The sounds of the village above filled the night along with the general sounds of the jungle. I rested on my wings, slowly circling down along the trunk until I found a good branch to land on.
I had twenty minutes before my next meeting and I just a couple of minutes away needed to clear my head.
Landing on the branch, I laid down and wrapped my tail around it before allowing myself to slip off. Folding my wings around myself, I closed my eyes with a small sigh, slowly swinging slower and slower.
Sparks wanted to go on a date. I was all for that, I really liked her. But… I barely had time to keep Sunset happy. Luna was halfway across the continent.
I missed her. Even with seeing her in my dreams every day, I missed her badly.
It just wasn’t the same.
Then there was everypony else, everypony always wanted something from me, even if it was just letting me know what was going on.
What in the world was I thinking when I took this job?
“Sir?”
I opened my eyes to look at Amber who stood in front of me on the bottom of the branch, “Yes, Amber?” I asked. In the darkness of the jungle, she was barely visible even with my nightvision, visible mostly as an area of darker shadow with a pair of luminous eyes.
“You asked me to tell you when there was five minutes left,” she said and then tilted her head, watching me, “But why down here?”
“Felt like it,” I said and smiled softly, “It’s fine, we’re well over the dangerous area of the forest.”
Amber still made a small unhappy sound as she climbed around and laid down on the branch above me, keeping an eye out, her chin resting on the coil of my tail.
She was right though, I should have done this in the bedroom instead. It wasn’t fair to her or the rest of my guards to make their jobs harder just because I felt like taking a short flight.
I could see their luminous eyes in the darkness. Four of my guards on the branches around me, recruited after we left for the jungle. Thestrals all of them.
They were the first Thestrals to get through the full program. There were others in the city guard, but these were the first ones that continued on and certified to be parts of my personal guard.
Needed ponies able to see in the dark. Midnight had come up with some ‘Nightseeing goggles’ for everypony else that wanted them, but wasn’t the same.
Closing my eyes, I wrapped my wings around myself before I slipped off into sleep with a quick spell.
I did a quick check for any Nightmares on my way before touching Celestia's dream with my horn and stepping through into a dream of large fluffy clouds above wide green hills.
Not the first time I saw this dream from her, it was a pretty nice one.
Spreading my wings, I flew higher above the clouds, seeking for the dreams owner. It didn’t take long to find the right cloud and I circled down to land next to her, tapping my hoof against the cloud to solidify the dream.
Celestia blinked and looked around before she smiled at me, “Page. Welcome.”
She looked different than in the real world. Like usual in this dream, she wasn’t an alicorn, but a pegasus still with long pink mane and tails. Before she became an alicorn.
“Hey Sunshine,” I said and sank down next to her, “Having nice dreams?”
“Very nice,” she agreed and looked at me, “How are things in Nocturnis?”
I sighed softly, “Busy. Like usual. There's always so much to do… how’s Canterlot?”
Celestia smiled playfully, “Busy. Like usual. There's always so much to do.”
I chuckled softly and shook my head with a sigh, poking her with my wing, “I don’t know how you do it, Sunshine. I have a small city… actually just a village. You have the rest of Equestria.”
Celestia shook her head with a frown, “I told you before, Delegate.”
“I am delegating. And I have started to move things around to put less of it on me directly,” I grumbled, “but even then there are endless meetings and other things I have to do. Ponies relying on me to do this. I am getting more free time though which helps.”
Celestia sighed softly and nosed at my ear, “I know. That’s never going away.”
“I know,” I said softly and flicked my ear.
Celestia looked at me for a minute.
I frowned at her, “What?”
She flicked one ear, “Just thinking,” she said, “How are things with Twilight and Sunset?”
“Better,” I said and smiled, “We are each trying to make more time for each other. They were on a date yesterday actually.”
“Not you too?”
I shook my head, “Not this time, it was late in the morning, it’s good for Dayponies to actually get some sunlight sometimes even if it means staying up late. But I do have something planned with Sparks tomorrow, we’re going stargazing away from the village.”
Celestia smiled, “That’s good to hear.
I nodded and leaned against her for a second before I sighed, “Okay, so what’s on the lesson plan for today?”
“Today,” Celestia said, “We are going to discuss and analyse the trade agreements for the last three hundred years with the Minotaurs. And for next time, I want you to tell me what you think the consequences of those trade agreements were on the market forces in Equestria.”
“Oh. Fun.”