Awoke IN

by Qwix

Chapter 6: Thirteen Dine

The sight of a crystalline castle scraping the sky rose before Pennaprose and Lyra as they approached. Lyra was wearing a silky, laced black dress that was pinned with an amber, gold, and jade brooch on the left side of her chest while Pennaprose's black suit matched with a vibrant green tie and white trim. Lyra wore a calm, pleased expression while Pennaprose was experimenting with his glasses.

He watched as his thoughts were transcribed into his vision with great interest. I can write on the fly with this. Any idea cannot possibly be lost.

He recalled his old laptop, which had a dead battery and was being used as a hospital doorstop. I wonder if I can convince Luna to pull all the documents off of it to put in my glasses...

Close write, he thought. The documents disappeared.

"Having fun with your newfound toy?" Lyra asked.

"Yes, actually. How visible is it when I'm using it?"

She poked him in the side of his face. "I can see a tiny square of light bounce off of your eyes while your stare aimlessly into space. So I'd advise not writing when you're talking to somepony."

"Thanks, I was worried about that," he said, "I kinda wish Gosthette didn't tell us about this dream conspiracy until after the party. Kind of a mood killer, to be honest."

"She never let a life of secrecy go. Her term in the changeling hive, moving to Manehattan, becoming an agent—in her short time in Equestria," said Lyra. "She's known nothing else. I kinda feel sorry for her..."

He fell silent, enjoying the brisk midsummer's night air. A whole lot of secrets... A vivid memory came to the front of his mind.

What makes you so sure you are, and I am not?

The look of shock on her face after he asked her that single question was imprinted in his mind. Ever since he met her for the first time, she had always insisted that he was little more than a ticket home. They entered Equestria as two halves of a single human, loosely bound—but time passed and ponies were met. He was entirely his own being, in body and mind.

Pembrooke...

He shook his head, keeping an eye on the top-most spire of the looming castle. You called me that once, and only once. On the eve of an operation that had temporarily given me the body and powers of a changeling, a vow to Lyra that I would save her from darkness by embracing it in her stead... I became Pembrooke to you. Yet never again have you called me that. Why?

Was it our human name? Did my actions remind you of the life we had as a human? You hold our memories... while I held our morals. You became a cold-hearted assassin without me... But it was I that swung a blade to save you from yourself while you gave empty threats. You seem softer spoken—does this mean I will become more cruel?

"Welcome, welcome!"

They had reached the stair step of the castle before he knew it; Twilight was there in a resplendent gown of periwinkle and gold accents, accompanied by Spike the dragon in a small tuxedo. He bowed and waved them in as Twilight looked beside herself with glee.

She followed suit, flipping a number of scrolls through the air to read. "Okay, 'Lyra and Penni', check. We're missing just... Gosthette and Bassino, by the looks of it!"

"So the other princesses are already here?" asked Lyra. "I was hoping to be here before they showed up."

"But all the princesses are here now, Ly," said Pennaprose. "We just showed up, after all."

"I didn't know princesses wore green ties," remarked Lyra.

"Hey!"

Twilight and Lyra giggled heartily while Pennaprose fumed. "Well then, if I'm a princess tonight, I'm the best princess there ever was! ...And no lie, this tie is fabulous."

The two of them erupted into fits while they rolled over, hanging a hoof on each other's shoulder for support. They strolled off down the main corridor, letting the echo of their fevered chatter bounce into cacophony. He smirked, letting a feeling of amusement and happiness wash over him.

The feeling was brief, however. A small light flashed in the corner of his glasses' lens. He blinked twice at it, opening the message.

Running a little late. Bassino disappeared on me again. Let Twilight know I'm still coming.

He sighed in relief as he closed the message. And here I thought shit was already going south...

"Hey, you gonna follow them or what?"

He looked to his side. Spike was gesturing towards the hallway that Twilight and Lyra went down. He smacked himself and galloped, mentally admonishing himself for lagging behind. "Thanks, Spike!" He waved a clawed hand dismissively and smiled.

In no time he reached the end, standing before an enormous door. He frantically brushed his suit down, then pushed it open. A glimmer of candlelight filled the room before him, reflecting beautifully off of a dozen wine glasses and a magnificent chandelier of wood that hung from the ceiling. Beneath it, a crystalline round table with around a dozen chairs was the center attraction.

His eyes swept across the seats; the royalty was seated on the other side, all by each other. He spotted Lyra seated next to Twilight and trotted over to sit down between her and Rarity.

"What took you so long?" asked Lyra.

"Gosthette sent a message. She's running a bit late," answered Pennaprose. "Supposedly Bassino disappeared on him again."

"Oh, she is coming, then?" Twilight asked. "I was worried that she wouldn't."

"Even if she was a representative that you would have invited without me being around?" replied Pennaprose. "You really don't have any faith in her, do you?"

"N-no, that's not it, it's just... sorry. I don't know her that well, admittedly."

Pennaprose smiled. "Don't assume I do either. We might have been the same human at some point, but who truly knows themselves? She's her own being now as much as I am, and I will never claim to know her."

Twilight gave a half-hearted smile. "I don't know where you get all these ideas from, really. I think I know myself pretty well. ...But you still know Gosthette the best, even if it's very little."

She turned to Celestia and conversed away as Lyra listened intently. He looked at the wine glass full of water before him. I really don't know Gosthette. At all, really, he thought.

He glanced spuriously around the table. Two seats were left open, bordered by Fancy Pants and a mass of balloons he assumed was Pinkie's. That would be where, then...

"I do apologize for asking, but Winter White? Really? I thought I had you pegged as a connoisseur of dry red varieties, your highness."

A collective yelp came from Twilight and Lyra as the utterance came form behind them. It was Bassino, dressed in fineries of black all around save for a single golden pin on his lapel.

"E-eh! My, you scared me, Bassino..." said Twilight. "Um... where is—?"

"Ms. Shyling is lagging behind approximately thirty-two seconds than I. She did not see me set out into the night—"

"BASSINO! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?!"

The door crashed open, revealing one very angry Gosthette. Despite the rage, her mane was done up in a multi-braided knot at the back of her head without flaw, her dress unruffled; it was a navy blue one with glitter that shone like stars in the candlelight.

She stormed up to him, throwing a bag into a seat unceremoniously beside Pennaprose's seat. "There you are, you wispy prick! Bassino, I thought we agreed to show up together! Then you go and vanish to show up ahead of me! Explain yourself."

Bassino adjusted his nearly invisible glasses. "I would think that your skill as an ex-assassin would be able to plan farther ahead than that. Frankly, I failed to correctly estimate my ability to evade detection. ...Would you like some wine, perhaps?"

He offered a glass filled with red wine. She scowled at him, then swiped the glass out of the air, downing it in one chug. "Bleh... somedays, I swear..." she said as she sat down a seat away from Fancy Pants.

Bassino coughed and turned to Celestia. "Apologies for the hostility. I cannot honestly control my habit of vanishing from the sight of others. I do hope I have not offended any of you for this sudden intrusion...?" He bowed.

Cadance waved nonchalantly. "It's hardly a problem, Bassino. We're here to relax and have a little fun in celebration for the recent efforts!"

Pennaprose forced to keep his eyes wide open this time; Bassino nodded, then walked away like a normal pony. Yet the second he blinked, he was gone. A clinking of the glasses from the other side of the table revealed he had somehow managed to silently walk several dozen yards, sit down between Gosthette and Fancy Pants, and begin pouring a glass in the blink of an eye.

Low, pleasant conversation brimmed the room as trays of wonderful food was brought out by Pinkie and Applejack. He kept a close eye on Bassino, unfoundedly curious despite himself.

"Penni? Are you playing with your glasses again?"

"...Huh?"

Lyra was giving him a concerned look. "You've been staring into space for the last minute. You've barely even touched your food, besides stab it to death..."

He looked down at his plate in shock. The lettuce he was eating had been shredded into thousands of leafy strips. "Sorry... it's not the glasses, though."

"Then what?"

He looked up, hoping not to draw attention. "...It's Bassino," he whispered.

"Bassino?" asked Lyra. "What about him?"

"I don't know... but something about him just unnerves me," whispered Pennaprose. "Blink once and he's elsewhere. Blink twice and he's behind you..."

"Blink three times?"

He looked up again. "...He's gone."

His seat was unoccupied, though nopony near it seemed to notice. "Its like his existence doesn't register unless he wants it to..."

Lyra raised an eyebrow. "...Really, I thought you'd have more tact than to gossip of somepony you just met. Lighten up, he probably went to the bathroom. ...Which reminds me, I need to make a trip there. Be back in a bit. Hey, Twilight..."

She turned away to ask Twilight a question. Pennaprose quietly took a sip of his water and shoveled a few forkfuls of salad into his mouth, chewing as Lyra left the room. You'd think that coat of his would drag everywhere, making noise. Maybe his Cutie Mark does that? ...What does it even look like?

His glasses buzzed again. This time, the message was tagged with Bon Bon's name. He opened it.

Remember to contact Cadance about the dream! Just mention my name and she'll help you...

He shut it before it lingered on his glasses to long. Glancing at Cadance, she was chatting with Twilight while eating picking at her nearly finished plate. He thought for a second, then spotted a plate of chocolates and had an idea.

"Hey, Twilight, I've been meaning to say; your castle is really nice!" said Pennaprose. "I bet there's no other castle finer in Equestria!"

Cadance gave him a scrutinizing look. "Ahahahuh. You haven't traveled that much, have you Pennaprose?"

Twilight smiled awkwardly. "Oh, it's a nice castle, but there are better ones..."

"Oh, but it's your castle!" countered Pennaprose. "I might not be the most traveled, but a fine castle cannot possibly exist without these exquisite chocolates!" He brandished them rather flamboyantly. "I mean, really! These are divine!"

"Oh, those?" said Cadance. "Please, those are royal standard! You should try the Crystal Empire variety, they've got these little sprinkles in them—oh, but these are delicious, to be sure."

"You must love them, don't you?" asked Pennaprose. "Bonbon, Cadance?"

She paused as Twilight looked between them innocently. "...Yes, thank you," said Cadance, taking one and unwrapping it as she turned to offer a second one to Shining Armor.

He put the plate of chocolates down, taking one for himself. Smooth, Penni. Smooth. ...Now what?

"But that isn't the point!"

He glanced across the table; Gosthette was scowling at Bassino, who had managed to construct some sort of wine glass tower. "Uninformed madness, Ms. Shyling. It is precisely my modus as to why I do not sleep consistently. Sir Pants, do you concur?"

"Eh, I, oh... eh what? Remind me of the subject again?" asked Fancy Pants.

"He's a lunatic!" chided Gosthette. "He wanders off like a child, never sleeps when he needs to, consistently offers everypony treats that he somehow keeps an enormous stash of in that circus tent of a coat—"

"I would hardly call fine wine a treat, Ms. Shyling," said Fancy Pants. "It is an experience that—"

"—BEER. HARD CIDER. VOD–KA. ASS. WAD. Get drunk or get out, that's what I say!" cried Gosthette. "I feel like a goddamn babysitter! Princess Twilight, I'm sorry, but there are some ponies that you can't stand, right? Know where I'm coming from?"

Twilight seemed dumbfounded. "I-I... um..."

Gosthette continued scowling at Bassino for a second, then let out a big sigh and an irritated flap of her wings that sent many feathers onto the table. "...Sorry. I've always had bad temper issues."

SMACKtinkle.

The sudden sound was wooden mixed with a tinkling of ceramics. A scattering of mashed potatoes surrounded Fancy Pants's plate, replaced by his head. Bassino leaned over and inspected him as everypony else looked on.

"...It appears that Mr. Pants has had a tad too much experience tonight. If you will all excuse me, I will attend to a meeting of the sobriety society briefly. I do carry alcohol-consuming chemicals with me at all times for just such an occasion," explained Bassino. "I will be back in a... half hour and three seconds."

He hung Fancy Pants over his back and trotted out of the door with impressive speed. He passed Lyra in the doorway; she gave them a sidelong glance as she walked to her seat.

"What was that about?" she asked as she sat down. "Did I miss something?"

"Too much to drink, apparently," answered Pennaprose.

He eyed the bottle that was fueling glasses on the other end of the table. From what he could see, it was only half empty. Either he must be absolutely horrible at keeping his alcohol or something's not right here...

A flash of white tugged at the edge of his vision. From his lapel, a wrapper was embedded and hastily folded up. He casually picked it out and unraveled it, noting it was from the chocolates. But there was more than traces of chocolate on it; it was written on as well in smudged ink. Lyra peeked over and gave a small gasp that only he could hear.

Hang back after dinner. There is a world of things we need to discuss.