Dim Light Crown

[AmberGimlet]

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, Dwimmer? 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.

---

Hello, this is my first time writing mlp fanfic, despite being a fan of the show since 2012 or so. I only have decent memory of the first 3 seasons so if you see someone that later seasons or the comics would contradict, just do not worry about it. Also, if I missed any opportunities horse-puns, please inform me, so I can add them in. It has been awhile since I've written with the mlp lexicon.

This is also my first time actually posting a thread up on SV!

I want to thank my editor and all the people I kidnapped to proofread this.

 

[AmberGimlet]

Chapter 2 - Run Away From Home

When Dwimmer Crown awoke from the dream, she did not lie there wondering if it had all been a hallucination. She did not cry in relief at someone reaching out to her, or in awe of one of the three alicorns in existence. She did not throw aside the bed covers and rush for the nearest train station.

Instead of any of these, she calmly slid out of bed, remade it, and went about her morning routine as usual.

Serving a cruel tyrant who had overthrown a royal family gave one a certain blasé attitude towards the mighty. Oh, she would never be able to unlearn the ingrained proper Forms of Address in her speech, but the mystique had lost its luster. Likewise, keeping calm and efficient was of the utmost importance. Taking notes on his majesty's latest experiments required an iron stomach and a steady hoof, after all.

She stopped with one hoof on the door handle of the fridge, and stared into nothingness. "… Perhaps those aren't good reasons…" She murmurs to herself. Whatever.

Even if she was preparing to spend all day upheaving her old life, she needed to eat first. A piece of wisdom languidly tossed like a bone from his Majesty, the irony of giving health advice to his captives deeply amusing to him. She vaguely missed her old quarters in the Crystal Palace. The hot water was better there.

She grabbed her saddlebags on the way out the door, and headed for her district's government office. Each 'spoke' of the city's snowflake layout was a district, with the Palace being a district unto itself. The office in her district was, thankfully, nearby. Economically speaking, the Crystal Empire was in disarray. His Majesty had seized control of all material wealth, to the point that currency barely mattered anymore. The Empire wasn't equipped to get its own banks running, though Princess Cadance had announced she wished to gradually transition the economic reigns back to the people, in stages.

That was to say, if Dwimmer Crown wanted to liquidate all her assets save what she could pack into two suitcases, it was a government matter. The paper trail was mildly frustrating. She'd quite enjoy disappearing from the records. When someone finally found out she'd disappeared, she'd be nowhere to be found. Ah well.

Dwimmer Crown stepped out her door into the sunshine, and felt… Not terrible, for once. It was a buoying feeling. Not quite happiness, much less confidence, but a sense of purpose and possibility. She wasn't facing down an endlessly repeating day in which nothing changed anymore. She had a task to accomplish, and her whole life would change if she succeeded.

'If' being the operative word here. The crystal ponies still sneered, glared, and fled from her presence as she walked down the streets, towards the government building in her spoke of the Empire.

The office wasn't very large; a squat, lumpy building made of blue, red, and green crystals that spiraled around each other into a misshapen rose.

It was very early in the day so the line was surprisingly short and moving quickly. Then again, there also wasn't much the average citizen needed with the office. Not yet.

Much of the economic integration was still stuck in a layer far above the involvement of anyone not trying to start up an international business based out of the Crystal Empire. Negotiations were still taking place, which struck Dwimmer as slightly odd. Either Cadance desperately needed more administrative staff, or she was having to fight a truly apocalyptic battle to prevent her nation from becoming completely dependent on foreign interests. Or both.

While Dwimmer was, despite Luna's suggestion otherwise, very convinced Cadance might have her executed on the spot, the former secretary wished his Majesty's usurpers the best of luck. She'd be glad to see the last of this place, but having fought so hard to keep it running despite the worst, she felt vaguely invested in its continued existence. So long as it no longer involved her.

The moment the doors of the government office closed behind her, she received a rather harsh reminder of exactly why she was leaving.

Waiting close to the entryway, a family of four looked up in idle curiosity, before going white with fear and moving their foals away from the aisle. The son and daughter were whispering, asking their parents why their coats had dulled. On the far side of the room, a stallion turned away from a clerk and stopped in place upon spotting her. The clerk asked him what's wrong a few times, before they shook themselves out of it and walked back to their seat, glaring at Dwimmer all the while. His friends, worried, followed his line of sight–concern shifts to disgust as they spot her.

The Equestrian clerks, on loan for this transitional period, simply looked very confused by the wave of sudden hostility. They could obviously tell Dwimmer was ill-omened in some way, but they wouldn't be at this post if they weren't willing to give the benefit of a doubt. Appreciative of that fact, Dwimmer approached one of their desks, ignoring the glares following her to the window.

"Hello there, Miss, what can I do for you today?" The pegasus asked. His coat with a dark charcoal, with a swampy green mane. She couldn't see his cutie mark without making it obvious she was doing so, and she didn't really care to. He was clearly growing increasingly unnerved by the silent sea of angry glares being directed at Dwimmer, and now, at him. Rude. He was just doing his job, even if their reaction towards her was fairly justified. It was likely the first time he had seen them so angry about, well... anything really. Briefly, she entertained the idea of confronting them. Instead, she pulled a small folder out of one of her saddlebags with her teeth, sliding it under the window. "Looking to sell my house."

"I see. Do you have a new residence you'd like to list…?" He manages to ask, before somepony interjects. "No one would give a house to her."

His eyes flicker over to try and see who said that, before Dwimmer decisively stomps her hoof on the edge of the counter to regain his attention. "No new address, just put it in my account. And I'm making a withdrawal." She quickly rattled off a description of her house, and the amount she wanted to withdraw. She wouldn't get the bits from her house until they'd sent someone down to appraise it, so she signed the permission forms in advance. It didn't entirely matter–as long as it offset the amount of money she'd need to get a train ticket and find a place to stay for a week or so, she wouldn't worry too much about her personal finances. After a few more questions back and forth ('Yes I am very sure I understand what this will include', 'Yes I am signing away ownership of the house and everything left within it', etc.), she managed to secure as much hard cash as she was willing to walk around with, and stuff it in her saddlebags, along with a few papers she'd need to prove she had done all of this legally.

She turns around to see herself surrounded by three ponies who had worked up the courage to confront her. Tartarus, she was too close to being home-free to deal with this. Before the first one of them can even say anything, she stomped her hoof, and lets her eyes flicker briefly to purple-red-green, like his Highness'. It has the intended effect on one of them, a stallion with a flaxen coat and a cutie mark of some kind of urn. He pales, scrambling back. The other two don't budge, beyond a momentary flinch. Ponyfeathers.

"You're in my way." Dwimmer growls, adopting a lofty sneer. If she showed any fear, she'd probably end up cornered in an alley somewhere before she ever made it to the train station. The fact that these two, a mare and a stallion, twins with the same orange coat and yellow mane, hadn't been frightened back by her surface-level intimidation was… concerning.

The mare chokes down fear and hostility to ask "What are you doing?"

"Leaving. Move."

To her surprise and mounting worry, the mare shakes her head. "We won't. Whatever you're planning, we're not going to let you do it."

Her defiance is bolstering the courage of the other occupants of the room. She'd sat through enough of his Majesty's rambling lectures of about fear and power to know that the situation is rapidly falling out of her control. There's no way for her to force through a mob without doing something that will get her arrested here AND in Equestria. The equestrian clerk, as a witness, is a double-edged sword.

"I'm leaving. The Crystal Empire, since you seem so concerned with my business. Doesn't that please you?"

This time, its the stallion, probably the mare's brother, who cuts in. "No, I don't think you are. I think we're going to take you to the Princess. You'll explain yourself to her."

Oh this was bad. This was very, very bad. But she couldn't let it show on her face. "Its a bold move, to waste a Princess' time and drag an innocent pony off to the Palace. I've done nothing wrong."

"Hah! That's a sick joke. I can't believe you can say that. Do you really think you get to just run away?" The stallion laughs bitterly, risking a step forward. It's a mistake on his part. The space between him and the mare is just wide enough for Dwimmer to shoulder past him and walk between them. They both whirl on her, but Dwimmer knows that if they try to jump her, the Equestrian clerk will raise Tartarus over it.

"Get back here! I wasn't done talking to you."

"Yes, you were. And if you don't want to cause an incident, you'll leave me alone. I'll be out of your mane soon enough." She kicks the door shut behind her with a hoof, and then breaks into a gallop towards the train station.

They wouldn't have dared confront her like that before, but maybe that was just because she wasn't doing anything. Or perhaps they were regaining their courage, the more it seemed like his Majesty really wasn't coming back. She wished she hadn't had to do any of that; the lessons of his Majesty weren't exactly something she wanted to take into the rest of her life. She'd rather leave them sealed and buried, like all those documents in her office that Cadance's clerks were probably going to need a ward specialist to get open.

Dwimmer tried to ignore the stares she was getting as she fled. She was scared. She was very, very scared. Were those ponies abandoning whatever led them to the office to chase after her? Or was that just an isolated incident? It was impossible to say. She was counting her lucky stars (the ones in Luna's night sky, specifically) that the train station sat on the border between this spoke and the one next to it. It meant she didn't have to run far, even if she was breathing hard by the time she arrived.

Her gallop slows down to a trot, as she catches her breath. She didn't want to show up flustered and disheveled, in case she had to intimidate her way through purchasing a train ticket. She didn't want to. Oh she was good at it, but that was an awful feeling in and of itself. Acting like a pale shadow of his Majesty was the exact thing she wanted to avoid, but it also seemed to be the only thing that worked, half the time.

That was a dangerous line of thought.

Once she's no longer gasping for air, she trots up to the station desk. "One ticket to Canterlot, please." The crystal pony managing the gate looks up and frowns. She winces internally, expecting another fight.

"Are you coming back?"

The straightforward question catches her off-guard. This pony was neither intimidated, nor about to leap over the counter and attack her. The mundane neutrality was surprising. "What?"

"I asked, are you coming back? Is it one-way or a round trip?" Getting her mind back in gear, she could still see the signs. His squint was tinged with suspicion and there was an edge of impatient anger that wouldn't be there for a random stranger, unless he just happened to be having an even worse day than Dwimmer's before she showed up. Either way though…

"One-way. I'm not coming back." He nods at this, and the tension seems to bleed out a bit.

"Six bits."

"Here."

"Here's your ticket. The next train will be here in an hour. You can wait over there."

Somewhat awkwardly, she mumbles 'thank-you', and turns away to go sit at the benches he'd waved towards. She doesn't catch his reply. She was more focused on not collapsing in the middle of the train station. The stand-off at the office followed by the gallop here had taken a lot out of her. It wasn't safe to doze off, but getting off her hooves was quite welcome.

An hour was a long time to be alone with her thoughts. That wasn't exactly a good thing, but she did need to sort through them anyways. According to what Luna–or rather, her Majesty, now–had said, she'd contact Dwimmer with more details when she next fell asleep. She could grab a nap on the train, and would need to in any case. She could already feel the exhaustion of today's events clinging to her, and she wasn't even a third through the day.

She had to be more put together than this. Things wouldn't be easier where she was going, surely. Just more fulfilling. Serving a cause and crown she could learn to believe in was better than toiling in the gloom or slinking around like a blemish on the cyan streets, certainly. Of that there was no doubt. But she couldn't imagine that Princess Luna would have scouted out such an esoteric mare for the job if anyone could do it? Right? Then again, perhaps it was just by chance, a moments pity upon a poor soul cascading into this new opportunity.

Perhaps she should stop going in circles over it. She could afford to shed some of her stress–after all, she was going to Equestria!

. . . She was going to Equestria . . .

Wait a moment.

She was going to Equestria. Did that mean she was going to encounter the savior of the Crystal Empire? the one who found the Crystal Heart and restored it to its rightful place? Was she going to meet…

...Spike the Brave and Glorious…?

Even a shut-in hermit like her knew about him, mainly because her fellow crystal ponies seemed to spend a solid third of their words talking about him. There was a statue of him somewhere, apparently. She hadn't seen it, and getting a precise description of him would have required a cordial interaction with her fellow crystal ponies, which… no. But she knew he was a dragon, so he surely had to be an imposing figure. Looming over minotaurs even at his smallest, he had no doubt grown to incredible proportions during the battle with his Majesty.

If she encountered him in Equestria… would she survive? Would he spare her, like the Crystal Heart did? Or would he recognize a loose end, and eliminate her for the good of the Crystal Empire, and all who were worthy and decent?

No, no, this was silly. Equestria was big and Spike the Brave and Glorious was probably too busy to ever end up poking around the archives on a whim. And if he was coming to the palace, she was sure it would be with a lot of pomp and ceremony, befitting a hero. Besides, he probably barely fit through door frames, so she could certainly outrun him. She had nothing to worry about.

If she was going to be worrying about things like, she'd be better off worrying about how she was going to get in touch with Luna again.

Would Luna be able to help her if they weren't both asleep at the same time? Did Luna need to be asleep? She had said something about her presence being multiplied within the dreamscape, did that mean she left lingering copies of herself to attend to nightmares around the clock? Dwimmer had to wonder how that worked. Was it a hivemind of Luna's, much like certain tundra pack hunters in the Empire's frozen wastes? Or were they independent entities that only checked in with the original Luna whenever she went to sleep? In either case, it seemed like there might be risk of unresolvable divergence between Luna's. Was that how Nightmare Moon had happened? She wondered what it was like to be a dream Luna, cut off from the waking world until the real one goes to sleep. When they connected (if that was indeed how this ethereal ability functioned), did the existence cease, or was it a feeling more akin to each Luna 'remembering' the events the other had experienced, recombining into a singular entity in the process, before parting once more? It was surely a fascinating process, however it worked. Perhaps Dwimmer would get to see it first hoof? Or maybe–

"Focus, Dwimmer."

Dwimmer shakes her head to try and clear out the cobwebs. This was the exact opposite of sorting out her thoughts. She was just adding more mental paperwork to the pile. Try again.

The important thing was to compile the information she'd need to have before she arrived in Canterlot. Sustenance and shelter, in particular. The former probably wouldn't be a problem, unless Canterlot restaurants required some kind of secret hoofshack. In theory, there was an ancient alicorn handling her lodgings for her, but Dwimmer was inclined to make sure. She'd need to ask Luna where she was meant to be staying, and possibly how to get there. And then, how to get to the Palace so she could actually take the job, assuming Luna had thought that far (which she likely had, but one never knew…).

The job itself was also somewhat unclear. Presumably she'd be handling paperwork like always. It sounded like Luna had essentially no staff whatsoever, but Dwimmer also didn't know what her responsibilities were or what she'd be delegating to her new aide. Another thing to ask her about.

"I'm still just going in circles…." she mutters to herself. She wasn't going to get much else done, so she resolved to wait for the train. Fortunately, she didn't have to wait long. Her frenzied planning had burned more time than she realized.

A distant rumble made itself known on the edge of her hearing, and grew louder. She wasn't prepared for the piercing, drawn-out squeal of the brakes, scrunching her ears against her head while the train came to stop. Her ride was here.

An attendant opened the door, looking around with a bored expression, until she spotted Dwimmer picking herself up. "Oh, hey, over here! We don't get many tourists from this side of the track."

She debated explaining that she was immigrating, not visiting, then decided not to bother. The mare seemed to be in a good mood, and Dwimmer wasn't feeling especially chatty. She manages a tired smile, hoofing over her ticket. The attendant flourished with a metal, hoof-mounted device, and handed the ticket back. On examination, it had an intricate pattern punched out of it.

"Here you are, Miss…. Cro-"
"Thanks, I'll head on in."

Dwimmer felt a little bad hearing the worry in the attendant's voice as she quickly moved inside. It wasn't the mare's fault. Dwimmer knew she'd have to get used to hearing that eventually. It was her name, and she wanted it to be something she could wear without jumping every time somepony used it. She'd get there eventually. Small steps.

Her ticket had a car and seat number written on it, but the train was so empty that Dwimmer doubted anypony would care where she set up. She found a seat one car down with a window facing the Crystal Empire, and piled in. It was only then that she let out a sigh of relief, before maneuvering her luggage under the seat.

It was starting to feel real. Like she might be okay.

The nervous excitement of having something to look forward to was intoxicating, but it was also draining. She let out an involuntary yawn, and tried to shake the sleep away. Not yet. Not quite yet. She wanted to stay awake for this part. She did have to yield to the need for comfort, though, finding a window to slump against.

She watches the city as the train rumbles to a start.

"Farewell, Crystal Empire. You'll go your way, and I'll go mine… I hope it works out for both of us."

They exit the environs quickly, and then she's left watching the snowy wastes that surround it. This too, she watches for awhile, before finally turning to take stock of the situation. How was she doing?

It was her first time on a train, and the accommodations were nice. The bench was comfortable, and in the moment seemed more inviting than her bed back home. Perhaps because of what it represented, or perhaps because she had actually achieved something to show for all that exhaustion. Or maybe just because she was more tired than she had ever been.

It beckoned her, but she shook her head. "Noooo… You're going to be so uncomfortable when I wake up…" Her protests did not dissuade the bench. It pointed out that that would be future Dwimmer's problem, and present Dwimmer really wanted to sleep. No, she needed to sleep. She was, after all, talking out loud to a bench.

"Hmm…. I guess but I we did that all the time in our old office, so I don't see the problem." Once again, is using the standards of what 'normal' was under his Majesty's reign anything other than its own condemnation? "Point made. But what if I want nice things for future Dwimmer…?"

The bench would have waved its hoof in the air if it was animate and had limbs. Nevertheless, the 'ah-ah-ah' motion was conveyed. Future Dwimmer, it reasoned, was already getting a lot of nice things. She would be in Canterlot and get to work with Luna. Present Dwimmer had none of these things. Thusly, Future Dwimmer could put up with a crick in her neck if it meant Present Dwimmer didn't have to stay awake the whole train ride.

"But… Ugh, fine. You win this round, bench. But it won't be so easy next time…" It very politely did not regard her with an expression of doubt, which it couldn't anyways because it was a bench. There wasn't even a blanket or pillow, but the cushions would more than suffice. She lays down at the train moves along, and sleep claims her the moment her head is down.

. . .

. . . . . .

. . . . . . . . .

Scarcely had Dwimmer made it out the great doors of the Palance before it contorted and twisted, the mare bearing witness to the awe-inspiring transformation from backwards glances amidst her flight. The four supports of the palace fused into two legs and a long, snaking tail. Pink crystals sprouted from its spire, the upper-half of the beast were tearing itself free from the confines of architecture. The full transformed mountain of Spike the Brave and Glorious lets loose a deafening roar, and takes a single step forward. The titanic footfall knocks her off her hooves, and sends her skidding down the warping streets of the Empire, torn loose from their flat plane and whipping around like a den of vipers.

From the great dragon's maw, a beam of lit hits the sky, hanging there as a roiling orb of lightning. It expands across the sky, trapping the empire in a dome of thunderclouds. Bolts of lighting fall, slicing through the homes and streets.

Dwimmer clung to the whipping street for as long as she could, but when it was severed by the weather's wrath, she was sent flying. Miraculously she survived, hitting the ground and rolling to a stop. But surely, her miracles ended there, as the avenging dragon looked down on her, light gathering in its maw.

She screamed in terror, unwilling to meet her end but unable to oppose this leviathan. All seemed lost, but then!

The stormclouds above were split be the arrival of the very Moon itself, a massive edifice hovering above the city. Spike the Brave and Glorious looks up from his prey to face this new challenger. His jaw opens in a roar, a potent font of magic focusing within it. The Moon does the same, white light moving across it to gather at one point. Each combatant lets loose their beam in the same moment, clashing in the air above.

She watched in stunned awe as these two forces clash, until her attention was drawn by a new arrival. An alicorn, black as night and clad in armored forged of moonlight, touched down gently near her. Nightmare Moon. With a low whisper, she murmured, "Dwimmer, how fare thee?"

Dwimmer blinked rapidly as the mental shift of lucid dreaming twisted itself into her head. "I…. guess I'm fine?"

With a little embarrassment, she got up off the ground. The figure of Nightmare Moon blurred and resolved itself into Princess Luna. The alicorn's horn was glowing, and Dwimmer realized she hadn't come empty hooved.

Her Princess had arrived to her nightmare with a bucket of popcorn and a strange set of blue and red glasses, with a paper-y frame. They settled across her face awkwardly, and for the life of her, Dwimmer couldn't tell what they were meant to be.

"Forsooth, thy nightmares art as active as thy imagination, Dwimmer Crown. What scene of thy past hath given rise to such spectacle? Thy conjurations are fearsome indeed."

Dwimmer rolls her eyes, reaching a hoof up to steal some of Luna's popcorn. The alicorn snorts, floating the bucket down slightly so Dwimmer can reach it.

"Never mind that, shouldn't you be telling me everything will be okay? Look how much I'm panicking." she deadpans.

"And art thou not soothed by Our arrival? Did Our Moon not descend from the vault of thy dreams to do battle with thine imposing foe? Did she not smite thy dragon of crystal? Thou appear in high spirits, to indulge in thy wit."

Luna lowers her glasses with a hoof to lock eyes. The tense stare-down only lasts a few moments, before a grin twists at the corner of Dwimmer's mouth, and she looks away. Her Princess' smug look drills into the back of her head as she munches on the dream popcorn, watching the battle between Spike the Brave and Glorious and the enormous, hovering Moon.

Unwilling to meet her Princess's gaze, she calls over her shoulder, "Your last entrance had a lot more fanfare. What gives?"

She hears a snort from behind her. "T'was Our first entry into thy dreams, and the miasma of nightmare was as a choking barrier. Thou art in better spirits, and thus the seas of thy mind art less turbulent."

A stray piece of rubble hurtles towards them. Its flight is stopped by midnight blue sheen, just before an eruption of shadow spikes it into the horizon.

Dwimmer leans away from the shower of crystal dust like a particularly evil tree swaying in the wind. She forgot she was seated next to an alicorn for a moment.Trying to recover, she looked to over at her Princess, incredulously. "This is less turbulent?"

"Dost thou wish to dispute it?" Luna watches the mare blink the bubbling purple-green aura out of her eyes, and graciously restrains a chuckle at her expense.

Dwimmer rolls her eyes, but her silence is its own concession. Better to move on from that embarrassing defeat. "Anyways. We have a lot of things to discuss, right? I don't know how long I'll be asleep this time–I didn't check how long the train trip to Canterlot was."

Princess Luna finishes munching down a hoof-ful of popcorn, and clears her throat to answer. "We art surprised at the alacrity of thy travel arrangements. We predicted thou wouldst take another day or more to handle thine affairs."

"You underestimate how little I have. A portion of my luggage is just empty notebooks." For some reason, this caused her Majesty to sigh.

"We art sure thee will find cause to fill them in the coming days. But let Us proceed with Our affairs. Thou wisheth to know that thy matters art handled, We are sure. Fret naught.Thou wilt meet Us at the Silken Jewel hotel, a brief trot from the train station. Simply request directions from one of the many guards that patrol Our city. Should thou still wish to become Our Archivist, We will take thee to the Palace from there."

Dwimmer tilts her head to the side, frowning. "Isn't it a little late to ask me if I still want the job?"

"If thou choseth to live in Our realm on thy own terms, We wouldst lend thee funds to do so for a time. Thou wouldst be entitled to the same funds as any other newly arrived denizen of Equestria, albeit with Our personal interest granting thee expediency. But We suspect thou still wish for the post of Archivist." Luna's wry grin is matched with a flat mock-glare from Dwimmer.

"I do, your Majesty." she says perfunctorily. Her Princess nods. "We expected as much, Dwimmer. Further, We willt not demand thee use our title, given thou art Our sole m-…. Aide."

Dwimmer stares suspiciously, as her employer suddenly seems fascinated with the distant clash of titans still taking place. "Your Majesty were you about to say 'minion'—"
"As We were saying, thou may refer to Us as simply Luna."

The dream shudders, the far away battle becoming more and more indistinct. It was the same feeling as when she had woken up on her own, but more… violent. Was someone trying to wake her, perhaps? Their time was coming to a closer, at any rate.

"As you say, your Majesty. I'll see you once I get off the train." Her Princess rolls her eyes, but in good spirits. A portal of light opens next to her, and she turns to step through it.

"Verily, thou intendeth to be difficult. We expected this. Safe travels, Dwimmer Crown."

. . . . . . . . .

. . . . . .

. . . . . . . . .

A hoof is sharply prodding her awake.

"Ummm… Ma'am? Excuse me, Ma'am?"

"Wurgh…? Huh? Whuh? Whass wrong?" Dwimmer blinks sleep blearily out of her eyes, and tries to get herself upright. Emphasis on 'tries', as her entire body protests the uncomfortable bench and the posture required to sleep on it for several hours, almost a full night. She hadn't expected to sleep the entire trip, but she was even more exhausted than she'd realized. With a hiss of pain, she manages to finally shove herself upright, and pop her neck.

The train attendant from before hovers in the aisle, fretting. "Oh good, you're awake. I'm sorry for disturbing you, but you weren't waking up when I was shouting… Oh, are you alright? Those benches really aren't comfortable to sleep on, you could have gone to the sleeping car and used one of the bunk beds."

"It's fine… Wait, bunk beds? What are bunk beds?"

"Uh…" The attendant trails off, apparently not expecting to have to answer that. "Well, they're–oh! Right! Ma'am, we've arrived at your destination, and need to head back soon. Uh, I'm sorry to rush you, but we do need to clean this car… Oh, and don't forget your luggage!"

The attendant seemed to vibrate with nervous energy, quickly departing at a not-quite-gallop and leaving Dwimmer to pick herself up.

Ow.

Everything hurt. Next time she was on the train, go find the sleeping car. Apparently there were bunk beds, good to know. She still wasn't sure how that was different from a normal bed, but she'd probably find out soon. If nothing else, she supposed she could ask Luna, though as a fellow time-displaced pony, the alicorn might not know either.

"Come on, get it together, Dwimmer…" She gentle nagged herself through the motions of clambering off the bench and dragging her luggage out from under it. With a grunt of lingering soreness, she slung the pack across her barrel, and headed for the nearest door.

She opened it, and stopped.

Light. Noise. A sea of shifting colors of ponies milling about in a crowd. Tall buildings of white brick, adorned with every color of the rainbow. And in the distance, the palace. A spire piercing the clouds. Her new home.

She had made it to Canterlot.