//------------------------------// // Chapter 54 // Story: The Perilous Romance of Swans // by kudzuhaiku //------------------------------// Coffee. Rich, aromatic coffee turned a soft, gentle brown with heavy cream, and sweetened with more than a few lumps of sugar. Gosling knew that if he drank it black, it would sour in his stomach. The brew was served at ‘Luna Strength,’ according to the castle staff and the server suggested that if he developed a habit of drinking this, he might never sleep again. Shining Armor would be arriving later and then the trial would begin in earnest. No more preliminary stuff or preparation. Gosling wasn’t looking forward to it. Out of all of his duties, this was one that he wished he could somehow wiggle out of. He wanted to help ponies, not witness their lives being dismantled. History was being made. The high court was a court presided over by an alicorn. This time, during this session, it would be ruled over by two princes, both unicorns. No doubt, the entire country was abuzz with this development, and there were already editorial pieces in the paper stating that any judgment rendered should be moot, as two unicorns were incapable of offering up justice like alicorns, a fact that Gosling knew was bogus. Somepony was just talking trash. If there was an alicorn presiding over the high court, the paper would find ways of tearing them down as well, so that society at large would question their judgment and their ability to make decisions. One day, his own decision making abilities as a pegasus would no doubt be called into question. He hadn’t seen Celestia since waking. She was still taking a bit of a respite and he was expected to work, although effort was being made to monitor his stress level. He wondered how she was doing, what she was up to, and if she was perhaps a little lonesome. Seeing a familiar yellow-orange pony, Gosling felt his spirits lifting… “Seville, how are you holding up?” Gosling asked. The earth pony did not reply right away. He stood there, shifting his weight from his right side to his left side, and his ears rose and fell as he processed the question. After some time had passed, he replied in a calm voice, “I’m holding up, Gosling. Last night, Hotspur showed up with a pint of whiskey and we had a few drinks. Well, he drank… and I did too, but not as much as he did. We talked. He made things better. I guess… I don’t know. It is still a lot to take in. I’m being offered everything I wanted in life but this isn’t how I expected to get it.” “Funny how that is.” Gosling looked his friend in the eye. “I’m being offered a chance to go to university… it’s great… but I’ll have to do it under guard. I’ve been offered a career as a public perception engineer… I’m not stupid, it’s propaganda plain and simple—” “Are you gonna do it?” Gosling asked, not meaning to interrupt. “Yes!” Seville snapped. “Yes I am! I want them to pay for what they did! What they’re doing! What they did to me! What they did to you…” Seville’s voice softened and then after looking angry for a moment, the earth pony now just looked sad. “What they’ve done to my country… they’re ripping it apart. I can’t allow that. If I can fight using pictures and clever words, than I shall fight with all of my heart and all of my courage.” “You sound worked up.” “I am.” Seville let out a weary sigh. “Sorry for raising my voice. I’m having a hard time right now.” “Eh, don’t worry about it, feel free to vent. We’ll have an easier time of this if we stick together.” Gosling gave Seville a reassuring smile. “I always thought that was hokey,” Seville admitted, “Twilight Sparkle and all of her friendship nonsense. I found a copy of one of her books in my new apartment. Been reading it. It’s been helping. I don’t know who left it there, but I’m real thankful. It helped me make it through the long night when I couldn’t sleep.” “Whiskey and books, whatever it takes to get you through the night, Seville.” Reluctant laughter spilled out of Seville’s mouth and then subsided into a tired chuckle that lasted for several long moments, until it died, but left behind a warm, happy looking smile. There was a sigh, perhaps to fill his lungs with much needed air after laughing, or maybe just because he was tired. “It’s funny, having Hotspur as my friend,” Seville said to Gosling in a low, subdued voice. “He’s older. I mean, he’s a whole lot older. It was like talking to my father, but different. There are things I would never be able to mention to my father, things I could talk to him about. It was nice having Hotspur around. I never thought I’d say that.” “Eh, he’s lived long enough to get wise,” Gosling replied. “Say, you want to take some pictures when Shining Armor lands? That’s an opportunity if ever there was one. Try to snap a good one when he steps down from the sky chariot.” “Hey, that’s a fantastic idea… I need to go and get my camera…” It was clear that Shining Armor knew how to make an entrance. It was a valuable skill for royalty to have. An entire wing of crystal pegasi flew in formation around him and his golden armor trimmed in purple enamel glinted in the sun. The entire wing flew in a heart shaped formation with Shining Armor located in the center, riding in his sky chariot. It was a magnificent sight and the pegasi appeared to be flying almost wingtip to wingtip. It was the sort of formation that would take endless hours of practice to get right. Gosling stood on the grass with Seville, watching as Shining Armor came in. A short distance away, Princess Celestia stood in the middle of her students, who were getting a chance to watch the impressive spectacle. They huddled around her, keeping a wary eye on Gosling, because he was a known carrier of cooties. Blueblood and Raven stood near the airstrip. Raven was armed with her clipboard, day planner, the various tools of her trade. Blueblood looked bored and disinterested. Not too far away from them, Kibitz stood staring at the impressive formation. It was a glorious day. Standing in the sun, Gosling could feel his stress slipping away from him. He felt a little wired and jittery from the coffee he had drank earlier, but he didn’t mind. He watched as Seville began taking photos and something of a smile crept over Gosling’s lips. Seville wasn’t taking pictures of Shining Armor, no, not yet, he had his camera pointed over at Princess Celestia and her herd of students. “Princess Celestia’s valiant defenders defend her against King Cootie—” “Hey!” Gosling tried to look menacing, but failed as he could not hold back his broad grin. “Don’t you dare report that!” “But it’s a story that must be told.” As he spoke, Seville snapped a picture of Gosling. “I shall not be cowed by the likes of you, King Cootie!” There was laughter from where Celestia and her students stood and Gosling felt his neck growing warm. Not from anger, no, he wasn’t angry with his friend, but he was embarrassed. Something told him that this was going to stick. It might also endear him to the foals of the nation of Equestria, or maybe just gross them out. After snapping a few more shots, Seville turned his attention to Shining Armor, who was a lot closer now. The earth pony took off at a smooth, steady walk, heading towards the airstrip, drawing closer to where Shining Armor would land. It was at this moment that Gosling understood that this was his future. All of this. What was happening right now. Taking happiness when and where he could find it. He had a greater understanding of Blueblood and Raven. They were trapped by this too, but they had somehow made the most of it. He supposed that they were happy in their own way. Moments like this one were the best that he could hope for, a bright shining moment where everything was perfect, allowing him to have a bit of a breather before everything became crushing again. Shining Armor’s arrival, while joyous, signaled the beginning of what was sure to be a very stressful time for everypony. Celestia was dreading what this trial would do to her nation. Luna feared the long term ramifications and consequences, having worries that the common mortal would scarcely comprehend. Blueblood had been in a terrible snit since becoming the defacto ruler of the day and was said to be downright unbearable. Raven was overworked in a way that Gosling had trouble comprehending, and he did not understand how she kept going. This was the life he had chosen. He glanced over at Seville. The earth pony had been pulled in by the gravity of this as well. Not much of a choice had been offered to Seville. His eyes darted over to Celestia, who was surrounded by foals. She looked happy, but he knew that was a mask. Deep inside, she was hurting, and few ponies ever saw it or even knew about it. But he knew. Gosling knew all too well. The heart shaped formation broke apart and the ponies changed position. Shining Armor’s sky chariot was pulled forwards and became the point of an arrowhead, while the rest of the crystal pegasi became the shaft and the fletching. The arrow was enormous and Gosling watched as they circled overhead, making a great show for anypony watching the skies. After circling once, this time, Shining Armor did come in for a landing and he waved as the sky chariot drew near the landing strip. Gosling’s only regret was that Luna was not here to share this happy moment. Gosling was content to remain in the background while Princess Celestia fawned over Shining Armor and spoke to him about recent events. Around him, the air was electric, like the feeling of a thunderstorm coming in. Shining Armor’s arrival meant change was about to happen, big changes, life altering changes, the sort of changes that could make or break the fate of a nation. Gosling did not envy that level of responsibility. A crown was a heavy, terrible thing. Ponies always talked about wanting power, about wanting to be in charge, how great it would be, how awesome it would be, but so very few understood how taxing it was, how draining it was, how awful it could be. Gosling supposed that there were some who would not find a crown heavy—and perhaps, those sorts were unfit to rule. Tyrannical despots might not be burdened with responsibility and conscience. Perhaps those most fit to wear a crown were those who found them heaviest. Celestia had confided in him that there were times when she was certain that her crown would break her neck. He knew that she hated it, he knew that she thought of abdication, he knew the weight was crushing her in a way that few ponies could survive being crushed. And Gosling, foolish colt that he was, had decided to shoulder some of her load. “Shining Armor, you are looking well,” Celestia said to Shining Armor. “How is dearest Cadance?” “Cranky,” he replied without hesitation. “She was so happy with Flurry… now she is almost unbearable—” “You mustn’t say such a thing!” Celestia’s eyes widened as she drew herself up to her full height and towered over her nephew. “For shame, Shining, for shame.” Her voice was teasing and her expression was mock-serious. And there it was. Gosling could see it now. The small rations of life giving happiness that kept Celestia going. The little doses of sunshine that kept her together. The same rations of happiness that he would have to learn to depend upon to survive, thrive, and endure the life he had chosen. It further reinforced the realisation he had made when he was out of doors, watching the formation come in for a landing. He resolved to have a word with Seville about his realisations. It might help the earth pony adjust and adapt to this life. He glanced over at his friend, who stood a respectful distance away, only snapping photos at polite intervals. Seville’s photos would give the public a view into the personal, private lives of the royals, something that the public had never really seen. The way Gosling saw it, Seville had an opportunity to make things better… if he could show the public that the royals were just equines like everypony else, only with fancier interior decoration. Ears perking, Gosling could hear Celestia laughing as Shining Armor said something about mares being irrational when pregnant. He was far to distracted by his own thoughts to keep up with the conversation and he had missed out on whatever had been said. Raven began snickering as well and he watched as she gave Blueblood a secretive smile. He could not help but wonder if… No, she was too focused on her job and making sure that the empire ran with smooth efficiency to allow something like that to happen. Maybe they had talked about it, or perhaps she was just trying to scare Blueblood a little. And if that was the case, it worked, because for a moment, Gosling saw real terror in the prince’s eyes. Raven wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of knowing either, as she took off at a swift trot, leaving behind a flustered looking and somewhat sweaty Blueblood. Raven was not a mare that could be messed with, not if one valued their own life. “Come, let us retire and have lunch,” Celestia said to Shining Armor. At the mention of the word ‘lunch,’ Gosling’s ears perked yet again. Lunch sounded good. He was starving. And he needed more coffee. He wondered what was for lunch and for some reason, he was reminded of his school days, sitting in class, curious about what the cafeteria would be serving that day. Sure, he could have picked up a menu, but that would have required effort on his part and there was something pleasant about not knowing. “Seville, would you please join us for lunch?” Celestia asked. “I would be honoured,” Seville replied. Hearing this exchange brought Gosling a sense of relief. While not perfect, things were going to be okay. Seville would get through this. Gosling realised that Seville was one of them now, and no doubt, Celestia and the others would be doing everything they could to help him adjust. The thought put Gosling’s mind at ease.