On the Line

by TheBigBob

A New Novella

“Y-you're Nova?” Luna stammered, having difficulty processing what she just heard. “You mean, you're her?” Luna pointed to Nova, who was standing next to them not saying a word.

Novella avoided eye contact. “I'm sorry if I misled you...”

Luna took a step backwards and looked at Nova. The pony had the same colored hair, mane, and facial features as Novella, but she never once thought that they could be the same pony. “But how?” Luna asked. “I mean... so you're not a young filly?”

Novella shook her head. “No, I'm not.” She looked up at her sister, or rather, her other self. “And I'm not a teenager either. I'm actually a young adult.”

Luna looked on in shock, not sure of what to think. “So, um... if you're actually an adult...” She tried her best to process her thoughts. “...then why did you look like a filly when we first met?”

“Isn't it obvious?” Novella asked.

Luna shook her head, as she was still going over it all in her mind.

Novella looked down at her hooves, frowning. “Because this is how I saw myself. Small. Weak. Insecure.” The filly looked up at Luna. “You and I got along so well that I wanted to keep it that way. I thought that maybe if you felt sorry for me then you would stick around.”

Luna stared at Novella, speechless.

The filly panicked a little bit. “N-not that I was trying to deceive you or anything, Luna!” She gave an uneasy grin. “I-I mean, you know how dreams are, r-right?”

Now that Novella was feeling uneasy again, Luna realized that she had to get her act together. The princess composed herself before responding. “I understand, Novella.” Luna managed to put on a smile. “You've taken me on quite the emotional journey, but I feel honored that you were able to share it with me.” The princess frowned and looked at Nova. “Though, I am curious...”

“What is it?” Novella asked.

“Throughout the dream,” Luna said, observing the pony she thought was Novella's sister, “Nova constantly antagonized us.” The princess directed her attention back at the filly. “If you and Nova are one in the same, then why did she treat you with such disgust?”

“Well...” Novella looked up at the teenage version of herself. “She represents a period in my life that I'm not very proud of.” The filly motioned toward Nova's spiky hair. “I styled my hair like this to annoy my mother, who was always insistent that I remain 'proper'. I felt for the longest time that my mother was trying to control my life, so I rejected everything she taught me in order to try and find myself. I even shortened my name to 'Nova' to try and start over as a different pony.” Novella sighed and looked down at the ground. “I got into a lot of trouble during that period. Made a lot of decisions I wish I could take back. I pushed myself to do things that were self-destructive, all because I wanted to grow up. I felt like the only way to avoid being a pushover was to become a bully myself.”

Novella sat on the floor and sighed before she continued.

“At some point, my parents split up. At the time, I didn't care. I was too busy being a disobedient teen who did nothing but argue with them. With all the stress I put them through, maybe they decided that they had had enough of each other.” Novella took a moment to collect herself. “For the longest time, I thought that I may have been the reason that they divorced. That without me there, there was nothing left holding them together.”

“Novella...” Luna couldn't believe that the filly had been keeping this inside of her so long.

“When I finally got through that rebellious phase,” Novella continued, “I found myself with nothing. No friends who I could depend on, no family to return to. I took jobs that I despised in order to take care of myself. I fell into a deep depression, unsure of what to do with my life. The only source of happiness I could find...” Novella looked up at Luna. “...was through stories.”

Luna thought back to the violent dreams she was thrust into. At the time, she had found it odd that such a young pony would be able to comprehend that level of death and despair.

Novella glanced over at the bookshelf in the home. “I was so terrible at making friends that I buried myself in books. I found myself able to relate to the ponies in those stories, even if they weren't real and never would be. Even reading depressing books made me feel better, because they made me feel like somepony else could understand me.”

Novella sighed. Luna watched on in silence.

“Eventually, the stress of work got to me. After I collapsed in the middle of a shift, I woke up in the hospital. I drifted in and out of consciousness for a little while, but my desire to live had all but vanished. I was in constant pain, with nothing left for me even if I did recover. Until... you showed up.”

Novella glanced up at Luna, looking her straight in the eyes.

“When I woke up from the first dream with you, I thought it was funny that I had made friends with the famous Princess Luna. But it was only a matter of hours before I succumbed to my depression once again. I wanted to go to sleep and never wake up.” Novella began to smile. “But to my surprise, you came back to me. And this time, you stayed. Even when I thought I had lost you the second time, you showed up again. For the first time in years, I had made a friend that I could count on.”

The filly rushed forward, hugging Luna as tightly as she could.

“Thank you, Luna.” Tears ran down Novella's face. “You saved my life.”

Luna hugged the filly back, taking in the enormity of it all. If Luna had not decided to come back to Novella after their first encounter, then the pony would likely be dead right now. In fact, instead of finding the filly waiting on the side of the road in the rain, Luna could have chosen any one of the hundreds of thousands of nightmares all across Equestria.

“You are lucky to be alive,” Luna told her. “You should cherish it.”

“I will,” the filly responded. “I promise.”

“Now then,” Luna said, letting go of Novella. The princess looked down at her, straight in the eyes. “I will have to leave soon. The magic I used to bring me here has taken an enormous toll on my physical health.”

“It has?” Novella asked, confused, before realizing what she had done, wide-eyed. “Oh Luna! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean-”

“Shh...” Luna said, putting her hoof over the filly's mouth. “It's okay.” Once Novella had calmed down, Luna continued. “Though I am curious. What will you do from here on out?”

Novella looked off to the side. “Well I... I guess I should apologize to my parents...”

Luna smiled. “That's a good start. What else will you do?”

Novella gave Luna a blank look. “I, um...” The filly sighed. “I guess I don't know. But I'll figure something out.” She gave Luna a reassuring smile.

Luna laughed, rustling Novella's mane with her hoof. “A little optimism can go a long way.” The two ponies were silent for a moment before Luna remembered something. “Hey,” she said, pointing at the filly. “Didn't you tell me that you wanted to be a writer?”

Novella's eyes looked up for a moment, thinking. “Did I? I can't remember...”

“Well,” Luna continued, “I'm pretty sure you said you've tried writing before.”

The filly frowned and looked down. “Yeah, I did...”

Luna lifted Novella's chin. “Hey, don't be like that. From what I've seen for myself, you have a lot to say.”

Novella brightened up. “You think so?”

Luna nodded. “Absolutely. You've done a lot of reading throughout your life, Novella. I think that it's about time you started writing your own adventures.”

The filly grinned, happier than Luna had ever seen her. “You're right!” she said. “It won't be easy, but I'll try as hard as I can!”

Luna laughed. At long last, it looked like her work was done. She wanted to stay with Novella further, but Celestia could wake her up at any moment. “Well, Novella, I think it's time that I took my leave.”

Novella frowned, but she seemed to understand. “Will I ever see you again, Luna?”

Luna sighed and thought about it for a moment before responding. “I don't know, Novella. There are a lot of ponies that need my help, and even if I wanted to visit, it may be hard to find you amongst all the other dreams I see everyday.”

Novella slumped, afraid that she would lose another friend. However, she soon realized a solution. “Would it be okay if I visited you in Canterlot?”

“Definitely!” Luna told her, glad that their friendship could continue on. “I may not always be around, but if you're there and I'm available, I'll do my best to make time for you.”

“Yes!” The filly smiled so hard that she began crying once again. “Thank you, Luna! I can't wait to see you again!”

“Me neither.” Luna sighed, frowning. She knew that she was only delaying the inevitable.

“Oh, one last thing before you go!” Novella said. “Do you want to see what I look like now?”

“Huh?” Luna asked, realizing that she only knew what filly and teen Novella looked like, not her adult self. “O-of course. Go ahead!”

“Okay!” Novella smiled, then focused.

A flash of light engulfed the filly, forcing Luna to shield her eyes. In a moment, the light dimmed down, revealing a tall but skinny mare with the same green coat and dirty blonde mane that the filly had. Short bangs covered the sides of the pony's face, and while her shoulder-length mane was messy in the back, it was still a cute cut that suited Novella well. The newest feature of the pony was a small pair of glasses with blue frames she wore. They looked a little dorky, but Luna wouldn't have expected anything else. Nova, who had been standing next to the two of them all this time without saying a word, had disappeared.

“Y-yeah,” the pony said, blushing and crossing one hoof over the other. “This is me, all grown up.”

Luna laughed at Novella's shyness. “Looks like you've turned into quite the mare.” As Novella stood awkwardly, not sure what to say, Luna noticed a picture of a book on the side of the mare's flank. “You have a book as a cutie mark?”

“Oh!” Novella jumped a bit, evidently having forgot about it. “Y-yeah! You know, because I like reading so much!”

Luna grinned. “Or maybe because you want to write books of your own.”

Novella smiled, brushing her bangs behind her ears to show more of her face. “Th-that too!”

Luna sighed once more, thinking for a moment to make sure there was nothing else to tie up. When nothing came to mind, she put a hoof on Novella's shoulder to say goodbye. “Well, Novella, it's time for me to get going.”

Novella responded, looking away. “You're right.” She turned to face Luna, smiling as much as she could. “Thank you so much for being my friend.”

“Anytime, Novella.” Luna said, hugging her.

As Novella hugged back, a voice called out from the kitchen called out. “Novella, honey! I've got some food in the kitchen that I need help with. Can you come here for a moment?”

“Sure thing, mom!” Novella called out. She stepped away from Luna. “I guess I've got to get going, too.”

Luna smiled. “Take care of yourself, Novella.”

“Goodbye!”

Novella trotted off to the kitchen to help her mother. Before she stepped through the doorway, she turned and waved to Luna, who happily waved back. Once Novella entered the kitchen, the house began to fade away into white. Before long, Luna was once again standing in the middle of a white void by herself. She heard the sound of the heart rate monitor, but this time she knew that she had nothing to fear. Luna focused, and with a glow of her horn, she disappeared.

---

Luna woke up in her room to the sight of her sister hovering a bucket of water over her head. As soon as Luna opened her eyes, Celestia jumped back a bit, accidentally spilling some water on the floor.

“Luna!” Celestia cried out, laying the bucket on the ground and rushing over to aid her sister. “Are you hurt? I'm so glad you're awake!”

“Don't worry, sister,” Luna assured her, readjusting to the real world. “I'm perfectly... augh!” Luna's words were cut short when a migraine overtook her. Celestia rushed over to Luna's side, cradling her head in her hooves.

“Luna!” Celestia did her best to hold her sister up. “Do I need to call for help?”

“No, Celestia, it's fine.” Luna looked up at her sister, giving a weak smile. “I did it. I saved her.”

“Novella's safe?”

Luna nodded.

“Oh... oh thank goodness.” Celestia laid her sister down and slumped onto the floor herself. “I was so scared to wake you up. I thought that I might be condemning her to die." Celestia held her head in her hooves. "I was expecting you to be furious with me, and I didn't know if I would be able to handle it.” Celestia wiped a tear from her eye. “I'm so glad everything turned out alright.”

“Me too, sister.” Luna struggled to stand up. “Also, I think I know why you couldn't find her. You said you checked all the pediatric wards, right?”

Celestia gave her sister a confused stare. “Well, yes. You did tell me she was a filly.”

“Well, she's not a filly. She's a full-grown adult.”

“She's... what?” Celestia gave her sister the same blank stare that Luna gave Novella when she found out the truth.

Luna sighed and closed her eyes. “...You know what, Celestia? I think I'll just explain it all tomorrow.” She didn't have the energy to go through the entire ordeal with her sister. “For now, I have other things on my mind.”

Celestia was still processing what her sister had said. “What other things?”

“Like sleep.”

Before her sister could say anything, Luna climbed onto her bed and laid her head against the pillow. In an instant, she was fast asleep, ready to have dreams of her own.

Comments

[schpeelah]

I'm actually a young adult.

Huh, I expected her to be older. But not necessarily know it.

[MadNimrod]

In the words of Shyamalan, "What a twist!" Did not expect that to be that way one bit. At least things are finally looking up for Novella.

[Amber flicker]

Yay... no cliffhanger!