Children of the Sun

by Vanner

Down on the Farm

Chapter One: Down on the Farm

Our tale begins in Bridleburg, an unassuming mining town on the edge of the buffalo territories. Bridleburg was many things. It was prosperous. It was thriving. It was safe. At the same time, Bridleburg was also a difficult place to live, as everything about it stemmed from the great mines that burrowed beneath the surface of the city. The city had been founded a hundred years before the rebellion, and had prospered from the wealth of gems and minerals that flowed from its mines.

Because of the unique landscape of the region, there was little topsoil in the surrounding area, and the limestone bedrock started at three feet. When earth ponies came to the area to settle, they were fortunate to have brought with them unicorns who knew how to blast rock. The earth ponies hauled away the rocks, and used them to create houses. From that relationship grew Bridleburg. Water came from the Dame River, gems and minerals came from the earth, and the farmers worked the fields.

The few farmer ponies that inhabited the region had always had a difficult time making every harvest count. The thin topsoil became depleted quickly, and they were always scrambling to find new ways to renew the soil. Each year brought forth the simple question: Will we produce enough to feed eveypony?

One such farmer was Heart Chase. Had she not been taught from an early age the lessons of discipline and honesty, she probably would have succumbed to desires for power that infected Equestria. As it was, she only held dominion over her family’s farm, and guided it with a gentle hoof toward newer and greater heights every year. Again and again, she proved to be a savvy business mare with a keen sense for value.

In her eyes, everything had worth. It was her special talent to seek out that value and nurture it to fruition. She cared little for the world outside of Bridleburg, and indeed for the world outside her farm. Still, she knew the world around her was headed down a dark path, and there seemed to be no way for her to stop it. She was a practical pony after all, and saving Equestria was the stuff of heroes, not farmers.

The pony’s practical wisdom, combined with her vicious business acumen and the overwhelming politics of the region, made for strange bed fellows. She often found herself invited to soirees and dinners where she was wooed by those with money and power. She was, of course, not interested in the gifts offered by ponies with silver tongues and black hearts. Still, she turned the meetings to her advantage, and helped her family’s farm proposer behind all expectation. Her family became wealthy, though not near as wealthy as the Picks.

The Picks were a ruthless bunch of ponies and unicorns that were less related by blood than they were a simple desire for power and wealth. The Picks had started the mines in the first years of the town, and had made a killing supplying the rest of Equestria with gems, minerals, and cut stone. Because of their vast wealth, the Picks had held influence in palace before it had been decimated during the rebellion. Since no pony held the ear of the princess now, the Picks were left to squabble among the others vying for power in Equestria. While largely unsuccessful in Canterlot, the Picks held court over the Bridleburg region, and ushered the area into newfound heights of prosperity through clever deals and shady tradings.

None of this mattered to Heart Chase. She wasn’t interested in power, and she wasn’t interested the Picks. Her largest concern at the moment was the addition of apple trees to the farms.

Trees were nonexistent in this region with good reason; the soil simply wasn’t deep enough to hold them. Still, investment requires innovation, and if Heart Chase was good at anything, it was innovation. After a minor skirmish between the Kin of Luna and the Picks had broken out, she noticed that the unicorns had blasted large craters into the bedrock with their magic. That gave Heart Chase the idea to fill those holes with dirt, and plant apple trees. Certainly they wouldn’t grow tall, but they could grow wide, and apples would be a welcome addition to a diet high in carrots and wheat.

Heart Chase was supervising a cavalcade of earth ponies as they shoveled dirt into the craters blasted by the unicorns. The ponies here were part of her extend family. Many had farms elsewhere that had either failed or been taken over during the revolution. It turned out they liked Bridleburg so much, they decided to stay and live as a commune on Chase Family Farms. Heart Chase was happy to have family surrounding her, though it could get claustrophobic at times.

“Alright!” she yelled to the earth ponies. “Bring down that next load; I wanna see these holes filled before nightfall. Plantin’ season ain’t that far off, and I want these patches of dirt fertilized and ready for spring. We got a hot house full of apple saplings that need to get in the ground before it starts raining.” She spotted an orange earth pony who was watching other ponies do all the heavy lifting. “Carrot Muffin! I see you over there! Pick up your shovel, and get diggin’! Don’t make me come over there, young lady.”

Heart Chase never felt bad about yelling at the ponies; some of the children needed the disciple that came from hard work. She had no children of her own, but she was more than happy to enforce her own work ethic on her extended family. All the ponies were working now, and the tilling was going as planned. Chase walked away from the new fields, and into the barn where lunch was being prepared.

The barn was as typical as you could get: a squat, single story stone building that housed tables and a kitchen. Instead of each family making their own food, Heart Chase had come up with the idea of serving every pony the same thing at the same time. It turned out to be more efficient, and it allowed the extended family time to bond over meals. The mares and stallions who were either too old or unwilling to work the field came together morning, noon, and night to prepare food for the army of ponies that lived and worked on Chase Family Farms. Heart Chase was happy to see that her sister kept things running smoothly in here.

“Apple Chase, how’s lunch coming?” she asked.

“Seriously?” she asked. Apple pulled a pot from the fire. “Every day you ask the same stupid questions: ‘How’s lunch coming? How’s dinner going? How are the fillies?’” The yellow mare dumped the contents of the pot into another bowl, and began stirring. “Don’t you have anything better to do then to boss ponies around?”

“I’m askin’ cause it’s my job, Apple,” said Chase. “Things gotta run smoothly around here; that’s what I do.” Apple huffed and turned away from her sister.

“What you should be doing is raising a family like the rest of us,” said Apple Chase. “Father would lose his mind if he were still alive. Why if he knew that you prefer the company of...” Heart Chase glared at her sister. The look said in no uncertain terms that if she finished that sentence, Heart Chase would put her head through the wall. “Anyway,” continued Apple Chase, “it’s not like the farm is going to fall apart without your constant care. It’s not Equestria, after all, and you are certainly not Celestia.”

Heart Chase sighed at her sister. There were many things that she didn’t understand and the handling of business was one of them. She didn’t seem to understand that Equestria was falling apart, not because Celestia was gone, but because everypony else that wanted to fill her role was unsuited for the job.

The farm seemed like that in a microcosm. Everypony wanted her job, but they didn’t know how to bargain. They didn’t know how to secure loans, or deal with Bridleburg’s nightmarish banking system. They weren’t prepared to face the onslaught of poisoned kindness that came from the miners and the Picks. The only pony that seemed to understand was her niece, Red Chase.

Red Chase was a bright young mare who had gotten her grandfather’s business sense and her aunt’s training. She studied at the hooves of her Auntie Heart in hopes that to one day surpass Heart in capacity as manger of the farm. Chase only hoped that Red was as clever as she seemed because as it stood, Equestria forced ponies in her position to grow up fast. As if to illustrate the point, Red Chase came running to Heart.

“Aunt Heart,” panted the filly, “there’s a stallion here to see you.” Chase looked down at the young mare and prepared to dispense wisdom to her.

“Red, you go back there and you find out what he wants,” said Chase. “If he’s lookin’ to make a deal, you deal with him. If he’s lookin’ fer a pony, you help him find them. If he’s a traveler, you welcome him in. If he’s lookin’ fer a fight, well, you let the stallions handle him.” Chase tousled her niece’s mane. “You gotta start takin’ responsibility if you wanna run the farm.”

“He’s lookin’ for you,” said Red Chase. “I tried to tell him you were busy, but he wasn’t havin’ any of that. It’s that old pegasus,” said Red. “He started goin’ on and on about Celestia before I got away. Darn near talked my ears off.” Heart Chase groaned in despair; she knew it was Sound Cloud. She took a deep breath and started for the gates. The day was going to prove to be just as arduous as she had feared. As she walked for the field gates, she admired the job her family had done with the Winter Wrap up.

The grounds had been cleared of winter’s snow for the seasons of rain that stood just a few weeks away. The winter this year hadn’t been anything to speak of, but with all the fillies and colts that were due this spring a good harvest was essential. More mouths to feed also meant more workers and a new crop of Chases to learn the trades of the farm. It brought a smile to Heart’s face to know that life continued no matter what. She totted past the gates and into the presence of Sound Cloud.

Sound Cloud was an interesting pegasus. Certainly he was nothing to look at: a green coat that had grayed around the edges, a blue mane that had done the same, and yellow eyes that had been lined with the years of sorrow and frustration of living in such times. His cutie mark was of a cloud with ripples behind it. He had always said that it was his lot in life to speak, and Sound Cloud was one of those ponies who never stopped talking. Getting him started on any topic was an invitation to waste a few hours of your time no matter what else needed to be done.

Heart Chase walked through the gates of the fields to see the old pegasus talking to several of the fillies and colts that had come out to see him. He was droning on about the miracle of the sun and how we as ponies should pray to Celestia for her return. Sound Cloud turned to see Heart Chase as she came from the fields.

“Oh, my dear Heart Chase!” he said. “It is always such a pleasure to see you. I was walking out of town, for you see at my age, walking is the key to good health, and I passed by your farm. I was thinking about how much I enjoy coming out here every week to teach your fillies and colts about the miracle of the sun rise, and of the great bounty that our goddess gives to us each day. About how we can all pray to her that she return to our lives and…”

“Sound Cloud, what do yah want?” interrupted Heart Chase. “If yah want money, yah ain’t gettin’ it; I already gave to the church at the beginning of the month. If yah want a meal, yah can join us fer lunch; there’s always plenty to go around.” She pushed a lock of her orange hair back behind her bonnet. “And if yer just here to yammer, yah can save it. I ain’t got time today, Reverend.” The pegasus glared at her with a disapproving eye.

“If your father were alive to hear you speak to your elders like that…”

“Well, he ain’t here,” said Heart Chase. “I run the farm now. Mah homestead, mah rules. I know you served together durin’ the war, but that don’t make you Celestia’s gift to Chase Family Farms. Yah ain’t family, and yah ain’t gonna be less you marry in, and I don’t see that happenin.” The fillies and colts who had gathered to hear him speak tittered at the remark. Heart Chase turned to them.

“Ain’t you got chores to do, youngins?” she demanded. The fillies and colts bolted away from Heart Chase as if she were a manticore. She turned back to Sound Cloud. “Ah like yah just fine, Reverend, but your long winded sermons put me so far behind sometimes I gotta work through the night just to make up for them.” She paused a moment. “Now, I ask again, what do yah want?” Sound Cloud sighed, and recomposed himself.

“I’ll try to make it quick, since your time is apparently more valuable than mine,” huffed Sound Cloud. “Never mind I haven’t much time left or that I’ve been preaching for going on thirty years now. No, I’m sure whatever it is that you’re doing is much more important that saving Equestria from the growing hordes of mongrels that threaten it.” Heart Chase stared at the preacher. She was unimpressed by his typical martyr routine. “I am assembling a pilgrimage,” he continued, “a band of the most devout followers of Celestia to go to her palace in Canterlot and pray that she grace Equestria again with her presence.”

“Yah do realize there are literally hundreds of ponies who do that every day, right?” asked Heart Chase. “I’ve been to Canterlot once. The whole square was filled with them, what do yah call it, zealots? Just bowin’ and prayin’ over and over again. Kinda creepy, if you ask me.” Sound Cloud stomped an aging hoof into the dirt.

“Those damned zealots don’t know the first thing of prayer!” shrieked Sound Cloud. “That is not what Celestia wants from ponies at all, and it never has been. Those ponies are only there to assuage the guilt of their own sins, not bring back the Goddess that we have missed so dearly all these years.” Anger flashed through his yellow eyes and for a moment Heart Chase was concerned he might have a heart attack right then and there. “No, what Celestia wants from us is to love and tolerate each other. She doesn’t want us at war with our neighbors. She doesn’t want use killing each other over petty land disputes. She certainly doesn’t want Equestria falling to pieces around her! We have got to stop it!”

“And how do yah propose we do that?” asked Heart Chase. “I’m a farmer; you’re an old preacher. Together we can do exactly nothin’ fer Equestria but keep our families fed.” She pointed out into Bridleburg. “Why don’t you let ponies like the Picks handle all that big picture nonsense? I ain’t leavin’ this farm and mah family to go one some kinda half baked expedition to Canterlot so we can stare at a bricked up wall.” Heart Chase pulled a flask from her bonnet and took a swig. Arguing with Sound Cloud was always exasperating business, and he was already giving her a headache.

“Can’t you spare any pony?” asked Sound Cloud. “I am but an old pegasus, and I fear that making the journey alone will make me a target for bandits and the Lunar Remnants.”

“I can’t do it,” said Heart Chase. “Plantin’ season is comin’ and I can’t spare the ponies. There’s a bumper crop of foals waitin’ to be born this year, and we need every last hand in the fields to make sure this plantin’ is perfect. I’m sorry, Sound Cloud, but I can’t help yah. I’m sure there are plenty of other ponies in Bridleburg who are willing to travel with yah.”

“I’ve posted notices at the taverns and inns looking for help,” said Sound Cloud. “If you change your mind…”

“I’m not gonna,” said Heart Chase. “Now come on in and have lunch, yah old fool. I’ll even let yah say grace.”

They walked together along the dirt paths of the farm toward the barn kitchen. The smells of breads and fruits filled the country air with the tastes of a good old fashioned family feast. Of course, nearly every meal here was a feast by necessity. The addition of one more guest wouldn’t matter, nor several, as it turned out. As the ponies approached the barn, Red Chase was greeting two other ponies who had stopped by the farm on business. Their flanks were adorned with picks and quills.

“Good afternoon,” said Heart Chase. “What can I do fer the Picks today?”

“Ah, Miss Heart Chase,” said the blue earth pony. “We are here this afternoon at the behest of Count Iron Pick to extend to you an invitation to dinner tomorrow evening.” Heart Chase looked from one pony to the other. Between the two ponies, there didn’t seem like there was an ounce of decent hard work between them and she fantasized briefly about putting them under the yoke for her own amusement. She snapped back to the topic at hand

“Come again?” she asked. “Dinner? With Count Iron Pick?”

“Well that sounds fantastic,” said Sound Cloud. “I’ll be sure to wear my finest robes to deliver the blessings of Celestia for the meal. Have I ever told you of the time I met her highness? You would be amazed at how beautiful she is in person, I assure you.” The two Pick ponies turned to each other with a look of distress.

“Uh, Reverend?” asked Heart Chase. “Why don’t yah go gather up every pony for grace while I entertain my guests here?”

“Fantastic idea,” said Sound Cloud. He trotted over to gather up the ponies for prayer. Heart Chase turned back to her other guests.

“Well I never,” said the blue unicorn. “A stallion of the cloth should know better that to just invite himself to such events.”

“Don't go getting yer collars in a twist,” said Heart Chase. “The Reverand might be long winded but he's a great pony to have at dinners. You can always sic him on other talkers and let them duke it out.” She took off her bonnet and let the braided hair drop down her shoulders. “At any rate, I thank yah kindly fer the invitation. If there's nothin else, I'd like to invite yah folks to lunch.”

“Actually,” said the earth pony, “there were several other things we needed to discuss with you. Privately, if you please.” Heart Chase looked at the two ponies with suspicion. She had no reason to distrust them, but the need for secrecy worried her more than she was willing to let on. She gestured for them to follow.

The sounds of the reverend’s prayer echoed in the background as the trio walked away from the barn. They pushed against the tide of ponies coming in for lunch, and made their way into a small room in the basement of the stone house across the way from the barn. As they walked down the stairs, the earth pony shut the door behind him and began closing the windows. With the windows closed, the basement office became dark. The unicorn set a spark with his horn and lit the candles along the wall. Heart Chase walked behind her desk, awaiting some sort of explanation.

“You may be asking yourself why we’re being so secretive,” said the unicorn.

“That’s not what I’m askin’ myself right, now,” said Heart Chase. “I’m askin’ myself why yah haven’t introduced yerselves yet.” The ponies exchanged a sideways glance before they continued.

“I am Silk Pick,” said the blue unicorn.

“And I am Quill Pick,” said the blue earth pony. “We have come here today as emissaries to our father, Count Iron Pick.”

“And what, besides dinner, does the Count want with me?” asked Heart Chase. She could already guess the direction this conversation was going to take.

“He wishes to unite the Chase family and the Pick family together at their heads,” said Silk Pick. “He has plans of proposing to you tomorrow at dinner. It would be most embarrassing if you were to refuse, which is why we are here to discuss the matter before hand.” Heart Chase wasn’t in the least bit surprised at the revelation and the look of disdain on her face must have been obvious to the two ponies.

“I understand if this all seems a bit sudden,” said Quill Pick. “But the time has come for the Bridleburg region to spread its wings and become the power that is meant to be. We have everything here: water ways for trade, bountiful soil, minerals galore. The fact that we were passed over as the new capital city is a travesty of justice.”

“That’s real idealistic of yah,” said Heart Chase, “but what in the name of Celestia does that got to do with me marryin’ yer dad? Fer one, we ain’t even close in age. He was Pa’s commandin’ officer after all. Fer two, I’ve only ever met him three or four times, so I don’t know him.” She scratched her mane with a hoof trying to come up with other reasons why she shouldn’t marry Iron Pick. “Three, there’s you two to contend with. I know he’s probably lonely and all after losin’ yer mom, but he’s already got his heirs. He doesn’t need a mare like me to keep him company.”

“Your reasons are all valid, Miss Chase,” said Silk Pick. “You are correct in your assessments, but this is not a marriage of love or companionship we’re talking about here.”

“This is a political marriage,” said Quill Pick. “With the two most powerful families in the region united, others will flock to our flag. We will become the legitimate rulers of the Bridleburg region, and not be subject to the wills and whims of our absent empress.” Heart Chase put up her hooves in protest.

“Yer talkin’ treason here,” said Heart Chase. “Celestia is still our princess, and yer daddy would do well to remember that she aint’ gonna be gone forever.”

“How long are you going to pray to a goddess you no longer know even exists?” asked Silk Pick. “How long do you think the ponies of Bridleburg can stand divided against those who seek power by force? Do you think those damned Lunar Rebels just disappeared? Mark my words, Miss Chase: without Celestia, another civil war is coming. With our families combined, we could become rulers of this region. Would you not want to be a queen, Miss Chase?”

Heart Chase thought about it for a moment. Queen Heart Chase had an excellent ring to it, and it would mean a great deal more land and power for the Chase family. With the support of the ponies not just at the farm, but those in the surrounding regions, combined with the Pick families already vast wealth and numbers would mean a real standing army, and a very real chance of success at such a bold plan.

Still, there was the matter of what to do if Celestia came out of her self-imposed exile, and what would happen to the fledgling nation of Bridleburg if she did. That might be a problem for another generation though. Heart Chase needed time to think.

“I’ll have to think about it,” she said. “There’s a lot to consider here. We’re talking about starting a nation here. Canterlot’s going to be none to pleased because I’m guessin’ we’re not the only region thinkin’ of such a thing. Stalliongrad’s gotta be thinkin’ the same thing. Do we ally with them?”

“Then we’ll expect you at dinner tomorrow evening,” said Quill Pick. “We’ll relay your concerns to our father, and delay the engagement until the details are hammered out. We would appreciate your… discretion in this matter.”

Heart Chase nodded. It was treason she was talking about, but it was for the benefit of all of Bridleburg, and most of all, an opportunity to give the Chase family the prosperity it deserved. If the Chases and the Picks became one family, they could work together to become an unstoppable power that could take the Bridleburg region as their own. Rather than fighting and feuding for power, the two families would become royalty instead of rivals.