Chapter 17
Towered
Inn had been sitting at her hut for the past few days. Her energy was not at its full potential. She tried a few times to transform, with no results. Inn was debating with herself if she should go see Moonstone, or go back to Inn inn.
If she went to see Moonstone, it would only be to say she can't work for him for... well an unknown amount of time. She already told him that she would be with her parents for an unknown amount of time. On the other hoof, Twilight was running a library and an inn. Shouldn’t she go there first?
She thought about it for a few hours, and grabbed the book that Twilight talked about. Being careful as she left on her journey.
Again, Inn walked slow. This time, she was trying to be safe, while in the open. She did not want to mess up the nice bag she had, or damage the old raggedy book with twigs.
Eventually she could see the town. She walked more quickly as she entered the town. Trying to get to the inn quickly and relive Twilight. She stopped. What if Twilight is at the library. Inn makes her way to the closer place, the library.
She knocks at the door, and quickly gets an answer. The baby dragon answers the door like last time. “Hello, how can I agha~” said the little dragon. The scream made Inn laugh, feeling drained for doing so.
“Do you k-know where Tw-Twilight is? I need... t-to give her this b-book, and say she can stop t-tending my inn.”
“Sh-she not here.” Inn Spike looked cute shaking as he answered. Better than a dragon trying to kill her.
“Okay thanks Sp-Spike. I think I-I can find her.” She began to turn around, but then stopped and looked back at him. “Oh, d-don't feel bad about b-being afraid of me. I-I have that e-effect on dragons,” she said with with smile. Then she left for the inn.
Inn walked from the library, and quickly found a another pony. A filly. She zipped pass on her scooter and soon after stopped, and looked back. “It's you!” she shouted.
“Oh, h-high Scootaloo. How are you?” asked Inn as she continued walking.
“How are you Miss Dragon Slayer? It's been months. We tried to find you, and you haven't been at that cool house of yours.” asked Scootaloo. She stayed on her scooter, going at the same pace as Inn.
“Oh, tired. I-I went to see my parents.”
“That was like a really long visit!”
“Yeah, I guess. M-most of the time, I was transformed.”
“That's like so totally cool! You can do that?”
“I g-guess I can, it w-was my f-first time t-trying.”
“Can I ask for some help?”
“W-with what?”
“Well my parents want me to go to this totally lame party. I need to wear this gagie foofooy dress. Mind talking my place?”
“W-when?”
“Later today.”
“Can't, my visit w-with my parents h-has me to tired to t-transform right now. It may b-be a few months. I d-don't know though. Sorry.”
“Oh, that sucks. No dragon slaying then ha?”
“Nope.”
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Inn got here her inn. Big bold letters reading “INN” all caps. She only knew it for a short time, but it was a sight that felt like home to her. She enters to find Twilight, Applejack, and Rarity talking at the counter.
“Welcome-” they started at the sound of the bell.
“Oh, h-hi to you too,” said Inn as she began to pull out the book. “I h-have something s-special for you Twi.”
“What? Oh, is it the book?” asked the purple unicorn.
“Book, shouldn't she of brought it to the library sugarcube?” asked Applejack.
“Not one of my books. This is one of her friend’s book. Celestia says it is missing from the Canterlot Library's collection.”
“Oh, y-yes. I forgot. How is the meeting c-coming along?” asked Inn as she handed the book to Twilight.
“Thanks. No word yet really. I told her you were out, and that I did not know when you would be back. So it may be soon. She seems very interested.”
Everypony looked shocked. “W-what? J-just w-what have you t-told her?”
“Yes dear. That is a very good question. Did you say that she banished a dragon or something?” asked Rarity.
“Well... She has killed a dragon singled hoofed, and she has many other traits too.”
More stunned faces. “You've got'a be pullin my leg Twi. This little thing could not have done that.” retorted Applejack.
“W-well...” Inn's face turned red, a mix of her shyness, some shock, and anger whelming her, “... I just killed a-a-another recently.” She looked up, still blushing, but now smiling, “And I played with the weak foal.” After a few seconds she looked down, and her smile lessened. “B-but, I-I'm too tired to do it again f-for a while.”
Now Twilight looked shocked. “I thought you were going to your parents? Did a dragon attack the town, or was it on your way back?”
“No, like I-I said, she w-was a just as w-weak as the last one. I hit her w-with a one hit kill. Easy. This was just b-before I-I told you a-about myself. No, due to, w-well one of my... other traits... and... my h-history.” She looked deep into Twilight's eyes, hoping that she would remember the day that Inn left to see her family. “I tried something new. Think. I-I think y-you know what I'm talking about.”
The shocked looked was frozen on Twilight's face for a few seconds. “Oh, yes! Wait! You didn't try that before? How did it go?”
“I fainted. Was out f-for two weeks. Took some t-time until I could walk.”
Twilight was frozen.
“Oh my! How did that happen? It sounds positively dreadful. How bad were the medical bills for that?” asked Rarity, shocked that such a problem happened on a pleasant visit.
“Well, ah, ah... nothing. It h-has to d-d-due with my h-h-hist-history.” Inn started to back away.
“How were your parents?! They had to be worried!” shouted Twilight.
“Yes they were. I heard them, argue about g-getting a doctor, a-as I woke up. They were s-so happy t-to see me awake, th-they c-cried.” Inn started to tear up after saying this.
Silence. It lasted for what felt like an hour. Then, the bell.
“Ah, sis, are ya going to be here all day?”
The sight of Big Mac made Inn feel hot again. “No, Ah, guess that Ah can come back now. Inn's back, so she can do her job here. Good bye ya'll.” said Applejack, as she left.
After Applejack and Big Mac were gone, Rarity looked at Inn. “Do you like him? Your face was beet red the instant you saw him.” she said slyly.
“Yeah, I'd have to agree with her. Your face is so red right now. Do you like him?” asked Twilight.
“Ah, w-, oh, ah, ah, not really.” stammered Inn.
They giggle. “Oh, I think that's a yes,” said Rarity.
“What?” Inn's face grew redder.
They continued like this for a few more hours. Talking about Inn's possible love interests, and moving on to fashion for getting stallions, and then books on how to get stallions.
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The next day, Inn gets a visit from Twilight. She looked happy, and in a hurry.
“She's coming!”
“What? Wh-Who?” asked Inn.
“Princess Celestia! I told her today that you were back. She is coming in a few minutes. Come to my library now!”
No question. They were out the door, and down the street.
=============
They were at the library just as a white chariot touched down. The excitement was almost too much for Inn.
“Is this Inn?” asked the tall skinny Princess Celestia.
“Yes.” said Inn and Twilight. Spike, who waited outside, said “Maybe.”
“She's the one I told you about princess.”
“Well let's go to the castle and talk, shall we?”
“Yes!” said an excited Inn.
They all piled into the chariot, and flew off.
=============
It was a long silent fly to the castle. A long silent walk to the conference chamber. A long silent pause that seemed as if it would never be broken even after they were all sitting in preparation.
“So, I here you can use magic.” said the princess.
“Y-yes your hi-highness.” answered Inn, a little scared to admit it to her.
“This is quite odd. Is this how you look normally?”
“Yes,” nodded Inn.
“Do you mind showing me what you can do?” Twilight gave a look like the princess was not acting like herself.
“Sorry, I-I-I can't now. I don't mind. I'm just t-to tired.” Inn look down in shame. It seemed that the princess was interested in Inn's ability to shape-shift, and she couldn't do it.
“Why not?”
Twilight could not take the brash questioning anymore. “Stop princes! The reason-”
“Twilight Sparkle, I think that Inn can answer for herself. Don't you?”
“Yes ma'am.”
“I... I used my p-powers too long. It t-took a few weeks f-f-for me to even w-wa-walk after that. I think it's been o-over a month s-sense I used my a-ability too much, m-ma'am. S-s-sorry.” Inn shifted her gaze slowly to and away from the towering princess.
“So, can you answer me why you would just kill a dragon?” the tone in the regale princess was getting more intimidating.
“Ah, ah... ah,” she was curling up as she backed away, practically just scooting herself along the floor, “first time... home... second... to save three fillies.” Inn was now crying in fear.
The princess was confused by the 'home' part, while Twilight was confused about three fillies part. Seeing that Inn could not take any more, the princess redirects her questions. “What does she mean the first time was for her home?”
“She lives in a hut. It's made out of monster parts.” Twilight seemed to be a little afraid of her teacher too.
“Do you what fillies she is talking about?”
Twilight thought for several seconds. She looked at the quivering Inn, and it came to her. “Yes, the Cutie Mark Crusaders. I heard that they found a dragon, but did not hear that it died. I guess she killed it to save them.”
“So, why is her hut made out of monster parts? Where is it?”
“I don't know why she made a ‘monster parts’ home, really. She use to live in the Everfree Forest. She travels back and forth between the hut and her new inn a in Ponyville.”
“Why does Inn live in the Everfree Forest?”
“Wh-”
“I-I... I... ah... c-... c-... can a-... asn-... answer... this. G-... give... me... s-... some-... sometime,” sobbed Inn.
“Okay,” answered the princess, calming down a bit.
“Ah, well, it has something to do with why she can't use her shape-shifting ability right now.”
It took some time for Inn to get back to her self, and stop shaking and crying, now standing firm as she talked. “I-I was banished from my home town for using my ability to show dead ponies to two bullies for a few years. I knew the Everfree Forest well, and had a hard time trusting new ponies, so I just stayed in the forest.
“The closest thing to a friend I had for a few years was a odd pony that gave me an assignment to look for ponies and tell him what I saw. That was it, if I saw a pony walking, he liked to hear about it. Just knowing of other ponies is all he seems to want.
“Eventually I found Twilight and her friends, with the exception of that pink blabbering bouncing ball of pure sugar. One of them knows about as much of me as Twilight does, but not all of my history; that would be Fluttershy by the way.
“I told the Cutie Mark Crusaders that I have hunted monsters on my own, and when they were saying that they wanted to do that too, I told them not to, but they still did. That second dragon I gave a choice to live or die. She choose death. I got gems. Cutie Mark Crusaders got to live.” Inn rambled, trying to stop her stuttering as much as she could.
Inn went back down, and said, “H-have I-I-I left anything you w-wanted out?”
Silence.
The princess was stunned. She got more than she bargained for. She didn’t inspect an entire life story told in ten seconds. This pony may have insane reactions and ideas, but she also seemed nice and redeemable. “Guards!” she called out.
Inn's reflexes kicked in. This did not sound good. She had to act fast. Faster than she noticed the reaction fast. The ground moved away from her. The princess backed away, and looked in aw, amazement, and shock, and fear. Just as Inn could tell that all this had happened, her vision got blurry, then dark.