"Oh, sister, I am so sorry!"
Blushing bright red, Luna covered her eyes, trying very hard not to keep from laughing. She had decided to visit Celestia's dream first, thinking it best to relay to her older sister the part she would play in Pan's plan come the dawn. The thing was, of course, Celestia had no more control over what she dreamed than anypony else, so there was no way to say for certain what the elder alicorn might be dreaming of. Or perhaps, more specifically, who...
Covering herself with a blanket, Celestia said, "There is a thing called knocking, sister. I do not know how that might be applied to dream-walking, but before you enter my dreams again, I suggest you look into how that might be done." Her stern tone was mitigated by the fact that she was likely blushing almost incandescantly bright at this moment.
Pulling out the envelope that she'd been asked to deliver, Luna said, "A thousand pardons, sister. Pan asked me to deliver to each of us the true plan for tomorrow." Using magic to toss the envelope onto the bed, she added, "Tomorrow's meeting will be brief, to the point, and a complete fabrication made for the purpose of feeding false information to the Circle. Our enemies may have spies listening in ways that we cannot detect. However, Pan has decided that, since we cannot be absolutely certain that our meetings in the waking world will be unobserved, the best way to take advantage of the Circle's spies, and trick them into playing into our hooves."
There was a sound, of Celestia opening the envelope. After a moment, she said, "Very well. I'll be ready. And sister..."
Luna asked, after a moment, "Yes?"
"Do not breath a word of this to anypony," Celestia said, pointedly.
"Wouldn't dream of it," Luna said, a very small smile forming on her face in spite of herself before she vanished in a puff of smoke.
Sombra, after a moment, asked, "You don't think she thinks we were really...?"
"I doubt that," Celestia said, after a moment of thought. "I suspect she believes that I was only having a dream about you, which, given the circumstances, is not that unusual." Throwing the blanket aside, she asked, "And on that topic... where were we?"
Sombra was about to answer, when Luna appeared again, then began blushing, as she said, "Oh, sorry Sombra, I didn't mean to barge in on something like this!"
As Celestia began covering herself, Luna raised an eyebrow, then mentioned, "You know, it's funny: Celestia was dreaming almost the exact same thing..." Noticing the envelope on the bed, the younger princess promptly looked away and said, "What an incredibly strange coincidence."
"Coincidence," Sombra said, nodded vigorously, "Exactly. Yes. Right. Coincidence." Clearing his throat, Sombra said, "I assume you're here for a reason."
"Yes," Luna said, tossing Sombra an envelope, then added, "Your part in tomorrow's operations. Pan will also need the specifics for how to revive you in the morning." Summoning up a quill, ink, and parchment, she added, "Please keep it as simple as possible."
After a moment of writing, Sombra tossed the instructions to Luna and said, "It is fairly straightforward. I'll be doing most of the hoofwork. Just make certain that he's ready an hour after sunrise." After a moment, he cleared his throat then asked, "Now, if there's nothing else?"
"Not a thing," Luna said with a chuckle, then vanished again.
Rolling her eyes, Celestia said, "I shall never hear the end of this."
Sombra chuckled, then stated, "Well, if you're going to get the grief, you might as well get the gravy. Ready for round five?"
A smile crossing her face, Celestia said, "Definitely."
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Luna entered Shimmering Radiance's dream, surprised to see that the youngster was sitting at a massive table, heavily laden with food. The young filly was staring at the spectacular spread with a look of undisguised hunger, but seemed hesitant to begin feasting.
Taking a seat beside the youngster, the princess asked, "What is wrong?"
Looking first at the princess, then back at the spread, 'Urchin' said, "Someone put this massive spread in front of me. I didn't ask for it, and I didn't do anything to earn it. Someone just saw that I was hungry, and decided to give me all the food I could ever eat. I can't bring myself to try it, though..."
After a moment, Luna asked, "Because you're afraid that there might be strings attatched?"
Nodding sadly, young Shimmering Radiance said, "Yeah. The... the world I live in, the only world I've ever known... is one where everything has a price, and its always one that is so much higher than what you can afford. But now... along comes from someone from another place, one where everypony helps each other, and would find it unthinkable that somepony like me would have to root through garbage cans to survive." Looking at the table with an expression of undisguised longing, she said, "I wish I could see that place, because I simply cannot imagine what it would be like."
Pulling out an envelope, Luna admitted, "I cannot imagine it myself, to be honest with you. My sister probably could, because she's been working towards such a goal for years now. I, on the other hoof, can only imagine the world as it is now. However, like you, I would dearly like to see the place that Pan came from for myself. Instead, I shall have to settle for creating it." With a small smile, she said, "There are a few things that Pan will need you to do tomorrow. You won't be part of the 'official' meeting in the morning, but you will have a small, yet very important, part to play tomorrow." She pulled out the envelope containing the young filly's instructions for tomorrow and prepared to pass it over.
Looking at the envelope, 'Urchin' asked, "Could you read that for me?" Blushing a little bit, she admitted, "I... can't read."
"We'll have to work on that," Luna said, gently, then opened the envelope, and began to read it aloud.
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Luna found herself almost chin deep in blood. This... this was hardly what she had expected when she had entered the dreams of Tender Loving Care! Flapping her wings, Luna took to the air, and began searching...
After a moment, she found her target, floating on a raft. Well, you could call it a raft, in that it floated, and that somepony was using it to navigate this nightmarish ocean. However, in all other ways, it was not...
Rafts should not be made out of corpses, after all.
It's only a dream, Luna reminded herself. These aren't real bodies, just figments of an overactive imagination. She carefully landed upon the raft, and looked over at the caretaker.
She was weeping. She stared out across the ocean of blood with the expression of somepony who had been given hope, only to have it cruelly taken away. After a moment, the mare took a deep breath, seemed to steel herself, and said, "I suppose that there are a few things that I should tell you, now that you're here, your highness."
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"So this is your wife?"
Pen Stroke nodded as he and the figment of his deceased wife continued their picnic. It had been a long, long time since he had dreamed of this day. It was the day that he had finally worked up the nerve to propose to her...
"She really does look a great deal like Tender Loving Care," Luna observed after a moment. "Were it not for the lack of a horn, I would surely think them twins."
With a sad chuckle, the chancellor admitted, "Everypony who knew her is getting that impression." After a moment, he took a small bite out of an apple and added, "I suppose that may be why I am having this dream tonight."
"You know, when you awaken, you should speak with her," Luna said, her expression carefully neutral. While she had been given a great deal to chew on in the 'caretaker's' dream, Luna felt that Tender should be the one to discuss her past with others. "I think that, if you asked her to stay after you've fully recovered, you might find her to be... receptive to the idea."
"You're not the first one to mention that possibility, your highness," Pen Stroke admitted with a nod. "In the morning, I think I shall discuss the possibility with her."
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From there, the dreams became simpler...
Gold Coin's dream was one of a grassy field, where he would play with his mother, while she was still alive. Straight Arrow and Wild Wing's dreams were... passionate, and surprisingly, they were dreaming of one another. Likewise, Ironwood and Golden Tone were dreaming similar dreams, although since they were sharing the same bed, things were not quite so... heated.
Xenophon's dream was a nightmare, sadly. Given the things he'd been forced to see, and to endure, it was hardly unexpected. He'd been truly greatful that Luna had dispelled his nightmare for him... and he'd been more that happy to take his part in tomorrow's operation.
Nopony and his family, while they lacked a role in tomorrow's operations, were briefed upon the importance of remaining silent regarding the events preceding their arrival, and of not leaving the palace under any circumstances. They were more than happy to comply.
The only one that proved tricky was the Crystal Heart: Luna had never imagined that a relic could dream, or that its dreams would be so... pleasant. The heart dreamed of a city filled with peaceful, happy ponies. A city without want or worry. A city where love and hope were so abundant that, even without the Crystal Heart, the ponies living there could keep the cold eternally at bay...
A world where she could walk amongst the ponies of the city in a body of flesh and blood, rather than being restrained by the limitations of her current existence.
While such a thing would no doubt be eons away, the Crystal Heart was a stone: She could wait, no matter how long it took. And she was more than happy to do anything that might help in getting the city back on track...
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"So, is everything ready?"
Luna nodded as she took a seat beside Pan. The theatre within Pan's mind was going full swing, and the curtain was about to rise on the first act of one of Luna's favorite plays. She had to admit, it had been a while since she'd had the time to sit and watch a performance. Royal duties and all...
"Good," Pan said with a smile, "I'll have to amend the plan tomorrow night, but with the instructions you've given them, we should have the Circle fooled, come the morning."
"I must admit," Luna said with a chuckle, "I am impressed. Even if you are imitating 'The Gray Lord', this is a masterful plan you've crafted. It is audacious, but I admit, if it works as you expect, the Circle will not see it coming."
Making himself a little more comfortable in his chair, the changeling admitted, "Well, having the 'cunning' of the Gray Lord is useful, but it would have been useless without the brain-power to properly utilize it." At Luna's surprised expression, the emperor laughed and said, "When Comedy and Tragedy first took on their roles, theatre was just a bunch of fellows in togas and masks reciting lines in an amphitheater. Acting was almost all that there was to theatre, and improvements were slow in coming. There is so much more to theatre now, and in the centuries to come, than simply acting, your highness: There's special effects, directing, script-writing, song-writing, and much, much more. In order to take on Comedy and Tragedy's role, I could not simply be a great actor, but also a virtuoso in every aspect of the stage and screen. Theatrical productions often run along what is called a 'Catastrophe Curve': Plays are able to occur because a number of things manage to keep from going wrong..."
"Actors with conflicting, and often temperamental personalities, have to be kept satisfied, even when tensions are rising, and while at the same time ensuring that they are able to perform their roles to perfection. The stage hands have to be prepared, all of the equipment in perfect working order, and everyone has to know their cues and be ready to respond at a moment's notice. The script has to be clearly written and understood, and everyone has to be up to date on their roles and their lines. Everything, from the finest details in the execution to the thousand, thousand superstitions that actors have regarding the stage, have to be perfectly balanced."
Luna, surprised, observed, "It sounds like a lot of work. Almost as much work as running a country, in fact."
With a laugh, Pan admitted, "Yes, yes that is exactly right. Even I didn't realize just how difficult it would be until, as a test of whether or not I was worthy of taking their role, Comedy and Tragedy proposed a challenge to me: Write, direct, and star in a theatrical production. Everything must be perfect, and you must, at the end, receive a standing ovation." Still chuckling, he admitted, "A rather tall order for a bug of, what, six years old? It was a monumental undertaking, especially given that I had to juggle all of that on top of keeping my nature as a changeling hidden."
Luna, an eyebrow raised, said, "But you obviously succeeded."
"Obviously. There wasn't a dry eye in the house. Not to mention, the standing ovation afterwards went on for a good fifteen minutes. I'll admit, it was one of the proudest moments of my life." After a moment, the emperor admitted, "And the play that I wrote, The Woodcutter's Son, was still being performed in theatres across the world before my... ending up here. I can't help but wonder if it would still have been so popular, had it been made known that I was a changeling, rather than a griffin. Still, as legacies go, having a play that will be performed for ages isn't all that bad."
"True," Luna agreed. After a moment, she said, "So, 'director', your actors have their script, and the curtain is getting ready to rise. Are you up to this?"
A smirk on his face, Pan said, "Oh yes. Our opposition thinks they hold all the cards, but with their latest attack, they've given me an advantage they have yet to suspect. One, I think, that will take them completely by surprise. I'm sick and tired of reacting." His body suddenly lit by green fire, the changeling changed, taking on the appearance of King Sombra, and said, "It's time to start acting."