Disguised Dreams

The day's routine had gone normally.

Celestia's horn glowered, her aura surrounding the sun, allowing it to set.

Luna's aura suddenly appeared across the horizon, and little twinkles shrouded the dark sky. And she finally finished her masterpiece with a full moon gracing the world.

Celestia retired to her own room, prepared to slumber.

But Luna's day had only just begun.

Another glow fell upon her horn. Her body fell limp as her conscience self separated away from it.

This was her favorite duty, fixing dreams. It was always a bit fun seeing each dream of the innocent foals that lived around equestrian and beyond. Their nightmares fixed at the mere notion of a princess guarding them from their fears.

There were always dire cases. Once a small pegasus named Scootaloo dreaded her idol discovering she was fearful, Luna had to enter her dreams and fix them directly.

The ethereal mare spread her ghostly wings, allowing the wind to fill them, lifting her above Canterlot. She sensed the foals' calm down as her presence become known.

Then came a strange flicker in her mind.

So faint, only she could've sensed it.

Luna turned and shivered, for the flicker was in the direction of the badlands. Where the changelings dwelled.

Luna was over a thousand years old, but she was extremely childish. And if you're childish, you're often curious. She knew Equestria could survive one night without her. She shifted her direction.

She felt chilled and disturbed as she neared the kingdom of the changelings. But it was soon replaced with a surprising inner warmth.

The city was made up of snarled, black homes. Dying plants. Even the sky was twisted and orange. Why did they live like this? They may not have good resources, but this still seemed like suffering rather than normalcy.

Luna's conscience flooded into a home. A tiny changeling slept on a black bed with no blanket or pillow. This family must've fallen under the poverty line.

Despite the larvae's shivering, it seemed content. Luna's ethereal horn gently rested itself on the larvae's head.

Luna gasped.

It didn't quite dream with pictures, not completely anyway.

Of course it dreamed of pictures, but the emotion surviving in its head was amplified so many times over.

It dreamed in hope and warmth.

Of love and kindness.

Of Peace.

The exact opposite of what the princess thought a changeling would dream.

The pictures were just as interesting. It had the queen.

The queen that invaded Canterlot. Luna didn't exactly know what truly went on until it was explained. For the young princess had discovered Master Chief and his holographic AI, Coltana, She spent the day playing every one of the games.

The queen in the dream was far more different than her earlier description.

No, this one was loving with everyone. Presenting her kingdom with happiness and love. Throwing her hole-filled hooves around every larvae she saw as she trotted to her castle. Though she knew she had come back with no nourishment for her dying kingdom.

And they all forgave her, none blamed her.

The foal cringed, sensing Luna was near...The poor thing shivered.

Luna left just as the creature's parents came through.

Luna was officially confused.

The mare in the dream wasn't the queen.

At least not the queen she was told of.

The Chrysalis she was told of was a cruel tyrant who cared only for her soldiers because of her need to conquer as many lands as possible.

This queen was kind, merciful. Trying to protect her subjects. Luna was unsure, and so she decided to peer into the dreams of the changeling queen for the truth.

Even the Castle of the kingdom was broken and chipped. Something felt almost…wrong.

A flicker in the back of her mind screamed at her, told her to be mistrustful. Though she was unsure at who.

She passed through the walls with ease, quickly making her way to the bedroom of the sleeping queen, who was gaunt from her hunger. Luna's horn glowed and set itself upon Chrysalis's head. Luna allowed the thoughts to flood inside her mind.

Luna recoiled so few moments later. A tear shedding from her eye.

She saw fear.

Fear of her city dying, each changeling suffering a slow, painful death. Fear of being the last one. Fear of Celestia for destroying her kingdom with a smile.

But for a second, there was something else.

Two fillies, playing in the light of the glow bugs.

Luna's head hurt. Bad.

And then she realized it, the fillies were her and Chrysalis.

Chrysalis was putting her crown on Luna.

Her crown.

And suddenly she remembered it.

The first night she set the moon in the sky.

Chrysalis was there, and she never left  her side.

Then something else came to her head.

Luna

almost

screamed

Celestia was not as she appeared. Nor was she ever as she appeared.

Luna had no memory back before she was spiritually cleansed by the elements. She just knew what was in the books. She was always so remorseful, thinking Nightmare Moon was the effect of her own hatred for her sister.

But it wasn't.

It was Celestia's power-lust.

Luna's own sister had summoned the demon to make Luna seem evil and traitorous. A vessel in return of power, it was a good deal.

She looked at Chrysalis, she was just an innocent mixed up in the wrong-doings of others.

She wouldn't have to hunger soon.

Luna flew back to Equestria, memories swirling in her head.

Canterlot seemed…darker with this revelation.

Luna flew back into her body, and made her way to Celestia's bedroom.

Celestia immediately knew she was there.

"Luna, why are you here? You don't usually finish your royal duties within such a short time." Celestia's voice was tired.

"I'm only back for a moment. After all. I believe you have a certain truth you should address to the public, don't you, dear sister." Luna spat, her voice spiteful.

Luna reared up, then came crashing down with the force of a hundred dragons, terraforming the room with her small earthquake. Her eyes glowered for a moment when she came down.

Uncertainty flickered in the sun goddess's eyes.

Luna's horn glowed brightly with white-hot energy. "Shall we address them together?"