"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."
----------------------------
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.
----------------------------------------
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."
---------------------------------------
"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."
------------------------------------
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...
------------------------------------
"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."
NEW CHAPTER UP!
Oh my little pony. This is going to be epic.
Sombra you lucky dog! Looking forward to more.
Keep up the good work. Deus tecum.
5279314 WOOT!
Cadence? Is that you?
The last paragraph was the best.
I just know this is going to be badass, and so I motion — early, I know — that henceforth, Pandinus Imperator shall be known to his fans as readers as
MANdinus Imperator!
Well, it looks like Sombra is confident that Celestia is not going to betray him now.
Also, I am very curious to see where the TLC bit goes because that is a huge asset they now know about and can take advantage of.
I approved of Celestia x Sombra in this story!
Yay
You magnificent bastard. Are you sure you're not really Pan brought into the real world? Also, it's about time Pan used his Changeling abilities!
Is it me, or has Luna walked in on many ponies having passionate dreams on this chapter? Also, respect to Sombra. Celestia is a piece. I do wonder how Celestia will explain to Luna about how she and Sombra went from reluctant allies to bedmates when he gets resurrected.
5279447 No, I motion that he hereby be known as THE MANdinus Imperator. Because when you hear about the Man behind the man, he is the Man. Man.
So what do we call this now? Celesombra? Somblestia?
Also, nice to Pan taking the initiative. After seeing so much shit piling on and realizing how much they truly had against them, it's good to see some confidence on the heroes side.
Wow. This is going to be goooood.
Celly and Sombra are already banging, TLC might reveal herself to Pen Stroke (hopefully marry him by the end), and Pan is going to pretend to be Sombra.
From what another commenter noticed, the Crystal Heart may be Cadence. That is certainly an interesting headcanon. I accept this.
5279460 5279498 5279871 5279992 5280012
Just watch: They will have been up to something completely innocuous. I'm calling it now.
5279432 This is a very interesting idea, but it seems pretty unlikely. They're different beings in the "normal" timeline, after all.
Tender Loving Care, she is awesome, can't wait until she does something, good, bad, major, minor, don't care, I just like her personality.
5280031
Well, Celestia and MirrorMirror!Sombra were an item when Starswirl was alive (and that would have taken place before this story, so Pan hasn't screwed that up with time-hopping shenanigans), and that mirror is currently locked away. I can totally see her trying to kindle a flame with the evil version of her lover after he's turned (sorta) good.
5280196
Didn't, like, all of that Mirror, Mirror stuff happen after Luna was banished?
In any case, irrelevant. They were up to something totally innocuous but nevertheless embarrassing. Like, I don't know, playing with dolls, or something equally unbefitting a king/princess.
That should be breathe, with an e at the end.
That should be it's, with an apostrophe.
5280243
I could've sworn it happened before, but now I'm doubting my memory of the events in question.
5280268
If you are now harboring doubts about yourself, my job is done here.
Cue evil laugh.
5279314 Nice work, I was hoping that if Pan was channeling a character that was clever he would have a plan.
You did say that he brought that Spire, didn't he? The one form the smith that made the sword? I thank that would be use full?
I would like an explanation on how Celestia and Sombra have hooked up so quickly please?
So are we just going to interpret Cadence as the physical manifestation of the Crystal Heart? Cause the would explain some things about her.
As someone familiar with acting on stage, it's amusing how Pan discusses it.
It's true, too. Every theatrical production is a mix of Hope, Fear, Tension, Pride, and Nervousness, hundreds of various superstitions (many of which are based in very practical reasons; for example, whistling on stage is bad luck. The reason for this is because stagehands use to, and occasionally still, communicate with whistles. The wrong set of notes could crush someone under several hundred pounds of sandbags), and several hundred catastrophes miraculously failing to happen all at once.
So to see it mentioned by a character so grounded in theatre is pretty cool, and is good character building.
Further compliments to attention to detail like that.
5280031 Maybe, maybe not.
When you spoke of the heart being able to walk the city as a citizen itself, I immediately thought of 1k virgin mares, one badass overdude. The story has the Heart wandering around talking with him as an advisor, though in his case it's more like Gnarl from the overlord games.
5279460
Actually, only Luna knows about it. She hasn't told anyone else, and even stated that it was up to her to reveal her past, when and if she chooses to. And besides, Pan already had her role chosen before Luna found out. Unless he already knew (which is possible), the role she's playing in things won't be that of The Assassin.
This is the third story i've seen thats shown the innate uniqueness of changelings and theatre. A first for C&T, as aspects, and sadly, more ideas to avatars of concepts need to exist, in a vein like this.
5280268 The when of things was a bit nebulous. Given that the worlds may not have been exactly aligned until certain points, and they didn't say much of when time wise this occurred from the comics. Just a rough time.
Celestia and Sombra?
5281046 I know right? I'm not complaining about them hooking up, but it would be nice to know why so then it's not perceived as a random character plot twist. So, explanation please? Or is this Celestia just that easy?
5280595
Thanks. Other fun theater superstitions include:
Never use new makeup on an opening night: Because if you turn out to be allergic to something in the makeup, finding out before the start or in the middle of a performance is the worst possible time, because you'll still have to keep going, no matter what.
Dead flowers, not live ones, backstage: Live flowers attract bees, wasps, and worse, which can cause all manner of problems.
Wearing blue is bad, unless you also wear silver: Blue dye used to be absurdly expensive, and some failing theater companies would try wearing all blue costumes to try and to try and cover it up... and promptly go bankrupt from the high cost. Silver offset this, as it indicated that the theater really did have money to burn.
Mirrors should not be allowed onstage: Mirrors can cause a lot of lighting problems, and nothing can be quite as annoying as a bright glare blinding the audience during a performance.
The Show Must Go On: Because for a lot of theaters, opening night would make or break them. A bad matinee or a cancelled show will inevitably spell the doom of the theater company. More importantly, opening night is when investors are going to be watching the show: If the show goes horribly wrong, well, good luck getting anyone to bankroll the next production. So, no matter what, you have to keep going, or everyone may soon be out of a job.
Round 5!? Damn, Sombra and Celestia must be really into each other ... or just burning off a LOT of stored up tension. Perhaps both ... well, probably both, the more I think of it. Hopefully TLC's assassin past is something Pan will include in his revisions, if he didn't already know. As for all of the other couples hooking up ... I'm not surprised ... these sort of things do tend to happen when shit is going to hit the fan and everyone knows it.
5280792 For now, but I really doubt TLC will trust her to keep her mouth shut so she will probably make her move sooner rather than later. Also, Luna gave herself a lot of leeway in terms of what she can say so she can very easily let Pan know that TLC is very capable in a fight while still staying true to her word.
5282613
True, if things go pear shaped she'll be a valuable asset to have around. Especially if....crap, I can't remember his name right now....the old guy who was almost assassinated...if that guy convinces her to really work with them.
Hopefully it won't come to that, though. Characters with TLC's archetype tend to die when they decide to suddenly be noble right at the end of the story during the crucial battle....
5283065 Oh god, that last bit.
Honestly though, I am expecting Pan to get word one way or another and use her as hidden asset somehow. Someone will do something and go after someone else while ignoring the nurse, and she will cut them down in a flash for their ignorance. I would be very surprised if he actually uses her as an assassin because things are too chaotic and dangerous for that to be a good idea. Assassins really work best when they are not expected and Pan knows that a war with everyone boxed in like this will have everyone looking over their shoulders constantly which will make things too risky even for her.
Shit is getting real if Imperator is going to take up the image of a dead dictator to mess with the Circle.
I'm just waiting for the scene where TLC is just helping somebody out and then some shit happe s and she goes from medic to bad-ass in about a nothingth of a second.
5281194 Huh; I actually didn't know the reason behind the blue one.
But it's always cool to learn more, and it's pretty nifty to run into someone who knows more about it than I do.
5284038
Break A Leg. Don't wish good luck under any circumstances! If someone does say "good luck", they must go out of the theatre, turn around 3 times, spit, curse, then knock on the door and ask to be readmitted to the theatre. This is because they're 'giving away their luck' and might bring their bad luck to the play.
No last lines It's bad luck to complete a performance of a play without an audience in attendance, so one should never say the last line of a play during rehearsals.
And of course, don't forget the most famous one. Don't Say its name! You know the one... The Scottish Play. You're not allowed to say its name unless it is in the performance. Comes from a long tradition of unfortunate deaths, or perhaps becuse it revealed thier secrets, witches cursed it.
5284517 Breaking a Leg also refers to entering stage from behind the curtains when they're bound up to the sides. (It's called a Leg when they're like that), as it is usually considered poor form to enter stage from in front of those.
In fact, "Break a leg" is a phrase with a wide variety of beginnings, and an equal number of interpretations behind it.
Either way, those are both more superstition based on superstition, rather than practical reasons.
... though, to be fair, about half of all superstitions that go around theatres are nothing but superstition.
After all, when one makes a habit of fabricating reality and naming beings of supernatural power on a regular basis, every little bit helps.
Alright Celestia! *whistles*
Hah!
Maybe Celestia and Sombra just really like Parcheesi.
5280792
5282613
At what point did TLC tell Luna the things you two are discussing? I'm trying to figure out what I missed, because the dream scene in this chapter doesn't give any specifics, it only implies that she's now telling her the truth.
5287843
When Luna enters her dream and sees her floating on the raft in the sea of blood, the scene ends with TLC saying, "I suppose that there are a few things that I should tell you, now that you're here, your highness."
And then later in Pen Stroke's dream, Luna thinks this line: 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.
It's never explicitly stated that TLC told Luna everything, but it's very heavily implied.
5279843 reminded me of this:
5281284 well she obviously has been getting a lot of the gravy.