//------------------------------// // Aspiring good dog // Story: House of the Rising Sunflower // by kudzuhaiku //------------------------------// Lunch took too long. It was easy to get swept up in events; he had come to Canterlot in search of a midwife, only to get tangled up in circumstances and situations. Life demanded more of him, expected more of him, and when he was focused upon just one life, other lives got involved, swept up in his passing wake. To save one life that he was responsible for, he was entrusted with one more life to look after. Fleur had made him make promises, she had made him swear upon anything and everything that was important to him. Corduroy was much beloved and Fleur was trusting him with her very existence. Life now had unbelievable complexity. Every aspect of his life was now entwined with others, with no escape. This is what it meant to be The Baron. Which was only a tiny puddle of responsibility when compared to his great grandmother’s ocean of duty as The Princess. Yet the fact that she had shared some of this obligation with him was not lost on him. Why? That particular question stayed with him. Why? Because, a somewhat sarcastic inner-voice said within his ears, diamond dog, that’s why. Yes, there was currently a diamond dog behind him, having the time of her life. She sat in the sky truck, clinging to the side, not at all afraid to look down. Her pointy triangular ears waggled in the wind and her long, wide blue tongue—which dangled from the corner of her broad mouth—flapped like a windsock in a hurricane. The only way to describe her expression was one of intense joy. When birds flew by, she barked at them, but thankfully did not leap out of the cart to chase them. Already, Sundance was steeling himself for confrontation. He might have to put his hoof down. A firm stance might need to be taken. For whatever reason, the anticipation and the anxiety from this potential confrontation was far, far worse than facing up to his own biases and prejudices. The idea that somepony might not like what he did, or worse, be unhappy with what he had done, it left him in a fitful, frightful state of mind. The worst outcome he could think of would be that Hollyhock refused to allow Corduroy to treat her. What then? He would have to get demanding, and that would be stressful. What if she resisted? What if there was a struggle? How would he resolve this if it played out in the worst possible way? What if there was a peasant revolt? Peasant revolts happened. He’d read about them in history class. How would he explain this to Princess Celestia? In what possible way could he possibly explain this where he didn’t look like a colossal idiot? What was he thinking, hiring on a diamond dog that might cause so much upset? He hadn’t played it safe, and that was his trouble. At this moment, he saw it, and it was clear as day. His propensity to take risks, to be a daredevil, it might very well be his undoing. This was just slaloming the stacks again, just to see if it could be done. To see what might happen. His anxiety took the form of nervous energy and this gave him speed, remarkable speed, swallows unladen by coconuts speed. Breakneck speed while hauling a load, leaving him with little time to react if something crossed his flight path. At some point, a crash was inevitable. For whatever reason, Cucumber was alone to greet him when he landed and Sundance figured that Potato was responsible somehow. As for the rest of his merry band of snarky labourers, it was as if his barony had been deserted. Or perhaps gone off for tea—in another place, far, far away. A place not his barony, which it could be said had gone to the dogs. Well, this was good. All he had to do was convince Cucumber that this was a good idea. Certainly better than dealing with a crowd. As his hooves skidded over the packed stones, Sundance was already thinking of the best way to deal with this, but Cucumber it seemed, had other plans. The old retainer didn’t even spare Sundance a courteous glance, no—that crusty, wrinkly, ancient unicorn immediately focused whatever was left of his stare upon the wagon and its passenger. Poor Sundance, too late, he realised how much he mattered in the bigger scheme of things. “Good news, Cucumber, I’ve returned with a nurse!” “A moment, Milord,” was Cucumber’s rather curt reply. Knees popping from the strain of a century, the age-defying unicorn stood stiff-legged just a few yards away from the cart. “Hold, you. Not a move. I have some questions for ye, so I does. Don’t move. Don’t even get out of the cart, dog.” “Cucumber, is this necessary?” “A moment, Milord.” The old retainer’s eyes narrowed. “I served with a diamond dog during the exchange of unpleasantries.” His eyes narrowed a bit more, though his expression was more sad than aggressive. “He was loyal. Died right over there, so he did. The last one standing to hold the line. Buried what was left of him in our cemetery. He lived as one of us, he died as one of us, and was buried with us.” Here, Cucumber paused for a moment, as if collecting himself, and pulling himself out of the past. Sundance, still in his harness, had to crane his head and peer back over his wings to see what was going on. Sadness and pain were very much visible on Cucumber’s face and as for Corduroy, he could not read her expression. “Tell me, dog, are ye loyal?” Cucumber’s accent was a bit thicker than usual. “I’m the last living soldier of this barony. I’ve yet to be relieved of my duties. ‘Tis my job to deal with threats… both without and within… and trust me, I’ve dealt with both.” “Do you miss him?” Corduroy asked. “Not a day goes by when I don’t think of him,” Cucumber replied. Cracks could be heard in his words. “He died with his hammer in his paw. Never let go, even in death. So tell me, are ye loyal?” “I’ll be loyal to Baron Sundance—” “That’s not good enough!” Cucumber’s voice cracked to the point of breaking. “Barons come and go. The land… the land is all that matters. My entire life has been lived in service to this land. Every waking moment, every single day, my whole long existence. My loyalty is such that I refuse to die. I have no replacement, ye ken. Now, are ye loyal?” “My loyalty remains with Baron Sundance,” Corduroy said, patient and calm as a stone. “He took a great risk bringing me here to this place, and I know it. He risked your rejection and your displeasure. But he did what was right for his barony, because I am the best choice that he could have made. Because he stuck his neck out for me, I am, and will continue to be, loyal to him and his interests.” Cucumber’s eyes un-narrowed and he stood there, blinking. “His interests seem to be with the land. I’m not one for rash calls to judgment… never mind our current happenings, ‘cause I’m obeying my oath. I suppose that will have to do. Welcome to the Sunfire Barony. I’m Cucumber, faithful servant of the Milord.” “And I’m Corduroy. Loyal. Also, aspiring good dog. Thumping good nurse, if I can say that about myself.” When she stood up in the cart, her tail was wagging. “We have a sick mare that needs your remedies,” Cucumber said while craning his head to look up at Corduroy. “Not sure how she’ll feel when she sees you.” “Take me to her right away,” Corduroy said while grabbing two bags, but not her trunk. She stepped over the side of the cart and then stood on the ground, looking down at the unicorn staring up at her. “I have liniments that will help your joints, Old One.” “Maybe later.” Sundance began to pull the cart back to the barn so it could be parked and he watched as his retainer limped off, with Corduroy just behind him. So far, so good. With Cucumber’s acceptance, Corduroy had a good chance of being welcomed. This didn’t go as expected, and everything he’d imagined had ended in far worse ways. Perhaps things would go well with Hollyhock. It’d be great if they did, though he wasn’t counting on it. Sometimes… sometimes it is better to keep one’s mouth shut and let those with experience do what must be done. It was an important part of leadership, Sundance reckoned. In this particular instance, it was better to let Cucumber do the heavy lifting, so to speak, because Hollyhock was a bit resistant to the idea of having anything to do with Corduroy. He stood in the corner of the dining hall, right near the door, the only way in or out. Corduroy kept her distance, standing near the fire. Earwig sat near the table, studying her hoof, which must have been fascinating. Hollyhock was backed into the farthest corner from Corduroy, whimpering pitifully, and Cucumber’s patience seemed to be wearing a bit thin. “Don’t be a foal. Ponies these days, scared of their own shadows, so they are.” The old unicorn rolled his eyes as he groused and snorted out his annoyance. “I said no! No means no!” “Not here, it doesn’t!” Cucumber’s bushy eyebrows beetled. Sundance found that Earwig was looking at him, and she gave him a nod that he was certain could not be seen. She was communicating something, but what? Did he need to put his hoof down? Was now the time? He didn’t want to. What he wanted was to remain quiet and allow the situation to sort itself out. He had himself a pregnant mare that he didn’t want to upset any more than he had to, and as for Cucumber, his retainer was getting mighty peeved. “I don’t like nurses!” Hollyhock said as she shuffled in place. “Every time I visit one, I get a shot!” Cucumber was bound to strain something vital if his eyes kept rolling the way they did. “I mean, sure, catching a case of runny twat snot was my own fault, but she really jammed that big ol’ needle right in! I swear, she did it to punish me for how I am!” Upon hearing this, Cucumber’s thin, wrinkled lip peeled back from his teeth in a haggard sneer of disgust. Sundance felt bad for dumping all of this on Cucumber, but now, more than ever, he didn’t want to get involved. Runny twat snot? All of his mother’s warnings about loose mares flooded into his conscious mind and he had a sudden powerful desire for tea. “Let me look at you and I’ll give you some candy.” Corduroy stood, paws akimbo, and her tail was not wagging. She had just enough room to stand up in the dining hall, a testament to just how tall Princess Celestia was as a pony. “Candy?” Hollyhock stood agape for a moment. “Candy? You think I’ll cooperate for candy? I’m not letting you touch me with your dirty paws for candy!” “I could ask you if the cloth I hold over your nose smells like chloroform…” Folding her arms over her girth, Corduroy allowed her words to trail off so that the implied threat could be thought about. “Pick one.” Oh, this was good. Sundance waited, unsure of what Hollyhock might do. She was sick, in pain, and maybe desperate, so he figured there couldn’t possibly be much resistance left in her. As for Corduroy, he liked her even more. Later, when this was over, he was going to have a laugh about that chloroform line, because that was funny. “Will you stay with me?” Hollyhock—with her ears pinned back from fear—turned her pleading eyes on Sundance. “Don’t leave me alone with her.” “I’ll do you one better,” he offered, and before he realised what he was saying, he added, “I’ll let her examine me.” Suddenly every eye in the room was on him, and each face held very different expressions. What made him say such a stupid, stupid thing? Of all the looks, Corduroy’s confusion was decidedly the best, because dogs had such expressive facial features. “Baroo?” The canine-ish sound just sort of slipped out before Corduroy could stop it, and then she was both confused and embarrassed. “Very brave of you, Milord.” With Cucumber’s dry deadpan, it was impossible to determine if he was being snarky. Alone in her reaction, Earwig smiled. “When I went to the free clinic, the nurses were always so mean to me. It’s like they wanted to punish me.” Hollyhock’s eyes darkened and somehow, her ears pinned back even more, going completely flat against the back of her skull. Then, in a squeaky whisper, she added, “Diamond dogs scare me. I’ve seen a few movies. They’re always bad.” “Do you think movies accurately portray my kind?” Corduroy asked. She stood still, made no real movement, and did nothing that could seem threatening. “Am I not eloquent and well-spoken? The dogs on film all speak with broken sentences and guttural grunts. Every effort is made to make them appear savage, barbaric, and uncivilised. Has it occured to you that this is done on purpose, and that your entertainment industry strives to sow discord and dissent between us?” “Well, I—” Hollyhock’s mouth hung open and her eyes darted around, as if searching for some means of escape. Her barrel rose and fell, and with her rapid breathing her nostrils widened. “This… no… well… but… no… wait—I am very uncomfortable right now and don’t see a way out of this.” “Because of this, I have to work twice as hard to overcome the prejudice and poison peddled by your kind for just a few bits per show. This has impacted every aspect of my life profoundly, but you… you are the one uncomfortable.” “Yes,” Hollyhock squeaked. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” Ears sagging, Corduroy shook her head. “Now, are you going to let me examine you?” The tension in the air was like a thick fog that could be cut with a knife. Tangible, solid in a way that only fog and tension could be. Sundance could see that Hollyhock was struggling to come to terms with what had just happened, her whole body shook while her head wagged from side to side, the body language of denial. Corduroy had just dealt a savage—but necessary—blow, one that instilled within him a keen sense of awareness. She was an extraordinary dog, Corduroy, and it was easy to understand now why Fleur was so invested in seeing her succeed. “I don’t want my foals growing up to hate anypony,” Hollyhock murmured. “Right now, I feel so bad. Like I’ve been duped. I feel so very stupid. It’s a struggle to understand everything, but everything you just said makes it all seem so obvious. I might not be the smartest mare, but I’m not stupid. How did I blunder into this?” “All that matters now is what you do from here on out. Past events and mistakes exist so that we might learn from them so that we might have better futures. I’ve learned from the past mistakes of my kind, and there are many. I strive to correct them.” “My mistakes brought me here, to this place. As punishment.” “And all my hard work and preparation have brought me here, to this place, as an opportunity. We are both here and our shared future starts now. Don’t see this as punishment, see it as a chance to do better.” Hollyhock licked her lips and at long last, her ears pricked. When her eyes met with his, Sundance felt a curious warmth, something that he could only describe as hopeful. Some kind of warm, sunny optimism. A cautious smile, like a cautious ray of sunshine peeking down between thunderheads graced her face. “I’m still scared, but I don’t want to be…” “That’s okay.” Corduroy nodded. “I’ll do everything I can to put your mind at ease. Now please, let me help you.” “Please, help me.”