//------------------------------// // The Poor Results of Confrontation // Story: Happy Adventuring, Twilight! // by Pennington Inkwell //------------------------------// "Snips! Snails! Faster!" Trixie called out from her chariot, ignoring the fact that the lack of wheels made their progress painstakingly slow. She didn't know why, but the wheels that the transportation had been created with seemed as if they were ready to shatter at any moment, and she wouldn't trust anything she didn't find fitting for one as splendorous as herself. She was out for a ride along the edge of the glass barrier, observing her domain and making certain that nopony was trying to break in or out. She knew that Snips and Snails' muttered conversation was about her, and a quick crack of the whip cut their murmuring short. I won't tolerate opposition, not from either of them! I'm powerful enough to defeat any foe, but my efforts would be wasted on simple dissenters! She thought to herself. Even as she was thinking, she didn't notice the silver glint coming into sight from inside of the dark clouds hanging above Ponyville. Without warning, a metallic-colored blur flew down from the sky, appearing for only a moment as it passed only a few feet from her face, slicing the wooden restraints holding Snips and Snails to the chariot. Both colts fell on their faces with their newly found freedom as the entity soared back up towards the clouds. In the last few moments, Trixie could begin to make out the shape of a dark-colored pegasus, his wings seemingly colored a bright silver. "You DARE attack the Great and Powerful Trixie?" She shouted, lashing out at the clouds with a destructive bolt from her horn. The lightning rolled up through the clouds, exposing a brief silhouette in the flashing lights. It was definitely a pegasus, one with enlarged wings, moving at a high speed. Even as she was taking aim for another shot, however, the entire world seemed to tilt and jump up from underneath her as the chariot was overturned. She let out an indignant cry as she struck the ground, jumping back up to her hooves just in time to see a hooded earth pony disappearing for cover behind a large tree. "Over there, Trixie!" Snails pointed at the tree, obviously excited that his dull mind had caught on to what was happening. "Obviously!" Trixie rolled her eyes as she quickly regained her composure, sending another blast towards the tree. There was a small explosion of bark and splinters of wood, and the entire upper half of the trunk was thrown into the air. In the blast, however, a dark-purple streak appeared as the masked pony escaped into the air, flying at a speed even faster than the initial attack. This one seemed directly focused on her, cruising towards her like a missile. Trixie was barely able to react quickly enough to throw up a shield around herself, causing the masked mare to go careening off-course to avoid hitting the wall. As she watched the pony flipping and turning through the air, trying to regain control at the high speed, she grinned smugly and dropped the shield, readying another magical attack. This one would send her opponent sailing even further out of control, "You just made a big mistake..." Trixie whispered, unleashing the spell. The magic took the form of another concussive blast, rocketing towards the caped crusader. The attack landed its mark with fearful accuracy, sending the pegasus hurtling towards Ponyville, seemingly unconscious. The silver-winged pegasus appeared from the clouds again, taking off after her, obviously in some kind of vain rescue attempt. "NO!" A female cry easily drew Trixie's attention, coming from almost directly behind her. Turning around, Trixie was greeted with a powerful kick to the chest, knocking the wind from her lungs and sending her flying backward through the air. Catching herself in mid-air, Trixie took a moment to catch her breath as she glared down at the earth pony. It was clearly the pony who had managed to overturn her chariot, and had somehow escaped the initial blast while the second pegasus had taken her place. "Two of you? Then your fate is going to be doubly painful!" She snickered, preparing a spell that she had been eager to use: a fire spell capable of leaving a pony burned without inflicting lethal damage, just enough to inflict agonizing pain without killing them, allowing the torment to continue. She grinned as she used her magic to pin the pony to the ground, forcing her to stay in place. Slowly and delicately, she allowed herself to return to the ground as well. She could feel the heat of flames building up around her horn, and she could only imagine the expression of the pony behind the mask. It'll be gone soon, anyway. I'm going to burn away that costume first, then the pony underneath! With a final tooth-exposing, gleeful smile, Trixie unleashed the spell, sending a stream of fire raining down. In what seemed to be becoming a trend, Trixie's fun was once again interrupted. The instigator of the attack seemed to appear out of nowhere, spreading out his large wing like a shield and taking the blow for both of them. Trixie blinked in surprise, trying to understand what was happening. While they weren't extremely delicate, the fire should have burned the feathers off of any pegasus, but it seemed to be having no effect on this stranger. As she finally allowed the spell to fade, the flames died, allowing her to see him clearly for the first time. As her jaw fell in shock, Trixie realized that the silver coloring was no flawed pigmentation or trick of the light: the pony's wings were actually constructed from metal! She could feel the heat radiating off of them as he slowly allowed the wing to fold inwards to his side, just as it would have had it been his own. By some trick, the other masked heroine was gone, leaving only the two of them. The black stallion's dark helmet stopped her from seeing his face, and if his flank had ever been graced with a cutie mark, it had somehow disappeared. "You're not getting away with this, Trixie..." He growled, his voice low and threatening. "We'll fight." Trixie's eyes narrowed as she stared into the reflective lenses at the front of the helmet, greeted only by her own beautiful reflection. After a beat of silence, he took off again, seemingly seeking refuge in the clouds once more. This time, however, Trixie was ready, striking out with her rage. The thunderbolt from her horn moved faster than he could fly, curving around and looping around. Confused, he drew up short, stopping in his tracks, just as Trixie had known he would. Feeding the spell more energy seemed to be only a miniscule amount of effort with the amulet boosting her abilities, and she guided the bolt in circles around the confused vigilante, creating a ring of electrical energy around him. He tried to fly downwards, but a rogue arc of energy below stopped him, as did one above. With a gleeful giggle, Trixie launched another bolt, this one taking the vertical axis around the pony, blocking his escape. "No simple pegasus is stronger than Trixie! It doesn't matter what your wings are made of!" She cackled, gleefully launching bolt after bolt, tightening his cage. When one of his wings brushed up against the lightning, he was given a painful shock that nearly knocked him out of the sky, sending him reeling backwards into the other side. Screaming in pain, the effect became compounded as he was thrown back and forth with the shock, each time bouncing off of the walls of his cage. Trixie smiled, enjoying the sight as she slowly brought the bolts even closer, feeding them new energy as theirs was spent on his torture. "Um, Trixie?" "Not now, Snips! I'm enjoying myself." "Trixie! I think you should look at-" "Snails, I'm warning you... It can wait." She growled, barely keeping her temper in check with the satisfaction of her enemy falling. "But Trixie!" "What? What could possibly be so important that you have to-" Trixie was silenced with shock as she finally looked away from the beautiful sight. Snips and Snails happened to be pointing in the direction of Ponyville, and as her gaze followed their hooves, she suddenly found her good mood extinguished by the unmistakable scent of ocean water. By some miracle, a tidal wave was washing towards them, moving out from the town. "It's- It's- RUN!" Snips and Snails both took off, running as quickly as they could, while Trixie formed another barrier around herself. The flood hit the shield with massive force, and Trixie could hardly imagine where exactly Snips or Snails were going to eventually be washed ashore. As she watched the water rushing by, Trixie looked up, trying to make out the mysterious avenger from beneath the waves. Unfortunately, what had been done was done, and her concentration had been broken. He had gotten away, but not without taking an obscene number of blows and shocks from her spell. As the impromptu flood dispersed, she let the barrier down again, exposing herself to the ocean air. Glancing around for the source, she shook her head. There was no way that she could claim a victory if the pony had escaped either with his life or without begging her for mercy, but she doubted that he would claim his and his companions' injuries as a success, either. "Well then, you silver-winged menace... Bring it on! I'll destroy you!" She shouted up at the sky, unsure if he was still there. "If you dare show your face again, Trixie will show no mercy!" "She said that?" Pennington chuckled weakly as Moonstone recounted what had happened. "I kind of like the sound of 'Silver Wing!' It sounds heroic!" After Trixie had broken her concentration, Pennington had fallen out of the sky and been swept up in the flood that Moonstone had created with the Tidal Wand. With a bit of clever maneuvering, Moonstone had managed to wash his body into the branches of the upper part of the felled tree to avoid discovery, and she and Applejack (who had emerged with only some small injuries from the tree's initial explosion during her tradeoff with Rainbow Dash) had returned later that night to retrieve him. "Oh, no! After all of this is over, you're putting your vigilante days behind you!" Moonstone shook her head as she began looping yet another bandage around his back legs, taking care to avoid his tail, which had been burned in several places. His wings had absorbed most the the initial blows from the lightning, protecting most of his body, and the helmet had thankfully been designed to resist shocks. His legs and tail, however, along with the area between the wings on his back, had been left to the mercy of the lightning, leaving him burned in almost a dozen different places. This, combined with his changeling wounds opening again, had left him barely able to get home with their help. Applejack had carried the majority of his substantial weight upstairs, in spite of her own residual shock at her near-barbeque-experience with Trixie. "I'm not going to make it a habit to be constantly wrapping you up again!" Applejack had been strangely silent, only speaking to ask Moonstone and Pennington where she could help apply the bandages. Pennington had questioned this at first, but after the two had exchanged a few glances, neither had spoken a word more to the other than was necessary. Finally, however, as they neared the end of their work, Applejack broke the unspoken agreement. "Ah wanna thank you, Penn..." She muttered quietly, not looking up from the leg that she was bandaging. Eventually, it had reached the point where it was easier if Pennington laid down on his couch while she and Moonstone tended to his wounds. "It wasn't anything more than what needed to be done, AJ. I had the ability, so I used it-" "Oh, would you just shut up with that load of bull and let me thank you?" Applejack looked as if she were about to become angry with him, but her indignant frustration quickly gave way to a more humble, soft tone. "When Trixie had me in her sights and ah couldn't move, I realized that I might not make it outta that fight alive, or if I did, I'd be burned up and scarred to the point where ah wouldn't be able to work any more... I started wondering what would happen to Apple Bloom and the rest of mah family. I was scared, not just for me, but for them!" She finally met his eyes, and she was beginning to cry. "Ah really thought that she was about to bring my whole world crashing down around me, and things would just never be the same! And then you jumped in the way!" Her eyes narrowed as he continued acting as if the entire thing were not a big deal. "And quit rolling your eyes! I don't pretend to know how those things are hooked into your body, but I could see that they were getting hot, and you weren't getting out of it without some pain! Your face said it all!" She took a moment to calm down again. "Thank you, Pennington. You did more for your family than you could understand, no matter how much you may not like us." She smiled and took off her hat, nodding her head to him in gratitude. "AJ, it's not the Apple family I hate! It's just that I never felt like I was a part of it!" Pennington chuckled as Applejack's expression turned to one of shock. "I mean, come on! I'm a blue unicorn with a talent that isn't remotely related to agriculture! I've never fit in with your family! You're the one who always made it a confrontation!" He chuckled again before beginning to cough loudly. After the fit slowed down and he'd taken a long drink from the cup of lemonade Moonstone had fetched from his fridge, he spoke again. "Cousin, just because I don't always agree with the Apple family or act the same way doesn't mean I hate you all! Just you." He winked with the statement, obviously joking. "Look, if you're really grateful, just try to remember that 'I don't care' doesn't mean I don't care!" After a moment's thought, he gave a sheepish grin. "And, if you could make the trip, a little applesauce might be nice... " Applejack smiled and returned her hat to the top of her head. "Now that, I think I can do! I'll be back later to check up on you, and I can bring some of Granny's special recipe." She looked over at Moonstone, growing more serious. "Is there anything else I can do?" "Well, without being able to go to the hospital," she rapped her claws against Pennington's wing, "there isn't much more that we can do to patch him up. His body is just recovering from the shock of what happened. Trixie had him bouncing around like a pinball in there!" Moonstone shook her head. "He's going to need to rest-" "Impossible." "What?" Moonstone glared at Pennington, but he returned with a tired stare. "My time with these wings is limited..." He shook his head. "You see, there's one thing that I didn't tell you, because I knew that you wouldn't like it!" "Penn... What are you talking about?" Applejack asked, nervously glancing at the dragon, who looked almost ready to kill the author. "Well, the wings burn a lot of calories and nutrients... Stuff like that, you know?" He looked down at his own stomach, which growled loudly in reply. "It burns through your body's reserves pretty quickly..." "Pennington..." "And, well, after 48 hours, a pony starts slipping down the slope of malnourishment, no matter how much they can eat... After 72... well..." Pennington trailed off, trying not to look at Moonstone, who was practically staring daggers into him. "And when were you planning on telling us this?" Moonstone hissed, walking in front of his face to give the full effect of her anger. "Probably at around 48..." Pennington whispered, looking genuinely frightened of the lavender flames coming out of the young dragon's nostrils. "But that's why we can't take any more time than necessary to recuperate! I'll go it alone next time, I wouldn't want any more ponies hurt, but-" "You IDIOT!" Moonstone screamed, slapping him across the cheek with all of her strength, leaving a large red spot. "It's no wonder Luna told me to keep an eye on you! You're suicidal!" Her anger only seemed to build, with her screaming again in frustration. She took a deep breath, getting the now-white flames poking out of the corners of her mouth under control. Turning her back on him, she slapped him once again, this time with her tail. "Moonstone, sugarcube, I think you need to calm down..." Applejack whispered. "Really, AJ? What makes you say that?" Her forked tongue slipped out from between her teeth with her seething sarcasm. "Well, for one thing, you just knocked Penn the rest of the way to unconsciousness..." She pointed over Moonstone's shoulder, to where Pennington had finally passed out. "And isn't he the only one who knows how to get those things off?" Moonstone glanced over her shoulder, still pouting. "Not even a week into my job, and he's already risking his life... I'm supposed to be making sure that doesn't happen! I don't want to let Luna down!" "Yeah, but trust me, you're not helping by beating the cud outta him!" Applejack laughed. "That's my job... Come on, let's focus on getting him awake so that we can get those things off of him." Suddenly, from seemingly nowhere, a loud knocking came at the front door, strong enough to even be heard from upstairs. The dragon and the pony both ran to the window, peering outside. Trixie was standing outside the door, obviously taking offense at the fact that the door had been locked since her last visit. Looking back at Pennington's Applejack's eyes widened with fear. "She can't come in and see him like this!" She shook her head. "But a pony like her doesn't exactly walk away from what she wants!" Moonstone looked back at Pennington, then out the window again. Narrowing her eyes, she began marching towards the door to the stairway. "You know what, AJ? I'll take care of this..." Opening the front door, Moonstone was met by a frustrated-looking Trixie. Moonstone felt her already-short temper flare again as the pony looked down her nose at her. "And who, exactly, are you?" She asked, looking down at Moonstone. "I'm here to see Pennington!" "I'm Penn's new assistant, Moonstone." She put very little effort into hiding her disdain for the pony in her tone, her forked tongue slipping out with a few of the consonants.. Rather than becoming angry, however, Trixie gave her a smug, condescending smile. "Oh, isn't that just adorable! I guess that you were my substitute, weren't you? Let me guess: Pennington just couldn't find another pony who could replace me, so he just hired a cute little dragon!" Moonstone watched at the small curl at the end of Trixie's hair waved back and forth in her face. "Actually, after having you for an assistant, Pennington never wanted to have another one for the rest of his life! I was just assigned by Princess Luna, so he didn't have a choice." Rolling her eyes, Moonstone disintegrated the hair waving in front of her eyes with a short sigh. Trixie jumped backwards as the end of her hair was lit on fire, then growled as a quick spell returned it to its previous state. Her deceptively cheerful demeanor was gone as she returned her glare to Moonstone. "Look, kid, I'm just here to see Pennington! So, if you wouldn't mind getting out of the way-" "He's busy." She rolled her eyes yet again, ignoring Trixie's indignant reaction. "He spent all night working on that stupid biography of yours, and now he's passed out! If you want to see him, you're going to have to wait until he wakes up again." Moonstone crossed her arms over her chest, standing adamantly in the doorway. "And what if I don't want to wait?" Trixie asked, her eyes momentarily glowing red. Moonstone looked back over her shoulder into the shop, casually allowing her claw to raise up and gently tap the amulet. "Well, you'd have to go through me, and while Pennington may have forgiven you for abandoning him, he'd be impossible to console if anything were to happen to me!" As Trixie gave her a skeptical stare, she placed a gentle claw on the crystal in the center of the amulet. "Well, I'm going to see if Penn has any gems or crystals lying around... I'm feeling pretty hungry." With a smug grin at Trixie's renewed shock, she walked back inside, shutting the door with a gentle flick of her tail. As she walked back upstairs, she spotted Applejack, biting at her hoof to stop herself from bursting into uproarious laughter. "No guarantees that she'll stay gone for long..." Moonstone finally allowed herself to start giggling as the tension of the past moment finally began to fade. She had been bluffing completely throughout the entire conversation, and had expected Trixie to immediately call her bluff, forcing her way past and discovering Pennington's secret. Looking out the window again, Applejack finally allowed herself to laugh wholeheartedly. Moonstone's laughter increased, as well, until the two of them were caught in a complete and total fit of uncontrollable laughter. "It's about time that someone gave Trixie a good tongue-lashing!" Applejack wiped a tear from her eye as the laughter finally faded. "I saw the whole thing from up here! The look on her face was priceless! If only Penn could have seen that! I mean, seriously, he's lucky to have you as his assistant!" He finally sat up again, looking over at the couch. "You hear that, Penn? You're LUCKY to have Moonstone around!" The two were met once again with silence. Applejack straightened her hat, rising back to her hooves. "Man, Penn really IS bushed if he can sleep through all of-" As she came back to the front of the couch, she froze in her tracks. "Um, Moonstone? Y'all didn't happen to see Pennington leaving, did you?" Moonstone's good mood immediately disappeared as Applejack leaned down, picking up a scroll from the cushions. "You've got to be kidding me..." She muttered as she flew across the room, landing on top of the couch's back. "I only wish I was, sugarcube... And I get the feeling that Penn does, too!" Her eyes widened as her eyes scanned the page. "Look for yourself..." Moonstone grabbed the note from her hooves, quickly opening it to its full length. Foolish foals! Did you really think that you could aid this renegade without Trixie's knowledge? I see everything! Out of all ponies, I never would have expected Pennington to be the one to betray me, but his rebellion will be crushed without any form of mercy! From now on, obedience and subjection are to be mandatory and compulsory, and there will be zero tolerance for dissent! Your punishments will come in due time, once I'm done with HIM. And as for you, you little pipsqueak of a hatchling... If you ever have the audacity to touch my amulet again, I'll assure you a one-way trip to the deepest depths of Tartarus. I'll see you both soon. -The Great and Powerful Trixie The two stood for a moment, staring at the letter in horror and shock. "Did you see her watching us?" Moonstone whispered. "No, did you?" "No!" She shook her head violently from side to side. "But either way, it looks like we're in some deep trouble..." "Yeah, but Penn's in it even worse than we are!" Applejack walked back to the window, looking out into the town as if she could see where Trixie had whisked Pennington away to. "I just hope that he gets outta it okay!"