//------------------------------//
// Welcome Back 
// Story: Penn and Stone: Dynamic Duo 
// by Pennington Inkwell 
//------------------------------//

	Pennington took a deep breath as he stepped off of the train and into Canterlot. His chest was tight and he frowned with anxiety as he looked around the city. Even in the few months since the attack on the royal wedding, Canterlot had rebounded beautifully, with all the residents and even the princesses having banded together in the aftermath. At least, that was what he'd heard. The last time that he had been here, the ponies and the city had been in shambles, both with gaping wounds ripped into them by the changeling army.

I know that no one blames me for what happened. They say that I couldn't have done anything to stop it... But that's not true. I was the one who delivered the plan right into their hooves. I was the one who showed Chrysalis the way in and helped subjugate Princess Cadenza... I- A gentle claw gripping at his shoulder snapped him out of his self-depreciation.

"Penn? How are you holding up?" Moonstone asked quietly.

Pennington shook his head, trying to clear away the depressive fog in his brain. "I'm- I'm fine."

Moonstone's eyes narrowed as she climbed down off of his back and stood in front of him to look directly into his eyes.

"I know that you're fine. No injuries, you're not sick, and you're all in one piece. Perfectly fine." Her gaze softened as she continued staring. "I'm asking how you feel. In your heart."

After another moment, Pennington looked down, giving in. "Miserable... Still guilty."

Moonstone smiled slightly, obviously happy that she hadn't needed to use her "gift" to find the truth from him. "Well, that makes me glad that we saved a few of these from our last visit to Ponyville!" Reaching into his saddlebag, she pulled out a small candy wrapped in plastic. Unwrapping it, she held it up to Pennington. "Come on! There's nothing to cheer you up like one of Bon Bon's caramels!"

Pennington gave a weak smile and levitated the candy up and into his mouth, where he began to gently suck on it, feeling the firm caramel melt and soften on his tongue.

"Better?"

He gave the smallest of nods.

"Good! Now let's get going! Luna's waiting, after all!"













Luna and Celestia quietly waited together in the grand hall. Each of them were looking up at the stained glass, remembering the past battles of Equestria, both their own and the more recent of their pupils.

"And you're certain that we couldn't try to get the elements of harmony there, Eclipse?" Celestia asked quietly.

The draconequus, who was reclining across the throne, refusing to sit in it properly, shook his head. "If we tried, it would be almost certain that one of the six ponies would be killed, either by the dragon or the natural elements being hurtled at them.

"And with a skilled guide?"

"Trying to protect them all would be too much to ask of any pony. I know what you're thinking, Celestia, but this will be hard enough for Pennington on his own." Luna shook her head. "Besides, this is the only way we can-"

"He's here." Eclipse interrupted her, standing up and walking between the two alicorns. "Make up your minds, he won't wait long."

Celestia and Luna looked quietly at one another.

"What if he fails?"

"Then we try again. But right now, he's our best option."

Celestia let out a long sigh.

"Sister, please trust me..."

"Fine, Luna. But he's your protege. He'll follow you almost blindly, and his life is in your hooves depending on what you tell him."

Luna cast an anxious glance towards the doors, then slowly swung the them open with her magic.

"After Chrysalis, I doubt he follows anyone blindly."

As the doors revealed Pennington standing there, Luna almost didn't recognize him. When last she'd seen him, Pennington had been blue from his head to his hooves, both literally and metaphorically, with his blue mane matching his dark coat. He had mentioned once in passing that his blue mane was simply dyed, but she'd never taken it as significant. Now, however, it looked as if he had grown it out in its natural colors: autumn-esque shades of red and orange. When he had left, his legs had all been wrapped in white gauze to hide the wounds remaining from the changeling's near-assimilation. Now, he seemed to have healed, and had removed the wrappings around his legs, at least for their current meeting. The pony who had left Canterlot with his head hanging and his tail between his legs, believing his destiny to have been a lie his entire life, now entered more somber, more serious, with a large sword strapped to his back by a leather belt across his chest. Moonstone followed quickly and quietly behind, hurrying to keep up with his pace. After walking to her, Pennington bowed his head and lowered himself to one knee, bowing in front of her.

"I believe you asked me to come, your highness?"

Rolling her eyes, Luna picked him up with her magic and placed him back on four hooves. "That's Luna to you, Pennington. I would prefer if you recognize that there is no formality between us, nor has there EVER been. But yes, I did ask you to come here..." Turning her back to him, she walked to one of the windows, staring at the rivers of water running down on the other side of the stained glass. "I trust your journey was pleasant?"

After a few seconds, Pennington finally gave a tired smile, relaxing slightly as he recognized Luna's typical desire for a personal connection with others, tossing aside any formalities.

"Well, the weather was a bit more wet than we would have preferred when we were getting off the train... And getting on the train. In fact, all over Equestria!" He shook his head. "It looks like weather ponies all across the country went crazy! We drove through a blizzard, a windstorm verging on pulling us off the tracks, lightning struck us on at least ten separate occasions, narrowly avoided landslides, mudslides, and even an avalanche!"

"Not to mention that they were handing out complimentary umbrellas at the station..." Moonstone muttered.

"If only we could blame it on the weather ponies..." Luna shook her head. "But most of them are trying to counteract the storms that they can... It's all out of control."

"Or rather, under someone else's control." Celestia shook her head, joining them at the window.

"Someone else? How?"

"Pennington, you're an acolyte of Quill the Scribe, are you not?" Eclipse's voice came from the back of the room, forcing all four of them to turn around.

"Well, 'acolyte' is more often a term pertaining to religion, but the intent is correct... I haven't seen you since you needed some help with Whipstitch, Mr. Tumult." Pennington smiled.

Eclipse stepped out from behind the throne, nodding in reply. He lacked his normal chipper demeanor, however. "Well, are you familiar with how Quill was killed?"

Pennington frowned slightly, glancing at Moonstone for a moment before looking back at Eclipse. "Well, according to the records and legends, his dragon companion went mad and killed him in ice and fire..."

Eclipse raised an eyebrow, a smile tugging at his lips. "That's more accurate than I expected... But you may want a more complete version of the story. I can tell you what happened."

"Quill's dragon companion, Scorch, was actually a much older dragon than Moonstone. He was in was most dragons would consider the age of young adulthood. He had played the companion to several other ponies, before, and I think that watching people constantly grow old and pass away was beginning to get to him, and he had a nervous breakdown. It's been known to happen in creatures of exceedingly long lifespans, and is usually considered the equivalent of a mid-life crisis on a much larger scale. He claimed that Quill was simply the same ponies he'd met before, living the same life in a different time period each time. He called Quill an abomination against nature and completely obliterated him, using a powerful artifact to freeze him, stab him through the chest and into his heart, and then violently electrocute him with the force of 1000 thunderstorms..." Eclipse shook his head. "Quill was one of the few ponies I wish I had known better during the days when Discord had been trying to take over Equestria."

"And we think that it may be Scorch or one of his progeny who is doing this, using that same magical artifact to control the weather in a deliberate attack on Equestria from the southern mountain ranges." Luna shook her head. "The object itself is called the 'Windigo Gauntlet,' and it seems to be able to control the weather and weather-related elements..."

"So... Let me get this straight." Pennington shook his head, obviously trying to grasp the situation. "You want me to go on a quest to steal an object of near-unimaginable power from literally right on the claws a dragon more than a thousand years old who killed one of the greatest and bravest ponies who ever lived? By freezing him solid, stabbing him through the heart, and electrocuting him? All while avoiding what is likely going to be dangerous weather, terrain, and probable outright attacks on myself and Moonstone?"

"That summarizes the situation, yes." Celestia smiled. "Sounds like the kind of challenge you would enjoy, doesn't it?"

The words seemed to strike Pennington deeply, his face turning first to surprise, then quietly burning anger. Without a word, he turned around, walking towards the door.

"I don't do things for the challenge any more, Celestia, and I certainly don't just do it for pleasure..." He growled. "Find some other pony to do your work. I'm sure you could find an adrenaline junkie among your guards. In fact, I have a few friends at the NLR who would be happy to try something like that!"

Luna shot a glare towards Celestia before turning her attention to her departing student. Surprisingly, it was Moonstone who spoke first.

"The ponies who died in the invasion, Penn!"

Pennington froze in his tracks, pausing for a moment before turning back to look at her. "What about them, Moonstone? What would you like to say about the lives I'm accountable for?" The mentioning of the memory, most of all in the very room where he had lost his horn, had struck another, much more tender nerve.

"You said that you left Equestria to try to atone for them, right? You told me that you hoped that someday you could feel like you deserved to live among them again..." She shook her head. "Well, Luna and Celestia are asking you to save Equestria!" She pointed to one of the windows, indicating the rain. "Ponies are freezing and drowning and being swept up in tornadoes! Ponies are being stuck deliberately by lightning and buried in mudslides! And if they aren't now, then they will be soon! If you could stop this... If you could save them all, wouldn't you think that would be enough? Don't you think being a voluntary hero could redeem you from your coerced villainy?" She slowly let her arm fall to her side again. "And if you died in the attempt, wouldn't that give everything you ever have been, are and will be to try and save them? Wouldn't you die a martyr? For THEM? Wouldn't that be enough?" She stamped her foot, her claws clattering against the tiled floor. "This is your redemption! You can't just throw it away because of your stupid PRIDE!"

Pennington looked down at the ground, his back still to them making it impossible to see his face. After a few seconds, he took a deep breath inward, practically floating up into the air before releasing it in a long, raspy sigh from the back of his throat.

"Moonstone?"

There was a beat of silence as everyone waited to see what would happen.

"I'm going to need maps. Lots of maps."

Moonstone smiled with a quick nod. "I can find everything we'll need in the Archives!" Before running off to the Royal Archives, she turned back to Luna with a smile.

"You can thank me for changing his mind later. And, no offense, but make sure that your sister doesn't tick him off again. He's still pretty bitter about the whole 'my life is a lie and everything I've ever done was really for myself' revelation." With a wink, she flew up into the air and out of the room, leaving to find the materials she knew he would need.

Celestia quietly cleared her throat, breaking the silence. "Well, we've prepared a room for you while you're getting ready, Pennington. Dinner is at 7:30, and we'll send a guard to let you know when it's time to eat. Feel free to use whatever you feel you need to in order to be ready for this journey."

"Actually, your highness, I already had plans for dinner, but thank you nonetheless." Pennington smiled, turning back to face the two of them, now smiling. "And I believe that I'll be able to find everything that I need back in Ponyville, in my own home. If Moonstone and I can find all of the reference materials we need today, then we won't even need to spend the night here." With a short, small bow of his head, he left the room just as quickly as he had entered, leaving both princesses surprised. After a beat of silence, Luna finally spoke up.

"You almost ruined it, Tia. Did you really think that teasing him about his old habits was a good idea?"

"I'm sorry, Luna. I guess that I don't have Moonstone's silver tongue." Looking around the room, Celestia noticed that a new object had appeared that hadn't been there before: A white mask in one of the shadowed corners of the room. With a thought, she levitated it up to eye level. The face was like a skull, with deep, sunken eyes and a pointed muzzle lined with teeth sculpted to look as if they were razor sharp. The teeth were pulled into a disgusting, sadistic grin, unevenly painted red along the center to look as if they were bloodstained.

"Don't put it on." Luna spoke softly.

"Then this is the mask he talked about in his letters? It's really still following him?"

Luna nodded, even as the mask disintegrated away in Celestia's grasp, disappearing first into smoke, then nothing at all.

"Should we worry about it?" Eclipse asked.

"It won't do any good if we do. Unfortunately, like so many of his problems right now, it's his own demon to deal with."
















Pennington hesitated for a moment at the door, sheltered under the black umbrella affixed to his saddlebag. He didn't enjoy standing in the rain, but he needed a moment to steady himself. It wasn't as easy, going around without Moonstone at his side. He felt exposed without her, but he knew that she was probably somewhere deep in the archives, gathering all of the information she could about what they were going to face and the path they would likely take. Taking a deep breath, he lifted up his hoof, rapping it firmly on the door.

Well, no turning back now...

The door swung open after a few seconds with a sky-blue glow, revealing a pink-coated alicorn standing behind, a wide grin across her face.

"Mom! Pennington's here!" She called, turning her head back towards the inside of the house."

"Well, don't let him stand around out there!" Twilight Velvet's voice called back, obviously in another room. "Invite him in!"

Cadence stepped to the side, allowing Pennington to enter. Pennington took a few steps inside, using his magic to shut the umbrella and shake off the excess water outside before placing it inside, leaning against the door frame. After only a few seconds, he was bowing to the princess, head low and standing on one knee.

"It is always a pleasure and an honor, Princess Cadenza..."

Cadence rolled her eyes, but nodded her head in acknowledgement. "The feeling is mutual, Pennington, but you don't have to be so formal! Here, we're all family! You don't need to bow, and just 'Cadence' is fine!"

Pennington felt a twinge of pain at the undeserved amity, especially since the last time he'd seen her had been at the reception of the wedding he very nearly ruined. According to her wishes, he did rise to his hooves. Before he could speak, however, Shining Armor entered the room, as well, prompting a respectful salute.

"Captain Armor, it's good to see you doing well..."

"At ease, Inkwell!" Shining Armor chuckled. "Just like Cadence said, we're all family here! I'm not 'Captain Armor' and she's not 'Princess Cadenza.' We're your friends." He grinned wider as Pennington relaxed slightly and lowered his hoof again. "Now, come on inside. My mom is making her famous spicy chili!"

As Shining and Cadence walked into the next room, Pennington couldn't resist the smile tugging at his lips. When they had been told what had happened, the two of them had not only been willing, but eager to shift all of the blame onto Chrysalis. It was still beyond Pennington's comprehension that they had been so willing to forgive him, but for the first time in a long time, he felt a warmth in his chest that reminded him that he was loved. The melancholy grin still stretched across his face, he followed the two of them into the next room: the dining room. The couple were seated, along with Twilight's father, around a medium-sized dining table with five places set, including a place for himself.

Not waiting for Pennington to sit down with them, Nightlight stood up from his seat, walking to Pennington and giving his hoof a firm shake.

"Glad to have you back again, Pennington! How have you been?"

Pennington smiled as Twilight's father walked him to his seat. "Well, I've been as well as you could expect, I guess. I've really been out there, traveling from place to place, taking action where I see it's needed. It's rewarding enough, but I still don't feel like I've really found what I'm supposed to be doing with my life..."

"Taking action? Like what?" Shining Armor asked, leaning forward.

"Well, some vigilante work, a few old acquaintances who needed a favor or two that only I could accomplish, and some studying on the side for my beastiary." Pennington smiled. "Actually, just a few days ago, I helped to disband a trafficking outpost in Saddle Arabia."

"Like, drug trafficking?" Cadence asked, her eyes widening.

Pennington suddenly became aware of the fact that he was sitting at a dinner table, and cleared his throat nervously. "For the sake of our appetites, let's go with that story..."

The awkward stares he received may have lingered, had Twilight Velvet not entered the room, levitating several steaming bowls.

"Well, everyone, I hope you enjoy!" She grinned as she sat on the other side of her husband, placing bowls down in front of all the ponies present. After making certain that everyone had a bowl, she placed one in front of herself and turned to Pennington.

"So, Pennington, tell us all what you've done over the past months! We're all eager to know! Have you found what you're looking for?"

Pennington took a moment to ponder the question, then shook his head. "I really didn't have a plan when I left, I just knew that I couldn't stay put and twiddle my hooves. I've been all over, but I still can't figure out what I'm supposed to be doing. There's nothing I've found that I'm as good at or enjoy as much as my old 'adventuring...'" Taking a moment to blow the piping spoonful of chili, he took a large bite, chewing thoughtfully. It was sweet, while still keeping a refreshingly edged burn on his tongue from the spice. He let out a small hum of pleasure at the taste, chewing well before swallowing.

"I told you it was good!" Shining Armor chuckled, his bowl already beginning to noticeably drain.

Twilight Velvet smiled. "Thank you very much! Well, I think that you'd like an update involving that manuscript you gave me, wouldn't you?"

Pennington nodded, taking another large bite.

"Well, I thought that what you had was fantastic! Right up to par with what I expected from Scorching Quill. I could tell that it was a first draft, so I made some revisions and edits. I added a bit of my own 'flair,' if that doesn't bother you!"

"No, no! Not at all! It's your story, after all!"

"Well, all that it really needed was an ending! I considered Daring simply returning the amulet to where it belonged or locking it away someplace safe, but it just seemed a little too 'tame.' So, instead, I had her destroy it and have to fight the alicorn spirit living inside!"

Pennington, who had been taking a long drink from his glass of water, snorted violently, spitting back into the cup and placing it down before beginning to violently cough. Nightlight rushed over to his guest, patting his hoof against his back as he gasped for air. After almost a minute had passed, Pennington finally stopped coughing, drawing in haggard breaths.

"I'm- I'm sorry! I can change it! In fact, I could go and throw the entire thing away, right now!" Twilight's mother glanced nervously around, trying to make sense of Pennington's reaction. Almost immediately, Pennington raised a hoof, signaling for her to wait.

"Are- are you kidding? I LOVE it! You just caught me by surprise!" He wheezed, sitting down again, leaning against the table. "I never would have thought of something like that! It's brilliant!"

"Pennington, your hoof..." Cadence whispered, nodding towards the offending limb, with which he was reaching for his glass of water again. There was a small, dark circle forming on his hoof, where blood was mingling with fur. Immediately, Pennington's hoof retreated back under the table in a flash, and he picked up the drink with his magic.

"It's nothing! My hoof just got dipped in the chili when I started coughing." He gave an unconvincing grin as he took a long sip to clear his rasping throat. "I'll just go to the bathroom to clean myself up!"

"Pennington, I know my mom's chili..." Shining Armor spoke quietly. "That wasn't it."

"If you'd just excuse me, for a moment?" Pennington stood up, not waiting for a reply from the others at the table, and walked back to the room where he had first entered the house, immediately going to his saddlebags and pulling out a roll of gauze. He quickly began to wrap the bandages around his hoof with practiced ease. He shook his head as he looked at the multiple spots of bloody fur, each one where a changeling hole had been in his leg. He was halfway through wrapping his second front leg when he heard the sound of hooves entering the room.

"I'm sorry to ruin dinner so suddenly..." He muttered, not bothering to turn around: he had been able to sense who it was from the gentle, loving energy radiating out across the room. "I thought that this might not happen... That I could make it through a meal with you without-"

"You carry gauze with you now?" Cadence asked softly, both concern and surprise in her voice.

Pennington sighed, turning around to face her as he used his magic to move on to bandaging his back legs. "It's nothing serious. More of an inconvenience, really... It's just-" He took a deep breath, pondering his words carefully. "This doesn't that often. Usually if I'm around another changeling-"

"A changeling. Not another."

"With all due respect, Princess, I've been involuntarily leeching off just your ambient 'love aura' since I stepped through the door." He shook his head. "Like it or not, they'll always be a part of me. I fell too deep and too far for any of us to do anything about that. I thought that I would be able to last at least an hour before I started bleeding." He glanced up at the clock. "Fifteen minutes, give or take a few. The beast is still pretty strong, even after all this time." Finishing the wrapping on his last leg, he smiled and placed the remainder of the bandages back into his bag.

Cadence stepped forward, slowly, and when Pennington made no indication that he was opposed to her drawing near, she walked to him and bowed her head slightly.

"I'm- I'm sorry if being around me caused this to happen..."

Pennington stood for a moment, simply in shock. "N-no! That's not what I meant! I mean, it's MY fault! Not yours! I just... I didn't want to face you again before I had control over myself! I just- I..." After a few seconds, Pennington's muddled thoughts began to pull themselves into coherent sentences. "Princess, we wouldn't be here if I had just worn the wrappings the way I usually do. The whole reason I came here without them was because I felt like, after what I did to you and Captain Armor, I needed to prove that I had what had caused it all under control before I deserved to face you again!" The confession finally having escaped, he looked down at the ground, tears welling up in his eyes. "I just... I lost what was a crucial battle of wills, and it nearly destroyed Equestria as we know it... It nearly killed you! That's another reason I left: I didn't deserve to live among the ponies I almost ruined life for. But now, I'm forced to come back, and I come to a point where we're face-to-face all over again, and I can't even hide what's buried in my skin and inscribed across my bones..."

Cadence spoke softly, lifting up his chin to look her in the eyes. "Yes, those old wounds in your legs are because of your decisions and what you consider a 'weak will...' But so is this." Reaching up, she parted the hair around her horn, showing a golden, bejeweled ring nestled at the base. "You saved my life because you were strong enough to stand up to Chrysalis. You were the one who warned us about what would happen, and you were the one who made the most sacrifice to set things right..." She moved her hoof from the base of her horn to the tip of his, gently tapping its nerveless point, creating nothing more than a soft "thud." 

"Shining Armor and I would have been lost to one another forever if you hadn't fought as bravely as you did... Don't you think that it's time you stopped blaming yourself?"

Pennington pondered the question for a moment, then shook his head. "No, but it is time that I redeemed myself."