The spell slashed through the air, the dirt exploding next to me and I threw myself to the side, for a second bringing a shield up to deflect the following spell as I rolled back onto my hooves.
I ducked, returning fire with a slashing force spell at the same time as my chakram went flying out.
Shining Armor took both of them on a pink shield that flashed up in a half dome before him before it dropped and his horn shone.
Then a spell of force lashed out at me in turn.
I knew better than to try to take one of those on my shield head on. Shining Armor hit like a bucking truck. Instead I angled the shield to deflect the blow down into the earth before me.
I can definitely tell he and Sparks are brother and sister, he hit almost as hard as she does.
The spell hit my shield and deflected into the dirt, the impact forcing me to take a step back. As the spray of dirt and dust rained through the air and obscured me from view, I wrapped myself in an invisibility spell and left an illusion of myself in place.
I ran to the side, moving around to flank.
Shining sent another spell through the air, this time a spear of ice. My illusion dodged to the side before returning fire.
He brought a shield up.
I snatched my chakram from the ground, spinning it in my magic as I charged, my horn shimmering.
My horn hit his shield from the side, the anti-shield spell I had been channeling popped it like a mirror in a shattering sound and I slashed at him with the spinning chakram.
He reacted quickly, taking it on the shoulder of his armor.
I flicked a pair of knives at him and his horn exploded out a shockwave of force. It hit me before I could react, taking me off my hooves and sending me rolling on the ground.
"Ow," I said, looking up against the blue skies.
"Ow is right," Shining said and looked down at the knife buried in his foreleg. The armor was mostly on the outside, one of them had managed to slip through, "That one is yours I think."
I shook my head and picked myself off the ground, "No, it's yours," I said and stomped my hoof on the ground, making my harness and cloak along with weapons fade away. His armour did the same, along with the wound, knife and all the damage we made to the meadow, "You were still able to cast and move, I took that blast right to the muzzle. If it was real, your next spell would have caught me before I could recover."
I then walked over to him and bumped my hoof against his, "You're better than last time," I accused him.
Shining grinned, "That was years ago. Besides, I'm Cadance’s Captain, I have to keep in practice."
"I find it difficult to find the time," I admitted, "I really should too. Never know when the next crisis appears."
"Perhaps Twilight would enjoy the same thing?" Celestia suggested as she, Cadance and Sunburst approached from where they had been watching.
Shining grinned, "The magic maybe, the physical activity, not so much."
"That, and the fact that I'm not sure I'd survive trying to take blasts from her at a regular basis," I agreed, "Even when holding back, it's like being hit by a log when she cast a spell."
"Are you really okay?" Sunburst asked Shining with a small frown.
Shining smiled at him, "I'm all good. Dream, remember," he said and moved his foreleg that I hit, "Can't even tell I took a hit. My own fault I even got hit, I didn't expect him to hit me from the side, nor be able to break my shield."
Celestia smiled and nosed at my ear, "Page can be quite sneaky when he bothers trying."
"You would know," I said and glanced up at her, my nose brushing hers.
Cadance looked smug and moved up between Shining and Sunburst, slipping a wing around each of them but didn't say anything. She just met my eyes for a second before turning her head to whisper something into Shinings ear.
Shining smiled and then looked to Celestia and myself, "We still have another couple of hours before we need to wake up, we're going to go explore I think."
"We are?" Sunburst asked and looked at him before he nodded, "Oh. We are!" he then agreed quickly.
"Have fun," I said, "We'll be... on a completely different part of the planet I think," before I looked at Celestia, "I just finished a new region, want to see it?"
"I would love to."
I smiled at her and tapped a hoof against the ground, moving us several hundred kilometers to the south from the starting valley. The grass beneath our hooves was replaced by drifting sand as we found ourselves in a desert just next to a rocky outcropping.
"A desert?" Celestia asked as she raised her head and looked around, "Why a desert?"
"I wanted to try something different. Besides, deserts can be nice."
She nodded, "I suppose," she agreed and walked a bit forward before turning to me with a smile, "It certainly far enough to give them some privacy."
"Yeah, I may have to create some sort of private areas," I admitted.
"Or not," Celestia said and gave me a small kiss, "Even that valley is more than big for the few ponies that know this place exists."
I nodded, "True," I admitted and looked around, "Come on," I said and jumped onto the rock outcropping and started walking.
Celestia followed, "Where are we going?" she asked as she moved up next to me.
"Nowhere really, just should get off the sand. When in the deep desert, stick to rocky terrain," I told her with a smile, "Besides, there was something I needed to discuss with you."
"What about?" Celestia asked, fluffing her wings a bit before lifting a wing to hold over me, giving me shade against the burning sun.
I smiled in thanks at her, "Trouble, what else?" I said before I sighed and moved a bit closer, my side touching hers as we walked, "I wish I never just had troubles."
She gave my ear a nuzzle, "What is it, Page?"
"Merchants in Canterlot are raising prices on my ponies. They have to buy on credit because there isn't enough liquid bits to buy outright yet and because of the risk of losing the cargo, the prices quoted are... high."
Celestia nodded, "I see. Do you have a solution?"
"I do," I said and sighed again, looking up at her, "But you know how much I hate asking for more bits."
She smiled a bit sadly but nodded, "I do know, Page."
"In this case however, it won't be a loan," I said, meeting her eyes, "An investment fund."
She smiled, "Oh?"
"I talked it through with Tight Bit and Starlight Glimmer. If we set up a fund the merchants in Nocturnis can borrow from to make their purchases at a five percent interest, it will not only lower the costs but also easily absorb the potentially lost cargo. They'll still be expected to pay it back in case of a loss, but could be added to the interest on further loans instead of bankrupting the pony or ponies in question. In time, it will even provide returns to the crown for the initial investment."
Celestia looked amused, "You wish to start a bank?"
"Well, not exactly," I admitted, "We'll likely need a couple of ponies managing it, but it's more of a pile of bits to improve the process."
Celestia looked thoughtful, "How much are we talking about?"
I flicked my ears a bit to the side before I sighed, "...Twenty thousand."
"Done."
I frowned up at her, "Sunshine..."
"None of that," Celestia said and brushed her lips against mine, "Even from my private accounts, it is a small amount. Is that twenty thousand with an emergency amount calculated in?"
I hesitated.
"In which case, make it an even fifty," she said with a smile, "Page, stop being silly."
"...I hate owing money, especially to ponies I know," I said and leaned against her.
"I know you do. But like you said, this isn't a loan. This is me setting up an investment for private business loans specifically for Equestrian colonies. One I expect to produce a profit in the future," Celestia told me and slipped a wing across me, pulling me against her side .
"...Thank you, Sunshine," I said and then smiled up at her, "Anything I can do to thank you?"
Celestia smirked, "A couple of things spring to mind."
"Well, a goddess does deserve to be wo-" Was as far as I got before I was interrupted. A rustling sound and something enormous moved beneath the sand. A dune collapsed in its wake before the sand became still once more.
Celestia stared at it before she turned to me, "Page, what exactly did you make in this desert?"
I just looked at her innocently.
The Spice must flow?
There's a good reason that Page said to stick to rocky terrain.
Just…ya know…worms.
What kind of worms?!
Alaskan Bull Worms…
The heck is an “Alaskan”.
"We have worm sign.!"
Mmmmmmmmm. Shai-Hulud.
Of course our all time favorite Scifi nerd would create a dessert based on Dune....
Be careful, they can sense vibration
Remember: Walk without rhythm and we won't attract the worm. It will go to the thumper
Hmm tremors or dune?
Graboids or Worm?
Now I'm imagining someone else going for an explore before Page can warn them, and getting nommed.
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Less spicy and more basic necessities.
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Considering the story mentioned an entire dune collapsing, I’m going to assume it is very very very large. And probably ate one of the Carmine brothers…nah, it’s a spicy worm.
A huge thank you for joyous Celestia!
Giant worms
It is a Molduga!
static1.cbrimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/molduga-tears-of-the-kingdom.jpg
Investing into Blank Page always pays out, short term in Thestral thriving, long term in his offspring thriving alongside them ♡
Celestia is rich, no question. But I am surprised her nephew isn't investing into it.
Last time Celestia investment into land give birth to Equestria, so she pays in time bonus out. It might not be in the lifetime of the investors, but it is in the lifetime of another generation coming after them.
Be it the first of them or the sixty nine generation.
Shai Hulud
Celestia:
"Why do there worms look like earthpony, pegasus, unicorn and Thestral male genitals as big as a manehatten skyscraper?
I know for a fact you don't have to compensate."
Blank Page:
"Did you know next year's first play stallion print will have a picture of 20 different male penis from 20 different males?
Earthponys, Pegasus, Unicorn, Thestral, Kirin,
EarthGriffon, SkyGriffon, Hypogriffon, Diamond Dog, Yak , Yeti, Abesinian, Sphinx, Changeling, Minotaur, Seapony, Breezee, Alicorn, Crystal Pony & Dragon."
Celestia:
"Wha- but you can't be... You contributed as well?"
Blank Page:
"All of this variants swim below the sand, ready to flash the visitors from time to time.
Also all have the same length and width at the maximal side, be it by the outline vein of a pony one or the rippled ones of a dragon."
Celestia:
"OK... why thought?!"
Blank Page:
"Because I made sure not one of the dicks are named to keep the mares and stallion guessing what one they get in a relationship with another male."
Celestia:
"Not for long..."
Blank Page:
"What do you mean?"
Celestia:
"There is going to be price in naming them all... that happend 5 years ago with different species females genitals.
Can't remember who win though...
Wonder who will win next year?"
*Next year after the first print of Playcolt got delivered to its subscribers*
Fluttershy:
"Got to try them all... Challange accepted.
Last time Zephyr won in naming them all,
this time i will win.
Oooo Dis~cord~♡"
Discord:
"O my... "
*Next version of the playcolt has a proud Fluttershy as winner picture displayed, further is Fluttershy fees for this year of playcolt free of charge and she gets to name the big question*
What is a Spirit of Chaos hiding?
What exotic shape has the Chimera that owns so many creature part?
Find out in the last years out going version of
Playcolt ~♡♤
Im going with more dune than tremors with this one. Good chapter
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Sandy marehood if they get frisky isn't fun.
On solid stones they have better grip and don't get sand in the way.
Obviously ✌
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Discord: "All that variety, and they didn't think to ask me to pose. If Fluttershy wasn't so inspired, I might have had to say something to the publisher."
Credit where credit is due, starting what's essentially a commercial bank is a pretty good idea. But Page would be much better served to (also) create a central bank, which he can use to then issue government bonds.
Doing so would not only allow Celestia to invest in his government without him feeling guilty about it, since not only are such bonds available for anyone to purchase, but it's fairly common for governments to invest in other governments (and if things don't improve, the princesses can work out a debt forgiveness program between Equestria and Nocturnis). Even better, doing so sends a signal that the princesses have faith in the long-term solvency of Nocturnis, encouraging wealthy Equestrian corporations and individuals to do the same. Heck, he doesn't even have to form his own currency for this, since utilizing an existing currency like the bit can also be a way to firm up foreign confidence (even if making his own fiat currency and devaluing it against the bit would probably be more helpful for direct investment).
In other words, Page would be giving himself more methods of influencing monetary policy in his fledgling country, rather than the (fairly anemic) fiscal policy he's been utilizing so far.
...MEANWHILE WITH SUNBURST AND SHINING...
Shining:
Sunburst:
Shining: I don't know what to do without princesses or castle staff around!
Sunburst: ME EITHER! THIS IS SCARY! I need my princess!
Shining: I need my princess too!
Shining&Sunburst: WE NEED OUR PRINCESS!
... It's graboids, isn't it?
HAH… Dune
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👍
Discord probably looks like a Swiss knife with all its addons, just every aspect of something his body represents.
Looking more like a decorative room piece than something to use to reproduce
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Fortunately, it was all a dream.
DUNE REFERENCE! YES!
Nice
"Tremors" was one of my favorite movies as a kid, but I'm betting this was a "Dune" reference. That was also one of my favorite movies! The new version looks pretty cool, even though it doesn't have Captain Picard.
I wonder if Page's worms are friendly like giant puppies.🐶
Damn Sandworms can be VERY DANGEROUS!!!
Ask the People on Dune & Beetlejuice.
Is that a sarlacc that Page brought forth to his desert dreamland?
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I forgot about the sand worms in "Beetlejuice"! That's one of my all-time favorite movies.
i.pinimg.com/originals/61/9c/fd/619cfd49b4bd69f2441b12865fd79944.jpg
Everyone in the comment section: Making guesses on which pop culture sand monster reference Hiver is using. Assumptions ranging from Beetlejuice to Star Wars to Dune to Zelda to Tremors to Spongebob.
Me all by myself: Silly unicorn stallions left unattended! They adorably scared confused! Me think I funny!
Walk without rhythm Celestia
All these movie refences and my thought was a Bullette from DnD.
its fine just put up some signs saying "Do NOT Feed the Sand Worms"
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Why not both? Tremors was 1990, well after the Dune novel was written, much less after the 1984 movie came out. Even back then, my thoughts about graboids was that they were just "spice babies".
Don't forget, MLP has some of their "cousins" in canon.