Sunny Knight: a Pony's Tale

by TheothersideofSunny968

Hearths Warming on a Rock farm

The train ride was pleasant enough, Sunny thought as he watched Applejack finish her 'big sister lecture' to Apple Bloom about what Hearths Warming is really all about. Although it was a lecture, Sunny didn't think Apple Bloom loathed it as much as she lead on. Hearing the story of how the three tribes came together was a story everypony enjoyed, Sunny could gather from the smile on all the Apple's faces as well as the faces of several ponies who were within ear shot. Not five minute after they all got settled on the train, did Granny fall fast asleep. Still, Sunny couldn't help but smile from the warm feeling that he got from the group of ponies he was travailing with. A holiday that brought ponies together to celebrate ponies coming together, if that didn't sound warm and friendly he didn't know what did. And his feelings became justified as he watched Applejack and Pinkie go back and forth with their playful banter, saying the exact same thing together at the same time, hoof motions, words, and expressions alike.

"Of course! We might be related!" Both of the best friends began speaking simultaneously. "Hey, I was gonna say that! Stop sayin' what I'm sayin'! You stop it first!" They both continued, then broke out into laughter as they both slid off out of their seats and onto the floor.
Just then the train's whistle blew again as the wheeled came to a screeching halt, signaling that they had arrived at their destination. Sunny took a few deep breaths to calm his nerves, then he grabbed his saddle bag and joined the others as they exited the train. He was the last one off the train, and for some reason unknown to him, the yellow stallion heard the word 'rooftastic!' Being yelled from above. Just as he looked up a wave of snow hit him, leaving him and the Apples covered in a thick coating of powdery snow.
He dusted himself off, but before he could ask what just happened, Applejack's worried voice cut him off. "Ah don't know, what if our families don't like each other?"
"Applejack" Pinkie jumped in to reassure her friend. "We are best friends. And after tonight, our families are going to be best friends too..."
Sunny couldn't help but slightly zone out as Pinkie went off on one of her elaborate 'Pinkie' explanations, that often lead everypony questioning the bounds of reality. As terrible as it might be, Sunny took a little comfort in knowing that he wasn't the only pony worrying about the two family's getting along. But as he turned his attention back to the orange farm pony, his heart slightly sank. He had been so preoccupied with weather or not the Pies were going to like him, that he didn't see Applejack's own fear that the Apples and the Pies might not get along. Now, looking back over at Applejack, and seeing the slight worry on her face, he knew what he had to do.
'That's it' Sunny said to himself inside his head. 'I'm going to do my best to get along with everypony and help everypony get along! I'll help the Apples and the Pies become one big, happy family!'
Sunny's gusto filled thoughts were interrupted when he heard the name 'Maud' uttered, well, more like squeaked since it was Pinkie doing it. He looked over and saw Pinkie hugging a very expressionless, grey mare with a purple mane, wearing some average looking clothing that would have given Rarity a heart attack.
"I'm very happy to see you, Pinkie Pie" the grey mare said, her tone as expressionless as her face. Se the. Looked over at Applejack. "You too Applejack. I hope you had fun sledding the other day."
"How'd ya know that?" Applejack asked, confused at Maud's insight.
"Isn't it obvious?" The emotionless mare asked as she raised Applejack's hoof and shows it to her. " There are specks of extrusive andesite on your hoof. It's a mountain rock."
Sunny's eyes went as wide as Applejack's when he heard her explanation. Sunny had read in his copy of 'the Elements of Harmony' that Maud went off to school to learn more about rocks, but he never knew she was so... So good! He was impressed, thinking maybe she could be like a forensic pony scientist or something.
"Oh, she's good" Granny commented, Big Mac, Apple Bloom and Sunny all nodding in agreement.
"How is school going?" Pinkie asked her sister enthusiastically.
Maud began to lead the group away from the train station and down the path that would eventually lead to the Pie family farm. "If you thought quartz was high on the Mohs hardness scale, wait 'til I tell you about corundum."
"I missed you so much!" Pinkie exclaimed with a huge smile on her face as she bounced behind her sister.
All the Apples replied, following behind the excited bouncing mare, with the same tone of "mm-hmmm".
A short trip down the road and the Apples, Pinkie, Sunny and Maud all arrived at the edge of the rock farm where they were greeted by the most beautiful sight. The farm was coated in a thick layer of snow, much like everywhere else in Equestria, but something else caught the eyes of the Apple Family and Sunny.
All around the farm were the most beautiful crystals that appeared to pull in a reflect within themselves an array of colors powered by the sunlight. Sunny was amazed as he passed by them and they seemed to shine.
"This place looks amazin'" Applejack commented as she looked around.
"Come on, everypony! Meet my super-mega-fun-derful family!" Pinkie exclaimed as her older sister, Maud, opened the front door.
The first ponies to file out were a pair old older looking ponies, a stallion donning a tie and hat, with a pair of long grey sideburns running down the side of his face. The older mare had her grey mane tied back in a bun ontop of her head with a pair of glasses resting on the tip of her muzzle. The next pony to emerge from the house was a mare with a pair of very sharp eyes that seemed on high alert with the sight of newcomers. The last pony to exit the house Pinkie practically had to force out. She was a shy and rather timid looking mare who reminded Sunny very heavily of Fluttershy, especially with the way she seemed to cover half of her face with her mane.
"Everypony, meet everypony" Pinkie cheered with much enthusiasm. But the meshing was not as smooth as she had hopped.
As Granny broke the ice by walking up and greeting Pinkie's parents, the older ponies discovered some sort of a language barrier. Pinkie then tried her best to introduce her younger sister Marble Pie to Big Mac, while she forced her younger sister to converse with the most stoic stallion from Ponyville, Sunny caught sight of the sharp eyed sister leering down Apple Bloom.
"Gaze into the eyes of Limestone Pie. Ma and Pa may own this rock farm, but I keep it running. Cross me and—" the grey mare began to harshly say, causing Apple Bloom to panic and back up away from the aggressive rock farm pony.
"Well it is a pleasure to be here, miss Limestone pie" Sunny stepped between the frightened Apple Bloom and the hard gaze that belonged to Pinkie's other sister. "Thank you for having us on your farm. We're all excited to spend Hearths Warming with you and your-"
"Don't try and sweet talk me!" She snapped at Sunny. "Stay away from our mines and Holder's Bolder!"
Sunny was taken off guard a little by the sharp tongue that the sister of sweet, non aggressive Pinkie Pie had. Before more could be said, Pinkie jumped on top of a large egg shaped bolder.
"Attention everypony!" She called out proudly, collecting the attention of everypony on the farm.
"Get off of Holder's Bolder!" Limestone growled as she narrowed her eyes at her sister.
"I'll only be a second, sheesh" Pinkie pie answered her sister then cleared her throat to continue, her smile returning. "Everypony go ahead and get settled in, there's plenty of room upstairs. And then it's in to the Hearths Warming eve dinner!"
At the end if her speach, Pinkie threw up a cloud of confetti into the chord she had gathered. As the two families began to file into the house, Pinkie jumped off Holder's boulder and began talking with Applejack, both of them smiling at one another as they watched their families file through the door to the Pie family house.
As the Apples and Sunny got settled in upstairs, the yellow stallion couldn't help but enjoy the conversation the Apple family was having. Apple Bloom bouncing on a top bunk taking about sweet rolls and Granny saying how she prefers 6 layer bean dip. Sunny remembered such treats being available on the Apple farm for various occasions, and did enjoy them himself. He can't quite say that he recalled ever having them before e came to the Apple farm, but that wasn't uncommon for him. Before much more could be said, Pinkie Pie called them all down for dinner. A little nervous, Sunny waited to leave their room until everypony else had. He felt slightly out of place, only being an 'honorary Apple family member' and all, but wasn't going to let that stop him. He wanted this to be great, not for his own sake, but for Applejack and Pinkie, and for their families as well.
As he reached the entryway to the dining room, his eyes fell heavy on the spread that the Pies had presented. It wasn't anything like the meal that Applejack, Apple Bloom or even Granny talked about. From what Sunny and the rest of the Apples could tell, the meal consisted of a bowl of soup with a rock in the middle.
Applejack stepped forward out of the group as se looked at all the bowls sittin fin the table. "What about hot rolls and mulled cider and double-baked pot pie?"
"Or the seven layered bean dip?" Granny asked, looking at a bowl that was set in front of her.
"We have rock soup" Maud said flatly, looking at the Apples, still emotionless.
"Potato, po-tah-to. Double-baked pot pie, rock soup! Dinner is dinner. Am I right or am I right?" Pinkie said as she popped up and put a hoof around Applejack and Sunny.
Sunny looks over at the bowl closest to him, took a wiff and smiled weakly at Applejack. "Hmmmm. I've never had rock soup before that I could remember."
Applejack weakly smiled back and shook off the feeling of disappointment from the meal. This was a home cooked meal the family of her best friend made. She should enjoy it. "Yeah, um, you know what? This 'is' what we were expectin'! Right, everypony?"
The other Apple family members forced smiles on their faces and took seats opposite of the Pie family members. Applejack locked eyes with Sunny as they both picked up spoonfuls of the 'rock soup' and held it to their mouths. They both could feel the eyes of everypony else weighing down heavily on them as they both took their first bite. Two different reactions resulted from the two ponies who took the first spoonfuls of the meal.
Applejack's face changed into an off shade of crab apple green as the spoonful seemed to slide slowly down her throat. Once it reaches her belly and she was able to breath again, Pinkie leaned in and asked "everything ok, Applejack?"
"O' course, Ah'm just being a rusty fiddle. Tune me up and let's get back to dinner." But despite her words, she still had a hard time stomaching the food.
Sunny on the other hoof dove right in, thinking the soup tasted a little salty, but figured that was from the rock. He watched as Pinkie's father, Igneous, took a bite of the rock that was in the soup, and went to do the same. Only when he bit into it, he felt like he almost broke his teeth. Leaving the rock in the dish alone and going back to the actual soup itself, he had his bowl finished in no time.
As he whipped his mouth politely with his napkin, feeling slightly embarrassed that he just dove in like a pig, and feeling the eyes all around the table falling upon him, Sunny chuckled lightly as Pinkie more then eagerly refilled his bowl. "The soups is delicious, Miss Quartz."
"I thankith thee, one known as Sunny" the elderly mare replied, her face still refined. "But the honor of the meal dost fall with my most responsible daughter, Limestone."
Sunny then looked across the table to the Pie family member who was giving him the stink eye, about to complement her on her cooking, when she opened her mouth and spat out "How are you related to the Apples again? Or are you just hired help along for the ride and a free meal?"
This made Sunny feel like he had swallowed a rock and it was caught in his throat. His eyes darted from Limestone to her soup, then to Applejack who looked like she was about to speak up when Pinkie jumped in.
"Everypony hurry up and eat! After dinner we're going to get to out Hearthswarming dolls!" The pink party pony said with glee.
A sudden fear shocked thought Applejack though as she looked over at Sunny who nervously sipped his second bowl of rock soup, avoiding eye contact with Limestone. 'He doesn't have a Hearths Warming doll!' She leaned in and whispered into Pinkie's ear her troubling realization, but Pinkie just waved her hoof and told Applejack not to worry.
After Hearths Warming dinner was over, the Pie family, Apple family and Sunny made their way out of the house and into an excavation area of the rock farm. The Apples were all confused, well, all except Sunny who ran off into the bushes to meet his Hearths Warming dinner, again, only this time it wasn't as enjoyable. He eventually caught up with the group after he was able to walk strait again. As he rejoined them, Sunny noticed they all had tiny pick axes and were chiseling away at tiny rocks placed atop of big rocks. Well, the Pie family members were, it seemed like the Apples were having a slightly harder time.
Sunny steadily walked over to Pinkie and asked "what are we doing? I thought we had to do something with 'dolls'?"
"We're making them, silly! Here!" Pinkie said as she set Sunny up with his own tiny pickax and a tiny rock, explaining that he was to carve it into a doll.
Needless to say, the yellow unicorn was little confused at first, but shrugged it off, wanting to be fully supportive of the Pie's family traditions. He looked over at the shy little mare Pinkie introduced earlier as 'Marble Pie', and watched how she was carefully chiseling away at her own 'doll', forming it into a pony shaped figure. He took a deep breath and levitated the tiny pickax, coating it with his green magical aura, and made the first nick in his 'doll'. But one little nick turned his 'doll' into a huge pile of rock dust. He nervously looked around to see how the others were doing. The Apples were still struggling, Applejack being the only one to have made some form of a doll (even if it did look like a sad potato).
While Sunny had his head turned, somepony blew away the pile of rock dust and set another rock in front of him. He looked over and met the deadpan face of non either then Maud.
"Try not to use magic" she said in a flat tone. "Unicorn magical energy disrupts the flow of energy in most rock formations, and will turn it to dust."
Sunny awkwardly laughed and readjusted his hat. "My bad, I guess I'll just use my mouth to-"
Before he could finish his sentence, Maud pushed Sunny's head down and moved his Stetson hat aside, then she began looking through his mane. As she did she made a few 'mhm's.
"Ugh, is everything ok up there?" The unicorn asked, feeling a little awkward. "I don't have lice, do I?"
"No" Maud replied as she released the unicorn's head and calmly walked away, looking like she had something very small in her hoof, but Sunny really couldn't tell what it was.
Sunny looked at her for a moment, feeling really, really confused. He was greatful that Maud had helped him out, but he didn't know how to feel about her invading his personal space like that and not giving a reason. In the end, though, he shook it off and decided to write it off as 'Maud being Maud', and went to work on his 'doll' again, this time using his mouth to lift the tiny pickax.
After the rock 'dolls' were made and placed safely stop of the fireplace in the Pie family house, everypony gathered at Holder's Boulder for what Pinkie was calling 'the flag finding mission'. Sunny had to make another trip to the bathroom before they began, the rock soup was wanting to say hi again, hopefully for the last time. After about ten minutes or so of saying his final farewells to the rock soup, Sunny was able to leave the bathroom and made his way to meet everypony. As the yellow unicorn straitened his Stetson hat and wabbaly walked out of the farm house, the only pony in sight was an unamused Limestone Pie, who stood at attention in front of Holder's Boulder.
"Ugh, where did everypony go?" Sunny uneasily asked as he trotted up to Limestone, not really wanting to make much conversation with her.
"They all went into teams to find the flag" Limestone huffed. "If you weren't such a hog earlier, scarfing down all of the rock soup, you would have been here and heard that instead of throwing up."
Sunny took a deep breath and released it, he was still feeling queazy, and arguing wouldn't help him. So he tried to focus on the task at hand. "So where am 'I' supposed to go?"
Limestone rolled her eyes, annoyed by her sister's instructions. "Pinkie said if you ever made it out of the bathroom to take it easy and Judge the competition with me. But keep this in mind, 'I'm' the main judge, my word out weighs yours. Got it?!"
Sunny sighed again as he took a seat next to Limestone, thinking to himself 'this is going to be a long holiday... Maybe we can skip it next year...'