Sunny Knight: a Pony's Tale

by TheothersideofSunny968

Sunny at the Fair

It was the day of the Crystal fair, and everypony in the Empire and then some had come out to enjoy the festivities. Ponies from all across Equestria, from the far edge of Vanhoover stretching to Baltimare, ponies began traveling to experience the festival native to the Crystal Empire. Not being available for over 1000 years makes a one day event very popular, as well as adds to the rebuilding and expansion of the Crystal Empire and the Crystal ponies. Only the crowd produced by the Grand Galloping Gala could even come close to this year's Crystal Fair.

"Oh my gosh! This is so exciting!" Pinkie Pie said as she bounced right beside her group of friends as her eyes darted all around, taking in every sight she could of the fair.

"I agree, darling" Rarity said with a refined chime, as she flaunted her new wardrobe. A dress she had put together last minute the night before, after dinner with Cadence and Shinning Armor and before bed. It was a short trimmed, white dress with small crystals dangling off the back and sides, with a heart shaped one hanging just around the neck. The fashionista was very proud of herself for creating such a masterpiece on a whim, and for completing it in time to wear it at the Crystal fair none the less. "Such a lovely day for it too, not too warm, not to brisk, very little wind too."

"I agree, and look at the turn out!" Twilight cheered as she noticed the large crowd of ponies who were attending the event. "This is just what the Empire needs! More ponies from all around to attend. This will really help the crystal ponies reconnect with the rest of Equestria."

"Yeah, after being locked away for 1000 years! I mean, think of all they missed! Cotten candy! Iced hot chocolate!" Pinkie began, then her bouncing and she held her face in her front hooves, a frightened look now replacing her eager expression. "They went 1000 years without cupcakes!!! The horror! THE HORROR!!!"

"Pinkie, sweetie, get ahold of yourself. I'm sure they had cupcakes and hot chocolate 1000 years ago. Besides..."Rarity put a hoof on the pink pony's shoulder. "You're scaring everypony."

"Besides" Twilight stepped forward to do some damage control. "It's not like they were even aware they were gone. It would be like you taking a nap then waking up and finding out 1000 years passed."

"Still! Even one day without cupcakes is a crime!" Pinkie began to scream again, but a familiar scent danced its way into the party pony's nostril, instantly redirecting Pinkie's attention. "Huh! Funnel cake!!!"

Without warning, Pinkie jumped up, began running in mid air, and zoomed off to another food stand where the delicious treat was being sold with optional sides of Crystal Berry syrup. Twilight and Rarity just shook their heads as they chuckled and followed after their pink friend. On the way, Twilight accidentally ran into a stallion, half knocking herself over. When she regained her composure, the princess humbly spoke to the cloaked stallion.

"Sorry about that, sir" Twilight apologized, not even waiting around for a response or to see the stallion's face before running off to rejoin her friends.

The cloaked stallion in question waited until Twilight and her friends's were far enough out of sight before he turned around. As he did, Radiant Hope approached him, levitating two large cups on either side of her.

"You are going to love this! It's a Crystal Berry slushee!" The purple unicorn said as she levitated one over to the cloaked stallion. When he didn't turn to face the mare and the beverage she had gotten him, Radiant grew annoyed. "Will you take that thing off?! You're going to draw more attention to yourself with that thing then if you were to just play it cool!"

After placing the two drinks on the ground Radiant wrapped her magical aura around the black cloak and pulled it right off of the stallion, revealing a purple colored unicorn with a two toned orange mane. The stallion stood in an awkward frozen state, panic stopping him from moving for a long moment. Radiant had used a spell to make Sunny's coat mimic her own. She attempted to also change his mane color, but her nephew insisted that that would make his stick out awkwardly. It wasn't uncommon for ponies to have similar coat colors, especially if they were related. But the same coat color 'and' same mane color? It would look suspicious. When he could move, the disguised Sunny grabbed ahold of his cloak and pulled it out of his aunt's grasp.

"Auntie Radiant! Are you crazy?!" Sunny whispered in a panicked tone. "What are you doing?! What if somepony recognizes me?!"

With her emotions flipping a 180 as Radiant switched immediately from happy and joyful to tired and fed up, the unicorn mare grabbed Sunny by the ear with her hoof and dragged him behind a corn on a cob stand. When she released the yellow stallion, as Sunny rubbed his ear that was just recently freed, Radiant shot her nephew a very angry look.

"Listen here, Sunny" the crystal unicorn began, her tone sharp and cold, holding Sunny's attention very firmly. "If all you are going to do is hide and be afraid of what 'might' happen the whole time we are here, we can just go back to my house and hide out until the fair is over. Is that what you want?!"

Sunny felt guilty for a moment, like a child being scolded for playing ball in the house and breaking a lamp. He broke eye contact with his aunt, finding himself unable to look her in the eye.

"I understand how you feel, Sunny" Radiant softened her tone as she rubbed Sunny's back, closing the space between them. "But no pony is looking for you. From what you said, no pony even remembers you. So there isn't much to really worry about, is there?"

Taking a deep breath to calm himself down, Sunny found the strength to look Radiant in the eye as his fear began to subside. "Thanks Auntie... Maybe I am being a little too cautious."

"A little is stretching it far" Radiant said as she levitated Sunny's cloak up into the air and began folding it. When the black piece of clothing was neatly folded, Radiant Hope slid it into her saddle bag. "Come on, let's go have some fun. I think they're selling flugal horns over there."

"You mean those things that used to give dad headaches?" Sunny asked as he looked over and saw several ponies blowing into the odd instruments, making loud obnoxious sounds with it.

"Yep" Radiant said with a deviant look.

".... can I get two?" Sunny asked with a sly grin. "I've found Rainbow Dash sleeping in the north orchard several times last week, and I'm sure Applejack would love to have a way to wake her up."

"Ok. Just so long as you don't use it on me when you come over" Radiant nodded as she walked with Sunny over to the stand.

"'Come over?'" Sunny repeated his aunt's last words. "You mean...."

"Well, duh" Radiant replied, already knowing what Sunny was thinking. "I want you to come over and visit some time. And bring this 'Applejack' too. I'd love to meet my nephew's mare friend."

"Sh-she's not my mare friend!" Sunny stumbled over his words as he and his aunt reached the floogal horn stand.

For the next couple of hours, Sunny actually began to relax and have some fun at the Crystal fair. It was so different for him to actually take part in the fair then to oversee it. The yellow unicorn felt like he didn't have a care in the world, much like before he regained his memory. Was this how everypony felt? Why did so many foals want to grow up and become princesses and princes when being a regular pony who got to make their own choices, do whatever they wanted, and didn't have to bear the weight of a kingdom on their backs? But those were thoughts Sunny would think about later. For now, he was living in the moment and enjoying the Crystal fair. No fears, no worries, no responsibilities, just fun!

After obtaining some Floogal horns, Sunny and Radiant moved on to watch a band play in the center of the fair. Sunny actually recognized the group. It was a small band that had formed the first time he had oversaw the fair. It made him smile to actually be able to listen to them play a song all the way through, and not have to rush off to check up on the rest of the fair. Once the band was done, the two unicorns made their way over to a basket weaving tent, where Sunny tried his hoof at the art. Unlike his aunt and even his father, who had practiced the craft since they were foals, Sunny had never tried such a thing. The mare running the stand worked one on one with Sunny as much as she could, but would occasionally have to step away to help others. By the time Radiant was done with a new basket for her living room, Sunny's 'basket' looked more like Twilight's first attempt at a bird's nest during her first Winter Wrap Up. Only, if the nest were run over by a dozen chariots. In the rain. Then washed down a gutter by the over flow. Needless to say, Sunny wasn't going to win any ribbons for his, er, basket. But this didn't bother Sunny in the least. No, the stallion looked at his 'art' with pride, that he actually created something at the fair! He planed to present it in a place of honor back in his secret cave when he returned to ponyville. Wrapping things up at the tent, Sunny and Radiant moved on to watch a few shows.

Just a few tents away from the basket weaving stand was a stage where several ponies in brightly colored outfits were performing feats of incredible athletic ability, agility, and flexibility. After half an hour of their various tricks, spins, twirls, and jumps, Sunny and Radiant heard their tummy's rumbling and thought it best to get something to eat before they continued with the fair. They were about to settle for some Crystal Berry funnel cakes when Sunny's eye caught sight of something with even more appeal. He quickly pulled his aunt over to an apple family cart run by one of Applejack's cousins, one Sunny hadn't met. Which meant that they wouldn't be able to recognize him. After suggesting what to order to his aunt, having made some of the products himself, Sunny and Radiant sat down at a bench to enjoy their meal while some chorus singers sang some of the Crystal Empire's old folk songs.

"So you made this?" Radiant Hope asked as she stuck her fork into a cut of Apple cobbler, having never tried one before.

"Not that exact one" Sunny said with glee as he took a small bite of his own cobbler. After tasting the cobbler, mixing it around in his tongue, he swallowed the delicious morsel and smiled. "It's the same recipe, but you can tell the apples are from a different region other then Sweet Apple Acres. They have more of a tangy then a sweet taste to their apples. Something no pony could pick up unless they made the dish and knew each ingredient by heart."

Radiant just smiled and eyed her nephew in amazement. "Wow, and to think, the former prince of the Crystal Empire is working and living on an apple farm, and able to tell where apples were grown by the slight taste difference."

"Sweet Apple Acres produces more then just apples" Sunny commented. "They also produce a fair amount of carrots, flowers, eggs, and celery. Although, Apples and Apple based foods are our number one output."

Shaking her head, Radiant continued to be amazed that rather then be offended by her comment, Sunny took pride in informing her on what else the farm produced. But as she took a second look at her nephew, Radiant couldn't help but feel a little more relaxed. Sunny seemed to be glowing, beaming with pride and joy of his new life. 'It's taken over a thousand years and losing everything, but I think you've found yourself. Or at the very least, are starting to.'

"Auntie Radiant, are you listening?" Sunny asked as he waved a hoof in front of her face.

"Huh? W-what did you say?" Radiant replied as she snapped out of it.

"I was saying there's an archery contest about to begin, wanna join me?" Sunny's smile began to grow as he remembered that archery was one of his better sports, along with fencing and jousting.

"Nah, you go ahead" Radiant said as she finished her cobbler. "But I'll watch you from the side lines cheering you on."

"Ugh... maybe we better come up with another name for me other then 'Sunny'" the stallion suggested. "Don't want anypony to, you know, remember me?"

"Weeeelll" the gears began to turn in Radiant's head. "You could enter wearing your 'special' armor and declare yourself as the 'Black Knight'."

Sunny's expression turned as icy cold as the tundra that surrounded the Empire. "Yeah, no. The Black Knight doesn't need to make a random appearance at an archery contest. He only needs to show when there's an emergency."

To that, Radiant just chuckled and waved a hoof at her spoil sport of a nephew. "You're no fun. It would be really cool to have the Black Knight show up. I mean, who knows. Maybe Applejack likes a stallion in armor."

That thought turned Sunny's face slightly red, but with a few shakes of his head, the thoughts were pushed aside. "You know what would be better? If I had an alias name, like a code name or a secret identity."

"Oh! I want one too!" Radiant's excitement began to bubble to the surface as the gears in her head began turning again. "I can be Aunty Amethyst, cuz I'm purple. And you can be my nephew, ugh... Mauve Avenger!"

"Mauve Avenger?" Sunny said as he raised a brow at his aunt's suggestion. "Why 'Mauve'? And why 'Avenger'?"

"Because it sounds super cool, or do you have a better one?" Radiant smiled triumphantly as she raised a brow at Sunny. She knew he was terrible at naming things, always had been. She even had to help him name his stuffed animals when he was younger.

Defeated, Sunny released a sigh through a smile, then shot a happily defeated look at his aunt. "Ok, Auntie Radiant, you win. 'Mauve Avenger' it is."

"So you're entering then?" Radiant beamed, hoping to cheer her nephew on in a competition once more, but this time, without the roaring fans who cheered for him simply because he was a prince.

"Ya bet ah will" Sunny said, some of his newly acquired accent slipping out. He then turned to a bulletin board with multiple sign up sheets on it for various events. "Hmmm, well might as well enter the jousting competition too. I think I'll skip the floogle horn and singing competitions."

"Really? You were such a good singer!" Radiant played Sunny on, knowing he hated the sound of his own voice. Try as Sombra did to help his son with the musical art, the hours and hours of singing lessons never helped Sunny in the slightest bit.

"I think I'll just stick with archery and jousting" Sunny smiled and simply commented. "It looks like the archery contest will be starting soon. I better go sign up. Now where's a quill?..."

Radiant was about to find a quill for Sunny to help him sign up, when a clever idea popped into her head as a familiar postal mare crossed her line of vision. She turned once again face Sunny and told him "ugh, you can sight up yourself, right? I need to go talk to an old friend of mine, I haven't seen her in a while."

"Sure" Sunny replied with a smile, glad to hear his aunt talking about friends of her own. He would have to ask her later to introduce him to her friend. "I'll come find you when I'm done. Go ahead and catch up."

Radiant watched Sunny disappear into the crowd of fair goers, waiting a few moments after he disappeared to make her move. The medically talented unicorn quickly found a quill and a piece of parchment from a near by stand, ignoring the annoyed look of the mare who was running the stand, and jotted down a quick message. After sealing her letter with a blue ribbon, Radiant quickly found the Crystal mail mare, and teleported over to her. The Mail mare herself was shocked by Radiant's sudden appearance, but her shock was interrupted by Radiant's eagerness to give her the letter.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but I need you to send this, post haste" Radiant said as she handed off the letter, as well as a few bits, to the Mail mare, who had smiled at the sight of the gold coins.

Back at the archery tent, Sunny had just finished putting his name down and taking a number to put on his flank for the crowd to identify him by. Of course he went with the allious name 'Mouve Avenger', as his Auntie Radiant had suggested. After picking a bow and several arrows to practice with, Sunny wandered around, looking for the practice range. Walking behind several tents to cover more ground, Sunny paused and jumped inside a barrel full of apples, hiding from two of the last ponies he would ever want to run into in the Crystal Empire.

"But Shinning" Cadence continued to plead to her husband. "You promised me months ago that we would do this! It's only for a week!"

"Do you really think it's a good idea to leave the empire after what Garganda told us?" The white unicorn responded, his voice hard and flat.

"Twilight and her friends are sticking around for a week to help keep an eye on things" Cadence continued to press. "Garganda said himself that it was up 'them' to stop this 'darkness'. Not us. So we can take our trip."

"We are the co-rulers of the Crystal Empire, Cadence" Shining restated. "We can't just go off for a week when something could happen."

"Shinning, please, I just need this" this time when Cadence spoke, there was a desperate need in her voice. Almost as if she was begging him for it.

"We can't just abandon the empire and the Crystal ponies, Cadence" Shinning's voice softened, but he didn't budge off of his soapbox. "The crystal ponies look up to us, they need us to remain strong and confident. If we went off on a vacation after what happened, don't you think they would feel abandoned?"

Cadence turned her muzzle away, eyes watery and glaring at the ground. She took a deep breath and forced herself to speak in the most gentle, calm voice she could muster. "You're right. We need to put the Empire first..."

"Right" Shinning nodded his head as he put on his purple armor helmet. "Besides, if we have to stick around to keep an eye on things, I was thinking of holding a huge jousting tournament, calling for champion jousters from all over Equestria to compete against me."

"Why would they all come to compete against you?" Cadence asked, her sharp voice was ignored by Shinning Armor, his focus on something else.

"Once I win the jousting tournament today, ponies would love to line up for the chance to take on a champion prince!" Shinning elaborated, stars in his eyes as he became blissfully unaware of the pain and anger on Cadence's face. "I'll have to train twice, no, five times as much to be ready for them! Maybe I can have a few of my old royal guard buddies from Canterlot come to help me with my training!"

Before Cadence could give Shinning a piece of her mind, a Crystal guard ran up to Shinning, kneeling and bowing before the prince and princess. "Your majesties, there seems to be a little argument over on the east side of the fairgrounds. We need your help to bring it to an end."

"I'll deal with that" Shinning said, puffing up his chest, holding his armor clad head high As he turned to his wife and smiled. "Go ahead and relax. I can handle a small fight."

Cadence said nothing, just nodded in defeat, her inner fire fueled by anger for her husband's misplaced morals had been doused. Without another word, Shinning and the Crystal guard took off to deal with the squabble, leaving the princess of love all alone. Still watching from his hiding place, Sunny couldn't help but feel for the princess. In a way, he had been in that predicament before. Not just with his father, who's royal duties would sometimes make him have to choose the Empire over his own son, but... but Sunny's mother had to do the same.

A sharp thought followed by buzzing voices filled Sunny's head. They all were faded but clearing up quickly. 'Her job keeps her away', 'she has a duty to pony kind', 'she wishes she could have been there', 'she feels guilty for missing it', 'she had urgent business'...

Sunny's memories were quickly silenced as the sound of crying filled his ears. Looking back to Cadence, the former prince's own heart broke. He saw the once smiling and cheery princess Cadence now fallen to the ground, sobbing and blubbering. The yellow unicorn could tell that she was trying best to keep her tears silent, not wanting to catch anypony's attention.

"He's not worried about the Empire... h-he just w-w-wants to joust...I-I wish..." she muttered to herself through her tears, so low and so silently that if Sunny hadn't been focused on her, he would have missed her confession. "I wish he had never took up jousting... I want my husband back..."

That sight brought a strong image back into Sunny's mind. A memory he repressed even before he was sealed away. A memory of his childhood. It was a year after he got his cutie mark, the day of his birthday in fact. Sunny was a young foal and had just gotten into an argument with his father, then ran away to his room. Not his secret room, he would retreat to that one later, but his normal room that had guards stationed at the entryway. The young Sunny ran into his room and was sobbing on his bed, trying very hard to keep his crying quiet, but the tears and pain couldn't be dimmed down.

"Sunny? What's the matter, dear boy?" A familiar and kind older earth pony stallion entered Sunny's room to comfort the young prince. Approaching the bed, the old stallion sat beside the weeping Sunny and began to rub the colt's back. Sunny looked up at him and took a few deep breaths as he spoke to his grandfather like figure.

"He-he-he's gunna be done for two weeks, Pappy!" Sunny began to say. "He gunna leave in the morning t-to meet with some stupid dragons! A-a-and h-he's g-g-gunna..."

"He's gunna miss your birthday, isn't he?" Pappy finished the heart breaking sentence, causing Sunny's crying to grow just a bit louder, the tears to flow faster, and the little yellow colt's body to curl up even tighter.

After a few moments more of Pappy trying to comfort him, Sunny spoke up. "I-its not fair! I don't have friends anymore! Why does dad have to leave too! I don't want to be alone on my birthday! No friends! No parents!...I-I don't want to be alone..."

"Oh, Sunny..." Pappy hugged the young colt tightly. "I'm so sorry your parents have to work on your birthday. I know it's not much... but me and some of the staff were planning to celebrate your party with you. We were going to play games, eat cake, we even got you presents."

Sunny jolted up and returned Pappy's hug. "I-I don't need presents, Pappy... I just don't want to be alone...I miss mom... and I'm gunna miss dad... I wish we were just normal ponies. I hate being a prince!"

Jolting back to the present, Sunny took a deep hard breath as caught the sight of Cadence gathering herself, taking several deep breaths, and casting a spell to clear the pink from her eyes. Using her wings to straiten her mane, Cadence started to elegantly walk back and reenter into the fair, where she would put on a smile and present false enthusiasm to the masses.

Watching the pink alicorn, Sunny knew in his heart what he had to do. He would have to take Shinning Armor down, at any cost.