//------------------------------// // Chapter 64 // Story: The Perilous Romance of Swans // by kudzuhaiku //------------------------------// With a wide grin upon her face, Celestia turned to look over at Cadance, who stood beside her. Both of them stood on a high balcony overlooking the almost empty gallery below. Both were sneaky and well hidden, listening in as Gosling serenaded Luna. Or, perhaps serenading was too kind a word, as Cadance's face and ears kept twitching in physical pain. “I’m gonna love you… and give you such a snuggle—” “Gosling, go away,” Luna said, her speech slurred. “Cease your caterwauling at once, this instant!” “I’m gonna make you feel loved and I can’t think of a word that rhymes with snuggle!” Cadance, looking up at Celestia, shook her head and rolled her eyes. “And baby… when my affections leave you hot and flustered—” “Gosling, begone!” Luna demanded. “I’m gonna fill ya up with my hot horse custard! HAAAAAAAWT HORSE CUSTARD!” In desperation, Luna cast a spell and Gosling vanished from sight. Up on the balcony, Celestia chortled while Cadance let out an immature giggle and fought to keep her composure. The older white alicorn looked down at the younger pink alicorn, winked, and gave her a nudge with her wing. And then, the pair of them were off. It was going to be a long and busy day. Standing on the parapets, Gosling watched as an endless stream of carrier pigeons returned to Canterlot Castle. He gave himself a shake, flicked his tail, and tried not to think of Luna’s stinging rejection. It was time to be serious and there was a lot of work to do. He looked up at Celestia, who was looking especially radiant for some reason. Cadance was right. There was something different about her. “So, uh, what is the plan? How are we going to put Equestria back in order?” A strong gust of wind whipped Gosling’s mane around as he waited for an answer from Celestia. “How are we going to fix things?” He heard Celestia take a deep breath and he suspected he would get more than an answer, but also a lesson as well. “Blueblood wanted to seize everything so that all of the incoming wrath would be directed at him. He then planned to step down when I chastised him and abated the public ire.” Celestia watched as pigeons landed and the various ponies below tended to them. “I refused to allow that to happen. No tricks, no slippery subversion, it is time we face this.” “I’m still having trouble understanding everything that Shining Armor told me,” Gosling confessed in a low voice. “A lot of it was over my head.” “Shining Armor has some strong opinions on the issue, but they are opinions.” “Uh, forgive me for being blunt, but that’s a load of horseapples. I’d say that a lot of what he said was fact.” As Gosling stood watching the alicorn beside him, a sour expression crossed over Celestia’s face. “Yeah, we’re at that stage of our relationship. I’ve stopped being afraid of disagreeing with you.” “I would prefer it to be this way,” Celestia replied as she shuffled on her hooves. “Gosling, a long time ago, I created a document called ‘The Canterlot Concordance.’ It was a writ of guarantee that I would not seize land, property, or valuables from private owners, as it was my right to do as the appointed monarch. I forfeited my right to do so so that I could give assurance to the merchants and the guilds that their possessions were safe and would remain as their property.” “Oh…” Gosling’s eyebrows raised. “Oh… so there is more to this then.” “Private property and wealth were to remain in the possession of the owner. In very short and simple terms, it made private wealth possible, the guarantee that I would not seize it and take it as mine own.” “You sound like Luna when you say ‘mine own,’ did you know that?” Gosling extended his wings and let the breeze hit him. He was grateful for the cool air against his ribs and as he stood there, he watched as Celestia did the same. Her wingspan was so much larger than his, and it left him a little jealous. He wished that he was that well endowed. He would show it off every chance he got. Ears drooping, Celestia continued. “Now, I am violating the concordance. Doing so will cause a lot of panic among the wealthy.” She paused, looked Gosling in the eye, and continued, “There will be much fear and anger. The industrialists, the real estate tycoons, the railroad barons, the steel magnates, the bankers, there will be a lot of issues that will need to be sorted out among the movers and shakers of our economy. There might even be legal action, or so I’ve been warned, and there are those who may try to ensure that the concordance is enforced.” “But when that concordance was signed, there was no way of knowing that something like this would happen. The laws have to change with the times. No legal document, no matter how well written, stays valid forever. I learned that in secondary school.” Gosling cleared his throat. “I want to go back to school… as we’ve discussed. I’ve a lot to learn if I’m going to be the sort of pony that is going to make a difference.” “I have to break a promise,” Celestia said in a voice that was heavy and gritty with regret. “A most dangerous thing to do as a ruler. Always be careful with your promises, Gosling, as sometimes, life’s cruel circumstances will force you to break them. A single careless word can be your undoing. Trust is hard fought and harder won—but it is easily broken. It is a fragile thing and the love of the public is a fickle, finicky thing.” “Well, just be honest with the public then. Make a statement. Just come right out and say that when this concordance was signed, there was no way of knowing that somepony would try to bring down the entire system. Tell them that changes are required and it is time for a new concordance, or a new charter, or whatever you might wish to call it in more modern terms.” Gosling sidestepped and moved a little closer to the alicorn beside him. “Admit that there was a major fault in the system as it was and then tell everypony how bad you feel about breaking your promise and that you don’t want to do it.” “And do you really think it will be that simple” Celestia asked. “Yes,” Gosling replied without a moment’s hesitation. “Show them you have feelings. Tell them that this hurts you and makes you want to freak out about losing their trust in you. Admit to them that the very idea of violating their trust makes you have panic attacks. You know, if you want the public to see you as a pony, perhaps you should act like a pony… not just some talking figurehead that gives a message from up on high.” “Hmm…” Celestia’s lips pressed together in a thin, pinched line. “For so long, showing any sort of weakness was considered downright taboo.” “Times are different.” Gosling blinked and remained focused on looking at Celestia’s face. “Being a hard, unyielding statue that gives decrees to the masses has brought you to this point. You need to soften up a bit. Show the public at large that you have feelings. Isn’t that what we’ll be doing when we make our lives a bit more public?” “Yes, I suppose you are right.” Celestia’s ears stood tall and her tight lips relaxed a little. “Perhaps it would be best to start now. Gosling, I must confess, you have a knack for confidence and relating to the common pony. I fear that I’ve grown out of touch, which shook my confidence up quite a bit. It is one of the many reasons why I thought about abdicating.” “But those thoughts are gone, right?” Gosling asked. “Damn right. There is a new battle to fight… a new enemy. I can see that now. My ponies need me.” She paused, then looked Gosling in the eye. “They need us. This will be the era of reformation. Twilight and Cadance have done so much… it is part of the reason why I felt so out of touch and out of place. They do so much and they do it so effortlessly… for a time, it felt as though they were better suited for rule than I was. It caused me to doubt myself… it caused me to retreat and shy away… but no longer.” “Have you told Cadance and Twilight that?” Gosling asked as he stared into Celestia’s eyes. It was a little unnerving to have to look up at her, but it was something he was going to have to get comfortable with. “Cadance yes, Twilight no.” Celestia sucked in a deep breath, held it for but a moment, then let it all out in a slow huff. “Twilight still worships me. I don’t know what telling her might do to her. It’s complicated, Gosling, it’s one of those things I’ve talked about in therapy.” “Huh, I see.” Gosling shuffled on his hooves as he folded his wings against his sides, his body now cooled off and comfortable. “Gosling, I must go. I need to speak with Cadance. I hope you’ll understand.” “Go on then, do what you need to do,” Gosling replied. Much to his surprise, Celestia didn’t walk away, but she vanished. He figured that it had to be something important for her to leave so suddenly. Perhaps talking to her had given her an idea, or maybe she needed to get something off of her barrel. Now alone, Gosling began to think about what he might be able to do to help out. There was so much to do that it was all overwhelming. “Psst, hey you.” Cautious, Gosling looked around, worried about the voice that came out of nowhere. His eyes narrowed and he dropped into more of a combat posture as his ears perked up. He felt the hairs along his back standing up and the muscles in his dock tightened. “Over here…” Gosling’s eyes focused upon an alcove where a guard might duck into while it was raining. It was shadowy and something shimmered in the dark space where the sun didn’t shine. His wings flared out from his sides and he pawed the stones below him with his hoof. “Oh stop being such a goof!” the voice snapped. The shimmer coalesced into a pony with a dusky lavender hue. Gosling stared, then dropped his guard when he realised who it was. Right away, he bowed his head and resumed a friendly, submissive posture. “Princess Twilight—” “Oh, stuff it!” Twilight snapped from within the shadows where she stood. “Come here and do as I say.” Glancing around to see if anypony else was looking, Gosling hurried over to where Twilight waited. He stepped into the alcove with her and much to his secret relief, he was able to look down into a princess’ eyes. It satisfied him more than he would ever admit. “What’s with the sneaky subterfuge?” Gosling asked Twilight as she looked up at him. “Hey… were you eavesdropping on everything that Celestia and I were just talking about?” His ears pinned back against his head as he stood face to face with Twilight, who was adjusting her cloak around her. He suspected that the cloak was how she had been invisible. “Yes, I listened to every word said… but I didn’t mean to. I wanted to talk to you without Celestia knowing about it—” “And why would that be?” Gosling asked, interrupting Twilight and feeling a bit miffed. “Look… you want to shake things up.” Twilight drew herself up to her full height and took on a commanding posture. “I’ve been following you around all morning. I’ve got things to do, I’ve got a school to open and contingencies to put into place, and I have to make certain that Ponyville remains untroubled by the current mess.” Twilight shook her head. “This mess needed to happen. It is time for reform. Celestia won’t listen to me, she thinks my ideas are a bit too radical. But she’ll listen to you.” “Yeah, well, be real careful about what you are about to say, because I’m not going to cross her. I want to keep the trust of my future wife.” Gosling’s eyes narrowed and he wondered what Twilight was up to. He didn’t like this whole sneaky affair. “If I don’t like what you have to say, I’m telling her about this.” “Good. She needs somepony loyal to her.” Twilight glanced about, checking to see if they might be seen, then returned her attention to Gosling. She pulled a thick hardbound book out from beneath her cloak and held it in her magic. “I want to give you this. This book is very special… it comes from beyond the mirror. The book is a history of the socio-economic reform and the political upheaval of a powerful nation. They had troubles quite similar to ours. This book outlines the problems, the issues, the various solutions, it tells everything that happened… and if Celestia knew I had this book, she might banish me or worse. I’m not supposed to bring artifacts over from the other side.” Gosling stared at the book for a moment, then looked into Twilight’s eyes. “This can help us, Gosling. This nation beyond the mirror advanced into the modern era. They had civil rights issues, problems with minorities, economic collapse, something called a depression, recessions, Gosling, this book shows the way forwards. It might not have all of the answers, but it shows the right way to go.” “And you want me to take the book?” Gosling asked. “Yes,” Twilight replied, “And you must never tell Celestia that you have it. She would be furious with me and probably you.” “I dunno about this—” “Look, Gosling, we can go stumbling forwards and make a lot of mistakes as we learn through trial and error, or we can learn the lessons of those who went through and sorted out these issues already. How many ponies do you want to have suffer while we struggle through trial and error?” Twilight looked up at Gosling with a stern, hard expression upon her face. “A leader does what is best for their subjects. It goes beyond simple black and white morality, try to see the bigger picture, Gosling.” “I’m still not convinced,” Gosling said in a low whisper. “Celestia is still stuck in the past about a few issues and she insists that using knowledge from beyond the mirror is wrong. But she’s wrong. They’ve dealt with these issues… there are a lot of good ideas in here, Gosling. We don’t have to go through all the mistakes while we sort things out. We can reduce the suffering now by applying answers already learned.” “I… I—” “You will be seen as the great reformer,” Twilight said in a low voice. “You will be seen as a wise and great prince. You will have the answers. You’ll know what to do. You will change the lives of millions and make their lives better.” “And all I got to do is take the book,” Gosling said in a low voice. “You won’t have to hide it forever… when Celestia sees that the reforms are doing good, that there is positive improvement and things are better, we can both come clean and then convince her that having this knowledge was a good thing. And I promise I’ll tell her that this was all my idea.” Gosling’s eyes fell upon the book. All of the answers, all of the solutions, it was all there for the taking. The book was big, it was one of the largest books he had seen, and it had to be a good several inches thick. Anything that big would have to be exhaustive. So many lives could be changed. So many could be spared from needless suffering from the social upheaval that was sure to come. He felt his resolve weakening. “The way forward lies in knowledge,” Twilight said in a reassuring whisper. Nodding, Gosling replied, “I agree.” “Good. Take this book. I’ve cast many spells on it. Celestia shouldn’t notice it, but if she does, it will look like a history of the eastward expansion. Keep this book safe—” “Yeah, yeah, I got it.” Gosling took the book with his wing and then held it pressed against his side, hidden and out of sight. “You and I gotta come clean about this later though, you hear me? I feel bad about this. This is wrong.” “The results are all that matters,” Twilight said as she pulled her hood over her head and vanished. Now invisible, she added, “I must be going… Good luck, Prince Gosling. I look forward to working with you!”