“Page, would you happen to know why I have gotten complaints from the nobles that you used dark magic on them during court?” Celestia asked as I closed the door behind myself, entering her chamber. She were sitting by her desk, papers floating in her magic as she shifted through them before putting them down when I walked inside.
“Hello to you too, Sunshine,” I said and then moved to pour myself a cup of her tea, “Likely because I did. If you want to be technical about it.”
She dropped the papers and looked at me in surprise, “What!?”
“I mean, the shadows formed from the illusion were dark and the room did get darker,” I admitted with a smile, “So, technically ‘dark’ magic. But if you’re meaning actual dark magic, then no.”
Celestia sighed and shot me a small glare, “I suspected as much. Did you have to do that?”
“...Well technically no,” I admitted and shifted my wings as I sipped my tea, “But it was really funny.”
She raised her wings quickly, “Page!”
I frowned at my cup, “It was to get them to actually shut up.”
Celestia glared at me for a second before she flicked her ears and folded her wings, shaking her head, “I suddenly understand my sisters tendency to bite your ears.”
I smirked and sipped my tea before I looked to her, “Don’t they understand there is a war on?”
Sighing softly again, Celestia shook her head, “I am afraid that might be my fault,” she said softly.
I looked at her, “Huh?”
Celestia sipped at her cup of tea for a moment before she answered, “Equestria has not seen war in… a long time. Hundreds of years. They don’t know what it’s like. To them war is stories in history books, heroes and ponies in gleaming armor.”
“...Yeah, I suppose can see that,” I said and flicked my ears before I frowned and sipped my tea again, “Maybe I did go a bit overboard with the shadow thing. I just tried to restore some order. I’m sorry.”
“Everypony is under a great deal of stress right now,” she said and moved out from behind the table, walking to look out the window over the garden, her cup floating in her magic next to her.
I moved to stand next to her, “Do you really think it will come to…” I started to say before I sighed, “actual open warfare?”
Celestia hesitated before she shook her head with another small sigh, “I… I just don’t know, Page. We are the closest we have been for a very long time. I think it depends on how… receptive the Storm King is to your application of dream magic.”
Oh great. So no pressure there.
“So what now?” I asked and shifted my wings, sipping my tea, looking out into the sunlight, “Just wait?”
Celestia hesitated for a split before she nodded, “We wait.”
“What?”
She blinked and looked at me in surprise, “What do you mean, Page?
I flicked my ears, “You hesitated,” I said as I studied the larger alicorn, “when you said we were going to wait.”
Celestia shook her head and turned back towards the garden outside, “You are getting almost uncomfortably good at that.”
“At guessing what you are thinking?” I asked with a smile, “No, I just read minds.”
She looked at me in surprise and then snorted softly in amusement, “Very funny, Page.”
“A little funny at least,” I said with a small smile and shifted my wings again, “Well?”
Celestia sipped her tea again, looking out into the garden before she looked to me again and frowned, “It would be good for the Guard if somepony visited the border facing towards the Storm King's territory along with additional reinforcements.”
“...That does sound like a good idea,” I agreed as I nodded and finished my tea. An alicorn walking among them, raising morale would hardly hurt things, if anything it would help a lot.
“And something you are absolutely not doing,” Celestia said and turned to look at me firmly, her wings rising as she floating her own cup away to set it down on a table, “You are too vulnerable and valuable to put in that kind of danger.”
I looked at her in surprise, “That’s a rather unfashioned view for you to have there, Sunshine,” I said, “Especially for somepony that has an all male guard.”
“...Those views, while barbaric now, were perfectly natural while I grew up,” Celestia said and looked to me firmly, “And they had a real reason then. There were even fewer stallions per mare than there are now because the world was a lot more dangerous and many didn’t make it until adulthood. If too many were lost, the family or maybe even the tribe couldn’t survive among the rest. I pushed to change that along with my sister once we formed Equestria. That was one of the reasons for my Guard! So show that colts could handle themselves and didn’t always need to be protected.”
“I know,” I told her, “I read the history books and heard the real stories from Luna.”
Celestia nodded and then moved closer with a small sigh and giving my right ear a small nuzzle, “...But… we can’t lose you, Page. It has been close several times already. The invasion was just the latest one. You are the only alicorn stallion in the world, Page. We… we can’t lose you, Page. We just can’t risk you like that.”
As much as I disliked it, I had to admit that she had a point. There were only five alicorns… six now if you counted Midnight... and I was the only male. It wasn’t the same as if I had been the last earth pony or something, I wasn’t sure alicorns even worked like that, but…
“Who’s going?” I asked, looking up at the larger alicorn.
“I was thinking to ask Twilight,” Celestia said and smiled a bit down at me, “What do you think?”
I thought about that for a moment, scraping my hoof against the floor in thought before I slowly nodded, “I think Cadence would be better, but she had her own Empire to worry about and she has already gone through a lot,“ I said and flicked my ears, “Twilight would do a good job.”
Celestia nodded and gave my ear a small nuzzle, “Thank you.”
Aww! Celly Poo dun want her pagey wagey warsey in her namey!
Now that's a chapter. Good pacing, and everything. Also page should show the nobles what war really is. I mean. He is the alicorn of stories after all.
I'm sure Twilight would do a good job as well, but I can't help but wonder if Midnight will tag along with her.
*Page leaves room*
Celestia: ...I can sense your magic Cadance! I don't need help in my courtship nor the audience. GET OUT!
*Cadance's crystal ball breaks in half*
Cadance: ...just try and stop me Auntie Sunbutt. You been sulking long enough! You ARE getting that rebound stallion and IM HELPING OUT OF THE GOODNESS OF MY HEART!
Shining Armor: *blankly stares at his wife*
Cadance: ...ok that and wanting to set up that pay-per-view battle royale event between all of Page's potential waifus but I can do both!
Not a good idea, she, just like the nobles, doesn't really understand what war is and will most likely hesitate to do what she needs to if something happens.
Or she'll try something that puts everyone at risk in an attempt at solving things peacefully
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Knowing Page's luck, how twilight is and all, yeah she is gonna get lot of others killed or risk lot of people's lives, knowing how things are probably going to go down
They may not now. But give it a hundred years maybe two. Page and Celestia will be a thing.
And I am all for it.
In the mean time, BeanCelestia for(now)ever!
or maybe you could send someone with military experience because Twilight is great but she is barely a diplomat and not at all a fighter
also get guns. I know page objects but Equestria is even in the show, severely outdated
Can't help but wonder if this Storm King has anything else up his sleeve, because if he's the same as the one in the movie he's basically done for at this point. His surprise attack not only failed, but it cost him one of his greatest assets with Tempest getting captured. Now everyone knows about him, all the alicorns are available, and he's done basically no damage to them.
Page. She just implied that you are more valuable as the only male alicorn. She just called you a breeding stud.
Run. Fast. Now.
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Prince Page: "War... War never changes. Let me tell you a story about a unicorn by the name of Little Pip..."
*LATER*
Panicing Nobles: "How horrible! We surrender immediately! Capitulate! Capitulate! Surely the Storm King would be willing to leave us alone if we just gave him everything!"
Prince Page: "Why do you morons still have your titles?"
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Huh... Neat... Clever
But i think we still share that sentiment
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Sunset might be a better choice, as by now she should be a passable War Mage. She's also familiar with human history and thus knows about wars from that perspective.
At the very least, she should be sent along as an advisor for Twilight.
Also, which Twilight are they sending? They have two now, with the one from the other timeline being called Midnight...
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If it is the same Storm King as the one from the movie, he's probably already on his way to attack Canterlot with his main battlefleet of militarized airships, and will arrive in just under three days (based on my interpretation of the three-day timeframe the Storm King gave Tempest to capture the last alicorn).
And now, for some reason, I feel that Hiver should have had the Storm King's real name be Haggard instead of Arganon…
Twilight Sparkle: "But then my name would be Amalthea, and I like to thing that I'm at least a little more perceptive than she was."
Twilight is to much of a wimp.
Storm King only understands brute force and out right power, he will stomp Twilight and not even slow down.
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I do believe they've discussed this, whether implicitly or explicit.
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Sending Twilight AND Midnight would be an even bigger mistake because Twilight will be constantly second guessing herself, with an actual copy of herself.
....Celestia 1
Luna 2
Cadence 3
Twilight 4
Page 5
Midnight 6...
Is Flurry not around yet? Did I miss that she wasn’t? Could of sworn she was.
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not sure if I'm right but I think the story is currently in the time between seasons 5 and 6.
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They may only be counting ADULT alicorns so yeah six is the right number.
The version of Twilight, who was combat trained? Yes. Midnight, who is basically Canon Twi? No.
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Yes, they have.
Celestia nodded and gave my ear a small nuzzle, “Thank you.”
I seem to remember in the first page story you said nuzzling was like a public version of making out with hints of more, Celly x Page confirmed
4 mares to 1 stallion? Harsh... even worse centuries/ Millennium before? Daaammmnnn! How do they substain themself...
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No, Flurry is around, she was born, shattered the Heart and everything
Page named her a "little terror"
With odds like that no male stallion need to worry about about beeing singel Unless for same sex or very old ones...
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the movie took place between 7 and 8. flurry heart had already been born in the last story.
so I would say that right now we are between season 7 and 8
Chrysalis not demanding Page seed seems even stranger now...
Sunset is NOT gonna be happy.
Prediction next chapter gonna have Sunset flying off the handle figuratively of course.
It's old fashion not unfashion. Celestia has a old fashioned view.
.... Celestia is sending Twilight to the front.... we have an over abundance of Book Horse..... are we gonna lose one of our Twi-Twis
Too important? To their families everyone is "too" important to send to war. Funny how when war and conflict comes up there's always someone saying "let someone else go do it"; But someone has to go. If I'd been Page I'd have went anyway. No way I'm ever putting my own safety over anyone else's.
Hopefully they remember Nobel ponies are bound by law to fight for it. To death if need be...
Should get them moving.
Don't they have 7 alicorns with midnight? (Celly, Lulu, Candyass, Twi, Page, Hellspawn and Sidetwi)
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Only 6 of which are able to fight, what with the 7th being an exceptionally small child