For most ponies, their work day would be winding down, nearing its end, and all that would be left would be the final slog. Gosling was not most ponies. His work day began when he woke up, and came to an end when he closed his eyes to go to sleep. This was the brutal schedule of everypony in the royal family. There was always something that needed to be done for their beloved country.
Kibitz, who walked beside him, began to read from the planner. “Princess Celestia wants you to spend more time with Moon Rose and her parents. She feels that a certain level of trust needs to be inspired and she believes that you are good for the, how shall we say, ‘asset program.’ I am inclined to agree, Your Majesty.”
“Kibitz, we’ve been over this, don’t call me that.” Gosling gave the pony beside him his best goofy grin in an attempt to destroy Kibitz’s composure.
“Very well, Sire.” Kibitz returned Gosling’s smile and added, “I see you’ve been practicing your best birth control smile, Sire. Should you desire to be foal free in the future, I believe your current expression will be adequate.”
“Yous is a funny pony, aren’t yous, Kibitz?” After a moment, Gosling continued, “I hate thinking of them as assets, but what else are they? The Crown would be irresponsible if it didn’t keep track of exceptionally gifted individuals and we’ve already seen what happens if one slips through unnoticed.”
“Indeed we have, socially-minded Sir Gosling.” Kibitz gave Gosling a good-natured smile and then returned his attention to the day planner. “Starlight Glimmer, Sir. Proof that one gifted foal, if left unattended, can bring down a nation. Our nation, in this particular instance. Princess Celestia is wise indeed to apply your charm and wit within the asset program.”
“You really think so, Kibitz?”
“I do,” he replied, “along with charm and wit, you bring a certain… how shall we say… sincerity. A certain earnestness. You have an honest and sincere desire to look after the individual because you care about their well being, and not about what they might possess that makes them an asset.”
Touched, Gosling nodded and pulled his cloak tight around him. “Thank you, Kibitz.”
“Don’t mention it, Gosling.” Kibitz sighed, rolled his eyes, and then looked at Gosling once more. “Sir, Mister Purple Party begs to see you. I just remembered it. Do you think you can spare a few moments? I am almost certain he wishes to apologise and we have a priority to maintain good relations with the castle staff.”
“Yeah, I’ll do the right thing,” Gosling responded, and his ears splayed out sideways.
“Good. Remember, Sir… one good deed can be the salvation of a nation.”
“Yeah, hey, no pressure, right, Kibitz? No pressure at all. Ugh.” Gosling reminded himself that one irked pony was an asset for the Ascendancy, or a wagging tongue for the press. There was, indeed, a mess here in need of a clean-up.
“You’ll find Mister Purple Party in the north wing retreat lounge.”
“Okay, I’ll go meet him there,” Gosling replied with a nod.
“Little Miss Moon Rose is in the north wing diplomat’s parlour.”
“Right.”
“Sir, one last thing.”
“What’s that, Kibitz?”
“Your heart, Sir…”
“Yeah?”
“Is in the right place. That is all.”
The retreat lounge was a small secluded hideaway, a place to go when pressures or stress became overwhelming and one needed a quiet moment. It was a small, cosy place, and the one in the north wing was Gosling’s favourite. He considered it his. Celestia favoured the west wing retreat lounge, Luna was rather fond of the east, and the south retreat lounge was just a few doors away from Blueblood’s study.
The south retreat lounge was pretty much a liquor storage closet that stank of depravity and sadomasochism.
Guards saluted as he passed, and Gosling gave them a nod of acknowledgement, not wishing to reveal his wings in their current state. It was cold and drafty in the castle, there were a lot of spaces that were not heated, it was impossible to heat a space this large. Without his feathers, Gosling had no natural protection from the cold, which left him miserable.
The door was ajar and Gosling did not slow as he approached. His fatigue, such as it was, he kept that from showing. If he was going to deal with this pompous prick, perhaps it was time to take a page from Blueblood’s playbook and play cutthroat. Or maybe follow Luna’s example… he could be cold, imperious, and mysterious if he had to be. Or perhaps, following Celestia’s example might be wise, and he could be—
“Confessor…”
Gosling’s entire train of thought derailed and he froze just inside the door. Purple Party didn’t look so good and even though Gosling was more than a little peeved with the unicorn at the moment, he felt a pang of sympathy. There was also the matter of being called ‘Confessor,’ as that title carried certain connotations and expectations.
“Confessor, I have erred,” Purple Party said in a low, phlegmy voice.
At that moment, Gosling knew that he didn’t have the luxury of being anything other than himself. All of the thoughts about the different ways to approach this situation just fizzled out and he stood there, looking rather dull and vacant. After the train crash, Gosling’s brain scrambled to recover and regain his noble bearing.
“I can’t offer any excuses, only an explanation,” Purple Party said to Gosling with his head bowed down low. “I was used to a certain level of autonomy… like the Head Maid or the Head Butler. I have done this job for years with nopony to answer to.” The distraught unicorn drew in a shaky, shuddering breath, blinked a few times, and bowed his head a little lower.
“Go on.” Gosling’s own breathing was shallow and he struggled to keep his own emotions in check.
“When I found out that you were placed in charge of the castle staff, above me, I began to worry a bit, but I told myself that you were just a pony in need of something to do, some responsibility for your new position. I convinced myself that not much would change. But when you started giving me orders… I began to resent you.”
“I see.” Gosling, recovering a bit, began to study Purple Party, looking for any evident tells, and his own face was now a blank mask of authority.
“I convinced myself that you had no idea what you were doing, and I chose to defer to my own many years of experience.” Purple Party swallowed, looked Gosling in the eye for several agonising seconds, and then, turning away, he closed his eyes. “Confessor, as a pony of the First Tribe, I held onto my biases and my beliefs… I let them interfere with my job, and for this, I am truly sorry. I beg forgiveness… not just as your employee, but also as your devotee, Confessor.”
This was now wide open sky, an unknown and scary place for Gosling. These were unknown horizons, new territory, and he wasn’t quite sure what to do. He was still learning, still training for this, he was still getting instruction from older, wiser sorts that knew everything there was to know about this. The fear was almost paralysing.
“The shunning,” Purple Party said in a low voice that began to gain volume. “It can be hard to go against the very thing that you were raised from birth to believe in… I made a very foolish choice and I regret it!”
“I understand.” Gosling’s own emotions became a confusing jumble and he didn’t know what else to do or say. Even worse, he didn’t understand the rules. He was a pegasus, and Purple Party was a unicorn. He was the Confessor for the Pegasus tribe, but Purple Party was approaching him as a devotee. The inter-tribal moment of faith became a jumble of intense confusion, a real tangle of a mess that Gosling didn’t know how to sort out.
“Confessor, I request a chance to atone for my slights, and to earn forgiveness for my sins. I beg of you, give me a chance. I am willing to resign if that is necessary, I’ll do whatever it takes to prove to you that I am sincere.”
“I will not accept your resignation.” Gosling’s own words surprised him, and he stood there, blinking a few times, trying to figure out what had just come out of his own mouth. The tongue was a wicked organ, full of betrayal, deceit, and lies, or so his mother had said many, many times when he was growing up.
“Confessor?”
“No,” Gosling said, still amazed at his own mouth. “There is no way that you are getting off that easy. There will be no resignation, no running away from the problem.”
Purple Party lifted his head, looked Gosling in the eye, and then just stood there, confused.
Squinting, Gosling peered into Purple Party’s eyes with great intensity, as if he was trying to look into the unicorn’s soul. The regret was real, Gosling could sense it, and his own senses—his pegasus observation powers—told him that he would find no resistance in Purple Party. Gosling set his mind to work, trying to find a means of restitution that was fair, just, and clever, or maybe just fairly clever.
“This position that has been bestowed upon me, being head of castle staff, I’m supposed to learn responsibility from it. I have free rein to do whatever I feel is necessary, and I’ve avoided getting involved because honestly, the whole thing is intimidating, scary, and there is just too much to learn, along with everything else that I have to figure out.” Gosling was surprised by his own honesty, and by how good it felt to confess his own shortcomings.
His ears pivoted forwards, facing Purple Party, and Gosling continued, “I need to take this responsibility seriously, and to do that, I need to learn how to do this job.” He paused for a moment to think about everything he was saying, and to study Purple Party’s face. “For your lapse in judgment, I am going to promote you, Mister Party, to work as my instructor. You are going to teach me how to do your job. You are going to teach me everything there is to know as the Director of Staff. You will teach me everything about the day to day operations of this place, and all of your many years of experience will be put to good use.”
“Confessor?” The purple unicorn looked quite confused.
“But,” Gosling added, “as punishment for your misdeed, you will take on all of this new responsibility, but you will not see an increase in pay. You will suffer my hard-headedness and all of my wacky antics.”
“Confessor, that seems remarkably fair.” Purple Party gulped and then averted his eyes. “What about the Winter Moon Festival?”
“Are you willing to help me?” Gosling asked. “I mean a real, sincere desire to help.”
“Confessor, I think that would be a natural starting point to begin your tutelage in staff management.” With a few rapid blinks of his eyelids, Purple Party returned eye-contact with Gosling, and gave him a timid, but hopeful smile. “I should very much like to atone for my failures.”
“And I would very much like to be your friend,” Gosling replied. “So, let’s put all of this behind us, do our best to forget about it, and concentrate on doing good work together.”
“Thank you, Confessor.” Purple Party bowed his head and let heave a sigh of immeasurable relief.
“Go home,” Gosling commanded. “Get some rest. We’ll start tomorrow. Talk to Kibitz about the schedule.”
“Right, thank you again, Confessor.”
Gosling stepped aside and watched as Purple Party exited the room. The stallion retreated, looking as meek and submissive as possible, and he also looked quite relieved. Sighing, he wondered if he had handled this well, or if he had just made a colossal mistake. Only time would tell. With this arrangement, with this solution, Purple Party’s ego had been appeased and his sense of equinal value had not been diminished.
But had he done the right thing? Gosling contemplated this conundrum while standing in the middle of the room, staring at nothing in particular. An even more important question formed in his mind: Would Celestia be happy with this arrangement? He had just mixed faith and secular duties. Had he crossed a line? Broken a rule? Doubt began to gnaw at the back of his mind and he began to second-guess himself.
All of this would have to be settled at another time, because for now, he had to look after Moon Rose.
Interesting Gosling is right letting Purple Party retire and walk away would be simple. AS least Gosling hasn't decided to ask Pinkie Pie for help
8091655
He did what, when?
It's a good plan. Any time someone sincerely repents, and wishes to make amends, and you don't think they just do the same thing again, It feels immoral to not give them another chance. Granted, for some actions, "making amends" may be very difficult.
8091657 Sorry typo that I didn't catch in my comment
I'm not a big fan of religion, period. However, it can have its place. I'm going to just sit back and see where this goes. The whole 'enshrinement' thing the First Tribe confessor role seriously amuse me from a plot mechanic standpoint. I reserve judgement on what's going on until we get more story involving those elements.
As for Gosling, he seems to have made a reasonable decision. At least, until its not.
8091697
As a Discordian, my views on religion are suspect.
That said, what if the object of your devotion walked around for you to see?
That would change things a bit, wouldn't it?
What if you could hold your god-figure accountable?
Gossy, honey, if your leaders are also the worshipees, separating state and church/religion is borderline impossible.
Like Old Egypt, where the pharao was a god walking the earth.
8091705
And your point is exactly why I'm withholding judgment. It has the potential to be very interesting.
(OK, I'm voting that somebody who disagrees with Gosling or some enshrined individual comes up to said individual and yells, "You're fired!")
I thought something like this was coming. First interaction shows us Gosling is still a common member of society with all the foibles that brings, second shows us Party's a fucking idiot and Gosling can be tough and merciful, and this last interaction shows us he can be strict and forgiving.
Party being an idiot wasn't actually the point of the character at all, it was to frame Gosling's state and growth.
8091697 Total disbelief in any religion here on this world until one of them can show me their deity walking the earth doing much needed maintenance, and boy is it needed. People seem to forget that when most religious texts were 'originally' written, hashish and primitive cocaine from poppies was as common then as coffee is now. Most things witnessed, even in groups, were hallucinogen fueled. As a group say the 12 disciples witnessing Jesus resurrection, one says he sees him, another gets it in his head that he does to and he's doing something, before long they're all sharing these ideas and later write it up as fact when they're cognitive enough, voila scripture.
8091752
I was very nearly crucified for pointing out that Yeshua ben Yosef indulged in all manner of drugs, including hashish, because it was so common during that time.
I was told that Jesus never sinned and he would never break the law.
8091764 We are talking centuries ago so what is the law today isn't necessarily the law back then
8091764
Ugh. Some fucking people. Pretty sure over 2000 years ago there were no such laws against those things.
8091764
8091775 It wasn't a sin or law broken back then, no-one knew then as now what a drug was. They probably thought it was a gift from their deity to give them enlightenment.
8091764
Mind-altering drugs in religious figures that say that they are the Son of God isn't the best for a church...
8091790
When I was a little kid, I don't remember how old I was, maybe five or six years of age, I came across an enormous peyote button and gobbled it down. (Which was perfectly normal, I assure you, or at least I was raised in a situation where it was normal) and I spent hours believing that I was some cartoon character that I can't even remember now.
This was after Mount St. Helens, so maybe six or seven? I don't know.
Anyhow, I spent most of my childhood eating wild peyote buttons and I turned out fine!
Edit: I was shocked to discover later that people thought this was wrong. It messed up my mind.
8091801
My book about psychoactive plants lists an effect of up to 12 hours for peyote. Jesus.
Also lists it as a traditional cure-all and fever drug for the region.
Cartoon character in a desert? Coyote or Road Runner, maybe?
Children colliding with the real world and a bigger group of people. Always fun.
8091813 Aussie government here has only recently legalised medicinal marijuana use under strict doctor supervision. Any drug if perverted or overused is dangerous but it doesn't mean that it can't be used responsibly if kept under control.
edit: now I'm reminded of Homer and his coyote spirit guide.
8091813
Toothache, headache, rheumatoid, fevers, general sickness... and in the peyote buttons would go. It was used for everything and we (all of us dirty, feral, tribal savages) never saw anything wrong with it. It brought about powerful introspective states and made your imagination come to life.
It wasn't until after I was taken and then shuffled into a Catholic reformatory that I discovered that people believed that this behaviour was considered wrong. Sinful even. The collision of cultures that took place really, really fucked with my head. As it turns out, me being raised as a dirty, feral savage really offended the Lord, and I had a lot to answer for. Fucking nuns had to beat it out of me.
8091705 I've always said if God had an 800 number, who among us would have the courage to actually call.
Good to see Purple Party having his Papercut moment. He'll be better for it. Was he the offspring of a pegasus family, perhaps?
8091831
Papercut moment?
Purple Party comes from a family of well-to-do Canterlot unicorns.
I think that was the right call. I mean, as he was appointed to be the Confessor and is also a member of the royal family there is an unavoidable conflict of interest situation to navigate. We'll have to see how it plays out but it seems to be going in the right direction.
8091826
Fun fact: the whole point of fasting before drinking the Eucharistic wine was originally a mean to help the faithful into "communion with God and the Divine".
8091705
I think that would be preferable to our current reality.
8091849
In that light, what does it tell us that except once a year at Holy Thursday, only the priests get wine in Catholic church?
8091825
Same in Germany.
8091874
That they're greedy bastards? ;)
Did not expect Purple Party to be of the First Tribes.
And there are sects of each tribe... What about non-ponies?
8091909
What did you think the sun medallion was for?
The chapter was interesting. The comments even more so.
8091914 First Prize in the Most Handsome Pegasus contest, of course.
8091924
But Purple Party is a unicorn.
And that was Purple Party's sun medallion.
8091914 ...For partying..?
Ah haha, I knew there had to be more to the Purple Party story. I approve of the resolution, I think it's a good fit for both of the ponies involved.
I was about to make a comment about the separation of church and state, but then I remembered something important.
The heads of state are immortal gods.
Soooooo..... That kind of renders my perspective irrelevant.
Looking at the comments here, im going to avoid posting my opinion.
guess in equestria religion could be justified that you literally have beigns that literally do contorl how the world works.
at the same time i feel many would be rather uncomfortable to be worshipped. i can't help but imagine some version of celestia would want ti dissuade people worshipping her.
especially if burning goats are involved. cause that is bascially human sacrifice in their world
8091996 I didn't expect the First Tribes part either. I thought he was just one of Celestia's devotees like Flicker is one of Cadance's or Hennesy is one of Luna's. But to answer the question before that it feels to me that the First Tribes were a more unified group that the three Tribes that came to Equestria being chased by the Windigos. That said they do have a Confessor for each of the three as a sort of head elder. My guess is they saw to issues particular to their subrace of equine but they were together the governing/cultural heads of their people as a whole. Sounds like the practice for confession was typically to seek out the Confessor of your own tribe (hence Gosling's initial reluctance in the chapter). As for other species that were not ponies however, as far as we know there are none. The First Tribes were just the ponies that were in Equestria before the three Tribes from the north.
I may have missed something but that's most of what I know about the First Tribes so far.
8091705
Being able to hold a god-figure accountable would be an interesting scenario. On the one hand, it prevents worshipers (well-meaning or otherwise) from arbitrarily claiming representation of their god. This would greatly unite said religion on the grounds that there is a single truly indisputable source, with personal interpretation rendered obsolete (since you could just ask).
On the other hand, it's that much easier to lose faith as well. Any failings attributable to the god-figure would stick consistently instead of being dismissed as a mere test or as a part of a mysterious plan. This is especially dangerous if the failing goes against some promise issued or well-ingrained expectations.
Overall, the faith would become brittle. More solid at a glance and far more rigid, but easily shattered by unexpected failings.
8092486 This is actually quite informative, as I forget a whole lot.
Thank you
8088558 yes it seems I need to read Trixie's and Twilight's stories, as they take place in between them
8092727 Well... that should be the POINT. EVERY god currently [and previously] being worshipped fails miserably when confronted with the actual reality of things, and can be maintained to exist ONLY in direct defiance of logic and empiric observation, In theory Faith is believing in absence of proof, but it is ever more becoming believing IN SPITE of negatory proof. In the case of Celestia and Luna the are godesses, not almighty godesses with a specific set of powers above and beyond what normal ponies can do [that is making the sun and moon move without using up all their magic but being rejuvenated by that, even though here in the weedverse it may be quite different from what is canonically described in the "Journal of the two sisters"]. They are taken as governance of the realm, and it seems that they can do a reasonably good job, but in the end it is NOT part of their godhood that makes them fit for that. [Again this is canonically, here it seems that they have been designed quite specifically so it may be that they also have been designed to do that]
Huh, so pony jew guilt is a thing.
8095561
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8095597
Well, between the Peacocks mannerisms when stressed, his selective accent, his mother, and the terminology along with the title First Tribe. They seem to be your corollary to the jewish faith of humanity. They're:
A minority with strong insular belief in which one is usually born into, not just picked up like the Enshrined.
A very old, relatively speaking, religion that gave birth to offshoot beliefs.
They have wisemen that people would come to and confess their sins and seek knowledge as to how to fix/atone for them.
Despite knowing very little about them, their subjects? trust their word and will implicitly as their title conveys some sort of quality.
And for some reason, this Purple Party unicorn, that has run his corner of the castle with complete autonomy is suddenly cowtowing to a 15 year old guard/school drop out that just so happens to be married to royalty. I can understand him being worried about losing his job, but why would he then in turn go to the Peacock as a Confessor as the Peacock was the one he transgressed in the first place? I can only presume that his crisis of faith is stronger than his pride or fear of losing his lofty position. That kind of irrational guilt seems pretty religious to me, combined with the earlier observations that it has strong ties to the jewish faith, you have jew pony guilt.
8096100
I was just wanting a reason to post an adorable pic of Pinkie Pie.
You're not wrong at all.
The First Tribes faith was a big part of The Perilous Romance of Swans.
8096104
I must say that is a rather interesting concept tho.
A lot of fics have faith as a nebulous thing when it comes to the Alicorns. They worship her like a living goddess ala Xerxes from 300. But never an actual codified religion with followers and leaders. Usually it's just a blanket faith because you can actually MEET your God, or cultists.
I normally abhor religion in my fiction but this bears further examination.
8096987 Apparently there are 3 stories between Romance and Creeping
Seeing the sarcastic anti-faith sentiment in the comments, I can see that anything deviating from that wouldn't be recieved well.
"TOLERANCE"
8091764
...But wasn’t Jesus crucified for breaking the law? Isn’t that how that works? I’m not sure if this is more or less stupid than people who claim Jesus wasn’t Jewish.
I don’t have much else to say. Just the same stuff about how I’m glad that complicated stuff is acknowledged as complicated.