Chapter 103
I sipped my tea, looking at the larger alicorn next to me.
Celestia flicked one ear and nodded, “What do you want to do about it?”
“That’s why I’m asking you!”
She smiled briefly and then shook her head, “In my experience, there are two ways to go about something like this,” she said after a second of thought, “One is head on. Interviews, speeches…”
“And the other?”
Celestia sipped her tea and then looked out through the window into the howling snowstorm outside, “Ignore it. You know how these things go, next week they’ll be distracted by some celebrity scandal and forget all about it.”
I frowned at my tea, “...I’m not sure that will work this time,” I said after a long moment.
“Oh, it will, “Celestia said and smirked, “Remember how surprised you were when you heard about the whipped cream incident in the throne room when my sister tossed an entire barrel of it on me before the entire court?”
I rubbed my eyes, “Sunshine, that was over two thousand years ago.”
“Yes, but after three months nopony cared,” Celestia said with a smile, “And I assure you, ponies during that specific century was a lot more uptight than now.”
I smiled a bit at the mental image of Celestia covered in whipped cream, it was a fun one. And… kinda attractive.
“Well, it’s not quite the same thing. I have a feeling that it was sponsored. And I have a prime suspect.”
She nodded in agreement, “I can handle Neighsay,” she said gently, brushing her wing against my side, “Don’t worry about it, Page. You have more than enough in your hooves right now as is.”
“I suppose so,” I said and then shook my head, “It’s just…” I said and closed my eyes for a second before I looked up at her, “How do you do it?”
“Do what?” she asked.
I shook my head, “I talked to five ponies about volunteering to help Sparks and Midnight with their research in breaking the curse and blood magic on them,” I said and glanced down at my tea, “It’s dangerous, they might… they might die. Get permanently injured. Get stuck as blood drinking vamponies,” I said gently, “I explained all of it to them.”
“And?” Celestia said gently.
“And they all showed up. They all volunteered,” I said and turned to her fully, raising my wings, “Each one of them volunteered. Because they think I can save them… save every thestral from what they have experienced!” I continued and shook my head, “I can’t! I can’t just… I don’t know what to do! I don’t know what I’m doing, all I've done so far is gotten ponies hurt or even killed! I ca-”
Celestia gathered me into a tight hug, putting her wings around me as she rested her head against the top of mine.
She didn’t say a word, she just held me.
I leaned against her, trying to breath slower, beating back my sudden surge of complete panic. Did I just have a panic attack? No idea, never had one before, but I think that’s what they feel like.
If not, I hope to never have one.
“We’re here for you,” Celestia said softly after a long moment when my breathing had slowed down to something approaching normal, “Page,” she continued and stroked my back softly, “They are looking up to you because of who you are. For what you have done so far. They believe you can help them… where I and everypony else failed.”
I shook my head and then pulled back enough to look up at her, “But if you failed… you, Luna, Cadence… Sparks and Midnight and everypony else has failed, what sort of chance do I possibly have?”
“A better one,” Celestia said seriously, “Page, you have something none of us do. You’re one of them now, you can understand them in a way I… despite what I tried in the past… can’t.”
I shook my head, “And that's been so helpful so far,” I said bitterly, “I’m not made for this kind of thing. I’m not raised for royalty, I never wanted this kind of responsibility or power.”
“In my experience,” Celestia said gently as she looked down at me, “It’s exactly those ponies that should have it.”
That didn’t exactly improve my position, did it?
I sighed and then looked up at her, “How do you do it? Handle the.. Expectations, the pressure, the ponies that look to you for the answers, the guidance… and I’m doing it right now, aren’t I?”
Celestia grinned and poked me with her hoof, “I do have a bit more practice than you do.”
“Stil,” I said, feeling a smile tug at my lips. I couldn’t help it.
“Still,” she agreed and shook her head, “It’s…” she started before she frowned, “It’s what they deserve from us,” she finally said, “Because I have seen the alternative and I’ll give everything to not see it again.”
I shifted my wings softly against hers, “The Unification.”
Celestia nodded, “And before. That’s not a timeperiod that I want returned. We unified ponies to avoid just that. I didn’t want… the wars,” she said and glanced out towards the whirling snow, “The battles. The politics and the outright dirty tricks. But we… I… did what I needed to do to keep everypony safe. To allow little colts and fillies to grow up in a world where they don’t need to fear raids from other tribes or clans. Don’t need to fear not having enough to eat during the winter or having crops fail during the summer,” she sighed softly and shook her head, “For the ponies I love,” she said and then turned back to me, “That’s why. Because while it’s hard, while it’s uncomfortable and frustrating and aggravating…”
“It’s better than the alternative,” I said softly, looking up at her before I stood up again, picking my now cold teacup back up with my magic, glancing down at it, “It’s just so much.”
Celestia nodded and pulled her wings back, “I know. I wish I could say it gets easier…” she told me gently, “But all you really do is get more experienced in handling things. We’re here for you when you need us.”
I sighed softly and nodded, “Thanks. Any immediate tips?”
She nodded and her horn lit up, a second later my teacup started to steam slightly, “It’s easier to handle big problems if you split them into smaller pieces, make them easier to tackle in detail. Have a plan, even if it’s a bad one. As soon as there is a plan, everypony feels better about things. Even if it’s an awful one.”
I smiled up at her, “Bad plan. I can make a bad plan. In fact, that’s my speciality!”
Celestia shifted her wings and looked amused, “Can’t be that bad, they usually somewhat work,” she admitted and then moved up to nuzzle at my ear, “Now, go get some rest, Page. It’s about time for my sister to be woken up and you’ll feel better tomorrow morning. I promise.”
I sighed and then raised my head to nuzzle back with a smile, “I already do. Somehow you always manage to make me feel better.”
Plan.
Okay. Just need to make a plan to improve the lives of an entire small tribe of ponies that’s actively discriminated against by everypony else.
Smaller problems.
Narrow it down. Okay, I just need to split-
I have a pĺan.
It’s a bad one too so that checks all the boxes.
Stats
Page generated in 0.03 seconds
Total duration
1,084 users online
1,900,653 hits today, 1,822,946 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
We want more pagelestia xD
I get the feeling I already know what the plan is, and I really hope it isn't that.
Page can only live with so much guilt.
“A dick?”
“You’re one of them.”
“I’m a dick?”
“Do want my advice or did you come to Blue Bean me?”
“I help you? You help me?”
“...yup. Come here
there's a reason i use the phrase 'probably bad idea' for ideas that initally seem like it could go either way on being good or bad.
1.
Surprisingly that's the closest image that fits on derpibooru
derpicdn.net/img/view/2015/4/28/885054.jpeg
2.
This screams time travel and similiar
her*
Still*
I wonder how long this will be...
Maybe, unfortunately the nobles these days have every intention of making this a bigger deal, and if they snoop around they can get enough evidence to twist into a massive media mess
Then actually handel him, don't just sit there and let him, and others like him, say whatever they want.
Tell them, and by extension all of Equestria, that these are opinions that will be frowned upon and punished if continued
10507619
what?... having Neighsay assassinated? or arrested for spreading lies about the royal family, speciesism, treason, and indirectly encouraging the persecution and murder of innocent ponies, not to mention civil war?
If it involves making an example outta Neighsay and proceedings are completely non-violent then that's not a bad plan but a good one.
If he does a time travel thing... Let's see him be stuck and have to live the entire time after getting stuck. Hopefully he doesn't get killed to maintain timeline stability.
My only question is how did you get an accent mark above an 'l'?
"Oh my, Page. We had no idea thou dost desire so much to see my sister covered so. What would she think?"
"It was whipped cream!"
"We did not realise thy inclinations were so depraved."
"IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!"
I leaned against me???
10507770
Challenge accepted.
10507618
At this rate it's only a matter of time.
Also, the Tirek plan worked out spectacularly well. He just wasn't expecting what came after.
And Celestia's right, there is one advantage I have over the ponies: I'm human.
"
Break the big problems into smaller problems, she said.
In our quarters, I looked over all those "special toys" I got from my last visit to Phil and his wife back home.
"Let's see what my options are.... Hmmm. M-16? No, too small and not impressive enough. M-60? Hmmm... Impressive, but no. It needs too much time to cool down between bursts. Ah--here we go: Vulcan Minigun. Just the ticket to break a number of big problems into much smaller ones. And it's a wonderfully bad plan. Plus, it meets all the criteria. This should be perfect!
"...So we're just friends right."
"I'm here for when you need me my prince."
"Thanks...wait, that's not what-"
*celestia pulled page tight to her breast* "I'm here, for when you need me." She said, before dropping him to the plush rug.
Nice chapter
Celestia: ---have me for dessert?
Page: Huh? What you said?!
Celestia: I said would you and Luna like to join me after dinner? The castle chef recently got cherries from Cherry Jubilee and was excited to show off his newest desserts. Might help you take your mind off of everything for a bit...
Page: Oh uhh umm...no thank you. I was ju---
Celestia: But you were just drooling when I was describing the dishes just now!
Page: *blushes and wipes his mouth* I-I-I YES! The cherries! Us batponies sure love cherries so much! *nervous laugh*
I'm honestly enjoying Page and Celestia more than Page and Luna.
They just go so well together.
10507670
Actually I was more referring to the whole problem with the Blood Magic. I think Page could not care less about Neighsayer, and trusts his wife and Celestia to put him in his place.
My interpretation of this chapter leads me to believe Page is struggling more on the fact he is a leader, someone who has suddenly become THE figure of hope for the Thestral race, and he doesn't think he is good enough to carry that weight of expectations. I imagine it is like going about your day and suddenly finding out right now you have a kid, and they are waiting at your door.
Will you be a good parent? Can you trust yourself to lead them down the right path? Can you shoulder that responsibility?
It is because of this, and the events of the expedition in the jungle, and the Spark sisters trouble with the Blood Magic, that makes me worry.
Concern #1
Page could go to Discord and ask for a "miracle" to cure the Blood Magic, but he is essentially asking for the same price as fixing Tempest's horn now multiplied by at least a thousand. Page's cost will be unimaginable, and it will cost him dearly.
Concern#2
Page fulfills the Time Paradox.
If you don't know how to break something, talk to the one who built it.
Should it prove that the Twilight 'sisters' are having too much trouble, or can't break the curse, I fear Page will decide to use time magic to go back and have a "chat" with the Thestral Alicorn responsible for the Blood Magic. And I have seen enough time travel movies to fear Page becoming the very thing he hates.
Hence why I typed what I did. I hope he never has to use either of these plans, and never has to shoulder the guilt from either choice.
Sorry I ranted so long.
Still
Celestia is a good teacher.
Giving a hint here, encouragement there...
Page will be everywere in time to make the sister more powerful than ever before...
Ones the multiple, things get very interessting
10507852
This is the wrong story my dude xD But a nice idea non the less 👍
"And that word was pain!"
*smack* "Stop it. Page is the violent one, not Celestia."
"Actually..."
... that was mild, to be honest. That was just normal panic.
I've been wondering, what exactly would breadking the curse accomplish besides raise birthrates? It won't solve any social issue besides saying "they're not cursed!" Maybe the hunger thing, but it's only for fruit and removes other useful abilities. Seems less important as the first thing to tackle.
Depends on a scale of one to ten how hard was it to breath? 7 maybe?
I can just hear Celestia's heart getting crushed toward the end there
11363617
No pls
Page needs more cuddling & snuggeling.
So do Celestia
And Luna
We need more cuddlebugs...