Celestia stretched her wings wide and high, drawing my attention at once.
Her wings were magnificent.
Wide, long, strong and shining white. The edges of her feathers almost glittered in the midday sunshine. Her wings folded again and I looked to her, finding her regarding me in turn, a small smile on her muzzle.
She knew exactly my reaction to that and I knew very well that she did it to take my thoughts off things.
Of course, that didn’t mean it didn’t work.
“Well?” I asked, shifting my own and very nice, if less impressive wings.
Celestia sighed softly, “It’s very difficult, Page,” she said and continued walking along next to me, “I have discussed the matter with my sister, but before we say anything, we need to do more research.”
I frowned up at her, “Buck that. It’s about time you stop treating me like a little colt, Sunshine. Tell me what’s going on.”
She stopped walking, her ears drooping slightly, “...I’m sorry, Page. I did not mean to make you feel like we were, but it’s a complicated matter and you have so much to think of already.”
I stopped as well, turning to face her, raising my head to look up at her, “Let me worry about that. I love you, Celestia. I will marry you. You need to tell me things.”
Celestia lowered her head, her horn touching mine softly before her nose bumped mine gently, her eyes meeting mine, “I love you as well, my beautiful bat,” she said softly, “I am so used to not having somepony to talk to. I am sorry.”
Giving her a soft kiss, I then brushed my horn against hers, “Sunshine, you are not alone anymore. We’re all here for you and none of us are going anywhere.”
Sitting down, her forelegs and wings both slipped around me, pulling me close and I leaned against her sunwarm coat.
Her soft warm muzzle brushed my ear and I sighed softly against her.
“It has been years,” she admitted quietly, “But I am still unused to it. I am still relearning, Page. I was alone for a long time.”
I glanced up at her and her lips brushed mine before she continued,
“I don’t know if Luna has discussed it with you,” she said and nuzzled softly, “But after our long talk, once you left Canterlot we started to work out a better way for us to share our rule. The way we were, it was almost the same as we had before my sisters… no, before I banished my sister,” she said quietly but firmly, “I was wrong. We fell into that pattern again and I will never do that again.”
“Celestia,” I said and frowned slightly, “That won’t happen again.”
“It won’t,” she agreed, “I’m making sure of it. We’re still working out details,” she then admitted and brushed a hoof along my back, “We’re trying to divide things equally. Court, public appearances. The castle is going to be a lot more of a 24 hour thing, with just as much activity during the day as the night. Instead of my sister holding court a few times a week and otherwise mostly working on paperwork.”
I couldn’t help but smile, “I think my wife would like that. But that’s going to be a real change for you both. A lot to get used to.”
Celestia smiled a bit, “It very much is,” she admitted, “For us both.”
I nodded and touched my nose to hers, “I think that’s good for both of you,” I admitted, “You had too much resting on your back and my wife deserves more attention than she was getting.”
“She does,” Celestia agreed with a smile, “She very much does. But we’re going slow with it, I think it may be a bit much as well.”
“It would be,” I admitted, “Luna is not used to that sort of attention. I wish she had told me, I could have come visit an-”
“Which is why we didn’t,” Celestia said and rubbed her cheek against the top of my head, “Because you would have wanted to help and you have so much on your mind already.”
I shifted to meet her eyes again, “I think we’re back to ‘I’m neither made of glass or a little colt’ again. Talk to me, Sunshine. And I’ll have this talk with my wife later as well.”
She sighed softly and touched her horn to mine, “I never thought I’d see the day.”
“Day of what?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“The day when I agreed with the ponies that were against the reforms my sister and I were pushing for during the formation of Equestria,” she said, “They said letting stallions talk back or have opinions would be trouble, but did I list-eep!”
I pounced, pushing her onto her back on the grass and she landed on her back, laughing as I pinned her down, my hooves on her chest, “Wench!”
Celestia laughed and smiled up at me, laying back, wings stretching out to the side on the soft green grass, “All in all,” she said, “I think I’m pretty happy with the result.”
I shifted to lay down against her, resting my chin on her chest, “I bet you do. Is this before or after you made sure to put your harem into law?”
“Oh, after. Less important after all.”
I grinned, “I bet it was,” I said and scooted up a bit to bump my nose against hers, “And I’m sure surrounding yourself with an all stallion guard was all about promoting equal rights.”
Her cheeks actually turned slightly red.
I smirked, “Thought so, naughty filly.”
She rolled us easily, pinning me beneath her as her wings raised high, one hoof on my chest, “Is that anyway to talk to your Princess?”
“My apologies, your highness,” I said and stretched out a bit beneath her, “How may I apologize for my actions, my princess?”
Celestia smiled, nosing down along my neck, making my hooves curl slightly, “I may have some ideas, my beautiful bat…”
It wasn’t until well after I woke up that I realized she had not actually answered my question.