It's a heavy thing
With the weight of the world at rest upon his back, Sundance found his gait somewhat slowed. There were no words to describe what he felt, none of his previous experiences gave him the means to perceive or understand what he now experienced. While the need to preserve life had always lurked in the back of his thoughts, the consequences for failure now free-roamed in the forefront of his mind. The price of said failure could not be put into words. Mistakes could do incalculable harm.
As heavy as the world felt upon his back, the invisible circlet upon his head was somehow heavier. It bowed his neck, humbled him, and the strain it caused was almost too much to bear. For certain, Princess Celestia’s crown had to be far, far worse. She had cursed him, his grandmother, for responsibility was a curse. It would be his undoing. One day, the invisible circlet would be too much to bear, and his neck would break.
Either that, or he would grow stronger; find strength still unknown to him.
“Sundance, are you alright?” asked Twilight Velvet.
“I’m fine,” he replied without thought.
Her lips pressed into a tight, thin line and her ears folded back against her head. “Sure. If you say so. Still under the weather, I suppose. Anyhow, right through this door. I’m positive that they are eager to meet you.”
“I’m not fine,” he blurted out. “I… I’m… I think I’m”—it was too late to consider his words now because they were already spilling out of his mouth—“yes, I’m”—his thoughts clarified a bit, yet remained so hard to say—“I’m facing my own prejudices. I’m now responsible for providing for and protecting the very lives I once held in contempt.”
Twilight Velvet froze mid-action and went still.
“It’s a heavy thing,” he whispered.
“Oh, you poor dear, that is rough.” Twilight Velvet closed her eyes, shook her head from side to side, and when she opened her eyes once more, they seemed somehow sad in some vague, indescribable way. “Do you need a minute?”
“What, so I can mope over it?” He shuffled about, rubbed his wings against his ribs to reassure himself, and then looked up at the ceiling, because he couldn’t bear to see Twilight Velvet’s sad eyes. “The idea that good creatures can just… cease to be. Not just diamond dogs… all of us. Good creatures. How do I protect them? How do I serve them in such a way that they prosper and gain numbers?”
“Sundance… I do believe that your grandmother once asked herself the very same questions. Possibly on the very same patch of land. I don’t have an answer. Neither does Twilight. She wrestles with the very same questions. I myself, I concern myself with smaller things… smaller issues that I have a better chance of success when dealing with.”
“I can’t save them with pen, ink, and paper,” he said whilst he stared up at the ceiling.
“No, but that’s a good start. Gentle governance. Enact laws. Enforce standards. Ensure equality.” Twilight Velvet stood near the door, still unmoving.
“Law has failed us. Look at how we stagnated, buried beneath laws and ordinances that paralysed us and prevented us from acting. We made laws that prevented our own progress.” With a tilt of his head, Sundance steeled himself and looked Twilight Velvet in the eye. “Baltimare is a ruin. The city is a warzone. My mother is a police officer, and I… I’m pretty sure I lost faith in the law at an early age. My mother, she did her best, but she was by and large powerless against crime.”
When Twilight Velvet said nothing, he continued, “The law compelled her to catch them. She would catch crooks, the system would process them, and then they would be released. All in the name of mercy and forgiveness. The law holds lofty ideals, the law is called moral, but in action, in practice, it is meaningless. You said it yourself. These diamond dogs would be kept in the system, only to be released as adults. Has anypony stopped to consider that the law is what makes the criminals that plague our great society?”
“I have,” Twilight Velvet replied, “which is why I strive to change things. We can do better.”
“But what if I just perpetuate the same broken system? I have all of my mother’s prejudices still lodged in my brain. How can I be certain that I’m doing right? Half the time, I have no idea what I am doing, and the other half, I know full-well that I am in over my head.”
That terrible fatigue that Sundance glimpsed earlier returned to Twilight Velvet’s face. He watched as she shook her head, her ears rose, pivoted forwards, and then splayed out sideways. Her eyes were now more than sad; they were glazed with ancient worry, as if the middle-aged mare were somehow far, far older than her pretty face let on.
He heard her say, “I don’t have an answer for that,” and then she opened up the door.
The two pups were playing with wooden blocks as Sundance entered. Bonk was the larger of the two, or perhaps it was more accurate to say that she was the taller of the two. She was greyish, pale in colour, and thin, at least by diamond dog standards. The cute little pup was wearing a pine green dress that matched her eyes. Her ears were triangular, like Corduroy’s, and she had a long, well-defined muzzle. Blocks went scattering as she was on her paws in an instant.
Runt was smaller, though almost as broad-shouldered as he was tall. Bulky. His muzzle was smooshed flat, as if he’d ran into a door. Long, droopy ears framed his face, and his head was indeed lumpy. Runt’s long arms almost reached the ground and Sundance wondered if the pup would grow into his body. He wore a dark blue tunic that complimented his dark charcoal hide. A long scar on the left side of his face pulled the corner of his eye downward.
The first thing that Bonk did after she stood was curtsey. She grabbed a hank of her dress in her paw, which caused it to bunch and wrinkle, hoisted it upwards, and stretched the fabric considerably. It was clumsy, but earnest, full of feeling. Then, she let go, allowed her bunched up dress to slip back down, and her tail wagged with eager anticipation.
Bonk stood at almost eye-level with Sundance; she was intimidatingly large for being so young, while Runt was more than a head shorter. They would only get bigger; Sundance only came up to Corduroy’s navel, his nurse towered over him. He worried a bit, and couldn’t help himself. These pups were big, and Tarantula was small. Not just Tarantula, but Amber and Lemongrass. Though, Tarantula was perhaps the tiniest of the trio. Maybe the behaviourists didn’t realise just how tiny and helpless a burro foal could be. Doubt dug its claws into him and he resisted the urge to squirm.
“Hi.”
It was Runt who spoke. His voice was thick, raspy, and full of gravel. The lone syllable came out slow. Paw-fingers flexed and then Runt tried to brush way something from his tunic, which only made things worse. Bonk appeared as though she might come undone and practically vibrated where she stood.
“Hiyas,” the girl-pup said whilst she bounced in place.
“Hello,” Sundance replied after Twilight Velvet nudged him.
“We were spelling,” Bonk said with a downward pointing paw-finger.
“Spelling,” Runt repeated.
Sundance looked down and sure enough, he saw that the blocks formed the words, ‘Goood doog.’ He saw no point in correction, perhaps things were spelled that way to indicate a sort of howl. Or not. Pointing out mistakes seemed like a poor way to start a relationship. They made an effort, and that was important. He thought of his mother, who was far more critical. She would point out this mistake, and maybe not in a nice way.
He was having a moment.
With both pups in view, he saw glimpses of Corduroy. He saw the enthusiasm that his nurse withheld, and how much self control she had. She could be every bit as bouncy, excited, and wiggly as these two pups—it was a canine thing. The fact that she was so composed spoke a great deal of her dedication as well as her professional nature. Corduroy was brutishly strong, there was no doubt of that, but was known for her gentleness. Sundance knew that Corduroy represented the best possible future for these pups, all they needed was a chance to grow into that future. To reach their fullest possible potential.
“You have a marvellous curtsey,” Sundance said to Bonk.
At first, nothing happened, but then she squirmed. After she squirmed for a bit, she pressed both of her front paws into her face, squished and squooshed it as though it were dough, and a low sound that was almost a whimper could be heard. Her face was surprisingly stretchy, and when she pressed too hard upon her nose, she snorgled. Sundance was aware that there was some sort of struggle going on, but he hadn’t a clue what it was, or might be.
“Would you like to come home with me?” he asked. “Both of you. We would really like to have you with us. There’s another of your kind there, Corduroy. She’s our nurse.”
“Nurse,” Runt repeated. His paw-fingers twitched. “Home? No remember home.”
“You don’t remember home?” Sundance gave the boy-pup his full undivided attention.
“I no remember mom.” Runt suddenly grabbed Bonk, which caused her to yelp in surprise, and he tugged on her arm. “No remember face. She went beddie-bye. Go sleepy.”
For the moment, Sundance ignored the lump in his throat.
“I don’t remember much about my mom either. She’s gone.” Bonk held Runt’s paw and began to stroke it. “She was mean. Not-nice.” The girl-pup scowled, but it didn’t last long, and she focused her efforts on comforting Runt, who appeared quite distressed.
“You both dressed up so nicely to meet me. I feel like I should have worn something.”
“Sundance,” Twilight Velvet said from behind him, “we’ve done extensive studies and found that ponies are more accepting of diamond dogs who wear clothing. We’re unsure as to the why of it, that part is debated, but the results are solid.”
“Corduroy wears clothes,” he said. “She’s very meticulous about staying clean and keeping her clothes nice. I wonder if she did that for acceptance.”
“I like dresses.” Bonk held on to Runt with her left paw while she went to work on smoothing out her dress with her right. “Don’t like naked. I make Runt wear clothes. Even if he says no. He looks nicer.”
“Oh, he does.” Sundance offered a solemn nod along with his reassuring words.
They were babies, Sundance reminded himself. Really big babies. As big as they were, it would be easy to see them as threats—as dangers. But if one looked past the size difference, it was easy to see them for what they were. Sundance sat down on the floor, settled in, and gestured both of the pups closer. Bonk was the first to react, and she dragged Runt along with her.
Ponies, creatures in general, expected their young to be smaller than them. Sundance understood the reasoning as to why this was. Raising a pup might be difficult, especially when that pup grew larger and taller. It might be more challenging to take an aggressive, disciplined stance. Hollyhock would certainly have her work cut out for her, yet he was confident in her ability as a caretaker. She might say no at first—he expected that, really—but she would come around.
“We have to fly home,” Sundance said. “Are you fine with flying?”
“Yeah.” Runt’s saggy ears made a dedicated effort to rise.
“Do you want to come with me?” asked Sundance.
Bonk’s eyes went to Twilight Velvet, who was still behind Sundance. The corners of her eyes twitched and the little girl-pup seemed to be deep in thought. Sundance wondered what she might be thinking, if she was fearful, or doubtful, or had reservations. Then he saw the sadness that crept into her features, and what incredible, sorrowful sadness it was. It was the sort of downhearted despondency found only in canines.
“Will I see Mister Goober again?” she asked.
“He’ll come to visit,” was Twilight Velvet’s reply. “Do remember, he wants to help others just like you. Do you remember what he said? What he asked of you? To do as he said?”
Crestfallen, Bonk nodded. “He said to be good. Good dog.”
“Good dog,” Runt repeated.
“When Mister Goober comes out to visit, do you know what would make him happy?” asked Twilight Velvet.
Bonk’s head tilted. “What?”
Head also tilted, Runt repeated, “What?”
“Mister Goober wants to see you fit in. He wants to see you happy, and settled in with your new family. Mister Goober has high hopes that you’ll adjust, and he wants you to live the life that you deserve. Because you’re special. Both of you.”
“We go to stay?” asked Bonk.
“I plan to keep you forever,” replied Sundance.
“That’s a long time,” Bonk said matter-of-factly.
“Long time.” Runt nodded. “Long time. How long?”
“Long enough,” Bonk said to her companion. “We grow old there.”
Runt seemed confused by this. “Old? Not beddie-bye?”
Bonk pulled Runt closer, but said nothing. She entwined his forearm with her own, leaned against him, and then just stood there in silence, with nothing to say. Sundance could tell that she knew, that she understood in some manner, some fashion, but probably lacked the words. What he also noticed was her kindness, her gentleness, and how she tried to comfort her companion.
How many diamond dogs never had a chance to grow old?
The body looked different, but the mind was similar. All of the same thoughts, fears, wants, desires, and needs. Surely they shared more similarities than differences, though Sundance couldn’t say for sure. It was a profound moment for him, one that could never be put into words, and he was glad for the opportunity to do a bit of soul searching.
“We have meadows filled with butterflies and bees. There are birds of all kinds, but mostly owls. Greater Equestrian Screaming Owls. You’ll love them. There’s a huge orchard with all kinds of trees and places to explore. We live in a castle… sort of. Well, kind of. Nature sort of gave us a castle, and we added a gate. There’s wilderness there, where you can run and play.”
“Is there a dump?” Bonk asked.
“A dump?” Sundance tried to make sense of the question. “We, uh, try to deal with our trash. We don’t make much of it.”
“I was found in the dump,” Bonk said. “Maybe we find other dogs in dump.”
“Oh, uh… well, um, we don’t have a dump. Oh, and fair warning, if you play in the mud, I will not save you from Corduroy. Look, I like you kids. I think we’ll be friends. Great friends. But Corduroy has a thing for scrubbing. She’s a nurse, and she likes things clean. And you should know upfront… don’t run. Running only makes it worse. Corduroy can outrun a pony. Listen and understand. Corduroy is out there. She can’t be bargained with. She can’t be reasoned with. She doesn’t feel pity, remorse, or fear. And she will absolutely not stop, ever, until you are scrubbed.”
Runt shied away while Bonk whimpered.
“I mean, she’s nice and all, but she, uh, she has this thing about scrubbing. Like you have for music, Bonk. Scrubbing is Corduroy’s music.”
“Uh-oh… stay away from mud, Runt.”
“But mud like Runt.”
“Don’t be a dum-dum.” Bonk gave her companion a hard tug. “You get scrubbed bald.”
“No,” Runt whined.
“We should get going,” Sundance said to the pair. “There’s a long way to go to get home. Don’t want it getting dark.”
“I’m scared of the dark.” Bonk pulled Runt into an embrace that almost crushed him. “Black Hound live in dark. Black Hound is dark. Not want to see Black Hound.”
“So long as you are good, you have nothing to fear from the Black Hound.” Twilight Velvet’s voice was calm, reassuring, but Sundance detected something off about it. “Sundance will protect you. Do everything he says. Obey him. Be good. If you follow his good example, you will be safe from the Black Hound.”
“You not know.” Bonk shook her head from side to side. “None are safe. None. Must keep darkness away. Keep lights on.”
“Is there something I should know?” asked Sundance.
“Talk to Corduroy,” Twilight Velvet suggested.
Sundance bristled. “If something threatens my pups, I feel like I should know about it.”
“It’s not a concern, Sundance. Really.” Twilight Velvet came around and stepped into view. “The Black Hound… she’s a bit like Luna. Scares bad dogs back into the light. She’s nothing to be afraid of… unless of course you are actually unrepentantly evil. But poor little Bonk doesn’t need to hear this right now. So go home. Talk to Corduroy. Prepare to hear a ghost story… and believe every word of it.”
Though annoyed, Sundance didn’t press the issue. Instead, he turned to both pups and said to them, “I’ll get you home. It might be a little dark when we get there, so be brave. I’ll see to it that you’ll have some night lights. Paradox can cast these floating light orbs. We’ll figure something out. Try not to worry.”
Bonk reached out suddenly, and Sundance felt her powerful paw-fingers encircle his foreleg. She was strong, but her iron grip was gentle. It was not a stretch to imagine that she could break his leg without effort. Her paw trembled, but her grip was firm. She leaned in close, almost snoot to snoot, and her dark green eyes were piercing.
“You promise?”
Sundance understood the importance of promises, especially ones like these. “I promise you… we’ll sort this out together. You won’t have to face the dark alone. It does get dark in the barony. No street lights. I’ll find a way to keep the lights on, I promise.” The entire time, he never broke eye-contact.
She let go, started to pull away, but then reconsidered. Her paw patted Sundance on the side of his neck. Bonk’s paw-pads were a bit rough, grippy, and made him think of Corduroy. Something had changed between the two of them, he was certain of it, though he couldn’t even begin to imagine what it might be. He’d made a promise. She expected him to keep his word. He expected himself to keep his word. Something told him that this would have far-reaching consequences.
“He say without fear, Runt. Not lie.” Bonk straightened out her companion, smoothed out his tunic with a few rough swipes, then turned to Twilight Velvet and said, “This goodbye.”
“Yes, this is goodbye,” Twilight Velvet replied. “A temporary goodbye. I’ll be out to visit.”
Runt pulled away from Bonk and his stubby legs carried him over to Twilight Velvet. He hurried a bit too much though, wobbled a bit, failed to recover his balance, and pitched over. Down he went, face-first, and he collapsed into a heap upon the floor. Though he’d taken a tumble, his tail wagged, a sign that he was fine. Twilight Velvet went to him, and offered him no assistance as he wiggled about so that he might stand.
That was the real trick… allowing them to stand—and fall—on their own.
Unharmed, unhurt, Runt wobbled right into Twilight Velvet, almost bowled her over, and wrapped his immense arms around her neck. For a moment, Sundance was quite alarmed about what he saw; so much so that his heart raced in response. But he ignored his reaction and tried to see the moment for what it really was. She was in no danger. Runt’s affection was clumsy, and perhaps a bit rough, but Twilight Velvet was no frail, fragile flower of a pony.
“You’re such a sweet boy, Runt.”
Bonk wrung her paws together, hesitating, and then sprang into action. She crossed the distance without tripping, but failed to slow down enough to soften the impact. Twilight Velvet proved that she was, in fact, a sturdy mare. Though her hind legs buckled a bit, she did not topple over when Bonk slam-bam-boom embraced her. Sundance watched, thoughtful about problematic affection, and prepared himself to deal with it. There would be bumps and bruises back home. Things might not be perfect. He would have to mind his expectations.
“Oof, you’re only going to get bigger, Bonk. Remember, ponies don’t have bones made of stone. Well, most of us. Keep an eye on Runt. Stick together. Always.”
When Bonk began sobbing, Sundance turned away. He listened, but hated to hear it. Then, Runt too, was sobbing. Sundance realised that Twilight Velvet was their friend. As busy as she was, as much as she had to do, for all of her responsibilities, she’d somehow found enough time to make friends with her clients.
Squinting, Sundance wiped a tear from his eye before it had a chance to fall.
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They're good dogs, Kudzu.
Now you've got me wondering, has anyone ever shipped Maud with a diamond dog?
You know, i suspect in some ways Sunflowers might end up being a good introduction story to the Weedverse, you get all these passing mentions of these great big events without too much detail. Amd then it turns out you can go and read stories about them all.
Every time Bonk is in a chapter I'm going to remember that meme, and get the urge to reference it.
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Which meme? I mean, there are so many.
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That dark souls strength weapon meme
I posted it in the comments last chapter
Hollyhock is gonna kill him. Or possibly thank him. I'm not sure which yet.
That was a swift kick to the feels.... please sir may I have some more?
Bonk and Runt are so fucking cute. I just wanna scoop em up in my arms and hold them tight. They're too precious for this world.
hasn't Corduroy met Shadow?
Awww. This is such a sweet chapter, and a lot to unpack, yes.
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Both? Both is good.
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...... both?
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I hadn't actually considered both. Both is good.
They are both such cinnamon rolls. <3
Huh. This doesn't sound like the Bonk I know. The Bonk I know is an extra large headed caveman!
VERY sweet chapter though! <3
Ughh, this is a reference somewhere, but can't remember...
Maybe some griffon hatchlings next? This needs more birbcats too!!
I like bonk ^^ she is good puppo
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"The Terminator" At the end of Kyle Reese's interview with the police he tries to warn them about what's coming.