//------------------------------// // The End and Starting Over // Story: Pennington's Trix // by Pennington Inkwell //------------------------------// The morning was silent as Trixie's eyes flickered open. She slowly climbed out of bed, feeling more tired than usual. She had stayed up late the night before, trying to get Pennington to let her into his study. She knew the password by heart, now, but she had learned long ago to still only come in with permission, and he had refused to give her that permission the night before. He had insisted that he was only a few nights away from finishing the book, and that he needed to work alone, without distraction. With a long yawn, Trixie trotted down the stairs, approaching the study door. To her surprise, the door was open, just a crack, just enough to stop the locks from engaging. With a smile, she slowly poked her head into the study, peeking at Pennington. "Morning, Penny!" she chimed. To Trixie's surprise, Pennington wasn't in his normal position: asleep slumped over the desk or leaning back in his chair. Instead, the chair was empty, and there was no sign of the blue pony. She looked around, but Pennington wasn't in the room. There were an array of papers scattered across his desk, however, and everything looked as if he had left in the middle of his work. At this point, Trixie realized a rare opportunity. She had never read this book that Pennington was writing, he had never let her. Looking from side to side, she smiled and walked behind the desk, her curiosity running rampant. She looked around, trying to figure out the meaning of the mess of papers. Some were maps of Saddle Arabia, with paths drawn out and large areas circled in red marker. A group of arrows enthusiastically pointed to a place on the northern border of the country, and a note scribbles above it spoke "It's here!" She shook her head in confusion, moving on to some hoof-scrawled notes. Day 5 I'm really missing Trixie. I know that I've said it before, but it's still true. But I don't know if there's any kind of risk with this excavation, so I didn't want her to come. Not to mention, if she knew that her boyfriend was Scorching Quill, there's no telling what she would do! I'll tell her once I've published this as a novel. "Scorching Quill? Pennington is Scorching Quill?" Trixie's jaw dropped as the secret sunk in. The Daring Do memorabilia, the secrecy about his manuscripts, and the long trips to his "publisher" were all beginning to make sense, now. She pulled a copy of one of the Daring Do books from the shelf, turning to the author's biography in the back. Scorching Quill, though elusive to his fans, is no stranger to the dangerous expeditions of Daring Do! Some of his notable adventures include climbing Mount Neverrest, going deep-sea diving in the Mareiana trench, and spearheading several expeditions into the Everfree forest, including the group responsible for discovering a changeling outpost that had been used to smuggle their operatives into Equestria. Despite all of his achievements, however, Scorching can rarely be found until only HE chooses to appear to the press, and refuses to give an address for his fan mail. When asked why, he replied, "I want my fans to show their love by pushing themselves to greater heights, not sitting around and writing letters. They need to push the envelope, not seal it and send it away." While the personal life of this author may be a mystery, his actions speak for themselves. Scorching Quill is nothing less than the flesh-and-blood manifestation of Daring Do, the adventurer extraordinaire. As for his fans, he gives two words of advice. "Happy adventuring!" Finally, she looked up at the picture, a smug photograph of a red-coated pony. As she stared at the grinning face, her imagination replaced the red with blue. She recognized it after a few more seconds, and she nearly dropped it out of shock. Pennington was secretly the most famous author in Equestria. There was no denying it. With the shock driving her to action, she tossed the book aside and went back to his journal entry from what was obviously his most recent adventure. We think that we've found the Alicorn Amulet. This temple certainly is trapped well enough to hold something that powerful. If the legends are true, a unicorn wearing this thing would be the most powerful in all of Equestria... I've nearly died three times for this thing. The builders certainly loved their projectiles. But I'm not going to die. No way. I just pray that this isn't one of the ones I have to leave behind... Day 6 Still miss Trixie. She might be able to pull me out of this slump. I managed to reach the center of the temple today, or at least as close as I could come to it. The final way of stopping intruders is that the entire room is enclosed in gigantic stone slabs. Bringing in tools is impossible because of the traps, and I can't use any of my magic to break through them. I don't know how we'll get it... Day 7 We've almost done it. I can feel the power coming from the room, and I've brought in a few hoof-held tools in my saddlebag to try and break through the rock. That, combined with a series of magical blasts has proven to be somewhat effective. I haven't left the temple in almost 24 hours, I think... I can only guess that it's day 7. I can feel the amulet drawing me in, and for now, I'm using it to give me motivation to keep digging. It's messing with my head, even through the rock, but I'll let it, for now. Day ??? I did it. I broke a small hole. I can see the amulet in the center of the room. It glows on its own, giving off a little red light. I have to have it. I'm trying to grab it with a levitation spell. I have to have it. I already said that, didn't I? The "I have to have it" bit... I know that it's getting a stronger hold on my mind. I'll let it in just a little longer... until I have it in my hooves. I'm so tired from chiseling away the magical obsession is all that keeps me going. But if I sleep, I worry about what will happen while my guard is down. As long as I know it's affecting me, I can keep it from totally taking control. Trixie shook her head, trying to picture the normally calm Pennington, whom she had only seen living a quiet life in his study, sitting in the center of an ancient temple, battling the supernatural forces around him. She shook her head. Day 25 I'm home, now. Sorry for not writing, but everything has been insane, lately... I got it, but I blacked out after it was in my hooves. I think that the amulet wanted to be out of there just as much as I did, though. I woke up back in the camp, with the thing around my neck. All of the locals that we had enlisted to help us were panicking, saying that my eyes had been glowing an evil red when I walked out, but I don't remember leaving the temple... They said that after I came out, I passed out, and that they couldn't get it off. I undid the clasp with ease, though it took me a long time to do so... It just felt GOOD. It was so powerful, I could do anything that I wanted, destroyed anyONE I wanted. The legends were all true, and the power was nearly enough to overwhelm my faculty of thought. Taking it off felt like giving up everything I had, everything I worked for... But it was good to come home. Trixie was really happy to see me. I wish I could have told her the truth. Just a few more days, right after I send this away to be published. Maybe I can use the amulet. Just to cast a spell that will help me go unnoticed if my secret gets out... Day 26 (Night) I have to get rid of it. I'm leaving tonight to put it back in the temple. The last spell that this amulet is going to cast is to seal itself in the prison I freed it from! I'll leave a note telling Trixie that I left for an emergency in Canterlot. This thing needs to stay hidden. "Penning- Scorching, why would you throw that kind of power away?" She asked quietly, her brow furrowing in frustration. "Don't you know what you could do with something like that? What Trixie could do?" Immediately, she began looking around, gathering up as many notes and papers as she could. She could practically hear the amulet calling her name, calling her to be great and powerful once more. "I'll have to stop him.... And if I can't, I'll have to get it, myself!" She paused when she came to a large stack of papers, glancing over them in a matter of seconds. They looked like an excerpt from a Daring Do novel, detailing a wide array of traps in an ancient temple, and how Daring found her way through them in her usual fashion. It didn't take a genius to realize that these were the traps that Pennington had been talking about in his journal. If Trixie needs to retrieve the amulet on her own, then she will need this... She gathered up the manuscript, tied the loose pages with a ribbon, then stuffed it into a saddlebag that she found in the corner, along with the maps and Pennington's journal. If this temple really was so dangerous, she would need every piece of information she could find in order to survive. She hated to emulate that wretched Twilight Sparkle, but she was going to need to study. She hesitated at the locked drawer in the bottom right of his desk. That was where Pennington kept his emergency bits, in case something came up suddenly that he needed to pay for, and she was the only other one who could unlock it. If she couldn't catch up to him, she was going to need cash to get all of the way to Saddle Arabia. I'm going to come back, and with the amulet! I can pay him back... I'm just going to borrow it. If I can find him along the way back to Saddle Arabia, I shouldn't even need it. She nodded confidently to herself as she thought out the combination to the magical lock. Strategic, sophomoric, superfluous... "Scorching seems to have a thing for alliteration..." She muttered as the drawer slid open, revealing a large sack of bits. Trixie frowned uncomfortably as the reassuring weight fell into her saddlebag. She felt like this was wrong, but her reasoning overruled the uncomfortable feeling, and it was quickly washed away as she left the room, fully prepared for an adventure of her own. She had pondered bringing the sword that Pennington kept mounted on the wall, but to use such a primal weapon was below a unicorn of her caliber. She could feel her old self-assurance and bravado returning as she hurried back down the hallway and out into the front area, where she had spent her days as a simple greeter and secretary for the author, smirking at the fact that she would never need to stoop to such lows again. To her surprise, Bon Bon was standing in the lobby, looking as if she had been waiting for some time. "Trixie! Have you seen Pennington? I accidentally made too many of those cream-filled caramels he likes, and- Trixie?" She seemed confused as Trixie simply walked by. "Pennington's not here right now, and the shop is closed... You can leave the candy in the refrigerator, if you like." She grinned at the pony as she pushed open the front door, already too caught up in imagining what she would be able to do with the amulet. "I'm afraid that 'The Great and Powerful Trixie' is going on an adventure of her own... Make sure you lock up when you leave!" Using her magic, she tossed a key from her saddlebag into Bon Bon's, and turned back away. "No longer will Trixie have to rely on the charity of another!" She declared as she stepped out of the door, holding her head high and letting her mane float in the breeze. "I am going to stop Pennington or find that amulet, myself! Now then, I'm going to have to catch the first express train to Saddle Arabia to catch up..." Pennington took a long and deep breath as he stepped off the train and back into Ponyville. It had been a long and strenuous day, and he was glad to be getting back home. It was already after nightfall when the last train from Canterlot had pulled into Ponyville, and most of the residents had gone to bed. It was a beautiful night, though, the kind that Pennington didn't mind walking alone on. As he reached Inkwell Commissions, he could already hear his bed calling his name, and he almost passed his mailbox without checking for any new developments, but he was expecting an important letter. His heart skipped a beat as he saw a sealed scroll waiting for him, bearing a familiar mark of a crescent moon. Not waiting in his excitement, Pennington broke the wax seal and unrolled the letter, his eyes quickly scanning the page for the word that was the most important to him. ...ACCEPTED... Pennington Inkwell, This letter has been sent to express my personal congratulations to you for you acceptance into the Royal Night Guard. Your application was exemplary, and your performance in the combat examination even more so! You displayed an intrinsic resourcefulness and quick-thinking mentality that qualified you above and beyond those others who applied. Your psychological evaluation reflected that you could be "reckless and intuitively act independent of orders..." Pennington cringed and skipped ahead, remembering that he had allowed the psychiatric evaluator to realize that he had a rebellious streak. These so-called "shortcomings," are, however, more than countered by your recommendation from the New Lunar Republic, an organization for whom we in the Royal Canterlot Guard have the utmost respect, and the letter written by your combat instructor, Quick Strike, stated that your hoof-to-hoof skills, weapon combat, and magical ability are all above that of the average guard, and recommended your immediate placement within consideration for Princess Luna's personal guard. Pennington's heart skipped a beat. After the mandatory three months of service on the main guarding service, due to your expressed interest on your initial application, we would be willing to accept a renewed application and examination. If you are willing to accept the position as a Royal Night Guard please report to the Canterlot New Lunar Republic outpost for nighttime conditioning. Thank you for your application, and I look forward to seeing you soon! -Princess Luna Pennington chuckled, then laughed, then chortled upwards in his glee, staring up at the moon with a knowing grin. He'd been working long and hard for this, and it had finally paid off. A steady job... A normal paycheck. Trixie's been more than patient with me, locking myself in my study all day and night. With this, I can finally put aside writing and make it more of a hobby and less of a job. I'll have regular hours, and more time for us to spend together. Everything won't rely on me finishing the next novel as soon as possible. We can close up the commissions shop and move to Canterlot, maybe even get a real home, not one that's split by my business! Pennington chuckled to himself again, the initial ecstasy wearing off and giving way to something more settled: satisfaction. After all of this time, she's not going to have to worry about having to help run a business, and neither will I. I'll spend my nights protecting Luna, and my days with Trixie... She'll have a real home, not a place borrowed or a temporary stop. Pennington felt the smile plastered on his face refusing to go away as he placed his key in the lock of his front door. "You know, this letter would have just sat in the mailbox for days if I had tried to get all of the way to Saddle Arabia... I'm glad that I thought of something else... And the Museum of Magical History seemed happy to take the amulet off of my hooves!" He closed his eyes and took a deep breath of the familiar scents of paper and noodles that filled his home, reveling in the familiarity and the sense that everything was going well. As he opened his eyes again, something on his front desk caught his attention. A piece of paper, obviously with a note scrawled on it, had been left on the counter top, along with a small key that Pennington recognized as the one that fit his own house. Curious, he picked the note up with his magic and began to read. Hi, Penn, Sorry to have missed you. I came by earlier with some caramels for you, but Trixie said that you were gone and the shop was closed. Pennington balked at the statement. Even when he was gone, Trixie knew what needed to be done and how to do it. She wasn't supposed to close the shop before normal hours were over. Anyway, I left the candies in the fridge. But, I just wanted to let you know that Trixie was hardly accommodating. In fact, she was downright rude! Seemingly walking out on her duties, she had two full-looking saddlebags, and she simply tossed me your key and told me to lock up the shop! Pennington, I have respect for you, but you need to do something about that mare. She hasn't changed, and she's going to drive away your customers if she keeps acting like this! She talked down to me, just like she did to the entire town from the first day. Anyway, the sweets are there for you (provided that she didn't come back and eat them, herself), and I left the key here. Concernedly, Bon Bon Pennington let out a long sigh as he placed the letter down, again, his enthusiasm somewhat dampened by the complaint from his friend and fellow entrepreneur. This hadn't been the first time that he'd gotten such complaints about Trixie, but this had been the first time in months. He took a moment to think, then shook his head and began walking towards his study. He was too tired to deal with this. "We're going to have a talk tomorrow, about both the bad reviews and the good news..." He muttered as he walked through the kitchen, his eyelids already drooping. He sighed again as he saw that his study door was wide open, obviously showing that Trixie had forgotten it to shut it before she left. "Another thing to add to the list of problems we need to talk about..." He muttered as he stepped into the room. The moment that he entered, however, he was wide awake. Everything was gone. Somepony had touched his desk. "No, no, NO!" He muttered as he sprinted across the room, immediately trying to see what was present and what had been taken. His entire manuscript was gone, having been pulled out of its drawer for a near-final evaluation and binding to the last few pages that he needed to write. After that, he would have been ready to send it to his publisher for digital transcription and printing. All of his work, left in his inner sanctum, had vanished. Immediately, his heart racing in his chest, Pennington checked his other drawers, praying that a well-meaning pony had misplaced it. One by one, each drawer proved itself to be devoid of the missing book. Desperate, Pennington checked his emergency drawer, where he kept his backup funds in case he couldn't reach his other accounts. There was nothing in that most secure of drawers in his inner sanctum. Only empty, mocking space. ...she had two full-looking saddlebags... "No... No, no, no, no, that's not possible..." He shook his head, jumping back up above the top of his desk to examine what else was gone. His journals, his maps, all of his information on the Alicorn Amulet... all had been swept away with his manuscript and his money. "It's not... TRIXIE! Get down here! I need your help!" Pennington was beginning to truly panic, now. Without those materials, there would be no way that he could recreate the novel, plain and simple. It would be hopeless. As he looked out the door of the study, no longer sure what to expect, only silence greeted him. The darkness of the night seemed to be creeping in through the doorway, growing chillingly closer. After a few more seconds of silence, Pennington shook his head and took off running again, his heart pounding against his ribs as the worst of thoughts began to play across his mind. Somehow, running made the fear grow exponentially, as if something were chasing him. He scrambled up the stairwell and raced through the upstairs living room, bursting into Trixie's room in a frenzy that would have woken up even the soundest of sleepers. He was met by an empty, poorly-made bed, and a room devoid of Trixie's personal belongings. It was just as empty as the night that he had first invited her to take it as her own. Pennington felt something in his chest shatter. It may have been his sense of security, it may have been his hope... but something fragile within the stallion was smashed into tiny fragments. His mind simply stopped functioning as the reality of what was happening settled in on him. She's gone... and she took everything... His entire body seemed to go limp, standing only out of habit. He didn't know what to think, anymore. He simply stood there, trying to comprehend what had happened as real. After a few minutes, he finally turned around and walked back downstairs, dragging his hooves in his depression. He slowly made his way back to his violated study, shutting the door behind himself and listening to the locks re-engage. Somehow still able to act in spite of the complete and total shutdown of his conscious thought, he placed a few small logs in the fireplace and started a fire with his magic. It didn't take long for the fire to grow to maturity, and Pennington slowly sunk down, first to his knees, then to laying on his side, staring at the flames. He didn't sleep, simply staring, trying to fight what he knew was true, rejecting what was real. It was a losing battle. By morning, Pennington hadn't moved. He hadn't slept. He was staring at embers as the sun began to poke its way in through the skylight, thoughtlessly intruding on his solitude. The shock had worn off sometime around four in the morning, and he'd finally accepted his betrayal at about five. Trixie had used him. He had been kind to her, and she used that to her own advantage. There was nothing that he could do about it, now. She was gone. Just like that. Pennington almost didn't hear the knocking on his front door. He honestly considered not moving, especially after the sleepless night. Maybe I should leave the shop closed today... "Hello! Is anyone here?" Pennington could barely make out a small voice shouting at the shop. It was obviously a little colt. Fillies and colts rarely came to him, and the jobs that they asked him to do usually took less than five minutes. He was trying not to admit it to himself, but a small, short project might be what he needed to start moving again. Maybe just one more commission. Then, I'll go to Canterlot and stay at the NLR until I can start as a guard... Leave this behind. He thought as he finally rose to his shaking hooves. Still dragging his steps, Pennington walked to the front room. Waiting for him behind the glass-paned door was, indeed, a young white-and-brown coated pony, whose brown-splotched face lit up with relief upon seeing Pennington unlock and open the door. "Good morning, sir! My name is Pipsqueak! I don't suppose that you could help me, could you?" The foal seemed slightly concerned as he looked up at Pennington's state. "I need help with writing a poem for my mother... It's her birthday tomorrow, and I wanted to make her something really nice... But I'm no good at writing..." He looked down in shame for a moment, then back up at Pennington with pleading eyes. "Do you think that you can write one for me?" Pennington blinked in surprise, then somehow smiled in spite of his pain. This "Pipsqueak" kid seemed to earnestly care about getting something nice for his mother. He didn't trust himself to be able to complete the task, so he was coming for help, rather than simply trying on his own. Pennington remembered his own mother for a moment. A member of the Apple family, his mother had spent a lot of time away from home, checking on all of the family's farms and scouting out places for new ones. She would always put things on "hold" in order to be home for mother's day. Pennington and his father would always try to get something to make the traveling easier for her, like a pillow or better saddlebags. The year that he had discovered his special talent, Pennington had written a story about the first time that she had taken him traveling with her. She had loved it, and still kept it with her whenever she had to leave. "Sure thing, Pipsqueak... But I can't do it alone. Come on in, I'll need your help. Tell me about your mother..." Pennington smiled as he looked at what they had written together. From his perspective, it was simplistic, but perfect for a child Pipsqueak's age. Pennington knew that his mother would have loved it, anyway, but Pennington had guided Pip through the needed rhythm, rhyme, and slightly improved vocabulary needed to set it above what he could have done on his own. Aside from his guidance, though, the poem was completely Pipsqueak's. "So... That's it?" He asked, looking up for Pennington's affirmation. "We did it?" "I'd happily give that to my own mother, Pip! I think that she's going to love it!" Pennington grinned as he blew on the scroll to dry the ink. "It's definitely done." "Great!" Pipsqueak ran to the other side of the front lobby, where he had set his saddlebag, and pulled out a smaller bag. Coming back, he tossed it up onto the counter, where it landed with the familiar sound of coins rubbing against one another. "Is this enough for it?" Pennington was surprised, to say the least. This entire time, the child hadn't even mentioned money, he just said that he needed help. Curious, Pennington opened the bag. Inside were ten bits, along with some assorted change. Pipsqueak had taken everything that he had saved to pay for this. "It's free, pal. Just make sure to tell your mom that you wrote it yourself, okay?" He winked and levitated the bits back down to Pipsqueak. "I don't want any kind of credit for this, you did all of the real writing!" Pip looked down at the bits in his hoof, then back up to Pennington with a huge smile. "Thank you, Mister Pennington! Thank you SO much! My mum's going to LOVE it!" He tucked the poem away in his bag, then began to walk towards the door. After a few seconds, though, her turned around. "Do you think that I could come back, some time? I think I like writing!" "Come back any time, Pip... I'll be right here in Ponyville." Pennington smiled. as the foal nodded and walked out the door. Helping Pipsqueak had really pulled him back to his own days before his cutie mark had appeared, when he was just a foal trying to find his place in the world. Discovering his talent had helped him feel like he was in control of his life, able to choose what happened to him and make it all his own. It had make him feel safer, more secure in the fact that he had control as long as he had a quill to write with. But, over the time that Trixie had been staying with him, Pennington's focus had shifted. Writing had become a chore, something that he had to do and get out of the way to spend time with her. He had even been willing to give it up for her, and it hadn't meant anything in the end. At the end of the day, he was an author, and not just one who wrote for the masses. One who helped the everyday pony that couldn't find their own words. He was the perfect adapter, able to change his world and his perspective to help others make theirs better. That's why I'm still in a small shop in Ponyville, isn't it? Why I kept my nom de plume a secret... because I wanted to stay here and help ponies on a personal level... Not to make money or have any semblance of a "normal life." I just can't settle for that. I need something out of the ordinary! Extraordinary! Maybe I needed to see that again when Trixie left... I don't need anypony. I don't WANT anypony. I just need my quills, ink, and paper... His eyes narrowed as he glared out the door that the mare must have invariably walked out on his life through. He did his best to be angry, but the renewed pain was still too fresh, and he felt himself caving in to an unbearable loneliness and sadness. Tears began welling up in his eyes, and he slumped himself across his desk, burying his tears in the fur of his front legs. But she broke me. She broke my heart... and I never want to see her again. If Trixie Lulamoon ever comes back to Ponyville... She'll get no kindness from me. Scorching Quill's eagerly anticipated installment in the "Daring Do" series, "Daring Do and the Quest for the Alicorn Amulet" was never published, much to the dismay of fans all over Equestria. Scorching could not be contacted for comment, and when later questioned about it, claimed that his original manuscript had been lost in fire, and was "Impossible to rewrite at the quality my readers deserve." This aside, there have been rumors of an original manuscript being bought and sold in black markets, changing hooves from time to time. Scorching himself has denied allowing any such thing to happen, but rumors continue. The Alicorn Amulet was unveiled at the Museum of Magical History, but was lost, as well, after a break-in and robbery almost a year later. Any connections between the donating benefactor, Scorching, and the robbery have been discounted or disproved. Again, Scorching could not be contacted for comment. Scorching Quill's lost manuscript will forever remain a mystery, and his fans will always wonder what kind of pain Daring Do must have faced in order to retrieve it. -Article by Front Page, Canterlot Weekly News.