Penn and Stone: Dynamic Duo

by Pennington Inkwell

Forewarning

Twilight wasn't asleep, even if she looked it. She was waiting, and quite patiently, if she were to say so, herself.

While he was still unconscious, she had affixed Delta Raider to the wall of the tunnel with magical shackles, leaving him spread-eagle and facing her. The mask he had worn was hidden inside her saddlebag, with at least five different sealing spells on it. Spike had fallen asleep hours before, riding on her back until the last of the water had finally washed away into deeper tunnels and crevices, leaving them walking on muddy ground. When the floor was finally solid enough for her standards, she had laid Spike against the wall of the tunnel to sleep while she worked on binding spells for Delta and the mask. She had even cast a light sleeping spell on Spike. She didn't want him to wake up until she had gotten the truth out of Delta.

Following that, she had laid down to wait. Even feigning sleep, she kept a close eye on the mask, watching it carefully through her nearly-closed eyes. It didn't seem to have shown any extraordinary properties since Delta had taken it off, but if there was one thing she had learned from Pennington, it was that appearances could be deceiving. Either it wasn't going to act of its own accord, or it knew that she was still awake.

"Ugh... wha?"

Twilight's eyes shot open as Delta's voice filled the claustrophobic corridor. She slowly rose to her hooves, taking a moment to stretch.

"T-Twilight? Why-"

"Because I want answers." Twilight took a deep breath, turning to face him. "And you're going to give them to me."

Delta struggled against the magical bands pinning him to the wall, fruitlessly trying to pull them away.

"Twilight, what's wrong with you? We're on the same side, here!"

"ARE WE?" Twilight's temper flared for a moment, magical energy collecting around her horn and beginning to form into a white mist around her. "The only reason I trusted you was because Lily vouched for you and told me that that stupid story you told us was true! Now, Lily is GONE, and the last thing she tried to tell me was that you got your story WRONG!" The white mist began to gather and coalesce in front of her, even keeping time with her as she began to pace back and forth in the claustrophobic tunnel.

"Now, the pony I trusted, the pony who actually KNEW something was off about you, has been conveniently washed away, and I'm stranded underground in Celestia-only-knows where with YOU! Speaking of Princess Celestia, Spike's letter-sending hasn't worked since we left Canterlot! Now, I have TRIED to be VERY patient with you, Delta Raider, HOWEVER..." She cut herself off as the last of the mist collected and a flash of light momentarily lit the tunnel, forming a lavender rapier, which she pointed directly to Delta's throat.

"However... I am nopony's fool."

She almost regretted her actions when she saw Delta's horrified expression staring down the edge of her blade, but she had been over the script in her head at least a hundred times while he was unconscious, until it was ready to explode out of her. She hated knowing nothing about the situation around her, and she had only put up with her lack of knowledge for this long because Lily had asked her to. Now, she was going to take back control and get the facts.

"Wh-what do you want from me?" Delta stuttered, his eyes still fixed on the blade.

"Answers." Twilight pulled the blade to the side, making a satisfying "swish" as it cut the air near the tip. She began pacing again, this time slower and more thoughtfully. "First of all, why are you REALLY trying to find Pennington?"

"I told you! The Surprise is a trap! I-"

Swish

"I... I... ulp..." He stuttered to a stop when Twilight's sword was back at his throat.

"The truth."

Delta seemed to hesitate, prompting Twilight to inch it closer.

"Y-you wouldn't... You'd disappoint your precious princess!"

Twilight knew he was right. The sword was a bluff, though she could't let him know. She could never bring herself to kill, not so long as there was another option. Even threatening him like this was entering a moral gray area...

But if he's trying to stop Penny... Equestria could be on the line! Think, Twilight! What would Pennington do? What about Sure Shot, or Quick Strike?

"Try me..." The tip of the blade actually made contact with his skin, pressing ever-so-gently against his windpipe. "As far as I know, everything I care about could be at stake... My family, my friends... Pennington."

To her surprise, Delta actually snickered at her words, the blade drawing a small trickle of blood as the action pressed his neck more against it.

"You claim to care about HIM? You want me to tell you the truth, when you refuse to even tell it to yourself?" Delta leaned forward, his fear seemingly having disappeared. Twilight drew the rapier back, stopping him from stabbing himself with the action.

"You know that the Princesses have sent him to his end... and yet you don't say a word! You think you frighten me, but you're so terrified of Celestia that you won't even speak up to save your lover!" He was practically cackling, now.

Twilight stepped back, memories beginning to bubble up from deep in her mind, memories of secrets she'd been banned from telling a single soul, the impossible truth that Celestia had shown her in her moment of doubt...

"Be... Be quiet! You don't know what you're talking about!"

"You claim to love him, but you won't even speak a word against your precious Princess of the Light to tell him that his own assistant is-"

"BE QUIET!"

The mist swarmed around his muzzle, clamping it shut and forming a form-fitting mask.

Twilight's breath was coming fast and in short bursts. She was hyperventilating. She had to calm down.

I- I was wrong... I need Spike for this! I need- She spun around to wake the dragon, only to find herself staring at... another pony. He was tall, wearing a set of dark-colored armor, though that was all Twilight could make out in the semi-darkness. He was carrying Spike on his back, already bound with what looked to be steel cord.

"Wha-"

Before she could gather her senses enough to finish her inquiry, the stallion's hoof came up from below, striking her in the jaw and knocking her unconscious.

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When Pennington woke again, Moonstone was gone. She had obviously woken up before him, probably leaving for some fresh air or to stretch her legs.

Come to think of it, I could really use a chance to get on my hooves, as well... He yawned and stretched as best he could beneath the covers, cringing and forcing his way through the sharp pains in his legs and chest that it brought.

"Oh! Y-y-y-y-you're aw-aw-aw...."

Pennington turned his head towards the voice, scarcely believing his ears. Beside his bed stood Crankshaft, several bandages wrapped around her head, but otherwise looking much cleaner and healthier than he remembered.

"Crankshaft? You're okay!"

"Y-y-y-" Struggling to get the word out, she simply nodded.

Pennington felt a wave of relief wash over his body.

"Are you feeling okay? Moonstone said our host made sure you got treatment..."

She nodded again, giving him a tired smile.

Pennington's smile grew wider, and he momentarily turned his attention back to his own body, experimentally bending his legs one by one to make sure the joints were still working properly.

"Well, do you think you could help me up? I was never exactly one for bed rest..."

Crankshaft's expression changed to a nervous frown, and she glanced to the door of the room and back.

"You sh-shouldn't! You'll hur-hurt y-y-y-yourself!"

Pennington shook his head, forcing a smile through the pain as he forced himself into a sitting position.

"Nah, I've always bounced back pretty quickly! Come on, lend me a hoof?"

Crankshaft cast another nervous glance at the door, then nodded, reaching up and helping pull him to the edge of the bed, where he let his hooves dangle downwards. Gritting his teeth, Pennington turned his weight over the edge and dropped down onto his four hooves.

"HRRK!" Pain swept over his body, forcing a muffled scream out between his teeth, but his hooves held. Crankshaft looked terrified, bringing her hoof up to cover her mouth.

Pennington forced all of his concentration on relaxing his body. Tensing up his muscles would only increase his pain, at this point. After a few seconds, the worst passed, allowing him to straighten his posture and rise to his full height. He gulped down air as best he could, finally releasing the breath he had been holding through the pain, then did his best to flash Crankshaft a confident smile, though he could tell from her worried expression that it was an unconvincing one.

"Well... that will certainly wake you up in the morning..." he whispered. Taking another deep breath, he took a shaky step forward. Finding that his body wasn't racked with crippling pain from the action, he stiffly moved another hoof forward, then another, slowly making his way towards the door.

As Pennington reached the edge of the door, he felt his front leg give way, the knee buckling under his weight. He screwed his eyes shut, bracing himself for the pain of colliding with the wall.

Instead, he felt something warm and soft. Opening his eyes, he saw that Crankshaft had darted to his side, catching him before he completely stumbled. With a grunt of her own, she push him back up, letting him regain his stance.

"Thanks..." Pennington whispered.

Crankshaft smiled as she glanced up at him.

"It- It's the l-l-least I can d-do..."

"WHAT are the two of you doing out of bed?" A stern voice chided. Looking up, Pennington found himself face-to-face with another unicorn. The stranger had an olive-colored coat and streaks of gray running through his blue mane. Judging by the wrinkles on his face, he was definitely older than the two of them, perhaps closer to Ms. Yearling's age, and he wore a thick pair of half-moon glasses perched at the end of his snout.

The voice, however, wasn't his, as was quickly revealed as Moonstone appeared from behind his shoulder, holding a large mug of something steaming with heat.

"Heh... I couldn't resist trying to get some fresh air..." Pennington sheepishly muttered, trying to brush off Moonstone's angry glare with humor. "And... I wanted to thank our gracious host!" Pennington bowed his head in lieu of offering a hoof to shake. "You saved our lives, Mister..."

"Turvian! Mister Turvian." The host finally broke his silence, giving Pennington a smile. His chipper voice seemed to completely contradict with his uptight-looking exterior, but Pennington welcomed the reprieve from Moonstone's wrath. "And once your assistant had filled me in on what your quest was, well, I knew I had made the right choice." He nodded his head towards the room through the doorway.

"Tea?"

Pennington glanced over at Crankshaft, whom he was only now realizing he was still leaning on, even unconsciously. She hadn't seemed to make any objections, smiling and giving him a nod.

"Tea... sounds wonderful. Seems like a good opportunity to fill me in on what I missed while I was out."

"Indeed... And I have several questions I would like to ask you, myself!"

Moonstone hopped down from Turvian's back as the pony disappeared back through the door, giving Pennington an all-too-familiar glare.

"You shouldn't be walking after what happened..."

"Honestly, Moon Moon? I barely even remember what happened." Pennington shook his head, placing a hoof against his temple. "The last thing I remember is the rocks coming down on top of me. As far as I know, I shouldn't be ALIVE after what happened, let alone walking."

"Exactly!" Moonstone placed her claw against his chest, pushing him back towards the bed. "Now, just go back to-"

"But since I got lucky, I'm going to recover as fast as I possibly can." Pennington pushed back against her as best he could, feeling her unconsciously relent. "Equestria is still counting on us, remember? We don't have the time to waste."

Moonstone opened her mouth to object, only to sigh and turn her gaze to the ground, letting out a long sigh of defeat.

"Well... come on, then. Turvian seems to have a knack for weird magic, maybe he'll have advice for us." Moonstone turned and walked away, Pennington and Crankshaft following her into the next room.

As he entered what appeared to be a combination of dining room and kitchen, Pennington could scarcely believe his eyes. Utensils and cooking implements were scuttling about on their own, as if they were alive. A teapot filled itself under the sink, then hopped its way onto the stove top, which Turvian absent-mindedly ignited with a soft click. The table set itself as Moonstone made her way to their saddlebags, carefully set to dry by a fireplace, and removed a large map. Climbing up onto a chair, she spread the map over the table and made a small motion to the candlesticks in the center, which hopped over and anchored the corners before igniting themselves to give her more light.

"What-"

"Magic, my boy!" Turvian cut him off, taking several boxes of tea leaves from the cupboard. "Equestria is so LIMITED in their ways of thinking about magic!" Taking a moment to examine several of the boxes, he casually tossed three of them away, where the teapot jumped up and caught each of them, swallowing them whole through the opening in the top.

Pennington was unsure of what to make of the whole situation, still marveling at the constant activity as a chair pulled itself away from the table for him, helping him to rest his battered body into a sitting position. "I haven't seen anything like this since... well..."

"Since Discord's disparagingly short return?" Turvian finally turned back to his guests, now levitating three teacups and saucers. The one he placed in front of Pennington was a beautiful white-and blue china set, Crankshaft's seemed to be formed from some kind of stainless steel, though he saw no evidence of it having been machined or forged into the shape, and Moonstone's was crafted from a transparent crystal, though she hardly noticed as she poured over the map.

"Princess Celestia's fixation on harmony and the repression of chaos is truly a crime against her people!" Reaching beneath the table, he somehow retrieved a blank white mug, already full of tea. "If she could simply embrace both sides of magic, Equestria would blossom exponentially!"

Pennington and Crankshaft glanced at one another, each seemingly unsure of what to say.

"Well, actually..." Pennington spoke up as Turvian took a sip from his red mug, "Celestia and Luna adopted a draconequus as their Royal Advisor!"

Turvian's eyes nearly bugged out of his head as he turned his head to the side and spit out his tea in shock.

"Wh- WHAT?"

"He's right..." Moonstone muttered, refusing to be distracted from the map. "Eclipse Tumult. Discord's less powerful and more reasonable younger brother."

This seemed to send Turvian into deep thought, tapping his green mug against his chin.

"Then perhaps Celestia is not as ignorant as I thought..." He turned his gaze upwards to the ceiling. "That, or she's getting desperate to weather the coming storm..."

"No, she and Luna took him in before the weather turned foul..." Pennington watched as the teapot hopped up onto the table, pouring tea without any instruction into the remaining cups. "I have to say, this is really remarkable! I mean, I'd looked a small amount into whether or not chaos magic could be implemented alongside a harmonic system, but I never thought I'd see it applied like this!"

"Huh? No, no, no! I'm not talking about the actual weather!" Turvian looked back at Pennington, jabbing his orange mug forward to punctuate his words as the teapot rushed to catch the tea splashing out of it. "I mean the great calamity on the horizon!"

He glanced around the table, looking for any kind of recognition from his guests.

"Nothing? Really?" He sighed, staring down into his lilac mug of tea. "Either she's keeping you all in the dark, or Celestia really has no idea it's coming..."

"Wait, great CALAMITY? What are you talking about, what's coming?" Pennington leaned forward, ignoring his tea completely.

"Oh, I don't know!" Turvian shrugged his shoulders. "But haven't you felt it? There's a hum in the air, a charge of magic power unlike anything we've ever seen, hiding just behind the horizon..." He took another sip from tea, his tone growing darker and more solemn. "Great and terrible powers have been coming out of the darkness to try to secure their safety before it arrives, and I don't just mean this foul weather..." he glanced up at Pennington, extending his hoof and dropping a small object on the table in front of them.

Pennington's heart skipped a beat.

It was a small hairpin, adorned with a pair of red and black bat wings.

Catherine's hairpin.

Crankshaft was simply confused, tilting her head to the side, while even Moonstone's intense concentration was broken, the sight of the object sending her scrambling out of her chair and flying to the other side of the room.

"WHAT IN FAUST'S NAME IS THAT DOING HERE?" she shrieked, taking a perch on a bookshelf above the fireplace.

Pennington reached down, picking up the familiar token. Just touching it sent shivers through his body and made his mind feel clouded. He could almost swear he could hear the old tunes of a Wurlitzer organ ringing in his ears again and smell popcorn and cotton candy on the breeze. Catching himself becoming lost in his memories, he tossed it away, landing it perfectly back inside his saddlebag.

"I... I kept it." Pennington muttered.

"You WHAT?"

"It's a reminder that I'm NOT infallible..."

Moonstone flew back across the room, landing mere inches away from Pennington's face.

"BULL."

Pennington glanced down, not wanting to make eye contact with her.

"I... I don't know WHY I kept it, okay? Maybe it's just a little leftover magic from Cat's mind control, or something, but I just... I just DID!"

Turvian took another sip from his tea.

"Well, you are NOT keeping that!" Moonstone stormed to the bag, rummaging through until she found the pin and throwing it into the fireplace.

"I doubt that will work..." Turvian mumbled through his tea. "Besides, if the two of you met the Carnival Cat and survived, a harmless trophy of her defeat might earn you more respect from the other horrors awakening than you might think..."

Moonstone gave Turvian a searing glare, followed by a suspicious one to Pennington. Ignoring Turvian's advice, she turned away from the fire, leaving the pin to burn.

"But you see? Usually, the Cat would wait decades before appearing somewhere in Equestria, somewhere unexpected, where her actions would go unnoticed. She may be overt, but her methods are subtle... Instead, I could sense her presence in the Everfree forest several months ago, near Ponyville, of all places! Such a populated area would have given her enough energy and power to survive anything, even this coming calamity..." Taking a sip from his blue mug, he nodded towards the far corner of the room. Almost out of sight, at first, Pennington finally made out two pinpricks of red light. Eyes, and familiar ones.

"Even the old gods have returned to find sanctuary, hoping against hope that Equestria's heroes will protect them alongside their ponies."

I run from no one. I fear NOTHING!

Pennington, Crankshaft, and Moonstone cringed at the voice in their heads. while Turvian seemed unperturbed.

"And now the Alicorns are taking up the Draconequui as allies..." Turvian shook his head. "Everyone able to recognize the source of their anxiety has taken up arms or are raising defenses, even as we speak, where consciously or unconsciously."

"Then... what is it? What's coming?" Pennington asked quietly.

"My boy, I doubt that there is a creature on Earth or Tartarus who could answer that question. You might find some answer from King Sombra or Nightmare Moon, if you were to inquire about the timing of their returns, but I doubt they're much for conversation. Only time can give us the answer..." He completely tipped back his blank white mug, finishing the last of his tea. "As for myself, I've found my sanctuary here, at the top of the mountains! I can conduct my research in peace and quiet, and nopony expects a living creature up here. Certainly, calamity will find me, but it will find me having done all I can to hide myself and prepare."

Pennington exchanged nervous glances with Moonstone and Crankshaft.

"Speaking of my peace and quiet, Miss Adelinda, I suppose you've found what you were searching for?"

Moonstone nodded, jumping up onto her feet on top of her chair.

"It'll take us a little off-course, but not by much... But my family is close by! If I had known the Surprise would take us so close, I would have plotted it out as an original stopping point, to begin with!" She tapped her claw against the map. "If we move quickly..." she took a moment to glance up at Pennington and Crankshaft, "Or, well... as quickly as we can manage... we should be able to make it to them in a day's journey! From there, they could help us make it to Scorch, if we're lucky, or at least help us resupply!"

"Wait, we're really that close?" Pennington leaned over, trying to see the map.

"Yep! Finally, luck seems to be back on our side!" She grinned and rolled the map back up, hopping down to toss it back into Pennington's saddlebag.

"As for Miss Crankshaft..." Turvian held his mug out, letting the teapot finally refill it. "I don't mind taking her up to meet with a rendezvous tomorrow, we're close enough to the peak as it is..."

Pennington smiled, giving Turvian a grateful nod. "You have no idea how much we appreciate what you've done for us... You saved our lives."

Turvian snorted and hopped down from his chair, leaving his now-full mug of tea behind.

"Please, my wife would never let me hear the end of it if I abandoned strangers in need like that. I'd get lectures for days about how I need to be more kind and show more generosity! That mare loves her studies into the Elements..." He shook his head.

"Your.. wife?" Moonstone glanced around the empty room.

"She... passed several years ago." Turvian turned away, letting a long sigh slip through his lips. "I expect she'll have much to say to me when I go to join her, so I still try to follow what she told me."

"Oh... I'm sorry..." Moonstone looked down, immediately seeming to regret the inquiry.

"Don't be. You asked a question. Unlike the more... closed-minded of Equestrians, I do not consider that a crime." He shook his head, forcing a smile as her turned back to them.

"Speaking of which, I do have one question for you, Mister Inkwell."

"Huh? Um, ask away..." Pennington shrugged his shoulders, finally taking a sip of his tea. It had cooled to the perfect temperature while they talked, and despite having entire boxes of leaves thrown into the pot, was free of anything but the calming taste of lilac flowers.

"How did you come to have that vein of chaos running through you?" Turvian tilted his head, as if examining Pennington from a distance. "Even now, I can see it stitching your injuries back together, changing your body to match your own perspectives and expectations of health."

"I... what?" Pennington looked down at his body, taking measure of how he was feeling. He was no different than he normally would be after taking a beating.

Turvian gave him another examining stare, then shook his head. "Forget I said anything. It simply looks as though the winds of change favor you today..."

And with that, their host was gone, disappeared into another unknown room of the home.

Comments

[AltGrendel]

Looks like I have to reread Carnival Cat.