Happy Adventuring, Twilight!

by Pennington Inkwell

To Destroy a Changeling

"Pennington Inkwell, I command you to kill Twilight Sparkle."

The words hung in the air for a moment as Pennington and Chrysalis locked gazes for a moment, her eyes glowing softly.

"E-excuse me, your majesty?"

"She can be nothing but a threat to us as long as she lives. For the safety of the hive, I am asking you to defend the new order that is being ushered in." She turned back to the window, surveying the invasion.

Pennington looked back to Twilight, his stare distant and detached. Twilight felt a stab of fear through her heart as she wondered if Pennington was really going to follow through with the order.

"Has it really come to this, my queen?" He spoke in hushed tones, not taking his eyes off of the distant point he was focused on. "You're commanding me to kill the mare I love?"

"Do you remember the Equestria I described for you, Pennington? Where ponies and changelings could live together in peace, and no one would go hungry? Changelings feeding off love and working to make Equestria better while the ponies adjust to their new lives? Do you want to give up on that?"

"It was a beautiful story, wasn't it? Changelings don't need real food, so any crops they helped produce would be a surplus. Food would become a surplus and no one would go hungry..." Pennington's head slowly turned back towards her, his eyes narrowing as his horn began to glow and sputter with smoke. "But I'm not just another mindless drone, Chrysalis. Even if we didn't have that deeper connection, I'd know a lie when I heard one."

Twilight's heart skipped a beat as the smoke began pulling itself together into the familiar shape. Not willing to go down without a fight, she braced herself, readying her magic.

"Relax, Twilight." Pennington let the sword hang in the air above his head, the tip pointed towards Chrysalis. "You don't have any reason to fear me. I told you, didn't I? There's one thing that Chrysalis could never make me do..."

Chrysalis slowly turned around, staring at him in surprise. Twilight had no idea what would happen next. Judging by Chrysalis's astounded stare and Pennington's rebellious glare, each of them literally knew what the other was thinking.

"You wouldn't..."

"You've seen me fight when there are lives on the line. In fact, you've seen that I'd leave myself for dead before letting Twilight be hurt..." He shook his head, the sword threateningly wagging back and forth. "This... This is nothing."

Chrysalis stepped forward, her eyes narrowing. "Now look who's the liar. You don't want to do this. Do you have any idea what you'll be sacrificing? Throwing away?"

"I was willing to stand by you and fight for you because of what happened in the hive." Pennington's sword floated forward when she advanced, prompting her to stop after a few steps. "I thought that we fought for something good... Something worth a little sacrifice. But it's been too long, hasn't it?" He shook his head again, grimacing as he forced out the words. "We've changed, or at least you have. We unseated Entropy because he was taking recklessly and greedily without any thought for others! What is this?" He motioned out the window, where the army of changelings was still running rampant.

Still looking closely at Pennington, Twilight sneaked her way to Cadence, using a bolt of magic to free her hooves. "Go to him while you still can..." She nodded towards Shining Armor. "Do it now, while the queen is distracted!" Cadence nodded and hurried over to the white-coated unicorn. After seeing the two lovers together, Twilight turned her attention back to Pennington.

"Pennington, you won't do this, plain and simple! We both know that you're too frightened and not nearly as noble as you give yourself credit for..." Chrysalis spoke softly, somehow making the insulting words sound reassuring.

"Oh, really? REALLY, Chryssie?" Pennington stamped his hoof down, becoming angry for a moment. He didn't even seem to notice that the same green slime that had entrapped so many of the other ponies was gathering around him, prompted by the queen's softly glowing horn. "Because right now, there isn't very much of me left to be afraid! Your voice is in my head, my limbs follow your commands, even my heart is torn between who I should follow! My lover or my dear friend?" He let out a long, sad sigh.

"I would rather have fought alongside the changeling I met that day in the hive than anyone I've ever met. Not because you were powerful or confident, but because you weren't willing to back down from what you believed in! Has bearing the hunger of the whole hive really dragged you down to become this?" In a sudden downwards slash, the sword grated across the tiled floor, creating an array of sparks before rising back up to his own head, the tip of the blade resting at the base of his horn.

"Pennington Inkwell, you put that sword down!" Chrysalis stamped her hoof in rage, the slime rising up around him and grabbing at his body, Pennington fought back at first, but eventually allowed his hooves to be anchored down, likely because he didn't need them.

"There's a reason that you never see changeling loners... A reason why striking Entropy's horn was actually the most devastating blow I could have made..." Pennington's eyes were brimming with tears as the sword rotated back and forth in the air, ringing softly as it touched his horn. "I didn't know it until I became one of you, though. A changeling is bound to their ruler, bound to their hive... by their horn. They lose their ability to transform and most of their other magic when they lose their horn. It's sharp and twisted so that most other species can't bite it off..."

Twilight's eyes widened with fear as she finally realized what they had both known the entire time. He- He couldn't! Could he?

"Queen Chrysalis... you wanted an operative in Equestria, someone of repute, someone who knew their way through all the ins and outs of ponydom. Who better than the stallion managing two lives at once?" He chuckled lightly to himself, though Twilight was certain that he wasn't feeling very happy at all. "A pony with all the mindless obedience of a changeling, one who could fight back your foes and had already proven himself in battle, and one with whom you had a history. Because all you needed was to get your hoof in that door... and I was yours to command."

You don't have to do this, Pennington!

"It was a beautiful dream while it lasted, and having my will be completely and utterly suffocated under the will of someone else has been an experience that's given me a wonderful window into addiction... But Chrysalis, you finally managed to snap me out of it! Telling me to kill Twilight Sparkle was that line I couldn't cross for you. I made a promise to myself about what would happen if you gave me that command, and now it's time to make good on that promise!"

"No, Pennington! You will NOT!" Chrysalis began to advance, her horn flashing brightly with light towards Pennington, crackling through the air. If Twilight had been given the time, she would have easily recognized it as the same bolt that had been used on her brother to keep him subdued. What happened next, however, happened in a flash for Chrysalis, a brief moment for Twilight, and a single, massive spasm for Pennington.

In an emerald blur, the sword swung in a wide arc through the air swinging at Pennington's head. At the same time, Pennington threw himself to the side, using his tethered hooves to lean as far as he could into the oncoming blade. There was an ear-splitting crack, an explosion of green light, and silence fell. Aside from the light clatter as most of Pennington's horn fell to the floor, no one dared to make as sound. After a second, though, Pennington began to scream in pain. Having his hooves anchored to the ground stopped him from being able to reach up and grasp at the injury, so he simply swung his head from side to side, eyes screwed shut as blood leaked out and onto his face. Green sparks of magic sputtered out with the blood, both in blood-like squirts and crackling bolts. Twilight's heart wrenched with pain as she watched him, quickly grimacing and looking away. After almost a minute of screaming, Pennington's voice finally softened and grew silent, until the only sound that could be heard was his labored breathing as he gasped for air.

"And... Now that I... can speak freely..." He panted. "I just... wanna say... Buck you, Chrysalis... Buck you and everything you stand for." When Chrysalis was too shocked to reply, he turned around to look at Twilight, blood and magic running down his face in streams.

"Can you... finish this, Twi?"

Unable to find her voice, Twilight nodded silently.

"Good. I'm trusting you..." With those words, Pennington's eyes rolled up into his head and he passed out, his entire body lurching to the side and falling into a pool of green slime.

Meanwhile, with a spark of magic from Cadence's horn, Shining Armor finally came to his senses, his eyes blinking open.

"Is... is the wedding over?"

Chrysalis, still somewhat perturbed by Pennington's sacrifice, jumped up into the air, floating above them and landing in front of Shining Armor.

"It's all over!" She shouted.

"Your spell!" Twilight hissed to her brother. "Perform your spell!"

Chrysalis simply laughed, hovering in the air. "What good would that do? My changelings already roam free! I may have lost Pennington for the moment, but my victory is still assured!"

"N-No!" Shining Armor didn't seem to question the situation that he had suddenly woken up to, and quickly began trying to use his magic. Unfortunately, all that came from his horn was a soft glow. "My power is useless, now... I don't have the strength to repel them!"

"My love will give you strength!" Cadence drew closer to Shining Armor, gently lifting his bowed head.

"Ha ha! What a lovely, but absolutely ridiculous sentiment!"

His eyes narrowed with determination, Shining Armor grunted as he attempted to cast his spell again. This time, Cadence touched her horn to the tip of his, and there was a bright spark between the two of them that quickly grew into an aura of violet energy. The new spell seemed to come as a surprise to both of them but, after a moment, they each gave one another a loving look as they slowly lifted into the air. A bright field of energy built around the two of them as Twilight and her friends smiled with delight. Seeing the light, Chrysalis turned around again, facing the source of the magic. Her face twisted into a look of panicked dismay as Shining and Cadence's eyes opened, glowing white with power. In an explosion of light and energy, a protective wave washed out from their bodies, dissolving away any slime the changelings had used to entrap their prisoners and catching any members of the hive in its wake. Chrysalis, screaming in denial, met the wave face-first, her body nearly flattened by it like a bug being swatted. Within seconds, every changeling in Canterlot had been scattered and thrown miles and miles away. Some had even been thrown clear out of Equestria, back towards the Plains of Lore.

There was a loud thud and a soft grunt as Celestia struck the ground, freed from her prison. Looking around from side to side, she spotted Pennington, thrown into a far corner of the room by the blast. Being partially a changeling, Twilight was worried about what effects the blast might have had on him and, more importantly, how he was dealing with his horn being cut off. She was about to run to him when a gentle tap on her shoulder caused her to hesitate. Looking behind her, she spotted Moonstone.

"I'll make sure he's alright. You check on Princess Celestia."

Twilight was split for a moment, but seeing Moonstone running towards Pennington's unconscious body, she felt better going to check on Celestia, instead. Rushing to her mentor's side, she helped the ruler back onto her hooves.

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine..." Celestia gave her a reassuring smile. "You have a real wedding to put together."

"But... what about Pennington?" Twilight looked back into the corner. "Is he going to be punished? Put on trial?"

Before Celestia could reply, Cadence and Shining Armor stepped up next to Twilight.

"I'm not sure what happened to him..." Shining Armor shook his head, staring as Moonstone struggled to turn Pennington's body over to inspect for any additional wounds "But he looks as if what he's been through is punishment enough."

Cadence nodded her agreement. "And Shining, let's not forget the big secret about who wrote the letter warning us about the attack! It's not his fault that I chose to leave my guards outside and ignore the advice I'd been given!"

"I don't get it... What's Scorching Quill have to do with all of this?"

Twilight and Cadence rolled their eyes together as she pointed back at Pennington. Shining Armor's eyes lit up with understanding, and he stared at Twilight for a moment.

"Really? You mean, that's-"

"Yep!" Twilight had to struggle to hold back laughter at the expression on her brother's face.

"And he was the one who tried to warn us about the invasion?" Celestia asked, to which Cadence nodded.

"He wrote the letter, saved my life, most likely made the plea for Twilight's life, made certain that Luna would be safe, and sacrificed his own horn so that he wouldn't need to obey Chrysalis?" Cadence shook her head. "Aunt Tia, I think that he deserves a little mercy in this."

Celestia's initial shock at the reveal of who had written the warning had quickly faded, but she didn't seem angry as she looked in Pennington's direction, where Applejack was helping Moonstone carry him from the room.

"His punishment will be decided by Luna, since she is his mentor... Just like I would decide any punishments meted out to you, Twilight." She shook her head. "But I get the feeling that Luna will be understanding... His 'condition' had often been a topic discussed by the two of them." Limping after Applejack and Moonstone, she gave Twilight, Shining Armor, and Cadence a weak smile. "For now, we'll put him somewhere he can't cause any trouble, at least until we can be certain that he isn't being influenced by the queen any more."

Just as she was about to disappear through the doors, Cadence stepped forward. "Aunt Celestia! Tell him that I hope to see him at the reception, if not the ceremony!"

Celestia turned back around, somewhat surprised, but nodded her understanding and finally left.

"You never could hold a grudge, could you, honey?" Shining Armor chuckled. "So... Could somepony please tell me what happened while I was under that spell?"

"It's a long story..."

The three of them laughed together for a long time. Cadence laughed out of relief, Shining laughed out of the sheer ridiculousness of the day's events, and Twilight laughed out of the sheer joy of having two of the stallions she loved the most returned to her.

To Pennington's surprise, he woke up. His body had been laid down and spread on a bed, with each of his hooves tied down. As far as he could tell, he'd been placed in the castle's medical wing. There were several bandages around his head and his side, and the stabbing pain that came from deeper breaths led him to believe that he had at least fractured several ribs, though he had no idea where he would have been met with a force strong enough to do that. It didn't take long for him to recall what had happened before he fell unconscious, and he realized that one of two things had happened.

"So... either Twilight and her friends won somehow, and I'm here being healed so I can be properly punished... OR Chrysalis won, and I'm here to be reconditioned to follow her without a horn..." He shook his head. "That's probably the more likely option..."

As the doors at the end of the hall gently swung open, Princess Luna walked into the ward, with Moonstone sitting on her back.

"Stop!" Pennington shouted. The princess, looking surprised, came to a halt. "Are you really Luna?"

"Of course I am, Pennington! Don't be absurd!" Luna rolled her eyes, beginning to walk forward again.

"Oh, really? Then tell me something only Luna would know!" He shook his head. "I don't know who won the battle, and I'm not trusting anypony until I do!"

"Cadence and Shining Armor stopped the changelings, Penn. They sent them all away in one fell swoop!" Moonstone laughed. "I know you're scared, Penn, but it's okay."

When Pennington continued to look at them suspiciously, Luna let out a tired sigh.

"Once, when we were having my speech lessons, you told me that I needed to say 'forsooth' instead of any other exclamation, then let me go around sounding like a fool for an entire week. I know for a fact that your favorite book of your own series was the least popular volume, 'Daring Do and the Dangerous Descent into the Dragon's Den.' And you once had a rather revealing dream where Twilight Sparkle turned into-"

"Okay! OKAY! I believe you!" Pennington shouted. "You're the real Luna, we won, and Shining Armor and Princess Cadenza blew up all the changelings! I believe you."

"Aww, it sounded like it was just getting to the good part!" Moonstone smirked.

"Trust me, it wasn't..." Luna muttered, walking up to the side of the cot where Pennington was bound. "So, how are you feeling?"

"Light-headed." Pennington's eyes rolled upward, indicating the bandages around the jagged stump where his horn had been. "Several ounces lighter, actually."

Luna nodded, not smiling at the pun. "Your magic was a terrible sacrifice to make, Pennington, and it pains me to tell you that it may have been unnecessary. If you had been able to hold out for just a few minutes longer, the changelings would have been defeated without your needing to do so..."

Pennington thought for a moment. "Unless you killed Chrysalis, it was necessary. Without my horn, she'll never be able to control me like that again."

"Is that so?" Luna looked up at Moonstone, who nodded her head.

"The moment that Pennington pulled the sword on his own horn, Chrysalis was legitimately scared." She nodded. "And if he's lying right now, he doesn't know it."

Luna nodded. "I'm guessing that the reason I haven't been able to see your dreams as of late are because the queen was so deeply controlling your mind, correct?"

Pennington nodded.

"And now that you've broken off your own horn, she cannot control you any more?"

"The process to re-establish that link, if it were possible, would probably be a full conversion to a changeling." Pennington shook his head. "And that's just a guess. You can take it at face value."

Luna looked up at Moonstone. "Would it be safe to let him out of the restraints?"

Moonstone squinted at Pennington, inspecting him as best she could. "I don't see him keeping any kind of dark secrets or telling any lies... He's really back to being himself."

At this point, Luna finally let herself smile, and a flash of telekinesis from her horn undid the buckles and straps holding him down. As Pennington sat up, a stabbing pain in his forehead forced him to cry out in pain and lay back down again.

"And then there's the matter of your horn..." Luna shook her head. "Even if we were to be able to find what remains of the part you snapped off and re-attach it-"

"Don't bother. That would risk re-establishing the link to the hive..." Pennington sighed.

"Your magical ability, if it can be restored at all, is going to be greatly weakened." Luna continued. "We'll probably need to look into a prosthesis or other such measure."

"Why bother? I mean, after what I did, I'm being locked up and having the key thrown away, right?" He leaned back, looking up at the ceiling. "This whole thing was my fault."

"If I remember correctly..." Luna looked up at Moonstone, a playful grin pulling her lips into a smile. "You were threatened, blackmailed, and under a changeling spell for the past few weeks. Isn't that right, Moonstone?"

"Well, that's what all the official reports say, isn't it?" Moonstone was obviously feigning innocence in the matter. "And who are we to lie on an official report?"

Growing serious again, Luna looked back at him. "The punishment for your part in what happened will be between you and I, Pennington, but I would be willing to say that you have and will suffer enough from the trauma of losing your horn, and at your own hoof, no less."

Pennington made another effort to sit up, this time much more slowly. He grimaced as more pain shot through his head, but didn't sit back down. After a few seconds, he gently rolled off of the cot, landing on his hooves. Despite the obvious fact that he should not be doing so in his condition, Luna didn't say a word. They both stood in silence, both waiting to see if his hooves would hold him for more than a few seconds. When they did, she smiled.

"Good. Now, you'll find a suit waiting for you, along with some bandages for the holes in your legs. You'll need to be ready within the hour. Moonstone will help you prepare."

"For what?"

"Did you think the wedding was cancelled, Penn? In spite of your best efforts, not only is the wedding going as planned, but Cadence and Shining Armor both requested that Scorching Quill attend!" Moonstone winked. "And we both know that they both know who you really are!"

Pennington shook his head lightly, confused. "You mean... they don't hate me? They don't want me to disappear from the face of the earth? After everything I did to them?"

"Shining Armor and Cadence both have hearts bigger than most ponies I've ever known..." Luna smiled. "And, when you had a full grasp of your own free will, your actions really helped save their wedding. Don't forget that. They want to see the bad as it truly is: Chrysalis's fault, and thank you for the good you did. I would recommend that you do the same."

For the first time, Pennington noticed that the holes in his legs were already beginning to fill in, and his coat had grown several shades lighter. Pulling a strand of his mane down into his face, he smiled as he saw that the blue tint was beginning to return, as well.

"I may have also performed a few spells to help you heal again while you were asleep." Luna smiled. "You can show your face outside the castle without being called out for being a changeling... But you need to hurry, as do I, if you wish to make it to the wedding ceremony properly prepared and dressed." With that, Luna turned around and let Moonstone hop off of her back.

"And Pennington? I'll be expecting a detailed report on changelings for the beastiary. Your research has been exhaustive." With that, she left the room. There was a moment of silence as Pennington and Moonstone were left alone together.

"So, you ready, Penn?" Moonstone rubbed her claws together in excitement. "After all, it's not every day that you get invited to the wedding you tried to crash, right?"

The joke fell flatter than either of them would have thought possible a week before.

"I... I don't think I'm going, Moonstone..." Pennington looked back at the infirmary cot, obviously pondering climbing back in and pulling the covers over himself.

"Well, I could imagine that you have a migraine the size of Mount Never-Rest right now, but nopony's asking you to do any acrobatics! You just need to-"

"I mean that I don't want to show my face out there after what happened." Pennington sighed. "I doubt I could show my face anywhere in all of Equestria without being overwhelmed with shame at what I've done..."

Moonstone thought for a moment, then smiled and gently wrapped her arm around his front leg, catching it in the crook of her arm and giving him the gentlest of tugs towards the door. When he looked down at her, her eyes were soft and caring, full of understanding and something akin to love. The look was almost maternal, and Pennington couldn't help but feel a wave of quiet comfort wash over him, bringing tears to his eyes and building what would later become a sob in his throat.

"Let's just focused on getting you dressed without magic for now... and we'll take it one step at a time. Okay?"

Pennington nodded, trying to blink back the tears as it finally struck him that the nightmare was over. Now, he was among ponies who would love and forgive him when he failed, and Moonstone was promising to stand by him and support him on the long road to recovery. He was weak, battered, broken, and at an all-time low in his life...

But there was love. Unconditional love, willing and wanting to forgive and forget.

Now, when he was afraid to even trust the hooves he stood on, it was that love that was going to enable him to move and function once again.

"Okay... One step at a time." He choked the words out, trying not to break down completely for the time being. Gently leaning on her for support, Pennington and Moonstone walked to the door together and left the medical wing.

Comments

[Sketchy Markks]

This is truly heart wrenching. Poor Pennington thinks he has lost everything...
Goood thing he has good ol' adorkable Twilight to patch his broken psyche and shattered pride back together!

[Pennington Inkwell]

3286526 You know... for most authors and their stories, you'd be right. Twilight would help to nurse him back to health, help him recover emotionally and they'd overcome the guilt together.

You would be right.

[Kimuri42]

Well done! But doesn't the Carnival Cat story take place after this? Unless I missed something, Penn still has his horn in that story. Does it grow back or something? Or is the prosthetic just that well made that it blends in with whats left? Either way a very well done conclusion.

Found one typo and one line that doesn't quite flow though.

"Let's just focused on getting you dressed without magic for now... and we'll take it one step at a time. Okay?" //"focus" or "stay focused"

They want to see the bad as it truly is: Chrysalis's fault, and thank you for the good you did." //Maybe change it to convey that Shining and Cadence already accept that all the blame is on Chrysalis. And the colon in the middle of the sentence breaks the flow.

Oh, and I never mentioned it, but using the dialogue from the episode and building on it was a very smart move. It takes skill to blend cannon and cannon like that and not have it be distracting.

[Pennington Inkwell]

3286771 Thank you! I actually go back and watch the episodes as I write to make sure I get all the words right. It's a hassle, but it's really nice to see that it doesn't go unappreciated!

As for the Carnival Cat story, I'm afraid I'm going to have to go back and make a few edits. I'm a severe retconner.

[thedarkshark24]

3286616 Am I the only one going to address the problem? yes ok you said most not you only most that's a little to vague.

I say someone else will do it.

[Pennington Inkwell]

3287291 Gee, was I being vague? I had NO IDEA~

30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lrfuciqxct1r2av34o1_500.gif

[Spirit Shift]

3287419
you see....NOW im scared not during the hive part not during the chrysalis part not during the whipstitch special but now
YOUR COMMENT HAS UNNERVED ME!!!

[19jburner]

And you once had a rather revealing dream where Twilight Sparkle turned into-"

Into what?