//------------------------------//
// Family reunion 
// Story: House of the Rising Sunflower 
// by kudzuhaiku 
//------------------------------//

Once again, Sundance found himself in the curious library-like study where he had met with Princess Celestia. Toys still littered the floor and Sundance was reminded of his previous thoughts of this place; it was a private room meant for family. Nuance looked up from where he was sitting, and the blanketed mass beside him wiggled. A lone guard stood in the corner, a unicorn wearing ornate armor. Sundance eyeballed him for a time and with a sigh, returned his attention to Nuance.

“You are in need of help,” Nuance said while making a gesture for Sundance to sit down. He himself sat in the chair covered in orange stains that his mother had sat in during the first meeting. “Prince Blueblood could not be here due to circumstances but I have been given a chance to prove myself.” With a turn of his head, Nuance nodded at the blanket beside him. “This is my brother, Steadfast. He’s having a rough day, but then again, he is always having a rough day.”

From beneath the blanket, there was a faint moan.

“Pleased to meet you, Steadfast.” Sundance took a seat and tried to peer into the folds of the blanket, but nothing could be seen. Whomever was buried beneath the blanket remained out of sight. “What is wrong with your brother, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Sundance’s question caused Nuance’s eyes to narrow and for a moment, anger could be seen on the colt’s face. His jaw clenched, the muscles in his neck drew tight, and his fine, slender ears stood at erect perfection. For a moment, Sundance feared that he might have made a mistake, but then Nuance’s anger seemed to melt away, like a cube of sugar dissolving into hot tea.

“My brother and I share a peculiarity of our parentage,” Nuance began, and Sundance marvelled at how grown up the colt sounded. “My mother, Celestia, tends to have weak unicorns. I am a weak unicorn, with very little magic and I am rather frail in body. Luna has weak earth ponies and in the long ago past, many of them did not live for very long. Steadfast has had to fight for every day of his existence. We’re very close, my brother and I.”

“But what’s wrong with him?” Sundance asked and he hoped that he wasn’t being too nosy.

“Everything,” Nuance replied while the blanketed heap beside him began to tremble.

Sundance didn’t know what to say and without realising it, his gaze came to rest upon the bright orange blanket covered with cheerful sun-emblems. The idea that alicorns could birth less than perfect foals shocked him to his very core; so much so that his own problems slipped from his mind. All of his troubles, all of his doubts, all of his worries, his concerns, and fears fled from him; all that was left was sympathy for the miserable foal wrapped in a blanket.

“For the longest time, I was quite hateful… I was spiteful because of how weak I was, and I caused a lot of problems. Sadly, I besmirched my own reputation and I became quite disliked. I was angry, you see. There was this belief, this idea that I was owed more, that I deserved more by virtue of who and what I was.” Nuance sighed, a sad sound, and he shook his head from side to side.

Though Sundance listened to every word spoken by Nuance, his eyes remained on the blanket.

“After Steadfast was born, I became unbearable because I couldn’t deal with the unfairness of it all. I am ashamed to admit that I hated him for a time, because of what he represented, and I became a truly monstrous little prat. The trouble I caused became so much of an issue that my mother, Celestia, sent me away for Steadfast’s wellbeing, and I stayed in the Crystal Empire for a time.”

The blanket rose and fell as the foal within let out a forlorn sigh.

“What made you change?” Sundance asked.

“Dim’s cruel tutelage…” Nuance’s words trailed off and he seemed to shrink in his chair. “It felt as though everypony had given up on me. Even Twilight wanted nothing to do with me and I continued to act out. I wore out Sunburst’s patience with me and he said he was done with me. But Dim’s cruelty… was tireless.” The colt shivered, blinked a few times, and a fleeting fear could be seen in his eyes.

“Surely you must have done something right to be here with your brother now.” Sundance’s eyes now focused on Nuance’s and he wondered how much of the colt’s words might be hyperbole. Surely Celestia wouldn’t allow somepony to be ruthlessly cruel to her own son. Perhaps this cruel tutelage was… exaggerated just a smidgen.

“Dim, with Blueblood’s help, sorted me out. Blueblood in particular helped me to see that power was within my reach… and that is what I craved, power. I guess because I felt so powerless for so long. I learned that I could change lives with a stroke of a pen and that I could steer social policy to make things better. It was Blueblood that got it through my head that there were a lot of ponies that felt powerless and they were all just as miserable as I was… and Dim… Dim helped me to understand that I could achieve my dreams of knighthood, even though I was thoroughly ill-suited to be a wizard or a warrior. I just had to apply myself to a different way of fighting.”

“I see.” Sundance offered up a nod to show that he was listening.

“Which is why I am assigned to help you, Sundance. I guess you could say that you’ve become my school project. I was given the opportunity of a lifetime to prove myself and show myself capable. So here I am, and here you are, and together, we have a mess to fix. Neither one of us can afford to mess up, so it is in our best interests to help one another… and be friends.”

“I’m cold,” a whiny voice mewled from within the blankets.

“You could sit with me, if you’d like.” Sundance heard a clunk from the guard and now had a keen awareness that he was being stared at. “Or maybe not. Look, I don’t know the rules, I’m sorry.”

“Help move my brother,” Nuance commanded of the guard and Sundance witnessed a silent contest of wills. “Mother said that he was to be treated as family and that he is to be given trust. Now, if you please, do as I say. Do as you are told!”

Offering no response, the guard moved, his armor clanking, and his heavy hooves rang against the stone tile floor. Steadfast was lifted—with exquisite care of course—and Sundance shuffled over in his chair to make room. He changed positions, going from upright to a more relaxed pony-loaf, and extended his wing while nodding at the guard.

The precious bundle was placed beside him and Sundance was terrified by the whole situation. Even scarier, the blanketed bundle was almost weightless, little more than dandelion fluff, and he could feel what felt like a shivering, quivering bundle of sticks beneath the thick fabric trembling against him. With great care, he lowered his wing and covered the precious foal that shivered against his side while the guard backed away.

“My brother is very dear to me.” Nuance’s words were strained and his nostrils flared as if he was trying to hide a sniffle. “I have since come to appreciate his frailty. He and I live in a house of gods and giants. We are surrounded by the very pinnacles of perfection. Nopony… not my parents, not my relatives, not a one of them truly understands what it means to be us—but we understand one another, don’t we Steadfast?”

From within the blanket beneath Sundance’s wing came a faint, whispered reply: “Yep.”

“Enough pleasantries,” Nuance stated and there was a genuine sense of command in his thin, squeaky voice. “Let us begin our great work.”





Try as he might, Sundance could not shake his guilty feeling. He had just poured his heart out to Nuance about the living conditions—the sheer awfulness of the stone cottages with the sod roofs. While his peasants had no doubt lived this way for a long time—a fact that pained Sundance a great deal—he knew that his own resolve was rather weak and that he would break sooner or later under these conditions. It was painful and shameful admitting such weakness to a foal—humbling even—especially with how frail and weak the two foals in his company were.

Nuance was calm now, composed, thoughtful, and sat in silence. No judgment had been cast from him, no sneering, no contempt; if anything, Nuance understood and there was something that was almost reassuring about this for Sundance. Looking thoughtful, Nuance began to tap his inkpen against his fuzzy chin while his horn fizzled and sparked, a sign that his magic was struggling to continue to function.

“I feel so bad even bringing this up,” Sundance confessed in a low whisper. “Is fixing this even the right thing to do? If I live in a nice house while everypony else lives in those dreadful stone cottages, will that make me look like I’m better than them? How do I fix this without looking like a heel? It almost feels like I should suffer alongside them, but I am nowhere near strong enough to do so for long. That one night in that horrible cottage was the most miserable night in my life.”

“Hmm…” Nuance stretched his utterance into one long hum.

“Look, I want to be a good pony, and I want to do the work your mother believes that I can do, but I am a big soft wuss from the urban interiour of Baltimare. Nature doesn’t exist there, because it was paved over with concrete and covered with a high rise tenement tower. As awful as it is being poor, it’s nothing compared to the living conditions in the Sunfire Barony. If I was to go home right now, I’d never complain about the radiator not working ever again. I’d be happy to have a roof over my head and a nice, warm, dry bedroom that wasn’t filled with choking smoke.”

Sundance lapsed into silence and his sensitive ears listened to the wheezing whistling sound that could be heard from within the blanket, a sound that seemed far worse than asthma and was more like a laboured death rattle. Asthma was a rising concern in Baltimare, as was black lung from coal dust, and respiratory issues were starting to become worrisomely common.

“My father,” Nuance began while his pen continued tapping against his squarish chin, “founded the Royal Guard Corps of Gringineers—”

Unable to stop himself, Sundance burst out laughing and then snorting when he tried to hold it in.

Rolling his eyes, Nuance shook his head in disapproval while waiting for Sundance's laughter to subside. “Look, my father started his own branch of the Royal Guard to wage war on poverty and to bring happiness to the common pony. What have you done with your life?”

“Sorry.” Sundance swallowed his laughter and made himself think serious thoughts.

“The Corps of Gringineers just had a fresh batch of recruits earlier this spring… green recruits in need of training. I am positive that I can get my father to send them to your barony to construct some simple housing as a training exercise. You see, this is what they do. They ferret out and attack the causes of poverty at the source, when and where they can. Ponies feel that the Crown is doing something, so this restores faith in governance. My master, Blueblood, says this is why Equestria is on a nationwide upswing and the reason why confidence in the Crown is soaring.”

Sundance—still serious—nodded. He knew of Prince Gosling’s division of the guard, but by a different name: the CoG. He knew the symbol as well, a toothed gear with a rubber duck in the middle. The CoG had come to Baltimare to build a few vertical farms and community gardens; it wasn’t much, but it was a start, and ponies started to take a bit of pride in their neighborhoods again. Sundance’s mother said it was the sort of act that could save a city; give ponies the hope they needed and then trust that they do the hard work required to save themselves.

“My father is brilliant and clever in that he recruited an army of pacifists to fight a war.” Nuance shifted in his seat, leaned over against the stained arm of the chair, and kicked out his hind legs to be more comfortable. “I used to dislike my father”—Nuance confessed this in a low whisper—“but now that I’ve grown older I appreciate what he does. He always acted so silly and it infuriated me because I was so miserable. He makes ponies happy and I didn’t want to be happy. Now, I want to make him happy.”

“My father makes light bulbs.” Sundance felt awkward even mentioning it, but he continued in spite of his own reservations. “He sits on a wooden stool and every eight seconds, he pulls a lever down. This stamps a flat piece of metal and puts a dimple in it. There is a little contact spot on the bottom of a light bulb that allows electricity to flow though. My father makes those. All of his strength goes into pulling a lever that shapes metal. That’s been his life.”

Nuance appeared flabbergasted, but said nothing.

“It used to be six seconds…” Sundance realised how lucky he was that he didn’t work in a factory and he felt his muscles go tense. “The union he pays part of his paycheck to demanded two additional seconds so that workers could catch their breath in between pressings and not be so strained. Still, my father’s shoulder is going out and he’s in a lot of pain at the end of an eight hour shift, even if he doesn’t say anything.”

“What happens when his job is automated?” Nuance’s voice was nasal and he sounded congested.

Sundance shrugged.

“That’s what my father is trying to do.” Nuance sounded more foalish than ever and now even looked the part. “He is working very hard to secure some kind of future for everypony. The Mister Mariner incident left my father in a constant state of worry. Equestria is mechanising.” The colt cleared his throat, coughed once, sniffled, and clutched his ink pen in his fetlock. “I shall tell you a secret, Sundance… the motivations of my parents.”

“And those are?” While Sundance spoke, he heard the nearby guard shuffle.

“Twilight and my parents are reviving the old fiefdoms and are trying to strike a balance with neo-feudalism. Factory workers are already being displaced. Many of the working poor find themselves with no job, no place to live, and they are leaving the cities. They are returning to live on the land once more, and my parents are scrambling to make sure that the needs of their subjects are met. Adequate housing, food, and an acceptable standard of living. That’s what this is all about… and this is what I am now working to accomplish. I don’t know what I’m doing, but I am trying to help assist this transition. I know for a fact that my mother wants to begin transferring some of the displaced to your demesne, but only after you’ve found your way.”

Upon hearing this, Sundance’s jaw fell open and he sat there, gaping at Nuance.

In the corner, the guard grunted and then scowled.

“All of the Royal Family knows the scope and the scale of the crisis that is coming,” Nuance said, ignoring the guard’s nonverbal protests. “It is why my mother picked you… she’s desperate—”

The guard gave his throat a good, hearty clearing and Nuance scowled while asking, “Do you need a throat lozenge?” When the guard quieted, Nuance’s scowl became a sullen frown. “My mother is desperate,” the colt continued, still irked at the guard. “I’ve seen her cry about it. She’s panicked. That’s why there’s been all of the emergency social reforms and the rapid changes in the laws. We are in crisis mode. She chose you because you’re like my father. He too, came from the inner-city, and he understands what poverty is like. I think that my mother hopes that you’ll be like him. Life hasn’t beaten you down and made you believe that you can’t do something, and my mother hopes that you’ll be willing to try anything.”

The assisted epiphany struck Sundance like a bolt of lightning and took his breath away. Nuance had just revealed Princess Celestia’s motives and for whatever reason, Sundance understood them. He was just young enough to be idealistic and believe that almost anything was possible, though his youthful enthusiasm had been fading a bit as of late. He was starting to settle in to a career and life as an adult. Thought had been given to moving out, though he and his mother remained amicable roommates with one another because the rent was abominable.

With a gentle, tender squeeze of his wing, Sundance hugged the precious bundle beside him and searched his mind for something to say, something worthwhile. Nothing came to mind. He saw the necessity now and had some inkling of the gravity of the situation. This wasn’t about saving his demesne, or saving his peasants, this was about securing the future, and with this understanding now in place, his treatment of Earwax seemed all the more important. During this transition, the self-worth of many would be injured and many would be asking what value they had.

The door opened and two fillies entered; one Sundance recognised, Hailstone, and the other was a stranger. The bigger of the two fillies was as dark as a stormcloud, was a bit heavyset, and wore thick glasses. Nuance did not seem happy to see them, and his pale face darkened.

“I am doing my schoolwork!”

The bigger of the two pegasus fillies lept up into the orange-stained chair, shoved Nuance over to make room for her ample hindquarters, and then planted an affectionate noisy smooch upon his cheek. Nuance pulled away, quivering, his ears rising and falling with each trembling breath he took.

“Corbie, I am working.”

“We just finished our tutoring and we thought we’d come to help.” The bespectacled charcoal black pegasus filly turned her cheerful, exuberant self upon Sundance and introduced herself. “Hiyas, I’m Corbie, Nuance’s big bossy sister.”

Hailstone meanwhile was climbing into Sundance’s chair with great care, mindful of her sibling. She opened the blanket up for a moment, and there was a mewling cry of protest. For the first time, Sundance had himself a look at Steadfast, and saw a stick-thin foal of navy blue, charcoal black, and shimmering silver. Steadfast was striking, speckled, and shivering. Hailstone pulled him close, ignoring his protests, wrapped her tiny wings around him, and then pulled the blanket around herself and her brother, which quieted him.

“I’m Sundance—”

“Oh, I know,” Corbie said while she squeezed Nuance hard enough to make his eyes bulge in their sockets. “Mother talked about you during supper.”

“Oh.” Taken aback, Sundance lapsed into silence while Corbie mauled her brother. He was a topic of conversation around the supper table? It was more disconcerting than flattering and Sundance found himself overwhelmed.

“Equinal space!” Nuance cried while trying to free himself from the vice-like embrace of his sister.

Corbie rubbed her cheek against her brother’s and replied, “You shared a womb with me! Special womb snuggles!” With this, the chubby pegasus filly threw everything she had into the snuggle-struggle taking place with her brother.

“Ugh!” Nuance kicked and wiggled, but to no avail.

After a few more squeezes, Corbie eased up, but she didn’t let go and continued to cuddle her brother, showering him with warm, genuine affection. Nuance, sullen, could do nothing and made a series of impatient grunts, trying to express his desire to return to work. For whatever reason, Sundance missed his mother and grandmother, pegasus ponies who had no concept of equinal space. So great was his sense of separation that his eyes turned glassy and his vision blurred over.

There was a tug on his mane and then Hailstone, with a fetlock full of mane asked, “Are you gonna cry?”

“No!” Embarrassed, Sundance blinked a few times until his vision cleared and then tried not to think about how much he missed his family.

“Liar.” Hailstone peered up from her blanket cocoon with wide, accusing eyes.

“Look, if I fail my schoolwork, they’ll send me back to Dim—”

“NO!” Corbie shrieked and her sudden panicked grip on Nuance caused his spine to crackle in a most alarming way. “Dim makes my skin shiver! He’s mean!”

“Schoolwork!” Nuance moaned, struggling to get the word out while his ribs were slowly being crushed into jelly by his sister.

“When nightmares have bad dreams, they dream of Dim!” Corbie, her spectacles askew, let go of her brother, seized him once more, squeezed him a final time for good measure, and then let go once again. With a shiver, she gave him the space he needed, but remained in the chair with him.

“Staying in the Crystal Empire isn’t so bad,” Nuance muttered while he reached out and patted his sister on the foreleg. “Quiet always sorts me out.” Then, as a precaution, Nuance held his hoof in front of his sister’s mouth. “No teasing! Off limits! Schoolwork!”

Corbie, who had sucked in a huge breath to say something, deflated and remained silent. Sundance, who missed his family, had endured a hard morning, and had been called a liar by Hailstone, laughed. It was easy to laugh and to feel better around this bunch, even if Steadfast left him feeling a little sad.

Whatever humour Nuance had vanished and was replaced by a shrewd look. “I can get my father’s gringineers to build some houses for you. We’ll call it a training exercise and we’ll build a half-a-dozen or more. You can say that you are planning for the future and you claim one of the new dwellings. Perhaps you can convince the peasant pony who just lost her leg to move into one as well. Say it is for the sake of her health or comfort or whatever it is that you need to say to make it happen. Such an act of kindness will surely endear your peasants to you.”

“Um, I think that Sundance has serfs, not peasants,” Corbie remarked.

“Corbie…”

“Peasants own stuff, or can. Serfs have absolutely nothing. They are labourers—”

“Corbie, we don’t say serfs. Many feel it is derogatory and instills a feeling of hopelessness.” Nuance concentrated for a moment and used his magic to straighten out his sister’s eyeglasses. “Peasants can own houses and things. It is a kinder, gentler word, and it is the prefered nomenclature under the new neo-feudalism guidelines.”

“You’ve been studying,” Corbie said whilst she patted his cheek. “See, this is what I mean. If you apply yourself, you’re smart. You just have to work harder, that’s all. I know how unfair it is because Radiance doesn’t have to study at all, and he knows everything.”

Both siblings, Nuance and Corbie, sighed together.

“See, Nuance, it is just like I told you. Hard work pays off. Listen to how smart you sound.” The affectionate pegasus filly leaned in closer to her brother, elbowed him, and continued, “I know how hard you work, little brother. You have to spend hours studying before something sticks in your head, but you’ve been working, and it shows. I’m so proud of you. I knew you could do it.”

In response, Nuance turned a vibrant shade of purple and then stared up at the ceiling as even his ears began to change colours. It spread down his neck, his chest, and through his barrel, and for a time, it seemed as though the colt had become the chameleon of profound embarrassment. Beside Sundance, Hailstone began to giggle, and Steadfast let out a weary, sleepy sounding grunt while his sister’s mirth shook him.

Just as Nuance was about to say something, the door opened again and a gleaming white earth pony colt entered the room…