Sunny Knight: a Pony's Tale

by TheothersideofSunny968

Gaurdian Training

"Thats it guys, don't stop now! You're at the half way point now!" Sunny cheered to his friends who were working their way through the home made obstacle course.

A few days after Sunny returned from the Crystal Empire, Sunny held a meeting with his friends at Twilight's castle. Twilight and Sunny talked about an official meeting place for him and his friends/fellow Guardians of Harmony to meet up and discuss Guardian related issues. Twilight would have offered the map room, but Sunny declined and asked for a room where ponies wpuldnt need to access if their cutie marks flashed. Luckily Twilight's castle had rooms to spare, and the two found one such room that would fit the Guardian's needs. The day after it was furnished with a large round table and Crystal chairs, similar, but less extravagant, then the ones Twilight and her friends had, Sunny held the first, official meeting of the New Guardians of Harmony. Up until then, they never really held 'meetings' or needed a place to have them. But after the Starlight Glimmer event, Sunny insisted on them having regular meetings atleast once a week to discuss any and all issues, to check in with one another, and most importantly to discuss what to do about their biggest issue. His father.

"I hate to admit it, but up until now, I've just delt with things as they came to me. I never sought them out, but I think its our duty to do so" Sunny stated to his friends. "Between us and Applejack and her friends, I know we can find out where my father is hidding, and put a stop to his plans."

Some of his friends seemed a little less then enthusiastic.

Octavia was the first to speak up. "Sunny, I'm all for helping ponies in need, promoting generosity, spreading Harmony and protecting, when danger is present. Celestia knows we all show courage in the face of evil time and time again. But what is it exactly you are wanting us to do? Launch some sort of full scale attack?"

"I've thought about it" Sunny admitted as he placed a rolled up scroll on their table and used his magic to spread it open and hold it in place. "The way I see it, we need to strike first before my father makes a move. We find where he is hold up, then attack from within. If we can stop his influence and flow of dark magic, maybe any army he has will just dispurse and fall apart."

"You think he still has an army? Even after the Gala?" Derpy asked, her tone slightly hused and her eyes showing concern.

"If I know him, he wouldn't try and take on Equestria alone" Sunny admitted, his resolve painted heavily on his muzzle, the seriousness layed heavy in his voice. "He's a cunning strategist. The only reason why he hasn't already tried to free the Umbrum is becouse he can't without the third corner stone."

"Ok, but why not destroy the corner stone?" Thunderlane suggested planely. "I mean, if he can't release them without it-"

"He's tried" Big Mac interjected, his expression was neither that of his usual happy working expression, nor his recently adopted fun loving one. But rather one of annoyed detest.

Sunny took in a deep breath and exhaled, remembering all his failed attempts at destroying the cornerstone in his possession. He still needed to fix up those holes in the barn, make a new well, and owed Granny some new densers. "Yeah. Long story short; since the stone can't be destroyed, we need to keep it safe. I have it hidden somewhere where I can keep a close eye on it and its still hidden from harms way."

Meanwhile, the cornerstone Sunny's mother entrusted him with is safely tucked away under a pillow on Sunny's bed back at the Apple farm. But no pony knows except he and Applejack. She knows it's a great hidding spot, but she hates when she turns in her sleep and it pokes her eye.

"But I have some excersizes I'd like us to run" Sunny redirected the conversation. "Nothing too fancy, just some routine drills that will test and enhance our physical and mental abilities. I know we can overcome them and grow stronger, not just as a team, but as friends as well."

The group of New Guardians looked a little less then excited about Sunny's plan. Thankfully, Doctor Whooves spoke up from the group to break the unsure silance. "Ugh, dare I ask, just what kind of 'excersizes' you have in mind? Not all of us are as physically battle ready as you, or perhapse Big Macintosh or Thunderlane are."

"That is exactly the point" Sunny stated. "You guys aren't quite up to our physical level. And as much as I hate to admit it, myself, Big Mac and Thunderlane aren't quite up to your intellectual level, Doctor. You, Octavia, and Derpy all scored the highest on the tests I had us do the other day."

"Wait, WHAT!?" Thunderlane's head shot up, shocked by what Sunny had said. "DERPY SCORED HIGHER THEN US THREE!?!?"

The group of New Guardians all turned to Derpy Hooves who was happily coloring in a coloring book, making a flower's pedals green after coloring the stem blue.

"I was shocked myself, Thunderlane" Sunny hated to admit it. "But her test scores were almost on par with Doctors' own. She even scored higher then Octavia."

The cello player's cheeks turned slightly red as she staggered her words. "Bu-pu-… that test must be flawed!"

"Why? Becouse becouse Derpy scored higher then you?" Doctor snapped, Derpy sitting next to him looking a little ashamed.

"The test isn't flawed" Sunny caught all their attentions again, trying to stop a fight between his friends before it happened. "Half of the test was situational and based on survival.

"For example; you are stuck on an island and can only bring one item with you, what do you bring; a) a knife b)emergency food supplies or c) a board game of chess?" Sunny read the quesgion right off the test.

"The obvious answer is 'B'" Thunderlane stated. "That is, if I couldn't fly away. Couse I could totally get across any ocean in, like no time. Maybe with a break or two."

Octavia turned her gaze away, feeling a little ashamed that she answered 'c'. In her mind a chess board would have helped to pass the time until she was rescued.

"The correct answer was 'a'" Sunny stated with a small sigh. "The knife can not only act as a means of defense against hostile forces, but it could also be used to build a shelter, as well as signal others if you reflect light from the sun."

"And if you scrape it against a rock, it could make sparks that start a fire!" Derpy added with a small smile, her dreary feelings numbed for a moment, happy that she answered correctly.

"And that is why Derpy scored higher" Sunny stated. "She's used to thinking quickly on her hooves and has had to deal with similar situations that make her think outside the box. Now, with the test results in, we are going to train accordingly to make us all better Guardians of Harmony."

"Sweet! Are we going to get like cool battle armor! Or maybe cool weapons that match each of our own unique styles? Or maybe 'magical' armor or 'magical' weapons that will aid us 'magically'?" Thunderlane asked as he pictured himself in a suite of dark blue armor wielding a cool looking sword in his mouth.

"Well, no" Sunny answered, popping the dreams of his eager pegasus friend. "We're going to train our bodies and our minds…"

While the half of the Guardians of Harmony who scored high on the test Sunny had them take (Octavia, Doctor Whooves, and Derpy Hooves) worked their way through an obstical course constructed with the help of Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack, the other Guardians who scored low (Sunny, Big Mac and Thunderlane) all were near by, studying reading material Twilight Sparkle herself had suggested.

The obstical course was an elaborate battle ground and stratagy setting, with small storm clouds that shot botls of lighting at anypony who got near them, tight ropes over mud pits that one would have to cross, hurdles, tires set on their sides that a pony would have to quickly step threw, being careful not to trip, jungle gym type bars that a pony would need to climb and manuvor through, a small hall of mirrors that eventually led to a ten yard long spinning tunnel that would spin in different ways every two yards. The obstacles weren't dangerous, but it did force a pony think quickly on their hooves, otherwise they'd end up covered in mud, shocked, or landing with a hard thud.

Meanwhile, just a little ways away from where the obstical course was built, Sunny, Big Mac and Thunderlane all had their muzzles in books suggested for them by Twilight Sparkle. The suggested reading Twilight offered were all about learning survival tips, battle strategies, fundamental physics, first aid, modern technologies, and basic histories of Equestria. All of which the three stallions were having a hard time getting drawn in. Even Sunny, who was in full support of these excersizes, was struggling with his reading material.

"So much has happened in the last 1000 years" the yellow unciron had to admit, his enthusiasm wavering a bit, but he forced himself to keep going.

"Eh'yep" Big Mac agreed, appearing to be reading a book on physics but hadn't turned a page in over 15 minutes. Instead, his mind was on a certain mare he met a little while ago and a date they were set to have tomorrow night. 'Ah… Sugar Belle….'

"Too much to learn all in one day?" Thunderlane asked, hoping Sunny would call the excersizes over for the day.

But Sunny just levitated a clock up and flashed it infront of Thunderlane. "Its barely been half an hour. We need atleast two hours a day of practice."

Sighing heavily, Thunderlane fell over on his back and grumbled "soooo boring!"

"Ah know it ain't as fun as th' obstical course, but we need ta strengthen our weak ponts. Become more rounded ta be better Guardians of Harmoney" Sunny pleaded to his friend, trying to get Thunderlane to come around and see his point of view.

"Whats the point?" Thunderlane growled, growing more and more annoyed until he flaps his wings, jetting himself into the air, the book on 'Equestrian History's in his hoof as he arched his brows at Sunny. "If I wanted to be back in Mrs. Snuzzle's history class again, I'd go back to the 4th grade! This stuff isn't going to help us be better Guardians!"

The sound of their fellow Guardians of Harmony screaming redirected Sunny and Thunderlane's attention. Looking over at the obstical course, Sunny, Big Mac and Thunderlane saw Derpy lost and panicked in the hall of mirrors, Doctor unable to escape the lightning of the thunderclouds that now surrounded him, and somehow Octavia was trapped in a wheel barrel going in circles in the spinning tunnel.

Reacting quickly, Sunny gave the orders to his two companions "Thunderlane, go save Doctor from the clouds. Big Mac, help Octavia out, safely. I'll rescue Derpy!"

Without hesitation, Thunderlane took flight, staying low to the ground, but high enough to be just above the thunder clouds set for the obstical course. Doctor was getting fried lighting, the ends of his and beggining to smoke, when Thunderlane dipped in, grabbed the time traveler, and began flying him to safety. Big Mac dashed over to poor Octavia who looked really annoyed in the barrel she couldn't break free of, that continued to roll her around in circles. Big Mac giggled a little bit before apologizing and cracking the barrel open with one swift blow of his hoof, freeing his fellow earthpony Guardian from her hilarious predicament. Examining the entrance to the mirror maze, Sunny knew teleporting or levitating into the labarith wouldnt help if he himself couldn't figure out which Derpy was the real one. He thought for a second, then decided against using brute force to shatter
the mirrors to break his way through. Horribleimages of broken glass flying though the air and harming Derpy, flashed in Sunny's mind. Instead, Sunny remembered a trick Applejack taught him at the fair last month. He pressed his hoof to the wall to his left and began calling out to Derpy. She sounded scared, but did as Sunny instructed and stayed where she was at, waiting for him to find her. In a matter of moments, the two met up and Sunny lead a watery-eyed Derpy out of the maze of mirrors.

Once the other half of the team was rescued, the air was thick with a mixture of relief and embarrassment. Unfortunatly, the delacat situation was made worse s Thinderlane opened his mouth without thinking.

"No need to thank us for the rescue" he boasted, puffing up his chest. "All in a days work for us Guardians."

Annoyed, Doctor narrowed his eyes at the gloating Thunderlane. "Did you forget, we are Guardians as well?"

"Of course you guys are" Thunderlane playfully nudged Doctor, who was growing more and more annoyed with the arrogant pegasus. "And if I ever need help with Rumble's math homework, I'll come to you."

Completly out of charicter, Doctor growled and grinned his teeth as she shot Thunderlane a fierce expression. "I'm a scientist and a physicist! Not a mathematician! You ignorant feather-brain!"

This caught everypony off guard. None of them had really seen Doctor get mad before. Well, except Derpy and Sunny, but that was a long, long time ago. The other Guardians were taken back by Doctor's sudden outburst. And he wasn't done there.

Doctor poked Thunderlane in the chest with his hoof, eyes still locked as he continued to growl "You were the one who set those clouds up, I know you were! So I got trapped in there because couse of YOUR negligence and lack of attention to detail!"

"Hey! Its not my fault you're a little out of shape" Thunderlane rolled his eyes, breaking the eye lock he had him in a moment ago with Doctor.

"Excuse me?!?!" Doctor's voice rose higher by his burning anger.

"Am I out of shape too?" Derpy drooped her head, feeling ashamed that she had to he rescued.

"No, no, Derpy. The maze was designed to be confusing and force you to see through deception." Sunny put a hoof to her shoulder to try and reasure her.

"So… am I dumb?" Tears began to form at the corners of her eyes.

"You weren't th' one that got herself stuck in a barrel" Big Mac chuckled a little at the memory.

Octavia's cheeks turned red with embarrassment as she took great offense to Big Mac's remark. "Oh! So you're saying 'I' am dumb!?"

"Well, technically he could say your butt's big" Thunderlane called out, speaking over Doctor who was still shooting off insults at the pegasus.

Taking great offense to that, Octavia full on slapped Thunderlane across the face, knocking him off his hooves, landed on his own backside. Everypony paused and looked to Octavia who was glaring at Thunderlane.

"Well excuse me! I'm sorry I'm more educated and endowed with culture and not a jar head like you, who fell asleep attempting to read books waaaay above your reading level!" Octavia's words were sharp and cold. "Maybe if you are lucky, your marefriend can read you a bed time story instead!"

Smacking him for making fun of her butt was one thing, Thunderlane could probably make jokes about that later, and say he deserved it. But pulling Flitter into a rude joke, wasn't something Thunderlane would just sit by and take.

Thunderlane got up, his hardened gaze meeting Octavia's own as he bellowed "atleast I CAN find a Special Some Pony! What's the matter? Nopony good enough for miss-prim-and-proper? Guess you could always date your oversized fiddle!"

"Come on, guys, let's calm down" Big Mac tried to step in, which was a bad move.

"Back of farm boy!" Octavia snapped at him, remembering how he laughed at her several times earlier. "Your muscles don't make you better then any of us!"

"Ah never thought-" Big Mac started to say something but was interrupted Doctor.

"Please! Between you and that fearher brain, we can hardly breath with all the testosterone in the air" Doctor proceeded to use words that he knew would probably confuse Thunderlane.

"You gunna put on a dress and have tea time, Doc? Why don't you just go home and play with your chemistry set!?" Thunderlane chucked, which really infuriated Doctor.

"What an arrogant ignoramus you are!" Doctor snapped back. "I pitty your marefriend for having to put up with such a foal-minded nitwit like yourself!"

"Talk about Flitter one more time! Just One. More. Time!" Thunderlane grabbed Doctor by his tie, both of their muzzles inches from eachother, grinding their teeth and shooting each other daggers.

"You know what? I have better things to do then stand and exchange words with an overgrown colt!" Doctor used a swift hoof movment and was able to break his tie free from Thunderlane's hoof.

As the brown earth pony walked away from the rest of the Guardians, Thunderlane hesitated for a second, trying to process what was going on.

"Y-yeah?! Well, I knew you couldn't cut it! Science nurd!" Thundelrane yelled out to Doctor.

"Doctor, wait!" Derpy ran after him as fast as she could. Doctor never looked back or acknowledged any of the other Guardians, not even Derpy who tried to gently nudge his side. When she failed to catch his attention, she simply fell in line behind him. Her head down, tears forming in the corners of her eyes as she continued to walk away from the rest of her friends.

"Well great job! Look what you've gone and done!" Octavia started to dig into Thunderlane again.

"Ya need ta go an' appologize" Big Mac put his hoof down. "Thunderlane, none of that was very nice."

"Thanks for taking their sides, Big Mac" Thunderlane rolled his eyes, jumped into the air, ready to take off, but paused. "I'm done playing for today. Let me know if there's some hero work to do."

Thunderlane took off and disappeared into the clouds.

Releasing a held sigh, Big Mac stated "He needs some time to cool off. He ain't ah bad guy, but he gets ahead of himself."

"Way to stick up for your own side, Big Mac!" Octavia hissed, narrowing her eyes on him.

"We're all on the same team" Big Mac tried to show his relaxed side as the cello player started in on him.

"Oh yeah! That's why you and Thunder-head up there are always throwing your own weight around, acting like Sunny's best buds becouse you're all macho guys! And maybe you are! But just couse you can break a barrel with your bare hooves doesn't make you better then anypony else!" Octavia's voice started off as more annoyed but grew in intensity until she ran off, small tears forming at the corner of her eyes. But she refused to let anypony see her cry.

The whole time Sunny sat back and watched, taking it all in, thinking he had made a mistake, coming up with this whole regiment to try and help his friends.

"Ya could have stepped in an' said somethin'." Big Mac stated as he walked over to Sunny, but stopped his lecture when he noticed the distressed look in Sunny's eyes. "You ok?"

"I'm sorry, Big Mac" Sunny finnaly spoke up, clearing his throat. "I just… I just wanted to prepare us for future problems. Help us all to become more well rounded… where did I go wrong? Was the whole idea wrong? Maybe I should talk to Twilight-"

"How about you and I get somethin' ta eat an talk it over. Mah sis said Twilight an' them were goin' ta Canterlot today an' won't be back till tonight." Big Mac suggested. "The others will cool off. Give 'em time. But we need to eat before we tackle that. Fuel in the tank."

Sunny nodded, simply going with what Big Mac was saying becouse if he didn't, Sunny probably would just sit there and think about every little detail that could have lead them to this point. "Ok… let's go into town. I'll buy."