Thorax owlishly blinked at Luna as the night princess stood before him, her head dipped respectfully. He glanced over to Chrysalis, finding that his queen was just as lost as he was, if her expression was anything to go off of. After a few moments of unbearable silence reigning over them, and the eyes of over a thousand changelings staring down at them in a mixture of curiosity and fear, he responded.

"Um... could we perhaps... go somewhere a bit more private?" Thorax asked, his voice coming out as no more than a squeak in the massive cavern.

Luna nodded, "Of course. Would you like to come with us?" She offered, unfurling a wing and pointing to the staircase exit behind her.

Thorax nervously gulped before glancing back at the house directly behind him, "Um... would... would you like to come into my room? It's not much... certainly not fit for royalty, but..." He trailed off, his nerves getting the best of him.

Luna smiled a soft, soothing smile, "I would be happy to, Thorax. You needn't worry about accommodations." She replied.

Thorax nodded and turned around, leading the small group to structure nearest to him. He opened the door and ushered the night princess in, along with his queen, but he noticeably froze as the two thestral guards walked in. Luna noticed the sudden fear flash through the changeling's eyes, but just as soon as it was there, it was gone, almost as if he realized that the guards weren't who he thought they were. Once they were all inside, Thorax led them to the large living space he called his room.

Luna eyed the house with interest, finding that Thorax had several pictures and paintings stuck to the wall with some kind of green paste. The paintings, while all similar in coloration, looked remarkably masterful, given the changeling's lack of resources or proper education. Several of them were painted with linework techniques that she recognized instantly, making a fond smile form on her muzzle as she observed.

"Are these your pieces?" Luna inquired, observing one closely while Thorax bowed to his queen.

"Oh! Um, yes! I asked some of the guards if they could bring me some parchment and paint and they actually did! I was so surprised that I had to start painting right away. I... know they're not very good, but-" He explained, before Luna cut him off.

"Not at all. These are marvelous paintings, Thorax. I must admit, I'm partial to this one." Luna smiled, pointing to a depiction of what she assumed was Thorax standing along two royal guards, smiles on all of their faces.

Thorax blushed, his features turning green, "Oh, w-well... thank you. I had to do them by hoof so the strokes were a bit jerky, but I'm managing. Those were the two day guards that were nice to me." He replied, smiling, despite himself.

"I'm glad to hear that. I'm something of a painter, myself. Perhaps once we get those mana rings off of you all, then you can show me what you can really do?" Luna offered, a sincere smile on her face.

"Oh, I would love to! Thank you, Princess!" Thorax beamed.

Luna smiled and nodded, "Of course. Now, as for the reason I came down here in the first place..."

"Um, i-it's nothing you need to trouble yourself with, Princess. It was j-just a nightmare. I get them all the time. No worries." He replied, before remembering himself and quickly dropping into a bow before her.

Luna fiercely shook her head as she stood tall once more, "Thorax, I cannot in good conscience, accept that as an answer. Your nightmare last night, it was of the invasion, was it not?" She pressed, taking a step toward the changeling.

Thorax hesitantly nodded, "It... it was... h-how did you..." He responded, before his eyes lit up in realization, "Y-you were there. T-that was actually you!" He exclaimed, a look of shock plastering itself on his features.

Luna solemnly nodded, "It was. I did not realize that the dream was your dream. A changeling dream... up until just a few hours ago, I was under the impression that your kind could not dream at all. I was careless and didn't assess the situation before acting as I would for any pony... and you suffered because of that... because of me." She sadly recounted.

Thorax worked his jaw several times in an attempt to speak, but found that no words came out. As Luna fixed him with a pleading gaze, the remorse and guilt positively flowing from her, he was overcome with a sudden sense of relief. The small changeling let out a slightly relieved sigh as he met the lunar alicorn's gaze, a new look of gratefulness on his face.

"I understand... and I can't tell you how much it means to me that you would come down here just to see me for something like that. I... honestly didn't think you cared about us that much." Thorax replied, his response making Luna wince.

"I... haven't been the most gracious of hosts, as I'm sure you can sense. I distrusted your kind ever since the wedding. Ponies' dreams were plagued with memories of the invasion. As the princess of dreams, it struck me especially hard, knowing that my ponies couldn't find rest even in their slumber... I worked diligently to rectify that, but now I see that the effect went both ways. I wanted to atone for my mistake... to find some way to right the wrong that I've done to not just you personally, but your whole kind since you've arrived. I didn't even think to ask if you could dream..." Luna trailed off.

Thorax was stunned by the honesty and sadness behind Luna's words. For the third time in just as many minutes, Thorax found himself at a loss for words. The only thing he could manage was a small smile, and a hoof over his chest to convey his gratefulness to the princess of the night.

The silence also gave Chrysalis all the time she needed to walk up to Luna's side, "Are you planning on visiting all of my changelings' dreams going forward?" She asked, genuinely curious as she eyed the alicorn.

Luna nodded, "I am. I can't attend to everypony in one night, but I can make a dent. As Equestrian citizens, your changelings shouldn't have to suffer in their dreams."

Chrysalis gave a satisfactory nod, "I appreciate that. Thank you. That's very kind of you to do." She offered, genuinely.

Luna dismissively waved a hoof, "Think nothing of it. I'm only sorry that I didn't do it sooner." She smiled.

"Um, Princess?" Kiowa spoke up, leaning in from her opposite side.

"Yes?" Luna asked, turning to face the thestral.

"It's nearly eleven in the morning." He stated, professionally.

Luna nodded, "Ah, thank you, Kiowa. We should be-" She began, before another, higher pitched voice called out from the doorway.

"Thorax! I'm back!" Ocellus called, stepping into the room before nearly bumping into Top.

The tiny changeling froze in place, her eyes wide as saucers as she stared up at the black-furred thestral. A look of utter and complete fear consumed her features, and she took a step back, her wings buzzing as she prepared to run.

"Ocellus, please, calm yourself." Chrysalis spoke up, and just like that, Ocellus's wings froze. She slowly looked over to her queen, a puzzled look in her eyes as she tilted her head to the side.

"They aren't the twin thestrals, Ocellus. It's fine. Princess Luna is here." Thorax announced, making both batponies and Luna raise an eyebrow.

An audible sigh of relief left the little changeling's mouth as she visibly relaxed, "Oh, okay. Whew, I was really scared there for a second." She replied.

"Twin thestrals?" Luna questioned, looking back and forth between Thorax and Ocellus.

"The two thestrals you assigned to Prince Anon. Dusk and Echo." Chrysalis explained.

Luna nodded, her eyes wide in realization, "Ah, I see," She replied, before another realization hit her and she turned to Thorax, "The two dark figures in your dream. Those were Dusk and Echo, weren't they?" She questioned.

"Dream?" Ocellus tilted her head to the side yet again.

"I-uh... y-yes, Princess." Thorax admitted, sheepishly rubbing his foreleg.

Luna let out a quiet sigh, "I see... I'm sorry to hear that. I'm not sure if there's any way that I can change your mind about them, but both Dusk and Echo mean you all no harm, going forward. There is no need to fear them." She offered.

"They were... surprisingly pleasant to be around. Distrustful as Tartarus, and noticeably on edge most of the night, but they aren't the monsters you've thought of them as, Thorax." Chrysalis spoke up, directing all eyes to her.

Luna found herself utterly speechless at Chrysalis's kind words. Both Top and Kiowa shared a look or surprise as well, but none of the equines in the room looked quite so stunned as Thorax.

"I, but... my Queen, you... spent last night with them?" He asked, almost terrified of the answer.

Chrysalis nodded, "I did. At the end of the day, Thorax, they're just ponies. They did what they did because of my decisions. If you want to blame anypony for the deaths you witnessed that day, blame me. Those two were merely the tip of the blade I foalishly cut our hive with." She replied, her head bowed slightly.

Thorax vigorously shook his head, "Oh, no, no, no! My Queen, it wasn't your fault!" He protested, only for Chrysalis to hold up a hoof to stop him.

"I'm not telling you this for sympathy, Thorax. I'm telling you this so you can move on. If you spend the rest of your life terrified of our neighbors, it will make integrating into their society even harder than it already has been. Princess Luna will help you with your dreams, and while I still cannot forgive them for the lives they took... I do not think we should fear or hate the twin thestrals. It will only make the process of moving forward that much harder." Chrysalis explained, leaving the entire room speechless.

Luna owlishly blinked at the changeling Queen as she let out a quiet huff, her eyes drooping to the floor.

"Now, I believe I've done my part here. I have to go ensure Prince Anon is alright and attend to whatever Princess Celestia requires of me today. I trust you can handle things from here?" Chrysalis announced, looking up to Luna.

The night princess nodded, "I believe so. Thank you, Chrysalis. I... I didn't expect that from you, to be honest." She admitted.

Chrysalis smiled, "Your husband is rubbing off on me, I suppose." She replied, before turning on her hooves and exiting the room, leaving just Thorax and Ocellus with Luna and the two batponies.

"Thorax? What's going on?" Ocellus questioned, watching their queen leave.

Thorax hastily shook his head, before ushering her over to him, "Oh, it's nothing. Princess Luna just came down here to help with my nightmares." He responded.

Ocellus walked into the room and sat on her haunches beside her broodmate, her eyes locking onto Luna as she stared up at the imposing alicorn.

"Wow... Princess Luna. I saw you when we were being processed here but I've never had a chance to actually meet you." Ocellus excitedly chittered, an adorable smile forming on her face.

Luna couldn't help the infectious smile that formed on her muzzle just a second later, and she sat down on her haunches as well, just across from the two changelings, "Well, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance then. I'm sorry we couldn't properly meet sooner. Are you two..." She trailed off, motioning for them to fill in the blanks.

"Oh, we're broodmates." Thorax replied.

"Siblings. That's the pony word." Ocellus clarified, playfully elbowing Thorax in the wither.

Luna smiled, "I see. Well it's a pleasure to meet you both properly, then. Tell me, what do you think of Equestria so far, Ocellus?" She asked, genuinely curious.

As Ocellus excitedly answered the night princess's questions, and even asked several of her own, Top and Kiowa stood near the doorway, the ladder looking to the watch under his hoofblades.

"Welp... This is gonna be another long shift." He silently chirped to his comrade.

"Yep. You know when Luna gets started with a foal, she won't stop for hours." Top replied in an equally silent chirp.

"Gotta admit though, for a bug, she's pretty adorable." Kiowa smirked.

Celestia idley flipped through the many letters and legal documents held in her magical grasp as Anon slept against her barrel, his head resting cozily against her chest fluff. Gone was her regalia, save for her tiara, as she found that the most comfortable position for the both of them involved her laying on her side and Anon spooning her belly as he snoozed the day away, one arm wrapped lovingly around her barrel. Sitting beside her, barely concealing her look of envy, sat Twilight, several legal documents held in her magenta aura as well.

"So do you think ponies will start to warm up to changelings any time soon?" Twilight inquired, her quiet voice sounding at least three times its volume in the silent throne room.

Celestia shook her head, "It's all a process, Twilight. I am uncertain if ponykind will ever truly accept changelings into our society, but all we can do is lead by example and hope that they come around." She replied, thoughtfully.

Twilight let out a quiet sigh, "Like what Anon did last night?" She responded.

Celestia nodded, ever so slightly, so as to not wake Anon, "You read the second page of the paper, I take it?" She cast a sidelong glance to her former pupil.

"I did. Honestly I'm only surprised it didn't make the front page. That many ponies reporting that Chrysalis escaped and was terrorizing bars in the middle district isn't a good look." Twilight replied, shaking her head in disappointment.

Celestia smiled, "So you didn't read the second page, then?" She asked.

Twilight did a double take, "I-wha? I just told you I did?"

Celestia barely suppressed a chuckle, "I recall you reading me the headline of the article, but I think you should read the entire thing. That's how those articles get you, you know? They hope that you only read the headline. Journalists these days are always trying to push something of an agenda, and an anti-changeling agenda is no surprise at all." She responded, prompting Twilight to immediately levitate the paper over.

Twilight's brow furrowed as she flipped the page and scanned the article.

Twilight looked up to Celestia, a look of confusion on her face, "I don't understand. It essentially says the same thing the headline said."

"There's clarification in there. The author admits that the claims were false in the third sentence. In the fifth sentence, ponies reported her being polite and courteous." Celestia responded, a small smile on her face.

Twilight looked down to the paper, then back up to Celestia, "So? What does that mean in the grand scheme of things? Ponies usually only read the headlines of these things." She tilted her head to the side.

"It means that she's making progress, Twilight. Progress that ponies were able to actually see and report. Not only that, but by seeing Anon spending time with her, not afraid or having his guards keep her on a tight leash, it shows the ponies of Canterlot that maybe she isn't quite so bad as they thought. It will take time, and for all we know, it might take centuries, but the progress is still there, however small." Celestia elaborated.

Twilight slowly nodded, "Oh... I see. I suppose that is a good point. I should probably start reading the news more often, huh?" She asked, sheepishly rubbing her foreleg.

Celestia chuckled, "Oh, Twilight I wouldn't stake all my bits on the 'Canterlot Times'. Half this drivel is opinionated garbage and the other half is... well just normal garbage. Still, gems do shine through once in a while. At the very least, look at several sources. 'Nightingale Inquire' is a bit more accurate with their reporting but they always drag politics into everything. If you're going to be a leader, you need to be informed from multiple sources, not just one." She explained.

"I see. Do you have the Nightingale Inquire still?" Twilight replied.

Celestia levitated over blacked out newspaper with white lettering, which Twilight happily took and set about reading. Just a few moments later, Chrysalis reentered the throne room, gaining Celestia's attention almost instantly.

"Ah, Chrysalis. How did it go with Luna?" Celestia asked, curiously.

Chrysalis shrugged, "Apparently she worsened Thorax's nightmare last night and just wanted to apologize. The way she spoke of it, I'd assumed she seriously hurt him last night. I don't really see the purpose of making such a fuss over a bad dream, if I'm being honest." She explained, walking toward the throne.

Celestia gave a sympathetic smile, "Luna takes the dream realm very seriously, and from what I can tell, it has marvelous effects on ponies. Once she returned from her banishment and resumed her duties, ponies started shining brighter every morning. It really showed me how much good a pleasant sleep can do for ponies. It's... something I've never been able to provide for them. Luna does very important and good work for all of Equestria." She responded.

Chrysalis gave a slight nod, "Hmm... I suppose that is good then. She's offered to police my changelings' dreams and help them with their nightmares going forward, just as she would with anypony else. I'm... grateful... for that." She replied, the thinnest of smiles forming on her face.

"I'm sure you as well as your hive will notice an improvement," Celestia offered, before looking down to Anon, still snuggled up against her belly and chest, "Luna can also pull other ponies into another pony's dream, which is a marvelous way of having more than one set of hooves to help deal with a particularly irksome nightmare, or... other reasons." She trailed off with the faintest hint of a blush.

Chrysalis nodded, an amused smirk on her muzzle, "I'm sure you both utilized that to its fullest potential on your honeymoon."

"What do you mean? I doubt Anon was having nightmares on his honeymoon." Twilight spoke up, looking back and forth in confusion.

Chrysalis and Celestia both struggled to maintain a straight face as they looked at the painfully innocent lavender alicorn. Just before both of their masks cracked however, a pounding on the throne room doors echoed throughout the halls, directing everypony's attention to the source.

The guards standing by the doors opened them to reveal a courier pony with a green silk suit and brown saddlebags.

"State your business." The first guard ordered.

Before the pony could respond, Celestia called out to the guards, "It's alright, I recognize him. You may let him in." She instructed.

Without a word, both guards saluted and returned to their posts, allowing the new pony to enter the throne room. He pranced over toward the throne with a flamboyant flair, before coming to a stop just a few feet away from Chrysalis and dropping into a deep bow before Celestia.

"Your Highness, Princess Celestia of Equestria, I have brought forth a letter for you, your consort, and Queen Chrysalis." The pony announced.

Celestia raised an eyebrow, "And just whom is this letter from, Green Tea?" She asked, curiously.

"It is from Lady Fleur De Lis and Sir Fancy Pants, your highness." Green Tea replied, dutifully.

Celestia tilted her head to the side, "I thought you were in the service of Lady Serenity?"

"I am, your highness. I am merely doing this as a favor for Sir Fancy Pants." He answered, professionally.

Celestia nodded, "I see. Well then, let's see this letter, shall we?" She announced.

Green Tea levitated the letter out of his saddlebags and over to Celestia. She gladly took it in her own magical grasp, before opening the envelop the letter was sealed in and unfolding the paper. She squinted her eyes ever so slightly as she read through the letter, both Twilight and Chrysalis trying, in their own subtle ways, to read it as well.

"Thank you for delivering this letter, Green Tea," Celestia replied, magicking out a piece of paper and an ink quill, "If you'll give me a few moments, I'll give you my response to Fancy."

"Of course, your highness. I'll be happy to inform him." Green Tea nodded as he bowed even lower.

"What's the letter about?" Chrysalis asked, eyeing the parchment curiously.

"Oh nothing. Just one quick question before I pen this out. Have you ever modeled before?" Celestia asked, an innocent look in her eyes.

Now we get to get to the juicy stuff. The next few chapters are probably my favorite in the story.