Getting a real night's sleep that wasn’t beneath a tree did a world of good. Luna was still deep asleep as I slowly woke up, finding my eyes covered by a star field and her wing across my back.
Everything was right in the world once more.
I might not be able to see, but I could feel Sunset beneath my wing so I pulled her tighter. I could feel her shift and roll over, nuzzling in beneath my chin.
Smiling, I nuzzled at her ear.
“Morning,” I said softly.
“Morning,” she answered, “Feel better?”
“Much,” I whispered, “Move out of bed? Don’t wanna wake Luna.”
Sunset shook her head and cuddled closer.
...A most convincing argument, Lady Shimmer. Pulling her closer, I closed my eyes again. It didn’t take long to drift back to sleep and I didn’t bother with anything to do with the dream realm.
Just restful, dreamless sleep.
Next I became aware, it was… later. I had no idea how much later, but I found something was different than before.
It took me a second to figure out what, but then I realized that it was a lack of somepony beneath my wing.
Sunny was missing.
Shifting to get up, Luna shifted her wing to pull me back down, “Stay.”
Smiling, I rolled over and cuddled close, “What are you doing awake?” I asked as I peeked out from beneath her mane.
“Mmmm,” she agreed and nuzzled in to give me a kiss.
Smiling, I kissed back before I sighed, “What time is it?”
“Almost time to raise the moon,” she said softly, “You slept a long time, My Page.”
“Woke up earlier,” I admitted, “Sunny convinced me to stay in bed.”
“Should listen to her. We have talked a lot while you were away. Smart mare,” Luna agreed and pulled me tighter, “She left a little while ago to find some food for us.”
Nodding, I pulled away and then yawned as I got up, stretching while spreading my wings. My joints and back making a kind of popping sound before I collapsed again, “Oh Luna,” I sighed, “I needed that. Changeling walls is hell on the back.”
I looked at Luna and shook my head, “Don’t frown like that, My Sky. It all went fine, we’re fine. I’m safe, we’re getting married in a couple of weeks.”
Luna rolled onto her stomach, wings raising in annoyance, “It’s not ‘fine’!” she said and shook her head, “It’s not. You were kidnapped by changelings and there was nothing I could do about it. I could have gone and gotten you out but you didn’t want that! What if it hadn’t worked, Page! You would be…”
“Dead,” I said, “Or close enough for it to count,” I said and moved up to give her cheek a nuzzle, “But I’m not and it didn’t. And that is exactly how I felt when you were missing.”
Luna flicked her ears and sighed, “...I know, I have felt it before. But My Page, I… it would be…”
“I know,” I sighed and gave her a small kiss, “Why do you think I was complaining about security so much?”
“...I know,” she admitted softly, “I know.”
“Speaking of security,” Sunset said as she pushed the door open, walking inside with a tray floating in her magic, “Guess who is getting more guards to follow him around?”
I just groaned, “Seriously? I already have two! And how would more guards have helped here? It was drugged tea and a hypnotised waitress..”
“Weeeelll…” Sunset said with a grin.
I pointed my hoof at her, “If you dare suggest we get rid of the tea, you’re walking back to Canterlot.”
That got a laugh from her and she handed the tray with food over to Luna's magic before she jumped onto the bed and settled down next to me, putting her horn against mine, “I wouldn’t dare,” she teased, “the Holy Drink must be protected at all costs.”
“Damn right,” I said with a grin before I frowned, “...you were joking about more guards, right?”
“Not a chance,” Luna said and nuzzled at my ear.
Well, damn.
"And this is guard number 897, he's in charge of glaring at everyone who interacts with me. He's a big ol' softie."
Honestly, ditch your escort at every opportunity and spin it as a training exercise. They'll either quickly learn to stay out of your awareness the way your existing one does, or they'll be eaten by timberwolves. In fact, tell them exactly that, and if they try to point out that there are no timberwolves in Canterlot ask them what that is behind them then. (Bonus points if you can get Fern into the right position for a joke that isn't "you ran away while they weren't looking".)
9844182
HIVER! do what this person said in the next chapter. It would be AWESOME.
9844214
Naw, not NEXT chapter. People'll be EXPECTING it NEXT chapter... Say, four chapters from now.
9844230
I mean, it's set up already. Fern is an established character. If this gag didn't happen, Discord might be upset by it and do something... random to get revenge!
Do you really want a "Timberwolf in a Teapot" scandal all over the Canterlot newsrags, Princess?
Nice to see someponies know the true value of the holy tea.
Poor BP. Hopefully it won't be too many more. I'd feel bad about his sanity trying to keep track of their names.
What do you think
Hypnotized waitress, not shape-changed waitress. I see, so that's how Page got fooled despite passive truesight.
I do think requiring that his guards be at least one of as sneaky and as friendly as Amber might help Page handle having more guards... Possibly put an alarm spell or two on him and teach him how to notice when some silly amateur starts unraveling the Obvious Alarm That Can Be Unraveled?
“Ladies! In the event that Lord Page tries to give you the slip. You are authorized to use pouty lips and big eyes.”
“Ma’am that can’t possibly work.”
“It never has failed.”
i am thinking more changelings for guards.
With his interest in changelings one has to wonder if he might get a new queen as a consort or gain some other connection to them.
Cuddel and snuggeling to healthy state... NEAT
More guards?
Page will have an army before you know it.
girlgeniusonline.com/ggmain/strips/ggmain20160422.jpg
Well, to be honest quantity doesn't work if quality doesn't. More guards will just drain money faster. What you need are specialists. When in traveling - food and detector specialists. Soldiers don't do when there's a sneak attack.
so....?
....
...whatever did happen to Scuttlebug after the Jungle Hive was absorbed into Skitter's hive?
(assuming he survived Sipioc's thread?)
Staying in Hospitals is so dreadful because one has no snuggelbuddys or something to Cuddle.
Wonder if one could make a Cat/Dog cuddle Therapy for Patientes without open wounds...
200 years from now this motherfucker's gonna have a literal army following him around New guards are going to be joining up like oh is this the army? no this is the guard force for the Prince, does he really need all this? Luna "you have no idea"
10239472
Actually it just depends got a large area he's in like a fair or a Wedding? Quantity
In a small train car with only two exits? Need quality to detect
11041817
If QUALITY doesn't work - quantity will NEVER work. You can have a platoon march around a base, but if they can't check for a proper ID - anyone can just march into the base, and nobody will bat an eye. Quantiy means just that. You can control more points. But if you can barely follow procedure - it doesn't matter how many ponies go and guard a thing. It will be infiltrated anyway.
Few examples:
Train cart:
Quality
Food check, personell check, periodic patrol in between carts, key phrases.
Quantity
1 or more ponies in each cart.
City:
Quality
Personel check, possible response scenarios, interchangebles squads(if one goes down, another can be deployed with all the same skills), high alert to even false alarms(Twilight tried to raise alarm, was promtly ignored).
Quantity
Put more squads to march to and from.
So, as I said. If Quality doesn't work - Quantity never will.
11189049
Has anyone who's ever played starcraft will tell you there are some scenarios in which that's not true and military is one of them you can have the best military in the world all of the most high quality units and all the most high quality gear but if you're facing a foe that outnumbers you 5,000 to 1 all of that gear means s***
11189049
Tell that to the Chinese. They have more bodies than bullets. In some cases quantity does beat quality, especially when it's a straight up brawl fight. Eventually quality will get worn down to nothing. Happened alot in the Korean war, and in ww2 from Jap bonzai charges.
How Luna isn't demanding foals after that is beyond me...
I wonder if the next Queen will be more reasonable...
11227646
Zerg rush...
Protoss tech up...
Humans... Just wing it
11450218
Right, right... Stuff the whole Chinese continent into the train carts. And quantity WILL work against CHANGELINGS, who INFILTRATE, and it IS a STRENGHT contest, not INFLITRATION, where it doesn't F*CKING MATTER HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE THERE.
I am... Speechless. You do your best to f*cking misunderstand the main idea. It doesn't matter if there is a squad, or the whole f*cking army, if a person can wear a FACE of a COMMANDER, and WALTZ IN with NOBODY even THINKING about anything!!! It's not ZERG RUSH, it's ESPIONAGE... I don't know how else to tell it to you.
11227646
Yes, and this is not ESPIONAGE, which CHANGELINGS F*CKING ARE, it's WAR. Canon fodder ONLY works in scenarios, where there is SHOOTING and DEATH.
MISDIRECTION, LIES, SPIES, THIS is what is happening HERE!!! I don't know how to tell it differently so you understand it. NUMBERS don't WORK HERE. PROTOCOLS and DISCIPLINE does!!!
9844687
That cheating, and very effective
I wonder if the new lings become worker drones or snuggelbugs for hire?
Seriously, I can see a lot of ponies paying for that service ♡
11897535
If you're not cheating, you're not doing it correctly.