14 - The Re-education Room
Sunny and her friends passed through the guardhouse and stepped into the Western Entrance of the inner keep. Guards with crested stone helmets stood watch inside. Sunny glared at each of them, and they glared back.
The guards stepped forward.
“H-Hey! Watch the goods!” Hitch cried as one began to frisk him. Izzy yipped and yelped as two guards passed her around, investigating her for any contraband. When they noticed her horn they gasped and stepped back. Looking to Sir Bastion, they found him urging them on with a flick of his head.
“Go on. She has no laser beams to zap you with.”
Sunny snarled the best snarl she could through her gag as the guards approached. She pushed one of them, who pushed her back harder so that she collapsed onto the stone floor with a pained cry.
Sir Bastion clapped against the stones below.
“Excellent, excellent! I cannot wait to see all of that energy and enthusiasm turn to despair, Ms. Starscout!” He turned to his peer. “Terra, this one has brought me great joy. Even you can appreciate breaking down such types.”
Terra adjusted her glasses, jostling her fine-cut bob.
“Hmph. I derive no great pleasure from any of this. Mine is simply a job that is required to keep the Realm safe – it’s unacceptable to think beyond that.”
Sir Bastion sighed.
“How fun you are.”
He turned to his page as the prisoner frisking continued.
“Nate, my lad; escort the apothecary to our meagre potion supplies room.” Sir Bastion hummed. “Which is to say: if we even have one of those. In any event, you can at least show her to the garden.”
Nate jumped at the chance, cheeks burning, and he walked away down a corridor. Layla Grassroots giggled and followed him. The prisoners, meanwhile, were led down a different corridor by two of the guards. Sir Bastion kept a close eye on them. He made to follow, but Terra stopped him.
“Sir Bastion! Can we try to stick to the schedule now that you are here? Surely you don’t think they can escape now that they are here?”
Sir Bastion snorted and pointed at Sunny.
“I know that one by now, Terra! She is capable of anything – ponies will listen to her.”
The guards saluted and one of them stepped forward.
“We will ensure the prisoners are escorted straight to the Re-education Room, Sir Bastion!”
“See that you do, or that is where you will be going if you fail.”
Sir Bastion leaned into Terra, who backed up uneasily. His smile didn’t twitch.
“She’s just like that traitor from around the time of the last war – do you remember? You were young then but surely you must. Starscout is almost the same...”
And so Sunny, Hitch, and Izzy were at last separated from Sir Bastion. Despite that great fact, however, the latter two were still in their hoof bondage, and Sunny in hers, including the ball gag in her mouth. Hitch sighed.
“Listen, buddy,” he asked one of the bulky, crest-helmed guards with a chuckle, “How about loosening these chains and getting the gag off of my pal here, huh?” The guard looked back. Hitch worked his charming smile and bushy brows.
The guard shoved Hitch into a wall. Hitch groaned.
“O-Okay then, I-I guess t-that’s a no…”
Sunny looked around as the prisoners were led further into the inner keep. Wide slits in the wall to her right let in ample light, although the castle corridor looked ancient and dank regardless. It was not the castle of Sunny’s dreams, despite its outward appearances. Sconces for torches were hammered with iron nails into the wall to the left, and every so often the prisoners and guards would pass a thick wooden door with inlaid metal patterned into it. The high ceiling was criss-crossed with wooden beams, and the floor was mere stone blocks that caused everypony’s hooves to clip and clip loudly.
In addition to all of that, Sunny found as she sneezed, there was a lot of dust and dirt.
The guards stopped on either side of two double doors with the same metal patterning as all the others. They were slightly ajar and a youthful female voice could be hear talking inside. One of the guards spoke with gruff succinctness.
“Go inside and do as you are told.”
The other guard did a double take at Sunny and tore off her gag. She cried in pain, rubbed her jaw, and quickly took advantage of her new-found oral freedom.
“Some Soldiers of the Realm you two are! Leading prisoners to some form of messed up torture – I can’t believe this! I never knew it co—”
Hitch covered her mouth and smiled sheepishly at the guards.
“Heh, she’s a rambunctious one, huh?”
He whispered right into Sunny’s ear as the guard worked at releasing the chain attaching Izzy and Hitch.
“Sunny, please – this is not some story book where the smarty pants main character can just make quips without getting her plot AND her friends’ plots whipped until they’re red and sore so can you just go through the door, sit quietly, and drown out the ‘Education’ stuff. Trust me – this is the way to do it!”
The guard grabbed Izzy and dragged her down the hallway once she was released. Izzy looked back with a heartbreaking frown as the guard barked.
“This one goes right to the dungeons.”
Sunny immediately chased after.
“I don’t think so! She’s staying with me!”
Hitch was able to grab Sunny’s tail before she got out of reach. Sunny’s back shot up from the pain.
“Ow! Hitch, let me go!”
“Sunny, no!”
The other guard slammed Sunny into the rightmost wall. She struggled as much as she could against him, though he was a head taller. Hitch reached out a hoof.
“Hey man! That’s not necessary!”
The guard gritted his teeth as Sunny put up a valiant effort.
“Butt… out… pretty boy! Get in… the room!”
Hitch glared at the soldier, then looked to Sunny, and finally Izzy down the hallway. As he decided what to do, Sunny shouted after her Unicorn friend.
“IZZY! I’M… COMING!”
Hitch’s brow furrowed.
“Listen buddy, let her go and I’ll calm her down and we’ll go in, okay?”
“Not… happening… backup should be—” Sunny found an angle and bit the soldier’s neck. He yelped in pain.
“BAAAAH!”
Hitch sighed as Sunny ran off. He quickly sprinted forward and tackled her down. She struggled fruitlessly against Hitch.
“Hitch… get off me… NOW!”
“No, Sunny! Listen! If you want a chance to talk to the Protector, just do what they say for now!” He leaned closer and whispered to Sunny. “The Protector’s little sister is the one who teaches here. If you butter up to her and work your word magic, she might just get you an audience with the Protector!” Sunny struggled to get Hitch off as he continued. “If you just fight the guards, at some point one of the Knights or even Bastion will come, and then what?”
Tears gathered at the ends of Sunny’s eyes. When she looked up at Hitch, it almost made him let her go.
“But it’s Izzy! Hitch, she’s my first real friend! And it’s my fault she’s here, I convinced her to come! I can’t let them—”
“Sunny, I get that! But you gotta do this right - for all of us! I’m stuck here too, y’know? But I wanted to be here!”
Sunny looked at Hitch. He forced a smile. The floor echoed behind them as the soldier caught up.
“PRISONERS GE—”
Hitch reared onto his back legs and smacked the soldier with his front hooves, knocking him back against the floor. He hit his head off the stones, his helmet flew off, and his tongue flopped out of his mouth, a dazed mumble escaping his lips. Hitch came back down with a heavy breath. Sunny just blinked.
“As I was saying, I just went along with your crazy plans because you made me feel like I might be able to convince the Protector about my brother after all. We both have silly dreams, Sunny, but you’re the one who makes them seem possible! But doing this?” He motioned all around them. “THIS is silly. Trying to fight them hoof to hoof. You can’t play the game their way - you have to fight in your own way!”
Sunny got up and sniffled. Anger still flashed in her eyes.
“My way doesn’t work, don’t you get it? Look where it’s gotten me! Hitch, if I don’t do something right now, Izzy will…”
Sunny pleaded with wide eyes. Hitch frowned.
“If you keep this up, all three of us will be in the dungeons and then you won’t have ANY way to save her. Besides, what are you saying about your way not working? I remember being so jealous of you when we were younger… because you could stand up and talk about what you believed in. And ponies would listen! Sure, they thought you were annoying most of the time, but when you talked about those stories. And then there was me, I—anyway, this isn’t about me.”
He sat on his rump and grabbed Sunny by the shoulders and looked into her eyes.
“If anypony has a chance to pull off what you’re trying to pull off, it’s you. You just have to stop worrying and do it! That’s what I – you know, that’s what I try to do” Hitch shrugged. “I’m sort of an idiot so, I couldn’t cut the mustard before. But I think you can do it Sunny! And if you can talk the Protector into giving the Unicorns and FeatherIMean Pegasi a chance, well, I’m sure I can talk her into searching for Halter! And honestly, I don’t even know why that is, it’s just…” Hitch became flustered and shot his hoof up. “Can you just trust me here?!”
Sunny looked at him deadpan.
“Why should I? I don’t remember you sticking up for me when we were kids. Couldn’t trust you much then.”
Hitch made a grumpy face and pointed at the gagging soldier writhing on the ground, then turned back to Sunny and raised his eyebrows as high as they could go.
“Need I say anymore? That alone could lose me prisoner rations for a week!”
Sunny slowly smiled.
“And you wouldn’t want that, right?”
“Are you serious? If I don’t get enough food, Sunny, my coat gets all pale and I look like a ghost or something – that is NOT a good look for the Hitch bod!”
Sunny giggled and then Hitch laughed. Sunny sniffled.
“You actually think I can do it now?”
Hitch groaned in frustration and hung his head.
“Yes, Sunny, I really, really do. Do I need to do a song and dance or something to convince you?
“Depends on how good you can sing and dance.”
“Well actually I’ve always wanted to—SUNNY! No! Come on!”
Sunny laughed.
“Fine, fine. But this better not take that long. Every second that passes, Sun Goddess knows what they’re doing to Izzy!”
“Sun Goddess?”
“Errr, something Old Man Withers said before… I’m starting to think it wasn’t just an old pony’s tale.”
“Gross, Old Man Withers? That bag of wrinkles? Just looking at him makes me start to dry up—OW why’d you hit me?”
Sunny headed back to the double doors, stepping over the soldier Hitch had knocked out. Hitch rubbed his shoulder and followed.
“It’s just,” Sunny began, “I have a lot more respect for him now. Withers.” Just before she pushed open the double doors, Hitch stopped her with a hoof.
“Fine. Enough about the old pony though. Listen - the big one inside is called Herk – he doesn’t say much, he’s there to scare everypony into submission. The little one is Aura – like I said, her sister is the Protector of the Realm. She’s small, cutesy, and really takes advantage of her position as baby sister to the leader of this whole freaking place, so don’t offend her and you might just have a shot at working your magic with the Protector. At the very least, don’t fall asleep, okay? The Protector’s the only one that’s a step above Bastion in the pecking order around here, so if you can’t convince her, then we’re—”
The door Hitch was in front of swung open and smacked him in the face. He fell backwards with a thud. A large black hoof reached from inside the room and pulled Sunny inside.
Once inside the Re-education room, a filly’s voice called out.
“Prisoner! We were expecting you hours ago! You must be the Starscout.”
The room was not overly large – about ten Earth Ponies, chained to the desks they were seated at, laid out like the typical classroom, had pencils in their mouths and were hastily copying down line after line of text posted on the front wall. In front of that wall was a large teacher’s desk, and on top of the desk was a little pink filly with a tiny wave of a mane colored in streaks of light blue and green. Sunny spotted a Cutie Mark – a silver shield with a flaming orange heart in the middle.
“Herk! Get her in a desk – we will start from the very beginning! We can’t go easy on this one!”
All the other prisoners groaned. Hitch crawled inside the room.
“Oh – Hitch Trailblazer.” The little filly stuck out her tongue. “Blah! They still let you in the Castle? Don’t tell me you’re a prisoner now.”
The one that Sunny supposed was “Herk” carried her and shoved her into a chair attached to a desk. He brutally wrapped a chain around her belly.
“Hey!” Sunny protested. She went quiet as she saw Herk’s face – one eye was greyed out, the other barely open with a vicious scar going through it. His lips were cracked and scars covered his entire face – not unlike the ship captain Sunny worked alongside back in Maretime Bay. Herk had a short, white tuft of a mane, and his fur was thick and black like a shaggy blanket. No Cutie Mark graced his flank.
Herk quickly scooped up Hitch and shoved him into his own desk. Aura cleared his tiny filly throat.
“Here are the rules, newbies: one no talking, two write everything down, three don’t annoy me, four don’t annoy Herk and five if you fail a test you’re DONE and that means Sir Bastion gets you – got it?”
Sunny already wanted to shove the filly’s face into the ground. The filly leaned forward and smiled, fluttering her eyes.
“Oh, and I’mmmmmm Aura Shieldheart, and my sister is the Protector of the Realm, so don’t be mean or I’ll make her throw you off the roof! Get it? Got it? Good!”
Herk zipped right up to the front, grabbed a large sheet of paper from a scrollshelf filled with big scrolls, and tacked it to the wall. Sunny couldn’t possibly make sense of all the text, the arrows pointing at pictures, and the symbols – it was clearly hoof-drawn by a child in crayon. Aura continued.
“Let’s start all the way back when Rockhoof and Meadowbrook first came to the Smokey Mountains!”
* * *
Sir Bastion stomped up the stairs, yawning loudly. Free at last of Dame Terra and all other nuisances, he made his way to the Knight’s Lounge for some snacks which, if the chef wanted to live another day outside of the dungeons, Sir Bastion knew would be waiting for him. He reached the top of the stairs leading down the Knights’ Corridor – a much fancier, carpet-lined portion of the keep. A face that angered him, attached to an old stallion body, made him do a Bastion frown.
“Oh. Curio. It is you.”
Sir Curio was no happier to see his fellow Hoof of the Protector. He sighed.
“Bastion. Back so soon, huh? My daughter tells me they’re still waiting for you to have their meeting.”
“Hmm? Really? Well, I care not - you know, after all, who runs things around here.”
“That supposed to be you?”
“I think you know that Curio.”
“Do I?”
Curio yawned and smacked his lips together.
“I spend a lot of time napping or looking out at the valley. I don’t know nothin’. But you know that, don’t you, Little B?”
Sir Bastion’s neck veins popped up. His bushy brows flicked up as far as they could go.
“You have been warned. Noearthpony calls me that.”
“Yeahhh… except for me. I’m older than you and I’ve been around longer. You’re always going to be second to me, Little B. All your bluster…”
Sir Bastion shoved his hoof at Sir Curio’s face, but fast as he was, Sir Curio was able to get out of the way. The older stallion smirked.
“All your huffing and puffing. Hah!”
Again and again Sir Bastion tried to tackle or smack his fellow Knight, and each time couldn’t land a single blow.
“What, you think because I don’t have my bow you can beat me? How long have you been on your little potion diet – it must be getting close to twenty five years by now.” Sir Curio smiled wide, the wrinkles around his eyes disappearing. “You think that’s made you better than me? I got to where I am the old fashioned way.”
Sir Bastion glared for a moment, but slowly returned to his usual smile with a chuckle. Sir Curio frowned, his rival not taking the bait. Sir Bastion closed his eyes and shook his head.
“You have always been able to get on my nerves like noearthpony else, Curio.” He walked past his fellow Knight toward the Lounge, calling out as he did. “If you are heading to the meeting for once, you can tell the others I won’t be in attendance – after a quick respite I will be returning to the wilderness to capture the Drake.” Sir Bastion stopped and half-turned around. “Did you hear? I encountered him as I was bringing a most valuable prize to the castle – the Warlock King’s sister - and one of the Starscouts! I had not realized that the troublemaker from that time, your little pal, was also a Starscout.”
Sir Curio narrowed his eyes.
“Now hold on, Little B. That’s a lot to take in. Last time you beat up the Drake and sent him and his Hornhead friends away – this time you leave him in the Realm and take his ward, the sister of the Warlock King, prisoner? And I bet she had a scroll that you ignored, too?”
Sir Bastion turned around again. Sir Curio could not see his smile gleam.
“She most certainly did! What of it?”
“If you’re trying to start a war, go into neutral territory and make it your own war. We don’t want any more of that! Bastion! I would think you of all Earth Ponies would feel the same way!”
Sir Bastion’s smile wavered at the ends and Sir Curio continued.
“Don’t think I’ve taken your joking manner as lightly as everyearthpony else – I know you, Bastion. Whatever insane thing you have planned, you better drop it, because nothing you do is ever going to bring back your family, or my wife, or any—”
But Sir Curio decided to stop. The particular tenseness in Sir Bastion’s shoulders gave away his anger. It was the silent rage akin to that of a wild dog backed into a corner. If pushed to the last straw, it would be forced to lash out. Sir Curio grunted.
“Anyway, you should go and report all of this at the meeting and see what the others thin—”
“What I do I do for the good of the Realm, Curio. I operate my way. You owe much to me - you all do.”
There was a pause. Some tale from long ago sat just behind Curio’s eyes. Bitter anguish was forced to hide behind Bastion’s.
“I know what I am doing. Let me do what is best for all of us.”
After another pause, Sir Bastion broke the silence with a roar of laughter and waved a dismissive hoof as he turned around.
“Come now, Eagle Eye! Enough of that drab political discussion! What of the Starscout I captured? Surely it is nostalgic for you to hear – I recall all those years ago you frolicking with that young colt. You two stupid lads, playing at heroes!”
Sir Curio sighed and shook his head.
“Enough. Even twenty five years ago I was a stallion, and older than you, Little B.”
Sir Bastion tested his peer’s reflexes by leaping forward and head-butting, fully intending to cause as much harm as he would have, had not Sir Curio dodged. The older stallion continued without so much as an extra breath.
“I don’t care about the Starscout from before nor do I care about whoever this new Starscout is. As far as I am concerned they all ought to stay in Tall Tale and keep their weirdness to themselves.”
“Ah but did you not hear? This one is from the south, along the coast somewhere. I cannot remember what the name of the scrapheap was, but apparently the Starscouts there ran a lighthouse or something.”
“Observatory.”
Sir Bastion raised an eyebrow.
“Yes… it was exactly that. How did you know?” He took a step forward and Sir Curio smirked.
“What secrets have you learned in your dusty old tomes, Curio?”
Sir Curio laughed once and walked away.
“I don’t learn all my secrets from books – that one I learned from someearthpony who went north. You can hear a lot of interesting things in Tall Tale. Maybe find some time in your schedule for something other than exercise, doping, and prisoner capturing and you can go visit.”
Sir Bastion howled with laughter.
“Yes, yes, yes—and boulder boars will fly, as they say! I take it neither of us will be attending the meeting, then?”
“Same as always, Little B. I’ve got some sleeping to catch up on.”
The passioned laughter of Sir Bastion did not subside until he entered the lounge at the far end of the corridor. Sir Curio stopped at the top of the stairs leading back to the lower levels, the darkness in the corner obscuring his face.
Unfortunately, that was a lie. There is something much more important I have to attend to. Just like you said, Bastion – this is for the good of the Realm.
* * *
One hour passed since Sunny and Hitch joined the Re-education class. Sunny had finally lost her struggle against sleep and was snoring up a storm and leaning against her hoof on the desk.
The teacher, little filly Aura, was not amused. All the prisoners in the classroom were hastily copying a long list titled “Why Unciorns Suck!” (they also copied the spelling mistake and backwards letters), even Hitch with his slow writing. But Sunny was drooling into a puddle. Aura hopped up and down with exasperation.
“No no no! Herk, the Starscout fell asleep! Put her in a cell and Sir Bastion can deal with her later!”
The called-for stallion nodded and lumbered forward, the desks on either side of him shoving away as he trudged to Sunny’s spot. Hitch noticed and shook her.
“Sunny – Sunny! Wake up! Come on!”
Sunny grumbled awake.
“I can’t help it!” Sunny said with a yawn. “Classrooms make me sleepy, and this stuff is so BORING!” She looked at the chart. In the dimly lit room she was reminded of history class, the roar of the projector, and how comfortable it felt to just snooze the afternoon away.
Sunny became frantic when she saw the look of abject fear on Hitch’s face. Herk grabbed at her chains to release them.
“I m-mean uhhh sorry! I am just exhausted from the trip, I really want to learn all of this Y-Your” — Sunny searched for some appropriate defining feature of Aura to compliment — “Shortness?” Hitch facehoofed.
Herk picked Sunny up with one hoof, laid her on his back and made for the door. Aura smugly stood up straight on the desk as the entire class of prisoners watched and kept quiet. Sunny’s pupils darted with fear.
“Let me go! I will pay attention, I will! Sorry, did I say Shortness, I meant Cuteness! Smartness? Bestlittlefillyness?”
Aura closed her eyes and shook her head.
“Too late now, Starscout. That last one might have earned you some brownie points if you started with it!”
Right before he reached for the doorknob, Herk had to step back as the door swung open. Aura saw the new arrival and smiled wide.
“Hello uncle Curio!” Her mood soured again. “Don’t worry about the Starscout – she is being sent to the dungeons. She’s a lost cause!”
The new arrival, a pony who Sunny thought looked like he could be Old Man Withers’ brother, stepped inside and looked around. His coat was smoky grey and his short mane a lavender color similiar to a fading flower. He finally rested his eyes on Sunny – she blinked a few times. The eyes that she saw were not old pony eyes but alert, ready, wide, and calculating. His rich brown eyes were striking – even for such a plain shade.
“You the Starscout?”
“I am! I’m going to do better, I was just tired, I pro—.”
“Hercules, put that mare down. She’s coming with me.”
Herk did as instructed. Aura puffed out her chest and cheeks.
“Hey! Uncle! That’s not fair, I was going to send her to the dungeons!”
Curios whipped around and snapped.
“Quiet you! I’m not your uncle and this ain’t a game!” Aura whimpered. The prisoners were all staring when Curio scanned the audience, and they all turned back around and resumed their scribbling when they saw Curio’s scowl. Hitch, however, looked back up at Sunny with a grimace. She was catching her breath.
“I’ll go back and copy all the stuff I missed, I can be a good student, I—!”
Curio looked at her coldly. Something about the look made Sunny feel miserable, as if she were to blame. Her ears fell.
“Just follow me. No talking.”
So Sunny did, with one last look back at Hitch, who made a face like he was trying to look brave, but in reality wanted to be anywhere else but the dim Re-education room. Sunny forced a smile and turned back and straightened her posture as she marched forward beside the older stallion.
“Please, I have to speak with the Protector! If you’re taking me to the dungeons, at least tell the Protector to come see me!”
“Not taking you to any dungeons, at least for now. Quiet.”
“O-oh... oh good!”
Sunny’s face became neutral. Once she allowed herself to relax, she took a look at the stallion she was following.
“Who are you supposed to be, some kind of tracker or something? Or is that the latest Castle Rockhoof fashion?” Sunny cocked her head at the belts and holsters wrapped around Curio’s midsection. Strange arrows and other things that looked like rocks were poking out of one holster. A leather knapsack hung on the side closest to Sunny – it was closed, but it bulged with whatever was inside. Sunny saw a Cutie Mark of a plot of brown soil and an orange circle.
“I said quiet. I’m missing my favorite nap for this, so at the very least, let me have my precious silence.”
Sunny continued to scan the appearance of the stallion. There was something spry about him. By all outward appearances, Curio was an elderly stallion, but he did not move like an elder. His strides reminded Sunny of Hitch’s: confident, but unlike the former sheriff Curio strode without the added smugness. Each step was precise, as if Curio never walked to anywhere he didn’t absolutely need to be at.
Eventually Sunny and Curio came close to the same entrance lobby through which Sunny had entered earlier, but instead of continuing straight they turned down a smaller hallway and climbed up circular stairs.
The stairs went on and on, and Sunny felt like normally she would be asking the elder if he needed a hoof, but he was just as energetic as her – even moreso, since she was getting out of breath when they finally reached the final steps some minutes later but Curio was not.
“You-you’ve got a lot of energy… old man…”
Curios grumbled.
“You sound like my kid. Be quiet already, would you? I’ll let you speak once we’re inside.”
At the top of the stairs a single hallway led to another of the wooden doors. As Sunny and Curio walked down the hallway, Sunny looked out the slit windows to her left. Straight ahead was more of the inner keep’s white stone walls – but looking below Sunny saw the middle area of the keep – a garden, albeit a sparse one. The bushes, trees, vines, and shrubs looked barren, either well picked or lacking much fruit altogether. Sunny managed a smile, because it was nice to see greenery. Her smile faded when she spotted Layla Grassroots and the page Nate Chivaltarry conversing by a bush. Curio cleared his throat.
“Wait here for a moment. I’ll call for you when I’m ready.”
“I don’t have time to wait! Sir Bastion foalnapped a Unicorn, her name is Izzy Moonbow, she’s—”
“She’s completely fine, for now. Shut up already, would ya?”
Sunny glared at the back of the stallion as he disappeared through the door, which he only opened enough to squeeze through. She growled to herself.
“Telling me to shut up… these ponies don’t know me very well! Shut up they say! Have you SEEN me in Maretime Bay, or HEARD me? Isn’t that why I’m here in the first place, because of all those speeches?”
“I can still hear you!”
Sunny covered her mouth with a hoof and jumped back.
I wasn’t talking that loud… was I?
Sunny smiled.
But at least Izzy is okay!
Sunny took to looking outside the other windows while she waited. Outside, on either of the three white-stone walls, were rows and rows of slit windows, spaced out to denote the different floors of the inner keep. Looking up, Sunny saw that the sky was still blue and that birds were still basking in the warmth of the sun.
Behind Sunny, there were no windows, but instead objects hung on the wall: a large, curved horn, a painting of a farmstead with a sunrise behind it, and a small rectangular flag of green with Curio’s Cutie Mark on it: only by seeing the larger image did Sunny realize that it was a sunrise.
“What family is that?” she whispered to herself.
“Brightland.”
Sunny jumped at the muffled cry from inside the room. Her fur stood up on the back of her neck.
“Come inside, Starscout. We need to have a chat.”
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It's okay. This is a very good chapter you made; I like it! I hope Sunny will try to find a way to get things right. As long as you as an individual... can convince yourself that in order to move forward as best you can you have to be optimistic, you can be described as 'one of the faithful,' one of those people who can say, 'Well, look, something's going to happen! Let's just keep trying. Let's not give up.
Oh hey, something NOT utterly bleak and depressing. Progress!
Curio reminds me of Cohen.?
Hmm... I'm guessing a friend of 'Old Man Withers'.' This oughta be good.
Also, there are plenty of mechanical (and a few other) mistakes, but this:
If they had scones, it would be a very different story.
You want sconces.
11173785
Hah! I hope you at least got a chuckle out of that. I will make the necessary change!
I edit my own chapters and therefore little things like that will sneak out. Not so sure about the major things - to be honest I feel confident enough to break away from a few conventional things to write how I like my stories to look. If you notice anything super distracting though, please let me know (other than from Castle Rockhoof having baked goods on their walls).
11173525
Cohen?
11173379
Glad to hear. I don't like doing the whole "spoil future plot threads in the comments" thing but I think it is fair to say there should be no more Sunny abuse in the near future. Or at least not abuse she can't pay back.
11173329
Thank you for the comment! Hope you continue to enjoy.
11174446
Cohen the Barbarian, from Discworld:The Last Hero.
You're welcome, OneLonelyPickle.
11174447
Cohen, not Conan? Lol that's confusing. I haven't read that! I have heard of it though.