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.”
And there, at some point, they will switch topics from magic to equin anatomy.
Sounds like Luna's playing matchmaker.
hee hee
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Pretty sure it's just anatomy. When was the last time Page's past as a human came up, other than in my comments about the fact that it almost never comes up anymore?
Dense motherf#cker hahaha
Alicorn statue:
"I demand attention and recognition or i shall destroy Nocturnis!"
Page:
"Did someone call for a Sledgehammer?!"
Alicorn statue:
camo.fimfiction.net/_dwjItvgpQ_zd0UKmddPJEQ-R1nRKs33QPXgc6rrDU4?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.tenor.com%2Fqmy5Vv0CaNoAAAAC%2Fparlay-pirates.gif
Titel drop of the prequels?
Hint dropped on Celestias crush towards Page?
Unmarried honeymoon comes to mind rather than teaching magic. Unless is magic with benefits?
🤝
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And if she is, well, then in this particular case it’d be hard to nominate anyone with better qualifications (sorry, Pink Princess!). She’s Page’s wife and Celestia’s sister, if she doesn’t mind sharing one with the other to the point where she’s willing to nudge the relationship along herself, I can’t think of many ponies with a good reason to tell her no...and the best reason the two main suspects could probably muster is something weak along the lines of decency or public image.
So, yeah. They’re doomed, but what a way to go.
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"Hey sparks, how's everything going?"
"Great fantastic just great. not really actually, some batponies got it in their head to build a statue of you while you're gone."
"...and?"
"Well then some other batponies got the idea to relocate the baticorn statue we found in that temple instead."
"...oh celestia"
"So there's been some interesting side effects, mostly blood drinking and rabid parties, but hey we don't have to worry about the birth rate anymore!"
Those words there are a blatant intent to get Page & Celestia some personal time to finally get some Snu-Snu with each other.
Which may mean that Sgt. Murphy might rock them a bit by Sunshine getting both her Batty Husbando and a foal...
...Stay tune to find out more in this arc!
I can already see how page cans help Celestia ‘Relax’
Great chapter
Are all of the stories in this series going to be slice of life stories?
...MEANWHILE AT THE FORTRESS...
Shining: I must say Twily and Luna have thought of everything..
Cadance: Almost everything~! I need more rose petals and candles!
Discord: I'll help you once I finish creating the hot springs!
Shining: You two ARE planning to honor the deal you made with them right? Luna was especially serious since she drafted that contract.
Cadance: Of course! The Page Shipping Tribunal are only limited to Crystal Ball observation. No wormholes. No magical interventions.
Discord: In return, they're allowing us a whole week to prep this fortress for LOVE! We will make Page and Celestia leave the comfy place known as denial!
Cadance: Come Discord! PREP FOR VICTORY!
Discord: THE HERD WILL THRIVE!
Shining: Yes yes yes...please leave some room for the guards to function at least?
Cadance&Discord: That wasn't in the contract!
Guards: Why are our barracks full of mangoes and whipped cream?!
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...umm yes? The Pageverse series always has been mostly slice of life.
My my, aren't you smooth
Yup, your friends and family have been plotting behind you're, and Celestia's, backs
It's clear what's happening here
The people that love both Page and Celestia are all fully aware that getting the two of them to take an actual vacation is... ridiculously hard (they're workaholics).
These people also know that both Page and Celestia cares deeply for each other and both feel that the other could really use a vacation, so they have decided come up with a plan to get them both away from work for a bit... by telling both that it's for the other person's sake
There might be another reason as well but no need to get into that
And Midnight, and Sunset, and probably several other people to make sure you had all information you'd need to convince two very stubborn ponies to go along with your plan
And probably make other things happen
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To keep you... occupied
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I mean "Slice of Life" is one of the tags for these stories.
Nice
Hmmm, that doublespeak...
Page thinks he recognizes the manner in which he's being outmaneuvered and the ultimate goal, leaving him blind to their true plan.
I hope it works, too.
At last the ship will set sail. I’ve really been looking forward to this.
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With how dense our favorite battycorn can be, I am not certain of that
Somehow I get the feeling that Celestia will leave that fortress with a bun in her oven.
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Cadence: If they would do that I would not be as frustrated with them as I am.
Oh no. This can't go well, one way or another.
Grammar jackboots:
I glanced back.
it by promising to take over her
I hate it when that happens!
During my initial reading of this chapter, I totally overlooked the first sentence.
All through their conversation, I was picturing the foal, whose dream they occupied, was thinking, "Whoa! Puberty has really come early for me!"
Only you could pull me out of retirement, Hiver old boy.
Wonderful readings
I wonder what Cadance do for vacation, maybe Blank Page can do something similar for Cadance and the others setting everything up.