The pervasive yet gentle luminescence of the dreamscape rapidly replaces the darkness beneath Luna's closed eyelids and she blinks a few times, scanning the area for her mental companion as her eyes adjust to the light, "Selena?"

"Over here!" Selena calls out from nowhere nearby, distance quieting her voice and the multitude of hovering doors further obstructing her location.

However, Selena's words are also accompanied by a tug on Luna's consciousness, the pull rotating her like a compass' needle until she faces the direction from which Selena's voice originated. Spreading her wings, Luna pushes against the incorporeal air, flying towards the strengthening pull until Selena comes into view, the dream mare floating beside the familiar wooden door to Celestia's resting mind. Stopping momentarily in front of the door, Luna twists the knob and pushes it open, gravity exerting itself as her body passes through the door frame to hold her to the white marble floor of Canterlot Castle's throne room. Selena follows Luna into the dream, her form dissolving into sparkling smoke as soon as she fully enters, merging seamlessly with Luna's shadow.

Luna does not move further into the dream however, her eyes narrowing as she examines the large, otherwise empty room, "This is not right."

What do you mean? Selena asks, her voice as loud as though she were standing beside Luna rather than hiding below her.

Luna's gaze sweeps the room again before responding, pausing for an instant on each out of place imperfection, "The castle is not this damaged in the real world. Look at the floor; there are cracks everywhere. Some of the columns too, and the right arm of the throne is chipped."

Surprise filters back to Luna as Selena notices the state of the room, suspicion rapidly taking its place, That is a bit more than a chip. And everything just seems… greyer, too. You don't think… ?

"I do not know," Luna replies, turning slowly on her heel and taking a few wary steps towards the throne room's exit, her eyes widening as she sees one of the double doors hanging from the wall by a single bent hinge. "I cannot sense any nightmare, but all the same, we must be on our guard."

An image of Selena nodding determinedly appears in Luna's mind's eye for an instant, Agreed.

Pushing open the undamaged door, the pair leave the room and take a left, their nerves fraying as they wander through the seemingly abandoned castle – multiple times Luna whirling with her horn glowing and lowered towards an unexpected sound only to find it to have been a wind from nowhere pushing on a squeaky door or a piece of rock falling from a freshly formed fracture in the walls or ceiling.

As the pair rounds yet another corner, the sound of a single set of steel-shod hooves marching on stone suddenly cuts through the silence, the sound emanating from a corridor further ahead to their right. A stray spark pops off Luna's horn as she and Selena wait, the aura enveloping her horn pulsing rhythmically as she takes a defensive stance, waiting for whatever approaches. Several seconds later, a Royal Guard exits the corridor, stoically continuing his march despite Luna's threatening posture until he's only a few strides away.

Coming to a halt, he looks up at Luna, meeting her eyes for the first time, "Are you here to see the Princess?"

"We are," Luna replies, keeping her tone carefully neutral.

The guard watches her unblinkingly, nodding after a moment and mechanically turning around to face the way he had come, "Follow me."

Luna hesitates, remaining where she is until the guard stops and looks back at her expectantly. Forcing her hooves into motion, she follows his lead through the crumbling castle, making sure to stay a couple paces behind her guide while keeping her horn lit and at the ready. Eventually the trio arrive at a pair of large metal doors, an image of the sun emblazoned across them, though Luna's gaze is drawn to a large dent marring the door on the right.

Veering away from their destination, the guard takes his place standing next to the dented door and facing them, "You may enter."

His duty done, the guard stares straight ahead, becoming still enough to be mistaken for a statue if not for the slow expansion and contraction of his abdomen.

Walking forward, Luna pushes on the undamaged door, squinting against the onslaught of golden light which pours out to meet her, the light repairing everything it touches to return the entirety of the hallway behind her to its former glory. Taking another step, Luna fully enters the room, the door swinging shut as she does so – the hallway's repairs flickering and fading as soon as the closing door cuts off the light from within.

An inviting warmth surrounds Luna as she stands just inside the room, but she shrugs it off, a quick examination revealing none of the defects plaguing the rest of the castle aside from the dented door – the pleasant glow bathing the room seemingly coming from each of the stones making up the floor, walls, and ceiling rather than any central light source. Looking straight ahead, her gaze lands upon a mass of parchment stacked on – and piled around – an ancient oaken desk, Celestia sitting behind it while a stallion dressed in pre-eminently professional attire sits on a white and black checkered pillow in front of her.

"I understand that, Decimal Place," Celestia says tiredly, Luna's presence not drawing so much as a glance, "but-"

"With all due respect, but nothing, your highness," Decimal Place interrupts tartly. "For better or worse, they are living within Equestria, on Equestrian territory. Thus, they are part of Equestria, and must be subject to its laws. Even the Crystal 'Empire', as a semi-autonomous province, pays their dues to the crown. If you grant the changelings an exception, then the crystal ponies will start to question why they can't have an exception as well, and so on and so forth. And then you must consider those changelings living primarily within non-changeling communities. Would they then be exempt from taxation as well? What about mixed couples, and mixed families? Exceptions will not make sound policy here, Princess."

Celestia sighs, rubbing her eyes, "I know, I know… I am just running out of ideas of how to justify it to them."

Decimal Place glances at Luna, then stands, giving Celestia a brisk bow, "In any case, I will take my leave. I look forward to your decision, your highness."

Stopping in front of Luna, Decimal Place offers her a bow as well before pushing open the doors and exiting into the rest of the castle. Luna walks up to Celestia's desk as the door once more closes, pushing Decimal Place's pillow aside and summoning a larger, entirely blue pillow for herself to sit on while Celestia attempts to organize one of the smaller stacks of paper.

"Where is Twilight when you need her?" Celestia mutters to herself.

Luna glances between her sister and the piles of paper, clearing her throat when Celestia remains oblivious to her existence, "I could attempt to bring her here, if you wish."

"Oh! No, there's no… need… " Celestia blinks owlishly at Luna, groaning as she takes another look at her surroundings. "I'm dreaming, aren't I?"

"You are," Luna confirms.

Celestia grunts, "And I would seem to be dreaming about taxes."

"So it would seem," Luna agrees.

Celestia glances around the room again, "Well, in that case… "

Celestia's horn flares to life, the mountains of parchment bursting harmlessly into flame – innumerable tax documents incinerated to nothing in mere seconds.

"Better?" Luna asks, the ends of her mouth twitching upwards.

Celestia leans back from her now scorched desk, smiling with satisfaction, "Much."

Luna chuckles, "Though I am loath to bring up another such serious topic, if taxation of the hives is what you are worrying about, can I assume your meeting with Fluttershy's mother went well?"

"The beginning was somewhat rough," Celestia admits, "but once those difficulties were resolved, everything went quite smoothly."

Luna raises an eyebrow, "And by 'rough', you mean… ?"

"Well… " Celestia shuffles her hooves uncomfortably. "She tried to suffocate me."

Luna's other eyebrow shoots up and she stares wide-eyed at her sister, "What?!"

"So then I blasted her into the wall," Celestia adds. "Twice."

"You-you… the queen, you… " Luna sputters, gaping at Celestia as words fail her.

"But, as I said, everything went very well after that," Celestia states defensively. "Queen Amaranth agreed to pass along our letter to the other changeling queens once we write it. Also, it turns out one of Photo Finish's assistants is Fluttershy's other parent, and said parent is a pegasus rather than a changeling. She is an… interesting pony to speak with."

Luna shakes her head, the motion helping to restart her thought processes, "I… see… well then, that is good, we suppose."

Celestia's ears twitch and she narrows her eyes, giving Luna a once-over followed by an increasingly close examination of her dream room.

"Is something the matter?" Luna queries as Celestia's gaze rakes the ceiling.

"You said 'we'," Celestia answers, returning her attention to Luna.

"Ah," Luna says, wincing internally. "So I did."

"She is here then?" Celestia asks, "Your friend?"

"She is," Luna replies, shooting a quick glance at her shadow.

Celestia waits a moment, speaking again when Luna does not elaborate, "May I meet her?"

Luna opens her mouth, hesitating for an instant before replying, "I realize you said you wanted to meet her when I returned to Canterlot, but are you sure you would not rather wait until I have returned to the real Canterlot?"

Celestia shakes her head, "We are all here, we may as well do it now."

Luna glances down again, Selena?

OK, just… g-give me a minute, Selena replies, a slight tremble in her voice.

"She will be out in a minute," Luna states, looking back up at Celestia. "She is just a little nervous."

Celestia nods, but says nothing, her expression inscrutable.

True to Luna's word, a blob of darkness detaches from her shadow after a minute passes, Celestia automatically leaning away as the shadow takes the shape of an alicorn whose deep blue coat and eyes are nearly as dark as the shadow from which she formed, her flowing mane and tail appearing as an ever-shifting window into the void itself. Selena fidgets nervously as the white-coated alicorn examines her, Celestia's eyes widening slightly when they land on Selena's cutie mark of a gibbous moon – none of the three alicorns noticing as a few of the glowing stones from which the room is constructed flicker out, greyness consuming the rectangular rocks while tiny fractures spread across them.

"This," Luna says, breaking the silence, "is Selena."

Celestia smiles courteously in response, "Hello Selena, I'm-"

"Celestia!" Selena blurts out, immediately looking at the floor, her ears pinned down, "Sorry I didn't mean – sorry."

"It's fine," Celestia replies, her smile wobbling ever so slightly. "Don't worry about it."

Silence quickly reclaims the room as Luna glances worriedly between Celestia and Selena, Selena staring determinedly at the floor while Celestia calmly watches her.

"So… " Celestia says as the time between words nears its second minute, "you live in Luna's mind?"

Selena rapidly jerks her head up and down, eyes darting to Celestia for an instant before returning to the floor, "Yes."

"And," Celestia continues once it becomes clear Selena does not plan to say anything else, "since you originate from the dream realm, do you assist Luna with her duties here?"

Selena nods, her head moving a little more slowly this time as she glances over at her host, "I usually just find where Luna needs to go; Luna is the one who confronts a nightmare or gives ponies advice for their problems."

"Do not sell yourself short," Luna adds encouragingly. "I could not cover nearly the ground on my own as we do together, and when it comes down to it you can definitely hold your own against any of the other less-than-savory dream creatures."

Selena ducks her head at the compliment, murmuring something incomprehensible.

Celestia's smile widens and relaxes, the expression no longer originating solely from politeness, "Well, no matter what your role, I am glad that you and Luna are watching over all our dreams."

"Y-You are?" Selena stammers.

"Of course," Celestia replies, "though I am curious; what do you do while Luna is awake? Since as you said you are living within Luna's mind rather than living in the dreamscape and sharing some sort of telepathic connection with her, I would assume that you only have access to the dreamscape when she does."

"Well, that's right, I don't," Selena answers. "Have access to the dreamscape when Luna is awake, I mean. S-So… while Luna's awake, I-I… I usually-"

"She is the peanut gallery," Luna interrupts, grinning.

Selena flushes, a barely reddish tint managing to cover her face, "Lunaaaa."

Luna snickers in response.

Celestia frowns, more thin cracks spidering across the wall to her right, "Then Selena is watching everything you do?"

"I suppose that is true," Luna says with a shrug. "However, she also helps to provide an alternative perspective on many situations, as well as simply being somepony to bounce ideas off of." She bumps Selena's shoulder playfully, "Or somepony to play I Spy or other such games with on the occasion a noble wishes to give a particularly long-winded speech."

Selena looks at Luna, a nervous smile flickering across her face.

"I see," Celestia replies, glancing at the floor for a moment as she considers her next question. "And while I do not mean to offend, I feel I need to ask – is she at all related to the Nightmare Moon entity?"

"That's n-not really-" Selena interrupts herself, swallowing loudly before again attempting to answer. "That's not really a valid question, actually."

Celestia looks to Luna, her brow knit in confusion.

"What she means is that there is no separate 'Nightmare Moon' entity, technically speaking," Luna clarifies.

Additional cracks begin to make their way across the floor from where Celestia is sitting, sneaking from under her luxurious white sitting pillow to make their way beneath the burnt desk in front of her, "What?"

Luna sighs, "Despite how long Selena has been with me, we still tend to look at many things very differently, which allows one of us to reign in the other's more extreme reactions to some situations by providing an alternate point of view. However, that did not happen leading up to our banishment 1000 years ago. During that time we were both displeased with how we were being treated, so instead of helping each other to find balance we ended up reinforcing each other, our mind becoming an echo chamber of our own anger." She pauses, her gaze dropping to the desk between them for a second before continuing, "So, 'Nightmare Moon' is less of an independent entity, and more a figment of our escalating insanity driven by our rage as well as our delving into no small amount of black magic once our hatred began growing out of control."

"So you lied to me about being possessed," Celestia states flatly.

Luna shifts uncomfortably, "It was a lie of omission, perhaps. You were the one who assumed I had been possessed, and looking back on it now, after having been cleansed by the Elements, it does feel as though we had been possessed by something, even if it was only our own madness. However," Luna bows her head and closes her eyes, Selena following suit, "I am sorry for allowing your assumption to go uncorrected, sister."

Celestia inhales deeply, holding it for an instant, then letting out a long, slow exhalation, "I forgive you – both of you – as long as you don't 'omit' things of this magnitude in the future."

"Thanks," Selena says quietly, raising her head.

Luna bobs her head in agreement, looking up as well, "Is there anything else you wish to know?"

"How long have you two known each other?" Celestia asks after a moment of thought, "From the sound of things she has been with you since before the Nightmare Moon incident, and by a fairly significant margin at that."

"Umm… well… " Luna replies, her gaze sliding over to stare at the wall to her right for a few seconds before she sighs and looks back at Celestia. "She has been with me prior to even our meeting."

Celestia's eyes widen, "So she was there during… "

Luna nods, "During our conflict, yes. In fact, we would alternate nights where either I, or her disguised as me, would inflict nightmares on your warriors while the other would watch over our thestrals."

White light covers Selena's body as Luna speaks, the magical glow fading to reveal a perfect copy of Luna standing beside the real one for a couple seconds before Selena returns to her previous form.

"That… does explain a few things, actually," Celestia murmurs. "Still, it has been millennia since that era, and you never once told me about her?"

"It never seemed like a good time," Luna answers matter-of-factly. "The truce we established following our locating the Elements and Discord's subsequent defeat was quite tenuous for many years, during which time keeping her existence a secret from you was a significant tactical advantage to the point that very few thestrals even knew she existed, not to mention that revealing her to you may well have reignited the conflict all on its own. Then once our mutual animosity died down, and friendship began to take its place, it did not seem worth bringing up – there was very little to gain by telling you and quite a bit to lose. By the time that phase passed, and we started to truly and completely trust one another and see the other as a sister, it had been the way it was for so long that the thought of telling you no longer crossed our mind."

"Fair enough, I suppose," Celestia says tiredly. "I still wish you had told me earlier though."

Luna shrugs, a couple small pieces of rubble bouncing off her shoulder as she does so.

Celestia blinks as she notices the falling debris, her ears twitching at the sound of it hitting the floor, "That's odd… "

Luna gives her sister a flat look, "Celestia, what is the matter? Clearly something is bothering you beyond my not telling you about Selena."

"I don't know what you mean," Celestia replies brusquely. "Nothing is wrong."

"This dream is very nearly falling apart," Luna states, pointing to the various cracks marring the room while Selena points at the dent in the room's door, Celestia's eyes widening as she follows their hooves. "That which fell on me is the least of it – the entire rest of the castle outside of this room is in an even worse state of disrepair."

"I don't know. You two are the ones with power over dreams, why don't you tell me why my dream looks like this?" Celestia demands, accusation tainting her tone.

"Tia, you just spoke of how you wished I had been more open and honest with you, and have wasted no opportunity since our return to remind me that you are willing to listen if anything is troubling me," Luna says, her voice gentle. "However, the same also applies to you. If something is troubling you, I would hope you would tell me about it rather than allowing it to fester. We both know all too well what the latter action can lead to."

Celestia's hostility melts away as quickly as it had appeared and she stares at her desk, ears lowering, "It… it's nothing, really… "

Luna waits expectantly, meeting Celestia's eyes and holding her gaze when she looks up.

"There's just been so much changing since your return, and while I do not believe they are related nor would I trade anything for having you with me once again, it seems like it has been disaster after disaster from the more minor ones which afflict Ponyville on a sometimes weekly basis all the way up to Discord trying to reconquer Equestria, Queen Chrysalis trying to conquer Equestria, Sombra getting free from his prison and not only attempting to reconquer the Crystal Empire but then reappearing in Ponyville of all places – the process of recapturing him not only revealing the vamponies and our crimes against them but a whole mess of changeling hives as well! And then it turns out you've had somepony else living in your head the entire time I've known you and you never felt like-" Celestia cuts herself off and closes her eyes, reopening them after her breathing calms just in time to see a couple larger pieces of rock fall to the floor behind Luna. "It can be quite overwhelming at times, to say the least. But, there is no rest for the weary, as they say," she adds wryly, the multiple sets of cracks around the room receding somewhat as she regains her composure. "So, how did your meeting with the vamponies go?"

Luna and Selena trade looks, annoyance crossing Celestia's face as she senses a silent understanding pass between them.

"Do not worry about the vamponies," Luna says, turning back to Celestia, "we can handle that situation on our own. You, on the other hoof, should take a break from all of this for a few days and try to relax."

"Relax?!" Celestia exclaims incredulously, "How can I relax? The vamponies are a predatory powder keg, the changelings… are… changelings, meanwhile Sombra is imprisoned beneath the castle, and on top of all of that the press is going to have an absolute field day with any one of those things once this starts getting out. I can't just drop everything for a few days and take a break; it would be irresponsible of me as a leader to let any of that sit rather than working towards a resolution, much less all of it."

"Just because you are one of Equestria's rulers does not mean you constantly need to have a hoof in everything of any importance going on," Luna replies steadfastly. "You need to be able to trust others to handle the affairs of state from time to time. Besides, finding a way to end Sombra once and for all will undoubtedly take months of research and experimentation, if not more. Adding a few more days to that count will make little difference."

"But-"

"As for the changelings," Luna says, pushing through her sister's attempted protestation effortlessly, "the only next step is to write a letter to the remaining queens, and as said letter will be drafted in cooperation with myself, Cadence, and Twilight, the only possible action you can take is to send a missive requesting Cadence's presence in Canterlot in a few days, at which point I will also have brought Twilight with me from Ponyville. Unless of course you were planning on writing the entire letter yourself, and were then going to present it for tweaking once the rest of us arrived."

Celestia glances away sheepishly, her denial of the charge dying in her throat.

"The vamponies are certainly a more immediate concern due to their location and nature," Luna continues, "however, as I said, Selena and I will handle that situation. And while there are of course the day to day meetings and responsibilities, none of them are so important that you cannot delegate or postpone them for a few days. As for the press… " she grins mischievously, "we suggest directing them to Discord, and giving him mostly free reign over what to do when asked any questions."

"I… I suppose… that could work," Celestia wavers as she processes Luna's suggestion, worry creeping into her voice. "Are you sure you're ready though?"

"Dearest sister," Luna replies, raising her nose in mock offense, "it has been nearly four years since our return, of course we are ready."

Luna lowers her nose after a brief pause, a gentle smile replaces her faked offense, "Besides, you have done so much for Equestria while we were banished, and while we re-acclimated; it is far past time we began pulling our own weight. So please, promise us you will actually take a break. Spend a day or two at the spa, get a few massages, eat some cake, I can raise and lower the sun if you wish to sleep in, or if there is anything else you would like us to do from Ponyville you need only to name it. After all," she adds teasingly, "once our negotiations with the hives begin, we can't have you blasting any more queens into walls now, can we?"

"That was not my fault," Celestia objects, fighting back a giggle. "She started that fight, I merely made sure to finish it."

Luna grins, "In any case, you cannot tell us that all of these recent changes aside from my return are for the worst. Perhaps you should take the opportunity to spend more time with Discord, when he isn't playing with whichever poor fool decided to bother him for answers or a quote."

Celestia's mood collapses at Luna's words and she recoils, "That's not – you know?! For how long?! Does anypony else-"

"Peace, peace," Luna says, quickly moving through the desk separating them as though it were not there to embrace Celestia. "Did you really think that we would not notice how close you and Discord have become? He may, quite literally, be many things, but 'subtle' is not one of them. And while he may not be the very special some…one we would have expected, we are happy as long as he makes you happy. Now, spend some time with him rather than worrying about the vamponies, the changelings, and everything else."

"You didn't say if anypony else knows," Celestia points out after a couple tense seconds.

"Do not worry about it," Luna replies.

Celestia takes a deep breath and allows her mind to empty, "Okay. I'll try."

Luna releases Celestia from her hug and takes a step back, "I am glad to hear it."

"And… I guess… " Celestia says, false reluctance lacing her tone, "if you're really going to force my hoof like this… sleeping in for the first time in over a thousand years does sound nice."

Luna backs up a few more steps to once more stand beside Selena, the latter wasting no time in rejoining the shadow of the former, "Consider it done. However, we have taken more than enough time from your slumber, and will let you return to your dreaming. If there is anything else you would have us do, please do not hesitate to send us a letter via Spike."

Celestia raises a foreleg to shield her eyes against a stinging burst of white light, glancing around in confusion once it dissipates as she finds Luna gone and herself sitting against an oak tree in the middle of a strangely familiar meadow. The feeling of two small hooves wrapped around one of her own makes its way to her mind as she attempts to process the sudden change in scenery, and she glances down to see a filly Twilight with a small flower woven into her mane hugging one of her forelegs, Celestia tentatively raising her other foreleg to feel a similar flower in her own mane. A tugging sensation interrupts her epiphany though, and she looks back at the hoof claimed by Twilight to find it now partially covered in a purple glow, Twilight's telekinesis straining to pull her away from the tree.

"Come on, Princess!" Twilight says urgently, "There's something I need to show you!"

Celestia allows the tiny unicorn to drag her to her hooves, pausing to look up at the sky, her eyes lingering on one of only a few clouds floating high in the otherwise clear blue ocean above her, Thank you.

Letting her lucidity fade, Celestia allows the dream to reclaim her awareness as she follows Twilight, the galloping filly only just able to keep ahead of her mentor's much longer strides.

Luna and Selena observe the dream Twilight lead Celestia towards a small pond from their place atop the largest cloud in the sky, both their heads pushed through the floor of the cloud but covered with its fluffy moisture to leave only their eyes at all visible to those below.

"You know," Selena comments as she continues watching, "if you are going to speak to Celestia about being trusting and open with each other, then you should listen to your own words and tell her about the Tantabus."

"No," Luna replies sharply. "She has more than enough on her mind without me burdening her further with my own problems."

"Maybe," Selena says, raising her head from the cloud, "but she would want to know anyway, Luna. Do you really think she'd-"

The rest of her question never makes it out of her mouth as she turns towards Luna, instead finding an open doorway leading to the rest of the dreamscape. Sighing, she takes one last look at Celestia and Twilight through the pair of holes left in the cloud from their heads, then flies after Luna, the door vanishing as it closes behind her.

Caramel pushes open the door leading to the rear of the town hall, the glow of Vinyl's magic holding it ajar for him as he carefully eases himself through the doorway, simultaneously attempting to not unbalance the pair of folded tables stacked on his back while also keeping them from hitting the door frame. Once fully through, the door ceases glowing and swings shut to block the last dying sounds of the party, leaving Caramel alone with his thoughts.

Trotting down the hallway, he stops in front of one of the rooms, the image of a table carved into the wood of the small square sign on the wall next to it. Gently lowering the tables to the floor, Caramel turns the knob and opens the door, sticking his head inside to look for a doorstop only to be stymied by the complete and utter darkness hiding most of the room. Squinting, he takes a couple steps into the room, freezing as he hears movement to his right. Slowly rotating his head towards the sound, his eyes meet a pair of blood red ones, the slitted pupils contracting against the unwelcome light coming through the doorway. Slowly turning his head to face forward, he scans the rest of the mostly empty room, three more pairs of red eyes opening to squint at him as he does so.

"Sorry," Caramel whispers, silently backing out of the room and closing the door.

Leaving the tables on the floor, Caramel trots back to the main room of the town hall, returning a minute later to hang a sign on the handle of the door to the table-room before lifting the tables to lean them against the wall. Cantering once more to the main room, Caramel opens the door and steps away, holding it for Colgate as she walks past him levitating a mashed together blob of leftover cake.

However, as she walks down the hallway, the sign catches her attention and she pauses to read it.

DO NOT ENTER

Her eyes move from the sign to the doorknob, curiosity urging her to open the door anyway. Tired disinterest eventually wins out though, and she shrugs to herself before continuing on her path to elsewhere.

Author's Notes:

I realized after a few comments on a recent chapter that I haven't been portraying Celestia in the best of lights, so hopefully this provides something of an explanation for some of her behavior.