Chapter 59
Something had most certainly changed, for Gosling could no longer look at the sisters and see two ponies. Sure, there were two bodies, but these bodies were mere aspects of something fantastical, something bigger, something that was greater than the sum of its parts. While there was certainly some sense of individuality among them—he could not deny that—seeing them only as separate entities took away what made them special. His epiphany—profound as it was—had changed some fundamental aspect of his being.
He now understood Celestia’s secret, hidden resentment that she felt for her little ponies, her frustration, the source for her wellspring of ire. Rejecting Luna, or otherwise taking up a position of dislike for Luna, was also a rejection of Celestia as well. Though it might be his own pride or perhaps vanity manifesting, Gosling felt as though he understood something profound, something meaningful that other ponies did not. Did this make him special? Perhaps… perhaps not. Would it make him a better husband? He hoped so.
Though the party around him was lively, Gosling’s head wasn’t in it. Everypony was waiting for the moon rise, and afterwards, there would be a mass-wedding event that ponies seemed to be so enamoured with. Gosling wasn’t sure about what was so appealing about them, but mass-weddings were immensely popular. Maybe it had something to do with making a life-changing decision and having a crowd of like-minded ponies with you doing the same thing—perhaps it offered some courage, some resolve. Anonymity of the crowd? Something that satisfied herd instinct? If he was ever going to be a good ruler, he would need to figure out why ponies did what they did, so that he could make them do what they needed to do. Celestia had told him that a good ruler encourages their subjects to do what comes naturally, but this advice still seemed elusive to him.
Most ponies, when it came right down to it, would choose a course of action disastrous to them. They were short-sighted, thinking only of what they could have in the here and now. Even if their hearts were good, their decisions were bad. His ears pivoted in the direction of the band but his eyes remained distant, unfocused while he stood unmoving. At some point, without realising it, Gosling had grown up a fair bit.
“There is a room full of ponies that you could be strutting your stuff in front of, but you’re standing here with a blank look upon your face. Too much to drink already, Gosling?”
It took him a moment to register the voice and the breathy words that tickled his twitching ear. A wicker resonated deep within his barrel, and this was returned by the mare who stood beside him. He saw a flash of white from the corner of his eye and realised the husky voice speaking to him in a throaty whisper was Celestia. Turning his head, he looked up at her, blinking in his own slow way.
“Strange, I don’t smell the reek of orange-scented gin on your breath.” A smirk could be seen, but only for a moment before it retreated back into hiding. “But you do seem to have eaten a good number of those creamed garlic hors d'oeuvres. Tell me, my handsome pegasus, what troubles you?”
Words were hard. For lack of a better response, he gulped, then at a loss, he stood still, blinking and silent. Everything in his mind wanted to come out all at once and because of this, nothing would come out at all. Plus, there was something about Celestia that was especially fetching, but he couldn’t say what it was.
“I just spent five minutes scratching my behind against that griffon statue in the south wing. The texture of those stone feathers… divine. I highly recommend it if you ever get a chance. A good butt scratching clears the head like nothing else… except for maybe slow lazy nookie on cold rainy mornings when getting out of the bed is a chore.”
Ears pricking, Gosling’s eyes went wide for a time, and he only blinked when he felt the sting of his eyes drying out. Celestia was making this magnificent face, this conspiratorial look of smug thoughtfulness while she chewed upon her lower lip. She was… an enigma, this creature. Equal parts regal and silly. Having caught him while he was vulnerable, she was now having her way with him, and that was fine.
“Twilight came looking for me,” she continued, rolling her eyes in some grand, imperious way. “And that’s the second time that she’s found me scratching my behind against something scratchable. I swear, Twilight has a psychic twingle or has a knack for appearing at the most inopportune moments. And the way she looked at me… I think she forgets sometimes that I am a pony and I have pony needs. That look of horror. It sticks with you, Gosling, it does. Twilight is so expressive. Wouldn’t you agree?”
He wanted so badly to tell her about his epiphany, but words failed him.
“Little Twilight… she showed so much promise. Twilight had willpower, Gosling, and that’s a relatively rare trait in we equines.” The big mare nodded and her lips pursed in some thoughtful way. “The evolutionary biologists say it is because we’re a herd species. Willpower is counterproductive to our existence and individual will should be sublimated for the sake of the herd. This presents all manner of problems, you know, given how most magic is focused around willpower.”
Again, he blinked, almost startled by this magnificent creature lecturing him.
“But, I hear you saying, what about earth ponies? They’re stubborn. Well, I’ll tell you, being stubborn isn’t exactly about willpower. Sometimes, it is more about steadfast stupidity and standing boldly in the face of the world trying to tell you that you’re wrong. It’s all really quite funny, Gosling… unicorns… highly magical creatures… and unicorns come from a species that has a biological impediment that hobbles their willpower. Teaching my students magic is easy compared to teaching them willpower to direct that magic. Most of my students who struggle with magic don’t actually struggle with magic… it’s willpower. I just don’t know how to talk to the parents about it though, as no parent I know wants their offspring to be willful.”
Overwhelmed with horse-emotions, a soft whinnying wicker escaped from him.
After a soft rumble in return, as well as a tender nosing of his ear, Celestia kept going with her wise elucidations. “Your vacant expression intensifies, Gosling. I must say, I find you rather attractive in this state. So this is what it feels like to be a stallion in lust with a mindless maid.” A pause happened, it grew in length—very much like a stallion in lust with a mindless mare—and then the silence was broken by her girlish tittering.
“I thunk some great thoughts,” he said, only to immediately regret his words. Wincing, Gosling knew that there was no taking them back and that Celestia would seize upon this blunder with a quickness. The tittering turned into outright giggles, followed by laughter, and he could see her sides heaving.
Undaunted, he collected himself, his wing feathers fluffed out a bit, and he gave Celestia a bold look while he tried again. “I got to thinking and it really settled into my mind that you and Luna really are one pony with two bodies. I also got to thinking that if a pony rejects one of you, they reject both of you. Then I got to thinking that I have some growing up to do, because there are a lot of things about Luna that I just plain don’t like, and I need to sort stuff out so that I can accept you… both of you… as a whole.”
Celestia’s laughter died and all expression drained from her face, leaving behind an unreadable mask. She stared, and Gosling struggled to read something, anything, but there was nothing but her silence, which might have spoken volumes, but it was in a language that he couldn’t read. Did he mess up? Was she angry? Upset? Shocked? Her nostrils seemed as though they were made of stone at the moment, and there was nothing for him to gauge her current state of emotion.
“It is time, Gosling. Be a dear and make the announcement.” Every word spoken was in a monotone devoid of any clues that might give away her feelings.
Confused, Gosling shook it off. Celestia was cryptic, Luna even more so, and this was his lot in life. After taking a deep breath, he sashayed over to the microphone on the podium, took another deep breath, and summoned every bit of his charisma so that he could pour it into the crowd.
“It’s time.” The sound of his voice caused almost every head to turn, and there were more than a few pleased wickers and whinnies. Being the center of attention restored his shaken confidence and he managed one of his signature knee-weakening grins. “Please, be orderly and have courtesy for others when filing out of the exits. Tonight, the only crime is to spoil another’s good time. Please, come and join me for the moonrise.”
Hundreds of ponies were crammed into the tight confines of the gardens, with many more on the balconies and indoors, where it was warmer. It was cold, bitterly cold, but there was a certain warmth in standing together. Studying the crowd, Gosling saw a few pegasus ponies, some unicorns, but most in attendance were earth ponies. They had broad grins and starry eyes. A nearby brazier crackled and the fresh coals sputtered as they settled over the old embers.
Luna was almost—but not quite—a mess. Gosling saw her differently now. Beneath the illusion, she was a scared filly about his own age forced to deal with an expectant crowd. She was uncomfortable in her own skin, as most ponies his own age tended to be, and so much was demanded of her. But she was doing an admirable job of holding it all together. Was it because of the promise he had made? If so, that scared him a bit, and he could feel the pressure to deliver. Disappointing Luna after all of this fuss, stress, and worry, why, the very idea left him feeling unhinged. What if he couldn’t satisfy her?
The first time jitters left him feeling sweaty beneath the wings.
“Luna…”
She turned to face him, her lips stained a dark purple with wine, and he could not help but be impressed by the illusion. Her eyes were almost luminous, as if they were lit from within by fireflies, and each breath she took came out as rising curls of steam in the cold. When he looked at her, he felt something stirring within him, something stoked the fires of his heart. Something that was almost girlish seemed to pierce through the illusion.
He saw her through different eyes now and she was breathtaking.
“Not a soul will watch the moon rise tonight, Luna...”
She looked at him, her eyes curious, playful, and there was some trust as well. Her cheeks drew tight, her lips parted, and a brief flash of white teeth could be seen. Somehow, she knew that she was being flirted with, and was now batting her sooty eyelashes, waiting for him to continue, to hear whatever it was that he had to say next.
“Every eye will be on you, and only you. Even the moon pales in comparison to your beauty. This is your night, Luna. As your humble servant, it has been my pleasure and my privilege to make this happen.” Though he had more to say, he kept it short and bowed his head while making broad flourishes with both wings.
Eyes flashing, Luna’s tongue could be seen for a second when she licked her teeth. Giddy excitement could be seen and her wings quivered against her sides. She came forward with smooth, purposeful strides, leaned in close, and whispered some sweet, wine-scented words to him, “Preparest thine pelvis for the pleasures of the Night.”
He felt wings beneath his chin and his head was lifted. Before he could react, she kissed him, and this was quite unlike any kiss exchanged between them. There was nothing cautious about this kiss, nothing hesitant, nothing was held back. As the kiss intensified, the crowd erupted into cheering, hooting, whistling, hoof stomping, and praise. Just as the kiss had become unbearably hot, Luna bit his lower lip hard enough to make his dock twitch. The sweetness, followed by pain, left him woozy. When Luna pulled away, there was a crazed glaze in her eyes that frightened him a great deal.
“Go raise the moon, Luna,” he said, breathless.
Bathed in silver light that seemed to shine from every pore, she turned away from him with an enticing flick of her ethereal tail. Brilliant aetherfire blazed from her horn and brilliant starlight flowed from the tiny stars found in her mane and tail. He had tried to touch one once, only to find that it burned with cold fire even as his nose passed through it. Luna had been amused and her soft laughter from then echoed in his ears now.
The blue mare drew in a deep, shuddering breath, turned to face the crowd, spread her wings, and then, without flapping, she rose up into air, suspended by invisible, unfathomable strings. Though he had been angry with her, his heart told him now that he loved her, because he already loved a part of her. A wave of magic crashed over him like a physical force and he swayed while curious magical currents flowed through the feathers of his wings.
A hush fell over the crowd…
Next chapter: Gosling performs his royal duties. 
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Suddenly I suddenly feel like grogar isn't the problem, it's paralax.
Great Chapter .
8972896
Even if not there's all the other stories in the series.
And a fair few of them take place after the birth of the royal brood if you're so inclined to read them. Be prepared to be confused though.
I'm not sure if the idea that luna and celestia are the same person is profound, or profoundly stupid.
8989971
Separate the night from the day and what would you have?
8989993
Well day and night are only a thing when you're on a planet. From the perspective of the sun and moon there'd be no difference.
Day and night are arbitrary alotments of time.
8990008
But they exist as part of a whole cycle.
Aaand now Celestia will hate him because now he's just another sectant, seeng her as a concept, not pony with pony thoughts and needs. Frustrated, she kill him, Luna go Nightmare, and war destroys Equestria. Tada, the end.
8972107
What you just said? Fluggegecheimen?
8990014
But the cycle is only a cycle from a very specific point of reference.
Amazing.
In a way it's almost like Celestia and Luna are more married to each other than Gosling, if his ruminations on their nature are correct. In that case, getting Luna's state healed up is paramount - being a whole but half-sick pony is better than being half a pony, but being a whole healthy pony is best.
8990076
Except in Eigengrau Zwei when Blackbird is inside the Forge of Fate perceiving all there as stars and constellations which prevents her from going mad due to the mortal mind normally not being able to handle comprehending such a place and beings, she met Celestia and Luna's.... Divine Selves I think it was? And they were known as the Star Maiden, A Single being. Two halves that make up a true single whole.
The No! being in the usual God Speak Font used in the Weedverse. On the Cosmic, Deity level of things they are together truly one whole. Also, the Sister Equus Alicornae is just another name for the Star Maiden.
8990084
But it’s very important nonetheless. To everything that needs life, what is arguably what is actually important, day and night or both critical. Just day, worlds burn, just night, worlds freeze.
Yes you could argue other planets are to close or far from a star for the other to happen, but as i said, life. In particular here for the life of this world, the cycle is important.
8989993
An angry mom yelling at you to stop messing with the cosmic light switch.
8998512
Oy vei, the light bill!
If ya know what I mean.
Great fic, looking forward to the... climax.