//------------------------------// // Chapter 7: All Secrets Known // Story: Worlds Apart // by moviemaster8510 //------------------------------// A.N.: This chapter is told from the point of view of Penny. ________________________________________________________________________________________ It feels strange to wake up in a bed that isn’t your own, especially when the owner’s alarm clock is going off. I assume that it’s Ian’s clock to get up for work, so I go downstairs and find him on the couch. I still feel terrible for doing something like that. After all, I’m the one inconveniencing him by staying in his house; it should have only been fair to let him have his own bed. “Ian,” I whisper, prodding him with my hand. “What? What are you doing up? “Your alarm,” I giggle, “that’s what.” “My ala- Oh, I’m sorry.” “Don’t sweat it. I never get much sleep anyways. I just figured that you need to get to work.” “Right.” With that, he gets up and makes his way towards his room, presumably to get his clothes for work. He walks out with a short stack of clothes: a polo, khakis, underwear, and socks. He then goes into the shower. I go to the kitchen and eat an apple. Having spent most of my time in this house in the living room with Ian, Shining Armor, and Cadance last night, I opt to take a look around the house. “Ian,” I call through the door, quietly enough that I also don’t wake Shining Armor and Cadance, “can I take a look around your house?” “Go right ahead,” he says. “Mi casa es zu casa.” I start with the back deck. I see the nice table and chairs setup with the grill. On the other side, what I see makes me gasp a little. He has a hot tub? It’s a good thing I packed my swimsuit. In all honesty, I was going to use it for sunbathing. Sometimes, on my days off, I like to grab a beach blanket and sit out in the sun. I find it very therapeutic. I then look in his basement. This makes me gasp even harder. He has 10 different guitars, a drumset, a keyboard, and his dad’s Chapman. Pinch me; I must be in Heaven. I then look at his TV and Blu-Ray player, scanning his collection of movies. There are several movies that I’ve seen, some that I haven’t seen but have interest in, and there are many movies that turn me off altogether. I then go upstairs to see Ian eating his breakfast: a plate of microwaved scrambled eggs and toast. “Hey Ian,” I say, “you wouldn’t mind if I borrowed your hot tub would you?” “Of course not,” he says. “You’re welcome to anything in the house.” “How much longer until work?” “I’m leaving any minute now actually.” “Really? How come?” “I’m going to open and close the store early today so I can do a little grocery shopping.” “Alright. Could you by chance pick me up a frozen French bread pizza?” “As long as it’s cheese, you know.” He then tilts his head in the general direction of where Shining Armor and Cadance’s room is. “That’s fine. Anyways, have a good day. I’m going to see if I can get some more sleep.” “Alright, you do that.” After finishing his plate and putting it in the dishwasher, he grabs his keys and then leaves. I then go back up to Ian’s room to sleep just a bit more. It’s only after an hour of tossing and turning that I decide that I can’t fall back asleep, so I decide to go downstairs to my bass and practice. Upon passing Cadance and Shining Armor’s room, I hear something coming from the room. I put my ear to the door, and it sounds like sobbing. I don’t want to knock on the door in fear of waking Cadance and Shining Armor, so I quietly open the door a creek. Upon peeking through I see Shining Armor hugging his wife as she cries. There are wet streaks on his face too. Unfortunately, Shining Armor spots me. He then pushes me back with his magic, which caught me off guard, and then used another spell to close the door. “Shining Armor,” I call. “What’s wrong?” “Nothing!” he says back. “Just leave us alone.” “Let me help you.” “That’s just it. You can’t help us.” How can I not help? …Oh, I see. “You miss your family and friends, don’t you?” Silence. “Can I talk about it with you?” After another bit of silence, Shining Armor uses his magic to open the door. I don’t think I’m going to get used to that. I walk to the bed. I know that this is something that ails them both, so I want to be by both of their sides, literally and figuratively. “Do you mind if I get in between you two?” Shining Armor and Cadance make a space in the middle of the bed for me to sit. “I’m sorry,” said Cadance, more tears streaming. “We must look really foolish right now.” Feeling sorry for her, I put my hands on her cheeks and wipe her tears with my thumbs. She seems pleased by my gesture, but she still looks very sad. “You should never feel foolish for missing your home and family,” I respond. “It’s just that I didn’t want you to worry about us. In fact, we’ve cried like this on several occasions in this house, but we only do it when Ian’s not around because we don’t want him to worry about us anymore.” My words may get across to her, but I figure another gesture will help them sink in. I reach over to Cadance and give her a warm hug, gently rubbing up and down her neck. “Cadance, Ian’s your friend. I’m your friend. There’s no worse feeling than a friend not being able to help a friend when they’re hurting.” I give Shining Armor a similar hug to ensure that I’m addressing them both. “If you miss your family, I will not judge you. If you want to cry, I will be a shoulder that you can cry upon. If you have something to say, you should never feel scared telling it to us. If Ian was your friend, which I’m sure he is, he will be there for you just like I am now.” As I hug the crying Shining Armor, Cadance hugs me from behind and also cries. Their emotions being poured onto me causes me to cry too, not even so much for their loss, but a loss that I have had as well that was coming back to me. Cadance turns me around to see my own tears flowing down my face. She uses her hoof to wipe my tears. “I want to tell you something,” I say, “that I’ve not even told Ian about.” “What is it?” asked Shining Armor. “I can understand exactly how you feel, losing your family. I’ve told Ian that my dad was away on business. The truth is, my dad has been dead for over 2 years.” Shining Armor and Cadance gasp slightly at my revelation. “It’s true,” I continue. “I can still remember the date. February 17, 2010. My dad was flying to New York for a business trip. His trip was going smoothly until a turbine in the wing flamed out. The pilots tried to make an emergency landing, but they realized they were too late when the turbine exploded, completely blowing the wing clean off. “I was home that day sick with a fever when I got the phone call: the last conversation I would ever have with my dad. I can remember it all. The people screaming in the background, the sound of the plane as it plummeted towards the earth, but most of all, each single word that he said: “Penny? Baby?” “Dad? What’s wrong?” “I’m not coming home. I just wanted to tell you that I love you.” “What happened? Why is everyone screaming?” “The wing exploded. We’re coming down hard. I don’t have much longer, so I just wanted to tell you that I love you so very much.” The closer I get to the point of his demise, the harder it become for me to retain my composure. “I love you too dad.” “Just remember to live your life to the fullest, just like I taught you, because you only get one.” “I will dad.” “Oh, Penny. I’m so proud o-” Dial tone. “There wasn’t a single survivor of that crash. Ever since that time I’ve been on my own. I had no other family and friends to rely on. My mother died in childbirth and I had no distant relatives to live with. I even had to quit school in order to continue paying for the apartment, which is why I still work at the movie theater in town.” Shining Armor and Cadance were visibly haunted by my story. “I was able to use my dad’s life insurance money to pay off the student loans that I did have, but I still needed money for the apartment. I also told Ian that my dad is good friends with my landlord so I get a discount off of my rent. That’s only half true. My dad was good friends with the landlord, but when he heard of my dad’s death, he let me continue living there with a lower rent as a ‘gift’, per say, to my dad.” “Why are you telling us this?” asked Cadance. “And why haven’t you told Ian?” “I haven’t told Ian because I never had the right moment to talk to him about it. But the reason I’m telling you is because I want you to know that you’re not alone here. Ian’s in the same boat as us. I remember Ian’s dad appearing in the obituaries, and I’m sure that Ian misses his dad very much, like how I miss my dad very much, and how very much you two miss your family. But I also want you to know that shouldn’t stop you.” “Stop me?” asked Cadance. “My dad was quite possibly one of the most positive men I’ve ever met. Every day, he’d meet every challenge and obstacle that was laid out before him with a hearty laugh. He never let anything bring him down, and I absolutely loved that about him. Especially after his death, his morale only rings truer in me. He would hate to see me spend my days mourning his death, so I made a promise to him and myself that I would spend however many days I had on this Earth living as he did: with vigor and hope.” Suddenly, a small smile appeared on both Cadance’s and Shining Armor’s faces. “I know that you miss your family, and they certainly miss you, if not, trying every way they can to find you. But while you’re here, alive and well, why not have a little fun?” Shining Armor and Cadance hug me again, beaming in the process. I wrap my arm around each of their bodies, bringing them closer to me. We hold this embrace for what feels like an hour before we break off. Shining Armor and Cadance get out of bed and walk out of the room feeling much happier. “Who wants breakfast?” I ask. After a pancake and egg breakfast, I take a dip in the hot tub, with Shining Armor and Cadance joining me shortly after. We talk about many things, including my job at the movie theater, and in time, movies as well. For dinner, I order some pizza, which they said they never had before, so I figured a little something new would be enjoyable for them. They fell in love with this food on their first bite. I’m glad I ordered 3 because they each ate a whole pizza by themselves. They were ponies after all. After dinner, I decide to play my bass for them, which they highly enjoyed. ________________________________________________________________________________________ Ian got home around ten after 9 with groceries in hand. He saw Shining Armor, Cadance, and I sitting on the sofa. “What’s wrong?” he asks. “Shining Armor and Cadance have something they want to tell you,” I say. After Ian puts the groceries on the counter, Shining Armor and Cadance express their loneliness brought on by being away from their family and home much like they told me. Despite trying to sound calm about it, they can’t stop the occasional tear from tumbling down their cheeks. Ian tells them that they should never have to feel alone with him and I around, much like I had predicted, even going as far as saying that if God forbid they can’t return home, they are his family and his house is their home. Ian gives the both of them comforting hugs, which they return with heartfelt smiles. I can’t help but smile at them as well. ________________________________________________________________________________________ I wake up the next morning as I hear Ian’s alarm clock going off downstairs. I get up and wake Shining Armor and Cadance. By the time Ian is about to leave out the door, Shining Armor, Cadance, and I are waiting there. “Have a great day at work, Ian,” says Cadance. Ian walks over and hugs both Cadance and Shining Armor. “Have a great day yourselves,” he says. With that, he leaves for work. I have to be at the movie theater at 3 today and won’t be back until later tomorrow morning (Ian's letting me borrow his dad's van); Rock of Ages and That’s My Boy come out tonight and I have to man the midnight release shift, but for as long as I’m here, Shining Armor and Cadance have not seemed happier.