56 - Real fear
Stick took a careful jump out of the tub, using her wings to land safely on the floor just outside it. "Coming to court today?" She reached in with her magic, to support Penny and help her safely from the big bath.
"Sure!" The unicorn mare reached for a brush even as Stick grabbed a towel and together they soon were dry, neat and still adorably snuggly.
The walk to the court was a short one but they spent it as closely pressed as they could be. Stick fed Penny a little bunch of crystal berries they had snagged the night before.
"Sorry, court is not to restart until tomorrow." The guardpony at the door looked a little annoyed but it was obvious that it was more a case of the amount of times he had had to say that.
"Well drat, what will be the-" Penny was about to ask Stick what the backup plan would be when she cut off, Cadance had walked up behind the stallion guarding the courtroom.
"It is alright, Flash, they can come in." Her voice sounded free of a lot of the burden Penny remembered it having before everything got resolved.
Flash Sentry stood a little straighter. "Of course, Princess."
Penny had a moment to realize who the stallion was before she was past him and walking into the familiar room. Shining Armor was present as well and he trotted over. "I believe I have you to thank for protecting me." The words seemed hard for the big pony to say, but he said them and lifted a hoof to Stick.
Returning the clop gave the prince a chance to inspect her hoof. "You got these defending me." It wasn't a question. Apparently Cadance had shared everything with him. He took a deep gulp. "If you need to drink from me, and I can't tell you in advance, you can."
Penny moved up to him. She knew what that would have cost the stallion to say. Before Stick could say anything she lowered her head. "Thank you. She means so much to me and I don't like the idea of returning to Canterlot with false signs she was doing bad things…"
"She is fine by me!" Shining stood proud, no sign that he had just fought an inner demon betrayed on his face.
Cadance intruded on the small event and lifted one leg up to hug Shining close. "You know, Shiny, she even drank from Luna, preferring to face the wrath of my auntie than let you come to harm."
The stallion looked even more surprised and Penny spotted her mare blushing at the words.
"I just didn't want anyone to get hurt!" It was an emotion right from the changeling's heart and Penny wrapped both legs around her and hugged her tight.
"A wonderful sentiment." Cadance was beaming with happiness. She had dipped a moment, into her special sight, and the strong ribbons of love that she saw that linked both these ponies lifted her heart. "And I want a promise from you." The words were full of import, getting Penny and Stick to both pay close attention.
"What is it, Princess?" Penny was less respectful of princesses, than Stick, and so cut in. But it was perfect for what Cadance wanted.
"It is a grave matter. When the time comes, you must call on me. I simply would not be able to live with myself if I didn't preside over your wedding." Cadance beamed, quite literally in her element here.
The smaller mares both blushed deeply and looked at each other at the same time. Words weren't needed, a simple nod to each other confirmed that such an event was going to happen, eventually.
Penny let her partner reply. "It would be an honor, Your Highness." Somehow the changeling executed the most perfect of curtseys, dipping low and lowering her head.
"Perfect. Even auntie won't snatch this away from me." Cadance sounded like it was an old, but friendly, feud.
"This reminds me." Penny looked directly at Cadance. "Did you have anything to do with Perfect Poise and Articulate Equation?"
It was like the princess had bitten into the most delicious of chocolate cakes, and been caught. "They are… perfect!" She giggled.
Stick started to look a little worried.
Penny missed the first cue from her mate. "They are going to be in charge of the new… business. I have informed Perfect that she need only come here to find an ally."
Cadance nodded, her wings giving a little flutter. "She is a good mare, gentle and with just the thing poor Art had been needing."
Stick now looked more troubled but it was Shining that noticed first. "Stick?"
Penny felt her partner slump down and roll to her side. "I can't help it…" The changeling didn't sound hurt, far from it.
Cadance leaned down. "Can't help what?"
Squirming around on her back, Penny realized what she looked like, and giggled.
"She is drunk." Reaching down and poking at the changeling's side, only giggles came back. "And it is our own faults."
Cadance looked to Shining to try and work out what had happened. He caught on before the princess. "Well, I am thinking it is one mare in particular who is at fault."
Shining Armor mock-glared at Cadance. There was no animosity in anypony and so the ruler of the Crystal Empire saw no reason to give up her position. "If somepony doesn't explain this…"
Stick was rolling and squirming on the floor, tilting her head back and poking at one of Cadance's hooves with her snout.
"You. Your pure element, love." Penny lifted a hoof and poked herself in the forehead. "It was tempered before, first by the stress of having a changeling around, then all these events… I think Stick just can't handle being near you."
"One little… eetsy bitsy nibble. I couldn't hellllllp it!" Stick was giggling and talking quite strangely now, her wings buzzing every now and again.
It finally all clicked home for Cadance and she started to giggle. "To think, all I might have needed to defeat old queen green-butt was to let her drink me?" She lay down and lifted a hoof to Stick, giving the changeling's jaw a little tilt so she could see those big blue eyes, half closed as they were now.
"Probably not that simple, but isn't that what you did? You gave her enough love to choke her and kicked her out?" Penny was grinning now, knowing that Cadance wouldn't hurt Stick.
Cadance was moving her hoof around now, the intoxicated changeling trying to pounce on it like a kitten. "I guess that is probably a good description of it. It warms my heart to hear news that the newest princess, Fast Change, beat her down in a more direct manner."
Penny could bet it did.
"What should we do about her?" Shining moved around to Cadance, carefully avoiding stray changeling limbs.
"For now, I think my special somepony has probably had enough love to last her a while."
Stick and Penny watched as ponies rode through the haunted house. "Look like fun?" Stick nibbled the mare's ear, the one still holding the gem earring that they both shared.
"Not really. Jump scares aren't… oh, I mean things leaping out at you and being more surprise than scare, don't really do it for me." Penny tilted her head, making sure that Stick had more access to the appendage she favored at the moment.
The sounds of the umbrum, excited and well fed, made Penny grin like a foal. Shadow darted over to the pair. "This is great, their fear is even better than yours!"
"Good to hear, is everypony getting a nice feed?" Penny let the tiny insult slide, every umbrum present seemed so very excited that she knew there was no ill intent behind it.
The little stallion nodded vigorously, earning a giggle from Stick.
Luna herself wandered over to where they were watching. It was easy to see how much pride the princess had in her new charges. "Would thou like a ride through… the haunted mansion?" She delivered it with perfect timing and Penny couldn't help it, she would not let Luna down.
"It is haunted!" Penny moved close to Stick, playing up her role. The changeling leaned one leg over Penny's shoulder.
"Don't you worry now, I will protect you!"
Luna almost danced in place she was so taken with the simple fun at hoof. "Then prepare thy selves!"
The little cart was built to fit only a few ponies, Stick and Penny found themselves together on it. It was everything Penny expected, but more. There was not an inch of false terror here, the umbrum worked perfectly and both mare's hearts were racing as they clung together and squealed or giggled alternately.
Things jumped out, but they carried a sense of focus with them that made the mares react in just the right way. Penny couldn't even think straight before things started to calm down at the end. With the fear fading, it was something else that kept them hugging together.
As they rolled out into the open it was just in time for everypony to catch them caught in a deep kiss, their legs tangled around each other.
A dark-colored hoof raised to try and cover the eyes of some foals waiting for their turn.
Realizing they were out and in the open again the blushing pair drew apart and managed to scramble from the ride, laughing and giggling.
The couple were waiting on the platform. Luna had sent them a message that everypony would be returning today and they were expected to travel to Hollow Shades with her and the umbrum. "Where is that again?" Penny had another piece of paper out, it was a little map that showed the train lines.
Stick poked at a spot with a hoof. "Somewhere around there. Did you see?" She next gestured to a gleaming new pair of rails that left the station and ran beside the main tracks until it reached the workers who were obviously laying more.
"Wow, they move fast!" Penny was surprised a little, it was certainly faster than she had thought. She saw the work ponies laying a new track, a single unicorn lifting the huge steel beam into place. "Oh, that explains it."
Their attention was grabbed in the opposite direction as a train started pulling in. It smoothly came into the station and Penny recognized that the back two carriages looked much different than the rest, extra work having been spent to make them look very special.
Ponies started departing the train and Penny's attention was grabbed by the big locomotive detaching from the carriages. At the other end, another was backing up to carry the train back in the other direction.
"Penny?" The voice that drew Penny's attention sounded familiar. "Penny Farthing, how did you know I would be on that train?"
Penny jumped up to her hooves and almost bounced on her way over to Moon Dancer. "Moon! It is good to see you. What is all this?" Blinking, Penny saw there were nearly a dozen boxes stacked around the other unicorn.
"The book publisher had some extras of some good schooling books." Moon sounded a little weary, but at the same time relieved. She had finally made it.
"Wow, that is awesome. Did you find someone to teach here?" Penny carefully opened one box, lifting out the magic primer within.
The yellow-coated mare blushed a little. "You are looking at her. It is time I finally got out from under all those books."
Surprised, Penny reached out and gave Moon Dancer a hug that had the solar unicorn pause a moment before she returned it.
Penny let the slightly flustered mare go. "To finding where we belong." She lifted a hoof and got a grin from Moon. The clop of their hooves sounded just as Princess Luna arrived.
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You would think the excess love energy should be enough to fully heal Stick, right?
Keep going! ;)
6963179 It took weeks last time to purge all the bad energy and cure her holes.
well now the love in this chapter is just bubbling all over the place.
I am betting stick is going to be drunk for a week just from this chapter alone.
like. And giggled. - like, and giggled.
Stick had rolled and squirmed - Stick was rolling and squirming -or- Stick had rolled over and was squirming
was no intent - was no ill/unkind/mean intent
than she thought - than she had thought
different to the rest - different than the rest
train back the other - train back in the other
*****
Don't let the typos bring you down, this was an excellent chapter!
Snuggle at the spooky...
Cuddle at the creepy...
I guess it's time to head back home now that Penny and Stick have kicked off an economic revolution and helped to feed a nation of hungry shadow pixies!
6964083 Typos will never bring me down! But wait, there is still more work to be done. The umbrum are not established at Hollow Shades, Penny will be making sure her duty is completed
This doesn't read right, could be "and if I can't tell you in advance" may be better.
First annoying guardspony = Flash. Naturally. :D
Your Highness."
Well, it's not the Chrydence I've been looking for, but I'll take it.
6992219
The and can't join to anything but the if clause, so it's fine.
Okay, THAT was funny!