New friends
Patriotic posters promised victory. Confetti littered the streets and paper lanterns were still strewn between the buildings. Sundance glanced around, aware that he’d missed something, perhaps a parade or something, and all that could be seen now was the aftermath. Massive cloth banners hung from the government district buildings, some in white, others in blue, and some in both blue and white. Highly stylised images of the Royal Pony Sisters could be seen everywhere, in a variety of stunning forms.
In a nearby window, there was a recruitment poster for the Night Patrol, which had a pegasus in gleaming silver armor that was covered in nocturnal motifs. The Night Patrol promised action, adventure, and camaraderie. Graveyard shift constables? Guardsponies? Sundance didn’t know, but he felt a curious stirring within his breast while he studied the colourful, shiny, glossy sheet of paper in the window.
Beneath it was a smaller piece of paper with the words, Beware! The rodent menace is ever-ready! Be on your guard!
Yet another propaganda poster featured Twilight Sparkle, just a vague purple outline of her profile, but it was unmistakably her, because of the colour. Below her were rainbow-coloured letters that all-together said, Have you made a friend today? This gave Sundance pause, and he thought about the relative isolation of his barony. He had friends, sure, but meeting new ponies didn’t happen often.
There was so much to see, but Sundance didn’t have time to take it all in. He had to go and find a building with a teddy bear statue out front. A friendly building that looked out of place in the government district. Mindful of the wagon behind him, he navigated the narrow lane and spotted the bakery with sun cookies in the window—which meant that he was close, if the directions he’d been given were correct.
A massive stuffed bear statue dominated the tiny plaza in front of the Foal Services building. It sat atop an alphabet block with a duck—which was carved from solid stone. The plaza was pleasant; it had benches, a compact sandbox with a few half buried toys, and a donations dropbox protruded from the wall near the front doors. Hung from the lamp post was a sign that read, Parking in rear.
Out of all the various government and ministry buildings, this one was the most inviting.
But, the building itself, there was something unsettling about it. From the looks of it, it was an old building with a new facade. As Sundance stood there examining the imposing structure, he felt a strange chill and a curious tingle in his feathers. Everything seemed nice; in fact, it seemed as though the plaza and the stuffed bear statue existed to counter the unpleasant emanation that came from the building itself.
Canterlot was an old city, ancient, and Sundance suspected that this building had a history.
The lobby was a cheerful, colourful place that dazzled the eyes and stunned the senses. Sundance stood in the doorway, unsure of what to think, or what he expected. There was nothing dreary about this lobby, no typical government-standard gloom. In the middle of it all was a tremendous gumball dispenser, a towering behemoth that stood at least twenty feet tall and had clockwork innards. A gumball, once dispensed, would travel through whirligigs and thingamabobs and mechanical devices that did nothing but delight the eyes.
When he noticed that the gum was free, Sundance was sorely tempted.
But a mouthful of sugary-sweet gum would not be becoming. He was here on business. Still… if they had gum in the lobby, and that gum was free… surely it was expected for visitors to partake. He licked his lips, glanced around the empty lobby, and he might have wondered why there was no secretary, no greeter, but he was too tempted by the thought of a mouthful of bubblegum.
“Lord Sundance.”
He almost jumped right out of his feathers and something that was almost a squawk made a hasty exit from his mouth. He scrambled to recover himself, whirled about, and after a full turn around, he spotted a stern-but-friendly pegasus mare wearing a cardigan. Her mane was pulled back into a severe bun, which had several pens poking out. She wore big square glasses and there was something owlish about the way she peered at him.
It occurred to him that this pegasus was tiny; maybe half his size, but she had a dominating presence. She looked like a schoolmarm, or maybe a librarian. While he studied her, she seemed to study him in return, and it was only after several long seconds of profound silence that he began to think that perhaps he should say something, or maybe introduce himself.
“Hello,” he said at last while his heart thumped against his ribs.
“Have some gum,” she said. “Go on. It’s for foals of all ages.”
“No, that’s fine. Thank you.” He did indeed feel foalish right now.
“I’m Mrs. Oddbody,” she said. “Those grass stains are quite glamorous on you. I do believe you might start a fashionable trend.”
“I… uh”—getting his tongue to form words seemed especially hard right now—“well, um, I was in a hurry to leave and I seem to have forgotten to… uh”—his words trailed off when Mrs. Oddbody blinked at him in her owlish manner—“I’m pretty sure I got the twigs out of my tail.”
“Mrs. Velvet will see you now. As you are. Covered in grass stains. Without judgment or reservation. She’s used to seeing foals in a messy state… and occasionally, adults.”
“How did she know about that?” he asked.
“To climb the leaderboard, you are watched,” was Mrs. Oddbody’s quick reply. “The Observers are familiar with your habits. Your routines. Every morning, as of late, you come out, greet the dawn, go for a short flight, inspect your borders, mark your territory, and then when finished, you roll in the grass.”
“Huh,” he huhed, because he lacked a better means of response. “They, uh, know about the territory marking.”
Mrs. Oddbody’s reply was leaden deadpan: “Yes.”
Standing in a lobby for a government ministry that was dominated by a ginormous gumball dispenser, Sundance suddenly felt more than a little self-conscious. He had, in fact, forgotten to clean up a bit before his departure. After getting the letter, he was a little excited—maybe too excited. Perhaps more than anything, he wanted an excuse to fly, to go somewhere, to do something.
“Aw”—the diminutive pegasus mare held out her wing—“don’t feel bad. Lots of pegasus ponies mark their territories. I mean, I don’t… but I am very possessive over things that are mine. Don’t look so glum.”
“No, I…” Should he explain himself? He understood the concept of mine, as he was quite protective of things that were his, such as his barony, his peasants—yes, mine was a concept he understood. Should he tell her that he wasn’t upset about the territory marking, but about his appearance? He used to be such a carefully groomed pony. Not to the point of vanity, but his mother impressed on him the need to look presentable.
“It’s funny,” Mrs. Oddbody remarked. “I married an earth pony. He’s a swell fellow. I had to explain a lot of pegasus habits to him. Pegasus quirks. And in doing so, I came to a greater understanding about myself. I’d like to think that all that self-realisation helped me to become the mare I am today. Don’t be ashamed of your pegasus nature. If you want to mark your territory, you do that. Only a bigot would think less of you.”
“Uh, thanks?” He looked down at her while she looked up at him, and when he realised that she was utterly sincere with her statement, he had trouble coming up with an equally sincere response.
“Shall I take you to Mrs. Velvet now?” the prim pegasus asked.
“Yes,” he replied, “please.”
“Come with me.”
Twilight Velvet’s office was a spacious, yet cosy space. Rich wooden wainscotting gave the walls much needed warmth, and covered the austere cold stone. There was clutter in spaces that needed it, and cleanliness in the spots that demanded it. Several wooden cribs lined the back wall (all of which were empty at the moment) and there was a paisley sofa that appeared as though it had seen quite a number of naps.
As for the mare herself, she was not behind her desk awaiting him, but rather, she sat in an overstuffed chair in the corner, near a narrow slit of a window. She read a casefile, a thick one, and her reading glasses were perched askew on her nose. Something about her was timeless; she was Twilight Sparkle’s mother, but she wore advanced middle age quite well, which seemed remarkable to Sundance, given the stress this poor mare must endure on a daily basis.
“Buttermilk,” a copper-coloured stallion said from where he sat in a different corner.
Sundance failed to notice him somehow when he came in, perhaps because the corner shared a wall with the door. Now he found himself looking at entirely new things; filing cabinets, a table with a map of Equestria laminated on the tabletop, and a fine silver tea service that curls of steam could be seen rising from. After spotting the tea service, the smell hit him, something citrusy and bold. Immediately, his mouth went dry and he wondered if he would be offered tea.
“Lovesome,” Mrs. Oddbody replied. “Having a nice break?”
“Yes, quite.”
“Lord Sundance, this is my husband, Copperquick.” Then, with her wing extended, she reversed the introduction. “Lovesome, this creature in all of his grass-stained glory is Lord Sundance. But you already knew that.”
“Terms of marital familiarity help troubled foals in tough situations,” Twilight Velvet said while she closed her casefile folder. “At some point, the saccharine title of Lovesome seemed to stick, sort of like the wads of gum that get left on the floor and all over everything. Watch where you step, Lord Sundance. Or should I just call you Sundance?”
“Call me whatever you’d like, just don’t call me late for teatime.” This made Twilight Velvet chuckle, and Sundance managed to relax just a little. He cast a hopeful glance in the direction of the tea, and then just stood there awkwardly, uncertain if he was allowed to sit down.
“Have a seat,” Mrs. Oddbody said. “Anywhere you’d like. We have much to discuss.”
The paisley sofa was far, far more comfortable than it looked and smelt faintly of shampoo, the sweet scent of candy, and that curious powdery smell that Sundance associated with diapers. It was the smell of youth, of the very young, the scent of helplessness. He found it distracting, because it meant that enough troubled foals or foals in trouble had sat on this couch that the scent was now a permanent fixture, something that would always be there, just waiting to tickle the nose with troublesome associations.
How many tears had been shed on this very sofa?
“Care to venture a guess as to why you are here today?” Twilight Velvet asked while she prepared tea. “Also, one lump or two?”
“One is fine, thank you,” he replied, and then he continued, “I suspect that you wish to put that bunkhouse to good use.”
She nodded, chuckled for a short time, and then turned to face Sundance. “I wish to give your barony its future. I have precious gifts to give you. You have shown that you are trustworthy, because you’ve taken excellent care of the last gift I gave you. Provided for her every need, you have. When Amber Dawn took a tumble down into a dark, forgotten hole, it was you that went after her. You could have just dispatched your underlings and spared yourself the bother.”
“I didn’t find it bothersome at all,” he replied, and as he spoke, Mrs. Velvet’s face became an unreadable mask of nothingness. “We’re very close, little Amber and I.”
“Fascinating,” Twilight Velvet said while she served the tea and passed out steaming cups. “So am I to understand that you’ve made friends with the foals in your care?”
“I make the effort, yes.” He nodded his thanks as he accepted the teacup, which he held in his wings. “It’s real easy with Amber, but Lemongrass is a little harder. I mean, we’re friends, but we don’t have a lot in common, and I’d say he’s actually closer to Paradox, who’s been trying to teach the little guy magic. He almost worships the ground she walks on… and let me tell you, it makes his mother jealous. At least, I’m pretty sure she’s jealous.”
All three ponies were studying him now; one unicorn, one pegasus, and one earth pony. There was something symbolic about this trinity, but Sundance was too distracted to think of what it might be. Mrs. Velvet’s face was still an unfathomable mask, but Mrs. Oddbody showed signs of thoughtful concern, while Copperquick wore an expression of curious fascination. Realising that he was the subject of intense scrutiny, Sundance couldn’t help but feel a little awkward. These ponies were all smarter than him—considerably so—and he couldn’t help but feel that he was a book to be read to them.
“Allow me to be upfront, Sundance.” Twilight Velvet’s words were stern, measured, and still somehow warm. “I helped to pay for some of the construction… such as the bunkhouse. My daughter and I found it a worthy cause. She and I are also part of the team of anonymous investors that recently lifted you out of debt, because we believe in what you are doing. Now, I am not trying to imply that you owe me, or that you are indebted to me, but I do feel that it would be incredibly polite of you to return the favour.”
A sip of tea was needed to swallow this information, and Sundance lacked a response.
“Rustic found his passion… poor fellow, he was burnt out. I’m almost certain that he was in the middle of a terrible midlife crisis, and he’s far too young for that. But he has a purpose now, and happiness, and he believes in goodness and decency again. I’d like to think that the same has been done for you, Sundance. Every pony, every creature, is owed a bit of happiness, wouldn’t you agree?”
“But so few get it,” he replied in a thin voice that almost squeaked.
“Imagine if you could give happiness to others. Give them a sense of belonging. A purpose. And a place to live, of course. Little ones need that too, and let’s face it, your barony has a dearth of little ones.”
“We, uh, kinda do… have… a dearth… I suppose.”
“You are rich in resources, but suffer from foal scarcity.” Mrs. Velvet sipped her tea, crossed the room, and sat down in her chair by the narrow slit of a window. “I plan to fix that.”
“No,” he blurted out. “No, the barony isn’t ready for a whole bunch of foals. I’m sorry.”
Twilight Velvet’s impassive mask turned to one of intense surprise. “No? How curious. Celestia said you were a yes-pony through and through. She said that you’d jump to help me.”
“She what?” Sundance’s teacup trembled in his grasp. “She said what? She thinks I’m a yes-pony?”
“Celestia assured me that you’d roll right over and agree to my demands.” Twilight Velvet’s surprise turned into a shrewd smile. “So… care to tell me why I can’t populate the bunk house that I paid to have built?”
Sundance had been thinking about this very thing lately, and had discussed it with Corduroy. He wished that she was here right now, because she could make concise, logical arguments, she had the sort of words needed to sway Mrs. Velvet—which he wasn’t sure if he could do. At the moment, he was in a state of shock after telling her no, and he wasn’t sure where his denial came from. Perhaps all the beating around the bush and flattery annoyed him, and he didn’t realise it, or maybe he’d said it before Twilight Velvet mentioned even more reasons that implied that he owed her.
He’d said it, and now he was stuck defending it.
What sort of trouble had his mouth gotten him into?
“I would love to help you,” he said as politely as possible. “But there’s an order to how things must be done, and I haven’t done what I needed to do to make my barony ready for a bunch of foals.”
“Like what?” Mrs. Velvet asked.
“We have no school,” was Sundance’s quick reply, and he was proud of just how fast his mind conjured up this response. “We have no school. No teacher. There’s hardly any toys, or books, or things to do, and the foals that are currently in my care, they have fits and sometimes they cry from boredom. It’s pretty bad… and I don’t want to make it worse.”
Brows furrowing, Twilight Velvet’s lips pursed into a tight, thoughtful pucker.
“Corduroy worries that the little ones don’t have enough intellectual stimulation and that their development might end up stunted.”
“That’s a valid concern,” Copperquick said.
“Indeed it is, Lovesome.”
Sundance gulped his tea, but it was still a bit too hot. It went down his throat hard, almost scalding along the way, and he had to concentrate to keep from choking or coughing. A thin trickle of sweat ran down his neck, which tickled and made him want to squirm. It bothered him that his grandmother of all ponies thought of him as a yes-pony, but it bothered him even more that she was right. He was quick to agree to her every command, even the ones that made him horribly uncomfortable, such as agreeing to help the changelings.
“Makes one wonder how the little ones survived the bad old days,” Twilight Velvet remarked. “I think it can be said that you have the basics covered. Food and shelter. The simple needs that’ll keep them alive. You worry that this isn’t enough—”
“It isn’t enough,” he said, interrupting. “I can give them a life, but it falls on me to also give them a future, too. Reading, writing, arithmetic… the barony’s future will be determined by what they know. I mean, sure, the barony can survive on menial labour and basic existence, but I am trying to modernise things, and everything feels impossible.”
He watched as the shrewd mare sipped her tea, and noted her still furrowed brow. She was thinking, by the looks of things, and didn’t appear to be upset with him or his response, which was good. So good, in fact, that he allowed himself to relax a little, though some tension remained. He took another sip of tea, a careful one this time, and slurped it so it would be cool enough to swallow.
“I’ll confess, I was in a hurry to get a batch placed,” she said. “Right now, I am juggling several projects, all of which seem to have unforeseen complications.” Her keen eyes seemed to focus on a nonexistent spot, a patch of nothingness. “I suppose it falls on me to get you a teacher.”
“You’d do that?” he asked.
“Seems as though I must.” Her eyes refocused on him. “If I am to do this though, I am going to place a lot more foals so that I’ll get my money’s worth from securing a teacher.”
Sundance balked at this bit of information. “No, that won’t do.”
“Again with the no.” Twilight Velvet now seemed almost irritable. “What now?”
“I was schooled in overcrowded classrooms,” he said in a flat deadpan. “That is not a problem that I wish to introduce to my barony. At least, not right now. Preferably, not ever. We’re too small and insignificant as it is. Plus, there’s a matter of caretakers… if you send a whole bunch of little foals out my way, who cares for them?”
“Well, I planned to place foals that were old enough to be mostly independent,” she replied. “Free-roaming. Able to care for themselves, for the most part, with a little adult supervision.”
“Amber slipped away and got hurt even with adult supervision.” Anxious, Sundance allowed a little time for his words to sink in, and took this chance to think of other things to say. “The barony is a dangerous place. A wild place. It is nothing at all like the city, which has its own dangers. Where I live, a foal could end up lunch… or they could fall down an old hole in the ground. It’s not a matter of locking them up in a daycare.”
“That’s an excellent point,” Mrs. Oddbody said. “If I may say so, I don’t think that we gave this the thought it deserved.”
“Plenty of thought went into it,” Mrs. Velvet said to her assistant, “but we thought of all the wrong things. Sundance offers some new perspectives. Things we hadn’t considered.”
“I know a teacher,” Copperquick said while he balanced his teacup atop the flat of his hoof.
“You do?” Twilight Velvet’s head swiveled around suddenly.
“I do.” Copperquick’s voice was low, almost flat, and it was obvious that the stallion held his emotions in check. “Hear me out on this one, and give me a chance to explain myself. There’s a pegasus I know, his name is Puddle Jumper. He hasn’t actually worked as a teacher for a while, and it’s killing him.”
The copper-coloured stallion paused for a moment to choose his words carefully.
“Mister Jumper has trouble in loud classrooms with too many students. He, well”—another pause, and Copperquick’s face grew pained—“Mister Jumper was in Manehattan when the battle to claim the sorcerer happened. He saw things. Experienced things. When the whole of his community was demolished, many of his students and colleagues died. He now suffers from a serious trauma disorder.
“But the urge to teach hasn’t gone away. Right now, he’s going through some pretty intense counseling… including mark therapy. The urge to teach is a compulsion that he finds hard to cope with, but he can’t deal with loud, noisy, overcrowded classrooms. I think that a small, quiet classroom in a remote barony might be just what he needs.”
“You’re the trauma expert.” Mrs. Velvet’s voice was an iron deadpan. “Do you think he can do the job, Copper?”
“I think”—Copperquick’s words came slow and careful—“that with some support, continued counseling, some patience, and a little understanding, I think that this could be made to work. Might not be perfect, but nothing is. If he doesn’t start teaching again, I fear for his well-being and his safety.”
“Sundance?” Twilight Velvet’s leaden gaze turned in his direction.
Before he answered, he gave it some thought. A pegasus could fly to Canterlot, or wherever really, for counselling sessions. The barony was a quiet, boring place, except for when it wasn’t, such as the day that Cucumber died. Mostly, it was a place of quiet serenity, and tranquil enough, if one considered brain-melting boredom tranquility.
“Mister Jumper is a primary school teacher, with a focus on general education. He still finds work occasionally as a tutor, but he finds that unsatisfying. What he wants is a return to the classroom.” Copperquick’s eyes darted around the room, until they came to rest upon Sundance.
“I like the idea of helping somepony recover.” He took a moment to steady his teacup and he met each set of eyes focused on him in turn. “If anything, that makes this better. Keep the numbers small and manageable, get me a teacher, and my barony will host your orphanage. But I have one final demand.”
“And that would be?” Mrs. Oddbody leaned forward.
“Give me more than ponies. I wouldn’t mind a few diamond dogs. Or griffons. Whatever, really. I’m sure they want a place to call home.”
“Luna said you would do this.”
Sundance focused all of his attention on Twilight Velvet. “She did?”
“She did.” Mrs. Velvet nodded. “Quite convincing, Luna. She assigned me a casefile of those in need. Those that have fallen through the cracks or those in danger of falling through the cracks. One of them is in Ponyville right now, awaiting pick up. Right now, he’s in the care of Fluttershy, and from what I understand, she’s trying to revive his sense of trust.”
“The Element of Kindness is a miracle worker,” Copperquick said to nopony in particular.
“Was he abused?” asked Sundance.
“Not all abuse is physical,” Mrs. Oddbody replied. “Sometimes abuse comes in the form of neglect. Sometimes, abuse doesn’t come from a sense of malice, but a sense of apathy. A lack of interest. In this instance, the client was fed and sheltered, but given nothing else and was habitually ignored.”
“I’d like to find whomever did that,” Sundance grumbled, “and go have a word with them.”
“That’s not a bad idea—”
“Lovesome, hush.”
“—you do wrong, and one of the nobles of Equestria arrives at your door to chew you out—”
“Copper…” Mrs. Oddbody’s eyes rolled behind her glasses.
“—and repeat offenders get a royal that shows up. Maybe Blueblood on a day when his hemorrhoidal itch has him in a mood—”
“Copper!” This time it was Twilight Velvet who spoke out in protest.
“What? It’s a good idea.”
Both mares rolled their eyes and turned away from Copperquick.
“I like this idea,” Sundance announced.
Disgusted, Twilight Velvet changed the subject. “When we’re done here, I want you to fly to Ponyville and have a chat with Fluttershy. Make a good impression. If you fail to make a good impression, she will not release her charge. Make a bad impression, and you might get a lecture—”
“Or worse,” Copperquick added. “Trust me, she can do worse.”
“The Element of Kindness is known to be cranky at times. She blames it on her age and tries to dismiss it, but honestly, I think that she’s just grown tired of dealing with so much shi—”
“Buttermilk Oddbody, as I live and breathe!”
“Sorry, Boss. But she does deal with a lot of, uh—”
“Yep, she does.” Copperquick nodded.
“You’ll be fine.” Twilight Velvet asserted her control over the situation, and restored order. “You’re not the type that’ll set her off. But she might have a hard time letting go. She has trouble saying goodbye sometimes. On occasion, it is an act. She’s testing you to see if you are compassionate and kind, and if you’ll try to reassure her. Other times, she’s genuinely sad. She grows attached to her clients. Just don’t set her off, unless you want to live the rest of your life with a draconequus pestering you.”
This caused Sundance to suffer a fit of worry.
“And now is the part where I must apologise.”
“Why is that, Mrs. Velvet?”
“Paperwork. None of this can be done without paperwork. I understand that you’re quite a bureaucrat, and you have endurance for paperwork that is, quite factually, the stuff of legend. At least, all my sources tell me this. You even endured my daughter’s filing system… which means you have stamina.”
“Uh, yeah, that filing system—”
“Is genius.” Twilight Velvet’s eyes narrowed, but a merry twinkle could be seen.
Sundance chose diplomacy: “I look forward to working with you.”
“And I with you,” Twilight Velvet replied. “There’s still a lot of boring, mundane details in need of sorting out. But I have what I wanted, I believe you’ll get what you wanted, and in the future, I think both of us will benefit from this relationship. Feel free to tell me no, Sundance. It’s fine if you do. Celestia wanted me to walk all over you and see just how much I could get from you. Her exact words to me were, ‘I want you to make him squirm.’ A little backbone is good.”
His grandmother really loved him… and it showed.
“Excuse me while I go and fetch the paperwork. We should be done in an hour or two…”
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Some more insight into Velvet and co., something I like a lot.
Seeing Buttermilk and Copperquick as spouses still gives me the fuzziesThat alicorn instinct, though. Celestia really knows her little ponies, and it's somewhat daunting at times.
Oh god hell yes give me the Copperquick and Buttermilk!
It would seem that there are a lot of gossip going around about Sundance.
I guess a lot of ponies, are seeing the growing barony, have the potential to alleviate some of their problems.
I just hope that it is only the right types that sees that potential, or that it's "investors" are capable of warding off the worst types.
Sundance could probably get a bit of a break if his peasants had a bunch of foals to dote on, even if they are not his.
They seemed to enjoy teaching their skills to the gringeneers, so doing the same for someone who is going to be staying in the barony, will probably ease some of their worries for the future.
I am actually quite curious about Fluttershys little business.
From what little we have heard about it, I am guessing Sundance will have his wish for "exotic" species fulfilled, and then some.
It would be really unnerving knowing someone was watching like that. At least the stuff he does is only a bit embarrassing and not illegal or immoral.
9876883
He can choose to opt out of the leaderboard standing at any time he pleases.
Man I really love this fic. Its up there with my top 10 tbh and whenever i see its updated i get so excited. Thank you for writing something so good. Looking forward tothe next chapter >=3c
Neato
did some one say Buttermilk? yum i get this wonderful drink buy the gallon.
a grate chapter, it looks like Sundance will have a few new charges going home with him.
????? Work interfered with seeing these updates. Good to see this begin updates again
Let's get it~
Barony Leveled Up?
9876886
Well, you cannot opt out of things you are not aware of. Quite interesting choise really, setting up a leaderboard in that manner and then burying the information about the monitoring so deep that a new Baron can me monitored without his knowledge for this long.
Edit:
And not only that even if they slipped him some kind of consent form, they are monitoring ALL people who he comes into contact with him without their concent. Can Sundance with good consience talk about personal problems or give comfort of personal nature to anyone? He is walking violation of privacy to all.
Consider yourself trying to seek help from your ruler in confidence about something embarassing, now some faceless jury there is also monitoring with keen interest about the issue. How many times he has already betrayed the trust of his friends and subjects without knowing that he was doing so?
9876886
Yes but is he aware of that? And that's not that same as being told once.
9877418
9877414
This is a vastly different society where one of the active rulers casually takes a walk through dreams. I fear that they do not share your concern for privacy, because you come from a different sort of society, one without magic, telepaths, mind readers, and dream-walkers. For you, this is a privacy nightmare. For Sundance, this is Tuesday.
Imagine a society where you don't feel safe because you're not being watched. Imagine the panic, fear, dread, and worry because you can't be sure if you're being looked after.
Strange to think about, huh?
9877521
It is an interesting way of seeing things, but personally i think that in this case it is matter of respect with bothers me the most. Sundance was made a Baron and then joined the club for the cool kids, and in joining that club the said club has decided to Institute monitoring on him without informing him about it.
I do not think this would be a proper thing to do no matter what the society's values would be. If the people who are monitoring have nothing to hide then they should feel no hesitation in making the subjects of their monitoring fully aware of their activities and disclose what has been monitored. Everyone seem to be aware Luna is monitoring their Dreams and the Wardens (or what was the name) are well known to people who they keep in line.
And as for him accepting this all as matter of course. He does seem to be a bit put upon when him rolling in the ground and marking his territory was brought up, now that monitoring has been brought up will he be able to act naturally in his solitide again? Could be that this is not a problem, but based on how Sundace reacted to this in my mind quite likely has cut him off from his alone time permanently. But then again it can be he is the type who does not mind others seeing him roll in the grass for his own amusement.
To humans times for themselves are very important for mental health, it could very well be that Ponies have herd mentality. But based on how he has a Morning routine which he does alone would suggest that this is not the case with Pegasi at the least.
Edit:
This was badly formatted, my main point is that how would Sundance who seem to be very self-consious be able to do the Small things he enjoys such as rolling in the grass or scratching his rump now that it has been revealed he can be under supervision all the time. In essence would this not push him to be on "stage" all the time and eventually ruin him when he burns out.
9876727
I agree with this statement~
9876883
That's the point. If he spins a good yarn about righteousness publicly and is then something of a bastard in private where he doesn't have to pretend, the people have a right to know.
I might not say that in the modern world at all, but as a Baron, he owns that land, and he owns everything in and on that land, and he owns the people of that land - they are property. This is how a demesne works. If he has absolute ownership over everything, people who are tasked to make sure he's a good person need the ability to make sure that he is.
Seriously, there needs to be a mutated rodent with a conscience come forward to defect, offering help and Intel to bring down the enemy.
I fully support Copperquick's idea. I feel this is a thing that should happen. On the third offense, you get a princess visit, depending on which one you have offended the most, and on their doorstep.