Dream woke up and looked around, the sparse room that had been done up in the default aesthetic of Luna now had it's walls covered in some of the simplest art pieces possible, but she didn't care because every piece was an original from her. There was a charcoal drawing of her in one of the castle's many hallways, a few watercolor paintings that with bleeding colors that were of her with her siblings, in the corner next to the closet was an overly lopsided clay statue of an earth pony holding a bowel that (the bowel was meant to be an apple), a variety of other pieces littered the room as well. She smiled when she turned to the door.
The door had a massive, and very faulty looking, ink painting of her and Princess Luna on the balcony the alicorn always seemed to use just enjoying the night sky, as it stood she considered that one piece on the door her master piece. Dream hoped her skill would refine enough to a point that she could craft a revised version that was much more publicly presentable for the night alicorn. She still had social anxieties, but at the very least she was actually comfortable enough for social obligations like the night court she had witnessed the night before. It was at this point she noticed it was still light out, she had gone to bed at around sunup and she was sure she should have still been sleeping at this point.
Yawning a bit she decided to get out of the bed and have a “late” snack before heading back to her bed. Luna had told her to try getting outside her wing when she wasn't with the dark coated mare, Luna was her safety blanket outside the private chambers of the Lunar Wing. Making sure all of her things were okay she carefully opened the door with her magic, an act that brought her a great sense of glee, and carefully made her way out before closing the door gently behind her. The star covered halls made feel like she was trotting through the night sky, she liked that since it made feel almost like she was flying with invisible wings.
She slowly trotted out of the Lunar Wing and into the nearest dining hall, what she was met with was the sight of Princess Celestia sliding into place at the table. The ivory alicorn noticed the filly and smiled before gesturing for her to join. Dream looked around before going to take a seat near the ivory alicorn. Celestia gave the filly a warm maternal smile, something the filly had only come known under her care from Luna.
“How are your lessons with my sister coming?” Inquired the white mare, she also gestured for the server to just get the filly the items she had ordered. The server was blue coated unicorn mare with dark orange mane and tail, she left without a word.
“They're more enjoyable than the lessons I had under Great Spell,” said Dream Step, “that mare reminded me a bit about my sister.”
“Oh, which one? My sister explained that you have an older sister.”
“Um, yes, her name is Sunshine Bottle, and she has dark orange mane like that mare that just left, although her coat is a sunny yellow. Can we not talk about my family right now, it hurts more than I thought.”
Celestia nodded before saying, “would you like to discuss the nature of your lessons with Luna?”
Dream smiled and just as she was about say what she thought about her lessons she noticed reflection in the lavender orbs that that were Celestia's eyes and said in a confused voice, “Does the name Sola mean anything to you?”
“What brought this on?”
“The moment I saw my reflection in your eyes that name popped into my head, I don't know why. I haven't had as many terrifying dreams since coming here, but I've also been having these flashes in my dreams of events that are very unusual. I... I see you trotting with a filly that seems to be treated more like your daughter than a student, I'm a little foal that doesn't want to be away from her mother, it's like I'm watching from outside myself yet not.”
“Have you told Luna about these dreams? She knows their ways better than anypony.”
Dream shook her head, “Every time I try to mention them to her something stops me,” her ears pulled back flat over her head, “I'm not a bad student for telling something so personal to you instead of her, am I?”
“I don't like to think so, before her banishment the two of us would teach ponies together, the idea of a personal student never crossed our minds in those days. I'll tell her what you told me, now how about you tell me about your lessons with her, I want to her about how she's doing.”
Dream looked at the pearly alicorn with confusion, “What do you mean her progress?”
“You're teaching her a few things, even if it's unintentional, as she teaches you. A truly great teacher learns from their students, I learned a lot from my time as Twilight's mentor.”
Dream sat there thinking about her words carefully before saying, “All of my lessons with her have been art related so far. Painting is my favorite, although I enjoyed sculpting too, I just love everything about art,” the filly started beaming as she got excited, “creating my own pieces is so... invigorating, I'm not imitating someponey, or doing something in a forced style, I'm finding my own way, that is what is so wonderful about it.”
“Oh, care to tell me about that? My sister didn't tell me about this aspect of the culture you came from.” A plate of dark chocolate coffee cake floated down in front of the filly and alicorn along with a tall glass of chilled milk and warm cup of black tea. “You've been eating pretty healthy, I know because I've been checking your orders. You're foal, you deserve to down sweets every once and a while, which reminds me, whatever happened to that lollipop that Pinkie Pie gave you?”
“It's... sitting on my nightstand, untouched,” she floated the mug of tea and daintily sipped it a few time, in a rather awkward imitation of the ivory alicorn's manner, something that made Celestia give a little smile to the filly, before setting it back on its saucer, “I watched you do that, I thought that since that's the way you do it that it's the best way to drink tea.”
“Well, I'm honored, but I think it best you pick up your habits from Luna, she might feel offended that you're imitating me.”
“Maybe,” said Dream dejectedly, “but I want to believe she'd feel proud that I'm trying imitate you.”
“And you would be right in that belief,” came Luna's voice, “I'm just happy you're getting out of my wing of the castle without my assistance, but I'm even more proud of you for what you've said to my sister, how about you finish your snack of and get back to bed, my sister and I have things to discuss in private.” Dream gave a nod and grabbed the milk and plate of cake in her magic and briskly trotted from room.
Once the sound of filly's room closing was confirmed Luna turned her attention to Celestia, “What did she tell you before I came in?”
“That she's been having dreams that have me being a mother to a filly, you being a mother to a young foal and that every time she's tried to tell you about her dreams something has stopped her, she says they're happy dreams.”
Luna smiled and said, “I'm just glad she's opening up to somepony other than me, remember the first week she was here?”
“She didn't know whether she should be accepting of me or skittish around me, given that I was there with you to receive them it's perfectly reasonable. She's still skittish around the nobility?”
“Yes, they remind her of the pompous nobles in Bridleton, from what she's imparted to me about that place it looks like it took a path that went the opposite of Equestria, they haven't even allowed the simplest innovations to form, let alone flourish in way Equestria has. There maps haven't even been updated in centuries, at the very least we try to keep ours up to date every decade or so!”
Celestia nodded and said, “It would be best if we didn't take everything at face values, these are foals from a foreign nation that are frightened of it and their family, but we shouldn't disregard their fears either, those fears have some kind of source and if we can discern the source of some of them we might be able to uncover the truth. Your ability allows you to be an outside observer in matters of the past of ponies, why haven't you taken to visiting her dreams to garner a gateway to her past?”
“She openly stated she has the same ability, it's possible that she may notice me visiting her. She has continued to ask me to visit her dreams, and give her lessons in the art, it will be a few months before she even close to ready for the lessons, but...”
“You're concerned about entering the dreamscape of another natural user of your gift,” Luna solemnly nodded, “you can't let your fears dictate your actions again sister, the last time caused the emergence of Nightmare Moon, an event we are both deeply saddened by.”
“I know, I'll see what I can do later. Have you had any visions about either of them? I know you had the one that lead us to meeting them and making the preparations, maybe you should check up on their brother when you have the time.”
“I caught a glimpse of Eclipse stepping forward and confronting somepony with statement that she and her sister were both more of Equestria than Bridleton, but when I tried to take a look at who she was speaking to my vision was filled with the image of a pony figure with no signs of a face and statement in a mare's voice that was devoid of any sense of emotion or region stating that her plans would not be disrupted, I'll be looking into the figure later, maybe Twilight can assist with that.”
“On to less disturbing topics, how is research on the bag progressing?”
“I pulled in several of Equestria's best artificers and experts on enchanted items to study it, the spell is incredible, the material chosen is as detestable as we were lead to believe. From the reports I've been given the spell seems to cling to materials that came from living creatures better than plant matter, they have theorized spider silk would be far better material for weaving the spell into a product, in addition to far more preferable. As for those less than favorable pieces of literature Eclipse brought us, I have heard word that the package containing them is in the secure location I selected, I've also ensured the courier did not know just what was being transported, which was far trickier than it sounds.”
“From what is contained with in them, what we learned of Twilight's experience the fewer ponies that know the whereabouts of those dark magic saturated tomes was a wise decision.”
“Yes, but I fear it was not entirely the smartest choice, the best place for them is place that very few are aware of and has ponies experienced with them that have the ability to neutralize their effects. The only ponies we know that come close to meeting that criteria are Eclipse and Twilight, but leaving those detestable works in their care is far too dangerous.”
“I know sister, sometimes we must chose between the smartest thing and wisest thing, you made that same decision when you banished me in my madness.”
“And I didn't stop thinking about how I might have made the wrong choice, I missed your company and strength with you gone.”
“You doubting your decision I knew already, you haven't stopped telling me about that, what you didn't was missing my strength, I only hope that whatever comes for those foals is something that you, I, Twilight, and her friends can handle.”
“What has your ability been able to show you? I know you can see possible futures as well as the past with it.”
“Focusing on the course of an alicorn's path is more difficult than any other kind of pony, there far more possibility convergence points than with even the most promising of unicorns, pegasi or earth ponies.”
“Then what about those around them? Like Spike.”
“Dragons are just as troubling as alicorns,” the night alicorn shook her head, “I'm afraid we'll have to wait the time that Twilight and I visit the dreams of our students.”
“I wonder if Twilight has made any progress in her study of the spells she copied down.”
“She probably was more focused on the journals, after all she was told they were written by a unicorn comparable to Starswirl.”
Celestia gave a little chuckle and said, “I think you might be right, but she's not one shirk her duties, or leave a spell unstudied or tested. That might have been what she did the first week, but by the end of the second she would have remembered to study the spells she jotted down, and gone to study them.”
“Why did you make them our students, anyway? I was not informed of this beforehoof.”
“I'm truly sorry about that, I really wanted it to be a bit of a pleasant surprise. The month before they came I was bombarded with visions of you and Twilight teaching them, and you were at one of your happiest than I had seen in a very long time, I also saw the two of you being highly protective of them when you perceived threats to them. The truth is, I wanted those visions to come true, because I wanted you two to be happy. When you're with Dream Step there are times you seem maternal, it's a side of you enjoy seeing.”
“I will admit there are times I think I'm more of a mother to her than just a mentor. Have you ever experienced that?”
Celestia gave her sister a smile before saying, “Yes, there were a few times where I felt more like a mother with some of my students, the most recent was Twilight actually.”
Luna gave an amused look at her sister and got up without a word and headed back to her room, she had some proper preparations for the coming night to make.
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While the sisters were doing that Dream was eating her snack on the small table she had found in the far corner of the room her sixth night with the princess. She was carefully chewing the cake, savoring the flavor and texture of the sweet, before carefully downing her glass of milk, she left the tea untouched this time around. After she had finished her snack she gave a small yawn, licked her lips (in a way that Luna was known to do from time to time, but she had yet to notice), groggily rose to her hooves and headed for her bed. When she arrived at the bed instead of getting under the covers she just flopped asleep atop them.
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It was after her discussion with her sister Luna was heading back to her room, she decided to check on Dream on her way, after all the filly's room was close to hers. Peering in Luna couldn't help giving a smile similar to the one that she had given the CMC when she had them all meet within the dream world after she had helped Apple Bloom with her problems. Alright, thought Luna, I might as well do this now, I've been avoiding it long enough, with that she gently made her way into the room and quietly shut the door behind her. Lighting up her horn after positioning herself next to her charge, she was unsure how it would go with a dream walker entering the dreams of another dream walker.
When she entered Dream Step's dream she was surprised to find herself in an astounding imitation of the Canterlot throne room, she felt what felt like something soft and plush beneath her hooves. Looking down Luna saw that she was standing on satin carpet walkway with velvet stuffing, she made a mental note about how such a thing was pointless waste of materials and resources. Looking up and around she noticed how the all the light seemed to come from the castle's internal lighting and seemed to be blocked out by different materials, along with the throne being far more ornate than it was in reality. Moving to open the castle doors she felt a small hoof move to stop her. Looking in the direction of the hoof she saw Dream Step, not sure how aware the filly was her presence she decided to act as if she were some sort of entity in the dream.
“Please don't” said Dream in a sorrowful voice, “it's all wonderful here, in the your home.”
“I'm not going to leave you,” said Luna, “I just want to see what it's like outside, it seems somepony found a way to block all the windows here.”
“I'm scared of what's out there, please don't open it.”
“If we let our fears dictate our actions we have no true control over ourselves, the best way to deal with fears is to face them.”
“But I don't want them to get in here.”
“You don't always have to face them alone, I'll be here for your support.” Dream Step removed her hoof from Luna and nodded.
“I trust you, I always have.”
Luna turned back to the door and smiled to herself. She threw open the doors and instead of the iconic view of Canterlot an imposing old styled stone keep-like manor was outside the door. Dream kept close to Luna she stepped outside the doors, the moment her hoof left the castle Luna found herself in hallway made from the material as the carpet path she had found herself on when she entered the dream. Looking about she found imposing paintings of mares with coats that were blue, wearing regalia far more ornate than those she Celestia wore.
“I didn't want to come back here,” said Dream in sorrowful tone in an accent that reminded Luna of how Equestrians spoke before she had become Nightmare Moon.
Before Luna could say anything she heard a pretentious mare's voice coming from down the hall. As she trotted the hall carefully with Dream she noticed a variety of pegasi moving about with messages. She came to pair overly ornate oak doors and threw them open to see an exquisite dining hall, that had overly ornate furniture.
She heard the mare's voice again and turned to see her, focusing in on the voice she heard the mare say, “You are a disappointment as a servant, if your appearance didn't make this manor look more presentable I would have you removed from this place, for the rest of your life.” The mare in question was white with black hooves and a dark blue mane with dark orange eyes that boarded on a deep brown. She was belittling a dark blue unicorn colt with a dirt brown mane and tail.
“Yes, your ladyship,” said the colt with fear, “may I go to relay the message you gave for my parents now?”
“At least you remembered your manners, but your bumbling will have you see the noose if I learn of another mishap, leave my sight, you insolent cur.” The colt rushed from the room, Luna noticed he had tears in his eyes. Turning her attention to the mare's flank she saw an old style magic seal that glowed a florescent green. “Now, as for you,” said the mare, Luna turned her attention to the table, she saw a younger Dream Step and Eclipse Touch (they looked a year or two younger), “You're lessons are failing, I know it's not my teaching, our teaching is superior to all others, even the royal family can not boast the level of quality we produce. You will not get a higher quality of food until your lessons improve.”
“Yes, mother,” said the fillies in unison with voices that had no resistance. Looking at what was on the table before them Luna saw a small patch of lemon grass and a glass half full of what appeared to be some kind of low quality mineral water.
“I see this sight every time I get sent here,” said the Dream Step next Luna, “Can we leave now?”
“What was it that got that colt in trouble? Why was treated so poorly?”
“I don't know his name, he messed up in his cleaning duties by missing a spot, she treats him poorly because his mother is one of the earth ponies of the manor and his father is one of the minor unicorns.”
“Minor unicorns?”
The dining hall faded away and they were back in the castle throne room with the doors tightly shut. Dream took a deep breath before saying, “That's the term for unicorns that serve as servants for the unicorn nobles, it's their lot in life, their families aren't pure unicorn.”
“That's a terrible way of doing things. I take it pegasi are forced to act as messengers if they are not told what weather to bring.” Dream nodded, “What are the roles of the earth ponies?”
The castle faded to an small open air garden surrounded by the manor, Dream said, “If they aren't working the crops the unicorns tell them to they are either working as unappreciated gardeners for unicorn nobles,” a earth mare came out with with a couple of foals to tend the garden, “working the kitchen as the cooks for the manor, or some kind of manual labor like working the forge or building whatever they're told to.”
“You keep saying they're told to do things, is there a reason?”
“In Bridleton the only decisions that matter are those of the nobility, everpony else is of little consequence.” The garden faded to the throne room again, “I don't want to go back there because...”
“Dream Step,” came the mare's voice, “I told you you are not allowed near the garden, you will be sullied by the lower castes if you get to close.” Luna looked over to see the younger Dream Step and Eclipse Touch watching the mare and foals from a window, “And you Eclipse Touch, you are even more of a disappointment, you actually tried to talk with one of those lesser foals. Where is your guardian, I told him to watch you carefully.”
“Grand Charm told him all other duties were unimportant for a task she said he had, we were not assigned another pony to watch over us or remind us of your schedule,” said Eclipse with despondent voice.
“How is that possible?”
“The pony that relayed the message said all he was told and left,” said Eclipse.”
The mare gave the fillies an angry look, “You two, room, now, no lessons or meals for the day's remainder.”
The image faded, Luna could still hear the mare berating the fillies. Now or never, she thought. She halted the image and used her power to be an objective observer, what she was met with as a set of scenes that were far worse than the dream versions. The colt had been crying because the mare had used her magic to smack him in the head and flank with a very large wooden paddle. The meager portions on the table before the fillies was half the size she had seen. As she wandered through the past world of the filly she found everything had been lightened by her mind. After seeing how things truly were for a bit, ending with Eclipse and Dream being smacked harshly by the mare's hoof before being sent of to their room. Luna pulled herself from the filly's dreamscape after making sure that she would have a much more pleasant dreams when the dark coated alicorn left the room.
Entering her room and practically tearing off her regalia she flopped on the bed and said to herself, “How could such hardships have produced such sweet foals?” With that she closed her eyes and entered into an uneasy slumber.
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Luna awoke at three hours to moon rise, as she passed Dream's room she peered in to see the filly still sleeping and her table hosting an empty plate and glass, the mug of tea had surely gone cold, she would warm that up for the filly later. As she left the doorway to the room Dream rustled in her covers, but had yet to awake. Luna chuckled silently to herself, she figured that a night or two that was lesson free would do the filly good, especially since she had just visited the filly's dreamscape. She quickly went over what she had witnessed, Dream had actually tried softening her memories of everything in the manor of her family and to Luna that was a little odd, usually foals would over dramatize everything, so why was it that Dream Step was making the experiences lighter than they were. Also, Canterlot castle, especially the throne room and her wing of the castle, seemed to be Dream's safety zone. Dream had overly luxurized aspects of the throne room in the dreamscape, probably her mind trying to conform things to what she had been lead to believe represented a place of authority.
What surprised the dark alicorn mare the most was that the fears of the filly were situated just outside the doors to the castle, and possibly even surrounded the castle, that is if the blocked out windows were any indication. Luna had hopes that Dream traversing the city would help to alleviate some those fears, and if not that then keep the fears at bay a bit more effectively. She made her way to the throne room and spotted a sight that gave her pause, Celestia was intimately kissing Discord.
“It's rude to stare at ponies like that,” came Discord's voice from above her, “then again spying on a private moment like this is quite rude as well.”
“The doors were unlocked, and open,” retorted Luna, “you should have been more careful, as should my sister.”
This snapped Celestia out of her supposedly private romantic moment, “Oh, Luna,” said the ivory alicorn mare, “please don't tell anypony.”
“That you're in secret rendezvouses with somepony you openly showed dislike for in the past during your freetime, parish the thought sister,” said Luna with a knowing grin, “I figured it out a months ago, that picture Dream accidentally made just added on to my confirmation. Don't feel to bad, you were both excellent at hiding things, but you seem to have forgotten I was always the better of us at unearthing secrets without anypony noticing. The only thing that surprised me was that you were partaking of the act in a public place instead of a location a bit more private.”
“Oh,” said Celestia, “Discord, if you would please afford us some privacy.”
Discord gave courteous bow and was gone in a flash of white light. “Learn anything new since last we spoke?” Inquired Celestia.
“Yes, actually,” said Luna, “I finally took a look at her dreamscape, and used it as a gateway to observer her past. It seems she's be subconsciously lightening the severity of what she witnessed in Bridleton, I saw a mare that I'm assuming was her mother acting a way most unbecoming.”
“How bad was it?”
“She abused ponies in every way she could, mostly verbally. She did everything she could to demean her servants, the staff of other ponies and even her own foals. In short, sister, she was the kind of pony that the unicorns were in Equestria's earliest days.”
“It's not surprising other nations have yet to move past the system we grew out of.”
“Yes, well in a way from what I saw and heard their home is a dark reflection of our nation. It's what the nations could have been had circumstances not forced the ponies to seek harmony with each other, it appears the unicorns have situated themselves as the dominant power and the other tribes are treated more lesser castes than potential equals.”
“I see,” said Celestia, “Twilight sent me notes on Eclipse's progress, the filly took her studies seriously and actively avoided recreational literature her first few days with Twilight. I am happy to say she's become the kind of filly that's much more of a joy to be around since then.”
“I'm sure that Dream will be happy to hear that her sister is doing well, it's been almost a month since this all started for Twilight and I, maybe we should arrange a meeting in the coming weeks.”
“An Excellent idea,” said Celestia. With that the two just sat in silence waiting or the duty of one to begin and another to close, as was their regular cycle.