//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 // Story: The Perilous Gestation of Swans // by kudzuhaiku //------------------------------// The mare beside Gosling was a big, warm, wonderful creature made of sunshine. She also smelled like vanilla. No, she reeked of vanilla, as if she had been soaked in it. He sniffed, feeling euphoric, then he began to stretch himself, extending his hind legs, and going tense until starbursts appeared in his vision. After his stretch, he relaxed and enjoyed his headrush while filling his nose with the scent of vanilla. “Is that some kinda perfume or something?” Gosling asked while he pressed his snoot into the warm, somewhat sweaty flesh of Celestia’s neck. “Every time we do what we just did, I keep smelling that. Are you trying to turn me on? It’s working.” “Gosling, darling, it’s time we had a talk about one of the many peculiarities of alicorn anatomy.” Celestia, laying on her back, started to roll over onto her side, but then couldn’t be bothered. Reaching down with her front hooves, she began to rub her own stomach. “You’re made of edible vanilla cake?” To test this theory, Gosling began to nip at Celestia’s neck, his hard, flat teeth pinching tender folds of flesh, and his antics caused Celestia to squirm beside him, her hind legs wiggled, and he could hear static-crackles while she moved against the sheets. His ears perked at the faint, soft sounds of Celestia’s needful, breathy whinnies. “Gosling”—it now sounded as though Celestia was having some trouble speaking—“what you are smelling is castoreum… alicorns have anal scent glands, and no, I don’t know why. When we do what we do, with all of that heat and friction that happens back there, those scent glands get heated… and... mmm, Gosling…” He stopped nibbling on her neck and began to ponder, causing Celestia’s whinnies to become those of frustration. After a brief time, Gosling could only reach one conclusion, which he said aloud. “So, every time your sister comes in and smells vanilla, she knows I’ve gone spelunking where the proverbial sun don’t shine.” “Well of course she does,” Celestia replied, sounding frustrated and needy. Beneath the sheets, it was hot, humid, and the smooth, sheer fabric clung to Gosling’s body, but mostly to the naked, featherless, sweaty flesh of his wings. He lay there, on his side, his muzzle pressed against Celestia’s long neck, breathing in the scent of vanilla, and enjoying the moment, not minding at all that alicorns had some anatomical peculiarities. When the neck nibbles did not continue, Celestia snorted, and then resumed talking. “I’ve always seen it as some kind of specialised scent and territory marking. Like right now, Gosling, you absolutely stink of vanilla, and not at all like hot, sweaty, freshly plowed plot. For anypony familiar with alicorns, it would be a clear, undeniable marker that you are mine. And just for the record, you are mine. Well, and Luna’s too, should she ever choose to have you.” “Yous is dirty, dirty filly, sharing your sister with me.” “I know.” “Sunshine, I’m really sorry, but I need to go check up on her. I’m gonna go shower and then see if she’s okay. That whole darkness elemental thing… I… I don’t think I’m okay after that—” Leaning over, bending her neck, Celestia kissed Gosling on top of his head, on his white patch, cutting him off. “Go be with her for a time, and then come back to bed so that I might warm you. Wear your cloak, it’s cold.” “I love you.” Gosling tucked his accent away, instead sounding like his most cultured self. “The Sun has been put to bed, and now I have to go and check up on my Moon.” “Just remember one thing, Gosling,” Celestia said as Gosling began to free himself from beneath the covers. “What’s that?” “The Moon also smells of vanilla…” The stone stairs up to Luna’s aerie were freezing. Gosling, wrapped up in his cloak, fought to keep his teeth from chattering, as he was now particularly vulnerable to the cold due to having no feathers. He was nervous, like a colt on his first date, and he was always nervous when he climbed the many steps to Luna’s aerie. It was impossible to know which mood Luna might be in, so each of these visits were perilous as well as being a potential time waster. Climbing all of these stairs, he might find that Luna wasn’t in the mood for company, and then back down he would go. Gosling swore, as he often did during this climb, that the tower had become somehow taller. It was possible. Most of the castle was vast pockets of extra-dimensional space, and with Luna’s raw magical power, she could make these stairs as long as she wanted. He glanced at a statue as he passed, knowing what secret it held, that it was one of the many guardians installed throughout the castle. The golem wasn’t moving at the moment, but it had changed positions since the last time he had passed. Huffing and puffing, Gosling got his nightly calisthenics as he continued up the stairs. Luna was in her chambers, just as Celestia had said she would be. Gosling stood in the door, staring, the roaring, crackling fire in the grate reflecting in his eyes. Sometimes, the fire burned, and other times, Luna left her aerie freezing. The balcony doors were open, allowing the freezing wind to enter, but with a flash of Luna’s horn, the doors shut with a gentle click. With the doors shut, the room became a sweltering furnace, and Gosling didn’t mind. He continued to stand in front of the door, feeling awkward, out of place, and out of sorts. Why were these moments always so difficult, and why didn’t he know what to say? Luna was just standing there, staring at him, and she seemed to be awash with dark shadows. “You came for Us… for me,” Luna said in a weird voice that came from all around the room and not from her mouth. For a second, Gosling was tempted to go for the obvious innuendo, she had left the door wide open for it, but he swallowed his immature, coltish words. Instead, he just stood there, staring, watching as the fire consumed the last bit of the chill and freeing the room from winter’s grasp. “Through the darkness, you came for me.” Luna began moving, her slender, graceful legs making smooth, perfect strides, and her silver-shod hooves made no sound when she crossed over the stone tile floor. Pools of darkness spread around each hoof as it touched the floor, and in the seemingly liquid darkness, silver stars twinkled, shining in the void-puddles. “Of course I did, I love you. I made vows to you, remember?” Gosling felt his mouth go dry, and his lips too. He knew better than to look into the pools of darkness on the floor, but he found himself doing so anyway, and it made his head feel swimmy. He knew from experience that Luna was deep in the dream realm right now, and the body he was seeing wasn’t quite real. The black pools were deep, and the many twinkling stars seemed to stretch into forever. When he saw Luna smile, he shivered and let out a sibilant hiss at the sight of her pointed, nightmarish teeth. Long, extended canines were visible and they seemed to glow with their own inner light. Tendrils of darkness extended from her, reaching for him, and for a second, Gosling wondered if he was dreaming. “We could reward our devoted servant,” Luna said, her voice almost sultry. “We could give you wings… would you join Us in our nightly crusade?” “Wings?” Gosling asked. In reply, Luna spread her wings, but they did not have feathers, they were leathery, membranous, and bat-like. Tendons creaked and shadows curled around her moving wings like heavy, clinging smoke. Long, curved claws extended from her wing-thumbs that protruded from the central knuckles of her wings. “Like a nocturnal pegasus?” Gosling felt his blood run cold, and he wondered just how much power Luna had. She was old, ancient, and terrible. “No.” Luna’s voice was almost teasing, and stretching out one wing, she pinched Gosling’s cheek between her thumb and central knuckle. “The Gift of Night, Gosling. Just let Us bite down upon thine neck, and allow Us to suckle for a time. We shall then allow you to partake of Our essence.” “Is yous vamping me?” Gosling took a step back, but it was no use, his backside hit the door behind him with a thump. He wasn’t sure how he felt about becoming a vampire, and Luna was looking at him with hungry eyes. A thousand questions filled his head, strange questions, worried questions, like why did Celestia allow her vampire sister to continue to exist, and would he have married Luna had he known the truth. Whimpering a bit, Gosling watched Luna’s orange tongue lick one of her fangs. Having wings again right away was tempting, and becoming an immortal Lord of Darkness held some small appeal, but the idea of drinking blood made him queasy. He began to wonder how Luna appeared in the sunlight, and even more questions arose in his mind. “We dost desire some of your vanilla-scented goodness,” Luna said in a seductive, breathy whisper as she leaned her head down, and her snoot was now inches away from Gosling’s. She sniffed, inhaling, and then a low chuckle could be heard from all around the room, rising up from the darkness, the living, dancing shadows. “And We has Us some questions,” Gosling said, picking up on the Royal We, and noting that his spooky, scary wife had some nice minty fresh breath for being a damned creature of the night. “These wings you’re promising, will they be sexy wings?” “To some,” Luna replied. Gosling almost said the words ‘bat pony,’ but caught himself, knowing that no matter how much Luna might tolerate him, that would get him slapped across the room and lectured. “I dunno about this becoming a pegasus of the night. I will follow you into darkness, but I’ll not become the darkness.” No sooner had Gosling spoken the words than the illusion all around him melted away, most of it. Luna was still radiating dream magic, but she looked more like her normal self now, and she had a teasing smile upon her face. He was about to say something, but Luna caught him off guard with a swift, soft peck upon the lips. Pulling away, Luna said, “We had you going.” “You did,” Gosling admitted. “And I was kinda tempted too.” “You would, indeed, follow Us into darkness, and you’ve proven that.” Turning away, Luna began to walk over to the fireplace mantle, reaching out with her magic and pouring herself a drink from a heavy, ornate crystal decanter. “Thou art also getting braver, Prince Gosling.” “Well, you keep showing me all those awful horror movies.” Licking his lips, Gosling watched as Luna lifted her glass to her muzzle, and he wondered what she might be drinking. He was also curious what sort of dreams Luna might cause if she drank too much. “Luna, why… why would you try to scare me after everything that just happened?” Pausing mid-drink, Luna turned to look at Gosling, she swallowed, and pulled her glass away. “Because now is the best time to do it.” “What?” “Think of it as inoculation.” Luna took another drink, swallowed, and then refilled her glass. “A vaccination against heart-sundering fear that can kill little ponies like yourself. We have been grooming you to deal with terror. We show you movies, We come and scare you in the dark of the night, We terrorise you while you lie dreaming.” Smiling, her glass full once again, she continued, “And We have no doubts that Our campaign of terror is what allowed you to push ahead through that awful nightmarish encounter. You live, because We have made your heart stronger against fatal horror. ” It was now, at this moment, with these words, that Gosling realised just how smart Luna was, how subtle, and how so very alicorny she was. He also knew that she was one hundred percent correct and that he had no conceivable means of refuting her statement. She had been grooming him, preparing him, training him for some crisis, perhaps worried that she might become Nightmare Moon once more. In hindsight, there was perfect clarity. “Yeah, well, you just go right on scaring me,” Gosling said, more than just a little in awe of the mare who stood drinking in front of him. The knowledge that he was still alive because Luna had been preparing him for just such an encounter burned in his mind, standing out from all of his other thoughts. “Oh, worry not, for We shall…” Then, Luna threw her head back, and booming, echoing laughter filled the room. With a flash of magic, she summoned another glass, and poured Gosling a drink, which she offered him. “Come, drink with me, mine husband, for thou art worthy.”