Comfy. Warm.
My head felt like it was full of cotton. I groaned and slowly forced my eyes open. Everything was so bright. "Uegh?" I managed to ask.
"Page! You're awake!" Sunset exclaimed and moved into my field of view.
I blinked at her and tried to talk before finding that I couldn't really "...ater..." I managed to croak out. My throat felt like a desert.
Sunset blinked, "Oh! One second!" and she ducked back before returning with a glass and a straw. I drank. It was wonderful.
"What happened?" I managed to ask before relaxing again.
Sunset shifted onto the bed next to me, touching her horn gently to mine, "What do you remember?"
I frowned and thought back. A bright light.
I sighed, "...Me being an idiot, scaring Celestia and getting smacked with the same kind beam she smacked Chrysalis with? How close am i?"
"Fairly," Sunset said softly, "You forgot being flung from the balcony and hitting the tower across the garden. Amber managed to catch you just before you hit the ground... not enough to stop you, but enough to slow you down. She saved your life."
Oh.
"Thank you, Amber."
"Welcome, sir," a voice said, drifting out from beneath the bed.
I managed a small smile, "Luna's not here?"
"Been taking turns", Sunset said softly, "I took over a couple of hours ago. Celestia was before that, but..."
"Also have to run the country," I agreed and swallowed before I couldn't avoid the subject any longer, "..How bad is it? I can't move."
I did my best to suppress a sudden surge of terror as I asked the question.
"Your spine is fine," Sunny said gently, getting my meaning at once, "It's a combination of the drugs and casts. But you were hurt bad."
I took a deep breath before I nodded, "Hit me."
"Right foreleg was broken at five places. Both rear legs broken. Five broken ribs. Internal bleeding. A punctured lung. A large concussion. Burns on your chest. Both wings broken in multiple places."
I looked up at her and blinked, "Oh. I can’t feel a thing. I'm on the really good drugs, aren't I?"
Sunset forced a small smile and nodded, "The best."
That explained the cotton in my head, "How... how long was I out?"
"Two weeks," she said softly and gave me a small soft nuzzle, "You woke up twice before... do you remember?"
"...No?"
"You seem clearer now," Sunset said gently, "I think you're back."
"Hope so," I answered and looked up at her before giving her a small nuzzle and a small kiss, "I'm such an idiot."
Sunset nuzzled softly back, "If it wouldn't kill you, I'd smack you," she said gently and then sniffled and put her head against my good shoulder, "we thought we lost you."
She was crying. My Sunny was crying and it was my fault and I couldn't even hug her and it was all my fault.
I nuzzled at her ear, "How's Celestia?"
Sunset blinked her tears away and raised her head to look at me, "...Not easy to tell," she admitted, "But I know how I would feel if I had been the one to hurt you."
"Let her know I'm awake? Suns out so Luna's asleep anyway. I wouldn't want to wake her."
Sunset glared down at me, "Luna would be so pissed if I don't go wake her up. But I'll tell Celestia first."
She was right about that.
I nodded, "You're right. I'm sorry."
I would have been so pissed if it had been the reverse.
Sunset shifted close to kiss me on the cheek, "I'll be back in a minute, I'll send a guard with a message."
Note to self: Sneaking up on alicorns is a bad idea.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The doctor had left a couple of minutes earlier and Sunset was back on the bed next to me when the door opened again and Celestia slowly entered. I gave her a small wave with my left hoof, pretty much the only part of myself that I could move like this. Casts and bandages everywhere.
Sunset looked at her and then gave me a small nuzzle before slipping off the bed and moving past the Princess on the way out without acknowledging her any further.
"Hey Sunshine," I said, giving her another small wave with my hoof as Sunset closed the door behind her, "Not to self, don't startle distracted goddesses."
Celestia actually cringed back, "Page... I am so, so sorry."
I shook my head a little, "If it's anyponies fault, it's mine. I'm the idiot that wanted to see how long it would take before you noticed and second, surprised you with it at the stupidest possible time. Besides, the doc says I'm likely to make a complete recovery."
Celestia didn't look any happier at that as she approached me, "I still hurt you. I never wanted that."
"I know," I said and gave her a wry smile, "Honestly, I’m pretty sure it was more the sudden tower in my way and then the fall than your spell. Fairly sure that Luna has hit me almost as hard during practice before. The burn is new though."
"Luna prefer pure force," Celestia said softly and put a hoof on the hospital bed and hesitated for a split second before she continued, "What do you remember?"
"Sneaking up on you and then getting smacked in the face with a sun," I said and then frowned at the ceiling, "...A sense of falling. Then nothing much to be honest. Likely good, I'm fairly sure I don't want to remember how that felt."
Celestia seemed to relax slightly, her wings shifting, "That's good. I am so sorry."
I sighed and looked up at her, "Get down here."
She kind of blinked at me in surprise, "What?"
"Down here."
Celestia frowned and leaned down. I reached with my hoof and tapped it on her nose, "Stop apologizing. It was my own damn stupid fault."
"Page, I blasted you off a tower!"
"...Fine, let's say we both made mistakes," I admitted, "If that's how you want to do it."
She didn't look happy still but she nodded, "Very well."
We were silent for a long moment before I spoke up again, "I take it Luna and Sunset filled you in on the entire thestral thing?"
Celestia nodded and looked at my ears and eyes, moving down to my fangs, "They did. I... I am not going to argue with you about it, Page. You made your choice to help somepony, somepony that has needed it for a very long time. If it's the price you are willing to pay, I am not somepony that can tell you not to."
I smiled slightly at her, "I take it the cat is out of the bag, huh?"
She frowned at me, one ear moving in a slight circle before she answered, "If you mean that everypony know... then yes. There was no hiding it."
Nodding, I let my head drop back down to the pillow with a small sigh, "Well, I likely couldn't have kept it hidden forever anyway. Buck, might even be a good thing for the ponies with the original 'curse'. If it gives them the acceptance not to need to hide... how's everypony taking it? What did we give as a reason to me being blasted across the castle other than 'idiot writer'?"
Celestia smiled slightly, "To answer the second question first, it was spell practice and something went wrong with a magical experiment."
"Sounds like it could work. And the batty thing?"
"I discussed it with Luna. The official story is that it was part of your original ascension," she said and reached to stroke my mane with her hoof, "That as the alicorn of stories you have the ability to look anyway you wish. We did no mention if your thestral features or your pegasus ones were the 'real' ones."
I frowned in thought, "That... that works. Your idea?"
Celestia nodded.
"You know," I said as I looked at her with a smile, "For somepony that's three times anypony else, covered in white, lugging the sun around and with moving rainbow hair, you are surprisingly sneaky."
That got me a small smile in return, "Well, I have ruled for the better part of five thousand years. You tend to pick up a thing or two on the way."
"Heh. You would, wouldn't you?" I admitted and then frowned at her, "...How did you just blast through my shield like that, anyway? I mean, I have shielded blasts like that before from Luna. Not easily, mind you, but they haven't just gone straight through. Yours barely lost power."
"Shield breaker harmonics in the spell. Doesn't work against some, but the usual shields it breaks with enough power behind it," Celestia admitted and flicked her ears slightly, "I can teach you, if you like."
"I would like that."
Next time Sparky and I duel, it would be my turn to kick her tail.
The door opened and Luna entered. Celestia moved out of the way and her sister moved past her to look between us for a second.
I smiled at her, "We're good. I'm an idiot that pretty much got what I deserved."
Celestia frowned at me, her wings shifting, "That's not what we-"
"Hush, sister," Luna said and smiled at her, "I told you My Page would not blame you for the incident. He's stupid like that."
Luna turned to me and leaned in to brush her lips against mine softly before she whispered, "I was so worried."
I met her eyes. They were filled with tears.
Suddenly getting smacked into a tower by an alicorn didn't seem as bad in comparison to hurting Luna by doing it. I reached up to stroke her moving mane softly, "I'm so sorry, My Sky. I didn't think."
She carefully moved onto the bed and rested her head against my undamaged shoulder and I held my Luna gently closer.
"I'm so sorry," I whispered to her, "I love you."
"I love you too."
The door clicked close behind Celestia.