Carnival Cat Vs. Pennington Inkwell

by Pennington Inkwell

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"GRRRRAAAH!" Moonstone roared as she tried once again to pry apart the bars on her cage. Unfortunately, the bars were unyielding, and she was simply trapped and exhausted. With a long sigh, she walked to the opposite side of the cage and sat down, leaning against the bars while she waited for her strength to return.

"I can bite straight through gemstones, granite, and even diamonds..." she muttered, glaring up over her knees at the bars, "but give me a metal, rather than a mineral? Nothing! I can't do anything!"

Give it time. In a hundred years or so, there will be nothing your jaws cannot pierce.

"AAH!" Moonstone shrieked and stumbled away from where she had been sitting. There, right beside where she had been resting, was the mask.

"What are YOU doing here?" she shouted, trying to collect herself.

The Cat thinks me defeated. She has a false sense of security. We have more time before she retreats whence she came with our mutual prey.

"Yeah, well maybe you should have waited a bit longer to be 'defeated!' Your distraction did a fat lot of good..." Moonstone muttered, folding her arms and once again taking in her predicament. Not only had Cat locked her in a cage of fire-tempered steel, but she was suspended over a pool of what looked to be extremely hungry fish of some kind, and she had a feeling that it would be a bad idea to test whether or not they would be able to bite through her scales. The cage was suspended by a steel cable and tied to the roller coaster track.There was nothing for her to burn and nothing to bite, and even if she cut the rope, she would be either devoured or drowned. "Why didn't you make it longer, anyway? I could have gotten away with Penn!"

Are you QUESTIONING my wisdom?

Moonstone thought for a moment, then grinned.

"She really did beat you, didn't she? Poor little mask got beat up by the big, mean-"

She was suddenly cut off as the eyes gave a particularly menacing glow.

"Fine... So what do we do, smart guy?"

You need to escape this cage?

"Well, I'd certainly like to! Even if I get out, what are we going to-" She was cut off as the organ to play even more loudly than ever, and Cat's voice wandered across the park.

Now that you're with me, just sit back and relax!
There is much to do, so listen to these facts!

Ponyville is doomed, and you've got a front row view!
The events in motion cannot be stopped unless you
give yourself up and let your love set me free!
Or your friends die, their souls paid to me!

So marry me and I shall waste your life!
Let me be your little wife!

"Doomed? MARRY?" Moonstone ran forward, gripping the bars of her cage in fear.

There is no time! The mask hissed. Before her astonished eyes, six bone-white insectoid legs folded out from beneath the mask. In a matter of seconds, it scuttled across the floor of the cage and climbed up beside her. In a single, violent motion, it crushed three of the bars, creating a gap wide enough for her to escape. Staring at the now-mobile demon in horror, she raised a shaking finger to point at the newly grown appendages.

"C-could you always do that?"

Yes. The mask seemed to have changed to a smug grin while she wasn't looking, and the legs folded away again, allowing it to fall back onto the floor of the cage.

Now, as much as I despise saying this, you'll need help. I'm afraid that I'll be busy, so you must return to Ponyville and retrieve the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. They are the only force in Equestria that can stop the Cat now.

Moonstone nodded, spreading her wings while keeping a wary eye on the mask.

"What about you?"

If the Cat drains the souls from every pony in Ponyville, there will be dozens of freshly dead bodies to devour. I'll need to be fast to get to them while they're still warm. Honestly, if all she wanted was the souls and not my vessel, I'd consider fighting for her side...

Deciding against trying to envision how the mask planned on eating without a stomach, Moonstone flew up into the sky, breaking through the canopy in a matter of seconds. Far in the distance, she could see Ponyville: a small town made up of even smaller buildings. She could tell that it was miles farther than it had been when they had first arrived at the carnival.

How did it get so far away? Moonstone shook her head as she set herself speeding towards the town. Her arms were already beginning to ache.

"So, then, Twilight, you understand why Pennington cannot stop his adventures?" Celestia asked as they stepped back into the throne room.

"Well, I guess..." Twilight was still shocked by what the Princesses had shown her, and trying to process all of the new information. "But why can't we just tell him?"

"The information could send him running from his fate." Celestia shook her head, sighing loudly. "You know, Twilight, if you had never met Pennington, we would never have stumbled upon his association with this phenomenon. I suppose my first impression of him has once again been proven wrong."

"There you are, Twilight!" Spike shouted, running up to her. "What took you so long, you had to study all night?"

"I'll explain later, Spike. That is, if I even can..." she looked up at Celestia, as if asking for permission. Celestia and Luna looked at one another, then nodded.

"Only if it is absolutely necessary. If this were to reach the wrong ears-"

Before Celestia could finish, she was interrupted by the sudden retch and belch of Spike receiving a letter. As the emerald flames faded away, Twilight reached out with her hoof, expecting a scroll. Instead, to her surprise, a large leaf landed in her hoof, with words burned into and through the surface, cutting out a few rough words.

PENN TROUBLE BRING

ELEMENTS LIBRARY. -M

The four of them all stared at the makeshift letter for a moment before the meaning set in.

"Princess!" Twilight shouted, turning to her mentor. "Pennington's in trouble!"

"I'll get the Elements of Harmony from the vault." Princess Celestia frowned, turning and walking away.

"Moonstone knows better than to request them lightly... Once you have them, I shall help you return to the library in short time," Princess Luna spoke quietly. "Meanwhile, you should send letters to each of your friends to make sure they are ready. If there was no time to retrieve a quill and scroll, I doubt there is time to gather them before pursuing the threat..."

Twilight nodded, staring back down at the note in fear as she remembered the last time that she had even seen Pennington. He had left the library in a fury when she had refused to take an expensive pair of earrings. She'd said that she was protecting his identity as the author of the Daring Do books, but in reality, she hadn't had the heart to tell him that she had never pierced her ears. The idea of poking holes through her body terrified her, especially after the escapade he had taken her on with the changelings.

Oh, please don't let him have done anything reckless! she prayed.

"And do you, Pennington Inkwell, take Catherine, the Carnival Cat, to be your lawfully wedded wife? From this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, in death and through rebirth?"

Pennington looked over at Cat, who had shed her dress somewhere in the Tunnel of Love and replaced it with a spiderwebbed wedding gown. As he stared at her once again, he felt himself melt beside her as his soul was flooded with love.

"I do."

Far above them, Sludge tugged at the strings of the marionette, turning the priest to face Cat.

"And do you, Catherine, take Pennington Inkwell to be your lawfully wedded husband? From this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, in death and through rebirth? For all of eternity?"

Cat had never grinned wider, sending more and more waves of joy washing over Pennington. She was happy, and there was nothing in the universe that could make him happier.

"I do!"

"Well, then, you have declared your undying love before the carnival and the world. By the power vested in me by the spirit of the carnival, I pronounce you husband and wife! What has been joined here, let nothing tear asunder! You may kiss the bride!"

Pennington stepped forward, only to be met by Cat, who had already locked her lips on his, creating another burning embrace between the two of them. Even as he reveled in the moment, Pennington realized for the first time why ponies chose so often to be married.

This... this is final. We never need to be apart, and we'll never need anyone else. I have her, and she has me... and it never has to end. He smiled through the kiss, feeling the new weight of the ring around his horn, knowing that she wore a matching one around one of her hooves.

This never has to end. It's... perfect.

After almost a full moment, Cat pulled herself away from him, staring him straight in the eyes.

"Well, then, Mrs. Inkwell... What now?" Pennington smiled.

Cat chuckled, her eyelids half-closed in a smug smile of satisfaction.

"That's not how it works, Penny. You're the new 'Mister Carnival.' Not the other way around." She gently prodded her hoof into his chest before walking past him, Sludge carrying the train from her gown as she stepped into the slightly larger boat that had arrived on the river. "As for our honeymoon? I might have a few ideas... We can start with you carrying me through the threshold to our home, just as a husband always does for his newly wed wife, isn't that right?"

Pennington took his turn to chuckle as he stepped into the boat alongside her.

"Well, of course, honey! I never would have imagined anything different!"

"And after that..." Cat tapped her chin in thought. "I was thinking perhaps a spin on the bumper cars."

"Bumper cars?"

Cat moved closer to him, purposefully rubbing her cobweb cutie mark over his flank. Her silky fur and gentle touch sent chills through his body.

"Bumper cars..." she whispered the words in his ear, her voice dripping with sultry tones of velvet.

Pennington flushed as he realized that the words weren't literal. "Oh... I see... Well, that seems fitting for a honeymoon, doesn't it?" He grinned and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Bumper cars it is, then! Anything you want, sweetie..."

Cat purred happily in response as the boat finally exited back out the other end of the Tunnel of Love, accompanied by a darker chuckle. Above the exit was the same font that had introduced the ride at the beginning. Here, however, it read two words.

Just married.

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"Thanks again for the lesson, Zecora!" Apple Bloom smiled as she and the zebra made their way out of the Everfree forest and back onto the property her family owned.

"I'm certain your potions will soon be adamant!" Zecora gently patted Apple Bloom's head. "I'm happy to have you for my assistant!"

"Hey... do you hear that?" Apple Bloom asked, looking up at the sky.

Zecora followed her gaze, looking up into the sky only to see a familiar creature flying above them... and rapidly sinking.

"Oh no... Tell me it is not so!" She whispered.

"I- I can't! I- I-" Moonstone's stuttering was faint, but growing louder as she spasmodically fell closer and closer to them, dropping several meters every few seconds. "I can't- I- I- CAN'T!" There was one final anguished cry before the dragon fell limp above them, plummeting through the air.

Immediately, Zecora rushed forward, managing to get beneath Moonstone just before she hit the ground. It took only a moment for her to re-position the dragon to lean against her neck.

"Woah! H-hold on! Ah'll go get AJ!" Apple Bloom shouted as she took off running into the orchard. "SIS!"

Zecora nodded, making her own way towards the farmhouse. "Hold on, young Moonstone. You are no longer all alone..."

Moonstone stirred, her arms wrapping around Zecora's neck and gripping it tightly, but she didn't wake.

My friends, I'm sorry to spring all of this on you, but I need all of you to meet me at the library as soon as you can. While in Everfree, I believe that Pennington may have found something dangerous. Something that only the Elements of Harmony can stop. I need your help. Moonstone has agreed to meet me at the library, where she'll hopefully explain this danger to all of us. Time is of the utmost importance, so please come as soon as you can.

-Twilight Sparkle

Applejack looked down at the letter. The scroll had been waiting for her when she had come inside from apple bucking only a few minutes ago, and it had hardly brought a smile to her face.

As a matter of fact, it brought her hoof, instead. Swiftly enough to make a resounding "clonk," her still-muddy hoof collided with her forehead as her mind turned to thoughts of her idiot cousin.

"I swear to the sun, if that durned fool got himself hurt out there, it serves him right!" she muttered, snatching up her saddlebags and tossing them over her back. "But justice ain't gonna be served 'til I make him pay for the hurtin' Twilight's gonna have over this!"

"SIIIIIIIIISSSSS!" Apple Bloom's voice rang through the orchard, obviously in a state of distress.

Pennington > Danger > Everfree

Apple Bloom > Zecora's Lessons > Everfree

Danger in Everfree = Apple Bloom in danger

Immediately, Applejack was on high alert, every sense sharpening and every weary muscle regaining its strength in a massive surge. The door nearly broke off of its hinges as she burst forward, sprinting across the yard in the direction of her sister's voice. Her heart was pounding uncontrollably in her chest with fear as a thousand images of her sister in danger raced through her mind. In only a few seconds, Apple Bloom was in sight, sprinting towards the house from the forest.

"SIS! Come on, you gotta help u-OOF!" Apple Bloom's plea was cut off as Applejack finally reached her. Instantaneously, Apple Bloom was wrapped bone-crushingly tightly in her sister's hooves.

"A.B! Are you okay? Are ya hurt? What happened? Are you okay?" Applejack held her sister at hooves' length, inspecting the dazed filly from hoof to bow for injury. Her racing pulse began to slow as she recognized that Apple Bloom had no visible wounds.

Apple Bloom shook her head vigorously from side to side, waving away the mix of exhaustion and near-concussion. "N-no, sis! AH'M fine! But when me an' Zecora were walkin' home, Moonstone dropped straight outta the sky! Ah think she's hurt! You gotta help her!"

"Moonstone?" Applejack finally set her sister on her hooves again. "As in, Moonstone, the dragon who helps Cousin Penny?"

Apple Bloom nodded, already turning tail back towards the far end of the orchard and motioning for her to follow. "Yeah, this way! Zecora's carryin' her!"

Applejack nodded, running out to meet the zebra, whom she could already see in the distance. When she finally reached her, Apple Bloom's words rang true. There was Moonstone, unconscious on Zecora's back.

"I'll take 'er from here, Zecora. Do you know what happened?" Applejack asked, gently siding up to Zecora and using one of her front hooves to move Moonstone onto her back.

"I only wish for certainty, Applejack..." Zecora shook her head before looking back at the forest, scowling. "But on theories, I do not lack! Pennington may have found an adventure of perpetuity, we must hurry if we are to save him from the Everfree!"

"Pennington, huh? I just got a letter from Twilight saying that Penny was in trouble and that we need to meet her at the library! Leave it to mah cuz to go finding trouble! Come on, we'll head there!" Applejack turned away from the house and towards Ponyville, picking up her pace to a quick trot.

Twilight had been pleased to see that her letter had been received by most of her friends by the time she reached the library, and was met by an anxious Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy had sheepishly arrived a few minutes later, Angel in tow angrily demanding to be fed. While Spike had gone to make certain that the rabbit had all the carrots he could ask for, Twilight had explained everything she knew about the situation at hand to her friends.

"I- I saw Pennington going into the forest a few days ago..." Fluttershy whispered, looking at the floor. "I should have tried to stop him..."

"Fluttershy, darling, I think we all learned the hard way that Pennington is near-impossible to stop once he sets his mind on something!" Rarity shook her head. "Honestly, colts are so hard-headed, I'm surprised many of them don't wind up dying from sheer determination that they don't need to eat or to breathe!"

"Regardless, girls, Moonstone said we might need the Elements, so..." Twilight opened up her saddlebag, removing the powerful gems from inside and placing them around the necks of their respective bearers. "We should all take this seriously." After placing her own tiara on her head, Twilight noticed that she was still holding one Element: Honesty. "Where's Applejack?"

"And where's Moonstone? Wasn't she supposed to meet us here to tell us what's actually going on?" Rainbow Dash added.

"W-Well... Applejack lives kinda close to Everfree... You don't think maybe-"

"Nah, I don't think so, Fluttershy!" Applejack gave her a pat on the back as she walked through the door, Zecora following close behind. "Sorry Ah'm late y'all, but ah got held up by a little emergency at the farm!" She bent down, allowing an exhausted Moonstone to climb down off her back.

"I- I guess I didn't quite make it to the library... I flew as long as I could, and I guess I fainted. The net thing I knew, Applejack was carrying me and Zecora was offering me a potion to bring back some of my strength." Moonstone shook her head as she walked into the center of the room, dragging her feet with exhaustion.

"So, what's the big emergency, Moonstone? Why'd you call us all here like this?" Rainbow Dash asked, leaning in to get a better view.

"Pennington... He's been captured by the Carnival Cat! She's casting some kind of mind-control spell on him!" Moonstone stared around the room, stamping her foot with frustration at the confused looks she was getting back in return.

"She's going to destroy Ponyville! We have to go stop her NOW!"

"Woah, woah, woah! Slow down, there, Moonstone!" Applejack placed her hoof on Moonstone's shoulder. "Tell it to them the way you told it to me."

"Pennington's been caught... by a cat?" Rainbow Dash asked disbelievingly.

"No, no, she's a pony..." Moonstone placed her hand on her forehead, taking a deep breath to calm herself. "She's some kind of enchantress that calls herself the Carnival Cat! She caught Pennington in her carnival and is putting a mind control spell on him to make him fall in love with her, and if we don't hurry, they're going to get MARRIED! Once she has him in her clutches, she's going to steal all the souls out of Ponyville to cast a spell to put herself into hiding! We have to stop her! Please, I tried to get him out of there, but there wasn't anything I could do! I need your help!" Her eyes were beginning to tear up as she dropped to her knees, her exhaustion once again taking its toll.

Twilight and her friends all glanced at once another. Rainbow Dash was skeptical, while Fluttershy looked terrified. Rarity and Pinkie Pie were both confused, but Twilight was determined.

"Wait, did you say 'MARRIED?'" Twilight's jaw nearly hit the floor. After a timid nod of confirmation from Moonstone, her teeth quickly clamped shut in anger.

"Oh, I did NOT fight my way through the Plains of Lore, into and out of the changeling hive, and past Trixie just to lose that stupid foal on a CAMPING TRIP!" Reaching up, she straightened her tiara and marched towards the door. Her face lacked its normal glee at the idea of getting to use the Elements of Harmony, instead tightened into an almost frightening scowl.

As the rest of her friends cast anxious glances at one another, Zecora only chuckled at the angry display. "Do not worry, my dear pony friends! I'll explain everything before our journey ends. What Moonstone says is both truth and sense, even if confusing at first glance!" She assured them, picking Moonstone up onto her back again.

"I hope so, this sounds like one big mess of crazy to me!" Rainbow Dash sighed, following after Twilight and prompting the rest of them to do the same.

Comments

[Pylons]

By the Gates, an update!

OH YES.