Pennington coughed, trying to breathe around the tree roots gripping on his throat. This was a bad situation, he had to admit, but he'd been in worse. At least Delta wasn't actively trying to kill him, he still needed information. If Pennington had any chance, however, he was going to get more information out of Delta than Delta would get out of him.

"Why? Why do you want Cha'Qued so badly? You won't be powerful, you'll be a prisoner in your own body!" he pleaded. To his surprise, a voice replied in his mind, a feminine voice that radiated raw strength and power.

We will not become the vessels of that MONSTER! We will destroy Cha'Qued, once and for all!

That was not the answer Pennington had been expecting. Pennington lifted up his head as best he could, staring at the mask with an incredulous expression.

Pennington thought for a moment as realization dawned on him... and began to laugh.

"Heh heh... Ha! Ha ha ha! HAHAHAHAH-URRK!" His laughter was cut short as the roots yanked him back down again, bashing his muzzle against the ground.

You think this is FUNNY? The death and destruction you've caused? The innocent blood you've spilled? YOU DARE LAUGH? You are every ounce the same monster as your god!

"Y-you've got it backwards! You've got the whole story backwards! THAT'S what's so funny!" Pennington pressed his front hooves against the ground, pushing his chin just out of the dirt. Reaching out with his magic, he took hold of his sword and swiped it just under his throat, slicing the roots holding him in place.

He didn't have time or the energy for a showy leap out of the way, so he merely tucked in his legs and rolled out of the way as more roots sprung up to grab at him.

"FULL SAILS was the one who put on the mask and killed Mozun Akai! He was the one who got the taste for flesh and the hunger for its power!" Pennington shouted, limp-running his way towards Twilight. More roots sprung up to try and grab at him, only to be swiftly mowed down by his flashing blade.

"It won't be THAT easy for you! I still have-" Delta was cut off as he looked back at where Twilight Sparkle was trapped, only to see a large opening had been cut in the roots. A glowing blue sword was floating in the air beside it, waggling smugly back and forth. Both his guards lay unconscious on the ground, and there was no sign of Twilight Sparkle.

"If you want Cha'Qued destroyed, then we're on the same side!" Pennington shouted, trying to make another roll out of the way. Unfortunately, this time, he seemed to land on the same point where he had been batted out of the air. Pain like a great burning knife stabbed into his back, causing him to spasm violently and ending with him laying on the ground, panting heavily to try and regain control of himself and mitigate the pain.

Delta Raider walked over, planting a hoof that felt like it weighed a ton down on his chest, even as more roots grew up and wrapped solidly around each of his legs to pin him to the ground.

"You have to believe me, I want nothing more than to be rid of that awful thing!" Pennington forced the words out, even as the pain began to grow worse and worse as Ravia began to pull him into the ground, the earth climbing up over his body and beginning to bury him alive. "Please! PLEASE! I've been searching for so many years, but the way to destroy him is LOST! It was lost when the temple fell! It was LOST! If Full Sails told you that he would help you destroy Cha'Qued, he was LYING! You have to believe me, PLEASE!" It wasn't long before nothing but Pennington's face was left exposed, peering up through a hole in the dirt and snow to what could be his last moments of life. It was one of his worst nightmares made reality.

We do not HAVE to do anything for YOU... Ravia whispered as Delta leaned down to look him in the eyes.

"Now, we were told not to return to Sails without the mask, but I AM willing to settle for telling him we destroyed the only pony standing between him and his success!"

"PLEASE, PLEASE! I'm BEGGING you, you've got this all wrong! I'm NOT- urf-furm hmm!" Pennington felt a lurch as he was pulled further down, the dirt filling his mouth and cutting him off.

It was in that moment, however, that a purple blast of magic struck Delta from the side, knocking him out of sight.

"PENNINGTON!" Spike hopped into Pennington's field of view, immediately setting himself to work scraping away handful after handful of dirt. "Don't worry, bud! We're here! You're safe!" He balked for a moment, his eyes dwelling on the iridescent white horn. "Whoa. Nice new bling."

Pennington violently spat out a mouthful of dirt, straining to try and free himself as best he could. Unfortunately, it felt like every attempt to move merely pointed out another part of his body that was taking its turn to send the a new wave of pain over him.

"Spike! I-I can't get out, digging won't work! There's roots holding me down here!" he couldn't tell if the tears running down his face were from the pain, the fear, or the relief of his rescue.

Spike nodded, turning to look away for a moment. "TWILIGHT! You're going to have to do this, I can't dig him out!"

"Just a- SECOND!" Twilight's voice replied, and Pennington could hear the snapping of wood and flashes of purple magical light. Spike cringed, then glanced back at Pennington with a wary look.

"The swords! Use one of the magic swords I used to cut Twilight out of the roots! It's wide enough to make a good shovel AND cut through the roots pinning me down!"

"When Delta had her captive, I cut her out of there with one of my magic swords!"

"Penn, we just got here, like, ten seconds ago! I don't under- WOAH!" Spike ducked as a magical blast barely missed his head. "Okay, you know what? We don't have time for this! I'll go find a sword, or something!"

Pennington tried to understand what was happening. He KNEW he had seen Twilight earlier. It was undeniable that Delta had captured her, right? There's no way he could have fallen for some simple illusion magic.

Unless... I'm so used to having Moonstone here to see through illusions, the possibility didn't even occur to me!

"Found one!" Spike reappeared, now holding one of the magical scimitars. "I didn't even think you COULD do this spell any more!" With a grunt of effort, he plunged the tip of the sword into the ground, shoveling up a large scoop of dirt.

"I've... had a bit of a reawakening." Pennington sighed, moving away what dirt he could with his magic until only the roots keeping him pinned were left.

"Do I have a choice?" Pennington muttered as Spike slashed at the roots, finally freeing him. Slowly, Pennington tried to sit up, only for the pain in his back to rise again and paralyze him.

"Um, Spike? I'm going to need your help..." Pennington sighed. "I hurt my back... I don't think I can turn myself over like this."

"No worries, Penn! I gotcha!" Spike leaned his shoulder into Pennington's side, pushing him into an upright position. Pennington shakily rose to his hooves, finally getting a decent look at his surroundings.

The entire clearing was a battlefield, pockmarked with smoldering craters. Delta's body had been completely covered in wooden armor, and he was grappling with a very angry-looking Twilight Sparkle, barely holding back a trio magical rapiers Twilight had summoned with the same spell Pennington had been using.

Pennington couldn't believe his eyes as his head turned towards the source of the voice. A second Twlight, the Twilight he had rescued, was waving to them from the trees. Pennington glanced at Spike for an explanation, but he looked equally confused, shrugging his shoulders.

"Come ON! There's no time! I'll explain later!" Twilight urged desperately, running back into the trees.

Pennington took a moment, searching his feelings. SOMETHING was off here, but he couldn't tell what. He started to walk forward, only to stumble as he knees buckled beneath him. Spike rushed forward, looping one of Pennington's front hooves around his shoulders. Together, the two of them limped their way out of the fray and into the trees, following Twilight's hoofprints.

"I'd KNOW a changeling, remember? I can still feel it when one's nearby, even if I'm not part of the hivemind any more. We just have to trust Twilight, I guess."

"Well, I'm still gonna be ready for anything..." Spike muttered, curling his claws into fists.

"Over here!" Twilight finally reappeared, waving from a small hollow where the trees parted. Penn and Spike slowly made their way to her.

"You look like you've really taken a beating, Pennington..." Twilight whispered, looking Pennington up and down before stepping forward and giving him a careful hug. "Are you okay?"

"I'm sure I've taken worse beatings... though I can't remember when." Penn tried to chuckle, only for the stabbing pain of his ribs to immediately cut him short.

"Care to explain HOW you're in two places at once, Twi?" Spike asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "In all the years I've known you, you've never done anything like this!"

"Well, it's all rather simple, Spike!" Twilight's expression turned from concern to a malicious grin. All at once, Spike was wrapped up in an emerald glow and levitated into the air his arms pinned to his sides.

Fear clutched at Pennington's chest anew, and he tried to step back, only to stumble and fall on his rear.

"Twilight" advanced on him, her grin growing wider and wider until it nearly split her face in half, and her eyes glowed with a sickly green light.

"Oh, it CAN, Inkwell! Ha ha ha! HAHAHAHAHA!" She cackled as green fire washed over her body, reversing the transformation. In an instant, Queen Chrysalis stood before them, in all her regal glory. Pennington reached over his shoulder, trying to grab at his sword, but was instantly frozen in place by Chrysalis's magic.

"I don't know who this 'Full Sails' fellow is, but I ought to THANK him! He made this too easy! You're as helpless as a newborn grub!"

"Hide from your 'changeling sense?' Please, Pennington, you insult me! Hiding my presence is a simple matter for a QUEEN! You have never been safe from me!" She punctuated her declaration with an angry hiss as she leaned down into his face, sending flecks of spit all over him.

"HEEEEEEEELP! SOMEPONY, ANYPONY!" Spike cried, struggling with all of his might against Chrysalis's magic.

"QUIET, you scaly pest!" Chrysalis hissed. "No one is coming for you, and I'll get to you just as soon as I've finished with HIM!"

Pennington swallowed the gigantic lump in his throat. Chrysalis was right, there wasn't any rescue coming. This time, Pennington was going to have to save himself, or else Spike was going to pay the price right alongside him.

"W-well, Chrysalis? What are you going to do to me? Drain all the love out of me like a juice box? Take me back to your hive and make me just another drone? Humiliate me and keep me prisoner until the end of my days?"

Chrysalis chuckled, giving Pennington a wicked grin that made his blood run cold.

"Penny, Penny, Penny.... You're forgetting I've been INSIDE YOUR HEAD, remember? I know you're just biding for time until you can find a way out of this! I'm not going to monologue or give you a way out. I'm just going to kill you."

You know, it occurs to me just how much I rely on villains explaining their motivations or elaborate traps...

Pennington narrowed his eyes, glaring at Chrysalis with every last ounce of strength he had left.

"I wish I'd never helped you overthrow King Entropy. Without me, you'd still be just another drone."

Instead, there was only the sound of a dull whack and the crunch of something large hitting the snow. Pennington waited a moment, then cracked open one eye.

There was Calalily Curl, standing over Chrysalis's unconscious body with the bardiche gripped tightly in her front hooves. Her breathing was heavy and fast, and the expression on her face showed that she was bordering on coming completely unhinged.

"AND STAY DOWN, BUG-BREATH!" she screamed, giving Chrysalis's head another bashing with the butt of the handle.

Chrysalis's magic faded away, letting Pennington move again and finally dropping Spike to the ground.

Lily instantly swapped to a battle-ready pose, holding the weapon threateningly at him.

"Whoa, Calalily, take it easy..." Pennington whispered in his most soothing voice, taking a hesitant step towards her. "You win... danger's passed."

"Spike? Where have you been all this time? Did you get separated from Twilight in the tunnels, too?"

"No! Twilight and I got captured by Delta, but we escaped! Then, we ran into Moonstone, and she sent us this way to come rescue Penn!"

Pennington felt a thrill of hope in his chest. "You ran into Moonstone? Where is she? Is she okay?"

"Last we saw of her, she asked Twilight to teleport her as far into the Dragon Lands as she could! We don't know where she was going or where she wound up!"

A loud explosion in the distance answered the question before anyone had a chance to respond.

Lily's eyes widened. "She's fighting DELTA? She's can't! Delta has a mask, it's like Cha'Qued, but for another god named Ravia! She doesn't stand a chance!"

"As much as I'd argue otherwise, I'm never going to argue in favor of letting Twilight Sparkle fight alone... But if you'd allow me just a moment..." Pennington gently pried the weapon from Lily's hooves. Turning back to face Chrysalis's unconscious body, he brought the weapon down with all of his might once, twice, and three times, each time more violently than the last.

Finally, he passed the weapon back to Lily, admiring the beating he had given Chrysalis with the blunt side of the axe head.

"Sorry, I just REALLY needed that. I haven't gotten a good punch in since Delta put on that mask."

"Well, all of that aside," Spike muttered, absentmindedly giving Chrysalis a kick of his own, "What are we going to do about HER?"

Pennington thought for a moment, glancing at their surroundings. A solution quickly presented itself, and he began gathering up snow with his magic and packing it on top of Chrysalis.

"Queen or not, a bug's a bug, and bugs don't deal well with the cold. This ought to put her into hibernation. When Moonstone gets back, I'll send a letter to Princess Luna to let her know where she's buried."

"Huh. Pretty clever! Looks like Twilight's rubbing off on you!" Spike chuckled as Pennington and Lily quickly packed snow around Chrysalis's body.

"More than you'd believe..." Pennington muttered. "Speaking of whom, we can't just let Twilight keep fighting alone like that. We have to DO something!" He tried to turn and walk back towards the battlefield, only to find himself held aloft by Lily's magic.

"In the state you're in? ARE YOU CRAZY?" Lily shouted, turning him around to face her.

"She's got a point, Penn. You look REALLY down for the count! You couldn't even run for your life from Chrysalis! What are you gonna do against some guy with a god-mask, or something?" Spike added.

Lily and Spike glanced at one another, then both back at him, both raising one eyebrow in suspicion.

"Is this one of those times you SAY you have a plan, but it's just one word, or something? Because I don't think I can handle that kind of sass from you right now." Lily sighed, pressing her hoof against her forehead.

"-they mentioned that Full Sails had told them that he was going to DESTROY the mask, not put it on!"

Lily and Spike both looked at each other again, and Lily slowly lowered Pennington to the ground. Pennington smiled, walking over to a nearby tree and glancing around at the other side. Just as he expected, there was Cha'Qued, clinging to the bark as though he had been hung there. Pennington took hold of the mask, waving it at Lily and Spike with a grin. "Heh, he always comes running when he thinks there's gonna be a fresh body."

"Okay, cool magic trick..." Spike muttered, "but how does that help us convince the ones who nearly KILLED you to stop, you know, trying to kill you?"

"Well, that starts with step one. Forgive me if I'm overstepping my authority here, but, Spike? I need you to take a letter for a very particular pony..."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight was panting heavily, trying to catch her breath in the brief interlude between Delta's attacks. Spotting an opening, she tried to attack with one of her magical rapiers, only for it to be stopped by the wooden armor that had grown all over Delta's body. She gritted her teeth, frustrated with her inability to pierce his armor, or even find a weakness in it. There was no naturally occurring wood she knew of that was this resistant to damage.

Delta, meanwhile, stamped his hoof, and Twilight watched as leaves began to pluck themselves off of the trees from all around them, hanging in the air and all pointing directly at her. All at once, the leaves straightened themselves and grew stiff, and Twilight could tell that she was standing in the middle of a field of knives.

"Let's see you teleport your way out of THIS!" Delta shouted, stamping his hoof. On his mark, the leaves all shot towards Twilight.

Of course, teleporting out of it was exactly what Twilight did, popping out of existence and reappearing on the other side of the clearing. As she watched, however, the razor leaves all changed direction immediately, still heading towards her. Realizing that she was being tracked, Twilight conjured up a magical wall of fire around herself, watching with satisfation as the leaves that struck it disintegrated one by one. When the hissing noise stopped unexpectedly early, however, Twilight parted an opening in the wall just in time to dodge out of the way of a single, giant blade that tried to impale her. As she rolled back into a standing position, she summoned up a fireball, hoping to burn the leaves away in their entirety. Just as she got the satisfaction of watching the rest of the leaves burn away, a thick root sprung up from the ground and wrapped around her waist.

"Wha- WAAAAUGH!" Twilight cried as the branch flung her up and into the air. Her mind quickly raced through the options at hoof, and she quickly wrapped herself up in her own magic, casting a self-levitation spell. As she finally righted herself in the air, however, she had barely enough time to get her bearings before a gigantic venus flytrap sprung up from the ground, snapping at her heels.

"Okay, THAT'S just creepy!" Twilight shouted as she pulled herself out of reach. It was her turn to go on the offensive, now. Focusing on her target, Twilight waited for the perfect moment. When it presented itself, she unleashed a powerful armor-piercing spell that impaled completely through the flytrap, continuing on to strike Delta directly in the head.

"GAAH!" Delta cried out, grabbing at the point of impact. Seeing her opportunity, Twilight compelled her levitation spell downwards at breakneck speed, only barely in control of her descent as she swooped down on Delta, making a desperate grab for the mask.

Just as her hoof brushed at the mask, however, she was yanked back suddenly by her back legs, and another large root swung at her head. It took only a thought for Twilight to blast it to pieces, spraying a sweet-smelling sap all over her face and horn. Knowing she had been trapped again, Twilight tried to teleport... only for her magic to fizzle out.

Twilight tried to reach up and wipe away the magic-negating sap, only to find her front hooves bound, as well.

"Why don't you take off that mask and we'll find out?" she sneered, the words seething with anger and frustration.

"Imagine the promotions I'll get when I bring back the horn of Celestia's precious student?" he whispered. "Imagine the devastating blow to Celestia when the Lunar Republic sends it back to her in a velvet-lined box?"

Twilight's heart was pounding as she struggled against her bonds, trying to get free enough to get the magical sap off of her horn.

Both Twilight and Delta were shocked to look to the source of the voice and see Pennington emerging from the forest, flanked by Lily on one side and Spike on the other. In his hoof was the mask of Cha'Qued.

"PENN! You can't let him get the mask!" Twilight shouted, redoubling her efforts to free herself. "It's not worth it!"

Delta sighed and waved his hoof in a circular motion, looping a root around Twilight's mouth and gagging her.

"How many times are we going to do this song and dance, Inkwell? I'm getting tired of repeating myself!"

Pennington smiled as he walked his way across the field. Twilight could see him limping badly and holding himself stiffly, as if every minute motion seemed to hurt him more.

"Just once more, Delta Raider." Pennington looked down at the mask, then at his opponent. With that, he tossed the mask to the ground, where it landed in the snow equal distances from both of them.

"I tried to tell you that you've got all of this wrong, but you wouldn't listen. Perhaps you'll listen to these words instead..." Pennington sighed, lowering his head.

"I surrender. I won't use the mask to fight now, and I never will. Let Twilight go and I'll even HELP you destroy it."

Twilight shook her head back and forth, silently pleading with Pennington not to do it.

Delta seemed taken aback by the turn of events, tilting his head as the eyes of the mask narrowed in a suspicious glare.

Pennington nodded. "I want it done here. Now. I want to see it happen with my own two eyes, and if Full Sails can't do it here, then wherever the mask goes, so do I."

Pennington sighed, shrugging his shoulders. "Have Ravia use whatever godly test she wants. Whatever plant-y lie detector she uses, she'll tell you I'm telling the truth."

Lily finally took the opportunity to speak up. "Ravia! You told me you could sense we were kindred spirits! Look into my heart now, you'll know Pennington can be trusted!"

Delta took his time responding, and Twilight could tell that he and the spirit inside the mask were deliberating.

Twilight made another struggle against her bonds, this time more as a show of defiance to the label.

"Twilight? Twilight!" Pennington called out, finally making eye contact with Twilight. As Twilight stared back, she could see something she hadn't seen there since he had lost his horn: determination.

The roots all retreated back into the ground, releasing Twilight. Disgusted, she scooped up a hoofful of snow and stuffed some of it into her mouth, using the rest to clean off her horn as she swished the water back and forth in her mouth before spitting it onto the ground. She quickly trotted her way to Pennington, wrapping him up in as tight a hug as she dared give him.

"I hope you know what you're doing..." Twilight whispered back, kissing his cheek.

"Very well, Inkwell, I'll send one of the guards back to let Full Sails know that you-"

Twilight's blood ran cold as a new voice called out from behind them. As she turned to look for the source, she watched an unfamiliar pegasus with a chestnut coat and dark hair pulled into a ponytail. For a pegasus, he had a surprisingly sturdy build and stood several inches above everyone else present. Her breath caught in her throat, and a chill traveled down her spine. Even with the mask still on his face, Delta seemed to shrink back in fear, and she heard Lily whimper slightly. Even Spike took an uneasy step back.

Pennington took a shaky step forwards and past her, him and the stranger locking in unblinking eye contact. The tension in the air was so thick, Twilight felt as though it were stifling her very breathing. Slowly, Pennington limped his way to the pegasus, still keeping their eyes locked on one another.

"It's been too long, Sails." Pennington held out a hoof to the pegasus, who carefully took it and shook it. The pegasus chuckled softly, looking Pennington up and down.

"You've looked better, Inkwell. And I see you got a new horn! Looks good on you."

Penn and Stone: Dynamic Duo

by Pennington Inkwell

Face to Face