Chapter 5: Cake & courts
Gareth awoke warmer than he remembered falling to sleep.
He groaned, sitting up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as he pressed his back against the tree. Last night was freezing, had it really warmed up that much? Gareth looked down. Ah, of course.
A mass of quilted blankets smothered him like a pack of tired dogs. In the corner of one was a stitched emblem of two alicorns.
How did these creatures manage to handle something as fine as a pin and thread without hands?
"Gar-eth!" A feminine voice squeaked from between the trees.
Gareth glanced to the left.
A white-coated unicorn trotted forward. Female, he believed, with a braided red mane that wrapped around her head and ears. She was dressed in a gown that might have been seen on a human lady-in-waiting, only as worn by a horse with its forelegs through the sleeves.
Gareth was not sure how he felt about that. On one hand, there was something vaguely insulting about ponies wearing clothing so much like theirs. On the other hand, he also found it hilarious.
"Gar-eth? Cecilia rast ju-," and that was as far as Gareth understood before the mare descended into a long, blathering spiel as she walked towards him.
Good God their eyes were huge. When he was standing it didn't seem so bad, but now that he was down here at eye level he couldn’t avoid it. The mare's eyes were easily the size of his out-stretched hand, fingers and all! How did they survive a stiff, dusty breeze?
Gareth unconsciously, pushed back into the tree's unyielding trunk. One hand pulled up a rainbow-coloured blanket as though it was a shield, silently begging her to realise that she was deeply unnerving him. Trust was something that he had in short supply.
Suddenly the mare froze, staring off into the distance. She laughed to herself and looked to her gown. Her horn glowed a crimson light, humming with an unnatural tune. The white unicorn's sorceries pulled something from the folds of her dress. It was a letter.
She crooned a few more words before laying it on his lap, respectfully stepping back.
Meanwhile, Gareth silently returned his dagger to its sheath. He glanced down at the letter.
The red wax seal bore Uncle's signet ring.
"Uncle!" Gareth scrambled to pry it open; the letter folded out.
To Sir Gareth Fletcher be this letter delivered.
Gareth, when you first came to my courts, my brother dead and you abandoned by your birthmother, you came fresh with the distinction of being a warrior. What I saw as courage was in fact a darkness festering within you. Ten years later, at Barnet, when you were knighted, I saw that darkness smothered. I thought that you were beginning to change for the better, healing on your own, but I was wrong. Alone, you were growing worse. I tried to fight it by making you my gamekeeper. Perhaps that may have helped, but not as much as Cecilia did.
Gareth, she changed you. I believe that she changed all of us in some way. To know that you found her, but cannot return to us, is truly bittersweet news. I and all of the folk of Rockingham castle will bitterly miss you both. Father Clemens seemed particularly affected, we heard him wailing in his study; whether from grief or holy gratitude I cannot say.
I know how much duty means to you, and hence, I wish to allay your conscience; I formally grant you my blessing to remain with Cecilia. I understand your actions and I release you from your duties.
May you go with God's grace, Christ's mercy and Paul's humility.
The letter felt like a punch in Gareth's gut. He let it flitter to his lap, his head lolling back and staring up at the treeline above.
This was it. This wasn't some new trek to the edges of Scotland in the search of bandits and easy coin, this was another world. He'd turned his back on his duties and he got what he asked for. This was his life now.
Father… Gareth found it hard to remember his face now. Father was so long ago. Some of Gareth’s earliest memories was him trying so hard to get off Mother's farm, to get Father to train him in the ways of the bow. Father wouldn't have any of it, no, 'go back to Mother's farm. Learn about the animals, play with the animals, you'll learn to love farming.'
Gareth grimaced. Of course, Mother never could love a bastard-child like him.
The unicorn murmured something, swaying side to side.
"Huh?" Gareth grunted.
She twitched, trying to stand up straight. A apologetic expression came to her face. Those bags under her… rather large eyes would have indicated a lack of sleep or sickness on a human. He didn't notice those before. She tried to stifle a yawn, eye twitching.
Gareth resisted a yawn of his own and pulling himself out of his cocoon wrought of blankets.
She looked up at him, confused. He gently tugged her into his bed, ignoring her half-hearted protests. After a few moments of getting her legs right, she slid straight in.
He pulled the tops of the blanket over, firmly tucking her in, taking a seat next to her, gently stroking her braided mane.
Within a minute, she was asleep, chest slowly rising and falling.
Gareth nodded to himself, satisfied. Truth be told, the mare didn’t smell too much of horse; more rich perfumes and soaps. He would still need to wash his bedroll later.
"Alright, now, what to do for the day?" Gareth whispered under his breath. He felt a gnawing in his stomach. "Bah, I'll go break my fast at Glosh Spiges', then I'll think."
Cecilia's eyes fluttered open, beholding a sideways view of her sunlit balcony.
She sighed, turning over in bed. Gareth had not awoken her yet. She snuggled into the warm pillows, spreading herself out in his absence. There was no reason to leave the seductive warmth of her bed ye- wait, sunlit balcony?
Celestia's eyes snapped open. She sat up, swan-like neck craning around her. Once again, her bed was empty. The events of last night played back like a nightmare in reverse, worsening as she remembered every detail.
Gareth was starting to acclimatise to her true form. A few days ago when she lost control and tried, what she realised was trying to groom his beard, he reacted... poorly. When she met him again yesterday he seemed to be back to his old self. Naively, she thought that he'd made strides, but-.
Celestia shook her head. She couldn't dwell on this. Her husband was an issue for another time. What was an issue was that nobod-… nopony, had come to wake her. The sun had been risen without her efforts. Wait-- she raised the sun? Ah yes, of course she raised the sun.
Celestia sighed, massaging her temples with her forehooves. She was hungry, so thinking was momentarily set aside; the sooner she ate, the better.
Celestia swiftly prepared for the day, walking downstairs alone. She had become used to the frequently unseen, yet slavish, efforts of Gleaming Horizon. The past few days were made almost tolerable with her endless enthusiasm and eagerness to please. Now Celestia wondered where in Equestria the young mare had gone to.
Celestia stepped into Canterlot's Royal Dining Hall. Within moments, butlers and servants lined up on either side like soldiers on show.
She suppressed the urge to sigh. Memories flicked in the back of her mind. This was normal, but that didn't mean she had to like it. Still, these were stallions and mares trained for ceremony - training that she approved if she recalled - the least she could do was show respect.
Celestia took her seat, allowing them to set the table and wrap a kerchief around her neck. Her breakfast's steaming scent filled her nose; muesli and oats with a side dish of hay, daffodils and a carafe of wine.
The only thing she craved right now was a nice, greasy, omelette and a tall mug of mead. Gareth would smile as he served it, encouraging her to take a bite. Human food was so similar but yet so strange, so warm. It felt wrong without-- no, just eat.
She rose her forehooves to grasp pick up her knifes and forks... of which there weren't any.
A bulter gave her a concerned, querying look.
Celestia's cheeks burned, giving a nervous smile, as she mentally held her hooves down and willed herself to commence eating just with her mouth.
She could already hear Gareth pulling his hair out in frustration. It took a long time to learn to use utensils.
"Ma'am?" A cultured, female Canterlot accent said off to her side.
"Bwat?" Celestia responded, her mouth full of sugar-coated hay.
The unicorn butler flinched back at the sight. Her horn glowed yellow as she held up a scroll, unfurling with a flick.
The butler cleared her throat, saying, "Ma'am, your itinerary for the day. After your morning meal you'll be expected to--"
Celestia's eyes glazed over. Every morning had been the same thing. A dizzying array of names to meet and places to go. Everypony in Equestria wanted to see her right now. She even caught wind of a mass of ponies that had arrived in Canterlot a few days ago, eager to catch a glimpse of her. None of this was foreign to her, and she couldn't remember disliking meeting her own subjects... what had changed in that time?
The names continued and Celestia forced herself to pay attention. Hopefully all the chauffeuring would stop within a few days; she had actual leading to do once all the important ponies had kissed her forehoof and unjustly sang her praises. If only she could get them to send her a representative each. That would certainly lower the amount of faces and names she needed to memorise. For example, what in Equestria was a 'Diamond Dog'?
"-do you allow it, princess Celestia?" The butler asked.
"Bwah?" Celestia twitched, accidentally banging a forehoof across the table top. "U-uh, yes, full summit at four, dinner at five," Celestia mumbled through another chunk of breakfast.
"Uh, no, not that, ma'am," the unicorn said, gesturing to the doors at the opposite end of the hall, "Noble Era requests entry to the dining room. Do you allow it?"
Celestia paused. Ah, yes... the throne-warmer. Honestly, she had little time to pay him any mind since she'd last encountered him. Perhaps unwise she realized, given that particularly bad impression she'd gotten of him. She'd barely had any time for her own husband let alone strange unicorns.
"Yes, allow him entry," said Celestia, finishing chewing.
Within moments, she heard the overly large double doors swing open. A guard announced Noble Era as he trotted in, golden coat and silver mane practically glittering. His brown eyes spotted her immediately and he smiled in relief.
Celestia didn't return it, continuing her meal heedlessly. Best not to get his hopes up. Gareth had warned her about people like Noble Era, vicious social climbers that hid a blade behind their smiles. She didn't remember ponies acting in such a way here in Equestria, but who knows how things might have changed in the intervening years?
Noble Era trotted the length of the long dining table, standing just over to her left. "Princess Celestia," he said, lowering his head, looking up at her through sad eyes, "I wish to deeply apologise for my behaviour upon your arrival a few days ago. My tone was unprofessional and disrespectful. On the matter of my… physical position, I meant no disrespect; t'was my intention to lessen your burden--"
"Apology accepted," said Celestia, sipping her wine. "You are dismissed."
Noble Era flinched as though she'd slapped him. He opened his mouth, as if to challenge her, but quickly closed it. After a few moments, he slowly nodded, turning and trotted away, hanging his head.
Celestia felt a pang of guilt. She mentally sighed; this was stupid. Even if he was a social climber, he had feelings.
"Wait," said Celestia, holding her forehoof up. "You offered information to me before. I will take it. However, you will do as I say, when I say. Is that understood?"
Noble Era whipped around, his face brightening.
"Of course m'lady!" He said, smiling broadly. "How may I help?"
Celestia kept her poker face in check, saying, "I want one representative from each of the pony tribes. One for the Unicorns, one for the Pegasi and one for the Earth Ponies. If you want to help me, you will gather them for me."
"A simple task," Noble Era said with a cocky tone, "With respect m'lady, the Equestrians were already beginning to factionalize."
Celestia allowed herself to grin darkly. "Very good," She crooned, "Then I expect them to be gathered in my court by the end of the day."
Noble Era's eyes widened and his face paled.
"Should you fail in such a 'simple task',” Celestia continued in a suddenly steely tone. “I'll ensure that you're permanently barred from Canterlot's court. I'd advise you that you pick wisely as well, because if one of them does something... illegal, both you and they will be exiled from Canterlot."
"I--," Noble Era spluttered. His paling face settled into an expression of grim determination. "V-very good, m'lady. You'll have the leaders you requested."
"Good, you are dismissed," said Celestia, casually waving him off.
The pangs of guilt grew worse, both at actually enjoying that ruthless display of power as well as watching Noble Era trot away with a crushed look on his face. It wasn't right to have to treat anypony like that, but if Equestria was to have peace then she needed to stablise it.
That's what Gareth's books on English courts said. 'Crush dissent or you will have war.'
Her meal plate was empty, and although her stomach was full, she still felt empty. This was went Gareth's hand would have come by, picking up her plate, brushing a finger across her cheek.
...what was Gareth was eating right now?
Styre munched into the spinach and cheese pie, licking the crumbs away from the corners of his mouth. He looked over to the scene unfolding in front of him.
"Car-rot Caeke?" Gareth said in halting Equestrian.
"Yes." Butter Pie said in a calm, feminine monotone.
"I eat Car-rot Caeke?"
"Yes!"
Gareth grinned, grabbing a plate and sitting himself down on the floor. His long, pillar-like legs folded themselves, placing the plate atop them while pulling a pair of utensils out of his pocket. Within moments he went about eating with a wide-eyed gusto.
"I bet you're loving this, Butter," said Styre, idling taking another bite.
"Yes," said Butter Pie, smiling over at him, "he reminds me of you when you first came here with Red Streak. You were starving and dirt poor."
Styre frowned, nodding slowly, "Yeah… and he came up with the bright idea of paying for it by advertising. Personally, I still think you got ripped off if you needed a muscular pair of identical twins, Earth Ponies no less, to advertise to a pack of angry, snooty nobles."
Butter pie trotted over, placing a forehoof onto his. "Well, we've got a noble in here right now. I would say that Red Streak’s idea was brilliant. He was always a smart stallion, just like you," she said, her voice warming.
Styre looked back, grimacing. He had already mourned for Red Streak a year ago. He refused to cry now.
"Butter Pie?" Said Gareth, looking up from an empty plate.
"Still hungry?" Butter Pie said, rubbing her stomach for emphasis. Gareth shook his head.
"No. Thank you. I would like cake. Very big cake," he said with a serious look in his eye.
Butter Pie glanced to Styre, who shrugged smugly.
"Uh," Butter Pie looked back, smiling apologetically. "I'm sorry but I cannot give you any more. I have to leave some for my customers."
Gareth blinked, tilting his head in confusion. He suddenly shook his head, standing, doubling his height. The human tromped over to the middle of the bakery, wheeling away a shelf and placing the plate down on the ground. He began to trace around it.
Styre's ears folded back. Good grief, Gareth wanted a cake the size of a dinner table! Perhaps bringing him here was a mistake after all.
"I would like cake. I would like Celestia-cake," Gareth said. He pointed in the direction of the castle.
"Wait… cake FOR Celestia?"
"Yes!" Gareth grinned, bouncing in place. "I would like for Celestia!"
"A cake that big?" Styre said, looking to Butter Pie, "That would be too darn expensive! I can't believe he's got the stones to ask you this when he's been having so much of a free-ride as it is! Moreover, how in the wide-wide-world of Equestria would you cook the darn thing? Or how would you get it up to the Castle?"
Butter Pie frowned for a moment, before a small smile began to spread over her face. "Well, it is for Princess Celestia, I think I can cook it in my broad oven, and as for transportation," she turned to him with a meaningful look in her almost vacant eyes, "I've got an idea."
Styre frowned.
Celestia rested back upon her rightful throne. She gestured away the pair of angry free-farmers, banishing the details of their border arguments from her mind. Their argument about three feet of land had just wasted two hours, five minutes and thirty-one point five eight seconds of her day. Every now and again Celestia cursed her perfect sense of time.
Speaking of which, she noticed that the day was crawling on, getting close to the end of court, actually. Noble Era had not yet arrived and if he was, then he would have sent a herald to announce it. Perhaps he simply couldn't bare the shame to admit defeat?
She sighed in relief, well, at least she'd not have to see--
Three stallions walked through the open doors of her court.
Celestia's eyes widened, sitting up. No, that was impossible. Yet there he was, Noble Era as one of the stallions. She recognised an extremely uncomfortable-looking Colonel Purple Dart and another, rather pompously dressed, male Earth pony stallion in a top hat and leather jacket and a scarred face.
Celestia's frown grew deeper.
The three approached the edge of her throne. Noble Era stepped forward, bowing once before clearing his throat.
"M'la- uh, Princess Celestia," Noble Era said, throwing a forehoof out to the two stallions to his left. "As requested, I have scouted out three representatives of the Equestrian Tribes."
Noble Era gestured Colonel Purple Dart forward. Outfitted in his military dress-blues, the old stallion's moustache swished as he eyed Noble Era with deep distrust.
"Cloudsdale put forward myself, Colonel Purple Dart, as her representative," he said, turning to Celestia and saluting sharply.
"I accept," Celestia said, smiling at him, "good to see you here, Colonel."
Noble Era trotted forward, bowing again. "The universities put forward myself, Baron Noble Era, as their representative," the unicorn said.
"I see," Celestia deadpanned. "How convenient. Provided this is backed up, I will accept your representation." She would be keeping a close eye on him.
"Alright, now that bollocks is out of the way," the top hat wearing earth pony stepped past Noble Era. His red-orange coat looked unbrushed and his black mane had been slicked down his head and neck. His attire was hap-hazard, wearing a leather jacket, obviously mouth stitched from leather-tree sap, and a cheap black top hat. After a few moments of staring, it was clear to see that it wasn't that his coat was unbrushed, it was that half of it wasn't there. The faded pink burn scars covered almost half of his face and neck, trailing down, and likely past, the collar of his leather coat.
Celestia glared down at him and he looked back with a toothy smirk.
"Top of the mornin' to ya' Princess, the Unicorn Range Free-settlers put forth Mr. Chucky Larms," he said in a thick, Limerick accent.
Celestia blinked. She tried hard not to equate his accent with that of an Irishman. Even in Equestrian, they seemed to be strikingly similar.
"Very well, I accept," Celestia said. "Now, allow me to begin, I wish to reiterate my statement upon entrance to the throne; Equestria is back under my control. I require your assistance in ensuring that peace returns to our country and Equestria's unrest is quelled."
Colonel Purple Dart and Noble Era nodded in agreement. Chucky Larms did not.
"Uh not, quite Princess," Chucky Larms said, jolly domenior melting away. "Ya' see, we're our tribe's representatives, not your trained monkeys. The way I see it, you need to convince US that you're the right thing for Equestria. Not the other way around."
A chill swept throughout the courtroom. In unison, every eye and head turned towards the top-hatted Earth pony. Noble Era gave a sagging sigh, pressing a hoof to his forehead.
Celestia willed herself not to throw the puffed-up earth pony around like a ragdoll. She regretted the hasty decision of recognising his position: now she couldn't get rid of him.
"I hope you can explain your reasoning, Mr. 'Charms'," said Celestia in a tone struggling to be polite.
"Mr. Chucky Larms," he retorted. "Yeah, abandoning us fer two years? Ain't filling me with confidence, Princess. Alicorns don't just 'go away'. You needed the Elements of Harmony just to banish Nightmare Moon and last time I checked, ain't no pony did that to you!"
"My... sojourn was a mistake, Mr. Larms. I've not given up anything."
"'Sojourn' is it? Yeah, that's right the right word for it. You went away on yer own, so what's to stop you from going again, huh? Maybe you're sick of being a leader? Had your little holiday and you've decided to give it another crack? Ponies NEED stability, princess, and if you ain't willing, or able, to provide it then maybe Equestria should be a federation instead! A new office for all three of the tribes!" He raised his forehooves up, glancing around the room. A hundred horrified faces stared back. "Vote 'Larms for Governor of the Free Ranges!"
Celestia had slammed her forehoof into the base of her throne.
An echoing crack vibrated through the room. Hushed silence followed.
She glared down at Chucky Larms with all the harshness of the noon sun. "MR. Larms," Celestia said, eyes blazing, "I have never allowed Equestria to fracture, and for good reason. This line of discussion is off the table and any more attempts to hijack these talks and I'll have you detained for contempt of court. Am I understood?"
Larms looked back, smirking unrepentantly. "Crystal clear, m'lady," he said in a silted mockery of Noble Era's canterlot accent.
"Cecilia!" Celestia's ears perked up as she heard Gareth's voice travel across the courts.
Celestia's heart leapt as she saw him, standing in the entrance, grinning broadly and waving his arms at her. He was not wearing any of his weapons or equipment, but at this moment, he could not look more heroic if he was dressed head-to-toe in embossed full-plate. She silently begged him to save her from this insanity.
Then Gareth stepped aside, a pair of earth ponies following in his wake. One was a pudgy mare with a grey coat and bouncing, curly pink hair. The other was Private Styre, off duty if his red coat and black mane meant anything, and… he was currently lashed to an overburdened wooden cart; a cart filled to the brim with sugar coated pastries.
Even from this distance she could see the 5-foot wide, circular cake that took up the centre of the square cart. The surroundings were haphazardly filled in with all manners of baked foods from muffins to doughnuts to silver loafs to iced buns. No wonder Gareth was nowhere to be found, he was probably eating himself stupid at this bakery!
All three of them strode down the centre of the court, heedless of the rather baffled guards that looked caught between wanting to stop them and wanting a cupcake. The smell of fresh-baked goods wafted over the perfume and incense choked air.
Celestia became painfully aware of how long it had been since she’d last eaten.
While Gareth and Styre strolled straight down the middle, the mare broke off and started to dart about the room. She rolled and zipped around, handing out pamphlets to any stunned noble pony that would accept. Sometimes she wasn't even that discerning, stuffing it between their ears, under their coats and hats. Chuck Larms got three straight up his jacket sleeves.
Gareth walked past all three of the representatives, walking half-way up to her throne. He went to one knee, respectfully inclining his head before presenting the cake as Styre heaved it into place.
"I don't think that anyone really celebrated your return Cecilia," Gareth spoke in English with a gentle smile, "so, I thought I'd do it for them. Of course, I couldn't do it alone." He turned around, pointing palm-up to Styre (who was still huffing and sweating) and Butter Pie (who was busy stoically ramming a pamphlet into Noble Era's face).
Celestia blinked, gaze flicking from him to the cake. The cake was covered in a milky-white icing with a multitude of cherries, her favourite. A text spelt out in pink frosting formed, in Equestrian, the words 'Welcome Bak Celestia'.
She couldn't help it. Celestia's face twitched, her poker face shattered as she burst out laughing.
After ten seconds, half of the court had joined her. Nearly everypony in the hall was in stitches and she just couldn't compose herself. Each time Celestia looked at Gareth and the cake, she just started again, which got the dignitaries laughing again, and that just continued the whole vicious cycle.
Gareth blushed, chuckling himself. He cut Celestia the first slice.
Needless to say, the day's court was cancelled. Nopony could keep a straight face after this. Celestia's final order for the day was for everypony to get themselves a slice before returning to their homes.
And within that hour Celestia got more work done than she had for the whole day. The ponies approached her far more casually when she was munching on éclairs. Everypony was scared, she understood that, she was scared too if she was honest.
The only thing that ponies wanted right now was reassurance and peace. She wanted that too.
Styre and young miss 'Butter Pie' - Gareth's mystery baker - found themselves the centre of attention. Noble ponies complimented them on the quality of the baked goods, taking several of her pamphlets either for the address or for their own family members. The cart was cleared out within ten minutes, leaving Celestia no choice but to open the kitchens and start an impromptu feast.
Yet, all the while, she saw Gareth standing off to the side of the court 'supporting the wall' as he called it. He smiled up at her, occasionally snatching a glass of wine or nibbling on some cake.
Celestia never once saw somepony approach him. Whether intentionally, accidentally or a mixture of both, as far as the courts were concerned… Gareth didn't exist.
Stats
Page generated in 0.036 seconds
Total duration
1,010 users online
1,407,871 hits today, 2,004,447 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Heh.... the power of the cake should never be underestimated.
Hah, the plot develops! Always good to see the pompous put in their place, and of course, politics is always smoothed by pastries
daww, i liked this chapter. Nice and fluffy....like a cake!
The last line worries me though....
Nyu~
C-CAKE!
i like the slow progression of gareth accepting the ponies, its nice. im exceptionally glad he isnt going all crusader on them.
When I first read Red Streaks name I read it as Read Steak. Otherwise good pacing, doesn't feel like the story is lagging in details or trying to bludgeon the readers with too many. Sweets will always brighten up what would have been a potentially bad day.
Sublime. Simply sublime.
I hope to high heaven you keep spending more time with Gareth than with a bunch of evil conspiring nobles who spend their time figuring out how to betray their princess. I don't want to go through several chapters of politics.
George Lucas' Star Wars prequel made me sick. 
As for now, you're blending the comedy and politics VERY well.
Even though it's not technically historically correct. LET THEM EAT CAKE!!! As well as, in my opinion, the tension of rebellion totally matches the afore-mentioned quote.
With that much pastry the plot is bound to thicken
Oh boy, now they will think Celestia is insane.
Alright, you know the drill... We ask for 'Moar' and you give as 'Moar'. when it comes, it shall have been 12 years, once you finally done that chapter, we'll want 'Moar'.
SO GET TO WORK!
4548774 No, they can see him and if something happens to draw attention to him they notice him, but if they have no reason to notice him they just kind of don't. It was explained before that if keeps eating food there he'll eventually lose that. Something about ponies sight being based both on normal sight and on magic. Like, imagine if one of your eyes just couldn't see someone at all so your brain went nope and decided it was right and nothing was there despite the other eye seeing otherwise.
Really liking the fic so far, hope to see more.
Mister Larms is going to be a bit of a... problem, isn't he.
And problems need to be... solved.
Of course they don't notice him. He's not detectable due to his lack of magic.
Also, got to say that Mr. Worst Marshmallow Cereal/Pint of Guinness has a pint... I mean point. A nation can't survive with a leader which may just disappear randomly and with no explanation.
I mean Celestia could nip this in the bud by explaining that she was involuntarily sucked into the mirror dimension and it won't happen again and it wasn't intentional.
4548913 And that's how the first box of Lucky Charms was made
Cake can save you from any usurper, as seen here. Except the queen of the changlings. That's how I knew Chrysalis was truly evil. "I won't partake in any cake"? That is TRUE evil.
4549263 There are times that I won't partake in any cake, but that's mostly due to it not being a flavor that I like. Chocolate is one of those flavors.
Cake is the ultimate equalizer.
I'm really starting to like your OCs, it takes some skill to pull a character out of the hat and make him/her/it likable, you sure as heck did it.
Say whaaaaaaat!!?? The Court dissed her man!? they ignored her hubby? Oh Celestia is going to have to pimp slap some b*tches later!
Cool chapter.
NO CELESTIA!!! THE CAKE IS A LIE!!!
And now to await the next chapter.
Cake ruins the day... again...
4549154
Except she would then be revealing the existence of multiple realities, and all the idiots and world ending possibilities that would bring. Plus it could be considered a sign of weakness to try and explain away her absence as anything other then a regrettable choice of free will.
4549285 I've only had one cake I didn't like and it was Champaign flavored
But I still partook
I like the concept. The execution is competent, if eccentric. I see a lot of foreshadowing as to some of the effects Gareth will have on pony society as reflected in the "present". Characterization for Celestia is acceptable considering this is several centuries ago.
Right now the only reason this isn't in my faves is the lackluster plot.
The problem is that for a plot to be engaging for me it needs either exciting events (adventure) or immersive perspectives (slice of life and romance). But it isn't paying enough attention to immersive aspects and nothing really exciting is happening.
Gareth already knows nearly every basic aspect of Equestria from his wife's stories, taking away one interesting aspect. He has resolved the issue of whether he should bring her back or abandon her or stay himself with basically zero conflict. He seems to have a degree of PTSD that is treated as a character trait and foreshadowing rather than more relevantly. His freakouts are stereotypically dry, which I feel conflicted about.
Well if I wanted to be stereotypically critical I would say that he has real character but the level to which it has been explored leaves him as notable as a lobotomized Hugh Grant.
But I would never be so cruel.
Right now the only romantic element is Gareth coming to terms with his wife being a different species that resembles a beast from his world.
Right now the only adventure element is Gareth learning Equestrian.
But I'm not immersed enough to be invested.
And the foreshadowing seems to be leading in to a possible pony civil war with that Earth Pony wanker possibly scarred from studying explosives... I am not looking forward to that if it is true.
However, I will continue reading until such time the story becomes substantial enough I fave it or abandon it.
Till then, looking forward to the next chapter.
I personally, prefer a republic rather than federation. The Democratic Republic of Equestria sounds nice.
(De Democratische Republiek Equestria als je Nederlands)
(La République démocratique du Equestria si vous êtes français)
(Die Demokratische Republik Equestria wenn du Deutscher bist)
(Демократическая Республика Эквестрию если вы русский)
Hmm, I just speed red my way through this after leaving it on my read later list since I first saw it... and I have one thing to say... I'M SORRY I DOUBTED THE EXECUTION OF SUCH A BRILLIANT CONCEPT BECAUSE I THOUGHT IT WOULDN'T BE HANDLED RIGHT! YOU'VE DONE GREAT!
Heh, now that that's out of the way... Great chapter, I really look forwards to Gareth and Celestia's getting back together. Speaking of which, the lick on the face and his reaction to it was really well done, as was the bed scene. They both want/love each other so much but Gareth is understandably put off by his beloved wife's 'true form'. Way to keep it from being done poorly (which it could easily have been) and I look forwards to more!
Edit: Stupid comment button keeps on posting two, ignore the deleted one
'Leather-tree Sap'
This is pretty much the only explanation I've yet seen to explain how ponies can have cows and leather products, without Equestria becoming significantly grimmer than canon would otherwise suggest.
4551513
I see where you are coming from bu the whole species thing feel like a significant point of conflict. Someone else brought it up in an earlier chapter, Gareth doesn't have the ocean of model modern people have, even outside of MLP you have (technically) inter-species relationships in Star Trek, Her (good movie), and generally just more thought about the idea of sentient creatures that aren't humans. This is a medieval Knight's first encounter with the very idea that there are other creatures capable of building societies other than humans.
Not to mention the power-grabs everywhere. As of now Celestia has been riding on the momentum of her return, once taht runs out and other start to plan around her return, then things can get interesting.
tl;dr: Its still the first act. We have interesting characters, and good potential for conflict.
Gareth is such a sweetheart!
I can't wait for more of this story!
img.gawkerassets.com/img/18g9elxjlhs28jpg/original.jpg
I like how you've avoided the pitfall (distressingly common I've found) of Medival Catholic=Automatic Arse.
The character of Gareth seems an interesting one, how he adjusts to pony society should be quite the adventure. Although I can't help but think what an awesome story could be written about him and Cecilia, of them in some other mirror-world kicking butt together
Nip those odd phrasing/grammar glitches, and you'd have earned my like already. As-is, I'll await further developments, this certainly has potential.
4552503
I think that wrapping his head around the idea that "creatures other than humans can be sentient" was majorly sped up by the realization that his beloved wife was, in fact, not human herself. If the two of them hadn't had such a close-knit relationship, it probably would have led things in a totally different direction.
Also, I'm wondering what exactly the ponies themselves are going to think of Gareth. Given that he is effectively now a Prince of Equestria, I wouldn't be surprised if ponies connected his ability to effectively be invisible with nighttime.
4549242 So that's where the magic comes from.
Excuse me while I kick a puppy
I'm not, especially not Ian
4552503
I don't disagree. I might not have been clear but I was not saying that there was no conflict. I was saying that all the points of conflict so far are either resolved very easily or are ongoing but we are not immersed enough in the characters' viewpoints to really appreciate them.
I was acknowledging these but stating that they are the only real conflicts standing for Gareth and since we are so detached it's not very engaging. At least for me.
4551768 Mu'ulsejoriin Mu'ulsemuz do Equestria ko dovahzul.
4551837 Not necessarily. Having a relatively unnoticeable operative moving about the castle would do worlds of good for helping Celestia keep an ear to ground. He could just stroll through important conversations and no one would think to hide information since, hey, they usually don't even notice that he's there.
He would also make a pretty handy bodyguard. Assassin comes slinking out of the night and suddenly "Oh! That's not a smear on the wall!" followed by several loud crashes and probably some very loud swears from Gareth.
4573140 Well, the people who care about Gareth don't have any issue noticing him, and the most important person has no issue seeing him or remembering him at all. In fact, she spends a sizable amount of her time worrying about him.
I feel it's important to remember that she's referring to her court. A group of ponies she doesn't necessarily like or trust. Also probably prudent to remember that for Styre and Butter Pie this is a working visit, they may not have time to stop and visit with the giant they can't really talk to (outside of taking pie orders). I think you may be turning this observation into something that it isn't. Gareth is hard for other ponies to notice, like something that's transparent on the edge of your vision. It's there, but if you don't look directly at it then it just kind of fades into the background. Gareth's like that for most of the ponies. They can only half-see him, so when they aren't looking for him and he's not drawing attention to himself, then he just sort of shifts into the background.
What's important to remember is that Celestia, the person most important to Gareth, doesn't share this issue. He's crystal clear all the time to her, so I doubt she'll end up forgetting about him any time soon (unless something terrible happens, but fingers crossed, eh?).
I'm more worried about the people who have been raising the sun and moon in her absence. Might cause a bit of an upset if some people really start to question how necessary the Princess is.
Well, I've only read this chapter, and I must say I expect Gareth to be turned into an earth pony eventually.... well some kind of pony. HumanXPony sex just sounds .....wrong.
Don't think on it. It's like Pinkie Pie to a lesser degree: just accept it and move on.
4573733 Ohhh, it's a Somebody Else's Problem field. In essence.
4551768 La Republica Democratica de l'Equestria, se vuoi Italiano.
I think. I'm not sure the gender or the exact translations; I was never one for politics and so never learned the Italian words.
4590055 I actually had to look up exactly what you were talking about. Nice Hitchhiker's reference.
It's... sort of like that, yeah, although it's closer to something being 'out of sight, out of mind' as opposed to your head going "Nope" and filling in the space with something else. Gareth's just hard for most ponies to see, so they don't pay him a lot of mind.
4591041 That's exactly what a SEP field does.
I should have been more specific; I meant not that it's how a SEP field works, but that the outcome is the same.
4592216 Ah, I see.
Well, in that case... yeah, you're pretty much spot on.
4592216 Reminds me more of the perception filter from Doctor Who and Torchwood, but the SEP works too.
This Celestia... does not look like Celestia.
Since I draw comics I'm pretty visually-minded. In my mind, the image of this story's Celestia is looking more and more "maidenly". In place of the usual unflappable goddess with the inscrutable bodhisattva smile, I'm seeing a doe-eyed waif-like alicorn lass out of The Princess Diaries.
Okay. I don't like this Celestia. She plays Tyrant far too easily. For Heaven's sake, I bet future Celestia would be danm ashamed of what her older self does. Give somepony who's been nothing but friendly an impossible task to get rid of him?
Yeah, no. I'm rooting for the other side now.