Sunny Knight: a Pony's Tale

by TheothersideofSunny968

The Pen is mightier then the Sword

Stairing up at a rocky ceiling, Cynical wondered how he was snot crushed by the falling cloud structure that was known as the Rainbow Factory. All around him would have just been darkness had his eyes been anypony else's. But due to the incident that gave him the black and green colored eyes he now has, Cynical easily saw things in pitch black darkness.

The area around him appeared to be part of an underground cave or tunnel. The rocks were wet and dripping, possibly from the lake that was over head. But wherever Cynical was or whatever was causing the rocks to drip didn't really matter. What mattered was what he was going to do now-

"Can you cram it!" Cynical shouted seemingly to nopony, for no pony was around him. "I'm talking to you! Yeah, you! If you're gunna narrate my life, can you please, for the love of Foust, stop doing it like some mediocre British fan writer!? Please!? The stupid formula for how they explain things when they write is sooooo ANNOYING! The rock was wet, abut it didn't matter that the rock was wet, because the rock had no arms to towel itself off' UGH!!!!"

Cynical's plead to the writer was heard by both the individual writing his life as well as the individuals reading it, but it is written as it shall be read. And no matter how it is read is Cynical is at literally 'rock bottom'.

"Oh ha ha! I bet you think you're sooo funny!" Sighing, Cynical pulled himself up, dusted himself off, shook like a dog to get most of the water off of him, then began exploring the area. What else did he have to do?

Getting a better look around, Cynical could see four different paths to take, none with any indication that they would lead to the surface. Not like he was trying to escape, more or less he was just looking for something different about a tunnel to help him make his decision. The grey pegasus eventually just picked one and began walking. He walked and walked, not really caring how long or how far he would walk, just that that was all he could technically do.

The 4th wall breaking trouble maker didn't really have an objective in mind, just to keep moving. 'Not like there's much else for me to do. I'm sure by now I've done all the writer's wanted from me. Maybe now I can be left alone.'

Cynical began to think back about the life he was given, about the background that was forced upon him that broke him and made him into the monster he was today. The story that couldn't be told in this story due to the violance that gave it its rating, but was still ever present in Cynical's mind. Thinking about his story was all Cynical could do as his hooves continued to carry him onward, deeper into the abyss.

His life played over and over in Cynical's mind. From the day he started as a servant for that horrible lady, to the day when he was sentenced to the IronLock prison, and his final show down with Fluttershy, if you could even call it that. Everything he did, every action, reaction and decision he ever made is what made him who he was.

"It's about time you arrived…" a deep voice spoke up, shaking Cynical free from his memories.

Somehow, Cynical had wandered into an underground section where there was an subterrean lake with a wired rock formation at the lake's center, that made it almost look like a giant rock serpent emerging from the water. The area surrounding the lake appeared to be black sand, which looked even eirier with the water of the lake being a dark, but somehow glowing, blue. The figure in question was drapped in a rather clean white cloak, sitting on a rock that looked out onto the lake.

Cynical's heart beat began to pick up, he knew his time had come. Looking at the figure now he knew without a doubt that this was the writer! The writer was foolish enough to put himself in the story, and even more foolish to put himself somewhere where Cynical could spot him! Logic was never Cynical's strong suit, but all rational though was wiped out of the pegasus's mind as he spotted a rather handsome looking weapon off to his side. A tall, black handled scyth with a jagged blade, like razer sharp teeth. There was no hesitation from either Cynical or the writer as Cynical grabbed the scyth with his hoof and leaped forward, flying as fast and as hard as he could at the writer!

With one quick slash, as unseen as a flash of lightning, Cynical cut through the cloaked figure with all his might. The demented grey pegasus didn't stop at one strike, through. No. He continued to hack and slash at the writer with all his might until nothing was left but bits of white rags. All his built up anger and frustration, all his rage and pain, it was all because of this one individual! It was all their fault he hurt and suffered! This was owed to him! Cynical knew without a doubt that he was owed this!... And yet, it was so hollow.

Standing over the remains of what he felt was the writer, Cynical sighed and took a seat next to where the writer had sat moments ago, and just looked out over the dark waters.

The pieces of the white cloak remained still for a moment, laying on the ground with no life to them. But after that moment, each piece began to flutter and shake, as if being picked up by the wind, but there was no wind where they were at. The pieces swirled around in the air then came back together, reforming the figure of the cloaked writer, who's white cloak now had many rips, cuts and tears all over, but was once again in one piece.

"You gave me false hope…Again…" Cynical muttered loudly, never looking at the writer. "I really hate you…"

"I didn't mean to give you false hope" the writer started to say. "I only meant to give you a release from your pain."

"A what!?" Cynical stood up, eyes flared at the writer. "A release from my pain!? Are you making fun of me!? Anypony else could say 'you ruined my life' but NOOOOO! You gave me the knowlage to know I'm nothing more then words on paper, or a computer screen! Worst then that, I know you made me from the very beginning just to be this horrible monster! This dark and monstrous creature that is haunted by a terrible past, with no hope of redemption! All I am is a monster, which is what YOU made me to be! An antagonist!

"That is all I was and all I'll ever be!" Cynical then took the scythe and flung it as hard as he could at the dark watered lake. The bladed weapon whistled as it cut through the air, then landed with a plop on the murky water. Cynical looked back at the writer once again, narrowing his black and green eyes at him. "… So what now? Are you gunna tell me how I have to go back and make good with all those ponies!? Be their 'friend'? Maybe give me a redemption chapter where I turn my whole character around?…"

Turning his head slightly to look upon his dark creation, the writer spoke in an even tone, a tone with no anger, hostility, or much emotion at all. "That, is up to you. I'm cutting you free."

Cynical narrowed his eyes even further at the writer. "Don't lie to me! You were in control from day one! Everypony, everything in this fan fiction of yours was always in your control! Don't act like you can give me 'free will' now! That can never happen! It will never happen! Not so long as I'm just a puppet on strings for you to tell your story of 'Sunny Knight'…"

"It's true" the reiter started to say. "I did give you a R-rated back story to make you into a justifiable antagonist, I was the one who wrote the words that made this world you and I are in right now, and I did start the gears that oup into motion the plot, raising action, sub-plots, adventures that lead to character development, and much more. But that's over now. Well, at least for you…"

The cloaked writer stood up and started to walk away. "You know, maybe your story isn't quite over yet. The story of a 'villain' who knew he was a fictional character, who hated his writer and wished for his demise, but was given his freedom. It sounds like one I'd love to read, more to write."

"You can't just leave me alone, can you?" Cynical spat out. "You have me jump when you want me to jump, fill my mouth with the words you want me to say. I hate you. I hate you so much!"

The writer turned around and faced Cynical "It's taken me years to get over what happened to me to spawn you. But after alot of theropy and self reflecting, I can move past the pain. I suggest you do to, now that I cut you lose. You are no longer a pawn in my work, and can come and go as you please."

Cynical took in everything his creator said, eyes still narrow and sharp as he looked the writer up and down. The grey pegasus's eyes started to grow wide as he realized the severity of the writer's words. "You… you're serious? … I'm free?"

"More then free" the writer told Cynical. "You have a choice. You can chose to stay here and simply vanish from the story. You can leave here down any one of the surrounding tunnels and vanish into the background, like some other characters, you could wish your existence to be over and it will be gone, you could even choose to stay and play one of many parts in my story…"

Pulling out a small pile of papers from under his cloak, the writer tossed them at Cynical's hooves.

"There are at least 15 different parts there you could choose from if you want to continue to be a part of this story until the end. Ranging from major ones that will add to the plot to minor ones that pop up every now and again." The writer explained as Cynical looked from the papers to him. "It's all up to you now, what 'you' want to do with 'your' life. And for what it's worth, I'm sorry…."

The cloaked figure slowly ventured down a dark tunnel. His white image vanishing in the darkness as he left the world he created behind, his white cloak falling to pieces as he left the fictional world behind.

Cynical couldn't believe it. After all this time, everything he has ever done, every part he played, the ponies he's hurt, now it's... It's all over…

The grey pegasus didn't know what to do with himself. He looked at the papers the writer left behind, considered picking them up for a moment, then kicked the papers as hard as he could. The metal clip holding the papers together broke off and the papers went flying all round, most landing in the lake's water. Cynical didn't know what to do. Eventually, the grey pony just walked over to the rock where he and the writer sat, curled up and decided to take a well deserved nap, wondering what a peaceful nap would feel like…

Canterlot Castle

"I'm really sorry to bother you, Princess Celestia, but Fluttershy has been really worried" Twilight Sparkle apologized again, for the fifth time that visit, as she trotted around, her horn flashing with her magical aura as her locater spell dragged her one way then another, eventually leading the princess of friendship into the hedge maze.

"I'm starting to worry too" Celestia stated as she followed behind her faithful student at a more elegant pace. "I've been so busy with collaterol damage from the Gala attack and preparation for Sunny's corrination that I haven't noticed him being gone. I just assumed he was with everypony else down in Ponyville."

Seeing the guilt on her teacher's face, Twilight forced herself to stop, then put a hoof on her shoulder, and shot her teacher a smile when Celestia looked at her student.

"I wouldn't worry" Twilight tried to reassure her teacher. "I'm sure he's just off somewhere pulling pranks or causing minor disturbances like he always does. You know Discord, he's… unpredictable."

The two continued to press on, Celestia not feeling too comfortable with Twilight's statement. Causing trouble and pulling pranks may be some of Discord's greatest pass times, but he would never just ignore Fluttershy if she called him. Something was wrong and both alicorn princess could feel it.

Twilight's horn took the two princesses through the hedge maze, following Discord's movements to a 'T', every turn, every pause, exactly as the Draconaquis had made that night he disappeared. Eventually Twilight and Celestia arrived back at the statue that held the fake gem Sombra was looking for, where Sunny and the rest just missed him, and where Sunny had regained his final missing memory, the memory that Celestia was his mother. But now there was something else the two princesses noticed. Something that could have been overlooked if clouded by the cover of night. A pile of rubble not belonging to any statue around, that carried with it the slight essance of a dark magic spell.

Twilight's horn began to flare and flash as she pointed it to the pile of rubble. A rather confused Twilight looked from her horn, that was now returning to it's natural state, the spell now completed it's mission, to the pile of debris. "I don't understand.Why did my horn lead us-"

Twilight started to say but put her hooves to her mouth when she realized what it meant, the locator spell leading her there, and flashed at a broken pile of some statue.

"Sombra must have turned Discord to stone... and smashed the statue…" Celestia stated in a heavy tone, her head hung low.

Fighting against tears, Twilight looked to her teacher in desperation. "Is there anything we can do to help him!? Anything?"

"I can try a restoration spell" Celestia stated, her voice neither hopeful nor hopeless. "But if all the pieces aren't here, it won't work."

"We have to try… please…" Twilight told her teacher, the tears building up in the corners of her eyes. Discord was never one of Twilight's favorite friends, but he was a friend. Despite all the trouble he causes, all the pranks he pulled, and all the times he's made her want to pull out her own hair, he was still a friend. And if she didn't do everything in her power to help him, what kind of friend was she? How could she ever face Fluttershy ever again?

"I will do my best" Celestia told her student as she took a breath, trying to relax to allow herself the best chance to focus on the spell. There was no room for error. Celestia's golden magical aura wrapped around and covered the pieces of Discord's broken statue body. The pieces began to shake and shuffle around, then began to come together. Piece by piece the broken bits of the stone creature began to fall into place, fitting togeather like a jigsaw puzzle. It had taken a little bit of strain on the princess of the sun, but it was not the most difficult spell she had ever tried.

Nearly every piece had fallen back into place, and the image of Discord in stone was in solid view. Just as the final smallest pieces were lining back up, the statue nearing it's full restoration, Twilight noticed something was off about Discord. More specifically his smile. It wasn't until what seemed like the final piece was put into place, Celestia tying off the spell, did Twilight realize what was wrong.

"There's a piece missing!" Twilight said in a hushed tone, hoping that she was wrong and the missing tooth would just appear last minute. But it didn't.

The aura that glowed around the statue disappated and the image of the draconaquis shattered once again, resuming a pile of rubble.

After a horrifying moment of silence, something started to flicker from Discord's stone eye. A projection spell that the mad creature must have set before he was turned to stone. A 6 inch image of Discord himself, dressed in a white cloak, with cinnamon buns hanging from both sides of his head was being projected from his stone left eye infront of Twilight and Celestia. "Hello? Hello, is this spell working? Ok. If anypony is listening to this, which I assume either Twilight or Celestia are, it means I've been turned to stone and my statue smashed. If either of you can't rebuild the statue, it's because King Sombra took a piece as insurance that I won't meddle in his plans. Wise move.

"If you are there Celestia… I tried to set things right" Discord looked ashamed, head hanging low. "I was terrible to you and Sunny, now I'm paying the price. I tried to set things right… but I guess you can't do that for everything... I wish you guys the best of luck in your battle against King Sombra. I wish I could have helped more… and, if you could, tell Fluttershy I'm sorry. I'm going to miss our weekly get-together. And I'm sorry, because I know I'm going to make her cry pretty hard… oh! And one more thing! Save me Obi-Wan Kanobi, you are my only hope…"

With that, the image faded, the stone eye returning to normal, the spell now completed. The two alicorn princesses remained silent for a long moment.

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Twilight was now crying lightly as she stared at the pile of rubble.

"There is only one thing" Celestia's tone was hard and fierce, any tears replaced by a burning fire. "We stop Sombra and get that missing piece back."

Little did the Princess Celestia and Princess Twilight know that an ally of theirs wasn't far away, listening to their conversation. Pappy had snuck back into Canterlot castle to survey the damage, unable to believe that Sombra did all this damage, when he came across those two fillies. Curious, he had followed them, though he didn't know what to expect. Now, having heard all he did, he knew what he had to do. Looking down at the yellow stone he kept safely by his side, planning to maybe give it to Sunny for safer keeping, the old colt knew what he had to do. With a heavy sigh, Pappy steadily made his way out of the hedge maze, knowing just where to find that trouble making colt of his, Sombra.…

Manehatten

White Out was a little nervous to return to her old work place. Not because her old crab of a boss was there, he was actually forced to retire by his wife who was tired of his stress level. White Out had actually heard that her old boss's niece was now in charge of the paper, and was alot more easier to deal with. But what she was afraid of was whether or not she was going to be able to get her job back at all.

Taking one last deep breath, White Out pressed the button on the elavader door that would take her to the news floor. The whole way up, White Out bounced back from looking at the doors to the folder she and Feza put togeather of the Black Knight/Sunny story. Another deep breath, and the journalist steadied her mind. 'I can do this. I was born to do this. This isn't just my job, it's my passion. I've never let anything keep me down before. Not my eye sight, not a few cumsy moves, nothing! Now I have a story that will make history and I'm the one to report it!'

The self given pep talk was all the grey pegasus needed to turn her nerves from jello to steel. When the doors of the elevator opened to the busy news room, everypony paused brifly to look up at White Out, who calmly and confidently walked out and onto the news floor, making her way steadily to the boss's office.

Knocking once on the door, without hesitation or pressure from the eyes that White Out knew were on her, a feminine voice spoke up "come in."

Stepping inside, White Out began to work her magic on the mare at the desk. "Ma'am, I got a story for you that's gunna go down in history! A story as old as Celestia's rule and just as magical! It's the hottest story since Twilight Sparkle became a princess! We won't be able to print the papers fast enough!"

The mare at the desk was a light green unicorn with honey colored eyes and mane to match. She looked up at White Out, gave a half smile and told her "have a seat, and please, close the door behind you…"

White Out did and continued to work her magic. If there was ever a pony born who could not only get the dirt or she's some light on a story, well, that was White Out. She wasn't lying to herself when she gave herself that pep talk. It was all true, and she knew it in her heart.

After a brief explanation of the whole story, making sure to keep out alot of the juicy parts to conceal her hand a little, White Out looked to the new boss mare of the paper and asked "So, do you want the story? And am I hired?"

The Boss mare looked White Out in the eye for a moment, reading her through her eyes. She could tell the mare infront of her was the real deal. A real go getter who would go to further lengths to get her story more so then anypony else she had ever met. There was no doubt she wanted this mare to work for her, but she was no fool. She knew how to play her cards too. "You can have your job back at the pay you felt off at, plus two weeks payed vacation."

"That's an ok thing" White Out started to say, picking the papers for her story up off the desk. "But I want a three bit an hour raise, four weeks payed vacation, and my own office. With 'real' walls, not a cubical."

Raising a brow at White Out, the boss mare thought about it for a moment, then replied "I can give you the raise, but two weeks vacation, and the office next to mine. It's smaller, but has a great view."

Thinking it over, White out played with the idea, stuck her head out the office door for a moment to look where the other office was, then pulled her head back into the Boss mare's office. "Two weeks, the office, the three bit raise, plus Hearths Warming off, and you have yourself a deal."

The Boss mare smiled fully as she pulled out a contract and began filling it out for White Out, adding in the other agreements to her employment. When all was said and done, White Out and her new boss shared a toast of sparkling cider.

"I finally have a decent reporter" the Boss told White out as she took a sip. "You know I'm going to expect alot of work out of you."

"And you'll get it" White Out sipped her sparkling drink. "After this one publishes, I have a follow up story. I happen to have an invite to let's to a certain Prince's coronation cerimony…"