Chapter 75
Holding a folded sheet of paper, Gosling surveyed the aftermath of the incident he had caused. He glanced up at Celestia, who had a wry smile, and then there was Luna, who for some reason, looked rather disappointed. There were only so many reasons why Luna could look disappointed, and Gosling made a few quick deductions. Another look around revealed that smelling salts had been fetched and kind hearted ponies were helping those with fragile sensibilities who had fainted. Twilight Sparkle, who had screamed, still had her face hidden behind her wings.
Using his wings, Gosling unfolded his speech, cleared his throat, and had himself a good look around. He didn’t see his mother anywhere and he felt his frogs go sweaty. There were a lot more ponies here than he thought there would be. Returning his attention to Celestia and Luna, Gosling gave them both a loving smile.
“I probably could have wrote this a little better,” Gosling began in a voice loud enough to carry through the hall. “But then, that wouldn’t have been me. That would have been Gosling the speech writer, the pony trained to use words for maximum impact. It wouldn’t have been Gosling, the colt who grew up in inner city Manehattan and was raised by his mother. It would not have reflected who I am or what I am.”
He took a moment to allow his words to sink in.
“No, after much sweating over the issue, I decided to just write down whatever and go with it. It’s a little rough, just like I am. If you want perfect, you’ll have to go and speak to Sleet, my mother. There is a pony that can do no wrong.”
Once more, he paused and allowed the audience a little time to laugh.
“Celestia, you are my princess and the object of my heart’s desire. After a lot of thought, I realised that there wasn’t much I had to do to please you. I didn’t need to make any fancy promises or make any over the top romantic declarations. We both know what we want from each other. I promise to be your mate. I will be the father to your foals. I will help you in the governance of this country. As long as this body draws breath, it will serve you.”
Taking a deep breath, Gosling turned his attention to Luna, and took a step closer to her.
“You, Luna, on the other hoof, I had to think long and hard on how to make a meaningful statement. There is a level of complexity there that I worry that I am not mature enough to deal with. I’ll admit to that and I don’t give a damn who knows it. Luna, I give you my word that I will be there for you, no matter what. I will be your friend, no matter how difficult it might become. I promise to be the one pony who will never turn you away or shun you. As both your husband and as a pony of the First Tribes, it is my intention to adore you, love you—to worship you and your sister in equal measure. As long as I draw breath, I will work to see that you are restored to your rightful place of reverence. This is what I offer you as your future husband.”
There was near silence in the great hall, just the sounds of breathing could be heard.
“I beg that both of you will grant me the privilege of being your husband.” Gosling lowered his head, extended his wings, and dipped into a low bow. He tried not to think about the fact that Luna was all teary-eyed, because he feared that it would make him teary-eyed.
“I accept!” Luna shook her head, sniffled a bit, and then bolted, her masterful illusion hiding her limp. “Please forgive me, as I shall return… I must have a moment to myself.” With no other words said, she vanished through the double doors the three of them had stepped through just a while ago.
Lowering her head, Celestia lifted Gosling’s head with her wing. When she had him in reach, she gave him a smouldering kiss worthy of the cameras. After pulling away, she replied, “Of course I accept.”
The roar of applause filled the hall. Hooves stomped, ponies whistled, there was a joyful cacophony. Gosling took this opportunity to give Celestia another kiss and maybe show off his wings a bit, all while Cadance paced back and forth. The alicorn of love had a radiant smile and her wings flared out from her sides as Gosling and Celestia kissed.
After letting the crowd cheer for a bit, Cadance began trying to quiet them down, flapping her wings and saying “Hey!” a few times. When the crowd quieted down enough to allow Cadance to speak, she announced the next event of the evening.
“Moreh Quiet Knish would like to say a few words. He is Equestria’s oldest and most respected Moreh, an elder of the faith for the First Tribes, and the Confessor for the Pegasus Pony Tribe.” Cadance held out her wing to a withered old pony held up by two younger ponies on each side.
The wrinkled old pegasus tottered forwards, held up by two younger pegasus colts. The old pony trembled from some sort of palsy and he struggled to smile for the crowd. Gosling, cottoning on to what was happening, saved the old pegasus a few steps and came over to him.
Lowering his head, Gosling gave Moreh Quiet Knish a respectful bow.
“You,” Quiet Knish said in trembling, wavering voice to Gosling, “you were raised by a single mother, right?”
Rather than respond with the hot-blooded anger of youth, Gosling chose patience that came with maturity. There was no way that Moreh Quiet Knish would come all this way to cause trouble. No, the Confessor no doubt had a lesson to teach, and Gosling chose not to make a fool of himself. He lifted his head and looked the old raisiny pegasus in the eye.
“Yes,” Gosling replied in a voice that carried through the room. “My mother, Sleet, she never married. She raised me by herself. We were shunned by many. She was shunned for having me out of wedlock, and I was shunned just because I existed, through no fault of my own.”
“Shunnin’!” Quiet Knish almost spat out the word. “Look at us all! So quick to judgment!” The old pegasus spoke with so much emotion and force that he wobbled and his assistants had to work to keep him upright. “It was not our best and brightest, raised by two parents that became the consort to the Royal Pony Sisters… no! I want all of you to think about that for a moment!”
The old pony glared at the audience in a way that only old ponies could.
“Shunning…” the old pony said again, this time a little quieter. “We’re so quick to judge what we think is evil. What we think is wrong. And what we don’t like… we shun. We turn our backs because we think that whatever evil that plagues those we shun might spread to us. We turn away and we condemn! Sleet the pegasus raised a fine son, and she did it without us. She did it alone. And we should all be ashamed, myself included.”
A shameful silence fell over the crowd. Over at the bar, an older green earth pony swigged whiskey from the bottle, then lit up a cigar with a match. Gosling could feel many eyes upon him, including Celestia’s.
“Nothing good can ever come from what is shunned… isn’t that the old proverb?” Quiet Knish’s knees banged together and the palsy overpowered him for a moment. “We have made a grave and terrible mistake, we ponies of the First Tribes. We have shunned one of our princesses… we have shut Luna out of our hearts. We have coldly turned away from her and we have shunned her, just like so many shunned Sleet, the mother to this fine colt. A colt raised by a shunned mare has pledged his entire life to see that Luna is restored to her rightful place of reverence.”
Hearing a gasp, Gosling turned his head and saw Luna standing in the door.
“I had a very different speech planned for tonight,” Quiet Knish said to the crowd. “A very different speech. But my own old heart was moved by this colt’s tender words. How could it not be? It is bad enough that we shun one of our own… but to shun one of our Goddesses…” The old pegasus’s ears fell down, no longer able to stand up, and he turned his filmy, faded eyes eyes upon Gosling. “I will die before the spring. This is my last winter. These tumours have made their way into my brain. I have never named my successor…”
The old pegasus strained to see Gosling through his cataracted eyes.
Fearful, Gosling took a step backwards, terrified of what was about to be said.
“Gosling, I ask that you become the Confessor for the Pegasus Pony Tribe.” Quiet Knish’s teeth banged together as his palsy made him seize for a moment, and then the tremours passed. “Sometimes, the young are wise in ways that the old are not.”
The great hall was filled with quite a few gasps and Gosling realised that there were quite a few members of the First Tribes here this evening. He could feel Luna’s eyes boring into him. Now sweating a great deal beneath his doublet, Gosling wished that his mother was here for all of this, and he wondered where she was. His tailhole was so clenched that it was causing his dock to cramp.
“Gosling…”
That was Luna’s voice and it sounded strained. Gosling felt his wingpits grow moist.
Now beside Gosling, Luna asked in a hushed whisper, “We beg of thee… accept. Please?”
Turning, Gosling looked Luna in the eye. She was pleading with him in the only way that she could. Luna was a proud pony, and begging in any form had to gall her. Extending a wing, Gosling touched it to the base of Luna’s neck, and then swept it upwards in a smooth, fluid motion, until his primaries touched her jaw. He watched as she trembled from his touch, and her nostrils flared.
“My princess… I could refuse you nothing,” Gosling said to Luna as he bowed his head. After drawing in a deep breath, he faced the old pegasus and nodded. “I accept.”
Quiet Knish blinked his almost sightless eyes and a painful strain could be heard in his voice. “Bring the flock back to Luna. Condemn shunning. This is all I ask of you.” The old pony winced and shook his head. “I can no longer stand… I must go and rest. At last, my work is done. Go with the alicorns, Gosling, and best of luck to you…”
Stunned, Gosling had a little bit of trouble getting back into a celebratory mood. Moreh Quiet Knish was gone, led off to some quiet place of rest by his assistants. He knew he was in trouble, as he was no Moreh. A quiet terror froze his heart—he wasn’t nearly educated enough to be a Moreh, much less the Confessor to the entire Pegasus Pony Tribe. There was entirely too much that he didn’t know about his own faith or his culture.
Luna was over the moon about it, she had a warm, sincere smile as she moved about, talking to other ponies and having a good time. As for himself, he was sitting down and trying to understand the mess that he had just gotten himself into.
“Son, you are in a heap of trouble,” Chesty said around his cigar, which dangled from the corner of his mouth.
“Well no duh,” Gosling whispered to the old beat up earth pony just a few barstools over, “I’m up to my wingpits in manticore shit.”
Leaning over the bar, Chesty chortled, causing thick ribbons of cigar smoke to come curling up from his nostrils. He banged his hoof on the counter, then barked at the bartender, “Give my friend here a Pink Lady to keep him company.”
“Can do,” the unicorn behind the bar replied.
Hunched over the bar, Gosling was thankful that nopony wanted to talk to him at the moment. For whatever reason, he was being given some space. Perhaps it was because Chesty snarled at anypony that got too close. Gosling didn’t know, and he didn’t care, either. When a pink drink was placed in front of him, Gosling gave a nod of thanks, but said nothing.
Grabbing the coupe glass by its stem with his fetlock, he took a drink and almost fell off of his barstool. The sound of Chesty’s smoky, raspy laughter filled his ears and Gosling struggled to swallow his drink. Chesty’s continued laughter sounded like logs burning in the fireplace, it was a rugged, masculine sound.
“The way I see it, Luna now owes you a solid.” Chesty inhaled some of his cigar and filled his lungs with smoke. His next words came out smoky. “There is no way she could refuse you anything now. But you be mindful how you take that, Son. Don’t be stupid and cross the line.”
Grimacing, Gosling gulped down the remainder of his drink as he was seized with an idea. He wiped his muzzle, and, filled with liquid courage, he slid down from his barstool. Wobbling on his hooves, he took a moment to steady himself, and then took off in his sexiest sashay, with his wings flared out and his tail flagged high. He wanted others to look at him.
The crowd parted before him, there were hoots and whistles as Gosling made his way to Luna, and when he made it to where she was, he pushed the pony in his way aside. Saying nothing, Gosling wrapped his wings around Luna’s neck, puckered up, and hauled her in. Aware that this was a filmed occasion, Gosling didn’t slip her the tongue, but he did do his best to give her a kiss that she would remember.
For several long seconds, Luna just stood there in shock as Gosling kneaded her lips with his own, but then she regained her senses, thawed out a bit, and returned the kiss. It was a warm, sincere kiss, intimate, passionate even, and Luna knew that it was just as much for others to see as it was to show affection.
When Gosling pulled away from Luna, the pair stared at one another, oblivious to the applause, the cheering, and the shouting all around him. Lowering her head down just a bit, Luna bumped her snoot into Gosling’s, blinked her eyes, and she very much wanted to say something. The words, however much desired, would not come, and so she stared into his eyes, silent.
Gosling pushed his muzzle against Luna’s, then caused her to shiver as he traveled up her jawline, his muzzle grazing her skin, until at last he pushed his lips up against her ear. In a whisper that only Luna could hear, Gosling expressed his feelings. “Best friends, you and me, together.”
Blushing, giggling like a school filly, Luna pulled away, but remained focused on Gosling’s eyes. She nodded, grateful for Gosling’s words, his kiss, and for everything he had done for her. She felt a soft touch against her side and knew that it was her sister. Unable to help herself, she continued to titter and could not look away from Gosling’s now waggling eyebrows.
“Hey, both of you,” Celestia said to her sister and Gosling, “they’re going to toast us…”
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There's so many cute and heartfelt moments in this chapter... I need to go hug something soft and squishy. Like a pillow. Or a cat. I have four cats, this is a great idea.
That. Was. MAGNIFICENT. Gossy just condensed three speeches' worth of feeling into one, and in one fell swoop he raised himself considerably in the public's opinion, called out a major social problem, made Luna weep with pride and joy, and gained himself a powerful platform for even more positive change. I want MORE!!!
D'awww...!
Why do I get the feeling that Celestia is so tired of waiting to jump Gosling's bones that the second the engagement gala ends a pony judge/minister equivalent will come in and just marry them in 5 minutes?
OH Boy Gosling is in over his head THANKfully he is willing to admit that
He's collecting titles like a COD junkie collects achievements.
7666469
It is called 'political momentum' and it is a phenomenon we see in the real world. A beloved public figure gains accolades and titles, such as honourary Ph.D.s, religious positions, etc. Typically, it is done to legitimise their position as a public figure.
Of course, now Gosling has to get circumcised...
How sweet that Luna and Gosling got their first kiss.
7666498
Oy vey, stay away from my turtleneck sweater!
7666499
That's not the first.
I was curious how things would turn out with Luna and you my friend, did not disappoint. Brilliant and touching.
Also, now Gosling needs twice as much schooling. The poor, glorious mug.
Who's Chesty, again?
7666533
Maybe read the previous chapter?
As a gentile and a filthy Protestant at that what the flying feather is a confessor?
7666542
A confessor can be found in a number of religions, including protestants.
It is most commonly used by Christianity, but just about every major religion incorporates it in some way.
The Catholics use it as a mark of sainthood. Among other faiths, it literally means, 'one who listens.' It is one that you would confess your sins to, your doubts, your shortcomings, things that you feel that you've done wrong.
Oh, Confessor, I've done wrong, I've slept with a woman out of wedlock.
Anoint yourself in holy water, son, and sin no more.
Oh, Confessor, I had impure thoughts about a girl.
Anoint yourself in holy water, son, and sin no more.
Oh, Confessor, I cheated on my math exam.
Anoint yourself in holy water, son, and sin no more.
Hey, Confessor, I've committed blasphemy.
Tell me, Son, what did you do?
I peed in the holy water.
7666441
Celestia skips the rest of the ceremony by officiating her own wedding.
"By the power vested in me by... me, I hereby pronounce us all wed. Gosling, you may finally bone your brides."
7666573
Anoint yourself in holy water, son, and sin no more.
7666707
7666711 Is that what that smell was?
7666498 How do you do that to a pony?
7666425 Does anyone know how to CPR a cat?
Shiny would be most upset.
7666743
It includes a jigger of Applejack.
7666770 Know about the drink, not the inference I was making (for the chuckles)
If I might make one request.... Gosling in a miter/Pope hat. A yamaca may be more appropriate but....Pope hat...
7666707
Really the only appropriate response here.
its a good chapter. i needed it right now to cheer me up.
gossy has a whole lot riding on him right now
7666952
Thats not the only thing that going to be riding him soon
7666983
Imagine Shining Armour just chuckles about the Pink Ladies.. From Gosslings reactions they are appropriately named for Cadance as well. While she is cute and friendly she will kick your plot if necessary without a second thought
I hate the fact that I couldn't find anything else! But this? This is enough.
how TO make
Other than that, not much else to say here. Chapter was good.
Gosling: "Chesty . . i never really had one as you know but . . can i call you pa?"
Squeees this was lovely~
Ha, that sucks! To be honest, I wouldn't have been able to say no either, but damn, Gos is going to have to deal with that.
That should be “make” right there, or just be removed entirely.
Nice. Gosling is now the Jewish pony equivalent to the pope or an archbishop, I guess, now. Neato.
Moreh as in teacher (מורה)? Fitting considering the parallels.