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Waiting in the Rain1,976 words
A Cup of Tea2,105 words
Fade to Black2,648 words
Clear2,810 words
Night and Day2,484 words
Breaking Luna3,093 words
All Just a Game4,991 words
Teardrops3,623 words
Pony Royale4,505 words
A New Novella2,534 words
Epilogue540 words

Teardrops

“Haha... I am in a dream, aren't I?” Novella smiled and looked at the warehouse around her as if she was just seeing it for the first time. “It's been a while since I've had a lucid dream...”

Luna wasn't sure what to make of Novella's revelation, but she had a bad feeling about it. Whenever Luna entered dreams, she often seemed out of place, since she was not a part of the pony's subconscious. However, the dream would still continue on uninterrupted, as the pony is not in a state to question the logic of her presence. This time, it seemed like Luna may have pushed the boundaries too far.

Novella turned to look at the stallion behind her. He was frozen in time, with a hoof raised high in the air with a crowbar, ready to attack. Novella pushed him with her hoof and watched him fall over.

“This is so cool!” she said to herself. “I've never had this much control over a dream before!” Novella looked at a nearby stack of crates. “I wonder...” The filly raised her hoof up and pushed forward in the air. The crates fell over and spilled their contents on the ground. Novella laughed at her new abilities.

Luna suddenly felt very vulnerable. She had never seen a pony take control of dreams like this before. Even at Luna's best, she never had this much control over dreams. If Novella could consciously control the environment, Luna could be in danger, considering how weak her powers had become.

Novella summoned an ice cream sundae onto the floor in front of her. She started shoveling the dessert into her mouth with a satisfied grin on her face. When Novella finished the sundae, she looked at Luna with curiosity. “Are you part of my dream too?”

“Well, you see...” Luna paused, wondering whether or not to tell the filly the truth.

“Oh wait,” Novella interrupted. “I know how to tell.” She waved a hoof in Luna's direction, but nothing happened. The filly frowned and raised an eyebrow. “Are you really the princess?”

Luna nodded hesitantly, and made sure to choose her words carefully. “That is correct. I am not a part of your dream. I am the real Princess Luna, and I am using my magic to visit you in your dreams.” Luna smiled as best as she could.

Novella tilted her head. “You're visiting me? What's a princess doing coming into my dreams?”

Luna's eyes darted away from the filly. “Well, um, you see...” She wondered if it was wise to tell a young pony that they were on the verge of death.

Novella stared at Luna, waiting for a response.

“It's... complicated.”

“Luna?” Novella's expression had turned from curious to concerned. “What's going on?”

“I-it's nothing, child. I, um...” The situation was turning dire, and Luna didn't know the right words.

Novella's legs began shaking. “What's going on?” she said again. “Tell me!”

Luna remained silent. As she tried to think of an excuse, any excuse, she noticed how silent the dream had become. Not only that, but aspects of the world were slowing fading away. The ponies and the shelves in the warehouse had disappeared, and the room itself was disappearing into a white nothingness. Soon, the entire warehouse was gone, except for a circle of floor where the two of them stood.

“Luna.” Novella looked dead straight at the princess. “What's happening to me?”

The last time the world had disappeared like this, Novella was on the verge of waking up. However, this time the filly remained in the dream with her. Novella's stare drilled into Luna's chest. The silence was deafening. Luna hoped to Celestia that she wouldn't hear the noise that drove her mad, but her wishes were ignored.

Beep... beep... beep...

The sound of the heart rate monitor echoed through the dream. The last time Luna had heard it, Novella was on the verge of death. The filly's heart rate was steady, but the sound of it sent a chill down Luna's spine.

Novella's eyes opened wide. “I'm in a coma.”

“Novella, I-”

“Is that why you're here?” Novella said louder, walking toward her.

“Let me explain-”

“I get it.” Novella looked Luna directly in the eye. “You're here to give me some motivational speech about how life is precious and all that crap.” Novella rolled her eyes. “Did you ever think that maybe I don't want to wake up?!” Novella stomped a hoof on the ground. “That there's no point to living with a family that doesn't care about me?!”

Novella was rapidly losing control of her emotions. Luna had to be careful with her words. “I'm only trying to help.”

“And you're doing a great job.” Novella rolled her eyes. “What kind of princess invades a pony's privacy like this? Do you think being royalty makes you better than me?”

Luna winced. The filly's words stung, but Luna knew that Novella didn't truly feel that way toward her. She took a deep breath to calm herself. “My ability to enter dreams is a special gift. If I can use that gift to help ponies in need, then I am fulfilling my duty as a princess.”

Novella's tone turned sour. “So you have it so easy that you have to go and look for problems to solve?”

“How dare you!” Luna yelled and stomped a hoof, sending an echo throughout the white void. For just a moment, she wanted to leave the filly behind. If Novella wanted to ignore the time they had spent together, then she wasn't worth saving. Novella was no better than all the other ponies who assumed the worst about Luna.

However, as much as Novella's words dug into old wounds, Luna was able to contain herself. Not many ponies respond well to learning that they had limited time left to live. For a young filly like Novella to discover this fact, in a dream, no less, could not be easy.

Luna stared to the side, avoiding eye contact with Novella. “I... I saw you suffering.”“How could I just leave you alone?”

“You think you can fix my problems for me?” Novella's legs trembled. “Do you think you can undo a lifetime of being ignored?”

Luna looked back at the filly, whose eyes were filling with tears. Luna put on the best face she could. “I can't fix anything for you.” She took a step forward. “All I want you to do is wake up.”

“No!” Novella yelled. “Get away from me!” the filly said, stomping her hoof.

Luna jumped back as a light gray wall burst up from the ground in between the two ponies. The wall seemed to stretch into the sky infinitely. Luna stepped close to the wall and knocked her hoof against it. It was as hard as solid marble.

“Novella!” Luna cried out, knocking her hoof against the wall. No answer. “Novella!”

The filly was refusing to respond. Now that Novella knew she was in a dream, she was consciously trying to block Luna out. The princess had no intention of leaving Novella alone, so she pressed against the wall and focused. It took much more willpower than normal, but Luna was able to pass through the wall. However, as she passed through, Luna suddenly got a painful headache, and caught a brief glimpse of her bedroom in Canterlot. Not a good sign. Luna took a moment to reorient herself, and spotted Novella in the white void. The filly was yelling at her sister Nova, who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

Novella bared her teeth at her sister. “You're always taking these stupid risks and getting us into trouble! You think you know what's best for us, but you don't! You're just making it up as you go along and hoping things turn out okay!”

Nova rolled her eyes. “At least I'm trying to fix things.” She pointed her hoof at Novella. “You've always been content to sit back and let everypony else make their decisions for you!”

The siblings argued in circles as Luna processed what she saw. When confronted with her own mortality, Novella thought of her sister, who was likely the pony closest to her in her life. Aside from the physical similarities, the two of them were nothing alike. Novella was shy but friendly when she wasn't provoked, while Nova was cynical and bossy. The filly was having a battle for dominance with an imaginary version of her sister.

At some point during the argument, Nova noticed Luna's presence and pointed it out to her younger sibling. “I told you you couldn't hide from her forever. Good luck, kid.” After saying those words, she vanished.

As Novella turned her head to see Luna, her eyes widened in fear. “No... you're still here?” The filly took a few steps back.

Luna had only been gone a few moments, but Nova behaved as if the princess had been gone for a while. Luna slowly stepped forward, trying not to alarm the filly. “Novella, I just want to talk to you.”

“No!” Novella yelled. “Stay away from me!” The filly took off running away from Luna into the white void.

“Novella!” Luna cried out, giving chase.

It was strange to gallop in a world without any color. Luna could still feel the hard floor of the warehouse beneath her hooves, but there was nothing to step on. There were no obstacles for Novella to hide behind, so all she could do was run in a straight line. Luna had longer legs and was more athletic than Novella, so it would not have taken long to catch up to the filly. But when a gray pillar sprouted up from the ground in Luna's path, she remembered who was in control.

Luna didn't want to risk losing Novella again by manipulating the dream, so instead she galloped around the pillar. Novella didn't seem to be trying to wall off Luna, but instead trying to put distance between them. Luna continued the chase, but more pillars sprouted up between the two of them. When several pillars lined up in a row, Luna jumped and flew up over them.

However, the sprain that plagued her wing earlier sent a jolt of pain throughout the princess's body. Luna landed, and found that she couldn't move faster than a trot. If Novella had wanted to keep Luna away from her, she was succeeding. But even if Luna was capable of catching up to the filly, would she even listen? Novella was hysterical.

Luna stopped trotting and slumped onto the ground. Her limbs were tired. She had trouble focusing her magic. All that she had gone through this past day was going to go to waste. Novella was going to let herself die, and there was nothing Luna could do to convince her otherwise.

“Luna?”

The princess's eyes widened. She stood back up, but didn't see the filly anywhere. There was nothing but the white void.

“Luna?”

“Novella!” the princess yelled up into the nothingness. “I'm here!”

“I'm scared, Luna.”

“It's okay to be scared, child.” Luna slumped. It was getting difficult just to stand.

“I don't want to go back there.”

As the filly's words echoed through the dream, Luna noticed a light drizzle coming down out of the sky. Novella's tears?

“Something has to change, Luna. But I can't just go back and expect things to be different.”

Luna felt weak, but she responded as loud as she could. “You're stronger than you think, child. You can't give up!”

The rain began pouring down harder. It reminded Luna of her first encounter with Novella, back on the road in the countryside. Back then, the rain passed through Luna as if she wasn't even there. But this time, she could feel the rain soaking her coat and mane. All of Novella's sadness washed over her like a cold shower.

Another headache came to Luna, this one much stronger than before. Luna laid on the ground holding her head.

“What should I do, Luna?”

The princess couldn't respond. It was taking all of her effort just to stay conscious.

“Luna?”

“I'm... sorry... Novella...”

“Luna!”

Luna gasped as she woke up to her room in Canterlot. She still shivered from the coldness of Novella's tears. The princess sat on her rug for a moment, going through everything that had just happened. She knew that she couldn't leave Novella alone, and wanted to return to the dream as soon as she could. But before Luna could close her eyes and enter the dreamscape again, her head throbbed. Every beat of her heart felt like a drum inside her head. It was the worst headache she ever had, rivaled only by her time spent as Nightmare Moon. If she wanted to help Novella, she would have to get her head straight.

Luna stood up on her hooves and fell over almost immediately, crying out in pain. Her room was a blur, and it took her a moment to refocus her eyes. The combination of a lack of sleep, extended use of the dream spell, and the pain she felt within the dream made the simple task of walking a struggle. As she struggled to get up again, a Canterlot soldier opened the door.

“Princess Luna?” The soldier rushed over to assist her, along with another soldier right behind him. “You're a mess! Are you okay?”

Luna squinted at them. “What are you doing here?” She shut her eyes and gritted her teeth. The headache was not going away.

The first soldier helped Luna back onto her hooves. “Princess Celestia asked us to stand guard at your room and check on you every so often.” He looked over her and frowned. “How are you feeling, Princess? You don't look well.”

Luna glanced over at the mirror over her dresser. Instead of the smooth, flowing hair she had before, her mane was tangled and messy. Her eyes were bloodshot; it was clear that she had not gotten any rest. Her legs were holding her up, but they wobbled and looked unstable. She was exhausted, but she wasn't ready to give up.

“You!” Luna pointed at the second soldier, who immediately stood at attention. “Bring me a cup of coffee! As much sugar and cream as you can!”

“Y-yes, ma'am!”

The soldier was surprised at Luna's request, but did not waste time to go fetch her drink. Luna hoped the caffeine and sugar would help wake her up. It was not the best option to regain her focus, but she did not have many options at her disposal, especially when every moment counted.

The first soldier looked unsure now that he had helped her onto her hooves. “Is there anything I can do?”

Another migraine hit Luna, who shut her eyes in pain. “Get me some aspirin.”

“Right!” The soldier glanced around the room and saw how bare it was. When he realized Luna likely didn't have any nearby, he ran out to fetch her some, calling out, “I'll be right back!” as he left.

Luna knelt on the ground. If she got some rest, not only would she would be able to think clearly, but she would regain control of her magic. However, there was no way she could fall asleep with the weight of Novella's life on her shoulders. After seeing the filly's psyche crumble, Luna knew that she did not have time to spare. She would have to take the aspirin for her headache and hope the caffeine from the cup of coffee would be enough to get her through this final trial.

The first soldier came back in the room balancing a plate on his back with a cup of water and two aspirin pills. When Luna drank from the cup to swallow the pills, she realized just how long she had been away from the real world. The freshness of the water as it slid down her throat felt far different from the dream rain. Dreams always felt realistic while in motion, but once Luna adjusted to the real world, there was no comparison.

The soldier waited until she had finished the entire cup to speak. “Your coffee is being brewed as we speak. It shouldn't be long.”

Luna closed her eyes and sighed. Every minute seemed like an eternity at this point. She dismissed the soldier, then laid down on the floor, trying to get whatever rest she could without succumbing to sleep. She strained to keep her eyes open, knowing that if they closed, she could fall asleep, dooming Novella. After a few minutes, she heard hoofsteps come into her room, accompanied by a familiar voice.

“Luna?”

Luna looked up and saw Celestia standing in the doorway, hovering a coffee pot and two cups in the air next to her.

“Did you succeed? Is the filly okay?”

Luna whimpered. “I don't know.”

Celestia sighed and sat down next to her. “Luna, I see how much this means to you. And I really admire how far you're willing to go for this filly.” Celestia looked her sister straight in the eye. “But I won't let you torture yourself.”

Luna whimpered. “Please, sister.”

“Luna, I have some bad news,” Celestia said, frowning.

Luna's eyes opened as wide as they could, considering how little energy she had.

Celestia closed her eyes and sighed. “We couldn't find Novella.”

Luna gasped. “What do you mean? Have you not had time to check all the hospitals?”

“I had some contacts check with the pediatric wards in every hospital in the city.” Celestia looked at the floor. “In not one of them did we find a filly with Novella's name and description.”

Luna's jaw dropped. “How... how is that even possible?”

“We're still looking for her,” Celestia said, looking back up at her sister, “but I assure you I'm telling the truth.”

Luna stared off into space. “I just know I found her dream hovering over Manehatten. Multiple times, in the same place.”

Celestia frowned. “I believe you, Luna. But right now, we need to focus on you.”

“No!” Luna protested. “I have to get back to her as soon as I can!”

“Just look at what this adventure has done to your health!” Celestia pointed at Luna's reflection in the mirror. “You can't even stand, you have the biggest bags under your eyes; this is the worst I've seen you in a long time, sister.”

“I don't care.” Luna whimpered. “I have to know what happens to her.”

Celestia closed her eyes. “I have a compromise.”

Luna stared at her sister with a blank expression.

“The next time you go in, I will give you one hour,” Celestia said, unblinking. “If that hour passes and the filly is not safe, then I am cutting you off from her.”

Luna gasped. “One hour? That's not enough time!”

“It doesn't matter.” Celestia spoke strictly. “I won't let this kingdom lose a princess. Not again.” Celestia looked away.

Luna considered what her sister had proposed, and realized that it was the only option she would be allowed. “Understood.”

“I'm glad we came to an agreement.” Celestia hovered the coffee pot over to Luna and poured her a cup.

Luna brought the cup to her lips, but before she could take a sip, Celestia stopped her.

“After you drink that,” Celestia told her, “go immediately to sleep.”

Luna's eyes widened. “What? Why?”

Celestia smiled. “You'll be okay. It takes about fifteen minutes for the caffeine to get through your system. If you take a nap in the meantime, you'll get both the jump start from the coffee, as well as the benefits of some sleep.”

Luna smiled. “Thank you, sister.” She lifted the cup to her mouth and drank the contents.

After a short nap, Luna was back to navigating the dream landscape. She was still exhausted, but her sister was right – Luna felt much better than she did before. As she floated back over toward Manehatten, she realized how much easier it was to see compared to earlier. Rather than beating down overhead, the sun was beginning to set, bathing Equestria in an orange glow. While she was in dreams, time often passed by much quicker than she expected, and Novella's was no exception. She had been awake for over the length of a full day at this point.

Luna had been inside Novella's dream so many times that she had memorized the location of the filly's orb. Since the hour Celestia had given her was already counting down, Luna wasted no time in floating over to it. However, when she arrived, this time she discovered that the orb was not gray, but pure black. When Luna floated close, she could feel panic and terror emanating from the orb. Luna worried that with her magic so weak, she might not be able to defend herself from the dream. However, she had come too far, and this was her last chance to change Novella's fate.

Luna took a deep breath and entered the dream.

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