Returning home to Canterlot was an experience. Somehow, it felt like I both just left and like I had been gone for months. I had left Fern with Silver Leaf before we left for Ponyville, she loved any excuse to plantsit the big bundle of leaf. I considered going to pick him up, but pushed that up for tomorrow.

She liked having him there for a bit and it was late afternoon by the time I got to Canterlot anyway. He might as well stay one more night at her place and get spoiled.

Well, whatever else this little trip did, it also shot my sleeping schedule to pieces. I usually got up three hours ago, now I have been awake since like eight and if I went to sleep when it got dark, it would ruin things even worse. I needed to stay up until at least three or four.

Letting the door close behind me as I entered the castle, I rubbed my eyes with one hoof. It was still way too bright outside, I should get a hat or pair of sungl-

...I'm an idiot. Why didn't I think of sunglasses? Because they never really registered for me as I couldn't even wear them before I came to Equestria! I wore normal glasses then and couldn't wear sunglasses?

I have only been in Equestria for... of for fuck sake, I'm such a moron.

I suppressed a groan. I have suffered with bright lights during the day for six months and I just now think of getting sunglasses!? No wonder I thought sneaking up on Sunshine was a good idea, I'm a fricking ido-

"Lord Page?"

I was pulled out of my self assessment by a familiar voice and I blinked, looking around before I spotted Grey Velvet, Celestia's main assistant/personal planner/secretary, "Velvet, good to see you," I said with a smile, "Been a while?"

She bowed slightly before she nodded, "Busy busy."

"Yeah, I know. Pretty similar here," I admitted, "How's the cat?"

She got a kitten a few months or so, or so I heard.

"She's adorable!" Velvet said with a happy smile, "Settling in nicely," before she looked at me, "I heard there was some unpleasantness in Ponyville?"

"Yeah, you can say that again," I admitted, "There was some hostile calamari. So, what can I help you with?"

She glanced down at the clipboard she carried in one hoof, "Oh! Yes, I have some papers for you to sign and some invitations I need you to answer?"

I'm not a Prince. Not really, I'm a Prince-Consort. But apparently paperwork kept finding me anyway even if my only official duties day to day was to stand next to Luna and look pretty.

Maybe it's for the best, I wasn't that good at that either, so I might as well sign some papers instead.

"..Papers yes," I said, "invitations, no."

Apparently that was the wrong answer as Grey Velvet got a expression on her face that I recognized well from that time when Celestia tricked me into filling in for her for a couple of weeks, "Lord Page, while some of these invitations aren't that important, some are traditional that-"

I sighed and rubbed my eyes again, "You know what?" I said, cutting her off, "You pick. If you think it's important and Luna is already going to be there, sign me up for it, okay?"

Velvet paused and frowned slightly at me, "...Are you alright, sir?"

"I'm fine, it's just too early and too bright," I sighed before I looked at her again, "Seriously, you know better than I do what I can skip and what I really shouldn't without it reflecting badly at Luna and her sister."

She nodded slowly and glanced down at her clipboard, "...I suppose, the only one I really wouldn't recommend skipping if the Hearth's Warming play. It is tradition for all the princesses to attend. It is in the evening too, so it would be dark out."

"Velvet, have I ever told you how amazing and underpaid you are?"

She smiled, blushing slightly, "A few times."

"If it wasn't for the fact that Equestria would be chaos a week later, I'd try to hire you to handle my things instead of Celestias," I told her, "But I'm not sure that would be fair to everypony else. Or you. You'd be bored stiff with how little you'd have to worry about comparingly."

She beamed at me and made a note at her clipboard, "I'll just sign you up for the Hearth's Warming play then," she said, "...There is a reception at the griffon embassy two days before, would you like to attend that one as well? It's in the evening."

Here, fishy, fishy, fishy...

"Sounds good to me,” I said before I smiled at her.

I definitely need to get her something nice and expensive for Hearts Warming.