Dim Light Crown

Chapter 1 – Dregs of Darkness

"Starting today, this is where you will work. Take care not to disappoint me, my little pony. Hah!”

"What is your name?”
"My name is Dwimmer _____.”

"HELP ME! HELP ME HELP ME!”
"Make note to report the subject experiences intense pain within 3 seconds of application. Subject begins begging for his life at time of effect.”

"Thou art not a subject of ours, yet we cannot leave thee to this fate.”

"A blankflank in the palace is already a sick joke. How did you wind up as his Majesty’s secretary?”
“I don’t know…”
"The guards are making bets on how long you’ll last. I have two days’ rations on a week, so try to last that long.”

"Denizen of the North, thy nightmare is fearsome indeed. This will take awhile.”

"My cutie mark is…?”
“How amusing! It seems you were destined to serve me after all. What better proof of my rule could I ask for?”
"No… No!”

“Only a moment more… thou must hold on!”

"Here’s the traitor! I can take you down with me, at the very least!”
“You don’t have that monster to hide behind anymore… Did you think we’d forget you?”
“Your sins are piled as high as the palace.”
“The Crystal Empire doesn’t need you anymore! So why don’t you just disappear?!”

"Thou must hold on, do not give in!”

“My name is…”
“Your name is Dwimmer Crown.”

“… Damnation.”

………
……
...

Dwimmer Crown awakens to an unfamiliar ceiling in an unfamiliar room. The walls are made of an ice blue crystal, shifting to cyan welds of a different gemstone at the joints. The decor is austere, the kind born of a lack of options, rather than bland taste.

The bedroom is tiny, large enough for a bed and an adjoining bathroom, lit by dim crystalline lighting and a window facing the frozen tundra.

She knows that through the other door is the living room, consisting of a small kitchenette, a deeply uncomfortable couch, and a desk. On that desk, unused notebooks are piled up; the guilty unfulfilled promise of writing being the room's primary highlight.

This unfamiliar place is her home.

Her mind has not yet fully roused, but her body is already moving. Mechanical motions pull her out of bed, and quickly smooth back the sheets to presentability for an audience of only her.

Plodding steps take her to the bathroom, where a dull stare and duller crystal sheen greets her. She looks at her own expression as she brushes her teeth, as if trying to carve the memory of what she looks like into her mind for the first time.

A freckled muzzle and dark purple eyes return her brainfogged stare. A pale jade coat and an emerald mane, messy and haphazardly grown out, parted down the middle. Her tail isn't in much better shape, organized just barely by a silk tie near the end of it. On her flank, a jagged crown of steel-black crystal sits. The less thought about it, the better.

She steps into the shower, fumbling with the dial, before an icy cold blast shocks her to full wakefulness, and she grits her teeth. “Make a note to report… Tch.” She chokes down the reflexive mnemonic as quickly as it rises. The ice cold water was the fault of her home’s location. It wasn’t fixable within her means.

Dwimmer Crown slams the shower knob shut the moment she’s had as much of the frigid water as she can take. She’s clean, at least, but her brain is still foggy. Dim fragments of whatever nightmare she woke up from, along with a faint blue sheen she’s never felt before.

It was the usual parade of horrors no doubt, but something feels different. Like she wasn’t alone for once. That can’t be anything more than a desperate yearning for salvation, a patently ridiculous desire given her situation.

No matter. She needs to finish going about her morning—if she stops halfway through, she’ll probably lack the strength and focus to resume it. Dwimmer Crown knows herself that well, at least. She can worry about whatever fresh twist of Tartarus her nightmares have thrown at her once she's done

She pulled a selection of carrots, lettuce, and celery out of the fridge to make herself a sandwich, and set the coffee machine to start running.

Coffee was one of the many beautiful benefits she had come to enjoy, ever since the Return. It woke Dwimmer up more effectively than the mixture of energizing and sedative teas she had used during his Majesty’s reign to forcibly adjust her sleep schedule.

She forces herself to take bites, chew, and swallow while she watches the coffee machine churn with an empty fixation. She manages to choke down the rest of the tasteless sandwich by the time it starts to chime.

She fills a large-ish mug with the sludge and tips it back, at first a gulp, but then slow, steady sips. Gradually, she feels the rest of her body and mind wake up. It always took far too long for her liking, but after spending so long using looming doom as motivation to wake up and move, the sudden sharp lack of it has left her fumbling and lethargic.

She’s thankful coffee does the trick, and lets the feeling spread and equalize throughout while she savours the taste of the bitter brew. The happy moment can’t last, however, and once the chemical hammer to her senses has settled, she’s left staring at the barren wall opposite her unused desk.

"Right… Now what?”

Empty words spoken to an empty room. A pervasive, hollow uncertainty settling over her like a more familiar world. A question she must nonetheless answer: Now what?

Her morning routine is finished, and there is vanishingly little she can do in her tiny cottage. Moreover, she dislikes small spaces, more used to the high ceilings and open halls of the Palace.

She misses that place, despite everything. Despite the constant peril of his Majesty, and the nightmarish horrors she inflicted on her fellow equine, those aren't the only memories she has of it. There were also comfortable quarters and a cozy study, an oasis of tranquility amidst that awful experience.

Dwimmer knows her mild claustrophobia will build and build until it strangles her. She needs to get out of the house and face the day, for all she doesn’t want to. Staying cooped up in here would be far worse.

She grabs her saddlebags on the way out the door. If nothing else, she can pick up groceries. That can’t go too badly, right? Her hooves carry her towards the grocery store, and when they arrived, they'd carry her through the whole process. It was a well-worn routine, and not one she felt like paying much attention during. There was nothing she'd enjoy noticing.

At the very least, she'd have the long walk to reflect, to turn over the circumstances again and again in her head. Unbecoming perhaps, but with no friends and no future, there was little else to do but examine the past.

What a past it was!

The Crystal Empire had once been a flourishing kingdom to the north of Equestria. Three grand cities stretching across the otherwise inhospitable frozen tundra. Ruled justly by Queen Amore, and protected from the hostile environment by a mighty artifact: the Crystal Heart.

Until suddenly, it all fell apart. A tyrant by the name of Sombra cast down Queen Amore, enslaved the populace, and allowed the empire to decline for the sake of his own amusement, toying with the populace’s misery.

This continued until at last, Equestria’s Diarchy, the Alicorns Luna and Celestia, arrived to put an end to this injustice. Though they were able to badly injure King Sombra, with his last gasp he banished himself and the remnants of the Crystal Empire.

That was a thousand years (and some change) ago. In more recent times, the Crystal Empire returned, and King Sombra was vanquished. The hope of the crystal ponies, rekindled by the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, recovered the Crystal Heart. A new ruler took the throne, a distant descendent of Queen Amore’s: Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, or ‘Cadance’ as she preferred.

For some, this was a new beginning out of the darkness. For others, it was a return to the proper form of the Empire. But the second defeat of King Sombra, like the first, was not a clean break. The many weapons and relics he hid throughout the Empire still exist. Just as the ponies he tormented during his reign still live.

And of course those that consorted with King Sombra, whether out of fear, a shared love of cruelty or some personal connection, still existed. The Crystal Heart was meant to protect the crystal ponies, not harm them, no matter their sins. To those ponies, it didn't really matter whether this was the new or the old Crystal Empire--it would never welcome them.

"Get out.” The store clerk all but spits in her face. The sudden flash of hostility jolts her out of her reverie, but she'd suffered far worse surprises in her life and weathered them well. She doesn't miss a beat, acting as though she hadn't been utterly zoned out.

"Let me pay and I will.” Dwimmer returns with a dull drawl.

He gives her a look that’s half loathing, half fear. Based on what she knows of the magics used by Sombra, and her own observations, she doubts he fully remembers her, or what she did. But he really doesn’t need to.

Vague memories, combined with the way she’s been quite visibly excluded from the Crystal Heart’s blessing, are enough for him to skip a few steps to reach the correct conclusion.

Her cutie mark is a pretty good clue as well. The last remnant of his Majesty’s dark crystal magic is emblazoned on her flank in the shape of a crown.

Both of them notice he’s trembling at about the same time. She raises an eyebrow, holding his gaze unflinchingly. “Well?” There’s a brief staring contest, before he grunts and begrudgingly rings her up, shoving the bags in her direction the second he can.

“Now get out.” She rolls her eyes, placing both small bags of greens into her saddlebags. “Already on my way out…” She couldn’t afford to antagonize him too much, nor did she want to. But she was too annoyed at him making both their lives harder to keep her mouth shut.

Because of that thoughtless comment, she turns to find the rest of the shoppers in the small corner store glaring at her as she dons her saddlebags. They’re starting to take steps forward. Are they going to hem her in?

She doesn’t want to find out. With a facade of apathetic confidence, she shoulders past a blue mare with a wheat stalk cutie mark and strides out of the store, ignoring the whinney of protest that chases her out.

Her only plausible errand of the day done, and glares following her wherever she went, Dwimmer Crown began to the long walk back home. The silence and need for distraction gave her plenty of unwelcome time to reflect.

Even knowing the rough events of Sombra's fall, she still wasn’t sure how things had turned out like this.

When the Equestrian Diarchy arrived to confront his Majesty, Dwimmer had been out on an errand on his behalf looking for new test subjects in her old district. The palace was suddenly a battleground of epic proportions, and so she sheltered in her old home, gone unoccupied and disused.

His death rattle had banished the Crystal Empire, but when it returned, neither the Diarchy nor his Majesty had been present. Instead, a new alicorn, resembling the old royal family, had arrived, and a dome of magic sealed Dwimmer inside the Crystal Empire.

So, she had continued hiding, waiting for everything to blow over. But she hadn’t expected his Majesty to lose, much less for the Crystal Heart to once again grace every corner and every denizen of the Empire.

All except for her, the last remnant of King Sombra’s regime.

She was thankful that her home was on the very outskirts of the district. If word spread, if enough people pooled fragments of memory and completed the puzzle of Dwimmer Crown, she could very well have an angry mob at her door.

As the sort of pony to take walks to clear her head, she left her cottage the moment she dropped off her groceries, and simply… walked. The new Empire was unrecognizably happy.

Ponies merrily strode across the streets, chatting with one another and celebrating the simple joy of being alive and free, at least until they noticed her presence.

Dwimmer felt a little sting of resentment at that. Perhaps more than a little, perhaps a lot. She didn’t like being a walking mood killer any more than anypony else would. Despite everything, she still had the same feelings as the rest of them. She was still a pony and like everypony else, she wanted to belong.

It was all too clear that would never be the case.

She ignores the passage of time, and the growing hunger as breakfast becomes ever more distant. She ignores them until the Sun is lowering and her stomach is howling, forcing her back to her tiny, barren cottage.

At least she had groceries. Supplies to make another sandwich that she was too hollow to enjoy. And then to sleep, and begin another empty, pointless day.

Rather than eating, she just flops on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She didn't have the energy to make food.

How wonderful. The rest of her life would be like this. Maybe she should just…

…
……
………

They were chasing her.

"Your Majesty, I have–“
“Nevermind that, Miss Crown. We have something important to talk about. Do lend me your ear, my little pony.”
“Of course, your Majesty.”
“Let me tell you about the nature of fear…”

She was giving her report to his Majesty, except no she wasn't, she was galloping through the corridors of the palace. She was frightened, but of what? Not of his Majesty, he wasn't going to hurt her, unless he was, but he wasn't right now.

"Fear is a beautiful thing. It is both the chain that binds my subjects, and the spark that ensures they continue to amuse me."

His voice booms in her ears, an easy conversational ramble, talking to a wall that could fearfully nod and ask leading questions. She didn't know where his Majesty was, though. She was still going at a dead gallop when a spear sails over her head, embedding in the wall in front of her.

"Out of fear of death, ponies will turn on their dearest friends. Out of fear for the lives of their friends, ponies will throw their own away. Sometimes, it is even the same pony doing both! I could watch my subjects run in terrified circles for a thousand years and never tire of it, Miss Crown."

That wasn't a spear of his Majesty's royal guard, but a spear of the old guard before he had taken the Crystal Empire. And of the new guard, Princess Cadance's.They were going to kill her!

"But as I said, fear is not merely a tool of amusement, but the measure of a King! Fear of me is what lets the crown sit upon my head. Oh, I took that crown through guile, and emptied the throne with blood, but it is fear that carves my achievements into the very crystal of this Palace, this Empire."

His Majesty's empire had fallen, and now they were cleaning up the remnants. As they should; it was nothing less than she deserved. Even if she had never had a real choice, she had still carried out his Majesty's will. She didn't deserve second chances, did she? So why was she trying to escape? To survive?

"If they did not fear me, I would have to fight for my crown every day no matter how futile their struggle was! And how would I get anything done, then? How would they? As I'm sure you'll agree, Miss Crown, fear is what makes an empire run smoothly."

She turns a corner at a dead-gallop, nearly sliding into a wall, before racing towards the door she was looking for. She grits her teeth as she slams through it, breaking out of the palace into the streets of the district.

"Some still try to fight, of course. But how could they ever prevail? Before my presence they are crushed like ants, of course, but most don't get that far, as you well know. After all, I am possessed of such loyal subjects, who will defend the stability of the Empire on their own initiative."

Behind her, yells of outrage and shouted orders start to get closer. The gloomy arctic sky is lit with the fires of torches, of a mob come to deliver just desserts. She tries to gallop faster, but she only has so much in her. A life of stress and desk work does not an athlete make, and she knows it.

"Subjects like you, Miss Crown. My dutiful secretary, who works oh so hard for the sake of my Empire. Despite that constant stabbing of your moral compass, you continue doing your job to the best of your ability. I wonder, between the two of us, who is truly the worse pony? While a king has the privilege of hypocrisy, I have never felt the need to exercise it."

The crowd is getting closer. When they reach her, they will rip her apart, she knows. She swallows down a painful wheeze, and breaks into a gallop once again. A cry goes out "There she is! After her!"

"Ah, it is such a shame that a loyal tool such as you still falls short of interest, despite the amusing tugs of your pitiful morality. You will at least serve as the vestige that will return me to life!"

He was lying. She was just a normal pony with some extra tricks.And he was dead, never to return, she was free of him. She was her own pony, not some vestige of him.

Chunks of crystal shrapnel and thrown spears whizz by her. She turns another street-corner, seeing the train station in the distance. If she can somehow make it there…!

"Methinks the mare protests too much! For all your denial, you certainly seem afraid of it. Does it bother you, Miss Crown? That even a wallflower like you, who slipped beneath my notice so successfully, will still serve me ends after my defeat? As long as you live, I will rise again, from the ashes of your useless, expendable existence!"

A beam of pink light cuts through the gloom, carving a scar across the street where Dwimmer planned to retreat to. From above, an alicorn wreathed in power glides to the ground. Hers is the power of protection, of care for her subjects, of the resolve to fight for a better world. The Alicorn of Love, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. The sword of renewal. She regards her with a frosty glare, and Dwimmer pales. "Princess..."

"But it doesn't have to be like that, Dwimmer. I will return whether you help me or not, but have I not always rewarded loyal service? Stop running from your destiny. Revive me, as you know you can. After all, it seems you'll receive no mercy from your fellow crystal ponies..."

Cadance rears up, eyes flashing and horn glowing with deadly light. “Sombra! Did you think you could disguise yourself as one of my little ponies! At last, I will finally rid the Crystal Empire of your scourge forevermore!”

"No! No, I’m not him!” Even as she pleaded with Cadance for mercy, Dwimmer could feel the shadows welling up within her soul, could hear his voice still murmuring into her ear.

"Do you see, Miss Crown? They’ll never understand you, much less appreciate you, the way I do. You flee from your only refuge.”

Tears welled up in her eyes as she stared down the enraged alicorn, tyrant’s whispers clinging to her mind. “Please… my Princess, please--!”

"Silence! You are no pony of mine. Only an evil to be expunged.” Dwimmer flinches, curling into a ball. Flames of dark magic kindle in her eyes, bubbling and flaring forth to protect herself. But to use dark magic against Princess Cadance would be–

"Exactly what I wanted? And what’s wrong with that, Miss Crown. No one else is coming to save you.”

"WRONG!”

One word, a declaration of power, slams against the awful scene. The world stutters to a halt, the wrathful visage of Princess Cadance blurring at the edge. Behind her, the assembled mob of ponies are likewise frozen in place, staring into nothingness.

No, not nothingness. At the arrival. A crater of hairline fractures in the air itself, glowing white like the moon.

A ringing impact, faintly muffled, sounds again throughout the world. More fractures form, multiplying, until the next impact shatters it outright.

A portal of blinding white cuts into Dwimmer Crown’s nightmare, and out of it steps something. She can’t understand it at first. Looking at it, she knows she should understand what it is, but her mind feels scrambled, unable to resolve shapes into an image at first. Is this still her dream…

'Wait. A dream…? This is a dream!’ With that realization, the intruder snaps into clarity. A tall, elegant figure, blue like the night sky.

Princess Luna, the Alicorn of Dreams.

As if empowered to act by the acknowledgement, a blue mist sweeps through the dream. The watchful gaze of his Majesty is blinded. The mob of ponies are chained to the floor and gagged. Princess Cadance is obscured completely, reduced to a mere silhouette, struggling against the phenomena.

Despite the royal presence, Dwimmer does not immediately prostrate herself, too caught up in marveling at the world around her. The cold, hostile streets of crystal are now just… streets, bereft of feeling and intent. Visions of a happier empire she doesn’t remember seeing since she was a foal. She has to imagine this is how the Crystal Empire feels for ponies who aren’t here.

The marvel lasted only as long as it took her to realize that ignoring an Alicorn might be hazardous to her health. Princess Luna was giving her a scrutinizing look, possibly concerned… or impatient. Dwimmer didn’t know her well enough to tell. At least she could assume that bowing to royalty was a safe bet.

Her head starts to lower, only for the alicorn to cough and hold up a hoof. “We art within thy dream, Dwimmer Crown. Thou need not bow to Us.”

Dwimmer curses internally, taking it on faith that the Alicorn can’t read her thoughts as easily as she’s entered the dream.Now what? Princess Luna was clearly not like his Majesty, though in hindsight that should have been obvious.

"As you say. Pardon my asking, but, why are you in my dream, your Majesty?”

The Alicorn snorts. “Thou hath barely shaken off thy nightmare, and yet ask that of Us? Thy grasping at straws is plainly apparent, child of the earth, but We shall indulge thee. We are here to help thee, Dwimmer Crown. Verily, thy suffering was a beacon from across the Dreamscape to Us.”

She was somewhat annoyed to be seen through so easily, even by an Alicorn. Perhaps because they were in a dream, or perhaps just because a poker face was clearly futile, but Dwimmer found it a little difficult to keep her usual wallflower neutrality. “I don’t think my situation is that bad, your Majesty.”

There was an acidic emphasis on the formal title that gave both of them pause. Luna recovered first, and struck decisively and efficiently with a raised eyebrow and a sweeping hoof gesture to their surroundings. Dwimmer winced.

"Point taken. But what happens now? You’ve ended the nightmare. You have other places to be, surely.” She was nervous. If this was an interrogation, she wanted to avoid it. If this was an attempt to help, did she really deserve it?

Worst of all, she couldn't tell which–Princess Luna gave very little away with a perfect, imperious mien.

"Nay, We do not. It is the nature of the Dreamscape to duplicate Our presence a thousandfold, a boon granted by the laws of this plane. There is nowhere else for us to be, save here and now. Furthermore...”

Princess Luna leans down, giving Dwimmer a flat look and flaring her wings. “… Do not think Us fooled by thy deflections. Thou art clearly troubled."

Ponyfeathers.

"From thy dream, We glean that thou feel responsible for that wretch's crimes, enough to create this cruel parody of Our niece to menace thee. But why? What reason hath thy fellow crystal ponies to loath thee so?”

Like this, the Alicorn took up her entire field of view. Lordly blue wings obscured the familiar skies and spires of the Crystal Empire, and looking back would mean looking away. Dwimmer found that she couldn't.

But she didn't want to answer, either. "Why should I tell you? Just because you helped doesn't mean I owe you answers."

"Hah! Verily, though some We know might disagree. Nay, thou art under no obligation to share thy plight. Not even to a Princess such as Us. However, We must ask thee: How long?"

"… I don't understand."

"Falsehoods, thou knows precisely of what We speak, but very well. We will say it plain, lest this farce continue. How long wilt thou keep up this life? Feeling hated by all thy fellows? Canst thou resolve thy plight alone? Or art thou simply avoiding the facts in front of thee?"

"My sins are hardly fit for the ears of a princess. It isn't a good story."

"Thou art in jest. Surely thou hath heard of Our sins? Thou would place thy crimes above Nightmare Moon, then?"

If circumstances had been different, she might have stayed stubborn to the end, even before an alicorn. But today had been the same dreary misery as yesterday, and the day before that. The nightmares were clearly only getting worse, if they required an alicorn to intervene. She had to confront the fact that things weren’t going to improve by just waiting, and if the demands of royalty were her excuse for this moment of weakness? So much the better.

She turns, gesturing to her cutie mark. From the frown on her face, Princess Luna recognizes the significance of that dark crystal crown immediately. Even still, there is a blink of surprise when Dwimmer speaks.

"I was King Sombra’s aide. Out of fear, and a lack of options, at first. Well, there wasn’t ever really any choice, but… as time went on, it became easier to just shut my heart off to what I was doing and ignore it. Acting the part of a heartless wallflower kept me beneath his notice until my cutie mark appeared, and after that, no one would believe I didn’t want to help anyways, so it was… easier to just accept it.”

The alicorn hadn’t condemned her immediately, which she took as a sign to continue. Or maybe, now that the dam had broken, she simply couldn't be stopped.

"Maybe it’s because of certain… gifts, left with me, but I remember everything from his reign, unlike everyone else. I know exactly what it is I’ve done. But even if their memories are hazy, they still remember me a little. They remember that I was his tool."

"And they’re starting to remember more and more, as his magic fades. When the Empire heals completely, I doubt they’d suffer the last remnant of his Majesty to live. I can’t even say they’d be wrong for it…”

"… But I don’t want to die. And I don’t want… this. Even if I don’t deserve it, I want a second chance. It isn’t fair, I wasn’t any safer than the rest of them, I just got lucky. And can you really call that luck?! I-I- just…”

Hot tears drip to the ground of the dreamscape. She stares at them in shock. When had she gotten so worked up? She hears Princess Luna start to move, and flinches, expecting an attack, only for a dark blue wing to wrap around her, a comforting gesture she didn’t understand. The only thing saving her from Prince Cadance’s wrath, as far as she knew, was no one remembering enough of her crimes to inform the new ruler of her existence. So why was the original slayer of his Majesty not finishing the job? Why…?

"W-why are you…? Why am I alive?”

"Peace, lost one. Monsters such as thee and I ought to collaborate."

Dwimmer raises an eyebrow despite herself, managing to snark through the sobs "'Thee and I'? How familiar of you, Princess."

"Hmph. We art within thy dream, and more alike than weknew. Thou wilt forgive me some informality."

After some time, Dwimmer struggles out of the embrace of the wing, earning a bemused snort from Princess Luna. The former aide of King Sombra stalks back around to face the alicorn.

"So."

"So?"

"So, what now? You know… everything I feel like telling you. Which is everything there is to tell. So what do I do about it?"

"Prithee wilt thou not consider talking to Our niece? She is more forgiving than thy dreams construe." The flat look Dwimmer returned drew a dry chuckle out of Princess Luna. "Verily, thine answer is as We thought. Allow us to offer an alternate proposal, then, should thee be amenable."

"There's no price for asking, your Majesty."

"Thou hides thysarcasm poorly, Dwimmer Crown. As We were saying, if thou cannot find peace in the Crystal Empire, why not leave it?"

"Leave…? Where would I even go? To Equestria?"

"Aye, to Canterlot, to be precise. We find Ourself loathe to accept Tia's offer of servants from her own holdings, for they would be hers first and Ours second. Thus, We find Ourself with numerous openings."

Dwimmer glances back at the obscured and deformed visage of his Majesty. "Well, I suppose I do have a lot of experience as an aide to Royalty."

"Forsooth, We take the survival of Sombra's empire in its later years as proof of thy qualifications. Though We do not blame thee… Or so We would say, were thy pride not clearly evident."

Luna's considering look gets an embarrassed cough from the crystal pony. "It wasn't all forbidden magic and evil lab experiments, there was a lot of paperwork to sort through too. Staying on top of it wasn't easy, and you only missed a quota once. I can be a little proud of making it through that, I think."

The alicorn nods amicably. "Verily, We do not cast judgement, though saying such things in Tia's presence will certainly get Us asked about Our hiring criteria. Prithee rephrase such sentiments in the waking world."

"I can liquidate my assets here… Well, really that's just my house, but it'll give me the money to make the trip and have some spending money while in Canterlot. I'll need to find a place to stay in short order though." She didn't voice it out loud, but she was planning to buy a sleeping bag and bed down in her office if Princess Luna let her get away with it.

Luna coughs into a hoof. "Thou need not worry, We will make arrangements for thee." She looked slightly embarrassed about it, something Dwimmer picked up on. But what would—Oh.

"Your Highness, given why you're hiring me, would I be correct in assuming that you are in fact making these arrangements in person…?" The flat look she gets makes her glance away, though the snort that follows tells her that Luna isn't particularly upset… with her.

"Verily, though are perceptive, Our aide. We have myriad disguises to this end, so as not to burden thee with an Alicorn's direct favor. We would not have thou swarmed by reporters and social climbers the instant thou arrives."

While Princess Luna was obviously a hooves-on sort of pony, they both knew this was possibly a bit much, even if it was her preference. The alicorn moves on, waving a hoof. "Simply ensure thou slumbers regularly, and We will provide thee the details."

There is a faint tremor throughout the dream. The scene is beginning to lose the last of its resolution, melting into a slurry of color. Princess Luna sighs, and locks eyes with Dwimmer.

"Dwimmer Crown, Our time comes to a close, and soon thou wilt return to the waking world and all its torments. But take heart, for thou are not alone. As the Princess of Dreams and Night, We will craft a shelter for thee."

Dwimmer did not want to cry, again, so at first she simply nodded. And then, slightly choking up, managed to force out "I look forward to working with you, Princess Luna."

The alicorn gives a warm smile, and nods. "As do We."

Dwimmer Crown wakes up.