide inside.
Curled up in a chair, Princess Luna felt the need to rest her head for a moment. She set down her teacup upon a small stone table that was beside her, squirmed in her chair while trying to find the always elusive comfortable spot that could be found in all chairs, if one looked long enough, and then lay her head down upon the overstuffed arm. It was quite comfortable.
After laying her head down, Luna yawned once, then twice, and then by accident, Luna drifted off into the realms of sleep, becoming a prisoner trapped within her own domain once more.
This was the room of a little filly, a little girl, the terms were interchangeable, the room was distinctive to something young and feminine. No matter where you were, some things remained the same. There was a faint smell of perfume, of soap, a teasing whiff in the air. On a bedside table, there was a picture of a little red haired girl and a red haired woman, their similarity was striking. There were shelves upon the wall, and on the shelves there were dolls as well as stuffed animals. They sat all together, all of them facing the bed, and for one moment, Luna imagined that their expressions were all of wide eyed horror. After Luna blinked once, the animals just seemed apathetic as they stared at the bed, their little button eyes lacked warmth or even a soul that would allow them to feel empathy for whatever it was they bore silent witness to.
The bedspread was pink with a sunny yellow and orange trim.
The room was cheerful, beautiful, the brass bed frame held a warm glow. There was a wooden desk in the corner, the wood was well polished, and sitting on the desk was a collection of snowglobes. A lone doll sat on the desk, a small tattered thing with only one eye, matted hair, and clothing that was little more than rags.
This was the sanctum of a little girl, the sort of place where little girls go to escape the world, this room was a chrysalis where a little girl might hide as she sorted out her thoughts, dreamed her dreams, made plans for the future, and then one day, when she stepped through the door, she did so as a mare, or as a woman in this case, ready to face the world and do what needed to be done. The many dolls, the many stuffed animals, all surrogates, all dreams of future foals, future children, the imagined need that seemed inherent to be caretakers, learning the first skills that would eventually make them mothers.
This was a sacred place, a place responsible for incubating a functioning member of society, and Luna felt a growing sense of horror for knowing its secrets. This was the worst sort of nightmare, seeing the illusion of innocence, the false veneer of goodness, the thin patina of normalcy, but knowing what really went on within this seeming sanctuary.
For a moment, the room changed, becoming dark, and Luna saw moonlight streaming through the window. The well made bed was a mess and two figures were in the bed, one on top of the other, one pinning the other down, one larger, one smaller, much smaller, and there were soft, whimpering cries muffled by a pillow, frenzied grunting, and heavy breathing. The bed springs creaked. The scent of blood lingered in the air. A leather belt lay looped upon the floor, and a pair of pants had been thrown over the chair that stood by the desk.
When Luna blinked, the room was normal again, the bed made, the bed empty, and the room had regained its appearance of innocence. Luna blinked once more and the room suffered its nightmare shift.
“I love you… I love you… I love you…”
The words were panted, grunted, they were guttural lies spoken during frenzied lust. Hearing them made Luna feel sick. It was the worst sort of betrayal, one of the most terrible acts that Luna could think of, a violation of sacred trust, a unkept oath, a broken promise .
And Luna was forced to watch. She closed her eyes, willing the image to go away, and when she opened them once more, the horrid scene was still playing out. Pained squeals filled Luna’s ears, the sort of sounds that drove one to madness, and Luna was powerless to make it stop.
Oh how she wanted it to stop.
This violation was now upon her body as well, in her mind, and she was every bit as trapped as the little girl in the bed, being savaged by her own father. Luna closed her eyes once more, trying to make the dream end, trying to summon all of her willpower.
The world around her warped and shifted, there was horrendous, penetrating pain, and a feeling of suffocation. Luna realised that the perspective had shifted. She was now the one face down in the bed, and she felt everything. The wet softness of the bedsheets against her skin. The dreadful weight of the body atop her. The piercing pain that lanced between her legs and bored through her guts.
The horrible feeling of shame, of disgust, and the worst feeling of all.
Love.
Buried under all of the other feelings, buried under the revulsion, the agony, crushed beneath the many other emotions, at the bottom of the pile, love still existed. It was one of the worst things Luna had ever experienced. The little girl still loved her father.
Even as drool dribbled down the back of her neck, even as there was frenzied hot breathing against her ear, even as she suffocated from not getting enough air because her face was crushed into the pillow, even as she felt as though her scalp would be torn free as four fingers and thumb clutched her hair in a balled up fist and shoved her down, Luna still felt the weak, fragile spark of love.
Love was like the little girl, held down, buried, violated ,and smothered, almost to the point of death.
Luna awoke with a snort, the nightmare still fresh in her mind. Her skin felt cold and clammy. She was soaked with sweat, covered in an equine foamy lather, and the chair she had dozed in was drenched.
Overcome with emotion, Luna began crying, soft muffled sobs that she tried to hold in, tried to keep to herself, she didn’t want anypony hearing. Rising from the chair, Luna’s horn blazed with blue light for a moment. The chair became dry. Another spell dried her pelt. Luna lifted her teacup, gulped down the remains of her tea, which was now cold and made bitter.
The portal hummed for a moment, the room filled with a thrum, it made Luna’s eyes vibrate in a most unpleasant manner, and a strange sensation coursed through her teeth. As the peculiar sensation intensified to the point of being more painful than annoying, a single ivory coloured envelope popped through the portal and then drifted down to the floor. Luna wiped away her tears with her foreleg as she stood looking at it.
A disembodied bell rang.
As Luna stood there, still trying to recover from her ordeal, Twilight Sparkle came through the doorway, saw the letter, and her eyes widened in hopeful surprise. Twilight Sparkle’s horn glowed magenta, the letter lifted, held in magenta bonds, and it was torn open with gentle, careful force. A sheet of paper was pulled out and Twilight Sparkle held the paper up to read it.
After waiting for a dreadful moment, Princess Luna asked, “Well, Twilight Sparkle, what does it say?”
Twilight Sparkle’s face became crestfallen. She slumped, her wings drooping at her sides. Her eyelids hung heavy over her eyes, and the corners of her mouth sagged, as if pulled down by some horrible, heavy, unseen force.
“Dearest Twilight Sparkle,” Twilight said as she began read the letter. “After a thorough search through the internet and checking many maps, there is no Pemberton Island township and there is no Chapelwood Elementary School. Neither of those things exist here. We’re sorry that we could not be of more help, but we tried. We’re still looking with the hopes that a mistake was made, but we thought we would inform you of the results that we had found. With much love, your friend, now and forever, Sunset Shimmer.” Twilight Sparkle paused, her eyes moving over the paper, and then continued: “Postscript, Pinkie Pie says to remember to smile, no matter how dark things seem. Things have a funny way of working themselves out.”
Confusion crept over Luna and the cold, clammy feeling she had intensified. “So… the dream is not real?”
“Either that, or we are dealing with a different reality.” Twilight Sparkle’s face became wizened with worry. “I don’t know what is going on, but I am determined to do all that I can to help you.”
“Thank you, Twilight Sparkle…”