Worlds Apart

by moviemaster8510

Chapter 9: Home

Penny pays her landlord her last rent check today. It is Monday morning and I’m going to open the store up later today so I can help Penny get her final things in. I load the final boxes into my van and get in, but first Penny has to pay her rent one last time. With the price reduction, she only has to pay $300. She gives him a check for $700 as a thank you for his generosity.

Once she finishes her business, Penny and I drive back to my house to officially move her in. We walk in with Cadance and Shining Armor awaiting us.

“Welcome home,” says Cadance before both ponies hug her.

I join in the group hug.
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It’s Sunday and both Penny and I have the day off. We’re both practicing our instruments while Cadance and Shining Armor watch us. Suddenly, I hear a knock at the door. I instantly tell Shining Armor and Cadance to hide. I walk to the door as casually as I can for a guy who is harboring two otherworldly ponies in his house. Once I open the door, I cannot contain my shock.

Standing on my doorstep are three equine creatures. One is very large and white. I can tell she’s a mare by the golden tiara on her head. She, like Cadance, is an alicorn, but she has a green, blue, and purple mane and tail that, despite the lack of wind, flow ceaselessly in the air. She has a cutie mark (if I remembered the term correctly) of a large sun on her flank.

The other one is a dark purple with a purple and blue mane that also seems to flow in the calm air. Her cutie mark is odd, seeing how it’s a large, black blot all over her entire rump with a crescent moon on it. The last mare is much smaller than the two, but she’s merely a unicorn, and her horn isn’t quite as long as the two mares next to her. She has a purple coat and a straight purple and pink mane that ends in a style similar to a bowl cut. There’s no coincidence here; I know exactly what they want.

“Shining Armor?” I begin sadly. “Cadance? It’s for you.”

I hear murmuring upstairs, as if Cadance and Shining Armor are contemplating what guests they could have that would be expecting them. Once the realization hits them, they practically gallop down the stairs to see who it is. Shining Armor’s gaze goes straight to the smaller, purple mare.

“Twily!” he cries.

Twily? Is that Twilight Sparkle.

Both ponies run to each other and wrap their arms around each other in a warm embrace. It warms my heart to see him reunited with his sister, but it pains me to know that this is his ride to his home world. I watch as Cadance runs to hug the other two alicorns.

“I’m so glad you’re safe,” says Twilight, still hugging his brother. “They didn’t hurt you at all, did they?”

“No!” says Shining Armor in a protective manner. “In fact, these two have been very helpful and friendly to us.”

“Two? There’s only one here.”

“Penny!” I call. She comes down to see 3 more similar ponies inside the house. She understands what this means too.

“So you’re coming to take Shining Armor and Cadance home?” she asks.

“Yes,” said the white mare. Suddenly I put the pieces together. “Let me introduce myself. Im-”

“Princess Celestia, right?” Princess Celestia looked stunned. I then directed my gaze to the other alicorn. “You’re Princess Luna, and you’re Twilight Sparkle,” I finish, looking at the smaller mare.

“How do you know our names?” asks Celestia.

“Cadance and Shining Armor told me all about you two. Are you by chance tired from your trip here? Can I make you some tea?”

“Tea would be lovely.”

I don’t have enough strainers between the seven of us, so I opt to make the tea in a single glass pitcher and pour the tea through a strainer in the pitcher. I’ve come to realize at this very moment what little time I have left with my best friends. I want to try and prolong this just a little longer. As I put the water on, I rejoin everyone in the living room.

“So tell me,” I say, “Shining Armor told me that he and Cadance were sent here through a solar eclipse. How does that work exactly?”

“You see,” says Celestia. “A solar eclipse happens very uncommonly in Equestria. It’s a sight to behold, but sometimes, the magic that’s used to move the sun and the moon-”

“Whoa, whoa,” I interrupt, “did you say that the sun and the moon move by magic in your world?”

“Yes,” groaned Luna, “My sister and I are the ones responsible for raising the sun and the moon each day. And please don’t interrupt.”

“Sorry. Please continue.”

“Anyways,” said Celestia, “when the magic between my sister and I’s magic intersects like that, strange things happen.”

“You mean like teleportation?”

“Sometimes. In the case of teleportation, otherworldly things have appeared in our world, or objects or even creatures from our world can even disappear. I never thought that my own niece and nephew-in-law would be taken away from us like that.”

“How did you find us then?”

“One of the most renowned unicorns of our time was Starswirl the Bearded, and he believed that other worlds existed beyond our own. We took his theory to heart and scoured the universe looking for you. After two weeks, we finally found you. After plotting your world’s coordinates and gathering enough magic, we were able to travel to your world. When we woke up however, we found ourselves in this forest. We traveled down the forest until we found your house, and now we’re here.” The kettle is piping.

“Excuse me,” I say.

I pour the water into the pitcher. I come back to the circle to let it steep, where I talk about how I found them, and how we ended up helping each other. Every pony besides Cadance and Shining Armor was touched by our friendship. Once the tea was done steeping, Cadance asks to hear one last performance from Penny and I.

We don’t have time to lug out amps out here, so Penny grabs her bass while I grab an acoustic guitar. I pour everyone their tea and begin playing. The ponies applaud us as we transition from song to song, their cups growing emptier and emptier. We end our “set” with The Crow, The Owl and the Dove, the song from our performance last week that Cadance and Shining Armor loved so much. The ponies are moved to tears by our performance.

“Well,” says Celestia, “that was very pleasant, but we need to be returning home shortly. Please say your goodbyes and we’ll be on our way.”

I approach Shining Armor and give him a tight hug. As I hug him tighter, I realize that these will be our final moments together, and I begin to grasp how badly I don’t want them to end. Tears are rolling off my face.

“Thank you so much for taking care of me and my wife,” says Shining Armor. “I would not have made it without someone like you.”

“Thank you for saving me,” I sob. “You are truly the best friend I’ve ever had.” I can feel Shining Armor’s tears on the back of my neck as we continue hugging. Once we finally let go, I’m given a second hug by Twilight Sparkle.

“I can’t thank you enough for helping my brother,” she weeps, saddened by our breakup.

“It was a pleasure,” I choke up. “You should be really lucky to have a great brother such as him.”

Twilight lets go of me as I prepare to say goodbye to Cadance.

“You have been a wonderful host,” she sobs, hugging me. “I’m really going to miss you.” I then say three words to her that catch even me off guard.

“I love you.”

I meant to say it as platonically as possible, but I’m not sure how I said it. Despite this, she unfurls her wings and wraps them around my entire body, putting me in a soft, warm embrace. I finally muster the courage to let go of her.

Shining Armor is finishing her goodbye with Penny when Cadance and I walk up to them and make a large group hug.

“We will never forget you,” says Shining Armor.

“Nor will we forget you,” I say.

“Goodbye, my friends,” weeps Cadance. We slowly and reluctantly let go of each other as we separate from Shining Armor and Cadance, who back up towards Celestia and Luna.

“Thank you all,” says Celestia at last. “Your kindness and hospitality means the world to me. I cannot begin to think of a way that I can possibly repay you.”

“Trust me,” I giggle, hugging Penny close to me, “they’ve given me plenty,” eliciting tearful giggles from Cadance and Shining Armor.

“Are you ready?” asks Celestia. Shining Armor and Cadance nod.

Twilight, Celestia, Luna, Shining Armor, and Cadance walk back outside towards the driveway. Penny and I walk out to the doorstep to see our friends off. Celestia and Luna’s horns begin glowing bright. Before the light can fully envelop them, Cadance and Shining Armor give us a final wave goodbye. Penny and I wave goodbye as well.

Soon, the five ponies are nothing but a white ball of light. Suddenly, the ball shrinks and disappears. Shining Armor and Cadance have gone back to their home worlds away while we remain here, worlds apart. All I want to do now is look at the sky and wonder how our friends’ reunion is. If they’re safe. If they’re telling their friends about us. It’s all I want to do. Penny holds my arm and nuzzles her head onto my shoulder. It’s all she wants to do.

Thank you Shining Armor, Cadance. Thank you for being my friends.
________________________________________________________________________________________

The next day, I have to go to work. It feels strange, knowing that you’ll never see your two best friends ever again, but it’s comforting that you know that they are where they belong. Business is business as usual. Nothing newer, nothing older. Except for maybe one thing. The girl who would always walk into my store and never buy a single item, my love, was now living in my house with me. I smile again.

When I arrive home that night, I find a brown parcel on the doorstep. Upon parking the car in the garage, I walk over and pick it up. It’s very heavy, but I find the lack of a return address to be somewhat unnerving. Then I figure out who its from.

“Penny,” I call as I walk in, “did you see this package?”

“I already got the mail though.”

I find a note attached to the parcel, and I read it aloud.

“Dear Ian Carlington and Penny Lewis,

I again wish to thank you for taking care of my niece and nephew-in-law. What I have given you here isn’t much, but I wanted to show you some token of my appreciation. Once again, thank you for all that you have done.

Sincerely,
Princess Celestia.”

I then open the package and can’t believe what I see. Inside the package is fifteen long rolls of solid gold coins.

Wasn’t much, you say?!?

Penny and I jump around the house and hug each other over our windfall.
________________________________________________________________________________________

You might be wondering what me and Penny are doing with all of that gold. We’re saving it. I know, along with Penny, the ill effects of spending and spending, and I certainly don’t want to turn out like my mom. I did, however, use some of the money to pay for the house in full. With the money we have saved, let’s say that we’ll have a very comfortable retirement in our future.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Penny and I continue to do dinner and a movie night every Sunday evening, but Penny doesn’t work in the theater anymore. She works alongside me now at the store. I run the register and behind the counter, while Penny works with the customers in the store. With our camaraderie, my job has become less stressful than ever.

In fact, with my newfound sense of confidence that I’ve earned, I’ve made some new friends. There’s Paul, the rhythm/lead guitarist, there’s Mickey, the drummer, and there’s Samuel, the keyboardist. Penny is the bassist and vocalist, and there’s me the lead guitarist, backup vocalist, and Chapman stick player. Yes, we have a band now. We perform every Saturday night at a small pub in town and practice every Sunday afternoon (in accordance to Penny and I’s dates, of course). We’re called Armored Cadence. Seems rather fitting for a Iron Maiden/Nightwish/Prog Metal cover band.

________________________________________________________________________________________

December 16, 2012

________________________________________________________________________________________

The Jacuzzi feels rather nice in this weather. It also feels cool because it makes you imagine that you’re in a hot spring in the mountains. The snow gently falls as I look to the sky on my left and follow the falling snowflakes until I look my right as I look at the Christmas lights on the roof. Having soaked for about an hour now, I get out and take a shower.

It gets dark out early in the winter, but it makes dinnertime seem all the more scenic. Penny and I are having a roast that I made for dinner. We might not have been fully converted to vegetarians following Cadance and Shining Armor’s arrival, but we’ve certainly eaten a lot less of it.

As Penny cleans the dishes, I wait by the couch, expecting visitors. There are two bags of luggage by the front door along with a colorful paper-wrapped box and 2 cases for guitars, one being the case to Penny’s bass, the other being the case to an acoustic guitar of mine. I’ve closed the shop for the few days that we’ll be on vacation. There’s a knock at the door.

“They’re here!” I gasp.

I briskly walk over and open the door. Outside, standing there, are Shining Armor and Princess Cadance. I squeal their names in excitement and hug them, Penny following after.

“I’m so glad the princesses allowed us to come for the holiday,” Penny says. “Happy Hearth’s Warming Eve.”

“And a Merry Christmas to you,” says Cadance. “What’s in the box?”

“A little Christmas present for you,” I say. Inside is a vinyl copy of Nightwish’s Imaginaerum (it took me forever to find on eBay for some reason) and several tins of that tea we gave them (but we won’t tell them).

“Are you two ready to go?” asked Shining Armor.

“Just a sec,” I say.

I run to my bedroom and pull the drawer out a bit. I grab a small box from underneath my shirts and examine the contents. Inside is a gold diamond ring.

I’m certain that this will be the right moment.

I slip the box into my jacket pocket and come back downstairs.

“Okay,” I say, “I’m ready.”

All four of us walk to the driveway with our luggage by our side. Shining Armor and Cadance begin casting a spell that makes their horns glow brightly. As light envelops us all to transport us, I clasp Penny’s hand in anticipation, as I will be spending my first Hearth’s Warming Eve and Christmas with my best friends.

Not to mention, my future wife.

Comments

[Perception Filter]

*Squees at new chapter*
*Realizes it's over*

[Thunder_Runner]

OMG you almost killed me i was about to cry then i was like no and kept reading and now im just bouncing on to the next one

[Sean Retro]

Nice way to end this story, sad to see it end but it has to end sooner or later.
Good luck Ian, you’ll need it.

[TheMyth]

So in the end, Ian and Penny move to Equeastria and Ian is gonna propose to Penny there?

Make an epilogue chapter please!

[Griffin2x]

Very nice one small error though. “So you’re coming to take Shining Armor and Luna home?” she asks.

[vampire48]

good story to tell
"hey remember that time you came into my store and bought that on thing? and not the guitar strings"
"wait i never brought anything from you besides that?"
"thanks a lot"

get it

[Maestro]

Warm fuzzy feelings all over!

Awesome story!

[CoastalSarv]

If Shining and Cadance's trip to Humanworld and the friendly reception they got there comes out, I am sure the prime pony prejudice about humans will be "and they are all so musical!" Coulda been worse.

[Ledomare]

Beautifully done. Gave me some of those "My Little Dashie" feels, except with a less bittersweet ending.

*quiet applause*

[ThatAw3someBr0ny]

D'aaaaaaaawwww. That was UH-MAZING. mommy, why do stories end?

[Juu50x]

I trully love this!

Simple yet still interesting and just cute ! And make things better, we have Candence And Shinning Armor playing matchmakers! sort of...

[creepykiller99]

is this it or there are more

[jamie9897]

Great ending finally got around to finishing this story it's been a few months but I read it and all I can say before I fall asleep is 'Sequel?'.

[RomanReader1]

How did ian know about their arrival to take him to equestria?

[20ShadowFlame17]

one slight prolem 'Shining Armor is finishing her goodbye with Penny' no just no but still an amazing story

[Lightoller]

Armored Cadence?
[youtube=www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6F6u5TIUbI]

[Evil Paladin]

For some reason, "Closing time" was playing in my head as I read this.
"Closing time, open all the doors and let you out into the world..."
[youtube=EAS-pvQ06s4]

I actually had a happy tear by the end of the chapter!
Bravo sir! Bravo.

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