House of the Rising Sunflower

by kudzuhaiku

Oh no, not again!

Cornmeal mush with minced dried fruit. A cup of tea. For Sundance, it was a perfectly pleasing breakfast. He was of the mind that breakfast didn't need to be delicious—not necessarily—it just had to be filling. Though he wouldn't turn down a breakfast of delectable cinnamon rolls dripping with sticky-sweet icing, sweet cakes, and other assorted sugary treats. Though he hadn't yet realised it, Sundance had grown up to be a mostly sensible and somewhat stodgy pony—if one turned a blind eye to his thrill-seeking daredevil urges.

Beside him, Paradox scarfed down thrice as much breakfast. He did not judge; no, he understood. She was a unicorn, and as a unicorn, she cast magic. Her magic made the lives of all easier. But this magic required an exceptional level of sustenance, and so the young mare ate like a horse. A hungry, hungry horsie. Why, she had used her magic to keep his breakfast and his tea hot, which was really rather considerate of her. It was just a thing that she could do, but what a thing it was. Sundance tried to imagine what it would be like to be a unicorn, but his brain didn't much care for this manner of speculation, and balked at his efforts.

Somepony laughed; it was a boisterous belly laugh and it filled the dining hall with mirth. Sundance listened, his ears erect. Laughter was now more commonplace and could be heard often. Which, if he thought about it, was quite a difference from when he'd first arrived. The older ponies—whom he spent a great deal of time worrying about considering all the changes he wrought—seemed more than just merely happy. They were alive now. There was laughter, and fun—and even a little less working, but that was fine. There were more bodies to do the work now, so the older ponies could relax a bit.

Gallows Humour was in a deep conversation about politics with Zipzap Clover. There was a lot of feeling in the words, but no animosity, no shouting. Sundance barely kept up with what was said, but he suspected that there might be a difference of opinion. There seemed to be no need to worry though, and Sundance hoped that in their own way, these two were becoming friends. Haboob sat beside her husband and rubbed her rounded, rotund stomach. Young Cork sat beside her, and she frowned down at her wooden bowl of cornmeal mush.

It felt good to relax; but this was short-lived. Sundance noticed a peculiar sensation in his wings, and a curious-but-familiar tugging upon his innards. Within seconds, he knew what it was and became quite alarmed; Twilight Sparkle was about to teleport him again. The last teleportation event had traumatised him, and now, he was keenly aware of the gravitational forces about to be unleashed upon him.

"No!" he cried as he looked up to see a glowing magenta nexus just above his head. "No! No! Oh no, not again, never again!" Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Paradox glance upward to examine the sparking, glowing orb, and a part of him wished that she was as panicked as he was right now. The pull grew stronger, and so did his distraught disquiet.

But he wasn't bonelessly slurped into the vortex; something was pushed through.

A newspaper burst out of the shimmering, glimmering nexus, and a second later, the magical rift was gone. Sundance's relief caused him to gasp, and as he did so, Paradox neatly caught the newspaper before it landed upon his head. He looked at her, and she at him, and before Sundance had a chance to explain his current behaviour, Paradox smiled.

"A crossword! A word search! Puzzles! I got dibs!" Then, before Sundance could respond, Paradox pulled the newspaper close to her chest. "Mine! I've been dying for a newspaper!"

"Paradox—"

"No!" Her eyes narrowed with greed. "I need this. Need. Need. Do you have any idea how bored I've been?"

"Paradox, you can have the puzzles, but I think Twilight sent the paper because there's something in there that I'm supposed to see."

"Oh." Slowly, her face returned to normal and Paradox relaxed a bit, but she still held the newspaper close. "I guess that's reasonable. Let's have a look, shall we?" Carefully, with an almost exaggerated sense of gentle action, she unfolded the newspaper, which she made sure she did not damage in any conceivable way.

Not even a wrinkle.

"May I?" he asked.

"No, you may not," was her terse response. "Clumsy hooves. You might tear the paper. Or crumple it. There's a reason why ponies compare weak things to a newspaper, you know."

When she put it that way, it almost seemed reasonable.

Her face vanished behind the paper, which she held up to read. Sundance waited, patient, and after a few seconds he realised that he very much wanted to read the newspaper. It was text on paper and surely there had to be articles that would be a satisfying read. There would be things of interest. Politics. Op-eds. Advice columns. Letters to the editors. Civilisation could be found within those crinkly pages—and he very much wanted to have the newspaper for himself. It was a precious thing. The only thing that kept him from trying to snatch it was that it made Paradox so happy, and he desperately wanted her to be happy, even at his own expense.

"There was a rash of suicides at Peaceful Pastures Asylum," Paradox said from behind the paper. "Not the patients, but the staff. There was also a midnight raid by the Wardens. A vast secret complex was found beneath the city. Story is developing. Oh my… oh my."

Trembling, Sundance somehow managed to lift up his teacup with his wing and he had himself a much-needed slurp.

"Multiple pharmaceutical companies were also raided last night, including Equestria's largest manufacturer of vaccines. The paper says this is the bust of the century. Multiple corporate executive officers have been taken into custody and will be interrogated."

The paper was lowered and Paradox's face became visible once more.

"Sundance…"

No other words seemed forthcoming, and she shook her head in stunned silence.

As for himself, he could think of nothing to say. All he could do was gulp his tea. His mind could do nothing to put the pieces together, and the aftermath was inconceivable. This, he realised, was Twilight putting her hoof down. The two Twilights had sent a message and he'd acted as the messenger. Something in his guts didn't quite feel right. Consequences were expected, sure—but this went beyond his expectations. Was this a first strike? Would there be more to come? Sundance tried to take it all in—only to find that he couldn't.

"Sundance… are you alright?" asked Paradox.

"I… I don't know."

For a short time, Paradox's lips pressed into a tight, thin, straight line, and a dimple formed upon her chin. The glossy velvet of her face made Sundance think of living fire, but these were surface thoughts that he tried to distract himself with. He swallowed the last of his tea, licked his lips, and then put the teacup down upon the table. A weight settled upon his heart as a part of him concluded that he was responsible for this. Lives and careers were ruined and he—the unwitting messenger—was at least partially responsible for their destruction.

Of course, he understood that these ponies brought about their own ruination.

But that was cold consolation that offered no comfort.

"I suppose what is important"—he found himself puzzled by the words coming out of his own mouth, as if he weren't the one saying them—"is that the rules were followed. Rule of law and all that. Mrs. Velvet had a lot to say about how twisted and labyrinthine the bureaucracy can be. Things don't change because they can't change. But the rules were followed. Now, the old can be torn down and something new can replace it."

"What a peculiar thing to say, Sundance."

Lacking a meaningful response, he shrugged.

"There seems to be a shortage of thousand-year-old evils," Paradox said to Sundance whilst she held the newspaper close to her. "But we have plenty of hundred-year-old evils in the form of policy and law. I guess now that Princess Twilight Sparkle has cleared out the dangerous ancient evils, it's up to us to deal with the slightly more modern evils of our own making. I mean, she did her part… and now we're left to do ours."

"Beware the bidding of princesses and their mothers," he said to Paradox, and then with a heart-heavy sigh, he resumed eating his breakfast.

---

As it turned out, Flicker made a fantastic crane, just as Starlight Glimmer did. Atop the waterfall, and over to the right, just above the old kitchen caves down below, a structure took shape. It sat on an inclined slope, yet Sundance had no doubt that the foundation had been laid true. Ribs from the old warship now formed support struts that gave shape to the structure, which already had a roof. The old turbine was now rigged above the steaming, boiling crevice, and copper tubing was being fitted.

Sundance had no idea what he was seeing, but understood that one day, it would be both a power plant and a brewery. The vapour that rose out of the vent was well over three-hundred degrees. It was a particularly hot vent, as evidenced by the old kitchen caves, where the abundance of hot water allowed for cooking, as well as bathing. Said kitchen cave was now closed by order of Nurse Corduroy, and would remain so until such a time that it could be made hygienic.

Loops of copper pipe would be fed down into the vent, and water would flow through the system, so that the boiler could be heated. The steam would power the turbine, which would in turn make electricity, just as it had on the old decrepit warship—only this would be done without coal. Electricity and heat were needed for the brewery, and if all went well, there would be an abundance of both. It was exciting to watch the construction take shape through its various phases.

Because of the incline, there would be a space beneath the floor. Sundance wondered what might be done with it. The front half of the structure stood on stilts—at least he considered them to be stilts, he could be wrong. Plumbing and piping was wrapped around the support struts and the rear wall of the structure was half-built. The old timbers still had life in them, and while they would not be considered beautiful by most, there was a sort of rough-hewn handsome charm to them.

"Flicker is happy," Hennessy said to Sundance. "That's a rare thing. He likes hard work. It's his upbringing. He likes results… visible results." There was a soft sigh from the earth pony. "We'll be leaving soon. Flicker, he's still not at a hundred percent, but he's fit for light duty. Even Corduroy thinks so."

"Seems too soon," Sundance remarked to the pony that now stood beside him.

"It does," replied Hennessy. "When he was a colt, he used his telekinesis to move heavy farm equipment. He wanted to help his parents so they wouldn't have to work so hard. That's how he does it, you know. Flicker's not terribly magical… not like Piper… but very few unicorns can match his sheer lifting power. He plowed entire fields as a foal just by pushing the plow with his mind. I like to watch him work. It's easy to appreciate his effort."

Watching everypony work together, it was easy to appreciate the effort made as a group. Mytilene stood out though. The young minotaur was every bit as strong as any earth pony, maybe stronger perhaps, and like all minotaurs, she had an innate eye for when things were level, straight, and true. Though Sundance worried about her being worked too hard, he could not deny that she seemed to be enjoying herself. She was Mighty.

"Paradox showed me the paper, Sundance. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he replied far too quickly. Realising that he'd done this, Sundance sighed, shook his head, and then turned to look Hennessy in the eye. "I'm mostly fine. I'll get over it. The suicides bother me. I suppose we'll all find out soon enough, but whatever was hidden must be pretty bad. Maybe I'm not fine. Maybe I don't want to know. It might be that I might be happier not knowing. Maybe I want to believe in the good that we ponies can do."

"I've seen both ends," was Hennessy's soft-spoken response. "Turmeric too. He's changed, you know. I think he's getting better. He's cheerful, and sunny, and a good bit more optimistic. I think you've had something to do with that."

"Maybe." Sundance shrugged with his wings. "But if he's changed, it's because he wanted to change."

"Flicker changed me. I don't know if I wanted to change or not. But he stood behind me, and he shoved me ahead to places where I would not have gone on my own. I turned in my own father… and then I got help for my issues. Without Flicker… I might not have. Look, what I'm trying to say is… Turmeric had great and supportive friends. But he was stuck in a rut and didn't change much until you came along. I feel like you should know this… to be aware of it. Not for credit, or anything of that nature. Some ponies, they cause change all around them. Flicker is one of those ponies. And you might be too."

Unsure of what Hennessy was saying, Sundance maintained a steadfast silence.

"It seems to be that things are changing for the better, Sundance. And like Flicker, you're in the middle of it all. Don't lose heart. Surely, good things will come from everything that's just happened. In the meantime, it might be rough. Just… focus on what you have here, and everything will be fine. I'm not good at pep-talks. Flicker is. But I think he'd tell you the same thing."

"Thanks, Hennessy. It means a lot…"

Author's Note:

- She was just showing off at this point.

Comments

[coldsilverd]

The suicides... typical. They don't want to face the consequences of their actions. Cowards, every single one of them. So much for believing in the cause. Considering what's awaiting them, I'm not surprised. I can only imagine just how severe the punishment is going to be. Wardens are going to be seriously busy for a while with this group.

Not surprised the crown went after the pharmaceuticals afterward. A lot of what they were doing at the asylum likely benefited them greatly. Cheap, consequence free test subjects to test new drugs, and it happens to go along with the asylum's goals.

Now that they have the excuse, the crown can go in and fix the whole damn thing. Probably put a hell of a lot of pressure on Fillidelphia's government as well. Other crown investments are certainly going to have to be careful after this: they just justified a 1/3 ownership investigation, everything funded with crown money could be considered open game now. After all, if one investment is this corrupt, just how many others are?

[Ytak]

He likes results… visible results.

There is a certain satisfaction in watching something unfold before the eyes. That's why I like sewing. Especially once I get to the piecing stage.

10228860

Cheap, consequence free test subjects to test new drugs,

And it isn't even something made up for the story. Asylums have historically been used as places where doctors would test new medicines and medical procedures for those reasons you list and because who are the patients going to complain to. Yeah. Which sometimes makes me laugh sardonically when I think about how some of the hospitals in the area I live are located on Asylum Street.

[Trump]

That attitude toward getting the paper sounds just like my house. Crosswords!

[marcelojj]

Sundance: "Miss Velvet...I need help with a pony of my barony. He developed a severe fear of being shoved in tigh spaces."
Twilight Velvet: "That´s a...very specific fear. What happened ?"
S: "He was shoved in a tigh space. Oh, so very tigh."
TW: "Well, that´s obvious. But I need more informat..."
S: "Sooooo tigh. !"
TW: "Sundance."
S: "No bones ! No air ! He couldn´t even feel his own body !"
TW: "Sundance."
S: "Like a infinite corridor of tighness !"
TW: "He is you, right ?"
S: "AND EVERYTHING WAS MAGENTA !"
TW: "Oh yes...he is you. Oh Twilight Sparkle...I said that you needed more focus on the thaumartugical coordinates..."
S: "MAGENTA IS A BAD COLOR !"
TW: "Miss Buttercup...we need the special tea. Extra strong, if you may."

[lazyreader19]

Hennessy is a good bean.

[harts fire]

change is good ,, with no change things grow stagnant and grind to a stop..
some times change needs a good kick in the ass to get started back up.

[Spacefrog]

"There was a rash of suicides at Peaceful Pastures Asylum," Paradox said from behind the paper. "Not the patients, but the staff. There was also a midnight raid by the Wardens. A vast secret complex was found beneath the city. Story is developing. Oh my… oh my."
Trembling, Sundance somehow managed to lift up his teacup with his wing and he had himself a much-needed slurp.

"Multiple pharmaceutical companies were also raided last night, including Equestria's largest manufacturer of vaccines. The paper says this is the bust of the century. Multiple corporate executive officers have been taken into custody and will be interrogated."

Hmm, the suicides where only among the asylum staff? The cynic in me wonder how many of those suicides had outside help.
The fact that the city had a big complex beneath it, could hint at something else going on, probably something that could not be printed.

[Richtus]

"Beware the bidding of princesses and their mothers."

Love that line.

[kingsmen]

10228909
This has to be canon!

[kingsmen]

I wonder when Officer mom will finally make an appearance besides the off handed remark or reference here and there? I mean it’s not like everyday your son goes to the castle and leaves as a baron or if she doesn’t know that then his disappearance from home/city would raise some concern, no?

[kudzuhaiku]

10229469
She's already appeared in the story.

[kingsmen]

10229493
Derp oh Celestia give me strength to go back and find that chapter!

[kudzuhaiku]

10229497
https://www.fimfiction.net/story/397718/34/house-of-the-rising-sunflower/surprise

[kingsmen]

10229502
thank you oh merciful writer of horse words!

[Backlash91]

Awwq... I kinda wanted more details on the asylum bust.