Princess Luna woke around the time she usually does, exactly an hour before sunset. It was an instinct she could never fully understand, how perfect her timing was to wake at the very same hour without an alarm. It was quite possible she got up at the exact minute every evening, but she didn't know, nor did she care to kept track.

In her lump of a bed, made of fine silk and woven by master seamstresses from Manehattan, dusk settled over her navy coat that once held a pale shade of blue desaturated by sunlight. She had again made the mistake of leaving the balcony drapes wide open the morning before. Now her fur stood on end from the onslaught of unpleasant warmth as the sharp rays magnified through the glass of her balcony window. Each hair remained upright even after she opened her eyes.

She was never a morning pony, or in her case, an evening pony. The total relaxation of her muscles was the very feeling of bliss that was very hard to give up. All she wanted to do was sleep another five—maybe ten—minutes or so, just to experience the hovering sensation of careless dreaming.

Her own dreams. Dreams of peace, dreams of hope.

After cracking her eyes from their sealed state just a tab bit too much, Luna closed them almost immediately, the light too intense for her sensitive sight. She wrinkled her nose into an irritated frown upon realizing she was awake, prematurely pulled from her dreams. The only coherent thought that formed in her mind at that moment was to go back to sleep.

Usually when she woke, she would force herself to get out of her extremely comfortable bed and prepare herself for her duties as Princess. A brief brush of her coat, the dressing of her royal adornments, and the styling of her mane were pretty much the only activities on her checklist of things to complete before joining her sister on the main balcony overlooking Canterlot to transition from day to night, then due to relieve Celestia for the day and take over as curator of the night.

For some time now, Luna had noticed how long these few preparations actually take, which is not long at all. Ten minutes on average, if not less, leaving the rest of the that free time to do as she pleases.

However, for the past several months, that big chunk of time between finishing her evening quota and meeting her elder sister at sunset was spent unproductively. Once done putting on her shiny silver slippers—which were always the final piece to her routine for personal reasons—she would walk over to her hoof-crafted oak desk next to the window and wait. Just wait. Nothing else. Very rarely would she stand inches from the glass of her balcony window and stare of in space.

Sometimes, as she sat at her desk, she would look down thoughtfully and admire the the texture of the wood. Other times she would pull out a fresh new piece of parchment and stare at the blank page before her. Occasionally, a thought would pop inside her head and she would write whatever was on her mind, but other than that, most of what deserved to be written were words unsaid.

This new development was not out of curiosity, nor did it confuse her. One might mistake Luna's solitude as a sign on depression or anxiety—as often assumed by palace servants and even her own Night Guard.

But it was neither of those things.

Drowning in her own soup of unbound contemplation became something of a new hobby, and as of two ago, it became routine. She didn't know exactly what was causing her stall for time, wasted away swimming in a mist of her own ideas. Ideas that held no merit, knew no justice, and spoke in silent whispers. They'd come and go, like the waves of an empty beach on a calm shore. The extra time allowed for her to concentrate on the various voices that spoke to her, each with a very specific message.

These voices were wishes. Goodnight wishes. Wishes from young fillies and colts preparing to go to sleep all across Equestria, tucked in tight by mothers and fathers and brothers and sisters. After the young ones were safe and sound in their beds, the rest of the ponies made their own wishes. No pony was too old to make a wish. By nightfall, most of Equestria joined together in the realm of the subconscious.

Their journey begins when the world of dreams await them.

With wishes to absorb and dreams to think about, there was little else Luna could do for the fifty or so minutes of leisure before sunset. However, due to the earliness of the hour, most older ponies wouldn't do to bed for another few hours.

This kind of thing had been going on for a while now. Certain moments of solitude were appropriate, but this was unhealthy. Starting off so many nights like this began to infect her mind. It's not like wishes from ponies didn't exist a few months ago, it's just Luna had decided to listen. With how it has affected her psychologically and emotionally, it also influenced her behavior.

It's about time she broke the habit.

Still laying in bed exactly the way she was since she woke, she stretched her legs and yawned, Her body was tired and unkempt. Instead of her routine, she remained in bed.

Little did she know, the simple decision of not getting out of bed was the first domino to topple the rest. Giving it little thought, she closed her eyes and dozed off once again.

A quick snooze couldn't hurt.

*BANG*

The loud distracting sound of a door bursting open startled the Princess of the Night, ripping from her dreams to face reality. Luna snapped from a completely motionless position to a explosion of limbs flailing in the air.

“Argg!” Luna gurgled as she lifted to an upright posture. “What is the meaning of this rude interruption!?” she hissed.

Luna rubbed her baggy eyelids with her hooves. By the time the blur faded from her vision and when she turned to face the intruder upon her royal quarters, she gasped. “Sister?”

“LUNA!” Celestia roared in an aggravated voice, her tone piercing Luna's ears. “What are you still doing in bed!? Sunset is in five minutes and you were expected to join me earlier than that. Why must you insist on toying with me by not showing to your post on time?”

The regal white alicorn paddled to the edge of Luna's bed frame and glared directly at her sister. Luna cringed at her scorching expression as if her face radiated heat like standing dangerously close to a campfire flame. She scurried backwards, squirming over the bedsheets and pressing against the pillows propped up on the wall behind her.

The unsettled staring contest lasted about four seconds until Luna gave in.

“I'm sorry sister, I must have forgotten to—“

“Do you have any idea what this means?” Celestia cut her off.

“Um...”

“We'll be late for our royal duty.” Her sister narrowed her eyes disappointingly. “You know how times we've been late to lower the sun and raise the moon.”

“Come on, sister, surely it can't be that bad.” Luna grinned nervously, much to her rebellion.

“Not once in over a thousand years!”

She recoiled at the sheer volume of Celestia's voice with irritation woven into it. Luna put on a grimace that could only be understood as fright.

“What has gotten into you, Luna?” Her sister continued. “I have heard rumors from your Night Guard to my Royal Guard saying that you have repeatedly locked yourself away in your room when your were supposed to attend court. Talk of this cannot roam free among the palace guards, and certainly must not be circulate among my little ponies. Although, I myself am skeptical of these claims.” A pause ensued. For once, Celestia lowered her tone to a more sympathetic one. “Is this true?”

Luna finally moved after keeping perfectly still, taking in the conviction of her recent behavior. With the last question hanging over her head, she sighed.

“Please, sister, you must understand, I have my reasons. I-it's just that I—“ Luna couldn't force herself so spill her secrets under the weight of her sister's scrutiny. Usually she wasn't afraid of Celestia. She wasn't little anymore, but this was the sort of conflict Luna dared not to repeat. The last time things got out of hoof between the two resulted in her worst of regrets.

Slowly, as the silence penetrated the room, Celestia's initial angry glare reduced to frown, but did not improve any better than that. She had doubt that Luna was capable of expressing her emotions without being overly dramatic about it.

“We can talk about this later.” Celestia was nearly growling with every syllable. “It is time to raise the moon. Please join me on the castle balcony in two minutes. You better hurry.”

The white Princess puffed an invisible cloud of air though her nose—otherwise known as a huff—and swiftly walked out of her younger sister's bedchamber.

As Luna's nervous gaze followed her sibling out the door, she sighed a breath of relief. She held back her troubles just when she had the chance to tell Celestia what's been bothering her for months, but there was no easy way to articulate her thoughts, especially at a time like that.

Luna quickly rolled off her thick mattress, landed on the floor with a thud, and shook off the excess creeps that followed as every hair of her coat and feather was exposed to the cool air of her dim quarters. All she wanted to do at that moment was jump back into bed and entomb herself in the warmth and heat of her soft bedsheets, a desire somewhat ironic for a pony of her talents.

She skipped and hopped all around her room to prepare herself, putting on her slippers, fixing her black crown which was slightly cracked at the base, and briefly brushing her coat to its ethereal cycle of waviness. It was too late to properly groom herself to the point where her appearance was that of a true princess and not an untidy pony. A few strands stuck out of her mane, but is was close enough.

That will have to do.

Once she was satisfied with the bare minimum, having all the correct attire in place, she exited to the hall where a couple of guard waited outside like stone statues. As she passed by, she noticed them eye her as if she was guilty of a crime. Probably because the overheard Celestia's apparent outburst. This made her feel a bit weary of the rumors Celestia told her about. The stares that her guard gave her suggested the tension between the two Princesses to be more serious than she had originally thought.

Temporarily ignoring everypony she passed in the hall—which happen to only be a few servants, maids, and a mix of Night and Royal guards—she made it to the main balcony where Princess Celestia stood waiting for her arrival.

The view from that height could not be beat. At the perfect moment, the sky split colors like a prism cut light. A splash—no—a wave of warm colors, from reds to yellows and orange and purple painted the atmosphere with a brilliant display of beauty. No wonder this Celestia's favorite time of day. The horizon, uneven and distant, prepared for another spectacle for all Equestria to see. It acted at the stage for titans, the titans of celestial bodies to put on the greatest show nature has to offer.

“Hello sister,” said Luna as she stopped beside Celestia.

No response came. Celestia did not acknowledge the Lunar goddess, not one bit. All the alicorn did was nod without looking in her direction. This made Luna wonder how much longer she was willing to remain her opponent. Normally her sister would let it go, but the ever since she came barging through her door, she seemed more demanding than concerned.

Without saying a word, Celestia activated sparks in her magic, lighting up her horn from base to tip. She angled her head back and pointed her horn at the orange sky above. Taking a silent breath, the magic poured out with tremendous power, enough to move the entire star below the mountains of the west.

Halfway into sunset, Luna lit up her own horn and mimicked her sister's pose. She didn't have to, but she did so as a show of respect and because it she thought it would help make up for sleeping in so late. She felt a sliver of foreign magic overlay her own magic. As soon as Luna detected the source, she turned her head towards Celestia.

How dare she! Luna protested in her thoughts, without much success. I can move the moon just fine. Does she no trust me?

As soon as the sun vanished beneath the Earth, the moon slipped into view from the east, creeping ever so slowly as Luna battled the vibrations of each fiber her being was made of. Maybe that's why Celestia lent a helping hoof with her own magic to raise the moon. Maybe she knew Luna was under much stress and couldn't handle it on her own.

After completing the important task appointed to her since birth, Luna let her head drop once her magic faded. Stealing one last glance at Celestia before, she could have sworn she detected a menacing grin curl from the corners of her mouth. Whatever the expression, Luna did not have a good feeling about it.

It was done. The moon was in its place. Another night approaches.

Time to begin court sessions.

Shortly after Celestia resigned to her own personal chamber, Luna headed for the throne room. Not a single word had been said between the two during and after the transition was complete. She decided to take the long way down, which was go up a floor and then back down a series of staircases that eventually led to the throne room.

The extra time gave her room to think. She wasn't feeling up to her job today.

By the time she arrived at the throne room, she was late, almost ten o'clock. However, Luna was not conscious of the exact time. She thought she was on time. She wondered that with her new personal conflict of self-conscious affair with her swirling mindset if she would be able to survive until sunrise.

Instead of taking her normal route of ascending the marble stairs to take the throne, she paused. Looking down at her hooves just inches from the first step, a sigh blew unsteadily over her lips.

Luna blinked for the first time that night.

The quick delay and decision against sitting on the throne confused the guards standing on either side of the enormous double doors leading to the hall just beyond the room. Luna slowly turned to them and walked with a limp in her step as if something ached within her leg, but it was poor attempt at faking injury.

“Are you hurt, your majesty?” one of the stallions in uniform asked as she approached them.

It was at this very moment that she had even realized there were other ponies in the room, having drowned out most of her surroundings while strolling blindly into the room. She immediately ceased her careless act and stood up straight, keeping the slight embarrassment at bay.

“I'm fine,” she said, squinting at the guard to her right, trying to remember the stallion's name. “Nothing to worry about, Mr...”

“Shade,” he said. “Sun Shade. Sergeant.”

That name struck her as odd, but nevertheless, she accepted it.

“Well, Sergeant Sun Shade, has court begun yet? Are the ponies here yet?”

“Um, well, it kinda started without you.”

Luna's smiled fell upside down. Her expression deepened like the dark corners of the night sky, only with no light to shed a clear picture. The guard couldn't tell the nature of her frown; whether she was angry, confused, or fearful.

“Princess?” the other guard said.

Luna said nothing. All she did was walk past them and carefully pushed the left door open a crack as quietly as possible, just enough to poke her head through.

What she found were ponies. A lot of ponies. They had come from all over Canterlot to see her. From the ordinary shop pony, to the occasional merchant, to the elite nobles that lived on castle grounds. Court—as always—consisted of these kind of visitors. Court—like any other—was a continuous gathering of said ponies for both formal and informal meetings, either individually or in a group. Kinda like going around a party and talking to random strangers.

In fact, that pretty much describes what court was all about. Of course, Day Court twice as many visitors, but even this much as a lot.

These were the ponies that she usually enjoyed seeing. She greatly appreciating the time they took out of their evening to visit the castle. It was rare for her subjects to make a personal trip to the palace at such a time, but because there were so many ponies in Canterlot, it seemed as if thought it was a popular tourist attraction. Despite the outdated fear of her continued association with Nightmare Moon, ponies increasingly took and interest in her night, some went as far as to work jobs that ran until morning, preferring daylight over moonlight. It was a sort of honor that made her infinitely happy.

This night was like any other, but because Nightmare Night was not but a week away, the guest count increased with each day.

The ponies did not notice her a first, waiting beyond the double doors, talking to one another in the hall. Their collective voices filled the room, but only came to her as jumbled murmurs to her ears.

Within a few seconds, the pony closest to her—a blue unicorn mare with a white mane—noticed her head sticking out from the doorway. Then another joined in, then another, then another, then two more, the three and counting. Before she knew it, the entire hall of five dozen ponies were looking directly at Princess Luna.

The alicorn's flowing mane seemed to stop momentarily as all eyes focused on her as the chatter reduced to silence. She rapidly retracted her neck to recollect her composure. With her chest out in front and her head at a certain angle, she now looked the part of the Princess of the Night, much to her disdain of having to do so. She entered the hall with dignity, collecting her mild embarrassment of appearance and impression.

The room as quiet. The red-stitched carpet laid out over the marble floor muffled her hoofsteps enough to be mistaken for a heartbeat. However, as soon as she took the fourth step into the hall, an explosion of voices hit her from every direction, surrounded by ten or more ponies trying to talk her all at once.

Despite the attack of simultaneous dialogue around her, she continued to walk forward while the crowd followed her. By the time she made it to the center of the room, nearly all the visitors formed a perimeter several layers thick. Without having to ask, the Night Guards intervened to give the Princess some elbow room, informing the guests to respect her royal Highness' space.

With the crowd less of a distraction, Luna was able to return back to reality after filtering out the voices and clearing her head of all cohesion in order to concentrate with the volume of ponies trapping her within. She exhaled a heavy breath and lifted her head high to look at the bright faces before her.

“Good evening, my little ponies,” she said. “Court sessions may now continue now that I am here. I will get to each of you as soon as I possibly can. Please be patient and don't be afraid to meet some new ponies while you're here.”

Occasionally, court did play out similarly to a party, like the Grand Galloping Gala, but without out the formalities and exclusive upper class ponies. Anypony was welcome to Luna's night court, just like anypony is free to visit Celestia during Day court.

First up, the blue unicorn mare that had been the first to notice her that night.

As the crowd died down, most of them retiring for the night or going back to work, Luna was completely exhausted mentally. The crippling sensation of significant brain drain overcame a large part of her mind.

The Princess was about to leave when she noticed one last pony remained standing in the room alone, looking at her silently. Luna turned away from the throne room doors to face the pony.

The Earth pony mare stared back, her eyes laced with sympathy and sadness, that much Luna could tell. Her coat was the color of silver and her mane and tail were blue with a touch of white. Her cutie mark was a blue circle with an intricate patten woven into a radially symmetrical web, along with two blue feathers attached to opposite ends of the circle.

“What is your name, dear pony?” Luna said, with a little boom to her voice.

The whole time the mare looked at the Princess, she appeared rather intimidated and fearful of her. Luna noticed how both her voice and size scared the pony.

“I apologize.” Luna reassured her by sitting down where she stood to seem more friendly. “Please don't be frightened, little pony, is there something I can help you with.”

Luna could she the lips of the mare quiver, but managed to open her mouth just enough to speak.

“I-it is an h-honor to meet you, y-your majesty,” the mare said.

The Princess smiled. “Please, you may call me Luna.”

“O-of course,” the pony stammered.

“So what is your name?”

“Dream Catcher.”

Luna pondered for a second. “I must say, that is a very lovely name,” she chimed, eliciting a safe smile from the mare. “So, how can I help you this fine evening?”

It took a moment for the mare to regain her confidence after such a compliment about her name from Princess Luna herself. She broke eye contact, trying her best not to fall into tears. Despite what Luna tried to discern from the mare's emotions, her accuracy was off. She was not scared, she was sad.

After pawing the floor nervously, looked back at the night alicorn wistfully.

“I— uh, I have traveled far from my home in Trottingham to meet you.” Dream Catcher near faltered over her words, but the amount of effort poured into her courage was enough to speak clearly. “I have a young daughter who I love with all my heart and soul. Her name is Twinkle Toe. She is a sweet filly trying to make her mark on the world. I have always supported her every step of the way. But there is one thing I am saddened to have heard that,” she paused. “my daughter cannot dream.”

Luna furrowed her muzzle as the story of this poor filly hit her deeply within her own heart. It was not the first instance she heard of such a misfortune of having nightmares and only nightmares haunt a pony during the night. Detail were unclear whether this was a case from within the pony's mind or if it was curse. She could not imagine how anypony could live without that innate ability to overcome nightmares.

She tilted her head curiously.

“Do you mean to say that all your daughter’s dreams consist of are nightmares?” the Princess asked.

“No, she cannot dream at all. She has not encountered any memory of ever having a dream while she was sleeping. She asked me what dreams when I read her a bedtime story. I didn't know how to answer at first. I told her that dreams are like other far off worlds that ponies create where they can do anything. But that was my opinion that didn't really hold much merit.”

Dream Catcher's breath seemed to fluctuate after every word she spoke. Her nerves were amplified by the simple fact that she was talking to the Princess of the Night. This the first time she had ever seen Princess Luna with her own eyes, let alone having her as an audience of one.

“She is a very curious little filly. I am proud of this. It always made me smile how my answers to her questions made her wonder even more about the world she lives in, but sometimes the questions would stop. I would ask her what that matter is, and she would shrug and tell me she didn't know.”

Luna gulped a lump that nearly made her choke. If by some miraculous epiphany of the heavens with undue power manifested inside Luna's mind to untangle the dense knots of unfounded emotion. For a second there, her heart was put in the right place, but already it began slipping back into the void within.

By now, a certain string in Luna's heart and mind was pulled to the point where the chord vibrated beyond her control. She simply stared at Dream Catcher with the utmost sympathy.

When a long silence made Dream Catcher nervous again, she jumped to the point of her request.

“If it's not too much to ask, I would like to ask a simple question so if my little Twinkle Toe asks me again, I could say with all my heart that I traveled far away and talked to a very important pony just to get the answer.”

The silver Earth pony inhaled a breath of fresh air to give the necessary strength to say what she about to say. All she had were three words. “What are dreams?”

Author's Note

Part 1 of 2.