//------------------------------//
// Setting It Rolling 
// Story: Penn and Stone: Dynamic Duo 
// by Pennington Inkwell 
//------------------------------//

	"So, tell me again why we're not taking the Cliffjumper?" Moonstone asked, folding her arms over her chest as they made their way to the gate.

"Would you like your reasons in alphabetical order, or chronological?" Pennington shook his head. "Chrysalis is still on it, and being taken north, the opposite direction we need to go. The Cliffjumper is the only all-terrain ship in Equestria capable of carrying the population of an entire town, and it's needed elsewhere. Finally, I'm still furious with Sure Shot."

"So we're taking the HMS Surprise?"

"Well, the name sounds like it'll be a lot of fun! At least we've got that to look... forward... to." Pennington stopped as the Surprise came into sight. It had a large, rectangular chassis suspended on four wheeled "legs," each of which had three separate wheels in a triangular formation. It was large, but not nearly as large as the Cliffjumper, being only about twelve meters long and five wide. On the side was a large emblem: a pair of orange wings wrapping around a rising sun, composed of layers of orange, red, and white circles, all centered around a bright red spire pointing into the heavens.

"That... doesn't look like the New Lunar Republic..." Moonstone muttered.

"No, it isn't!" Princess Celestia's voice called out from behind them.

"HOLY-" Pennington jumped almost a foot into the air, reaching back and drawing his sword when he hit the ground. As he spun around, however, Princess Celestia was, just as it had seemed, directly behind them. Pennington stared at her, then at his sword, then chuckled nervously and slid it back into the sheathe on his back. "Heh, heh, heh... Sorry, Princess. You startled me."

Princess Celestia didn't seem to bat an eye at his weapon, but simply smiled. "Well, I'm certain you're nervous for your upcoming venture. It's nothing to worry about."

"I thought that Luna had made the arrangements for our travel..." Pennington turned back towards the ship as Celestia stepped forward and alongside them.

"Well, Luna made the arrangements by passing them on to me, I'm afraid. She wanted to accompany the Cliffjumper to the Crystal Empire, herself. She's going to go and talk to our niece about bringing some of our excess population there for protection from the weather. So, I called up one of the Solar Empire's most reliable captains! She says she'll be happy to bring you to the border."

"And a little beyond!"

Once again, Pennington nearly jumped out of his skin before spinning around to confront a voice that had spontaneously appeared behind them. 

In less than a moment, he found himself face-to-face with an unfamiliar mare. A quick glance revealed a cream-colored coat and lavender mane, accompanied by a pair of deep blue eyes and a smug grin. She was a pegasus, and a quick glance to her cutie mark revealed what looked to be a mountain peak.

"Eyes up front, sailor."

Pennington took a brief moment to realize what she meant, and his eyes immediately snapped up and away from her flank. "Just... checking your immediate qualifications."

"Mm-hmm." She raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "You like what you see?"

"A pilot with a cutie mark in mountaineering? Could be a lot worse. My best friend is a pilot with a skill in archery." Pennington quickly recovered from the opening faux pas with a brisk, businesslike tone.

After a moment of giving him an inspection of her own, she smiled again, offering her his hoof. "The name's Summit. Glacier Summit."

Pennington nodded, grabbing her hoof and giving it a firm shake. "Inkwell. Pennington Inkwell."

"Well, Inkwell, you ever traveled with a Solar Empire transport, before?" She nodded back towards her ship.

"Can't say that I have. Until now, I've only traveled via the NLR or by finding my own ride... Is she any good?"

"Is she any good? Is she any good?" Summit glanced disbelievingly back at the ship, then at Pennington. "You never had it this good in the NLR!"

"Well, then I'm looking forward to what Celestia's fan club has to offer!" Pennington grinned mischievously before trotting out into the storm.

"Better than whatever you lunar nutjobs can muster!" Summit replied before taking off after him, running to beat him to the ship.

Celestia raised her hoof to cover a soft chuckle as she and Moonstone were left alone. "It is cute how those two compete..."

"Who, Penn and Glacier?" Moonstone asked, "But they just met!"

"No, the New Lunar Republic and the Solar Empire. They have the same goal, but one small difference in how they approach it creates so much tension. It's all friendly competition, though, and I suppose it's healthy. After all, if they didn't compete, they might grow lazy!"

Moonstone shrugged, giving Celestia a small curtsey as she spread her wings. "Well, your highness, I suppose that this is where we part ways."

Celestia nodded, her face growing more solemn. "I have to agree, Moonstone. I trust that you know the importance of your own mission?"

"Of course, Princess."

"Then good luck... to both of you. The fate of Equestria rests on your shoulders."










"Well, it's not exactly 'roomy...'" Pennington muttered, looking around the cramped insides of the Surprise.

"Well, she isn't any bigger on the inside than she is on the outside!" Glacier replied, seemingly irked at his immediate criticism. "But don't let her size fool you, she's every bit the finest ship in Equestria!"

Before Pennington could make a comment regarding the Cliffjumper, he was interrupted by a tap on his shoulder. Turning around, he saw Moonstone coming to a landing on his back.

"Penn, I think we should thank our more-than-gracious host, right?"

"Oh! Right... Thank you, Glacier. We really are in your debt..." Pennington gave a bow, nearly throwing Moonstone off-balance.

"Oh, please. This is nothing for a member of the Solar Empire." Glacier shrugged off the gratitude, though Pennington was certain he caught a smug grin as she turned her back to him. "The Surprise is the only ship that can get you where you want to go, so it's our job to do so!"

"Glacier! We need to get going before this gets any worse! There's reports that there's freezing rain along our way, and you know what that does to the tires!" A muddy-red unicorn mare stepped through the door, her purple locks held back over her shoulder by a small ribbon. She stopped for a moment, staring at Pennington and Moonstone.

"You two the passengers?"

"Yes, we are..." 

"Ah! There you are!" Glacier stepped up to her, placing a hoof on her shoulder. "Crankshaft, these are the two we're taking down to dragon country. Pennington Inkwell, and his assistant, Moonstone!"

"Penn and Stone, huh?" She gave the two of them a critical stare, then smiled. "Yeah, you two look about right to be trying to get down into dragon territory. Stepping forward, she shook Pennington's hoof. "Name's Crankshaft! I'm Glacier's copilot and mechanic!"

"Nice to meet you!" Pennington chuckled. "So you're the mechanic? I have to admit, I never was very good with motors and engines. That was always the realm of my buddy, Sure Shot."

"Wait, you're friends with Sure Shot?" For a brief moment, her calm exterior fell away, revealing a childlike excitement. It took less than a second for her to collect herself, however, and she quickly returned to her calm exterior. "I've, uh, heard a lot about him. He's supposed to pilot the best ship in Equestria-"

"Except for the Surprise..." Glacier interjected.

"The Surprise even took a few design specs from the Cliffjumper." She shrugged, but Pennington could swear that he could catch a blush underneath her red fur. "She's a real monster to pilot, but she'll get you where you're going, no matter what!"

"I'm hoping so!" Pennington grinned. "Sure Shot's a great pilot, and all, but he's a lot more stupid than he looks!"

"Oh... I doubt it..." Crankshaft whispered. After a moment of thought, she coughed loudly. "Anyway, like I said, we need to get going soon! So, how much longer will you need to get ready?"

"Can you give me two hours?" Pennington smiled sheepishly. "I need to grab a few supplies and say a few goodbyes."

"I can get you an hour and a half... Every minute we spend here is another minute for conditions out there to get worse..."

"You've got it!" Pennington grinned, making his way back towards the door. As they stepped back out into the rain, Moonstone shook her head.

"Penn, you already went to see Thunder Strike, he said that he didn't have anything for you! You said all of your normal supply stores are closed, too! Where are you going to get what you're looking for?"

"I'm not really looking for anything Moonstone, but I'd be dead the moment I set hoof back in Equestria if I didn't say goodbye to Twilight and Lily!" he chuckled, trotting through the rain.









"You're absolutely sure that I can't come?" Twilight begged for at least the tenth time.

"Twilight, I'm certain. You need to stay here, with your family. Stay safe." Pennington gave her a short, gentle kiss. "I'd never forgive myself if you got hurt on this trip. And I think I'd die if you were killed... For both of our sakes, you need to stay here, where it's safe. With the princesses."

Twilight looked down, shaking her head. "But isn't it more dangerous for you to go alone?"

"Well, I have a bad habit of hogging all of the danger to myself!" he chuckled. "Besides, between the two of us, I think Moonstone and I are too stubborn to die!"

"Well, he's right on that count." Moonstone folded her arms with a smile. "Penn has this bad habit of managing to get out of situations where the odds are against him. The higher it's stacked, the more miraculous his escape."

"Just don't go getting yourself into even more trouble while I'm gone!"

Twilight chuckled, looking around at their surroundings: the Canterlot Library, the place she had practically lived before moving to Ponyville.

"I don't think I'm going to get into much trouble here..."

"That peace of mind is worth more than you know." Pennington kissed her forehead.

"But you need to write to me every day!" She poked a firm hoof into his chest. "If you're going to leave me at home like some kind of china doll, I want to know what you're doing out there!"

"I'll add you to the mailing list." He winked playfully at Moonstone. "After all, I have to write to you, Luna, Lily... I won't be surprised if Whipstitch asks for a letter now and then, too!"

"Penny, I'm serious!"

"So am I! I can't carry enough paper for all of these letters!" he exclaimed. "But I'll make sure that I always write to you, Twilight. Don't worry. If you worry, you'll start to turn into Lily!"

"You better write..." Twilight grumbled, trying to resist the smile at his playful jab at Lily.

"Of course I will."

"And so help me, if you die out there-"

"You'll kill me. I know."

Twilight took a deep breath, then stepped forward, gripping him tightly.

"Don't... don't you dare not come back... I love you."

"I'll be back, I promise." Pennington returned the hug, holding her every bit as tightly. "I love you, too..."










Lily sighed as she placed another kettle on her stove. Pennington had already come to say goodbye and, just like every other time he'd left, she had done her best to talk him out of it. Just like every other time, she'd tried to convince him of how crazy what he was doing was. Of course, it was hopeless, especially when his mission now had the princesses' endorsement.

I hate feeling so helpless... She thought to herself as she walked along the shelves of her kitchen. It was a cold and blustery day. the kind that often led her to the save area of her apartment: her tea collection. She had chamomile, honey bush, lemon, ginger, lemon WITH ginger, peppermint, spearmint... but she finally decided on her own special herbal blend, pulling the box down as her magic set a freshly filled kettle on the stove.

Lily let out a long sigh as she slowly backed away from the stove and fell into a chair behind her. With the entire country in crisis and Canterlot acting as the sole refuge from the storms, most of the businesses had closed so that their buildings could be used as shelters, including her own. And without her business, she had nothing. No places to go, no responsibilities to fill, and no hobbies to keep her occupied. Even my self-defense classes are cancelled...

I guess I could always test out a few new styles and dyeing techniques on myself while I'm locked up in here. All I'd have to do is step outside to see if any of the color washes out...

As the kettle began to leak steam from its spout, her thoughts were interrupted by a harsh knocking on the front door. Startled from her reverie, she quickly rose to her hooves and rushed to the door, pulling it open to reveal a thoroughly soaked chestnut pegasus waiting outside.

"H-hello," he forced the word out through chattering teeth. "Are y-you Miss C-c-callalily?"

Lilly nodded, not sure what to make of the situation. Recent events had made her worried and wary of the ponies around Canterlot, many of whom had been taking advantage of the crisis to cover robbery and looting. The royal guard had been doing their best to try to crack down on the crime, but already had their hooves more than full caring for refugees.

"M-my name is Raider! Delta Raider..." He gave a quick, stiff attempt at a polite bow before straightening again. "I was t-told that you are the pony that I would have to go through in order to reach P-Pennington Inkwell?"

Lily nodded, trying to resist the urge to bring the shivering pegasus inside to offer him a steaming cup of tea and a warm towel. "I'm afraid you just missed him. He was here a few hours ago..."

Raider's eyes widened in fear and he stepped forward, closer to her. "He- he hasn't left yet, has he? Please, tell me that he isn't gone!"

Lily stepped back when he stepped forward, somewhat startled by his sudden desperation. "I- I don't know! He said that he was going to visit Twilight, but I think he's already left for the South! Do you need help? Is something wrong?"

"Something's wrong, alright..." Raider muttered, his shoulders slumping as he lowered himself to sit on the floor, seemingly resigned to despair. "He's walking straight into a trap!"








"Ugh! Now I see- UFF- why everything was bolted down!" Pennington grunted angrily as he was nearly thrown from his cot for the hundredth time. Moonstone, who had buckled herself down into a chair in the corner, nodded as the Surprise made its way over yet another hill at top speed, flying into the air for a couple seconds before landing again. While effective at shock absorption, the four "legs" of the ship couldn't negate the sudden shifts from gravity to weightlessness and back again, leaving the passengers forced to strap themselves down to whatever piece of furniture in their bunk that they could stand to stay in for the duration of the trip. The two of them almost had to shout to make themselves heard over the elements outside pounding away at their little transport.

Moonstone nodded, grasping a large paper bag with both hands like a lifeline. "I've been in- uff- less jarring windstorms!"

Judging by the slow transition her complexion was making from violet to green, Pennington prayed that she wouldn't vomit during one of the zero-gravity periods.

"So, I guess that, for you, we're going home, huh?" Pennington chuckled, trying to draw his mind away from the imagery of what gem-encrusted vomit looked like in zero-gravity. "I mean, you said that you were born in the- ugh- dragon homelands, right?"

Moonstone thought for a moment, then shrugged as best she could. "I didn't spend long there! As soon as I was old enough, I volunteered to go to Canterlot to serve under the princesses! What I do remember isn't really worth remembering!"

Pennington paused for a moment, thinking over her words. "Why were you so eager to leave?"

"Well, being the middle child of a dozen hatchlings in a place where 5 or more generations could live in the same area- uff- kind of makes it hard to stand out!" Moonstone shrugged again. "I needed to go out and make a name for myself!"

Pennington couldn't help but feel intrigued at the idea of so many dragons gathered in one place.

"But why Equestria? I mean, there's lots of other places where dragons are- uff- more readily accepted! Wouldn't you want to see more of your kind?"

Moonstone shook her head again. "The Adelind family has been providing Equestrian nobles with dragon companions for generations! Our Equestrian interactions are my family's legacy!"

Pennington nodded.

From the looks of it, the world I'm about to step into is leagues different from the one I know- OH LUNA, SHE'S GOING TO THROW UP ON ME, I JUST KNOW IT!