“Well, this will be exhausting,” I said as I walked out of the throne room with Celestia.
“It’s not that bad, Page,” she said with a smile down at me, “I think they took it well.”
I nodded. “A royal meeting with a foreign nation does seem like it would be easier for them to swallow than vacation,” I said. “Bunch of whiny little...”
She poked me with her wing. “Page.”
“...Fine,” I sighed. “But I still think it’s better than the truth.”
Celestia nodded. “I think it helps that you have experience of being a stand-in for my sister in the past. You have experience,” she said as we headed into one of her private rooms, finding Luna already there, reading a scroll on one of the large pillows.
“Hey love,” I said and crossed the floor to nuzzle her. “You are up early.”
Putting the scroll down, she nuzzled back. “Didn’t want to miss it. How did it go? I can’t hear any rioting in the streets,” she teased.
“The Guard is exceptionally skilled at putting down riots by now. They have practice,” I said and settled down next to her.
“It went well,” Celestia said and walked across the room to get a small box before returning to lie down on her own massive pillow. “I have been gone from the capital for longer than two weeks in the past and nothing burst into flames. The only difference is that this time the court won’t close and somepony will be able to keep up with the other engagements.”
I smiled at her. “I should put out an ad in the papers. Royal Temp looking for work, plenty of experience. Think I should get business cards printed and sent to the griffons and minotaurs?”
Luna nipped at my ear. “Silly Page.”
Flicking my ear I nodded, “Very,” and then looked at Celestia. “What’s in the box?”
“Something you will need,” she said and opened it.
Luna looked over. “How does it fare? It’s been in the vaults since long before my absence.”
“I feared it would have been damaged, but the enchantments held,” Celestia said with a smile and picked a medallion from the box. “It is unharmed.”
I looked between them. “What is that?”
“The Medallion of the Royal Sisters,” Luna explained with a smile and reached to touch my medallion. She had replaced it after the fight with Tirek, my original one had been lost there. “I have mine and my sister has hers for her trusted herald. But we also have a joint one that represents both of us. It has not been worn in a long time.”
“A very long time,” Celestia agreed and floated it over for Luna to take.
“...And what does it mean exactly? What does that do that yours doesn’t?”
That got a playful grin from Luna. “Wary of traps, My Page?”
“With you two? Always, My Sky.”
Celestia stuck her tongue out at me. “Nothing you don’t already have, Page,” she explained. “It’s like if you would have been wearing my Medallion as well as my sister's. But you can wear both instead of one if you like.”
I picked the new medallion from Luna's magic to look at it. The middle of the small obsidian plate was Luna's moon and Celestia's sun in silver and gold joined into one. The left was a silver moon and the right a golden sun. It was kinda nice looking, to be honest.
“Well, if it cuts down on the bling I have to wear,” I commented. “But isn’t it enough that you just pointed me out as taking up the slack while you are gone?”
Celestia nodded. “It should be. But I believe it is better to make it legal to make it easier for you. You know how the nobles can be at times.”
“...Good point. Very well, I’ll wear it.”
Luna took it from my magic and lifted my old medallion from around my neck before replacing it with the new one. “Looks good to me.”
“Me too,” Celestia agreed. “Nice to see it on you, husband.”
I goggled at her and she broke into laughter, almost rolling off the pillow.
Luna giggled next to me and pulled me close with her wing, nuzzling at my ear. “Silly Page.”
Rolling my eyes, I leaned against her side. “Not so silly. I think Sunshine over there is the silly one. Speaking of which, how exactly are you planning on doing the entire vacation thing?” I asked as Celestia started to calm down. “You do kind of stand out.”
She winked with a smile and then her horn lit up and her magic whirled around her, hiding her from view. When it was clear again, she was replaced by an average sized white-coated pegasus with a long pink mane and a sun coming out from behind a cloud cutie mark. “Transformation magic may not be my strong suit, but a couple of thousand of years' worth of sneaking out of the castle from time to time does give one some ability in it,” she commented with a smile.
Woah.
Pretty.
“Wait, no horn. How do you turn back?” I asked after a moment of looking at her.
She winked at me. “Not really a pegasus. Even if this should be fairly close to how I would have looked if I stayed one.”
“Makes me a bit nostalgic to see you like that,” Luna admitted. “That was a simpler time.”
“It was,” Celestia agreed and looked out the window with a small sigh. “But not better.”
Luna shook her head sadly and then rested her head against mine. “No. Not better,” she answered softly.
W00t! Update!
Ahh, landed nobility... you'd think it'd be easy enough for 1k+ years old monarchs/diarchs to replace them with a constitutional monarchy/diarchy and a simple parliamentary system by now. Even... dare I say it? A constitutional republic with democratically-elected representatives and a federalist multi-tiered system of governance.
Imagine the vacation time 'Tia would get then! Every time
those stupid fat bastardsCongress takes time off they can just go knock back some margaritas in Cancolt.Oh well. Tune in next Page time, same Page channel, for the continuing adventures of Blank Page, The World's Luckiest Guy.
Celestia should have kept a straight face for longer after calling Page her husband. Timing is everything!
Thanks for the update!!
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the biggest problem would be cultural inertia and the lack there of policy deviation. Equestria has always been of a pair of voices/shared voice in regards to the goals and ways that shape it
@hiver
They may not hold open court EVERY day, and truly they shouldn't. Court really should be open 3 times a week so that nobles and commoners can air grievances alongside suggesting ideas and inventions to the land. Personally if I was Celestia I would have long ago implemented a 15 minute window so that noble couldn't philibuster out the common folks as well as telling the secretary and majordomo that regardless of what minor insult it may give to spread the commoners thru the docket to prevent shenanigans. I mean even in a static system there have to be folks trying to game it and 1000 years is ALOT of experience.
Then on other days there would be judgement courts for folks that have ridden the jurisdictional pony all the way from the low courts to the highest. After that would be days of examining bills and other things to finalize. Cause lets face it even IF you controlled the day length, there are not enough hours in the week to truly get everything done.
Husband, huh? Reckon there was something deeper there than just a joke.
Herds are a thing in this setting, yes?
Oh wow, what a way to end the chapter. There's something about the fact that the simpler life may not be the better one. That really hits a personal memory for me. Awesome work as always Hiver. Thanks for the update and eager once more for the next chapter.
That bit with Celestia calling him 'husband' piqued my interest. Was it her merely being Trollestia, or something more?
Nice chapter, good work.
Next time Moondancer see him, she will freak out and explain the meaning of the herd stallion's medallion. :)))
darn it. I love this story, but I do wish the chapters were longer. Every time i'm getting into it I'm already at the end.
Little bit of Luna time! And more responsibilities
Yay, Sunny Skies. :)
And I suppose the nobles will be slightly less likely to try something with Luna still in residence.
Noice
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Piqued?
“Me too,” Celestia agreed. “Nice to see it on you, husband.”
She winked with a smile and then her horn lit up and her magic whirled around her, hiding her from view.
She winked at me. “Not really a pegasus. Even if this should be fairly close to how I would have looked if I stayed one.”
Damn, Celestia is flirting fairly openly at this point.
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s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/78/f9/b9/78f9b9fe9214f605ed201adad3c85868.jpg
I knew they’d pull a marriage joke with that medallion, lol.
Stop giving me ideas man.
Imma be honest, I had a similar reaction. I thought they had legitimately pulled that one him for a second.
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Given the hidden details on the FIRST one...
Who's to say they didn't?
Hm...
It always starts with the bling bling.
Guy should know that by now.
Celestia can check on Guard behavior with a spell like that...
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Or she could use it to improve the guards moral.
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Nice ♡