Penn and Stone: Dynamic Duo

by Pennington Inkwell

Ravia

Chrysalis was miserable.

She had gotten careless, been captured for her foolish mistake, and was now completely cut off from her hive in the very heart of the empire ruled by her complete antithesis. Not only that, but she had been able to feel her hive suffer without her as they desperately tried to rescue her, only to be fought off by the Equestrian guards. The very weather itself had turned against them, it seemed, creating typhoons that batted her changelings about like dust on the breeze. Now, she was chained to the wall in the Crystal Empire, her restraints made specially to pass through the holes in her legs to make certain she could not simply change her shape and slip out of them. Even her horn had been fitted with a specially-made inhibitor to both stop her from using magic and to hide her location from her subjects. Her trial had been postponed until the current weather crisis had passed, but Princess Cadence herself would be her judge. The situation seemed almost impossible to escape, even if her hive were able to make it this far north without being frozen to death. She hung her head, closing her eyes in thought as she raked her mind for options.

"Tut tut, Chryssie! Don't tell me you've given up?"

The voice was an unfamiliar one, and Chrysalis's eyes snapped open, revealing a pony standing outside the bars of her cell. Except, the longer she stared at the stranger, the more her instincts told her that this was no ordinary pony. Her body was more slender than a pony's, with long, white legs and gold-tipped hooves. Her mane was long and flowing, like liquid gold, and her long, whip-like tail ended with a tuft of the same shimmering hair, both turning blood-red near their ends. She wore small, ornate golden jewelry inlaid with rubies to match her hair, a crown and necklace like a princess would wear. Her eyes locked with Chrysalis's, showing no sign of fearing the bound queen.

Looking into her eyes, Chrysalis found that, for once, she was the one whose instincts told her to run. There was something off about this pony, the same predatory hunger Chrysalis had seen in her own reflection countless times.

"Honestly, where's your pride? The Queen of the Changelings, giving in to something this... mundane?" She tapped her hoof against the bars, shaking her head.

Chrysalis wasn't certain how to react. She hadn't felt fear like this since she had become Queen, resting at the top of the metaphorical food chain. Finally giving a long exhale, she broke her eye contact with the pony's icy blue eyes.

"Another pony come to mock me, then?"

"Oh, please! I'm here to offer you a deal!"

Chrysalis's head snapped forward again, only to find the pony hovering in the air just in front of her, their muzzles mere inches apart. She gave Chrysalis a sinister smile, running her hoof down the side of her face.

"I can get you out of here quite easily. But, I know how valuable your freedom is to you, as paltry as the act would be for me... So I want something from you, in return!"

Chrysalis's gaze narrowed in suspicion.

"What do you want from me, pony? My crown? My hive? A lifetime of servitude?"

The pony giggled, floating backwards.

"What, a downgrade in rank, a musty hole in the ground, or a servant who'd be waiting for her first opportunity to stab me in the back?" She spun around in the air, showing off a large spear handle protruding out from her spine. "Please, my little changeling, I don't want anything like that." She continued floating backwards, the bars passing through her body as though she were a ghost as she floated outside the cell again.

"All I want is one little favor. Something you're probably going to do anyway, to be honest!"

Chrysalis tried not to show how much her new companion was putting her off. She was clever and, apparently, powerful: a dangerous combination, she knew firsthoof.

"And that would be?"

The pony melted away into a sparkling blue mist that floated back into the cell, wrapping around her bonds and eating away at them like acid until she was free.

"Cause a little chaos. Keep Equestria walking on eggshells. I want them frightened and suspicious. I want these ponies suffering..."

Chrysalis rubbed at her hooves for a moment after dropping to the floor before ripping off the magic suppressor and transforming into a duplicate of one of the guards she had seen patrolling past her cell every few hours.

"You're right. I WAS already going to do that." Her mind wandered for a moment, an old grudge quickly resurfacing. Now that she was free, she knew exactly where she'd gain the most satisfaction after returning to her hive.

"And I know just the pony to start with..."

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"Ah, Scorching Quill! Shall we be continuing mine lessons in grammatical appropriation today?" Princess Luna asked as Pennington entered their usual studying area in the library.

"No, Luna, we won't." Pennington smiled when he saw her expression change from one of boredom to one of confusion. "I've actually planned something very special for you. Now, I just need two things from you..." He reached into his bag, retrieving a scroll and tossing it onto the table. "One, pack your things, you're going on a trip. Two, cast this spell on yourself before you leave the castle."

Perplexed, Luna picked up the scroll, unrolling it to examine what lay inside. As she did, a train ticket for the Ponyville express fluttered to the floor.

"This... is a simple illusion spell."

"Correct! I've arranged for you to spend a week with a colleague of mine for a bit of what most ponies call 'immersion therapy!'" Pennington grinned, trying to make the smirk look as little like a smirk as possible. "The illusion is just to stop you from being recognized while you're there!"

Luna blinked in disbelief, looking between him and the train ticket. "But what about-"

"Already taken care of. Celestia will be covering all of your duties while you are supposedly on a trip to parley with representatives from Griffonstone!" Pennington gave her a sly wink. "No excuses, Princess, I already thought of everything."

Luna blinked, then narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

"And what if I do not desire to take this sabbatical, Mister Quill?"

"Well, then I'm afraid I'll simply have to give Princess Celestia my summary stating that you need to go back to basic schooling. I'm certain that there are any number of ordinary language professors who would be happy to while away the hours singing your praises instead of actually TEACHING you... or informing you of every intricacy of the use of pronouns versus proper nouns and the nuances of the use of the past participle!" Pennington began to walk away, pulling a quill and scroll from his bag and began to feign scribbling across the top.

"Dear Princess Celestia..."

"NO! Fine! Fine..." Luna begrudgingly picked up the train ticket again. "Thou truly art ruthless, Scorching Quill..."

Pennington spun around, giving a grandiose bow at the waist.

"I do try my best, your highness!"

Luna rolled her eyes as she rose from the table and walked away. "I suppose I shall be travelling to the address at the bottom of the page, then?" She tilted her head, raising an eyebrow. "Inkwell Commissions? Referring me to another writer, Mister Quill?"

Pennington shrugged as he walked out of the room.

"Even I need a vacation, now and then!"

The moment that Pennington had escaped Luna's sight, he took off at an absolute sprint, madly dashing for Lily's salon. He didn't acknowledge the odd stare he was getting as he tore through Canterlot He didn't even wait for her to welcome him as he ran to the back room and leaped into the dying tub, feeling Lily's temporary red dye already washing out of his fur.

"PENNY! You're soaking the floor, and nearly splashed the other customers!" Lily rushed after him, already chiding him before she was even in the room. "What in Equestria has you in such a hurry?"

"Sorry, Lily! Just gotta get back to Ponyville ASAP!" Pennington spoke quickly as he violently scrubbed the shampoo into his fur with a nearby brush. "Gotta beat the 2 o'clock train!"

"2 o'clock- what's so urgent?" Lily asked, dumping another bottle of shampoo on top of his back and grabbing a brush, as well. "Did you get yourself into trouble again? Am I going to have another mob of reporters showing up at my doorstep asking me why Equestria's most popular author was in my salon?"

"No, no, no! Nothing like that! I just... have an important customer coming to Inkwell Commissions on that train, and I can't afford to miss them!" Pennington dunked his head into the water before Lily could call him out on the half-truth, scrubbing out the last of the dye and returning him to his normal blue hues. A few seconds later, he leaped out of the bath, making Lily shriek and sending water everywhere.

"PENNINGTOOOON!"

"SorrygottagoI'llmakeituptoyou, bye!" Pennington snatched what looked to be a pile of scrap metal from the back corner of the room and ran out the door again, dropping a sack of bits on the counter as he threw the metal amalgamation onto his back. A few minutes later, any ponies paying attention would have noticed a silver-winged blur taking to the sky, quickly hiding itself above the clouds.

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When Lily opened her eyes, she wasn't underground. She was laying in the center of a forest, surrounded by trees with trunks thicker than she had ever seen, easily as large as houses. Far above her, there was no sky, only the canopy of branches letting through the dimmest of sunlight. Beneath her hooves was luscious, verdant stretches of grass and mossy knolls that made her mouth water. Everything felt alive and full of energy, yet the area was as silent as the grave. There were no sounds of animals, no cries of birds above. Looking around for any signs of a landmark to gather her bearings, she caught sight of another figure at the base of a far tree, though they were definitely no pony.

It was massive enough to almost be mistaken for a boulder, at least three or four times Lily's own height, and made from a light gray stone wrapped in vines. It seemed weathered with every part of its body rounded and smooth, aside from a few barely-visible carvings in its surface Lily could make out. It was almost similar to a pony, standing on four hooves, but instead of a head or tail, it was simply rounded on both ends, similar to a river stone. Creeping across the stone were dozens of vines and other plants, seemingly without any roots or connection to the ground, simply growing out from the stone, itself. A soft-looking bed of moss had completely overtaken its back, as well, and the entire thing looked every bit as much a part of the forest as the trees, themselves.

At her sharp intake of breath, the figure seemed to hear her, slowly turning in her direction and confirming that, indeed, the creature had no head, nor even any discernible face, for that matter. Fearing confrontation with the behemoth, Lily took a step back, her heart rate steadily climbing.

Do not fear, little one. I shall not harm you.

Lily blinked in confusion, whipping her head from side to side to try to find the source of the voice.

I am the one before you.

Lily looked back at the figure, who had begun walking towards her with massive, lumbering steps. It looked ancient and foreboding, but the voice was warm and soothing, a filled with a motherly love. As it drew closer, the sheer size of it struck her anew. It was almost the size of a small house or a large trailer, depending on one's living situation. Remarkably, it seemed that the closer it came, the less Lily feared it. Finally, the behemoth was standing only a few feet in front of her, leaving her gaping upwards at it. Without another word, it folded its tree trunk-like legs underneath it, laying on the ground just before her.

"H-hello..." she stuttered, trying to determine if it was polite to stare at the point on the body where the head ought to have been or to find another place to make metaphorical eye contact.

Greetings... As the voice spoke, Lily noticed a collection of flowers spring to life in the moss on its back, sprouting up seemingly unbidden by any magic. The tiny white blossoms grew up in clusters, sparking Lily's memory at their familiarity.

"Caryophyllaceae Stellaria!"

Ah, you're familiar with them. The starwort, meaning-

"Meaning 'Welcome to a stranger!'" Lily's excitement bubbled up uncontrollably, bursting out and cutting off the strange being.

The creature leaned to the side, pulling one hoof out from underneath it and extending it towards her. Lily's momentary confusion was immediately dispersed as it nodded its "head" (or rather, the front part of its body where its head would be) towards the patch of flowers. Hesitantly at first, then with more excitement, she climbed up the creature. Somthing about this being radiated safety and peace, something she didn't tend to experience often, and she couldn't stop herself from enjoying the break from her constant anxiety and worry. Grabbing at the vines as necessary to pull herself to the top, she rolled into the bed of moss and flowers. Before she could get back onto her hooves, the stranger was already doing the same, rising from the ground and beginning to stroll deeper into the forest.

"So, who are you? And where am I?" Lily looked upwards at the canopy, the gentle rocking of the creature's hoofsteps threatening to rock her to sleep. "The last thing I remember was... I was underground, in the tunnel..." Her eyes widened as the memory came back to her. "The wall holding back the flood burst! I was being washed away and... am I-"

You did not pass back into the earth, I made certain of that. From underneath Lily, the small white blossoms fell away to the ground, replaced by tall stalks of oblong leaves, familiar red berries hanging from the outwards branches.

"Raspberries?" Lily asked quietly, plucking one with her magic and tossing it into her mouth. It was sweet and tart, full of delicious juice in the tender flesh. "What would you have to be sorry for?"

The regret is for having to let the wall crumble and bring that misfortune upon you. The voice continued. As for where you are now and who I am...

I am Ravia, Goddess of the Forest and last of the Mozunians. Right now, you are asleep: safe and sound, but far from your comrades.

Lily nearly choked on the berries she had collected and was munching away at, coughing violently to clear her throat before rolling onto her stomach and jumping to her hooves, rushing towards the front of the creature to once again look it in the "eyes."

"Last of the WHAT?"

Last of the Mozunian Pantheon. You may know us as the gods and goddesses of what you called... The creature drew up short, throwing Lily off-balance. She teetered for a moment, unsure if she was about to topple headfirst off, before a sharp tug at her back leg helped her regain her balance. Turning around, she spotted the flower bed full of some of the darkest crimson roses she had ever seen, one of which had curled around her back hoof to save her.

"Mourning..." Lily muttered unconsciously.

Come to think of it, there was no word in your language for my people. We were destroyed long before we had made contact with Equestrian kind... Ravia shook the front portion of her body dismissively, returning to walking.

Suffice to say, we were once the greatest empire to grace the continent... perhaps even the entire world.

"I- I think I know what you're talking about..." Lily returned to the flower bed, using her magic to clear an area of the thorny flowers before taking back her sitting position. "Your people lived in Mozun Akai, didn't they?"

Yes, Mozun's grave. Even in death, our king watched over and protected his people. You are well-versed in both the language of flowers and history, I see. I was correct to spare you, I knew I could sense a kindred spirit beating in your heart...

"But, what about Cha'Qued? Wasn't he part of- WOAH!" Lily was cut off as a massive growth sprung up underneath her, forcing her to roll to the side or be thrown off. Staring up at the massive bramble, she could see at least a dozen different plants, some that even she didn't recognize.

"Adonis vernalis, clinopodium vulgare, vaccinium deliciosum, ulex europaeus..." she trailed off as another flower bloomed just before her eyes: an orange lily. Hatred, unwanted memories, and sheer animosity incarnated before her.

Cha'Qued was the one who destroyed EVERYTHING! He devoured us from the inside out! The only thing that could stop him was the sacrifice of Mozun, himself! How DARE you even CONSIDER that he was one of our own!

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't know!" Lily stammered, fearful at the sudden change in tone. "I knew he was bad, but I didn't know that he did all of THAT!"

Ravia stopped again, her body heaving upwards and downwards again as the bouquet of hatred died away, once again leaving only the bed of moss.

It is forgiven. I know that Cha'Qued's escape included an attempt to erase all history of our people. You know more than most would, I suppose... Not to mention, I cal tell that you have encountered him before, I can sense his stain upon your soul... He leaves something of himself in every pony he touches, a corruption not easily washed away.

Lily looked down at the bed of moss, inspecting it for any more sudden growths before laying down again.

"So, if you're apologizing for the wall breaking, does that mean that you're in that mask I saw Delta wearing?"

Indeed. Without my people and their faith, my power has waned, leaving me in such a state. It is only with the help of a willing host that I may exert my true power.

"Well, it's not your fault." Lily sighed. "That flood was gigantic, I can't even imagine the kind of power you would need to keep it at bay!"

Oh, the failure of the wall was purposeful. It held well enough to prevent the collapse of the cave, as well as seal again once I had separated you from your friends. I am apologizing that it was necessary, to begin with.

"Wait, you flooded the tunnel ON PURPOSE? Why?"

You were drawing too close to the truth, Calalily Curl. You were endangering our mission.

"Endangering the mission? How was I stopping us from saving Pennington? I WANT to save Pennington!" Lily shook her head in confusion. "And drawing too close to what truth?"

That Delta Raider is not whom he says he is. Saving your beloved is merely the front we used to acquire your trust. Our true mission...

Lily watched as a new bounty of round yellow flowers sprung up, their tiny petals creating an almost spherical head.

"Achillea millefolium..."

Is to eradicate the destroyer of nations before he finds a new host and takes countless more lives.

"War..." The meaning of the bloom slipped through Lily's lips as a whisper.

Our true mission is to find Cha'Qued and bring him to Full Sails, who has recovered the secret to his destruction.

Lily felt the blood drain from her face and her pulse stop at the name.

"F-Full Sails?"

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When Lily's eyes snapped open, she wasn't entirely certain that they had. She was laying in pitch blackness, her body still soaking wet and beginning to shiver with the cold. She sat up, casting a dim light from her horn to grasp her surroundings. Ravia had been correct: she was definitely unharmed, notwithstanding her risk of hypothermia. Looking down at where she had been laying, she found a familiar bed of moss and lichen growing beneath her. With a small amount of effort, she recalled the firestarter spell Pennington had taught her and created a smoldering mess of it. The moss burned about as poorly as could be expected of something so damp, but it was enough for her to warm herself, and there were no other sources of fuel in the tunnel to be found. As she warmed her hooves over the fire, only one thought filled her mind.

I have to warn them. I have to warn Twilight and Spike they're travelling with somepony who's lying straight to their faces. I have to warn Pennington that Sails has sent somepony after the mask...

She shook her head from side to side as the last embers of warmth finally died a few minutes later, leaving her once again with nothing but the ground beneath her hooves. Even her saddlebags had disappeared in the flood. She had nothing but her horn and her wits to survive now. Thankfully, a few last rivulets of water helped her find her orientation of where she had come from, but she knew that trying to backtrack to Twilight was useless without a map.

I need to get my bearings, figure out where in Equestria I am... She glanced upwards at the roof, sighing softly. Easier said than done, I'll have to make it to the surface.

"Well, this tunnel has to end eventually..." she whispered to herself, beginning to walk in the direction the water was flowing. "At least this is more bearable than one of Penn's camping trips..."

Comments

[PC]

Lily! I love Lily, I'm so glad she's getting more attention now, heh.
And Ravia! I love the idea of her, and her as a character, and her design in the dream, and just... I love her, okay?