Happy Adventuring, Twilight!

by Pennington Inkwell

Pie in the Face

"Who?" Pinkie Pie asked through a mouthful of cake.

"Pennington Inkwell. He's lived here for eight years, and you don't know him?" Twilight could hardly believe that Pinkie Pie actually didn't know about the author. She shook her head. "He said that he had never met you, either."

"That's impossible! I know every pony in Ponyville! And every time somepony new comes, I either give them the welcome wagon or throw a party for them!" Pinkie finished the rest of her cake in a single bite.

"Well, he wouldn't have any reason to lie. Besides, I know that Rainbow Dash and Pipsqueak can vouch for him." She shrugged between bites of her cupcake. "But I heard that he's a bit of a recluse..." A questioning glance from her friend quickly prompted a definition. "He keeps to himself, like I did before I moved to Ponyville."

"Well, why would he do that? Ponyville is just FULL of nice ponies! I'm happy to know them all!" Pinkie Pie's eyes rolled towards the ceiling as she tried to understand.

"I don't know. That's why I decided to come to you, Pinkie! You seem to be the expert when it comes to making new friends..." Twilight looked at her friend over the brim of her glass, sipping and savoring the hot chocolate inside. If the Cakes made more of this, they could really make a profit during the winter!

"Well, if there's one thing I know, it's how to make a friend! And cupcakes! Oh, and friendly cupcakes!" Pinkie reached under the table and pulled out a box of cupcakes. When she opened the lid, it revealed a dozen cupcakes, each one decorated with a bright smiley face.

"Where... Where did you get those?" Twilight looked under the tabletop, but saw nothing more than the normal bottom of the table.

"Oh, I keep cupcakes hidden all over town! Just in case of cupcake emergencies!" Pinkie grinned, ignoring Twilight's perplexity. "Don't worry, Twilight! I'll go meet him, and then we'll be friends, and I'll introduce him to Ponyville!"

As Pinkie Pie hopped away, Twilight couldn't help but wonder if things were going to work out as well she had first thought. I hope that she doesn't get carried away... Oh, who am I kidding? Of course she will...

"Hello?" Pinkie found the store rather easily, and was surprised at herself for never noticing it before. "Is anypony here?" She walked inside, pushing the glass doors aside as she bounced in. Surprisingly, the room was empty, with nopony behind the counter!

"Is anypony here?" Pinkie searched the room, but the only company she seemed to have was the cardboard cut-out of Daring Do sitting beside the newest books. She could see a doorway behind the counter, but wasn't sure if she should go looking. Well... I have to find him! Besides, he won't mind a FRIEND coming back there! Reassured, she trotted behind the counter and into the next room.

"Woah... If Twilight saw this, she would explode!" Pinkie Pie whispered. Styrofoam cups covered every square inch of counter space in what seemed to be his kitchen... The only things that didn't have ramen noodle cups on them were the kitchen sink, which had at least a dozen dirty spoons in it, and a sparkling clean, very well-cared-for microwave, obviously the device that he had been using to make all of these sodium-rich noodle meals. "This pony eats ramen like I eat cake! Honestly, I've seen tidier rooms after one of Pound Cake's temper tantrums!" She shook her head, resisting the urge to clean the place herself, and instead looked for another door.

The next room was actually a hallway,with a stairwell on one side, and a mysterious-looking oak door on the other. Pinkie looked from side to side, trying to decide which direction would be best. Finally, she shrugged and moved to open the large oak door. To her surprise, the door was locked tight, and all she could do was rattle the doorknob.

"Ummm... Hello?" She tried shouting again, hoping that somepony would show up and finally point her in the right direction. Being in another pony's house without permission... all alone... It's creepy if you're not setting up a surprise party!

Without warning, a loud rattling sound echoed through the hallway! It scared Pinkie so badly, she felt as if, for a moment, her heart had stopped! She ran to the far end of the hallway, staring at the door in terror. The sound of grating chains, metal grinding on metal, and a low moaning filled the hallway, and in the near-silence, it seemed to be amplified tenfold. Pinkie was just about to run up the stairway when the door swung outward, and a unicorn fitting Twilight's description stepped out. He looked half-asleep, his mane was a shaggy mess, and he was gripping his head and moaning.

"H- Hello?" He groaned, looking around. He didn't seem to see Pinkie at first, but that was understandable, considering the fact that his eyes were almost closed. When he finally spotted Pinkie Pie, he smiled and kicked the door shut. "Oh, you must be Miss Pinkemena! I'm sorry I'm in such a shape, but I'm afraid that you caught me during one of my fits..."

"Oh, you can call me Pinkie!" The pink pony smiled, happy to see a friendly, if not tired, face after the scare she had just received. "What do you mean, 'fits?'"

"Well, sometimes, inspiration strikes like lightning, giving you an idea that you simply cannot ignore. You have to write it down, and that task often turns into writing the entire project at once!" He shrugged. "I'm used to it, it's nothing detrimental, I just can't stop working until I've finished!" He looked back out through the kitchen and into the lobby. "Did... Did I forget to put up the sign saying I was closed? Again?"

"Well, yeah! And you didn't lock up your shop! Somepony could have walked in and stole something!" Pinkie was beginning to wonder about this scatterbrained pony. Being an expert in scatterbrain-iness, though, she quickly remembered her reason for coming. "Oh! Twilight told me that I had never met you before, and that you didn't have many friends in town, and I thought that I knew every pony in Ponyville! I was SO surprised when she told me about you! So, I decided to come here and meet you for myself!" She grinned and offered him the box of friendly cupcakes. "So I brought some of my cupcakes, and after we've finished these, I can help throw you a party to meet all of the ponies here in Ponyville! They're all really nice, and I'm sure they'll just love to meet you, too!" She gave Pennington her biggest smile, trying to combat the confusion that was slowly taking over his expression.

"Uh... huh." Pennington grunted. "Pinkie, I really must apologize, but I'm not really in a very good condition for having a conversation at the moment." He looked down into the box and smiled. "Ah... Sugar! Just what I need to stay awake!" He levitated one cupcake out of the box and ate it in one bite, wrapper and all. He chewed for a few moments, swallowed loudly, and spat the wrapper into a nearby wastebasket. "And I'm really not much for parties... I prefer the quiet of my study." He nodded towards the door from which he had emerged. "So, as much as I appreciate the offer, I'm going to have to take a rain check on meeting Ponyville's ponies. Is there anything else that I can do for you? Are you in need of a commission before I lock up?"

"Your study? Twilight does a lot of studying! Can I see?" Without waiting for an answer, Pinkie Pie rushed past him, pulling the door open and running inside. "Woooah..." She whispered. The light in the room came from a large skylight in the ceiling, but that was the only window. In this room, Pennington would have no way to see the outside world, with the exception of the sky. A large mahogany desk sat in the center of the room, covered in a mess of papers, quills, and inkwells, both empty and filled. The most stunning feature of the room, however, were the walls. Papers of every kind were tacked to the wall. Some were a single scrap of paper, and others were entire stacks of ten or more pages. Red yarn moved from one paper to the other, linking them all in some kind of spiderweb of a plot line. The most outstanding detail: Daring Do memorabilia was everywhere. From cardboard cutouts to first-edition books, and even plushies of the heroine sitting on shelves near the ceiling and in the corner, Pennington had everything in this room. Rainbow Dash doesn't have HALF of this stuff! He's an extreme fan!

"No, no, NO!" Pinkie scarcely had time to register everything before she felt herself fly into the air and levitate backwards at an alarming rate. Without time to orient herself, Pinkie's head hit the wall in the hallway with a resounding "thud!" Pennington stared at the prostrate pony with wide eyes, taking deep breaths to keep calm. "That... Is my sanctum! No pony except myself is allowed in there! Ever!" He growled, obviously enraged. "Pinkemena Diane Pie, if I can do nothing more for you, then I will be taking my leave and returning to my work! Good day to you!" With that, he stormed back inside, and a grating noise that Pinkie now recognized as several different types of locks being engaged emanated from the thick door.

Pinkie Pie rubbed the spot where her head had met the wall, happy that her springy mane had absorbed most of the impact. "W-wait! I didn't know that you- I'm sorry!" She shouted, trying to grab the doorknob before it locked. Unfortunately for the pastel pony, her new "friend" has reached it before she could, and it was locked up tightly. "Wait, Pennington! I'm sorry, I didn't know that I wasn't supposed to be in there!" Her apology was met with only silence. She looked down to try and see through the keyhole, but there wasn't one that she could see, making it a door that could only be unlocked from the inside. In an instant of brilliance, she remembered the skylight. "That's it! I can go up there to apologize! There's no way that he can ignore me up there!"

As quickly as she could, Pinkie ran outside and began to climb, making her way to the roof in a matter of minutes. When she finally reached the top, though, she found a gigantic mirror, instead of a glass skylight! She walked to the edge of the polished surface, not daring to step onto it out of fear that it would break.

"I don't get it... There was a skylight here, I saw it! And why would somepony put a mirror on their roof?" She shook her head. "HELLO? PENNINGTON? I just wanted to tell you, I'm REALLY, REALLY sorry!"

After a couple more hours, Pennington had finally finished his work, and proudly looked down on the stack of papers that he had covered from top to bottom in words. "That's a good... two days work?" He wondered, trying to remember how many times the sun had risen since he had started. "Yes... Two days. I need sleep. Then, I can start making arrangements for my trip." As he went through all of his locks, now ready to emerge, his visit from Pinkie Pie earlier that morning crossed his mind. "Now that I think about it, I WAS a bit harsh... I really should apologize and see if her head is alright..." He muttered. "Right after I have some lunch... Or would it be dinner by now?"

Like a bear coming out of hibernation, the unicorn lumbered out of his cave, tired and dragging his hooves. "Just three bowls... Then bed." He shut the door behind him, and placed a spell to prevent the room from opening until he returned. As he dragged himself into the kitchen, he saw something that absolutely dumbfounded him: his counter top. The entire kitchen was spotless, with every old cup of ramen gone, every dried-up and crusty noodle scraped off of the counter, and every spoon washed and put in its place. A note in pink stationery was taped to the microwave, and the box of cupcakes was sitting next to it.

Dear Pennington,

I'm REALLY sorry for going into your secret room! I didn't know that you wanted it to stay secret, and I was curious. I hope that this makes up for it. Don't worry, I won't tell anypony about your Daring Do collection!

Sincerely, Pinkie Pie.

P.S. Enjoy the cupcakes!

Finding the note, along with imagining the sheer amount of work that it must have taken to clean up his kitchen, finally sent Pennington on the guilt trip that he knew he deserved. He groaned as he raised his hoof to his forehead, stopping just before slapping himself to avoid another migraine. "Great... Now I have to go apologize..." He quickly filled a few new cups with water, saturating the dried noodles before placing them all in the microwave. "And... Six minutes!" The light inside of the microwave flickered on, and the three helpings of noodles spun in circles inside. To Pennington, it looked like a beautiful choreography in a romantic musical, though he couldn't tell if the sentiment came from his love of the noodles or his sheer exhaustion.

"It sounds like a two-way mirror. HE can see out, but YOU can't see in!" Twilight thought out loud as she pondered Pinkie Pie's story. "Actually, that's quite clever for a pony who wants to keep his privacy! But, I have a feeling that you might have caught him at the worst possible time. Speaking from experience, when a pony has been awake for more than 24 hours, they're not very open to enthusiastic new friends like you..." Twilight shook her head, regretting ever sending Pinkie to meet him.

"Well, that's okay. Everypony gets grouchy when they haven't had enough sleep!" Pinkie did her best to keep up her normal cheer, despite the urge to go back and try again tugging on every nerve in her body.

Twilight poured two cups of hot chocolate into the glasses sitting on the table in the center of the library. "I'm sorry, Pinkie. I should have known better. Pennington's going to need slow, easy persuasion to leave his comfort zone. Anything more and he'll lash out at whoever's trying, good intentions or not..."

"Well, actually, he wasn't really grouchy until I went into his secret room. He was acting nice!" Pinkie thought with a shrug. "He just politely told me that he didn't like parties! Of course, I don't believe him! Who doesn't like parties, right, Twilight?"

Twilight rolled her eyes with a smile. "Well, not always. Like when they're trying to work..." She took a discrete sip from her cup, looking back at Pinkie, who obviously hadn't gotten the less discrete hint. "Don't worry, Pinkie. I can go and see him tomorrow. I'll make sure that he knows that you're sorry." And after that, I'll give him a piece of my mind... Sleep-deprived or not, he was being rude!

Comments

[Malus Darkblade]

ahh sleep deprivation i know thee well keep it up dude its really good so far

[Neon Icy Wings]

Onward with everything! Also: Why didn't he just eat the cupcakes?

[Pennington Inkwell]

889225 Dude, don't spoil the story! You're right on the money with your guess, so I've gotta give you credit! But... Your comment has to be deleted to prevent everyone else from getting spoilers. I don't mean to be a comment nazi, I'm just trying to keep the surprise a secret for the not-so-great guessers among us.

Seriously, though, good job! You figured it out more quickly than I expected!

[thewaffler]

889245
I've seen enough movies and I read a lot. Seriously, I think the movies Finding Forrester and Big Fish along with the artistic style of Guillermo del Toro and little bits and pieces of other things I've read, come to mind concerning the fic.

[Pennington Inkwell]

889283

Well, I must admit that I'm flattered, despite that fact that I've never personally seen any of those... I'm glad that you're enjoying it!

[thewaffler]

889371
I recommend them.
Finding Forrester, I already explained in the my previous comment, but yeah It's a movie about an author(Sean Connery) lives in a run down condo in the Bronx as a recluse, one day a teenager breaks into his home, leaves his back pack there and said guy find his bag on the ground with his own story marked with notes and thus begins a friendship between the two of them.

Big Fish is film by Tim Burton(one of the few I really like) and that is about a man who's father is dying and recounts his youth to his son(Ewan McGregor) about these fantastic tales believed to be fiction and the son attempts to relive these events, but only finding out the stories told to him are real events blurring fact and fiction.

[Boss_Hoss1]

Mysterious room, and plans for a trip?
derpicdn.net/media/W1siZiIsIjIwMTMvMDcvMDUvMDJfMDZfMzRfNDc4XzM2NDcwNF9fc2FmZV90d2lsaWdodF9zcGFya2xlX3BpbmtpZV9waWVfaW1hZ2VfbWFjcm9fcmVhY3Rpb25faW1hZ2VfZG9udXRfam9lX2d1c3RhdmVfbGVfZ3JhbmRlX3JlYWN0aW9uX211bGlhX21pbGQiXV0/364704__safe_twilight%2Bsparkle_pinkie%2Bpie_image%2Bmacro_reaction%2Bimage_donut%2Bjoe_gustave%2Ble%2Bgrande_reaction_mulia%2Bmild.png

[gigamix]

So i read penningtons trix and started reading this hoping that theres more on Trixie... Is there? Please tell me there is :D

[Beware The Carpenter]

Being in another pony's house without permission... all alone... It's creepy if you're not setting up a surprise party!

"Well, yeah! And you didn't lock up your shop! Somepony could have walked in and stole something!"

Stolen