//------------------------------// // Escapism // Story: Penn and Stone: Dynamic Duo // by Pennington Inkwell //------------------------------// Twilight almost couldn't process what was around her, she was teleporting too quickly. In one instant, she was standing in the center of a long line of barracks, and the next, her ears were being assaulted by the chaos of a busy kitchen. Without much thought, she grabbed the nearest boiling pot and threw it into the air with her magic, sending food flying everywhere. When she managed to teleport herself into the center of a library, she almost stopped her spell, but she knew she couldn't get distracted. She vanished once again, this time standing in the middle of what looked like some kind of strike center. It was child's play for Twilight to apply a firestarter spell across the room, lighting every map, loose paper, and even a few chairs on fire before wishing herself away. When she landed in a long hallway, she aimed a blast of magical power at the ceiling, dissolving it away in an instant. Before the rubble could come crashing down on her head, Twilight was gone. This time, she landed standing on the center table of a board room, surrounded by almost a dozen elderly ponies in dark robes. Before she left again, Twilight instinctively grabbed the nearest stack of papers before she disappeared again. "W-where- are- we- GOING?" Spike shouted, clapping his hand over his mouth to hold back his gagging. Even Twilight was beginning to feel the side effects of teleport sickness, her stomach churning and her head beginning to spin. "I'll- tell- you- HRRK!" A new wave of nausea washed over her, the strongest, yet. Even if her magic power could keep up, Twilight's body couldn't. The time had come. Finally, she gathered up all of her remaining power and made one final, desperate leap through spacetime. She turned her aim upwards, trying to feel out a safe space to land. The spell was an even more massive toll on her body than the rest, and she could feel herself pushed past the edge. This time, they were knees-deep in the snow, suddenly transported to a frozen mountaintop. Combined with the sickness already turning her stomach inside out, this was to much for Twilight. With a massive heave, she dropped to her knees and vomited. Somewhere, the rational and observant part of her brain could hear Spike doing the same behind her. After almost a minute, Twilight shakily rose back to her hooves and shook her head, trying to clear away the last of the fuzziness. "W-why?" Spike stuttered, wobbling on his feet and leaning against her for support. "I needed... to disguise... our trail!" Twilight panted. "If we just... teleported out... we'd be easy to track down!" The cold was quickly snapping Twilight back to her full senses. Part two of her plan had to be put into action: letting Pennington and Celestia know she was safe. "N-now, Spike, take a-" "B-bleegh!" Spike doubled over, another round of vomit splashing at Twilight's hooves. "Um... take a... break." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "What do you mean, 'she escaped?' She's only been here for a few HOURS!" Delta screeched, causing the guard to cringe and step back. "It would appear that she was... stronger than we anticipated. She broke free of her restraints, then... well..." the guard glanced down the hall. Delta knew what he was looking at, the flickering light of flames and the panicked screams of ponies attempting to stop the chaos were easily seen and heard. "GAH! DISMISSED!" Delta screamed before storming away in the opposite direction. He shook his head and stamped each step against the ground. "How can one unicorn cause THIS MUCH chaos?" We should not have underestimated her after she saw through your ruse so easily. Ravia's voice whispered. "Thank you, goddess of the obvious..." Delta muttered under his breath. "I don't suppose you have a solution to present, along with your criticism?" Nothing presents itself. What plants exist here remain in slumber from the cold, they make poor sentries. "Of course they do..." Delta rubbed at his temples as he absentmindedly paced down another hall. "And what about the evergreen trees? Can't you use those?" They are old and their roots run deep. They must be persuaded, they cannot be forced or rushed. But, given time, I can call them to our aid. "Well, a little bit of rushing would not go unappreciated..." Delta muttered, slamming face-first into another pony. "HEY! Watch where you're- YIPE!" Delta was cut off as he realized exactly whom he had crossed paths with, and he snapped to the fastest salute of his life. "S-so sorry, sir! Won't happen again, sir!" "I would hope not..." Replied the pegasus, staring down at him sternly. He was a full head taller than Delta, with a brown coat and dark, black hair pulled into a short ponytail behind his head, colored only by a single streak of blood red. His brown eyes flicked down to Delta's saddlebag, then back up at their owner. "I trust you're making good use of the resources we acquiesced for you?" "You mean Raiva? Y-yes! Yes! We get along like two peas in a pod! Really bonding, truly inseparable!" Delta laughed too loudly and too quickly to follow up the comment, and both of them knew it. Once again, his superior's gaze traveled to the bag. "She says you've been calling her 'Goddess of the Obvious' and refusing to follow her advice." The string of curses that wound their way through Delta's brain was nearly unrivaled in all of Equestria for an entire week. "W-well, we've had some difficulty getting along, but it's nothing serio- HRRK!" He was cut off as the other pegasus struck him with the back of his hoof, throwing him against the wall with uncanny strength. Before Delta could even think to defend himself, the other pony was holding a previously-unseen dagger to his throat, leaving him no room to move. "Do I need to remind you of the price of failure, Delta Raider?" he hissed. "I WILL have that mask, one way or another! Even if getting it requires me to step over your limp, lifeless husk of a body! Now, I went to unbelievably great lengths to find Ravia and draw her out of hiding! I gifted you the temporary partnership with her because I saw potential in you to be a great agent to the Republic, and you are squandering this opportunity and making a complete clown of yourself and this great organization!" With one of his wings, another knife slipped out from between the feathers, and he stabbed it into the wall, cracking the stone and wedging it just beside his ear. Delta cringed, willing every molecule of his body to suppress the urges to whine for help or beg for forgiveness. Both would be useless. "You will get me the mask of Cha'Qued, or I'll be forced to withdraw all that precious support I've given you... Including your position here. You'll be back to studying SPELEOLOGY just north of the CRYSTAL EMPIRE!" Delta nodded vigorously, praying to the stars that his compliance would placate the pony. Blissfully, he was finally released, the two knives disappearing back between the other pegasus's feathers. As he walked away, Delta's superior officer gave him one last scathing glare. "Do not fail this exchange. Recapture Sparkle, create some illusion, bluff your way through the entire trade, if you have to. But that mask will be mine by next moonrise... or else." Delta held up a trembling hoof in salute, no longer able to stop his entire body from shaking to match the frantic pounding of his heart. "Yes sir, Lieutenant Colonel Sails, sir! Luna nos custodit!" Full Sails turned back, and Delta could swear that he could almost nearly see a smile tugging at the pony's lips. "Luna nos custodit..." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "You're sure this is a good idea?" Moonstone asked as she and Pennington rolled yet another large snowball into place alongside the others. Pennington stopped, tapping his chin in thought. "Well, I know for a fact that it's a horrible idea, but the idea is to pull off some of the worst ideas we can think of, and then make the saps from the OLR deal with them! And THAT is... probably also a horrible idea." Moonstone sighed, shaking her head. I wish I could say that kind of plan was something DIFFERENT from our usual... "And I guess that's why we're doing it, and they're taking the simple route of a hostage exchange?" "Yup! They're simple and cruel, we're complicated and..." "Morally ambiguous?" Pennington shrugged. "Well, we certainly aren't going to be playing nice, let's leave it at that." Moonstone reached to the improvised holster on her back and retrieved the tidal wand, tapping it anxiously against her other hand as she unconsciously bit her lip. There was one issue she still had that wasn't related to the situation at hand, one nagging thought that was eating away at her patience. But if I try to get to the bottom of it now, Penn could be distracted when we're confronting Full Sails! Or, worse, while we're setting up these traps! If something goes wrong, it could shut on US, instead! But I need to know- "What is it, Moon Moon?" Pennington asked, rolling his eyes. "I don't need truth-o-vision to see something's bothering you!" Moonstone sighed, quickly giving up. Of course, since she'd gotten so used to reading Penn's emotions, the opposite had to apply. "I was just.. wondering..." She had to force the words out one at a time. As much as she wanted to know the answer, the question was still awkward. "Why do you still have... Carnival Cat's hairpin? I mean, she was evil and cruel and horrible! She brainwashed you into marrying her, nearly killed me, and tried to steal the souls of everyone in Ponyville for some kind of nefarious scheme! Why would you want a memento from THAT?" Pennington glanced from side to side, as if checking for any eavesdroppers in their remote location. Taking a deep breath, he sat back on his haunches with a satisfying crunch from the snow beneath. "Fine. You want the truth, Moonstone? The complete, unabridged truth?" His glance turned away from Moonstone, shamefully rolling down towards the ground. "I was happy with Catherine, okay? I know that it was all mind control and magic corrupting me, I KNOW! But still, somewhere deep down, I have to admit it! Things were just so... simple when I was with her! The Crystal Capitol, the Lost Tribes of Tallus, the Lost Library of Gallopsandria... I didn't need to find them the way I do now! I was losing my mind with her, true, but she was everything in the world I wanted, everything I ever needed!" Penn threw his hooves into the air and rolled backwards into the snow, burying all but the tip of his muzzle. "I lost myself in Catherine, but losing myself meant losing this... wanderlust that consumes every waking moment! It was the only time in my life I've ever wanted to settle down for good!" He took a deep breath, wistfully waving a hoof around. "I mean, I don't want that any more, not in the least! Now, I'm back to wanting nothing but to keep moving, seeing all that there is to see in the world and journeying to far-off places! But now that I've gotten a taste of it, I WANT to want it, again! I mean, I'm longing to long for something that is the total antithesis of everything I've worked for! Do you have any idea the paradox I've been living?" "Sounds... complicated..." Moonstone sat beside him, quietly staring down at the frustrated stallion with a mix of bewilderment and curiosity. "I keep the hairpin because... well, maybe it's because, deep down, I want to go back to her. Back to that drugged up, addiction-riddled, mind-controlled bliss. It's the only time I ever wanted to really... stop. That itch that's always pushing me over the horizon just disappeared. Losing my identity was probably the greatest relief I felt in my entire life. I know it was bad. It was unhealthy, I'm fully aware! For the love of- like you said, she was downright evil!" With a long sigh, his gesturing hoof plopped back into place in the Pennington-shaped hole in the ground. "But hey... Who's perfect?" Moonstone leaned back, eventually falling back and joining Penn in laying in the snow. "You know, sometimes you still confound me..." she muttered with a smile. "I don't think I understand everything you said perfectly, but... I got the gist of it." "And? Any sage advice?" "Nope. I'd tell you to stay away from Carnival Cat, that she's evil and horrible and all of those other things, but you already know that. I'd tell you I think you should see a shrink about all this, or at least talk to Luna about it. Being an immortal AND royalty, I'd guess she'd have a few words of advice about unhealthy relationships and forbidden love." She stretched out her arms, making a tiny angel shape in the snow. "But everything I could say from my limited experience is something you've already figured out. You've been a lot more self-aware since the changeling invasion..." Penn sighed, those obviously not being the words he wanted to hear. "Hey, I haven't exactly had a lot of experience with killer clow-" "She was the ringmaster." "Right..." "Hey! Are you two done over there?" Lily's voice called out. "I'm all set on my end!" "Just a minute, Lily!" Penn returned. With a soft grunt, he rolled back up onto his hooves and waved in the direction of Lily's voice. "Well, advice or no advice, thanks for opening up to me..." Moonstone sighed, taking her turn to pull herself up out of the snow."I guess it doesn't matter that much if you keep the hairpin. Cat's gone for good, anyway!" Penn groaned. He groaned and kept groaning as he walked over to the nearest tree. He groaned as he slowly knocked his forehead against the tree repeatedly. "Why, why, WHY would you SAY something like that?" Moonstone chuckled, giving him a friendly pat on the shoulder as she walked past him in Lily's direction. "Guess your overconfidence is contagious!" As she was walking away, Moonstone could hear him muttering under his breath. "Why do I feel like you're wrong?" --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Once Spike had recovered completely, they had quickly written up two letters assuring Princess Celestia and Pennington of her safety. It was only then that Twilight had discovered that Spike was still unable to send letters with his flames. "You've got to be kidding me!" Twilight shouted. "I don't get it! Why can't you send any letters? What's locked us out?" "S-sorry, Twilight..." Spike whispered. "I don't know what's wrong with me..." Twilight drew up short. For the first time since they'd been captured, she realized just how horrible all of this must have been for him. He'd been held hostage and chain up against a wall and threatened in Celestia-only-knew what ways for being associated with her, pulled through a gauntlet of teleports that left him violently vomiting in the middle of a snowstorm, and now she was yelling at him because he wasn't able to send a stupid letter! "Oh, sweetie, come here..." Twilight wrapped up Spike in her magic and pulled him close against her, wrapping him up in a tight hug. "It's not your fault! I'm sorry I yelled. I know you haven't been able to since..." Her mind finally seized on the solution like a steel trap. "Since we MET DELTA!" She held Spike at hoof's length, quickly prying open his mouth with her magic and staring down his gullet. "You haven't eaten anything he's given you, have you?" "Nuh-ahh!" "Of course not! You've been munching on gemstones from the Diamond Dog tunnels the whole way here!" She released her hold on his jaw, allowing it to slam shut again. "And Delta's a pegasus, so he couldn't have put any kind of counterenchantment on you to stop the letters! Which means... He has to have another artifact that's stopping you from being able to send letters! And since he hasn't given you anything, it's a proximity effect!" She quickly scooped him up in her magic and planted him on her back. "We just have to get back out of range!" She reached into her bag, retrieving one of her spare quills and nearing the metal nub from the feather. As a foal, she had learned a simple charm that allowed her to magnetize small ferrous objects. At the time, it had resulted in her organizing her quills by amount of wear on their nubs and attach them to the family refrigerator. Then, dissatisfied with the results, she had tried organizing them by length of their feathers, width of their feathers, number of impurities in the iron of the numbs, number of follicles on each feather, and angle at which the feather curved. It was only when she had managed to accidentally magnetize the entire fridge that her parents had insisted she stop. She had never thought that the childhood charm would save her life, one day. With a simple thought, the nub became a small magnet. Relaxing her telekinetic grip on it, she allowed it to turn freely in the air. Turn it did, spinning clockwise, then counterclockwise, swinging back and forth until it finally settled on a direction to point in: north. Twilight smiled and turned in the opposite direction. One of two things was going to happen. She was either going to get out of range of Delta's dampener on Spike's natural magic, or she was going to intersect with Pennington's path to dragon country. Either way, she had her heading. Everything was finally starting to come together.