• Published 12th Nov 2013
  • 1,345 Views, 121 Comments

Penn and Stone: Dynamic Duo - Pennington Inkwell



On an assignment from Princess Luna, Pennington Inkwell and his assistant, Moonstone, attempt to thwart a dragon with the power to change the weather.

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Lily Flashes Back

Several years ago...

As she quietly browsed through the gift shop of the Canterlot Train Station, Lily had to admit that, despite his infuriating reckless streak, Pennington had followed through on his promise: to show her Equestria in a way she would never forget. The past two weeks had taken her from Vanhoover to Manehatten, from Applaloosa to Neighagra Falls, and everywhere in between.

When Pennington had surprised her with a train ticket for their cross-country journey, Lily had been scared out of her mind, at first. Despite his insistence that he was taking "educational sabbaticals" for his final school project, she'd known that he was really going on high-flying, dangerous trips, risking life and limb solely for the sake of adventure, itself. He'd been coming to her whenever he returned, both to patch up his wounds for the next day and to share his near-unbelievable stories. Fortunately, this seemed to be almost exclusively a sightseeing tour, much more at her pace of excitement. What was the most exciting of all, however, was that school was over. Despite Pennington's many long absences, they had both graduated right alongside their closest friends. And no more school meant more time for other things... like romance. They'd stolen kisses in Stalliongrad, cuddled close for warmth at the top of Smokey Mountain, taken long carriage rides through Manehatten's gardens, and even hidden away together in the forbidden caves beneath Canterlot, playing like foals in the scintillating light and darkness made by their horns and the mirrored surfaces. The two of them were closer than they ever had been before, and for once, her constant worries had subsided. There was no need to worry about money, Pennington had said that the trip was a "graduation gift from Daring Do." She didn't constantly wonder where he was, at the end of the day, there was always a train waiting to carry them through the night, and they would cuddle together in the same bunk, so he was with her every hour of every day, never sneaking off to risk life and limb out of sight. Her worries and stresses seemed to melt away when he was with her, and it all felt so... right. Nothing was wrong in her world as long as he was there, right alongside her.

Looking around the shop, Lily found her mind slowly drifting back towards the present. In every place they had visited, she had bought some kind of souvenir to preserve the memories, usually a key chain or something. As she was browsing Canterlot's assorted knick knacks, she finally settled on a pleasant-looking quartz pendant, a small-but-powerful reminder of their romps through the glittering caverns. Satisfied with her purchase, she paid for the item and placed it around her neck as she stepped back out into the station, standing on the platform to wait for their train to arrive.

It was a surprisingly slow day at the train station, with only a few other ponies standing, most patiently waiting without a word. Looking around, Lily couldn't see Pennington anywhere, but with a quick nod and a smile to herself, she knew he would be back soon. After all, the train would be there in a matter of minutes, she could see it coming in the distance. Until then, she quietly glanced around, trying to find something to hold her interest while she waited. A solution came surprisingly easily as her eye was caught by a bright white object near the corner of the platform. Walking over, she levitated it up with her magic and brought it up for closer inspection.

It was some kind of ceramic mask, and a horrifying one, at that. It was a grisly pony skull, with the teeth replaced by rows of long, needle-like fangs, painted in places to look as if they were bloodstained from a recent carnivorous meal.

Definitely creepy, but it's probably the kind of thing Penn would get a chuckle out of... She lifted the item up into the air, waving back and forth. "Did anypony lose a mask?"

Several seconds of befuddled muttering and shaking heads convinced her that the item didn't belong to anyone nearby.

The owner probably got on the train and didn't even realize they dropped it... I'll show it to Penn, then turn it in to the lost and found! With a chuckle, she turned it over, taking a look at the opposite side. There was nothing remarkable about the inside of the mask, it was the same ceramic as the outside, simply molded to be able to fit onto a face without any kind of string or strap by fitting over the muzzle. It meant that the wearer wouldn't be able to talk, so it was probably used for either decoration or some kind of silent theater. With a shrug, she raised the mask to her face and slipped it over her own muzzle, imagining with a grin the double-take Pennington would probably take when he saw her wearing something so fearsome.

To her absolute horror, the moment that it was on her face, the mask took on a life of its own, clamping down on her muzzle and pressing itself violently against her skin as the ceramic surface began to stretch and morph backwards, sending tendrils reaching back towards the back of her head to anchor itself to her.

"MMPH! HMM-MMPH!" She tried to scream as terror began to overtake her senses, but all that she could manage was muffled grunts as the object morphed to fit the form of her own face, fitting perfectly on it and allowing no movement short of the stretching and compression of the ceramic pressing itself against her skin. She fell forward as she used both of her front hooves to grasp desperately at the mask to try and tear it off, even grinding her face against the train station platform as she writhed and wrenched at the mask.

"Lily? LILY!"

Lily heard Pennington calling her name only moments before the world seemed to drop away beneath her, and she plummeted several feet to the ground. If she hadn't been so terrified beyond the capacity for rational thought, she would have realized that she had fallen off of the train platform, and there was a badly dulled impact to her head that was cushioned by the mask, likely the metal tracks.

She wanted to scream. She wanted to scream and cry and shout at the stupid mask to just let her go. She could feel to cool ceramics sinking into her pores, trying to become one with her face and skin, and a strange tension at the corners of her mouth, pulling it wider and up into the mask's sadistic grin.

So thirsty... So... HUNGRY... The urges, the needs, almost completely overwhelmed her mind, washing away her fear and flooding over her need to break away. For the first time since the mask had taken a hold of her, she opened her eyes, desperately searching for something to quench her thirst.

Unfortunately, the fear returned as quickly as it had come when she realized that the oncoming train was not going to do that.

As the train's brakes screeched and its whistle blared its shrill note, a massive force plowed into her from the side, tackling her off of the tracks and into the dirt on the other side. In a dizzy spin, she was in the air, and then roughly thrown to the ground as she rolled, and there was a firm grip on her shoulders as a second pony was pulling her along for the ride. It took only a moment for her to realize that there was a pony standing over her, pinning her to the ground, and less time for another overwhelming urge to cause her to open up her mouth and bite down on his leg, her new fangs sinking into his flesh with ease and beginning to soak up the blood.

"AAH!" The voice cried out in pain, and yet another strong force collided with her head, this time knocking away her mouth and sending her fangs raking back through his flesh, picking up a few delicious morsels before he jumped away, out of her reach.

She wanted more. She was hungry. There were no pretty words for the voracious sensation, and the gaping pit growing in her core begged to be filled in a way that overwhelmed her and motivated her unlike anything ever had in her life. In one deft movement, she flipped herself up onto her hooves to stare down the sack of flesh that would sate her hunger.

"Lily, I know you're in there, fight it! Reject it! Turn it away and rip it off!" Pennington shouted. His front right hoof had several long gouges in it that were bleeding profusely.

Did... Did I do that to him?

The scent of the blood was warm, wet, and so absolutely decadent, it sent shivers down her spine. This... this was the scent of something that could quench her thirst.

I... I can't! That's disgusting!And it would hurt him!

The sight of that blood spilling out onto the ground was agonizing. Her hooves trembled as she took an unwilling step forward, the primal urges becoming more than she could endure.

"I-I'm sorry..." She whispered, realizing that the mask was now allowing her face to move, but moved as if it were a part of her as well. "Please... help me..."

Help me what? Get the mask off, or quench my thirst?

She took another step forward towards him, and Lily saw something she never had before. Pennington narrowed his eyes in anger, lowered his horn, and growled. In the face of danger, he was settling down, getting serious, and not simply enjoying the thrill.

"Let her go, Cha'Qued..." He growled, a white mist beginning to float off of his horn.

To her complete horror, Lily's body moved on its own, chuckling softly and speaking in a raspy tone, with the mask's movement's tugging on her face to move it in the proper way, just as she had pulled on it to speak.

"So, Inkwell, do you take my deal, then? You're wounded, and I hold your loved one... She's so delicate..." Lily's head turned to look down at her own body, chuckling again. "She's like your little porcelain doll, isn't she? Something for you to love and stroke whenever you come back to your home, but not a part of your real life. She just couldn't handle it, and you LOVE it when she reminds you of that, don't you? It gives you a rush to remember that you're better than everyone else. You can handle what she can't, and you get off on it! Well, Inkwell... you're in over your head with me! And I'm going to prove it!"

The white mist hovering in the air finally began to pull itself together, forming into the shape of a wide sword, which hovered at eye level.

"Lily, I'm going to help you. Don't worry, you're going to be just fine..." He whispered, staring straight into her eyes.

When she dashed forward, Lily thought that she was moving faster than Pennington was going to be able to react. The entire world burred around her as her body sprinted with uncanny speed. With only a small rotation, the sword moved downwards, catching her fangs just before they tore through his throat. Leaning forward, her unwilling body pressed the assault, grinding her new fangs deeply into the blade, eating away at the magical object to try and reach him, and she took a step forward, pressing the opposite side against his neck. She knew that, unless he could stop her, she was going to tear out his throat, guzzle down his blood straight from the source, and then scarf down his cold, dead flesh.

No... Please, NO! No, I don't WANT to hurt him! I don't WANT to kill him! He's my best friend! I LOVE HIM!

YOU CAN'T DO THIS!

Just as the magic construct was about to break, Lily turned away with every ounce of strength she had. With the sudden change, the sword's edge grated against her cheek and back fangs, and she toppled forward, her own body's strength sending her rolling over and over again.

Before she had even stopped tumbling, her body righted itself, rolling up onto her hooves and whirling back towards him. As she turned, though, the sword was already coming at her, swinging in a wide arc. Deep in the part of her brain that was still her own, she braced herself for the end.

But her hoof shot up in front of her face, again acting on its own, and there was a loud thud as the blade connected with something much more solid than her own skin. After a moment, the reason she wasn't missing a hoof became clear: a large, white plate had grown out of her skin like armor, protecting her. The force of Pennington's blow seemed completely negated, and the sword began to retreat back towards its owner before settling at the midway point between the two of them.

"That's new..." Pennington muttered, still staring as the shield retreated back under her skin.

"GRRRAAAAAAAAH!" Lily's body gave a feral roar as she threw herself at him, the entity possessing the mask having been obviously enraged. Her body was faster and stronger than she has ever imagined with could be, and she found her fear and desperation return.

Please, Penn... Help me! Help me, or just run! I- I can't-

Oh, Celestia help us...












Callalily Curl sat bolt upright in her bed, drenched in sweat and with her heart throwing itself wildly against her ribcage out of fear. It was difficult for her to realize that the memory had simply been a nightmare. With a long sigh, she leaned back again, falling against her pillow.

She'd had this nightmare often. It would recur at least a few times every year, and every time, it was like going through the whole experience over again. Thankfully, as she glanced at the clock on her bedside table, she knew that it was over, at least for a couple months. As part of her tradition for calming down, she closed her eyes, recalling the feeling of freedom when, after a long and horrifying battle, Pennington had managed to strike the mask. It had been difficult for him, made even more so by the fact that he had been losing blood by the minute, but as Cha'Qued had him pinned to the ground and was about to tear out his throat, Pennington had summoned one last blast of magic, striking her face head-on.

At the attack, the mask had shattered like glass, and its hold on her vanished. Pennington had always told her that the demon was just weak because she was an unwilling vessel, but Lily knew better. As the mask had crumbled away, Cha'Qued had spoken his last words to her and her alone.

So weak... You disgust me. One day, I'll have HIM. I'll be unstoppable.

It had never wanted her, to begin with. The entire fight had been a gambit to either kill Pennington, or make him take the burden off of her and onto himself.

After that day, she had forced him to tell her everything that had happened, rather than just sharing stories at his leisure, which became a tradition between them. That was part of the reason she had been so angry when he left without telling her: he always told her. It was "for safety," but they had never established whose.

That was also the first night it felt like there was a gap between the two of them, because the mask had been right: she knew that she would never be able to compete with him and his "adventures." It would always be a difference between them that couldn't be reconciled,that he was capable of surviving them and she wasn't.

Pennington, please! It's enough, you don't need to go anymore! Just please, stay here, where we can be together! Lily heard her own voice echoing back to her from across time. It had been almost 4 years since they'd had their final conversation as a couple. It had been just after she'd gotten her shop in Canterlot. Please! We can be together, we'll never have to worry about each other again!

Pennington had been shocked, taken aback by the very idea, and shook his head in denial.

You want to do something crazy? Is that it? Then let's do something crazy, together!

Lily shook her head, rolling out of the bed. Despite the attempt to move on, the memory continued on like a record that refused to stop.

We can settle down, be together for good, and put the past behind us! If you want to get really crazy we could... we could even start a family, together! Just you and I! You don't need to go looking for adventure, it's right here! MAKE your life an adventure, don't leave it behind!

Lily scoffed at how desperate she had been as she stepped out into the hallway. The Cliffjumper didn't have a shower in every room, and she knew that the shared ones for the crew would be full to capacity, so she settled for putting an eleastic into her hair and pulling it back into a ponytail. She'd been a silly kid when she and Pennington broke up. She'd been desperate, and thought that stripping bare her own dreams of a peaceful life for him to see would be enough to stop him from pursuing his own.

She'd been a silly kid.

Lily... I just can't... I just need to keep going. THAT kind of adventure... It's not what I'm looking for!

Penn had been cheesy about it, too. He'd turned to stare out into the distance, like some wistfully wandering spirit. Lily had always resented him for that, because she knew he was being absolutely serious about it, but it had still felt like he was mocking her own drama.

I'm sorry, Lily, but... I have to go. I just have to. Promise me you won't hate me for it? I just... I can't settle down, yet. I'll always love you, but-

Just go... GET OUT OF HERE!

She pondered the miracle that they had been able to reconcile at all as she stepped out onto the deck of the ship, where many ponies were already hurrying to find a way off of the Cliffjumper. Sure Shot was shouting orders and instructions at ponies who didn't have a place to go. Thankfully, Lily could almost spot her apartment complex from the Cliffjumper. All of the ponies who were in such a rush were getting absolutely soaked in the rain, and she quickly ducked back inside.

Somehow, though, they had managed to retain their friendship, and deep down, she had to admit that she still loved him every bit as much as she had before his "second life" had made such a forceful invasion into her own. They were the very closest of friends, just like they were when they were foals... but everything beyond friendship had been undone. Unfortunately, Penn wasn't planning on going back on his decision any time soon. He had moved on and found a pony who could keep up with him. And she was happy for him and Twilight... even if it did break her heart every time she saw them.

"Um, excuse me, do you know where I could find Pennington Inkwell in this sea of ponies?"

Lily's train of thought came to a grinding halt as she realized that she had almost run into somepony as she stared down at the ground.

"Um, I'm sorry, I'm afraid I haven't seen him. You could probably find out from.... from the captain..." She trailed off as she finally looked up at the pony she was talking to. She was wearing a purple cloak and a large gray hat, along with a think-rimmed pair of red eyeglasses. What Lily could see of her mane and tail was a spectrum of shades of gray, though it was still darker than her hat in most places, and her coat was a khaki color. The cloak seemed mainly functional for keeping out the elements, and was only held together in the front by a single clasp, and she could see a pair of wings beneath it.

"Is something wrong?" the pony asked, lifting an eyebrow. Lily couldn't help but notice that the pony seemed quite a few years her elder, as well. She was possibly older by an entire generation, if the laugh lines around her mouth and the crow's feet at the corners of her eyes were any sign. Most ponies didn't get wrinkles until they were at least nearing their late 30's.

"No, nothing! It's just that you... well, to be honest, you remind me of somepony..."

"I get that a lot. I just have one of those faces everyone knows, I guess. I don't suppose you could point me towards the captain, Miss Callalily?"

"Yeah, he's that way, out on the deck," Lily paused as she turned to point behind her. "Wait... How did you know-"

"Pennington used to talk about you all of the time." The mare smiled as she walked past with a grateful nod. "Thank you very much!"

Lily continued to stare for some time until she lost the stranger in the crowd, and set her mind to the puzzle of trying to remember whom she had been reminded of.