Princess Celestia sipped at her cup of tea before she blinked and looked down at it. “What is this?”
“Tea,” I answered and relaxed on the couch opposite to her, stretching my wings as I sipped my own tea. “Like?”
She frowned and took another sip. “…Not sure. Saddle-arabian?”
I shook my head. “Not even close,” I said and smirked. “Are you losing your touch?”
Celestia stuck her tongue out at me and then smiled, tasting the tea again. “Hmm… Cinnamon… something else… clove?”
Nodding, I sipped my tea with milk and honey. “Amongst other things. It’s a blend a café down in the city is making for me. Good, yes?”
“It is,” she agreed as she looked at me from the other end of the couch, Luna’s normal place. “Think you could give their name to the kitchens? I would not mind being able to get some in the mornings.”
“Do you now?” I asked with a grin.
“Mhmm.”
I just smiled at her, refusing to allow her to turn this around on me. “Well, I’ll give them the contact details then. I would recommend their other teas too, best in the city in my opinion.”
“I can believe it,” the large alicorn answered and closed her eyes, taking a slow sip, her wings lazily folded on her back.
I watched her for a second and did the same before I spoke up. “Are you okay?”
Celestia blinked and looked at me. “How do you mean?”
“You are tense.”
Her ears flicked and she smiled, looking down at her tea. “…A bit, I suppose. Most ponies wouldn’t have noticed.”
“You don’t relax with most ponies.”
“True.”
I then smiled. “Besides, most ponies are too in awe of your glorious self to see anything other than their Princess.”
“And what do you see?” she asked as she regarded me.
I looked at her for a second in thought before I shrugged my wings and sipped my tea. “Celestia.”
We stayed silent for a moment as she nibbled at a cookie before I spoke up again. “So what has you tense?”
“No sign of Discord yet and… It’s making me nervous,” she admitted. “Then there is the minotaur envoy that’s arriving tomorrow. They are always so aggressive in their negotiations, they get exhausting.”
Minotaurs, huh?
“Never seen one of those.”
“They usually keep to themselves,” she answered with a nod. “Not like the griffons, forced mostly by distance and an ocean, but by choice. They are isolationists…mostly."
“Mostly?”
Celestia nodded. “We do plenty of trade, primarily iron for wheat and other goods. They just dislike anyone else entering their territory.”
“Ah,” I said and finished my cup before I sighed. “Want company? Can’t promise I’ll be of any help, but…”
“I was thinking of turning it into a teaching moment for Twilight, so far she hasn't interacted much with officials from other nations directly,” Celestia said and then nodded. “I think it would be good for you as well.”
I frowned at her so she continued. “Page, even if you never pick up a crown of your own, you are my sister's Herald and I suspect you will at some point be her official Consort,” Celestia said with a smile, stretching her wings before relaxing again. “The sooner you start to get used to diplomatic negotiations that don’t involve punching somepony, the better and easier things will get for you.”
Sighing to myself, I had to admit that she was most likely right about that. Finally, I nodded in agreement. “When?”
“Tomorrow evening. They like to start negotiations late so their opponents have time to tire themselves out during the day,” she explained and shifted a bit to lean her side against the backrest, looking mildly annoyed about it.
There was suddenly a knock on the door and I wrapped an illusion around my wings in seconds before I relaxed again. “Enter.”
The door opened to allow Twilight inside. “Princess Celestia! Page!” she said with a smile as she trotted inside.
“Twilight,” I said and lifted the teapot. “Tea?”
She paused and then nodded. “Yes please,” she said before she moved over to jump up and sit down in one of the armchairs. “I'm just coming from Starlight Glimmer's cell.”
Celestia lowered her cup of tea onto the table. “She talked to you?”
Twilight shook her head. “No. But when I got there she was curled up in bed. She was crying…”
Oops.
Villain or not, I just made a girl… mare… cry. That’s never a nice feeling.
“When I got close, she latched on and wouldn’t let go until she fell asleep again,” Twilight continued. “She didn’t say anything, she just cried.”
Celestia picked her cup up, sipping it and glancing at me before she lowered it again. “Do you think she was sincere, Twilight?”
Twilight hesitated and sighed. “I don’t know. Maybe? I think so. I have to actually get her to talk to me.”
“Perhaps asking Sunset to talk to her later might help,” I suggested. “From former villain to villain, I mean. Maybe it’ll help?”
Twilight looked thoughtful and then nodded. “I think so. But not yet? Sunset did capture her after all.”
Good point.
Looks like an editing note got left in there. I'm kind of curious what the worse alternative to "large alicorn" was.
Derp Poncess Trollestia:Dear Princess Celestia:
Blank Page, The Alicorn of Dreams just Became the Equestrian Equivalent of Freddy Krueger sans the gloves and brutally murdering ponies.
Do What You must.
Alfonso Rodriguez
"The Alicorn of Ponyville"
The Alicorn of Heroes
P.D. Remind me to NEVER let your most faithful love slave / "notice me sempai" Fangirl Proofread my Dragonfire Letters to you...
Quite the oops. I wonder how mentally scarred she is. The most diabolical part of all of this is that nobody will have any clue that Page is responsible. Oh sure certain ponies may be able to put 2 and 2 together and guess of Starlight mentions her nightmare, but nobody will know for certain. Even Starlight has no idea, the feeling she is feeling now are due to Page's meddling, not some epiphany on her account. He could subtly influence her entire development, build or break her in any way he desires.
I don't think he will do this but what he has already done will influence Starlight, and not for the better I fear. It is funny, Page's presence has been nothing but good for Sunset Shimmer, yet his first interaction to 'help' Starlight involved him torturing her.
Twilight is playing it cool. Definitely not a date.
WHAT ARE WE BUILDING TO?!! I have to know!
Clutching and crying? Either Starlight's extra-sensitive about nightmares, or maybe she actually had to do some self-reflection and realized she didn't like what she saw.
Realizing you're a monster that wants to destroy lives to fit some twisted, equal-outcome ideology is something that ought to make any sane being cry.
I guess that answers if the adorkable one realizes what is happening.
She is far too relaxed to have realized she just was on a 'date'.
8049564
My theory/suggestion from the last chapter still holds water. Twilight will get together with Sunset Shimmer instead of with Page. The two will however ask Blank Page to be the father of their future child(ren) when they decide to have a family! Hiver have established this is the more common scenario among multi-pony relationships in this world so it'll be weird not to embrace it within Page's herd. (Seriously why keep mentioning this factoid if you're NOT going to use it???)
Wonder if Blank Page will admit out loud to his meddling of Starlight's dreams? If so, please let it be Celestia to scold him! Page consistently berates Celestia for her mistakes every time a villain shows up so he needs a taste of his own medicine for his stupidity...
8049626
I was wondering if she would become even more twisted if the idea that her ideology could have stopped her friend from leaving started to really take hold. It depends if it festers over and over again or its just a single nightmare.
Actually, if it is effective, we might just see Blank Page's real special talent. We've had several good guesses and interpretations (last I heard he called himself the Alicorn of Dreams, and before that the Alicorn of Inspiration). But really, the point of a blank page is that you can write anything on it. Anything. Good or evil. It's not like Luna who became Nightmare Moon and changed her name to reflect it.
Dont know why but I feel that when Page meets the Minotaurs a switch will be flipped in his head and the genial and wise-ish Page we know will turn into........Torgue.....
Ladykiller Page strikes again
Is it wrong that I want someone to get punched at the negotiations?
8049850 Nope.
Oh, silly stupid Page. Celestia just dragged you into more... princely... duties.
...Get over yourself Page. Not only did she 100% deserve that, but this is a crystal clear sign that your manipulation worked perfectly. She's crying because you completely shattered her world view by showing her exactly how fucked up she is, so now there is a real chance for her to actually improve.
8049987
Yeah, Starlight is not crying because she's terrified... She's crying because she fully and truly understands what she did was horrible.
Diplomatic negotiations that don't involve punching someone?
I didn't know T.D. Powell was in this fanfic.
Diplomatic negotiations that don't involve punching someone?
Wait, those exist?!
-Ru
8050121 I assume those are called Pre-Talks, or Diplomatic Incidents Waiting to Happen. They are sort of the prequel before the punching and the name calling.
8050179 Or Yak style 'discussions'.
8050257 Sort of like Yak On and Yak Off?
8050296 Though it would be better than having a 'heated' discussion or argument with a Dragon dignitary.
8050179 So they only kinda sorta exist.
Meh. Punching is more satisfying.
-Ru
8050299 Eh, we Dragons don't really mind discussions. Everybody are welcome to our discussion tables, they all taste great after all.
8050319 True dat, although a decent discussion with roasted meat ain't that bad either. Especially freshly made foreign meat, exotic experiences gives your life flavor.
8050328 I concur. Most heartily.
-Ru
Curious as to see how Page will negotiate... And it is nice to see Page and Celly interact on a more casual matter.
8049719 Blank Page simply made her realize what she had already become--and it's simply her choice whether to continue or to stop and get better.
A telepath (or something like one such as Luna/Page) might be able to force another to see what they've become as a result of past choices. But NO ONE can force another which choice to make for their future.
8050605
Td from the non-brony series punched Celestia
And Page captured Sunset, just look how that turned out. What could poasibly go wrong?
8050121
Chrysalis- "Nope!" *grins evilly and drinks beverage*
Guess despite the great danger she is in, isolation containment for someone fearing lonelyness is kinda harsh... Still she is the most secretly yet dangerous Villain so she still needs Anti-Magic ring and Guard 24/7 without fail.
8050121
In the olden days some countries declared war by having their diplomats punch foreign rulers in the face as a sign of it being on. Not all messengers returned home.
... but punching is the best kind of diplomacy
Talking with their captor worked with Chrysalis and Sunset
Maybe tickeling villains into submission is the most peaceful day? . . .
It would be a funny try, no matter the result.
11444578
That's badass