- Location
- Mythodea
There is one Candence to many in this dream.
Eclipse (MLP)
- Thread starter Hiver
- Start date
-
- Tags
- my little pony
I laid on my throne and tried to push away my boredom. The throneroom was empty other than me and a couple of guards as I was between appointments. Flower was doing some paperwork on her desk to the side of the room.
Looking out into the roaring wall of water outside the open sides, I couldn't help but wonder if my next audience would arrive in time or not for their appointment. And if they could swim.
The weather during the rain period was not easy to brave even for locals. Everypony in Nocturnis had the sense to just stay home when the weather was like this.
The door opened and Twilight poked her head inside, glancing around, "No trade envoy?"
"Not yet," I said and shrugged my wings, "But if she was unwise enough to try to get here from the hotel during the rain, she may just have drowned."
Twilight made a small thoughtful sound and turned her head to glance at the unicorn guard by the door. The guard nodded, "I'll go make sure she didn't wash off the city, Princess," she said before saluting and trotting out the door.
Unicorns were one of the few that could go outside fairly safely, at least if they pull of a water barrier shield to hold above themselves.
As the door closed, Twilight crossed over to me, glancing towards the wall of water outside. Must be almost invisible to her with only the lights of the magic crystals lighting the throneroom up.
"At least it should be over in a couple of weeks," she said and sat down next to the throne, resting a hoof on the edge as she shifted her wings a bit.
I nodded and shifted a bit closer, leaning down to touch my horn to hers, "Done for tonight?"
She shook her head and raised her muzzle to give me a soft kiss, "Almost. Waiting for a potion batch for the guard to rest. It needs a couple of hours of cooling before the last steps."
Nodding again, I scooted to the side, giving her room and she clambered onto the throne next to me before getting comfortable.
She fluffed her wings up a bit before turning her head to adjust a feather before she looked at me, "What about you?"
I smiled and brushed my wing against hers, "Last appointment at least. But I'm fairly sure Flower has something for me after?" I said, glancing to the side where Flower Rain was sitting by a small desk, shifting through some papers.
Flower looked up, before the petite batpony then smiled at me, "You know it, your majesty."
"You know," I whispered softly into Sparks ear with a small smile, "I think she has misunderstood who is the boss and who's the assistant."
Twilight grinned, covering her muzzle with her hoof before she nosed at my cheek, "I think she knows exactly which is which," she murmured softly.
I considered that for a minute before I shrugged my wings and slipped one across Twilight's back. I mean, she wasn't wrong.
She had a higher salary than me, that's for sure. Especially as I didn't have one. Really, most of my Bits came from my book sales and I had poured something like ninety percent of what I owned into the Nocturnis treasury ages ago.
And so was most of whatever I made from it since then had also gone into it.
Thinking about it, I wasn't even sure if I owned more than a thousand bits anymore. Then again, maybe I did.
I did leave it all my financial stuff to that company in Canterlot to handle as I had neither the time nor the effort to put into it.
I glanced at Flower where she was writing something on a notepad. Fairly sure Flower would know though.
Maybe I should stop by next time I'm in Canterlot to see how things are doing, if nothing else I may have more to transfer into the treasury.
That sort of thing really sucked to do by post. Especially with a minimum of a two week turnaround on every message sent.
Yawning softly, Twilight shifted, resting her head against my neck and I nosed at her ear,
"Sleepy?"
"A bit," she admitted, "Was up late last morning. I think I may just go to bed as soon as the potion is done. Spend some time with Luna "
I nodded and smiled, "You two have been spending a lot of time together."
Twilight nodded and stretched a bit, "Talking a lot," she said and smiled a bit.
"Good," I said and kissed her cheek.
If there was somepony other than me I could see my Luna with, it would be Sparks. Both mares were brilliant, kind and all kinds of amazing.
Sunset… as much as Luna and Sunset liked each other, I'm not sure they will end up more than friends.
But maybe Sparks. That would be really good for both of them.
There was a knock on the door and Light Shine poked her head inside, clearly soaking wet despite her ability to cast a rain shield. "I located the envoy," she said with a smile, "Should I send her in?"
"I'll get going," Sparks said and gave me a kiss on the cheek before slipping off the throne, "See you later unless I'm asleep first?"
"If not, then tonight," I agreed, looking after her as she left the throneroom.
I sighed softly and shifted to sit up, adjusting my wings a bit, flicking my ear. We were all busy, no matter what we did.
We were even all on the same schedule and not even then we all managed to spend the mornings together.
I did like that she spent time with Luna though. In my opinion, anything that made my girls happy was a good thing.
The doors opened and Light Shine showed in a white coated earth pony. This mare had been wearing what at once point clearly had been a classy blue dress at one time. Now she looked like she had been keelhauled, holding what once likely been a folder with documents in one hoof.
She looked slightly shell shocked but visibly pulled herself together as she walked inside, still trying to get her blonde mane back into a style other than drowned rat.
"Miss Retsina," I said with a smile, "Welcome to Nocturnis. I hope you found it alright. May we offer you some refreshments? Or perhaps a towel?"
Looking out into the roaring wall of water outside the open sides, I couldn't help but wonder if my next audience would arrive in time or not for their appointment. And if they could swim.
The weather during the rain period was not easy to brave even for locals. Everypony in Nocturnis had the sense to just stay home when the weather was like this.
The door opened and Twilight poked her head inside, glancing around, "No trade envoy?"
"Not yet," I said and shrugged my wings, "But if she was unwise enough to try to get here from the hotel during the rain, she may just have drowned."
Twilight made a small thoughtful sound and turned her head to glance at the unicorn guard by the door. The guard nodded, "I'll go make sure she didn't wash off the city, Princess," she said before saluting and trotting out the door.
Unicorns were one of the few that could go outside fairly safely, at least if they pull of a water barrier shield to hold above themselves.
As the door closed, Twilight crossed over to me, glancing towards the wall of water outside. Must be almost invisible to her with only the lights of the magic crystals lighting the throneroom up.
"At least it should be over in a couple of weeks," she said and sat down next to the throne, resting a hoof on the edge as she shifted her wings a bit.
I nodded and shifted a bit closer, leaning down to touch my horn to hers, "Done for tonight?"
She shook her head and raised her muzzle to give me a soft kiss, "Almost. Waiting for a potion batch for the guard to rest. It needs a couple of hours of cooling before the last steps."
Nodding again, I scooted to the side, giving her room and she clambered onto the throne next to me before getting comfortable.
She fluffed her wings up a bit before turning her head to adjust a feather before she looked at me, "What about you?"
I smiled and brushed my wing against hers, "Last appointment at least. But I'm fairly sure Flower has something for me after?" I said, glancing to the side where Flower Rain was sitting by a small desk, shifting through some papers.
Flower looked up, before the petite batpony then smiled at me, "You know it, your majesty."
"You know," I whispered softly into Sparks ear with a small smile, "I think she has misunderstood who is the boss and who's the assistant."
Twilight grinned, covering her muzzle with her hoof before she nosed at my cheek, "I think she knows exactly which is which," she murmured softly.
I considered that for a minute before I shrugged my wings and slipped one across Twilight's back. I mean, she wasn't wrong.
She had a higher salary than me, that's for sure. Especially as I didn't have one. Really, most of my Bits came from my book sales and I had poured something like ninety percent of what I owned into the Nocturnis treasury ages ago.
And so was most of whatever I made from it since then had also gone into it.
Thinking about it, I wasn't even sure if I owned more than a thousand bits anymore. Then again, maybe I did.
I did leave it all my financial stuff to that company in Canterlot to handle as I had neither the time nor the effort to put into it.
I glanced at Flower where she was writing something on a notepad. Fairly sure Flower would know though.
Maybe I should stop by next time I'm in Canterlot to see how things are doing, if nothing else I may have more to transfer into the treasury.
That sort of thing really sucked to do by post. Especially with a minimum of a two week turnaround on every message sent.
Yawning softly, Twilight shifted, resting her head against my neck and I nosed at her ear,
"Sleepy?"
"A bit," she admitted, "Was up late last morning. I think I may just go to bed as soon as the potion is done. Spend some time with Luna "
I nodded and smiled, "You two have been spending a lot of time together."
Twilight nodded and stretched a bit, "Talking a lot," she said and smiled a bit.
"Good," I said and kissed her cheek.
If there was somepony other than me I could see my Luna with, it would be Sparks. Both mares were brilliant, kind and all kinds of amazing.
Sunset… as much as Luna and Sunset liked each other, I'm not sure they will end up more than friends.
But maybe Sparks. That would be really good for both of them.
There was a knock on the door and Light Shine poked her head inside, clearly soaking wet despite her ability to cast a rain shield. "I located the envoy," she said with a smile, "Should I send her in?"
"I'll get going," Sparks said and gave me a kiss on the cheek before slipping off the throne, "See you later unless I'm asleep first?"
"If not, then tonight," I agreed, looking after her as she left the throneroom.
I sighed softly and shifted to sit up, adjusting my wings a bit, flicking my ear. We were all busy, no matter what we did.
We were even all on the same schedule and not even then we all managed to spend the mornings together.
I did like that she spent time with Luna though. In my opinion, anything that made my girls happy was a good thing.
The doors opened and Light Shine showed in a white coated earth pony. This mare had been wearing what at once point clearly had been a classy blue dress at one time. Now she looked like she had been keelhauled, holding what once likely been a folder with documents in one hoof.
She looked slightly shell shocked but visibly pulled herself together as she walked inside, still trying to get her blonde mane back into a style other than drowned rat.
"Miss Retsina," I said with a smile, "Welcome to Nocturnis. I hope you found it alright. May we offer you some refreshments? Or perhaps a towel?"
Touching my horn to the dream portal and following Luna out of the dream, I glancing back.
The little earth pony filly was laying in a massive fluffy bed, curled up hugging a big stuffed animal. Well, little and little, she was ten years old.
Home sick from school and having nightmares.
Luna liked to make sure the foals slept well. That's the way we had split things once I started to patrol dreams on my own. She did the foals and I handled the adults.
I liked that split.
Adult dreams could mostly just be canceled and replaced with dreamless sleep and there were less foals than adults. Which means she could give most important nightmares the attention they deserved.
That didn't mean I never tagged along.
Stepping onto the not-ground of the dream realm, I stretched my wings while looking at my wife. You know, there were moments when I remembered that she was actually my wife and I got all giddy.
She was so beautiful and her mane shimmered like the night sky, especially in here. It almost seemed to be made of the same kind of stuff as the rest of the realm, blending in with it..
Luna turned her head to look at me before she smiled, "...What, My Page?"
Smiling, I moved over to touch her side with mine, "Simply admiring the night sky. It's especially beautiful tonight."
Her cheeks reddened slightly and she lowered her head to give me a small kiss.
I smiled into the kiss. Not often I could get her speechless.
Breaking the kiss, Luna looked at me knowingly as she flicked her tail against mine, "I have been considering things."
"That sounds dangerous," I said, looking up at her, "May I ask which things?"
Luna brushed her wing along my back, "My sister among others," she said and flicked one ear as she looked at me, "I may have an idea to get her to take a vacation, but I'm not sure it will work."
"Been discussing it with Sparks?"
Luna smiled, "Actually, very much so. It will require the help of all of you to be possible. Especially you."
I sat down, looking up at her, "What's your idea?"
Sitting down, Luna smiled, "How's your magic studies going?" she asked.
I blinked at the seeming non sequitur before I shrugged, "It's going alright. A lot of it is theory as practicing magic in a dream only does so much and I don't have a lot of time when I'm awake. So I'm not exactly a wizard."
"As I suspected," she said with a smile, "In that case, this may work."
I looked up at her in thought, "What exactly is your plan?"
"My idea is that she takes you on a teaching retreat away from Canterlot. Somewhere stray magic won't risk ponies getting hurt."
I considered that for a second before I shook my head, "I can see a couple of problems with that plan."
"Such as?"
"Well, for the first thing, it would require me to leave Nocturnis for weeks if not months. I can't just be away from my responsibilities for that long."
Luna smiled, "Which I have already discussed with Twilight and Sunset. They are both happy to cover your responsibilities until your return."
Oh.
So it's going to be one of those conversations. The kind where she already thought about every protest I could come up with and will end up with me doing what she wants.
Let's play then. Where's the fun in just capitulating after all?
"Even then, there are other things," I continued, "For example, the entire idea is to get Sunshine to relax. You know more than most that teaching me practical magic is hardly a relaxing activity. Remember me and fire magic? Or that apple I blew up?"
Luna smiled, "I do indeed. But my sister really does enjoy teaching as you know. Getting her to relax fully may be impossible, but I think a month away to focus on what she loves would be very good for her."
I glanced down at my hooves.
What Luna said made a lot of sense. I sure knew that if I got a month to do nothing but relax and write, I'd be a happier pony at the end of it. But it would likely need me to be away from Nocturnis for at least two months counting travel time into it.
But if there was anypony in Equestria that deserved a vacation, other than possibly Flower Rain, it was Sunshine. It was also true that convincing her to take it would take quite a lot. Last time I managed to do it by promising by taking over her duties while she was away.
"But that would mean you taking over her duties while she's away."
Luna nodded, "Indeed," she said with a small smile, "But my sister did both of our duties for a thousand years, I can handle a month or so. Especially as Midnight has already promised to assist me."
Two months away from Sunny and Sparks. Two months away from Nocturnis. Well, okay, it'd be closer to a month and a half. Six or so weeks.
A full month of focusing on my magic would likely help my skill a lot too, especially with Sunshine teaching me.
Maybe I can even get the entire shimmer thing fully under control.
"...Where would we even go?" I asked with a small frown before glancing up at her, "Any ideas? Because I can tell you, my guards are going to have opinions about anything too isolated for security reasons."
Luna nodded, "Actually, I do. There is a small fortress a day's travel from Canterlot. I have checked and while it's still maintained and kept supplied by the Guard, it is no longer in active use. Fortress may be overstating it a bit even, more like an oversized watch tower at the side of a mountain. Highly defensible and can be made comfortable for a month-long stay in less than a week. Including any teaching material and enough space for an attachment of both Solar and Nocturnis guards."
I eyed her suspiciously, "So… you really have thought of everything, haven't you?"
"I did discuss it with Twilight," she pointed out with a small amused smile.
Sighing softly, I finally nodded, "Okay," I agreed, "if you can get her to agree to it, I can play along."
Luna kissed my cheek, "Thank you. I think it'd be good for her to get some time to relax."
The little earth pony filly was laying in a massive fluffy bed, curled up hugging a big stuffed animal. Well, little and little, she was ten years old.
Home sick from school and having nightmares.
Luna liked to make sure the foals slept well. That's the way we had split things once I started to patrol dreams on my own. She did the foals and I handled the adults.
I liked that split.
Adult dreams could mostly just be canceled and replaced with dreamless sleep and there were less foals than adults. Which means she could give most important nightmares the attention they deserved.
That didn't mean I never tagged along.
Stepping onto the not-ground of the dream realm, I stretched my wings while looking at my wife. You know, there were moments when I remembered that she was actually my wife and I got all giddy.
She was so beautiful and her mane shimmered like the night sky, especially in here. It almost seemed to be made of the same kind of stuff as the rest of the realm, blending in with it..
Luna turned her head to look at me before she smiled, "...What, My Page?"
Smiling, I moved over to touch her side with mine, "Simply admiring the night sky. It's especially beautiful tonight."
Her cheeks reddened slightly and she lowered her head to give me a small kiss.
I smiled into the kiss. Not often I could get her speechless.
Breaking the kiss, Luna looked at me knowingly as she flicked her tail against mine, "I have been considering things."
"That sounds dangerous," I said, looking up at her, "May I ask which things?"
Luna brushed her wing along my back, "My sister among others," she said and flicked one ear as she looked at me, "I may have an idea to get her to take a vacation, but I'm not sure it will work."
"Been discussing it with Sparks?"
Luna smiled, "Actually, very much so. It will require the help of all of you to be possible. Especially you."
I sat down, looking up at her, "What's your idea?"
Sitting down, Luna smiled, "How's your magic studies going?" she asked.
I blinked at the seeming non sequitur before I shrugged, "It's going alright. A lot of it is theory as practicing magic in a dream only does so much and I don't have a lot of time when I'm awake. So I'm not exactly a wizard."
"As I suspected," she said with a smile, "In that case, this may work."
I looked up at her in thought, "What exactly is your plan?"
"My idea is that she takes you on a teaching retreat away from Canterlot. Somewhere stray magic won't risk ponies getting hurt."
I considered that for a second before I shook my head, "I can see a couple of problems with that plan."
"Such as?"
"Well, for the first thing, it would require me to leave Nocturnis for weeks if not months. I can't just be away from my responsibilities for that long."
Luna smiled, "Which I have already discussed with Twilight and Sunset. They are both happy to cover your responsibilities until your return."
Oh.
So it's going to be one of those conversations. The kind where she already thought about every protest I could come up with and will end up with me doing what she wants.
Let's play then. Where's the fun in just capitulating after all?
"Even then, there are other things," I continued, "For example, the entire idea is to get Sunshine to relax. You know more than most that teaching me practical magic is hardly a relaxing activity. Remember me and fire magic? Or that apple I blew up?"
Luna smiled, "I do indeed. But my sister really does enjoy teaching as you know. Getting her to relax fully may be impossible, but I think a month away to focus on what she loves would be very good for her."
I glanced down at my hooves.
What Luna said made a lot of sense. I sure knew that if I got a month to do nothing but relax and write, I'd be a happier pony at the end of it. But it would likely need me to be away from Nocturnis for at least two months counting travel time into it.
But if there was anypony in Equestria that deserved a vacation, other than possibly Flower Rain, it was Sunshine. It was also true that convincing her to take it would take quite a lot. Last time I managed to do it by promising by taking over her duties while she was away.
"But that would mean you taking over her duties while she's away."
Luna nodded, "Indeed," she said with a small smile, "But my sister did both of our duties for a thousand years, I can handle a month or so. Especially as Midnight has already promised to assist me."
Two months away from Sunny and Sparks. Two months away from Nocturnis. Well, okay, it'd be closer to a month and a half. Six or so weeks.
A full month of focusing on my magic would likely help my skill a lot too, especially with Sunshine teaching me.
Maybe I can even get the entire shimmer thing fully under control.
"...Where would we even go?" I asked with a small frown before glancing up at her, "Any ideas? Because I can tell you, my guards are going to have opinions about anything too isolated for security reasons."
Luna nodded, "Actually, I do. There is a small fortress a day's travel from Canterlot. I have checked and while it's still maintained and kept supplied by the Guard, it is no longer in active use. Fortress may be overstating it a bit even, more like an oversized watch tower at the side of a mountain. Highly defensible and can be made comfortable for a month-long stay in less than a week. Including any teaching material and enough space for an attachment of both Solar and Nocturnis guards."
I eyed her suspiciously, "So… you really have thought of everything, haven't you?"
"I did discuss it with Twilight," she pointed out with a small amused smile.
Sighing softly, I finally nodded, "Okay," I agreed, "if you can get her to agree to it, I can play along."
Luna kissed my cheek, "Thank you. I think it'd be good for her to get some time to relax."
Hestia&theCourt
Turns out we're plural too.
- Location
- In transition
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I'm sure their stated purpose is one of the reasons they're doing this, but I can't help but think everyone involved is also trying to push Celestia and Page along into at least addressing their mutual sexual tension. Which, in that light, makes me wonder whether or not Cadence got involved in helping plan this. It is her wheelhouse.
Makes me wonder how obvious the sexual tension is to the common pony.
Hestia&theCourt
Turns out we're plural too.
- Location
- In transition
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I would be inclined to say not particularly obvious, personally. Most ponies know Celestia as their god-princess, not in any sort of personal manner, and Celestia's flirting with Page is usually in private areas where the common pony wouldn't see it happening. I would guess that there are several active betting pools about whether or not there is sexual tension, but no hard proof either way.
"That being said, it would be really funny if literally everyone in Equestria knew about the sexual tension and are just waiting for them to figure it out."
By Common I mean the common pony that typically has to interact enough to at least be peripherally aware of the (Page) Alicorn's goings on.
I know the Griffins expect it.
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A further thought about my above idea.
Part of how they're talking Celestia into taking this "working vacation" is by telling her that they want to get Page to take some time off, but he's too focused on being a good Prince to go for a pure vacation,
So they want her to give him some actual in-person magic lessons, something that that gets him away from the throne to decompress, but is useful enough that he won't feel bad if he's enjoying himself doing so.
so much the same guilt trip they are laying on him to help Celestia, just in reverse.
Part of how they're talking Celestia into taking this "working vacation" is by telling her that they want to get Page to take some time off, but he's too focused on being a good Prince to go for a pure vacation,
So they want her to give him some actual in-person magic lessons, something that that gets him away from the throne to decompress, but is useful enough that he won't feel bad if he's enjoying himself doing so.
so much the same guilt trip they are laying on him to help Celestia, just in reverse.
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I suppressed a yawn as I started to slowly stir awake. The last rays of the sun were filtering in through the darkness-dome that covered our bed.
Sunset was already missing. As usual nowadays, she was up far before Sparks and myself, usually before dusk.
Sparks stirred in the darkness next to me. I shifted slightly to roll to face her. What I saw was a pile of every blanket we had shifting and stirring.
They rose and then lowered. First slowly and then suddenly. The pile shifted, wiggled and then Sparks let out an annoyed sound. There was a bright flash of purple light beneath the pile, and she reappeared on top of it.
I smiled sleepily, "Did the dangerous blanket monster eat you?" I teased.
Sparks grumbled something before she yawned and stretched, arching her back, her wings raised high. I watched sleepily with a small smile.
Twilight waking up may be one of my favorite sights in the universe. Luna was beautiful all the time and Sunny was cute while sleepy, but Sparks was completely adorable with her mane all mussed up, her wings in disarray, her eyes half-closed, and ears drooping slightly.
Yawning again, she scooted closer and cuddled close, nosing in beneath my chin until I rested my nose against the base of her horn.
I wrapped a foreleg and a wing around her and then we just stayed like that for a bit, feeling her warmth against me.
"Sneak," I whispered after a while.
Sparks shifted and I felt her smile, "Talk to Luna then?"
"Mhmm," I agreed and ran my hoof along her mane softly, "You know, you could just have filled me in on the fact that Sunshine needed a vacation."
Sparks relaxed with a small sigh, "I know," she said and cuddled closer, "But Luna didn't want me to unless she thought it could work."
"And it has nothing to do about getting me to take a vacation either, huh?" I teased.
Sparks shifted back to bump her nose softly against mine as she smiled, looking into my eyes, "You know I've been Celestia's student too, right?" she said, sounding amused. "Which part of a month of magic lessons sounds relaxing?"
"It would to you."
Twilight laughed and then rolled onto her stomach, stretching again, "Maybe a little," she admitted before she flicked one ear, eyeing me in the darkness, "Well?"
I sighed and rolled onto my stomach before also stretching. I cracked my neck, causing Twilight to shudder in disgust before shooting me a glare.
"I agreed," I finally said, pushing myself up to sit. I flicked my tail and canceled the dome of darkness over the bed, squinting against the last rays of the sun playing across the room. "If everypony else thinks it's a good idea, I won't stand in the way."
Twilight grinned happily and jumped to her hooves, "Good," she said and kissed my cheek before sitting down.
"And… " I continued with a small sigh, "I really do need practice," I admitted, "My spell-casting is still below par."
Sparks looked at me strangely, one eyebrow raised, "No you're not. Have you seen the average unicorn? They know like two or three spells related to their special talent and perhaps a couple of utility spells and that's it. If even that."
I shrugged. Intellectually I knew she was right and even three spells were way more than some unicorns who only had telekinesis and maybe a light spell.
But I'm not just an educated unicorn, I'm an alicorn, and I have to do better. Especially out in the world of matter, I couldn't just throw power at the problem.
Sparks shook her head and brushed her wing across my side before jumping off the bed and using her horn to light the magic crystals as she moved over to the mirror, starting to brush her mane and tail.
I settled down to watch, running my magic through my own mane and tail, giving them both a good shake. I then picked my silver circlet from its stand on the desk and settled it onto my head.
Climbing off the bed, I moved up to Sparks, starting to work on smoothing out her feathers. She didn't comment but her breath caught in her throat for a second as her wings spread. Smiling to myself, I worked my way along her left wing, "So…" I asked, "Think she'll go for it?"
"I think so, she loves teaching," Twilight said after a moment before she glanced at me, "Luna's going to bring it up with her, you just need to say you want to do it."
"You do know that she's going to see straight through it, right?" I said and moved to her other wing, "She has some experience in subterfuge you know."
Twilight smiled a bit, "I'm sure she can. But it would also be something she not only likes to do, but would be good for you. No need to call it subterfuge when it's the truth."
"Yes, because I have nopony here that can teach me practical magic skills," I teased and carefully pulled out a loose feather, bringing a gasp from her.
She fluffed up her wings before folding them again, glancing at me, "Do I point holes in your plans?"
"Yes, constantly," I said and put the feather in a box for future burning.
"Well, it's a good plan," Sparks said as she got up, turning to me, "She gets to relax, you get to practice magic and get time away from Nocturnis. It's literally win, win, win."
I just nodded and returned to her, "I know, I know. Just pointing things out," I said before I smiled, "...You don't need to convince me, you know. Luna already did that."
Sparks smiled and then led the way out into the other chamber and the waiting breakfast.
Sunset was already missing. As usual nowadays, she was up far before Sparks and myself, usually before dusk.
Sparks stirred in the darkness next to me. I shifted slightly to roll to face her. What I saw was a pile of every blanket we had shifting and stirring.
They rose and then lowered. First slowly and then suddenly. The pile shifted, wiggled and then Sparks let out an annoyed sound. There was a bright flash of purple light beneath the pile, and she reappeared on top of it.
I smiled sleepily, "Did the dangerous blanket monster eat you?" I teased.
Sparks grumbled something before she yawned and stretched, arching her back, her wings raised high. I watched sleepily with a small smile.
Twilight waking up may be one of my favorite sights in the universe. Luna was beautiful all the time and Sunny was cute while sleepy, but Sparks was completely adorable with her mane all mussed up, her wings in disarray, her eyes half-closed, and ears drooping slightly.
Yawning again, she scooted closer and cuddled close, nosing in beneath my chin until I rested my nose against the base of her horn.
I wrapped a foreleg and a wing around her and then we just stayed like that for a bit, feeling her warmth against me.
"Sneak," I whispered after a while.
Sparks shifted and I felt her smile, "Talk to Luna then?"
"Mhmm," I agreed and ran my hoof along her mane softly, "You know, you could just have filled me in on the fact that Sunshine needed a vacation."
Sparks relaxed with a small sigh, "I know," she said and cuddled closer, "But Luna didn't want me to unless she thought it could work."
"And it has nothing to do about getting me to take a vacation either, huh?" I teased.
Sparks shifted back to bump her nose softly against mine as she smiled, looking into my eyes, "You know I've been Celestia's student too, right?" she said, sounding amused. "Which part of a month of magic lessons sounds relaxing?"
"It would to you."
Twilight laughed and then rolled onto her stomach, stretching again, "Maybe a little," she admitted before she flicked one ear, eyeing me in the darkness, "Well?"
I sighed and rolled onto my stomach before also stretching. I cracked my neck, causing Twilight to shudder in disgust before shooting me a glare.
"I agreed," I finally said, pushing myself up to sit. I flicked my tail and canceled the dome of darkness over the bed, squinting against the last rays of the sun playing across the room. "If everypony else thinks it's a good idea, I won't stand in the way."
Twilight grinned happily and jumped to her hooves, "Good," she said and kissed my cheek before sitting down.
"And… " I continued with a small sigh, "I really do need practice," I admitted, "My spell-casting is still below par."
Sparks looked at me strangely, one eyebrow raised, "No you're not. Have you seen the average unicorn? They know like two or three spells related to their special talent and perhaps a couple of utility spells and that's it. If even that."
I shrugged. Intellectually I knew she was right and even three spells were way more than some unicorns who only had telekinesis and maybe a light spell.
But I'm not just an educated unicorn, I'm an alicorn, and I have to do better. Especially out in the world of matter, I couldn't just throw power at the problem.
Sparks shook her head and brushed her wing across my side before jumping off the bed and using her horn to light the magic crystals as she moved over to the mirror, starting to brush her mane and tail.
I settled down to watch, running my magic through my own mane and tail, giving them both a good shake. I then picked my silver circlet from its stand on the desk and settled it onto my head.
Climbing off the bed, I moved up to Sparks, starting to work on smoothing out her feathers. She didn't comment but her breath caught in her throat for a second as her wings spread. Smiling to myself, I worked my way along her left wing, "So…" I asked, "Think she'll go for it?"
"I think so, she loves teaching," Twilight said after a moment before she glanced at me, "Luna's going to bring it up with her, you just need to say you want to do it."
"You do know that she's going to see straight through it, right?" I said and moved to her other wing, "She has some experience in subterfuge you know."
Twilight smiled a bit, "I'm sure she can. But it would also be something she not only likes to do, but would be good for you. No need to call it subterfuge when it's the truth."
"Yes, because I have nopony here that can teach me practical magic skills," I teased and carefully pulled out a loose feather, bringing a gasp from her.
She fluffed up her wings before folding them again, glancing at me, "Do I point holes in your plans?"
"Yes, constantly," I said and put the feather in a box for future burning.
"Well, it's a good plan," Sparks said as she got up, turning to me, "She gets to relax, you get to practice magic and get time away from Nocturnis. It's literally win, win, win."
I just nodded and returned to her, "I know, I know. Just pointing things out," I said before I smiled, "...You don't need to convince me, you know. Luna already did that."
Sparks smiled and then led the way out into the other chamber and the waiting breakfast.
slenderman1942
Jungle Tyrant
- Location
- Home
Meanwhile Cadence is in the background going "Muahahaha, all according to cake."
- Location
- united states
I thought the two had already acknowledged it when messing with Cadence?
Hestia&theCourt
Turns out we're plural too.
- Location
- In transition
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Now that you mention it, I do have vague memories of that happening. Hm. Might be time for a reread, then, just to make sure I haven't forgotten anything else like that.
10
Breaking through into the dream, I spread my wings and swept through the air as I looked around. The sun filtered through clouds above at a fortress below.
It looked fairly primitive, this was a very old design. Basically just stone walls around a bunch of wooden buildings.
Ponies mared the walls, a mix of pegasi and earth ponies, but I could only see a couple of unicorns. Around the fortress was pinned in on three sides by mountain cliffs towards the valley and ocean below it but the path and area before the fortress was filled with an army camp.
There were mostly unicorns in it that I could see.
Hmm.
Banking around, I turned around, circling down towards a white and gold spot I could easily make out on the battlement of the fortress. She was smaller than in modern day and her mane pink rather than flowing celestial.
My hooves touched down and the dream solidified around us. Celestia startled slightly, looking around, her wings raised before she looked at me with a smile, "Page. Welcome."
"Thank you," I said, giving her a small bow as I looked around. She was wearing a set of golden armor, simpler than her modern one. No protection for her wings for one thing.
Everypony else was also wearing armor, so I may as well fit in. Changing the dream around me and it shifted to the bronze armor of any of the pegasi mareing the walls before also covering it with a black cloak.
Adjusting my wings slightly, I brushed the hood back, giving her a salute.
Celestia smiled, "Wrong time period," she said as she regarded me, "Do it right."
I lowered my hoof back onto the stone, raising an eyebrow at her, "You're not going to tell me which, are you?"
"Of course not."
Hmm. I glanced around at the ponies on the walls, walking around below. No steel which meant this was fairly early. No iron either, all I could see was bronze.
So very early. Mostly pegasi and earth ponies, the modern salute came from unicorns after going through a bunch of variations, mostly to make it possible for somepony without a horn, so no lightshow.
The collection of forces indicated that some pegasi and earth pony tribes had joined in the formation of Equestria, but not a lot of unicorns. Which also meant it was before the large earth pony empires fell. So their version had not filtered in yet either.
Which meant something really early. My knowledge of this time period was really spotty, especially with these sorts of details!
And she knew that, damn it. I looked up at the smiling alicorn before I straightened up and extended my right wing, bowing it around to touch the front of my chest as I shook my mane back.
Celestia smiled, "Very good, Page," she said, "Almost right," and then did it perfectly, putting her left hoof forward as she stood straight, touching her wing to the front of her chest.
I studied her for a second before I nodded and did it again, copying her closer this time before I shrugged and relaxed again, "Can't do the feather spread, sadly."
"Indeed," she agreed and folded her wing again, "Well, as we are here, we may as well work on history."
I nodded in agreement as I fell in next to her as she started to walk along the top of the wall, ponies still moving all around, readying supplies or weapons.
"This seems like a bad position," I said after a moment as I stopped, looking out over the battlements as I raised a hoof to rest on them as I looked out over the sieging camp, "They have a very good position here," I said and then glanced at Celestia, "And with that many unicorns, I bet they can even shield one of your fire spells."
"They could," Celestis agreed and paused next to me, looking out over towards the enemy forces as she looked at me, "Explain why it's not."
Sighing softly, I looked around at the ground between the fortress and the camp. Looked like mostly grass lands. There was a forest on the other side of the sieging forces, but too far away to really be used as cover or put to flame.
Glancing up at the clouds above, I continued slowly circling the fortress walls as I looked around, studying the ponies and the gear. Plenty of food and there was a spring coming out of a rock outcrop for water.
Outnumbered by the enemy, but there were enough unicorns here in combination with Sunshine to stop any direct spell attacks on the walls.
Hence the siege.
Returning to the front of the walls, I looked out over the ground towards the unicorn camp. There were signs of spell damage on it, burnt vegetation, craters often filled with water.
Putting a hoof on the battlement, I sat down, considering it for several long moments before I smiled and turned to look at Celestia, "I figured it out."
"And what is your answer?" she asked as she stepped up next to me, looking towards the distant tents.
"We're the anvil," I said, "My wife is the hammer. They are going to attack them from behind and catch them between our two forces."
Celestia nodded, "Very good," she said with a small sad smile, looking out towards the unicorn camp, "Two days from now, Lunas forces will hit them from behind at dusk. They're defeated and with no way to escape, they have no choice but to surrender."
No teleportation yet at this time.
I nodded and looked towards the tents in the distance. A time I hoped never returned.
"I spoke to my sister," Celestia said quietly.
"What do you think?" I asked, glancing up at her.
She looked thoughtful before she glanced down at me with a small smile, "I think that getting some time to practice your magic would be very good for you."
"Likely would, yes," I agreed before I smiled a bit at her, "But you know what they are really doing, right?"
"Very much so," Celestia said and shook her head, "I always was the sneakier sister."
"Mhmm," I agreed, "They're not even trying to be subtle about it. But if you want, we can always go along with it because… I kinda do need practice. There is only so much practice in dreams help, that much is very true."
Celestia nodded, "That very much is true," she agreed before she smiled and shook her head in amusement, "And if they think we need vacations that badly, we might as well go along with it."
I just nodded in agreement.
It looked fairly primitive, this was a very old design. Basically just stone walls around a bunch of wooden buildings.
Ponies mared the walls, a mix of pegasi and earth ponies, but I could only see a couple of unicorns. Around the fortress was pinned in on three sides by mountain cliffs towards the valley and ocean below it but the path and area before the fortress was filled with an army camp.
There were mostly unicorns in it that I could see.
Hmm.
Banking around, I turned around, circling down towards a white and gold spot I could easily make out on the battlement of the fortress. She was smaller than in modern day and her mane pink rather than flowing celestial.
My hooves touched down and the dream solidified around us. Celestia startled slightly, looking around, her wings raised before she looked at me with a smile, "Page. Welcome."
"Thank you," I said, giving her a small bow as I looked around. She was wearing a set of golden armor, simpler than her modern one. No protection for her wings for one thing.
Everypony else was also wearing armor, so I may as well fit in. Changing the dream around me and it shifted to the bronze armor of any of the pegasi mareing the walls before also covering it with a black cloak.
Adjusting my wings slightly, I brushed the hood back, giving her a salute.
Celestia smiled, "Wrong time period," she said as she regarded me, "Do it right."
I lowered my hoof back onto the stone, raising an eyebrow at her, "You're not going to tell me which, are you?"
"Of course not."
Hmm. I glanced around at the ponies on the walls, walking around below. No steel which meant this was fairly early. No iron either, all I could see was bronze.
So very early. Mostly pegasi and earth ponies, the modern salute came from unicorns after going through a bunch of variations, mostly to make it possible for somepony without a horn, so no lightshow.
The collection of forces indicated that some pegasi and earth pony tribes had joined in the formation of Equestria, but not a lot of unicorns. Which also meant it was before the large earth pony empires fell. So their version had not filtered in yet either.
Which meant something really early. My knowledge of this time period was really spotty, especially with these sorts of details!
And she knew that, damn it. I looked up at the smiling alicorn before I straightened up and extended my right wing, bowing it around to touch the front of my chest as I shook my mane back.
Celestia smiled, "Very good, Page," she said, "Almost right," and then did it perfectly, putting her left hoof forward as she stood straight, touching her wing to the front of her chest.
I studied her for a second before I nodded and did it again, copying her closer this time before I shrugged and relaxed again, "Can't do the feather spread, sadly."
"Indeed," she agreed and folded her wing again, "Well, as we are here, we may as well work on history."
I nodded in agreement as I fell in next to her as she started to walk along the top of the wall, ponies still moving all around, readying supplies or weapons.
"This seems like a bad position," I said after a moment as I stopped, looking out over the battlements as I raised a hoof to rest on them as I looked out over the sieging camp, "They have a very good position here," I said and then glanced at Celestia, "And with that many unicorns, I bet they can even shield one of your fire spells."
"They could," Celestis agreed and paused next to me, looking out over towards the enemy forces as she looked at me, "Explain why it's not."
Sighing softly, I looked around at the ground between the fortress and the camp. Looked like mostly grass lands. There was a forest on the other side of the sieging forces, but too far away to really be used as cover or put to flame.
Glancing up at the clouds above, I continued slowly circling the fortress walls as I looked around, studying the ponies and the gear. Plenty of food and there was a spring coming out of a rock outcrop for water.
Outnumbered by the enemy, but there were enough unicorns here in combination with Sunshine to stop any direct spell attacks on the walls.
Hence the siege.
Returning to the front of the walls, I looked out over the ground towards the unicorn camp. There were signs of spell damage on it, burnt vegetation, craters often filled with water.
Putting a hoof on the battlement, I sat down, considering it for several long moments before I smiled and turned to look at Celestia, "I figured it out."
"And what is your answer?" she asked as she stepped up next to me, looking towards the distant tents.
"We're the anvil," I said, "My wife is the hammer. They are going to attack them from behind and catch them between our two forces."
Celestia nodded, "Very good," she said with a small sad smile, looking out towards the unicorn camp, "Two days from now, Lunas forces will hit them from behind at dusk. They're defeated and with no way to escape, they have no choice but to surrender."
No teleportation yet at this time.
I nodded and looked towards the tents in the distance. A time I hoped never returned.
"I spoke to my sister," Celestia said quietly.
"What do you think?" I asked, glancing up at her.
She looked thoughtful before she glanced down at me with a small smile, "I think that getting some time to practice your magic would be very good for you."
"Likely would, yes," I agreed before I smiled a bit at her, "But you know what they are really doing, right?"
"Very much so," Celestia said and shook her head, "I always was the sneakier sister."
"Mhmm," I agreed, "They're not even trying to be subtle about it. But if you want, we can always go along with it because… I kinda do need practice. There is only so much practice in dreams help, that much is very true."
Celestia nodded, "That very much is true," she agreed before she smiled and shook her head in amusement, "And if they think we need vacations that badly, we might as well go along with it."
I just nodded in agreement.
Finagle007
[Verified Great Old One]
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
They can't all be mareing the walls, I'm fairly sure most of them are stallions.
pretty sure this story is one of those that have a higher female to male ratio with mares making up the military forces (celestias and lunas guard being al stallion was a sign of peace and prosperity because they were so strong/big/rich that they could afford to make their guard out of the nummerically smaller sex
11
Things progressed faster than I thought it would. Less than a week after I agreed to go, I found myself at the train station just as the sun started to rise above the trees.
Birds chirped in the trees, audible above the sound of the railway ponies and the locomotive. Ponies yelled, cargo getting loaded. Passengers boarding the train.
I stood outside the private royal carriage as I looked between Sparks and Sunny, "Are you sure about this?" I asked them seriously, "I know how much work this is."
Sparks nodded and stepped forward, hugging me tight before she kissed my cheek, "Page, just focus on your studies. We'll be fine."
"We can handle this," Sunset said with a smile as she joined us, "And don't forget, we were both Celestia's students in the past. We know exactly how difficult you are going to have it."
I raised an eyebrow at her, "Really?"
"She's a good teacher," Sparks said with a smile as she let go of the hug, "But she is also demanding."
"Yeah, I noticed," I agreed with a smile, "...but you're right, this will be fun."
"Your Majesty," Moon Glow said as she walked up to us before saluting, "Everything is ready."
I nodded, "Thank you, Glow. I'll be onboard in a minute," I said before I turned to pull Sparks and Sunny into another tight hug, "...I'll miss you."
"We'll miss you too," Sunset said and leaned against me, "But we'll see you in our dreams," she said before she pulled back with a small grin and a wink, "Say hi to Luna from us."
I cleared my throat and nodded, "I will."
While the way out would take me directly to my destination, we had decided that on the way back I'd stop by Canterlot for at least a couple of days and then continue back
Twilight blushed slightly and then poked me with her hoof, "Get going, ponies are waiting!"
I smiled and stole a kiss from her before retreating towards the rail carriage. I glanced back at them one more time before I climbed up and walked inside.
I gave Shade and Leaf a nod as I walked past the cabin they had set up in before entering my private cabin that took up something like the last half of the rail carriage.
Amber looked up from where she was sitting on one of the chairs, "We're going now, sir?"
"We are," I said and stretched my wings a little before jumping onto the couch as I lit my horn and slipped my circled off my head, floating it over to put on its stand next to the bed.
Looking out the window, I gave Sunset and Twilight a wave as the train jerked and started to move, slowly pulling out of the station.
They waved back as they slid out of view.
Letting out a small sigh, I shifted and leaned against the couch, trying to get comfortable. About a week to our destination.
There was something to be said about this way to travel. Plenty of time to think, to read. It felt a bit strange though knowing that I left Flower Rain behind to assist Sparks and Sunny.
Even this quickly, it made me realize exactly how much I relied on the petite batpony for… basically everything.
It was getting late though, I should think about getting to bed soon…
…or it would be normally. Now I had to turn things around to be awake during the day. Technically, Celestia could have done the same and been awake during the night, but… Alicorn of the Sun. It just seemed more practical for me to be the one to do it.
If I forced myself to stay up three or so hours longer every day until we arrived, it would be fine. It's just that the process to do so sucked.
Blinking a bit against the increasing light, I looked around only to find Amber digging around in an open drawer before jumping off the chair and crossing over to me, offering me a pair of day goggles, "Here you go, sir."
"Thank you," I said with a smile and slipped them on, adjusting the strap around the back of my head. Day goggles weren't actually sunglasses in any way.
They actually made it look like night rather than just filter through less light.
Too much light made me sleepy, so these actually helped a lot. Extending my wing, I gave the ling a quick hug with another small yawn.
The door opened and Moon Glow poked her head inside, "Alright there, sir?"
"Alright, Glow," I agreed and folded my wing again, "Just not looking forward to being awake during the day, thing."
She smiled and walked in, adjusting her wings, "I'm actually looking forward to it a bit," she admitted, "One thing I do miss doing as often is sunbathing."
"You know, you could take more time off," I suggested, "I have literally offered it several times. And I know for a fact that you are falling behind on taking the days off you normally get as well."
"Eh, I'd get bored."
"Well, enjoy while you can, I guess, because I think Starlight may start to enforce that sort of thing soon," I said with a smile, "How's everypony else settling in?"
A total of twenty guards were coming along. And three other ponies. A maid, a doctor and a chef. The regular traveling accompaniments.
"Everyone is doing fine," she said with a nod, "Oh, that reminds me. Sweet Slice wanted me to ask you if you would like a morning meal?"
"That would be nice I think, thank you," I agreed, "But keep it light. And remind her that we're shifting everything three hours a day until we're at a day pony schedule.."
"I'll let her know," Glow said with a smile and a nod and turned to leave. I suppressed another yawn and looked around. Spotting the fully stocked bookshelf, I jumped off the couch and trotted over to it.
Well, I have a week to kill.
#########
Thunk-thunk. Thunk-thunk.
The sound of the train tracks was faint beneath the carriage as we sped across the plains. Grass stretching out towards the horizon, the jungle left far behind.
I leaned against the back of the couch, resting my head ontop of the cushion as I looked out across the landscape.
The sun shone above so I had my goggles on. But quite frankly, I was so bored.
Four days into the trip. Three and a bit days left and I was about to chew my left wing off, I was so bored.
I would have suggested to go out and fly alongside for a bit, and while even Amber wouldn't have a problem with that, it would slow us down and just make it take even longer.
"Your move."
I blinked and then looked at Moon Glow, the pegasus laying across from me on the couch, a chess set sitting on it between us.
"Sorry," I said and studied the board for several long moments before moving an earth-pony.
Moon Glow studied the board, frowning in thought for several long moments, her wings slowly shifting on her back before she reached out with her hoof and moved a wizard, taking a carriage.
Moon Glow was fairly good at chess.
Okay, scratch that. She was really good at it. I'm not. Sure, I knew how to play and I did even win some games, possibly even without her letting me, but most of the time she was the victor.
I studied the board.
And so it seems to be this time as well. She had me in two movies. Yes, I'd be able to protect my Princess by sacrificing a guard, but that would put her into another bad position.
One I may be able to get out of, or I might not.
Reaching out, I tipped my Princess over, "Your game."
"You're distracted."
"I guess I am," I admitted and then shook my head before glancing at the sun as it was actually approaching the horizon, "And it's getting late."
Moon Glow nodded, "So it is," she agreed and started to pack up the chessboard, "Thank you for the games, your majesty."
I shook my head with a smile, "I enjoyed it. I'm not that good at it, but it was fun."
"If you focused on the game, it would help."
"Likely, yes," I admitted and flicked one ear, "Sorry. Just thinking about what's going on at home."
"Princess Twilight can handle things just fine," Glow said very reasonably.
I snorted and nodded, "I know, I know. And likely better than me! Sparks' amazing, it's not that. It's… I worry about my ponies," I admitted before I shook my head, "...Sorry, Glow. You don't need to worry about that."
Moon Glow regarded me for several long moments after closing the lid on the chess-set, "I'm not a batpony," she said after several more moments, "Do you know why I moved to Nocturnis? I'm not sure I ever told you."
I shook my head, "You joined my guard when it was still in Canterlot."
Moon Glow nodded, "I did. I always wanted to be in the guard but until you formed the Dream Legion, mares couldn't be soldiers and I'm not good enough a flier for the Wonderbolts. But not all of the guard followed along to Nocturnis when it was created and the Dream Legion converted to the Nocturnis Guard. Many left when offered. Being a member while in Canterlot was easy, safe. We lost a large part when we moved."
I nodded, "Half or so when all was done."
Glow's ears flicking in annoyance, "Which was likely a good thing to get rid of the posers."
"So why did you come?" I asked, shifting my wings, "I know you have family in Canterlot."
She nodded once more, "I do, and I look forward to seeing them when we visit later. But the reason I followed was not only because I enjoyed my job. It's because I saw what you wanted to do. And not only what you wanted to do, a lot of ponies want to do good things. You actually did it. You saw a great wrong and put everything into fixing it."
"I…" I started to answer before I shook my head, "I just did what needed to be done."
Glow smiled, "Yes. I'm not a batpony," she said and slipped off the couch, slipping the chess set beneath her wing, "You're an alicorn and a Prince," she said as she turned to me again, "And so is Princess Twilight. But being an alicorn and a prince and me not being a batpony has very little to do with why you are Our Prince," she said and bowed, "Good night, your majesty."
"Good night, Moon Glow."
The door closed behind her and I looked out the window again. I'm not sure I liked when my ponies spoke about me like that.
Sometimes they just put me on even more of a pedestal that I could never live up to. Especially when away from my real duties like this.
I felt like I needed to do more. Be better. But that was one of the reasons I was doing this. I really needed the magical training.
The rest of the lessons were good for me too. Made me more capable. I may never get close to what my ponies expected from me, but I had to try.
They deserved that and more.
Nodding to myself in determination, I slipped off the couch and fetched my bag before I moved to the small desk. I could put in an hour or two of studying before sleeping.
Birds chirped in the trees, audible above the sound of the railway ponies and the locomotive. Ponies yelled, cargo getting loaded. Passengers boarding the train.
I stood outside the private royal carriage as I looked between Sparks and Sunny, "Are you sure about this?" I asked them seriously, "I know how much work this is."
Sparks nodded and stepped forward, hugging me tight before she kissed my cheek, "Page, just focus on your studies. We'll be fine."
"We can handle this," Sunset said with a smile as she joined us, "And don't forget, we were both Celestia's students in the past. We know exactly how difficult you are going to have it."
I raised an eyebrow at her, "Really?"
"She's a good teacher," Sparks said with a smile as she let go of the hug, "But she is also demanding."
"Yeah, I noticed," I agreed with a smile, "...but you're right, this will be fun."
"Your Majesty," Moon Glow said as she walked up to us before saluting, "Everything is ready."
I nodded, "Thank you, Glow. I'll be onboard in a minute," I said before I turned to pull Sparks and Sunny into another tight hug, "...I'll miss you."
"We'll miss you too," Sunset said and leaned against me, "But we'll see you in our dreams," she said before she pulled back with a small grin and a wink, "Say hi to Luna from us."
I cleared my throat and nodded, "I will."
While the way out would take me directly to my destination, we had decided that on the way back I'd stop by Canterlot for at least a couple of days and then continue back
Twilight blushed slightly and then poked me with her hoof, "Get going, ponies are waiting!"
I smiled and stole a kiss from her before retreating towards the rail carriage. I glanced back at them one more time before I climbed up and walked inside.
I gave Shade and Leaf a nod as I walked past the cabin they had set up in before entering my private cabin that took up something like the last half of the rail carriage.
Amber looked up from where she was sitting on one of the chairs, "We're going now, sir?"
"We are," I said and stretched my wings a little before jumping onto the couch as I lit my horn and slipped my circled off my head, floating it over to put on its stand next to the bed.
Looking out the window, I gave Sunset and Twilight a wave as the train jerked and started to move, slowly pulling out of the station.
They waved back as they slid out of view.
Letting out a small sigh, I shifted and leaned against the couch, trying to get comfortable. About a week to our destination.
There was something to be said about this way to travel. Plenty of time to think, to read. It felt a bit strange though knowing that I left Flower Rain behind to assist Sparks and Sunny.
Even this quickly, it made me realize exactly how much I relied on the petite batpony for… basically everything.
It was getting late though, I should think about getting to bed soon…
…or it would be normally. Now I had to turn things around to be awake during the day. Technically, Celestia could have done the same and been awake during the night, but… Alicorn of the Sun. It just seemed more practical for me to be the one to do it.
If I forced myself to stay up three or so hours longer every day until we arrived, it would be fine. It's just that the process to do so sucked.
Blinking a bit against the increasing light, I looked around only to find Amber digging around in an open drawer before jumping off the chair and crossing over to me, offering me a pair of day goggles, "Here you go, sir."
"Thank you," I said with a smile and slipped them on, adjusting the strap around the back of my head. Day goggles weren't actually sunglasses in any way.
They actually made it look like night rather than just filter through less light.
Too much light made me sleepy, so these actually helped a lot. Extending my wing, I gave the ling a quick hug with another small yawn.
The door opened and Moon Glow poked her head inside, "Alright there, sir?"
"Alright, Glow," I agreed and folded my wing again, "Just not looking forward to being awake during the day, thing."
She smiled and walked in, adjusting her wings, "I'm actually looking forward to it a bit," she admitted, "One thing I do miss doing as often is sunbathing."
"You know, you could take more time off," I suggested, "I have literally offered it several times. And I know for a fact that you are falling behind on taking the days off you normally get as well."
"Eh, I'd get bored."
"Well, enjoy while you can, I guess, because I think Starlight may start to enforce that sort of thing soon," I said with a smile, "How's everypony else settling in?"
A total of twenty guards were coming along. And three other ponies. A maid, a doctor and a chef. The regular traveling accompaniments.
"Everyone is doing fine," she said with a nod, "Oh, that reminds me. Sweet Slice wanted me to ask you if you would like a morning meal?"
"That would be nice I think, thank you," I agreed, "But keep it light. And remind her that we're shifting everything three hours a day until we're at a day pony schedule.."
"I'll let her know," Glow said with a smile and a nod and turned to leave. I suppressed another yawn and looked around. Spotting the fully stocked bookshelf, I jumped off the couch and trotted over to it.
Well, I have a week to kill.
#########
Thunk-thunk. Thunk-thunk.
The sound of the train tracks was faint beneath the carriage as we sped across the plains. Grass stretching out towards the horizon, the jungle left far behind.
I leaned against the back of the couch, resting my head ontop of the cushion as I looked out across the landscape.
The sun shone above so I had my goggles on. But quite frankly, I was so bored.
Four days into the trip. Three and a bit days left and I was about to chew my left wing off, I was so bored.
I would have suggested to go out and fly alongside for a bit, and while even Amber wouldn't have a problem with that, it would slow us down and just make it take even longer.
"Your move."
I blinked and then looked at Moon Glow, the pegasus laying across from me on the couch, a chess set sitting on it between us.
"Sorry," I said and studied the board for several long moments before moving an earth-pony.
Moon Glow studied the board, frowning in thought for several long moments, her wings slowly shifting on her back before she reached out with her hoof and moved a wizard, taking a carriage.
Moon Glow was fairly good at chess.
Okay, scratch that. She was really good at it. I'm not. Sure, I knew how to play and I did even win some games, possibly even without her letting me, but most of the time she was the victor.
I studied the board.
And so it seems to be this time as well. She had me in two movies. Yes, I'd be able to protect my Princess by sacrificing a guard, but that would put her into another bad position.
One I may be able to get out of, or I might not.
Reaching out, I tipped my Princess over, "Your game."
"You're distracted."
"I guess I am," I admitted and then shook my head before glancing at the sun as it was actually approaching the horizon, "And it's getting late."
Moon Glow nodded, "So it is," she agreed and started to pack up the chessboard, "Thank you for the games, your majesty."
I shook my head with a smile, "I enjoyed it. I'm not that good at it, but it was fun."
"If you focused on the game, it would help."
"Likely, yes," I admitted and flicked one ear, "Sorry. Just thinking about what's going on at home."
"Princess Twilight can handle things just fine," Glow said very reasonably.
I snorted and nodded, "I know, I know. And likely better than me! Sparks' amazing, it's not that. It's… I worry about my ponies," I admitted before I shook my head, "...Sorry, Glow. You don't need to worry about that."
Moon Glow regarded me for several long moments after closing the lid on the chess-set, "I'm not a batpony," she said after several more moments, "Do you know why I moved to Nocturnis? I'm not sure I ever told you."
I shook my head, "You joined my guard when it was still in Canterlot."
Moon Glow nodded, "I did. I always wanted to be in the guard but until you formed the Dream Legion, mares couldn't be soldiers and I'm not good enough a flier for the Wonderbolts. But not all of the guard followed along to Nocturnis when it was created and the Dream Legion converted to the Nocturnis Guard. Many left when offered. Being a member while in Canterlot was easy, safe. We lost a large part when we moved."
I nodded, "Half or so when all was done."
Glow's ears flicking in annoyance, "Which was likely a good thing to get rid of the posers."
"So why did you come?" I asked, shifting my wings, "I know you have family in Canterlot."
She nodded once more, "I do, and I look forward to seeing them when we visit later. But the reason I followed was not only because I enjoyed my job. It's because I saw what you wanted to do. And not only what you wanted to do, a lot of ponies want to do good things. You actually did it. You saw a great wrong and put everything into fixing it."
"I…" I started to answer before I shook my head, "I just did what needed to be done."
Glow smiled, "Yes. I'm not a batpony," she said and slipped off the couch, slipping the chess set beneath her wing, "You're an alicorn and a Prince," she said as she turned to me again, "And so is Princess Twilight. But being an alicorn and a prince and me not being a batpony has very little to do with why you are Our Prince," she said and bowed, "Good night, your majesty."
"Good night, Moon Glow."
The door closed behind her and I looked out the window again. I'm not sure I liked when my ponies spoke about me like that.
Sometimes they just put me on even more of a pedestal that I could never live up to. Especially when away from my real duties like this.
I felt like I needed to do more. Be better. But that was one of the reasons I was doing this. I really needed the magical training.
The rest of the lessons were good for me too. Made me more capable. I may never get close to what my ponies expected from me, but I had to try.
They deserved that and more.
Nodding to myself in determination, I slipped off the couch and fetched my bag before I moved to the small desk. I could put in an hour or two of studying before sleeping.
12
Taking a deep breath, I took in the air as I jumped off the train onto the small platform.
It really was a small platform too. A dozen meters of planks built up and a single sign announcing that it was the platform for the village of Everwater.
No village in sight though, just trees and a dirt path leading off into the forest.
On the path, there were half a dozen large carriages lined up, hitched behind four earth ponies each.
An unicorn looked away from a clipboard before he trotted over as he put it away in a satchel strapped to his solar guard armor. Coming to a stop, he bowed, "Prince Page," he said, "I'm Captain Bronzegleam."
"Captain," I said, giving him a nod before I looked at the carriage, "No criticism intended, but would sky carriages not be faster?"
"They would if they could land at the destination," he said and shook his head, "The courtyard is small and the wind along the cliff is strong and unpredictable. A pegasi can fly it with effort, but when pulling a carriage it's too dangerous."
I nodded in agreement while wondering what sort of place Luna really had picked for this magic training thing.
Moon Glow jumped down next to me, back in full dark Nocturnis armor.
"Captain," she said and saluted.
"Captain," he answered, returning it.
We're one captain away from a comedy sketch. Leaving them to organize the embarkation and negotiate who's in charge of what(Moon Glow in my opinion), I moved away and spread my wings, hesitating for a split second before gliding down to land onto the ground.
My hooves set down and I folded my wings as I took in the scent of the forest. But I felt tense for some reason, my ears kept twisting and turning and I kept glancing in through the thick forest.
Looking at the rest of my ponies, I wasn't the only one that looked very uncomfortable about being down on the forest floor outside a shielded area.
I made a mental note to specifically do it as much as possible at some point in the future or I feared it might turn into an outright phobia.
Because developing a phobia of having my hooves on the ground when also living for thousands of years would suck.
…of course, living in Nocturnis it wasn't exactly an unreasonable fear. Buck, thinking back about it I even felt uncomfortable on the ground when inside a shielded area.
Taking a breath, I consciously forced myself to relax. If my ponies saw or at least thought I was relaxed, it may help them to do the same.
We're safe here. There are no large bitey things hiding among the trees. So instead of keeping an eye on the forest, I consciously turned my back to it and ignored it while looking as unconcerned as possible.
It made the back of my neck itch, but I stubbornly studied the train instead as ponies moved supplies and luggage from the train to the carriages again.
In an amazingly short time, everypony seemed to be ready and Moon Glow approached me, "We're ready to get moving, your majesty," she said, coming to a stop and giving a parade ground crisp salute.
Showing off to the solar guard.
I nodded to her, "Thank you, Captain," and let her lead me to the second carriage where Shade Leaf and Leaf Shade were standing flanking the door, coming to full attention when we got close.
"How long is the ride?" I asked Glow.
"Captain Bronzegleam says about two hours," she said as we reached the door.
I nodded, "Thank you captain," I said before I climbed into the carriage only for the door to close behind me. There was a slight sound of hooves landing on the floor, meaning that Shade and Leaf had relocated onto the roof for the duration.
Meaning that everypony had decided to squeeze into the other carriages rather than make me share.
Taking a deep breath, I then sighed before laying down on the overstuffed couch. Let them do things for you.
Yes, yes, Sunshine. I know. It's just difficult at times, especially when it inconveniences so many ponies.
Picking a book from my small satchel, I settled down to read as the carriage started to slowly move, rocking slightly as it rolled along the road.
Daring really could write a good book. What more, I liked the batpony side character. He was actually helpful rather than in the way as most of her so-called supporting side characters usually were.
I really liked that she incorporated his echolocation as a solution to finding their way out of a pitch black cave. She had done her research.
Glancing out the window, I then moved closer to it as the wagon started to slow down slightly while tilting. We were moving up along a winding road up the side of a mountain. The road was narrow and the side was steep. We were already some fifty meters above the ground below and I could look out over the trees below.
That's frightening.
Closing my book, I sat down and looked out the window instead as we slowly climbed up the road. Well, this explained the four earth ponies pulling the carriages. One earth pony would be able to pull this thing easy enough on flat ground.
But with this road, four was definitely the right thought.
So instead of worrying, I did my best to trust my ponies. If they thought this was the safe way to do this, then I had to trust them to be right.
Forcing myself to relax, I tried to enjoy the view instead.
And it was an impressive view. The place we're going to was clearly as high up as Canterlot.
The carriage rocked slightly and I glanced up. Leaf and Shade had jumped off and a couple of seconds later, the reason why was revealed as everything went dark as we entered a tunnel.
I blinked, my eyes quickly adjusting and I could see the grey rock moving past just outside the window, hoof beats echoing through the clearly narrow tunnel.
I found myself amused by the fact that I could actually somewhat hear the shape and size of the tunnel from the echos. Not clearly as with propper echolocation squeaks, but well enough to tell it was over a hundred meters long and still heading upwards and not much wider or taller than the carriage.
Approaching the exit, I closed my eyes to get ready for the bright sunshine. I wasn't disappointed, quickly the cabin filled with bright sunshine a couple of moments before the carriage turned and came to a halt.
Looking out the window, revealed… a grey stone wall, just outside. We were almost pressed against it and I could see nothing. Turning the other way, the door opened to allow me outside.
The first thing that struck me was a chill wind that cut straight through my coat despite the warm sunshine from above.
Suppressing a shudder, I climbed down the stairs and looked around. While the carriages technically fit in the courtyard, it clearly took some puzzle ability to do so.
On each side was a pair of round towers that clung to the side of the cliff, seeming half built into it. The tunnel had a pair of heavy iron gates and opposite to the gate was a tall stone wall, we had parked just next to. In total, the small courtyard was maybe fifteen meters across.
Damn, no wonder this place was considered secure enough to leave a pair of alicorns lightly guarded in.
The gate at the bottom of the left tower opened and a pair of solar guards existed, followed by Celestia. All flowing colorful mane and shining white coat. She smiled as she spotted me and I moved to meet her halfway.
"Prince Page," she said with a nod, "Welcome to Sparrow Peak."
"Thank you, Princess Celestia," I said, giving her a nod as well as I met her eyes, "Glad to be here."
Behind me, ponies started to unload the carriages.
It really was a small platform too. A dozen meters of planks built up and a single sign announcing that it was the platform for the village of Everwater.
No village in sight though, just trees and a dirt path leading off into the forest.
On the path, there were half a dozen large carriages lined up, hitched behind four earth ponies each.
An unicorn looked away from a clipboard before he trotted over as he put it away in a satchel strapped to his solar guard armor. Coming to a stop, he bowed, "Prince Page," he said, "I'm Captain Bronzegleam."
"Captain," I said, giving him a nod before I looked at the carriage, "No criticism intended, but would sky carriages not be faster?"
"They would if they could land at the destination," he said and shook his head, "The courtyard is small and the wind along the cliff is strong and unpredictable. A pegasi can fly it with effort, but when pulling a carriage it's too dangerous."
I nodded in agreement while wondering what sort of place Luna really had picked for this magic training thing.
Moon Glow jumped down next to me, back in full dark Nocturnis armor.
"Captain," she said and saluted.
"Captain," he answered, returning it.
We're one captain away from a comedy sketch. Leaving them to organize the embarkation and negotiate who's in charge of what(Moon Glow in my opinion), I moved away and spread my wings, hesitating for a split second before gliding down to land onto the ground.
My hooves set down and I folded my wings as I took in the scent of the forest. But I felt tense for some reason, my ears kept twisting and turning and I kept glancing in through the thick forest.
Looking at the rest of my ponies, I wasn't the only one that looked very uncomfortable about being down on the forest floor outside a shielded area.
I made a mental note to specifically do it as much as possible at some point in the future or I feared it might turn into an outright phobia.
Because developing a phobia of having my hooves on the ground when also living for thousands of years would suck.
…of course, living in Nocturnis it wasn't exactly an unreasonable fear. Buck, thinking back about it I even felt uncomfortable on the ground when inside a shielded area.
Taking a breath, I consciously forced myself to relax. If my ponies saw or at least thought I was relaxed, it may help them to do the same.
We're safe here. There are no large bitey things hiding among the trees. So instead of keeping an eye on the forest, I consciously turned my back to it and ignored it while looking as unconcerned as possible.
It made the back of my neck itch, but I stubbornly studied the train instead as ponies moved supplies and luggage from the train to the carriages again.
In an amazingly short time, everypony seemed to be ready and Moon Glow approached me, "We're ready to get moving, your majesty," she said, coming to a stop and giving a parade ground crisp salute.
Showing off to the solar guard.
I nodded to her, "Thank you, Captain," and let her lead me to the second carriage where Shade Leaf and Leaf Shade were standing flanking the door, coming to full attention when we got close.
"How long is the ride?" I asked Glow.
"Captain Bronzegleam says about two hours," she said as we reached the door.
I nodded, "Thank you captain," I said before I climbed into the carriage only for the door to close behind me. There was a slight sound of hooves landing on the floor, meaning that Shade and Leaf had relocated onto the roof for the duration.
Meaning that everypony had decided to squeeze into the other carriages rather than make me share.
Taking a deep breath, I then sighed before laying down on the overstuffed couch. Let them do things for you.
Yes, yes, Sunshine. I know. It's just difficult at times, especially when it inconveniences so many ponies.
Picking a book from my small satchel, I settled down to read as the carriage started to slowly move, rocking slightly as it rolled along the road.
Daring really could write a good book. What more, I liked the batpony side character. He was actually helpful rather than in the way as most of her so-called supporting side characters usually were.
I really liked that she incorporated his echolocation as a solution to finding their way out of a pitch black cave. She had done her research.
Glancing out the window, I then moved closer to it as the wagon started to slow down slightly while tilting. We were moving up along a winding road up the side of a mountain. The road was narrow and the side was steep. We were already some fifty meters above the ground below and I could look out over the trees below.
That's frightening.
Closing my book, I sat down and looked out the window instead as we slowly climbed up the road. Well, this explained the four earth ponies pulling the carriages. One earth pony would be able to pull this thing easy enough on flat ground.
But with this road, four was definitely the right thought.
So instead of worrying, I did my best to trust my ponies. If they thought this was the safe way to do this, then I had to trust them to be right.
Forcing myself to relax, I tried to enjoy the view instead.
And it was an impressive view. The place we're going to was clearly as high up as Canterlot.
The carriage rocked slightly and I glanced up. Leaf and Shade had jumped off and a couple of seconds later, the reason why was revealed as everything went dark as we entered a tunnel.
I blinked, my eyes quickly adjusting and I could see the grey rock moving past just outside the window, hoof beats echoing through the clearly narrow tunnel.
I found myself amused by the fact that I could actually somewhat hear the shape and size of the tunnel from the echos. Not clearly as with propper echolocation squeaks, but well enough to tell it was over a hundred meters long and still heading upwards and not much wider or taller than the carriage.
Approaching the exit, I closed my eyes to get ready for the bright sunshine. I wasn't disappointed, quickly the cabin filled with bright sunshine a couple of moments before the carriage turned and came to a halt.
Looking out the window, revealed… a grey stone wall, just outside. We were almost pressed against it and I could see nothing. Turning the other way, the door opened to allow me outside.
The first thing that struck me was a chill wind that cut straight through my coat despite the warm sunshine from above.
Suppressing a shudder, I climbed down the stairs and looked around. While the carriages technically fit in the courtyard, it clearly took some puzzle ability to do so.
On each side was a pair of round towers that clung to the side of the cliff, seeming half built into it. The tunnel had a pair of heavy iron gates and opposite to the gate was a tall stone wall, we had parked just next to. In total, the small courtyard was maybe fifteen meters across.
Damn, no wonder this place was considered secure enough to leave a pair of alicorns lightly guarded in.
The gate at the bottom of the left tower opened and a pair of solar guards existed, followed by Celestia. All flowing colorful mane and shining white coat. She smiled as she spotted me and I moved to meet her halfway.
"Prince Page," she said with a nod, "Welcome to Sparrow Peak."
"Thank you, Princess Celestia," I said, giving her a nod as well as I met her eyes, "Glad to be here."
Behind me, ponies started to unload the carriages.
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- Location
- Omniverse #1345
I suspect he is actively suppressing that thought. Maybe with a cudgel.
13
The door closed behind me and I suppressed a shudder as a chill went through my coat.
It didn't fool Celestia through, "Cold?" she asked as we moved towards the stairs.
I shook my head, "Not really," I lied, "But that wind is a bit much."
She nodded, "I'm told it can be cold. This was not a popular posting, especially during the winter."
The shiver at that thought I couldn't suppress. It was the middle of summer, the sunlight outside was nice and warm and even now the wind was chilly.
In the middle of winter, this place would have been horrible.
"How was your journey?" Celestia asked as we reached a heavy oak door set into the side of the stairs at a stone landing, the stairs continuing curving up before us.
"Well enough," I said before I smiled up at her, "Bit boring though, but I like my train rides being boring. The alternative is worse."
"So it is," she admitted and lit her horn, pushing the door open, "This is your chamber," she said and led the way inside, ducking to pass in through the door without hitting her horn.
I followed her inside and looked around. A fireplace at one side next to a desk and bookshelves, mostly empty but for some books.
A couch and a table, the chamber mostly lit by candles. The air was chilly and I shifted a bit closer to Celestia's side as I looked around.
No bed, but I could see a tail perch had been installed close to the fireplace.
Somepony had put quite a lot of thought into this to make it as bat friendly as possible. Not a lot of candles either and the only window was high and narrow.
I briefly wondered how much exactly Sunshine could see in here, it had to be pretty gloomy.
"Looks nice," I said and shifted away from her, doing a circle around the chamber.
"It'll be warmer once the fire is lit," Celestia reassured me with a smile, "And there are plenty of blankets stored."
I smiled at her and nodded, "And your chamber?"
"Similar," she said and glanced upwards, "The floor above. It will double as our main classroom."
Nodding, I followed her out of the chamber and up the stairs to the next level. She opened the room and ducked in through the opening. Her chamber was very similar, but with a Celestia sized bed and the bookshelves were filled.
Her fireplace was crackling away already and the air was warmer, even if I'm not sure I would describe it as warm.
I may have to wrap myself in a blanket while sleeping. Never done that while hanging from my tail, so that'll be interesting.
"Everypony else in the other tower?"
Celestia nodded, "That's where the main barracks are," before she smiled, "These used to be armory, storage and offices."
"What's above us? There's more than two chambers in this tower."
Sunshine smiled, "Come," she said and led the way up to the top floor. The stairs continued on to a hatch which likely led to the floor.
Pushing the door open, Celestia allowed me inside first.
This floor was… not anything. It was a chamber the same size as the lower ones and it was completely empty. Just bare rock, not even a fireplace. It was clean and dust free, but other than bare rocks and wood supports for the roof, it was empty.
I glanced back at Celestia, shifting my wings against the slight chill as I wondered if my cloak had been packed, "Spell practice?"
"Spell practice," she confirmed and ducked in through the door to join me, "Enchanted similar to the practice rooms at my school for unicorns."
"Oh, '' I said, nodding, "I just assumed we'd be doing that at the courtyard. Is the spells going to be dangerous enough to require this? I didn't think I was at that level of spellcasting."
Celestia flicked one ear and shrugged her wings, "No," she admitted, "But some of the spells we will be doing are complex and can be energetic if they fail. We had the room and it's better to keep things safe if possible."
Ah.
Well, that makes sense. Best keep things safe I suppose. That was why we were here instead of Canterlot after all, at least according to the 'cover story'.
"So," I said and smiled faintly up at her, "...We're keeping the cover story then?"
"We are," Celestia said and smiled back, "Even if they think they tricked us into a vacation, we should make use of the time."
I nodded, "We should," I agreed and grinned, "...To be honest, I have been looking forward to what I will be learning. Magic is cool."
Celestia smiled and nodded, "I see Twilight is rubbing off on you."
"Mmm," I agreed with a grin, shaking my mane back, "Sometimes. What about you?"
Celestia stretched her wings with a small smirk, "Maybe I will while we're here."
Moving up next to her, I felt the cold fade away as I got close to her sun warm side, "I rather like that idea. Do we start today?"
She shook her head, "Best start tomorrow, Page. It has been a long day for you. It's best to learn when fully rested and relaxed."
"That sounds kinda nice actually," I admitted as we started down the stairs again, keeping close to the hot sun goddess to ward the chill away.
It didn't fool Celestia through, "Cold?" she asked as we moved towards the stairs.
I shook my head, "Not really," I lied, "But that wind is a bit much."
She nodded, "I'm told it can be cold. This was not a popular posting, especially during the winter."
The shiver at that thought I couldn't suppress. It was the middle of summer, the sunlight outside was nice and warm and even now the wind was chilly.
In the middle of winter, this place would have been horrible.
"How was your journey?" Celestia asked as we reached a heavy oak door set into the side of the stairs at a stone landing, the stairs continuing curving up before us.
"Well enough," I said before I smiled up at her, "Bit boring though, but I like my train rides being boring. The alternative is worse."
"So it is," she admitted and lit her horn, pushing the door open, "This is your chamber," she said and led the way inside, ducking to pass in through the door without hitting her horn.
I followed her inside and looked around. A fireplace at one side next to a desk and bookshelves, mostly empty but for some books.
A couch and a table, the chamber mostly lit by candles. The air was chilly and I shifted a bit closer to Celestia's side as I looked around.
No bed, but I could see a tail perch had been installed close to the fireplace.
Somepony had put quite a lot of thought into this to make it as bat friendly as possible. Not a lot of candles either and the only window was high and narrow.
I briefly wondered how much exactly Sunshine could see in here, it had to be pretty gloomy.
"Looks nice," I said and shifted away from her, doing a circle around the chamber.
"It'll be warmer once the fire is lit," Celestia reassured me with a smile, "And there are plenty of blankets stored."
I smiled at her and nodded, "And your chamber?"
"Similar," she said and glanced upwards, "The floor above. It will double as our main classroom."
Nodding, I followed her out of the chamber and up the stairs to the next level. She opened the room and ducked in through the opening. Her chamber was very similar, but with a Celestia sized bed and the bookshelves were filled.
Her fireplace was crackling away already and the air was warmer, even if I'm not sure I would describe it as warm.
I may have to wrap myself in a blanket while sleeping. Never done that while hanging from my tail, so that'll be interesting.
"Everypony else in the other tower?"
Celestia nodded, "That's where the main barracks are," before she smiled, "These used to be armory, storage and offices."
"What's above us? There's more than two chambers in this tower."
Sunshine smiled, "Come," she said and led the way up to the top floor. The stairs continued on to a hatch which likely led to the floor.
Pushing the door open, Celestia allowed me inside first.
This floor was… not anything. It was a chamber the same size as the lower ones and it was completely empty. Just bare rock, not even a fireplace. It was clean and dust free, but other than bare rocks and wood supports for the roof, it was empty.
I glanced back at Celestia, shifting my wings against the slight chill as I wondered if my cloak had been packed, "Spell practice?"
"Spell practice," she confirmed and ducked in through the door to join me, "Enchanted similar to the practice rooms at my school for unicorns."
"Oh, '' I said, nodding, "I just assumed we'd be doing that at the courtyard. Is the spells going to be dangerous enough to require this? I didn't think I was at that level of spellcasting."
Celestia flicked one ear and shrugged her wings, "No," she admitted, "But some of the spells we will be doing are complex and can be energetic if they fail. We had the room and it's better to keep things safe if possible."
Ah.
Well, that makes sense. Best keep things safe I suppose. That was why we were here instead of Canterlot after all, at least according to the 'cover story'.
"So," I said and smiled faintly up at her, "...We're keeping the cover story then?"
"We are," Celestia said and smiled back, "Even if they think they tricked us into a vacation, we should make use of the time."
I nodded, "We should," I agreed and grinned, "...To be honest, I have been looking forward to what I will be learning. Magic is cool."
Celestia smiled and nodded, "I see Twilight is rubbing off on you."
"Mmm," I agreed with a grin, shaking my mane back, "Sometimes. What about you?"
Celestia stretched her wings with a small smirk, "Maybe I will while we're here."
Moving up next to her, I felt the cold fade away as I got close to her sun warm side, "I rather like that idea. Do we start today?"
She shook her head, "Best start tomorrow, Page. It has been a long day for you. It's best to learn when fully rested and relaxed."
"That sounds kinda nice actually," I admitted as we started down the stairs again, keeping close to the hot sun goddess to ward the chill away.
Slow burn till fiery inferno?