Sunny Knight: a Pony's Tale

by TheothersideofSunny968

Where the Heart is

The sun had set a little while before Sunny and Celestia arrived at Sweet Apple Acres. The Apples were more then a little shocked to see Sunny had brought his mother home with him. If they had known they would have cleaned things up a bit more. Washed out the fire place, waxed the deck of the front porch, cleaned the cob webs out of the attic. But Sunny reasured them that his mother wanted them to see his home the way HE always saw it and wanted them to just act natural.

After showing his mother the rooms of the house, the kitchen, the living room, where the bedrooms were at, Sunny offered to show his mother his room. She was suprised to see the clash of country style and regal elegance it had. Sunny's items from various adventures were organized and presented around the room.

Sunny had been watching his mother closely the whole time whole he showed the house off to her, trying to decrypt her facial expressions, and see what she really thought of his living arrangements. After a while in his room, Sunny gave up and asked his mother strait out "so…. what do you think?"

Sitting on her son's bed and bouncing a few times, a wide smile broke across Celestia's refined muzzle. "I think you have a great home, full of love. That's all I ever wanted for you."

"You can be a part of it to" Sunny gave his mother the biggest puppy eyes he had ever made. "If you want to he. That is."

A wide smile spread across Celestia's muzzle as she closed the space between her and her son. "I'd like that."

"And after you remove the Fritters from the oil" Sunny removed the hot pastry from the oil using a pair of tongs, showing his mother who stood next to him. "You bring it over to the grate to drip the excess oil off, and let it cool for a second before coating it with the icing."

"And THIS is your favorite apple desert?" Celestia asked, wanting to make a mental note for the future where she might make some up in Canterlot and send it to her son as a suprise. She resisted the urge to smile and prance when she thought of doing that for her son.

"Eh'yep" Sunny smiled and nodded, handing a pair of tongs over to his mother via his magical aura. "Would ya like ta pull some out while ah get th' icing ready."

"I'd love to" Celestia smiled down at her son lovingly as she moved to the boiling pot of oil and began fishing the ready apple fritters from the pot.

At the table, the Apple family had their attention torn between seeing Princess Celestia making Apple Fritters in their kitchen to the scrap book infront of them.

"So let me get this strait. Sunny an' his mom went back in time some how an' got pictures form their past an' made ah scrapbook out of them?" Apple Bloom blurted out what she could piece togeather of what Sunny told them. Sunny offered them the scrapbook to look at while he personally taught his mother how to bake apple fritters.

Big Mac who was just as confused about it as she was simply shrugged.

"Not time travel, Apple Bloom" Applejack spoke up as she looked at the pictures with great interest. "Though, Sunny has done that. Ah think ah saw some ah few pages back. But he and his mom went to th' Celestial plain an' captured th' moments in crystal."

"Th' Celestial what now?" Granny asked, still a little confused on the whole concept.

"Think of it like ah walk in crystal ball" Applejack thought how best to put it to her family. "Celestia can go there ta look at things in th' past. But only of specific ponies. Like Sunny or Twilight."

"Oh… so like a magical security camera?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Kinda" Applejack chuckled. She saw Big Mac and Apple Bloom kinda understood, but Granny gave up and was happy just looking at the pictures.

"Then we took the Crystal images to Twilight's castle and she and Starlight turned the crystal images into photographs for us." Sunny chimmed in before checking on his mother's progress with the fritters.

"Knowing Twilight, she probably had ah few scrap books layin' around, just in case." Applejack commented as she flipped another page over. The next page she barely caught a glimpse at before she hastily skipped past it to another, hoping Apple Bloom wouldn't ask any quesgions.

"Actually, it was Starlight who offered us the album" Celestia answered this time as she pulled the last of the Apple Fritters from the oil and turned the burner off.

"That sure was nice of her" Applejack shot out, her voice shaking a bit. When she saw her little sister trying to flip back to the previous page, Applejack slammed her hoof on the current page. Thinking quickly, Applejack cleared her throat and pointed to the current picture. "Ugh, Sunny, is that you and your mom sky diving?! I thought ya'll were afraid of hights?"

Sunny walked over and looked at the open page of pictures. He cracked a half smile as he chuckled. "Yep. Still afraid. But ah figured it would be better ta face one's fears, 'specially if it meant me an' mah mom could have some fun."

"Are those the ones from today?" Celestia asked as she brought over a tray of the Apple Fritters she and Sunny made. She was a little worried she might have burned them or added too much cinnamon, but was still hoping for the best.

"Yeah, look" Sunny pointed to the pictures of when they jumped from the sky diving zeplin, and the one where they landed. "Wow. I was terrified. And mom, I haven't seen you have that much fun in ages."

"Maybe we can all go as ah group next time!" Apple Bloom Suggested.

"Hold yer horses there, partner" Applejack shot her a hard look. "Maybe we can all do it in ah few more years. But yer ah little too young ta do that."

"There is ah age limit" Sunny spoke up before Apple Bloom could argue.

But his interjection didn't make the little filly feel any better.

Seeing this, Celestia turned the page to change the subject. "Oh, look! It's our trip to the zoo!"

"Which zoo?" Applejack quickly hopped on the topic, wanting to redirect her sister's attention.

"Ah th' Canterlot Zoo, we should all go there some time" Sunny spoke up, pointing to one of the pictures of him looking excitedly at a large tiger. "THAT was th' biggest cat ah've ever seen."

"Hey look! Princess Celestia's holding a big snake!" Apple Bloom cheered up and pointed at another picture. It was true, Celestia, Sunny and several other ponies got to hold a giant anaconda. It was hard to tell what all the other ponies were more excited about, the sun Princess or holding the large carnivorous reptile.

"Holy crab apples!" Granny spat out nearly falling out of her chair at the sight of the giant snake. "Why in tar-nation would ya want ta go an' hold ah thing like that?!"

"It was ah nice, mellow snake, Granny" Sunny held back a laugh, not wanting to insult the elderly earth pony. "Its ah event they do. Like the petting zoo or the shows where the animals show off their tricks and talents."

"Lookie here!" Apple Bloom pointed to Sunny and Celestia sitting in bleachers watching a condor spread her wings.

"Ah yes" Celestia smiled down at the picture. "What a beautiful creature. With a wing span of ten hooves and can fly at 15000 hooves high, she was very impressive. I think her name was Tabitha."

"And look! The ducks!" Sunny got excited when he saw the pictures of him and his mother feeding the ducks the pellets of food the ponies at the zoo provided. Sunny looked like he was having a blast.

"You loved feeding those ducks" Celestia smiled and shook her head while smiling.

"An' goats too, apparently" Applejack chuckled a bit as she pointed to the picture down and to the left of it, where Sunny and Celestia were seen feeding animals at the petting zoo. Sunny was surrounded by a sea of goats, while his mother stood in the back ground feeding a calf.

"Is that you, Princess Celestia?" Apple Bloom pointed out a picture of the sun Princess looking nervously at a chicken as it approached her.

Princess Celesria felt embarrassed by her fear of chickens. What most ponies didn't know was when she was younger, Princess Celestia had accidentally crushed several wild chicken eggs up in the mountains (that Canterlot would be built on many years later). The wild chickens were vicious, even to a fully grown pony. A good dozen to two of the wild fowl jumped up and attacked young Celestia, pecking at her and covering her to a point where their angrily pecking bodies blocked out the sun. It seemed like forever until Luna came by and shooed the birds away. From that day on, Princess Celestia was afraid of chickens. She'll still have eggs and products with eggs in them, but whenever she is around chickens, her back tenses up and her pupils shrink.

Seeing his mother in a bit of a trance, Sunny decided to skip a little ahead (which also included going back in time). When he found a good picture, he chimmed in. "Hey Applejack, remember this?"

Peering over at the open page, Applejack saw her and Sunny at the last Grand Galloping galla, wearing similar masks that matched their alias of 'Appleknight'. A fond smile grew on Applejack's muzzle as she found herself lost in memory of that night, more when they were dancing then when everything fell to pieces and Sombra's forces attacked. "Ah sure do."

"We should practice dancing some time" Sunny shot her a small smile as his eyes locked with hers. "Ah think my dancing moves have gotten a bit rusty since then. And ah wouldn't mind practicing some time before our big day."

The thought made Applejack blush. The first dance. Then the thought of what their first song they would dance to would be. They would have to talk about it later.

"I know there's still alot to do for the wedding" Celestia chimmed in. "But if I can help in any way, please, let me."

"Why, thank you, yer majasty" Applejack smiled and took her stetson hat off and held it to her chest.

"I don't want to be too forward" Celestia started to say, then looked to her son for approval. Sunny somehow knew what his mother was going to say, smiled and nodded, as if telling her to go ahead. Turning her attention back to Applejack, who was looking a little more then confused, Celestia told her "I know I could never take the place of your real mother, if you want, you can call me mom, too."

Tears began to build in the corner of Applejack's eyes as she struggled to breath them back. She wasn't much for crying, but there were a thing or two that made the tears overflow. And her parents were one of them. The feelings swirling around inside her were hard to determine, but Applejack focused on Celestia's own feelings. She was being genuin, kind, warm and inviting. After a moment of silance and stillness, Applejack put her hat on the table, walked over to Celestia, and gave her a big hug. She was suprised by Celestia's warmth, and Celestia was suprised by Applejack's strength. Both hugged for a moment before both Applejack and Celestia waved for Sunny, Apple Bloom, Big Mac and Granny Smith to join in the hug.

"Ah think Mamma would have liked you, ah lot" Applejack told Celestia, a few tears falling from her cheeks.

"I would have liked to meet her and your father, and thank them for having such a wonderful daughter" Celestia spoke to Applejack.

"Hey, what 'bout me?" Apple Bloom spoke up.

Sunny chuckled and patted her on the head. "You too, squirt."

The group laughed and eventually broke off the hug. Sunny moved to add the icing to the Fritters, now that they were ready. And passed them out to everypony, more specifically watching his mother and what she thought of it. Sunny was pleased to see his mother liked it, although, he had a feeling she would have preferred Applejack's famous Apple upside down cake. He'd have to ask her to make that for his mom one of these days.

"Wow, is that you, Sunny?" Apple Bloom asked, flipping back to earlier pages into he book, to a picture where Sunny had first acquired the armor of the Black Knight and was facing down a flight of dragons.

"Eh'yep" Sunny smiled at Big Mac, using his coined phrase. Big Mac just smiled and nodded his approval.

Along with pictures of their day togeather, both good and bad (getting ice cream, pushing through the crowds, the opera house, the museum, and the zoo), Sunny and Celestia filled the book with pictures of Sunny and a bit of Celestia's past.

The Apples looked on and saw the first Grand Galloping Galla that Star Swirl organized to help Celestia and Luna to mingle with the powerful ponies that controlled Equeatria. There were even a few pictures of King Sombra and when Celestia and he first met.

"Wow, Sunny, now ah see where ya get yer dashin' looks from" Applejack nudged Sunny a bit. "Yer Pa looks like one smooth character."

"Don't let looks fool you" Celestia butted in. "He looks calm and collected, but he was really nervouse. We both were. But he was better at hidding it."

"Is that you?" Big Mac pointed to another picture of Princess Celestia in her secret room, not long after Sunny was born. She looked exhausted, her normally flowing mane was a mess with strands sticking out every which way, but she held a different glow to her. In her hooves, she held a fuzzy, yellow little colt wrapped up in a blue blanket.

"That was when Sunny was born" Celestia smiled warmly at the picture, before turning to her son. "I'm glad you convinced me to make a picture from that moment."

"Well, ya know" Sunny was a little embarrassed by the picture and bobbed his head over to Applejack. "Granny showed me th' pictures of Applejack when she was born. An' ah thought it would be nice ta have pictures of us as newborns in an album next to an open page for… well… when we have foals. You know, some time down the road."

Applejack and Sunny both turned bright red and avoided eye contact for a while. But eventually their eyes met again, and Sunny shot Applejack a nervous smile. Applejack returned a bashful smile, but they didn't look away from eachother.

"B-but let's wait a while" Sunny added, the red on his muzzle disappearing.

"Yeah! 'Course!" Applejack answered louder then she meant to. "W-we should focus on eachother, an' buildin' ah home and what not."

"That is a wise idea" Celestia chuckled. "But I'm glad to hear you both warmed up to the thought of having foals some day. The two of you would have beautiful children… who I can spoil to bits."

The last comment Celestia made was spoken in a whisper as she turned her head away in an attempt to somewhat hide her intentions. She would have kept her true intentions in her mind, but the joy of having grandfoals to spoil and play with and make more memories with filled her with overwhelming joy. Another aspect of regular pony life she coudlnt wait to take part in.

The Apples all sat and enjoyed the fritters Sunny and his mother made, they were pretty good for a first timers attempt, a little too much cinnamon. But to a pony who had never had one, or to ponies who enjoyed having them becouse of who made them, they were the most delicious they had ever had.

Later that night, Celestia bid fairwell to the Apples and traveled back to Canterlot in a split second via the magical mirror in her son's room. After seeing his mother off, Sunny turned around to use the restroom before bed, only to be stopped by Applejack. The orange mare stood in the doorway, her eyes seemed to glow in the dim light. She shut the door behind her and walked up to Sunny, never breaking eye contact.

"We need ta talk" Applejack stated, her words hard as castle stone.

"I-is everything OK, Sweetie?" Sunny asked in a slightly shaky voice. He had never seen Applejack like this before.

Not wanting to draw this out any longer then nessisary, Applejack pulled out from behind her back the album Sunny and his mother had made and flipped open to a page that she hid from the rest of her family. "Care to explain this?"

Sunny looked at the open page, gulped, and wished he had talked to Applejack about it sooner, but was always too nervous to bring it up. It was a sensitive subject.

"This happened before I came back, after being pushed through that mirror by that evil princess Amore" Sunny stated, knowing his explination was a bit more complicated then that.

"Ya told me that ya went through ah mirror, met ah evil king version of yerself, got another Doctor Whooves ta give ya ah lift, but ya never said ya made ah pit stop" Applejack was confused on how she actually felt. She thought she should be angry, but she was also curious, and a little hurt.

Taking in a deep breath, Sunny tore his eyes away from the pictures of him and Bright Mac and Pear Butter on the farm, and looked Applejack in the eye. "9 tried to get me back HERE, to my own time and reality. Only, he came up a little early. I had to wait for him to do repairs to his ship before he could get me back, and, well, I wasn't going to get that chance again…"

Applejack had been in the meeting with Twilight when she told them all about Starlight Glimmer going back to the past and making a small change that snowballed into altering the entire future of Equestria, so she knew it wasn't a wise idea for a pony to meddle in time travel. She didn't blame Sunny for not trying to prevent her parents fate. But deep down, it still hurt.

Without realizing he moved, Applejack felt Sunny's hooves around her. She knew his warm embrace anywhere. She felt a few tears fall from above like a light rain. She fought back her own tears now. It was easier now that she knew how much it hurt Sunny. She feels like she knew him her whole life now. Applejack knows that if Sunny had the chance to save her parents, he would have done so. She knows HE would want that for her and her sister, and her brother, and Granny, and her parents. As much as she hated to admit it outloud, Applejack knew there was nothing Sunny could really do.

Returning the hug, pulling her future husband in closer to her, Applejack let Sunny know that she wasn't mad, and silently, that she understood. After several long moments, possibly an hour, Applejack spoke up after clearing her voice. "So, ugh, what did ya think of 'em?"

Taking a deep breath, Sunny looked his future wife in the eye and told her "they were great. Just great. Ah think they liked me. Yer dad liked mah puppet shows, atleast."

Thinking back, Applejack remembered stumbling across some old puppets in the attic a few months ago. She thought it was wierd one looked like Twilight. Returning her attention back to Sunny, Applejack asked "could ya… would ya mind…"

Without needing to hear all of what Applejack was trying to spit out, Sunny hopped up on his bed, back against the head board, levitated the album to him, propped it up on his leg, and patted the seat next to him, inviting Applejack to join him.

Taking her hat off and putting it on the bed post, opposite side of where Sunny hung his own hat, Applejack climbed into the bed and sat next to Sunny, looking onto the pages that were open. Pictures of Sunny, Pear Butter, Bright Mac and a younger Granny Smith.

Sunny started telling Applejack of how 9's TARDIS malfunctioning and landing in Ponyville's past, where he first met her mother, then her father. Applejack listened intently, eyes darting between the pictures on the album's open page and Sunny's own reactions. He was so lost in his story that he added voices, sound effects and motions to the story. Applejack just sat and listened to everything Sunny had to tell. She loved hearing stories about her parents, ever since she found out her mother was a Pear. Applejack didn't have many memories of her parents, but she felt like she knew her parents better through the stories others shared of them. And here, her future husband got a chance to meet them. There was a part of her, somewhere, deep down, that told her from the way Sunny wove the tale and the pictures infront of her, that her parents approved of him. Kinda funny too, that Sunny looks a bit like her dad, when he wears his stetson hat and covers up his horn. Guess Applejack might have a type. But to be honest with herself, she thought her dad might look dashing with a horn.

Granny woke up a few hours after falling asleep needing to take a trip to the bathroom. Walking down the hall, she cursed her old bladder for all the bathroom trips taken every night, Granny saw Sunny's bedroom door was left wide open. She was going to shut it, knowing how loudly he snored sometimes, but paused when she noticed he wasn't alone in his bed. Narrowing her eyes to better help her focus on what was hidding in the dark. Granny was shocked at first, but calmed down as the whole scene came into focus for her old eyes.

Applejack and Sunny fell asleep, sitting up next to eachother, Sunny's photo album open between them. The both of them appeared to be having pleasant dreams.

Granny couldn't help but notice that neither of them had covered up. Wanting to be the good grandmother she was, Granny pulled a thick, hoof woven blanket out from the end of Sunny's bed, and pulled it over the both of them. As she went to cover them, Granny picked up the album and happened to glance at the open page. A smile came to her muzzle when she saw the familiar images.

Pictures of Sunny working out in the feild with Bright Mac, of Sunny helping Pear Butter bake in the kitchen, and of all of them sitting in the living room, watching Sunny put on one of his puppet shows. The memories came flooding back to the elderly green mare. 'Ah had ah feeling ah seen that fella before. Mah, what fun days those were…'

A tear fell from Granny's eye, thinking about the loss of her son and daughter-in-law. She wipped it away and forced herself to smile, looking down at Sunny and Applejack. 'These foals still need ol' Granny. Ah'll keep taken' care o' them for ya.'

Shaking away her sadness, Granny closed the album, put it on Sunny's desk, then returned to her venture to the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

Author's Note:

Hey guys, sorry these chapters fell a little behind in my schedule for posting, but I'm hard at work, still some what on schedule to finish Sunny's tale by the end of the year.

And wow, it's already September.

I want to thank you all for reading, and a special thanks to a good friend of mine who is always eager to read the latest chapters. Thanks Devin Advis for your support!

Hope you guys enjoyed these chapters, ones I enjoyed writing.

Hope to have more here in a few weeks!