Chapter 32
When Gosling awoke, he realised that Celestia was asleep. He could feel her slow, regular breathing, the steady rise and fall of her barrel against his back. In that moment, he knew, he knew that this was how he wanted to spend the rest of his life waking up. Perhaps Cadance was right—perhaps ponies should sleep together before marriage.
Just without the boning.
Yawning, he squirmed in the bed a little bit and his ears popped. He made himself yawn again and the pressure in his ears caused them to pop once more. He felt a little better and a little less queasy. He lifted his head and looked around. A cup of water was so close—his dry mouth begged for a drink, but he was pinned under Celestia’s foreleg and she weighed a ton. He didn’t know why alicorns were so heavy, but he wasn’t stupid enough to ask why so he could find out. He squirmed a little, stretching out his neck, hoping that he could just reach the straw somehow. The cup was sitting on the little table that sat beside the bed. Gosling, now duck-lipped, couldn’t quite reach the straw. It was so close, but so far away.
The cup was surrounded in a warm golden glow; it lifted and then was floated over to him. He felt Celestia give him a squeeze as the straw slipped between his lips. He drank, but with slow caution, knowing that if he drank too fast, he’d choke. His throat was still raw and swallowing was difficult.
As he finished off his water, another more pressing, far more urgent need overtook him. He swallowed a few times, moving his lower jaw, and he felt his ears pop again. Sleeping with his head elevated had helped, just as the doctor had said it would.
“I need to summon a nurse,” Gosling said in a low, scratchy whisper.
“I can help you,” Celestia offered.
Gosling shook his head. “That doesn't feel right. You’re a princess and—”
“I am going to be your wife and you are going to be my husband.” Celestia’s voice sounded a bit miffed and she waggled her ears as she tried to banish her drowsiness. “Let me carry you.”
“No…” Gosling felt Celestia’s foreleg around his barrel tighten. “No, I don’t want to be carried, let me see if I can walk. Just don’t let me fall over.” He felt the foreleg around his middle loosen and he heaved a sigh of relief. Being prideful wasn’t going to do him any good, he realised. He was going to have to pick and choose his battles with a bit more care and caution in the future.
Without warning, Gosling felt himself lifted in the warm embrace of magic, he rolled in the air, and his hooves were pointed down to the floor. He was given a moment to get his bearings and then he was lowered. His stomach still hurt and cramped from all of the horrible dry heaving. When his hooves clicked down upon the tile, he made a few little hoofy kicks, trying to find his balance.
The room around him swam and he felt the pressure in his ears increase as vertigo gripped him. He yawned—as a pegasus, this was a natural reflexive measure to release pressure when dealing with rapid altitude changes. The dizziness subsided a bit, but not much. He gave himself a quiet reminder that things were bad right now, but might get better later, he had to be patient and let time pass.
The very first thing that Gosling figured out was, he wasn’t going to be able to move fast. He took a very slow and deliberate step, lifting his hoof high, and then allowing some of his body weight to shift forwards before he followed through with the other steps that brought all of his hooves forwards. This wasn’t so bad. He did it again, moving with slow, careful, deliberate placement of his hooves.
“Gosling, darling, if I might make an honest observation…”
“Yes?” Gosling turned his head and tried to read Celestia’s eyes.
“The way you are walking is very regal. A little stiff and formal, but regal.” Celestia blinked, grunted, and slid out of bed. As she became situated upon her own hooves, she yawned. After smacking her lips a few times, she lowered her head down to Gosling’s eye level. “Look for every advantage and be bold, Gosling.”
Nodding, believing her words, believing in her sincerity, Gosling looked down at his own front hooves, yawned, felt his ears pop, and then continued towards the door with slow, steady steps. Looking a little sleepy and regal wasn’t such a bad thing, and would be better than looking drunk. He felt Celestia come up beside him.
“Formal march, soldier. High step and flex those knees.” Celestia’s voice was gentle, but commanding, a benevolent, loving tyrant. “Keep your head higher. Better posture will probably help.”
Lifting his head, Gosling yawned again and felt a huge, painful pop. His ears rang, he could hear a chiming sound and there was a strange pressure just behind his eyes. The pressure subsided and the ringing in his ears quieted down. Something bitter drained down the back of this throat, no doubt his ears were draining. He wondered if this is what ear wax tasted like. The doctor had mentioned something about this. He took another slow, uncertain step and found it a little easier. The big painful pop had cleared his head a bit. He grimaced at the taste on the back of his tongue and watched as Celestia opened the door. He could still feel her magic around him and he took comfort in the fact that he could not stumble and fall.
The hallway awaited and Gosling felt confident about showing off his new walk.
“Comfy?” Celestia asked as Gosling settled down in the bed. There was an assortment of drinks on his bedside table and a few soft, bland foods in plastic cups for him to eat. “Would you like it if I wore a nurse’s uniform?” Celestia delighted in the blush that appeared upon Gosling’s face. She liked seeing him flustered.
She sat down beside the bed upon a large, plush cushion and lifted up one of the plastic cups. Narrowing her eyes, she read the label. “Strained carrots, bananas, and rice. Sounds delish.”
“Oh, you eat some,” Gosling croaked in reply as his eyes glittered with mischief. “What’s mine is yours, Heart’s Dearest.”
“Hmm.” Celestia peeled back the foil cover on the plastic cup and sniffed. She jerked her head back, squeezed her eyes shut, and shuddered from the smell. “I can’t believe they feed this to foals… yuck!” Opening her eyes, she blinked and held the plastic cup away from her, suspended in her magic. “Oh, this is bad. No salt added.”
“I’m not hungry,” Gosling said in a wet, raspy whisper.
“Gosling, you’re going to eat. Don’t make me go and get your mother and a high chair adjusted for your size. I’m positive that it would make your mother very, very happy.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” Gosling said, his words a strained gasp.
“Oh? Think so? Try me.” Celestia indulged her own maternal side and armed herself with a plastic spoon. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way.”
Letting out a whimper, Gosling closed his eyes and shook his head. “Carrots and bananas sound awful.”
“It does,” Celestia replied, agreeing. She lifted up another cup and read the label. “We also have strained peas and pumpkin—”
“Gross!”
“I must agree, it sounds revolting.” Celestia lifted up the third cup. “For dessert, we have puréed sweet potatoes and cauliflower.”
Unable to help himself, Gosling gagged as his stomach tried to reach up from from the depths of his bowels, circle around his windpipe, and strangle him. He coughed, gagged again, and then in a very weak voice he said, “Food like that, you pray to the alicorns after you eat it.” After a long pause, a weak, “Oy vey” escaped his lips and Gosling went still.
Feeling bad for doing so, Celestia found herself tittering at Gosling words. Oh, she knew that she shouldn’t be laughing, but Gosling was funny. She wasn’t laughing at him, but with him, even though he wasn’t laughing at the moment. Okay, so she was laughing for the both of them.
“If I eat, can I get a kiss?” Gosling asked, figuring it couldn’t hurt to bargain.
“After eating this stuff?” Celestia blinked in shock at Gosling’s boldness. “I think not!” She scooped out a spoonful of bananas, carrots, and rice, then held it up to her snoot so she could examine it. It was orange yellow goo and it was pretty horrifying, as far as foods went. “You know, Luna seeks to punish herself for her past. I’m tempted to make Luna the official taste tester for our nation’s pre-prepared foal food industry. This would be the sort of punishment that would make her feel validated. At least ponies could trust food endorsed by a princess.”
Opening his eyes, Gosling shuddered. “No…” He gave Celestia his most pleading stare. “Get away from me with that spoon.”
“Be brave, Gosling!” A wide, maniacal grin appeared on Celestia’s muzzle. She was enjoying this dinner date so far.
The door opened and somepony entered without knocking. Celestia craned her head around to see who it was. She saw pink. She saw lots of pink and she was very, very surprised. “Cadance, I did not expect you so soon.”
“Auntie!” Flurry Heart’s shrill cry filled the room and then the exuberant foal cringed. Looking apologetic, she glanced around the room. “Sowwy.”
Celestia eyed the yearling and wondered if little Flurry would even eat this goop. She set down the cups and slipped the spoon to rest in the bananas, carrots, and rice. Celestia was happy to see her niece.
Cadance strode forwards past Celestia and dumped Flurry upon the bed with Gosling. “I have wings and the ability to travel at supersonic speeds. Why wait on the train?” Cadance looked down at Gosling and her eyes narrowed. “You poor dear… we need to get you sorted out. As soon as I shoo my Auntie from the room, you and I are going to have a long, long talk about a great many things.”
“But I don’t want to go,” Celestia protested, shaking her head. “We slept together and then watched each other pee.” Celestia paused. “Well, he closed his eyes, but I know I kept watching.” Celestia grinned. “Our time together has been marvelous. I was about to feed him… I had him up and walking—”
“Tut-tut, Auntie… get gone.” Cadance pointed at the door.
Celestia looked down at Flurry Heart, who showed surprising gentleness as she hugged Gosling’s neck. Little Flurry, a rambunctious force of nature, had a shocking amount of care in her actions. Celestia couldn’t help but be amazed.
“Hewwo Mistah Goose!” Flurry held her head up and looked proud. “I’m Mommy’s helpah.”
With a sigh, Celestia realised that she would be leaving this room alone, with nopony to keep her company. It seemed that little Flurry was here on official business as well. She looked over at Cadance, who was tapping one hoof while she waited for Celestia to leave.
“Cadance, darling, see that he eats. He needs to eat. Watch out, he has sad eyes and he has no shame in using them.” Satisfied that Cadance would get the job done, Celestia departed and shut the door behind her.
“You look happy.” Turning, Celestia was surprised to hear Blueblood’s voice. He looked disheveled and out of sorts, as well as a bit irritated. Celestia wondered what was going on. It took a lot to ruffle Blueblood.
“It is good to see you happy,” Blueblood said in a low, tired sounding voice.
“What troubles you, Nephew?” Celestia asked.
“A lack of sleep, a heavy heart, and a growing sense of worry,” Blueblood replied as he looked up at Celestia. “Look, I know things are really messed up right now, but I need to know. Are you going to allow Gosling to pardon Skyfire?” Blueblood blinked and gave Celestia a pleading look. “Look, I need something, some kind of ray of hope that there will be something left for her to live for when all of this is said and done. I feel like I’m lying to her when I say that things can still be worked out. They have her on sedatives under a suicide watch. She’s tied to a bed so she can’t hurt herself.”
Hearing Blueblood’s words, Celestia’s heart sank as she realised that this was, in fact, tearing Blueblood apart. She stood, staring down at him, not knowing what to say, not sure how to respond.
“Let me punish those most responsible… the press… let me wring their necks. I’ll make the reporter that did this wish they had never been born and I’ll dismantle the media outlet they work for, seeing as how they supplied the bits to sway Skyfire’s mind… let me get some real justice… please!” Blueblood’s ears drooped and his face fell. For a moment, Blueblood looked far, far older than he really was.
This wasn’t an act. This wasn’t Blueblood hamming it up to provoke a response.
“This is a farce!” Blueblood hissed in anger. “If you try to prosecute that poor, stupid filly, I will abdicate my position and throw away my crown!” Blueblood’s voice wavered with emotion as he begged his aunt for leniency. “We must show that we can be reasonable… in this instance, mercy is our best option. Let us choose forgiveness!”
Hanging her head, Celestia gave Blueblood a weak nod. “Seek justice, Blueblood. I will allow Gosling to pardon Skyfire Flash and I know that Luna will agree. But I want the full weight of the Crown to come to rest upon those most responsible for this travesty. I want the aftermath of all of this to be so terrible that nopony will ever wish to do this again for fear of what the Crown might do. Am I clear?”
Blueblood gave his aunt a frantic nod. “Yes, yes, Your Majesty, you are clear, and I will make them rue the day they plotted against us. Thank you, Your Royal Highness.”
“Oh, and Blueblood…”
“Yes?”
“Go and give that poor filly something to live for. Don’t tell her about the pardon just yet, just let her know that we are considering leniency.” Celestia’s lips pursed together for a moment and she felt a heaviness in her heart. “Tell her that she has my forgiveness and that I will be coming to speak to her…”
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Well Gosling is seeming to get better. I for one hope that he makes a full recovery. I agree with him though that baby food is disgusting. How in the world that it's still legal to feed babies with is beyond me?
So roughly how many chapters are left in this story anyhow?
Why you hate foal food that much ? I love that thing, even nowadays, ,specially the sweet ones ! When I had ti extract a tooth I ate those things with mashed potatos for days !
The only reason I don't buy then is due to shame.
7201991
Enough to tell the story.
Kudzu's Blueblood is best Blueblood. Almost feel bad for the guy...
7202001 Good enough for me.
7202018 I agree.
7201991
My grandmother used to eat my baby food, specifically a peach cobbler flavored one. So apparently at least that one was good
7202046
Okay so maybe a few flavors are okay but still by large baby food is terrible.
Earlier in this fic, I made a comment referencing Sans from Undertale ... and Bad Times approaching for the members of the press involved in this.
...
BAD TIMES ARE APPROACHING QUICKLY NOW!
Easy solution, Blueblood! Miss Flash pleads Guilty and throws herself at the Mercy of the Royal Court, and gets off with a slap on the hoof for doing so and naming her co-conspirators. For aforementioned co-conspirators, however, have them dragged by Royal Guards before the his throne in front of the Nobility and the Press, and even some of the public!
The Charge: High Treason - conspiracy to bring down the Government through Fraud and Perjury.
The Sentence: Life at Hard Labor.
SoonTM
I made a promise, and im damn sure keeping it!
Well, I suppose I could settle for this if the real mastermind behind this (the one who convinced Skyfire to do these things) is torn apart similarily to how Skyfire was to be. On an unrelated note, I may write a one-shot or two in the Weed-verse if you'll let me.
7202337
The Weed Verse has strong rules that it clings to. Stories are about growth and positivity. Advancing through adversity. Character(s) must grow and become better.
It would be nice to see the Gosling friend (Was it Orange?). To fall in love with Skyflash. He's a nice kid
So little yet sooo much man dont tease my poor heart like this please i beseech thee!!!
well that's a 180 from before with Blueblood
7202348 I know. I saw the rules. However, I'm a bit confused. Weren't most of those rules broken in the original Weed? Or am I remembering this wrong? And what's your definition of 'positive growth'?
7203296
Nothing was broken in The Weed.
7203536 Well, it was pretty dark, and I seem to remember a rule specifically against that... but that's not really what I was going to put in my story anyway. I'm asking about the type of growth Lightning Dust experiences in "A Cause Worth Dying For" by Signas, a personal favorite of mine, and if putting that sort of thing in would be okay.
7203623
I'm not familiar with that story.
As for the dark, The Weed got bleak, but not dark. Not really. There was always a sense of hope during those tough moments. A reason to keep going.
7203636 I placed the link there intending for you to read the story. It's only about 5k words. And if only moments where there is no hope at all qualify as too dark, we're not going to have a problem.
7203791
That's not really growth or devopment. There is no optimism, no hope. It's almost nihilism, and that's the antithesis of the Weed Verse. It goes against everything.
7205345 Oh. Nevermind, then.
It's the weight of all that responsibility.
Oh, and their massive bodies. /duck
It's the alicorn of destruction, flee! Or in the case of Gosling, slowly and carefully stride away.
Oh, the joys of the almost married life.
Damn, Blueblood is pissed. I like it.
I have to say, I'm really enjoying this story. Both the previous and current!
Kudz... you made milk come out of my nose...
Oh, I like this version of Blueblood. I really do. This is great stuff, I'm glad I came back!