Sunny Knight: a Pony's Tale

by TheothersideofSunny968

Under the Blade

In the farthest corner of the Ironlock Prison stood the medical unit, a place where most of the time royal guards, who worked at the prison, would be taken after receiving injury or fallen ill from some disease. It was where Surgical Scalpel was placed when he was sent to the prison. It's where he had aided in the healing and restoration of the guard's health. On occasion, Surgical was ordered to aid a prisoner with similar ailments, but for the most part, Surgical's skills were needed for the guards. It was rare that an inmate was injured enough to find themselves under his care. Most of the ponies imprisoned were too afraid of what he might do to them to even request medical assistance. The whole situation left the medically trained pony feeling rather frustrated.

He felt like a school nurse helping foals with coughs and sneezes whenever a guard came in with a bad cut, broken bone, or head injury. He had been trained by one of Equestria's greatest medical ponies, and yet this is his fate. He could be out there, curing diseases, making medical history, but instead he was lock up here for 'crimes against pony kind'.

Sure, he may have obtained samples of increasingly terrible and seemingly incurable diseases, and he 'may' or 'may not' have directly exposed innocent ponies with no health issues to those said diseases in order to study them and harvest more samples, but was it really worth putting him in this prison? Was it really so bad? With all the diseases he had collected, Surgical could have eventually cured them all and written a number of medical books. Bokks that could aid 'pony kind' for generations to come! He would have not only shown just how much brighter he outshines his fellow students, but he would have surpassed even his teacher! If only he hadn't been found out. Once Celestia found out what Surgical was doing, he was put in chains immediately. Labeled a monster, and thrown up onto this frozen mountain to provide first aid to a bunch of guards who still watched him like a hawk.

But as Surgical put down his clip board and pushed up his glasses, he looked over at his most recent patient. The sight of Snowstorm passed out on one of the medical beds, suffering from a number of physical ailments, due to some unknown reason, caused a smile to grow on Surgical's muzzle.

"Well well well, old friend" Surgical said as he slid over and began speaking to the still out cold Snowstorm. "Things are starting to get interesting around here, but it seems you've fallen a little under the weather. Don't worry, i'll nurse you back to full health. Just as soon as I'm done recording everything I can about the observations of your illness. I've never even heard of a pony who underwent what you did. Harboring a pony made of pure shadow inside your own body.

"Still, I can't help but wonder why a 'loyal' guard such as yourself would do such a thing as harboring one of Equestria's most dangerous and wanted ponies inside your own body. Willingly even!" Surgical continued on as his cracked smile seemed to grow.

"Fear can make a pony do many things" a deep, dark voice bellowed from the hallway as King Sombra appeared, a hard but slightly forlorn look on his muzzle. But the sudden appearance of the shadow king didn't even shake the mad Doctor. Surgical just looked over in Sombra's direction and began taking mental note of the former king's own physical state. "How is your patient?"

"He's stable, for the moment" the medical stallion commented as his smile faded with the presence of the dark king. "Coming to check up on him, your majesty? Shouldn't you be, I don't know, rallying the troops or something?"

As king Sombra approached the resting warden of the Ironlock prison, his expression softened. For a moment, he remembered what Sunny looked like while he resting. Sombra wondered if his son still looked just as peaceful now as he did back then. No matter how much Sunny resented being a prince, Sombra couldn't help but see how much like a prince his son appeared to be while he slept. So peaceful. So refined. And so at peace.

"I owe this young one my life" Sombra finally spoke in response to Surgical's questions. "Despite his original motives stemming from fear, this young guard chose to keep me safe within himself, despite what it did to him, purely out of loyalty... Celestia should have been proud to have such a devoted soldier serving her."

"Yeah, well them's the breaks. Make a bad enough mistake and you end up 'here'" Surgical said as he picked up his clip board and approached the shadow king. "Another matter I should bring up to you; I need to study and monitor your own body, if you don't mind. I need to see what I'm working off of. If I learn how your body works, I should be able to help Snowstorm more easily, and with less trial and error."

Tearing his gaze from Snowstorm, Sombra's hard glare fell upon the medical pony who's smile began to grow back. Looking into Surgical's eyes, Sombra saw no need to turn him into a fear blinded zompony like the others. This medical pony's motives alone are enough to keep him in line. That, and working off of Surgical's motives to be recognized in the medical community would be easy enough for Sombra to work with. A pony powered by their own drives work harder then ponies who's wills are being bent to obey. "As you wish. But will you have time? Didn't Salted Carmel leave for the changeling nest this morning?"

"He did" Surgical said as he began gathering several utensils he planned to use on King Sombra for various tests. "I expect him back by dinner time. The coordinates showed it not to be too far off. I'll have Changelings to study and experiment on with my desert!"

Sighing slightly as he took a seat, Sombra thought about the pony Snowstorm report the location of the changing to. Sombra had been aware of everything Snowstorm said and did, even communicated with the unicorn in his head. So Sombra knew what kind of a monster would be tracking down Queen Chrysalis. Clearing the image of that pony's red, anger filled eyes out of his head, Sombra turned and looked to Surgical. "I'll let you examine me so long as you use what you gather to help Snowstorm."

"But of course" Surgical replied with a sly grin.

"And if you delay or do anything that would extend or increase Snowstorm's suffering, I won't hesitate to do to you what I did to them..." Sombra's hoof pointed to two mind wiped ponies in the corner. Film and Flam were sitting on their back legs as long rivers of drool ran down the sides of their mouths as their glossy eyes darted around the ceiling.

"Noted, now please, lay down..." Surgical pulled a curtain back to reveal another medical bed. "I won't take any longer then absolutely nessisary. Relax, and please, answer my questions honestly and to the best of your knowledge. This 'is' for medical science."

At the edge of a thick jungle, miles and miles away from the snowy mountain prison, beyond the Everfree forest, past the boarders of Dodge Junction, a stallion accompanied by a small team of soldiers, stood facing a well camouflaged changing hive. The stallion in question couldn't pull his fury filled red eyes from it. They burned with the rage and hatred he harbors in his heart for the insect like creatures. More specifically for their Queen. The one who ruined his life. The one who made him what he is today. Today was the day he 'thanked' her for what she and her underlings did, all those years ago....