Celestia hummed to herself as she raised the sun over Equestria. It had been a wonderful night of blissful sleep, but now it was time to once again take up the responsibilities that came with being a Princess — but there was breakfast to be eaten first.
Happy that the sun was where she wanted it to be, Celestia donned her regalia and left her bedroom. Guards and staff saluted and bowed as she made her way down the corridor into the grand dining room, and the large table in the centre which was stocked high with pancakes, cereals, muffins, croissants and more.
Celestia licked her lips as she approached the table and sat down, but was quickly snapped out of her reverie by what sounded like a cross between a pneumatic drill and a squealing pig. She looked around for the source of the noise, only for her gaze to fall on her sister — who was fast asleep with her muzzle in a bowl of oats.
"Luna?" Celestia gently prodded the other alicorn with a forehoof, only for it to be slapped away by magic. "LUNA!"
Luna sat bolt upright, upending her bowl and sending a shower of oats all over herself and the floor. "Who? What? Huh? Where? Me?"
Celestia smiled and shook her head, using her own magic to clean the mess up. "Lulu, you were asleep in your breakfast again," she said, her voice full of concern. "This is the fifth time this week that this has happened; are you sure you're all right?"
Luna nodded. "Everything is perfectly fine, sister," she replied. "You have absolutely nothing to worry about."
Celestia looked closer at Luna's face and raised an eyebrow. "Those bags under your eyes would suggest otherwise," she said sternly. "Have you been getting enough sleep?"
"Of course I have!" Luna snapped, turning away from Celestia's gaze. "It's just that... I've been very busy with Night Court."
Celestia sighed. "Luna, stop it. You've already told me numerous times that nopony ever comes to Night Court." She put a reassuring hoof on Luna's back. "Now, please, talk to me."
Luna slowly turned to look at her sister again, studying the other mare's face carefully. It was awash with love and concern, and eventually Luna let out a sigh of her own.
"Very well," she said. "I've not been getting much sleep lately, as it happens, because I have been suffering from nightmares."
"Nightmares?" Celestia repeated.
"Yes," Luna replied. "Now, before you start to worry, I can assure you that these nightmares have nothing to do with the Tantabus."
"That's good to know." Celestia let out a sigh of relief. "So, what are they all about, then?"
Luna stood up. "I think it would be better if I showed you." she began walking out of the room. "Follow me."
Celestia nodded and – after stuffing a few pancakes and a muffin into her mouth – did as she was asked.
After a few minutes of walking, both alicorns found themselves in Luna's room. Light struggled to find any way into the space, as the curtains had been firmly drawn shut. Celestia stood in the middle of the room, while Luna sat on her bed.
"As you know, Tia, the dreamscape is my domain," Luna said. "In it, I am able to purge nightmares and bring about good dreams to the ponies of Equestria. But I cannot use this power to help myself, as it is intended to help others. That is why I have had to endure this nightmare night after night."
"If you need my help, Lulu, then all you need to do is ask." Celestia crossed the room and sat next to Luna. "Tell me what I need to do, and it shall be done. I don't want to see you suffer."
"All you need to do..." Luna's horn lit up. "Is watch."
As the spell Luna was channelling took hold, Celestia found the world around her drifting into nothingness. Luna's bedroom faded away, replaced with a black void that soon reformed itself into a new landscape — made entirely of blocks.
"Is this why you've not been sleeping?" Celestia tutted. "Because you've been playing Minecraft?"
"Just keep watching, Tia," Luna replied. "You are seeing the whole vision through my eyes, so you will see exactly what haunts me."
Celestia continued watching as Luna went about her business in the game world. She chopped trees, gathered stone, hunted, farmed, fished, built, explored and conquered.
An hour later, and Luna had managed to construct an elaborate house comprised of several floors and towers. Celestia could not help but admire the work and effort that had been put in, but she knew at the back of her mind that she wouldn't have had the patience to do anything even has as grand.
"It's a nice house, Luna, but what does this have to do with—"
A snapping noise cut her off, and Celestia watched as Luna began moving around in an attempt to find the source of the noise. Beside her, in the real world, Celestia could feel Luna's hooves taking hold of her midsection as tightly as they could.
"Luna, you're worrying me," Celestia said. "What is—"
The noise in the game world began growing louder, prompting the Luna there to start running. She kept looking around, trying desperately to catch a glimpse of whatever was hunting her.
After a few minutes, the noise – as well as the in-game Luna – had stopped. She stood still, seemingly taking a moment to congratulate herself on managing to evade her stalker.
But then, as she started walking again, a face suddenly appeared in the middle of the screen. Celestia gasped in shock and almost fell off the bed, but was stopped by Luna's grip on her.
"There!" Luna cried. "That is the face which has been haunting me for the last five days! Take a good look at it, Tia, and know that this is the face of the greatest evil ever conceived by Tartarus!"
Celestia studied the face of the man in front of her. "I don't see anything wrong with it, Lulu," she said. "Are you sure that—"
"Another settlement needs your help," the man said flatly.
At these words, Luna suddenly screamed, cancelling her spell and bring both alicorns back into reality. Letting go of Celestia, Luna curled up into a ball and began sobbing silently.
"Every single time..." she whispered. "He never lets up with that damn phrase, never giving me a chance to take a break." She looked up at Celestia, her lower lip quivering. "But do you know what the worst part of the whole thing is, Tia?"
Celestia shook her head. "No, Lulu. What?"
"I can't kill him..." Luna whimpered. "Because the evil son of a Diamond Dog is classed as an 'essential character!'"
Her sobs became full-blown wails, and she buried herself under the bedclothes while Celestia gently ran a hoof through her mane.
I don't blame you for feeling like this, she thought. After all, he's the reason why I sold my copy of the game the other week...
Author's Note
I came up with the idea for this thing after being sent to the same freaking settlement five times in a row.
Damn you, Preston!