The room was warm with far too many bodies and humid from too much breathing. It was stuffy and needed air, but there were no windows, no means of ventilation. Gosling had something of a headache and there was a dull stabbing sensation in his stomach that made his current state of boredom quite unpleasant. He didn’t want to be here, but remained out of a sense of duty. He needed to be here.

Sitting in a back corner, Mister Mariner watched the proceedings, and Gosling kept looking at him. Something about the earth pony bothered him, put him on edge, he didn’t like Mister Mariner, not one bit. Truth be told, he didn’t care too much for most of the ponies in this room. They were fighting for the right to ruin the lives of others without consequences.

Sitting on an elevated dais, both Prince Blueblood and Prince Shining Armor made for commanding figures. They sat behind a heavy oaken table, both of them were wearing crowns, black robes, and vestments of office.

“—you cannot possibly hold a newspaper’s management or its owner responsible for the actions of a reporter!”

“We can, and will,” Blueblood said in a dry voice.

“But if a reporter was unhappy with their job, they could do something purely out of malice to get revenge.”

Shining Armor nodded. “Yes. They could. Perhaps it is time to do more to keep the ponies you employ happy. Perhaps better pay and fair, favourable treatment.”

“You cannot possibly expect to hold a newspaper accountable for the actions of its reporters,” another pony said. “What if a bad reporter makes a mistake?”

“Yet, we will.” Blueblood’s eyes narrowed and he turned his hard, flinty stare on the pony who had spoken. “It is now time to take responsibility and run a proper business. It is time to do background checks. It is time to make certain that the reporters you hire are well educated, and know the meaning of the words ‘morals’ and ‘ethics.’ For some reason, journalism in this great country is one of the few professions that seem to have no practices or standards. I aim to change that.”

“The cost—”

“The cost?” Shining Armor cut off the pony speaking. “Yes, you will no longer be able to hire the average pony off of the streets and send them out to do hatchet jobs.”

“There is no evidence that Morgan Walker tasked the reporter responsible for causing this mess to fulfill a personal agenda.”

The lawyer slumped down in his chair and turned away from both Blueblood and Shining Armor’s withering gaze. Blueblood turned to look at Shining Armor, and then back to the lawyer. He took a deep breath—

“Actually, that is exactly what happened. We have reconstructed the memories of said reporter through the unique magic of the Wardens that serve our great society.” Blueblood’s eyes glittered with fiery rage. “We also have reason to believe that Morgan Walker is a member of the insurgency group known as the Equalists, as he seems to have gone missing since the attack upon the train.”

“Justice is not blind… and her eyes are the Wardens, who see all,” Shining Armor said in a voice that was gritty with anger.

“You cannot do this—”

“Mister Mariner, I must ask you to be silent,” Shining Armor said.

“No.” Mariner stood up. “I will not be silent while this injustice continues. The two of you aren’t even alicorns. This is not justice, this is petty revenge being done by the Crown. Newspapers are a business like any other. They have to be profitable. They have a right to make money.”

“Not at the expense of the lives of others,” Blueblood interjected.

“It sounds as though you do not trust the judgment or the intelligence of the common pony.” Mister Mariner’s dry voice cut through the murmurs in the room and his eyes became steely. “While a newspaper should tell the truth, they are also a means of entertainment. Just look at the tabloids and the gossip sections found even in reputable rags. Surely, nopony takes these seriously or sees them as being truthful. Tell me, will you hold the marketers and advertisers to the fire if the products they create a marketing campaign for fail to live up to the clever claims they make?”

“Yet you advertise the tabloids as the truth,” Blueblood replied. His voice became haughty and mocking. “The hidden truth that the Crown doesn’t want you to know!” He banged his hoof against the oaken table. “Pfah!”

“We are not the ones on trial here, Mister Mariner. And your attempt to make us look bad is not appreciated. Now, I will say this one last time… you are to remain silent. This is not a regular court… you do not want the full weight of the law coming down upon your head.”

Mister Mariner arched one eyebrow and appeared as though he was about to say something, but he remained silent. He looked at both Shining Armor and Blueblood with undisguised loathing in his eyes. Gosling, from where he was sitting, didn’t much care for how Mariner was looking at two ponies that he considered friends. He longed to say something, but held his tongue.

“The press has an obligation to tell the truth,” Shining Armor said, his voice now calm. “The educated and uneducated alike turn to newspapers and magazines as a means of learning about current events, issues, and politics. There is an obligation to serve the public interests. If there is a scandal among the nobles”—he paused for a moment and looked around the room—“or even the royals, the press has a right, no, a duty to bring it to the public eye and inform them about it. But should they create scandal when and where there is none to be found, should they poison the opinions and perceptions of the public that they serve, there will be consequences. Dire consequences. You should live in fear of making a mistake. You should be cautious and hesitant to run with a story. Before doing anything foolish, you should do a thorough fact check and determine the truth.”

“A doctor lives in fear of making a mistake, for it might cost them their patient’s life and could even cost them their profession. Journalists should know the same fear. This attempt at scandal ruined a young filly’s life.” Blueblood’s harsh glare intensified. “I am going to allow a recess so that we might all compose ourselves.”

Angling his neck, Gosling stuck his face under the faucet so that the cold water could run over it. Eyes closed, he soaked his face and stood there with his head in the sink, soaking his face, his ears, and his mane. He snuffled and snorted, almost sucking water up his nose. The water here in the castle didn’t reek of chlorine and didn’t sting his eyes or nose.

As the water gushed over his face, he felt a nip on his croup, just above his dock. Startled, he banged his head against the faucet, which blocked up the water flow and caused it to go squirting everywhere. His hindquarters backed into something solid and warm as he pulled his head out from beneath the faucet.

He whirled around to face his nipper and found Celestia with an impish grin. He stood there, dripping, looking up at the mischievous mare. Much to his surprise, she licked the side of his face, then smacked her lips as she tasted the water that had soaked into his face. There was a faint squeak as the faucet was turned off behind him.

“What are you up to?” Gosling asked.

“Distracting myself,” Celestia replied.

“Oh?” Confused, Gosling blinked at her as his head tilted off to one side.

She did not reply right away, but licked him again. She savoured his flavour for a moment before she gave her answer. “My beloved nation is ripping itself apart right now. I rule over a nation divided. Sometimes, I think I can hear the distant shrieking of the windigos. As everything tears itself asunder, I keep thinking of abdication. Maybe I’ll found a new nation elsewhere.” She paused for a moment, then lowered her head, and looked Gosling in the eye.

“Would you follow me if I did such a thing?”

Gosling did not answer right away. Still dripping, he considered his reply, listening to the sound of water droplets hitting the floor, which made him think of rain. “As much as I love you and want to be with you, I feel as though I have some obligations to the ponies of Equestria. I want to help them. These are trying times. If I went with you, I would feel guilty. If I stayed here, I would feel regret. There is no way for me to answer your question in a satisfactory manner.”

“Sounds like a real corker of a problem.”

Unable to stop himself, Gosling laughed.

“Gosling, I have a terrible feeling that something very bad is about to happen… call it, well, call it an alicorn’s intuition if you will. I felt it when Sombra rose to power… I felt it when I battled Discord. It very nearly crippled me when Luna succumbed to the nightmare influence—”

“Are you worried that Luna is about to turn on you again?” Gosling turned his head and his snoot bumped into Celestia’s.

“No.” Celestia allowed her muzzle to rest against Gosling’s and did not pull away. “I should hope not. She’s getting better, in her own way.” She drew in a deep breath, held it for a moment, and then let it out as she said, “Gosling, there is something you should know about my sister Luna.”

“And that is?”

“She’s bipolar.” After a pause, Celestia added, “Don’t tell her I said anything. I keep telling her that she needs to tell you, that it isn’t fair for you to not know what you are getting into. We’ve argued about it. It was a recent diagnosis, apparently. A cadre of doctors have brought up the issue of whether or not Luna is fit to rule.”

“She is as ever changing as the moon.”

“Well, that’s romanticising it somewhat.” Celestia’s orange tongue flicked out and she licked some water from Gosling’s nose.

“Say…” Gosling allowed the gears of his mind to grind. “Is that why she sometimes slips back into old speech patterns?”

“Maybe.” Celestia shrugged. “That is actually an excellent question. Perhaps when fits of melancholy seize her, she slips back into old patterns to bring herself a measure of comfort.” Pulling back her head, Celestia licked the velvet fold of Gosling’s ear, which twitched as she tickled it.

“Hey, what gives?” Gosling’s eyebrows raised.

“I too, fall back on old traditions and customs for comfort.” Celestia smiled. “A long time ago, ponies licked and groomed one another. Plus, you’re salty and you taste good. I haven’t had anypony to lick for a while. There is a certain intimacy to it that a kiss just doesn’t have.”

“I see.”

“Well, Gosling, given the chance, I am absolutely positive that there are parts of me that you will enjoy licking.” Celestia endured a dramatic pause and then added, “And goodness, do those parts need a licking.”

“Uh…” Gosling’s cheeks darkened. “So… about that feeling of yours, that something bad is gonna happen, care to tell me more?”

“It’s just a feeling. Something bad might happen tomorrow, or it might be a hundred years from now. All I can know for sure is, my alicorn senses are tingling, which causes me alarm.” After speaking, Celestia nibbled on the edge of Gosling’s ear in a very equine like manner, and seemed to delight in how she made his body twitch and jerk in response.

“Sometimes I feel very conflicted, Gosling.” Celestia paused in her ear nibbling so she could speak. “Sometimes, I don’t know if I serve the land or the ponies who live upon it. The land perseveres, Gosling… so long as there is the land, there is Equestria. I lost most of the ponies once and I learned a hard lesson, the worst lesson that any ruler can learn.”

“And that is?”

“Ponies are replaceable, but land isn’t. It’s why I haven’t flown off to find a new land. I’ve grown attached to this one.” Celestia’s eyes misted over. “To preserve this land, I have sent countless ponies off to their deaths. I’ve had to purchase safety and security with the hardest of all currencies, lives. To preserve the land, I’ve had to learn to look at my little ponies as resources, as tokens that can be moved about on a game board, and as little golden bits which can be used to purchase what I need to preserve the land. By preserving the land, Equestria has endured for a thousand years. No other current nation can make this boast. But it meant sacrificing so many lives.” She gave her head a sad shake.

Gosling, flummoxed, shook his head. “But a nation needs citizens.”

“Therein lies the rub, Gosling.” Celestia drew herself up to her full height, which was considerable. She towered over Gosling. “Which is why I feel conflicted. I feel that I owe something to the ponies of this land. It is why I stay, and haven’t abdicated, though there are times when I feel tempted.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Gosling asked.

“Because of how you answered me earlier,” Celestia replied. “You feel an obligation to the ponies of Equestria, and if forced to choose between them and myself, you would rip yourself apart trying to make that decision. You understand what it is like for Luna and I. At least, you have a glimmering of understanding. You understand obligation. Ultimately, it will crush you, as it has done to me. I am a prisoner, Gosling, and the crown I wear is a shackle. Often do I think of freeing myself from it, but I find that the bond is very difficult to break.”

“I… I… I…” Gosling stammered, fighting to find the words he longed to say.

Celestia silenced him with a kiss, crushing her muzzle against his. It was not a passionate kiss, but an aggressive, almost violent kiss, one fueled by the consuming flames of desire. The much larger mare asserted her dominance over the smaller colt, bringing her weight to bear down upon him.

When he could take no more, she pulled away and glared into his eyes. “You too, are one of the ponies of this nation. There may come a time when I am forced to place you upon the board, so that the land will endure. Should that ever happen, I do hope you will forgive me, my love.”

Nodding, Gosling whispered, “I would… I would bear you no malice, I swear it.”

Author's Notes:

In the next chapter... the center will not hold.