When Twilight Sparkle tries to befriend a local author, she gets far more than she bargained for!
Every town has one: the store that nobody goes into. The one that doesn't sell anything ponies want. In Ponyville, this store is "Inkwell Commissions," run by a reclusive writer-for-hire. Trying to befriend this reclusive pony, Twilight asks for a story about Changelings, thinking that the two of them can bond over the writing process. Little does she know that she is about to get swept up into an adventure straight out of a Daring Do novel! One with the REAL Daring Do: small-time author with a big-time attitude named Pennington Inkwell!
It was another beautiful day in Ponyville. The sun was shining brightly, and there was hardly a cloud in the sky as Twilight Sparkle walked down Main Street. Rainbow Dash must have gotten up early, for once! She grinned as she reached into her saddlebag and crossed the last item off of her checklist.
"Okay! My shopping's all done, I better get back home. Spike will be waiting!" She turned back towards the library, but stopped as something caught her eye on one of the small side streets leading off of Main Street. It looked like it could have been any ordinary house, but there was a large sign between the first and second stories that read "Inkwell Commissions" in large letters. Instantly, the curiosity that made Twilight Sparkle a good student was piqued, but her saddlebags were beginning to feel heavy with all of the groceries and other assorted items that she had purchased. Reluctantly, she turned back and began trotting towards home. I'm sure that I can investigate after I get these home! At the brisk pace that she had set, it didn't take long for the lavender unicorn to reach the door to her home.
"Spike! I'm back!" She shouted, pushing the door open and trotting inside. "Come and help me put these away, I have one more errand I want to run!"
The small green and purple dragon came down the stairs, licking the last few shards of a ruby from his mouth. "Did you pick up more gems from Rarity?"
"Were they on the list?" Twilight winked as she pulled a small bag out of her saddlebags and placed it in Spike's claws. "Those don't come cheap, you know! That's the rest for this month, so make them last!" She quickly placed the rest of the items from her bags on the table, then levitated every item to its appointed spot. The entire task took only a few minutes, and was even easier with Spike's help.
"So, what's this other errand, Twi?" Spike asked as he sucked on an opal, trying to savor the flavor while he worked.
"Well, I spotted this store that I've never seen before, or at least I never noticed it..." Twilight explained as she placed a few food items in the refrigerator. "It's called 'Inkwell Commissions,' and I want to see what exactly they sell there!"
"Oh, you mean that lonely little shop off of main street? You don't have to bother." Spike shrugged. "The pony there is a writer-for-hire. You pay him, and he writes whatever you want, from greeting cards to book reports!"
"Really? A writer-for-hire... Sounds interesting!" Twilight smiled at the thought of a pony who could write about whatever he was asked for. A few ideas began to form in her mind.
"Not really. I heard that his work is good, but that he's really just a hermit. He doesn't even leave the store, he lives right upstairs!" Spike shook his head as he put a jar of peanut butter up on a shelf. "He keeps to himself about as much as YOU used to, Twilight!"
"Well, I'm still going to go and see for myself." Twilight smiled as she remembered her days in Canterlot, keeping to her studies and avoiding making friends. "Besides, if he's like I used to be, maybe he just needs some friends, too!"
"Not to mention... Half the time, his store is closed for no good reason!" Spike shook his head. "He just leaves a sign that says 'Gone Adventuring!' Twi, my guess would be that if you don't have any business for him, then he's not going to be very open to you."
"Well, then I'll give him some business!" Twilight reached into her saddlebag and pulled out some of her remaining bits. "You said that he writes anything?"
"Well, yeah..." Spike rolled his eyes. Once Twilight gets an idea into her head, there's really not much that's going to stop her... I feel sorry for this guy.
As she walked down Main Street, Twilight felt confident in her plan. She had learned a lot about making new friends from Pinkie Pie and, though she wasn't planning on singing any random songs, she felt that making friends with this lonely pony was going to be a piece of cake!
"First, I'll offer him a commission, we'll start chatting, and I can convince him to come out and meet a few ponies! He'll see how great friendship is, and make new friends in no time!" She was so caught up in her plan, she didn't even notice a rainbow-colored streak flying towards her until it was too late. For what must have been the hundredth time, Rainbow Dash tackled Twilight to the ground.
"Look ou- OOF!" The pegasus was moving so fast, she didn't even have time to finish her warning. The two landed on the ground in a heap, and Twilight groaned as a dull throbbing emanated from her side, where Rainbow Dash had hit her. "Sorry, Twilight... I was moving too fast to stop."
Twilight tried to avoid the obvious question of why Rainbow always aimed for her when she was crashing. "Ugh... Why are you in such a rush, Rainbow Dash?"
"Oh!" The pegasus quickly recovered, jumping back to her hooves. "The newest Daring Do book comes out today! Pennington always has them in stock before ANY other stores, so I always go to him to buy it! Gotta go!" She took off again, not even taking the time to say goodbye as she vanished.
Twilight rubbed her side, trying not to think about how sore she would be later. "Well, it was nice seeing you, too!" She muttered as she started walking again, albeit a bit more slowly. I don't know any "Pennington," but I know every book store in town! I wish she had stuck around a little longer... Twilight shook her head, finally turning into the side street where the strange shop stood. It really was a shock to her that she had never noticed it before, but it really did blend in well next to the homes and other shops nearby.
The front room seemed like a lobby of sorts, with a few chairs lining the wall, several bookshelves sporting books of many kinds, and a counter that could be manned by a single pony. When she pushed open the glass doors, a small bell rang. Twilight sneezed as a small amount of dust fell from it, showing that it hadn't been rung much very recently.
As she walked into the store, she was shocked to see Rainbow Dash chatting with the pony who was apparently the owner. Twilight tried to get a better look at him, but she couldn't see much behind the pegasus, whose wings were flared in excitement.
"So, you're telling me that in this book, Daring Do is placed into a trap with a group of cockatrices?" Rainbow Dash's wings fluttered in excitement. "But, how does she get out? She would be turned to stone if she looked into their eyes!"
"Well, I can't give any spoilers, but it involves much more description of the sounds of the room than how it looks..." The owner hinted in a mischievous tone.
"She escapes with her eyes closed?" Rainbow Dash's jaw dropped and she looked down at the book in astonishment. "No way! I gotta get this one! How much do I owe you for it?"
"It's so great to see another one of Scorching Quill's fans, and such an enthusiastic one, it's free of charge, Rainbow Dash."
"No WAY!" Rainbow Dash looked as if she was about to tackle him with joy. "Thanks, Pennington! I'm going to go home and read it right now!" She took to the air and sped towards the door, making the small bell mounted on top of the door nearly fall off. "See ya when the next book comes out!"
"Don't forget!" The owner tried to call out to her, but she was gone too fast. "To... tell your friends we have it..." He looked a bit dejected for a moment.
Now that her friend was gone, Twilight could get a better look at the mysterious pony. He was a dark-coated, blue unicorn. His mane was a darker shade of blue, along with his muzzle, but also held occasional streaks of violet. It fell down to his shoulders, a little longer than most stallions would wear it, but it somehow fit. He was staring at the door with a pair of dark lavender eyes, but they quickly swiveled over to her. As he made eye contact, his entire demeanor changed, brightening up and looking more chipper.
"Oh, hello! You're Twilight Sparkle, right? The Element of Magic, if I remember correctly!" He gave her a huge, sparkling smile and a small bow.
Twilight smiled, trying to hide her surprise at being so easily recognized. "Well, yes, I am! How did you know?"
"Oh, after defeating Nightmare Moon AND Discord? I'm surprised that you're not recognized by everypony!" His horn began to glow, and Twilight could hear things moving in the room behind the counter. "I must say that it's an honor to have you visit!"
Twilight blushed a little, trying to keep track of why she had come to the unfamiliar shop in the first place. "Well, thank you, Mister..."
"Oh! I'm sorry. I'm the one from the sign out front! Inkwell! Pennington Inkwell!" He laughed and stepped out from behind the counter. "Commissionaire writer, and the only one who does so for a living!" He looked around at the empty room. "Well, somewhat of a living... Honestly, I only get any kind of business when the new Daring Do books come out, and even that is only a small income..." He shrugged off the depressive statement. "Anyway, you probably already know what I do, don't you? You wouldn't be here otherwise!"
Twilight eyed the pony suspiciously. This was nothing like the reclusive hermit that Spike had described. I guess that this is another case of gossip about somepony getting out of hoof! "Well, I had a general idea. Honestly, I've never seen you around Ponyville before! How long have you been here?"
"Oh, seven or eight years..." He smiled as Twilight's jaw dropped. "Yeah, I really just don't get out much... Not many ponies know me, and I don't know many of them, either."
"Eight years, and you don't know anypony in town?" Twilight shook her head. "You've got to be kidding me! Pinkie Pie didn't let me go a single day before she threw me a welcome party to meet every pony in town!"
"Pinkie Pie? The Element of Laughter?" The unicorn raised an eyebrow, then shook his head. "It doesn't matter, anyway. Unless she needs a poem written or a story transcribed, I'll probably never meet her." He turned away as a timer in the next room went off. "Ah! Lunch is ready! I hope that you don't mind me eating while we talk..." He disappeared into the next room, returning seconds later with a styrofoam cup reading "Microwave Ramen" on the side. He soon sat back down again behind the counter, quietly slurping noodles.
"Oh! Well, I can come back later, if I'm interrupting-"
"No!" His eyes widened in a moment of panic, and he dropped his spoon back into the cup. "I mean, no, it's perfectly alright. Customers are few and far between, so I wouldn't want to drive you away. Would you like a cup of ramen? I have plenty..."
Twilight raised an eyebrow, seeing his desperation shining through. "No, thanks. I really don't like ramen that much. I was wondering if you could write a commission for me."
His eyes widened and glistened like two lavender pools, eager for an opportunity. His eyes locked with hers, as if trying to decide what it was that she wanted before she could tell him. "I'm listening... intently..."
Twilight tried not to be offset by the peculiarity of his stare, but did her best to stare straight back. "Well..." She was cut off as she came to a startling realization: I completely forgot! "I want you... to write..." Her words came to a halt. She was trying to rake her brain for an answer, but couldn't focus while still trying to keep eye contact.
"Yes. Writing is what I do..." He whispered back, still searching in her eyes.
"I want you to write..." Twilight finally looked away, looking over to the side to try and focus. "A short story! I've had a few ideas for stories that I've wanted to write, but I was never very good at writing fiction."
"Well, I'm sure that I can oblige, but the longer you want it, the more expensive it will be..." He leaned back in his seat, lifting the cup of ramen to his lips. "What did you have in mind?"
"Well, I think that it would be really cool to read a story where a pony invades the changeling hive and discovers some kind of conspiracy..." She grinned as her train of thought got back on track, and she finally looked back to the author.
"And the ending?" As the now-empty cup floated into the trash can, Pennington's eyes slowly shut. If it weren't for his precarious position between the chair and the wall, Twilight would have thought that he was asleep.
"Spooky! A 'To be continued' sort of ending!"
"Ah, a cliffhanger! Our protagonist will be whom?" His words remained crisp and clear, but his body was becoming more and more relaxed.
"Any pony, really..." Twilight shrugged. "It's more about the situation than the character."
"The conspiracy?"
"A plan to swap out the real princesses for changelings!" Twilight quickly remembered the most important part of the story.
"Well..." He finally leaned forward again, opening his eyes. "I can give you a thirty-page story for two bits a page... If I get carried away and write more than thirty pages, the extra won't cost you anything..."
Twilight was a bit shocked at the cost that he was proposing. "S-Sixty bits? Isn't that a bit much?"
"Well, thirty pages of writing, along with the fact that I'm going to have to go and do research on changelings to write convincingly, is a good amount of work for me, too." He grimaced at her reaction, obviously not enjoying giving the high price. "But..." He gave the mare a sly smile. "What do you say I give you an 'Element of Harmony' discount? Half off!"
"Thirty bits still seems like a lot for just a short story..." Twilight muttered, still feeling a bit put off by his price.
"Well..." Pennington's eyes looked around the store, searching for ideas. "I know that you live over in the library, right?"
Twilight nodded, remembering the fact that he admired the bearers of the Elements of Harmony.
"So I suspect that you know a good story when you read one?" Another nod from Twilight encouraged him. "What do you say, if I write this story before you pay me, you read it and decide whether or not it's worth thirty bits?"
Twilight thought for a moment about the offer. "That seems fair. Pennington, you have a deal!"
"Wonderful! Swing by again in two or three weeks, and I'll have a story ready for you that's worth sixty bits! It will be like reading a Daring Do adventure!" He pulled a scroll out from under the counter and began scribbling down notes.
"Two or three weeks?"
"Well, yes. Writing well takes time, effort, and, in this case, lots of research on changelings!" He chuckled. "But, if the store is open, you can always come by to check on my progress, just to make sure I'm not laying around being lazy!"
"But- But-"
"Twilight, you may be a wonderful reader and a good student, but you said yourself that you don't know much about writing fiction." He looked up at her through the hair that had fallen over his face while he was writing. "And take it from me, it's harder than you think. Not as easy or simple as writing a letter at the end of the week..."
Twilight wanted to argue, say that his lack of customers would give him more than enough time to finish more quickly, but she knew that he was right. She knew very little about the process of writing fiction. "Fine... But I have high expectations, Mr. Inkwell!" She turned to leave, heading for the glass door.
"Ms. Sparkle!" He called out. "You forgot your receipt!" The scroll floated up from the counter in into her saddlebag. "That states the length, price, and subject of the commission, along with the date that it should be finished by!" He waved a friendly hoof. "I do hope that you'll come and check on it, it was a pleasure meeting you, and I don't have many visitors!"
"Yes, I'd like to see how the process of writing fiction works!" Twilight shouted back. "Or takes so long..." Her second comment was muttered as she walked out the door. She was so preoccupied, she almost didn't notice the small colt in front of her until she had nearly bumped into him.
"Hello, Twilight!" Pipsqueak piped up, finally making her pay attention.
"Oh! Hello, Pip!" Twilight smiled at the sight of the spunky white-and-chocolate pony. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, I was just coming to see Pennington! He helps me with writing poems for my mum!" He grinned up at Twilight. "He always knows a cool way to say what I'm trying to tell her, and he's teaching me to be a poet, too!"
Twilight looked down at him with a bit of confusion. "But, does your mother give you money to pay for it? His prices are kind of high..."
"Oh, he just says that!" Pip laughed. "He never really charges that much! Pennington loves to write, and he always give a much lower price at the end!" He happily trotted past Twilight and into the store. "He's really a nice guy! He just keeps to himself."
Before Twilight could ask him why, however, he was already gone. She shook her head in frustration and almost turned back around, but not before a new idea came to her.
Wait a minute... There was one pony who really pushed me into making friends. One pony who Pennington hasn't met! I'm sure that Pinkie Pie can get this pony to come out!
"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!
Sorry to have missed you, but adventure's calling!
Happy Adventuring!
Pennington Inkwell
The sign in the window was like a slap in the face for Twilight, who's temper had been festering all night. "What?" She gave the doors a strong tug, making sure that the shop was, indeed, closed. She groaned in frustration and stomped her hoof on the ground. "I bet he's home, too! He's just locked away in his study." She looked up to the roof, an idea quickly forming in her mind. She closed her eyes, picturing the place that she wanted to be. Energy crackled outward from her horn, surrounding her body in a bubble of light. From Twilight's perspective, she didn't really move, she just felt a strong tingling sensation all over her body. As she light surrounding her faded, she was on top of the roof, having brought herself there with magic. She looked around, and it was only a matter of moments before she found the skylight that Pinkie Pie had told her about. Confidently, she strode over to he mirror and rested her two front hooves on it.
"Pennington! I know that you're in there!" She shouted, knocking with one of her hooves. "And I know that you don't want anypony to know what's in there! So help me, if you don't open up to let me come in, I'll teleport past this glass and find out what's in there myself!"
There was only silence, and Twilight began to wonder if he really WAS gone. To her surprise, after a couple minutes, she heard a door opening. She rushed to the edge of the roof, and watched as a Pennington emerged from the back door. He didn't seem to notice her as he pulled out a small key ring and locked the door behind him.
"Hey! Pennington!" Twilight teleported herself down next to him. "I want to talk to you!"
"Augh!" The pony nearly jumped out of his skin as he suddenly found himself to no longer be alone. "Twilight! Oh, you scared me!"
"Well, I want to talk to you about how you treated Pinkie Pie yesterday!" Twilight huffed, thoroughly ready to chew the pony out.
"It was terrible, I know." The pony hung his head. "I was just on my way to apologize. Actually..." His face lit up as an idea crossed his mind. "Do you think that you could give something to her for me? It's an apology gift, but I don't have time to make the delivery myself!" He looked down at a watch on his right hoof. "Augh! I'm later than I thought!"
"Well, I- No! When you make an apology, you have to do it yourself!" Twilight argued. Pennington groaned and took off running, forcing Twilight to run to keep up with him. "Hey, wait up!"
"Well, if I have to rush, I can't wait for anything!" Pennington was surprisingly fast, and made it to Sugarcube Corner in a matter of minutes, leaving his lavender companion in the dust. As Twilight walked in through the doors to the bakery, she found Pennington and Pinkie Pie standing in the corner.
"So, anyway, I just wanted to apologize, Pinkie. I overreacted." Pennington shook her hoof.
"That's okay! Besides, this is a great gift!" She held up a copy of the book that Twilight had seen Rainbow Dash buying. "An autographed copy of the newest Daring Do book! But... How did you get a hold of the author? Nopony can ever find Scorching Quill!"
"He and I have done some work together..." He shrugged. "So I can send him a quick letter now and then. Writers have a certain brotherhood and mutual respect in our profession."
"That's so COOL!" Pinkie shouted as Pennington turned to leave. "Thank you! See ya later?"
"If you feel like swinging by the store when I get back!" He shouted as he shot past Twilight. Twilight didn't even try to ask Pinkie for a closer look at the book, instead running after Pennington.
"Wait, where are you going?" She shouted, trying to keep up again.
"I have an appointment!" He shouted, turning towards the train station and once again rushing ahead of Twilight. "In Canterlot!"
Twilight refused to give up, using her horn to teleport and catch up to him. "Wait up, I can come, too!" The stallion finally slowed down, matching her stride.
The two continued to run abreast the rest of the way to the train station, where they both joined the line waiting to buy tickets. "Look, I apologized, okay? Didn't you see? You don't have to follow me anymore!" He was obviously becoming agitated.
"Yes, I was just wondering where you were going!" Twilight smiled. Well, the one thing that I've learned from Pinkie Pie, it's to be persistent!
"I'm taking a trip to Canterlot..." He grudgingly muttered. "I'm going to go and do research on changelings for your commission! So, you don't have to come! Very boring."
"I don't think so!" Twilight grinned. "I love doing research! Maybe I could help you!" She checked her saddlebag to find her train pass to Canterlot. "I'm pretty sure that I could help you get into the Royal Archives, if you needed-"
"I don't need help!" He groaned, trying to plead with her as he stepped forward in line. "Look, I appreciate the help, especially from so prodigious a student as yourself! But you can trust me, I have it covered!"
Twilight didn't let his flattery distract her, and she quickly thought up another reason. "Well... You said that I can come and see your progress on my commission any time. So, I want to watch you work!" She proudly stepped forward, feeling her victory in the argument to be assured.
"I said that you could come by the shop and check up on my progress, not stalk me to Canterlot." Pennington replied flatly as he turned around to buy his ticket.
"Well- But- I-" Twilight rolled her eyes in frustration and stamped her hoof. "UGH! Quit being so difficult! If it bothers you that much, then I won't follow you, okay?"
"Thank you!" Pennington grumbled, walking away from the ticket stand. Twilight stepped up to the booth and showed the ticket vendor her pass. "One ticket to Canterlot, please! Both ways."
The pony scratched his head in confusion. "But, I thought that you said that you weren't going to follow him..."
"I'm not!" A devious grin spread across her face. "I just have a sudden urge to do some research in Canterlot... On changelings, to be exact!"
After boarding the train, Twilight decided to lay low and stay away from Pennington for a while. I may have pushed him a bit too much... As she looked around at the other ponies in the train with her, and noticed that several of them were reading "Daring Do and the Dangerous Descent Into the Dragon's Den." Sheesh, Scorching Quill certainly seems to have mastered alliteration...
"Excuse me, that's the new 'Daring Do' book, isn't it?" Twilight asked the reader nearest her. "Would you mind if I took a quick look at it?"
The green pony grinned and marked her page before letting Twilight examine the book. She quickly followed her normal habit of reading a fiction book: flipping to the back of the cover and reading the "About the Author" section.
Scorching Quill, though elusive to his fans, is no stranger to the dangerous expeditions of Daring Do! Some of his notable adventures include climbing Mount Neverrest, going deep-sea diving in the mareiana trench, and spearheading several expeditions into the Everfree forest, including the group responsible for discovering a changeling outpost that had been used to smuggle their operatives into Equestria.
Despite all of his achievements, however, Scorching can rarely be found until only HE chooses to appear to the press, and refuses to give an address for his fan mail. When asked why, he replied, "I want my fans to show their love by pushing themselves to greater heights, not sitting around and writing letters. They need to push the envelope, not seal it and send it away."
While the personal life of this author may be a mystery, his actions speak for themselves. Scorching Quill is nothing less than the flesh-and-blood manifestation of Daring Do, the adventurer extraordinaire. As for his fans, he gives two words of advice.
"Happy adventuring!"
Well, that explains Pennington's sign. He said himself that most of his revenue comes from selling Scorching Quill's books, and quoting somepony as famous as that can grab attention! Twilight shrugged as her eyes moved down to the author's portrait photograph. Scorching Quill, a bright red and orange stallion, was posing with a sword in his mouth and several quills hovering in the air around him. Twilight had never understood the picture, thinking that the two different types of objects contradicted one another in an awkward way. She shrugged and returned the book to its owner, who was immersed in the story again in a matter of seconds.
"Attention all passengers, we will be arriving in Canterlot in about one hour." A voice sounded over the intercom. Twilight smiled, enjoying the familiar landscape rolling by. Trees and hills passed by in a constantly moving and growing landscape that climbed higher and higher into the mountains until it reached the city built on the cliff face: Canterlot. It will be nice to visit my old home. Maybe I'll have a chance to visit Shining Armor and Cadence! As comforting thoughts and emotions rolled over her like grass rolled over the hills, Twilight's eyes began to droop, and she silently nodded off to sleep.
"Hey, wake up!" Twilight's eyes snapped open as somepony shook her shoulder. "We're in Canterlot, if that's your stop." She didn't even have time to thank the other pony before the crowd of passengers hurried past her, all apparently late for something. I wonder where Pennington is... Her tired mind didn't even comprehend the importance of the question for a moment, still wading through the complacency of sleepiness. Wait... Where did he go? Twilight jumped to her hooves, looking all over for the familiar blue and violet streaks of his mane. Her eyes quickly turned to the window, looking out to the platform, and barely caught a glimpse of his dark blue coat disappearing into the crowd. She closed her eyes, focusing on an empty bench near where she had last seen him and quickly teleported over. Ignoring the shriek from the pony who had been about to sit down, she jumped off of the bench and dove into the crowd, weaving her way through as quickly as she could.
Well, it's not likely that I'm going to find him in this heaving mess of ponies, but I can spot him outside of the station!
As she finally broke free from the throng and bolted for the doors, Twilight scanned the street outside. Finally, she could see Pennington clearly. He was walking with purpose, sure of his destination. Twilight was just about to shout out to get his attention, when she saw him take an unexpected turn: straight into a small boutique called "The Color and Curl."
"What?" Twilight shook her head, no longer sure if she had been looking at the right pony. He arrives in Canterlot to do research, and the first thing he does is have his mane catered to? I would expect this kind of thing from Rarity... Refusing to entirely believe it, she trotted to look through the window.
"Hello?" Pennington called out as he walked into the store. "Lily? Callalily Curl?" He looked around to a couple of the other ponies who were working at the moment. They both nodded their heads towards the back of the room, where a violet-and-pink unicorn was sorting bottles of dye and placing them on a shelf according to their color.
"Lavender... Mossy Green... Robin's-Egg Blue..." She needed only to look at a bottle for a second or two to know its proper place, and she could have it on the shelf in only a second more with practiced ease. She was so involved in her work, she didn't even notice Pennington walking up behind her until he was close enough to whisper in her ear.
"I hope that you're stocked up on my colors!" He whispered, leaning in close to her ear. As the unicorn jumped about a foot into the air, and her hoof flew to her chest when she returned to the ground. "Pennington Inkwell! Don't DO THAT! And quit laughing at me, or I'll turn you pink!"
Pennington, who had only moments before been rolling on the floor in laughter, immediately became silent and still. "Aw, you wouldn't do that to your best customer, would you?" He winked up at her from his vantage point on the floor. His chuckles were cut short as she placed a firm off on his chest.
"Try me..."
"As much as I would love to..." He wheezed. "I'm on my way to another adventure, and don't want to start it off with fresh injuries..." Pennington took in a large gulp of air as the pink pony lifted her other hoof from his diaphragm.
"Another one, Penny? You've got to be kidding me!" She groaned as she pulled down several large bottles of dye.
"Don't call me 'Penny!'" Pennington interjected as he rose back to his hooves.
Lily didn't even notice, continuing with her sarcasm. "What kind of suicide are you committing this time? Perhaps testing yourself in the acid caves of Katamandu? Or, maybe you're going to go upset a drug cartel south of the Equestrian border? Oh, why not jump headfirst off of a cliff again, or nearly freeze to death on Mount Neverrest?" She rolled her eyes. "And to think, I'm just encouraging your reckless streak..."
"No, you're not. And the sarcasm isn't appreciated." Pennington rolled his eyes as their normal banter began once again. "If you must know, I've been asked for a commission involving sunshine and rainbows, and a giant pink butterfly! Not dangerous at all!" He helped his patronizer lift up several panels in the floor, revealing a full-coat dying vat.
"Yeah, and I'm the new princess..." She muttered as she tipped a gallon a blood-colored dye into the water that was pouring inside. "Seriously, though! What kind of crazy quest are you imposing on yourself this time?"
"If I told you... You would kill me." Pennington laughed. "Probably just to save time." Without warning, a light pink aura surrounded his body, lifting him up into the air and over the boiling vat.
"Tell me, or I'll turn you pink." Lily blew a strand of lavender hair out of her face, and her expression was one of extreme exasperation. "I put just the right amount of red dye in there..."
"H-Hey! Let me down, you turncoat!" Pennington began running in the air, trying to push off of a floor that was no longer there.
"Tell me, you pink-coat!" She slowly lowered him towards the bath of color.
"Geez, has business been bad lately or something?" Pennington groaned. "Fine! But only you!" He pointed to the other two workers. Lily gave him a smug smile of victory and pulled him back out of the air. When Pennington whispered his plan in her ear, her jaw dropped, and so did the gallon of dye that she was holding above the giant tub of warm water.
"Y-You can't! That's suicide, for real this time!"
"That..." Pennington muttered as she stepped down into the dye, "is for Scorching Quill to decide!"
B-B-B-But... When Twilight saw Pennington step out from behind the curtain that Lily had pulled over the last few steps of his transformation, she felt as if a trap door under her brain had opened, leaving her power to process what she was seeing completely useless. Pennington is... Scorching Quill?
His usually disheveled and low-hanging mane had been pulled and tugged into a completely new style, rising up and over his ears in a spiky field of yellow and orange flames. His night-sky coat had completely changed, metamorphosing into a bright orange.
It was still Pennington, of course. It had to be... His cutie mark would never change. Two scrolls, each on either side of a compass. The same compass that had so very often been described in detail as Daring Do's cutie mark. As his head turned out towards the large window, Twilight dropped to the ground, barely avoiding being seen. "I can't believe it..." She whispered to herself. "All of this time, Scorching Quill was hiding in Ponyville! That's why he stays at home, he doesn't want to be recognized!"
"Well, Lily, what do I owe you this time?" "Scorching Quill" reached in to his bag to find his money.
"You don't owe me anything, Pennington!" She rolled her eyes in a huff. "You've already paid in advance for your next dozen visits!"
"I don't remember that..." He gave her a mischievous grin. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, so go on! Leave!" Lily turned to go, but was stopped as Pennington grabbed her should and turned her back around.
Pennington's expression became serious, and he looked her straight in the eyes. "You've been coming up short lately, haven't you? You're grouchy because you're worried. Can you even pay the rent this month?" When Lily silently looked to the ground, Pennington reached into his bag and pulled out a sack of bits, which he placed on the counter next to the register. "Don't you dare say it's too much. You're my dearest friend, Lily. You struck out to Canterlot on your own to prove that you could survive in the big city. To prove that you could make it out of Ponyville."
"And you refuse to leave Ponyville!" Lily sighed. She wanted to push the bag back towards Pennington, but she knew that she needed it. "You could be living the high life here in Canterlot! Heck, you make more at one book signing than I make in a month!"
"Which is why I'm supporting my childhood friend!" He smiled and turned back towards the door. "I always said that I wanted to go on adventures, not that I wanted to escape Ponyville. Consider this a donation to my favorite business in Canterlot!"
As he walked out of the doors, Pennington's mind wasn't his usual topic: bracing himself for going into public as Scorching Quill. She didn't even try to fight to give it back... She must be desperate. Maybe I could figure out who her landlord is when I-
"Pennington!" Twilight jumped out from her hiding spot, catching the stallion off-guard. "You're Scorching Quill?" Her eyes glimmered with a mix of shock and awe.
"Ummm... Pennington? Where?" Looking around for his alter ego, "Scorching Quill" shrugged. "I don't see him. Too bad, I'd like to see my old friend again..."
"I saw it all, Pennington." Twilight glared. "I know everything."
"How could you hide the fact that you're a famous author?" Twilight asked incredulously. "I mean, ponies everywhere read and love your books! Daring Do is one of my favorite characters of all time!" After forcing a confession out of "Scorching Quill," the two of them had set off to cover the rest of his "errands."
"Because I don't like ponies going crazy over me..." Pennington muttered as he walked down the street. "I like to be an inspiration from afar because I think that the attention should be more on the spirit of adventure than on me! That's why I changed my coat, my mane, and my name when I started writing these books!" He shook his head. "So... Please. Stop bouncing around like a little filly!"
Twilight, who had indeed been jumping up and down, finally came to a stop, feeling a bit sheepish. "That explains the autographed copy that you gave to Pinkie, but why the shop in Ponyville? And the ramen noodles? If you have so much money from your Daring Do series, you could retire here in Canterlot and eat well every day!"
"Well, I like ramen!" He argued with a smile. "As for why I set up a shop in Ponyville? That's a question that I don't answer very often." He happily pushed open the door to another store: The Commando Supply. "Thunder Strike? I have a new challenge for you!"
The store was unlike any that Twilight has seen before. The entire store was filled with tactical equipment of every kind, from infrared goggles to smoke bombs. Every shelf was bursting with camouflage and sheer black objects, all designed to blend in perfectly with their environment, whatever they may be.
"Scorching Quill!" A black, heavily built pegasus jumped out from behind the counter, giving his old friend a quick hug. "It's been too long! I was beginning to worry that you had retired to some plush little cabin by the sea!" The two laughed as they separated, with Thunder's hearty laugh overlapping with Pennington's chuckles.
"Not a chance, Thunder! The day I retire from adventuring is the day that I die!" Pennington laughed.
"Or the day you meet a nice little filly..." Thunder Strike winked as he looked over at Twilight. "Speaking of which, who is this?"
"Oh, I'm Twilight Sparkle!" Twilight tried to hide her blushing at what the store owner was implying. "I'm just a friend, here to help him with his research!"
"Hmmm..." Thunder Strike's eyes scanned every part of Twilight's body, making her blush even more. "Scorching, I have to say, she's not exactly cut out for your 'research.' Are you sure that you're taking her?"
"No, I'm not." Pennington glared over at his new "friend." "She's just a fan, following me around Canterlot. You can take her, if you want!"
Despite Twilight's indignation, the other stallion only laughed. "No, thanks. I have my own filly back at home, the same one who made me leave the elite royal guard." He quickly trotted back behind the counter. "Well, what can I get for you, Scorching? You said that you had a challenge?"
"Yep! I need equipment for an espionage mission! Simply recon, pal, but in a heavily guarded fortress." Pennington spoke as if it was nothing.
Thunder Strike became serious, pulling out a thick book of inventory. "Then you're going to need some equipment for the art of tactical distraction, and to become nearly invisible! That's a toughie... Especially if you're planning on carrying your equipment with you!" He quickly flipped through the pages. "That coat of yours isn't exactly subtle, so you're going to need a 'second skin' suit to match your environment, at least until you get inside. Can you tell me where this is, or is it some kind of top secret project?"
"Well, I can tell you, but you're not going to like it." Pennington shrugged, still surprisingly relaxed. "It's going to be dark, but I'm suspecting a lot of green ambiance..."
Thunder didn't look up from his book of inventory, jotting down different items onto a growing list. "You've given me requests for every kind of equipment under the sun, Scorching. You could tell me you were going to look for the long-lost Princess of the ant ponies, and I wouldn't be surprised."
"Well, if you really want to know..." Pennington was about to reveal his destination, when he noticed Twilight looking at him with expectant eyes. He walked up to the counter and whispered in his friend's ear, making sure that Twilight couldn't hear. This fact irritated her to no end, especially as the former elite guard's eyes grew wide, and his sheer black coat seemed to pale.
"You're kidding me. You're doing that now? They're still fuming over the last set of debates! What would happen if you got caught?"
"That's why I'm here." Pennington gave his friend a pat on the back. "Your equipment has saved my life more times than I can count! I know that you won't leave me hanging!"
"Where are you going?" Twilight shouted, grabbing the attention of both stallions. "You told me that you were coming here to do research for my commission!"
"I am, but Canterlot is just a stop for supplies!" Pennington winked smugly, obviously happy to know something that was irritating her so much. "The real research is going to be taking place somewhere else! Somewhere far away from here! Somewhere that you're not going, so it doesn't matter!" He confidently walked back out from behind the counter, finally looking as confident as he sounded.
"Scorching... I don't know if I can prepare you for something like that!" Thunder looked back at the list and began scribbling down even more lines and scratching out other ones.
"For pony's sake, just tell me!" Twilight shouted, stomping her hooves. "Tell me, Penning-" In a reaction faster than Twilight believed a pony could move, Pennington's hoof had been shoved into her mouth, stopping her from shouting his real name.
"Penny?" Thunder looked up from his work, trying to make sense of Twilight's words.
"I told you, Twilight... Just because I use a lot of pens, does not make me 'pen-y!' That's not even a word, so, don't call me that!" Pennington laughed nervously, quickly devising a lie to cover his identity.
Twilight quickly spit out his hoof, but the taste lingered in her mouth. I almost forgot! He's Scorching Quill now... Suddenly, a devious idea sprung to her mind, one that she decided to implement immediately. "Fine, Scorching Quill, But I'll keep calling you that unless you tell me where you're going!" She couldn't help but feel proud of herself as his eyes narrowed in suspicion.
The entire hidden meaning was lost on Thunder Strike. "Oh, she's a fiesty one, Scorching... Reminds me of you!" If looks could kill, Pennington would have vaporized his friend, who only chuckled and went back to his work.
Twilight ignored the owner, glaring at Pennington and waiting for her answer. When he turned back to her, Twilight noticed that, although he had changed most of his body, his eyes had stayed the same: a deep violet.
"I'm going to make your story as lifelike as possible, Twilight Sparkle. I'm going to go and visit the changeling hive!"
Twilight refused to stop trying to talk him out of his crazy idea throughout the entire day, as did every pony that he went to for supplies. Pennington would only shake his head and laugh, as if he didn't comprehend the danger that he was throwing himself into.
This was not the pony that I was expecting to meet when I wanted to meet the reclusive author! Twilight thought as they began walking back towards the train station. "Scorching, you can't be serious! The changelings would rip apart any pony that they found in their home! Don't you have the imagination to just make something up? Imagine what it would look like!"
"Truth is stranger than fiction, Twilight!" Pennington shrugged. "This is how I've written every Daring Do book, by building on experience."
"Well, if that's why you're going, then you don't have to do my commission! Just forget about it!" Twilight shouted as they walked through the doors of the railroad station.
"Not a chance! I've got the idea rooted into my brain, now!" Pennington laughed, as if he wasn't taking her seriously. "Don't worry, you'll see me back in Ponyville soon, Twilight! I'm not going to end up in any kind of trouble."
Twilight stomped her hoof in frustration. "Why are you being so stubborn about tossing your life away?" He shouted, attracting the attention of several ponies around them. "This 'adventure' is going to get you into more than just 'trouble!' It could very well kill you!"
"I'm not being stubborn! You don't know what you're talking about!" Pennington shouted in return, grabbing the attention of even more ponies. "You didn't even meet me until a few days ago, and now you think that you know what I can and can't accomplish?"
Many of the ponies were staring at the arguing couple, and some were beginning to whisper at the sight.
The author's words struck a nerve in Twilight's mind, pushing her over the edge. "I don't know what I'm talking about? Where were you when Nightmare Moon was beaten? Or when Discord was turned back into stone? And you say that I don't know what I'm talking about?" She stomped both of her hooves in aggravation. "I know all about danger, and this is CRAZY!"
The crimson pony nearly screamed in his own frustration. "You don't know ME! You don't know what I do for adventure or what I CAN accomplish! You may know danger, but I know everything that there is to know about Scorching Quill!" Without waiting for an answer, Pennington stormed off to buy his train ticket, leaving Twilight standing alone in a ring of pony spectators.
Pennington ignored the requests for autographs and photos, marching straight to the ticket vendor. "I'd like a ticket as far east as you can take me, and there's an extra large tip for you to make sure the filly that I was fighting with doesn't follow me!"
The colt behind the glass nodded with understanding. "I can hear you. My marefriend and I argue all of the time, and sometimes I just need to get away..." He passed a train ticket through the hole in the bottom of the glass. "That's 150 bits."
"Here's two hundred., and she's NOT my marefriend!" Pennington passed a fold of bills through to the ticket vendor, grabbed his ticket, and trotted to the train, confident in the fact that he had left Twilight far behind.
"I'm sorry, ma'am, but he just bought the last ticket for that destination!" The young worker announced as Twilight ran up to the window.
"How do you even know where I'm going?" Twilight shouted, slamming her hoof on the counter.
"If you're following him, then you're going to the eastern border of Equestria." He said matter-of-factly. "And he just bought the last ticket."
"That son of a..." Twilight muttered. "How much did he bribe you with?"
"Fifty bits!" The ticket vendor gave Twilight a grin. "So... Unless you can give me more, he bought the last ticket."
Twilight grumbled, knowing that she didn't have that much money with her. "I don't have fifty bits..." Her mind immediately began trying to think of new ways to address the problem. Obviously, he only wants money. He was wide open about being able to be bribed... "So, I have to give you something that I have and you want?" She reached into her bag and pulled out her sack of gems that she had been holding onto to prevent Spike from eating them all at once. Sorry, Spike. Your snacks will have to wait. "What about these? All real gems, mostly opals."
"Hmm... My marefriend will love these!" The vendor quickly pulled the bag inside, shoving a ticket towards her. "Go ahead and follow your coltfriend..."
"What? He's NOT my coltfriend!" Twilight shouted as she took the ticket and jumped onboard the train.
"Oh, so it's that kind of relationship..." The ticket vendor chuckled as he watched her go. "With a coat like that, he'll never escape a stalker!"
As Twilight searched the train, however, she proved him wrong. "Scorching Quill" was nowhere to be found. Ugh! I've lost him AGAIN! She turned to the pony closest to her, who looked as if she might be suffering from a slight case of motion sickness, but it could simply have been her light green coat. "Excuse me, but have you seen a bright red-and-orange pony anywhere around here? Goes by the name 'Scorching Quill...'"
"Oh! He passed through here just a short while ago!" The pony seemed cheerful, in spite of being obviously sick. "I think that he's riding up in the first-class car."
"Thank you!" Twilight grinned, running easily from car to car until she had reached the front of the train. Sure enough, in a well-cushioned seat in first class, Pennington was lounging around, jotting down notes of some kind as he looked out the window.
"Ah-HA! I found you!" Twilight shouted, prompting him to jump about a foot into the air and spin around to see her.
"Twilight? How did you- What are you- GAAH!" Pennington buried his head in his hooves, obviously admitting defeat to the fact that she was standing there before him. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to stop you from killing yourself! What else have I been trying to do today?" She quipped, taking the seat next to him.
"I'm not killing myself, and are you planning on doing that by joining me?" Pennington moaned. "This train is only travelling one way, and it's not towards Ponyville!"
The full implications of Twilight's actions hit her with the full force of a freight train. "Wait... Are you saying-"
"We're not going home today, Twilight. You had better have everything that you need in those saddlebags of yours to last a few days!" Pennington buried his head in his front legs, slumping onto the table. "I spent most of the money that I had with me back in Canterlot. I only have enough for a few more supplies and MY ticket back home!"
"And the train doesn't leave for a week." The elderly pony behind the glass grumbled. "So, you have a week to raise the money! Great, right?" Before Twilight could argue with the sarcastic vendor any longer, a metal sheet slammed shut behind the glass.
"But I have to get home!" Twilight shouted, finally collapsing in the empty train station. It was more like a shack next to a pair of railroad tracks. In fact, the entire town looked dilapidated. Everything was made from weather-worn wood and steel nails, and looked as if the entire town had collectively said, "We're your last stop, so it doesn't matter what we look like!"
"Any luck?" Pennington shouted as he walked back to the lavender pony. "If my watch is right, you've been here for almost an hour!" He was levitating a large styrofoam cup in front of him.
"The train doesn't leave again for an entire week!" Twilight shouted as she jumped to her hooves. Her horn bristled with angry energy at Pennington's nonchalance. "You got me stranded in this border town for an entire week!"
Pennington took a step back, but moved the cup towards Twilight, along with a white plastic spork. "I hate to say it, but you were the one who insisted on following me here... Here, I got us lunch!" With a pop, the lid flew off of the container, revealing... a steaming cup of ramen.
"I don't want your ramen! I hate ramen!" Twilight screamed, smashing the cup with her hoof. "I want to go home!"
Pennington took another step back, praying that the next thing to smash wouldn't be a part of him. "I-I'm sorry, but-"
"You should be!" Twilight's eyes began to water, both from her panic and the near-boiling broth that had just splashed all over her leg. "You should be sorry, Pennington Inkwell!" Her spirit finally broke and she slumped to the ground in a heap, hopelessly burying her head in her front legs. "Tonight was the night that I was going to take inventory at the library, too..." Twilight didn't expect much at this moment, but she was surprised to feel a friendly attempt at comfort in the form of a pat on her shoulder and a whisper in her ear.
"It's getting late, Twilight. I've already found a motel here in town and rented a two-bed suite to spend the night. Something tells me that this town isn't a safe place to wander around after dark, so train or no train, we need to move."
Pennington's words were low and his tone was serious, more serious than he seemed to have been for most of the day. His words rung true in Twilight's mind, striking a clear note that action needed to be taken. She looked up from the ground, and found Pennington to be so close, their noses nearly touched. I didn't even hear him walk over... His dark lavender eyes once again locked hers in place, and Twilight couldn't help but feel like they were still searching for something, just like they had been when she was telling him about the story she wanted him to write... Until a flash of cold calculation spread across them, and he broke his gaze to look up at the setting sun.
"Well, it's not very far, but we still need to move quickly to be there before nightfall. Getting mugged is not the kind of adventure I came for!" With the joke breaking the tension, he offered Twilight a hoof to help her up, which she gladly accepted.
As the two walked briskly down the main (and only) street of the broken-down town, the sun set behind the mountains on the horizon in only a few minutes, and dusk settled in to herald the approach of darkness.
"Well, if it isn't the little ramen boy..." A voice called out from the darkness. Acting on cue, several ponies walked out from nearby alleyways, blocking off their path towards the motel, only a couple blocks away. A light orange pegasus with a cutie mark of a wallet and switchblade stepped out into the light of a streetlamp. "Don't act like you're surprised, Red! We saw you flashing those bits at the restaurant, and we're here for our share!"
"Red," obviously referencing the bright crimson that Pennington had dyed his mane to, stood tall. "Sorry, but I spent it all on supplies. I've been making the last preparations for a little camping trip..."
"Don't give me that drit!" The pegasus chuckled. "We've been following you ever since then. You didn't buy any supplies..." He began pacing around them like a caged tiger, his wings rustling in anticipation.
"Well, I intend to. Tomorrow morning. Right before I go, actually!" Pennington's body had become tense and stiff, reflecting the danger of the situation. Twilight moved a bit closer to her companion for safety, brushing against his side as her horn began to bristle with energy. "Besides, you can check my bag. I left everything, including my wallet, locked in the motel." To illustrate his point, he turned his single saddlebag upside down, showing that it was completely empty.
"Well, maybe we'll just take the girl! She'll be worth a good time..." One pony shouted from behind their leader. Twilight could feel her heart nearly stop with fear at the thought of what they might do to her.
"There's no 'maybe' about it! You won't." Twilight spoke up, eyes narrowing. With the flat denial, Twilight could see and hear several blades coming out of their sheaths and handles.
"The way I see it, you have two choices..." The leading pegasus pulled a knife out from the feathers of his wings, gripping it tightly in one hoof. "One: You can walk away from here alone and unharmed, and two of your new 'friends' here will go back to the motel with you for your money and everything else we might want. Two: We can drain your blood from your body with a few easy slashes, leave you in a ditch somewhere, and take your girlfriend AND your stuff!" Without waiting for an answer, he walked towards Pennington, knife poised for an attack with practiced grace.
Twilight looked up at Pennington, trying to gain some kind of clue as to what was going to happen from his face. His gaze had turned steely, his jaw was clenched, and his eyes had narrowed in a deadly focus. "Three: You all leave, Twilight Sparkle stays with me, and I keep my stuff!" His horn was beginning to glow, as well, forming a white mist that spread out into the air around them ,gathering around his front legs and chest.
"Wrong answer!" The pegasus took a swift moment to roll his eyes, then lashed forward with the knife, aiming for Pennington's chest. Twilight leaped backwards to avoid being cut, herself, only barely keeping her balance.
The sound of metal on metal rang out though the air. Everything seemed to freeze in that moment, with every pony wondering the same thing. What was that noise?
Pennington was standing tall, looking down at the pony who had attacked him. His horn was still shining like a beacon and his teeth were gritted with with the effort of whatever spell he was casting. The knife was embedded in a white glow around his chest, which Twilight quickly recognized as the mist that he had been forming. The blade was dangerously close to his heart, but hadn't reached him. In a matter of seconds, the mist grew closer and solidified into what appeared to be a chest plate of armor, and the smoke around his legs formed two thick braces.
The armor looked to be about an inch thick, a translucent sky-blue filled with glimmers of light, and the braces ended in a pair of hook-like blades near his hooves. Each blade looked as if it could be used to snag an opponent's weapon or be used as a weapon on its own. There was a moment as Pennington looked down and yanked the blade from where it had embedded itself. As nonchalantly as he could, Pennington kicked the knife back towards Twilight and out of the pegasus's reach.
"Hold onto these for me, would you? A good knife is priceless when you're out adventuring... Getting five of them from these punks is going to be like Hearth's Warming!" He jabbed his front hoof forward, knocking the pegasus backwards. "I'd like to take care of these hooligans myself... Would you mind, Twilight?"
"N-no, go ahead..." Twilight shook her head, trying to understand what had happened. She'd seen and even used spells to summon objects before, but this seemed different. This wasn't summoning, this was creating.
Where did he learn a spell like that?
"In case you didn't know, that means that I'll be taking your knives, and you'll all be heading back home, now." Pennington growled. "Because you just threatened my friend, and I'm not going to let that pass without a price... She could probably knock you all unconscious with a single spell, but you wouldn't learn a lesson!"
The pegasus had finally snapped out of his confusion, and let out a low whistle. "Well, well, well! That ramen must be packed full of vitamins, isn't it?" The four other ponies, three more pegasi and an earth pony, all stepped into the spotlight, silver blades gleaming in their hooves. "But enough playing 'hero,' we have a tight schedule to keep. Places to be, money to take, time to kill..." He stepped backwards, disappearing behind his comrades.
"Well, I'll make sure that this doesn't last long." Pennington whispered, signaling the end of the banter. One of the pegasi jumped forward, aiming for Pennington's unprotected flank with a stabbing motion. Pennington jumped backwards, forcing the stab to instead land on the armor. The blade quickly wedged itself partway through, and a sudden roll to the side wrenched it from his grip, along with twisting his ankle backwards with a nasty crunching sound. Pennington rolled to his right, in the opposite direction of his attack. One of his front legs lashed out, slicing the front leg of the earth pony in a single, smooth action, forcing him to drop his knife and use his other front leg to hold himself up. The two limped back out of the unofficial arena, leaving it to their two remaining comrades to finish the fight.
The two pegasi nodded at each other, taking to the air and flying out of sight. By now, night had completely fallen, and to leave the light cast by Pennington's armor and the streetlight rendered them nearly invisible. Pennington remained vigilant, tossing the two useless knives back in Twilight's direction. "Twilight? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine! You were the one who said that I can defend myself!" She shouted, picking up the knives. "Don't worry about me, worry about them!"
Pennington's eyes flicked from side to side every few seconds, as he waited for his attackers to return. "Come on! Did you want to finish this fight, or are those chicken feathers you're wearing?" The insult did its work well, prompting both ponies to come out from the shadows at once. They both rushed at him from opposite sides, striking like guided missiles. With hardly a moment to react, Pennington instinctively jumped. He was already tense, and the sudden fright of ponies appearing out of nowhere propelled him into the air and backwards, just in time to watch the two run head-first into one another with a loud crack. The sound echoed down the entire street and forced both Pennington and Twilight to cringe. As the two unconscious bodies settled down for the night, Pennington picked up their knives as well, tossing them back to Twilight with all of the care one would give to throwing away a used tissue.
"Well, any other takers?" Pennington panted, obviously exhausted. The light from his horn was beginning to sputter, and the armor began to melt away into blue mist. The first pegasus, the only uninjured foe at the moment, jumped over his unconscious lackeys and landed nose-to-nose with Pennington, who was quickly losing his armor to exhaustion.
"You just made the last mistake of your life, thinking that you could beat us all..." His hoof pulled back, suddenly holding a new knife that gleamed with murderous intent. It was Pennington's turn to be surprised, having assumed that each member would have only one blade.
The blade thrust downward, aiming for Pennington's heart. Then, in a flash of bright purple light, he disappeared. Blasted backwards and into a nearby building, where he slumped to the ground after colliding with the wall. Pennington turned back around, and Twilight was standing just behind him, horn brimming with energy. The final knife, which was revealed to be only a slightly smaller switchblade, levitated over to Twilight and into her saddlebag.
"Don't look so surprised!" Twilight couldn't help but grin, despite the pounding of her heart against her rib cage. The look of surprise on Pennington's face was priceless. "You're not the only one who can fight, you know..."
"Yes... Well... I... I... I need help." Pennington muttered as his entire body slumped to the side. Twilight barely managed to get underneath him in time to catch the falling stallion. She groaned with effort for a moment before swapping over to her magic to levitate him into a standing position again.
"Are you okay, Pennington?"
"I need to rest...The adrenaline's gone, now." He whispered, putting one of his front legs around Twilight's shoulders for support.
"Don't worry." Twilight looked down at the bodies lying on the ground, and the two confused ponies who had managed to limp away with smaller injuries. "I think that we just made enough of an impression to go undisturbed for the night..."
Once they had reached the motel, Pennington immediately made a beeline for the bed, still panting heavily. "Twilight, could you get me my bag, please?" When he reached the edge of the bed, he simply collapsed onto it, rather than trying to climb. With some effort, he rolled into the center, finally stretching out his entire body, from horn to tail.
Twilight looked around and discovered Pennington's second saddlebag, stuffed to the point of almost bursting. She picked it up and brought it to the edge of the bed. "What do you need?"
"Just turn it upside down... What I need is near the bottom." He didn't even have to look at Twilight, keeping his eyes shut. "It's a small container... Black, and only about the size of your hoof..."
Twilight hated to make a mess, but she knew that trying to argue with him would be too much for Pennington to handle, seeing as he was tottering on the edge of consciousness as it was. As she tipped the contents onto the floor, a maraca-like sound grated against her ears. The contents all spilled out onto the floor, spreading everywhere in a mess that Twilight vowed to clean up later. A shiny bottle with a black finish rolled out last, landing on top of the rest of Pennington's belongings. Twilight recognized it immediately, she had seen many of them on her trips to see Zecora.
"Pennington, do you mean this?" She lifted the bottle of pills into his sight, giving it a slight shake. "What do you need a prescription for?"
"Two pills, Twilight..." He muttered, his words beginning to slur. "Quickly, please!"
Twilight nodded, remembering that there would be time for questions later. She unscrewed the lid with ease and pulled out two greasy-looking pills, each one looking like a chalky substance encased in some kind of clear coating. She leaned up onto the bed, hovering the pills above his mouth. "Open wide..." Pennington did as he was told, opening his mouth and swallowing the pills. Within seconds of taking the pills, he had finally fallen asleep. Despite the fierce fight that he had put on earlier, Pennington now looked completely helpless, like a little colt settling down for his afternoon nap.
Twilight didn't need long to clean up the mess, neatly packing everything into his saddlebag in an organized manner and placing the pills near the top layers of items. Though her mind was buzzing with questions, she managed to shove them all aside and slip under the covers of the second bed. As she, too, fell asleep, Twilight dreamed of her older brother, Shining Armor, fighting tooth and hoof against the gang that had attacked them. Somehow, the image of her brother occasionally lost focus, instead changing to a crimson blur that she somehow knew was "Scorching Quill."
When Twilight woke up in the morning, she had almost forgotten about the fact that she was so far from home. The fact that she didn't wake up to the sight of filled bookshelves made the fact painfully apparent when she opened her eyes, though. In a flood of memories from the previous day, one that she had been hoping was just a nightmare, she looked over to where Pennington was sleeping. The pony looked deceptively peaceful, and there were few signs of the battle from the night before, with the exception of a blackened singe at the tip of his horn. Twilight hopped out of bed and walked over to inspect him more closely.
It looks like he used too much energy at once, and the effort hurt his horn... Twilight cringed. An overflow of output was never a problem that she had encountered before, but most attributed that to the fact that magic was her special talent. What was that spell he used, anyway? I've never seen anything like it... As she thought more about it, more and more questions arose in her mind, all of which she had spared him from last night.
"Well, there's one question that I can investigate myself..." She whispered, pulling Pennington's bottle of pills out of his saddlebag. She easily popped off the lid and levitated a single pill into the air, inspecting it closely at eye level. Nothing new seemed to present itself, at first. It was a clear, obviously water-soluble casing around a tightly packed powder. The powder itself was off-white, with occasional small flecks of black and grey. Everything was ground up so finely, however, that Twilight couldn't make out anything more with a visual inspection.
She was contemplating slicing one open to check how the ingredients would be effected by a few chemical reactions when a low groan from Pennington stole her attention.
"Ugh... So sore..." Pennington muttered as she slowly sat up, propping himself up against the headboards. One hoof went up to gingerly prod at the scorched part of his horn, and the other went down to his ribs. "Note to self: make the armor lighter and better suited for ducking and rolling..."
"Pennington! You're okay!" Twilight laughed, putting the pill back in the bottle before he could see what she had been doing. "How are you feeling?"
"My horn hurts, I'm guessing that I have a reasonably large bruise on my side, and I've got a headache." He gave Twilight a weak grin. "Just another day in the life of an adventurer..." He moved to throw off his blankets and cringed again. "And probably pulled something in my leg." To Twilight's utter shock, the pony stood up on his own, limped a few laps around the room, and nodded to himself. "I ought to be fine after a few hours of putting weight on it..."
"You- you're kidding, right?" Twilight shook her head. "You just slept it all off?"
"Well, I've been through much tougher environments and MUCH tougher fights than that!" He gave her a stronger grin, looking bemused by her concern. "Right now, though, I'm just itching for some breakfast..."
"Well, first, I'm 'just itching' for a few answers, if you don't mind..." Twilight smiled at the sight that her friend was indeed, okay. "First of all, what was that spell that you used to make that armor appear?"
"Well, it's something that I discovered a long time ago." Pennington sat back down on the bed, a little disappointed at Twilight not wanting to eat yet. "If I focus enough, I can take my magical energy and form it into a solid object. Usually, I'll only use it in emergencies, because I can't re-absorb the energy most of the time." He shrugged, trying to downplay the importance of the detail. "It usually takes some time and a lot of focus to form something as complicated as armor, but I managed to do it pretty quickly last night!"
"Yeah, just in time to avoid being killed!" Twilight shook her head in frustration. "If you weren't sure you could do it, why did you take a chance like that?"
"I was hoping to talk us out of it. Do things peacefully." Pennington lifted a hoof to his forehead, massaging a pressure point between his eyes. "But then... Things got out of hoof. I lost my temper-"
"They started threatening me." Twilight interrupted. "That's when you started looking for a fight."
"I've been told that I'm rather protective before..." Pennington was glad that she couldn't see his blush through the bright red of his dyed coat. "When my friends are threatened, I get... adventurous."
It was just because I'm his friend... For a moment, Twilight could have sworn that she was hoping for something... more. "So, we're friends?" She grinned brightly at the stallion, looking for confirmation of her statement.
Pennington rolled his eyes at the question, beginning to see why the unicorn had been so eager to get to know him. "If that was your aim in all of this, then you've accomplished it! I consider you my friend, Twilight Sparkle. Especially after you saved my life last night!"
"Well, you saved mine a few times before I saved yours." Twilight laughed. "Okay, next question: what do you need those pills for? I can see that you got them from Zecora, but I can't figure out what they are!"
"Sleeping pills." Pennington went back to massaging his forehead.
"You didn't need any help getting to sleep! You were about to pass out!" Twilight would have assumed if he was joking if he hadn't looked so serious.
"You take cough syrup to cure a cough, you take an anti-depressant to cure depression, and I take sleeping pills to cure sleep." Pennington began using both hooves to rub his temples. "I don't like to talk about it, okay? And I really need something to eat... You smashed your hoof down on the dinner that we were going to share, so I didn't eat, either..."
"Well..." Twilight knew that she had more questions that she wanted to ask, especially about what he meant by "curing sleep," but she had been keeping him away from something to eat long enough. "Okay, let's get something to eat!"
"YES!" Pennington bolted for the door, so fast that Twilight almost didn't notice a slight limp in his stride.
She silently followed him out the door. Maybe he didn't want to bring it up. "Wait up! Take it easy, Pennington!" She caught up to him with relative ease, and the two of them walked down the main street together, with Twilight setting a slower pace for Pennington.
Typical stallion, doesn't want to admit when he's hurt... Twilight rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but see his 'tough guy' act as a little cute, like a little colt pretending to be a scary monster.
"Why don't you like it?" Pennington asked as he slurped up another mouthful of noodles.
"It's not healthy! Too much sodium." Twilight shook her head. "Besides, most ramen I've ever had tastes the same, and I just didn't like the taste."
"Well, it's cheap, and I like it. Maybe you were trying a bad brand!"
"I tried a bunch of them..." Twilight shook her head. "But, why does it matter if they're cheap? You have all of the money that you need from your books!"
"I just like it. Helps me focus on things, like how we're going to get you home..." Pennington looked up at her over the rim of his ramen cup, his eyes showing the seriousness of his statement.
"You mean, how we're going to get home, right?" Twilight glared at him as she took another bite of her salad.
"The main issue is getting you home in time for 're-shelving night,' or were you mistaken at the train station?" He pulled out a small wallet from his saddlebag to pay for the meal.
"No, but I'm not going to just leave you here." Twilight shook her head. "Especially not after last night! There's no way of telling if that gang has any more members, and you probably just made the top of their 'Not Wanted Alive' list!" Pennington's wallet landed on the table with a soft "thud," and he pushed it towards her.
"There's enough money in there to pay for one pony to stay here the rest of the week, eat every day (give or take a meal or two), and buy a ticket from here to Ponyville." He gave Twilight one of his grins, a clear indicator that he was about to do something reckless. "I can go without a few pieces of equipment so that you can get home as soon as you want..."
Twilight looked down at the gift, unsure of whether or not to take it. "What about you? You'll be stuck here with no money and a dangerous reputation..."
"I'm Scorching Quill! I've been from the depths of the seas to the tops of mountains! Don't you think that I can handle Equestria's suburbs for a few days? I go on my adventure, come back to town, sell a few autographs, and I'll be home before you can say 'happy adventuring!'" He laughed and leaned back in his chair.
"Wait... Did you just say that you're still going on that stupid suicide mission?" Twilight dropped her fork onto her plate in shock. "You've been attacked, injured, living on a bare minimum of a budget, in all likelihood you've got a street gang after you, and you're still going to try to invade the home of a race that grudges a burning hatred of ponies in general?"
"Of course! I don't want to be wasteful! I'm here, so why not do what I set out to do?" Pennington pushed the wallet towards her. "I'll have my things out of your motel room by the end of the day."
"No, you won't." Twilight shook her head. "I already had to save your tail once, and I don't want to feel like I just let you walk away to your demise. You're going home. Now."
Pennington picked up his wallet, more than a bit annoyed. "Once again, you're refusing to see what I can do."
"And you're still being hardheaded!" Twilight groaned.
"Well, don't forget who's paying for our room at the motel!" As ponies around them began to once again stare, Pennington's voice dropped to a harsh whisper. "If you had your way, I'd just sit around there and write sappy letters all day!"
"And if you had your way, you would probably try living on the moon to write a book about Princess Luna!" Twilight hissed in return, losing her temper.
"Honeymoon, or couple's retreat?" The waitress asked with a grin. "You two look too young to be fighting like an old couple..."
"We're not a couple!" They both shouted, turning their rage on the waitress. Both ponies paused for a moment, then looked at each other, only now noticing the fact that they had spoken in sync. Both of them held eye contact for a brief moment, then turned back to their respective meals.
After finishing breakfast, Twilight and Pennington stormed back to the motel, still fuming at one another.
"Look, if it makes you feel better, I can stay with you until you're on the train home..." Pennington finally muttered as he pulled open the door to the motel room.
"It won't make me feel better unless you're on that train with me, getting as far from the changelings as possible." Twilight grumbled as she flopped onto her bed.
"Well, you can't always get what you want in life, Twilight." Pennington rolled his eyes as he began going through his equipment, once again taking an inventory. "I've got my camouflage tactical suit, night vision goggles, horn dimmer in case I need to use magic..."
"Neither can you!" Twilight sat up again, using her magic to pick up Pennington's equipment and toss it in the corner.
"Hey! Some of that isn't meant to be carelessly thrown around!" Pennington ran over to inspect his bags, gently picking up each piece and looking it over.
A new idea sprung to Twilight's mind. If he doesn't have his stuff, he can't go! With a smug grin, Twilight sent his equipment to the roof, out of sight.
"Hey! Give it back!" Pennington spun around, glaring at his roommate.
"No!" Twilight grinned, in spite of the fact that she knew she was being immature. "It's for the best if you don't go."
"I'm still going, but it will be a lot easier with all of that!" Pennington pointed back at the spot where his bag had been. "But a little setback like that isn't going to stop me!"
"You're kidding... Right?" Twilight shook her head in disbelief.
"It makes it more of a challenge, actually!" Pennington winked at her, playing off of her shock. "Maybe I'll just let you keep my equipment! You can tell everypony that you stole it from Scorching Quill, you'll make a fortune at an auction!"
Twilight couldn't believe her ears. This pony really IS crazy! "Look, the point wasn't to make a few bits or steal your stuff, it was to keep you from going!" She picked him up with her magic, lifting him into the air and pulling him close to that she could look him straight in the eyes. "I'm not going to lose a friend to the changelings because of some stupid challenge!" To her complete surprise, Twilight couldn't get him to look her in the eye. He seemed more concerned with his hooves, which were helplessly flailing and reaching towards the ground. "You're not listening to me!" Twilight tightened her grip, keeping his hooves still and turning his head to face her. When she finally saw his eyes, however, they didn't have their normal, searching look, nor were they locked in a steely, adventurous gaze that she had seen so often. They were wild, angry, and... scared.
There was a blinding flash of light, a sound like an explosion, and Twilight lost her grip, dropping him to the ground. In the moments after she let him go, Twilight became aware of two things. One: something was burning, she could smell it. Two: she could feel a cold, metal edge being pressed against her throat. As her eyes recovered from the burst of light, Twilight could see Pennington, singed in places, taking deep breaths and staring at her with a look of absolute loathing. His coat seemed to have lost some of the dye, becoming blue or violet in places, or burned in others. His horn was glowing brightly, releasing a fog that wound through the air towards her, then solidified into an Arabian-looking sword at her throat.
"Don't. Ever. Do that again." Pennington growled between drawing in long gulps of air. "I don't deal well with not being able to move my own body... Got it?"
Twilight hastily nodded, a bit unsure of what he was going to do at this point. She let out a long breath as the blade faded away into a fine mist that floated back into Pennington's horn. The crazed colt turned his back to her, running to his saddlebag and pulling out his pill bottle. He opened the bottle with shaking hooves and tossed two of the white pills into his mouth. He swallowed loudly, then walked into the bathroom, his knees violently shaking.
Twilight rubbed her throat where the sword, which she now remembered was called a "Scimitar," had been. She had seen Pennington form objects out of magic before, but she hadn't imagined what it would be like to be on the other end of those objects.
Pennington could feel the dye washing off as the streams of water pummeled his body. He had asked Calalily for her specialty, a washable dye that could be used for only a quick change of appearance, a few days at most. From his perspective, Pennington felt relieved to be blue again. Scorching Quill is fun to be for a while, but it gets tiring to maintain a different identity for a day or two...
His mind flashed back to what had happened minutes ago, and he felt another swell of fear rise up in his chest. His mind flew involuntarily back to a horrific memory: trapped in his own bed, pushing with all of his might to simply lift a hoof. A feeling of his breaths becoming shorter and faster. All his effort to move having all of the effect of blowing on a brick wall....
Pennington could almost hear the sound of shattering glass as a sudden burst of concentration shattered the grip of the horrific memory. I already know how it ended. I opened my eyes and woke up... I didn't suffocate, I didn't die. I just moved after the adrenaline kicked in.
He looked over his body, making sure that no traces of his alter ego remained, right down to the bottoms of his hooves. Convinced, he turned off the water and grabbed a towel, drying himself off before stepping out of the shower.
Twilight didn't know. His conscience nagged at him as the last shreds of his panic finally melted away. You nearly chopped her head off, and she didn't even know you had a phobia.
Pennington nodded, the force knocking his blue and violet mane back into place. I wasn't really going to hurt her. I just was trying to make my point.
You scared the living daylights out of her, and as far as she knew, you were threatening her life! You owe her an apology and an explanation...
"You're right, but not a full explanation." Pennington nodded to his reflection, wrapped his towel around himself, and gently pushed to door open. "Twilight? Are you still here?"
"Yes." Twilight's tone was flat, and she was obviously angry. She was using her magic to hold the TV remote, and was channel surfing so fast, Pennington couldn't even see what she was passing by. She didn't even take the time to look over at him, keeping her eyes fixed blankly on the screen.
"I'm sorry about what happened back there... I lost control of myself." Pennington almost stepped back into the bathroom to hide from the awkward situation. "I have a real problem, a phobia, in fact, of paralysis. When my body can't move, I panic, and panic makes it hard to tell friend from foe..."
"A phobia of paralysis?" Twilight finally looked over at him. "I've never heard of a fear like tha- Your coat!"
"Yes, the red and yellow were a washable dye that Calalily invented." Pennington rolled his eyes. "You didn't think that I was going on an espionage mission with those colors, did you?" He was a little worried to bring up his trip so soon after their fight, but Twilight seemed more interested in something else.
"So, when I tried to hold you still..." Her eyes widened in shock. "I'm sorry! I had no idea that you-"
"Forget it. I held a knife to your throat, we're at least even!" He gave Twilight a smile as he jumped up to sit next to her on the bed.
"Yeah... I understand why a bit better now, but don't you think that the Arabian Scimitar was a bit much?" Twilight eyed him warily, but with a friendly smile to show her sarcasm.
"Well, I tend to feel like my life is in danger if I'm paralyzed... I start to feel like I can't breathe, and my breath just-" Pennington shook his head, catching himself giving information that he hadn't intended to. "Part of the phobia, I guess."
"Well, that would make some sense..." Twilight nodded, remembering what she had read about the symptoms of severe fears. "But... Why paralysis?"
"It's... Just always been scary to me." His eyes flicked over to his saddlebag, and his hoof began tapping nervously.
Twilight didn't press him for an answer, despite the fact that she could tell that he was lying. Maybe it was a bad experience... Her thoughts made a quick connection without her even trying. He didn't want to talk about his pills, either. They couldn't be related, could they?
"So... We're still friends?" Pennington held out an open hoof to Twilight, who gladly took it.
"Of course! A little fight shouldn't be enough to make us stop being friends!" Twilight gladly shook his hoof, but she could feel that he was still shaken in his weak grip. "Are you sure that you're okay? I just put you head-to-head with your worst fear..."
"Of course! I've learned to recover..." Pennington smiled and tightened his grip to illustrate his point, holding her hoof a bit longer than she had expected. Twilight laughed a little as she tried to pull her hoof away.
"Learned to recover? Is this a common occurrence?" She joked as a small game of tug-o-war began to play out, with her hoof in the center. As soon as the words had left her mouth, however, Pennington let go. Twilight's hoof flew back towards her, knocking her backwards.
"No!" Pennington quickly assured her. "It hardly happens at all!"
As Twilight sat up again, she couldn't help herself. "One of the Elements of Harmony is Honesty, Pennington Inkwell. I don't think that you're being very honest with me... You're nervous when you talk about your 'phobia,' you refuse to talk about why you're afraid of being paralyzed, and then you say that you've been through it enough times to learn how to recover." She gave him as reassuring a smile as she could, looking him in the eyes to convey her openness to him. "Maybe I could help you, or maybe I couldn't, but I just want to know what you're not telling me... That's what friends do, share their problems so that they can get through them together!"
Pennington let out a long sigh, then jumped down from the bed, moving towards the door. "It's not something that you could help with, Twilight... It's an issue, not a problem. Problems can be solved. I'm going for a walk..." He took a deep breath, then walked out the door, leaving Twilight alone again.
"I was so close..." Twilight muttered as she laid back into her pillows. "He was about to open up, I could feel it!" She lifted up the remote, once again beginning to flick through channels again. "Maybe I should just go with him on his walk!"
Welcome back to "Paranormal Ponies!" The TV shouted at her. Our investigation today has been venturing into close encounters... of the fourth kind! Alien abduction!
Twilight sat up again, looking at the television with overwhelming cynicism. "You've got to be kidding me..." She reached for the remote to change the channel again. "This show's only good for one thing: laughs."
Many abduct-ees claim that their encounter begins with a horrifying paralysis. Just as Twilight was about to press the "Off" button, she stopped. This includes an inability to breathe, described as a pressure on the chest and short breaths...
"That sounds like... No. Pennington wouldn't seriously believe that he had been abducted by aliens!" Twilight picked up the remote again to change the channel.
While scientists tend not to think that abduction is real, doctors have confirmed the existence of the paralysis, caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain during the deeper stages of sleep! Called "Sleep Paralysis," this phenomenon is often coupled with livid dreaming, creating a lifelike illusion upon which alien abductions are often blamed. Twilight dropped the remote once again.
"Sleep Paralysis? I- I've never heard of that..." She thought back to every book that she had ever read on sleep disorders, but couldn't think of any mention of "Sleep Paralysis."
We think that dreaming up an abduction might be possible for a few cases, but there's far more evidence than simply what ponies can remember, dream or not! When we return: a pony who claims to have had a tracer placed in his neck by aliens after abduction! Are ponies being tagged like livestock? It was at this ridiculous point that Twilight turned off the television.
"I need to do some research." Twilight muttered, trying to remember what she had seen in town that could help her. "This place doesn't even have a library!" She jumped down from her bed and began pacing in frustration. "There isn't a book store, a library, or a school anywhere near here!" She groaned loudly as she realized that she had only one option for her research: the small computer that she had seen in the lobby.
"But I hate the ponynet... Anypony can post whatever they want there!" She muttered as she walked out the door and to the lobby. "There's no way to tell what's true and what's not!"
As she finally reached the lobby, her patience only continued to be tested. Mounted on the wall was a large TV playing, of course, "Paranormal Ponies." Red-and gold carpets with strange, swirling patterns covered grimy-looking tiles. There were large, yellowed sofas for travelers to relax in, but only a small stool in front of the ancient-looking computer. Twilight rolled her eyes and sat uncomfortably on the stool, shaking the mouse back and forth to bring it to life. The towering hard drive below hummed loudly, and the screen in front of her flickered into life. She clicked on the icon labeled "Ponynet Explorer" and soon had prompted up the only search engine that she had deemed semi-reliable: Squee.
"Okay, let's see what you can give me... on sleep paralysis." She whispered as she typed the words into the search bar. The first link to appear was to another one of the rare websites that she trusted: Omnipedia. It may be user- edited, but at least it's filtered for mistakes and cites its information...
Sleep Paralysis: a rare condition that causes the inability to move immediately prior to or following falling asleep, often associated with narcolepsy. While its causes cannot be completely confirmed, it is often blamed upon the brain's ability to paralyze the body during deep sleep. While this usually prevents a pony from lashing out and hurting themselves in response to a dream, it will, in rare cases, continue to function after awakening, accompanied by vivid hallucinations and the feeling of being in danger.
To the left of the article, Twilight saw a disturbing looking image of a pony stretched out across her bed, with a large, demonic bat perched on top of her. Before modern medicine, sleep paralysis was often considered to be in connection with demon attacks... This is horrible!
In surveys from several cities of Equestria, 20 to 60 percent of ponies have reported experiencing sleep paralysis at least once in their lives. An extremely small percentage of these reported sleep paralysis to be a persistent ailment, happening far more often. Most who reported this had been diagnosed with narcolepsy.
But, Pennington couldn't be narcoleptic... There have been times when falling asleep at the wrong moment could have killed him! Twilight quickly read the rest of the article, taking in everything from cultural references to advisories on how to avoid it.
"Um, excuse me? I need to look up directions of how to get from here to Stalliongrad..." A voice behind her asked. Twilight turned around and found herself facing a sorry-looking yellow stallion with a suitcase.
"Oh, of course..." Twilight stepped down from the computer, allowing him to take over the desktop. Feeling that she had learned enough on the subject, she walked back upstairs to the motel room. To her surprise, Pennington was already there, sitting at the room's one desk and working furiously with a quill and scroll similar to the ones behind the compass on his cutie mark. He was so engrossed in his work, he didn't even notice that Twilight had come in until she was close enough to read over his shoulder. The moment that she could begin reading, though, he flipped the scroll over, not even waiting for the ink to dry.
"Hello, Twilight!" He gave her a wide smile as he spun around in his seat to face her. "Good to see that you made it back, I was afraid that you might have decided to go to Ponyville on your own four hooves!" Something about him seemed tense as he rolled the scroll up and he shoved it into his bag.
"Not quite. I'd be better off waiting for the train..." Twilight played into his friendly banter, trying to stave off curiosity as to what he was writing. She walked over and sat down on his bed, looking him straight in the eye. "I heard about something really interesting today while I was watching TV..."
The blue unicorn seemed to relax a bit when she changed the subject farther away from what he had been writing. "Really? You have to be careful, you can't trust everything you hear about on television..."
"Yes, but it was a medical condition called 'sleep paralysis.' It made me think of your phobia, so I've become a little interested in it." As Pennington tensed up again, his eyes deviated from hers for a split second toward the door, then righted themselves again. "Do you know anything about it?"
"Well, no more than any other pony might..." Pennington leaned back in his chair and spun around, breaking from Twilight's lie-detecting gaze. "You wake up and can't move, some think that the problem's genetic, and it's an extremely rare experience." As his chair came full circle, Twilight saw that he was holding himself with the same tenseness as he had when facing down the street gang. "With the exception of a few poor ponies who suffer from it chronically..." He stood up and walked over to his bed, taking a seat next to her. "In which case, going to sleep can feel like stepping into a minefield..."
"Can you tell me anything... from experience?" It was only now that Twilight saw how unlikely her theory truly was, and an overwhelming feeling of embarrassment for proposing something so remote swept over her.
"It's like a nightmare. You're locked in place, unable to lift your hoof even one inch." To her utter amazement, Pennington's eyes began to water up, though no tears fell. "You feel like your body might already be dead, and your heart and your brain are just the last lights to go out..." He didn't look at Twilight, instead looking back to some indiscriminate point on the opposite wall. "Sometimes, it really is a nightmare. You're being crushed under a merciless falling tree, and can't get out, no matter how hard you push. Or you're caught in an undertow that refuses to let you move away from the cold, dark ocean floor. When your eyes finally open in reality, you try to sit up, but your legs refuse to listen. You try just to move one hoof, to push yourself up, and you realize that you're still pinned under that tree, still sleeping with the fishes..." His voice was beginning to choke up now, and Twilight felt sorry for even asking him.
"You realize that you're completely paralyzed, a prisoner in your own body. Your breathing is meant for the smaller and slower needs of a comatose body, not the pounding heart in your chest, and the air comes in shorter and shorter bursts. You simply want to breathe, to take long gulps of life-giving air... But you're no longer in control of even the most simple of your body's functions. You wish with all your flailing heart to be free, to stand and walk again... to rejoin the living." He finally looked over to Twilight, and she could see that his eyes were red from the tears that he had refused to let fall.
"And then you're free. It never happens the same way twice, but that's always been the ending... The adrenaline kicks you from neutral to high gear, and you leap out of your bed, happy to simply be alive! ...And scared stiff to go back to sleep." Twilight could see a pain in his eyes, pain that she could only guess came from the horror of what he had described. "Is that a 'personal' enough experience, Twilight?"
"P-Plenty..." She whispered, transfixed in her own way by the terrifying images that he had presented to her.
Pennington reached down into his bag and pulled out his pill bottle. For a moment, he looked as if he was about to give himself another dose, but he simply tossed it over his shoulder with a careless sigh. "And the only thing standing between me and that living Hell are a couple of tiny, white pills prescribed to me by the only other pony who knows about my struggle: Zecora, the kindest zebra I've ever met."
"And now I know, too." Twilight ignored how obviously awkward it would be and gave Pennington a gentle hug. "And I'm going to help you any way I can, as your friend."
"You can't do anything to help me..." Pennington whispered as he returned the hug. "But... That does make me feel better. Thank you, Twilight."
The long, shrill sound of a train whistle woke Twilight on her seventh day of waiting. She threw the covers aside and leaped out of bed.
"It's here! The train's here!" She jumped up and down with excitement, looking over to Pennington's bed to see if he was awake.
The sheets were neatly folded at the foot of the bed, and all of his things were gone. On the desk was a small letter.
Dear Twilight,
As you can see, I've left early so that we won't have to argue once again over my expedition into the Changeling Hive. Under this letter, you'll find the two hundred bits that you need to buy a ticket back to Ponyville on the train.
The past week has been more fun than I've had in a long time. Thank you for being my friend, regardless of your intrusive methods. I'm only hoping that I can count on you to keep my secrets safe, both of my identity and my illness. I've actually come to enjoy your company more than I expected, so you can expect me to be swinging by the library WHEN I come back to Ponyville.
I can only offer two pieces of advice from here.
1: Don't worry about me. You'll drive yourself insane, and we both know that it will not have been the first time you've done so.
2: Try and be inconspicuous on your way to the train station. That gang seems to have gotten the message, but there's no telling what they'll try if you're alone.
Aside from that, I'd be willing to use those famous last words, "I don't see what could go wrong!"
Your friend,
Pennington Inkwell
Twilight's spirits fell as she realized that her new friend was gone, leaving her alone in a place that, even after a week, still felt completely unfamiliar. She lifted up the letter, and indeed, there were exactly 200 bits in bills sitting beneath it. He wasn't kidding when he said that he only had enough for one ticket back... She decided to skip breakfast, instead walking straight down to the motel lobby to check out, albeit a bit reluctantly without her friend.
"He told me that you would be checking out this morning." The clerk smiled as he collected her key. "Don't worry about paying for your stay."
"I-I'm sorry? I didn't know that he hadn't paid for it..." Twilight was taken aback.
"Are you kidding? The pony that took down Pick Pocket's gang is always welcome here!" The clerk gave her a huge grin. "Word is, there haven't been any attacks since Scorching Quill completely humiliated them! And any friend of his is a friend of mine!"
Twilight smiled, seeing the truth behind the matter. "Thank you, you're very kind for that..."
"It's nothing, really. We get so few visitors, I always have a spare room here, if not a dozen of them!" The pony seemed strangely optimistic about the fact. "You two are welcome back any time!"
"Thanks! And, if you see Scorching Quill again, tell him..." Twilight thought back to his letter. "Tell him that I'll be waiting for him in the library, and that he had better not be late!"
"Right!" The clerk's grin became mischievous. "I'll tell him not to be late for his date at the library."
"He's not my boyfriend..." Twilight muttered, not wanting to insult the stranger who had just been so kind. "I just want to make sure that he gets back safely."
"You two shared a room for a week alone, and he's not your boyfriend?" The clerk asked confusedly.
"Well- It- It's not like that!" Twilight could feel her face burning as she blushed harder than she had in a long time. Without another word, she walked out the doors of the lobby and onto the street, following Pennington's instructions to go straight to the train station. For pony's sake, why do we keep getting mistaken for a couple?
She was so wrapped up in her frustration, she didn't even notice the pegasi following her, including a familiar orange-coated one, until it was too late. She felt a firm hoof grab her shoulder and spin her around, bringing her face-to-face with "Pick Pocket."
"Well, well, well... Lookie here. All alone, without your boyfriend to protect you..." The pegasus gave her a sadistic smile.
Twilight tried to pull herself out of his grip, but her efforts were in vain. Despite the terror of her situation quickly rising up, she remembered the things that her brother had taught her about defending herself. One: stay calm.
"Last time I saw you, you were halfway through a wall, and your friends there had a bit of a mind-blowing collision." She nodded towards the two pegasi behind him, recognizing them as the two that had nearly split their skulls open.
"Well, pegasi are built for crashing, it's the nature of flight." Pick Pocket's grin only grew. "Unicorns, I hear, are more prone to taking time to recover from injuries..."
"Well, I don't think that's a theory worth testing." Twilight tried to pull away again, but his grip tightened around her neck, bringing her into a chokehold. Now, Twilight began to panic, and her focus seemed to fade away. I've got to get away... Got to get away! Can't... breathe...
"Oh, I think that it's very much worth testing... Could you fund my research?" Using his free hoof, he reached for her saddlebag.
Twilight felt something fly past her face, missing her nose by inches. Pick Pocket cried out in pain and dropped Twilight, both of his hooves flying to his face. As oxygen returned to her brain, so did Twilight's sense of focus, more steeled than ever. Without giving him a chance to recover, Twilight picked up the pony with her magic and threw him against the ground several times, until she heard a few snaps that she knew were his ribs breaking. When the othe was.her two pegasi rushed at her, she used her magic to abuse their weakest point: their heads. It didn't take much force to knock their heads together like a pair of coconuts and send them into unconsciousness. With all three of her attackers disposed of, she finally looked down at what it was that had struck Pick Pocket's face and given her the window of opportunity.
It was a knife. It took only a moment for Twilight to recognize it as one of the knives that Pennington had taken from the gang during their first attack. Instantly, she looked up to the rooftops nearby, trying to pinpoint where it had come from.
"Pennington? Are you there?" She called out, trying to spot her friend. I thought that he had already left...
"You're an early riser, Twilight! I didn't expect you for another hour or two!" Twilight instantly honed in on the voice, trying to determine which building it was coming from.
"I told you, I can defend myself!" Twilight tried to start another argument to keep him talking.
"When were you planning on doing that? After you woke up? After you just became another statistic in small-town crimes?"
Twilight grinned, now sure of where he was: a rooftop directly to her left. "You're right. I'm sorry. Thank you for saving me." Her horn sprung to life again, teleporting her to the roof.
"You're welcome!" Pennington shouted. Twilight could see him now, laying on the roof and looking up at the sky, like a filly watching clouds pass by. "Now, head to the train, before you're late!"
"Not without you." Twilight giggled as Pennington nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of her voice being so close. "Now, let's go home!"
"I told you, I'm not going yet." Pennington rose to his feet. "I came here for a reason, to challenge myself! And I'm not leaving until I've done that."
Something about him, the way that he refused to give in until he had finished his task, reminded Twilight once again of her brother, Shining Armor. Then maybe the trick that used to work on Shining will work on him... "Well, then I guess you're going to have to take me with you, because I'm not leaving!"
"What?" Pennington shook his head in disbelief. "You're kidding, right? All that you've been talking about is going back to Ponyville all week!"
"And I've been arguing with you about not going to the changelings!" She gave him a smug grin, showing her victory. "So, we're at an impasse. I'm not letting you go alone, and you're obviously not going to-"
"Well, come on then!" Pennington picked up his bags. "This won't be the first time I've had a straggler on one of my expeditions." He calmly began to walk away, moving towards the fire escape.
"Y-You're kidding, right?" Twilight ran after him, looking down as he climbed down the fire escape with practiced ease.
"I'm not kidding, I'm calling your bluff!" He called back up to her, foregoing the stairs for a faster route, swinging down from one level to the next. "I don't believe you!"
Twilight groaned and quickly teleported herself to the ground, arriving only a few seconds before Pennington jumped down. "Oh, really? You don't think that I'm going to follow you?"
Pennington looked her over, his eyes scanning every inch of her body in a way that made Twilight more than a bit uncomfortable. "You're in good enough shape... For a librarian. You're not ready for a trip like this, though."
"For a librarian?" Twilight's eyes narrowed as Pennington's words struck a very unique nerve. "And I suppose that a ramen-eating layabout like you is in better condition?" As her temper flared, she began to actually consider following him on his "adventure".
"I'll let you know after you've climbed Mount Never Rest a couple times." Pennington didn't seem to enjoy Twilight's insults, either. "OR when you've outrun an Ursa Major, swum the Canterlot Channel three times, AND spent two weeks off the grid in the Everfree Forest!"
"You... OutRAN an Ursa Major?" Twilight shook her head. "Forgive me if I don't believe you, but just one of their steps covers an entire city block!"
"Which means that you have to do a lot of hiding while you're running to confuse it!" Pennington rolled his eyes and walked past her, not looking back to see if she was following. "There's a lot more to adventures than just words and books, Twilight Sparkle. Perhaps I'll bring you back a souvenir from the changelings, but you should be getting back to Ponyville, back to your library, and back to your assistant."
"Oh, no! You did not just say that." Twilight followed after him, refusing to let another "librarian" comment pass unchallenged.
Pennington had been travelling to several hours now, and Twilight still hadn't left him alone. You can't be telling me that she's serious! First, she calls this "suicide," and now she's insisting on coming! He once again looked over at his violet companion, who was beginning to pale in their taxi as the world rushed by. "You've never seen what it's like outside of Equestria, have you?"
"Well, no. I've read about it..." It was obvious that the full implications of following through on her threat were beginning to sink into her brain.
"Then you ought to know that we're heading towards the Plains of Lore, the last place that the Changelings were seen." Pennington once again checked over his bags. "We'll have to get over them quickly, they're a veritable desert, and I only bought provisions for one. After that is the Tigerous Forest, where I believe the Changelings would have constructed their hive. Close to Equestria, but with a barrier that no army of ponies would be able to carry the provisions to cross. It's the perfect spot for a base of operations."
"You forgot: the Tigerous forest is filled with pony-eating TIGERS! Thus, the name 'Tigerous!'" Twilight shouted, becoming paler by the minute.
"I didn't forget, I just didn't think that it was so obvious, we didn't need to go over it, my fellow adventurer..." Pennington rolled his eyes. "I still can't believe you're going through with this..."
"I didn't think that you would let me come!" Twilight shouted in return, seriously considering violence. "I thought that if I tried to tag along, you'd get so tired of me, you'd have to take me home!"
"Well, I must admit, it's come very close to working at times... But I told you that I was calling your bluff, and I meant it!" He rolled his eyes, not sure whether to be amused by Twilight or brace himself for an attack. "Anyway, this trip will have you back so late, you're going to miss the train, anyway."
"You're past the point of no return, Miss Sparkle. Just brace yourself."
"How could a place as dull as all of this be given a name like 'The Plains of Lore?' It makes it sound exciting, but all I see is brown sand and blue sky!" Twilight muttered as she looked out of the window of their cab. Indeed, the Plains of Lore lived up to no expectations, unless you wanted the most barren place on earth. The landscape had turned into a desert as they had driven out of Equestria's borders, with rolling sand dunes providing an endless, waterless beach. Occasionally, she would spot a large cactus that had managed to root itself into firmer ground, but there were no other signs of life.
"Are you kidding?" Pennington was also looking out of the window, but held a glossy shine of daydreaming. "The Plains of Lore were the inspiration for the stories of the Arabian Knights! Some of the greatest stories of all time, passed down by word of mouth for generations before they were ever written down or published!" He grabbed Twilight by the shoulders and pointed out and past the driver and into the rolling sea of and dunes. "Imagine! Just over that dune, there could be a huge, glimmering palace of ivory-colored marvel, trimmed in gold! A foreign bazaar, filled with strange foods and stranger ponies! Perhaps one of those dunes holds a buried chest, filled with a sultan's lost treasure! Or, if we're lucky, a magic lamp with a genie inside, eager to grant us our hearts' desires!" He let her go again, returning to his window and his daydreaming. "Who knows, Twilight? We could be walking right into our own legend and not even know it!"
Twilight tried not to be put off by the sudden invasion of her personal space, and found that her skepticism faded in the face of Pennington's imagination. He's certainly a dreamer... She thought to herself as she returned to watching the land pass by. And he CERTAINLY knows how to put a positive spin on things...
"Still, Pennington, how are we supposed to cross the plains with only the supplies that you brought? You said yourself that there were only enough for one pony!"
"We'll have to double-time it!" Pennington closed his eyes tiredly. "Cross it in half of the time. We'll travel by night, it's the only safe way to travel in the desert at a fast pace... It's a shame, really. I had hoped to take in the sights." He shook his head.
"Uh, I'm not an owl, Penny!" Twilight groaned, taking the opportunity to try out a nickname.
"Don't call me that." The unicorn's tone was sharp and annoyed, distracting Twilight for a moment.
"It's the smallest denomination of money, casually tossed aside from everypony. Essentially worthless." Pennington glared at her. "Not to mention, it's a girl's name, Sparky..." He gave her a devious grin.
"I prefer to be addressed by my first name..." Twilight muttered, returning his glare. I'm going to remember that... Penny. Just in case he gets on my nerves again.
"We're here!" The driver called. "This is as far as I can take you!" Pennington jumped out of the car, quickly taking his bags out after him. Twilight was a bit more hesitant to leave the car, lingering with her arms folded across her chest.
"Are you sure that it's too late to catch the train?" She asked, knowing the answer in advance.
"Lady, by the time I got you back into town, you would be too late to catch the sunset, let alone the train..." He shook his head. "If Pick Pocket and his gang hadn't been harassing me, too, you would be walking. The whole town owes you for that, but we can all only do so much..."
"This is more than enough!" Pennington chimed, opening the door on Twilight's side of the car. "You're truly kind for bringing us so far out here! It's actually enough to help cut out about half a day more of walking than I expected!"
"Yay, we're measuring how long we're going to be in the desert in days..." Twilight grumbled as she climbed out of the car, feeling woefully unprepared. I still can't believe that I let myself dragged into this! I could go back to the hotel, but... I don't want to feel like I just LET him go to the changelings without any kind of help if something went wrong! Twilight had put a lot of thought into what to do on the ride, and had finally reached the conclusion that, if she couldn't keep Pennington away from his crazy quest, then she would have to make sure that he made it out alive. As the cab turned back around, Twilight could already feel her body heating up from the sun. Suddenly, a dark-colored coat isn't a good thing to have... When she looked back at Pennington, he had already tied a bright red bandanna around his head, and was offering one to her.
"To keep the sweat out of your eyes..." He motioned towards his own bandanna, tied around his head like a red line of paint. It was hardly what Rarity would call a fashion statement, but it was practical, a fact that Twilight could appreciate. "Well, if we're going to be travelling at night, does that mean that we should try to rest, now?"
"You just sat around in a car for hours, we've rested!" Pennington quipped as he examined a small compass. "We won't be able to sleep until after we've traveled through the night for the first time. Otherwise, you won't be tired enough to sleep during the day." He quickly rolled up his map and tucked it into his saddlebag. He nodded his head to their left and then began walking. "This way! The sun will be at our backs until it sets. That ought to get us going in the right direction!"
"Wait, you mean, we're going to walk all day and all night?" She shook her head as the two of them began walking. "That's crazy! I feel like I'm already baking in the sun!"
"That's why I changed our route to visit every oasis that is anywhere close, we're going to get dehydrated quickly." Twilight felt a swell of indignation rise up in her as he rolled his eyes. "Twilight, if you're going to follow me around, you need to stop back seat driving."
"Back seat driving? I'd just like to know how we're going to survive!" Twilight tried to bite back on her temper, gritting her teeth to stop herself from making... less productive statements.
"You just leave that to me, Twilight!" Pennington tried to give her a reassuring smile, but it only came across as overconfident. "I've been in tougher situations than a planned trip to the desert." He began trotting his way up a sand dune, leaving Twilight fuming as she struggled to keep up.
Pennington was right, in the end. The two of them reached the first oasis as night fell, and Twilight was able to take a much-needed rest from hours of running up and down sand dunes. Pennington lead the way as the two of them wove their way between dozens of different tents, all belonging to different ponies, but all made of the same material: brown canvas.
The oasis itself, looking like a tiny lake in the middle of the ocean of sand, was rimmed by tall palm trees. Twilight immediately ran forward when they had broken free of the ring of tents, rushing to the water's edge. Her mouth felt completely devoid of moisture, and the rough surface of her dry tongue had been rubbing against the inside of her mouth for hours. She leaned down, foregoing any kind of cup, and drank from the pool in long gulps, the cool liquid racing down her throat and quenching her thirst.
Pennington smiled at the sight, amused by her inexperience and desperation for a drink. Granted, their trek through the afternoon and into the evening was the most liquid-stealing part of their trip, and he was sure that he had become lighter by about a couple pints over the course of the day. He calmly walked up to the water's edge and pulled Twilight back. "Twi, this isn't drinking water... This is the reservoir that everypony takes from." He pointed at the tents around them. "And not just for drinking..."
Twilight felt a swell of panic rise up from her stomach (perhaps accompanied by some of its contents) as the thought of the other things that ponies could have been using the water for. "I- I think I'm going to be sick..." She expected Pennington to laugh, just as he always did when she displayed her inexperience. To her surprise, the stallion put an arm around her shoulders and gently guided her away from the water's edge.
"Well, don't do it there... That water isn't supposed to be disturbed for any purpose. Don't worry, there isn't anything bad in it, other purposes have to draw water and take it somewhere they won't pollute it." He gave her shoulder a reassuring rub. "Don't worry, I did the same thing on my first trip to the desert."
"Y-you did?" Twilight found it hard to imagine the normally level-headed stallion making a mad dash for the water's edge, as desperate for water as she had been. The image just didn't fit with the overconfident stallion.
"Yep, except that I drank right after somepony else had decided to take a swim, which isn't allowed. I got sick for a few days after that. They've gotten a lot stricter since then..." He laughed, this time at himself. "I was fortunate enough to have friends here to help me recover..." He guided her towards a small brick building, filled with the chatter of ponies. "I'm sure you'll be fine, Twilight. They keep the reservoir vary clean now, just in case ponies make the same mistake as we both did." As they walked through the doorway, Twilight discovered that the building was, in fact, a bar. To her surprise, though, not a single pony had anything but glasses of crystal-clear water.
"Pennington, how are we going to pay for water? I thought that you only had the two hundred bits that you gave me, and I still need that for the train..." Twilight looked around as Pennington guided them to two stools, helping her up and letting her lean on the bar.
"In the desert, survival trumps profit." Pennington smiled. "Some things may cost money, but all of the tribes around here agreed that any water can and must be shared. It's really quite stunning, that they could put aside their differences like that." He waved to the bartender. "Two tall ones for a couple of thirsty travelers?"
"Coming right up!" Within moments, the bartender, a gruff-looking pony with a thick beard, had arrived with two large glasses of water. "Where you two headed?"
Twilight was about to speak up, but Pennington beat her to it. "We're headed East... Looking for changelings." When Twilight looked over at him, his entire demeanor had changed. His shoulders were relaxed, and he let his head fall down towards his drink and leaned heavily on one arm against the bar, as if he were exhausted. His voice sounded weary from travel, as if he had been in the desert for a week, rather than an afternoon. All in all, he wore the mantle of an experienced traveler who had been away from home for a long time.
"They come through here once in a while, but not that often. They like to keep to themselves, that bunch." The bartender stroked his beard. "But you'd do well to stay away from them..."
"Well, I'm no mysterious mare, so I don't plan on 'doing well,' but thanks for the advice." He gave the bartender a small smile, breaking character for only a moment. "Tell me, from where does the moon rise in these parts?"
"The moon rises in the East." The bartender replied hastily as he brought back the drink. "Just like it does wherever you come from. You're still on the same planet..."
Pennington's expression quickly fell again, as if the reply had disappointed him. "Thank you. Just needed to double-check my bearings..."
He and Twilight quickly finished a few more glasses of water, then replenished the sacks of water that Pennington had brought for them. Soon after, they left the bar. The moment that they were back out the doors, Pennington once again regained his composure, shoulders straight and head held high.
After being around Shining Armor for so many years, I didn't recognize... His posture is like a soldier's! Twilight thought as she watched the change. Not quite a soldier's posture, but that of a pony who knows to be ready for anything...
"Well, let's get moving!" Pennington pulled out his compass, examining it closely. It was at this point that Twilight noticed that he wasn't even looking at the moon for guidance, but relying totally on his compass.
"Wait, you're not using the moon?"
"For what?"
"Keeping your bearings!" Twilight pointed up at the rising white orb in the sky. "That way's East!"
"Hmm... East-by-Northeast, actually, considering the time of year. Come now, Twilight, I thought that you had studied astronomy!" Pennington began walking along the edge of the lake, moving in the same direction that Twilight had been pointing.
"But- But!" Twilight stumbled to catch up to him, hastily reminding herself that Pennington had planned to walk through the night, rather than travel during the day. "If you knew, why did you ask the bartender?"
"Just testing a theory..." Pennington muttered as he pulled out his map. "It's of little consequence, I was wrong, anyway..."
"A theory, about what?"
"You'll find out if it rings true next time..." Pennington muttered. "Don't worry yourself about it, Twilight..."
Remembering Pennington's habit of keeping secrets, Twilight rolled her eyes, knowing that she wouldn't get the answer out of him willingly. And starting a fight in the middle of the desert isn't worth it...
After the moon had reached its apex in the sky, Twilight began to enter what she considered another level of tiredness. The aching in her legs had been reduced to a cold numbness, a consequence of the desert growing first cool, then cold, as the heat from the sun finally seeped away. Even her seemingly tireless guide was beginning to yawn regularly. Twilight's hooves began to drag in the sand as time passed, and she soon felt as though her entire body were made of lead, making it an effort to even walk in the moonlight. The moon had begun to dip low in the sky when Pennington called out that it was time to make camp.
"Finally... I thought that the sun would be up before you stopped..." Twilight muttered, dropping her bags into the sand out of exhaustion. In less than a second, she had rolled onto her back and closed her eyes, ready to sleep, in spite of the chill in both the air and in the sand.
"Well, it wouldn't be the first all-nighter I've pulled..." Pennington chuckled as he pulled a couple of blankets out of on of Twilight's bags. He draped one over Twilight's body, providing some warmth, and then placed one on his own back as he laid down on his stomach about a yard away. "But you'll have to get used to this. It will be this way for the next three days, or so..."
"Wonderful..." Twilight mumbled, already half-asleep. Her inhibitions fell as she grew closer to sleep, and the question that had been buried in her mind finally rose to the surface. "Pennington, were you a soldier?"
"No, I'm just used to fighting for what I want..." Pennington mumbled in return, placing his chin on his hooves. "Just like Daring Do..."
"You look like you could be one..." Twilight muttered again, turning to face his voice, though her eyes were still shut. "Strong, well-built, you hold yourself as if you were expecting an attack at all times..." She didn't hear his response, slipping into a deep sleep.
When Twilight opened her eyes again, she was nearly blinded by the glaring light of the mid-afternoon sun. When she looked around for Pennington, she spotted him cooking something in a small pot over a tiny fire made from magic.
"Well, good afternoon, sleepyhead!" He chirped. "I hope that you like ramen and tortillas, they're the easiest foods to carry, so I stocked up on them before we left! There's granola, too, but I'm saving that for dinner..."
The menu was enough to make Twilight lay back down with a groan, pulling the blanket over her head. "My head hurts..."
"That's just the lack of sleep, it'll fade." Pennington tapped his own head, stirring the pot. "You'll have to eat, whether you like instant ramen or not. You can't keep up your strength on water alone..."
"Why do we have to travel at night?" Twilight tried to ignore how hot it was getting under the blanket, but she had to throw it off after a few seconds. "That's when ponies are supposed to sleep..."
"You already know that, Twilight. Now, quit acting like a filly, breakfast is ready." Pennington pulled out two bowls, pouring some soup from the pot into each, then placing a tortilla on top of each one, as if it were a lid.
"Fine..." Twilight grumbled as she rose to her hooves and took the bowl from him. She grudgingly ate the tortilla, then slurped up the ramen in a matter of seconds. "I would have preferred a hot bowl of soup last night, when it was cold..." She grumbled, a grouchy attitude beginning to settle on her mind.
"I'll take that into mind..." The dark blue unicorn responded from behind his own bowl. "Just don't collapse next time, and we'll have it then."
Twilight almost gave him a severe tongue-lashing for blaming her when he had been setting the pace, but she remembered that she had been trying not to fight with him ever since they had left Equestria. "Fine..." She grumbled.
As they both finished the last of their broth and noodles, Pennington pulled out his map, this time showing it to Twilight as well. On the edge of one end was Equestria, and the other held the Tigerous Forest. All between the two edges, there was a gigantic desert, The Plains of Lore. There were several places on the map that had been circled, indicating an oasis, and one had been checked off, the one that they had visited the night before.
"I'm guessing that we're about here..." Pennington pointed to a spot halfway between their first stop and a second oasis. "Perhaps we're farther, but it's hard to tell when the ground under your hooves is always moving..." He shrugged, connecting the oasis markers with his hoof, tracing out their route. "Now, if we continue at this rate, we should reach the other side of the desert in three days. But, there is also a slim chance that that time could be drastically cut if we can find one of my friends... They could give us a ride to here, and give us some fresh supplies." He pointed to the final oasis before the forest. "But, the chance is slim..."
"Your... friends?" Twilight looked around. "What kind of friends could you have out here?"
"Ones that are few and far between." Pennington replied, rolling up the map and tucking it away in his bag again. "They have ways of getting around the desert, but they're hard to find, so we'll have to plan as if we're going to travel on hoof the entire way." Pennington shrugged. "Which means that we have to get moving, again. It's about three o'clock, so we can travel until nightfall, break for lunch, and then travel into the night again."
"Keeping strictly to business, are we?" Twilight muttered, trying to brace herself against how sore her body had become.
"Would you like to fool around, Twilight?" Pennington raised a mischievous eyebrow. "Because the middle of the desert isn't the best place..."
"N-no! I didn't mean anything like- Would you just-" Twilight stuttered, caught off-guard.
"Sparky, I'm just kidding!" Pennington laughed. "Stop taking things so seriously! If it's about surviving out here, yes, I'll be serious. Aside from that, we can joke around and laugh! Come on..." He nodded his head to what must have been the East. "Let's get walking. There'll be plenty of time for jokes while we're on our way to the next oasis..."
"Right..." Twilight shook her head as she began to walk. "Pennington, I can't make heads or tails of you, sometimes..."
"Most mares can't..." Pennington laughed as he playfully kicked at the sand, creating a dent in the smooth landscape. "The only mare who understands me, even a little, would be Lily, and we don't see each other much."
"Lily..." Twilight thought back, trying to remember if she had met anypony named Lily. "You mean Callalily Curl? The mare from Canterlot who dyed your mane?"
"Yep!" Pennington chuckled. "And even she has no idea why I do what I do. She's always telling me that I should stay in Canterlot, set up a business as Scorching Quill, and make myself a home." He laughed again, but it was beginning to sound forced. "She even thinks that I should find a girlfriend! Can you believe it?"
"You mean, she isn't your girlfriend?" Twilight asked.
"Oh, no! Lily's like a sister to me! She cares, yes, but not romantically." Pennington shook his head. "She says that she wouldn't go out with me, even if I wanted to ask, because I'd probably take her on some kind of crazy trip instead of a dinner date."
"Like how you roped me into all of this..."
"You said that you wanted to come! It's no fault of mine... But yes. And Lily doesn't like the idea of leaving Canterlot, considering how hard she worked to get there." Pennington looked up at the blue sky. "Besides, having a girlfriend... It's not in my schedule. I have deadlines to meet, trips to take, and no time for a mare..." Pennington's voice fell as he spoke, finally stopping before he had fallen into an unintelligible mumble.
"But, most colts can find the time..." Twilight muttered, trying to see what was bothering him so much. He rarely seemed to lack confidence in his words, even in the short time that she had known him.
"Most colts aren't Scorching Quill." Pennington replied quickly, his voice once again rising in volume. "I just want to be left to my work... That's why I run so far from Ponyville, to the most barren and inhospitable places on the planet! I'm the only one who can, and it lets me focus! I can think clearly on the edge of death!" His tone gained a slight manic edge, and his pace began to pick up, forcing Twilight into a trot to keep up. "No mare wants a stallion who constantly flirts with death, anyway, it makes no sense! To see him leave and wonder if he's ever going to come back every time that he feels like he needs... adventure."
"So, you think that you can't have a girlfriend?" Twilight asked quietly, beginning to see the truth of the situation.
"I could if I wanted to!" Pennington argued. His pace slowed, but he didn't seem to become any calmer. "I just don't. I just don't want to..." His head tilted slightly to the side, and his left eye twitched slightly for a split moment, but he quickly snapped back to his normal self. "So... Lovely weather! At least it's a dry heat..."
Keep telling yourself that... Twilight thought, remembering the different books that she had read on psychology. I can see what it is... You think that you can't have a girlfriend because of your lifestyle, so you don't let yourself... "Yes, a dry heat is much better than a high humidity!" Twilight followed the subject change, seeing that he was on the verge of... something. Something that he was trying to hold back.
A couple of awkward minutes of silence followed, and Twilight could have cut the tension in the air with a knife. "I'm sorry, Twilight... I didn't mean to go nuts back there..." Pennington shook his head, knowing that Twilight was simply playing along. "Sometimes, I have some issues with myself..."
He's opening up... "What kind of issues?" Twilight asked, seizing upon the opportunity to learn what he may have been trying to hold back.
"I'm not always kind to myself. You know, in the way that a pony can be their own worst critic..." Pennington looked up at the sky again. "Sometimes I think that I'm compensating for not having a normal life, other times I think that I'm just insane, entirely..."
Twilight nodded, her mind flashing back to what she would always think of as "the want-it-need-it incident," when she had made all of Ponyville go crazy with a rogue spell, all because she was worried that he report would be tardy. "I can understand thinking that you might be going crazy when life gets hectic..."
"But it's not when life is hectic..." Pennington replied, shaking his head. "How many ponies do you know who go looking for an ursa major because they're bored? I feel like I can't be happy unless I'm living life on the edge of my seat, either writing an adventure or having one!" He shrugged. "I don't want to be in something as delicate and doomed as a relationship, it will just slow me down and mess with my head..."
"Delicate and doomed? I never had a boyfriend because I was too involved in my studies, but I would think that 'delicate and doomed' wouldn't be the words to describe that relationships that I've seen ponies having..."
"How many relationships work out the way that both partners would want them to? One. Only one in an entire lifetime, Twilight! Run the odds, it seems like a game that you can't win without losing more than a few times, and I don't want to be reduced to a sniveling, broken-hearted mess that I've seen left over after a breakup..." He shook his head.
"Well, have you seen the ones that do work out?" Twilight asked. "Don't you think that it might be worth it to find a mare who could make you truly happy?"
"You're saying I'm not happy?" Pennington asked quietly. "Because I was very happy until ponies started trying to get into my private study, started trying to force their way into being my friend, and started stalking me on my trip to Canterlot! " He glared over at Twilight, then picked up his pace again.
"Wait, are you saying that you're miserable because of me? You're the one who's too greedy to spare any of your precious spare time for the rest of the world! You keep yourself prisoner in your little shop, that's why you constantly have to get away!" Twilight could hardly blame Pennington, but the fact that he was blaming her... just didn't sit right. She had to say something in return.
"I- I- I..." Twilight seemed to have stumped Pennington, who stamped his hoof in frustration. "I'm not a prisoner there! I leave any time I want!"
"Stone walls do not a prison make, nor iron bars a cage." Twilight rattled off the famous poem's lines with hardly a thought. Her tone grew less cocky as she remembered that she wanted to help him, not argue with him. "What I'm trying to say is, you keep yourself imprisoned, whether you mean to or not, by your own attitude. You won't let yourself move away from your work and into a place where you think that you could really get hurt: being around other ponies in your own town and trying to open up your heart."
"You're one to talk. How many years did you spend in Canterlot before Princess Celestia threw you into Ponyville and practically force you to make friends?" Pennington replied, still acting defensive.
"Too many years. I didn't even learn how great it was to have friends until then, and I discovered that the Princess had been doing it for my own good..." Twilight put a friendly hoof on his shoulder. "Pennington, I'm not trying to attack your way of living, but I'm trying to tell you that it could be better!" She noticed that the moment that she touched him, Pennington stiffened, as if expecting some kind of attack. He quickly shook off her hoof and continued walking.
"I'm happy with the way things are. I love my life." He replied curtly, moving the pace back up. Twilight could tell that he was trying to convince them both.
"Penny... Where are we? We left the oasis hours ago!" Twilight moaned, looking up at the moon, which had already reached its apex. "How much farther are we going to walk? I'm exhausted!"
"Oh, quit acting like a filly." Pennington groaned in return, obviously too tired to notice the nickname. "I'm tired, too. This is the only way to travel without getting roasted to a crisp. Skip the majority of the day and walk all night."
"I'm cold. I'm hungry. I miss my library..." Twilight had a list of complaints a mile long. She was so wrapped up in her self-pity, she was nearly obvious to everything else. She nearly ran head-first into Pennington, who had stopped in mid-stride.
"Twilight... Do you hear that?" Suddenly, the unicorn was wide-awake, ears perked high on top of his head as he strained to hear. Twilight stopped moaning to listen, as well.
"We've missed too much sleep, now we're hearing things!" Twilight groaned, starting to walk again.
"Stop! Be quiet!" Pennington held out a hoof, stopping her short. "Don't even breathe..."
Twilight rolled her eyes, but decided that it would just be easier to humor the unicorn. She took a deep breath and held it.
The noise was nearly imperceptible among the quiet rustle of sand blowing over more sand, but when Twilight took care to try and find what was out of the ordinary, she finally heard it.
A low rumbling sound. Twilight would normally have dismissed it as somepony's stomach, but she could tell that it was different. The sound wasn't a gurgle or a moan, it was more like a sliding. It almost sounded like two pieces of paper being slid over one another. The sound was impossible to place as coming from a specific direction, but Twilight could tell that it was growing louder. When Twilight looked up at Pennington, she began to worry. Pennington was as still as a statue, but his eyes had grown wide and his mouth was hanging limply.
"Twilight..."
"Yes?"
"Get ready to run. There's going to be an awful lot of running to do..."
A few dunes over, Twilight saw something huge emerge from the ground. It looked like a giant tree trunk, but instead of tapering to a point, it ended in an open stump, lined with fangs. The creature rose up, standing several stories high, displaying every grotesque bulge and every shining fang in the bright moonlight. Twilight let out a tiny squeal of fear. "Wha- what is that?"
"One of the few things that can thrive in this wasteland: a dune worm... They live by feeding on underground water, and can tunnel at extreme speeds." The blue unicorn whispered. "They eat whatever they can get, but they have on favorite food: unicorns high in magical energy..." He swallowed loudly. "I don't mean to flatter myself, but between the two of us..."
"We're a feast..." Twilight whispered, trying to swallow her panic. "What are we going to do?"
"If it found us all the way out here, it must know what it's looking for. They usually try attacking loners around an oasis..." He whispered. "First rule: don't use magic unless it finds us. They're completely blind, but they can sense an ounce of magic a mile away..." He began to tenderly tip-toe backwards, taking Twilight with him. "We're just going to have to be very quiet earth ponies until we make it to the next oasis. We can lose it there."
"Right..." Twilight walked with him, but almost screamed when the monster turned straight towards them. "C-can't we run? Now?"
"Only if it attacks. We have to try to keep a low profile..." Pennington whispered in return. "If it attacks, we split up, keep it confused, okay?" Pennington shook his head. "I can't believe it. This is the first time that one's gotten this close to finding me out here..."
Twilight nodded hastily, then watched the giant worm dive down into the sand, disappearing from sight. Somehow, not being able to see the hideous creature made her even more nervous. She looked up at Pennington, and his gaze was pointlessly aimed into empty space.
"You won't see it... You'll hear it coming up from below." He whispered. "You have to use your ears, not your eyes..."
Twilight nodded, but still inspected the ground for any signs of an oncoming attack. Without warning, the sand around them began to shake, and a loud sound like sandpaper being rubbed on concrete grated against Twilight's ears. She tried to look up at Pennington, but felt herself being lifted up and thrown by his magic.
"Get away!" Pennington dove in the other direction as the area where they had been standing exploded, and the dune worm was suddenly rearing up between them in all of its disgusting glory. Now that it was close, Twilight could experience it with an entirely new set of senses. It smelled putrid, like rotting meat that he been doused in what she could only imagine was the smell of hot mucus. The creature was enormous, and Twilight was immediately engulfed in its shadow, making the already chilly desert even colder. The entire monstrosity seemed to emit lurching sounds, making Twilight believe that its organs may have been floating free inside of its pulsating body. To her complete astonishment, the dune worm turned away from her, instead facing the writer, who seemed to be shouting something indistinguishable.
Of course! Pennington used his magic! Twilight jumped to her feet, trying to run around the worm to see what was happening on the other side.
"Come on, you overgrown inchworm! Don't make me wait!" Pennington, already in full armor, shouted, stamping his hoof. There was a glint of madness in his eyes as he challenged the worm, as if he truly wanted it to attack him. With another blinding flash from his horn, he had created a pair of Arabian scimitars that swung back and forth in front of him, prepared if the creature struck.
"What are you DOING?" Twilight shouted.
"Confusing it!" Pennington shouted back. "But I can't do it alone!" Taking advantage of his distraction, the dune worm struck, bearing down on Pennington faster than Twilight could have imagined it could move, striking like a snake. Immediately, Pennington jumped up into the air, but not soon enough to escape unscathed. The worm shot underneath him, but he hadn't jumped high enough, managing to strike his unprotected legs. As limp as a rag doll, Pennington flew through the air, spinning uncontrollably to the point where his body was simply a blue blur.
"Penny!" Twilight reached out with her magic, enclosing him in a protective bubble as he struck the ground, softening the blow as well as she could. The moment that her horn had flashed to life, the worm turned on Twilight. As it reared up again, Twilight braced herself, trying to imagine what to expect. It strikes like a snake, so there should be a moment right before it strikes where it can't stop, whether I'm here or not... She watched the worm with alert eyes, any traces of sleepiness completely gone. The worm rocked back and forth, trying to find the moment to strike, but Twilight refused to be caught off guard. It's bad enough that Pennington got hurt because of me... Now I have to repay him for that. In a split second, Twilight saw the worm stop rocking and brace itself against the sand. In that hair-splitting moment, Twilight summoned a burst of energy that teleported her away, just as the worm was bearing down on her. Just as she vanished, she could feel the worm's wretched hot breath against her face.
From her new location, it was only a few short steps to where Pennington had come to lay. He was laying on his side in the sand, teeth gritted in pain. He was pulling most of his legs inward, curling into a ball, but one of his hind legs stuck out awkwardly.
"Twilight! Get away! We're sitting ducks together!" He seethed from between his teeth. The lavender unicorn refused to listen, instead moving to his flank to inspect the injury. The had several large gashes that started just below his cutie mark and ran all of the way down his leg, most likely from the dune worm's huge teeth.
"Your hip is out of place. We'll have tset it back in just to get you moving again..." Twilight muttered. She could see the worm once again rising to its full height, and quickly teleported away from Pennington to stop him from being targeted. "Alright, you giant... meanie!" Twilight nearly slapped herself as she realized that she did not have Pennington's wit. "Come and get me!"
The worm once again began to rock back and forth, waiting for its opportunity again. Twilight watched with apprehension, realizing that the moon was behind the monster, making it more of a black silhouette than something that she could easily track with her eyes. This isn't good...
A giant burst of light erupted from behind the creature, a burst that Twilight could immediately tell had come from Pennington. A white orb of light flew up into the air like a firework, then exploded in a massive burst of light that knocked the creature back a bit, distracting it long enough to Twilight to teleport to a better viewpoint, making her line of sight perpendicular to the moonbeams. When she looked up, though, she noticed that something had changed: the moon had turned a bright, neon blue. What did Pennington just DO? The worm is going to turn on him!
As she had predicted, the dune worm was shifting its attention to Pennington, who was weakly trying to crawl on his three legs. Twilight's eyes narrowed, and her own horn flared to life. Thanks for the distraction, Penny... She immediately began spinning the air around them, creating a small tornado. The effort was taxing, expending huge amounts of energy, but the creature didn't seem to care. It was more interested in the injured prey, and refused to turn away for anything else.
"NO!" Twilight shouted, dropping the elemental wind spell and teleporting herself between Pennington and the monster. "You're not taking him! And you're not getting me, either!" She stared up at the five-story tall creature as it began to rock back and forth one final time, preparing for an attack that Twilight knew that she wouldn't allow herself to dodge. Teleporting Pennington in this state was absolutely hopeless, it could make his injury ten times worse if she was even the slightest bit rough. Instead, she began building a dome of magical energy around them and reinforced it as much as she could.
When the beast struck for the first time, Twilight felt the pounding in her skulls as it slammed into the barrier, riddling it with cracks. In a burst of effort that she knew she couldn't spare, Twilight reinforced it again, making it whole.
"Take the map and go..." Pennington mumbled as he pulled himself towards the edge of the barrier. "This isn't such a bad way to go... Dying on an adventure."
"I'm too tired to run, you made sure of that..." Twilight tried to laugh. Her words held a kind of finality that showed her own acceptance of the situation. As the beast struck again, tiny shards and flakes of energy fell, giving Twilight even more repair and an even more excruciating headache. She cried out in pain, but did her best to repair the dome, shrinking it around them until it was only two yards in diameter, large enough for the worm to fit its mouth around, if it decided to try biting through. "This could be it, Penny... For both of us." The worm reared back again, preparing for its final strike.
"Well, then, it was an honor, Sparky..." Pennington touched his horn to the side of the dome, adding his own strength to Twilight's. Twilight felt a sensation of a cool breeze passing over her body as their energy mixed and bonded. To share one another's energy was normally considered an intimate practice among only the closest unicorns, but Twilight accepted the help gladly and without pretense.
The entire dome shattered with the sound of breaking glass, but the ponies remained unharmed by some miracle, though both cried out in pain and grabbed their heads in unison. The monster backed off one more time and rocked back and forth longer than usual, as if pondering what final tricks the two unicorns could have up their sleeves. Twilight hesitantly opened one eye, watching it tense in a decision to strike again.
"YEEE-HAW!" An unfamiliar set of voices roared out over the desert in a rousing battle cry as some kind of vehicle came careening up from the dune behind them. Without waiting to reach the ground, three guns exploded to life, shooting off roped harpoons that stabbed through the dune worm in several places, hooking it as it writhed back and forth in pain.
"Reel 'er in, boys! Grab the 'arpoons!" One voice called above the rest. In a matter of seconds, a dozen more had been thrown into the beast, pulling it down to the ground in a writhing mess.
"Now, let's put 'er down!" The same voice cried. As Twilight watched, a large green pegasus flew up into the air, wielding a large crossbow and sporting a large quiver of arrows. It looked down on the worm, as if trying to spot something, took aim, and fired. As soon as the arrow struck the beast, it stopped moving. Giving one ear-grating screech, the worm fell to the ground, dead.
"Now, let's see what we've got 'ere!" The pegasus called as he floated down to Twilight. "If my peepers ain't lyin', that's Pennyton Inkwell!"
Twilight, seeing some hope, immediately nodded. "Yes! Do you know him? He's hurt, and we need help! Can you please help us?"
"Not until he answers one quest'in..." The pegasus flew over Twilight, crouching down to Pennington's eye level. "Tell me, from where does the moon rise in these parts?"
"Where the sun falls, the moon shall always rise..." Pennington whispered.
"And they will always be..."
"In eternal rounds of harmony..." Pennington grinned in spite of his pain. "Sure Shot... It's so good to see you..."
"The feelin's mutual, Penn! You just got us our best catch of the month! We've been tryin' to track down this sucker for a few weeks, now!"
"It has good taste... Came after us... as soon as... we..." Pennington's eyes closed, and he fell into a deep sleep. With a quick check for a pulse and a curt nod, the emerald pegasus turned to Twilight.
"And who are you?"
"I'm Twilight Sparkle, but do you think that we can make introductions later? He needs help! Badly!" She pointed down at the unconscious unicorn, whose leg was quickly becoming drenched in blood from the gashes.
"I've seen worse, but we'll get our best pony on it..." Sure Shot muttered. "Do you think that you can lift him?"
"No, I'm too weak..." Twilight looked down at the ground.
"Drink this." The pegasus pulled a small vial out of his bag, filled to the brim with a clear liquid. "It ain't gonna taste like apple cider, but it'll give ya some strength..."
Twilight nodded, taking the vial in her hoof. As she pulled out the cork, a disgusting smell rose up into her nostrils, reminding her of the time she had accidentally stumbled on Rainbow Dash's unwashed sweatband, crossed with cough syrup. She hesitated for a moment, then closed her eyes and tossed the vial back, dumping the awful liquid into her mouth. She did her best not to vomit as she swallowed, and she felt an electric tingling travel through her body, culminating in a burst of energy at her horn. She nodded, not wanting to open her mouth for fear that she would vomit, and gingerly picked Pennington's limp body up, making sure to support his injured leg.
The pegasus wasted no time in leading her back to the strange vessel, claiming that she needed to hurry before the effects of the potion wore off. As Twilight drew closer, she tried to make sense of the vehicle. It was huge, large enough to support the crew that had been manning the catapults and were now dissecting the worm. It was mostly pod-shaped, tapering to a point on the rear and front to increase aerodynamics. The round shape flattened at the top, sporting a large array of harpoon guns and even larger coils of metal cord that had been mounted to the floor. The whole vessel was mounted steadily on four gigantic tires, each even larger than two ponies standing on one another's backs. Emblazoned on the side was a huge blue emblem of a crescent moon, with a spear-like structure rising from the center and wings flaring out majestically on either side. A blue moon... Pennington was signalling for help! If these are his friends, he must have friends in high places. Sure Shot led her up a ladder and onto the deck.
"HEY! We need medics up 'ere!" He barked, summoning two unicorns. One was white with a purple mane, and her cutie mark was a vitals readout from a hospital monitor. The second one's colors were inverted, and her cutie mark showed an array of vials and pills. The two of them immediately took Pennington out of Twilight's grip, exchanging worried glances, and brought him through a hatch and into the bowels of the ship. (Twilight was beginning to think of it as a ship, anyway. Sure Shot was obviously the Captain, and there were medics and enough room to support a full crew of ponies.)
"And you, Miss Sparkle, can accomp'ny 'im to the sick bay..." Sure Shot motioned to the hatch. "I didn't see much o' the fight, but I doubt you'll still be standin' once that elixir wears off..."
Twilight nodded and opened the hatch door, eager to follow the ponies and find a place to rest as her adrenalin finally began to subside. "Thank you, Sure Shot. If you hadn't come in time... We wouldn't be alive. You saved us!"
"Don' mention it!" The pegasus waved goodbye to her as he floated up into the air. "A member o' the Republic never leaves a brotha' hangin'!"
In that moment, the final connection clicked in Twilight's mind, igniting the circuit of clues that had been building. The emblem on the side, the signal being the blue moon, even the fact that they were outside of Equestria, all pointed towards one rumor that she had often dismissed as being too improbable, or utterly ridiculous. Her blood seemed to run cold as she realized that she may have fallen out of the proverbial frying pan and into something much worse... "Wait, do you mean... The New Lunar Republic?"
"The one an' only!" Sure Shot grinned. "So, you've 'eard of us?" He watched with a playful grin as his new guest fainted, obviously drained of the last of her energy. Princess Celestia's student stayin' with members of the Republic... This oughta be interestin'!
When Twilight woke up, she was laying in a bed in a large, windowless room, lit by a series of lanterns on the ceiling. The first sensation that she became aware of was the fact that she was warm. Simply warm. Not burning up in the sun of day, not freezing in the chilly sand of night, simply and pleasantly warm. The second sensation was less pleasant: her horn felt terrible, worse than it had when she had been afflicted by the poison joke. She gingerly reached up to touch it, and found that it had been heavily wrapped in bandages an gauze. She quickly decided that it would be best to leave it alone as hazy memories of the battle with the dune worm came back to her mind. Okay, I remember that I wound up being completely drained while trying to protect... Her eyes widened, and she bolted into a sitting position, looking around for her companion.
"Pennington!" When she examined her surroundings, she noticed that one of the beds had been occupied (obviously recently, judging from the messy sheets), and Pennington's bags were sitting at the foot of the bed, all closed and seemingly unplundered. Finding herself surprisingly disappointed not to see the stallion waiting nearby, as he had constantly been for the past week, Twilight settled back into her bed, trying to remember what had happened through the fog that had settled on her mind. We were about to be eaten... Pennington was badly hurt... The moon was blue... And then that big ship came! Her mind slowly played back the memory like a movie, forcing Twilight to watch every moment over again.
Sure Shot, it's so good to see you...
The feelin's mutual, Penn!
In her mind's eye, Twilight watched Pennington slip into comatose unconsciousness once again, feeling a deep pain in her heart at the sight of the once-proud stallion reduced to a helpless casualty or the dune worm's helpless attack. "Pennington..." She whispered, as if trying to comfort the image in her memory.
"You called?" A familiar voice shouted, slightly muffled by the fact that its source wasn't in the room. Twilight's eyes flew open at Pennington's voice, raspy though it was. Her gaze was immediately fixed on the doorway as her friend walked through, overjoyed at the sound of his cocky voice and expecting some kind of cheesy entrance to display once more his prowess, both physical and magical.
With horror that almost threatened to overtake her joy, Twilight watched a broken-looking pony hobble through the door and into the infirmary. Pennington's horn was similarly bandaged, along with bandages that ran around his head, pushing down on his mane. He had more bandages covering his midsection, likely covering fractured ribs, and his entire rear left leg was wrapped in bandages up to the top of his thigh, overlapping his cutie mark. The bandages were soaked with streaks of blood, outlining where the dune worm's teeth had raked across his flesh. Along with the bandages, a splint had been constructed to stop him from bending his leg, forcing him to swing his leg out awkwardly to the side to even take a step. He walked with an intense limp, only placing the lightest of pressure on his injured leg, making him seem like a foal trying to skip, rather than an adult trying to walk. He hobbled into the room with about half a dozen such skips, cringing and gritting his teeth every time he placed weight on his injured leg.
"P-Pennington!" Twilight was flabbergasted, unsure of what to say at the horrifying and dumbfounding sight.
"I've had worse..." Pennington tried to laugh, but it came out more like a series of coughs, forcing him to use one of his front hooves to grab his side. "Owww... I just can't remember when."
"He's lucky. If you hadn't cushioned his fall, he would have been much worse off." The green pegasus, Sure Shot, followed Pennington into the room. His accent seemed much less pronounced, now, most likely because he wasn't under stress. When Twilight saw the pony face-to-face again, memories of the last few minutes of the night before finally came rushing back to her mind. The lavender unicorn quickly began to scramble away, pressing herself against the headboard in an effort to get as far away as possible.
"Y-you! You're- You're one of them! The Lunar Republic!" She shouted, pointing an accusative hoof at the burly pegasus.
"Eyup! Pennington, here, is one, too!" He motioned to his cerulean friend, who nodded in confirmation.
"Y-you're that extremist group! The ones who want to take Princess Celestia out of power and replace her with Princess Luna! Y-you want a solitary rule! Well, I won't let you!" Twilight tried to use her magic, but cried out as a skull-splitting pain flew down from her horn.
Pennington and Sure Shot exchanged worried glances, each seemingly unsure of how to react. Both of them looked back at Twilight, regarding her with something that Twilight couldn't place. Was it surprise? Some kind of sick mutual agreement to keep her prisoner? Anticipation of what they were going to do with her?
Both of them began to snicker. The snicker quickly grew into a chuckle, which escalated into a full-out fit of laughter, Pennington leaning on his friend for support as he grabbed his heaving sides. To Twilight's utter confusion, the two of them continued to laugh, often making indistinguishable remarks, pointing at her, and laughing even harder.
"Oh- oh! Ha! That's... That's a good one!" Sure Shot exhaled the words between chortles. "Where did you find this one, Penn? The 'X-Files?' Ha ha ha!"
"Oh, yeah! She was filed under 'Government Conspiraces and Ponynet Rumors!'" Pennington laughed in return. "Oh! Oh, my sides are splitting! Literally!" In a moment of alarm, both ponies looked at one another, then at Pennington's bandages.
"No new blood stains... False alarm!" The two laughed even harder after that, now both leaning on one another. Twilight watched from her bed, trying to make sense of their unexpected reaction.
"Twilight... Twilight..." Pennington shook his head as his laughter began to finally subside. "You have been truly misinformed, and you are the last pony I would expect to be so badly so!"
"Replace Celestia? Why on Earth would we want to do that?" Sure Shot shook his head. "We're not trying to start some kind of revolution, whatever you may have been told..."
"Twilight, do I really look like a terrorist to you?" Pennington motioned to himself, making sure to indicate his wounds. "We're not a rebellion, we're..." His brow furrowed, and he looked to Sure Shot for help.
"We're Princess Luna's fan club!" Sure Shot enthusiastically finished, prompting Pennington to face-hoof, then cringe in pain.
"I was hoping for a comparison that was a bit more... subtle?"
"Wait... You're a fan club?" Twilight shook her head, sinking back into her bed. "That makes no sense... Why all of the secrecy, then?"
"Well, we're not exactly a fan club... Come with me!" Pennington gently motioned towards the door. "I'll show you around... It's easier to see than to explain."
Twilight eyed him suspiciously, but slipped out from under the covers of her bed and onto the floor. The moment Twilight tried to support her own weight, she realized that her legs were not nearly as steady as she thought that they were, and she stumbled forward, clumsily crashing her snout into Pennington's leg as she tried to catch herself.
"RRMMMMMPPPPHHHHHHH!" Pennington's mouth was clamped shut as he tried to stifle the cry of pain, and he immediately shifted all of his weight to his other legs. He quickly swallowed the scream as tears began to fill his eyes.
"Oh my gosh! Pennington, I'm so sorry!" Twilight immediately found her strength again, enough so to stand up.
"That... STINGS..." Pennington forced out the words between snorting in and out through his nostrils as he stared straight ahead, obviously still trying to hold back the scream of pain. Twilight blushed hard and moved in front of him, into his line of sight.
"A-are you okay? I'm so sorry!" Pennington's eyes flicked from wherever he was staring to look into Twilight's. She could see that there was a lot of pain hiding behind the violet irises, but the tenseness in his body seemed to flow away as she held his gaze, and he let out a long sigh.
"Yo, Penn, maybe I should show her around... You need your rest, no matter how much magic we use to fix you up..." Sure Shot muttered, quietly observing the scene in front of him unfold.
"You know, Sure Shot, I'm suddenly feeling much better..." Pennington whispered, still holding Twilight's gaze. Twilight watched with fascination as the look in Pennington's eyes changed from pain and restraint to something... Softer. It wasn't the same intrusive search that she had seen back in Ponyville, but it seemed to accept just as much as it was looking for. A more even trade, as it were. "If you don't mind, I think that I'll spend a bit longer on my hooves... At least three of them, anyway." Pennington finally broke the stare-down to look back at his hurt leg.
"I think I get what's goin' on here..." Sure Shot smiled mischievously, turning towards the door. "Why don't you two go ahead and do as you like... Just give a shout if you need me."
Twilight relaxed a bit once they were finally alone. "Pennington, would you please explain to me what's going on here?"
"Well, for reasons I'm afraid I'm sworn not to reveal... REALLY!" Pennington quickly chuckled at Twilight's skeptical expression. "I really am! It's corny, I know, but for reasons that I'm not allowed to tell you, I'm a high-ranking member of the New Lunar Republic. When they saw my blue-moon distress signal last night, Sure Shot and his crew came to help us on the double!" He gave a smug grin. "I told you that I had friends out here..."
"Okay, but that doesn't explain why your little 'secret society' even exists! If you're not a terrorist group, why all of the secrecy?" Twilight questioned him, trying not to sound accusative.
Pennington thought for a moment, then began to turn with his strange hobbling motion. "Do you remember the adventures of Clued In, Equestria's greatest detective?"
Twilight walked abreast to him, nodding slowly. "Yes, I really enjoyed her use of deduction and observation..."
"Then you remember her support network? The Confectioner Street Irregulars?"
"You mean the foals who went from street to street, finding useful information for her? Yes..."
"Well, we're a lot like that!" Pennington smiled. "Ponies are lining up every day to work for Celestia, but not as many ponies want the night shift, or are willing to go through the transformation to work on the Night Guards... That's where we come in!" As they walked through the door, Pennington and Twilight emerged into a long hallway, which Pennington continued to lead her down. "If Princess Luna needs help in a pinch, she can call on the NLR for advice and support! In fact, we're even the ones who have been helping her adapt to modern society! Speech patterns, customs, new styles, we've been teaching her everything that she needs to know to be more relatable to her subjects! Thus, she becomes more accepted by ponies who no longer see her as Nightmare Moon! In a way, by getting rid of the old night mare and restoring Luna, you've actually been our biggest help!" When they reached the end of the hallway, Pennington stopped at the door.
"I think that I understand... You're not just Luna's fan club, you're her web of support! You're the reason that she's been moving forward in leaps and bounds in the eyes of her subjects!" Twilight's eyes lit up. "And the secrecy?"
"Well, both Princesses have their enemies, Twilight. We keep tabs on them, as well. Secrecy is key if we're going to watch them without suspicion... Which is actually what this room is for!" Pennington grew a bit more somber as he pushed open the door. Inside of the next room were many ponies in what appeared to be some kind of underground base. Many were working on computers, while others were repairing tools, going over maps, or simply chatting over a couple cups of coffee. When the door opened, several of them immediately recognized Pennington and rushed over to meet him, swamping him with questions of where he had been, what had happened, and who he was travelling with. Twilight was shocked to see that the pony she had once thought to be a reclusive hermit had so many friends, albeit nowhere near his home. Pennington greeted them all, answered their questions one by one, and the crowd quickly subsided again as they returned to their work.
"You certainly have a lot of friends here, Penny..." Twilight smiled as they walked on towards the back of the room, entering another door. Through the door was another empty hallway.
"I told you not to call me Penny, Sparky..." Pennington tried to sound annoyed, but it was half-hearted. The injuries seemed to have toned down his temperament as well as his physical abilities. As Twilight once again found her eyes drawn to the injuries that had so violently and so suddenly humbled the blue unicorn, a thought came to her mind that she had been desperately trying to stop herself from thinking about.
"Penny, it's my fault. It's my fault that you're hurt like this..." The two of them slowed to a stop, Twilight looking down at the ground in shame. "I distracted you instead of the dune worm. If you hadn't been so fast to jump... If it had been any other pony... You would be dead. Because of me..." Twilight's eyes burned as tears began to rise to the surface. "I'm- I'm sorry..."
"Twilight, don't you dare think that!" Pennington's voice lost its rasp and he stood a bit taller, using his injured leg to support himself. Twilight felt strong arms wrap around her, pulling her into a tight hug against his chest. "I did what I did because I wanted to. I wouldn't have it any other way, injuries and all, if it meant that you didn't get hurt..." His expression softened as he stared into her eyes. "I knew from the moment that I could be sure it was going to attack that I was going to do everything that I could to defend you." Pennington let her go, instead taking a hold of her shoulders and looking into her eyes. As Twilight felt the last of the tears disappear back to wherever they had come from, she found herself entranced by his eyes and his words, trying to find some kind of understanding of his thought process behind his sacrifice. Deep in the center of her chest, Twilight could feel something stirring, though she couldn't quite understand what it was.
"Twilight, in that hair-splitting moment, I realized something: you are special. Immeasurably so. You, Twilight Sparkle, I needed to protect with my life. When we first met, I immediately recognized you as the Element of Magic. Now, I can see that that's only a minor detail of the intricate, shimmering web of qualities that make you beyond worth..." Pennington's talent as a writer was beginning to shine through, his words becoming nearly poetic. "When I was trying to stare down that monster, my mind felt crystal clear, not clouded as I thought that it would be, as were every sense. When you called out to me, I was forced to look away, yes, and normally, I could never dodge something that fast if I wasn't looking at it. But I saw it without looking at it, if it's possible..." He shook his head, finally breaking eye contact. "It hurt much more when I realized that my injury left you on your own... I had been trying to protect you, and I failed."
As the meaning behind his words sunk into Twilight's brain, she found herself completely dumbfounded by the conclusion that presented itself. Pennington: the pony who was so adamant about not wanting or needing a girlfriend... Could it be that he's actually turned a hundred and eighty degrees? Twilight could feel blood rushing to her face, and tried her best to force it back down again, looking away from Pennington and at a nearby wall. I mean, I've done nothing but get on his nerves since we met... Why would he like ME? "Pennington, I'm- I'm truly flattered, but I'm not worth dying for."
Whatever form of reaching out that Pennington had been trying to extend quickly retreated back into himself, much to Twilight's dismay. He turned back towards the end of the hallway, his posture slouching again, though the change would have been near-imperceptible to any pony whose attention wasn't fixed on him as Twilight's was. "Well, perhaps someday you'll meet a lucky stallion who disagrees with that as strongly as I do." He began to hobble forward once again, still swinging his leg awkwardly to the side. "I just thought that you should know all of that... So that you don't feel guilty." Without waiting for Twilight to reply or catch up, he pulled open the second set of doors. "And this... Is our cafeteria! And yes, they serve things other than ramen!"
Twilight was unsure of what to say, realizing that Pennington's moment of opening up to her had come and gone, and that he had sealed himself shut once more. She decided to keep her peace and walked into the large dining hall, where several ponies were already sitting at long tables and eating their meals, hardly even taking notice of the new visitors. With a beckoning hoof from Pennington, she followed him into the line to receive food, grabbing a large blue lunch tray from a tall stack with her hooves. The entire cafeteria operated as a buffet, with long counters sporting various foods under plexiglass shields. As they moved along, Pennington grabbed a few assorted bowls of vegetables, and Twilight quickly found some of her favorite foods, as well.
"Do you think that I could have my special?" Pennington asked one of the ponies standing on the other side of the food. "Doctor's orders..."
The pony scowled, but handed him a bowl of ramen from under the plexiglass. "Pennington Inkwell, no doctor would recommend that soup..."
"It's been fortified with vitamins! Honest!" Pennington drew his hoof across his heart to illustrate. "Look at me! I'm healthy!" As a thought struck him, he quickly glanced back at his bandages. "Okay, so don't look at me. I'm still healthy..." He chuckled to himself as he poured himself a tall glass of Sunny C. "Now THIS! This is bad for you... It'll ruin your teeth!" He took a long drink before refilling his glass. Ah, I can already feel the tooth decay... After a few more glasses, he was finally shooed away by one of the ladies behind the counter.
Twilight was trying her hardest not to laugh at Pennington's antics, which she was beginning to realize was his less-than-discreet sense of humor. As she reached the end of the line, she recognized a familiar scent. It was rich, thick, and wafted through the air like a heaven-sent agent of joy for Twilight. She knew the drink well, it had buoyed her through times of need, accompanied her on many an all-night voyage into her studies, and was filled with all of the goodness that the cocoa bean could deliver: hot chocolate.
Twilight could have found it by scent alone if the tall container hadn't already been plainly labeled. The cylinder was tall and silver, and sat on a stove top burner to ensure eternal warmth. Twilight lifted the mug that she had grabbed to the tap and slowly opened it, savoring the sight of the dark brown liquid flowing down. She had been dying for the comforting brew ever since she had realized that she was stranded in the border town, seeing as hot chocolate always steadied her nerves and helped her to relax.
When her mug was filled to the brim, she placed it on the tray and picked it up again in her mouth. Now, where did Pennington sit? She thought as she turned around. To her surprise, there was Pennington, quietly waiting a short distance away. Twilight smiled, happy to see that he was still always nearby, though his motives for doing so were beginning to become clearer. Pennington led the way to an empty table, where they both set down their trays.
"I'd prefer not to answer the same questions over again." Pennington smiled. "You can go sit somewhere closer to the others, if you like."
"I think that I'd like to stay with my protector." Twilight smiled, watching the stallion fidget. Well, he's certainly becoming nervous... Maybe I could use my effect on him to help him open up again! Twilight tried to ignored the twinge of guilt that flashed through her. I'm not manipulating him, I'm just trying to make sure that he really does like me... "After all, if you would protect me from a dune worm on your own, I think that the safest place I could be is by your side."
"Well, I-" IT was Pennington's turn to flush, and he quickly hid behind his bowl of soup, lifting it to his face. "I- I really couldn't do much..." When he put it back down, he was still blushing. "Not in this state. No magic, one leg incapacitated, I can't even breathe too deeply without pain..."
"Why are you blushing?" Twilight was trying to get him to admit to his true feelings.
"I'm just flattered that you think so much of me when I failed so terribly... You had to protect me, in the end..." Pennington suddenly seemed very interested in his salad.
"Well, after you saved me from the initial attack. Not to mention, you risked your life for me! Normal ponies wouldn't do that... Why did you do that?"
"I just told you... I thought that you were worth it." Pennington mumbled.
"So... Would you say that you... wanted me? You were willing to pay the price, even if it was everything. That's a lot of commitment for just two friends..." Twilight was trying her hardest not to let the conversation move in circles, but Pennington had suddenly become shy. It was a strange sight for a pony who was usually so brash and forward to be behaving in such an opposing manner.
"I would like to think that I'm a loyal friend. Wouldn't you do the same if Rainbow Dash or Pinkie Pie were in danger?" He was still looking down at his soup. His voice was losing inflection as quickly as it was losing volume, almost making it hard for Twilight to hear him.
"Well, I would like to believe that I would-"
"Then that's why." Pennington took a long sip from his soup, once again foregoing a spoon. "Would you mind if we moved on to another subject?"
"Um- sure..." Twilight was a bit disappointed at not having received the answer that she... wanted? In a moment of retrospect, Twilight realized that she had indeed wanted Pennington to say that he had fallen in love with her. Once again, Twilight felt a stirring in her chest. Something that welled up inside of her when she looked at the half-mummified unicorn, culminating in a strange feeling of... longing.
For the first time, Twilight realized that, though she felt as if she were obligated or trapped, there were many times that she could have left Pennington behind. In Ponyville, she could have chosen to simply not have anything more to do with him after he hurt Pinkie Pie. In Canterlot, she could have left him when he chose to bribe the ticket salespony. Even on the border, she could have left on the train, or even gone back to the hotel to wait another week! Instead, she had always chosen to follow him, justifying to herself that she was trying to stop him and bring him back to Ponyville. But... Why did she care so much? Why did I risk MY life to protect him? I didn't even think about it at the time... It just seemed natural. I didn't want to... lose him... Twilight's eyes widened as she continued to think, the feeling in her chest only growing stronger.
Twilight eventually discovered that her injury, unlike most of Pennington's wounds, healed quickly. Within only two days in the medical ward, she was back to using her magic as if nothing had happened at all.
The two medics that she had seen upon their first meeting with Sure Shot eventually introduced themselves as the Care sisters. "Close and Constant" were both their names and their mottos. Close Care, the elder sister with the purple mane and white body, excelled in both creating and administering medicine of all kinds, including the magical booster that she had been given to carry Pennington onto the ship. Watching her mix different chemicals and powers, many of which Twilight recognized as being potent poisons, as if they were the toys of a young filly filled Twilight with both awe and an increased respect for the field of medicine. She was very focused on his work, and had a solemn personality that reflected the seriousness with which she treated her practice.
The younger sister, Constant Care, was equally gifted in creating and using medical equipment of all kinds, from vital-monitoring readouts to electroshock therapy. After seeing that Pennington was refusing to lay down and rest until his leg recovered, she had created a new, less bulky splint for him. Inside were a series of springs that prevented most of the impact of taking a step from reaching his hip allowing him to work the injury without overexerting himself. The design was simple, yet elegant, something Twilight admired in her work. Along with working in the field her sister did not cover, she also compensated for her sister's monotone voice and personality with a cheerful demeanor that reminded Twilight very much of Pinkie Pie.
But, it was when the two sisters worked together that something truly amazing came into existence.
Twiligth first saw it on their third day in the sick ward. She had been dismissed from the care of the two sisters when her magic returned, but had refused to be moved to a private room. "Pennington and I were injured together, we came here together, and I'm not going to leave that moron to his own devices now!" She replied when asked what room she would like in the living quarters. "I'll stay here."
It was the middle of the night when Twilight awoke to the scuffling of hooves on the floor. She tell from the moment that she opened her eyes: a skylight in the ceiling had been opened to reveal the rising moon. As she looked around the room, trying to spot the source of the noise, she created a bright light with her newly restored horn. "Hello? Who's-" Twilight was cut off as Close Care appeared out of the darkness, pressing a hoof against her pursed lips and hissing for her to be quiet.
"Shhh! Don't wake him up!" Constant Care whispered, stepping into the light beside her sister. "This works best if he's asleep." She shot a glance at Pennington, who was still soundly asleep.
"What are you doing?" Twilight whispered as the two mares walked to opposite sides of Pennington's bed. "Why does he have to be asleep?"
"It's nearly impossible to get Pennington Inkwell to relax, and that's a critical part of this proceedure." Close Care pulled out a small pill, which she slipped into Pennington's mouth using her magic. "There, he has the tranquilizer..." She nodded to her sister, who was watching his vitals on a small monitor nearby.
"His heart and breathing rates are low enough. If he was pretending to be asleep before, he sure isn't now!" Constant's voice rose from a whisper to a normal speaking tone.
"What are you two doing?" Twilight's tone held and edge of accusation as she began to feel a swell of protective instinct rise up as she saw them giving Pennington some kind of treatment without his permission. If he wouldn't allow it when he was awake, why would they do it now?
"We're healing him with magic." Close replied, raising an eyebrow at Twilight's tone. "The reason that we have to do it this way is because Pennington refuses to relax when he's awake, and one wrong move while working with magic can be dangerous. Especially something as delicate as magic that permeates the body at the cellular level. So, we make sure that he's sound asleep-"
"And then we do our best to stitch him back together!" Constant Care finished her sister's sentence, much more cheerfully. "He'll recover much faster this way, maybe even taking that splint off in a day or two!"
"Oh..." Twilight tried to think of a better reply, but found herself unable to think of anything except for the moments that she had read about physical recouperation through magic. Mostly, it was only used as a plot device in some kind of fiction novel where the leading character had been badly hurt, and rendered unrealistic results, such as growing back a limb or a horn. "But, I thought that kind of magic was just an old, outdated practice that was dismissed years ago... When several cases of malpractice emerged."
"Well, we don't make mistakes." Close leaned down, putting her horn forward over Pennington's body. "Those doctors were the ones who didn't manage to get their patients to relax... Thus, the tranquilizer. Ready, Constant?"
"You bet, Close!" Constant leaned down, crossing their horns at a ninety degree angle. "Don't worry, Twilight! We actually do this pretty often for ponies that get hurt worm hunting with Sure Shot. We have lots of experience."
Twilight watched uneasily as their horns began to glow, but decided not to question them further, and focus instead on the proceedure. The two unicorns stayed completely still as the lavender glow from their horns grew into an orb of light. Twilight squinted her eyes, trying to look closely without being blinded. The orb continued to build in intensity, and the two seemed to be waiting for something. That something came in the form of white light that built up from the center of the energy field, until all traces of the original lavened energy was gone. The two sisters slowly bent down, each moving the tip of their horns towards Pennington's body as the white light grew brighter and brighter, forcing Twilight to raise a hoof to her eyes to blott out most of the light and focus instead on the body below.
As the tips of both horns simultaneously came to rest on opposite sides of his back, waves of white light washed over Pennington. Twilight watched as the orb continued to move downwards, dissipating along his spine. The waves of light continued to flow across his body at faster and faster speeds, reverberating when they met the end of a limb and cascading along his sides and stomach, creating something akin to ripples in a pond.
"There... Now, the energy will be used in repairing his body... and generating new cells." Close Care muttered, panting for breath.
"He'll feel as fit as a fiddle... when he wakes up!" Constant Care was wearing a satisfied grin on her face, despite the fact that she was even more winded than her sister. "He won't be, yet... But he'll feel like it!"
The two sisters began to walk away when a thought came to Twilight's mind. "Umm, wait! Would you two mind teaching me how to do that, some time?" She suddenly felt very immature, asking for favors from her bed like some kind of filly asking for a glass of water.
To her surprise, both sisters (including the normally monotonous Close Care) turned back around with smiles on their faces.
"Sure. You can help us the next time, since the best way to learn is to participate." Close Care nodded. "You can give us an energy boost. You'll see everything that we see, but you won't be able to make any kind of mistake."
"That sounds like a great idea!" Constant chirped loudly, prompting Pennington to moan and turn over from his side and onto his stomach. She cringed and quickly followed her sister out of the room, waving goodbye to Twilight as she shut the door to the sick ward.
Twilight smiled as she turned to face Pennington and laid down in the bed. He was the only pony that she knew who slept on his stomach, an action that he attributed to preventing his paralysis. Either way, it was another one of his many quirks, which Twilight was beginning to learn better and better for herself with very passing day.
When Twilight woke up in the morning, the first thing that she noticed was that Pennington was still soundly asleep. It must be that tranquilizer, it's helping him sleep... As she watched him, she couldn't hold back a bemused smile. It was one of the few times that he would sit still. Twilight quietly rolled out of bed, making sure not to wake him, and quietly walked out of the sick bay.
"Well, you seem to be feelin' better! Goin' around without Pennyton!" Twilight nearly jumped out of her skin when the green pegasus was standing just around the corner.
"Oh, Sure Shot!" Twilight's hoof flew to her chest as she tried to catch her breath from the sudden scare. "What- What are you doing here?"
"Close and Constant told me he might try somethin' stupid today: goin' without that splint. I'm sp'osed to make sure he doesn't. Ol' Pennyton doesn't know what's good for him..." Sure Shot shrugged.
"Why do you call him that?" Twilight tilted her head in confusion. "Penny-ton? He doesn't like anypony calling him 'Penny.'"
"Well, he thinks it's 'cause of my accent... But really, it's just a loophole. It's so I can call 'im that without gettin' in trouble." Sure Shot gave a mischevious smile. "We've been buds since we were foals, me and him. We were in Miss Cheerilee's very first class together, when she first started teaching! I even gave him his pen name!" Sure Shot laughed quietly. "Oh, those were some good times... Anyway, I just call him that to annoy him, like old friends do."
Twilight nodded, remembering the times that her friends, most of all Applejack and Rarity, poked good-natured fun at one aother. "I can understand that... But, if you're from Ponyville, what are you doing way out here? The Plains of Lore certainly aren't any place a pony would go to for fun..."
"But it IS a place where there are good bits to be made! Do you know how much a bottle of sand worm oil sells for in the outlying countries? We didn't just rescue you, we made our biggest haul of the month!" Sure Shot gave her a wink. "Besides, if you hang around Penny long enough, you start to want an adventure of your own, you know?"
"I... Might." While Twilight understood what he was trying to say, she also found herself on the brink of... empathy. I only came out here to make sure he doesn't die. Because he refused to come home... Not because I wanted to!
"Don't call me 'Penny!'" A sleepy voice called out from behind the door to the sick bay. "That applies to you, too, Twilight!"
"Uh-oh!" Sure Shot chuckled. "Looks like he's up again! Go on and do whatever you like, Ma'am. I'll take care of my buddy!" He gave her a wink and walked into the sick bay, leaving Twilight on her own. For about a minute, Twilight argued with herself about whether or not to go back, taking a moment to listen to the conversation inside.
"What do you think you're doing?" Sure Shot asked the question like a parent catching a child red-hoofed in the cookie jar.
"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm taking this splint off!" Pennington replied.
"Now, hold your horses, Pennyton! The Care twins told me themselves that the brace does NOT come off 'til they do it themselves."
"Oh, come on! Nopony knows my body like me! I know when I've healed!"
"Regardless, that's their orders!" Twilight could still hear the light rattling of Pennington trying to remove the brace again. "Penn, you better stop it!"
"Penny! Don't make me come in there!" Twilight called, sticking her head through the doorway. She could see Pennington's hooves on the buckles of the straps holding his splint in place, but he seemed to have stopped the moment that she had spoken. "If the nurses say that you shouldn't take it off, yet, then don't take it off, alright?" As Pennington looked back at the straps, then at Twilight with a pleading look, she added, "If anything, humor me?"
Pennington stared at Twilight for a moment, then laid back in the bed with a begrudged grunt. "Fine... But you're still underestimating me, Twilight!" Between his crossed arms and his stubborn pout, Pennington was beginning to once again remind Twilight of a young foal, moreso the age that she could be babysitting, rather than following into complete and utter danger.
"Thank you, Pennington. I'm sure that Close and Constant will appreciate this, as well." Twilight smiled and walked away again, hearing just a few more lines of conversation.
"Uh, did she just call you-"
"No. Let it go, Sure Shot."
"But why didn't you-"
"Let it go."
"Alright, Penny..."
"Don't call me that!"
"So, you're the one who came in here with Pennington? Did you see him fight?" A yellow earth pony asked Twilight enthusiastically in the cafeteria. She had sat down to eat her breakfast, oatmeal with diced apples, by herself, when the pony had walked over to eat with her.
"Well, yes... Who are you?"
"Oh, I'm sorry! Ha ha, I'm afraid that I tend to go the the point a bit too quickly. The name's Quick Strike." She held out a friendly hoof. "I'm the combat instructor here at the NLR's far eastern base."
Twilight took the hoof with a smile, noting the strength of her grip. "My name is Twilight Sparkle. It's a pleasure to meet you. Yes, I did come here with Pennington, after Sure Shot rescued us from that dune worm!"
"You two were fighting a dune worm? I've always wanted to tangle with one!" The pony pounded her hooves together with a grin. "But, they aren't exactly interested in earth ponies."
"You... want to fight a dune worm?"
"Well, maybe not on my own... but add in a few of my best students, like Pennington, and we could take it on!" The yellow pony brushed her light brown mane out of her face. "I wouldn't need a harpoon or a crossbow! Just my own two hooves! So..." She leaned in a bit closer to Twilight, her eyes glistening with excitement. "How did Pennington do in the fight?"
Twilight thought for a moment. "Well, he really didn't have much time to fight. He took a pretty hard hit while trying to distract it... when I distracted him." To her surprise, the pony recoiled in confusion.
"Distracted? Pennington?" She picked up the toast from her tray and took a large bite. "He was always very focused when I knew him... He must be slipping since he graduated."
"So, you taught Pennington how to fight?" Twilight asked, remembering the times that she had seen Pennington standing tall and battle-ready, confident in his own abilities.
"I didn't teach him 'how to fight,' I taught him combat." Quick Strike leaned back in her chair with a smile. "Armed, unarmed, hoof-to-hoof, even fighting opponents of different species or much larger size!"
"You taught him well!" Twilight smiled and took another bite of her sweet oatmeal. "He single-hoofedly faught back four gang members trying to rob us with hardly a scratch!" She decided to leave out his later exhaustion, since it hadn't been a result of his fighting abilities as much as his magical talents. "He disarmed them and incapacitated them in less than two minutes!" Quick Strike looked disappointed, a frown crossing her face.
"There was a time when he could have disposed of four armed ponies in half that time... Either he's getting weak, or he was taking it easy on them." She folded her arms across her chest.
Twilight was worried that she was making him look bad in the eyes of his teacher. "He holds himself with the attitude of somepony who's ready for anything! He's a better fighter than I've seen in a long time, even the guards that my brother trains for the Princesses!"
Quick Strike didn't seem impressed, but her disappointed frown left her face. "Well, that makes sense. He was going to be one of the Royal Night Guards." She took another casual bite from her toast. "He had already applied, passed the tests... If I remember correctly, he even got his acceptance letter!"
Twilight's jaw dropped. "He- he was going to be a royal guard? Why?"
"Who sees more action in the kingdom? Not to mention, it would put him close to Princess Luna. What's not to like?"
"But... why isn't he a guard, then?" Twilight was once again shocked into disbelief as she learned something new about Pennington.
"I dunno, he never told me." Quick Strike shrugged, finishing the rest of her toast. "I knew that he was ready to be a guard, I ran him through my toughest paces before he left, and he passed them all. He was even accepted in spite of his... illness."
"You mean- his sleep paralysis?" Twilight's voice dropped to a whisper, she was unsure of whether or not it was supposed to be a secret.
"Yes, that. We thought that it might keep him from being accepted, but they were willing to induct him, anyway!" She shook her head in frustration. "He was a promising warrior, to say the least... but he just gave it all up. I haven't seen head nor tail of him, since."
"Well, that certainly explains the idea of why he fights so well... But I can't understand why he would give that up!"
"Well, I'll have to spar with him before he leaves. Make sure that he hasn't lost his touch..." She grinned. "Injuries are no excuse for weakness!"
Twilight was beginning to believe she had found the source of Pennington's hard-headedness. "Once he's out of the sick bay, right? Right?"
"No! There's no way!" Pennington folded his hooves stubbornly as he sat up in his bed. "I'm wise to your tricks, now!"
Close Care was concerned when Pennington refused to let her into the sick ward. "Tricks? I don't understand, Pennington. I'm just here to check on your brace!"
"Right. And what about tonight, when I'm asleep? What happens then?" His steely, angry gaze made the fact obvious that he that he knew what had been happening. "Perhaps you and your sister would like to put those horns to good use, huh?"
"Pennington-"
"It's no use. Twilight told me everything." Pennington rolled his eyes at the nurse. "You've been using magic to heal me at night, when I can't object to the procedure!"
"Penny, what are you talking about?" Twilight walked into the room, gently pushing past Close Care. "I never told you anything about that!"
"No matter how much I insisted that I was ready to take this off in the past two days," he pointed to the brace to illustrate, "you insist that I don't! You roll your eyes when I talk about how quickly I bounce back from an injury, and you're always urging me to go to bed earlier! It doesn't exactly take a brain surgeon to figure it out..."
Twilight looked back at Close apologetically. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to give it away."
"Well, I guess that Pennington is more of a clever pony than we give him credit for." Constant Care pushed past both Twilight and Close. "But that still doesn't mean that he knows what's best for him!" She placed a firm hoof on the bed, leaning in to make her point. "We were just a couple treatments away from completely restoring you. So, will you let us finish what we started?" The request sounded more like an order, and she was doing her best to look intimidating.
Pennington wasn't convinced. "Of course not! I don't trust anypony to mess with my body with magic! If it can't be explained to me, proven with science, or done by myself, I don't want it."
Twilight moved next to Constant Care, trying an equal-but-opposite approach. "Pennington, magic CAN be explained, it's just another subdivision of science! Besides, I've started helping them, and they're not doing anything that could have an ill effect on you!"
"Not all of magic has been explained, you know that." Pennington shot a glare at Constant, who only returned it. "I don't let just anypony under my skin, Twilight Sparkle, no matter what the intent or the education. I leave the care of my body to myself and what I understand."
"Pennington, please. We've sworn never to harm a patient, and I absolutely hated to go behind your back like this... But you can see here, you're almost completely healed!" Close Care stepped into the room, joining the other two unicorns at his bedside. "Your daily walks have been getting longer, your limp is hardly noticeable, and your vivacity has returned, right?" When the blue unicorn rolled his eyes once again, the younger sister looked to Twilight for help.
"Penny, do you trust me?" Twilight decided to change tactics a little, pushing away the overbearing nurse, who was practically staring daggers into her patient, and hopping up to lay next to him on her back.
"I'm not good at trusting, Twilight." Pennington's eyes narrowed, and he fidgeted at Twilight's sudden proximity. "But, we've been on a small adventure together, and I do think that you're trustworthy."
"Well, than let me show you." Over the past few days, Twilight had become more and more familiar with how Pennington reacted to different types of stimuli in her attempts to prompt him to open up to her the way that he had on their first day staying at the NLR. Along the way, she had begun to see how the metaphorical gears turned in his head. "The twins taught me how to use healing magic, and I think that I can do it on my own now! If you trust me, why not prove it?" She turned to face him, making sure to look him in the eyes to show her sincerity.
"I..." Twilight could see the pony trying to grasp at some kind of an argument, but his eyes seemed to show him having a greater focus on something else. "Twilight, I just don't like it..."
"Well, sometimes we have to do things that we don't like. Like waiting a week for a train to arrive, then letting it go again to make sure that somepony doesn't get himself killed!" She smiled and gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Trust me. It's all for you, in the end. The sooner you're up and going again, the better, right? It's just a nudge in the right direction!"
Pennington finally broke his gaze with Twilight, obviously befuddled. With a final long and frustrated sigh, he looked back at her. "Just. You. No help from anypony else."
Twilight nodded and stood up again, cheerfully jumping off of the bed. "Okay! I'm going to have to really focus for this. Do you think that you can watch me, girls? Make sure that I don't mess it up?"
"We'll do whatever it takes to make sure that he comes out of this better than when he came in..." Constant muttered, stepping back from the bed. "If something goes wrong, I can't promise that we won't step in to correct it. This is very delicate magic."
Pennington gave her a final glare, then a softer glance to Close Care. "No matter the intent, you both violated my trust. Other side of the room. Now."
The two sisters exchanged glances, then nodded and moved to the other side of the room, both walking backwards and keeping an intent set of eyes on the two of them.
Twilight took a deep breath. She hadn't been sure of whether or not the stubborn pony would take her offer. She took a deep breath, focusing on exhaling any worries of failure or mistake. As she felt the nervous tension leave her body, she smiled and looked down at Pennington. "Okay, Penny. Just lay down and relax, don't tense any part of your body. It's just you and I here." She was already beginning to build up the energy that she needed to cast the spell as she watched him turn onto his stomach and press his cheek into his pillow. It was almost funny to watch him shuffle around for a few minutes, trying to become comfortable, but Twilight held back her laughter, making sure that she knew the spell that she was about to perform inside out and backwards, as she always did when attempting something new. It was her own personal checklist. Do I know what exactly I'm doing? Check. Do I know how to reverse it? I suppose the would be to hit him, so... Check. If something goes wrong, can it be fixed? She paused for a moment as the sheer fact that Pennington's life could be in her hooves if she made a mistake fully sank in. Close and Constant are here to make sure that doesn't happen... Check. With a final deep breath, she began to cast the spell, thinking her way through every logistic and every detail that the twins had taught her. Finally, the energy that she had been putting into the spell began to float away from her and into the air, forming the characteristic ball of light that she had seen earlier. Slowly and carefully, she lowered her head, keeping a close eye on the ball of light as it sank into Pennington's back. She cringed as a connection was forged between them, with the energy that Twilight was exerting spreading through the pony's body, giving her an awareness of every inch of his body, which was still coiled like a spring in places, tense and ready for action. With a few well-placed bursts of magic on the pressure points that Close Care had taught her, the final bits of tension eased out of Pennington's body, making the pathway clear for the soothing energy.
Twilight had "tasted" a small portion of Pennington's energy when he had been trying to help her defend them from the dune worm, she came to a full understanding of it now, as her magic reached his core, permeating every cell in his body. The connection appeared to be one-sided as Twilight, with no small amount of trepidation, inhaled deeply. Accordingly, in her mind, she drank deeply of Pennington's essence, trying to establish what, physically, was wrong. Too late, Close Care's warning came back to her mind.
This is one of those parts where, if you're not careful, you might get more than you bargained for, Twilight. Constant and I are keeping you from feeling it, but there's more to a pony than a physical body. To come so close as to almost be a part of the body can give you a glimpse of the soul, as well...
Twilight was nearly overpowered by the first wave of emotion and thought to wash over her from the injured pony. She first became aware of an overpowering feeling of restraint, as if something were holding her in place. Somehow, though, at the same time she felt the emotion, something made her aware of the meaning. He's struggling to stay still, to ignore all of this. He's working to hold himself in place, as if in some kind of trance... The second emotion and meaning hit her simoultaneously, as well. This time the feeling was more tender, like exposed flesh. Gently but firmly, she felt a coolness, like a strong breath mint, spreading in her chest. He's trying to trust me, putting aside his distrustfulness... She didn't try to hold back a bemused smile and a short nod as the second emotion washed away. I'll have to make sure that his trust is well placed!
Along with the emotion, Twilight's senses of smell and taste were overwhelmed by the scents of mint and the ocean, both unlikely to meet, but strangely complimentary. The mint seemed to invigorate her mind, sending sparks of Pennington's own energy reserves racing up her nose and into her brain, making her desperate to do something, anything active and exciting! She almost broke the connection as a new emotion slammed into her, creating an aching in her chest, which quickly filled with a desperation to run. Not to run away, however, but to chase after the ever-changing times, desperate not to be left behind in life or easily forgotten. Penny... You don't want to be forgotten, do you?
The next emotion she felt was a wave of something that she could only define as... a sense of home. Not quite of being home, but a sense of a home nonetheless. The entire emotion was accompanied by a new scent: one of the ocean. It was almost unrecognizable after so long in the desert. This time, the meaning was less easily understood, remaining a simple impression. It's like when you're standing by the sea, and you believe that you belong there... But you know that you can't live at the bottom of the ocean. You need air. It's like a glimpse of a home that's... Just out of reach?
Just as the understanding began to come to her, the feelings passed like a fading dream, leaving her with only the knowledge of his physical body again. The feelings and scents of what she could only imagine was... a deeper part of Pennington. She hated to think that she had glimpsed his soul, as that would cross the boundaries of what she considered right. She quickly gave the injured areas, which she now found with ease, as big a boost of energy as she dared, and ended the spell. When she finally opened her eyes again, she was overwhelmed by a sense of returning to her own, tired body. As she staggered and leaned against the bed, she looked over at her patient to see how he was faring.
Pennington was spread-eagle on the bed, eyes wide-open and trembling. In the few seconds after Twilight felt the connection fade entirely, his eyes slid shut and he fell into a deep sleep. When he had fallen asleep, the two Care sisters slowly stepped over from their corner of the room, first investigating her, and then Pennington.
"You'll be fine after a good nap." Constant gave Twilight a curt nod and moved her over to the bed that she had been sleeping on the past few nights. "A small amount of sensory overload, a little exhaustion, nothing serious." Both of them looked over in surprise as the sound of velcro ripping grated through the room. Close tore apart the large straps that held Pennington's brace in place, then lifted it away from him, leaving the pony free.
"You went a lot deeper than normal, Twilight. I don't want to know what you saw in there... But you did the work of two jobs in one! Have you ever considered a carreer in medicine?"
"What are you talking about?" Twilight nearly dropped her spoon when she heard the words coming out of Pennington's mouth.
"Like I just said, Sure Shot can make sure you get back to Ponyville, train or no train. We have connections all over Equestria. You had your adventure, now you're done. I'll move on to the Changeling hive, and you can finally get back home, just like you've wanted this entire time." Pennington didn't miss a beat as he picked at his oatmeal, looking for small bits of apple.
Twilight shook her head in denial. "No way! If you're still going after that ridiculous idea, I'm not letting you go alone!"
Pennington returned the denial with a silent bite, a slow chew, and a soundless swallow. "I don't think so. You need to go back home, Twilight Sparkle."
"Why?"
"Because I need to do this, and you don't want me to. It's as simple as that." Pennington was refusing to make eye contact, very much out of character. In fact, he had been acting strangely ever since Twilight had healed him. "This is what most ponies would consider suicide. For even an experienced adventurer like me, it poses a dangerous challenge." He took his time speaking, making it slow and deliberate. "For somepony who is inexperienced, even one as skilled as you seem to be, the first assumption would be correct: suicide. The fact that you would be coming unwillingly, only for me, would increase that danger tenfold for you."
"But I want to come!"
"To keep me from 'getting myself killed,' I believe you put it? Twilight, it's no good. Even if I thought that you should come, even putting aside your inexperience-"
"It doesn't even matter! Who was it who saved you from the dune worm? Who healed you back to what may even be a better condition than you were before? Who even inspired you to come out here? That was me!"
"Trouble in paradise, Penny?" Seemingly out of nowhere, Quick Stike appeared, putting her arm around him in an overly friendly manner.
"My name is Pennington Inkwell, but you can call me 'Mister Inkwell.'" Pennington finally looked up from his bowl with an expression of seething anger and gingerly removed her hoof from his shoulder.
"Me-OW!" Quick Strike grinned at the irked pony., taking glee in his rage "It seems to me as if something's put you out in a mood. You haven't wanted anypony to call you that since you turned down that acceptence letter to the Royal Night Guard!"
"I would prefer not to bring that up, Ms. Strike." Pennington didn't even try to hide the anger in his growl, opting ot sound as threatening as he could. "Just because you can't find the one stallion who'll put up with you doesn't mean that you can go around bothering all of us. So, what do you want?"
Quick Strike's lower left eye twitched when Pennington made his own snarky remark, but she hid it well."Oh, just a fight, Penny. Just in memory of the old times we had, you know? "
"I don't want to fight. I want to get moving." Pennington looked back at his oatmeal, slowly and deliberately scooping out another bite. In a swift movement, Quick Strike grabbed a nearby bottle of hot sauce, dumped a large amount on top of his spoon, and put it back down.
"Pop quiz!"
Pennington didn't even look down at his spoon as he placed it in his mouth. He didn't even bat an eye at her as he moved the contents in his mouth for a moment, then swallowed and took another bite. Aside from a small flush in his cheeks, the hot sauce had done nothing to faze him.
"Okay, then. On a scale of one to ten, this is an eight. Got it." Quick Strike stepped back, glancing at Twilight. "He is definitely upset. Are you two fighting?" She motioned to the space between them as if they were a couple arguing over dinner.
"He wants me to go back to Ponyville, but I'm not going." Twilight let out a long sigh. "He thinks that if I come with him, I'll get us both killed, but that hasn't stopped him up until now. So I don't think that it's the real reason..." Twilight's eyes narrowed, and she gave the pony across from her an intense glare of scrutiny. Unfortunately, Pennington wasn't giving away anything without a fight.
"Sounds to me like you two need no work this out my way!" Quick Strike grinned mischeviously as she knocked her hooves together. "I'll see you in the gym in ten minutes, Penny." With a wink at Twilight, she ran away as quickly as she had come.
"Mister Inkwell, if you please!" Pennington muttered as he took another bite. "Nopony calls me Penny... Nopony."
Twilight felt a twinge of fear as Quick Strike's meaning came through loud and clear. "She- She wants us to fight?"
"Alright! Now, we all know why we're here!" Quick Strike was standing in the center of the gymnasium, which looked more like a miniature stadium at the moment. The floor was padded with red rubber, creating a firm cusion for anypony who took a hard hit and fell. She was standing in a far corner from the entrance to the wearing small amount of padding that matched the color of her coat. Twilight felt herself becoming light-headed as all of the eyes in the room seemed to focus on her.
"We're here to see our favorite form of entertainment: a battle of strength and talent! Of speed and strategy!"
"No, I'm pretty sure you're the only sadist around here, Quickie!" A heckler jeered from the corner, obviously not wanting to be there, either. The roar of the small crowd, however, quickly drowned him out.
"Now, for the match of the year! Of the century! Place your bets now, fillies and gentlecolts, it's time to roll!" Quick Strike took a moment to let the group filling the bleachers to get excited before continuing. Her bravado in announcing reminded Twilight of Rainbow Dash's bragging before presenting some new trick.
"It's the sun versus the moon! Day versus night! In one corner, Princess Celestia's favorite pupil! Twilight Sparkle!" Though Twilight cringed at the fact that everypony seemed to know who she was, the cheering from the crowd helped wash away some of her nervousness in the knowledge that she had supporters.
"And in the other corner, our very own home-grown celebrity, the pony everypony does know, Scorching Quill!" The uproar from the crowd was the equivalent of a tidal wave of sound, making even Quick Strike cringe and flatten her ears against her head.
When Twilight heard her calling Pennington by his pen name, she looked over to her "opponent," who was finally entering the "ring." Pennington had indeed gone to the liberty of dying his coat and mane for the occasion, looking like a living flame walking into the room. He, unlike Twilight, wore no padding whatsoever, and was glaring at everything in sight, though he refused to look at Twilight. Twilight tried her best to hide her shock at Pennington's identity being common knowledge here, but the feeling faded as Quick Strike began to speak again into the microphone.
"We all know the rules for a good, clean fight: no magic, with the exceptions of telekenisis and creating solid objects such as shields or weapons! No fatal moves are allowed, and the first pony to be pinned to the ground for three seconds loses! The stakes: the loser will completely and utterly follow one request from the other! If Penningtonton loses, he will have a companion on his next adventure! If Twilight loses, she's going home! Competitors! Are you ready?" She turned to the two of them for a nod of approval.
Twilight shook her head, trying to indicate just how badly she did not want to fight. Her heart was racing at more than twice its normal speed, and she felt more nervous than ever at the idea of placing her fate in the strength of her own hooves.
Quick Strike gave her what she must have thought was a reassuring wink, then turned to "Scorching Quill." Pennington simply stared back at her with a look that would have vaporized Quick Strike on the spot if he had known the spell.
When the bell in the corner of the room chimed loudly, the fight began. Or, at least, it was supposed to. Twilight, too frightened to try and make the first move, simply mirrored Pennington as he began to revolve around the circumference of the floor. Pennington made no attempt to look very interested at first, simply watching to see if Twilight would attack. Over time, though, he began to act more and more serious about the fight, sinking down to a lower center of gravity, narrowing his eyes, and taking his steps more carefully, like a cat about to spring.
Okay, there has to be a way out of this... THINK, Twilight! The lavender unicorn thought to herself as she kept pace with him. You've seen Pennington fight before, what do you know? While keeping a steady eye on her opponent, Twilight let herself flash back to the first fight with Pick Pocket's gang. He never threw the first punch. He always waits for his opponent to make the first move. Any time he was actually fighting, he let them come to him, to fight on his terms. He usually focuses on disarmament, and inflicts as much damage as he can while doing so. She swallowed loudly as she remembered all of the non-lethal blows that he had inflicted to the gang members, and "non-lethal" had been one of the very few rules. Well, if I wait for him to come at me, we could be here all day. If I choose to attack, I can't let him get too close. The best option must be... Her eyes lit up as a solution came to mind. One that could be used from a distance, and would put her on the offensive. Oh, he's not going to like this... But a pony's gotta do what a pony's gotta do! It's just a few seconds, anyway... right?
Twilight decided not to dwell on the matter any longer, instead rousing herself to life in the fight, reaching out with her magic towards her opponent. Once she was sure of her "grip" on him, she tightened her hold, stopping his strutting short and locking his body into the shape she desired: spread-eagle on the ground and pinned in place.
"ONE! TWO!" Quick Strike started to count to the three second limit, but an explosion of light stopped her short. Twilight felt her hold on him shatter, and smoke from the explosion wafted forward, blocking any sight of the pony from view.
Twilight squinted, trying to see into the mist for a sign of Pennington's next move. As the air cleared, though, she was astonished to see... nothing!
"Look out behind you!" A pony in the audience shouted, far too late. Before she could turn around, Twilight felt strong hooves pounce on her shoulders, knocking her face-first into the ground. As her back hooves fell out from beneath her, Twilight found herself pinned, with one of Pennington's hooves standing on top of one of hers and forcing her to stay on the ground. It was- a distraction?
"Twilight, you need to go back to Ponyville. I'm not going to let you place yourself in danger..." He whispered, leaning down by her ear. Though Twilight knew that it was the famous "Scorching Quill" standing on top of her, the voice was one of quiet desperation, not bossy bravado.
As Quick Strike once again counted to two, Twilight summoned up a powerful burst of magic that welled up beneath her body, raising her from the floor and blowing Pennington backwards into the wall behind her. "I'm not going back without you!" She shouted in return. The roar of the electrified crowd drowned out her words to all but Scorching Quill, who was shaking his dazed head. When he looked up again, Twilight saw a grim efficiency behind his eyes: he was now serious about winning.
Something tells me that wasn't a good idea... She thought to herself as she felt a light pressure building on her body. With alarming force, Pennington's magic dropped her to the ground in the same way that she had done so only moments before. Twilight struggled to lift herself up again, straining with body and horn to break the spell. Every time it seemed that Quick Strike paused to inhale before announcing the final third count, Twilight would muster enough energy to lift one leg off the floor, making the count start over again. While she struggled, Pennington walked to stand over her, grimly waiting for his victory and layering even more energy onto holding her down. Try as she could, Twilight couldn't create the spell-shattering explosion that he had, but she refused to give up.
"I don't see why you care so much. Ever since we met, you've cared too much about me, Twilight." Pennington's voice had dropped to a low monotone. "You hardly knew me, but you followed me all of the way to Canterlot just to find out who I was. You keep trying to protect me from myself, and I just can't see why."
I need to break his concentration! But, how? Twilight moaned loudly as the stress of lifting her back hoof from the ground felt as though it would break her bone. She knew that Pennington was extremely focused on a good day, but she also knew one weakness that she could use. That's low, Twilight. Even in a no-holds-barred fight... She thought for a moment as the countdown neared its end once again. With a screaming cry of effort, she brought her back hoof up with all of the force that she could muster... straight onto Pennington's cutie mark. It was his turn to cry out in pain as Twilight kicked his recent injury as hard as she could, breaking his hold on her and limping away.
"Because I get you!" Twilight shouted as she struggled to her hooves, her body tired from trying to break his spell on her own. "I know what it's like to be so wrapped up in your work, you don't leave your home! I know the feeling of struggling to be adequate in your own eyes!" Twilight finally steadied herself on her hooves as Pennington lowered his hurt leg, which he had raised off of the ground. "I know what you feel Pennington, and I want to help you, just like my friends helped me!"
"And I don't want you to DIE!" Pennington screamed in return, stopping Twilight short. Gone was any sense of trying to keep up a facade or a premise. "I couldn't protect you before from one lousy dune worm! How can I protect you now, with a whole army of changelings as the punishment for my failure?"
"Now, you're underestimating me!" Twilight replied, taking a tentative step towards him, trying to spot any kind of movement that would indicate Pennington falling in one direction or the other. Twilight could tell that he was opening up, the he was also bordering between anger and panic. "I can handle myself, Pennington. If the dune worm proved anything, it's that we need each other, right? We make good partners."
"Twilight, I'm not going to let you do this. I don't want to lose you!" He stepped forward, stomping his injured leg behind him. He grimaced, but stayed firm in his stance. "So I'm not going to lose this fight."
"Why don't you want to lose me? What makes you think you'll be 'losing' me?" Twilight shuddered when she saw him in pain, knowing that she was partially, if not completely, to blame. She could tell now that Pennington had fallen into instability, to the point where the only clear thought in his mind was to win the battle and get her home and out of harm's way. Pennington began to advance on her with growing speed, seeming to have put off magic in favor of physical combat, where he obviously outclassed her. Instinctively, Twilight began moving backwards in time with him, trying to keep her distance until she had formed a plan.
I think that I might have to win this fight. He's not giving up, but then again, when does he ever give up? But how can I win? If I try to stop him with magic, he breaks free. I can't overpower him physically, not even with the remains of his injury. I can't attack the body, but... She nearly slapped herself as another "brilliant" idea came to mind. You have to be kidding me. That only works in the movies, right? That only happens in cheesy stories by bad authors! Still... She groaned inwardly. This could be my only chance to stop him from going alone.
As her rear slammed into the wall behind her, Twilight came to a sudden stop. With "Scorching Quill" bearing down on her at a now-alarming rate, her mind froze on the ridiculous idea, leaving her with no other options to think of. When Pennington was only a single yard away from her, Twilight finally put aside thought and moved to the one action that she thought could help: using the element of surprise. She leaped forward and kissed him on the cheek.
Or, to be more precise, she tried to kiss him on the cheek.
As Twilight jumped forward, Pennington turned his head, trying to keep track of where she was going. In the confusion, the lips of the two ponies met and held. The roaring audience had filled the room with sound until this point, but the sound of a pin dropping could have been heard in the massive room. Even Quick Strike, who had been narrating the fight over the microphone the entire time, fell silent.
Twilight couldn't define what made her freeze up, hold the kiss longer than she had intended, but it seemed as if, for a few seconds, her body, rather than Pennington's, was the victim of paralysis. As she finally came to the realization of what exactly she was doing, Twilight pulled herself away from the stallion again, feeling her face flush harder than it ever had before in her life and panting for breath.
Pennington was a blank slate. Where once before he had been a coiled spring, a tiger on the prowl, he was now completely limp, held standing only by the fact that his hooves were underneath his body. His jaw dropped as Twilight pulled away, and he stared at her blankly. Twilight was shocked at what had happened, but Pennington was utterly dumbfounded.
Twilight tried not to think about it for a moment. In his shock, Pennington fell with ease as Twilight tackled him to the ground. He didn't resist as she pinned each of his hooves with one of her own, standing over him in victory.
"Umm... Three?" Quick Strike whispered into the microphone, breaking the silence that had settled over the entire gymnasium.
It was the equivalent of opening a flood gate. The crowd erupted into a cacophony of cheering and shouting. Some ponies jumped from their seats in excitement, others in protest. Twilight could hear everything from light-hearted nursery rhymes about love, marriage, and something to do with a "maybe carriage" to claims that she had cheated and demands for a rematch. A little worried, Twilight stepped off of Pennington, allowing him to rise to his hooves. She knew that her face was still burning with embarrassment, and that she was probably more red than lavender.
Well, I wasn't prepared for this...
"That was AMAZING!" Quick Strike laughed as Twilight walked out from the locker room, immediately giving her a friendly pat on the back. "I can't believe that you actually did that! You two are the talk of the whole base!" She laughed even harder, leaning on Twilight for support, nearly knocking her over. "The look on his face: PRICELESS! I've seen Pennington pinned by a spell, knocked unconscious, even beaten into submission! But I have never seen him that shell-shocked! Twilight.... Are you okay?"
"Yeah... Just a case of the jitters..." Twilight looked down at her shaking legs, then back up at Quick Strike.
"Speaking of your boyfriend, where is he?" The earth pony looked back at the doors that Twilight had come through, expecting to see the blue unicorn at any second.
"He's not my..." Twilight started to argue, but quickly saw it as pointless. I just kissed him, I don't have a leg to stand on in this argument... "Close and Constant are checking over him to make sure that I didn't reopen any part of his injury. He should be out soon."
"Probably treating him for shock, too!" The combat instructor chuckled, gave her a final pat on the back, and turned to leave. "That took guts, Twilight Sparkle! You're welcome in my dojo any time!"
"Twilight... What happened out there?" Pennington's scolding tone when he finally saw Twilight again in the infirmary showed that he indeed knew what had happened, but wanted to make sure Twilight did. He had been returned to his normal blue-and-lavender hue, but Twilight was still half-expecting him to burst into flames judging from his tone.
"Well, I think that I won my chance to come with you to the changeling hive..." Twilight was a tad bit confused when she saw Pennington packing his bags to leave. They weren't supposed to be leaving for another day or two.
"Twilight, tell me that kiss was a dream." Pennington turned around, his tone sounding exhausted and exasperated. "Please tell me that it was just another one of those stupid dreams I keep having!"
Just as Twilight was about to reply, a relevation hit her with the force of a freight train. "Wait, that's what you dream about?"
"Well, I- Just shut up!" Pennington's face flushed as he turned back to his bags. "I'm moving to some personal quarters until it's time to go. I've told Sure Shot that you'll be needing your own room."
"But, we've been staying together in the sick bay, why couldn't we just share a room for a couple days?" Twilight walked up next to him, watching him pack.
"Well, you completely obliterated first base in the arena... Ponies are going to start wondering about second, third, and home if we share a room. If you get my meaning..." Pennington didn't seem angry anymore, but moreso resigned to what he knew he couldn't stop.
"What? I- Oh. Pennington, you should know, I didn't mean to kiss you... on the lips. I was just trying to surprise you enough to win."
"An effective strategy, Twilight. I'm not exactly happpy that you won, but at least you're learning." Pennington's face had finally returned to its normal color. "I hope you're not planning on kissing the changelings, though."
Twilight laughed a little at the joke, hoping that Pennington's dismal mood would lift. "No, only you!" After the words had left her mouth, she realized the second meaning that made itself obvious. Somehow, though, she didn't feel as if she needed to take it back.
"Twilight, did you mean anything by that kiss?" The question was sudden and blunt, taking Twilight off-guard. Pennington wanted a straight answer from her.
Twilight thought back to the fight. At the time, it had simply been out of desperation that she kissed him, right? But, I could have thrown up a magical shield, or pushed him away. There were a hundred other things that I could have done, but all I could think of was to kiss him... Was that because, deep down, I wanted to? As she remembered the moment she had realized her mistake and the electric thrill that had travelled straight through her body, she realized that she had enjoyed kissing him. There was some kind of deep satisfaction that had come from it, even if she was too busy to notice it in the arena, even the memory of the action felt as if it were making the hair on her neck stand on end and her chest fill with a crackling burst of energy.
"Penny, I think... I think that there's something very special between us, because I- I enjoyed that. I don't know why I can't quite put my hoof on it, but... I think that, whether I wanted it to or not, that kiss meant more that even an author like you could say with words." Twilight moved closer to the unicorn, placing a hoof on his shoulder. When she did, she felt an intense amount of tension in the muscles quickly scatter away, as if he were surrendering at a simple touch. "I would like to... investigate this further. But, I need to know, too. What do you think?"
"I think that, within and without Equestria, on the tallest mountain peaks and in the lowest trenches of the planet, in barren deserts and lush rain forests... I have never felt anything like what I felt with that kiss. It felt like the doors to my deepest core, some of which even I couldn't open by myself, were all flung open at once, and you just rushed inside like an untamed whirlwind." Pennington finally looked up at her, looking straight into her eyes. This time, Twilight wasn't sure if those eternally searching eyes were searching for her soul or his own. "And that both fascinates and frightens me in a way I've never known before. I think... I'd like to take a closer look at that, as well."
Twilight smiled brightly, beaming as she took a final step forward and wrapped her arms around Pennington in a tight hug. "Well, then we'll investigate it together. As partners, okay? No more secrets, no more hiding, we'll be completely open with one another, just like we are right now. Agreed?" Twilight couldn't help but jump a little as Pennington's head turned, pressing his lips against her cheek in a gentle kiss that sent thrills of excitement running down her spine and throughout her chest, even making her slightly light-headed with a strange type of joy.
Over their final day in the New Lunar Republic, Twilight's nervousness began to mount. She could see the final destination, the changeling hive, as more and more real and more and more deadly. It's never been revealed whether or not they can feed by force. Could they just suck us dry and leave us for dead? Would they keep us prisoners to feed on over and over for the rest of our lives? No matter how she tried, she couldn't stop thinking about it. When she looked outside and saw the sun setting, her panic peaked. "We're leaving in the morning... and I am going to die."
Finally, when she sat down for dinner and couldn't eat, Twilight decided to go to the one pony who was remaining calm about this: Pennington.
She felt silly walking up to the door of Pennington's room. She hadn't actually been inside, but she had seen it when he had been showing her to her own room.
If you need me, Twilight, you can find me right here, getting ready to leave. Or come over if you don't need me, I'm not too picky! The stallion's joke had been the cherry on top of his good mood sundae since the two of them had opened up to one another. Now, Twilight was turning to him for help.
She knocked on the door, praying that she wasn't interrupting anything important.
"Who is it?" Pennington's voice called out, grating slightly and sounding as if he were exerting himself.
"It's me, Twilight!" She was now completely sure that she was interrupting something and began to shrink back from the door. "Are you busy? I can come back-"
"Come in! Come in, Twilight! You're not interrupting anything!" Pennington interrupted her, and the door swung itself open with a sapphire glow. As Twilight stepped inside, she discovered what it was that Pennington had been doing.
"It's just a little ritual of mine..." Pennington was hanging from the ceiling fan, slowly spinning in circles. "I work myself as hard as I can in the surroundings that I have. It's both physical exercise and an exercise in adaptability!"
"Well, would you mind coming down? I need to talk to you."
"Certainly!" With a sudden release, Pennington fell, turned in the air, and landed securely on his hooves. With a grimace, he lifted his injured leg closer to his body. "Ugh! I keep forgetting about that. It's all healed up, but still hurts..."
"Let me see it." Twilight didn't wait for permission, stepping closer and leaning down to inspect his leg. She didn't see anything that betrayed an actual injury, but there was a large bruise in the shape of her hoof. "I need to fix that..."
"No, I've had enough of that." Pennington smiled and stepped back, getting his leg away from her horn. As he moved back, he leaned down, putting himself at eye level with her. "So... What do you need to talk about?"
"Okay, well..." Completely open... Just like we promised. "I'm getting really scared. I don't want to turn back, but I'm really starting to not want to move ahead. What about the fact that we don't know much about the changelings? What if we get captured! Would they kill us? Would they feed off of us by force? Would they just kill us? What if-"
"Stop right there, Twilight." Pennington walked over to the bed, sitting in the middle with all of his legs folded beneath him. He motioned for her to sit next to him, and she quickly followed suit. "I had the same problem when I went on my first 'real' adventure... And I've learned something over the years: never worry about the danger until you're staring it in the face. You can prepare for it as much as you like, plan as much as you can, but you mustn't begin to worry until it's a problem of the moment. Immediate danger should be the only type to worry about."
Twilight pondered the words for a moment. Penny never did worry until the problem was there, did he? He didn't even think that the dune worm was worth mentioning until it attacked! He's obviously known the danger he's walking into, but he acts like it's just another day at the office. As she looked around, though, it became clear that he had been preparing himself for the journey ahead. All of the equipment that he had bought in Canterlot, from the camouflage suit to the new packages of ramen noodles, was laid out on the floor in what Twilight could only imagine as his own personal order-out-of-chaos mentality. He had been working on preparing himself physically when she had come in, but seemed relaxed enough to take a break for her to talk to him.
"Your first 'real' adventure?" Twilight asked, taking note of the detail that she had nearly overlooked. "What was that?"
Pennington let out a sigh and settled his chin on his front hooves. "It's a long story..." He glanced at her playfully out of the corner of his eye. "Actually, it's my cutie mark story, too."
"Well, now I have to hear it!" Twilight laughed as she mimicked him, setting her chin on her hooves, as well. "A master storyteller like you must have quite the tale to tell!"
"It's really not all that great..." Pennington grinned, not even believing himself. "But, if you really want to hear it, you'll have to do something for me!"
"And what's that?" Twilight couldn't help but buy into his light-hearted playfulness.
"Well, I never really figure out my prices until after I finish the product, so you'll have to wait and see!" Pennington winked, and she could see that he wasn't going to give any hints.
An unnamed favor can be very dangerous... in the wrong hooves. But I'm sure Penny won't abuse it. "I'm not going back to Ponyville, if that's what you want."
"Oh, no! Nothing like that!" Pennington laughed. "Just a small, simple favor, nothing too drastic."
She thought for another moment, then shrugged. "Well, okay! Now tell me the story!"
Pennington stood up on the bed, tossing Twilight side to side as he walked around the edge. After a few clumsy steps, he had turned around and once again laid down, this time face-to-face and only inches apart. "Alrighty, then. Cutie mark and my first adventure... Hold on tight, Twilight."
"Well, everypony, this week, you'll only have one assignment!" Cheerilee grinned as her class erupted into a chorus of cheers. "Now, hold on! You don't know what the assignment is, yet!"
I didn't care. Sure Shot and I gave each other a hi-hoof as we both snickered. We had both done well at keeping up with our assignments, but a week off was something that no foal could resist. All that we needed to do was to finish this assignment, and the week would be ours to seize!
"To wrap up our latest unit on how a story is written and constructed, every one of you is going to be assigned an animal. You need to write a story involving that animal! Everything else is up to you! The setting, the plot, the conflict, and the conclusion! All up to you!" She picked up a small bag and began pulling out note cards at random and setting them on her students' desks. After a few minutes, she finally reached Sure Shot and I.
"Aw, man! I got bullfrog!" Sure Shot groaned as he opened his slip of paper. "There's nothing cool about bullfrogs!"
I laughed, but was cut off as Cheerilee placed my own assignment on my desk. To my surprise, she leaned in close and whispered to me.
"I gave you a more difficult assignment, Pennington, because you've been showing a lot of potential during this unit! I think that, if you challenge yourself, you may just have a cutie mark in writing waiting for you!"
"Umm, thank you?" I said as she winked and walked on to the next student. Curious, I opened my note card.
Ursa Major
"No way!" Sure Shot cried as he looked over my shoulder. "You get to write about an Ursa Major? That's so cool!"
"But... I don't know anything about Ursa Majors..." I muttered. "All I know is that they're big and dangerous..."
Cheerliee seemed to hear me, turning around again. "Well, if you don't know much about your animal, you'll just have to go to the library!"
Pennnington paused for a moment, eyeing Twilight with curiosity. "Twilight, did you know the librarian before you came here?"
"Well, no... The library was empty when I got here." Twilight was surprised at herself for never having thought about it, but her first day had been so hectic, she had never questioned the fact that the library had been empty.
"She was an old pegasus named 'Silver Page,' a really sweet lady with BIG glasses." Pennington smiled again, albeit with a more melancholy air. "She passed away only two years before you first came."
"You mean, she died?" Twilight raised her eyebrows, a bit shocked that she had never learned about this.
"Well, of old age. She lived to be 97 years old!" Pennington did his best to resume a cheery mannerism.
"Well, that would certainly feed Spike's paranoia about ghosts!" Twilight laughed, glad that there hadn't been any kind of foul play that had happened in the library. "Perhaps we should just keep this our little secret. Anyway, so you went to the library?"
"Yes, I went and asked Silver Page if they had any books on Ursa Majors..."
"I'm sorry, Pennington, but a little filly just came in here and checked out every book we had on Ursa Majors!" Silver looked over the thick rim of her glasses with an aged smile. "I think that her name was 'Ticksy' or something... It's funny, her cutie mark didn't look like it had anything to do with clocks..."
"Well, now how am I supposed to find out about Ursa Majors?" I asked, looking around at the other useless books. When my eyes returned to the librarian, there was a familiar glint in her eyes. I had seen the same glint once before when Sure Shot had tried shooting an apple off of his own head, but it seemed to bring the old face alive again.
"Well, It just so happens... I have another book here that might be able to help you." She looked around, then fluttered up to a bookshelf and pulled off a particular volume, which she then handed to me.
"Animal Study: Adventures in the Field of Observation." I read out loud. "I don't understand."
"Well, if you can't find a book on Ursa Majors, maybe you should go and find one yourself!" The old mare grinned as she reached under her desk and pulled out a pair of binoculars, which she promptly handed down to me. "These should make it easier to get a good look at it!"
"Wait... Are you telling me to go into the Everfree Forest, on my own, to study one of the most dangerous animals in the world? Are you serious?"
"Well, most ponies give the forest too much credit, and it's not nearly so bad during the day as it is at night!" Silver Page waved away my concerns with an easygoing hoof. "As long as you're back by nightfall, you should be just fine!"
"Wait, she sent you into the Everfree Forest? That's crazy!" Twilight shook her head. "I can't believe it! You could have been killed!" Her jaw dropped as Pennington snickered, then began to laugh. If she hadn't been reluctant to do so on the bed, she would have jumped up on her hooves in indignation. For the moment, she simply pressed herself up on her front hooves to look taller. "Are you even taking me seriously?"
"Twilight, Twilight! Calm down! I was perfectly safe!" Pennington placed a gentle hoof on the back of her neck and gently pressed down, laying her down on the bed again. "Most the the dangerous animals in Everfree are nocturnal. Zecora actually lives out there, and she's just fine! She's even taught me a few tricks since then."
"Well, what about the other dangerous things? The quicksand? The poison joke? For pony's sake, I nearly died twice when I went in there once!" Pennington seemed shocked at her words, raising a curious eyebrow.
"You nearly died? Twice?" He seemed to be holding back another group of snickers. "What was so dangerous?"
"I nearly fell off of two cliffs!" The moment Twilight gave her heated explanation, she realized just how silly it must have sounded.
"That sounds like a case of just not using your eyes, Twilight..." Pennington placed a sarcastically reassuring hoof on her shoulder, then rolled over in another fit of laughter. "Ha ha ha!"
"Oh, go ahead, laugh it up. We'll just see what happens when you're dangling from a cliff and need my help..." Twilight muttered, trying not to let herself crack a smile. In retrospect, it did seem rather funny that she didn't notice the gaping chasms on her first adventure or even think to simply levitate herself out of them. "Anyway, this really isn't making me feel any better. I'm still scared."
"Well, so was I!" Pennington rolled back over onto his stomach, somehow winding up closer to Twilight than he had been before, his side pressing against her. As the physical contact continued, making it obvious that he wasn't going to move away, Twilight felt something akin to electricity run through her. She didn't know why it seemed like such a big deal for him to be in such close proximity, she had never had problems with personal space before, but she found herself strangely enjoying the closeness of the stallion. "I had never been so scared in my life as I was when I stepped into the trees of Everfree!"
The trees were close and the vegetation was dense, forcing me to stay on the path that had been made the few other ponies that had come before me. Every sound, even the groaning of the trees in the breeze, made me nearly jump out of my skin. Alright... If anything attacks me, I drop my saddlebag and run for my life. I thought. For some reason, the cowardly plan made me feel better enough to continue walking. At the same time, though, the fact that I could die was easily put aside by the fact that I was there! I was in Everfree, alone! I was standing in a place most ponies never dared to go! The adrenaline was beginning to give me a heady feeling, as if I could simply float away if I let go of that fact of reality.
I had been walking for a while before I opened up the book again, reviewing what I had already read to be extra sure.
Step One: Identify your target's habitat.
Step Two: Find the place of residence.
Step Three: Find a place to observe from a distance.
Step Four: If possible, draw as close as possible for detailed study.
Well, I know that Ursas live in the Everfree forest, so here I am... I thought, glancing around at the trees to double-check my safety. And Silver Page told me that they're nocturnal and live in caves, so if there's one around here, I'll need to find a cave, and a big one! But, I can't see anything through these trees! I thought for a moment, once again checking my surroundings to find a solution. When the idea came to me, I slapped my hoof against my forehead, but it was too late. It was stuck to my brain like pine sap. "I know I'm going to regret this..."
Without giving myself time to debate it, I found the nearest tree with a branch that I could reach (Ironically, a tall pine tree.), and began to climb. It was hard work to pull myself up after the first few branches, but I kept going, occasionally moving from tree to tree to find a higher level. After about fifteen minutes of climbing, my head finally broke through the top of the canopy, allowing me a near-perfect view of the forest.
"Wow... It's beautiful!" I whispered. Emerald treetops seemed to stretch on forever like a huge carpet. Though I know that it held many darker secrets, it seemed like there was nothing but life there! Gone were the familiar houses and shops of Ponyville, and gone were the paved roads and designated places for things! There was nothing hoof-made, it was all wild beauty and splendor! Now that I could see it, the beauty and mystery of what I didn't know about this place seemed to grab me and pull me inside, making me want to go deeper and deeper and discover things that I had never seen before! Perhaps even things that no pony had seen in the entire world!
After a few minutes of staring out into the beauty, I finally remembered my first reason for climbing up to begin with. Just about a half-mile away, I could see a large cave rising up out of a hillside like the mouth of the earth itself, ready to swallow up anything that came inside. I couldn't help but feel attracted to the mystery of what could be inside, but I chose to first investigate in the way that the book had told me: from a distance.
I held onto the tree with one hoof and reached into my bag with the other, pulling out the binoculars that Silver Page had given me. Pointing myself in the direction of the cave, I raised them to my eyes, allowing myself to see into the mysterious cave. Inside, there was only darkness at first, but as my eyes grew used to it, I began to make out a faintly glowing shape. I watched with growing excitement as my first glimpse of an Ursa Major came into view.
It was huge: bigger than anything that I had ever seen! It must have been as tall as ten houses! It looked very different from any kind of bear that I had ever seen, with huge fangs sticking out from the bottom of its mouth and a pale coat that made it look as if it were made from starlight. It gave me shivers just to imagine what it could do if it became angry. The view, however, was snatched away in an instant as a strong gust of wind came out of nowhere, and I was forced to grab on to the tree with both hooves to stop from falling. I watched in horror as the binoculars slipped back down beneath the leaves of the trees. After a few seconds, I heard the sound of shattering glass, and I knew that the binoculars were gone.
And that's when a new idea came to me: one crazier than any that I'd had yet.
"No. Penny, tell me you didn't..." Twilight buried her face in her front legs again, refusing to believe what she knew she was about to hear.
"Well, I can't lie to you, Twilight." Pennington only grinned mischievously at her reaction. "I was pretty reckless as a colt. If I had an idea, it wouldn't let me rest until I had at least tried it..."
"Well, what if you had idea to see what poison tastes like? Or what breaking a bone feels like? What if you had an idea to try juggling chainsaws and puppies?" Twilight looked up at him with exasperation, obviously concerned for him, despite the fact that the ending of the story was sitting right next to her. "Pennington Inkwell, you need to promise me that you're going to learn where to draw the line with these crazy ideas!"
"Well, juggling is a lost art that I won't be uncovering any time soon, I've broken more than a few bones in my travels, and I have dabbled in developing an immunity to certain venoms and poisons before..." Pennington cringed as Twilight punched him on his front leg. "But I think that I understand your meaning. Twilight, I've never taken a risk that I knew wasn't worth it! The odds are always in my favor, I make sure of that."
His words, however, seemed to have no effect. Twilight couldn't explain why she felt so scared, but the thought of the unicorn that she had known for such a short time suddenly throwing away his life made her shiver and brought tears to her eyes. "And what if you find a risk worth dying for, Pennington? What then?"
"Well, if I found a risk that I thought was worth dying for..." Pennington seemed to become more somber, but continued to smile as he brushed a stray hair out of her face and ran his hoof around her ear and down her chin, finally lifting her head up to stare him in the eyes. "...then I would throw myself in front of the dune worm and save her."
Twilight could see something in his eyes that was different from before. Rather than a questioning search or some kind of desire, Pennington's lavender eyes seemed to be filled from within. She couldn't help but look down again, feeling slightly ashamed. "I told that I'm not worth dying for, Pennington."
"Twilight, I make up stories for a living, and that's a bad one." Pennington lifted her chin again, forcing her to look up. "You're definitely worth dying for. You're worth more than any pony in the world."
As Twilight looked into his eyes, she almost believed him. A feeling of peace settled over her, and she settled her head on his shoulder, her eyes drooping. "Well, you may be wrong, but you're believable. Go on, tell me the rest." As he chuckled, she could feel his voice reverberating through his chest and humming against her ear. For a moment, her mind flashed back to her days as a filly, when she would ask Shining Armor and her dad to read her stories before bed. She would sit in the same position, feeling her father's voice rumbling through his chest and into her head, as if the story were flowing straight into her brain from his heart.
"Well, I don't know... It's pretty reckless." Pennington teased, making Twilight grin as his voice tickled against her ear.
"I won't panic again, okay?" Twilight looked up at him with a childish grin. "No more interruptions! Please?"
"Well, if you really want to hear it..." Pennington pulled her closer against him, making her body tingle with unexplained excitement. "It's just getting to the really good part."
The cave was even bigger up close, and so was the Ursa. The entire cave was filled with the sound of the Ursa's snoring, making it sound as if there were a thunderstorm raging inside. It didn't seem to notice when I walked into the cave, edging my way around the corners of the cavern. As the massive creature moved up and down with each breath, I felt as if at any moment, it would wake up and just swallow me in one bite. The light-headed rush seemed to be bringing me to the brink of dizziness, now, and every detail around me stood out in stark contrast to find any sort of threat or noise. It felt as if sheer adrenaline were pumping through my veins as I edged my way around it, and I could smell its stinking breath with ease. It smelled like a dog's breath mixed with the sickly-sweet smell of rotting meat. I tried not to gag as I walked past its mouth, barely avoiding one of its massive teeth by pressing myself against the wall on my back legs. The hair of its fur was long and matted, and had obviously been treated to nothing but tongue-baths for years. The entire gargantuan creature was soundly asleep, and didn't move as I made my last few steps past it and into the cave.
"Woah..." I whispered as I looked around at the massive cavern. I wasn't worried about making noise, there was no way I could make myself heard over the Ursa's snoring. The cave was worth making some noise over, though. It looked as if the cave had once been occupied by a dragon. There were scorch marks and scratches on the walls, as if there had been a fight, but most of all, there was a huge pile of treasure in the back of the room, obviously untouched for several years. In spite of this, though, the entire mountain of gold and gems still glittered, casting dancing shadows on the back wall. The sight of the hoard was almost too much to believe, but it only became more real as I walked towards it. At the base of the pile, I picked up an object that had caught my eye: an arabian scimitar. The sword's blade was wide at the end and tapered as it neared the hilt. It was almost as long as I was tall, but after a few tries and a bit of straining, I had picked it up with my horn and levitated it into the air. As I watched it rise in the light, the blade shimmered and glistened, revealing a detailed engraving that covered the entire surface. Long and complex spirals and currents revealed themselves in the low light, boggling the mind that tried to follow them. The swriling patterns and mesmerizing etchings followed the flow and the curves of what appeared to be two separate metals that comprised the saber. One metal was a awe-inspiring silver: the color of moonlight. The other: a golden bronze that shone like the sun. The etchings ran through both colors with the grace of the wind and the flow of a river, not changing in the least that the metals transitioned from one to another. Each end was weighted differently, and the balance of the weapon required varying force along the edge to keep it aloft. As I toyed with it, though, and rocked it back and forth, it felt strangely comfortable. I began to swing it from side to side with growing confidence, and the sound of the still-razor-sharp edge cutting through the air brought images to my mind of epic battles and far-away lands where to fight was to live. The blade moved faster and faster from side to side as I pictured the champions of olden days, of civilizations loved and lost, and the battles that decided the fate of the world. The ideas that began to race through my mind as that sword raced through the air were so intriguing, so enchanting... I fell in love.
In that defining moment, I realized what I needed to do. I knew what my project would be.
And I had a lot of work to do.
"And so, with a final heaving lunge, the Ursa Major leapt through the fire and onto the dragon, crushing it with her sheer weight and both shattering bone and extinguishing flame! The dragon, battered and broken, begrudingly aknowledged its defeat and slunk out of the cave on all fours, dragging what was left of its tail behind it and abandoning its hoard. The Ursa had won the battle for a home, and she and her cub would finally grow together in peace. The only treasure that she had cared about was her own home, but she had won so much more: a treasure trove that would grow old with them, resting at the back of the cave until their dying days. The end!" I cheerfully looked out on the class as my story wound to a close. To my surprise, there were several mixed reactions. Several of the colts, such as Sure Shot, were leaned forward in their seats, drinking in every bit of imagery and violence like a pony in the middle of the desert. Some of the fillies, on the other hand, were recoiled in shock at the violence. The remainder of the fillies in the room seemed only to be thinking of the mother and cub, happily together in their new and hard-won home.
"And now, may I present, the proof! A priceless artifact, taken from the dragon's horde itself!" I looked up at Miss Cheerilee, who gave me a wink and a nod. With a single great exertion, I reached for the item beneath her desk with my magic and hefted the scimitar into the air, where it gleamed and filled the entire classroom with light. The patterns on the blade reflected onto the walls and the ceiling, creating a river of midday stars over the walls and ceiling. All of the ponies fell into awe, finally agreeing on one thing: the beauty of the sword. A chorus of "ooh!" and "Ahh!" rose up from the classmate, as if they were watching fireworks.
"Well, let's all thank Pennington for his entertaining story and wonderful illustration!" Cheerilee smiled as she picked up the sword out of the air and set it on top of her desk. "He has graciously agreed to let you all view his sword after class right here at my desk!"
Sure Shot gave me an enthusiastic hi-hoof as I returned to my desk. "That was amazing! How did you come up with that story, and where did you get that sick sword?"
"Well, I think that the story really happened..." I whispered, leaning in close to my friend. "I saw scorch marks and scratches in the cave where I found the sword out in the Everfree Forest."
"WHERE?" Sure Shot's jaw dropped. "You were really out there?"
"Well, where else do you think that I could get this?" My smile grew into a full-blown grin as I angled my flank towards him, revealing something new: a pair of scrolls unraveling behind an unmarked compass.
"No way! You got your cutie mark, too! Way to go!" Sure Shot gave me another hi-hoof, and the two of us refused to stop grinning through the rest of the class.
"And that, Twilight Sparkle, is how I got my cutie mark. I never thought about the danger, only the reward. I didn't think about what could happen as muc has what I wanted to happen. That is how I stood face-to-face with an Ursa Major, and that is how we are going to stand together in the changeling hive." Pennington reached down and ran his hoof through Twilight's hair, sending shivers down her spine and into her tail.
"So... I'm scared for my life, and your best advice is not to think about it?" Twilight looked up and chuckled. "You're a strange pony, Penny."
"Tell me something I don't know, Twilight." Pennington nuzzled the top of her head with his cheek.
"Whatever happened to the sword?"
"I keep it mounted on the wall in my study, where I can look at it while I work. It lights up the room every day when the sun and the moon rise." He leaned away, forcing Twilight to take her head off of his shoulder and sit up. "Now, about that favor..."
Twilight knew that she ought to be just a little scared, but she felt more playful as she wondered that the unpredictable pony would imagine up for her.
"First of all, I need a promise. This is my condition for you coming with me to the hive. If I tell you to run, you run. You run as far and as fast as you can." He grew solemn, staring her straight in the eyes and speaking with unfamiliar force and harshness. "If you don't promise me this, you're not coming. Victory or no victory."
Twilight rolled her eyes again, but nodded so that he would move on from the subject. It's not like I'm actually going to leave him behind. He's the whole reason I'm here!
"And for the favor..." His eyes and tone had softened again, forcing Twilight through another double-take. "Close your eyes, and don't panic."
Twilight nearly balked at the request, especially as she saw a childish glint in his eyes and smile, but she decided to trust the stallion. The world fell into darkness as she closed her eyes, and her other senses perked to a higher level as she tried to understand what the stallion was doing. She felt the weight on the bed shift as Pennington moved forward, forcing her to lean back to keep her balance. A moment later, she felt a strong hoof on her shoulder holding her still.
"If what happened in the arena meant anything..." Pennington's voice whispered in her ear, his breath gently tickling her. "Then allow me to prove it..."
What happened next took Twilight by complete surprise. She felt a light pressure on her lips and a burning warmth against them. There was only the lightest traces of moisture in the embrace, as if somepony had licked dry lips with a nervous dry mouth. It was easy for her to recognize the sensation, though. Pennington was kissing her. For a split second, she didn't know what to do. The kiss in the arena had been an accident, but this was deliberate.
And she liked it.
Finally, she took Pennington's advice to heart: she stopped thinking and began to act on what she wanted to happen, turning her head and leaning into the kiss, as well. It felt like an eternity as every one of her senses seemed to overload with the closeness that the two of them were sharing, but it was only a few seconds before she felt Pennington pull away. For a moment, she began to lean forward, trying to pursue what was ending.
As she finally caught herself and opened her eyes, Twilight looked at the pony in front of her. He was blushing intensely now, turning his face a deep lavender. Twilight felt her own face begin to burn, and she looked down as her normal composure returned. After a few seconds, Pennington finally cleared his throat and spoke.
"You know... Falling in love has the be the absolute worst thing that you could do before entering the changeling hive..." He silently pawed at the bed, as if unsure of what to do.
"Or, it could be the best. You never know what good having a partner can do for you when emotions are your greatest asset." Twilight's logic seemed somewhat sound, but it was an automatic response as her mind drifted elsewhere. Falling in love. He said "love." It seems like it's the only word that fits this feeling... But "love" is serious... Really serious.
"Well, we should probably get to bed before it gets too late..." Pennington seemed to be trying to put on a smile, but Twilight noticed his leg shivering as he stepped off of the bed. The pony took only small, hesitant steps as he walked to the door and reached for the handle. "We're off to an early start tomorrow..."
"Right! Right." Twilight nodded in agreement as she jumped off of the bed, doing her best not to let him see that she was shaking, too. She strode to the door in what she could only imagine as an awkward-looking walk somewhere between fake confidence and true hesitation. She stopped at the door, turning to face him again. She could still see that he was blushing, to he point of his face looking more like the color of her coat than her own. "I guess I'll see you in the morning, then... Goodnight, Penny."
"Good night, Twilight Sparkle." Pennington gave a shaky but polite bow as Twilight left the room, gently swinging the door shut behind her. She only walked a few steps before she began to hear Pennington again. He was laughing, slowly at first, then quickly escalating into whoops of joy.
"I did it! I- I can't believe that just happened! Woo-hoo!"
Pennington's celebrations made Twilight erupt into her own fit of giddy laughter that lasted until she had reached her room.
Dear Princess Celestia,
You will never believe what happened to me tonight...
[Author's note: PHEW! Finally got this done! I kept thinking that I had reached the ending, but Twilight just kept wanting to draw it out... Anyway, I hope that this makes up for my lack of updates, my loyal readers! I'm taking four concurrent classes in high school and I'm heavily involved in my extracurriculars, so that's why I've been lacking on the updates!
Regarding "Daughter of Chaos" : I'm going to finish it. BY CELESTIA'S BEARD, I SWEAR I AM GOING TO FINISH IT!!! (See, I'm so serious, I'm even using the Royal Canterlot Voice!) I'm just stuck with a bad case of writer's block.
So, that's all for now! (And at over 6,000 words in this chapter, that's a LOT!) Thank you for reading, and happy adventuring!
Morning came far too quickly for Twilight, mostly because it was Pennington's definition of "morning."
"Twilight! Are you ready to go?" Pennington's voice brimmed with excitement as he stepped through the door of her bedroom.
Twilight slowly cracked her eyes open. The only light in the room was coming from the open door. Aside from that, there were no signs of any need to wake up. Twilight always tried to rise with the sun, but if the truth were ever to be told, waking up before sunrise had always been nearly impossible for her.
"Goawway..." She mumbled, pulling her covers up over her eyes. "The sun's not even up yet..."
"And the moon has almost set!" Pennington's voice was closer now, showing that he had stepped into the room. "If we don't hurry, we're going to miss the Cliffjumper!"
"The what?"
"Sure Shot's ship! He's leaving at sunrise, and he's offered to give us a ride as close to the changeling hive as possible!" Pennington was drawing closer and closer, Twilight could tell. "He says that he's seen it only a half-mile into the Tigerous Forest. They probably don't go farther in to avoid the tigers..." As Pennington grew silent for a moment, Twilight found herself almost curious enough to open her eyes and see what he was up to.
"And we need to get going because he's already getting ready to go!" Pennington's voice hissed into her ear. He was obviously putting more air into the words than he needed to, producing a stream of air that tickled at Twilight's inner ear. As the sudden sensation came to a peak, Twilight laughed in curled up into a ball under the covers, finally wide awake.
"Ah! Pennington! Don't do that!" She giggled as she poked her head out again. "That tickles!"
"Well, you're up, aren't you?" Pennington replied smugly. "We're leaving in an hour, so pack your things..."
Twilight raised an eyebrow of confusion. "Penny, I don't have any things. I wasn't expecting a trip like this when I followed you onto the train..."
"Well, then I guess we have some time, don't we?" Pennington went to sit down on the bed, but Twilight quickly waved him away.
"No, I have to take a shower and get myself cleaned up!" Twilight laughed a little and levitated him towards the door. "I'm not going out looking like this." She felt her face flush as she realized that her mane was a mess and her eye felt as if they were bloodshot. Pennington's story had comforted her at the time, but the moment that she had slipped under the bedsheets, her fear had set back in, keeping her up for at least another two hours. Twilight was used to the occasional late night of study, though, and knew that she would soon be back up on her hooves as if nothing had happened. "It's bad enough that you're seeing me like this."
"I kinda like it! It's cute." Pennington grinned widely as Twilight rolled her eyes and lifted him out through the door. "It shows that you're not just some kind of always-perfect little angel or something..." Twilight began to blush even harder and quickly shut the door.
Pennington's been really... laying it on thick... ever since we decided to be open with one another. Her mind flashed back to the kiss the night before. It's a nice change, but I feel like I should be doing something in return... Are we officially a couple, now? She shook her head, wishing away the emotional fog that was beginning to sweep into her mind. "I need to clear my head."
"This is FANTASTIC!" Pennington cried in the morning air. He was standing on the deck of the Cliffjumper as the massive all-terrain vehicle sped through the sand dunes. The wind was blowing hard, pulling his mane straight back and against his scalp. He was standing with his hooves spread securely, keeping him stable as the wheels lifted them up into the air and landed them back down again like a bucking bull. He was standing without any kind of protection or harness, with only a pair of goggles to protect his eyes.
And, standing right next to him, was Sure Shot in the same position. "YEE-HAWWWW!"
Twilight was watching the two idiots from the cockpit, where Close Care was steering and Constant was navigating.
"Boys will be boys..." Constant shook her head and smiled as the ship ramped off of another hill, taking them into the air. "And they love their toys..."
"You might want to get your boyfriend inside before he hurts himself. Again." Close Care quipped as she looked out on the deck. "If he gets thrown out of the low-wind zone created by the bow, he's going to be blown away."
Twilight felt her face flush as she looked away from the sight of the two friends, whom she had been watching closely. "Oh, sorry! I don't think that he'll listen to me if I-"
"Twilight, she was actually talking to me..." Constant blushed as she looked up from her maps. "The last time that Sure Shot was out there while we were driving, he broke his wing." She walked past Twilight and to the nearby window, sticking her head out to call to him. "Sure Shot! Honey, get inside! You're going to break your wing again, and this time, I'm not going to fix it for you!"
"Aw, I ain't gonna do that again! I learned last time!" Sure Shot called out as the Cliffjumper ramped over another hill, flying into the air. As the massive ship leaped into the air, the three girls watched in horror as the two stallions floated into the air in a rare moment of zero-gravity. Twilight watched in horror as both stallions became airborne. Following pegasus instinct, Sure Shot flared open his wings. This unfortunately sent him flying backwards in the wind, crashing face-first into the window with a force that made Twilight cringe. The window seemed to be some kind of reinforced glass, refusing to break and instead gracing them all with the sight of the pony's face squished and distorted by the continued force of the wind.
"Sure Shot!" Constant cried out, running forward and using her horn to pry him off of the glass and pull him in through the open window. As the woozy pegasus was cleared away from the glass, Twilight felt a panic of her own swelling up.
Pennington was gone.
"Close, where's Pennington?" Twilight ran up next to the nurse at the helm, her eyes darting from one side of the main deck to the other. Hysteria began to rise uncontrollably in her chest, throwing her into a tizzy. Every empty inch of the deck screamed at her with a taunting cry of "He's gone! He's gone!"
"Did he- I think he fell off! Close, you have to stop!"
"Relax. He's fine." Close Care pointed calmly with her hoof. Twilight couldn't see what she was pointing at at first, but as she looked more closely, she spotted what appeared to be a rope tied to one of the harpoon guns, made from what looked to be Pennington's magical energy. Almost instantly, her eyes travelled up the rope's length to the end. Pennington was grasping the rope firmly with both hooves and his teeth and waving back and forth in the buffeting wind. After a few seconds, he began climbing back down the rope hoof over hoof. Twilight's body tensed in fear as she marvelled not only at the strength that it must have taken to do so, but the fact that he had materialized an object quickly enough to grab hold of the ship. She watched with a mix of awe and horrifying worry as he pulled himself the last few yards to make it back into the "low-wind zone," as Close Care had called it, and finally fell back to the main deck. After a few steps to regain his balance, he turned back around, sent a quick salute to the cockpit, and walked back into the safety of the ship's lower decks.
As the sense of panic passed, Twilight felt infuriation begin to well up again inside of her. "Why does he do things like that? It's foolhardy and dangerous! If he hadn't cast that spell in time, he could be who-knows-where by now!"
"Can't you see his cutie mark?" To Twilight's surprise, it was Sure Shot, whose head was being closely inspected by Constant, who spoke up. "He loves adventure. Risk is his bread and water. Doing dangerous things is a part of who he is, take it or leave it..." He shrugged and looked back up at Constant, and Twilight could finally see the looks that they exchanged as the same ones that she had seen ponies give each other on Hearts and Hooves Day. She couldn't help but wonder if Sure Shot may have crashed on purpose for the attention, but she decided not to ask. Instead, she nodded and walked out of the room to find Pennington.
The moment that she found the night-blue stallion, her first course of action was, of course, to give him a firm smack upside the head, nearly knocking his face into a nearby wall. "Don't scare me like that! I was worried sick about you!"
"You worry too much, Twilight!" was Pennington's reply as he turned around to face her. "I always have the situation under control."
"As if!" Twilight shouted, giving him another smack upside the head. "If you think that I'm going to believe that nearly getting blown away, thrown off the ship, and left in the middle of the desert is 'under control,' you've got another thing coming!" She paused for a moment, collecting her thoughts as the feelings of panic and fear came back to her. "Pennington Inkwell, if you make me think that I've lost you again, so help me, I will find a spell to stop you from ever leaving my side again! I will keep you on a leash if I have to!" As the emotions grew stronger and stronger in her chest, Twilight wrapped her forelegs around the stallion and held him close against her, taking comfort from the fact that he was there, warm and tangible. "I almost lost you to that stupid worm, I almost lost you when you tried to send me back to Ponyville, and I thought that I had lost you just now..." Twilight couldn't recall a time that she had placed emotion so high above acting rational, but she couldn't seem to help herself now: the flood gates had opened. "And I'm as sure as anything that I could lose you in the Changeling Hive..."
"But you won't." Pennington returned Twilight's hug, grasping her tightly. Twilight's eyes began to water with emotion as their bodies touched with a connection as solid as the fear that she was feeling. "That's not going to happen. I'll be back in Ponyville in no time, saying how I told you so and rubbing it in your face."
"It's not just about winding up back in Ponyville!" Twilight pulled herself away from him, grasping his shoulders at arm's length and staring straight into his questioning eyes. "I don't just worry about the end result, Penny! I worry about your being in danger! If you were hurt! If this 'adventure' left you beaten or injured, which it already has, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself! It's not just whether you come back or not, it's what happens to you along the way!"
Pennington's eyes widened at Twilight's words, as if he were surprised.
"Nopony ever told me that... All that really mattered to them was the fact that I made it back to tell my story..." He muttered, looking down at the floor.
Twilight stepped back in shock, shaking her head. "Nopony ever cared enough about you to even care if you were safe?"
"Oh, no! They cared! Of course they cared!" Pennington quickly looked back up, ready to defend his friends. "But you have to remember two things! One, it was Scorching Quill going on these crazy adventures, not me, remember? Everyone who hears the story is thinking of him, not me! Two, they care, but when I tell ponies about it, I'm already back. They already know the ending!"
Without warning, Twilight seized upon an idea. "But what about your mother? Your father? I doubt that they would be okay with you unnecessarily risking your life like this!"
"They... Don't know. As far as they're concerned, Scorching Quill is just a nice guy who bails me out when I need money for Inkwell Comissions..." Pennington's voice dropped low and he looked down at the ground in shame. "I couldn't bear to do that to them... My mom nearly had a heart attack when she found out how I had gotten my cutie mark, can you imagine if she knew that I was raiding tombs and outrunning booby traps for a rush and a living?"
I know secrets about him that not even his mother knows... Twilight found herself momentarily thrown into a stupor. Maybe I should just move on... he seems to be pretty guilty about it.
"But do you see, Pennington? Putting yourself in danger this way can't be good for anypony! Your looking for 'adventure' is going to get you hurt or even killed! I couldn't bear to let that happen, especially if I knew that I could have prevented it." Twilight walked back to the stallion, running a hoof down his spine. "All I want is your safety..."
"Danger is my middle name, my love, and my bread and butter!" Pennington slowly straightened, drawing on a new resolve. "Why can't you believe me, Twilight? Why can't you believe IN me? Why is that so hard for you? Yes, what I do is dangerous, but I do it because I love it!"
"Because- Because nothing is worth risking a life! Most of all your life!" Twilight stomped her hoof on the ground. "Your life is worth the world, Pennington Inkwell! You said that you would die for me? Well, I would rather watch the world fall to pieces than let you throw your life away!" She shook her head, calming herself before she became caught up in her own fear.
"I'll come with you to make sure that you're okay. I'll follow you to the changeling hive. But, I want to ask you one more time..." She considered her next words carefully, knowing that this was her last bid to stop him. Now is not the time for holding back...
"Penny, please come home. Pennington, will you please come back to Ponyville and stop this?" She stepped forward, pushing her head into the crook of his neck and inhaling deeply. As a burning warmth spread over her face as she exhaled, she felt shivers run through his body. She lifted up her head again, staring him straight in the eyes once more. "Will you do that? For me? That's all I want, is to see you safe at home."
For the first time, Pennington seemed to consider her plea. His eyes rolled up towards the ceiling, lingered for a moment, then rolled down to the floor. They flicked left, then right, rolled in circles a few times, then finally rose back up to make contact again.
"Twilight Sparkle, I'll make you a deal." Pennington smiled wryly, making Twilight cringe. "Now, now, you haven't heard me..."
"You say that you're sure that you'll lose me in there... but I know otherwise. So, I'll make you a wager. If we make it back to Ponyville alive and safe, you stop trying to hold me back. If I get back to Ponyville and I'm badly hurt or injured, then I swear on Daring Do's compass that I will stay there from now on. I stay at home with my quills and my scrolls, and no more 'crazy' and dangerous adventures." To illustrate his point, he turned to his cutie mark and crossed his hoof over it.
"You swear... 'on Daring Do's compass?'"
"Yes! The compass is the representation of the spirit of adventure!" Pennington's smile grew across his face as he became excited. "If you need a compass, that means that you're someplace unfamiliar to you: someplace new and exciting! You can use a compass to set out into the unknown, or to find your way home. Daring Do is me, Twilight, just in a form that nopony recognizes."
I swear, he talks about "adventure" like some ponies talk about religion... "Daring is a pegasus. And a girl." Twilight knew that her sarcasm killed his idealistic mood, but she couldn't help herself.
"Which is why her wings are always getting broken. Look, Twilight, this is my final offer. I'm putting myself, an integral part of who I am and what I do, perhaps even a piece of my very soul, on the line here. You can take it or leave it."
"But... Either way I lose." Twilight muttered. "Either you get hurt and I don't have to worry about it happening again, or I have to keep worrying about you and I can't do anything to fight it..."
"You're asking a lot, too, Twilight."
Twilight took a moment, thinking of long-term pros and cons vs. short-term and weighing her options.
"Fine. Deal." She held out her hoof, and the two ponies shook on it, sealing the agreement. "Besides, there's an upside to each one, too. One way, you get home safe, the other, you stay safe."
"Exactly! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have important things to do!" With a wink, he brushed past Twilight and began climbing a nearby ladder.
"Penny, that leads to the main deck!" Twilight shouted as he reached to open the hatch.
Pennington paused for a moment. "Well, it's a good thing you told me! I thought that I was going to wind up someplace boring!" With another wink, he began to push open the hatch once more.
"Hey, if you two lovebirds are done pretending to fight, I need you both up in the pilot's cockpit!" Sure Shot's voice crackled over a speaker mounted on the wall.
Pennington jumped down from the ladder and held down a button beneath the radio on the wall. "Sure Shot, were you eavesdropping on us?"
"It's my ship, I can use the two-way radio for whatever I like! Now come on up here, I need you both!" Sure Shot was lacking his usual joking tone, instead sounding very tense.
"Whatever. We're on our way..." Pennington rolled his eyes and took his hoof off of the button. "Well, that was slightly embarrassing."
"Only slightly..." Twilight replied, walking by him as they both headed down the hallway.
"Alright, what's the big reason you needed us here?" Pennington asked, mirroring Sure Shot's solemnity. "You honestly couldn't have come to get us?"
"We've arrived, Pennington." The army-green pegasus pointed out through the window to a wall of trees edging the desert. "The changeling hive is about a quarter-mile into that jungle."
As Twilight looked out the window, it did seem as if they were looking into a jungle. The forest was a definite line, with no transition between the sand dunes and the trees, shrubs, and vines.
"I'm not going any closer than this, it would endanger my crew and even the entire NLR if even one changeling snuck aboard." Sure Shot's eyes were locked on the forest, as if he were expecting a changeling to jump out of every shadow. Pennington seemed to be following suit, refusing to take his eyes away from the foliage. "Not to mention, not even the Cliffjumper can power through those trees without getting stuck."
"Your fears are commendable. The Cliffjumper is a priceless asset, and one well-placed and smart changeling can crumble an entire country..." Pennington replied. Though he seemed to be simply staring off into the trees, Twilight could see that every inch of his body was tensed and primed to spring at an instant.
He's starting to take this seriously...
"And as for you, Twilight, you have mail!" Sure Shot turned back around to the navigating table, leaving Pennington on his own. He picked up a scroll and passed it to her. "They threw it in with the mail for my crew. Seems to have come from Canterlot."
"Oh! I was expecting a letter from my brother!" Twilight quickly broke the wax seal and opened the scroll.
"Captain Armor?" Pennington turned around for a moment, suddenly interested, but reverted to his fascination with the forest after a matter of seconds.
"Yes! I wrote to him to ask about- ... something." Twilight quickly cut herself off, considering the fact that her statement of "I wrote to ask him about you!" would have incited more than a tad of distrust in Pennington. In reality, she had written a letter to her brother after hearing about Pennington's application and acceptance to be a Royal Night Guard. She had mentioned that they were travelling together outside of Equestria, his fights with the gang, and even his abilities in magic to generate solid objects, including armor.
She had left out their final destination and feelings for one another, not wanting to worry her brother, whom she knew had a lot to deal with.
Dear Twily,
I'm so glad to hear that you're finally getting out of those books and that library! A little travelling is just as beneficial to the mind as any book. I've heard that the Plains of Lore are very dangerous, but I can rest assured knowing that you're in safe hooves!
I don't have to look up any records to remember Pennington Inkwell, I'll tell you that much. His application and test results are still unmatched in many categories! He's a powerful ally and a dangerous enemy. I was the supervisor the day that he was evaluated, and he made all of the other ponies look bad... He ran farther and moved faster in the physical evaluation, outlasting all but a few of the best runners, and pinned his instructor in under ten seconds in hoof-to-hoof combat. When magic was introduced to the fight to try and pin him without effort, he literally exploded out of their hold! I gave him his armed combat evaluation, and I'd never seen a pony materialize his own weapons out of sheer magic before. He was especially skilled with the short sword used by the elite guard, and almost bested me with my broadshield. He tried to use a low sweeping blow to knock out my legs from underneath me, and I dropped my shield to block it. It bounced off oddly and wound up hitting his horn, a distraction that gave me the opening that I had needed to win.
As for his actual results, he was our highest ranked in almost every category of physical fitness. His psychiatric report states that he is "reckless, determined, eager to make an impression, and dedicated." He suffers from a pathological fear of paralysis, "rooted in a hatred of helplessness," that allows him to often come back on the brink of defeat. The final statement claimed that he was "a potent mix of traits indicating an individuality complex, borderline loose cannon," but cleared for duty as a Elite Royal Night Guard, personally guarding Princess Luna and Princess Celestia. The last thing that it says in his file is that he turned down our request for enlistment with a letter claiming that "the situation has changed."
I hope that helps because there isn't much else I can find, he kind of dropped off of our radar after that.
Love, Your Brother,
-Shining Armor
P.S. It says that, whatever you do, you should not shorten his name to "Penny." He considers it a personal insult.
"Twilight, I think that the time has come for us to say 'goodbye.'" Pennington finally turned away from the window and took a deep breath. "Things are going to get difficult from here on..."
"Pennington, we can't come back for y'all, but you throw up your signal again, the Cliffjumper will come running to help." Sure Shot extended a hoof towards Pennington, who took it with a solid grip. "And may I just say that, for the record, this is a bad idea?"
"Duly noted, old friend." Pennington finally smiled for the first time since they had arrived in the cockpit as he took is friend in a firm hug. "And one more thing. If worst comes to worst..." Twilight didn't hear the rest of his sentence because he leaned in to whisper. Sure Shot acknowledged his request with a nod, then turned to Twilight.
"If you need help, there's something that you'll need to know: an identification code. You heard it when we came to rescue you and Pennington from the dune worm, do you remember?"
Twilight's mind flashed back to the first night that she had met Sure Shot and the other members of the New Lunar Republic. "Something about 'Where the moon rises in these parts?'"
"Yes. You'll have to know the entire thing,so repeat after me: From where does the moon rise in these parts?"
"From where does the moon rise in these parts?"
"Where the sun falls, the moon shall always rise." Pennington spoke the next words, drawing Twilight's attention.
"Where the sun falls, the moon shall always rise." Twilight repeated, doing her best to commit the words to memory.
"And they will always be..."
"And they will always be..."
"In eternal rounds of harmony." Twilight remembered the last line, saying it in sync with Sure Shot. "Why am I going to need to know this if I'm going to be with Pennington?"
"You may not always be with me, Twilight..." Pennington replied. "As you said yourself, you could lose me in there, whether one of us is taken prisoner or just plain lost in the catacombs. If that happens, I want you to be able to find help for yourself." He thought for a moment, then smiled again. "Luckily, I have a compass on my own flank, so I never get lost!"
"Yeah, right." Sure Shot rolled his eyes, but didn't mention whatever instance had sprung to mind. "It's not as if you've ever gotten lost before..."
"Hey, that was one time!" Pennington laughed as some kind of inside joke came back to memory. "In a blizzard, mind you!"
"I nearly wound up a pegasicle!" Sure Shot didn't seem angry, as if the entire incident were funny in hindsight. "All for some stupid crystal relic that you just wound up giving to the Princess!"
"It wasn't stupid!" Pennington was beginning to sound like a colt. "It was a record of an entire lost empire locked away into a single shard!"
As the two of them continued to argue, Close and Constant Care both came up to Twilight. Constant immediately gave Twilight a hug.
"Take good care of Pennington, okay? Everypony here at the NLR really looks up to him..." Constant gave her a big, forlorn smile. "It's not going to be easy, but boys never are. Take it from me, Sure Shot may seem like he's all business when we're out on the dunes, but he's still a foal at heart, and so is Pennington. You've been good for him, though. I can already tell."
"And remember the healing magic that we taught you. You might need it in there." Close Care seemed to hesitate for a moment, then gave Twilight a quick hug. "That pony's a reckless moron if I ever saw one."
"Thanks, girls..." Twilight smiled and almost laughed. "By the way, what did Pennington do to become so important in the New Lunar Republic?"
"You mean you don't know? Everypony knows!" Constant was clearly shocked by the question. She looked from side to side, then leaned in closely to whisper to Twilight. "Scorching Quill was the one who-"
"Ladies, thank you for patching me up!" Pennington smiled as he unwittingly interrupted the conversation. "Hopefully, I won't be needing your help when I come back! It will mean that I lost a bet..." He gave Close a firm hoofshake, then gave Constant a hug. "Take good care of my buddy, okay? He's not as good at staying out of trouble as I am..."
Constant laughed, her attention drawn away from what she was about to tell Twilight. "Inky, nopony stays out of trouble like you!"
"Because you actively search for it. Honestly, trouble couldn't keep away from you if it tried!" Close finished her sister's statement with her own sarcasm and an exaggerated rolling of her eyes.
"Alright, Twilight, well, it's time to go!" Pennington trotted to the door to the main deck. "Are you coming or not?"
"Just a minute!" Twilight called back, "I just need to say one more thing to Constant!"
"Okay, I'll be waiting outside." Pennington rolled his eyes and stepped out the door. "I hate drawing out goodbyes..."
"So, what was it? What did Pennington do?" She asked, eagerly waiting for Constant's answer.
"What are you talking about?" Sure Shot asked, stepping into the conversation.
"She doesn't know why he' so important here in the NLR."
"And Constant was just about to tell me!"
"Oh, that's not for us to tell, it's his story!" Sure Shot shook his head. "You know as much as I do, Constant, that he would want to tell it himself!"
"Oh, come on!" Twilight whined, "Just tell me what he did! He can tell me the 'story'!"
"Sorry, Twilight, but I'm not going to let them ruin it for you." Sure Shot placed a firm foreleg around her shoulders and guided her to the door. "Spoilers are not allowed on my ship!"
"Aw, come on, Penny! Just tell me!" Twilight whined as the two of them walked through the underbrush. The forest was humid and dense, making what Sure Shot had claimed to be a "quarter mile" feel like ten miles. She had tried to ask Pennington for the secret of his position in the Republic at least a dozen times, now, but he was taking some kind of immature glee in knowing something that she didn't.
"Nope!"
"Well, why not?"
"Because it's my little secret!" He seemed to have lost the solemnity that he had acquired on the ship now that he was down and in the thick of things. He had formed a machete with a huge blade to chop through the plants and form a path out of his magical energy, a talent Twilight was beginning to want to learn.
"A secret that you can't even tell me?"
"Well, actually, yes. I was told by Princess Luna not to relate what had happened to anypony. It was supposed to be a secret..."
"But everypony in the Republic knows!"
"Because it's their job to know what projects and work has been done to help Luna, not because I told them!" Pennington stopped hacking through the vines and turned around. "If you're so curious, why don't you just send a letter to Celestia and ask her yourself?"
"Because I don't have anything to send it with!" Twilight rolled her eyes. "Besides, you can just tell me!"
"No, I can't!" With a few more slashes, Pennington finally broke through the final wall of vines and branches, revealing the changeling hive in all of its foreboding glory.
The changeling hive was quite possibly the most intimidating thing that Twilight had ever seen. It stood as a high, neon-green dome that was rippled into stories, arcing into the sky. The dome was translucent around the edges, showing it to be made of some kind of gelatinous substance, and there were several black shapes that Twilight recognized as changelings hovering around the outside. Two stood in front of a dark opening facing their direction, apparently guarding the door, and the dome seemed to bite into the ground below, making no reservations as it continued underneath the soil for what Twilight could only guess was several more stories.
It's bigger than the Wonderbolts' arena in Canterlot... She thought nervously as she silently gathered all of the remaining moisture in her mouth and forced it down her dry throat. She slowly retreated back into the foliage of the Tigerous Forest, where Pennington had set down his saddlebags and was reviewing their contents.
"Alright... Lucky thing that I grabbed two horn dimmers..." He muttered as he reached into the bag and pulled out two horn-sized black cones, one of which he tossed to Twilight. "Try it on."
Twilight eyed the cone curiously, then slipped it over her horn. It felt as if it were made from some kind of silky cloth, and it made her horn feel cool, as if she were standing in a cool breeze. Out of curiosity, she levitated a pair of the night vision goggles and was surprised to see that, while they still floated up into the air, they lacked her normal lavender aura.
"That's good, it's working." Pennington muttered as he lit a small portable stove and set a pot filled with water on top. With a simple levitation of his own, he unwrapped a package of ramen noodles and dropped them inside. "We'll both be needing them, considering that our horns don't glow green..."
"Are you seriously going to eat at a time like this? When we're about to risk our lives on a stupid thrill-seeking mission into enemy territory?"
"Ramen steadies my nerves." Pennington replied. "Besides, I sneak better on a full stomach, don't you?" As Twilight gave an exasperated sigh, he tossed a mess of black fabric towards her. "Try this on!"
Twilight unfolded the fabric to discover the black stealth suit that Pennington had bought in Canterlot. She gave him a skeptical look, but he was suddenly very involved in stirring the noodles in the pot. "Don't you only have one of these?"
"Well, I would guess that you need it more than I do." Pennington replied as he slipped on a pair of night vision goggles and turned to look at her. "Being more inexperienced and all..."
Twilight gave him yet another skeptical look, but decided against arguing the point. I guess he's right. She slipped her first leg into the black polyester, shivering as the smooth fabric slid across her fur and gripped her like a second skin.
"So, what's our plan? Even a pony as reckless as you has to have a plan..."
"I prefer 'adventurous,' but I do have a plan..." Pennington pulled off the goggles with a confident smirk. "So, essentially, we're spying on the spies. Now, the main problem with a community where no one is as they seem would be trust, correct? Either no one trusts anyone, or everyone trusts one another completely: something that could only exist in a Utopian society."
"You seem to have put some thought into this; I'm impressed." Twilight gave him a grin of her own as she fitted her second front leg into the corresponding sleeve. "Go on..."
"Well, our biggest problem to deal with, therefore, will either be complete openness inside, with no places to hide, or an overwhelming sense of paranoia and distrust, leaving them all on guard at all times. I would prefer the latter." He gently levitated a few strands of pasta from the pot and placed them in his mouth. After a couple thoughful chews, he began pouring in the pre-made package of spices. "Three more minutes..."
"What makes you say that?"
"The noodles are too firm."
"No, I mean about prefering the paranoia." Twilight held back a nervous giggle at how lightly he was taking all of this.
"Oh. Well, it's much easier to dodge paranoid ponies in a place worthy of paranoia than it is to stay inconspicuous in a society where doing so is in itself conspicuous." Pennington rattled off the logic as easily as Twilight could state a complex math equation.
"And how do you know that?"
Pennington gave Twilight a smug grin. "I understand ponies, Twilight. I can see how a thought process breaks down and how it will continue. It's a gift that writers have. You have to understand a mindset before you can convincingly write a character who lives in that mindset, from the bravest of heroes to the most dastardly of villains. Understanding is the key to skill." As Twilight finished pulling up the zipper on the back of the stealth suit, Pennington stood and began to pace around her.
"Are you sure that this is going to help?" Twilight asked, pulling at a spot where the fabric had bunched between her front leg and her torso. "My tail and my mane still aren't covered..." Indeed, while the majority of her body was covered in the black suit, her tail and mane were allowed to fly free, adding an unwanted splash of color.
"Normally, a pony would dye their mane and tail black if they were going to wear this for additional camouflage, but I think that the low light, your dark lavender will be just fine..." Pennington muttered as he tugged at the fabric and continued examining her. As he did, Twilight got the distinct impression that he wasn't just checking out the suit.
"You just want to see me in a tight outfit, don't you?"
"I think that we're ready to go." Pennington smiled, but ignored the question. He began walking to the opening in the treeline, picking up items as he went. He strapped a pair of night vision goggles to his head, and lowered his covered horn towards the hive.
"What about your soup?" Twilight asked as she put on her own pair of goggles.
"I turned down the flame with my magic, it'll still be warm when I get back!" Pennington gave her a wink, reached up and removed the horn dimmer. "Now then, I'm going to need to be precise here..."
Twilight watched as his horn began to glow. His expression became more concentrated as he looked out towards the hive. With a grunt of exertion, a small blast of magic jumped out and flew across the clearing, striking a guard in the air. Without a sound, the guard dropped like a rock, landing on the top of the dome with a small bounce. Twilight continued to watch as he angled his horn only slightly before firing again and again, knocking every one of the guards unconscious.
"It's a simple spell, one that I learned in Saddle Arabia." Pennington smiled and wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. "Knocks them out for a few hours. If anything, they're going to feel refreshed and rejuvenated when they wake up! Better off than we're going to be." He didn't wait for Twilight to reply as he trotted into the clearing with complete and utter confidence. "Come on! This is where the REAL adventure starts!"
Twilight's heart was ready to leap from her chest with fear, and she felt as if her stomach had jumped up to her throat when she tried to take her first step. I guess I'm past the point of no return, now. Follow Penny now, or wait to see if he comes back on his own...
"Oh, I know that I'm going to regret this!" Twilight said to herself as she jumped out into the open and galloped after Pennington.
When they entered the hive, a look of confusion crossed Pennington's face: they had entered a spacious room, and it was completely empty. There wasn't a changeling in sight. Twilight's expression mimicked Pennington's: sheer confusion. The room was dimly lit by green light shining in through the translucent dome, and the edges of the floor and walls were all shrouded in shadow. The floor itself seemed to be divided into sections by glowing red lines that stretched from side to side across the room.
"I don't understand, where are the changelings?" Twilight asked, looking around. She went to step forward, but a firm yank on her tail by Pennington stopped her short. "Ouch! What was that for?"
"Have you read ANY of my books?" Pennington hissed as he let go of her again. "This is obviously some other kind of defense! Don't you know an obvious booby trap when you see one?"
Twilight's mind unwillingly flashed back to the gruesome fates of many of the ponies in the Daring Do books who had failed to recognize a trap, and she nearly vomited as she realized that she had nearly become one of them. "T-Th-Thanks..."
"Don't thank me yet, we haven't gotten past it." Pennington placed a hoof to his chin in thought, then reached into his bag, finding a small stone. With a gentle toss, he threw the stone onto the glowing red line, then braced himself for some kind of impact.
Nothing happened.
With another moment of contemplation, Pennington sntached up the stone, then jumped a safe distance away from the line.
Nothing happened.
"Pennington... If you write the Daring Do books about your own adventures... what about the ponies who get killed in those books?"
Pennington paused as he was about to throw again, and gave her a strangely relaxed smile. "I always travel alone when I'm in a place that may have traps, Twilight. That was a case of taking creative liberty. You're the first pony I've had come with me into the belly of the beast."
At this, Twilight wasn't sure whether she should be scared or relieved. She cringed as Pennington threw the stone again, this time landing in the space past the line, barcing herself for anything.
Nothing happened.
"Hm... Well, maybe they're decorative or symbolic?" Pennington nervously chuckled. "Just in case... Stand back." Before Twilight could object, he had jumped into the air, landing on the other side of the line. Twilight held back a scream of terror as Pennington landed firmly on the ground, placing himself straight in the line of fire for some kind of hideous demise.
Nothing happened.
"I feel kinda funny... Must be the nerves." Pennington muttered. "Come on, Twilight! It's safe!"
"Are you sure?" Twilight still was glancing from side to side, expecting a trap to be activated.
"Yeah, pretty sure!" Pennington's smile seemed to be slipping away as Twilight stepped over the line. "It's completely and utterly safe... Nothing here. No adventure, no excitement... Just like my life." His head began to droop and his shoulders sagged.
When Twilight stepped into the area with him, she felt like a shadow had settled over her heart. She hated to see Pennington sad, it was almost pitiful. In fact, it was pitiful. The whole situation was pitiful. She had followed this thrill-seeker all the way out of Equestria, had faced horrifying odds, and was placing her life on the line, all for some stupid little crush. I really am pathetic if I would go through all of this for the attention of one stallion...
Wait, what? A sudden realization momentarily snapped her out of her unexplained depression. Why am I thinking like that? Why am I so sad all at once? She looked up from the spot on the ground that she had focused on and noticed that something had changed: the red lines were growing brighter.
"Of course! Changelings feed on emotion! Pennington, their security system is an emotion trap! Come on, we have to get out of here!" Grabbing him by the tail, she dragged him across the red lines and into the next area, which was slightly larger.
As soon as he had left, Pennington snapped out of his depressed reviere. "Of course! Twilight, you're a genius! That has to be it!" His expression darkened, though, in a matter of seconds. "You're right... Why are you always right?" His brow furrowed in a sudden fit of anger. "You always think you're right, too! You're so cocky about how smart you are!"
Twilight felt a spark of anger burst into flame in her chest. "Well, at least I think at all! You just run headfirst into danger! It makes me sick how reckless you are!"
"Well, at least I get something done! If you had your way, I'd be sitting back in boring old Ponyville, sipping ramen out of a plastic safety cup!" Pennington rose to his hooves, glaring at her with a look of sheer loathing. "And you would still be in your little library, with your little dragon, and your little books! This is what I get for taking a librarian on an adventure: nothing but constant whining!"
At the "librarian" comment, Twilight gave in to the urge to slap Pennington, leaping forward in a fierce attack. As she jumped forward, Pennington jumped backwards and over the next red line. When she followed, Twilight felt her rage melt away. When she had stopped attacking, Pennington gave her a smug grin and dusted himself off.
"Well, I think that we just passed the 'rage' sector. What's next?"
"You mean, we weren't really mad at each other?" Twilight shook her head as the last cloudy wisps faded away from her mind.
"Yep." Pennington began to slowly walk towards the next line. "When I realized that this place was going to be messing with our emotions, I realized that it's like a sand trap on a golf course: it's trying to slow us down or even stop us. Our best chance..." He paused to let out a long yawn. "...is to try to keep each other..." His slow walk came to a grinding halt as he neared the next line. "...moving." He yawned again and lowered himself slowly to the floor. "You know, this place's ambient light is really... relaxing. Maybe it's time to take a break."
Just watching him was beginning to make Twilight lethargic. She let out a long yawn of her own as her eyelids began to droop. "I was up pretty late last night... A break sounds like a good idea." She began to lay down on the floor when a shocking realization snapped her back into wakefulness. "Penny! This is the trap again! If we go to sleep here, we're not going to wake up until we're discovered!"
"Mmph... Twilight, I don't want to get up... I REALLY don't want to get up..." Pennington mumbled, refusing to open his eyes.
"Heroic Adventurer," my hoof! He can't even get past one measly little- Twilight's thoughts were cut off as she came to the realization that her legs were beginning to fall asleep. The familiar pins-and-needles sensation was traveling up from the ground and into her body. She struggled to stand, unable to feel anything below her knees. "It's some kind of tranquilizer, too!" She hesitantly stepped forward, looking at her hooves to make sure that they had touched the ground before she lifted up her next one. Her eyelids began to droop again as she walked forward, and her tiredness evolved to sheer exhaustion. "I-I think it's growing stronger..." She yawned loudly, then took another few steps before yawning again. "As we get closer to the end..." Pennington was only snoring in response to her now. "And you're almost over the line..." Twilight groaned with effort as she tried to use her magic. She couldn't be entirely sure, since the horn dimmer made her signature glow invisible, but she exerted all of the effort that she could spare to lift Pennington up and over the red line. With a contented smile, she watched him float up into the air and hover across the line. With a relieved sigh, she released her hold on him, allowing him to fall to the ground.
"Hey! WHOAH!" Pennington scrambled for a moment on the ground, then immediately jumped to his hooves. "I'm awake! I'm awake!" His eyes were wide and darted from side to side. "Twilight?"
"Over here. You're going to have to levitate me across..." Twilight mumbled as her legs gave way again, allowing her to lay on the ground. Her fears were eased as Pennington's magic wrapped around her and floated her across the red line. As soon as Twilight was in the next area, her strength and energy began to come back in waves. When he set her down, Twilight stumbled on unsteady legs. With a yelp, she fell to the side, bumping into Pennington. To her surprise, the stallion held steady, putting a gentle foreleg around her shoulders as she leaned on him.
"Thank you, Twilight. If you hadn't been there, I wouldn't have gotten out..." Pennington whispered as he slowly guided her forward, taking them across the final section.
"Don't mention it. You got me out of there, too." Twilight blushed, but didn't pull away from the embrace, instead leaning her head on his shoulder. He was warm, warmer than the air in the hive, forcing Twilight to the realization that she had gotten cold in the chilly dome. The two of them walked across the final area in relative peace, bringing Twilight to nervous bewilderment. "I don't get it, this place doesn't seem to be affecting us..."
"Well, we had better stay on guard, you never know when-"
Click...
Without warning, Twilight found herself thrown forward, up and over the line. With a yelp of panic, she stumbled, pin wheeled her front hooves, and landed face-first on the floor. She didn't have time to think about her own injury, however, as a loud crashing sound rattled behind her. Still panicking, she scrambled back into a standing position and spun around, trying to find the source of the noise.
Two pendulum-like panels, both sporting deadly-looking spikes, had swung down from the ceiling and collided where she and Pennington had been standing. The two sets of impalement devices all struck in different places, creating a scatter plot-like assortment that would never miss a vital organ. The sight of several skulls, some animals, some ponies, hanging on them like trophies sent shivers and chills down Twilight's spine. "P-Penny?"
"I'm fine!" Pennington's dark-blue body emerged from the other side, standing to the left of the demonic device. "Well played, I must say! Very nice use of psychology! The moment a pony thinks that they have the system figured out, and they're feeling smug about getting through the last section... WHAM! Dead in ten seconds or less!" Pennington chuckled while he continued looking at the trap as if it were a work of art. "I have to hand it to the changelings, this one was devious..."
"Are you... admiring this death machine?" Twilight blinked in disbelief at his reaction.
"Well... I... Umm..." Pennington looked playfully guilty as he hopped over the pressure plate and over to Twilight's side of the line. "Of course I am! I've seen plenty of traps in my time, and the simplest ones usually prove themselves to be the best, but this may be an exception to the rule!"
"Pennington, if we make it out of this alive... I'm going to take you to a psychiatrist. A professional one." Twilight shook her head in despair and began to quietly walk again, nearing a pair of large double doors.
"You say that as if ponies haven't tried it before." Pennington laughed again, took one last look at the death trap, then trotted after Twilight. "It didn't work."
The double doors were the true entrance to the changeling hive, and Pennington's glee from the trap quickly wore off after entering the populated area.
"You follow my every step. Walk were I walk, run where I run, and jump where I jump. Got it?" Pennington had asked her. She had only nodded in agreement.
"And what happens if we get caught?"
"Bolt back here for the entrance. We run, we jump, we blow stuff up. Create chaos and disappear in the confusion."
With these words of inspiration, they entered what was probably the most dangerous situation Twilight had ever been in.
In the hive, Pennington was proven to be correct: no one seemed friendly or genial with one another. the air was filled with tension, and Twilight even saw the occasional fight breaking out between changelings. There were plenty of shadows and objects to hide behind, and it was these that Pennington used to their full potential. On occasion. he would wait anywhere from seconds to a few minutes for an opportunity to move without being seen. Twilight was astounded at the suddenness of both his motions and his stillness. He would easily run and leap from one hiding spot to another, but any time that he was trying to hide, he would become a statue, unmoving. Twilight had to wonder at times if he was even breathing during these frozen periods.
Their first close call came only minutes after they had entered the main hive. Twilight and Pennington were both hiding together behind a small building that Twilight could only assume was meant for storage. Pennington was taking slow, deep breaths that Twilight was doing her best to mimic. The fear clenching at her heart, however, made her breath occasionally stop and come in a ragged inhalation that she barely managed to keep quiet. Between the two of them, almost no sound was being made. What little sound came from their breathing was covered by the small chatter of conversations and hooves on the ground coming from the changelings all around them. Pennington, though tense, moved fluidly through the motion of stepping forward, leaning beyond the edge of the corner, and leaning back again.
"I'm going for it. Don't follow yet." He whispered to her with a smile. The smile helped Twilight to feel a little more secure, but the comfort lasted only a moment as Pennington peeked around the corner again, nodded, and then leaped out into clear view. Twilight's heart came to a stop while he made a dash across the open area, trying to balance between moving quickly and clattering his hooves against the ground. Twilight's teeth were gritted in worry as he made the last few steps and took a leap of faith to his destination: a dark alleyway between what looked to be two changeling dwellings. Twilight hesitated to call them homes, since their designs looked only large enough for a few bedrooms. Probably barracks... Are the Changelings a military nation? Twilight was beginning to understand what life was like here in the hive, bit by bit, but her thoughts were interrupted by an unexpected noise. As Pennington had leaped into the shadows, he had rolled on the landing. This roll, however, had sent him headfirst into the wall, which had been closer than he must have been expecting. With a loud grunt, Pennington came to a sudden stop.
To Twilight, this grunt seemed like the only noise in the entire hive, and she heard it with crystal clarity. Her eyes flew wide as she saw a pair of changelings perk up from nearby and begin to walk towards the shadows. Twilight nearly screamed as she watched them squint into the darkness. With almost no effort, she used her magic to push down the night vision goggles, looking for herself to discover what had happened to Pennington. As the world made the small change from filtered green light to night vision, the alleyway opened up its secrets to Twilight. She could see the changelings, both now lighting their horns to see, a large metal trash bin, and Pennington's tail... Disappearing into the wall. She shook her head in confusion, trying to understand what the stallion had done. She knew that he couldn't teleport, that was one reason that he hadn't lasted long against the dune worm, invisibility spells were something that she hadn't even managed to master herself, along with intangibility spells.
"Hey! What are you two doing over there?" A gruff voice called out, drawing the attention of the two changelings investigating the alley. A third changeling emerged from one of the barracks, with a slightly larger build than the other two.
"Just investigating some strange noises." One of the changelings replied, slinking his way back out of the shadows, followed by his friend soon after. "We thought that there might be an intruder."
"Hmmph! Yeah, right." The newcomer rolled his eyes. "I know you've had a grudge against me ever since I beat you in that fight, Scorn. You were sabotaging my quarters just before inspections! Now, get a move on, both of you!" With a jerk of his head, they both walked away, muttering incoherently under their breaths. After a couple minutes of inspection, the third changeling left, as well, leaving Twilight in a near-panicked state.
The lavender unicorn looked at the strange place around her, not enjoying at all the feeling of being a complete and total stranger to her surroundings. Okay, Pennington wasn't caught... But we're separated, now! Do I move on my own? If I stay here on my own, then I risk being caught! If I try moving on my own, I'll be hopelessly lost! I cant get back through the front door on my own, that trap would catch me like a fly in honey! If I get caught, I'm as good as dead! Oh, I don't know what to do!
"Penny... Where are you?" Twilight whispered under her breath, feeling as if she were on the brink of a heart attack. Almost in reply to her question, Twilight caught a glimpse of movement at the back of the alleyway. Straining to see with the goggles, Twilight immediately focused all of her panicked attention to the alleyway again. First a hoof, then a leg, then a familiar head all pushed their way out from the wall again, covered in ooze and gasping for air. He took a moment to re-examine his surroundings, looked back to Twilight with his cocky grin, and motioned for her to come. Counting on the horn dimmer, Twilight took a deep breath to calm her nerves as best she could, then summoned her energy to a point that teleported her to Pennington. To her glee, it seemed that the horn dimmer even eliminated the signature flash of a teleportation.
"Twilight! You're not going to believe this!" Pennington hissed, not even taking the time to greet her. This insensitive reuniting, however, was well-avenged by Twilight's hoof. Without waiting for his excuse, Twilight slammed her hoof down onto the crown of his head, nearly knocking him over.
"You IDIOT!" Twilight whispered as loudly as she dared. "How could you leave me like that? I nearly died of fright!" As her hoof rebounded from the impact, Twilight was disgusted to find that some of the slime that had coated Pennington's body was smeared on the sleeve of her stealth outfit. She did her best to wipe it off, and realized that it was already drying quickly.
"Well, I had to avoid being seen, didn't I?" Pennington spat his words as he tried to hold back a cry of pain and lifted a hoof to the rapidly forming lump on his skull. "And, I was just about to show you how! Look at this!" He walked carefully back to the wall. Pulling a hoof back, he punched the wall. He cringed as his hoof hit the wall with a resounding thud.
"And what was that supposed to prove?" Twilight groaned.
"Wait for it..." Pennington smiled through the pain as his hoof began to sink into the wall. "The walls are made of a non-conformity liquid! Solid when sudden force is applied, viscous when constant force is given! It's coated in a waxy substance to prevent any kind of leakage, but it's possible to move through it. I'm guessing that it's some kind of sanitary organic byproduct created in the same style as beeswax."
"So... You're covered in a changeling's-"
"Sanitary. Organic. Byproduct." Pennington's tone fell flat as he walked past her.
Twilight only giggled, feeling a huge portion of the tension melt away with Pennington's humiliation.
The hours passed quickly from there, seemingly moving in pace with Twilight's racing heartbeat. Finally, when her yawning nearly gave them away, Pennington made the call for their day to come to a close.
"So... We're headed back to the entrance?" Twilight asked with a tired smile.
"What? No!" Pennington looked around, then ran to another nearby storage building. He silently pulled the door open, peeked inside, then motioned for Twilight to follow. Rolling her eyes, Twilight summoned the energy one last time to teleport, appearing next to him in the small shed. As he shut the door, they were both plunged into darkness. Twilight pulled down the goggles again, and the world sprang to light again. Pennington, his fur and mane now caked in the dried "sanitary organic byproduct." He had tried walking through walls several more times over the day, but never finding the "shortcut" that he had been looking for. He openly admitted that he probably wouldn't have known one if he saw it, and doubted that there would be one leading to "the core of the hive."
Now, he walked back behind what appeared to be several large drums for storing some kind of liquid. Twilight wasn't even surprised when she saw him lay down on the ground behind the drums and settle himself with a foil-like blanket that he pulled out of his bag. He looked up at Twilight with a questioning glance, eyes gleaming in the artificial light of the goggles.
"Well, are you going to sleep?" He whispered, motioning to a larger space next to him. "There's enough room behind these barrels to both hide us and provide a place to sleep."
"You have to be kidding me..." She muttered as she allowed herself to settle to the cold ground. She took only a few moments to find his second blanket and drape it over herself. "We're seriously sleeping on the floor of a storage shed? In the middle of the changeling hive? Like a slumber party mixed with a deadly game of hide-and-seek?"
"Now you're starting to understand my life..." Pennington mumbled, already sounding drowsy. "Fun, right?"
"No! Terrifying." Twilight worked in one last argument before allowing him to go to sleep.
Twilight was woken up by the sound of harsh breathing in the room. In less than a second, she was wide awake and up on her hooves, eyes glaring into the darkness to spot their intruder. She didn't even notice the fact that her eyes had naturally adjusted to the darkness until she saw the goggles laying on the floor. There was not new intruder, however. Just her, the barrels, and... Pennington.
You realize that you're completely paralyzed, a prisoner in your own body... Pennington's words, from so long ago in the hotel, came rushing back to her mind as she looked down to her travelling companion. Your breathing is meant for the smaller and slower needs of a comatose body, not the pounding heart in your chest, and the air comes in shorter and shorter bursts.
Pennington's sides were jumping up and down with the sound of the breathing, making it clear that the sound was his own. Twilight turned his body over, trying to get a clear look at him.
"Penny? Penny, wake up! Pennington!" She watched in horror as his head turned with the rest of his body. His eyes were wide open and flicking desperately from side to side, but didn't seem to see her, still caught up in whatever nightmare he was having. Twilight gently but firmly punched him in the arm, trying to snap him into wakefulness. Her hoof met only dead flesh, with no recoil and no reaction. Pennington's breathing was shuddering and rasping, and Twilight hesitated to try to wake him up by hitting him any harder. "Pennington! Wake UP! You're having a bad dream! It's not real!"
You simply want to breathe, to take long gulps of life-giving air... But you're no longer in control...
"I'm sorry, Penny... But I know that this would be worth it for you..." She muttered, cradling his head in her lap. In a last effort, she raised her hoof and slapped him across the face, trying avoid hitting anything more than his cheek.
Nothing. Pennington made no reaction, simply continuing his ragged and shallow breathing and laying limply on the floor. Twilight, beginning to panic, felt completely helpless. All that she could do was cradle his head in her lap, steadying him with her front hooves. She felt a very strong protective instinct for Pennington in this moment, one that almost completely overwhelmed her other emotions for the moment. It hurt her more than she could have imagined it would have to see the once-proud adventurer stricken down to something so delicate.
"I don't want to see you suffer, Penny... That's why I worry so much. I don't want to see you suffer." She whispered, trying to calm him by running her hoof along his cheek.
Without warning, Pennington sprang to life. In a blur, he jumped out of Twilight's gentle grip in a violent explosion of legs. When he was up an on his hooves, he began running in place and shaking his head, all the while gasping for breath, as if air were a delicious luxury. His entire body seemed to be out of kilter, making his movements look more like sudden spasms and occasionally sending a squirm rolling down from his head to his tail.
"I-I'm alive! I'm awake... I'm awake." He spoke at a normal speaking level, but in the stillness of the night, it may as well have been shouting. As he talked to himself, he finally slowed to a stop, merely standing and taking deep breaths.
"What was it? What did you dream about?" Twilight asked quietly as she walked up alongside him. Her tone was soft and reassuring, trying to calm him down.
For the first time, Pennington seemed to remember that Twilight was even there. When he turned to face her, Twilight saw that panic lingered in his eyes, which were as wide as saucers. Like a foal who had just woken up from his first nightmare, he was screaming for help, and his fear seemed to just barely be restrained. Without waiting for his answer, Twilight stepped forward, wrapping her forelegs around Pennington in a protective hug. Pennington returned the warm embrace, pulling her tightly against him.
"I died, Twilight... I died again." Twilight felt a warm wetness on her check, showing that Pennington had stopped trying to fight his fear. "I was out in the forest, trying to get a little exercise, when I fell from a high branch and broke my neck. Something was wrong, though. When I died, I didn't leave my body! I was still awake, and I was trapped... A couple of ponies found my body and checked for a pulse. When they decided that I was dead, they dug me a grave and tossed me inside. I wanted to scream, to tell them that I was still alive, but I couldn't even take a breath or form the words..." Twilight felt a shiver run through his body as his hug grew tighter, like a colt gripping his teddy bear. She didn't mind the pressure, though, because she was finally doing what she had been trying so hard to do only a minute before: providing comfort to him when he truly needed it.
"The grave was unmarked, and when they threw me into it, they didn't just bury me with soil... They threw rocks in. Heavy rocks. Every time one fell on me, I could feel it, in spite of the fact that I was dead. After a few minutes, I was completely crushed, bones and all, and all that I could do was scream in my own brain and wait for the worms to come." At this point, Pennington finally broke out of the hug, holding Twilight's shoulders at length and staring into her eyes with his own, reddened from the tears. Somehow, the terrified stallion smiled at her.
"And that was where I heard it! A voice like thunder. It seemed like it was coming from everywhere at once, and yelled at me, 'Scorching Quill, awaken!' And then I was here, awake and alive." Once again, he pulled Twilight into a warm bear hug, pulling her against his warm body. "Here with you..."
Twilight smiled and returned the hug. She had been expecting the voice to be hers, since she had been talking to him while he was asleep, but it obviously hadn't. The fact that waking up where she was had meant so much to him, though, made Twilight feel more appreciated than she had... in as long as she could remember. Somehow, even the celebration of defeating Discord didn't seem to mean as much as this tender moment in the dark.
"Twilight?" When he spoke, Twilight noticed that Pennington's voice sent humming vibrations through both of their bodies. She hadn't noticed it until now, when his breathing had slowed to a normal pace.
"Yes?"
"This is probably just a formality by now, but I want to ask you something."
"Go ahead."
"Well, now that you've seen what my life is like... and we've been through so much together by now... I want to ask..." Twilight could feel him tense a little and shift uncomfortably, then he broke away from the hug. To her surprise, the stallion who had fearlessly walked into life-threatening situations time and time again was looking nervously at the ground, the walls, and the ceiling, basically trying to avoid looking at her. He was nervous, and speaking in smaller and smaller groups of words.
"Would you... want to be... my girlfriend?" The moment that the words were out, Pennington focused his eyes on his own hooves, as if ashamed of himself.
The question completely broadsided Twilight, who hadn't really been expecting such a question. She had always seen Pennington as an introvert, even when he had proven himself otherwise outside of Ponyville. Even the romance that had been growing between them had seemed like just another part of the "adventure" until now.
But what I just saw was genuine. It was real, it was here, and it was... she smiled as, for the first time, she finally confirmed the intangible in her own mind, and emotion solidified to fact. And it was love. Pennington is totally insane, utterly reckless, always keeps some kind of secret up his sleeve, and... for some reason, I love all of that. I love him, too...
I love Pennington Inkwell.
The fact didn't strike her the way that most epiphanies did, with a sudden flickering on of a light bulb, but rather like a puzzle piece, finally slipping into place.
"Y-you don't need to say yes! I'll make sure that we get out of here either way... I'm not trying to pressure you by asking while we're here in the changeling-"
"Yes, Pennington." Twilight smiled, trying to stop herself from giggling at how cute the stallion was when he was nervous.
Pennington snapped to attention and looked up at Twilight with eyes full of hope. "Wait, did you mean, 'Yes,' I'm pressuring you, or, 'Yes,' you want to be my girlfriend?"
Twilight rolled her eyes and gave him a smug grin. Following her instincts, she took a step forward, bringing her face only inches from Pennington's.
"Yes, I'll be your girlfriend. Would you care to seal the deal?" Twilight appeared calm, but her heart was racing. She had kissed Pennington of course, before, but every time felt like the first time again. It was something that had never diminished in its thrill.
The second meaning seemed to escape Pennington for a moment, and his face lit up with joy after processing what had happened for a moment. "Well, I would suppose that it wouldn't be official if we didn't seal the deal, now would it?"
Twilight smiled, glad that his slightly twisted sense of humor had returned. She closed her eyes and slowly leaned forward, expecting to meet Pennington's lips with her own. Instead, she met only empty air. As she opened her eyes in confusion, Pennington wasn't in the same place anymore.
When she opened her eyes, Pennington was up on his hooves in a stance similar to a guard dog ready to attack, staring at the door to the shed with an intense glare. He was taking very slow, deliberate, deep breaths, and energy was beginning to flow off of his horn and around his body in a white mist.
"Penny, what's wrong?" Twilight didn't try to hide her disappointment as the moment was ruined.
"Twilight, listen. What do you hear?" Pennington whispered as the mist solidified into a glowing set of armor and a floating scimitar.
Twilight suddenly felt herself coming to her senses as she remembered where the actually were. She closed her eyes, focusing on her sense of sound.
"Penny, I don't hear anything. It's silent, we can relax."
"Again, Twilight, you need to stop thinking that the Daring Do books are simple, unrealistic works of total fiction." He hissed, eyes darting from side to side in paranoia. "Daring Do and the Dangerous Descent into the Dragon's Den... What tells Daring that Ahuizotl has chased her to a booby-trapped room?"
"She... doesn't hear him chasing her any more." Twilight shook her head in confusion. "No one is chasing us, Pennington! Look, stand guard all night if it makes you feel better, but-"
"The changelings are always working!" Pennington cut her off, his tone becoming increasingly urgent. "It's like they take shifts for life! 24 hours a day, seven days a week... except now." When he turned back to her, Twilight saw both fear and rebellion in his eyes. "We've been discovered, Twilight, and they're getting ready for a fight!"
Twilight was about to blow off his warning and try to go back to sleep, but a chorus of laughter from outside stopped her cold.
"Twi, do you remember what I told you about being afraid?"
Twilight began taking deep and sudden breaths as she scrambled to her hooves and ran to Pennington. She clung to his side, suddenly more afraid than she had been in her entire life.
"You should only be afraid of the immediate danger..." Pennington's horn emanated more mist as he ripped off the horn dimmer and threw it to the ground. "And never let that fear stop you from taking action."
Twilight nodded, trying to focus on getting her breathing under control. As the mist formed a cloud around her, as well, Twilight felt a gentle pressure against her body. She looked down at herself and was surprised to see the stealth suit that she had been wearing was beginning to glow.
"Pennington, what are you doing?"
"Well, making armor is easier with a physical base to work from, if you know what I mean..." He whispered.
After a few seconds, Twilight did. The smooth fabric seemed to disappear from where it wasn't needed as the mist formed unfamiliar shapes and solidified. By the time that the process was complete, she was no longer wearing a stealth suit, but instead a set of armor similar to Pennington's. She had protective braces on her forelegs, completely smooth and blank, with only the exception of two hooks near the ends that looped out in the same way that several of Pennington's did. As she turned to continue looking at herself, she noticed that she had plated armor around her neck and sides that overlapped and moved with her. There was a similar set of braces protecting her flanks and the backs of her rear legs. The entire set of armor was topped by a helmet in a style similar to the one that she had seen Nightmare Moon wear, with her mane flowing out of the back. The ensemble glowed a light blue, and Twilight could feel the raw energy that made up the solid objects pulsating within their solid barriers.
"Thank you..." She whispered in return, as she noticed that Pennington was breathing heavily.
"Don't... Mention it..." He muttered, trying not to show the effort that it had taken. Despite that, Twilight could see that it had taken a lot out of him, and even the armor that he was wearing seemed to be glowing more faintly. "Twilight, you're going to have to run, now. Run fast and run far, got it?"
"What? And leave you? Never." Twilight tried to touch her horn to his to give him a small portion of her own energy, but he turned away. "Pennington, I'm not going to abandon you!" She tried again, this time pulling his head towards hers with magic. With a spark of light, Twilight felt some of her magical energy flowing from her and into Pennington.
"Twilight, you made me a promise that when I told you to run, you would!" Pennington hissed, growing desperate.
"Well, I-I... I lied!" Twilight shook her head, taking a firm stance next to him. "If you're going to fight, I'm going to fight with you!"
"Can we come in, yet? We're just waiting until the two of you are ready to go!" A voice called from outside.
"They're toying with us, Twilight. This isn't a fight we can win!" Pennington growled. "You need to go!"
"We can win, Penny, if we stand together..." Twilight whispered, nuzzling his shoulder.
"You know, we're getting hungry!" Another changeling called from outside.
"Twilight, there's no way of knowing what will happen to us." Pennington sounded scared, and put a hoof around Twilight's shoulders.
"Well, it's going to happen to us together." Twilight gave him a nod. "And the two of us can beat it."
Pennington continued to think for a moment, and then stood a little taller. His gaze grew steely and he tensed himself, like a coil ready to spring.
"Fine. Let's do this."
A chorus of relieved and sarcastic cries made him roll his eyes.
... "Well, time to fight the entire nation of changelings... What an adventure..."
"Alright... Let's dance." These were Pennington's final words before utter chaos ensued. "Another day... another dungeon."
The next few minutes flew by for Twilight, but every stroke seemed to etch itself into her mind with perfect clarity.
First, the building itself seemed to explode as the changelings removed it piece by piece, leaving them wide open and revealing what was happening outside: they were surrounded. A ring of warriors had formed around them, all standing only a few yards off. The ring itself was at least ten changelings thick at every point, each row standing behind the previous one. A few of their horns were glowing as they used magic to force her and Pennington into the open. Before the task was even finished, though, some of the more eager ones rushed forward, pouncing upon their prey.
Twilight saw Pennington grab one by the leg in mid-air and throw it onto its back. Twilight didn't have much time to stand around and watch him, though, as another opponent began to rush towards her.
It was at this unfortunate moment what Twilight remembered: I don't know anything about hoof-to-hoof combat.
Twilight panicked, throwing up her hooves to defend herself. As she did, the hooks on her braces caught themselves in the holes of the changeling's legs. For a brief moment, the changeling's expression shifted to one of complete surprise as Twilight lifted it up and over herself, throwing it into the mob behind her like a bowling ball.
To Twilight, all of this happened in a second, and she quickly realized what exactly she had done. Shaking herself out of the shock, she began to use her magic to ward off the attackers, propelling most of them away with small magical blasts from her horn. Despite her efforts, though, she could only defend herself. It seemed like, for every one that she knocked down, two more jumped up.
Pennington, however, didn't seem to need the help that she couldn't give. On occasion, Twilight would glance over at him between shots. On her first glimpse, Pennington had two changelings hooked onto his armor and was swinging them around to knock away at least five more. When she looked back again, he had a scimitar holding back one changeling, a small magical shield holding back three more, and was hoof-to-hoof with yet another. Finally, on her last glance, she saw Pennington, buried in what seemed to be a dog-pile of changelings. It was obvious that they were trying to pin him down or even crush him. There was a spark, a light shone out from underneath the changelings, and bodies were sent flying everywhere as Pennington exploded.
That, unfortunately, was one of the last things that Twilight saw in the battle, because one of the changelings flew towards her in the explosion, knocking her to the ground. A few seconds later, another changeling, giving her a fanged grin, blasted her with its horn, knocking her unconscious.
"There isn't much time, Twilight."
This was not Twilight's idea way of waking up, but on the bright side, she did wake up. Her head was pounding, and when she opened her eyes, she could see Pennington doing his best to pace while in a set of shackles. As she stood, Twilight realized that she was clasped in irons, as well. Then, when she tried using a quick spell to free herself, she felt an immense pressure on the front of her skull that only made her headache worse.
"It's no good, they used inhibitor rings." Pennington bent his own head for her to notice the black ring around the base of his horn. "Blocks any and all flow of magical energy. We're on our own." He grinned as he looked around their small cell. "Hold on tight, Twi. Things are about to get fun..."
"I think that I've had enough of your 'fun...'" Twilight groaned.
"Well, just follow my lead. From now on, as far as you know, everything that I say is the gospel truth, told to you by Celestia herself, got it? I'm going to get you out of here." Pennington's tone was quick and to the point, and Twilight quickly saw why: a changeling was already walking towards the cell with a set of keys.
"The assembly has gathered. Your trial awaits." With a shuddering of the barred cell door, the changeling took up the end of the chain that connected their shackles and gave it a gentle tug. "You two are lucky, you actually get a lawyer. Most trials these days are only in favor of the prosecution... King Entropy always enjoys a good sentencing." As Twilight stood, she could hear something akin to pity in the changeling's tone. They had hardly even exited the cell before they were greeted by another changeling. This one was not built as heavily as any of the others that they had seen, but seemed to make up for his lack of physical strength with intelligence, even to the point of wearing a pair of spectacles that Twilight could tell were unnecessary by the fact that he was constantly glancing over them.
"Hello, there! Well, I must say that we haven't had any ponies here in a long time! I'm going to be your defendant in this case, and hopefully, we'll avoid any kind of painful punishment!" The changeling spoke quickly and with an optimism that betrayed the hopelessness of the situation.
He seemed more excited than nervous, and Twilight looked over to Pennington for confirmation that everything was going according to... I would hate to call whatever strange machinations are going on in his head a "plan."
When she looked, however, Twilight was both entertained and terrified at his priceless expression. His jaw was slightly dropped, and he tried for a moment to bring his hoof to his forehead, forgetting that his shackles prevented him from doing so.
"That's nice of you, but we really don't need a lawyer, we can represent ourselves perfectly well! This is all just a big misunderstanding."
Pennington seemed less confident than normal though, when the changeling suddenly lunged towards him, and took an according step backwards. The changeling fixed his glasses on his face and began to examine Pennington with his eyes, inspecting him from head to toe.
"Unicorn, strong build, smarter than he looks, but not as smart as he thinks he is, and a cutie mark in... Navigation?" he pointed towards Pennington's flank with a mix of curiosity and the matter-of-fact tone that had dominated most of his speech,
"Message delivery. I'm a courier." Pennington replied, relaxing a small amount as the inquisitive changeling backed away again. "I came here with an important message for your leaders."
Twilight wasn't even surprised at the ease with which Pennington lied. He's pretty good at getting through and around other ponies... I guess that, for a recluse, he has some good social skills.
The changeling, however, was casting a skeptical glance towards Pennington. "Do you know what happened to the last pony who tried to act in their own defense? They didn't give him a chance. The prosecution spoke, and he was sentenced. He didn't get a word in edgewise. And he was a lawyer, too! He chose to try and represent himself, but changelings don't want to listen to ponies."
"What... happened to him?" Twilight spoke for the first time since they had left the cell.
"Well, he was sentenced to conversion... He got turned into a changeling." He shrugged. "Or, at least, that's what they tell me. The process wipes your memory, so I don't really remember what happened to me before I woke up."
Twilight felt all of the blood drain from her face in fear, and her knees suddenly felt weak. "That was you?"
With a curt nod, the bespectacled changeling gave a quick bow. "Ace, at your service!" With this gesture, they all began to walk out of the small hallway and through a series of rooms that Twilight had never seen before.
"So, let me guess... You're an 'Ace attorney?'" When she looked back up at the stallion, he seemed to be calm in his stride, but color was quickly draining from his face, as well. For some reason, that scared Twilight even more. Pennington had always remained not only calm in the face of danger, but he seemed to enjoy it. Seeing him afraid of what was to come made Twilight afraid to her core.
He told me that everything that he says is going to be the truth, and then he started lying to Ace... Does that mean that he wants me to lie, as well?
"Yes, the best defense attorney that you can get in the hive!" Ace grinned. "And you're going to need me!"
"Didn't you lose your own case?" Pennington muttered. If Ace heard, he pretended not to.
"So, I'm going to know everything that you can tell me. We can't prove you innocent of invading the hive, that would be hopeless! We just need to prove that the invasion of two operatives from a country widely considered to be our greatest foe into one of our deepest and most essential strongholds is legitimized in the beliefs and interests of the entire changeling race as a whole!" When he had completed his rambling, Ace stopped short, a rather surprised expression on his face. "Oh. Right."
Pennington shook his head. "You like the hopeless cases, don't you?"
"Well, they are the most fun!" Ace grinned again and trotted to catch up.
"Well, if you can get them to listen to my message, then it won't be so hopeless." Pennington winked. "My testimony will win them over completely."
"Well, what's your message?" Ace asked, leaning in to whisper. "If you're carrying messages, then you must have one for someone in here!"
"It's meant to be told only to your leaders, but..." Pennington looked from side to side, as if expecting somepony to stop him from whispering. "The entire hive is in danger. I can't tell any more, but there needs to be an evacuation as soon as possible..."
Ace's eyes grew wide, and he seemed to be arguing inwardly as to whether or not he needed to ask for more information. "Well, I'll do my best to get you their ears... But if you refuse to tell me, you're limiting yourself. I can't help you as much if you don't tell me."
Twilight was watching this entire exchange from behind, and for a split second, she could have sworn that she saw the familiar smugness flashing in Pennington's eyes, and a small amount of color returning to his face.
"Don't worry, you'll hear me and my message. And so will the entire changeling race..."
If Twilight thought that the outside of the hive looked intimidating, the "courtroom" was even worse. The courtroom, she discovered, was a colosseum, with the jury filling countless rows of seats.
The two lawyers stood in a small platform beneath the Royalty Box, both pacing and preparing themselves for the battle of words and wits about to ensue. The Changelings' king, "King Entropy," as Ace had called him, sat above, in a walled-in platform that separated him from the masses of the jury. He was far taller than any of the changelings that Twilight had seen on their way in, and was built like a tank: with a massive chest, legs like tree trunks, and a sinewed, thick neck leading up to a head covered in an imposing-looking silver helmet. The holes in his body were covered up by a set of emerald-colored armor, making look as if he were ready for battle at any moment.
The place that she and Pennington were meant to stand was actually in the very center, for all to see. It was a simple sand-covered circular floor about sixty yards in diameter, surrounded on all sides by a tall wall with no hoofholds. We're not getting out of here unless they let us out... Twilight thought as she tried to ignore the feeling of a million pairs of eyes focusing themselves on her back. I haven't been this nervous since my first entry exam... Ace had told them a variety of things on their way to the trial, some more helpful than others. One less-than-useful fact was that, aside from converting their pony captives into new changelings, King Entropy enjoyed putting them to the test in tournament-style gladiatorial battles until they died of exhaustion or lost to some kind of deadly creature.
Pennington seemed to be expressing his nerves in his own strange manner, first pacing the circumference of their new prison, then walking in seemingly aimless directions, dragging one of his back legs behind him awkwardly in the sand.
"All hail King Entropy! Ruler of the Changeling Empire!" A voice cried out above the others, calling all of the chattering audience to silence.
"HAIL!"
Right away, Twilight noticed that the cry, rather than being united in respect for their leader, there was much dissent in the disjointed cry, with some simply continuing to chatter more quietly.
"Hm... Dissension in the ranks." Pennington mumbled over her shoulder, apparently done relieving his stress. "That could help us..."
"His honor, King Entropy, will be reigning over the proceedings himself as judge!" The same voice called out. Twilight hardly struggled to see the sadistic grin on the changeling's face beneath his helmet, and she could only imagine what type of horrible fate that he had planned for them. Fearfully, she shrunk back, but found herself pressed against Pennington. Without any kind of request from her, the stallion put leaned down, draping his head over her shoulder in a comforting manner. Twilight smiled as she felt him softly kiss her cheek, and a small amount of comfort slowed her racing pulse.
"Let the trial begin!" The King's voice boomed throughout the "courtroom," rumbling like thunder.
"Your majesty, this is an open-and-shut case!" A slightly older-looking changeling snapped, looking at Ace with derision, "These ponies have invaded our hive through espionage! Their intent can only be malicious, probably here to spy on us for the preparation of an attack!" The prosecutor spat his words as if disgusted to even be talking about the case. "I propose that they be dealt with in a way that shows the absolute superiority of changelings over ponies! Make an example of what will happen to their entire pitiful kingdom if they try to attack us! A message must be sent that will shake their puny little princesses to the core! Send them back... Without their heads!" As he raised a hoof into the air, the changelings in the arena all began to shout in response, favoring a bloodthirsty mob mentality.
"You want a message? I'll give you a message!" Pennington shouted. Twilight felt him beginning to tense again as he stepped away, shouting towards the deafening noise. "If you would all just LISTEN TO ME! You have to LISTEN!" No one seemed to hear his words, though, as the cheering only grew louder. Pennington suddenly seemed to lose his energy, sinking down to one knee. The hopelessness of the situation seemed to have finally sunk in at this point. Twilight felt as if her heart had stopped beating, and her chest was about to implode upon itself.
I-I'm going to die.... The thought was all that Twilight could think of, and for once, there was only one thought in her mind. Usually, there were a thousand different things on her mind, but Twilight only had one now.
"OBJECTION!"
Ace's voice cut through the fog of cries and brought total silence in the arena in only a matter of seconds. As silence fell, King Entropy lowered his hoof, which he had raised to finalize the decision. Ace cleared his throat, drawing attention to himself. After a few seconds, he began to speak again. His voice carried well, and seemed to grow deeper as he grew louder.
"You've never heard of the expression, 'don't shoot the messenger,' have you?" Ace began to pace back and forth, keeping a steely gaze on the other attorney. "This is a courtroom, not a nest of prejudice!" He flung a hoof down towards Twilight and Pennington. "These ponies did come here with a purpose, but one that is meant to aid us! The defense will call our first witness: Pennington Inkwell!"
A notable murmur went through the crowd, but it quickly died away again as the king raised his armored hoof. "At least one witness must be called. Proceed."
"Thank you, your highness!" Ace turned back around, looking down on Pennington and Twilight with a nod. "Mister Inkwell, state your occupation for the court!"
Pennington had risen again, his eyes fixated on the lawyer's area. With a smile, he nodded his head in a hoofless salute.
"Gladly!" Pennington looked around at the literal thousands of eyes staring down on him. "I am a message courier!"
"And you informed me that you were carrying a message for our leaders!" Ace made a wide motion with his hooves. "You now stand before the entire decision-making body and majority of the population of the changeling hive, not to mention our illustrious king! Would you now be permitted to share this message with us?"
Pennington smiled again, and Twilight saw him pull back in shoulders in confidence again.
"I can, indeed!" Pennington grinned again, and his knees stopped shaking as badly. "If I may have permission from the court to speak with assurance not to be interrupted?"
"Permission... granted." The king seemed to hesitate, but nodded his affirmation.
"Thank you..." Pennington looked to be thanking both the king and Ace.
"My dear changelings, it is true that our countries have had tension, even war in the past." Pennington began to walk around the arena again, keeping his pace slow and methodical, in pace with his words. "But, I came here under only the most benign and good-willed intentions! The message that I carry comes with all of the greatest and most genuine intent and respect that Princess Celestia has given to me to pass on to you!"
At this point, Pennington took a deep breath to steady his nerves. "The entire hive is in danger!" He took a moment to let the words sink in, and they seemed to send ripples throughout the hive's population. "Equestria has been keeping close track of their borders, most of all to the East, near the Plains of Lore. Unfortunately, we've noticed a disturbing trend: fewer and fewer of the monstrous creatures known as 'dune worms' have been appearing at our borders. After communicating with other ponies across the entire Plains, something was discovered! The dune worms have all been migrating in one direction: towards your hive!" Once again, Pennington paused for effect again, letting the information sink in.
"I've seen these creatures before, and I barely escaped with my life. I've drawn in this sand a sketch of about the same size as one of these creatures!" He swept his hoof to indicate the lines that he had drawn while "stressing out" at the beginning of the trial. "Only one of these are enough to devastate an entire town. In large numbers, they can create a hurricane of destruction and death!"
"This is pointless, your majesty!" The prosecutor shouted, rolling his eyes. "We all know here that dune worms have never posed a threat to changelings! They only feed on their kind, the unicorns and ponies!"
"This is true." The King raised the tip of his nose disdainfully, looking down on the ponies. "And ponies are liars to begin with. If we leave the hive, we will be weak and open to attack."
"And if you don't, you'll be in danger of dying!" Pennington cried, pleading not only to the king, but to the multitudes watching him with intent eyes. "Just as you, the changelings, have adapted to feed on emotions, the dune worms have adapted to feeding on you!"
"Typical pony lies, meant only to destroy us." The king raised his hoof, then brought it back down again decisively. "We shall stay, and you shall be decapitated!"
"You're all going to die!" Pennington screamed at the top of his lungs, causing even more murmuring and mumbling.
"Entropy!" A new voice screamed out from the masses. "These ponies are extending a hoof of good will, and you'll have them executed?" The indignant voice quickly singled itself out as belonging to a female changeling, who had stood up out of her seat. She seemed different from the others: taller and slightly lankier, and even her horn seemed slightly longer than others. She looked to have a similar build to Princess Luna, and was standing tall and proud. "And the entire hive is in danger, and you choose to ignore it because of your own personal grudges against ponies!" She stamped her hoof forcefully as her anger mounted. "Our hive has been deteriorating as you pull more and more changelings out of its maintenance for your own personal chambers to become more extravagant! Now, even a simple pair of unicorns could invade our defenses and trot their way into the deepest machinations of our hive! They were found only a few rooms away from the hatchlings! If this is a simple message courier, imagine what a trained assassin could do!"
"You overstep your bounds, Chrysalis." The king growled, giving her the same glare that he had given to Pennington and Twilight. If she felt his hate, though, she paid it no heed, or even grew stronger from it.
"You overstep yours, my king..." The changeling, apparently named "Chrysalis" growled with equal force. "You sit high and mighty nursing your own grudges, your subjects are starving! Hatchlings are starving from birth, and the ranks are quickly thinning amidst our warriors! Not only are we starving to death, but you are doing nothing about it!"
"Chrysalis is right!" Another voice cried out.
"I'll bet that the dune worms are already taking some of us, and he didn't even notice it!"
"King Entropy has been ignoring us!" Chrysalis cried, floating up into the air on a pair of humming wings. When she had flown out over the arena, she stopped flapping and dropped to the ground. There was a burst of magical energy, and Twilight and Pennington's shackles shattered.
"This is treason, Chrysalis!" The king roared, jumping up into the air and swooping down towards them in a fury of emerald flames.
Chrysalis's twisted horn began to glow, as well. The two changelings were ready to collide when a blue scimitar sliced at him, cutting through the ruler's horn. The king reached up, screaming in pain and grasping at the small stub left of his horn. "Gaah! You! How did you-"
Both changelings looked to the only pony who matched the hue of the sword. Pennington was standing, horn glowing brightly, with the black inhibitor ring firmly grasped in his hoof. He had already formed his own set of armor, and was staring down the king with an ambitious glare
"Fun fact. When a unicorn is stopped from using magic by an inhibitor ring, they experience a temporary boost in energy." He smiled and looked around. Changelings were dropping from left and right, some behind Chrysalis, some behind Entropy. The sides had been taken, and a battle seemed ready to erupt as the tension mounted to an unmistakable end: war.
"It seems that things are getting out of hoof, sir. Was there a problem before we came here? If so, I may have chosen my words a bit more carefully..."
After sending the soon-to-be-previous king of the changelings to the ground, Pennington looked up at the slightly taller changeling with a curt nod. "I'm guessing that you can take things from here?"
"We can, but there's no promise that we can help get you out of here in one piece." She looked back down at Pennington with an expression that showed the gravity of her position. "This has been a long time, coming, though. You may as well have stepped into a powder keg."
"I've been in powder kegs before. This is more interesting." Pennington shrugged, then nodded again to her. "Thank you. I won't forget this..." He cast a semi-anxious glance to the king, who was struggling to stand again. "Chrysalis is your name, isn't it?"
"Yes. And yours?"
"Pennington. Pennington Inkwell."
"Well, if we win this, Pennington Inkwell, you will not be forgotten, I can assure you of that." Chrysalis looked at the growing army behind her with a smile. "The majority of the hive is empty, and we can try to hold the fighting to the arena, but you should run, because I can't make any promises."
"Duly noted." Pennington nodded and, without another word, turned to Twilight, who, rather than look at the forces behind her, watched as what appeared to be a small army of the royal guards gathered behind their king, trying to help him up.
Pennington walked to Twilight and gently pulled the black ring off of her horn. "It's time to go, Twilight."
Twilight finally snapped out of her daze and looked straight into his eyes. "So... We're not dead."
"Not yet... But we should probably start running if we want to keep it that way!" Pennington grabbed her hoof and gave it a firm tug. "Run!"
Twilight followed the tug, forcing her hooves to work again. In a sight that she thought that she would never view, the changelings that had gathered behind them moved to the side to let them pass, providing a clear path.
"GET... THEM!" King Entropy screamed. In a massive burst of energy, he charged forward and took to the air. His legion of guards followed suit, charging towards the opposing side.
"Charge!" Chrysalis, already standing tall as a leader, motioned for the masses behind her to launch a counter-attack, and the air and floor were soon filled with changelings battering and smashing one another with hoof-to-hoof combat and bursts of magical energy. The sound was awful, and Twilight cringed as she tried to run faster, moving towards a door that had opened in the side of the arena.
"Look out!" Pennington cried, and before she could respond, Twilight felt a flash of heat behind her and shattered pieces of one of Pennington's scimitars sprinkled across her back, where they quickly dissolved away.
"I've got your back, Twilight! Just don't stop running!" Pennington had a silly grin plastered across his face as he ran next to her.
Twilight felt a sense of familiarity when they had finally reached the doors and stormed to the other side. With Pennington leading, they raced back through the rooms that they had marched though on their way to the trial.
"Wha- What are we going here?" Twilight panted as they seemed to reach their destination: the jail cell where they had been kept only a short time ago against their will.
"Well, my dear, you see, the changelings made on absolutely horrendous mistake whilst transporting us here!" Pennington was speaking fast and furiously, forcing Twilight to pay rapt attention, in spite of her tiredness. "Our foes failed to bring to their notions the conception that I would be visibly making mental notes as to particular units and abnormalities that would guide us along our way back out of the hive!"
"Why are you talking like that?" She asked as she watched him investigating what appeared to be containers within the wall.
"Just stopping you from zoning out the same way that you did in the arena! If I speak in an advanced manner with a vocabulary that takes time to process and comprehend, I'm guessing that your head will stay out of the clouds." Pennington, who seemed to be more joyful than nervous, finally found what he was looking for: his saddlebags. With hardly a thought, he juggled a few objects between the two of them, then dropped only one onto his back. "Only the essentials!" To Twilight's surprise, some of the "essentials" included three quills that began to rapidly orbit around him, suspended by his magic.
"Pennington, this is no time for writing!" Twilight stomped her hoof. "If you were making mental notes of the landmarks, then you had better well get us out of here!"
"I suppose that this means an acquittal, doesn't it?"
Twilight froze as a changeling voice echoed through the room. Both ponies turned around slowly to reveal Ace standing in the doorway, his horn glowing with a neon-green light.
"You're not a message courier, are you, Pennington?"
"Nope, that was complete nonsense." Pennington didn't even seem worried at the sight of Ace, but Twilight couldn't help but worry about the aggressive glow coming off of his horn.
"And the dune worms?"
"Total bollocks!" Pennington chirped. "Just trying to buy us a little pity."
Ace's eyes narrowed. "Then why are you really here?"
"I'm just a tourist, really." Pennington shrugged. "I came here seeking to understand what it was like in the changeling hive! I must say, this has been a most fascinating visit! Perhaps even more interesting than Mount Neverrest!"
Ace seemed to be thinking about this as he turned to Twilight, who took a step back under his scrutiny. "And you?"
"I-I- came to stop him from getting himself killed." Twilight let out a long sigh. "Seems as if it's been the other way around, though."
Ace examined them both once more, then nodded and turned his back to them. "If there's one thing that I remember from my days before the hive, it's how to tell when somepony is lying. You get out of here, I'll do my best to slow them down."
"Thank you, Ace. I hope that we meet again." Pennington's smile grew less silly and more sincere as he trotted towards the other door. "They knocked you unconscious for this part, Twilight, so you'll have to follow me."
"And why didn't they knock you out?" Twilight asked as she struggled to catch up. She was worried about what exactly was going to happen to Ace, but if he was trying to buy them time, they had to use it as best they could.
"They tried, but I had taken a higher dosage of my pills than usual, so they couldn't. The medication keeps me awake if I take more than I'm supposed to." Pennington looked down the large hall that they had entered, seeing something that Twilight obviously couldn't within the emerald walls, which now seemed to glow from within. With renewed purpose, he began trotting again.
A thought suddenly came to Twilight as her brain once again began to focus and think of multiple things at once. "Wait... How long was I asleep?"
"I would guess about eight hours..." Pennington smiled. "Don't worry about it, you needed the rest more than I did. I only woke up at about one in the morning." Despite his words, though, he let loose a long yawn as he turned another corner. "This certainly is easier when the hive is deserted..."
"Halt! Intruders!" A gruff voice called as three changeling guards appeared at the end of the hall. Without waiting for a response, they began to advance with their horns glowing brightly.
"Honestly?" Pennington groaned. "Why does my sense of timing have so be so-" He was cut off as the leader of the three pounced. Pennington met him with the flat of a scimitar. Without time to respond, Pennington's horn glowed brighter and pressed him and upwards into the ceiling, where the sword pressed against his throat, cutting his supply of oxygen.
The other two seemed to be trying to attack Twilight, each firing off a blast of energy.
"AAH!" Twilight scrambled backwards to avoid the bolts exploding at her hooves, nearly landing on her rear in the process. With a scowl, she fired off a couple shots in return, and each found their mark. To her surprise, Twilight watched them fly backwards, all the way to the other end of the hall, slamming against the wall and falling unconscious.
"See? I told you. Energy boost." Pennington smiled as his scimitar floated back down into sight. When Twilight looked up, the guard was unconscious and embedded in the ceiling, hanging with his back and wings suspended in the goo. "You can have a little fun with it if you know how... Just watch out for when you crash, later. It's like caffeine."
Twilight rolled her eyes and walked back up to him. "Well, we can have fun later, let's run right now!"
"Is that a promise?" Pennington grinned as her face flushed and took off at a gallop down the hall again, forcing Twilight to run again to catch up. The turns came faster now, and Twilight thought at moments that she was going to lose him, but Pennington was always just around the corner, making sure that she didn't.
However, Twilight kept hearing noises behind them... Noises of angry changelings.
"They're catching up!" She shouted as she finally came to the point of running abreast with Pennington again, who was beginning to look tired.
"Well, we'll just have to go faster!" Pennington began to gain speed for a few seconds, but Twilight saw him quickly slow down again. "Not... gonna... happen. Looks as if we're going to have to fight our way out of here. Again."
As Twilight looked over, she saw the unnatural tiredness in his face, which was beginning to droop. "That crash works faster than caffeine, doesn't it?"
"Well, depends on how active you are, how high your metabolism is, gender, and a few other things... But... It's going to work faster on me, yes..." He muttered. "We'll have to find a defendable point, but not this room. It's too big. There are too many places for them to hide."
Now that Twilight had stopped, she took a good look at the room that they were in.
Pennington was right, not only was the ceiling shrouded in darkness, but there were pod-like things lining the walls and scattered on the floor. Some were large, some were small, but they all glowed from within with a sickly-green light. On closer inspection, Twilight discovered dark shapes inside. Curious, she stepped closer to one of the small ones on the wall. When she squinted her eyes, she finally made out the shape: a tiny changeling, blurred and hazy through the gel. She let out an audible gasp at the sight: the poor creature looked emaciated, hardly anything more than a skeleton. As she looked around at the thousands of cocoons, she realized that every one of them held a starving changeling nymph.
We're in the nursery... A starving nursery. She thought. The very idea that there were babies, changeling or pony, starving to death like this broke her heart, and she reached out to the infant, wishing to help in some way. It was some deep instinct for her to try to protect these helpless little ones, just as she had protected Spike in his earliest years.
"Stay back!" A hissing black form leaped out from the darkness, knocking her backwards towards Pennington. Before Twilight could even try to launch a counter-attack, she and Pennington were surrounded by changelings.
These changelings, however, were different. Their lithe figures and gentler curves showed that they, unlike most of the soldiers she had seen, were female. Every one of them seemed as starved as their young, but their hissing and readiness to attack showed that they had by no standards become weak.
"L-Ladies, please! There's no reason to panic!" Pennington, now wide-awake, was looking from side to side for some kind of escape. "We're just passing through, really! We'll be out of your manes in just a minute, honestly..."
His words seemed to have no effect, however, as the group kept advancing, drawing closer and closer with their feral-sounding hissing.
In a moment, though, they drew to a stop as the pods around them began to glow again, this time pulsating more quickly and brightly. They all glanced to one another, as if conferring with one another on some secret matter. The first one that had attacked Twilight stepped forward from the circle, speaking with a raspy feminine voice.
"You... Care about them?" She ignored Pennington, fixing her eyes on Twilight. Twilight stared straight back into the azure orbs, surprised at the nature of the inquiry.
"Well, of course... They're starving, and they don't deserve it..." Twilight quietly replied, looking around at the countless lights that lined the walls. In the increasing light, Twilight could see several pods that refused to glow... Completely dark. Her heart broke again as she recognized what must have been inside of them. "They did nothing to put themselves in this place... But they can't do anything to change their situation. They need help."
A faint, indeterminable chatter emanated from the group, and Twilight couldn't help but feel as if they were on trial once again, with only her words to sway the jury. "Entropy has completely ignored the nurseries in his fruitless quest to dominate your country. He would kill us all for the simple purpose of getting what he wants."
"Entropy is no longer in control!" Twilight smiled, in spite of their saddened locale. "There is hope. There's a revolution happening right now, and Entropy is going to lose! You can go and fight for them!" She motioned to all of the tiny creatures around them. "You can help them!"
This inspired more chatter, this time louder.
The first changeling looked at Twilight with a mix of suspicion and shock. "A... revolution?"
"Yes, Entropy has already been stricken down by my friend, who chopped of his horn!" She motioned to Pennington, who was staying quiet, for once. "It is the start of a new life in the hive. A new life for them." She swung her hoof around, motioning to the ever-more-brightly glowing cells.
The changelings chattered for a few more minutes, and Twilight could tell that some of the debates were becoming heated. After a short time, though, the leader returned.
"You shall go. You've shown us that you don't want to hurt them, and that's what we were worried about..." A path opened in the back of the group, once again letting them pass. "If you make it back to your home, remember these younglings from time to time. Send them a little love, as you did today."
Twilight nodded solemnly as she realized why they had been glowing more brightly: she had given them love, even if she hadn't been trying to. Slowly, she and Pennington left the room, following the path that was made for them.
The sounds of their pursuers were growing louder, though, and seemed to be at a roar when they finally left the nursery. The moment that they were out, Pennington had recovered enough to run some more, and Twilight was surprised that she hadn't felt the "crash" from the inhibitor ring.
"They're coming!" Twilight cried as they came to a stop in a small hallway. The sound of battle cries and fighting was everywhere, now, with no definite direction. When she looked back to Pennington, he was using his magic to form a wall that sealed off the way that they had come from. Without waiting for instructions, she did the same to the other end of the hallway, creating a momentary stronghold.
Their efforts seemed to be just in time as what seemed to be a sea of black bodies came from around the corner, colliding with their walls in a frenzied storm. Twilight nearly lost her nerve at the sight: half of them seemed to be trying to break through the shield, and the other half seemed to only be interested in fighting one another, creating a cacophony of squeals and cries. She focused her energy on keeping it intact, but it wasn't as hard as she imagined, with the boost from the inhibitor ring still amping up her power. When she turned back to Pennington, she could see that, while it was obviously taxing him, his share of their protection had not a single crack in it, despite their attackers. For once, Twilight was actually beginning to feel confident in their chances. She recognized where they were now, which meant that they could find their way back to the entrance without getting lost again. With Pennington to help her, she knew that they would be able to make it!
But that was a foolish thought. She heard the clamor from Pennington's side begin to die down a few minutes later. When she turned her attention to him again, the storm of bodies had receded, making way for something much worse.
King Entropy had somehow reached them. The stump of his horn was sputtering green energy in spasms and sparks, and even seemed to be bleeding green, running the liquid down his helmet in a morbid coloration. He was simply staring down at Pennington with a glare that could have melted an iceberg in the Arctic. Slowly, and with a calmness that betrayed his rage, he lifted up a single hoof... and tapped the barrier.
Cracks spread out across Pennington's barrier like a spiderweb, and Entropy smiled in a way that chilled Twilight to her soul.
"NO! PENNY!" Twilight rushed to the magical wall, placing her horn on the barrier to try and strengthen it. With a sudden jerk, she found herself pulled away again by one of her back legs. When she turned back, she saw Pennington, panting heavily and with a flushed face, shaking his head.
"Not there... Here..." He pointed to his own horn. "I need... help."
Twilight nodded. She touched her horn to the tip of his, hoping to give him an energy boost.
"Sorry, Twi..."
She heard Pennington mumble. Before she could question the words, however, her entire world exploded in a blast of pain and light... And everything was silent.
She shook her head, but when she tried to remember what had happened, a splitting pain tore through her skull.
"Aah!" With a cry, she fell back down into her pillow, reaching up to grasp at her head. As she did, she felt what must have been at least two inches of gauze around her forehead and a thick padding around her horn.
"P-Penny... What happened?" She asked, looking over to the bed next to her.
Silence. Pennington wasn't there.
He must have gotten out of it in better shape than I did.
"Pennington isn't here, Twilight..." Constant Care's gentle voice crooned as she walked in the door.
"More importantly, how are you feeling?" Close followed her sister through the door, and they both stood at the foot of her bed, watching with anxious and worried stares.
Immediately, Twilight felt that something was very, very wrong. Close Care's face wasn't pulled into its normal tense tightness, but instead had softened to the point where she was willing to give Twilight a weak and fake-looking smile. Constant, who was normally as bright and chipper with her patients as she wanted them to be, looked as if she were on the brink of crying, but was trying her best to put on a brave face about it.
Before she could ask, though, Sure Shot came storming into the room. Normally, the green pegasus was even more light-hearted and eager to smile than Pennington, but his face now wore only the darkest of scowls. Like a tornado ripping through a small down, he shoved his way to her bedside, jutting his face in front of hers with uncharacteristic ferocity.
"From where does the moon rise in these parts?" He growled, barely restraining some mysterious anger.
"W-What?"
"WHERE DOES THE MOON RISE!" Sure Shot slammed his hoof onto the nightstand, splintering the wooden surface. The sound of the wood splitting was like a gunshot, and he was breathing heavily through his nose. His screaming sent Twilight into another momentary migraine, and she took a second to finally remember what he was talking about.
"Um... Uh.... Where the sun sets!" Twilight finally remembered the code that she had been forced to learn before she left. "Where the sun sets, the moon shall rise!"
When she said this, Sure Shot seemed more disappointed than relieved, but his anger washed away. He shook his head in despair and walked slowly away, not even looking at Close or Constant.
"What- what's wrong?" Twilight asked as the pain in her head receded.
"He... Was hoping that you were just a changeling spy." Close muttered, still seeming more sensitive and less grouchy than usual. Normally, she would have been angry with Sure Shot for his outburst and destruction, but she didn't seem to even notice. "If you were, it might have meant that the real you and Pennington were still together somewhere. As a team." Close was more emotional than usual, and was beginning to even tear up a little.
"If you were, there might be a chance..." Constant spoke as her sister stopped. "That you would both have made it out of there. We found you alone, unconscious in the middle of the plains." She was beginning to shed a few silent tears as well. "We wouldn't have found you if Sure Shot hadn't been taking a bird's-eye view to try and find another dune worm to hunt." She walked a little closer, grasping Twilight's hoof between two of her own. "It looked as if you had long-range teleported, and it left you with a small concussion, along with a sprained horn. It shouldn't leave any permanent damage, but you need to go without using magic for a few days, maybe a week.
"Constant... Where's Pennington?" She asked quietly. "The last thing that I remember was that he was trying to use my energy to make a shield!" Calling up the memory placed her cranium in even more pain, but she didn't care.
"Twilight... if he said that was what he was doing, I doubt that he was telling the truth." Close finally spoke again. "Sure Shot saw Pennington's signal, the blue flash, right above where you were... He sent you here on purpose."
"He... lied?"
Sorry, Twi...
"But, then what happened to him? Where is he?" She started to rise out of the bed as panic seized her, but a dizzying wave of nausea washed over her and forced her down again.
"Twilight, you need to rest right now..." Close seemed to be gaining her stony composure back as she pulled the blanket back over her. "We shouldn't be stressing you out with all of this."
"I want to know."
"Twilight, you really shouldn't-"
"Where is Pennington?" Twilight turned to Constant, praying that the softer of the two sisters would grant her request.
Constant returned Twilight's gaze with teary eyes for a few seconds, then turned away to look at the ground.
"Pennington Inkwell is 'Missing in Action.' The time until he is presumed dead is two weeks." The words seemed as if they were crushed under the weight they carried, and that same weight settled on Constant's shoulders, pulling her normally light spirit down to Earth. "If he fails to arrive before then, there will be a discrete ceremony in Canterlot, deserving of a superior officer in the New Lunar Republic."
The monitors by Twilight's bed began to beep rapidly as the full news hit home for her. Despite the fact that the machine's beeping said otherwise, she felt as if her heart had stopped in her chest. "So... He's dead? You think that Pennington is dead?"
"Well, it's the assumption that we would have to make." Close seemed to be barely holding the weight of the news, herself. "But for now, we have to wait and see if he pulls some kind of miracle out of his rear end..."
Twilight spent the next few days in a daze. The Cliffjumper eventually returned to the NLR headquarters, but no pony seemed to want to talk. The entire facility seemed to have lost the lively spirit that it had when she had visited it for the first time. Word of Pennington's "possible death" had spread like wildfire, and she seemed to be the object of blame for it in some ponies' minds. On her first day of being able to get up and walk again, she had tried to take herself on a tour of the parts of the facility that she could remember. There was only tense silence, now, and it took only a few angry glares in her direction for her to quickly retreat back to her room again.
"Oh, it's all good, Twilight! Penny will be just fine!" Quick Strike was her only visitor, and the only one in the world who seemed upbeat and hopeful. "I taught him everything he knows about combat! He could take on THREE hives of changelings! While sipping that stupid ramen with one hoof!" She would punch the air enthusiastically, as if striking down one of Pennington's foes for him. "Have a little faith in him, Twilight! Didn't you say that you two are boyfriend and girlfriend?"
"Well... Yes?" Twilight sniffled loudly.
"Then he has something to fight for!" Quick Strike grinned. "Writers are cheesy. Guys are cheesy. Never underestimate a writer-guy when he's fighting for love! It's the cheesiest thing there is!"
Twilight laughed, and for a few days, the two of them became close friends. She didn't see much of Sure Shot in her days at the NLR, and she could only imagine what it was that he was doing. She could hardly imagine the pegasus crying into his pillow the way that she did at night. But it was impossible to tell for sure, since she held her composure with ease during the day, as well.
Soon, though, when she was feeling well, she told Quick Strike that she wanted to go back to Ponyville, much to her confusion.
"But, aren't you going to wait and see if he comes back? Wait for him to pull through?"
"I don't want to be here when he's pronounced dead..." Twilight shook her head. "I need my friends back in Ponyville right now."
"Well, despite what some of these knuckleheads might say, you'll always have friends in the NLR, as well." In a rare moment of tenderness, Quick Strike pulled Twilight into a tight hug.
Twilight didn't see Sure Shot as the Cliffjumper carried her across the plains and back to Equestria, and she left the ship with tearful goodbyes to Close and Constant. When she found herself back in the border town, she had no trouble finding the train station and boarding the next train back to Canterlot.
As she stepped off the train and into her home city, she couldn't hep but feel yet another pang of grief. Is this all that's going to happen? I just go back to my life as if I never met him? The gleaming buildings and sky-scraping castle were all familiar to Twilight, but the world seemed more alien, more cruel than it had before.
"Twilight Sparkle!"
Twilight was shaken out of her revere as a pink unicorn came bounding up to her. With a light-pink coat and a shorter violet mane than most other ponies, the stranger was almost unrecognizable, and seemed to hold no place in Twilight's memory.
"I-I'm sorry. Do I know you?" Twilight asked.
"Well, no... But you know Pennington, right? You left with him..." The pony looked nervous, but something seemed to be overwhelming it. "I wanted to know how he is... I haven't heard from him in a while, and now that you're back, he can't be far behind, right?"
Twilight finally recognized her: the unicorn who had dyed Pennington's mane and coat to look like Scorching Quill. "Wait... Your name's Callalily, isn't it?"
"Yes. Callalily Curl. I'm an old friend of his." Lily responded with a smile. "He sent me some letters talking about you and what you two were doing. I really wanted to see him again... I always do right after he gets back from one of those crazy adventures of his."
Twilight could feel her composure cracking as water began welling up in her eyes. She felt her heart break in two for what must have been the thousandth time. She hated to tell Lily this, she could tell that Pennington meant a lot to her. It was like telling a little foal that Santa Hooves wasn't real... crushing a belief.
"Pennington... Isn't coming back." She muttered, unable to bring the words above to any louder volume out of sheer fear of them. "They said that he's going to be considered 'Missing in Action' for two weeks, and then 'Dead' after that..."
Just as she expected, it was like a light in Lily's eyes went dim. The light of hope. Her shoulders and tail drooped, and her ears flattened against her head.
"Come with me, Twilight..." She turned around and began to walk with a long sigh.
Twilight balked for a moment, then nodded and followed, trying to hide her confusion. Lily led her through the crowded streets with hardly a word, and Twilight found herself with only her thoughts as she followed the bobbing tail. Eventually, Twilight found herself back outside of the salon where she had seen Lily before. The mare in question pulled out a small set of keys and unlocked the door, walking inside of the store in spite of the obvious sign reading "Closed."
"Callalily Curl's Beautification." Twilight muttered as she walked inside. "Seems like someplace Rarity would go."
"Well, I have to admit, Rarity's never needed my help. She can style her own mane perfectly well." Lily replied, surprising Twilight with her range of hearing. "Anyway, I knew that this day would eventually come..." She opened the bath where she dyed full coats and set a steaming faucet running.
"You knew that he was going to die? Then why didn't you stop him?" Twilight asked, her eyes once again filling with tears. Every time that she said it, the fact became more cemented in her mind that he was dead.
"The same reason that you didn't, I'm guessing..." Lily replied as she poured a few select bottles into the bath, filling the entire shop with the smells of lavender and pine. Somehow, the two differing scents worked together in a way that Twilight would never have thought they could. The lavender allowed her to relax for the first time in ages, washing away her tension in waves of blooming aroma. The pine, on the other hoof, gave her an invigoration that ran through her body, replenishing that deeper energy that she felt she had lost upon the horrifying news. The combination of comfort and excitement reminded her of what it was like to be with Pennington, though on a much more manageable scale.
"If you try to stop him, he just wants to go even more. Neither of us could have watched him every hour of the rest of his life, now could we?" Lily, in spite of her obvious sadness, smiled as she walked behind the counter and opened a small panel. "I've been saving these for a long time... But not nearly as long as I wanted to, I suppose."
When she slid the panel back, there were several bottles inside. Some were filled with a cloudy, faintly yellow liquid, and the others were filled with a golden syrup that she easily recognized as honey.
"What's that?" She asked, stepping forward to get a closer look.
"Lemon juice and honey." Lily stated quietly. "Pennington used to use these to make his own lemonade. Didn't you know?"
"Well... No. I've never been inside of his house, and he never had any around me..." Twilight mumbled. "I always thought he would just drink ramen broth, or something..."
Lily seemed to find this entertaining as she began to mix the two liquids in a much larger bottle, which she shook vigorously. "When we were little, he tried convincing me to set up a lemonade stand with him. We didn't sell a single glass, except for the ones he drank, himself." She examined the transparent bottle, then shook it again. "It's not bad watered down, but he insists on not adding anything but the raw ingredients. I swore that I'd never drink this stuff straight again until the day he died." She examined the bottle once more, then pulled out two small paper cups. "Would you like some?"
Twilight considered the offer for a moment, then nodded and picked up one of the cups. The yellow-ish gold liquid inside didn't look any less appealing than anything else that most ponies drank, but knowing that one of the main ingredients was pure lemon juice put her off slightly. She looked over to Lily, who was walking towards the full tub.
"Go ahead. It's just strong, it's not poison!" She smiled and lifted the cup to her own lips, shuddering at only a small sip. "Yep... Definitely strong. Sweet, though..."
Twilight sighed and looked at her own cup again. She closed her eyes and put the cup to her lips and tipped a small amount of the liquid into her mouth. When the drink touched her tongue, it recoiled in shock as a sudden sourness threatened to shrivel away the insides of her mouth. Her face scrunched up in reply, and it took all of the willpower that she had to stop herself from falling into a fit of coughs and choking on the liquid, which she promptly tried to swallow in order to rid herself of the hindrance. After swallowing the stinging substance, she opened her mouth and took in a huge gulp of air in order to cough.
"Pennington said it had a 'kick.' I would always tell him it was a kick to the jaw..." Lily, who was gently lowering herself into the pool of steaming water, gave her an understanding smile. "You have to make a conscious effort to taste the honey." After taking another sip and immersing herself up to her neck, she motioned to the opposite side of the dying bath, which was beginning to look more and more like some kind of hot tub. "Why don't you take a dip? I think that there's something that you need to see."
Twilight looked at the tub, then her cup. While the temptation was there, something about it seemed... wrong. "You want me to relax in a hot tub... when Pennington just died a few days ago?"
Lily nodded with solemnity. "Pennington told me a lot of things on his visits here, and one of them was that when he finally did kick the bucket, he would want me to 'stop worrying and relax for the first time in a gazillion years.'" Tears were beginning to build up in her eyes, now. "I guess... That was his last wish for me. To stop worrying about him for once and let myself feel good..." She shook her head, and tears were beginning to fall. "But I still feel terrible... It's a new type of terrible, too! I usually feel like my stomach is going to leap out of my throat, but now... I'm just empty!" Rather than wiping the tears away, she sunk her head under the water with a sob.
As everything grew silent in the room, Twilight saw a stack of blue-glowing scrolls float over to her from the other room, landing in front of her in a pile. She looked at them in a weak, forlorn curiosity. When Lily finally came back up for air, Twilight could see her horn glowing, marking her as the one responsible.
"I don't know if you were supposed to see these..." Lily seemed to have regained a small amount of her composure, but her voice was still trembling. "But if there's one thing Pennington was good at, it was using words, but if there's one thing that every stallion is bad at, it's talking about their feelings... So, he sent me these letters instead of talking to you." She took a long, shuddering breath, then exhaled in a similar manner. "I think that you should read them."
Twilight blinked a few times, then looked back down at the pile of a dozen or so scrolls. She picked one up with her magic and held it at eye level.
Dear Lily,
Stop worrying, I'm fine.
Twilight and I reached the NLR's Eastern Base today with a little help from Sure Shot. Do you remember him from our days in elementary school? He managed to build that all-terrain worm hunter, calls it the "Cliffjumper."
Before he got here, though, Twilight and I got into a little tousle with a dune worm... Nasty critter, about five stories high, big mouth, eats unicorns like popcorn... Like I said, very nasty. I knew that he'd been following us for some time, but I didn't want to worry Twilight... She panics almost as easily as you do! Besides, from my perspective, it was worth risking my life for those hours with her.
Lily, you have no idea what it's like, to see her in the moonlight. When we're alone, just the two of us, miles of pale sand, and Luna's moon... I hope she hasn't noticed, but I tend to keep staring. When the moon would rise, and its pale light bathed the world in a milky glow, one would think that she would have been harder to see...
In the moonlight, she came to life. Her lavender coat catches the moonlight and seems to trap it inside like a thousand tiny crystals, making her glow with sheer beauty a thousand times greater than the progenitor of the light itself. I could hardly comprehend our surroundings whenever she was in my sight, and if my hooves hadn't kept moving by some subconscious rhythm, I would have wound up standing there like some kind of intoxicated idiot, drunk from the long draughts I was taking of her radiance. Even her deeply violet mane became more beautiful as the moonlight stripped away the disguise of day, growing even darker, like the vastness of infinite space itself, with two stripes of shimmering pink and lavender lighting up the darkness with life.
Her eyes... what words could I use to describe her eyes? None exist to illustrate in their truest, purest form what one could see in those eyes. There was a scintillating sea of amethyst in those eyes, one upon which I could sail for a thousand years and still wish to see more of. I tried to hide my fascination with those hypnotic orbs whenever our eyes met, but... there's a compelling curiosity in them, one of a thousand questions within them, all wrapped up in a thirst for knowledge that I only can imagine as unquenchable. I can see in her eyes that she wants knowledge the same way that I want adventure: undeniably and impossible to resist. Some of those questions must be about me, because in those magical moments where our eyes meet, it feels as if she's looking straight into my soul, digging through the clutter and mess for answers. Somehow, though... I don't mind. She could look as long as she wants, find all of the answers that she could possibly find from me, and I would still leave myself open to her. I trust her enough that I would commend my soul to her care if she would only ask...
I can tell that she doubts me. It cuts me to the core to know that, but she doubts me. Perhaps with good reason. When the worm finally attacked, I did my best to protect her, but I wasn't strong enough... Lily, how can I become strong enough? I feel like I would have to be able to lift all of Canterlot, even hold all of Equestria on my back before I would be as strong a stallion as she deserves... Instead, she wound up saving me. She refused to leave me, though, and in the moment that she was willing to scream at one of the most fearsome creatures in existence for the sake of a fool like myself who seemed to only be good at making mistakes, I saw a new quality in her. Not pride, nor the adorable stubbornness I have grown so fond of, but a sense of nobility that is truly regal. She refused to back down, taunting the creature and keeping it away from my helpless, weak, body, as undeserving as I was of her protection. She held herself with all of the authority and nobility of a princess... Nay, a queen, or even an empress! Empress of those mystic powers that bind unicorns to magic.
Lily, now I know that Twilight Sparkle is a treasure. Perhaps some heavenly cherubim or guardian angel sent to protect the world from those evils that would consume us all... And I love her. I realized it the moment that I chose to send that monstrosity after myself to protect her. I love Twilight Sparkle. But I may have to do something very hard, soon. Something that will make her angry with me, a fact that will grind my soul to dust. I have to send her home to Ponyville. She must be far away from me when I enter the changeling hive. I couldn't live with myself if she were to be captured or, a thousand million times worse, killed. I would die of anguish, of a heart not only broken, but shredded apart into the tiniest slivers imaginable.
So, if you see Twilight back in Canterlot, send her happily and blissfully on her way to Ponyville. Don't tell her any of this, or she'll just see me as some kind of lovestruck fool, and probably even fear for her own safety around me. I have no intention of telling her my feelings unless it is on my own terms.
Don't worry, I'm fine.
-Pennington Inkwell
As Twilight reached the end of the letter, the words blurred and shifted through a veil of tears, and she was on the brink of a complete mental breakdown. She looked back to Lily, whose reddened eyes were watching her intently.
"Every one of them is like that." She whispered with a melancholy smile. "By the time that he had sent me his last letter before entering the hive, he sounded as if he had practically already bought the rings for his proposal... Whenever Pennington Inkwell fixed his mind on something, he went after it... whole-heartedly."
Twilight took trembling steps over the scrolls, trying carefully not to touch them, and walked to the tub. She left herself sink to the ground when she was finally standing over Lily's shoulder.
And there, among the scents of pine and lavender and lemonade, among the bottles of dye, the mane-dryers and the comfy chairs, among the steam and the love and the grief...
After what felt like at least an hour of crying together, Twilight and Lily finally began to calm down again, this time for more than a simple quell in the hurricane. The two looked at one another with the kind of connection that only grieving together can create, and Twilight knew that she finally had somepony who understood what she had been going through.
That was when the knock came. When they looked up in unison, Twilight saw at least a dozen royal guards standing outside of Lily's shop, in full armor and looking as official as they always did.
"Twilight Sparkle!" One, probably the platoon leader, shouted. "You've been summoned by Princess Celestia to the castle for a private audience, immediately!"
In her many visits to Canterlot and the castle, Twilight had often seen the guards, and even been escorted on rare occasions. Never, though, had she found herself in the position that she was in now.
Guards were at her every side, as if they were afraid of her trying to run. There were a few who kept shooting her nervous glances, and others who seemed more to pity her. She couldn't help but wonder what was going on that could even make the guards nervous for her. Princess Celestia has never summoned me this way, either... What's happening?
When she had finally been led to the doors of the Grand Hall, the guards parted and let her move to the front. One of them pushed open the door and motioned for her to enter alone. "Captain Shining Armor wanted us to wish you good luck..."
This left Twilight even more confused and worried as she walked into the Grand Hall. Shining Armor rarely broke protocol to send her personal messages, and when he did, it was usually for only the truly important ones. If it was to simply wish her luck, then things... Things were about to get much worse.
"Twilight Sparkle..." Celestia was sitting on her throne, staring at Twilight intently. She looked disgruntled to say the least, but Twilight could immediately tell from the high temperature in the room and the tense edge in the air. Whenever the Princess was angry, she would begin emitting heat, just like the sun. "Do you know why I've called you here?"
Twilight considered her words carefully before simply shaking her head. She felt like a filly caught doing something that she wasn't supposed to.
"Are you sure? Because you recently got back from a rather scandalous trip..." The Princess stood and began walking towards the unicorn, her tall figure casting an imposing shadow that quickly fell on Twilight. "One to the Changeling Nation? One that initiated utter turmoil?"
"Oh... Yes." Twilight whispered, staring at the ground. "I did just return from... such a trip."
"Twilight, what were you thinking?" The Princess scoffed as she turned away again, pacing towards the throne. "We've been trying to negotiate diplomatic peace for years with the changelings! Did you think about your actions at all?" Princess Celestia was a far cry from her normal calm, cool, and collected self, and was obviously far more angry than she was allowing herself to show. Even so, though, her words sliced through Twilight, making her cringe and shudder as a new round of tears came to her eyes.
"P-Princess, please, let me explain..." She whispered, unsure if Princess Celestia could even hear her. "I was just trying to protect one of my friends... He was determined to go, and I didn't want him to get hurt-"
"Oh, I am quite familiar with Mister Inkwell's work..." The princess sneered, reaching behind her throne and pulling out a small book. With a huff, she tossed it in Twilight's direction. As it landed in front of her, she read the title, unsure of what to expect at this point.
Discord Days: A Dissertation on the Need for Chaos
By Pennington Inkwell
Twilight stared with abhorrence at the cover, which illustrated Discord breaking out of his stone prison with a gleeful grin. She shook her head, pushing the book away and into a dark corner of the room, and stared back up at the Princess.
"Your highness, you don't know him." Twilight whispered, feeling a mix of abject terror and resolute knowledge as she attempted to correct the alicorn.
"I know what he did, that is enough!" She turned back to Twilight, once again advancing in another pass. "I know that he entered another country and completely overthrew their ruler! I know that he utterly destroyed the delicate ties and negotiations that we have been working to form for years in the course of a few hours! I know that he created anarchy, rather than harmony, and perhaps betrayed this entire country! Twilight Sparkle, I don't know why you would associate with somepony like him, but-"
"Princess, you don't know HIM!" The words lit a fire under Twilight as Celestia began to openly insult Pennington. She thought that she had spent all of her tears with Lily, but they began to fall anew as she stood up to her beloved teacher in a way she never had before. "You don't know Pennington like I do! You can't understand what he's like because he is so much more than anypony can see! You don't know what it's like to be completely terrified, and then to feel it wash away when you see that stupid, smug grin! You don't know what it's like to want more than anything to simply stay with him and make sure that you can see him again someday! You cannot know what kind of joy it brings when you can finally get him to simply open up and reveal his secrets that he works so hard to keep!" Twilight felt a rage of her own building as she tried to imagine how the Princess could have imagined that she could know enough about Pennington to deride him this way.
"Twilight, that is enough!"
"NO IT ISN'T! Twilight's head was almost dizzy from the adrenaline as she spoke to her teacher in a way that she never had before. Only the now roaring throbbing in her head kept her focused. "In a thousand years, Princess, in all of the history of Equestria, have you ever accepted any kind of suitor! You may love your country, and may even be willing to die for Equestria, but you have no possible comprehension of what it's like to love a pony the way that I love him! You can't know what it's like to be willing to stand by somepony's side until the both of you have drawn your last breath! In this, you know nothing!" Twilight hadn't even noticed that her horn was starting to sputter small bursts of magic with her most enraged statements, but the sparks were beginning to float down in a shower, now. "Princess Celestia, you have no idea who he is, that pony who sacrificed himself to save my life! Any knowledge you think you can gain from his writings is only to scratch the surface, one which he makes himself to stop ponies from wanting to look any further!" Her energy near-spent, Twilight was beginning to wind down again. "And even you would be honored to associate with somepony like him..." She was panting heavily as her extemporization finally ended.
Princess Celestia was taken completely aback at Twilight's outburst, even taking a literal step back as her student's power began to overflow. By the time the Twilight had finished, though, her face was twisted into a rare scowl. Her next words were deliberate and thought out in every syllable.
"Twilight, I understand why you chose the course of action that you did, but I cannot condone it. There will be an inquiry into the full repercussions of your actions, and I would not be surprised if there are not punishments administered." She paused for a moment, then turned away. "You're lucky to still be my protege after an outburst like that, but I can see that you're grieving for the moment, and that now is a volatile time for you, emotionally." She walked slowly away. "For now, you can go."
Twilight nodded, once again reduced to the humble state she had been in before her outburst, and walked towards the doors.
"And Twilight?"
"Yes, Princess?"
"I didn't know that Pennington was dead. I'm sorry."
The apology was genuine, and Twilight took a small amount of comfort from it. Looking back to the corner where she had slid the book, Twilight picked it up with her magic, re-examining the cover.
"Will you be wanting this, your highness?"
"Well, I never actually read it, but I didn't intend to. Feel free to take it."
"You never looked beyond the cover of the book or its author... How fitting." Twilight thought out loud before opening to the front page and beginning to read as she walked out of the door.
Part of Equestria's great harmony comes from its willingness to accept ponies of all types for who they are. It is a rare occasion, indeed, when a pony is disliked for their special talent. This tolerance for everyone, however, appears to be a lie in the case of one individual: Discord. Granted, Discord's intent towards Equestria was indeed based in conquering, but my idea is not to defend him in this case. Instead, I would make a case for chaos, which seems to be hated and excluded at every turn. For true harmony to be created, there must be an element of chaos that is accepted by all...
She could almost hear Pennington reading it in a smug, matter-of-fact tone.
Before she could read beyond the first paragraph, however, Twilight found herself met outside of the grand hall by another group of guards, though these guards only numbered for, and seemed more to be a barely-awake group of the Royal Night Guard, decked out in violet armor. There were only four of them, and judging from the looks on their tired faces, they weren't there by choice. Twilight had rarely seen members of the Night Guard before, mostly because they slept during the day and guarded the palace and princesses by night. In the sunlight, she could see more clearly why they were often referred to as bat-ponies.
To become a member of the night guard required a physical change, through magical means, to enhance the senses and physical abilities of an ordinary pony to the point that they would be able to function equally well, if not better, at night as they did during they day. Narrow pupils and brightly colored irises characterized their eyes, which were all either squinting or held tightly constricted pupils in the light of day. Their wings all resembled mores those of a bat than a pegasus, covered in a dark membrane of fuzz-covered skin through which their bones could be seen. Their ears were larger than those of most ponies, and topped by tufts of fur that served to pick up extra sounds and inform them of even the slightest changes in air currents in the room.
"Princess Luna..." The leader stifled a quick yawn, "would like to invite you to speak with her. She says that she has important information for you, and that you must be informed right away."
Twilight sighed and shook her head. "I really don't need another lecture, right now..."
"Well," another guard piped up, slightly more awake than his captain, "we heard what was going on in there. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the entire castle heard it! This doesn't seem to be anywhere along those lines, if it means anything!"
The captain gave him a quick glare for speaking out of turn, then returned his attention to Twilight. "The princess seems concerned for you, not angry. And, if you would allow me to be frank..." The guard looked from side to side, then leaned in to whisper. "You sound as if having somepony concerned for you may be what you really need right now."
Twilight took a moment to try to understand, and she felt the last vestiges of her anger wash away as she realized that he meant that she looked as horrible as she felt. With yet another sigh, she nodded and allowed them to lead her to Princess Luna.
"Twilight Sparkle... Welcome! Please, come in, we have some very important things to talk about." Unlike her sister, Luna's tone was kind and soft, trying to make Twilight feel at home.
Indeed, Twilight hadn't been expecting to be led to Luna's personal bedroom, and she was surprised at how... relatable the princess seemed there. Her room was messy, with a small television and game console in the corner, surrounded by a mess of tangled wires and game cases, and an assortment of clothes and toys scattered across the floor. She kept a beaten-looking alarm clock on her nightstand, and Twilight smiled to see a dresser much like her own along one of the walls, with a mirror fixed atop a chest of drawers. Her bed seemed to be the most gaudy object in the room, with a canopy and pulled-back curtains made of some kind of translucent fabric. Luna herself only added to the overall casualness of the room, laying on her stomach without her normal black tiara, necklace, or shoes. When Twilight entered, she motioned to the spot next to her and pushed herself up to sitting on her haunches.
"You wanted to talk to me, Princess?" Twilight asked as she picked her way through the mess and climbed up onto the bed, sitting in a similar manner.
"Please, Twilight, just call me 'Luna.'" The Princess of the Night replied. "But yes. First of all, I wanted to congratulate you on your success in the changeling hive."
"Success?" Twilight asked with confusion. "I-I don't know what you mean."
"You took a leader who was completely unwilling to negotiate with Equestria and removed him from power." Luna smiled. "Don't worry about Celestia. She's a little... hotheaded at times. She only tends to see the glaring sun, rather than the cool shadows, if you catch my drift. With a little luck, this new ruler, whoever it is that steps up to power, is going to be more willing to talk with us."
Twilight nodded, remembering the female who had stepped up to defend them, nodded. "It's possible. There seemed to be one, though I can't really remember her name, that took control of the situation." A thought struck her that left a ringing pain in her heart. "So, Pennington didn't die for nothing...."
Twilight felt a firm grip around her shoulders as Luna pulled her closer. "Well, that's the thing, really... The important thing that I wanted to talk to you about." Luna hesitated before her next words.
"Pennington isn't dead."
Twilight's entire world seemed to shudder for a moment, as if somepony had physically struck her in the head.
"As you ought to know, I visit ponies' dreams, and I've been keeping a close eye on yours and Pennington's. He's still dreaming, Twilight, but... he's fading. Slowly. I do my best to help him, but there are limits to what even I can do..."
Twilight was still rocking from the concussive news. He's alive... Penny's alive... "W-Well, what can we do? How can I help? We need to go and get him!"
"Wait! Slow down, Twilight. Right now, Pennington's caught in the middle of a harsh and desperate war, if your dreams over the past week have been correct." Luna shook her head. "All that I could say would be that we just need to keep sending love his way, and pray to whatever gods there may be that he makes it out alive..."
"What?" Twilight asked, jumping up onto her hooves. "You have to be kidding! There must be something we can do!"
"Twilight, you're not having much faith in him..." Luna gave her a slightly-chiding glance from the corner of her eye. "And that makes it harder for him. Even as far apart as the two of you are, the connection you share can overcome it if you could both simply have faith in one another..." She smiled a little as her gaze travelled towards a window. "Something occurs to me that puts you completely out of character... Something that I'm surprised that you haven't questioned."
Twilight's eyes widened as her mind finally raced to the most important question of all. "How do you know all of this?"
Luna smirked and turned her attention back to Twilight. "There's Tia's infamous student... always asking questions." The look in Luna's eyes was one that Twilight had often seen in her mentor's gaze, one that betrayed her age in spite of her youthful body, and it had always fascinated her to catch a quick glimpse into her thousands of years of life. But, along with this age, Twilight saw a glimmer of playful secrets, the same kind of glint that she had seen so often when she thought she had uncovered one of Pennington's many secrets, and he refused to tell her.
"As you know, Twilight, it is my calling to watch over and protect the night, including the realm of dreams..." Luna's gaze stayed with Twilight, wrapping itself around her mind like the darkness that surrounded her every night as she drifted off to sleep, but there was no chance of her falling asleep now. "Pennington Inkwell is a pony who I have often met, though he didn't know that I was there." She gave a small wink, making Twilight wonder what she could mean. "I've often sent him back into the waking world, much to his relief... I've seen him crushed, drowned, even buried alive... But I always assured him a safe trip back into the realm of reality."
Twilight's jaw dropped as her mind was slammed by the concept like a tidal wave. "You... you were the one who told him to wake up... In the dream, you were the one that saved him!"
Luna nodded. "Pennington has rarely recognized me there, usually because he is in such a panicked state by then, but that is usually what leads me to him..." Her expression darkened slightly, and she looked away to a blank wall, as if there were something there that only she could see. "If I could prevent the situations from ever arising, I would, but it is unfortunately a result of the interaction of his body and mind... A mix of the real and the unreal." Luna let out a long sigh. "But I do the best I can for him, especially considering that I must mind the dreams of every pony in Equestria..."
Twilight nodded, regretting the fact, but knowing that she couldn't fight it. As she took a moment to reflect, she remembered yet another question that she may not have another chance to ask.
"Pennington told me that he once rendered a great service to you, once, but that he had been sworn not to tell anypony about it... Everypony in the New Lunar Republic seemed to know about it, but they all refused to tell me."
The corners of Luna's mouth lifted back into a smile. "Do you remember my first Nightmare Night, Twilight?"
Twilight nodded, recalling with ease the celebration where all of Ponyville had been terrorized by a well-meaning, but much louder, Princess Luna. "How could I forget? I nearly went deaf at a few points..."
"Indeed... And dost thou recall how we did speak in a manner to which most of our subjects were unaccustomed?" Luna did a mocking impression of herself, though neither of them did anything more than chuckle.
"Yes, it was like reading one of my older volumes..." Twilight smiled, genuinely happy for perhaps the first time since she had left the changeling hive. "Simple for a well-educated pony to understand..."
"Well, I didn't believe so." Luna shook her head with a smile. "So, I turned to the New Lunar Republic with a request for a speech therapist to help me learn a more... relatable manner of speaking."
"You know about the NLR?" Twilight asked, leaning forward with the question.
"Of course! After you and the Elements of Harmony defeated me as Nightmare Moon, they were one of the first groups to contact me..." She smiled at the memory. "They gave me almost as warm a reception as Ponyville did... But, I had no idea that they would send me the most stubborn, insane, and frustrating author in Equestria!"
Twilight would have grinned at the tongue-in-cheek description, but this new information had, just as so many of Pennington's secrets had before, caught her completely off-guard. "He taught you how to talk the way that other ponies do?"
"Yes. He came to the castle as Scorching Quill, and we spent most of our time with myself reading aloud from his books." With a flash of her horn, a book floated off of a nearby shelf. "He insisted that I replace every book in my library with something that had a copyright less than three years old. It was... difficult for me to let go of my older volumes, but he refused to stop nagging me about it until he could inspect and approve every tome!" As the book in question came into full view, Twilight recognized it as the seventh book in the Daring Do series: Daring Do and the Dangerous Descent Into the Dragon's Den. "He always claimed this one as his favorite, though I must say, I didn't enjoy it as much as some of the others..."
"So, he helped you relate to your subjects in a way that you couldn't have on your own..." Twilight smiled. "And he kept it a secret because if anypony knew that the Princess was having speech lessons..."
"I would have, and by relation, the entire Equestrian government would have, appeared weak or unintelligent." She nodded. "So, Scorching Quill was sworn to secrecy, as were any members of the New Lunar Republic who were informed... Though I'm not surprised if the information spread within the organization, itself."
"Then, how did you know it was Pennington if he came as Scorching Quill?"
Luna smiled again, this time with a small chuckle. "Again, I found the answers in his dreams. When I did come to observe him from time to time, he would often change his colors without even thinking about it, depending on how he viewed himself in the moment. One second, Scorching Quill would jump off of a ledge, and the next, Pennington Inkwell would land in the river below." Luna shrugged. "It was a simple connection to make, though I'm not sure if he knows that I know..."
Twilight nodded, looking out the window to the rapidly setting sun. "I should be getting home, Princess. I'm sure that my friends have missed me... and even Spike must be getting tired of moving from pony to pony for his babysitter."
Luna nodded and stood up, gently jumping off of the bed with a flare of her wings. "I agree. If you should have any questions, do not hesitate to send me a letter..."
As Twilight moved towards the door, Luna spoke one last time.
"Twilight Sparkle! You must have faith and love in Pennington. Otherwise, there is no way that he will escape the hive intact."
Twilight turned back to the Princess with a smile. Hope and joy were filling her heart to overflowing, and tears of happiness were beginning to well up in her eyes at the thought of Pennington being alive.
Twilight let out a long sigh as the familiar town of Ponyville finally came into sight.
I wish that Penny was here... She thought to herself as the train pulled into the station. She caught herself before she sunk into another moment of despair. But he will be eventually, right? The joy of discovering that he was still alive had quickly worn away, and the worry of the other possibilities of what could happen to him began to sink in. She had been trying her best to keep her hopes up, but it was like standing on a knife's edge. Be too realistic, and she would begin to see how low his chances really were, be too hopeful, and she would have her dreams interrupted by the fact that they would probably never happen. She had begun writing letters to Pennington, even if she knew that she couldn't send them to him, in order to keep her hopes high.
While she had been in the New Lunar Republic, she had sent letters to her friends explaining what was going on and leaving instructions for Spike to reorganize parts of the library during the day, and had received a mass of questions that she couldn't answer in the replies, and she knew that those same questions would be asked of her starting the moment that she stepped off of the train.
"Twilight, darling!" Rarity's unmistakable voice rang through the air. Twilight didn't even need to look for her fellow unicorn, the white-and-purple dressmaker was in her face in a matter of moments. "You're back! Oh, it's so good to see you!" Twilight was wrapped in a tight hug and began to laugh as Rarity over-dramatized her return in the same manner that she dramatized everything.
"It's good to be back..." Twilight smiled and returned the hug, pressing her face into her friend's shoulder. The familiarity of the bouncing purple curls and the scent of imported shampoo seemed to welcome her back, as well. Even if I did come back alone...
Twilight had hardly been released from the embrace when she saw another one of her friends standing in the doorway of the train station.
Applejack wasn't smiling. That was the first sign to Twilight that something was wrong. Her hoof raised to her head and adjusted her hat, and she was doing a bad job of not showing that something was bothering her.
"Twahlight... We need tah talk." Applejack's voice was low, as if she didn't want to speak, and her accent seemed almost unnaturally thicker than normal. Her expression resembled one of a filly who had just lost a fight.
"Oh, Applejack, give Twilight a chance to settle herself!" Rarity protectively stood between Twilight and Applejack, rolling her eyes at Applejack's usual difficulty with tact. "She hasn't even gotten back to the library to unpack!"
Applejack's face turned to a gently frustrated scowl. "Well, looks to me like Inkwell didn't exactly let 'er pack, ta begin with... Just the saddlebags on her back. Lemmie guess, he provided everythin' else?" She was carrying an unusually large dose of sarcasm with her remarks.
Twilight shook her head in confusion. She had always known Applejack to be willing to try to be kind and helpful to all ponies, and to get along with everypony. "Applejack, what are you talking about? I followed him, he didn't want me to come! Do you have some kind of problem with Pennington?"
Applejack was about to answer when her attention was drawn away, and her gaze glanced back towards the last car of the train. She smiled as a pair of older-looking ponies walked out of the car. "Just- uh, meet me over at the farm later, Twahlight!"
She ran to the older-looking couple, and Twilight looked a little more closely at the passengers. One was a male unicorn, with a blue coat so dark, Twilight thought that he was a shade of black, at first. His mane was a mix of the same shade of blue and a neon-colored sky blue, and a small splatter of lavender on his muzzle and hooves. His cutie mark was an unfurled scroll, with a quill jotting down notes. His hair was long and badly kept, mostly settling down in whatever way it wanted on his shoulders. Twilight blinked twice as neurons began to fire in rapid succession, prompting connection after connection, all bringing her to the final conclusion.
No, it couldn't be... But the resemblance is uncanny! Trying to shake off the obvious conclusion, she turned her attention to the other pony stepping off of the train.
She was a pegasus mare, slightly shorter and very different from her companion. While the first pony wore nothing but a couple of light-looking saddlebags, she was dressed with a set of southern-looking red boots, a darker red vest, and a bright red hat similar to Applejack's. Her coat was a burnt orange, accented well by the red accessories, and her mane and coat were a mix of earthy-looking pinks and greens, creating an overall down-to-earth look that Twilight recognized easily as part of the Apple family. Her cutie mark seemed to be an apple tree' roots, extending and growing down a short distance.
"Auntie Deeproots! Uncle Page!" Applejack, her character completely changed, ran up first to the pegasus, then the unicorn, giving them each an enthusiastic hug. "I'm so glad that you could make it!"
"We're happy to be here, Applejack!" The mare replied with an equally enthusiastic grin. "It's always good to come home!"
"Are you ready to get going to the farm?" Applejack picked up her aunt's bag with a smile. "We've only been growing since you left!"
"Well, then you must have followed my advice!" She smiled. "I'd be happy to, if Front Page doesn't mind taking a direct route for once..."
"Celia, my dear, I've always just followed your lead..." The unicorn smiled and shook his head with a smile. "But I think that we both have one stop that we would like to make: I'd like to go see my boy!"
"That's right! It's been such a long time... Do you think that we could go to Inkwell Commissions, first? I just have to see Penny! I always miss him so much!" Celia grinned and gave Applejack a pleading look as she ruffed her wings eagerly against her sides.
Twilight finally admitted the truth to herself:
These are Pennington's parents! And Applejack's Aunt and Uncle... That would make Penny and Applejack cousins! But now it makes even less sense that Applejack wouldn't like him! But these are Pennington's PARENTS! I should meet them. All of this flashed by in less than a second in her mind.
"Hold on just a second..." Twilight whispered to Rarity. She trotted to the threesome of ponies, and the two newcomers, apparently named Front Page and Celia Deeproots, gave her looks of curiosity.
"Um, Pennington isn't here in town... He's... on one of his trips." Twilight tried not to make the double meaning of her words obvious, just in case any other ponies were to catch on to the fact that there even was a double meaning.
"Oh... Darn!" Front Page stomped his hoof with a smile. "He always did like to travel... Just like his mother!" He gave Celia a loving glance.
"Well, you're the one who travelled to all of the dangerous places!" Celia replied with a smile of her own before turning back to Twilight. "I'm Celia Deeproots, Penny's mother." She gave Twilight's hoof a strong shake.
"I-I'm Twilight Sparkle!" Twilight tried not to cringe at the strength of Celia's grip and the force of her hoofshake. "I'm Pennington's girlfriend."
A number of things happened when Twilight introduced herself under the title of "girlfriend." She realized that she wasn't ashamed of stating her relationship with Pennington. In fact, she was... proud. She realized that, no matter what anypony thought of him, Pennington was a good stallion, and she was happy to have that connection with him.
The second thing that happened was that Applejack looked as if she had seen a ghost. Her pupils dilated, her face paled, and her complacent smile turned down into a grimace of shock. Her ears pulled themselves flat against her head, and she slowly began to smolder with apparent frustration.
When Twilight introduced herself, Celia's expression deepened. It wasn't that she grew angry or frustrated as Applejack had, nor did she look as if she were going to jump for joy. It simply seemed to take on new meaning. As Twilight looked into the orange mare's eyes, she noticed that they were a reddish-violet, a warmer color than Pennington's but still purple enough for her to see the resemblance. Celia seemed to be trying to look straight into Twilight, as if she could examine her heart though her eyes. Twilight stared back unabashedly, though she was growing uncomfortable with the situation. She felt as if not turning away was some kind of way of proving herself.
"Well, it's good to see that Pennington is getting back into the dating game!" Front Page broke the tension, stepping between Twilight and Celia and giving her a much warmer smile. He didn't hesitate to give Twilight a hug, wrapping his front legs around her for only a second, applying pressure, and letting go again. "I'm Pennington's dad, Front Page. It's a real pleasure to meet you, Twilight! How long have you known Pennington?" He put a leg around her shoulders and led her away from Celia and Applejack, easing the tension even more.
"Well, a few weeks, now..." Twilight smiled, happy that somepony was actually taking the news well. Pennington's father certainly didn't seem to have any kind of personal space issues, but his openness was a welcome relief. "We met..." She blinked, realizing how much time had flown by. A week in the border town, about a week and a half in the desert and the New Lunar Republic, a couple of days in the hive and another week coming back... It's almost been a month! "We met almost a month ago."
"Ah! Wonderful! Pennington didn't waste any time, then, did he?" Front Page grinned jokingly. "It's good to see him trying again. His last relationship didn't end very well, as I'm sure you know..." He shook his head. "I was pretty sure that he'd never open up to a mare again. So, how did the two of you meet? Was it some kind of romantic circumstance, or just deus ex machina?"
Twilight blinked, glancing up at the older stallion with confusion. "His last relationship? He never mentioned it..."
"I'm not surprised," Celia finally spoke up again, having come up at Twilight's other shoulder. "It was horrible. His last girlfriend was a real b-"
"bright and sparkling individual, had she been able to see anywhere beyond herself!" Front Page shot Celia a quick glance. "Remember, dear, that cussing is the sign of a belligerent mind, unable to conjure up a greater vernacular!" Front page let out a long sigh. "Well, suffice it to say that she decided to 'use-him-and-lose-him' type of mare. He helped her out of some real trouble, then she abandoned him for Celesta-knows-who..." He shrugged, as if the entire escapade had been a thousand years ago. "He was left lower that I've seen him, and for a while, I thought he'd never try again."
Suddenly, Celia's inspection made more sense.
"Well, that's not going to happen this time." Twilight smiled, looking up at both of Pennington's parents with a reassuring smile. "Pennington is in good hooves."
"Then where is he?" Celia asked, looking around the train station. "We saw that you're back alone, were you with him?"
"Well, yes, but..." Twilight struggled for a moment with the answer, and memories of her last moments in the hive flashed by in excruciating detail. "He told me that I should go home... He didn't think that I would enjoy the rest of his trip. I didn't really want to argue with him, so I came back to Ponyville to wait." It's the truth... just not the whole truth.
This seemed to satisfy Celia, who nodded as Applejack came up next to her. "Well, it's been a real pleasure meeting you, Twilight, but we really should get going to Sweet Apple Acres! Unless you'd like to come along, we may have to say goodbye here..."
Before Twilight could reply, Front Page spoke up again. "You know, dear, it would hardly be friendly-like to let Penn's girlfriend go and unpack and such alone... Why don't you two go on ahead?" He imitated his wife's accent, as if personally acknowledging that there were two members of the Apple family present.
Twilight hesitated to protest, despite the fact that she had almost nothing to unpack and very little to do until she had picked up Spike. Front Page was much more welcoming than Celia or Applejack had been. Despite the fact that Celia was probably just trying to make sure that Twilight was up to par for her son, she had still left a rather foreboding impression.
"Well, as long as Applejack doesn't have a problem with you catching up later, I suppose that would give us a chance to talk business..." Celia looked down at Applejack, who shook her head.
"Wonderful! I'll see you girls later!" Front Page waved as Applejack and Celia walked away. As soon as they were gone, he seemed to relax a bit more. "I'm sorry, Twilight, I hope that you don't mind me tagging along with you. I just want to put off going to Sweet Apple Acres..."
Twilight shook her head as she motioned for Rarity, who had been watching everything from the sidelines, to come and join them. "It's no problem... But why would you want to stay away from Sweet Apple Acres?"
"I'll tell you when we're off the record..." Front Page whispered as Rarity joined them.
"Off the record?" Does he mean when we're alone? Twilight blinked for a moment, then nearly slapped herself. Of course! A writing-related cutie mark, all of those questions, the large vocabulary, and Celia said that he was the one who traveled to dangerous places; he must be a reporter!
"Well, hello..." Rarity smiled, despite having been so bluntly interrupted in welcoming Twilight home. "Who are you? I don't believe I've had the pleasure..."
"Oh! Front Page: freelance journalist." Front Page shook Rarity's hoof vigorously. "If I remember correctly from my article on the defeat of Discord, you're Rarity, the Element of Generosity, correct?" He blinked for a moment, then turned back to Twilight with his jaw slack and his eyes wide. "And you're Twilight Sparkle... The Element of Magic..."
Twilight nodded, blushing at the sudden attention. "W-well, it's no big deal..."
Front Page laughed, both out of excitement and her modesty. "Are you joking? It's a huge deal! You and your friends wield the most powerful magic in all of Equestria, and you're the strongest of them all!" He looked back at Rarity. "No offense..."
"None taken, Mr. Page." Rarity nodded in agreement. "Magic truly is the strongest of the Elements, and Twilight is the strongest unicorn any of us know!"
Twilight blushed harder. "Well, I'd hardly say that..." She hadn't been the focus of this much attention since she sent Trixie out of town.
"Well, it's true!" Front Page's grin grew wider. "It's good to see that's Pennington's aiming high... So, where are we headed?"
"Well, I was hoping to get back to the library..." Twilight smiled, glad to change the subject. As happy as she was that Pennington's father liked her, she wanted to get home.
"Well, then, darling, let's go!" Rarity strutted forward, leading the way. "Will you be joining us, Mr. Page?"
"Please, 'Front Page' or just 'Front' is fine with me. I never like ponies to be very formal around me." Front smiled. "But I'd love to accompany you, as long as Twilight doesn't mind!"
"No, not at all!" Twilight smiled. "As you said, perhaps we can speak 'off the record" at the library!" Twilight winked, feeling more and more at ease around Pennington's father. Pennington was a lot like him, and Twilight could easily tell that Pennington had taken after his father.
"Ah, it's good to be home!" Twilight grinned as she opened the door to the library. She took a deep breath as she entered, taking in the comforting smell of knowledge and paper. "It's been a while since I was here, and there's nothing like coming back..."
"I'll make you some hot chocolate to welcome you back, Twilight!" Rarity trotted to Twilight's kitchen in the next room.
Front Page was looking around the library from ceiling to floor, taking in every detail. "So you live in the library... Do you have any of Pennington's books?"
"Well, yes! Right over- here?" Twilight was just about to point out her section of "Daring Do" books, but Front Page seemed to have gone to an entirely different part of the fiction section. After only a few seconds of searching near the bottom shelf, he pulled out a thick volume. "Ah! Here we go!"
Twilight blinked as he flipped open the book, exposing the cover.
The Lunar Conquest: 1000 Years of Adventure! By Pennington Inkwell
"He always did love the old legends about Nightmare Moon. We would make up stories every night before bed about what she did while she was banished..." Front Page chuckled. "I never imagined that telling stories was going to be his special talent!"
Does he not know that Pennington is Scorching Quill? Twilight blinked as she pulled "Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone" off of the shelf.
"The 'Daring Do' series are some of my favorite adventure stories... Have you ever read any?" She levitated the book to Front Page, but he shook his head.
"Scorching Quill seems rather insensitive to his readers, if you ask me." He put Pennington's book back on the shelf. "He's always bragging about what he's done, then claiming that it's for the sake of 'the spirit of adventure!' He makes money by explicating upon his own misadventures." He shook his head. "He once announced an entire book about the quest for the 'Alicorn Amulet!' What happened to that?" He shook his head. "Not once, in all my years, have I managed to get an interview with him! What do you think he's hiding, huh?"
Twilight rolled her eyes, being careful not to let him see. "Well, we'll never know, will we? Not unless he tells us himself... So, is it my turn to ask a question?" When her guest nodded, obviously still a little steamed over Scorching Quill. "Why didn't you want to go to Sweet Apple Acres?"
Front Page let out a long sigh, pulling a reading chair from the corner of the library. "Well, to put it bluntly... Being grafted into the Apple Family is tough. I always feel out of place." He shrugged gently in defeat. "If you don't have a talent related to apples, you get left out of a lot of things. It's kind of hard to feel like part of the family." He gave a grin, though it seemed insincere. "It's funny really. They try so hard to be friendly, and they don't even realize it..."
Twilight shook her head, trying to understand. "So, then, you're saying that if you don't have an apple-related cutie mark, you don't feel like part of the family? But they're so nice!"
Front Page shrugged. "There's a difference between being a friend and being family in this case... Pennington knows it pretty well."
Twilight nodded. "It seemed like there was some tension between Penny and Applejack... Do you know anything about that?"
"No, it's my turn for a question..." Front Page winked, standing up again. "While we're doing an exclusive interview, why don't you tell me... How did you meet Pennington?"
Twilight raised her eyes upwards as she reached back into her memory. "I guess it was the day that I heard about a writer-for-hire in town from Spike... I thought that he sounded kind of like I used to be before I made friends here. I thought that I could help him make some friends of his own. I kinda started following him around, and I wound up going with him on one of his trips out of town..." She shrugged. "The rest just kind of... happened. My turn: What's up with the tension between Pennington and Applejack?"
Front Page seemed to ignore the question for a moment, closing his eyes and smiling. "Reminds me of how his mother and I met..." After a few seconds of reminiscing, his eyes opened again. "As for my son and me niece, let me answer that question with a question: What color is his mane?"
Twilight tilted her head in confusion. "It's blue... Like yours. What does that have to do with it?"
Front Page smiled and sat down again. "Well, you see, that's not his real mane color... It's more of a burnt auburn. He gets it from his mother's side of the family... But he dyes it. When he was little, he said that it was because he wanted to be like me... But now, I'm pretty sure that he does it to distance himself from the Apples. They fight a lot because Applejack feels like he's insulting them by trying to separate himself, and he just thinks that he'll never belong there..." He shrugged and let out a long sigh, silently illustrating how long and tiring the conflict had been. "Penn makes a good case, though, if you ask me... Not to mention that he blames the Apple family for the fact that Celia's job made her leave home and go on business trips a lot..."
"What does she do?" Twilight asked, though another smug grin from Front Page reminded her that it wasn't her turn, anymore.
"Where did he take you on your first date?"
Twilight blinked for a moment, scrambling in her mind for an answer. "Well, it was this exotic restaurant... Out in the Plains of Lore." That oasis could qualify as a restaurant, I guess... "It had the best water..."
Front Page looked disappointed in the fact that the only good thing that she had to say was about the water, but nodded to concede that it was her turn.
"What does Penny's mother do for work?" Twilight asked, taking a seat across from him.
"Well, she works more along the business end of the Apple family... She goes to look for places that would be profitable for the family to expand, either for selling or growing apples." Front Page let out a long sigh. "She really is the one who makes the money in our family, since most newspapers don't need a freelancer. She only travelled about a quarter as much after Penn was born, but she still left for a week or more every few months... He could only go with her once in a while, and he missed her more than anything when she was gone..." He grinned slightly. "I partially blame that for the fact that all I know how to cook is ramen noodles..."
Twilight sputtered, trying to hold back a fit of giggles. "You- you mean that you fed him ramen when he was little? That explains why he loves it so much now..."
Front Page chuckled, as well. "Well, I suppose you've seen that in action, then..."
"Who would like some hot chocolate?" Rarity asked as she came back through the door. "It took some time to bring the water to a boil, but these things cannot be rushed!"
"Oh, thank you, Rarity." Twilight was trying hard not to burst out laughing as her friend came back into the room. "Would you like some hot chocolate, Mr. Page?"
"Please, you don't have to be so formal! But, yes, I would love some..." Front Page smiled as Rarity levitated a steaming mug towards him. Twilight picked up her own mug and took a sip, letting the hot liquid spread over her tongue and real her tired body. For the first time in a long time, she felt as if she didn't need to worry. Talking about Pennington, acknowledging that he was still alive, seemed to have calmed the storm of fear in her heart.
Come home soon, Penny... We're waiting for you.
Pennington ran faster. He didn't question the sudden increase in his speed, there was no time for questions. Not when one was running from a raging horde of changelings. He made another turn in the maze, paying no mind to which way he was going. There was no time to think about where he was going. He only had to get away.
A dead end.
Pennington circled around, but it was too late. The hall behind him was already flooded with changelings. For what must have been the hundredth time, he tried to use his magic, but his horn simply sputtered and smoked, giving no aid.
In a tidal wave of bodies, the changelings descended on Pennington, and he was quickly pinned to the ground from every side. He tried in vain to lift his hooves, and felt sharp fangs pierce into his skin along his legs and his sides. A pair sunk into the back of his neck, and he screamed in pain, his voice muffled under the bodies that were pressing down on him with thousands of pounds of force.
His body was quickly becoming numb as venom began to course through his veins, and his mind began to blur the lines between death and numbness. His fear was blinding, but he couldn't act on it, making survival a moot point. His brain began to drift, and he started to give un under the overwhelming pressure.
There was a flash of blue light, and a crackle of lightning as the changelings were thrown off of him by some kind of force. As the world above him cleared, Pennington tried to move, but his body failed to respond, making him even more complacent about giving up and surrendering to the numb death.
"Pennington!" A dark blue pony came into his blurred vision, and it took a moment for him to recognize Princess Luna looking down on him. "PENNINGTON INKWELL! YOU MUST AWAKEN!" Pennington would have cringed at the Royal Canterlot Voice, if his face hadn't felt so numb. "WAKE UP, OR YOU SHALL BE LOST IN THE HIVE MIND!"
Pennington blinked in confusion, then tried to lift his hoof again. When his body refused to respond, he began to recognize the sensation as more than just changeling venom. For the first time, he began to think.
I'm asleep... I can't move. I'm ASLEEP. Just as he realized that he was having an episode of sleep paralysis, the world blinked out of existence, and made way for a new one.
Everything was fuzzy and green as he opened his eyes. He could feel something warm and wet surrounding him, and a complacent feeling washed over him, keeping him happy and perfectly alright with his containment. Curious, he reached out into the green fuzziness, and felt his hoof bounce back against the edge of the cocoon.
Something curious caught his attention through the complacency, forcing a small trail of thought to push its way through his mind.
Something was different about his hoof. Where once he had been blue and complete, his fur was now darkening to black... and there was a small green spot on its surface. As he slowly turned his hoof, the spot grew long and narrow, then vanished completely. As he turned his hoof back, it grew back to its original size.
There's a hole in my hoof... The idea seemed so ridiculous, he would have laughed, but the liquid filling his lungs no longer required him to breathe.
He had the urge that he was forgetting something, that there was something that he needed to do, but he buried it easily as he began to sink down into contented and bemused sleep...
When Twilight had finally finished chatting with Front Page and Rarity, night had fallen and the moon had risen. Rarity had promised to let Spike stay in her boutique for the night, claiming that Twilight still needed "to relax and unwind with a good night's sleep" before returning to normalcy in full. Knowing that Spike would already be asleep at this hour, Twilight had nodded in reply and bid them both goodnight. By the time that she was alone in the library, the full effects of her day settled in and she found herself more tired than she had been since leaving the New Lunar Republic.
With a long yawn, she trotted upstairs, putting aside most of her nightly routines, and climbed into bed. She buried herself in the familiar blankets, rejoicing in sleeping in her own bed for the first time in almost an entire month. As she looked up at the moon through her window, Twilight didn't even have time to wonder where Pennington was or how he was doing, sleep overtook her with all of the force of a freight train.
Or so she thought.
"Twilight! Twilight Sparkle!"
Twilight bolted out of bed, fully awake, as Princess Luna's voice filled the room. She looked to the side, and the Princess was standing by her bed, a worried look on her face.
"P-Princess Luna? What are you doing here?" She asked, rubbing her eyes in disbelief.
"The easiest way for me to contact you was through your dreams, but I had no time for your mind to form one of its own, so I created one from your last waking moment." Luna motioned to the room around them, which Twilight only now noticed was rippling like the surface of a pond after being disrupted by a pebble. "There is no time to explain, but I need your help, desperately, as does Pennington..." Luna whipped her tail to the side, creating a tear in reality that widened into a glowing doorway.
"So- I'm dreaming?" Twilight asked, looking at first her own hooves, then her bed and the rest of the library. "But it feels so-"
"Real. Yes, I know, but you'll have to take my word for it, because we have no time! Now, follow me, I'll explain everything on the way." She stepped through the doorway, motioning for Twilight to follow.
Twilight blinked twice, then stepped out of bed and walked towards the portal, eyeing it curiously. "Is this really just a dream?" As she gathered up her courage, Twilight stepped though.
The world on the other side of the portal was beyond anything that Twilight could have imagined.
She was walking through the night sky, with the moon at her side and the Earth lying far below. All around her were countless soap bubbles, all floating gracefully around her and each holding a tiny image. As she looked closely into one, she saw Rainbow Dash, standing tall and proud as Spitfire placed some kind of award around her neck.
"Is that... her dream?" She whispered, reaching a careful hoof forward to touch it. When she did, it simply floated away, avoiding her hoof.
"This way, Twilight..." Luna called. When Twilight looked, she saw the Princess only a few yards ahead, walking away from her. "I need your help in Pennington's dreams..."
Twilight ran to catch up, paying no mind to any of the other bubbles that parted to let her through. "You need my help? How can I help? Is Penny in trouble?"
"Yes, I'm afraid that he's under attack... The changelings' hive mind is trying to consume and absorb his own..." Luna muttered. "It's a mix of physical strain and trauma and mental degradation, and I've been trying to help as much as I can on my own, but the power of thousands of minds trying to drag down the barriers of his individuality is becoming too much for both Pennington and myself."
Twilight shuddered. "I never should have left him... I should have just turned back and gone after him..." She sighed. "But I thought that he was-"
"Twilight, this is no time for despair!" Luna let out a long sigh as one bubble separated itself from the rest. "Your will and your mind must be strong if you're to give him any kind of aid now."
"What are we doing?" She asked as Luna's horn began to glow.
"Until now, I've been letting Pennington fight his own battles, only stepping in when he is about to lose himself completely. But now... His mind is beginning to fragment. It's breaking up. Now, the hive seems to have detected that he's getting weaker, and is trying even harder." She gently touched the tip of her horn to the soap bubble. "It's all symbolic, there's only two rules: protect Pennington, and obliterate as many changelings as you can..."
Twilight smiled, nodding her head. Luna had largely left everything unexplained, but she had just said all that she needed to.
"Here we go..." Luna whispered. "Brace yourself, Twilight Sparkle..."
Twilight had fallen into a nightmare.
She was back in the arena, and changelings were swarming in from every side. The first thing that she did was to throw up a magical shield around herself and the figures around her. She hadn't taken a close look at the world that she had been so abruptly dropped into.
"Hey! Lemmie at 'em! I could take the whole hive! I could take them with one hoof tied behind my back!"
Twilight looked to her left, and saw... Scorching Quill. At first, she simply assumed that Pennington was looking different because it was his dream, but this pony seemed different. He had both of his front hooves pressed up against her shield, and was screaming and snarling at the changelings on the other side. As she looked more closely, his eyes were glowing the same bright red as his mane, and not the familiar violet she knew and loved.
"Oh, calm down, Scorching! Take the opportunity to recover your strength! Celestia only knows how much we need it..." A feminine voice called out. Twilight turned to find the source, and found herself staring at Daring Do.
The real-life, right-there, actual Daring Do. She was there, on her knees, looking up at the dome with grateful eyes. Her eyes travelled to Twilight, and when they met, Twilight saw that, just as had been so often described in the books, her eyes were a deep magenta, and glowed with the light of dying coals.
"I don't know where you came from, but I'm never one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Thank you for the help. I'd get up to shake your hoof, but there will be time for introductions later..." She gave an anxious glance towards the floor, and it was only now that Twilight could see what she was kneeling protectively over.
It was Pennington, laid out flat on the ground. His fur was a much darker shade of blue, like the sky just before the last bit of the sunset disappeared, but not the hard, black outer carapace of a changeling. He was an earth pony, but that appeared to be changing quickly. When he opened his eyes, Twilight could see that his pupils had narrowed and grown taller, creating a catlike sappire-blue orb around a small iris. They were caught somewhere between pony and changeling, just like the rest of his body She could see that his mane was translucent and seemed to shift every time that he moved, and as her gaze neared the ends of his legs, she could see a small array of holes that perforated completely through to the other side. He was beaten, battered, and bruised, and appeared to be bleeding in several places.
"I told you, I'm fine... Just give me my quills." Pennington struggled to stand, grabbing Daring's shoulder for support. When he spoke, Twilight could see a small pair of fangs growing out from his teeth.
The entire sight sent a wave of fear rushing over Twilight, and her heart seemed to skip several beats as she tried to process what she was seeing. The fear manifested itself almost instantly as a gigantic crack in the shield, splitting her defenses and allowing the armies of changelings sitting outside a small victory as they continued to pound away at it.
"P-Penny!" Twilight rushed over to the beaten stallion, trying to inspect his wounds more closely. "What happened? Are you alright?"
"Who is that? Who are you?" Pennington looked up at Daring, then at her with those disturbing eyes. He seemed only confused by the entire situation, not relieved any more than Daring was. He finally managed to push himself up onto his hooves with a groan of effort.
He doesn't recognize me... Twilight felt her heart nearly break as she finally realized what had happened. He doesn't even know who I am. As the shock set in, Twilight's shield became riddled with spiderwebs, and the changelings outside began to cackle and shout with glee.
"Twilight! You mustn't let it hurt you to see this, it breaks your concentration! They're coming!" Twilight finally noticed Princess Luna standing farther off, at the opposite end of the shield from Scorching Quill. Her horn was glowing brightly, and she looked ready for battle. Her hooves were firmly planted in the ground and her gaze was steely, and she was staring down the changelings just outside of the shield. Her eyes didn't waver, and her mouth was quietly whispering some kind of spell under her breath.
Daring had jumped to her hooves and braced herself when the shield nearly broke, and her eyes were darting from side to side, inspecting every angle. "Well, looks like naptime's over... Another day-"
"Another broken spinal column..." Scorching grinned as he re-wrote Daring's catchphrase. "You ready for this, Daring?"
"I don't think that any pony could be ready for this..." She whispered, looking at the dozens of bodies pressed against every side of the dome. "But we're going to have to be."
Twilight blinked, still trying to take in the fact that she was actually looking at the real Daring Do. Her mind was racing over how it could be possible, when she finally realized why there were three ponies in Pennington's dream.
Luna said that his mind had fractured... But not that it had turned into three different ponies!
Twilight looked back to Pennington, who was now staring her straight in the eyes. "You're Twilight... You're..." He squinted, as if trying to remember something. "You're Twilight Sparkle... Magic."
Twilight smiled, placing her hoof on the side of Pennington's darkened face. "I'm Twilight Sparkle, the mare who loves you..."
At the mention of the word "love," Pennington's eyes glowed, legitimately putting out a blue light of their own. His face broke out into a huge grin.
"That's it... Love. You're my love... I get it, now! You're Twilight! Twilight!" With a gleeful laugh of joy, Pennington nearly tackled Twilight, wrapping his front legs around her in an enthusiastic hug. "That's it! Twilight! You're here!"
Twilight felt tears welling up in her eyes as she held Pennington closely against her chest. "I thought that I'd lost you forever... But I'm not going to let that happen..."
Even as her broken heart healed, though, her shield was rapidly growing dim and beginning to flicker.
"Well, Sparky... It's about that time..." Pennington looked up at the changelings all around them. "Time to fight for our lives..."
"Just us and them!" Scorching shouted, jabbing his hoof through a small hole in the shield, knocking a changeling outside unconscious. "Wouldn't have it any other way!"
"So, then, let's kick some flank, fillies and colts!" Daring shouted as a changeling slipped through another hole in the wall. She turned her back to it and bucked it in the head, sending it flying back out again.
Pennington smiled, then looked back to Twilight. When she saw his hooves again, he was holding a metal-tipped writing quill in each. "The perfect team?"
Twilight smiled and nodded. "The perfect team..."
"Brace yourselves!" Luna shouted as her horn grew into a blinding light. There was a loud explosion shook the ground and shattered Twilight's shield. Twilight and the others were unharmed, but all of the changelings who had been trying to break the shield seemed to have been sent spiraling into the darkness.
"YAAAAARRRRRGGGGHHH!" Scorching gave a feral roar as he threw himself into the fray, abandoning any and all semblance of safety. He seemed to simply strike anything that moved, and his hooves would pummel anything within reach in a blur of movement, and Twilight was almost sure that she could hear changeling exoskeletons cracking under his assault. She shuddered to see such rage coming from a pony who looked exactly like Pennington, but in this case, she couldn't help but condone it.
"Bring it on!" Daring shouted as she pressed forward, as well. Unlike Scorching, her movements were fluid and effective with every stroke, and she never wasted her energy. Twilight watched as she first stunned a changeling with an uppercut to the chin, then picked it up by the leg and spun around to throw it into three others. After letting go, though, she spread her wings and jumped into the air, using her centrifugal momentum to deliver a spinning kick to an attacker in the air. She kicked upwards and pulled her wings against her body, propelling herself back to the ground, where she landed on another changeling's head, knocking it out cold.
Luna didn't seem to be making any kind of physical effort at all as she fought: she was working entirely with magic. She had worked her hooves firmly into the ground, and stared down an entire army of her own. As the throng of changelings drew near, her horn sprung to life, shooting out bolts of lightning that would electrify their prey, then jump to the nearest other changeling. After the entire legion in front of her was writhing on the ground, she expended a final effort, and they all disappeared in a flash of light.
She really is the Princess of Dreams... Twilight thought to herself. The spectacle was so fascinating, Twilight didn't even see the changelings coming towards her. When she finally turned back to look, one was leaping for her throat, fangs bared and dripping venom.
Before she could react, a dark hoof flew past her face, striking the changeling in the neck and bringing it all the way to the ground.
"Don't you TOUCH her!" Pennington screamed as he pulled away his hoof. Twilight could see the quill dripping green blood, and when she looked down at the changeling, there was a small incision in its neck that was beginning to bleed profusely. After only a second, though, the changeling vanished in a small puff of smoke.
It's a dream... Twilight had to remind herself. None of this is real...
Twilight narrowed her eyes and roused her magic to life. Without mercy, she opened fire, creating a barrage of bolts that held a platoon of her own at bay. She didn't think much of aiming, there were changelings everywhere.
At one lull in the storm, she turned her head to look back at Pennington. They were there to protect him, after all.
Pennington was in the heart of a mass of changelings, and Twilight could see quite clearly where he was, mostly because there were changelings flying everywhere. Twilight could see that Pennington was using the quills as weapons. Not only did they seem to be adept at piercing through the outer shell, but he was using them to grab onto the holes in their bodies and either throw them into the air or slam them into the ground. He was both dripping green blood and bleeding his own muddy red.
Twilight had always taken it for granted that Pennington was a good fighter. Ever since she had first seen him fight, she knew that she wouldn't have to worry about him. This was only the second time that she had seen him bleed.
Her eyes narrowed and she turned back again to face the changelings that had surged in to replace the ones that she had knocked down.
This time, she didn't hold back. Twilight felt the energy build up in her horn, and with a wide, sweeping motion, she let it all fly out. A wave of purple energy washed out in a wave, blowing back the entire hoard trying to reach her. Her work done for the moment, she turned back towards Pennington and began to march.
"Why... Won't... You... Let... Him... GO?" With every word, she blasted another changeling, before opening into rapid-fire. There was more than a small amount of satisfaction in each progressive blast, and Twilight was surprised to find that she wasn't tiring. "Just give him BACK to me, would you?" She felt her anger welling up, and as she finally came in range, she took a page out of Scorching's book. To her immense satisfaction, she punched a changeling in the face. "Why do you changelings want Penny so MUCH?"
As her cry echoed through the arena, everything grew silent. All of the movement in the arena stopped, with the exception of Scorching, who continued to pummel the living tar out of the changelings around him.
"Penny?" A changeling echoed back in Twilight's voice.
"Penny?" Another replied. The voices didn't seem to have a source, though it was easy to tell that it was coming from some changeling, somewhere.
Pennington blinked, then growled, taking advantage of the stillness to walk next to Twilight. "Don't call me Penny..." He muttered.
"Penny?"
"Penny?"
"Penny!"
"Don't call me Penny!" Pennington shouted, stamping his hoof.
"We want Penny!"
"We want Penny!"
"We want him..."
"Because we're hungry!" The changelings all melted away into black smoke, dissolving before Twilight's eyes. Daring, Scorching, and Luna all ran back to Twilight and Pennington, standing together in a group as the smoke all flew away to the far end of the arena. They all watched in horror together as the smoke gathered itself into a huge, black cloud.
"Penny!"
"Penny!"
"Penny!"
"DON'T CALL ME PENNY!" Pennington screamed, stepping forward towards the cloud. "Don't you dare call me that! There is only one pony allowed to call me that, and she is right here! A penny is worthless! A penny is not unique! A PENNY IS NOT ME!" He pointed to Twilight, who was watching him in awe as he stood against his demons.
The moment didn't last long, though.
The smoke moved in like a snake, somehow picking up Pennington, Daring Do, and Scorching Quill in its ethereal grip. As the smoke pulled them upwards, both Twilight and Luna opened fire again, but their magic simply disappeared before it reached the tendril of darkness.
"The hive!" Luna cried, trying her magical lightning. "It's making its final attack!"
"Well, why can't we stop it?" Twilight desperately let loose another burst from her horn, but the energy just disappeared.
"It's an outside force acting on his mind! We can't stop it!" Luna shouted in reply as all three of the adventurers began to scream. "There's nothing that we can do. This is beyond the reach of a dream..." Quietly, she stepped back, letting her horn dim again. "This is Pennington's fight, now."
"You're just going to give up?" Twilight asked, pouring more effort into her blast. The increased magic had no effect as the smoky tendril whipped Pennington, Daring, and Scorching back and forth.
"I'm not giving up, Twilight. I'm trusting Pennington to be able to win his own battle..." Luna put a hoof on her shoulder. "Your body doesn't tire here, but you're going to give yourself a headache if you keep doing that... And the only way that you can help him now is to believe that he'll survive the onslaught of thousands of lesser minds." Luna's voice trembled, and Twilight finally stopped her attack and looked up at the alicorn. Luna's expression showed just how much it hurt her to simply stand by and watch, and despite her efforts to put on a brave face, Twilight could see tears running down from her eyes.
Twilight finally looked back up, trying to summon the same kind of courage.
Despite the doppler effect from being violently whipped back and forth, Twilight could still tell which scream was coming from which pony.
Scorching, who she was beginning to recognize as Pennington's rage and desperation not to be bound, seemed to be trying his hardest to tough out the pain. His screams were low and throaty, occasionally dropping to a grunt before resuming even louder, with a sound like gravel grating against granite. When his mouth was open wide, smoke would begin to float in, making him hack and cough between screams. They smother his passion...
Daring's screams were high and piercing, and Twilight could catch a glimpse now and then of the fact that the smoke was putting a crushing pressure on her, with what Twilight could only guess was a devastating effect on the bones in her wings. Twilight was beginning to see that Daring was Pennington's spirit of freedom, and his desire to be free and discover. They crush his spirit...
Pennington's screams were the most gut-wrenching. His screams were directly between the first two, resonating and creating a haunting harmonic that sent shivers and quakes all of the way to her soul. He would take a desperate gasp for air before starting his screams anew, ringing loud and clear. The smoke flowed viscously through the holes in his hooves, eating away at his body like acid and widening the holes that marked him as the prey of the changelings. And they dissolve away the foundations of his identity... That's how they'll do it. That's how they'll make the change...
"Fight back, Penny!" Twilight screamed, stamping her hoof as her voice cracked and her eyes filled with tears. "Don't you dare let go! I know you can do it! You're stronger than them!" She took more steps forward, shaking her head in denial. "I know it more than I know anything else! I know that you're strong, Pennington! You can't give in, because you can't give in! It's not possible for you to give up! I know... You won't let yourself lose!"
Scorching's eyes opened. "She's... Right!" He let out another fit of coughing before speaking again, his voice hoarse and grating. "We can't... give... in!" His horn sparked as he built up energy into what Twilight knew was Pennington's telltale explosion spell for breaking free from paralysis. His head whipped back and forth as he struggled, throwing himself left and right to try and break free. As he attempted to break free, Twilight saw a bright white light begin to shine from his chest.
"We'll... never back down!" Daring's voice shrieked as she began trying to pull her hooves away from her body, and Twilight could see that she was working to open her broken and bleeding wings. The same light began to shine from her chest, bursting clear and bright from beneath the smoke.
"I... I.. I can't-" Pennington sputtered as the spindly, spider's web-like remains of his hooves began to bend inwards, collapsing on themselves. His mane and tail were almost gone, all dissolved away, and his breath was coming in shorter and shorter gasps.
"YOU CAN!" Twilight screamed at the top of her lungs. "You can do ANYTHING if you just TRY!"
The statement was ridiculous, and Twilight knew it. Pennington couldn't do anything that he wanted, he had the same kind of physical limits that any unicorn had. He couldn't raise the sun or the moon, he couldn't make the sky turn neon pink, he couldn't defy the laws of gravity, in fact, he couldn't even teleport.
But Twilight didn't care. In this singular moment of belief, Twilight believed that he could do all of those things and more. She believed that he could truly to anything that he put his mind to... And she knew more than any fact in a book that Pennington could survive this onslaught.
Pennington's face contorted in pain as what was left of his hooves finally caved in, crumbling like a piece of paper being wadded into a ball.
"Let... me... GO!" Pennington screamed. His eyes flew open, somehow returned to being the wide, round pupil of a true pony, glowing a bright blue. All at once, the light exploded from his chest in a blinding flash. It washed over his body, restoring his bright blue fur and filling the holes in his legs. Once again, Pennington was a full-blooded pony, and struggling hard against the grip of the changelings.
Twilight's heart leaped in her chest as the three glowing lights began to push away the smoke, freeing the shards of Pennington's mind.
And then came the counterattack.
Rather than give up and slink away into the shadows, the smog threw Pennington to the ground in a sudden torrent that seemed to be attempting to crush him. The smoked splashed outwards and upwards before slamming back down onto him. The light in Pennington's chest refused to go out, and he screamed back at the shadows as they tried to smother him.
Next came Scorching, who had nearly broken away. The smoke whipped him downwards to the place where Pennington was pinned by the sheer downward force. Twilight cried out in fear as it looked as if Pennington were about to be crushed, but as he and Scorching came together, Scorching's body faded away and passed through Pennington. His light joined Pennington's, making it twice as bright, and Twilight could see that his horn had somehow returned. Pennington only screamed louder, now lifting his head up in the effort and curling his lip back in a snarl, as if the sound coming from his mouth could push back the influence of the changelings.
Finally, Daring was slammed down from the air and onto Pennington. The same thing happened, with Daring fading out of existence as she was about to crush Pennington. As the two overlapped, Twilight saw a flash of light come from Pennington's flank. His cutie mark had returned, and the light from his heart was growing exponentially.
The smoke began to encounter some kind of barrier coming from the light, as if it were a physical force, dissipating to the sides and around Pennington, who was still screaming at the top of his lungs. It seemed to fight anew, twisting itself into a tornado in an attempt to drill its way through the shield.
"Y-yes! Fight it, Penny! Fight them!" Twilight cheered as she took in the sight of the mysterious magic,
"Twilight, we should go..." Luna whispered.
"What? Why would we go?" Twilight shook her head, refusing to take her eyes off of Pennington's battle.
"Twilight, the changelings created this dream as a stage upon which to slay Pennington's mind... If he's rejecting them-"
With a sound like an explosion, a glowing crack split the scene. It seemed as if the crack wasn't in any particular part of the reality, but in her perspective. Pennington's voice began to warp into a twisted disharmony, like a radio station with a rapidly diminishing reception.
"That's it, we have to go... Whatever happens next will have to remain unseen." With another whip of her tail, she tore open a rift to her world of dreams and soap bubbles. "Pennington's moment is now, and if he succeeds, this world will shatter into the subconscious, and to escape from the collective subconscious is a nightmare of its own!" Without another word, she pulled Twilight through the rift.
The last thing that Twilight saw was the world shattering like a pane glass window, and Pennington still screaming at the darkness trying to consume him.
Life was good for the newly crowned Queen of the Changelings.
The revolution was nearly over, with only a few small sects still sympathizing with their ex-king. She had been crowned that day, and had decided that her first order of business would be to increase morale and unity by taking a long walk through the hive, inspecting repairs and visiting those who had been injured.
Not only had she grown stronger upon her coronation: she had gotten taller, as well. For changeling royalty, coronation instigated a physical change as they became the central hub of the attention and adoration of their subjects. Though she could feel their hunger, as well, the pain was overwhelmed by the joy and hope of their new ruler. As she walked, she found herself in the room where Twilight and Pennington had been held until their trial.
"Welcome, your highness..." A voice muttered from within the cell.
Chrysalis peered into the darkness, seeing through it with ease of spot a battered-looking changeling sitting in the cell, glasses shattered and hanging awkwardly from the side of his head.
"You... you're the lawyer who was protecting those ponies!" She cried, quickly unlocking the cell door. "What are you doing in there?"
"Well, I stayed here to buy Pennington some time... I only managed about three seconds." Ace continued to mutter, stepping out of the cell with a forlorn smile. "After that, I was tossed in this prison cell to be dealt with later..."
"Well... They didn't take much with them, did they?" She asked, looking around at the scattered items on the floor. Obviously, the changelings who had come through had been searching for some kind of clue of what the two ponies had been planning. She picked up a small scrap of paper from the floor.
Clientele: Twilight Sparkle.
Commission: Short Story, Action/Adventure Genre
Plot: A pony (unspecified character) finds their way into the changeling hive and uncovers a vicious plot: to replace one of the princesses with a changeling in order to invade Canterlot discretely.
Ending: Unspecified. "Spooky."
Chrysalis blinked quietly to herself, folding the paper into a small wad and silently slipping it into one of the holes in her forelegs. Replace a Equestrian princess? Ambitious, but not impossible...
"Did you see whether or not they got out?" Ace asked quietly, not taking note of the new Queen's actions.
"The purple one seemed to use a long-range teleport to save herself, but Pennington was injured and Entropy was advancing..." Chrysalis closed her eyes as she remembered the battle that she had walked in upon. She shuddered as she recalled the blood, flames, and near-broken changelings raging around her. "I got him into friendlier hooves, asked the nymphs from the nursery to take care of him and get him into a stasis pod until we could get him better help... Maybe a pony physician."
Ace nodded quietly. "Well, I may look to see if I can find him, later, then."
Chrysalis hesitated to smile again. She could feel that something was wrong. There were an almost immeasurable collection of new senses and sensations that came with the new position as the leader of the changelings, and in the back of her mind, Chrysalis was beginning to feel a rising sensation of some kind of struggle. One that she was losing. She closed her eyes again and focused in on the problem, trying to bring it to the forefront of her mind.
What she got was an impression: an impression of a struggle. The will of the hive was pushing against a mind that refused to cave in to it. She opened her mind to the hive, taking direct control in order to give the subconscious drive and focus. Breaking a mind was the most important part of a conversion, whether from pony to changeling or from one state of mind to another.
Instead of a blunt force, she lashed out in a whip-like attack, and smiled as she felt the troublesome mind beginning to give way. She applied the final, crushing blow when she felt that it was at its most weak... But somehow, it grew stronger than it had been before. Its individuality that she had been working so hard to eliminate surged up, and Chrysalis heard a tangible voice in her own mind.
Let... me... GO!
Chrysalis took almost a full minute to recognize the voice. When it finally dawned on her, she immediately called off the attack, praying that the damage that she had done wasn't permanent. She quietly cursed under her breath as she stormed out of the room, knowing exactly where she had to go.
"I said to put him into a stasis pod, not a conversion chamber..." She growled.
Twilight woke up tired. An unfortunate side effect of dream-jumping, she discovered, was mental exhaustion. While her body was awake and rested, she felt as if she had pulled one of her infamous all-night study sessions. She managed to still act chipper and cheerful as she walked out into town, and she quickly remembered that she needed to pick up Spike.
"He's over with Rarity..." She muttered to herself, trying to shake off her lingering tiredness, just as she had so many times before. "I hope that he's not letting her use him for a pin cushion again..." She rolled her eyes as she remembered Spike's lovestruck tendency to do anything that she asked.
As she trotted through Ponyville, the town that normally filled her with joy and happiness seemed to be missing its usual charm. Everything seemed empty, without much happiness under its exterior. This joylessness came to a peak as she passed the street where Pennington's small shop stood. As she turned her head to look down the way, she saw Inkwell Commissions, dark and empty, seemingly lifeless, and she noticed a pink pony standing outside the door, trying to look up into the window. Even at a distance, Twilight could see that the pony was a unicorn with a long, black mane, and a cutie mark of a needle and thread.
"Penn! Pennington! Where are you?" The stranger called, craning her neck to try to see into the upstairs window.
Twilight shook her head, veering off course to meet the other pony.
"He's not here! Sorry!" She called out, catching the other pony's attention from a distance.
"I know!" The stranger replied, turning to Twilight with a depressed look on her face. "But he's usually back after a month, and he told me that he would be done with the next chapter of my story by now! So, I'm yelling at his store, instead!"
Twilight blinked in confusion at the words, which sounded more like something Pinkie Pie would say. "Well, he's not going to be back for a while, so you're going to be doing a lot of yelling..."
The pony let out a long sigh and turned around, walking into a building across the street. "Whipstitch's Repairs," said a small sign in front of the building. Twilight made a quiet note of the store before turning around and walking back towards the carousel boutique.
When she finally reached Rarity's shop, she was surprised to see Applejack waiting in front of the door, giving her the same disapproving look. Twilight let out a long sigh, remembering the Applejack had wanted to have a "talk."
"I'm sorry, AJ, but I really need to pick up Spike..." Twilight muttered, trying to walk to the door. Applejack stepped in front of her, of course, forcing the tired unicorn to stop short. "Really, Applejack, I didn't sleep well, and now is not a good time..."
"Twilight, we need ta talk, whether you wanna or not. Spike can wait, Rarity's lettin' him help out making a dress." Applejack sat down and looked Twilight in the eyes, doing her best to show honest concern.
"Pennington is bad news, Twi. You gotta listen to me! As glad as Ah am that you finally got a stallion friend to pull ya outta that library now an' then, he's no good!" Applejack put a firm hoof on her shoulder as she turned away, already fed up with the conversation. "Twilight, he don't even love his own family!"
"From what Front Page told me last night, it sounds to me like you didn't give him much to love..." Twilight let out a long sigh, accepting that she was stuck talking to Applejack. "And Pennington is not a bad pony..."
Applejack rolled her eyes, giving her a warm smile. "Twilight, who are you going to believe to tell more of the real truth? A reporter talking about his own son or the Element of Honesty? Just listen to me..." Her face grew more serious as she settled her gaze on Twilight's. "Any time Penn comes up to the farm, he winds up starting a fight! He openly hates me, his own cousin! Not only that, but every Zap Apple Season and every year at Cider Season we call him for help, but he never comes. Not once has he ever tried to help on the farm, not even when those Flim Flam brothers showed up and nearly put us out of business! Ever since he was old enough to be out on his own, he's stopped coming to family reunions, despite the fact that he lives close enough to walk there!" Applejack pounded her hoof on the ground to emphasize her point. "He's rude, doesn't care about his family, downright hateful, and you shouldn't be dating him!"
Twilight blinked, feeling a wave of grouchy wrath welling up.
"Well, Applejack, I don't know what you did to make him hate you so much, but that is not the pony I just spent a month travelling with, and you're a fool for thinking so!" She rose from her sitting position, this time shoving her way past Applejack. "Everything that I've seen points in the exact opposite direction, actually! Sure, he can be a little full of himself, and more than a little irresponsible, but he is not hateful without a good reason! In fact, he doesn't seem to do very much at all without a good reason! Now, if you'll excuse me, I don't think that who I choose to be with is any of your business! So, take it with my most tired and grouchy intent when I tell you that this isn't something that you can change, and I don't need your approval!" Using her magic, Twilight shut the door behind her, cutting her argument with Applejack short. As she let out a long sigh to release her remaining tension, she looked around Rarity's main show room, taking pleasure in the brief moment of silence. Why is it that, ever since I got back to Equestria, some of the ponies closest to me have been trying to stop me from dating Pennington... I've never had a real argument with Applejack before.
"Twilight, darling! What was all of that about?" Rarity's voice called out from one of the upstairs rooms.
Before she could respond, a purple-and-green blur ran down the stairs, slamming into Twilight and knocking her backwards, almost to the ground.
"TWILIGHT! I missed you SO MUCH!" Spike laughed as he nuzzled his cheek against Twilight's chest, gripping her tightly in a massive hug.
"Spike!" Twilight laughed, feeling her tiredness and stress melting away as she wrapped one of her front legs around the dragon, returning the loving hug. "I missed you, too!"
"Why did you have to be gone for so long? I mean, seriously! A whole month?" He asked, pulling away from the hug only enough to look up at her face. "What were you doing that could have taken a whole month?"
Twilight chuckled to herself as she thought of the massive adventure that she had just completed. "Well, Pennington, my host, is actually going to be gone even longer... But it's a long story. I'll tell you the whole thing after we get back to the library... and maybe after a nap."
Spike blinked, slightly confused. "Before noon?"
"I'm really tired, Spike..." She whispered, nuzzling his cheek.
"Hey, I wasn't complaining!" He replied with a smile. "It's about time somepony taught you how to relax!" He gave her a wink, then returned to his hug with a giant smile across his face.
Finally, that emptiness that seemed to have filled Ponyville disappeared as Twilight held the tiny dragon, smiling and knowing that things were going to be alright.
Amidst the green haze, he could hear voices. Life was becoming simpler, now, with only a few essential sensory inputs being the only things that truly mattered. He was warm, hunger was barely kept at bay, and his name...
A small spark of alarm lit up in his mind as he tried to remember this crucial detail.
My name... is P.
No. It starts with P.
Pe- Pen. There was definitely "Penn."
Penny? No...
Penni- Penning...
His slowly-moving, utterly apathetic train of thought was cut off as he heard voices, and dark figures appeared outside. One was tall and lanky, and she seemed to be shouting at the smaller ones. He could feel the wrath radiating off of her, and it left a bitter taste in his mouth. On a whim, he made an attempt to listen, trying to force his sluggish mind to pay attention. Instead, though, that quiet twinkle of fear lit in his mind, pulling him back to the issue of his name. I have to remember... For some reason.
"What is this?" Chrysalis hissed, pointing at the large cocoon that she was standing next to.
"A... soon-to-be changeling, your highness?" The nymphs that she had called to her presence gave the answer reluctantly, knowing that the only logical answer was probably the reason for her anger.
"No... this is a pony. One without whom your younglings would be starving to death. Without whom, King Entropy would still be ruling. Without whom, none of you are going to receive food for a month! I want this pony removed immediately and given medical attention to ensure that he is not converted!" Chrysalis leaned down, shoving her face forward until she knew that her angry countenance was the only thing they could see. The three nymphs in front of her glanced unsurely at one another, Chrysalis felt the new power of her position welling up in her horn, making it glow near-blindingly with rage. With a single, violent movement, she turned and ripped the sharp edge through the delicate capsule, spilling slimy conversion gel all over the floor. Along with the gel slid out a pathetic creature that Chrysalis could hardly recognize, coughing up green slime and gasping for air.
"P-Penning...ton? Pennington?" Were the first words he sputtered, more to himself than to anyone in the room. "I'm... Pennington."
Chrysalis felt a wave of relief wash over her. After conversion, a pony always would forget their name and be assigned a new one. If he still remembered his name, there was still hope for him.
His body seemed to be in even worse condition than his mind, however. His fur had fallen out over several portions of his body, replaced with a changeling's smooth, black, armor plates, and what did remain of the fur and hair of his mane and tail had turned jet-black. Holes had travelled up the majority of his legs, and portions of his horn looked as if they had been eaten away by acid. As his eyes blinked open, Chrysalis saw that they had retained their violet color, but the pupils themselves had lengthened and narrowed to a reptilian slit, and seemed to be looking at everything around him as if seeing it for the first time.
She gave the nymphs a seething glare, and Pennington cringed at the sudden rise in her anger. He's become sensitive to emotions...
"If he does not recover, I will hold all three of you personally responsible... Send an emissary to the Plains to find a pony doctor if you need to, but make sure that he is given constant. Attention." With these words, she gave the piteous almost-pony a sympathetic look, then turned and walked away, doing her best to keep her temper in check.
It had been almost three months since Twilight had returned to Ponyville, and there had been no signs of Pennington returning. She had been in several more arguments with Applejack over the matter, some more heated than others, and had investigated how many of them had actually known Pennington before she did. It turned out that, aside from his cousins at Sweet Apple Acres, the one who had seen him the most was Rarity, though she had withheld her opinions when Twilight had first returned in an effort to be polite.
From Rarity, Twilight had discovered that most of Ponyville's entrepreneurs knew each other well, and often shared help when it came to suppliers or a sudden monetary emergency. She had claimed that Pennington "seemed nice enough, though we haven't talked much." Once, she said, he had even ordered a sky-blue suit from her, then refused to pick it up once it was finished. "Keep in mind, he still gave me payment in full, not to mention a healthy tip, but he told me to keep it!" Aside from this instance, she had never had reason to give the reclusive pony a second thought. In all of her time amongst the "Entrepreneurs' Circle," Rarity had never seen Pennington take money from another pony, though, and she said that she was happy that Twilight had chosen to court an independent stallion who could manage himself.
Fluttershy claimed to have seen "a blue, well, a blue-and purple-maned, blue-coated pony, walking in and out of the Everfree Forest. Every time I tried to tell him it was dangerous, he would smile, give me a little salute, and just keep on walking... It made me worried sick, and sometimes I would stay up late to see if he came out again, but he always did." Though she didn't know what exactly he did in there, Fluttershy was always happy when she saw him walking back towards town.
Even Rainbow Dash, whom Twilight had thought was simply his customer, knew Pennington well enough to have her own opinion. "He's a cool guy! He always gets me my Daring Do books at least a week early, and you'll never find a bigger fan of the series than him!" Rainbow Dash was the only one who was excited that Twilight was going out with Pennington, claiming that "the guy knows his stuff! When it comes to Daring Do, he may even be a bigger egghead than you!" Of course, she had almost immediately afterwards asked if Twilight could ask Pennington for more free books, an inquiry at which Twilight had simply rolled her eyes and walked away.
Obviously, Pinkie Pie hadn't known who Pennington was until she had been introduced to him by Twilight, and had quickly done as much research about him as she could in the small town. When she had finished, she knew almost as much about him as Twilight did. Despite her typically overexcited and scatterbrained demeanor, Pinkie Pie was the only one that Twilight knew would be willing to carry a secret to the grave, so she and Spike soon became the only other ones in town to whom she would discuss her adventures. Leaving out only Pennington's nom de plume, she told the two everything about their travels, from the train station in Canterlot to her nighttime battle for the possession of Pennington's mind. She left out a few of the more gristly details about the fighting for Spike's sake, and a few of Pennington's more crazy stunts so that Pinkie wouldn't try to repeat them, but aside from that, threw everything on her mind onto the two of them, from her concern about her argument with Princess Celestia to her fear that he would never come back. Luna didn't come to visit her in her dreams in the months that followed, and Twilight felt as if she needed to assume the worst, as much as she didn't want to. Pinkie had instantly given Twilight a lesson on the power of happy thoughts, illustrated by song and dance, and Spike heated up enough hot chocolate to drown half of Canterlot for her to drink. With their help, Twilight had avoided a total breakdown as time marched by without word about Pennington's state, and even learned to keep hoping in the face of truly bad odds.
"Twilight!" Rainbow Dash's voice sounded desperate as the door to the library flew open and the multicolored mare came careening in, obviously too excited to stay on the ground.
"Rainbow, what? What is it?" Twilight quickly rushed out of her room, where she had been studying, and came to make sure that everything was alright. "Is there some kind of emergency?"
"Do you have it? Oh, please tell me you have it!" Rainbow Dash quickly flew from shelf to shelf, obviously looking for something. "Pleeeease have it!"
"Rainbow, I've memorized the titles and authors of almost every book in this library, what are you looking for?"
"Scorching Quill published his newest book! It'll be out next week, and all of my friends are asking me if I have it, yet! Daring Do and the Adventure of the Firestorm Crown! Pennington still isn't in his shop, so I thought that he might have given you my copy, or any copy!" Rainbow Dash floated to the ground in front of Twilight, looking truly anxious over a book.
Twilight tried to take in the implications of what Rainbow Das had just told her. Either somepony else is using Pennington's pen name and character... or...
Before she could finish the thought, a loud knocking came on her door. This time, the pegasus standing in from of the door had a grey coat and straw-colored hair, and her two eyes pointed in differing directions, both angled inward. She had somehow knocked on the open door, and stepped inside after only a few seconds.
"Special delivery for Rainbow Dash!" She cried, reaching into her bag and pulling out a medium-sized package and a muffin.
Rainbow Dash and Twilight looked at one another in confusion as they both read the box.
"Derpy..." Rainbow Dash said quietly. "This address is to my house... How did you know I was here?"
"The bubbles led me here, silly!" Derpy pointed at her cutie mark, which was indeed bubbles floating up into the air. "I saw that you weren't home, so I used the bubbles to find you!" She reached into her bag, pulled out a small bottle and circular wand, and blew into it, making a small flock of bubbles, all of which floated over to Rainbow Dash and popped on her. With a giggle, she put the bubbles away again, gave a muffin to every pony in the room (she seemed to keep an infinite supply of them in her bag), and flew away again, wishing them a happy day.
Twilight shook her head, which was beginning to spin with the impossible logic of using bubbles to find somepony who moved as much as Rainbow Dash. "What is it?"
"It's from the Free Mind Publishing Company..." Rainbow Dash's eyes lit up with excitement as she tore the box open, revealing a book cover that Twilight had never seen before.
It was Daring Do, of course, sitting on some kind of golden throne, her typical pith helmet replaced by a golden crown, inlaid with at least a dozen different rubies. Fire leaked out from the corners of her eyes, spreading and growing into an inferno that blazed around her while tribal-looking ponies bowed around her in some kind of religious order. The title was laid out across the top in the typical bold font.
Daring Do and the Adventure of the Firestorm Crown
Rainbow Dash squealed with excitement as she opened the cover, revealing a small note in bad penmanship.
To my devoted fan, Rainbow Dash. I hope that you enjoy this, Pennington told me that you needed an advance copy.
Come see me sometime, and bring a friend.
-Scorching Quill
A pair of small tickets labeled "VIP" fluttered to the floor. As Rainbow fawned over the fact that Scorching Quill knew who she was, Twilight picked up one of the tickets. As she inspected it, she saw that they were VIP tickets to a book signing in Cloudsdale, granting permission to sit with Scorching Quill as his special guest while he was signing books and a personal visit afterwards.
Twilight's heart lit up with hope as she realized that Pennington must be alive. He was the only pony who would do something like this.
But... where is he? Why hasn't he come to see me? He hasn't even sent me a letter! She thought to herself, a small flame of indignation lighting with her confusion. I mean, he remembers to send a copy of his book to Rainbow Dash, but he doesn't take the time to tell his own girlfriend that he's alive?
"No... WAY!" Rainbow Dash squealed as she read the ticket. "I... am going to get to meet Scorching Quill? That's beyond cool!"
Twilight looked over at Rainbow Dash, an idea quickly forming in her mind.
"So... who are you going to take with you?"
"Well... I don't know!" Rainbow Dash placed a thoughtful hoof on her chin. "I couldn't take Applejack, she would probably try selling apples to all of the ponies there... I couldn't take Pinkie, she wouldn't be able to sit still that long... and even Rarity would probably get caught up in 'Canterlot society...'" Twilight's excitement grew as Rainbow Dash's train of thought eliminated all but herself.
Rainbow Dash's eyes lit up with excitement, and she looked over at Twilight with a look of sheer epiphany. "I know! I could invite Spitfire! Now that's how you get the Wonderbolts to remember you!" Without taking time to notice Twilight's disappointment, she took off into the sky. "Thanks a bunch, Twilight!"
Twilight's jaw dropped as she found herself suddenly alone with Spike again. She slapped her hoof against her forehead, muttering frustrated remarks under her breath. Even Spike seemed to have noticed Rainbow's oversight, and simply shook his head and walked away.
Twilight didn't move for a number of minutes, her mind racing as she tried to understand how this could be happening. Finally, she reached the conclusion: if Pennington wasn't going to come to her, then she was going to come to him.
"Spike! We're going to Canterlot! Find the address of the Free Mind Publishing Company!"
The building didn't seem like anything special, to be honest. Certainly, there was a sign out front identifying it as the publishing company, but without it, Twilight would not have identified it as the central business hub of the massive company.
"So... uh... what are we doing here?" Spike asked quietly, looking up at Twilight with an unsure undertone in his voice.
"Well..." Twilight had spent a long time on the train trying to determine how to explain herself without giving Pennington's secret away to Spike. "Rainbow Dash's delivery gave me an idea. Pennington publishes his books here, too! I think that if I talk to his publisher, I might be able to find out if he's back in Equestria yet!"
Spike's brow furrowed as he tried to understand her logic. "Well, wouldn't you be the first one he'd send a letter to?" He asked the question as they walked up to the doors of the business office.
"You'd think so, wouldn't you?" She muttered angrily under her breath as she pushed open the doors.
The building wasn't much more impressive on the inside, with black-and-white tiled floors and a receptionist sitting behind a large desk, looking at a small computer screen as she typed away. Large ceiling fans spun above, creating a small downward draft, and the walls seemed to be painted off-white to create a sense of ambience, the same color that Twilight had seen in the pages of so many of her older books. Twilight was impressed at the speed at which she was typing. Seeing as most ponies preferred a scroll and quill. speed typing was for the most part a lot art, but the receptionist didn't seem to need to look at the keyboard.
"Yes, can I help you?" She asked from behind a large pair of glasses, not looking away from the computer. Twilight hadn't noticed the silence until it was broken, but
"Oh, yes!" Twilight walked up to the desk with a smile that portrayed more confidence than she actually had. She wasn't technically going to lie, but she hated to mislead Spike about Pennington's true identity. "I was wondering if you could tell me anything about Pennington Inkwell's whereabouts? I'm more than a little worried about him, since he's been missing for some time..."
The receptionist typed something hastily into the computer, followed by a firm strike to the "enter" key.
"Well, it says here that Pennington Inkwell is currently on sabbatical to Saddle Arabia, though you're correct in saying that he has been gone much longer than he was supposed to be... Two months overdue, in fact..."
"Sabbatical? What's that?" Spike asked, scratching his head.
"It's when someone, usually a teacher or an author, takes a trip to expand their knowledge." Twilight quickly defined the term for her assistant, dealing with the issue so that she could continue her inquiry. "Well, I know for a fact that he has some close dealings with Scorching Quill... Perhaps you could give me his address, and I could talk to him?"
He secretary exhaled with a bemused "hmph" sound, which was what Twilight guessed was her equivalent of a laugh. "You and half of the fillies in Equestria have asked me for that address, and I'll tell you the same thing that I told them: it doesn't exist. Mr. Quill has never provided us with an official address, but instead had made special arrangements to avoid most permanent information from having to be given to the company..."
Twilight sighed, rolling her eyes quietly to herself. "Well, I know that Scorching Quill's most recent book is rolling off of the presses right now... Perhaps you could give me the address that the manuscript was mailed from?"
"I am sorry, but that information is privy on to our C.E.O., Fine Print." The secretary looked over from the computer, finally making eye contact with Twilight by looking over her glasses. "And when it comes to Scorching Quill's personal information, wild horses couldn't drag the secrets out of him..."
"Well, could I see Fine Print?" Twilight asked, leaning forward intently now that she had managed to actually seem important enough for the secretary to make eye contact.
"Well, if you're willing to wait until next March..." She apparently cared nothing for their impromptu staring contest as she turned back to her computer, once again beginning to type.
"NEXT MARCH? But it's July! I only need five minutes!" Twilight cried in shock.
"You and half of the authors in Equestria 'only need five minutes...'" The receptionist muttered, beginning to sound somewhat irritated. "Is there anything else that I can do for you?"
"No..." Twilight muttered in return, turning to leave with her spirits somewhat lower. Spike followed after her, quiet until they had exited the building. One they were outside, however, he spoke up.
"Twilight! I have an idea!" He tugged on her tail, forcing her to turn around. When Twilight gave him a questioning glance, he continued. "Look, first of all, what did Rainbow Dash do with the rest of the packaging when she got her book?"
"She tossed it into the waste bin..." Twilight replied, furrowing her brow in confusion. "But that package just had the address to this place, not to Pennington... or Scorching!"
"No, but if that's what a pony normally does when they get an important package, what do you think that Fine Print guy did when he got the manuscript from Scorching Quill?" He asked, jutting his thumb towards an alley to the left of the building, where a large dumpster was sitting with an open lid.
Twilight's eyes lit up with excitement, though it was quickly dimmed again. "Spike, do you have any idea how unlikely that is? I mean, the odds against that must be 3,720 to one!"
"Don't tell me the odds..." Spike muttered as he walked over to the dumpster and climbed up on top, looking down into the open hole.
"Spike, it must be disgusting in there! Get down!" Twilight rolled her eyes again as she walked over the dumpster, as well.
Spike ignored her, still peering downwards. "Wait, I see some kind of big envelope, the kind that you would send a- w- woah!" With a small cry, he slipped from his perch and fell inside.
"Spike!" Twilight immediately ran up to the edge and grabbed spike by his tail, pulling him out of the garbage in almost as little time as it had taken him to fall in. "Are you alright?"
"Twilight, look!" As Spike emerged from the top, he was clutching a large, empty brown envelope. As he dropped to the ground, Spike waved the envelope in her face. "It says 'Scorching Quill!'"
Twilight shook her head as she examined spike for any kind of injury. Luckily, it looked as if most of the garbage had been paper-based, and Spike hadn't even gotten dirty from his fall. "Spike, I think that you must have misread it..."
"Twilight, just look!" Spike shoved the large envelope into her face, forcing her to look at the return address.
Scorching Quill
631 Rosebud Lane
The Arbor Apartment, Room 211
Canterlot, Equestria, 53798
Twilight's jaw dropped as she realized that Spike had been correct. Against all odds, the company had carelessly thrown away some sort of mail from Scorching Quill (likely some kind of short manuscript, judging by the size of the envelope), unwittingly providing them with the author's location.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Rosebud Lane is at least ten blocks away!" Spike hopped onto Twilight's back and pointed in a direction away from the publishing company.
Twilight suddenly felt an urge not to waste any time, either. Now, after so long, she had a clear shot at finding him again. With a thrill of excitement burning in her chest, she took off running towards the address, knowing exactly how to get there in her old home.
Just don't disappear again, Pennington... She silently pleaded. I'm coming...
When they had finally reached the room address on the envelope, Spike began to fidget nervously on Twilight's back.
"Twilight... Are you sure that this is a good idea? I mean... Scorching Quill is a big, popular author! He probably doesn't want ponies bothering him!" He said quietly as she slipped down from her back.
"Spike, don't worry! I didn't mention it, but I actually MET Scorching while I was travelling with him! The two of them are practically the same pony..." Twilight smirked at the subtle joke. "I'm sure Scorching will be happy to help us find Pennington!"
"If you say so..." Spike muttered, moving back away from the door as Twilight moved to knock on it.
Twilight took a deep breath, hoping to find Pennington but bracing herself for the worst: a wrong address. As she released the air from her lungs, she rapped her hoof against the door.
After a few seconds, she heard the knob being turned, and the door swung a small distance inwards, revealing a pink pony's face that she had not expected to see.
"Lily?" Twilight asked in shock, trying to peer through the cracked-open door.
"T-Twilight?" Lily sounded even more shocked than Twilight. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, I heard that Scorching Quill was supposed to be here... He was using it as a return address on the mail to his publisher..." Twilight pulled out the envelope from her bag for Lily to see, and Lily seemed to only grow fearful from the sight. "What are you doing here?"
"I-I-I live here, Twilight... This is my apartment." Lily said as she began to slowly shut the door. Everything about her had some kind of fearful feel, as if something about Twilight's presence threatened her. "I'm sorry, but I really have to go..."
"Wait, Lily!" Twilight's voice raised a little as she put her hoof into the door, stopping it from closing entirely. "Do you know anything about Pennington?"
Lily opened her mouth to answer, but another voice cut her off. A voice that Twilight knew very, very well.
"Twilight!" The joyous cry was Pennington's voice, for sure. Lily's face shifted in an instant to one of total shock as she turned back towards the room, and she quickly slammed the door shut, forcing Twilight's hoof out with a quick magical shove.
At this point, there were a lot of things that Twilight didn't know. She didn't know why Pennington had taken so long to return to Equestria, she didn't know why Pennington had sent Rainbow Dash a signed copy of his book, but had neglected to write her a single letter, and she didn't know why Lily was acting so fearful... but she did know one thing:
She had heard Pennington on the other side of that door.
"Spike... Do you want to come with me in there, or wait out here?" She asked quietly as she gathered up the energy to teleport herself the five feet to the other side of the door.
"Twilight, I don't think that she wanted us to come inside."
"That's why I'm offering to let you stay out here..." She muttered as her face fixed into a scowl of concentration. "I'm going in there, anyway, whether she wants me to or not..."
"Isn't that breaking and entering?" Spike asked as he looked up at her with a questioning glance. When she didn't reply, he took a step back. "I think I'll wait out here..."
Twilight nodded, then closed her eyes and cast the spell to move herself spontaneously through space. There was a flash of light, a sensation of heat all around her, and then he opened her eyes again, and she was standing in Lily's front hallway, facing into the apartment.
And there, in front of her, were three ponies, a changeling, and Pennington Inkwell. to be
"T-Twilight?" Pennington's voice was filled with joyous realization as his face lit up in ecstatic recognition.
Twilight's heart leapt with joy, as well. Just to see him here, alive and well, was the realization of countless dreams over the past few months. She was almost afraid to move, worried that she would somehow wake up and find this all to simply be another one of her dreams. Despite this, however, she found herself rushing forward, desperate simply to touch him, to hold him, to make sure that he was real and substantial, and not some kind of illusion that would disappear at a moment's notice. "Pennington! I-It's you! It's really you!"
The two of them rushed towards one another in glee, until the changeling stepped between them and she felt herself being lifted into the air by another unicorn's magic.
"Hold it, there, lover boy!" The changeling chided as he held Pennington back, aided by Lily lifting him up into the air. "You know what we told you..."
Twilight looked over to see who it was holding her in the air, shaking her hooves in an effort to reach the ground. To her surprise, not only did she see Constant Care, but the pony whom she had seen yelling at Pennington's home, both working to hold her back.
"What are you doing? Let me down!" Twilight pushed herself back down to the ground using her own magic, but whenever she was about to reach the ground, the other two would redouble their efforts and stop her.
"Twilight, dear, you have to listen to me-" Constant began before being cut off by the changeling, who didn't seem to care at all who he spoke over.
"Pennington isn't ready to see you, yet!" He announced as he pushed his glasses up on his head.
"Ace, I'm fine!" Pennington argued, stepping up behind the changeling with a pleading look.
"Is that Ace? What is he doing here?What is all of this about?" Twilight asked, trying once again to reach the ground. "Of course Pennington is ready to see me! He's right there!"
All of the ponies in the room looked nervously at one another, then at Pennington. With a short nod, Pennington stepped forward.
"Twilight... I'm sorry... But not everything is quite as it seems, here. Ace is here because we need an expert on changelings." Before Twilight could ask the next logical question, though, it was answered.
Pennington's body burst into momentary green flame in a near-blinding burst of light, forcing Twilight to cringe and look away. When she opened her eyes again, her breath caught in her throat and her heart skipped a beat in fear.
Pennington had changed exactly like a changeling. Where there had once stood a blue unicorn, there was now something... different. His body was still covered in fur, but rather than his typical vibrant blue, it was a dark, dark blue close to black, like the night sky an hour before the sunrise. His hair and tail were jet-black, with a few small holes and ragged edges within the follicles. His teeth sported a small pair of sharp fangs, and his legs were punctured with dozens of tiny holes. It was nothing like the gaps in Ace's legs, but they were numerous and still punctured through to the other side, creating a disorienting array of tiny holes that made him look much less than solid.
"I still think you look like somepony tried to murder you with a crazy straw..." The one pony that Twilight didn't know finally spoke up with a small smirk.
Pennington shot her a frustrated glance, baring his fangs and narrowing his eyes in a silent snarl. "Shut up, you overgrown arachnid..."
"Wannabe changeling!" She retorted, taking an indignant step forward.
"Webhead!"
"Hey, Penn, I always knew you were a saint, but no you're really hole-y!"
"Hey, don't make me get the giant newspaper, because I will swat you like a bug!" Pennington stepped forward, bringing the two of them right into each other's faces.
Twilight cleared her throat from her perspective in the air, drawing the attention back to herself. "Would somepony please EXPLAIN what's going on?"
Both of them blinked and looked up at her, and Pennington's disturbingly fitting snarl retreated from his face.
"Oh, right! Twilight, allow me to introduce..." He blinked and shook his head in a sudden bout of confusion, as if his mind had suddenly slipped away from him. "Allow me to introduce... Spider."
"Spider?" Twilight shook her head, trying to understand.
"My name is Whipstitch..." She replied, shooting Pennington a glance with her tongue sticking out. "It's a pleasure to meet you officially, Twilight."
"Pennington has been struggling since his near-disaster. Struggling with identities." Ace replied, pushing up his glasses as he spoke up again. "It's only predictable, considering that he almost lost his. You're the only pony that he's called by name, actually. I'm still trying to get over the initial shock... The four of us are all here to try and help him on the road to recovery. I'm here because we needed a changeling to understand what was going on."
"I'm here because we needed somepony who understood pony biology... and I couldn't bear to see him like he was." Constant Care took her turn to speak, with a melancholy smile. "This is actually much better than when the changelings came to me for help... He hardly knew his own name!"
"And Whipstitch and I are here because he needs support, and the two of us are practically his sisters!" Lily motioned to Whipstitch and herself with a smile. "I'm letting him stay here in my home until he recovers, and Whipstitch came here from Ponyville to help!"
"Penn's an idiot, so we're doing our best to help him out of his own mess." Whipstitch grinned as she gave Pennington a friendly punch on the foreleg.
"Well, if he needs help and support, why didn't you call me? I'm his girlfriend, for pony's sake! No pony could support him like me!" She looked down at Pennington, who was seemingly shamed into looking down at the floor, examining the holes in his legs. "Why wouldn't you want me here?"
"Because I couldn't!" Pennington stomped his hoof in frustration, finally looking up again. "You don't think that's what I wanted more than anything in the world? To see you again?" Twilight watched as his breath came in short shudders and he began to blink rapidly. A smile broke through his grimace. "I- I still can't make tears. Isn't that the biggest joke of them all? Ponies can cry, changelings can cry, but in between? When you lose yourself and want to mourn the most? No..." He stepped forward, gently pushing Ace aside and motioning for Lily and Whipstitch to bring Twilight lower. As her hooves touched the ground again, Pennington raised a perforated hoof and ran it down the side of her face. "You don't think that I wanted to see you? To let you know the truth, to put myself out of this living nightmare without you? You mean more than the world to me, Twilight... I wasn't simply trying to ignore you! I've been abandoned before, and I would never wish that on anypony... Most of all you."
"The problem is, medically, we need ponies who love Pennington platonically." Ace stepped between them, giving Pennington a wary glance. "True there's no pony who could support him better than his girlfriend, but the same applies to loving him. Your being here, simply even knowing that he was alive and well, is completely counterproductive! Your love feeds his inner changeling, causing it to grow and take greater control!"
"Compare the inner changeling to a virus..." Constant picked Ace up with her magic, removing the barrier between Twilight and Pennington. "A virus invades the body cell by cell, replacing the DNA being replicated with its own." She stood next to Pennington, putting a comforting hoof around his shoulder. "If it grows stronger, the conversion process starts again, and he turns into the rope in a pony-versus-changeling tug of war... He knows this, and it's taken every ounce of self-control that he has left not to get back in touch with you again so that he can heal..."
"And come back to you in one piece." Pennington finished the sentence on his own, head hanging towards the floor. "There are definitive risks to us being together... First and foremost being-"
"Your health." Twilight whispered, finally beginning to understand. "To love you is to cause you pain and suffering..."
"Your safety."
Twilight blinked in surprise, and she saw that this hadn't been the answer that the other ponies in the room had been expecting, either.
"Well, let's face it! From most ponies' perspectives, I'm the monster that they look for under their bed at night! No offence, Ace." Pennington put on a large smile, and Twilight had trouble telling whether or not it was real. "I always thought that there was a lot of story potential in changelings, but never imagined that I would wind up being a main character in a story about them! But, to be honest, it's still a challenge for me to always control myself... And your... delicious love... is not helping..." He rolled his eyes in some kind of invisible pleasure before snapping out of the trance. "So... and let me assure you, this is the most painful thing I could possibly say right now... you need to leave." He gripped at his stomach, which was beginning to growl loudly.
"But- But I just found you again!" Twilight stepped towards him, heart pounding with fear in her chest. "This is the first time that I've seen or heard from you in three months! You can't just ask me to leave after all of this! And you still haven't explained why you could send a book to Rainbow Dash but nothing to me!"
"Old habits... I always get a copy of my books to Rainbow Dash. Old habits help me feel like myself, instead of... this." Pennington looked up again, letting go of his stomach as whatever problem he seemed to be having passed away. "I wish that I could stay and talk, Twilight... But you're making me sick, now..." He turned to walk away, taking deep breaths.
"Wait! Penny, please... Just one more thing?" Twilight begged, stepping forward and grabbing his shoulder. Under her touch, Twilight felt Pennington's tension melt away and he came to a stop. She smiled at the silent signal of affection, and slowly turned him around to face her. "I don't care what you look like, half-changeling, whole changeling, or even just a normal pony... But I love you. Do you still love me?"
Pennington gave Twilight such a look of melancholy bemusement, she knew that she shouldn't have even felt the need to ask. She could see every ounce of pain in his eyes, even without his ability to cry.
"Well... If you love me... I want one last thing." She leaned in closer, turning her head slightly.
"Twilight, I don't think that's a good ide-" Ace was cut off as Whipstitch, Lily, and Constant Care all shushed him loudly.
Pennington blinked, then slowly leaned forward, hesitantly meeting Twilight's lips in only the faintest of brushings, creating a gentle, fearful sensation that somehow drove Twilight mad, as if he were trying to tease her after so long. With a small advance, Twilight increased the pressure, bringing them even closer and intensifying the kiss slowly in a way that made her entire body tingle with delight. As the blissfully drawn-out seconds continued, Pennington seemed to overcome his fear, leaning forward and exhaling through his nose, creating a dizzying blast of heat between their faces.
Twilight moved to pull away as she realized that the dizziness and tingling were becoming tangible symptoms, starting to make her weak in the knees, but Pennington moved with her, breaking away only when he found himself to be ready. His front leg had snuck its way around her shoulders, placing her within his complete power as her strength waned. When they finally did separate again, it was only by less than an inch, and Twilight could see Pennington's pupils beginning to narrow and morph as the fangs in his mouth extended. A thrill of horror ran across her chest as she realized that he had lost control of himself, and was now feeding freely on her.
"Just come a little closer, my dear..." He hissed as his head moved down towards her neck, seemingly preparing to take a large bite. She could see the bright green venom dripping from his fangs, and she realized that she was completely helpless in his grasp, now.
And I brought this on myself... and on him. It's my fault.
"CODE RED!" Ace shouted as Pennington was yanked away, wrapped in a light pink aura of magical energy. Lily, Whipstitch, and Constant Care were all working together to hold him back as Ace rushed to her side, supporting her as she swooned from side to side with the exhaustion and wooziness of the attack. When Twilight looked up, Pennington had changed entirely. Where there had once stood a pony well on his way to recovery, there was now come kind of feral creature pinned magically against the wall. His pupils were nearly gone, now only the thinnest of catlike slivers, and he was screaming and snarling against the hold on his body. The holes in his legs were now the size of bits, more than doubling in radius, and his cutie mark seemed to be fading into his darkened fur. He was thrashing and screaming like an animal, trying to reach her.
With a quick nod to the other two girls, Constant Care stepped away, taking Ace's place supporting Twilight and walking towards the door to Lily's apartment.
"Twilight, that was as reckless, if not more, than most of Pennington's more recent stunts! You completely put aside safety and common sense, and now Pennington is in horrible condition! I hate to sound like my sister, but I hope that you learned a good lesson from this..." She opened the door with a quick magical turning of the knob. Spike was still waiting outside, though the look on his face was both one of shock and of fear. "I mean, a peck on the cheek, a quick brushing of the lips, that probably would have been fine! But you just had to full-out kiss him, and now look..." She set Twilight down in the hallway, letting her lay down next to where Spike was standing. "Don't call us, we'll call you... There will be no visiting hours. Pennington will be back to see you soon... hopefully." With that she gave Twilight another frustrated look, a long sigh, and a shake of the head. "I would have done the same thing if it were Sure Shot, though. I can't blame you for trying."
With that, she shut the door, and Twilight heard it lock behind her.
"Twilight! What happened in there?" Spike asked, running up to her and doing his best to help her onto her hooves.
"Well... Apparently... Pennington is half-changeling and I kissed him... And that wasn't healthy for either of us..." She mumbled, doing her best to get up and walk down the hall. "I got what I needed, Spike. Let's go home..."
Spike scratched his head in confusion, then shrugged. "Fine... But you're going to have a lot of explaining to do on the train. That wasn't nearly enough information!"
As Twilight looked back at the door that had so unceremoniously separated her and Pennington, she felt a sincere sense of longing to go back, and a great sadness at the knowledge that, if she did, it would be even longer before they could see one another again.
"I don't think that it was enough, either, Spike..."
Twilight finally felt her strength coming back in full as she and Spike walked slowly down the street together, but her mind was filled with only one question:
"Spike, what can we do? How can we help him?"
"Twilight, from what you told me, the best thing to do would be not to interfere!" Spike replied as he munched on a small bag of quartz, which Twilight had long ago discovered to be the dragon equivalent of popcorn. "The only way you could really help would be to either starve him of love or figure out how to get rid of the changeling half... and you said yourself that you don't know how..."
The gears in Twilight's brain began to turn more quickly as she realized what she needed. "Well, maybe I don't... but I think that I do know somepony who does!"
In an excited rush, Twilight pulled a scroll and pencil from her bag. She hated using pencils because they smudged so easily, but carrying a bottle of ink in her bag could end much more badly.
"Twilight, what are you doing?"
"Going to find somepony who's been helping Pennington all along!" She hastily scribbled down a note, signing it with a flourish at the bottom.
"Twilight... Do you really think it's a good idea to meddle like this?"
"Spike, I'm not meddling, I'm helping!" Twilight held up the scroll for Spike, who sent it away in a burst of green fire. "Trust me, Penny is going to thank me for this..." Before Spike had time to roll his eyes, he had been lifted into the air and placed on her back as she took off running again, this time towards the castle.
As Twilight walked through the familiar halls of the Canterlot Castle, she felt a strange feeling of trepidation. Though she had resumed her letters with the princess, she still had not seen her mentor face-to-face since their disagreement. It was perhaps the first time that she had ever not wanted to see Princess Celestia. None of the guards seemed to question her as she walked through the halls, and she quickly made her way to the hallway where she knew the Princesses personal rooms were, drawing from her memory of her escort by the lunar guards. As she neared Luna's room, she was greeted by three guards in night guard armor.
"I'm afraid that you're going to have to turn back here, Miss Sparkle." The foremost pony spoke with an emotionless, official tone as he stared directly ahead, just as he had been trained to. Luckily, Twilight had remembered something that she had learned long ago while she had been running to the castle, something that she prayed would work...
"Well, I really just wanted to ask Princess Luna a question, but maybe you could answer it for me?" She gave him a small smile as he nodded his head in affirmation.
"From where does the moon rise in these parts?"
The guard started in surprise at the question, finally breaking his staring contest with the wall in order to look directly at her.
"... Where the sun falls, the moon shall rise."
Ponies are lining up every day to work for Celestia, but not as many ponies want the night shift... That's where we come in! Pennington's words from her first tour of the New Lunar Republic rang true, and Twilight felt ready to dance with glee.
"And they will always be..." She continued, resisting the urge to smirk as the other guards exchanged knowing glances.
"In eternal rounds of harmony!" The guard that he had been talking to gave her a quick nod of acknowledgment.
"Thank you... I need help." Now that a trust had been established, Twilight spoke more freely. "I really need to talk to the princess on behalf of Pennington Inkwell! Would you please just tell her that I'm here? I sent her a letter earlier asking her to meet with me, but she hasn't replied."
"Twilight, as much as we all love the NLR... I'm afraid that not even Pennington himself would be allowed to just walk in and see Luna any time that he wanted." The guards behind him nodded their affirmation. "I'm afraid that the only ponies who could really help you would be-"
"A princess." A familiar voice echoed as the doors behind them swung open, revealing the Princess of the Night emerging from within. Immediately, the guards bent to one knee, lowering their heads in respect. Luna, with every bit of regal pride that she deserved, gave them a small motion to rise again as she walked past. As she approached Twilight, worry showed on her face.
"I received your letter only moments ago, Twilight. You claimed that you needed my help with obscure magic..."
Twilight felt somewhat bashful, now, with how official the Princess was acting. "May I speak with you privately, Princess? This isn't something that I want to talk about in the open..."
Luna nodded quietly as she walked back into her room. Twilight followed, giving the guards a small nod as she passed through the door.
Once they were inside, Luna pulled open a pair of large curtains, allowing daylight to fill the room. "Well, Twilight? You certainly sounded vehement in your letter..."
Twilight took a deep breath, preparing herself to carry out the plan that she had thought of only minutes before. Spike had elected to wait outside the castle again, claiming that he didn't want to be any part of her "meddling." I've hardly thought this through at all... Pennington would be proud.
"I need a spell to completely eradicate a changeling from the face of the earth."
Luna gave her a surprisingly quizzical look, rather than the one of shock and disgust that she had been expecting.
"... Go on."
When Twilight and Luna re-emerged from the room, they both knew what they needed to do. Both were solemn, but happy. That sense of purpose drove them down the halls, and Twilight felt an overwhelming sense of confidence washing over her. Everything seemed to be working out according to her vague semblance of a plan.
That was until she saw the three ponies that could turn her world completely upside down: Princess Celestia and both of her parents. Her father, Nightlight, a light blue unicorn with a dark blue mane, and her mother, Twilight Velvet, a gray unicorn with purple stripes in her hair, were both standing with the Princess at the front of the castle. Twilight stopped immediately in her tracks at the sight of her parents, causing Luna to break stride and draw up short next to her.
"Oh, Twilight! I didn't know that you were in Canterlot, you should have told me that you were coming for a visit!" Celestia cried cheerily as she noticed the two of them. In a heartbeat, both of her parents had turned to see her, faces lighting up with joy.
"Twilight, sweetie!" Her mother cried, rushing over to embrace her daughter. Swallowing her initial shock, Twilight showed real joy as she gave her mother a tight hug. "How have you been? The princess is right, why didn't you tell us you were coming? I would have made us all dinner!"
Her father showed a little more restraint, waiting until her mother had finished before giving Twilight a hug of his own. "We miss you so much, little girl..."
"I know, Dad..." Twilight laughed as she nuzzled her father's shoulder. "I really wasn't planning to be staying in Canterlot more than an afternoon, that's why I didn't send a letter or anything... But what are you doing here, at the castle?"
"The Princess invites us for tea at least once a month!" Her mother smiled and gestured towards Celestia, who had a smug smile that made the entire encounter seem like more than just happenstance. "We talk about what you've been up to, how fast you're growing up, stuff like that..."
"Yes, it is a pleasure to meet you, Mister and Miss Sparkle." Luna smiled, doing her best to seem amiable with an awkward-looking smile. "Speaking of what Twilight has 'been up to,' we were actually on our way to make a rather important visit."
"Oh, really, Luna? Were you visiting her boyfriend?" Celestia asked, placing a barely-noticable accent on the last word.
"Her what?" Nightlight asked, forcing Twilight to smack her forehead in aggravation.
"Twilight..." Her mother turned to her with eyes brimming with questions.
"Yes, dear sister..." Luna rolled her eyes in frustration. "The poor stallion has been sick for months, and so it is our duty to visit him and make sure that he recovers well..."
"Twilight..." Her father gave her a suspicious look, and Twilight stepped past him to avoid squirming under his gaze.
"I didn't want to tell you until he was okay again!" She spoke with her back to her parents so that she could avoid tripping over her words. "I wanted you to meet him at his best, the way that I did! At his best, you could swear that he either belongs in a straightjacket or among the stars. He has the craziest ideas, but he never lets it stop him from trying! He's the most brilliant idiot in the world, and he's saved my life... But right now, he's injured and there aren't many ways that I can help him... so I was on my way with Princess Luna to do what I could!" Taking a deep breath, she turned back around to her parents. Her father seemed less angry, now, and her mother was more curious than anything. Celestia and Luna were talking off to the side in hushed tones.
He father blinked a few times, as if trying to decide what to say. Her mother slowly smiled and took a few cautious steps. After only a few steps, he wrapped her front legs around her daughter, giving her a tight hug.
"Well, honey, if he's everything you say that he is, then he sounds alright..." Holding her daughter at length, Twilight Velvet gave her a mocking scold. "But tell us, next time! Sick or not!"
"How exactly... did he save your life? When was your life in danger?"
"That is a very long story... one that we don't have time for, right now." Twilight tried to calm her father, who was obviously becoming very protective. "But let's just say that he's a stallion who's willing to fight for me." With that she walked over to Luna, who seemed to have finished talking to her older sister. "Are you ready?"
"Of course..." She muttered through her teeth, apparently having lost an argument with her sister.
"And we're going to come with you!" Celestia chirped, looking over to Twilight's parents. "If your parents would like to, of course. I simply thought, 'If one princess can help, then imagine what two princesses could do!' Not to mention that your father just said that he wants to meet Pennington, and what better time than the present?" Celestia's demeanor was unnaturally cheerful, as if she knew exactly how badly she was interfering with Twilight's plans. "If he's sick, we'll just visit him in groups of one or two so as not to cause him much stress, and I'm sure that having visitors will make Pennington cheer right up!"
It's like she's TRYING to make my parents see him half-changeling! Twilight screamed in her mind. Of course, she couldn't have another argument with the princess, especially not in front of her parents, and her father nodding in agreement did not serve to help her cause, either.
"I really cannot agree to this, sister-"
"Oh, Luna, you can't have all of the fun! I need to get out of the castle now and then, as well!" Celestia spoke over her sister, effectively shutting down any way that Twilight could have argued.
"Well, then let's get going!" Her mother spoke up, giving Twilight a sympathetic glance. She could seem to tell what Celestia was doing, as well, but Twilight knew that she secretly wanted to meet Pennington. "Where does he live?"
"Well, he's from Ponyville, but he's staying with a good friend in the Arbor Apartments." At this, Twilight got almost exactly what she had been expecting: a skeptical look from her father. While Twilight and her family had always lived in the area of the city closer to the castle, among those who didn't struggle much to make ends meet, the Arbor Apartments were close to the outside of the city. It wasn't right to say that that part of the city was poor or run-down, seeing as all of Canterlot was well-developed, but it was often a place for those who couldn't afford to live nearer the center of the city.
"Well, if he's your boyfriend, why doesn't he just stay with you in Ponyville?" Nightlight asked as the small group began to walk out of the castle courtyard and into the street.
"He doesn't want to trouble me..." Twilight scrambled for an answer, knowing that her father would not like to hear that Pennington was currently part-changeling and that if she were to spend to long around him he would turn into some kind of feral monster. "He's really self-conscious about his injury, and he needs constant attention. With running the library, taking care of Spike, and my letters to the princess, not to mention taking care of myself, I just didn't have time to give him that kind of 24-7 care... So a few of his other friends are helping him to recover until he can take care of himself in Ponyville again!"
"It seems as if you both understand each other well... You're both willing to sacrifice for the good of the other!" Twilight Velvet noted, nudging her husband with a smile. "That's an important part of a good relationship!"
"I must say that I would endorse Pennington, as well!" Luna spoke up, giving her sister a glance to show that she meant this to be specifically heard by her. "He actually applied to enter the Lunar Guard, once, then politely turned down the acceptance on the grounds of 'being needed where he was.' He makes a point of standing by his morals. I would have been delighted to have him on my personal guard, and he made a real impression on Captain Shining Armor, if I remember correctly..."
At this point, Twilight's father seemed not to be as tense, as if hearing that Pennington had worked with his son provided a semblance of comfort.
"Penny is an author, isn't he? He must be resourceful to get by financially on his few book sales every year..." Celestia mentioned, ignoring a near-scalding glare from Luna.
"Actually, Pennington is quite successful! He's a Commissionary Author, one of a kind!" Twilight replied, working hard to to keep a frustrated edge off of her voice. "Most of his income comes from working on a one-to-one basis with other ponies! He is resourceful, though, because he has to write everything from full-length novels to songs to even poetry and greeting cards! He can write almost anything for anypony."
"An author? Sounds wonderful! Finally, a pony who might be able to write books as fast as you can read them!" Her mother joked, trying to lighten the mood as tensions rose.
"I would have preferred something a bit more consistent... An author doesn't get a steady paycheck." Her father muttered, barely audible. Her mother rolled her eyes and punched him lightly on the shoulder.
"Well, I really think that you should meet him before you pass any kind of judgement, and you should really meet him when he is feeling better!" Twilight replied, not looking at her father again. He had always claimed that she had gotten her stubbornness from her mother's side of the family, but she had learned better over the years. This is going to be tough...
As they finally reached Lily's apartment, it was almost comical to see the two Princesses and family of unicorns crowded into the small hallway. Motioning for them all to stand out of sight except Luna, Twilight knocked on the door.
"Lily, it's me! And I brought some help!" She called, leaning towards the keyhole.
"I think that you 'helped' enough last time!" Lily's voice echoed from within. "Pennington told us not to let you in for your own good!"
Twilight blushed a little as she turned back to her parents, who were both looking very confused.
"Then perhaps I could take a turn!" Luna replied, taking up a position behind Twilight.
There was a loud clamor from within, followed by an assorted plethora of whispers. After a few seconds, the door cracked open, revealing Lily's pale face.
"P-Princess Luna! I-I'm sorry! We didn't mean to-"
"You couldn't have known." Luna gave Lily her best reassuring smile, which seemed to work surprisingly well. "May I come in?"
"Y-yes, of course! Please, come in!" She opened the door wide, letting in the Twilight and the younger princess. When Twilight's parents and Princess Celestia came into sight, however, she looked as if she were going to faint.
"May we come and meet this mysterious stallion, as well?" Nightlight asked as he leaned over to see further into the apartment. "Twilight told us a lot about him, but we would really like to meet him face-to-face..."
Lily's mouth opened and shut at least a dozen times as she tried to stutter out an answer, but no sound came out.
Being around Pennington like this must be taking a toll... She's not just worried anymore, she looks like she's headed straight for a nervous breakdown... Twilight's mind barely recognized the thought as she tried to think of some reason, any reason, why Celestia and her parents shouldn't be allowed inside.
Before she could, though, they had already made their way through, with Celestia leading the way and her father close behind. As her mother walked in, Twilight grabbed her and pulled her aside for a moment. "Mom, you're embarrassing me! You weren't even invited in!"
"Well, somepony has to try to keep your father in check, and he seems pretty set on following the princess!" She whispered in return. "Nightlight, dear, don't you think that we should wait for a-" She fell silent as she came to see what had stopped the other ponies in their tracks.
Pennington, looking almost exactly as he had the last time that Twilight had seen him, with the exception of an absolutely gob smacked look on his face. The holes were still in his legs, he still had a pair of slightly-disturbing pair of fangs sticking out from under his upper lip, and his violet eyes now had a foggy look to them, almost like she had seen in some blind ponies.
There was a futile flash of green flames that made her parents scramble backwards in fear, and Pennington quickly looked like his normal self again, blue fur and all.
"You... must be Twilight's parents..." He chuckled nervously, extending a friendly hoof. "I'm Pennington..."
It was too late, however, for pleasantries.
Twilight's father lunged forward in an attack, barely stopped by a quick levitation spell from Twilight.
"You stay away from my daughter, you- you monster!" He shouted as he swung his hooves at Pennington, who was shrinking back in what seemed to be fear and a small amount of pain. "You won't lay a hoof on her!"
Twilight's mother was leaning against the wall, staring into space. "A-a changeling..."
"I'll be darned if I let a changeling anywhere near my daughter!" Twilight's father continued, still trying to reach Pennington. Pennington shot Twilight a pleading glance, obviously unsure of what to do.
"DAD! STOP IT!" Twilight yelled over her father, as she dragged him through the air and into the hallway.
"Twilight, if you think that I'm going to let this happen-" He hissed as he tried to push his way past her and back into the apartment.
"Dad, you need to listen to me-" Twilight began as he tried once again. "Dad. Listen. Listen to me!" Nightlight finally stopped his struggle, giving in to his daughter's words.
"What?"
"He is not a changeling!" She looked straight into her father's eyes, knowing that it had become a case of his stubbornness against hers. She had never fought with him before, but now... now she needed to. If Pennington can stare down kings and monsters, I should be able to do this... "Pennington is a unicorn! He was captured by the changelings trying to save me, and is lucky to even be alive! So help me, Dad, if you attack him again, I- I- I don't know what I'll do, but I'll do something!"
Twilight's father was taken aback for a moment, and before he could respond, the two of them were joined by her mother, Princess Celestia, Lily, Constant Care, and an unfamiliar bespectacled black pegasus that Twilight could only guess was Ace in a hasty disguise. When she looked to the door, Princess Luna was standing inside, and gave her a silent nod before shutting and locking it. Twilight returned the nod, bracing herself for what she knew was about to follow.
"What is she doing?" Lily asked quietly, staring at the door. "She told us all that we needed to leave... She said that if we stayed, it would be 'more than we could withstand.'" She looked over at Twilight, craning her neck to see above the almost half-dozen other ponies. "Whipstitch was the only one who refused to leave..."
"Well, from what she told me..." Twilight swallowed loudly as her heart began to pound in her chest. "If Pennington wants it, she's going to try to kill the changeling without harming the pony... She never showed me the spell that she was going to use, she claimed that it was dark magic, but supposedly it's a concentrated manifestation of hatred and fear... Perhaps the strongest form of negative emotions ever known. The main cause for concern is whether or not his body can withstand it..."
"And she's going to just... zap him with it?" Her mother, who seemed to be recovering quickly, asked quietly. "That sounds really-"
AAAAAAAAAUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!
A screeching scream wrenched through the air, ripping away at every pony's ears, and even Celestia cringed at the sound, looking away from the door.
Most of the ponies shuddered and shied away from the screaming door, but Twilight watched with morbid horror, stepping forward to the front of the group. Wisps of purple smoke leaked out from under the bottom, and Twilight could see blinding flashes of green and red light shining out from the keyhole. Ponies from nearby rooms stuck their heads out of the doors to complain, but immediately retreated after seeing Princess Celestia standing in the hall.
OH, SWEET FAUST, I'M DYING! I'M- I'M DEAD! I'M DEAD AND ALONE IN THE DARK! PLEASE, COME BACK! PLEASE!
SOMEPONY! ANYPONY! HEEEEELP MEEEEEEE!
Twilight screwed her eyes shut, but she couldn't overcome the urge any longer. With a burst of energy to the lock, she blew the door open and ran inside of the hellish nightmare.
"LUNA! You have to STOP! It isn't-" She drew up short as, amidst the lightning and smoke, she saw Pennington.
He was standing on all four hooves, spread widely apart for stability as Luna funneled the magical energy into him. The room was filled with purple smoke, some of which was pouring out from the corners of Luna's eyes, but the flashes of light illuminated every horrifying detail of his body. His fur was rapidly alternating colors, flashing in a strobe-light fashion between black and blue along the steepest of gradients. His mane and tail were exuding the smoke, as well, making it look as if he were filled with some kind of smoldering embers. The holes in his legs even seemed to be changing and morphing, opening and closing rapidly as muddy-colored blood ran down through his fur and into the carpet. Worst of all, his body seemed to be losing its form, blurring around the edges like a pony who moved too fast in a photograph. His eyes were the only thing that stayed constant, glowing a verdant green with a blood-red center.
Keeping his horn in contact with Luna's those unseeing eyes shifted to her, pleading for help with all of their might, begging to be saved from the fear. He lifted one of his trembling hooves, dripping with blood, and reached out towards her, as if asking her to rescue him.
"Twilight! What are you doing? Get out of here!" Whipstitch screamed above the thunderous noise of the spell, running though the room and lifting Twilight into the air before tossing her out of the door. Before she could reply, Twilight was back out in the hallway and the door had been slammed in her face and locked into place with a powerful spell.
Nopony said anything from then on, and Twilight never took her eyes off of the door until the screaming had stopped. When the door opened again, Luna emerged alone. She gave Twilight a solemn nod.
"It is done... I would like to meet with him personally once he's healed, but... for now, I would only recommend that Whipstitch and Constant stay in there for a few days..." She nodded to the nurse, who quickly slipped past her and through the door. "Whipstitch showed remarkable fortitude in the face of the most grisly of spells, and Constant's medical attention will assure us that his vitals remain, well, constant. Until he is ready for more ponies around him, Ace and Lily can come to the castle..." She turned to Lily, who had broken down crying several times during the procedure. "I shall have the carpet replaced, Lily... I'm afraid that the blood will not come out, no matter the effort we put into it, and there are a few scorches..."
"So, he's alive?" Twilight asked quietly, feeling more guilt and shame than she could remember. I was the one who even suggested that we do this...
"Alive? Yes..." Luna whispered, locking her steely gaze on Twilight's eyes. "His heart was still that of a pony, and it seems to belong to you in its entirety... Not an army of changelings nor the greatest fear a pony can experience could take it. You should treasure that, Twilight Sparkle... That is why he not only survived, but endured. He will recover more quickly, now... But any kind of other strain on his body will likely injure him further, so there are to be NO, and I repeat, NO VISITS that haven't been approved by myself or Constant..."
Twilight nodded quietly, looking down at the ground.
"There will always be a small part of the changelings with him, a connection of both the body and mind... One he'll have to live with for the rest of his life. But it will be under control, now. I hope that I have helped all that I can, Twilight..." Luna gave a short nod, then walked away. As she passed out of sight, however, she made one more announcement.
"And Tia... If your goal was for Twilight's parents to see Pennington at his worst, you came very far from success."
The rest of the ponies left one by one, starting with Princess Celestia, until only Twilight and her parents remained. Spike was the only addition to their group, having joined them soon after Luna had left. At her advisement, he had waited outside. She told them everything, sometimes crying about the most amazing moments, sometimes telling secrets in the faintest of whispers. She didn't hold back a single detail this time. The hours passed and the sun set, leaving them in the dim light of a few lanterns.
"Twlight, honey... I think that it's time that we left." Her mother noted, breaking the silence that had settled over time.
"This was my idea..." She muttered, ignoring her mother's words. "Not just the cure, but the visit to the changelings to begin with! How was I to know? Why didn't I just take better care of him?"
"Twilight, I don't think that he sees it that way, nor do I..." Her father placed a hoof on her shoulder as he spoke softly. "Every stallion who's ever been in love knows about doing stupid things, and we all know why we do it, too. Pennington seems to me like any other stallion on the planet, except stronger and more willing to sacrifice everything for you..." When Twilight looked up at him, he was giving her the same warm smile that she had seen so many times as a filly when she was scared or hurt. "Honey, as much as you took me by surprise with all of this, and in spite of how bad his first impression was... I'd like to give Pennington a chance."
Twilight felt her heart raise a little in her chest, and her spirits rose accordingly as her mother nodded her head in approval. With tears in her eyes, she pulled them both close into a tight group hug.
Spike, who had dozed off in the corner soon after Twilight had started her story, suddenly started from his sleep. "Huh? What? Is it time to go home?"
"Home? To Ponyville? You're not serious, are you?" Her mother asked, abhorred at the very idea. "You come back with us, Twilight. and we'll have dinner and let you two spend the night there!"
Suddenly, an intense wave of tiredness washed over Twilight, and she simply found the offer too tempting to refuse. She and Spike followed her parents home, where they scarfed down a quick meal of daisy salads to hold them over until breakfast, which her mother promised would make up for the lack of food that night. Twilight had actually been the one insisting on a light meal because she felt her eyelids growing heavier by the second, so she didn't mind at all.
As she climbed into the bed in her room (which her parents had left untouched just in case of visits like these), Twilight fell asleep almost instantly. That night, she didn't remember what exactly she dreamed about, but one image stayed with her:
Pennington, still half-changeling, standing in the moonlight. There was mist all around him that hid the holes in his legs well, but the black-and-darkened-violet mane and night-blue coat, along with piercing violet eyes confirmed the remaining presence of the changeling inside of him. The moonlight shown down on him in a multitude of tiny shafts that bathed him in sliver light as he looked back at her. She noted that his cute mark had changed, but only slightly. The scrolls looked as if somepony had held them over a candle, singed along the edges and slightly wrinkled. The compass of his cutie mark seemed to have been thrown askew, but as Twilight examined it more in her mind, she saw that the compass rose still has a definite "North": straight towards her.
That image stayed with her though the night, almost as if Pennington were trying to stand over her like a sentry. In that moment of dreaming, she felt closer to him than she had in what felt to be an immeasurable amount of time, and she knew that he hadn't abandoned her for a single moment. Not a single one.
We'll be together soon... We just have to wait a little longer, Penny...
Twilight let out a long sigh as she walked down the streets of Canterlot. It had been three days, now, since she had last seen or heard anything about Pennington's condition. Constant Care and Whipstitch never came out of the apartment, Ace and Lily didn't seem to know anything at the castle, and Pennington himself hadn't contacted her in any way, shape, or form. She had gone to the apartment several different times, usually two or three times a day, but her knocking was always met with silence. She had tried to find Luna again, but the princess had been too busy with royal duties to try to meet with her. She had taken the time to read all of Pennington's letters to Lily, many of which brought her to tears as he praised her with attributes that she didn't believe that she even had: grace, beauty, strength, and even a few comments regarding her "adorable dorkiness" were all mentioned with the utmost eloquence, more than she thought she deserved.
Her parents had done the best that they could to help, even offering to take care of Spike while she spent a "day on the town." With a shrug, she had decided to take a long walk through the city, wandering without any kind of destination. Somehow, though, she always found herself walking towards the same place: Rosebud Lane. No matter how many times she turned around to walk back towards the castle, she would somehow wind up walking back there, again.
She had pondered visiting her brother, Shining Armor, but had discovered that he was currently in Fillydelphia, attending a new guard training program the the Princesses were considering bringing to the Royal Guards. Once again, the drew in a long breath of air, feeling her lungs expand in her chest, then let it out again in a long sigh.
To her surprise, while she walked, she began to see bubbles floating down from the sky. One hovered in front of her face for a moment, then moved forward and popped on her nose. She looked up to see a familiar wall-eyed pegasus floating down towards her.
"Twilight! I have a letter for you!" Derpy grinned as she stumbled onto the pavement, nearly losing her balance on the landing. Her yellow eyes twinkled with excitement as she pulled a scroll out of her backpack.
"Derpy? Twilight blinked in surprise. "What are you doing here in Canterlot? Don't you deliver Ponyville's mail?"
"I go wherever ponies need somepony to deliver mail in a pinch!" She giggled as she handed Twilight both the scroll and a muffin. "I just follow the bubbles! Have a nice day!"
Just as quickly as she had appeared, Derpy flew off into the sky and disappeared again. Twilight shook her head quietly as she broke the wax seal on the scroll. "That pony makes no sense, sometimes..." As she opened up the letter, Twilight recognized Princess Celestia's near-flawless penmanship.
My dear and faithful student,
I'm not sending the guards to get you this time, I can see now that that was completely unnecessary the last time that I asked you to see me, but I would like to ask you to come to the castle, preferably immediately if not sooner. There is an important pony here requesting to see you.
I hope that you receive this as soon as possible.
Your loving mentor,
Princess Celestia
Twilight eyed it curiously, trying to overcome her suspicion of her intent. Celestia had been nothing but rude, especially when the subject of Pennington had been brought up, and Twilight had some doubts about her intent with this. The last time she asked me to come "immediately," we had a huge fight... But if there's an important pony, then it can't just be because she's mad at me again, right? With another sigh, Twilight took a bite out of the muffin and turned towards the castle.
"Mmm, chocolate chip..." She muttered with a smile. "How did she know?"
As Twilight walked calmly into the grand hall, she braced herself for anything. This meeting could be for a thousand reasons, or with a thousand different "important ponies." Canterlot was filled with important ponies, and many of them had wanted to speak with the "princess's personal student" in the past, normally in an effort for some kind of endorsement or visit to a public event.
What she wasn't prepared for, however, was the sight of Pennington and Celestia together, laughing as if one of them had told a joke only moments before. They were both sitting at a small table in the center of the room, both eating lunch together as if they were old friends.
"So, the gorgon says, 'What are you, some kind of stoner?' and I reply, 'Not unless you have your way with me!' That, of course, just makes her even more furious!" Celestia and Pennington both laughed at the story for a moment before he continued. "So, the snakes on top of her head start to get really crazy, and-" Pennington paused in his story as they both looked to see who had entered the room. His eyes lit up with joy when he saw her, and he seemed to forget what he had been saying. "Twilight?"
"P-Penny?" She asked, looking at the stallion, who appeared to be in poor condition. All of his legs were wrapped in mummy-like bandages, and he had a large amount of gauze around his head and horn, as well. His chest was lightly wrapped, but she could see that he had been tugging on it, and tufts of blue fur were sticking out. His eyes were normal, again, filled with the happiness and the insatiable wonder that she knew was the true Pennington Inkwell. It was him. Beaten and bruised and nearly broken... But it was him.
"P-Penny?" She almost whispered the name in her flabbergasted state.
"Twilight..." Pennington stood up from his chair, landing gingerly on the floor. "It's okay, I'm not-"
"Shut up." Twilight cut him off. "It wouldn't matter if you were half, three-quarters, or one hundred percent changeling... It's not going to stop me." She slowly began to walk forward, her pace building as the gap between the two of them closed. As Pennington began to first walk, then trot towards her, Twilight didn't hold back any more, sprinting towards him until they finally met. As they were about to crash into one another, Twilight reached out and grabbed him, turning the impact into a passionate embrace. She grabbed him and held him tight with all of her strength, refusing to let go. "It- it's really you. You're back. You're really back!" She felt like her heart was about to burst from joy, and her spirits couldn't have been higher. "You're back and you're here and you're real! I missed you so much!"
"T-Twilight! PAAAIN!" Pennington cried, squirming weakly in her grip.
"Ohmygosh!" Twilight instantly released him, jumping backwards. "I'm so sorry!"
"My body feels roughly as if I've been put through a meat grinder, then put back into a general pony shape..." He whispered, instantly laying down, spread-eagle on the floor. Twilight covered her mouth in shock as she could see blood seeping into the bandages. "But... it was worth it."
"Pennington and I were just talking." Celestia used her magic to gently lift Pennington into the air and set him in the seat again. "I asked him why he would go through such pain when all that he really had to do would be to wait until his body had fought off the changeling within him," her horn flashed as she cast another quick spell, and Pennington's grimace eased as the bloodstains disappeared. "His answer surprised me... Would you like to tell her?" She turned to Pennington, who nodded with a smile.
"I needed to show my devotion to you." He spoke as calmly as if he were mentioning taking a walk to the store. "Your parents obviously didn't like me, at first... and from what you've told me, you didn't either, did you, Princess?" When Celestia shook her head, he continued. "I knew that there was only one way to redeem myself in their eyes, so I accepted the pain as a way of being reunited with you again. I needed to show them that I would do anything for you."
Twilight blinked quietly, trying to comprehend what he was saying. "So... you went through agonizing, crippling pain that could have killed you to impress my parents?"
"Well, to be fair, your father did want to kill me on the spot..." Pennington chuckled, and Twilight felt a wave of emotion as his twisted sense of humor returned. "And I had to prove myself to one of the greatest ponies in all of Equestria..."
Celestia shook her head, moving her gaze between Twilight and Pennington a few times as she spoke. "I really owe both of you an apology... Twilight, I am sorry for doubting your judgment about Pennington and trying so hard to force the two of you apart. And Pennington, I am truly sorry for judging you so harshly... While I never had a stallion, or even a husband, Twilight is the closest a pony has ever come to being my daughter, and I suppose that I overreacted to the idea of her becoming involved in a relationship... I know that love has ruined many a prosperous filly. And when I discovered that you had been starting rebellions in the changeling hive, well..."
"You assumed I was a troublemaker?" Pennington completed the thought with a chuckle. "That may be true, but I never make trouble where it isn't already brewing!"
Celestia nodded. "I was so wrapped up in being overprotective, I didn't see that we wanted the same thing: what was best for Twilight!"
"Well, it all worked out for the best, I suppose!" Pennington raised his glass of cider to the Princess before taking a long sip. "I'm well on the road to recovery, we discovered that we actually have much in common, and I'm hoping that I have redeemed myself in the eyes of Twilight's parents?" With a nod from Twilight, he laughed and took another sip. "So how could I not forgive you?"
Twilight nodded, as well, as a servant brought in a chair and a bowl of salad for her. "I forgive you, too, Princess... I understand why you did what you did, now." She laughed as she looked over at Pennington, who was wearing a smug grin in spite of his injuries. "But please just tell me the next time that you're worried about me!"
"Rest assured, I will..." Celestia laughed. "I suppose I was the one learning a lesson about friendship, this time! Now, I'm not going to judge you for anything that you say or do until I've heard the whole story... so tell me the whole story! Don't leave anything out!"
As the three of them laughed together and Pennington recounted the story of how they had met and gone on an adventure (often with some help on the details from Twilight), Twilight moved her chair next to Pennington's and leaned gingerly on his shoulder. She had known that she had missed him, but she had forgotten how comforting it felt to be with him, as if nothing in the world could hurt her as long as he had a smile on his face. When he didn't flinch, she leaned with a little more of her weight, until one of his front legs wrapped around her shoulders and pulled her closer.
"It's okay, you know... I'm not going to lose control like I did last time." He whispered during one lull in the conversation. "You don't have to be afraid to be close to me."
Twilight nodded. "Yes, but I don't want to push our luck in front of my teacher..."
Regardless, however, the two of them grew closer and closer as the story continued on, with Pennington's hoof moving down towards her midsection and Twilight continuing to rest her head on her shoulder. When it came to the fights and the "adventure" parts of the story, Pennington really showed his talent for storytelling, bringing Celestia into the story and making her lean forward in excitement as he described what had happened blow by blow, in detail. Meanwhile, Twilight filled in the gaps in his memory, simply happy to have somepony else to tell the story. After a while, though, Pennington seemed to grow uncomfortable, glancing at the doors every few seconds. After a while, Celestia finally brought the story to a momentary stop.
"Pennington, what is bothering you?"
"Oh, you know... just a few leftover instincts..." He muttered, glancing at the door again. "For instance, I can tell that Constant Care absolutely loathes me right now, and that she's coming this way..."
Twilight blinked, unsure of which question to ask first. Luckily, Celestia asked one first.
"You still have a changeling's instincts?"
"Well, Luna told me that the mental changes won't ever leave entirely... I can feel others' emotions, but I can't feed off of them..." Pennington replied with a grin. "I can only imagine how that can come in handy..."
"And Constant is mad at you because... why, exactly?" Twilight sat up, reluctantly relinquishing her spot on Pennington's shoulder to look him in the eyes.
"Well, I'm actually still supposed to be in the apartment, trying to rest and recover!" Pennington gave an impish smile, glancing between Twilight and Celestia. "But I snuck out because I was going absolutely stir crazy in there! I needed to get some air! When Celestia's note came asking me to meet with her some time soon for lunch, I simply thought that there was no time like the present! But... Pillows under a blanket can't fool the Care sisters for very long." He looked down at his hoof, as if he were wearing a watch, which he wasn't. "Three, two-"
"INKWELL!" Constant screamed as she stormed into the room, more enraged than Twilight had ever seen her before. Her face was twisted into a scowl of rage as she finally spotted him, and she immediately began to advance, obviously restraining herself in front of Princess Celestia. She looked almost ready to kill her patient. Pennington seemed to be playing very thoroughly off of the Hippocratic Oath.
For such a kind, sweet mare, she's scary when she's mad...
"Oh! Constant! What a coincidence! Gee, what are you doing here?" Pennington nervously tried to play off her fruitful search as a mere coincidence, which it obviously wasn't.
"I swear, I am going to strap you down in that bed and give you a steady drip of sedatives if you don't come with me right now!" Constant yelled, rushing up to the table and yelling directly in Pennington's face.
"Well, when you put it that way, I'd be absolutely charmed to- whoa! Hey! Put me down!" He kicked his hooves vainly in the air as was carried away by Constant's magic. "It was nice to meet you, Celestia! A real pleasure! Bye, Twilight! Come to visit!" He seemed to pause for a moment, then spoke up one last time before he disappeared through the doors. "I love you!"
Twilight blushed as Celestia gave her a wry smile.
"Well, Pennington has already managed to get himself back into trouble..." She muttered, trying to hold back the blushing.
"He's not a bad pony... I'm glad that you found one who isn't afraid to say it."
Twilight nodded, still laughing inwardly at Pennington's reckless antics. "He's really great when he's not putting himself in life-threatening danger..."
Celestia rolled her eyes. "Well, if any pony is smart enough to make a stallion stop being dumb, it's certainly you!"
The two of them continued to laugh and eat for a while, and when she finally left to go home, she felt as if all of her problems with the Princess had been resolved. Once again, she could see her mentor as wise and fair, and perhaps even more relatable than she had been before.
When she came home, her parents immediately noticed a change in her, and she told them about everything that had happened. They were both delighted to hear that Pennington was recovering so well, and her father even suggested going to visit him the next day, with which her mother and Spike enthusiastically agreed.
Twilight went to bed with a smile on her face that night, one thought having been in the back of her mind the entire time.
He said "I love you." I knew that he did, but... he said it. He said "I love you."
Twilight smiled as she walked up to Lily's door. She had hardly been able to sleep the night before, waiting to see Pennington again. She knew exactly it was that she wanted to say to him, and how she wanted to say it. She raised a hoof to knock, then was surprised as the door swung open in front of her without her even needing to knock.
"Oh! Twilight! Hello!" Lily gave her best forced smile, making Twilight sure that she was far more stressed out than she wanted to let on. "What a surprise!"
"I told you she was there!" Pennington's voice called from behind the door, obviously close behind her. "Trust the changeling sense!"
"I'm not trusting anything having to do with those vampires! I can say that now, because Ace went home!" Lily hissed in return, turning her face behind the door. When she returned to Twilight, she was smiling again, and Twilight could tell that she was beyond stressed. "So... how can I help you? We were actually on our way out!"
"On your way out? But... I thought that Pennington was supposed to be resting?" Twilight asked, arching her neck to try and spot him.
"Well, you see, our little rendezvous yesterday ultimately served a double purpose!" An almost unrecognizable red-and-orange pony poked his head out from behind Lily.
"Penny's little stunt convinced Constant that he was strong enough to attend the book signing today..." Lily rolled her eyes. "So, via a very long and arduous process, we dyed his coat without aggravating his legs, and now we're running late, which would be very bad for his image!" With a short sigh, she pushed the door the rest of the way open, revealing Lily and an eager-looking Scorching Quill, legs still wrapped up in gauze, but now with red fur peeking out. Lily grabbed him by the hoof and pulled him out of the door, yanking him past Twilight.
"OW, OW, OW, OW! Lily! Let GO!" Pennington/Scorching cried as they neared the stairs.
"Oh my legs don't hurt at all! Do they hurt now?" Lily rolled her eyes as she let go, nodding down the stairs that one had to descend in order to get to the ground floor. "This is what you get for making a hairdresser your manager! You don't have time to stop and chat with your girlfriend, you're already late! If you need to, bring her along!"
Pennington winked at Twilight. "What do you say, Sparky? Want to attend a Canterlot book signing with me?"
Twilight grinned and rolled her eyes. "Mister Quill, that's 'Miss Sparkle' to you, and I would be delighted to!" The two of them immediately laughed together and followed Lily down the stairs and out the front door, trotting down the street at a brisk pace.
"So, where is this book signing?" Twilight inquired as they moved towards the center of the city.
"Well, it was originally going to be in a local shop on main street called 'The Page Turner...'"
Twilight's eyes lit up with excitement. "I remember that store! I spent hours there when I was a filly! Days, even! I LOVE The Page Turner!"
Lily suddenly stopped walking, causing Pennington and Twilight to both stumble and nearly crash into her rear end. She turned around very slowly, eye twitching ever-so-slightly.
"Originally? That's where we're headed, Scorching..."
"Actually, we're headed there." Pennington pointed up at the castle with a sheepish smile. "I've been trying to tell you, but you've been getting so worked up... Princess Luna said that she wanted to meet with me personally, and offered to let me use the Canterlot Archives for the signing. I already sent a scroll explaining everything to The Page Turner, and they agreed to send all of the fans there, instead..."
Lily's left eye twitched three distinct times. Twilight braced herself.
"AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME?" Lily screamed at the top of her lungs, grabbing the attention of several other ponies walking down the street.
"Lily! Lily, please! I can get us there in no time..." Twilight thrust herself between the two of them, stopping and enraged Lily from tearing Scorching Quill's head off in the middle of a public square. "I'm so familiar with the Archives, I can actually teleport us there..." Closing her eyes, Twilight let the energy rise and build around them. As it came to a peak, she heard Scorching/Pennington whisper to himself.
"She's so cute when she does that..."
Twilight didn't know if the flash of heat on her face was from her blushing or the teleport.
As they walked into the archives, Lily finally seeming to calm down a bit, Twilight was shocked at the number of ponies who had not only shown up early to the original signing, but followed the instructions and made a detour to the royal archives. Scorching, Lily, and Twilight nearly made it into the library essentially undetected, with him walking behind the two of them like a shield from prying eyes. Twilight was surprised at how opposed Pennington was to being seen as Scorching, most book signings that she had attended had been calm, quiet affairs, especially in Canterlot.
"I don't get it... Book signings aren't that bad, even when the fans get a little excited! Why were you so worried?" She asked once they were inside.
Pennington looked around, taking a small note of the ponies nearby before lifting up his front leg, which was still well-bandaged. "I make it a personal policy never to come to a signing injured... This is the first time I've ever broken that rule."
Twilight shook her head. "I don't understand..."
Pennington looked down, then back up at her. "Please, just try to see it... To those ponies out there, there isn't much difference between Daring Do and I. The two of us may as well be the same because we basically are, and all that they have ever seen is a pony who cannot be harmed, a pony who always comes out on top! And that makes them braver, because they can see that Daring isn't just a character, she's real through me! They can see that a normal pony can do anything that he wants to, and that gives them courage to strike out at things that would normally scare them stiff!"
Twilight nodded. "So... If they see you hurt..."
"They start to wonder what could happen to them when they try scary things..." Pennington nodded. "Fillies and colts, mares and stallions, all lose a tiny piece of that confidence... the confidence that they draw from me!"
Twilight was surprised. "Pennington, that seems like pretty deep thinking for somepony so reckless!"
Pennington shrugged with a grin, looking over as two pegasi flew in through a skylight in the room. Twilight quickly recognized them, and nearly slapped herself for not checking before calling Pennington by name. One of the ponies was Rainbow Dash, who was obviously doing her best to restrain her excitement, followed quickly by another cyan pony with a dark blue mane: Soarin, one of the wonderbolts. Spitfire must not have wanted to come...
"OHMYGOSH!" It took less than a second for Rainbow Dash to find Scorching Quill, and she zoomed over to him with a gust of wind, leaving a momentary flash of rainbow behind her. "You! You're- You're-"
"Scorching Quill, at your service!" Pennington winked at Twilight and gave Rainbow Dash a short bow, obviously still sore in his bandaged legs. "Judging by your multi-chromatic mane and obvious VIP access, you must be Pennington's friend, Miss Rainbow Dash!"
As Rainbow Dash's face lit up with excitement and she enthusiastically nodded, Twilight did her best to hold back a snicker.
"Please, sit down!" Pennington smiled, motioning to a long table with several seats. "I hope that you don't mind sharing the table with Miss Sparkle?"
"Twilight?" Rainbow Dash finally seemed to notice Twilight, who had been standing next to Pennington the whole time. "No! Not at all! Whatever you want, Scorching!"
Pennington grinned wider. "Wonderful! With our mutual friend, Pennington Inkwell, being gone for so long, she came up to Canterlot so that the two of us could welcome him together, and I invited her to sit with me!"
As Rainbow Dash began to nod again, she looked down, finally seeing the bandages on his legs. Her jaw dropped in shock as she immediately dropped lower to take a closer look. "What happened to you? An accident on one of your adventures?"
"Just a little accident with some acid! Twilight brought along some of her chemistry stuff to keep herself entertained, but I'm a clumsy oaf, and wound up spilling some on myself! Nothing really serious, just a few burns!" He chuckled to himself, turning to Twilight with a wide grin. "Ironically enough, these wraps are a good look for me, don't you think?" With his smug grin, Pennington lifted up his hoof and examined it, letting Twilight take a closer look. "What would you say, Miss Sparkle?"
"Well, Rarity's the one that knows about fashion, but it looks pretty good, if you ask me!" Twilight nearly broke out laughing at his obvious flirting, returning it with a batting of her eyelashes. "Rather heroic..."
Pennington grinned in reply, even as Rainbow Dash looked at them with a mix of surprise and horror. "Wait... Are you two- flirting?"
"Of course not! Now then, what do you say we get to signing some books! So many ponies, so little time!" Pennington whisked himself away to the table, which already had several copies of his newest book ready for sale.
"That's my motto!" Soarin replied, prompting glares from every mare in the room and a snide chuckle from Pennington.
"It's darn well about time, you lunatic..." Lily whispered into Pennington's ear after he sat down.
"You know you love it..." Pennington replied with a grin as he rolled his eyes. "We've been having close shaves like this since we were foals!"
"And they were always your-"
"Hello!" Pennington cried as ponies began to walk inside, staying within the area cordoned off by the carpet and velvet ropes. "Welcome, everypony! Please, one at a time, I'll be happy to meet you all!"
Twilight looked over at Lily, who was running her hoof down the front of her forehead, then at Pennington, who was already being demanded by a small crowd of ponies. She hadn't picked up on it before, but, the two of them seemed like almost more than just friends...
The hours flew by, though Twilight could tell from Rainbow Dash's stares that she was trying desperately to determine their relationship. It may be a good idea to act a bit more aloof...
She was surprised to see Pennington turn towards her before she had even finished the thought and nod. Leaning in close, he whispered in her ear. "I can tell that you're worried... and if you're worried about RD, I think you're right. We'll have to play it a bit more aloof..."
Twilight shuddered as she remembered that he still had a few small remnants of the changelings lying in his mind. "Is that 'mind-reading' thing going to go away any time soon?"
"Well... It should fade over time..." Pennington grinned. "But never completely..."
"Wonderful... That's going to be fun..." She mumbled, crossing her hooves in front of her.
"Well, even with the ability to sense your emotions, you're still a mystery to me, Twilight..." He muttered in return, his smile growing. "I'm just good at guessing what you're worried about..."
It took almost the entire day for Pennington to finish talking to all of his fans, only taking a short break for lunch between signings. Lily seemed to finally relax over time, even laughing at some of the joking comments he told his fans. But, as the day slowly wound to a close and the last of the ponies had their turn to shake his hoof and have their book signed, Pennington let out a long sigh.
"That went better than I expected..." He said, breaking the silence that had settled over the library.
Rainbow Dash, who had essentially spent the day stifling yawns and occasionally going for a short flight, hovered into the air. "So, the VIP invitation said something about a personal visit after the signing?"
Pennington nodded with a small smile, putting his hoof up to his mouth in a large yawn. "Well, yes... I suppose that now would be as good a time as any for that! Go ahead, we can have an exclusive interview right now, if you like. Ask me anything."
"Well there was one thing I was wondering about, Scorching..." Rainbow Dash flew closer, looking him straight in the eyes. "Would you ever think about taking somepony on an adventure with you? Somepony strong, fast, loyal... You know, a pegasus! Like Daring?" Rainbow Dash gave him her biggest smile while both Soarin and Twilight smacked their foreheads in frustration.
Pennington chuckled to himself, gently pushing Rainbow Dash backwards and out of his face. "I'm afraid that I work alone, as much as I appreciate the offer... I'm not a tour guide."
Twilight tried not to grin. That was exactly what he had been when he had taken her with him, having to explain everything that was going on and where they were, along with what they were doing there.
Rainbow Dash floated back down to the ground as her spirits sank.
"Well, Scorching, I've been hearing rumors on the Wonderbolt tours that an old artifact called the Alicorn Amulet was recently stolen..." Soarin quickly changed the subject from Rainbow Dash's disappointment. "Do you know anything about that?"
Twilight thought that she caught Pennington stiffen a little at the mention of the rare artifact. She had hardly found much information about it at all in her studies, and was surprised that Soarin would even know about it.
"I haven't had anything to do with that particular artifact ever since I donated it to the Museum of Magical History... Probably just some black-market thug desperate for some cash." Pennington easily waved off whatever it was that had been bothering him.
"But, in the wrong hooves, that could cause some real problems!"
"Please, using the amulet is much more complicated than it seems! You can't just put it on and suddenly have massive powers! There are rituals one must go through to prepare, a frame of mind that allows you to wield such power, and even an ancient chant of which only a select few ponies know about! The idea that the amulet could be used is far-fetched, and the concept of it being found and used by somepony with malicious intent is even more remote. It's just going to be stuck under a glass display in somepony's 'private collection.'"
The ponies in the room almost didn't notice his spiel, however, and were quickly taking the time to bend at the knee. Pennington blinked a few times, then immediately turned around to see the imposing figure of Princess Luna standing behind him.
"In hindsight, I should have noticed that..." He muttered before dropping to one knee, bowing his head nearly to the floor. "Your highness! It is an honor!"
Luna rolled her eyes and motioned for them all to stand again. "The pleasure is mine, Scorching Quill. If your official business here is done, I would like to ask you to join me on some... off the records business? It is of great importance..."
"O-Of course!" Pennington immediately rose again with an anxious smile.
"Twilight Sparkle, I would like to ask you to come, as well..." Luna asked, motioning to the door that led into the main castle.
"Certainly, Luna!" Twilight smiled and stepped up alongside Pennington as Luna led them both away.
"I'll be back to help clean up, Lily!"
"Don't worry about it, Scorching, it's already done..." Lily rolled her eyes as she levitated a stack of books into a large box.
Once again, Twilight noted how well the two of them seemed to have come to understand one another, and how much Lily was willing to put up with from Pennington. A few seconds later, Twilight and Pennington were walking down an empty hall in the castle with the princess, even as the sunlight was fading from the sky.
"So... You wanted to talk to me, Luna?" Pennington asked as he looked around. "I can tell that you're feeling a little anxious..."
"Well, this isn't unprecedented, but it is a new experience for me..." Luna gave him a small glance out of the corner of her eye. "But this isn't the place to speak, yet." With a sly grin, she reached around a hanging tapestry and made a strange motion with her out-of-sight hoof. Pennington and Twilight both watched in surprise as a doorway in the wall swung open, revealing a dark passageway. "If you would please be so kind as to follow me..." She grinned wider and stepped inside, her mane beginning to glow faintly in the dark.
Pennington and Twilight looked at one another, and he motioned for her to enter first.
"Pennington! I want you walking alongside me!" Luna called, making Pennington slap himself in the forehead and Twilight shudder to a stop, returning the sweeping motion that he had given for her to move first. He nodded and trotted past her, trying to catch up to the princess.
Soon after entering the tunnel, Twilight discovered that the downward-sloping path was wide enough for she, Pennington, and Luna to all walk abreast, and the three of them all were allowing their horns to glow and light the way.
They walked in silence for a long time, both waiting for Luna to start the conversation. The walls around them began to glint with the shine and glow of crystals as they moved deeper and deeper into the earth and smelled old and musty, as if the cave had existed for thousands of years. Twilight couldn't help but wonder where they were going.
Neither she nor Pennington seemed to want to speak, and it took some time for Luna to finally speak up again.
"Pennington, you are familiar with Twilight's position in regards to my sister?"
"Of course... Twilight is Celestia's personal protege, studying under her tutoring and reporting her findings. She reports directly to the Princess, herself." Pennington smiled, giving Twilight a warm glance. "She's so smart and so strong, Celestia took a personal role in her studies and training."
Luna nodded quietly. "Very true... What I had in mind for you was similar, though also quite different."
Pennington stopped in his tracks, obviously in shock. After a few seconds, he shook off the initial shock and ran to catch up. "Y-Your highness, I- I- I'm at a loss for words! And that's saying something..."
"Pennington, please, need I remind you? Call me Luna." She was obviously trying not to laugh at his reaction, but she didn't hide her grin at all. "But please, allow me to explain a few things..."
"You know for a fact that I cannot attend to all matters personally, I am more often than not tied to the castle by my duties and responsibilities..." As Pennington nodded his understanding, Luna continued. "I know that you have travelled across the world, done and experienced things that some ponies only dream about, and seen much more than I have the time to... I would like to ask you to help me. As my personal protege, I would like you to send me letters and materials from your journeys, describing everything in detail. I would also like for you to occasionally act on my behalf on international affairs when you happen to be in the areas of current negotiations... your latent empathetic abilities from the changelings would make you invaluable in such matters."
Pennington looked at her with a mix of surprise and suspicion. "How did you know that I could-"
"I saw what would be taken and what would remain after your healing during the expulsion process." Luna looked over at Pennington, her expression more sincere. "But, of course, the exchange would not be one-way. As my protege, you would have access to any resources you may need, along with the ability to contact me any time. I would also continue to monitor your problems with sleep paralysis through your dreams, and would be willing to help you should some sort of emergency arise."
Pennington's eyes were lit up with joy, and Twilight smiled at the sight of him being so happy.
"Yes, yes, of course, Princess- I mean- Luna! Thank you!"
"Thank you, Pennington! I have long needed somepony I could trust to help me with matters I cannot attend to personally." Luna smiled as they reached an open cavern, and Twilight's jaw dropped. Somehow, they had walked into one of the restricted sections of the Royal Archives! There were huge shelves lined with books, lit by a few torches high above them, casting faded light downwards. The entire room seemed to have some kind of invisible barrier from the caves around it, because the musty, dank smell of humidity on stone had been replaced by the cool, clean, dry air that Twilight easily recognized as the ideal temperature for storing more ancient and easily damaged tomes. She felt her heart skip a beat as spine by leather-bound spine revealed intriguing titles in filigreed script, embossed in precious metals and embedded with gems. She could hardly contain her excitement as she began to bounce up and down in place. She looked over at Princess Luna, silently asking for permission to browse the library, but felt her hope fall when she shook her head in denial.
"There are two more matters of business for you, however, Pennington. The first and foremost being that I do not wish for you to work alone." Luna rapped her hoof on the wall, sending a series of knocks echoing through the room. "While I do my best to help you, I cannot be your guardian angel. There are other ponies who need my help, as well... So, I would like for you to take on an assistant, both for your writing and your 'adventures.'"
Pennington looked down at himself, then back up at Luna, obviously remembering for the first time in several minutes that he still looked like Scorching Quill. "P-Princess, please! I don't really need an assistant! You can ask Twilight, the last time that I had somepony come with me on an adventure, I nearly died! And- I mean- I'm not even in my real colors!"
"She is meant to assist you in every aspect of your life, including your second life as Scorching Quill." Luna grinned at Pennington, then turned back towards the shelves, obviously expecting something to happen. A look of slight irritation crossed her face as only silence continued, and she knocked out the same rhythm on the wall again. "As for your trips and explorations, she has proven herself to be quite capable in a tight position, and I do believe that she may be a greater asset than a hinderance..." She seemed to grow more irritated, and started to tap on the wall again before finally abandoning it. "Moonstone!" The call, obviously this mysterious assistant's name, seemed to illicit no reply. "MOONSTONE!" This time, Twilight and Pennington both cringed as Luna began to slip into the Royal Canterlot Voice.
"Coming!" A small voice cried out at last, accompanied by the fluttering of wings. Twilight and Pennington both watched as a small creature rose into sight above the shelves. It flew in an almost batlike way, flitting above the long rows of books and silently arriving in a matter of seconds. When she landed in front of them, Twilight found herself to be staring at a small dragon.
She landed directly in front of Pennington, looking hopefully up into his eyes, as if they held some kind of answer that she was desperate to know. These few seconds of inspection allowed Twilight to take in the details of the young hatchling.
She was obviously older than Spike, standing almost half a head taller than him and almost at eye level with Pennington. Her scales were a faded purple, as were her eyes, which held a shade only slightly darker. Her underbelly and scales beneath her tail shone a bright silver with only a slight amaranthine tint. The spanning flesh of the wings was the same color as her underbelly, held taut by spans of lavender bone that jutted out from the underside of her arms. A set of long spikes on her head and frills on either side of her face, along with claws on her hands, toes, and spines on her rapidly flicking tail were all a deep black.
Her eyes flickered from Pennington's eyes to his bandaged legs, to his cutie mark, then back to his eyes in rapid succession.
"Why did you dye your hair?" She asked, blinking in confusion.
Pennington shook his head for a moment. "Well, I- It's for protecting my identity... I write under a different name than I-"
"Not that!" She leaned closer, staring more intently. "I mean your orange-ish hair. Why did you dye it blue?"
Twilight blinked in confusion, trying to understand what the little dragon was talking about. After a few seconds, what Front Page had told her in the library surfaced in her memory.
Well, you see, that's not his real mane color... It's more of a burnt auburn. He gets it from his mother's side of the family...
"Oh! Pennington, she means 'why do you dye your mane blue?' Your dad mentioned that it wasn't your real color..." Twilight chuckled when Pennington facehoofed at the mention of his father spilling his secret.
"Because I like blue better than orange..." He waved off Moonstone's question, but she grabbed him by the ear and pulled him down again, forcing a locked perspective again. "Ow!"
"This is important to me. If we start off lying to each other, this will never work!" She gave him what seemed like a mix of a glare and a pout. "So, please tell me the truth..."
"Moonstone has a very unique ability..." Luna smiled, obviously holding back a small giggle with a hoof to her mouth. "She can see through a lie or disguise with ease. Truths are harder for her to find, but she can see a liar right off the bat..."
"Ow! Fine! I dyed it because I hate the side of the family it comes from, okay? Sheesh!" Pennington jerked his head away, and this time Moonstone let go.
Sorry about that, but... Luna told me I should try to make an impression." At this point, Moonstone's face began to darken in a small amount of blushing. "Was that good?"
"I meant that you should make an impression on his mind, not a dent in his ear..." Luna chuckled. "But you did well." She turned to Pennington, who was still rubbing his ear. "Moonstone comes from an ancient an prestigious line of dragons, who allow their younger members to choose to come to Canterlot at a young age and help us in some of the matters that we wouldn't trust to simple ponies..." She grinned. "In return, those dragons are given training in their latent abilities, such as Moonstone's ability to see truth, and both sides receive a better relationship, and our international relations become stronger."
"So, it's like a foreign exchange study for dragons?" Twilight asked, tilting her head in an effort to understand. "Moonstone wasn't hatched in Equestria, like Spike?"
"Nope!" Moonstone beamed proudly, obviously happy under all of the attention. "I was born far away from here, in the ancestral nesting grounds of my family!"
"I trust that the two of you will work well together!" Luna grinned, despite the shocked look on Pennington's face.
"She almost tore my ear off!"
"I'm sorry!" Moonstone seemed to be panicking, now, and looked back at Luna for support. "I was just trying to do what Luna told me!"
Luna gave Moonstone a reassuring smile, then shot a tense glare at Pennington. "I chose the two of you because you are both resilient, hard-working, and resourceful. As much as you may not believe it, I know that you two will come to be great partners. Pennington, I hope that you will not judge Moonstone by one misunderstanding! I expect more from you." When Pennington's head drooped and his eyes shifted to the side in shame, Twilight knew that Luna's words had struck hard.
"Well, I'm Pennington Inkwell..." He looked back at Moonstone with a weak smile, holding out a hoof. "It's a painful pleasure to meet you..." When Moonstone smiled again and looked up at him with a small chuckle, things were starting to look better. "I'm sorry if I overreacted..."
"I'm Moonstone, and the pleasure is all mine! I'm sorry if I overreacted..." She took his hoof in her claws and gently shook it with a quickly-widening grin. "You have no idea how much I'm looking forward to this!"
Pennington looked back at Luna, one eyebrow slightly arched, and she nodded her approval. With a sheepish grin, he looked back to Moonstone "Well, you'll most likely be just grabbing paper and ink for me while I'm writing... Pretty boring stuff."
"Not exactly..." Luna walked back to the two, her expression one of bemused satisfaction at Pennington and Moonstone's quick remedying of their fight. "There is one more thing that I have to ask you for... But it isn't one to be taken lightly. It will be very dangerous, require much traveling both within and possibly without Equestria, and will mandate that you face the greatest dangers..."
"Okay, what's the part I should be worried about?" Pennington winked at Twilight, but she shook her head quietly, nodding her head towards Luna's lack of amusement.
"Pennington, I would like to ask you for a commission. I wish for you to compile a beastiary. One detailing all of the dangers living in Equestria, for both education and protection of cross-country travelers." She smiled smugly as Pennington's jaw dropped. "You will need to write a detailed description of each type of danger and creature, whether magical or simply due to physical properties. Your travel expenses will be paid for, as will any hospital bills. I trust that there won't be any need for funeral arrangements, but... they will be provided, if necessary." She gave him an unsure glance, but Pennington gave her a wink and joking salute.
"Princess, you can count on me! I have no intention of dying!"
"No one does..." She whispered, forcing Pennington to take on a more somber tone.
A spark lit in Twilight's mind as she recognized the task as being one she had read about before. "But, Luna, isn't there already a beastiary? It was written by-"
"Quill the Scribe!" Moonstone surprisingly cut Twilight off in mid-factoid, obviously excited at the opportunity to speak. "He was one of Equestria's first adventurers, traveling the land soon after Canterlot's founding as the first pony colony! His original beastiary is actually kept here, in this restricted section of the library!"
Pennington's head whipped towards Moonstone in shock, eyes wide. "Really? Quill is my hero! I'd do anything to see one of his original manuscripts! His record of Equestria's founders is considered the first adventure novel to be published in the entire history of the country, and he wrote dozens more! I even named my pseudonym after him, 'Scorching Quill!'" He looked up at Luna, somewhat in shock. "You want me... to replace his work?"
"Not replace... Simply update." Luna gave him an understanding smile, placing a hoof on his shoulder. "I know that you hold Quill's work in the highest regard, Pennington, and I would not ask you to unseat your hero. However, Quill's beastiary has become outdated. There are new dangers in Equestria that ponies don't understand, and evil has been changing over the centuries. Ponies are getting hurt because they don't understand what is out there. Ponies who trust my sister and I to keep them safe." The princess smiled at Pennington again, looking him directly in the eye. "Pennington Inkwell, can I count on you to help me protect my subjects?"
Pennington paused for a moment, then smiled and nodded solemnly. "Princess, it would be my honor. It is a privilege to continue Quill's work, and an honor to act on your behalf." He took a moment, then looked down at Moonstone, obviously unsure.
"I'm with you every step of the way, Penn!" The dragonet chirped happily.
"Whether you want her there or not..." Luna raised a mischievous eyebrow. "Moonstone is not just an assistant that you can leave behind whenever you want to do something dangerous. She is to stay by your side as often as possible." She gave Pennington a half-joking glare. "Lily told me a lot about how you have several self-detrimental habits..."
"Lily exaggerates!" Pennington cast a glare to the side, obviously annoyed that Lily had "tattled" on him.
"Well... She has a point..." Twilight muttered quietly. "You don't exactly put much thought into your own well-being..."
"Twilight exaggerates!"
"Regardless, Moonstone... I want you to watch out for Pennington's well-being, as well. Make sure that he takes care of himself."
"Luna, you don't have to do that!" Pennington was on the verge of whining at this point. "I can take perfectly good care of myself, I'm a grown stallion!"
"I'll make sure, Luna..." Moonstone did a very bad job of hiding her smile as she cast a glance between Pennington and Luna. "He'll be fine."
"Good!" Luna nodded her approval and turned back towards the corridor that they had come from. "I already have a ticket for the train from Canterlot to Ponyville for Moonstone. If you need anything else to set up her living quarters, I can provide it..."
"Don't worry, Luna. I have an extra room." Pennington began to follow Luna, nodding his head for Moonstone to follow. "I can set her up in the upstairs."
"Well, I'd actually be happy with a cozy little fireplace!" Moonstone ran to catch up until Twilight lifted her up and onto her back, trotting along down the long corridor. "I mean, I get a little dirty, but, for a dragon, a pile of toasty embers is every bit as comfortable as a bed!"
"Spike told me about that, once!" Twilight replied, trying to get involved in the conversation. "Except I never let him because it gets him so dirty..."
"Well, it actually helps burn out what the baths can't get! Cleans out under the scales..." Moonstone reached up and scratched at her head.
"Well, I do have a fireplace... in my study..." Pennington said quietly.
Twilight raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Your study? The one with a dozen locks on it? The one that you never let anyone into?"
"Yes!" Pennington snapped at her, nearly bearing his teeth with the growl. Instantly, he seemed to notice his own tone, and replied again, this time more kindly. "Yes, my private study. Accessible only to myself and my assistants..."
Twilight could understand why Pennington was so stressed. When she had been given Spike to take care of as a child, she had quickly learned that there was more to taking care of a sentient creature than simply what it took to take care of a pet. She knew that Pennington was going to be taking on a lot of responsibility, and he knew it, as well. Not only that, but he had just had the pressure of being Luna's student thrust upon him and had his ability to take care of himself blatantly insulted.
"It's a lot of pressure, isn't it?" Twilight asked quietly as she came up alongside him. "You know how much pressure is on you to look good, now. To represent the princess that chose you... to prove to yourself that you deserve to have the position."
"Well, among other things..." He muttered, giving her a weak smile. "Yeah... Is this what it feels like for you every day?"
"Well, it was at first..." Twilight smiled. "It all just seemed like too much. I didn't feel like I was good enough to be learning from Princess Celestia herself!" Twilight looked back at Moonstone, then levitated the dragon up and onto Pennington's back, instead. "But, after a long time, she told me something that changed everything for me. She told me, 'Twilight, I'm trying to help you because of what you can become, but I chose you because of who you are now.'" As Pennington looked back at Moonstone, she nodded her agreement. "So the best thing that you can do is to be yourself ,act like you always have, and just try to do what she asks you to!"
"That's all that you really need to do!" Moonstone chimed in, wrapping her winged arms around his neck. "Luna told me a lot about you before we met, and she really thinks highly of you!" She seemed to be trying to cheer him up, as well. "And, if you don't want me around... I mean... I can always-"
"No! No, Moonstone, it's not you..." Pennington smiled, giving her a warm glance. "It was just a bit of a surprise to me to suddenly have you as my assistant... Felt like things were flying out of control."
"That's okay, Penn! I understand. Looks like we both messed up under pressure!" Moonstone gave Pennington a hug from behind, and Pennington began to chuckle. The two of them began to laugh as the tension of the moment melted away.
This is a big change for him... But he's doing well... Twilight smiled as the two of them seemed to finally be starting to get along, just as she and Spike had over time. Hopefully things will only get better with time...
"What do you mean, 'I'm not coming?'" Twilight's jaw dropped at Pennington's response when they reached the train station. He had washed off the dye to avoid a crowd in public, and after quickly replacing his bandages in private (He still refused to let Twilight see the wounds on his legs), the two of them had walked to the train station.
"Just what I said! I'm going to stay in Canterlot for a few more days, at least until I don't need these bandages, any more." He gave her a confident grin and a wink, trying to assuage her fears. "I'll be back before you know it!"
Twilight looked down, her spirits falling. "And let me guess... You're staying with Lily?"
"Well... yes..." Pennington tilted his head in confusion. "What? Is that a problem?"
"I just wonder..." Twilight glanced up again, slightly embarrassed. "The two of you seem to get along so well, and you went to her when you had a problem that you couldn't solve on your own..."
Pennington's expression changed quickly from confusion to one of regret, his lips pulling themselves into a tight line and his eyes shifting to the side.
"Oh... Right. I see. You want to know about Lily and I, right? You want to know if the two of us might do anything behind your back."
"No! No- I know you wouldn't do anything like that!" Twilight reeled back in surprise, finally raising her head from its slumped position.
"No it's a legitimate point... An unfortunate majority of stallions these days aren't exactly respectable..." Pennington let out a long sigh.
"Oh, if only you could see what I can..." Moonstone shuddered. "I don't think I want to know what the dark secrets I was seeing were... Speaking of which, Penn-"
"Moonstone, give me just a minute with Twilight?" Pennington muttered the words through gritted teeth, making Twilight wonder what had happened to the budding friendship that she had seen only moments before. Moonstone's face lit up with understanding, and she nodded and took a few steps back. Pennington took a deep breath, then continued.
"Lily and I are a long story, Twilight... Too long to tell before you miss your train. But, long story short, Lily and I considered that we might be each other's special somepony, but we disagreed on a few key things... Things that made us both agree to go our separate ways when it came to romance." He gave her a bittersweet smile. "I suppose that you could say that Lily and I are an 'alternate ending' in the back of my life story. If things hadn't gone the way that they had, it may have worked... But she wanted me to settle down in my prime, to take what I had and leave for a quiet life. She wanted to have foals and a family... But I wasn't ready for that."
Twilight blinked in surprise. She had been right about Pennington and Lily having a relationship, but she had never imagined that the two of them had gotten to the point of considering something as serious as having foals!
"So, what happened?"
"Just what I said... We went our separate ways. I set up shop in Ponyville and started writing, and she decided to follow her dream of leaving the small-town life for the big city. We've kept in touch, and we stayed best friends..." He shrugged quietly, as if acknowledging the hopelessness of the situation. "I've always come to her whenever I'm banged up after a trip, she always takes good care of me, just like I would for her, and she has some of the steadiest hooves I've seen. That's why I came to her for help and not you... In return, she knows that she can come to me for help if she's ever running low on cash..." He looked from side to side, as if he were about to tell some kind of secret. "By the way, if she asks, you have no idea why she didn't get a bill for the rent this month."
Twilight nodded in understanding, grinning at the thought of how the proud pony would react to having her rent paid for her. "So.. you're just best friends? There's no chance of-"
"None." Pennington leaned forward, bringing his face close to hers. "You're the only one for me, Twilight... You should know that by now..."
Twilight smiled as she felt her worries melt away. "I'm presuming that your leaning so close means that you're well enough to-"
"ALL ABOARD!" The conductor's voice rang out, cutting their intimate moment short. Both of them cringed, and Pennington nodded towards the open turnstiles.
"You'd better go. There will be plenty of time for that later..."
Twilight nodded and began to walk away, then turned around and ran back, planting a peck on his cheek. With that, she ran back through the turnstile and onto the train.
"Three days!" She called from the open window. "Three days, then I want to see you!"
"Make it five, just in case!" Pennington called in return, waving his bandaged blue hoof. "But I'll be there! I love you, Twilight!"
"I love you, Pennington!"
Once Twilight's train was out of sight, Moonstone returned to Pennington's side.
"Sorry about blowing up on you like that. I was just-"
"Trying to get me to stop talking? Trust me, anger that faked was totally transparent to me." She waved off his concern with ease. "But why were you lying to her about why you're staying in Canterlot? What kind of secret would be worth lying to her for?"
"Well, I didn't lie... I really do need to stay here for a few more days to heal. But Moonstone, I only condone lying for two reasons: to save someone or to prepare a surprise." He gave her a mischievous wink. "This falls under the second category."
The dragon grinned and rubbed her hands together, mimicking his playful attitude. "Oh! And what kind of surprise were you thinking of?
"Well, that depends... How good are you with gemstones and jewelry?"
"Delicious! In fact, I was wondering when we were going to have lunch!"
Pennington took a moment to stare at her as if she had gone insane.
"For Twilight! I want to get her a nice gift after she's waited so long! I couldn't ask anypony to do that for me, and she did it out of love!" As the concept seemed to finally sink in for Moonstone, Pennington looked around the plaza that they were standing in. "Normally, the skilled crafters work in the inner parts of the city... So we should head towards the castle... Maybe Luna can point us towards a few shops!" He was starting to walk away when a thought struck him.
[[Author's Preliminary Note: SOOOOO... due to some small discrepancies concerning the entirety of the time-space continuum, I've actually rearranged the events of this story so that "Carnival Cat vs Pennington Inkwell" doesn't take place until later. (Those of you paying attention may have noticed a slight paradox between "Whipstitch," "Happy Adventuring," and "CC vs PI." If not, see if you can find it!) So, long story short, I need to get through a few more events and chronology in this story before the continuation is applicable! (Specifically, the changeling invasion of Canterlot! After that, I can link Carnival Cat into this plot line!
This should be really helpful, considering that this is my favorite story, and while the break to work on Carnival Cat has been relaxing, I've been really eager to get back to it! My publishing rate has plummeted since I came to college (If any of you are at BYU, look me up!), and I simply need something to get me back into the general swing of things.
Long story short: GUESS WHO'S BACK??]] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Twilight was hopping up and down with excitement as the train from Canterlot pulled in to Ponyville Station. She'd gotten Pennington's letter this morning stating that he and Moonstone were finally coming back to Ponyville, and she had nearly screamed with excitement, dragging Spike to the train station with her. Pennington's letter had mentioned a "surprise" for her, and Twilight had arranged for a surprise of her own for him.
She watched the ponies stepping off of the train with eager anticipation, eyes scanning left and right, trying to spot the familiar blue coat. As pony after pony stepped off the train, however, Twilight didn't see him, and her ears began to droop low against her head. Suddenly, she felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning around, she found herself staring straight into Pennington's face.
"You look like you're waiting for someone, Miss..." He smirked.
"Pennington!" Twilight cried with glee, jumping up and hugging him, wrapping her hooves around his neck. It had only been a few days since she had last seen him, but the full impact of the past months had finally struck her, and she gripped him tightly.
Finally, we're both back home, safe and sound...
As Pennington held her close, the two of them didn't move for several minutes, Twilight burying her face in his shoulder, trying to hold back the tears. She inhaled deeply, drinking in the warm scent. He smelled fresh and clean, as if he'd just stepped out of a bath, and his warm body seemed more comforting than it had ever been in the past. Once again, she remembered how secure she felt with him.
"Hey, Twilight, lay off on the romance, would ya?" Moonstone's slightly indignant voice chirped from below. "He's still having problems with-"
"Let it be, Moonstone. I think I can take it..." Pennington said quietly. Twilight shivered as she felt his voice vibrate through his chest, a trait more noticeable in males than mares.
"I missed you..." She finally let go, stepping back. "What took you so long?"
"Well, just pushing my limits, risking my neck, making sure my hooves could still stand up to the rigors of adventuring!" Pennington winked, obviously joking. Twilight took a moment to look at the stallion with a more analytical eye. Ever since they had left Ponyville so long ago, she hadn't seen Pennington when he wasn't tired or under some kind of stress. Looking at him now, after this short period of rest in Canterlot, he seemed completely reinvigorated. There were no rings under his eyes, his tail couldn't seem to stay still, flicking from side to side with vitality, and he was sporting a cheerful grin that seemed to take up his whole face. He didn't hold himself with the same tense air, but was completely at ease, perhaps for the first time since they had met. His coat was full and shining, and his hooves were practically polished. Even his legs showed no sign of their previous injuries, whole and covered in his regular fur. It was like looking at a brand new, shiny version of an old toy, completely untarnished by use.
"Luna made absolutely sure that her student was ready to begin his task, and that meant a few days of relaxation..." Moonstone scoffed with a joking smile. "If you ask me, that looked like the first good night's sleep you've had in a long time."
Twilight looked at Moonstone, joining in on the joke. "You mean you got him to sleep? All I could do was make him sit still and close his eyes for a few seconds!"
The two shared a chuckle before Twilight turned back to Pennington, who was reaching into his saddlebag. After a few moments of fiddling around, he finally pulled out a small box. It was long and narrow, obviously holding a necklace, and he passed it to her.
"Surprise!" He winked at her again, and Twilight was surprised to find that she was even happy to see his brash overconfidence back again. Looking down at the box, then back up at him, Twilight slowly pulled off the cover. When she looked inside, her breath caught in her throat. Inside was, indeed, a necklace of relatively simple design, but still beautiful in its craftsmanship. The majority of the length consisted of a golden chain, but was periodically accented by slightly thicker cylindrical portions. Each of these portions had a pattern of circles engraved on them, reminding her of the holes in the changelings' bodies, and in the center of each piece was nestled a tiny ruby shard, catching the light and reflecting it back out again.
"Pennington, how did you-"
"Well, I had to find something Moonstone and Spike wouldn't find irresistible, so I went light on the gems..." He smiled, this time earnestly, rather than the crooked half-smile usually slapped across his face. "I wanted something special, for our first adventure together..." Silently, the necklace began to float in the air with a light-blue aura, undid the fastener in the back, and looped itself around her neck, fixing itself in place as he re-fastened it.
"But- this is-" Twilight was still shocked. "How much did this cost?"
"Does it matter?" He whispered, stepping closer.
"He went to the bank and took out about 300 bits..." Moonstone muttered.
Twilight's eyes widened, and Pennington shot Moonstone an angry glare.
"Pennington, I can't accept this! That's far too expensive-"
"For the mare who saved my life?" He shook his head. "Twilight, trust me, if it was too much, I wouldn't have bought it for you."
"It was my fault you were there in the first place..." She looked to the side.
"No, it was your brilliance that kept me careful. It was my recklessness that put me there..." He placed a gentle hoof under her chin, lifting her face to look into his eyes. "Twilight, do not dare to blame yourself for what happened! Your conscience is completely clean..." Twilight felt his eyes looking straight through hers and into her heart, and his words eased her guilt.
"But, it was my idea... The changelings, and the hive!"
"No, your story was your idea. Living it was mine." His eyes were soft, as if acknowledging the power they held over her in their gentleness. Even as they held eye contact, Twilight could see tears beginning to well up in the corners of his eyes. "Promise me you won't blame yourself for this... My stupid idea has already caused you enough pain. I could hardly bear it if you kept hurting yourself because of it!"
Twilight felt her eyes beginning to burn with tears, and she lunged forward, once again embracing him for comfort, as much his own as hers. The two remained silent for a moment, each trying to wash away the others' pain.
"Fine... Neither of us takes the blame, then?" He whispered, his hoof gently brushing through her hair. Twilight could only nod, her cheek rubbing against his chest.
"Well, then... Let's stop making this such a sad reception!" He lifted his tone with effort, trying to make the mood as joyous as it had been only a few moments before. "Come on! I think that there's some ramen back at home calling my name!"
Twilight chuckled, wiping away the tears with her hoof as she stepped back again. "Well, I have a surprise for you, too! But it's not here! We're going to have to go to Fluttershy's cottage!"
Pennington gave her a quizzical look, then a smile. "Twilight, you didn't have to-"
"Pennington!" Moonstone shouted, finally grabbing the attention. "Can you cut it out with all the sappy lines and get on with it? In case you hadn't noticed, taking your time isn't doing any favors..." She pointed down at his legs. Twilight followed with her gaze, and was shocked to see small trickles of blood, one or two per leg.
"How could I not?" Pennington rolled his eyes. "It's not exactly painless..."
"What- I thought he was healed!" Spike interjected, looking at the other dragon for an explanation.
"Well, he still isn't supposed to push himself when it comes to affection! Too much love or too much stress will open up the old wounds, at least for the next few weeks... After that, they shouldn't open again." Moonstone crossed her arms. "But he's always to carry bandages, just in case. Doctor's orders!"
"Lily's orders!" Pennington rolled his eyes. "It's nothing, Twilight. Just a temporary price to being with you, one I'm more than willing to pay!"
Twilight shook her head, letting out a long sigh. Of course, Pennington's restoration also renewed his complete disregard for his own well-being. Leading the way, she picked up Spike with her magic and set him on her back. "Well, I hope you're well enough for a surprise!"
Pennington paused for a moment, caught up watching her tail swing back and forth. After only a couple seconds, however, Moonstone had jumped up onto his back, not-so-gently digging her claws into his skin to steady herself.
"Ow!"
"Watch it, lover boy..." She whispered. "Changeling or no changeling, you need to keep your head on straight..."
Pennington shook his head, snapping out of the momentary trance. "Right. Sorry..." He muttered, trotting to catch up with Twilight.
All was quiet as they entered Fluttershy's backyard, a place that Pennington had only seen in passing before on his way to the Everfree forest, with only the exceptions of a few soft animal noises. There was a small table with a steaming kettle and two small cups and saucers. Moonstone and Spike were inside, with Spike describing for her what it's like being Twilight's assistant. They both had actually seemed excited to finally see another dragon when they first met, but they had each constrained themselves around Twilight and Pennington.
"Pinkie Pie wanted to throw you a 'Welcome-Home-and-We're-Glad-You're-Not-A-Changeling" party, and once that pony gets an idea in her head, she's worse than you are..." Twilight smiled. "So, I asked Fluttershy if she would be willing to set us up with a little quiet time to brace yourself."
Pennington smiled, blushing a small amount. "You... you're setting up a party for me? Who would come? I mean- here in Ponyville, I don't have many friends..."
"Well, Rarity seemed to remember you being really nice, and of course Pinkie Pie thinks of you as her friend!" Twilight was surprised at the fact that Pennington seemed to surprised at the idea of having friends in Ponyville. She knew that he didn't get out much when he was actually IN town, but even a recluse needed a few friends! "Whipstitch is insisting on coming, she said that she was going to make 'something special' for the occasion, and Rainbow Dash still hasn't thanked you for that VIP pass! Fluttershy is actually still here, but she's going, too!" Twilight raised a quizzical eyebrow. "Even Bon-Bon and a few other shop owners are going!"
Pennington chuckled. "Ponyville's small-business owners have a little network. I hope Bon-Bon brings some of those caramels I like so much..." He licked his lips before pouring tea in first Twilight's cup, then his own.
Twilight smiled, happy to see that, in spite of her first beliefs, Pennington had plenty of friends in Ponyville. "Well, not to mention, most ponies in Ponyville wouldn't want to miss one of Pinkie Pie's parties, so there will be plenty of other guests!" She paused as she took a long sip from her tea, enjoying the herbal scents washing through her senses. "You're not spending your first night in Ponyville alone!"
This seemed to strike Pennington, who put down his cup on his saucer.
"What? Do you not like the tea?" Twilight asked.
"Oh, no! Mint is one of my favorites! It's invigorating... It's just..." He paused, looking at the cup in thought. "I've felt really alone for a while... especially without you around. My friends understand me, but they don't understand that, at the end of the day, it's always just me dragging myself back to my study, all alone, praying that I wake up able to move..." He shuddered. "I feel alone a lot, Twilight... But..." When he looked up again, he was smiling. "Now I'm not! Not when I'm with you! You understand me, and you know what I go through... When I'm with you, it feels like that gap that leaves me so lonely is filled!" He looked away again, turning his head to the cottage. "Moonstone is going to be with me at almost all times, so I'm never going to have an emergency and be alone, either. She already knows everything about my sleep paralysis, and she's going to insist on sleeping in the same room as me..." He chuckled as he finally turned back to her. "My dad has a policy... To always leave things better than when you found them. I'm definitely better than when you found me, Twilight. I finally feel whole again."
Twilight blushed, feeling her heart pound under the sudden affection.
"PENN! WATCH YOUR LEGS!" Moonstone's voice echoed from the cottage, more annoyed than cautious. At the warning, Pennington slapped his forehead.
"I'm fine, Moonstone!" He shouted in reply before shaking his head. "It's like she has some kind of sixth sense..."
Twilight finally giggled, releasing the tension that had been building in her chest under his praise.
"I'm not kidding! Every time I'm misbehaving, she'll call me out about it!" His mischievous grin as he continued only made Twilight laugh more, and he quickly began to laugh with her. "She once caught me from almost a full block away in Canterlot! I found a shop that sold ramen, and I snuck over while she was looking at some jewelery with me! Just as I was checking out with a few packages, I heard her shouting at me from across the street! 'Those aren't a meal, Penn!' she said!"
Twilight was almost doubled over with laughter. Apparently, Luna had found someone finally capable of even keeping an eye on Pennington when her back was turned! After a few minutes of laughing, Twilight looked over and noticed a large group of Fluttershy's critters standing nearby, watching them with curious eyes. Pennington seemed to notice, as well, first looking at them, then Twilight, eyes begging for an explanation.
"Oh! I've been working on a little bit of magic for Princess Celestia, lately, and it turns out that it's quite amusing for them! I promised that I'd give them another telekinetic ride the next time I came over... Do you mind?"
"Not at all! I love watching you do magic!" Pennington smiled with a sweeping motion of his hoof, requesting her to proceed.
"Twilight!" Suddenly, Fluttershy came running out of her house, obviously panicked. "Please, be careful! Don't hurt them, please!"
Twilight continued talking, even as her horn began to glow. "Fluttershy, I promise, they'll be just fine! I've done this dozens of times before! You've seen me levitate an entire library's worth of books in a neat and organized fashion, there's no need to worry! They'll be fine, I promise!" Fluttershy gave her a short, threatening glare, then stepped back, nibbling at her hooves with anxiety. "I've been trying to replicate that spell of yours, too, Pennington! Being able to create objects out of magic could come in really handy. I mean, the armor alone saved both our lives! But no matter what I try, it doesn't seem to work..."
"Well, I'm not surprised, it's a very unique technique. Zecora actually taught it to me when I was first starting my adventures in Everfree! She told me, 'Traveling light here is no laughing matter! Carrying tools will only make your bag fatter!' The spell is used in places where resources are scarce to replace constructing tools. It's apparently an old zebra tradition, passed down through shamans in her tribe. In the past years, though, they've been thriving so well, they didn't even need it, and it was almost lost!" Pennington smiled, materializing a spoon from magic to stir his tea, obviously showing off. "She might teach it to you if you ask nicely..." He trailed off as the animals began to float and circle through the air above Twilight's head, like a slow-motion juggling act. "That's fantastic!"
"I hope so! I'm going to be showing it for the delegates from Saddle Arabia!" Twilight's grinned, happy that she was showing off, as well. After a few minutes, Twilight finally lowered the critters to Earth again, and they immediately began to crowd around her, cheering for more. "Not today, guys! But if Fluttershy says it's okay, then maybe we can do it next time!"
Almost immediately, the crowd moved to Fluttershy, who still had her face hidden out of fear.
"Twilight!" A familiar voice screamed as Rainbow Dash zoomed in on the scene, crashing into Twilight and tackling her to the ground. Pennington was up on his hooves in an instant, but relaxed as he recognized the pegasus. "Twilight, come quick! It's an emergency!"
Twilight shot Pennington a nervous glance, to which he replied with a nod.
Even as Twilight, Pennington, and the rest of her friends ran up on the scene, what was happening became painfully obvious: there was a hooded unicorn bulling ponies in the town square. She had recently zapped Rarity into a dress that even the most color-blind of ponies would cringe at, causing the drama queen to swoon and faint, quickly carried away by Applejack and Pinkie Pie.
"Hey! What's going on here?" Twilight asked, glaring at the hooded figure.
"Well, well, well! If it isn't Twilight Sparkle!" The pony pulled off her hood to reveal a sky-blue mare with a silver mane and an all-too-familiar face, sending a collective gasp through the crowd.
"What's she doing here?" Spike muttered, baring his fangs.
"Hmmph! You call THAT great and powerful?" Rainbow Dash huffed from above. There was a flash of red light, and Rainbow Dash was enveloped in a puff of red smoke. When the smoke had cleared, one of Rainbow Dash's wings was grotesquely larger than the other, causing her to veer off course and fly out of control.
"Good one, Great and Powerful Trixie!" Snails's voice called out from the crowd.
"Quiet, you!" Trixie snapped, sending another bolt of energy at Snips and Snails. When the smoke cleared, the two unicorn colts were affixed at the horn, sitting on top of one another, one inverted over the other. As they began to panic and run from side to side, they would periodically flip over and swap place, creating a comical display.
"Stop picking on my friends, Trixie!"
"You and I have some unfinished business, Twilight! My magic's gotten stronger since-" Trixie was cut off as a blue scimitar went spinning past her head, slicing off the ends of her hair and cutting her mane a few inches shorter. This sent another shocked gasp through the crowd, and all eyes, including Trixie's, came to rest on Pennington.
Twilight was shocked to see Pennington's face flushed, and the stallion was giving Trixie a glare that would have bored a hole straight through solid metal. His horn was still glowing, and another sword was quickly forming out of the white mist coming from his horn.
"Consider that your warning shot, Lulamoon..." He growled, stepping between the two rivals. "I've been having a good day, so I'm going to be generous... You have thirty seconds to get out of my sight, you filth!" He spat his words to her, obviously only barely keeping his anger in check.
Trixie stood there, obviously in shock. "P-Penny! It's me, Trixie! Don't you remember?"
"I know who you are, and I know your name... But all I see is an empty drawer of bits, a stolen manuscript, and an empty room upstairs I can't bear to sleep in..." If Twilight had thought that Pennington couldn't look any more angry, she was proven wrong at this point, as he began walking forward menacingly. She could see blood running down his legs again, and she looked down at Moonstone, who was staring at Pennington with a mix of shock and fear.
She must be seeing something different from the rest of us... I can only imagine what...
"You two KNOW each other?" Twilight shouted, drawing Pennington to a stop halfway between herself and Trixie.
"Of course we do!" Trixie replied, rolling her eyes, somehow only slightly put off by Pennington's rage. "Unlike you, bookworm, Trixie doesn't go unnoticed by stallions! It looks as though you've met my boyfriend, Pennington Inkwell!"
Twilight's jaw dropped in shock, as did Spike's and the jaws of several other ponies in the crowd.
"Make that 'ex-boyfriend,' Trixie!" Pennington began walking forward again. "In fact, you can promote me to 'worst nightmare...'" Finally, he reached her, their faces only inches apart. He was snorting loudly through his nose, obviously getting more and more angry. "You and I have nothing left for each other, Trixie. You destroyed all of that when you left!" Behind his back, another scimitar was beginning to form.
"Penny, just let me explain-"
"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT, TRIXIE!" He screamed in her face, losing his temper. "I took you in when you had nothing! I gave you a home! You were closer to me than my own family!" Trixie flinched a little as flecks of his spit landed on her face. "And you used it to rob me! You took everything you could grab AND YOU LEFT! WITHOUT A WORD!" His legs were bleeding profusely, and the pain was obviously feeding his anger as he lost control.
Twilight was shaken out of her shock by a clawed hand grabbing her leg and shaking it violently. Looking down, she saw Moonstone, who was trying to get her attention.
"If you don't want to be cleaning up the blood of two ponies, you need to stop him!" She whispered, pointing at the sword swinging behind his back. Twilight looked up, trying to think of what to do. She reached out with her magic, hoping to crush the sword back into smoke, but it was too late: it had already swung around from his back and was heading straight for Trixie's throat. Trixie didn't flinch, even as the sword exploded into smoke when it reached her. Pennington stood for a moment, still enraged, but somehow not looking surprised at the turn of events, either. He was breathing heavily, as if he had just undergone a harsh physical challenge. Trixie smiled, mocking him.
"I knew you wouldn't do it, Penny..." She whispered.
"DON'T CALL ME-" Pennington was cut off as there was a huge burst of red light and smoke that engulfed them both. When the smoke cleared, Pennington was frozen in mid-scream, jaw dropped low and face contorted in pure rage, again. Rolling her eyes, Trixie levitated him to the side and out of her way.
"I'll deal with you later, dearest. I let you have your fun screaming, but you will listen to me when I explain the truth to you..." She pecked his cheek as he floated away before turning back to Twilight. "And we'll have to fix up those legs of yours..."
"Pennington!" Twilight reached out with her magic again, trying to free him.
"It's a time freeze spell.." Moonstone whispered, once again able to see more than everyone else. "He's not paralyzed, she's just stopped him in place... He's not afraid." In spite of this, however, Moonstone ran out to Pennington, going unnoticed by Trixie, and quickly began examining him.
A wave of relief washed over Twilight, though it did nothing to relieve her anxiety as she saw Trixie advancing on her. Time freeze spells were high-level magic, and she'd only dared try them on inanimate objects, like clocks. If Trixie was performing this kind of magic, something was VERY wrong.
"My magic's gotten stronger, Twilight Sparkle! And I've come back to challenge you to a magic duel!" Trixie cast a quick spell, re-growing the hair that had been sliced off by Pennington's "warning shot." "The winner stays, and the loser leaves Ponyville forever!"
"Forget it, Trixie! Why would I ever agree to something like that?" Twilight shook her head.
"Hm. Your choice..." Unhindered, Trixie picked up Spike, rolling his body into a ball and bouncing it up and down.
"Trixie, put him down!" Twilight pointed her hoof at the magician with the order. "And let Pennington go!"
"Not until you agree! Until then, I'm simply going to keep casting spells!" Trixie grinned as she tossed Spike through a hoop that she had summoned on the side of one of the buildings.
"Why are you doing this?" Twilight shook her head in confusion.
"Why? Because you humiliated me!" Trixie stamped her hoof, summoning a small screen depicting the events of the past, starting with Twilight's "defeat" of the Ursa Minor and changing with her narration. "After that fiasco with the Ursa Minor, I was a laughing stock! Everywhere I went, I was laughed at and ostracized! I couldn't make a living anymore, and I was reduced to living on the streets!" As the image changed, all present saw Trixie, completely alone and literally "in the gutter," laying outside, shivering in a complete downpour. "I found the single pony in all of Equestria willing to take me in, one pony that you hadn't corrupted!" The image changed again, this time showing the thoroughly drenched, mud-splattered, shivering Trixie desperately knocking on a door. There was a moment of stillness, then she started to walk away. She stopped after a second, though, her ears beginning to pick up off the top of her head. Twilight watched as the door swung open, revealing a shocked and confused Pennington, who quickly ushered her in. "He offered to let me stay with him, and our love was inevitable..." Twilight felt an indignant rage as the scene momentarily cut to the two of them locked in a passionate kiss before changing again, this time to Trixie running out of the door, saddlebags bulging. "Unfortunately, Pennington made a horrible mistake on one of his 'adventures,' and I set out to correct it, thinking I could catch him... By the time that I returned, he had left his home without any kind of sign of when or if he was planning on coming back. He obviously thought that I had abandoned him and stolen from him... Ashamed by what happened, I went to make sure that I could redeem myself, but I still had the same problem! You ruined me so badly, ponies still hadn't forgotten! Eventually, I had to take up work on a rock farm just to make a living! A rock farm!"
"Hey! You're lucky a rock farm would take the likes of you!" Pinkie Pie shouted, only to have her mouth magically "deleted" by Trixie.
"Now, I want revenge, Twilight! And I'm not going to stop casting spells until I get it!" She grinned as another bolt of red energy jumped out, this time taking the library itself in her grasp. Unrelenting, she picked the tree up out of the ground, turned it upside down, and began shaking it. Books fell out of the windows at every shelf in the library was emptied, as did Owlowiscious, who was doing his best to catch a few of the books.
Twilight looked around her, taking in the sights of Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Spike, Pinkie Pie and even Pennington. Trixie was hurting all of them... And she wouldn't stand for it any longer.
"Fine, Trixie! Let's duel!" She felt a burning determination in her chest, a desire to protect her friends.
"Excellent!" Trixie immediately undid all of her spells, with only the exception of Pinkie's mouth and Pennington's stasis. "If I lose, I'll never set hoof in Ponyville again! But if you lose, you're the one banished from this one-horse town!"
A collective gasp came from Twilight's friends.
"And Pennington?" Twilight nodded towards the blue pony, who was starting to look ridiculous in his frozen state.
"What about him?" Trixie looked over at Pennington and Moonstone, then back at Twilight. A glint of realization lit up in her expression, and she began to first chuckle, then laugh.
"Y-you mean- You two are- Oh, this is rich! You're already where you belong: lapping up my sloppy seconds! I'll tell you what, Twilight Sparkle... Penny said it himself! I'm having a good day, so I'm going to be generous: the winner gets Pennington under their hoof..."
Twilight's heart skipped a beat as she imagined what would happen if she lost.
I've got to win this... If I don't, I could lose Pennington just after I've finally gotten him back!
"PENNY!" Pennington screamed, finishing his sentence. He blinked a few times as he realized that his entire surroundings had changed. He was now in his own home, laying on the couch in his living room. He sat up to see Moonstone walking in from the stairwell, holding a bowl.
"Wha-What happened? Where's Trixie?" He jumped up, only to feel extremely dizzy and lay back down again, gripping his head. "I don't feel so hot..."
"She put you in a time freeze." Moonstone stepped up to him, offering the bowl. The familiar scent of ramen noodles helped steady his head, and he picked it up out of her claws with a quick levitation. "It's been several hours since then..."
Pennington shook his head, trying to beat back the slew of questions popping up in his mind. "But... what happened?"
"Do you want the long version or the short one?" Moonstone asked, offering him a spoon as he began to gently sip the piping hot broth from the soup, feeling himself revitalized.
"I have a feeling I could only handle the short one..."
"Twilight lost the magic duel, and now Trixie's banished her and taken over Ponyville with an iron hoof." Moonstone cringed as Pennington nearly spit out his soup, only barely choking it down before breaking into a coughing fit.
"W-What? That's impossible!"
"And she seems to think that she needs to convince you that he was right to leave... Seeing as the spell finally released you, I would guess that she's on her way right now..." Moonstone took a quick glance out of a the window leading towards Mane Street. The small street they lived on was still empty, and there was nopony in the usually busy Town Square. "What happened between you two, anyway? She told us that you took her in, the two of you fell in love, and then she left to stop you from making some kind of 'terrible mistake...'"
Pennington shook his head, narrowing his eyes as he swallowed another mouthful of broth. "She left because she got what she wanted: my bits. She was homeless, and I offered her my home to stay in until she could get back on her hooves... We both grew... used to the arrangement." He looked down into the bowl, using the spoon to take a large bite out of the noodles before starting again. "I trusted her with everything. She was my... assistant." He looked at Moonstone, somewhat anxious about using the term. She simply stared at him, her arms crossed impatiently.
"Trust me, I'm not offended. It just means there's no way I can be worse than the last one. Go on..."
"Well, it happened after I'd come back from one of my trips to go and find the-" Pennington's jaw dropped, and he thrust his hoof into his forehead.
"What? What is it?"
"The Alicorn Amulet! I was so angry, I didn't even notice that she was wearing it!" He slapped himself several times over. "It all makes sense, now! She stole my manuscript, my notes, my maps... She must have known that I was trying to put it back where it belonged, and gone to get it herself! She took my money because she thought I was taking it all the way back to Saddle Arabia, and that's not a cheap trip!" He laughed with glee, rocking back and forth on the couch. "After all this time, I finally figured it out!" After a few seconds, however, his smile quickly faded. "I got dumped for a piece of jewelry..."
Moonstone chuckled, even though she knew that, given the circumstances, the levity was inappropriate, and gave his shoulder a gentle pat.
"I had been making plans to take up a job with the Royal Night Guard, and I'd even passed all the qualifying tests. I wanted to have a life with her where I wouldn't be traveling..." He sunk down into the couch as the pain of the memories returned. "I was going to settle down, take the steady job... My acceptance letter was in the mail when I came back from donating the amulet to the Museum of Magical History! But... she was gone. No note, no explanation, she'd just left with all of my stuff. It broke my heart, and I had to tell the publishing company I couldn't rewrite the novel... It was a huge hit in my career, since I'd been mentioning the book for some time to my fans, and they all wanted it so badly. I was depressed for a long time, even to the point of using my pills to stay up for days in a row, just so I could sit there and stare at blank pages... I couldn't write for almost a month... And all that came out was depressing poetry." He let out a long sigh. "She ruined my life at the time, and I never got over it. I swore that if she ever came back to Ponyville, I'd make her pay, but... When the time came..."
"I saw." Moonstone smiled. "You wanted to, but the good in you won out, and you couldn't hurt her... not in cold blood like that."
"I can't lay a hoof on her, Moonstone! She's untouchable!" Pennington groaned and laid back again. "If I'm going to fight her, I just can't bring myself to strike the first blow! I want to hurt her, but-"
"But you're an honorable stallion?"
"Hmmph, you make my weakness sound noble..." He muttered, setting the now-empty bowl down and turning inwards to face the couch.
"Well, if Ponyville ever needed noble, it's now! Trixie's taken over as a tyrant, demanding that everypony serve her and remake life here in her own, twisted image! She's put the whole town under a giant magical barrier, and Twilight's stuck on the outside!"
Pennington took a deep breath, trying to muster up the courage to do something, but the overwhelming feeling of defeat was too much, and he quickly sank into apathy.
"Sounds like a job for somepony who can actually do something about it..."
Moonstone jumped up on top of the couch, looking down at him. "Come on! In the face of oppression and wrong, is Scorching Quill going to lay around and say that it's 'somepony else's problem?' Is Daring Do going to lay down and take a nap while evil reigns? Will Pennington Inkwell give up, after felling kings and toppling kingdoms? After staring down monsters and battling the feral creature that grew inside of himself? YOU are just going to lay around on your couch and sigh?"
Pennington seemed to ponder the questions for a moment, then rolled onto his stomach. "Well then, 'Little Miss Hero,' what's YOUR bright idea?"
"You've already adopted one false identity..." She grinned, happy to see that he wasn't too depressed to at least listen to her. "If Pennington Inkwell can't strike down Trixie, maybe somepony ELSE can..."
Pennington paced back and forth as he waited in his study. Moonstone had gone to investigate what was going on in the town, while he thought over their assets and how on earth they were going to defeat a pony granted the powers of a fully-fledged alicorn.
I'm just glad I never told her about what's in the basement... He thought to himself. But it's going to be like fighting a psychopathic, emotionally unstable Princess Celestia... He paused for a moment, the impossibility of the task sending chills up his spine before he quickly set himself back on the task at hoof.
He paused in his pacing as the locks on the door to his study all disengaged together. "Moonstone! Good! What did you-" He trailed off as the door swung open, revealing Trixie standing in the doorway, Snips and Snails at either side.
"You were expecting someone else?" She smiled, stepping inside and unceremoniously slamming the door in her companions' faces. "You still haven't changed the locks, sweetie..."
Pennington's temper began to rise again, but he held his rage at bay. She just walks in here like she still owns the place! This is MY study! He forced a smile as she laid on the ground in front of the small fire-burning stove he kept in the room. It had proven helpful in eradicating bad ideas, but only on paper... It unfortunately couldn't destroy the one in his mind.
"Well, you know me... Always hopeful, even when all of the evidence points otherwise!" He slowly sat down next to her, taking up the same position.
"You didn't seem very hopeful about my return when we met in the square..." She gave him a dark glare, made all the more sinister by the red glint in her eyes. "In fact, you threatened my life, if I remember correctly!"
"Well, you said that you had a good reason! I was angry, but now I've had time to settle down, think about what you said!" He placed a gentle hoof over hers, creating an intimate moment. "And I trust you, Trixie... If you say you had a good reason, there has to have been one!"
Trixie smiled, and the anger quickly seemed to fade almost dangerously fast. "I knew that you'd come around, Pennington! You were making a horrible mistake, trying to throw this amulet away! It can bring us anything that we want, anything we desire! We could be immortal, living not just the rest of our days together, but the rest of time!" She leaned forward, placing a kiss on his lips. Pennington leaned forward in the old, familiar way, bringing the heat of the kiss to a boil. Trixie raised her hoof and wrapped it around his neck, pulling him deep. His heart pounded in his chest as the seconds ticked by, and he could feel the electric energy of the amulet's sheer power slipping in through his mouth, sending tickling and tingling dancing under his skull. With a slight flick of her will, the horn at the top of his head began to work magic of its own accord, leaking white smoke that enveloped the two of them, forming a warm blanket. Pennington had rarely tried to construct anything soft out of magic, with the exception of a coarse rope, but the blanket was as soft and warm as a down blanket wrapped in silk and velvet ,just taken out of the dryer and wrapped around the two of them. Even with all of his practice, a construct of his complexity was still years of dedicated training beyond his reach.
As they finally pulled away again, Trixie wiped her mouth with a smirk. "With me and this amulet, we could do things... Things beyond your wildest dreams..." She whispered. "We would never have to see Twilight Sparkle for the rest of time."
Pennington's eyes lowered to a relaxed, half-open, glazed expression of desire. "My dear, I would want to do all those 'things' together... But I'm afraid that there's a far nobler cause to be done!" As her expression changed to one of confusion, he rose, dissipating the blanket in a fine mist. "Documenting, first-hoof, the rise to ruling of the Great and POWERFUL Trixie!" Enthusiastically, he leaped into his chair, lifting up a quill and dipping it into the already-open inkwell. With practiced ease, the quill scribbled across the paper, leaving a hasty streak of poor penmanship behind. "Such a glorious ruler-to-be deserves an account by only the greatest of writers: Scorching Quill!" He looked up only momentarily from his work to give her an enthusiastic gesture to himself. "There's nothing more inspiring than true love! I'll work tirelessly to chronicle your greatness day and night, my dear! No words can do you justice, but I'll devote my heart and my mind to doing so!" He gave her a coy grin. "You know me, don't you, love? Once I get an idea, there's no way to stop me from following through!"
Standing up, herself, Trixie gave him another grin. "Are you sure? I know you had a few other ideas a moment ago..."
Pennington's face flushed, even as he became thoroughly engaged in his work, his mind nearly completely removed from the time and place of the present.
"But you are right! The Great and Powerful Trixie shall need a biography deserving of her greatness!" She smirked as she walked towards the door. "But you can expect me to come back again... Expecting one quill in particular to be ready to write!"
"You know where you'll find me, my love!" Pennington winked at her, watching her make a point of running her tail along the doorknob as she walked away, shutting the door gently behind. The locks all engaged automatically once again, and he heard the bell above his front door jingle, indicating her departure. Immediately, his lovesick grin turned to a painful grimace, and he ran to the small stove, spitting in the fire and vigorously wiping his mouth. He smiled again as a tapping at the skylight of the windowless room, which he often regarded as one of his smartest decisions, gently alerted him to the fact that Moonstone was waiting to be let in. With a quick spell, he released the secret mechanism that kept it locked tightly to his roof, and it raised enough to let the tiny dragon in.
Moonstone fluttered down to his desk, where she settled, giving him a skeptical glance. "So... Tongue, huh?"
"Oh, shut up! You have to tell a pony wearing that thing exactly what they want to hear! It was all part of the act." Rolling his eyes, he began pacing again. "So, what did you see?"
"I saw you enjoying it a little too much..." She muttered, prompting an angry glare.
"Yes, I was reliving some of my fond memories from before she left!" He growled. "Forgive me if I tried to find a 'happy place' grasp onto while I made out with my ex in order to stop her from vaporizing me from the face of the earth! Can we move ON, now?"
Moonstone nodded, her skepticism quickly fading. "Okay... So, the entirety of the town has been placed under a gigantic glass dome, and Trixie can tell if anyone tries to get through it..." She shook her head. "I can't say that I'm feeling hopeful about any chances of escape or smuggling anypony out... and leaves us limited room to maneuver." Pennington nodded, continuing to pace wordlessly. "Trixie seemed to spend her first day redecorating the town hall, along with the rest of Ponyville. There are flags and banners with her face everywhere... And she seems to have asked the Cakes to make her a candy throne..." As Pennington nodded in response to the ridiculous statement, Moonstone turned her head in confusion. "That doesn't seem odd to you?"
"The amulet magnifies a pony's desires as it strains the mind to the breaking point... I have a feeling that sultry figure didn't come without some eating restraints... Deep down, she just wants to indulge a little, but the amulet is confusing her, and she can't tell what kind of appetite they're supposed to fill. So, she delegated that it is simply supposed to indulge her desire for position and power, rather than her craving for sweets." At her stare, Pennington gave her his own skeptical stare. "Yes, I've tried it on before... I think that the only difference between Trixie and I was that I kept a journal that helped me to see my descent into madness... which she took. I have a feeling Trixie can't even tell she's changed. Anyway, go on! Tell me more!"
"Well, Applejack seems to be the most rebellious, but Trixie has her doing hard labor to make 'applesauce facials,' and is requesting her to do impossible tasks, such as growing apples without peels.." Pennington smirked at the news.
"It almost makes me not want to fight... But freeing my thickheaded cousin is just going to be the price I'll have to pay! Applejack was the most cruel to Trixie when she was staying with me, insulting her outright when she came asking for some kind of job working on the farm... I came to her aid, of course, but for revenge, Trixie peeled the apples on several of her trees. Funny that, in her state, she seems to have a better grasp of poetic irony..."
Moonstone seemed to be reserving her questions about Pennington and Applejack, only nodding. "Well, Applejack seems to be the leader of Twilight's friends trying to resist, but Trixie has them playing the roles of her servants, so there isn't much that they can do... Pinkie Pie is the jester, forced to dance by magic, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash are the labor when Trixie is too lazy to levitate something, herself, and Rarity is a one-pony sweatshop, creating the banners and flags for Trixie's new mini-empire..."
"What about Spike?"
"Hiding in the otherwise abandoned library..."
Pennington nodded, sitting down to truly ponder the information. "So, her base of operations is Town Hall?" Moonstone nodded in return. "Then that's where we're going to have to try to throw the wrench in her plans. And if we see Applejack, we'll have to give her some friendly advice: one does not insult Trixie... to her face!" He gave a nod to the piece of paper on his desk, finally standing again and walking to one of the bookshelves. When Moonstone picked it up, she saw that the "record of her greatness" had been a long slew of insults.
Hmm... "Dog-faced spawn of a mule and the creature of the black lagoon..." I might need to save that one for later! She tucked the paper into a fold in her scales that worked well as a pocket, then took to the air.
"By the way, Penn! That was a nice touch, changing the locks! She really seemed to think that you were sentimental enough to leave them as they were, didn't she?"
"Well, if she couldn't have gotten in, she would have beaten it down, so changing them back to what she knew seemed only logical!" He grinned as Moonstone landed on his back. "She bought it hook, line, and sinker!" He looked up at the bookshelf, obviously pondering something, as if the books presented some kind of puzzle.
"Now, Moonstone, I'm going to reveal to you one of my best-kept secrets... Under no circumstances are you to let any pony know about this!" He gently pulled one book halfway out from the shelf. "Do you understand? You need to swear to me on... whatever you hold most dear... That you won't tell anyone about this! Only in the most dire of emergencies will you be allowed to tell Princess Luna alone."
Moonstone nodded, crossing her claw over her heart. What followed was a series of jumbled words, accompanied by several growls, clicks, and hisses. "Narrind kjafka sorindan gorrinfindar!" After a moment of silence, she cleared her throat.
"That was Old Draconian for 'I swear upon my family's burial grounds.'"
"You speak Old Draconian?" Pennington paused for a moment, marveling at his "assistant." I'm starting to wonder if she might have more qualifications than I do...
"Well, I dabbled after my parents taught me a few lessons. Just a few phrases here and there, I'm far from fluent!" Moonstone blushed, shifting her wings uncomfortably. "In fact, I probably wouldn't even recognize it if I met someone who was!"
Pennington smiled, knowing that she was simply trying to be modest. Pulling more books partway from the shelf, there was a sound of several heavy bolts of metal being removed, and the bookshelf swung outward, forcing them to step back again. Inside was a dark passageway, with a set of stairs traveling downwards. "Looks like we both have some surprises up our sleeves, then!" While Moonstone's jaw dropped, he quickly carried her downwards.
"Moonstone, welcome to the Vault."
Pennington smiled as the door swung shut, locking with a solemn sound of metal colliding with metal and several gears turning. It was a solemn sound for a solemn door, and they were completely cut off from the world. By the light of his horn, Pennington began to slowly descend the stairs.
"And... All this on an author's budget?" Moonstone asked, her grip from behind on his neck tightening.
"Well, I may have applied for a grant or two from the NLR..." He chuckled. "When your organization works mainly off of legends and rumors of the past thousand years, you tend to get well-reimbursed for archaeology work! We saw the return of Nightmare Moon from miles away, thanks to a few lucky finds..."
"So... what is this place?"
"Well, I like to call it 'The Vault!' He grinned. "You see, I encounter a lot of strange and dangerous artifacts in my line of work. If you were to believe everything in the Daring Do series, you would think that I either donate or return all of them..." His next chuckle was a shade darker. "Trust me. Not ALL of them leave me... When I find one that I know could come in handy, or one that I simply think is too dangerous to be left where another bold pony could find it, I bring it down here, make sure it's well-contained, and save it for an emergency..."
"You... have a weapons stockpile?"
"We're not all saints, Moonstone. Even I have enemies... I just prefer to give them good reason to stay at a long distance!" As they neared the bottom of the stairwell, Pennington froze and snuffed out his light.
"Moonstone..." He whispered in only the faintest of voices. "Are you snoring?"
"No..."
"I was afraid not..." He muttered. A glowing blue sword began floating in front of him as Moonstone finally noticed the sound of a light snore echoing in the tiny hallway. "Well, whoever is is certainly going to be in for a rude awakening... It should be impossible for any pony to sneak in here! Are you ready?"
Moonstone hopped down off of his back, her nerves more than slightly shaken. "Penn... What kind of enemies did you mention having, exactly?"
"Nasty ones..." Without another word, Pennington leaped into the room at the bottom of the stairs with his sword, a near-blinding light shining out of his horn to catch the intruder off-guard.
Moonstone jumped out, as well, mouth full of flames and ready for anything.
Anything, that is, except the sight of a pink unicorn passed out in the corner of the room with an empty wine bottle and several lewd magazines. She had obviously passed out there some time ago, after consuming the entire bottle of alcoholic beverage. The magazines, mostly titled "Playbrony," depicted ponies in skimpy outfits and... intriguing... poses. There were also several "adult" books that Moonstone was pretty sure wouldn't be allowed in a public library. The most shocking thing, however, was that she hadn't seemed to notice that her body was missing from the waist down! After a moment, Pennington's sword disappeared into mist again, and he let out a long, exasperated sigh.
"Whipstitch, how did you get in here?" Bending down, Pennington grabbed at the air with his teeth and pulled. As he did, the rest of her body came into sight (along with about a dozen more magazines), and a thin cloth appeared in between Pennington's teeth. He opened a small compartment in the wall and placed the cloth inside, which Moonstone was quickly recognizing as an "invisibility cloak."
The pony's eyes slowly flickered open and came into focus, and her feeble attempt to stand made it obvious that the alcohol still hadn't worn off. "Pennnnnn... Penn... I was waiting... for the party! But you were taking SOOOO LONG! So, I drank the alcohol I brought for the party..." She grinned at him, the silly smile almost wider than her own face.
"It's alright, Moonstone, she's a friend of mine. This is our neighbor across the street, Whipstitch! She mostly works with sewing and repairing things via sewing. Though I have no idea what she's doing in here..." He muttered, walking to the wall and flicking a small switch. As the lights came on in the room, Whipstitch shielded her eyes, but Moonstone screamed and jumped back in surprise as her "talent" granted her another vision. The pony standing in front of her transformed, only for a moment, into a twisted, horrific, spider-like creature, with her body and legs wrapped in her long, black hair, staring her down with hungry, black eyes, raising long tendrils of her hair up into the air in preparation to attack. The vision was gone as quickly as it came, but it was still enough to terrify her, sending her sprinting back towards Pennington. Gripping at his leg, she pointed back at Whipstitch.
"P-Penn! Monster- Spider- THING!"
Whipstitch looked at Moonstone as if she'd grown another head, and Pennington simply sighed. "You saw something, didn't you? Moonstone, relax... Whipstitch here just has a few... 'unique issues.' Trust me, you won't be seeing that in real life unless you follow her into Everfree on Nightmare Night." Looking up at Whipstitch, he let out a long sigh. "Sorry, Whips. Moonstone, here, can sometimes see when a pony is hiding secrets... Apparently, that Includes Spiderstitch!"
Whipstitch looked down at the little dragon, then back up at Pennington.
"She has... special eyes." Whipstitch chuckled to herself, extending a friendly hoof towards Moonstone. "WELL, then! Hello, Moonstone! I'm Stitchwhip."
"Whipstitch!"
"Okay, okay! My name is Whipstitch." After shaking her hoof, Whipstitch sat down in the corner and began reading another magazine.
"Whips, we're kind of in the middle of something... Don't you think you should be getting home?" Pennington asked, pulling all of the magazines together into a pile.
"Whatcha doin?" Whipstitch asked as she turned a page, obviously only slightly invested in the conversation.
"We're going to overthrow a tyrant and topple a newly established government, hopefully returning an exiled fugitive and beating my ex-girlfriend to a pulp in the process!" Pennington stated cheerfully. "Not to mention fighting a pony who is, for all intents and purposes, as powerful as one of the princesses!"
Moonstone suddenly felt less confident in their mission.
"Hmm..." Whipstitch seemed to take all of this surprisingly well, simply turning the magazine and opening a centerfold. "What, did some crazed, overpowered being take over the town again? I'm not interested unless it's Discord!" After a moment of silence, she turned the page again. "Oooh! That's a nice design... I think I'll have to remember that one?
"Did you really have to bring these?" Pennington asked, nodding towards the stack of magazines. This was obviously a mistake, as Whipstitch was finally drawn away from the magazine long enough to grab his shoulders and look him dead in the eyes.
"Pennnnnn... Do you know what my specialty is? Do you know my forte?" Using her magic, she levitated a magazine into the air and shoved it into his face. "I make lingerie! Ponies ask me to repair things, and yes, I make normal clothes, but THIS is my talent!" Pennington didn't move, as if slightly afraid of what the inebriated unicorn would do to him if he did. The magazine opened and began flipping through the pages, making him cringe. "This is my living! Do you know- hic!-how many of my designs are in here?" As she slowly put the magazine down again, she gave him a grin. "Besides... I thought that you might want something for Twilight, so I came with a few catalogs..."
"Whipstitch!" Pennington's face descended into a deep violet as he finally walked away. "No, I don't think Twilight needs any lingerie! What she needs is for somepony to defeat Trixie and let her back into town! Preferably with brute force!"
Whipstitch paused for a moment, then her face shifted to a sadistic grin. "Is this the same Trixie that stole your stuff?" Pennington nodded. "Well, then lead the way, Penn! Do you know how long I've wanted to get my hooves on her?"
"Probably just over a year, since that's when she left..."
The comment seemed to catch Whipstitch off-guard, and even Moonstone was surprised at the ease with which Pennington recalled the fact, not to mention the utterly emotionless tone in his voice when he said it.
"Anyway, let's get down to business, shall we, Moonstone?" Pennington finally turned away from Whipstitch, looking around the room.
The Vault had an interesting design, to say the least. The walls were lined with small compartments, each holding some kind of artifact. Several pedestals stood in the center of the room, each with a glass dome at the top to hold yet another artifact. Nothing was labeled, Pennington obviously knew them all well enough that putting labels would be more of an aid to an intruder than to himself. Moonstone made a mental note never to declare war on a pony with an arsenal like this at his disposal.
Now then... The only question is: What here would be the best for fighting Trixie?" He muttered. "Physical enhancers won't be much help, we're going to need something that can help us avoid her magic." He thought for a moment, then his face light up with understanding. "We need a inhibitor!" Rushing to a compartment, he pulled it open and removed a black ring that Moonstone recognized as an "inhibitor ring," the tool used by the guard in order to restrain rogue unicorns and prevent them from using magic. While most rings were constructed from enchanted ceramic, the flawless shine and obvious weight in his hoof pointed to this one being made of a dense metal.
"This was a special request: a Class AAA Magic Inhibitor. The NLR was saving it for Nightmare Moon's return, but when she was dispatched so quickly by the Elements of Harmony, it was left to my keeping... All that we need to do is slip this little baby around her horn, and Trixie will be as powerless as a newborn foal! But... how do we get close enough to do that?"
"Couldn't you just wait until she comes back? She's obviously planning on getting pretty close to you next time..." Moonstone muttered.
"That's not our best option... If I were to somehow fail, Trixie would probably kill me on the spot. Being betrayed by her lover is the last thing that we want her to realize is going on..."
Moonstone nodded. "Well, could we use that invisibility cloak? We could sneak up on her and slip it on without her even noticing!"
"There are two flaws to that plan, though I like the way you're thinking!" Pennington smiled. "One, you would have to reach out from underneath the cloak to put it on her head, making you visible, and two, if you were to try and put it on from behind, there's no easy way to reach her horn!"
"What if we waited until she's asleep?"
"The amulet is going to start making her paranoid, she probably is going to cast a spell on herself so that she doesn't need to sleep if she hasn't already..."
Moonstone scowled and looked down.
"What... What if you magicked it onto her head?" Whipstitch asked.
Pennington rolled his eyes. "Hey, Whipstitch! Catch this!" Lifting his hoof, he threw the ring at her. Whipstitch didn't move, simply allowing the ring to bounce off of the tip of her horn, then slowly roll back to Pennington.
"OW! Why couldn't I catch it?"
"Magic doesn't work on an item made to NEGATE MAGIC." Pennington rolled his eyes as he picked up the ring again. "So, we're going to need a way to get in close to her..."
"Hey, what about this thing?" Moonstone pointed up at one of the compartments, which Pennington quickly pulled open. It appeared to be some kind of wand, with a pale, rough handle carved out of coral and a large sapphire at the top faintly glowing.
"Ah, the Tidal Wand. Anyone wielding this weapon can create and control large amounts of seawater and even some of the less intelligent of sea animals... It could come in very handy for creating a distraction!" With a smile, he passed the wand down to Moonstone. "I think you would be better suited for this one, Moonstone. Just don't try using it in here, okay? This place may be fireproof and flood proof, but it'll drown us if the flood starts in here!"
"What about this thingy?" Whipstitch pointed at what appeared to be a strange trinket of some kind. It was covered in strange odds and ends, almost looking like a three-year-old filly had taken a short metal rod and glued as much of her mother's jewelery onto it as she could, then dipped the entire conglomeration in her father's toolbox and set it to dry.
"It's the universal lock pick, not much use unless Trixie decides to lock herself in a vault like this one..."
"Penn..."
"What?"
"I want one."
"No, Whipstitch."
"Pleeease?"
"No!"
"Umm.... Pennington?" Moonstone pointed at one of the higher compartments, which was flickering and buzzing loudly. Inside, she could see what seemed to be a bolt of yellow lightning bouncing from side to side, trying to break out from the prison. She was somewhat nervous to be flying so close, just in case it somehow succeeded. "Is this thing alive?"
Pennington nodded, giving Whipstitch a glare as he engaged a magical lock on the lock pick's compartment. Walking over next to her, he observed the lightning bolt with a wary eye. "It's an electrical symbiote. When it strikes a pony (which it will when given any opportunity), it scatters itself along the nervous system, providing enhanced reflexes, a boost to agility and endurance, and even a notably faster processing power for the brain, enabling startlingly increased intelligence..."
"Okay, tell me the bad news?" Moonstone asked. "You obviously know something I don't, since you haven't decided to use it, yourself!"
"The body that it shares will constantly be building static electricity that, for some reason, can only be released either via shorting themselves out in a pool of water, which causes the creature great pain, or through shocking another pony. It can also increase the body's temperature to dangerously high levels, or the occasional rogue impulse of energy can stop the heart. This is one only to be used in an emergency where our lives mean very little in the grand scheme... Understood?" Moonstone nodded, slightly shocked at the lethality of the side effects.
"Hey, look at me, ha ha!" Whipstitch called. As they turned around , they saw that she was wearing a skull-like white mask. "I'm the 'Phantom of the Vault!'"
"NO!" Pennington rushed forward, snatching the mask off of her face. Horrified, he looked down at the mask, then up at her. Without permission, he tugged her eyelids open wider, inspecting her pupils. "How long did you have that on?"
"Just a few seconds!"
"A few seconds too long... But you should be alright." Pennington looked down again at the mask, jumping a little at the sight. It had now somehow twisted itself into an expression of anger, silently snarling at him and exposing needle-like teeth painted crimson. Putting a hoof up over his heart, Pennington let out a long sigh. "I haven't been that badly scared since Luna cured my changeling half..." Looking up again, he gave Whipstitch a glare to rival that of the mask. "Do you know what you almost unleashed? This is the tribal mask of the cannibal god, Cha'Qued! Fire and brimstone, Whipstitch, not to mention demonic possession and the likely consumption of most of Ponyville, and the incineration of whatever remains! Any pony who puts on this mask gains deistic powers, but loses their mind and becomes a vessel of Cha'Qued! This is one of the most dangerous artifacts here!"
"Then... why are you keeping it around?" Moonstone asked quietly.
"I don't..." Pennington took the mask and locked it into the compartment again. "It followed me after I managed to retrieve it from what I now know was its prison. It seems to think I'm the one 'worthy' to wear it. I didn't know what it was at the time, but the nightmares I had and the legends of the nearby village were enough to convince me to destroy it... But it refuses to die. Whatever secret there was to putting it down for good were lost when the temple collapsed." He took a moment to return the mask's glare. "I believe THAT was no accident..." Walking to the center of the room, Pennington placed it on one of the few pedestals, then placed the glass dome over it, locking it into place with a sudden twist. "We very nearly had a much greater menace than Trixie on our hooves..." He shot Whipstitch a glare. "And you just lost your 'touching privileges!'" His horn flashed, and the sounds of new locks engaging echoed through the room. "All of the doors are now locked. You want something, you're going to have to go through me..."
Moonstone couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed that she wouldn't be able to access things, either.
"Aww, come on, Penn!" Whipstitch hiccuped again, reminding them that she was still drunk. "We both know Spiderstitch could beat any of these things when it comes to nightmare fuel!"
Pennington gave her a deadpan stare before returning to browsing through the cupboards.
"Would you bet your life on that, Whipstitch?" He raised a hoof, not even looking at her as she began to speak again. "It was rhetorical."
"You're rhetorical!" She muttered.
Pennington paused for a moment. "We're going to need disguises... I have a great one!" He ran to the far side of the room, where there was yet another wall covered in small compartments. Unlocking one of the empty ones, he reached inside, pressing his hoof against the back wall. There was a loud clicking noise, and the wall swung outwards, compartments and all, revealing a large glass container, far larger than any of the others. Inside were what seemed to be a mechanical pair of pegasus wings. They were constructed out of what seemed to be cast-iron, and looked more like an art piece than some kind of ancient and powerful artifact. The longer she looked at them, the more impossible it seemed that Pennington was serious. The spans of the wings were filled with heavy chains, and the iron rods holding them in place were twisted and manged. They met at the center in some kind of metal harness that looked as if it were modeled after a saddle.
"Pennington, there's no way those things are going to help us!" Moonstone cried.
"You have a secret door... In your secret room." Whipstitch rolled her eyes. "Think we need to go deeper, Penn?"
"Moonstone, trust me..." Pennington grinned. "These things don't just fly, they soar!" He pulled open the door to the glass case, grunting with effort as he floated the wings out into the room. "Trust me, ugh! If Trixie's attacked by a pony who can fly, she'll never suspect it's me!"
"Okay, but what are the side affects of these?" Moonstone asked, examining them with a cautious eye, in spite of her obvious sarcasm. "Do they tear out your spine? Maybe they give you super slowness! Oh, let me guess! They make sure that you don't only throw out your back, but the rest of your body, too!"
Pennington chuckled, turning the bottom of the saddle to face her. She was shocked to see, growing out from the metal, thousands of tiny follicles waving back and forth, reaching out towards the nearest source of warmth.
"None of that... They just hurt like you wouldn't believe when you put them on!" Pennington looked up the stairway to his study. "I have some painkillers in my medicine cabinet, Moonstone... Would you mind going up and getting them?"
"We're going to need help..." Moonstone muttered, gently rotating the Tidal Wand through her claws and hungrily admiring the sapphire. In his half-drugged state while the wings were being attached to his body, Pennington had mentioned to her that if she tried to eat the gem, she would most likely have an amount of seawater equivalent to a small ocean spewed down her throat. she hadn't been sure if it was him or the drug talking, but she had decided she'd rather not risk it. "He may not want to admit it, but even with these artifacts, we're not going to be able to beat Trixie on our own..." Whipstitch nodded slowly, slightly more sober after the process of attaching the wings to Pennington's back.
Trying to be as gentle as she could, Whipstitch had sliced three long, shallow cuts into his back, both along and at equal distances from his spine while she was fetching the pills. Moonstone had been slightly upset that Pennington had foreseen her objection and sent her away, but he didn't seem to notice as he grabbed a pair of the pills and swallowed. Pennington seemed not to feel the cuts after that, only moaning jokingly in fake pain and laughing at himself uproariously in his drugged state. After the scent of blood got into the air, the tiny hairlike strands on the saddle piece seemed to become more excited, growing longer and swaying back and forth of their own accord. Pennington had claimed that the wings both needed blood and easy access into the body in order to connect to the nerve endings and muscles. He seemed to be proven correct as Whipstitch lowered them onto his back (after Moonstone had stopped her from putting them on backwards), because the tiny tendrils extended down into his blood and, and the wings had actually begun to glow red and pulled themselves down onto his back, no longer needing Whipstitch's guidance. Pennington was forced to the ground by the sudden weight, forced to lay on the cold floor. Pennington definitely seemed to feel this for some time, after that, as the iron wings fitted themselves into his flesh. The saddle piece seemed to somehow melt down, becoming a silver liquid that sunk deep into his skin, and the wings legitimately became a part of his body. They had originally hung low at his sides, but now the base of each wing moved upwards into the small of his back, where they would have been seated on a normal pegasus. Under his skin, Moonstone could see that the metal from the saddle wasn't remaining idle, somehow forming the new muscle structures needed to move the wings, creating an unsettling effect of things moving inside of his back, shoulders, and chest. Pennington had somehow remained awake throughout the process.
"It's not as painful as it looks, actually!" He chuckled, prodding at the metal under his skin with his hoof. "I mean, yes ,it hurts, but the wings themselves actually dull some of the pain... I'm still not sure how, but I think it has something to do with the initial connection to the nervous system..." He had grimaced in pain several times throughout the process as the initial pills wore off, but he had declined any offers of more. Even as the pain seemed to grow, he was still able to force out a smile and a overconfident wink, claiming that he was trying to build up his pain tolerance. Eventually, he managed to stand up again, his legs shaking with the strain of the extra weight
"So... Where did you find these?" Moonstone asked, taking a moment to look more closely at the artifact. They had looked as if they were constructed from scrap metal and iron chains. However, after being placed onto his back, their appearance was changing, somehow molding themselves into a more natural-looking form, closer to real pegasus wings. "They don't look like anything I've ever seen before!"
"Would you believe that my uncle was a mad scientist?" Pennington chuckled.
"Really?" Moonstone's eyes widened in shock.
"No, I just wanted to see how you'd react!" Pennington laughed for a moment before cringing again. "Ugh... I wish I could hurry this up, but the pain would get even worse..."
"The wings started out exactly how they looked, a pile of scrap metal, straight from the junk heap. Unfortunately, they were taken as the raw materials to be used by an insane arcanist. He was a unicorn who had discovered a book of sketches and designs left over from a blacksmith named Ember Glow." Pennington's brow furrowed in thought. "Ember had been an earth pony, and she was killed before she could find a unicorn to help her with her magical designs... This unicorn was using them to try and create artificial alicorns to attack Canterlot, along with several of Ember's other designs. Ember was a genius, too! She designed armor that could fight independently, weapons that would get sharper and sharper as they fought, and even some sword designs unlike any I've ever seen!" His excitement was abruptly cut off as a particularly acute pain struck. "Anyway, in a long story for another day, that scimitar hanging in my study proved itself that day... I got myself captured on purpose, then freed myself and managed to knock him out while he was giving me some kind of drawn-out monologue... After that, I was able to remove his horn, which stopped the attacking armor and other devices. When I ordered all of the soldiers to self-destruct, these wings were in the wreckage. They seemed to be the only things left in working order, so I took them..." He chuckled quietly, laying down on the floor, "along with all of Ember's notes. Those, I burned, so that nopony could try the same thing. The wings, though, had a lot of potential, so I made a special place to keep them down here, and now they're there if I have some kind of emergency."
After finishing his story, Pennington's entire body stiffened, and his eyes grew very wide for a moment. He remained frozen for a moment, then relaxed. The wings picked themselves up off the ground, moving just as naturally as any pegasus that Moonstone had ever seen. They were disproportionately large for Pennington's body, but judging from his sigh of relief, they were somehow much lighter. Setting them parallel to the ground, Pennington closed his eyes. Silently, he began flapping them up and down, taking care not to strike anything else in the room. Without a sound and barely a breeze coming from the wings, Pennington rose into the air.
He had smiled as Moonstone and Whipstitch both stared in shock. With hardly any effort, he spun first left, then right in the air. After a few minutes of checking to make sure the wings were working properly, he came back down to the earth again. Mentioning that the process had left him exhausted, Pennington had led the two back out into his study, where he laid down in front of the fire and promptly fell into a deep sleep, leaving Whipstitch and Moonstone alone to talk, leading to their current position.
"I think that we could bring Twilight's friends together to help fight after she's released them for the night in a couple hours..." Whipstitch nodded in response to Moonstone's statement of needing help. "We could all meet up in the Vault!"
"Not there... Pennington wouldn't want anypony else to know about it..." Moonstone stopped for a moment, staring at Whipstitch. "Speaking of which, how did you get in there?"
When Whipstitch simply shrugged, Moonstone tried to look more closely at her to see whether she was lying or not. The pony didn't seem to be hiding anything.
"Sometimes stuff just happens to me. I stopped questioning it a long time ago!" Whipstitch chuckled darkly. "I don't see why Penn wouldn't want them in there! They're not just some ponies off the street, they're the bearers of the Elements of Harmony!" Glancing over to make sure that he was still asleep, Whipstitch leaned in closer to whisper to Moonstone. "And it's actually a lot nicer than he keeps the rest of his house... Penn is never that organized and tidy!" She pointed around them, at the insides of his study. The walls were covered in stray papers and red yarn that created the storyline of whatever it was he was working on. Daring Do merchandise was scattered on bookshelves and his desk was covered in loose papers and assorted items, including worn-down quills and both empty and filled inkwells.
Moonstone was quiet for a minute. Pennington's disheveled lifestyle had definitely taken her by surprise, but the sheer contrast with the Vault hadn't occurred to her until now.
"I think... Pennington doesn't respect himself enough to keep a clean and tidy life. He doesn't want to admit it, but he just always thinks there's something more important than his own living conditions. Those relics, though... He knows they're powerful, and he's seen the damage they can do. He gives them greater regard than he gives himself, so he treats them better!" She shrugged. "I think that room got a lot more of his own blood, sweat, and tears than he would want to admit..."
Whipstitch stared at her for a moment, surprised at the dragon's insight. "You really do see things everyone else can't!" She stood up, putting a hoof to her head as she used her magic to place her magazines in her saddlebag. "I'm going to try and find a cure for this hangover, bring him over to my shop in three hours. The others should be there." When Moonstone nodded in reply, Whipstitch put a thoughtful hoof to her chin.
"You know what? I think I could make the most adorable dress for you!" She beamed as Moonstone's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, yes! Be ready for a fitting when you come over!" Without another word, Whipstitch was out the door.
Pennington shook his head as he and Moonstone trotted across the street. She'd woken him up only a few minutes ago, informing him that she and Whipstitch had been making plans while he was asleep, and that they were going to be enlisting the other Element bearers to help fight Trixie.
"We don't need help, Moonstone! Especially with these relics!" He muttered, his mood already somewhat spoiled by the fact that Moonstone had needed to wake him up with a bucket of water.
"Well, the more help that we have, the better our chances of stopping Trixie, right? I thought you'd be happy to have it! Besides, we already need help with a disguise, since you only seem to own one mask...:" Moonstone had changed from her normal position on his back, laying out and stretching across his wings. "By the way, Whipstitch said something about wanting to make a dress for me... Is there any way that you could-"
"Nope. She's not going to stop." Pennington chuckled as they walked up to her shop. "Just brace yourself. You may be about to have your personal space violated by several tape measures."
Moonstone looked up at the sign as they walked inside. "'Whipstitch's Repairs?' I thought that she said that she makes lingerie?"
"Well, that's at the back of the shop. Whips makes a lot of money fixing just about anything with her sewing skills." Pennington took a deep breath and held it as the bell above Whipstitch's door. As they walked inside, There was thread everywhere, covering the floors, and Whipstitch was sitting behind a small counter in the back of the room, chatting with Twilight's assorted friends. The moment that Pennington entered the room, however, all eyes were on him, and there were several gasps of surprise. Pennington took a moment for the initial shock to pass before nodding to each of the girls. Fluttershy seemed to be the only one missing.
"Good evening, Rainbow Dash! Pinkie Pie, seeing you here certainly brings a smile to my face! Rarity, still fabulous under forced servitude, I see! How are you holding up, Spike?" The dragon gave him a hesitant thumbs-up. He paused as he came to the orange earth pony, giving only the slightest nod of recognition.
"Applejack."
"Penn."
"I heard Trixie has you doing hard labor."
"That's right."
Pennington thought for a moment, obviously contemplating saying something more, but seemed to back down from starting a confrontation. "Well, it's my intent to put a stop to that. To put a stop to all of this-"
"MM-HMM! MM-mm-HMM!'" Pinkie Pie nearly exploded with excitement, running up to Pennington and examining his wings with a gigantic grin on her face. (Well, her eyes were scrunched up as if she were grinning. Her mouth was still disturbingly nonexistent.
"No, Pinkie, they're not real." Pennington shied nervously away from Pinkie, the wings rustling nervously against his sides. "They're magical, artificial wings. It's the make sure that Trixie doesn't recognize me when I go out to fight her."
"You're going to just walk out there and fight her?" Applejack shook her head. "You're crazier than I thought, Pennington! And that's sayin' something! First you take that snake-in-the-grass into your home and nurse her back to health-"
"Don't call her that."
Applejack stopped in her tracks, staring at Pennington as if he'd grown a second head. "'scuse me?"
"Just because the amulet's driving her mad doesn't give you permission to call her that." Pennington blinked and shook his head. "I didn't let you do that when she and I were together, and I'm not going to stand for it now. She's not in her right mind!"
"Are you kiddin' me?" Applejack slammed her hoof into her face. "After everything she did to you, you're still going to stand by her? In case you still can't see, she robbed you blind!"
Pennington didn't flinch at the yelling, keeping a cooler demeanor than he'd actually had before he'd come in. "A pun. Impressive. What happened was my fault. She learned about the alicorn amulet from me, and she left with good intentions... Even if it did break my heart and make me hate her, I've realized that don't have anypony to blame but myself. I was keeping secrets, and that led her astray."
Applejack rolled her eyes, obviously not convinced. "Leave it to the writer to go making up stories to justify his own insanity! You know, the moment that Twilight's gone and Trixie's back in town, you're suddenly back to being all in love with her! I bet you don't even care about Twilight! You just want a mare who'll keep you busy!" She spat the words with disgust, much to the shock of everyone in the room. "If Aunt Celia were here right now, she'd be ashamed of you, Pennington!"
"Applejack, why would you-" Rarity was cut off as Pennington raised a trembling hoof for silence. Noticing that he was about to explode with anger, Moonstone slowly climbed down from his back.
"Applejack, my less-than-dear cousin..." The term drew out a couple more surprised expressions from the other ponies present. "Were we not in the presence of actual respectable ladies, we would settle this in our usual manner: me allowing you to beat the daylights out of me because I don't want to hit a girl harder than I have to."
"Allowing me? I won those fights fair and square!"
Pennington gave her a dark glare. "Do you really think that a pony who was placed in consideration for the Elite Night Guard would be beaten by a simpleton farmer who practices on trees? Anyway, because this lacks the usual privacy of our previous fracases, I'm going to simply tell you to leave my mother out of this. Just because I would defend Trixie doesn't mean that I approve of her current insanity, but I don't blame her for it. None of you ever gave her a chance to redeem herself, and look how it's come back to bite you! I'm determined to bring her down, but not to be cruel to her when she needs help!" He stomped his hoof on the ground, looking Applejack straight in the eyes to show that he would not give her any room to fight. "But, on the other hoof, Trixie already tested me once. If you want to see just how low my patience has fallen and how willing I would be to take the satisfaction of not holding back against you, then I would give you this advice... Say I don't care about Twilight one more time. See what happens."
The two ponies stood for a moment, each silently daring the other to make a move, to start the fight. After several seconds of silence, Spike finally stepped between them, breaking the line of sight.
"Look, if Twilight was here, she'd be telling us that we need to break this up and focus!" He looked between the two of them, driving home each of their respective feelings for Twilight. "Pennington, you need to stop taking so much offense for Trixie, she deserves at least a little anger, it's not all the amulet's fault! AJ, you need to calm down and forget whatever happened before now!" He gave each of them a short glare. "Okay?"
Pennington looked around the room at the shocked faces, suddenly aware of how angry he had been. "I'm sorry you had to see that, ladies. I'm afraid that there's a lot of built-up tension needing to be released between the two of us. I don't know why Whipstitch felt the need to call you all here, I don't need help. It's my fault that Trixie got this amulet, and I intend to solve it myself. Putting an end to this will be the end of anything left between us, but I'm going to do it alone and behind a mask." He turned his back to the group, walking back towards the door.
"Hey!" Applejack shouted at him. When he turned back again, she was smiling. This caught him off-guard. Normally after an argument like that, Applejack would be left positively fuming. Somehow, though, her eyes glinted with something that Pennington had never seen from her before: respect. "You obviously got the guts to stand up for yourself, and I'll admit that that was more than I expected! If you really got the guts to take Trixie down, I'm not gonna let you get away without proving it! Are you forgetting who was behind the mask before you even put it on?"
"Yes, darling!" Rarity, who still seemed somewhat confused by the entire argument, smiled, as well. "You're forgetting about Ponyville's first vigilante! We were all a part of bringing the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well to life, we're not going to let you fight alone!"
"And you're going to have your friendly neighborhood Rainbow Dash on your side, too!" Rainbow Dash lowered to the ground, having jumped into the air when Pennington had made the threat against Applejack. "And from the looks of it, you and AJ are going to be able to put both your thick skulls up against Trixie instead of each other!"
Pennington looked at Applejack again, who nodded. "The moment Trixie's taken care of, we go back to hating each other, okay?" She offered her hoof, spitting on it in her customary fashion.
Pennington grinned and returned the favor, spitting on his own hoof and taking hers in a tight grip. "Y'all got it, pardner!"
Applejack gave him a deadpan stare. "Don't ever do that again, Penn. Ever. You're horrible at it."
"Go Team Do-Well!" Spike shouted gleefully.
"Now then, Penn... If you're going to be usin' them wings, you'd best be trying to pass yourself off for some kinda pegasus! That means we're gonna have to hide that pesky horn of yours!"
"And we're going to have to hide your cutie mark!" Rainbow Dash winked as she walked closer, inspecting the wings. "I think that I have the perfect thing! I once tried ordering a helmet for some of my tricks, but the company sent me the unicorn's version! After that mess-up, I decided I was too awesome for stuff like that. It should fit you, though! What kinda speed to you get on these things, anyway?"
"More than enough to keep up with you!" Pennington grinned.
"Is that a challenge? Ha! Watch this, I can get to my house, grab that helmet, and be back faster than you can say 'Back in a flash!'" In a sudden, Rainbow-tinted blur, Rainbow Dash was gone.
"Later, Rainbow Dash!" Rarity smiled. "I think that, between all of us together, we should be able to put together an ensemble that can hide your identity! I was thinking of something in black... Wouldn't you agree, Whipstitch?"
"Oh, definitely, Rarity!" Whipstitch chimed. "We're going to need to make his fur black so that he won't be recognized, too! I think one of my leather pieces would fit you!" She grinned and walked out from behind her desk, quickly closing the distance to her "special closet."
"Um, Whips? I really hope you don't mean-"
"Don't worry, Penn! It's just a jacket." Whipstitch winked. "The other pieces are for different clients! How much ink do you have at home?" She asked, walking back out of the closet with a large black jacket.
"Enough to last me at least three months... Why do you ask?" Pennington eyed his friend suspiciously.
"Moonstone, be a dear and walk back to Inkwell Commissions, would you? We're probably going to need as much ink as you can grab!" Moonstone nodded and ran out the door. "Pennington, we have to dye your hair black somehow!"
Rarity seemed to balk at this, but after a moment of thought, nodded in agreement.
"Putting ink in my hair? Lily is going to kill me..." Pennington muttered.
"I think a saddle might be good as well..." Rarity placed a hoof on her chin in thought, glancing between Pennington and the jacket. "The straps will provide some coverage on your flank, and it'll help guard the areas around your wings! I've got just the thing back at my boutique!" Rarity grinned.
By the time the girls had finished with him, Pennington looked completely different, almost unrecognizable from his normal self. His coat and mane had been colored jet-black, the leather jacket was a fine fit, contributing further to his dark look, and a tan saddle had been strapped across his back, fitting snugly between the wings. They had taken careful measures to make sure that his cutie mark had been completely blotted out, and Rainbow Dash's helmet (which they had also painted pitch-black) had a set of bone-colored spikes jutting out from the top, one of which held a carefully hollow shell for his horn. The helmet also sported a blue-tinted pair of goggles that hid his eyes, leaving only his now-black muzzle and ears exposed. The wings, which Pennington had insisted not be painted in any way, only complimented the entire set with a much-needed silver accent. Even Applejack had contributed, lending him the ribbons usually used to tie back her hair to bind up the base of his tail, changing the familiar shape. Together, they all stood back to admire their work.
Pinkie Pie nodded enthusiastically, pulling a blue cannon from seemingly nowhere and firing it without warning. Pennington instinctively blocked the blast of streamers and confetti with the wings, pulling them both in front of himself and creating a metal barrier. The cannon didn't seem to even knock him off-balance/ As he lowered the wings back to his side, he blew a piece of confetti off of the goggles.
"What was that for?"
Pinkie Pie, who was stroking her chin in thought, smiled with her eyes (since her mouth was still gone) and nodded her affirmation.
"Looked like she was testing your resilience..." Moonstone chimed in, standing among several empty bottles of ink, looking very much like she wanted to torch one of the tape measures Whipstitch was using to take her size measurements. "If we're fighting Trixie, it's going to be tough, and we're going to have to be able to take a beating!"
"That's right, Penn!" Applejack grinned. When Rarity had returned, her bags had been filled to almost bursting. She had pulled the saddle and a few other tools out of one bag, but the contents of the second had remained a mystery until now. Reaching into the bag, Applejack pulled out a pair of familiar-looking outfits in two dark shades of purple. "You're going to need ponies on your side who can take it and dish it out! That's why RD and I are going to be fighting right alongside ya! It's time for Mare-Do-Well to make a comeback!"
"Snips! Snails! Faster!" Trixie called out from her chariot, ignoring the fact that the lack of wheels made their progress painstakingly slow. She didn't know why, but the wheels that the transportation had been created with seemed as if they were ready to shatter at any moment, and she wouldn't trust anything she didn't find fitting for one as splendorous as herself. She was out for a ride along the edge of the glass barrier, observing her domain and making certain that nopony was trying to break in or out. She knew that Snips and Snails' muttered conversation was about her, and a quick crack of the whip cut their murmuring short.
I won't tolerate opposition, not from either of them! I'm powerful enough to defeat any foe, but my efforts would be wasted on simple dissenters! She thought to herself.
Even as she was thinking, she didn't notice the silver glint coming into sight from inside of the dark clouds hanging above Ponyville. Without warning, a metallic-colored blur flew down from the sky, appearing for only a moment as it passed only a few feet from her face, slicing the wooden restraints holding Snips and Snails to the chariot. Both colts fell on their faces with their newly found freedom as the entity soared back up towards the clouds. In the last few moments, Trixie could begin to make out the shape of a dark-colored pegasus, his wings seemingly colored a bright silver.
"You DARE attack the Great and Powerful Trixie?" She shouted, lashing out at the clouds with a destructive bolt from her horn. The lightning rolled up through the clouds, exposing a brief silhouette in the flashing lights. It was definitely a pegasus, one with enlarged wings, moving at a high speed. Even as she was taking aim for another shot, however, the entire world seemed to tilt and jump up from underneath her as the chariot was overturned. She let out an indignant cry as she struck the ground, jumping back up to her hooves just in time to see a hooded earth pony disappearing for cover behind a large tree.
"Over there, Trixie!" Snails pointed at the tree, obviously excited that his dull mind had caught on to what was happening.
"Obviously!" Trixie rolled her eyes as she quickly regained her composure, sending another blast towards the tree. There was a small explosion of bark and splinters of wood, and the entire upper half of the trunk was thrown into the air. In the blast, however, a dark-purple streak appeared as the masked pony escaped into the air, flying at a speed even faster than the initial attack. This one seemed directly focused on her, cruising towards her like a missile. Trixie was barely able to react quickly enough to throw up a shield around herself, causing the masked mare to go careening off-course to avoid hitting the wall. As she watched the pony flipping and turning through the air, trying to regain control at the high speed, she grinned smugly and dropped the shield, readying another magical attack. This one would send her opponent sailing even further out of control,
"You just made a big mistake..." Trixie whispered, unleashing the spell. The magic took the form of another concussive blast, rocketing towards the caped crusader. The attack landed its mark with fearful accuracy, sending the pegasus hurtling towards Ponyville, seemingly unconscious. The silver-winged pegasus appeared from the clouds again, taking off after her, obviously in some kind of vain rescue attempt.
"NO!" A female cry easily drew Trixie's attention, coming from almost directly behind her. Turning around, Trixie was greeted with a powerful kick to the chest, knocking the wind from her lungs and sending her flying backward through the air. Catching herself in mid-air, Trixie took a moment to catch her breath as she glared down at the earth pony. It was clearly the pony who had managed to overturn her chariot, and had somehow escaped the initial blast while the second pegasus had taken her place.
"Two of you? Then your fate is going to be doubly painful!" She snickered, preparing a spell that she had been eager to use: a fire spell capable of leaving a pony burned without inflicting lethal damage, just enough to inflict agonizing pain without killing them, allowing the torment to continue.
She grinned as she used her magic to pin the pony to the ground, forcing her to stay in place. Slowly and delicately, she allowed herself to return to the ground as well. She could feel the heat of flames building up around her horn, and she could only imagine the expression of the pony behind the mask. It'll be gone soon, anyway. I'm going to burn away that costume first, then the pony underneath! With a final tooth-exposing, gleeful smile, Trixie unleashed the spell, sending a stream of fire raining down.
In what seemed to be becoming a trend, Trixie's fun was once again interrupted. The instigator of the attack seemed to appear out of nowhere, spreading out his large wing like a shield and taking the blow for both of them. Trixie blinked in surprise, trying to understand what was happening. While they weren't extremely delicate, the fire should have burned the feathers off of any pegasus, but it seemed to be having no effect on this stranger. As she finally allowed the spell to fade, the flames died, allowing her to see him clearly for the first time. As her jaw fell in shock, Trixie realized that the silver coloring was no flawed pigmentation or trick of the light: the pony's wings were actually constructed from metal! She could feel the heat radiating off of them as he slowly allowed the wing to fold inwards to his side, just as it would have had it been his own. By some trick, the other masked heroine was gone, leaving only the two of them. The black stallion's dark helmet stopped her from seeing his face, and if his flank had ever been graced with a cutie mark, it had somehow disappeared.
"You're not getting away with this, Trixie..." He growled, his voice low and threatening. "We'll fight."
Trixie's eyes narrowed as she stared into the reflective lenses at the front of the helmet, greeted only by her own beautiful reflection. After a beat of silence, he took off again, seemingly seeking refuge in the clouds once more. This time, however, Trixie was ready, striking out with her rage. The thunderbolt from her horn moved faster than he could fly, curving around and looping around. Confused, he drew up short, stopping in his tracks, just as Trixie had known he would. Feeding the spell more energy seemed to be only a miniscule amount of effort with the amulet boosting her abilities, and she guided the bolt in circles around the confused vigilante, creating a ring of electrical energy around him. He tried to fly downwards, but a rogue arc of energy below stopped him, as did one above. With a gleeful giggle, Trixie launched another bolt, this one taking the vertical axis around the pony, blocking his escape.
"No simple pegasus is stronger than Trixie! It doesn't matter what your wings are made of!" She cackled, gleefully launching bolt after bolt, tightening his cage. When one of his wings brushed up against the lightning, he was given a painful shock that nearly knocked him out of the sky, sending him reeling backwards into the other side. Screaming in pain, the effect became compounded as he was thrown back and forth with the shock, each time bouncing off of the walls of his cage. Trixie smiled, enjoying the sight as she slowly brought the bolts even closer, feeding them new energy as theirs was spent on his torture.
"Um, Trixie?"
"Not now, Snips! I'm enjoying myself."
"Trixie! I think you should look at-"
"Snails, I'm warning you... It can wait." She growled, barely keeping her temper in check with the satisfaction of her enemy falling.
"But Trixie!"
"What? What could possibly be so important that you have to-" Trixie was silenced with shock as she finally looked away from the beautiful sight. Snips and Snails happened to be pointing in the direction of Ponyville, and as her gaze followed their hooves, she suddenly found her good mood extinguished by the unmistakable scent of ocean water.
By some miracle, a tidal wave was washing towards them, moving out from the town.
"It's- It's- RUN!" Snips and Snails both took off, running as quickly as they could, while Trixie formed another barrier around herself. The flood hit the shield with massive force, and Trixie could hardly imagine where exactly Snips or Snails were going to eventually be washed ashore. As she watched the water rushing by, Trixie looked up, trying to make out the mysterious avenger from beneath the waves. Unfortunately, what had been done was done, and her concentration had been broken. He had gotten away, but not without taking an obscene number of blows and shocks from her spell. As the impromptu flood dispersed, she let the barrier down again, exposing herself to the ocean air. Glancing around for the source, she shook her head. There was no way that she could claim a victory if the pony had escaped either with his life or without begging her for mercy, but she doubted that he would claim his and his companions' injuries as a success, either.
"Well then, you silver-winged menace... Bring it on! I'll destroy you!" She shouted up at the sky, unsure if he was still there. "If you dare show your face again, Trixie will show no mercy!"
"She said that?" Pennington chuckled weakly as Moonstone recounted what had happened. "I kind of like the sound of 'Silver Wing!' It sounds heroic!"
After Trixie had broken her concentration, Pennington had fallen out of the sky and been swept up in the flood that Moonstone had created with the Tidal Wand. With a bit of clever maneuvering, Moonstone had managed to wash his body into the branches of the upper part of the felled tree to avoid discovery, and she and Applejack (who had emerged with only some small injuries from the tree's initial explosion during her tradeoff with Rainbow Dash) had returned later that night to retrieve him.
"Oh, no! After all of this is over, you're putting your vigilante days behind you!" Moonstone shook her head as she began looping yet another bandage around his back legs, taking care to avoid his tail, which had been burned in several places. His wings had absorbed most the the initial blows from the lightning, protecting most of his body, and the helmet had thankfully been designed to resist shocks. His legs and tail, however, along with the area between the wings on his back, had been left to the mercy of the lightning, leaving him burned in almost a dozen different places. This, combined with his changeling wounds opening again, had left him barely able to get home with their help. Applejack had carried the majority of his substantial weight upstairs, in spite of her own residual shock at her near-barbeque-experience with Trixie. "I'm not going to make it a habit to be constantly wrapping you up again!"
Applejack had been strangely silent, only speaking to ask Moonstone and Pennington where she could help apply the bandages. Pennington had questioned this at first, but after the two had exchanged a few glances, neither had spoken a word more to the other than was necessary. Finally, however, as they neared the end of their work, Applejack broke the unspoken agreement.
"Ah wanna thank you, Penn..." She muttered quietly, not looking up from the leg that she was bandaging. Eventually, it had reached the point where it was easier if Pennington laid down on his couch while she and Moonstone tended to his wounds.
"It wasn't anything more than what needed to be done, AJ. I had the ability, so I used it-"
"Oh, would you just shut up with that load of bull and let me thank you?" Applejack looked as if she were about to become angry with him, but her indignant frustration quickly gave way to a more humble, soft tone.
"When Trixie had me in her sights and ah couldn't move, I realized that I might not make it outta that fight alive, or if I did, I'd be burned up and scarred to the point where ah wouldn't be able to work any more... I started wondering what would happen to Apple Bloom and the rest of mah family. I was scared, not just for me, but for them!" She finally met his eyes, and she was beginning to cry. "Ah really thought that she was about to bring my whole world crashing down around me, and things would just never be the same! And then you jumped in the way!" Her eyes narrowed as he continued acting as if the entire thing were not a big deal. "And quit rolling your eyes! I don't pretend to know how those things are hooked into your body, but I could see that they were getting hot, and you weren't getting out of it without some pain! Your face said it all!" She took a moment to calm down again.
"Thank you, Pennington. You did more for your family than you could understand, no matter how much you may not like us." She smiled and took off her hat, nodding her head to him in gratitude.
"AJ, it's not the Apple family I hate! It's just that I never felt like I was a part of it!" Pennington chuckled as Applejack's expression turned to one of shock. "I mean, come on! I'm a blue unicorn with a talent that isn't remotely related to agriculture! I've never fit in with your family! You're the one who always made it a confrontation!" He chuckled again before beginning to cough loudly. After the fit slowed down and he'd taken a long drink from the cup of lemonade Moonstone had fetched from his fridge, he spoke again. "Cousin, just because I don't always agree with the Apple family or act the same way doesn't mean I hate you all! Just you." He winked with the statement, obviously joking. "Look, if you're really grateful, just try to remember that 'I don't care' doesn't mean I don't care!" After a moment's thought, he gave a sheepish grin.
"And, if you could make the trip, a little applesauce might be nice... "
Applejack smiled and returned her hat to the top of her head. "Now that, I think I can do! I'll be back later to check up on you, and I can bring some of Granny's special recipe." She looked over at Moonstone, growing more serious. "Is there anything else I can do?"
"Well, without being able to go to the hospital," she rapped her claws against Pennington's wing, "there isn't much more that we can do to patch him up. His body is just recovering from the shock of what happened. Trixie had him bouncing around like a pinball in there!" Moonstone shook her head. "He's going to need to rest-"
"Impossible."
"What?" Moonstone glared at Pennington, but he returned with a tired stare.
"My time with these wings is limited..." He shook his head. "You see, there's one thing that I didn't tell you, because I knew that you wouldn't like it!"
"Penn... What are you talking about?" Applejack asked, nervously glancing at the dragon, who looked almost ready to kill the author.
"Well, the wings burn a lot of calories and nutrients... Stuff like that, you know?" He looked down at his own stomach, which growled loudly in reply. "It burns through your body's reserves pretty quickly..."
"Pennington..."
"And, well, after 48 hours, a pony starts slipping down the slope of malnourishment, no matter how much they can eat... After 72... well..." Pennington trailed off, trying not to look at Moonstone, who was practically staring daggers into him.
"And when were you planning on telling us this?" Moonstone hissed, walking in front of his face to give the full effect of her anger.
"Probably at around 48..." Pennington whispered, looking genuinely frightened of the lavender flames coming out of the young dragon's nostrils. "But that's why we can't take any more time than necessary to recuperate! I'll go it alone next time, I wouldn't want any more ponies hurt, but-"
"You IDIOT!" Moonstone screamed, slapping him across the cheek with all of her strength, leaving a large red spot. "It's no wonder Luna told me to keep an eye on you! You're suicidal!" Her anger only seemed to build, with her screaming again in frustration. She took a deep breath, getting the now-white flames poking out of the corners of her mouth under control. Turning her back on him, she slapped him once again, this time with her tail.
"Moonstone, sugarcube, I think you need to calm down..." Applejack whispered.
"Really, AJ? What makes you say that?" Her forked tongue slipped out from between her teeth with her seething sarcasm.
"Well, for one thing, you just knocked Penn the rest of the way to unconsciousness..." She pointed over Moonstone's shoulder, to where Pennington had finally passed out. "And isn't he the only one who knows how to get those things off?"
Moonstone glanced over her shoulder, still pouting. "Not even a week into my job, and he's already risking his life... I'm supposed to be making sure that doesn't happen! I don't want to let Luna down!"
"Yeah, but trust me, you're not helping by beating the cud outta him!" Applejack laughed. "That's my job... Come on, let's focus on getting him awake so that we can get those things off of him."
Suddenly, from seemingly nowhere, a loud knocking came at the front door, strong enough to even be heard from upstairs. The dragon and the pony both ran to the window, peering outside. Trixie was standing outside the door, obviously taking offense at the fact that the door had been locked since her last visit. Looking back at Pennington's Applejack's eyes widened with fear.
"She can't come in and see him like this!" She shook her head. "But a pony like her doesn't exactly walk away from what she wants!"
Moonstone looked back at Pennington, then out the window again. Narrowing her eyes, she began marching towards the door to the stairway. "You know what, AJ? I'll take care of this..."
Opening the front door, Moonstone was met by a frustrated-looking Trixie. Moonstone felt her already-short temper flare again as the pony looked down her nose at her.
"And who, exactly, are you?" She asked, looking down at Moonstone. "I'm here to see Pennington!"
"I'm Penn's new assistant, Moonstone." She put very little effort into hiding her disdain for the pony in her tone, her forked tongue slipping out with a few of the consonants.. Rather than becoming angry, however, Trixie gave her a smug, condescending smile.
"Oh, isn't that just adorable! I guess that you were my substitute, weren't you? Let me guess: Pennington just couldn't find another pony who could replace me, so he just hired a cute little dragon!"
Moonstone watched at the small curl at the end of Trixie's hair waved back and forth in her face. "Actually, after having you for an assistant, Pennington never wanted to have another one for the rest of his life! I was just assigned by Princess Luna, so he didn't have a choice." Rolling her eyes, Moonstone disintegrated the hair waving in front of her eyes with a short sigh.
Trixie jumped backwards as the end of her hair was lit on fire, then growled as a quick spell returned it to its previous state. Her deceptively cheerful demeanor was gone as she returned her glare to Moonstone.
"Look, kid, I'm just here to see Pennington! So, if you wouldn't mind getting out of the way-"
"He's busy." She rolled her eyes yet again, ignoring Trixie's indignant reaction. "He spent all night working on that stupid biography of yours, and now he's passed out! If you want to see him, you're going to have to wait until he wakes up again." Moonstone crossed her arms over her chest, standing adamantly in the doorway.
"And what if I don't want to wait?" Trixie asked, her eyes momentarily glowing red.
Moonstone looked back over her shoulder into the shop, casually allowing her claw to raise up and gently tap the amulet.
"Well, you'd have to go through me, and while Pennington may have forgiven you for abandoning him, he'd be impossible to console if anything were to happen to me!" As Trixie gave her a skeptical stare, she placed a gentle claw on the crystal in the center of the amulet.
"Well, I'm going to see if Penn has any gems or crystals lying around... I'm feeling pretty hungry." With a smug grin at Trixie's renewed shock, she walked back inside, shutting the door with a gentle flick of her tail. As she walked back upstairs, she spotted Applejack, biting at her hoof to stop herself from bursting into uproarious laughter.
"No guarantees that she'll stay gone for long..." Moonstone finally allowed herself to start giggling as the tension of the past moment finally began to fade. She had been bluffing completely throughout the entire conversation, and had expected Trixie to immediately call her bluff, forcing her way past and discovering Pennington's secret. Looking out the window again, Applejack finally allowed herself to laugh wholeheartedly. Moonstone's laughter increased, as well, until the two of them were caught in a complete and total fit of uncontrollable laughter.
"It's about time that someone gave Trixie a good tongue-lashing!" Applejack wiped a tear from her eye as the laughter finally faded. "I saw the whole thing from up here! The look on her face was priceless! If only Penn could have seen that! I mean, seriously, he's lucky to have you as his assistant!" He finally sat up again, looking over at the couch. "You hear that, Penn? You're LUCKY to have Moonstone around!"
The two were met once again with silence. Applejack straightened her hat, rising back to her hooves. "Man, Penn really IS bushed if he can sleep through all of-" As she came back to the front of the couch, she froze in her tracks.
"Um, Moonstone? Y'all didn't happen to see Pennington leaving, did you?"
Moonstone's good mood immediately disappeared as Applejack leaned down, picking up a scroll from the cushions. "You've got to be kidding me..." She muttered as she flew across the room, landing on top of the couch's back.
"I only wish I was, sugarcube... And I get the feeling that Penn does, too!" Her eyes widened as her eyes scanned the page. "Look for yourself..."
Moonstone grabbed the note from her hooves, quickly opening it to its full length.
Foolish foals! Did you really think that you could aid this renegade without Trixie's knowledge? I see everything! Out of all ponies, I never would have expected Pennington to be the one to betray me, but his rebellion will be crushed without any form of mercy!
From now on, obedience and subjection are to be mandatory and compulsory, and there will be zero tolerance for dissent! Your punishments will come in due time, once I'm done with HIM.
And as for you, you little pipsqueak of a hatchling... If you ever have the audacity to touch my amulet again, I'll assure you a one-way trip to the deepest depths of Tartarus.
I'll see you both soon. -The Great and Powerful Trixie
The two stood for a moment, staring at the letter in horror and shock.
"Did you see her watching us?" Moonstone whispered.
"No, did you?"
"No!" She shook her head violently from side to side. "But either way, it looks like we're in some deep trouble..."
"Yeah, but Penn's in it even worse than we are!" Applejack walked back to the window, looking out into the town as if she could see where Trixie had whisked Pennington away to. "I just hope that he gets outta it okay!"
As Pennington's eyes slowly slid open, he was surprised to discover that he was no longer in his home, nor was he laying on his couch. Looking around at his surroundings, he couldn't gather much. All the lights had been darkened, it was sometime in the night, The only light in the room was a faint red glow keeping him suspended in the air.
"Aaaaaand... I've been captured. Great." Somehow, he didn't feel so afraid as much as he felt exasperated. It made little sense, but his aching stomach rendered his concern at the situation irrelevant. "Well, this rebellion went swimmingly didn't it?"
"I don't understand, Pennington..." Trixie's voice wound her way out of the darkness, impossible to place in any one location. "I could have given you anything you wanted! But still, you choose to fight me!"
Pennington looked around, trying to determine where he should direct his reply. "Of course I did, Trixie! You're hurting my friends-"
"Friends? Since when do you have friends in Ponyville?" She retorted, interrupting him. "You never left home except to get supplies and to go on some kind of mad quest! Ponies rarely dropped by for just a personal visit! It was just you and I!" Her tone was one of scorn and derision, with more sting to it than Pennington had expected to hear.
"Well, being walked out on didn't help that, either... But Twilight's friends are my friends! I-" He was cut off as the field holding him in the air suddenly applied a strong force to his throat, cutting him off in mid-sentence.
"You will not bring up Twilight Sparkle. She's gone. Forever." The pressure released again, allowing him to fall into a fit of coughs. After almost a full minute had passed, he was able to speak again.
"Does she make you nervous, Trix?" A small ripple ran through the energy keeping him suspended in the air, and he could tell that using his old nickname for her had struck a nerve. "It makes me nervous, not knowing what's going on outside that precious dome of yours... Because if there's one thing that I know, it's that she isn't going to take something like this lying down! She could have won that duel, she simply doesn't know it."
Out of the darkness came a huge, guillotine-like blade, dyed red by the light and flying upwards towards his throat. Pennington cringed and turned his head away, refusing to look at his own demise. After a few seconds, he hesitantly opened his eyes again. The blade had stopped just short of his throat, and he was staring at his own reflection in the surface. He was shocked at his own appearance, eyes sunken and dark, looking as if they were on the verge of tears from the fear of death. His mane was ragged, and the ink was beginning to fade in places.
"Twilight wouldn't have won! No pony is stronger than the alicorn amulet! Twilight couldn't even finish an age spell, which I can do with ease!"
As Pennington opened his mouth to speak, Trixie brought the edge of the blade against his throat, momentarily paralyzing him with fear. After a moment to gather his nerve again, Pennington spoke.
"Twilight's probably stronger than any pony on the planet, Trixie... She just doesn't know it. I've felt her power once, when we were in the darkest of hours, both about to die. I tricked her into sending herself away with all of her might. Even when she was exhausted, beaten, and scared, she was able to teleport herself at least a dozen miles, probably more. At her full strength, she could even rival Celestia. I know it." Pennington was pleasantly surprised that Trixie hadn't decided to remove his head by now. "Even that amulet has its limits, as far as they may be. Twilight's potential is nearly endless. She holds herself back, but she doesn't know it..."
"So... You chose the more powerful unicorn? Is that why I'm not good enough for you?" She hissed.
"Trixie, if you hadn't left, I probably never would have never met Twilight... I was planning on moving to Canterlot, just the two of us together. I even got a job as a guard! I was going to stop going on those ridiculous trips!" The blade slowly eased away from his throat. "But when you left, I was more betrayed than I'd felt in my entire life. I tore up my letter of acceptance..." He shook his head. "Twilight never wanted to leave my side, even if it meant her own death... She'd never admit it, but that's why she followed me into danger in the first place!" He shook his head. "I'm not making a choice. How could I ever choose someone who hurt me so badly over a pony who would have done anything to stop me from being hurt? I owe her my life!"
There was a beat of silence, and the enormous blade disappeared into the darkness again.
"... I want to know where you got those wings."
"I kept a few secrets, even from you." He shook his head. "I've had them since before we met, along with a few other things I'd never let fall into the hooves of somepony who's lost their mind so thoroughly as you."
He felt the magic tugging at the wings, which had been unfurled fully from his body.
"I want those wings, Penn." She whispered.
"What? No! What did I just tell you? I'm not giving something like this to you!" Pennington felt slightly more worried as she continued tugging at them with more and more force. Ripping them out of his body would be lethal. With his denial, a new sharpened edge came out of the darkness: a large scimitar that pressed itself against his throat.
There's that sense of irony, again... He thought as he did his best to swallow his fear. But with the amulet AND the wings, she'd be near-unstoppable!
"If you kill me, you'll never know how to get them off!" He shouted, hurrying to make all of his words heard before she decided to follow through on her threat. "You'll just have a winged corpse!"
There was another beat of silence, and Pennington wondered if she knew that killing him would cause the wings to separate again. To his relief, the blade vanished into thin air again. For the first time, the lights in the room were allowed to shine, and Pennington could see that Trixie had taken him to the town hall. Looking around, Pennington could see that the room was full of ponies, all doing some kind of service. It was like Moonstone had described: Trixie had turned the town into her personal workforce. Obviously, the ponies had been threatened into silence, judging from the way that they only stared in silence. He felt his face flush as he realized that he'd just confessed his love for Twilight in front of the entire town.
It's a good thing that Trixie didn't bring up Scorching Quill... He thought quietly.
"Behold, Ponyville!" Trixie's voice no longer held the ethereal quality that had made it so hard to place, and spoke loudly from behind him. "This pony thought that it would be wise to attack me! I offered him a generous forgiveness, and he has spat in my face! Now, watch in horror at what will happen to those who oppose Trixie's rule!" His body was slowly turned through the air until he was facing his captor. His eyes were invariably drawn to hers, and scowled in disdain. Throwing his own well-being to the wind, Pennington finally gave in to his reckless instincts, staring straight into her eyes in rebellion.
"You're nothing but an interlude, Trixie! A short hiccup in this town! As long as you take away their choices, ponies are going to fight you!" Gathering up a good wad in his mouth, he spat on her hooves. "If you kill me, I'm just going to be the first martyr! Others will come!"
Trixie looked down at his spit on her hooves, slowly and deliberately drawing out the action. When she looked back up again, her eyes were glowing a bright red. Staring at her, Pennington immediately felt his body grow numb and cold. At first, he felt a paralyzing fear that she had killed him with a single glare, but the familiarity of the sensation quickly drew his mind to another solution.
No, no! Please, not that! Anything but THAT!
(Once again, we'll be skipping what we all know happened. Twilight returned to Ponyville with Zecora, defeated Trixie with her clever tricks, and managed to get the amulet off of her.)
As the citizens of Ponyville all began to crowd in around her in joy at seeing Trixie's defeat, Twilight was overwhelmed with questions and gratitude.
"Where were you?"
"How did you do that?"
"That was amazing!"
"I can't believe you tricked everyone!"
Among the flurry of praise and inquiries, however, Twilight saw two of her friends standing off to the side, not joining the crowd. One was giving her a forced smile, trying to cover up some kind of sadness, while the other was outright depressed, staring down at the ground. Forcing her way out of the mob, Twilight made her way over to them.
"Applejack, Moonstone, what's wrong? Everything went perfectly!" She looked between the dragon and the pony, trying to determine what was going on.
"That's right, sugarcube! It sure did!" Applejack continued trying to smile, giving Moonstone a gentle nudge. The dragon, however, made no change.
"Moonstone? What's the matter?"
After the dragon refused to speak, Applejack let out a long sigh, dropping the facade. "You'd probably better see for yourself, Twi... It's Penn."
Twilight's heart skipped a beat in fear. "Pennington? What happened?"
"He tried to fight back..." Moonstone muttered, leading the way with her tail dragging drearily behind her. "We all did. But Trixie got him..."
"What? Where is he? What happened?"
"Trixie put him where everypony would see..." A single claw pointed up towards the town hall. "She made him the new lightning rod."
Without waiting for Moonstone to explain, Twilight was gone, teleporting herself up to the roof. Looking around to get her bearings, Twilight tried to find Pennington. Looking up towards the top of the metal tower that pointed upwards from the building, Twilight saw a black figure standing at the top, but it didn't look like Pennington at all.
The statue was extremely heavy, seemingly made out of dense, solid stone. The stone itself was black, giving the entire statue a more gargoyle-like appearance. There were a large pair of wings protruding up from the back, both pointing at the sky, and seemed to be covered in some kind of armor made up of plated metal.
"Well, this doesn't make sense! Pennington's a unicorn! Did Moonstone not catch onto this, herself?" Twilight shook her head, continuing her investigation. Yanking it off and bringing it down to her level, she began examining it more closely. Her breath caught in her throat as a familiar face met hers. It was almost definitely Pennington, eyes screwed shut in a grimace of fear.
B-But how do you have wings?" She whispered. "It looks like that will have to wait..." Looking down into the town square, Twilight spotted Trixie, who had slipped away in the attention that Twilight had been getting after winning the duel. Mustering up the energy with ease, Twilight teleported herself and the statue in front of Trixie, stopping her short. Trixie was fearful when Twilight appeared out of thin air, but at a glance to the statue standing beside her, she was shocked.
"Trixie... Fix it. Now." Twilight's eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"I- I can't! Without the amulet, it's impossible!" She shook her head in denial. "It's like a cockatrice's spell, but ten times stronger! I can't even reverse a normal one without that amulet!"
"Why would you do this? Don't you know about what this does to him?" Twilight felt her temper quickly flaring up. "This is the absolute worst torture you could put him through!"
"Yes, his phobia! His sleep paralysis! Of course I do! Did you seriously think I wouldn't?" She shook her head. "Who did you think got him to see a doctor about it in the first place? We both know he wouldn't do that on his own!"
There was a beat of silence between the two before Trixie spoke again.
"The first time it happened, I was so scared, I insisted that he go and see somepony for medical help. I know about his problem every bit as much as you do! I couldn't think straight because of the amulet, and I decided to just lock him up somewhere and let him sit while he thought about what he did!" She shook her head. "But I can't fix it! We'd need a spell stronger than anything I could cast on my own!"
Twilight looked at the statue, then back at Trixie. She was about to say something, but let out a long sigh, instead. "You'd better pray that I can fix this, Trixie..." With another flash of her horn, they left Trixie alone again.
In a flash of light, Twilight and Pennington's statue were in the library.
"Twilight! You're back!" Spike, who had been hiding under the stairway, immediately jumped out and ran to her, wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug. Despite the urgency of the situation, Twilight took a moment to appreciate having him there. She'd missed him while she was gone, but seeing him alright after so long made her feel much better. She gently wrapped a hoof around him and returned the hug.
"I missed you, too, Spike! More than you can imagine!" She grinned as they held the hug for a moment, the dragon burying his face in her chest.
After a few minutes, he finally let go, staring at the statue that she had brought with her.
"So... you found out about Pennington?"
"Not everything I want to know, but the questions are going to have to wait until we get him unfrozen..." She shook her head. "I think I know a few spells for curing petrification, but this isn't going to be easy..."
"I'm sure you can do it, Twilight!" Spike chimed, giving Pennington's leg a knock, then cringing at the resulting sound. "When Trixie started casting the spell, I ran here... I didn't want to watch. She did it in front of the whole town, too!"
Twilight shook her head. "Look, Spike, I don't want to hear anything more about Trixie right now than I need to... I think you should stand back." Stepping away to put Pennington dead in her sights, Spike ran out of the way as Twilight readied herself. Closing her eyes, she mustered up the energy to start the spell, thinking through the different parts carefully. Applying it to Pennington's body felt like throwing herself at a brick wall. Trixie hadn't been joking when she had claimed that it had been strong. Twilight cringed as she continued with the spell, feeling layer after layer of magical barriers peeling away under her barrage. Every second that passed, she could feel the spell growing easier and easier to shatter. Finally, with one last burst of effort, Twilight finally eliminated the last wisps of the spell, and the stone encasement around Pennington shattered.
Pennington stood for a moment, dazed and barely conscious, then fell to the ground, his wings splaying out and away from his body, nearly flattening Spike.
"Pennington!" Twilight ran forward, inspecting him for any kind of injury. He seemed to have several burns over his body, most of which had been well-bandaged, and he was now simply sleeping. She tried shaking him awake, but he was completely unconscious. It was only now that Twilight could devote her time to inspecting his wings. Now that she could see them without the dark coloration of the stone, she could see that they were made completely out of tempered metal.
"It looks like they're cast with a bonding spell... That's how it's a part of his body." She shook her spell. "But bonding spells are dangerous! If not used properly, they can create a parasite-like object that just feeds on the user until they're separated again!"
"Uff!" Finally, Spike managed to pull himself out from under the wing that had fallen on him, shaking his head. "Pennington said he was desperate... That he needed to fight Trixie. He took her coming back really personally."
Twilight shook her head. "Great, so he decided to throw caution to the wind in a vendetta... That sounds about right. Spike, could you grab a book on bonding spells for me? We need to get these off of his body before something bad happens."
With a quick nod, the dragon disappeared up the stairs, knowing that the best of the magic books were in Twilight's private collection in her room. While he was gone, Twilight sat down next to Pennington's unconscious body.
"I swear, I leave for a few days, and you manage to get yourself nearly killed again! You need me more than you think, don't you?" Looking at his darkened mane and coat, she rolled her eyes. "And you decided to dunk yourself in ink as a disguise?"
When Pennington woke up, he and Twilight swapped stories about what had happened while the other was gone, there had been an emotional reunion with Moonstone, and in a remarkable turn of events, Pennington and Applejack didn't exchange a single hateful word. Together, they had walked back to Inkwell Commissions, with Pennington explaining where he had gotten the wings, though neither he nor Moonstone would tell them where he had been keeping them. Something about the way they suggested at the fact that there were more artifacts hidden in the house had left Twilight feeling slightly uneasy.
"So, why didn't you ever use these before now?" Twilight asked, nodding towards the wings. After she'd removed them from Pennington, they'd reverted back to their original appearance of being pulled straight out of the scrap heap, and he had insisted on carrying the weight back to his home himself. Twilight had, of course, cast a silent spell or two to ease the weight, but let him have his wish. "From what Rainbow Dash said, you could have crossed the desert in just a few days with them!"
Pennington shrugged with a grin. "You know, the normal stuff: not having the provisions to carry them, the difficultly of putting them on, the risk of starving to death..."
Twilight chuckled as his twisted humor seemed to finally return.
"Don't you worry, Penn! I told Granny Smith about what happened, and she sent me back with a big ol' jar of applesauce!" Applejack laughed. "It's waitin' for you in your fridge! You won't be starving to death on my watch!"
As the two cousins laughed together, Twilight scratched at her head. "It's still uncanny to me to see the two of you actually getting along!"
Pennington turned to her, a carefree smile still on his face. "You know, it's pretty weird for me, too! But fighting and risking your lives together on the field of battle does something to a pony... Gives you that deeper connection."
"But don't worry, the truce was only temporary!" Applejack grinned. "We'll be right back to fightin' once everything's settled down again!"
"Though maybe not so harshly."
"Are you kiddin'? Now that I know you've been going easy on me?" Applejack laughed.
"So, Penn..." Moonstone finally spoke up, having been walking in silence nearly the whole time. "Are we going to write about this one to Luna? The Alicorn Amulet?"
"Of course we are!" Pennington laughed. "There isn't a pony I'd trust more than Zecora to keep it safe, but there's no reason not to!"
Twilight smiled, happy to see the two continuing to get along. Their initial meeting seemed a thing of the far past, now, and she could easily imagine the two of them becoming as close as she and Spike had.
"Ya know what, Twilight? I think we should have some kinda celebration or something, since you're back in Ponyville!" Applejack thought for a moment. "What about a picnic? We could bring all our favorite foods, I could even bring some fresh apple juice!"
"Oh!" Pennington seemed to become excited at the idea. "You, I know the perfect spot a few hours out into the Everfree... forest..." He came to a stop as the three girls all turned to stare at him as if he'd grown another head.
"You know what? I bet there's a nice spot in the orchard, right, AJ?"
This "spontaneous" change of heart prompted laughter from all present, and Twilight finally felt that everything had returned to the way that they belonged.
Sitting in his study, Pennington was working on a full description of the Alicorn Amulet. Luna hadn't provided him with any kind of format for the entries, so he was working off of what he could remember from the entries he'd read out of transcriptions of the original beastiary. Moonstone had discovered his small stove in the corner with ease, and had climbed into the flames with startling ease for a nap. A loud knocking on the door startled them both from their restful moments. Exchanging a quick glance, Moonstone stretched in the embers before rolling out of the fire.
"I'll get it..."
She slowly walked to the door. Just like they had been changed to do, the locks unclasped themselves at her touch, allowing her to open the door. There was only a split moment between the door opening, Moonstone recognizing the visitor, and the door slamming shut.
"Who is it?"
"Three guesses, and they all should start with 'That rotten little-"
"Pennington!" Trixie's voice hummed through the door, struggling to make herself heard. "I just wanted to talk!"
Rolling his eyes, Pennington got up from the desk and opened the door, himself. Trixie was indeed there in his hallway. Pennington let a beat of silence pass, then gave his reply.
"No."
Slamming the door shut yet again, he could hear Trixie groaning in the hallway.
"Look, then just let me do the talking, okay?"
"How did you even get in here?" He shouted back as he walked behind his desk again.
"You still keep the key in the same place! You changed the locks on your study, though!"
This, of course, caused Moonstone to give him an exasperated glare. "Really, Penn? The same spot?"
"Shut up, it's a good spot!" He replied before returning his attention to the door. "The locks were always changed! I put them back so that you'd think I was being sentimental! It was a trick, Trixie!"
There was another beat of silence.
"And when I came to visit you? The kiss? That moment of-"
"A trick! A facade! A mere act of theatricality! Simply trying not to get on your bad side before I was capable of fighting you!" Though she couldn't see, he punctuated each statement with a flourish of his quill.
"So, you never hoped I'd come back?"
Pennington seemed to struggle for a moment, then began working on his project again. "The key was in the same place, wasn't it? The top of the door frame in the back door, just like I always told you! I didn't move it during the first few months after you left because of hope. The rest, laziness."
Moonstone gave him yet another frustrated glare. "You left the key where the thief knew it was?"
"Pennington, I didn't come here looking for anything more than to apologize!"
There was a soft clatter as the quill dropped. When Moonstone looked from the door to Pennington, she saw that he looked genuinely surprised.
"Apologize? Apologize? After you stole my novel, my bits, my heart? After you banished the mare I love from town? After you placed the entire town under your absolute tyranny?" He stood up from the table, his outrage rising to a boil. "After you put me through the most excruciating pain of my life? After you used me and walked out?" He strode across the room, nearly knocking Moonstone over in his fury. "After you hurt my friends and tried to barbeque a member of my family? After you locked me in stone and forced me to live my worst nightmare-" Reaching for the knob, he pulled the door open with so much force, Moonstone doubted that the locks would have stopped him, even if they had still been engaged. "After the HELL you put me through, you're here to APOLOGIZE?"
Trixie looked up at him, her eyes full of tears. "I don't deserve forgiveness, Pennington... I just wanted to let you know I was sorry." She whispered the words, bringing a stark contrast to Pennington's rage. For Moonstone, it was like seeing someone throw a bucket of water on a fire. Immediately, Pennington seemed to deflate, and an air of hopelessness settled over him.
He's seriously not going to- is he? Moonstone thought to herself.
"Trixie... A word in private? I'll walk you out..." He turned to his assistant. "I'll be right back, Moonstone. Would you mind double-checking my work?"
The dragon cast an uneasy glance between Pennington and the desk, but eventually nodded and flew over to look at his paper.
"And don't get any soot on the chair!" Pennington shook his head and stepped out into the hallway with Trixie. Swinging the door shut behind him, he turned to the blue mare.
"The Great and Powerful Trixie never says 'sorry' except to ask when someone else is going to say it to her." He scowled, turning towards the stairwell, rather than the path to the front door. Trixie seemed confused, but followed him up into his home.
"Well, I never did anything quite so terrible as what I did to you, did I?" She asked quietly.
Pennington paused again at the top of the stairs before walking through into his main living room.
"Did your traveling stage survive this visit to Ponyville?" He asked quietly.
"Well, yes... I'm leaving tomorrow night."
"Good, you won't be on the streets again." Pennington muttered. "And you didn't blow all that money on the amulet, did you?"
Trixie blushed, looking down in embarrassment. "Well, I can't pay you back, if that's-"
"It's not. I want to know if you'll be able to buy yourself meals until you can get back on your hooves. Again."
"W-well, yes! I can. Why would you ask me something like that?" She shook her head in confusion.
"Because it's going to take me a long time to forgive you." He growled, looking around the room as if he were trying to find something. Shaking his head, he quickly walked towards the door to the single bedroom in the house. "You're going to have to stay gone for at least that long."
When he opened the door, he blinked rapidly in a flurry of dust. "It's just how it was the first time you came here... I liked sleeping in there even less after you left." Stepping inside, he looked around, then seemed to find what he was looking for. When he stepped back out again, he was rubbing something with his hoof. "With the amulet gone, I'm guessing you'll be wanting the old fastener for your cape?" Pulling back his hoof, he revealed the old-but-familiar gem that Trixie had realized was missing some time ago. Without a word, her tossed it to her. Trixie fumbled for a moment, but caught it in the air with her magic.
"So... You're going to forgive me?"
Pennington shot her a glare that quickly extinguished Trixie's hopes. It faded after a moment, but it was still enough to knock her back down a few pegs.
"I'm not making any promises. And there's not a chance of our ever working together again..." He walked back out the door to the stairwell. Following him, Trixie stashed the gem in her saddlebag to affix to her cape later on.
"So... It's possible?"
"Trixie, don't get your hopes up about ever coming back to this place again." He muttered as they walked back down and through the house. "But... I rarely can hold a grudge for a long time, as much as I'd LIKE to."
While Trixie smiled, Pennington retained his grimace all the way to the front door. The two stood face-to-face in the doorway, giving each other one last stare.
"And if you do forgive me someday?"
"Then you might have a friend in Ponyville again." He let out a long, melancholy sigh. "But if you want a clear sign... I'll never ask you for help until I've forgiven you. If you get a letter asking for your help, know that you can come back here."
Trixie's smile grew wider, and she gave an understanding nod.
"I'll always be a letter away..." He pushed the door open, and Trixie started to step through, but stopped again. "And is Twilight really all that? So amazing? So much better than I was?"
"She's everything I said and more... But don't judge yourself so harshly. You made a long line of mistakes." Knowing that those were the last words that he wanted to leave with her, Pennington let the door swing shut. As it fell into place, he locked it tightly, then pulled down the blind that was always over it when the shop was closed.
Walking back to his study, Moonstone was sitting on his desk, having obviously been waiting patiently for him to return.
"Tell me that you didn't let her suck you into that."
"How was I supposed to say no to a face like that?" He shook his head. "I told her not to come back, though, and that she couldn't expect any favors from me."
Moonstone let out a long sigh, shaking her head. "Pennington, I really have to admit: you're much less prone to pain than I am..."
"Oh, it hurts like HELL every moment I have to look at her... But I don't blame her completely. That makes it easier." He shook his head. "And just because I may or may not have forgive her doesn't mean that she has to know that! As long as it takes me to sort out my own feelings about it, I want her to believe that I still loathe her."
Moonstone thought for a moment, then grinned evilly.
"Oh, that's cruel."
"That... is how you deal with problems when you grow up: throw everything into the grey area."
Pennington looked around his surroundings, somewhat confused. He was in Canterlot, walking down one of the typically busy streets. Deeper in his mind, he knew that he was supposed to be trying to go and meet Princess Luna, and he was even walking in the direction of the castle, but something was off about the city. It was completely deserted.
There wasn't a single pony walking in the streets with him. The shops were all abandoned and closed, and the typical hustle and bustle of the populous city had been replaced with a serene silence. Somehow, the situation seemed acceptable, and Pennington took it as such. The lack of ponies was right, somehow, and he didn't question it.
I guess I should get to the castle... Luna's waiting, right? With a shrug to himself, Pennington took off down the street at a slow trot. The same peace that had settled over the city had settled over his own mind, and nothing was wrong. He was simply on his way to meet Luna.
After several minutes of walking, he drew to a sudden halt. His ears perked up on his head,and he looked from side to side. He could have sworn he'd heard somepony talking.
"Hello?" It felt almost like a crime to speak and break the silence, and he was surprised by the volume of his own voice.
When he didn't receive an answer, the same feeling of silent peace with his surroundings returned. Smiling at the fact that he hadn't actually been disturbed and he wouldn't need to speak again, Pennington resumed his walk to the castle.
As he drew closer and closer to the center of the city, he once again found himself disturbed by the sound of voices. Drawing to a halt, Pennington looked around again. This time, however, he could detect the faintest of whispers. He couldn't quite make out what they were saying, but they were there.
"Hello? Is anyone there?" He trotted in a small circle, trying to determine where it was coming from. When he finally realized that it was coming from behind him, he stared back down the street, squinting his eyes. There's no way I could have passed anypony and not noticed...
As seconds and minutes passed, the whispers grew louder, and Pennington felt a deeper recognition of the voices, though the words still escaped him. Realizing that there was no kindness in what was quickly growing into a mass of hissing, hushed tones, he turned back towards the castle, running as quickly as he could.
No longer did the silent city seem benign, with new voices seeping out of every brick and mortar to join the throng that he was trying so desperately to escape. He didn't understand why he felt so afraid, but he knew that he couldn't let the voices reach him. It was a gripping, instinctive fear that was quickly rising up in his chest, overtaking all emotions: the need to run and hide, to escape with his life, to not let them touch him. The castle seemed impossibly far as his legs began to grow heavy with tiredness, and he was slowly beginning to realize that he would never reach it. The voices were only louder, drowning out the sound of his own hooves as he stumbled down the street, his strength rapidly leaving his body.
But I HAVE to reach the castle! I- I have to find Luna!
"Pennington! Over here!"
Pennington nearly fell flat on his face with surprise as a new voice, crystal clear and easily rising above the whispers, called out to him. Looking to the source, Pennington spotted Lily, standing outside of her shop, waving to him and holding open her door. Veering to the side, Pennington felt relief washing over him as he practically fell through the door, his body barely responding to his commands.
"Quick, you can hide in here!" Lily pointed to the tub where she dyed ponies' coats, filled with steaming water.
"Lily, what-"
"There will be time for questions later! You have to get in there now!" Lily's horn flashed with light and lifted him into the air, tossing him into the warm water. Without giving him a chance to object, she pulled the cover over the top, sealing him out of sight.
There was a brief moment of silence. Sure, Lily had been pushy, but Pennington trusted her with his life. If she knew that these things were worth hiding from and that he would be protected in there, then he wouldn't question her.
He took a deep breath as he stayed silently in the tub, keeping his head in the small area between the surface of the water and the lid that had been thrown over him. He began to feel that same peace settling over him for a moment that he'd first experienced in the city.
And then he began hearing them again, coming up from beneath him. Looking down into the dark bottom of the water, Pennington could see what seemed to be a bottomless pit beneath him. As the whispering began to grow louder, however, he could see green lights staring up at him from the depths, faint and tiny at first, but quickly growing larger and brighter as the hushed voices grew louder.
"Lily!" Pennington pressed a hoof up against the lid, trying to push it off. To his horror, it refused to budge. "Lily, they're in here, too! Let me out, Lily! LET ME OUT!" He slammed his hoof against the ceiling, trying to summon the force to move it aside and climb out again. his efforts were fruitless, only pushing him back down into the water, which was beginning to rise with the voices, which were quickly drowning out even his own voice. Trying to angle his head enough to keep his muzzle above water, Pennington took a final breath as the voices neared deafening levels. Turning downwards, Pennington angled his back hooves against the lid and bucked upwards with all of his strength, but got no response. Looking downwards, Pennington saw the thousands of green lights coming towards him with impossible speed, now, and his body was beginning to shut down without oxygen. After one last desperate-but-fruitless attempt to escape, his lungs felt as if they were about to explode, and he finally released his breath, breathing in the hot water.
Somehow, though his body hung limply in the pool of water and was slowly beginning to sink, he didn't feel any pain. Breathing in the water felt like breathing in air, only thicker... A familiar sensation.
This isn't real...
The lights were growing blinding, but he couldn't even move enough to close his eyes.
I'm dreaming...
As he finally came face-to-face with the source of the deafening whispers, two of the glowing lights hovered in front of his face, like a pair of familiar eyes. He tried to struggle, to even lift a hoof in the water, but his deadened body refused to respond. He was paralyzed.
I have to wake up!
The lights slowly moved forward, passing through his own eyeballs like a ghost and into his skull.
MOVE, PENN, MOVE!
Pennington's eyelids slid open, revealing his moonlit study. He had fallen asleep reclined in his chair again, and was still behind his desk. He tried to sit up, but found that his body still refused to move. A surge of fear welled up in his chest as he realized that he was still suffering under his sleep paralysis, and his eyes desperately swiveled from side to side, trying to find any kind of help. Moonstone had fallen asleep in the corner, refusing to leave him alone, but was sleeping soundly in the corner. Pennington tried to force himself to speak, to call out to her, but his breathing remained out of his control, only moving rhythmically in and out. His heart was pounding in his chest as he fell into the familiar ritual of trying to wake himself up. Focusing on one of his front hooves, he tried to move it. He strained with all of his strength to even simply lift it an inch into the air, but the limb refused to move. He focused the entirety of his mind on moving that hoof, and his heartbeat was deafening, pounding in his own ears. He could feel the adrenaline beginning to pulse through his veins, and he prayed with all of his might that the episode would simply end, that the immovable weight would be lifted.
And then it was gone. It was like waking up again as he bolted up and out of the chair, practically throwing himself up onto his hooves.
"Ah! AH! I can move..." He whispered as he trotted in place, feeling as light as a feather. His body felt as if it had suddenly been taken from being filled with lead to being made of air. He laughed giddily to himself, in spite of his knees trembling with weakness and fear, and pulled open a drawer in his desk, removing a small bottle of pills. Pulling it open, he poured two of the pills into his hoof and tossed them into his mouth, swallowing them without water. The rattling of the pills inside the bottle finally woke Moonstone, whose eyes slowly slid open and lazily slid over to look at him.
"Penn... What are you doing up?" She groaned.
"Nothing... Just getting up for a short walk." Pennington quickly dropped the bottle back into the drawer before she could see it. He hadn't told Moonstone about his paralysis, yet, and now definitely wasn't the time.
"Don't lie to me, Penn..."
Pennington walked across the room, placing his hoof on the door. "I'm not! Look, I got up, and now I'm walking!"
"Penn..." She growled softly, obviously knowing that he was wasn't telling her the real reason. It was slightly disconcerting that her eyes seemed to glow a little, though he knew that it had to be a trick of the moonlight.
If she's going to be my assistant, she's going to have to know...
"I'll tell you later, Moonstone. It's nothing to worry about, just go back to sleep..."
Moonstone gave him one final suspicious glare, then shut one eye, quickly followed by the other.
Out of seemingly nowhere, a loud knocking thudded through the house, stemming from the front door. Moonstone's eyes flew open and Pennington's grew wide with surprise. Pulling open the door, he stepped out into the hallway, taking hesitant steps towards the front of his shop. Moonstone was quickly right behind him. Together, they walked out into the lobby, each staring at the door. After a few seconds, the knocking came again, forceful and curt. It was the knock of a pony who knew that they deserved to be inside.
"Who would be here this late?" Moonstone whispered.
But Pennington knew. Ever since Trixie had left, he'd known she was coming. The whisperings constantly in the base of his skull had been growing stronger, and he'd known she was coming.
Luna, I can still feel them... I can still hear them! They're always in the back of my mind, hissing at me... tempting me to come back.
Pennington, I've done all I can. The connection cannot be severed entirely. You'll simply need to remain strong.
For the rest of my life? I don't want to be strong, Luna! I want them gone! And it scares me that, deep down, they've convinced me that I really don't...
Pennington, if there's any pony I can trust to keep his head on straight, it's you.
My head was never on straight, Luna, and they're twisting it farther...
"An old friend."
"Who?"
"Someone I met on the field of battle... Don't panic."
"Why would I-" Moonstone was cut off as Pennington pulled open the door, revealing a tall, dark figure. Moonstone stumbled backwards in shock, but Pennington remained strangely serene. The stranger stepped inside, and Pennington moved to the side to let her pass.
"You have a nice home..." Her shadow was speckled with flecks of moonlight. Her voice was melodious, and Pennington could feel any resolve he had left to maintain the "sanctity" of his home washing away. She was already inside, and he never could have turned her away to begin with.
"You know you're welcome to it."
"Hmmm... That won't be necessary." A pair of pearly fangs glinted in her mouth in the silver light. "But I will need your services."
Pennington nodded slowly, a small smile tugging his face. No longer did he have the itching at the back of his mind. All was finally peaceful again. It was finally silent again.
"You're taller than I remember. I think your horn is longer, too."
"We've all been growing strong again. Yourself included, I see." She cast her glance towards Moonstone, who had retreated to a far corner of the room, looking back and forth between the two of them. She was horrified at what was happening, despite Pennington's newfound solace.
"Well, you know that I'll help you any way I can, your highness."
Twilight let out a long sigh as, once again, she found Inkwell Commissions closed.
Sorry to have missed you, but adventure's calling!
Happy Adventuring!
Pennington Inkwell
The shop had hardly been open at all the past few days, but when she would walk by during the night, she would see lights on inside. The blinds always seemed to be puled over the glass door at the front, as well as any of his windows.
"What is he doing?" she muttered to herself, raising her hoof to knock on the door. She doubted that Pennington had even left his home for the past days, but had simply chosen to close the shop in order to focus on another project. Her knocking had always been met with silence, and she was beginning to wonder if he was purposely ignoring her. She'd considered trying to force her way in to make sure he wasn't doing anything too insane, but then she would remember what had happened every time that she'd tried to force her way in on one of his secrets before: he would shut himself even tighter.
To her surprise, just as she was about to knock, the door swung open of its own accord, revealing a disheveled-looking Pennington. There were deep bags under his eyes from lack of sleep, his mane was a nightmarish, greasy mess of strands jutting in every direction, and his legs were heavily wrapped in white bandages.
"Hi, Twilight... I could sense your concern a mile away. What's up?" His voice sounded hoarse, and it occurred to Twilight for the first time that he might simply have been sick the entire time.
He could "sense my concern?" I'd almost forgotten he could do that... "I was just wondering why the shop's been closed... Are you feeling okay?"
"What? Yes! I'm fine! Fit as a fiddle!" Pennington's posture straightened from its slacked, tired stance, and he did his best to look completely awake. "Why do you ask?"
Twilight blinked in confusion. "Well, you seem nervous, you're a mess, and you sound like you tried gargling some kind of acid!" She shook her head. "Not to mention you locked yourself away, and judging my those bandages, you're having some problems with-"
"Oh, it's just a cold!" Pennington cut her off, startling her with the sudden urgency in his weak voice. "You know, it's actually a funny story! You know how each species is susceptible to certain viruses and bacteria? Well, it turns out that changelings and ponies have very different immune systems..." He turned his head away for a moment, suddenly coughing violently. As his body did its best to expunge whatever it was that was making him sick, a small mass of green slime flew out from his throat and landed in the grass. They both stared at it for a moment, each flabbergasted. After a few seconds, Pennington regained his composure.
"Anyway, I wouldn't want you around, just in case it makes the jump from changelings to ponies! Wouldn't want another epidemic like 'pig flu,' would we? Moonstone's immune and she's really been invaluable, to be honest!" He chuckled to himself. "She's making me some tea with honey right now."
"P-Pennington, that's not normal!" Twilight pointed at the mucus-like substance on the ground. It hadn't simply been like a pony coughing up phlegm when they were congested, it was at least several mouthfuls of a neon-green substance Twilight recognized as the building material that had been used in the hive.
"It's just a little sanitary organic byproduct. You know, like when I accidentally ran through that wall in the changeling hive?" With his voice rapidly deteriorating, Pennington raised a hoof to his throat. "Look, Twilight, I need to get some rest."
"Oh! Of course!" Twilight shook her head in frustration at her own disregard for how tiring it must have been for Pennington to get up and talk to her. She'd had her own share of sick days, and it was usually all that she could do to curl up with a good book and try to sleep off the infirmity. "Get some rest. If you want, I could send Fluttershy over to help!"
"I should be okay... Just give me a week, maybe a little less. I'll be right as rain and ready for adventures!" His smile quickly faded, though. "I'm going to have to cancel our date on Friday, though..."
"You just focus on getting better!" Twilight laughed. "How could I not understand? But you're going to have to do something to make up for it! My parents are coming to visit me at then end of the month! If you're feeling better, I'd like you to come and have dinner with us!"
"Thanks, Twilight..." Pennington smiled again, trying to stifle a yawn.. "I'd love to meet your parents again... I'll see you around, okay?" When Twilight nodded, he slowly shut the door again.
"I love you, Penn!"
"I love you, too, Twilight!" He whispered, winking as the door finally closed, once again separating them.
Walking away, Twilight still couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Pennington never lets being sick or injured stop him... Why would a cold get him to be so complacent? Shaking her head, Twilight took off at a trot. If it's worse than he wants to tell me, maybe he talked to Applejack about it? I'll ask her at the picnic...
"You're still a talented liar. I'm surprised you fooled her."
"I'm not lying to her, I really am sick." Pennington coughed lightly again, trying to clear his throat. Now that Twilight was gone, he spoke much more easily. There was, however, a duality to his voice, as if there were two ponies speaking at the same time. "And it's because of you."
"Oh, the poor little dear, are you feeling under the weather?" A gentle hoof lifted his chin, looking up into her glowing eyes. "I could spare you the pain..."
Pennington rolled his eyes, pushing her hoof away and walking out of the room she had taken for herself. "You're not the one I trust to take away my pains, so I'm afraid I'll be keeping them." He muttered, his tone strictly business. "Forgive me if I don't take the path of least resistance..."
"But we have preparations to make, you can eat after we get to Canterlot."
"Well, my queen, it appears to be some kind of force field..." Pennington sighed. The question had been rhetorical, of course, but he couldn't help but answer. Chrysalis, currently in Lily's form, had nearly been exposed the first time that they'd run into it, but they'd thankfully been in the last car of the train, empty except for themselves. Chrysalis herself had been thrown through the rear end of the car, while Pennington quickly followed (a fact that he blamed on the fact that, in the presence of the queen, his changeling half was beginning to return with a vengeance). They'd each tried forcing their way through it, but neither of them seemed able to penetrate it. "It looks as if Canterlot's been sealed away." He turned around, beginning to walk back along the tracks.
"Oh well, too bad!" He chirped cheerfully. "I guess we're going to have to change the plans! You know, I think it would be much easier to simply impersonate Mayor Mare-"
"You know a way in, don't you?" Chrysalis's tone was flat and unamused. "You can't trick me."
Pennington cringed, stopping in his tracks. It was still disconcerting to hear the changeling queen's voice come out of Lily's mouth. He could feel himself struggling for a moment with his better judgement before stronger instincts to serve won out.
"Of course I know a way in. What kind of 'adventurer' would I be if I didn't know a few secret passages?" He muttered. "But it won't be easy for a couple of unicorns. We're going to have to make our way under the city. That means climbing the cliff face until we can find that ONE cave we need to..."
"Easy!" In a flash of green flames, Lily disappeared, and Pennington was suddenly staring at a young pegasus mare. Her coat was a mix of dark yellow and khaki, and her mane was an array of shades of grey. The compass cutie mark and violet eyes topped off the disguise. There was a brief moment while Pennington processed what was happening and Chrysalis simply smiled at him smugly.
"No."
"What?"
"You'll be recognized." Pennington shook his head, already walking down the slope towards the bowels of Canterlot.
"That's all you have to say?" Chrysalis seemed disappointed as she shifted forms again, this time into a rose-colored pegasus mare Pennington didn't know.
"No, but it's all I'm going to say."
"Spoilsport. I don't see why you can't just enjoy this. You're helping to usher in a new age! You're saving the hive from starvation!" Chrysalis flew alongside him, front legs folded across her chest.
Pennington tried to resist the satisfaction that she was radiating, but the positive emotions tickled along his nerves, exciting him and putting an unwanted spring in his step.
"See? You're feeling better already..."
He couldn't help but enjoy how confident she was feeling. Not only did her happiness involuntarily "rub off" on him because she was the Changeling Queen, but it was a nice change of pace from the constant doubts of the others he normally spent his time with.
"So, then, if I'm going to be flying, how do you plan on getting there?" She asked. "You don't have any wings, and you proved that you're not going to be changing any time soon..."
"That's a good point." Pennington muttered. Despite his objections, Chrysalis had tried several times to force him through a full transformation, but the only change that he was able to make was to make himself appear "normal," rather than black-coated and slightly perforated. "There's a very small trail. I wouldn't trust more than one pony on it at a time, especially considering the drop on one side, but I think I can use my magic to keep myself against the wall."
"Perfect..." Chrysalis grinned, once again sending out a wave of positive emotion. "You're going to be a hero, Pennington."
"No. I'm not." He rolled his eyes. "I'm going to be a traitor."
"Betrayal was impossible to avoid, Penny, dear! It was just a choice of who you would betray!" She finally returned to the ground, not even stumbling on the steep slope. "And you made the right choice..."
"You know it wasn't a choice."
"Well, I guess that there was the fact that I was standing right in front of you and Luna was far, far away." Chrysalis's eyes glowed green for a moment. "But I'd like to think that I know where your loyalties truly lie."
Pennington looked to the side, finding himself staring straight into her eyes. He hadn't even realized how much he'd been staring at the ground. When he looked into her verdant eyes, he felt himself becoming dizzy and light-headed as her control over him increased to even higher levels. It took a massive effort of will to turn himself away again, fixing his eyes back on the ground.
"Unless... Oh, this is interesting." She crooned. "It's not Luna you care about disappointing, is it?" There was another flash of green fire, before the transformation had even finished, Pennington knew what was going to happen. All at once, he felt all of the outrage, hatred, and disgust at what was happening boil up and become uncontrollable. In a moment of rebellion, he summoned up all of the energy that he could, forming a sword and swinging it at her throat.
The blade stopped just short as he turned up and looked at her. It was the same green eyes, but set in Twilight Sparkle's face. He knew that it wasn't Twilight, and he knew that he needed to be strong and fight the influence dominating his brain. The longer he stared, however, the more that he felt his rebellion slipping away. There was a moment of silence between the two as Chrysalis made her move, shifting into her true changeling form. At her new height, the sword rested just above her heart.
"Well, Pennington?"
In one final moment of despair, the sword melted away into dust, and Pennington felt his will to fight collapse again. His shoulders slumped and his head hung low as he turned back towards the path. He was ashamed that he had yielded to her, that she had only needed to look at him for his will to cave in.
"I can't..."
"I know." She leaned down, whispering softly. "So just enjoy it. Be yourself, and just enjoy the challenge. We both know you want to, now that she's not here to drag you down."
Again, Chrysalis absolutely radiated confidence, once again coaxing him into a smile. His mind was tired of fighting itself, and he knew that, with her standing right there, he'd never be able to win out over the force that had already overtaken his body. Raising one of his hooves, he tugged back the bandages with his teeth. There was a small wisp of green flame as it reverted to its true form: black, with a set of marble-sized holes bored into his flesh, not yet fully puncturing his leg. Pulling it back into place, he chuckled to himself and began trotting down the slope, picking up their pace.
"Well, then... Once more unto the breach, dear friends! If I'm going to do this, I may as well do it well!"
Feeling Pennington's will submit to hers, Chrysalis waited until he was out of earshot before chuckling to herself. What they were attempting was a daring plan, risking everything in order to take control of Canterlot. But if they were successful, the dark days of Entropy's rule and starvation of the hive would be nothing but a distant memory. It was true that, at this point, she could hardly contain her excitement for the bright days to come, but it seemed to be working in her favor with Pennington, inundating him with the positive emotion. For a moment, she had seen the warrior she'd fought alongside in the hive emerge, trying to turn on her, but even Pennington's need to rebel had eventually submitted to the truth of the good work about to be done.
"This is going to be perfect..."
"You know that the wedding is going to complicate things..." Pennington muttered nervously. "There's going to be an awful lot of attention on the Princess." At this point, he was walking along the side of the cliff. The "path" he had been talking about had simply turned out to be a small ride of rock jutting out from the side of the cliff face. He was using his magic to keep himself pressed securely against the rock, scraping along the side to avoid the edge as much as possible.
"Well, at least the letter came as just as much a surprise to you as it did to me!" Chrysalis, who had once again changed into the unfamiliar pegasus, was working hard not to be tossed back and forth in the turbulent winds around them. "As for the attention, it shouldn't be a problem! We just need to get her alone."
Pennington nodded in response, focusing as much as he could on putting one hoof in front of the other. He hated to admit it, but the heights that they were traveling at scared the living daylights out of him.
"Can you see it, yet?" Chrysalis called out as she was once again thrust involuntarily to the side by a rogue gust of wind.
Pennington leaned as far to the side as he dared, which was essentially to move his cheek away from the wall for three seconds.
"I can't see it, but, if you follow this ridge, you should run right into it!"
Chrysalis nodded her understanding and flew out of sight, leaving him completely alone on the lonely trek. As their proximity to one another decreased, Pennington's thoughts began to rove again morphing into a conversation with himself.
If I threw myself off the cliff, she would fail...
She's already found the caves!
But she doesn't know her way through them.
And you'd kill yourself so that she didn't have a MAP?
You're right...
Besides, you're not that noble.
Shaking his head, Pennington turned his focus back to the path, trying to increase his pace. As he set down his hoof, however, he felt the ground beginning to give way. There was a split moment between gravity pulling him downwards and Pennington understanding what had happened, a moment filled with sheer terror. As the ledge slowly floated away from him and he began the long fall towards the ground below, Pennington was enveloped in silence as his body locked with fear. He drew the breath to scream, but it refused to leave his lungs again as his throat clenched shut with horror.
I'm going to die.
In spite of the realization, however, Pennington quickly found his descent stopped. He looked from side to side, trying to understand what had happened, when he spotted the green glow around his body. Looking towards the cave entrance, he spotted Chrysalis, once again in her true form, waving to him while her crooked horn glowed with magic. As he floated in through the entrance to the cave, he finally released his breath, grabbing at his pounding chest as he gasped for air.
"That was close! Are you alright?"
"Just... Just give me a moment..." He muttered. "I- I REALLY hate heights..." His panicked state somehow elicited a giggle from the queen, who simply shook her head.
"And here I thought you only had one crippling fear!"
"Chryssie, if you knew how many things scared me, you'd wonder how I even left the house in the morning..." Pennington shook his head as he stood up on trembling hooves. "I'm just not normally forced to confront most of them..."
Chrysalis laughed again before looking around at their new surroundings. They were in a small opening to a huge underground cave. The walls of the cave sparkled and radiated with the light entering through the hole, reflecting and refracting it off crystal surfaces and creating an awe-inspiring locale.
"So, what is this place?"
"It's an old mine beneath Canterlot. Ponies used to come here from all over to take gemstones and crystals, both for their rarity and power..." Pennington seemed to finally calm down once he was further inside, leading the way into the tunnels and paths formed by the mine. "But eventually, so many ponies wanted so many gemstones, the entire city was threatened with structural collapse, so they were sealed and shut down by royal decree."
"And how did you come to know of them?"
"I was working on a little project in my basement and I needed a few extra bits... A pegasus friend of mine decided to show me where he got his funds for building his dune worm hunter." He turned to wink at her. "But don't tell anypony!"
"Pennington Inkwell, you're more devious than I thought!" Chrysalis grinned. "Perhaps I've underestimated you..."
"Most ponies do." Pennington paused for a moment as they reached the first fork in the caves. Summoning a cloud of white mist from his horn, he formed another scimitar and embedded it into a fissure in the wall. "We're going to need to keep track of where we've been, just in case we get lost in this labyrinth..."
"You mean you don't know your way through?" Chrysalis was beginning to sound slightly annoyed.
"No, I know how to get up to the surface! I was considering making some kind of base of operations down here. I later opted for something a little closer to home."
"Your 'basement project?'"
"You catch on quick!"
"Helps that I can read your mind..."
"Yes, still trying to get used to that. This must be how Twilight feels." Pennington slammed another sword blade into the wall. "Exposed."
"Consider it synergy..." Chrysalis smiled as they continued to make progress.
"Your highness, are you sure?"
Cadence laughed quietly to herself at the concern of the guard.
"Yes, I'm sure. Today was a big day of wedding planning, and there are only more to come! I'd like to be able to rest assured that my sleep won't be interrupted."
The two guards looked at one another, still unsure.
"Please, I'm sure I'll be just fine!" She laughed again, trying to ease their minds. "It's just my bedroom! Nothing's going to happen, and you've been following me around all day! If I'm tired, I can only imagine how you feel!"
The two guards shook their heads in denial.
"Well, you're assigned to help me in any way you can, correct?"
They nodded.
"In that case, I won't be able to sleep well unless I know that you're not hurting yourselves on my account! So, in order to make sure that I don't over-strain myself, I need you both to go and get some rest!" She winked at the two of them. "And that's an order!"
The two guards nodded to one another, each giving a long sigh.
"If you need us, we'll be right outside." One muttered as they each settled down on either side of her door.
Cadence thought about arguing the point further, but shook her head and walked inside. Even as she closed the door and turned to face her bed, however, she was surprised to be met by the sight of a dark-blue unicorn in a night guard's uniform.
"Your day went well, your highness?"
Cadence blinked for a moment. Luna hadn't told her that any of her guards were going to be watching her, but she wouldn't have been surprised if Shining Armor hadn't asked the night guard for a few extra hooves.
"Yes, I got the kind of cake picked out, determined what flowers would go where for the decorations, and even got a few moments to go and visit Shining!" She smiled. "I was just about to go to bed for the night, so I'd really appreciate a little privacy, if you don't- are you alright?"
The guard was beginning to cough violently, rocking back and forth as his body shuddered with each release of air.
"Y-yes! I'm- fine!" The words stuttered out when he had time to breathe. He continued coughing and retching violently, in spite of his assurances, and Cadence was beginning to see a green substance building in his mouth. Stepping back in fear, she watched as he continued coughing.
"D-do you want me to get a doctor?" She asked as the coughing finally seemed to slow to a stop. After a brief moment of silence, the strange unicorn let out one last burst of air, sending the green substance flying across the room... and straight onto her face.
"MMMMPH!" Her attempt to scream was muffled and silenced by the goo, which was startlingly adhesive. Before she could try prying it off with her magic, more of the strange goo slammed down onto the crown of her head from above, completely covering her horn and somehow stopping her magic. Before she could register that she was under attack, an indeterminable pink shape had shot down from above her, spewing more of the goo at her hooves and locking them to the floor. Cadence's eyes widened and her terror only grew as her attacker revealed itself to be...
Herself.
The guard stepped forward, standing alongside her doppelganger.
"I knew I could count on your help, Pennington..." Her duplicate smiled smugly.
"Well, that soundproofing spell you cast really helped."
"Now, there's only one thing left to do..." Taking a deep breath, she lifted her head upwards, horn crackling with green energy while a murderous intent gleamed in her eyes.
"We're going to dispose of our liability."
Cadence closed her eyes, looking away from the killing blow. There was a crack like thunder, a bright flash of green light... And nothing. After a few seconds, Cadence opened her eyes again.
The guard was standing in front of her, panting heavily. There was a smoking hole in the armor covering his side, and blood was dripping to the ground.
"No..." He whispered, obviously in pain. "We've been over this, my queen... We're not killing her."
"She could ruin everything!" The imposter stamped her hoof in frustration. "You were willing to obey me until now, why not in this? Now you've simply injured yourself!"
"Because if Captain Armor is (or was) going to marry her, that would make her Twilight's sister. That means that, through Twilight's relationship with me, she's practically family to me!" He growled. "She'll be just as helpless in the caves, and I'll escort her down myself, Chrysalis... but we aren't killing her."
The two seemed to be having a battle of wills, staring directly into each others' eyes, while Cadence tried to make sense of what was being said.
He knows Twilight? She called him "Pennington," but it couldn't be the pony Luna was talking about, could it? What would he be doing siding with... whoever that is?
"You know that I could dispose of you both now that I've reached Canterlot and reached my target..." She growled.
"And you know what happened to the last changeling royalty that tried to kill me."
Changeling! How is that possible? I mean, that explains the copy, but why is he siding with the changelings?
There was another beat of silence, and the false Cadence scoffed and turned away again, walking to a nearby mirror. "Fine. Take her to the caves and make sure that she cannot escape!"
"Yes, my queen... Keeping a hostage is going to be a valuable asset." Pennington tried to bow, but cringed and brought a hoof to his injured side. The changeling's horn flashed again with the sickly-green magic, and the two of them were quickly engulfed in emerald flames. Mere seconds later, they were far below Canterlot, sitting together in some kind of crystal cavern. Creating a light with his horn, Pennington turned to face her.
"Your highness, please hold still. I'm going to remove your gag..."
Cadence looked from side to side, trying not to panic. After a few seconds, she finally forced herself to sit still. Pennington lowered his horn. There was another flash of light, a wave of heat across her muzzle, and her mouth was free again.
"What's going on? Why are you doing this?" Cadence asked, finally able to speak again. "You're not going to get away with this, if you really are Pennington!"
"The hive is starving, and Equestria has immeasurable love... I'm helping the Changeling Queen because I'm forced to." He pulled the helmet off of his head as he lurched a few steps away. After a few seconds, he fell to the ground, gingerly removing the breastplate and the armor around the area that Chrysalis had blasted him. "I'm still bleeding red. That's a good sign, I suppose..."
"Why? Does she have your friends? Your family? Some kind of blackmail?" Cadence shook her head, trying to understand.
"I'm serving her because of what I am..." He muttered, inspecting the wound.
"What? A pony who wants to betray all of Equestria?"
This seemed to draw Pennington's attention away from the injury. With great difficulty, he rose up on his hooves again. As he slowly advanced on her, Cadence was forced to remember that, aside from being able to speak, she was currently powerless. He finally came face-to-face with her, glaring with anger. Suddenly, a wave of green flames washed over his body, turning his coat an almost-black shade of blue, his mane and tail jet-black, and his eyes into slits of black among a violet iris. His teeth glinted with fangs in the dim light and he was emitting a near-feral growl. Slowly and deliberately, he raised a hoof up between them, glaring at her through a small hole that punctured completely through to the other side.
"Do I look like a pony to you, Princess Cadenza?" He whispered, his voice now holding a disturbing dual-tone. Not waiting for a reply, he walked away again, returning to tending his wounds. This time, he laid down so that the wound was facing Cadence, and she tried not to cringe. It wasn't simply a small gash in his side from the blast to the armor, there was a large burn on his side.
"You look like someone who wouldn't want to hurt Twilight Sparkle..."
Pennington, who was quickly settling down to rest, shook his head.
"I still don't think you understand... I don't want to do any of this. If I could, I'd rather have told Chrysalis to take a long walk off a short pier when she showed up at my door..." He shook his head. "And I think that the only reason I can even form those words of my own free will is because I've gone so far away from her."
"There's still time to fix it! You don't have to do this! You could let me go and run, just run away! All it would take is for me to make it back to the surface-"
"And my queen would be executed." Pennington raised his hoof again, waving it in front of his glowing horn. The holes created a strobe-like effect as the light bounced off the countless mirrored surfaces.
"I'm just as deeply bound to my mark as you are to yours, your highness. A normal pony might be able to protect their minds from influence if they're aware that a changeling is trying to persuade them, but I'm afraid that I've already fallen prey once to the hive." He shook his head, resting it on his hooves. "I cannot go against an order from the Queen... It's impossible, hard-wired into a changeling's brain..."
"But you saved me." Cadence's voice had dropped to a softer tone. "You stood up against her to save my life. And you're obviously far from being a complete changeling... Doesn't that prove that you have what it takes to fight?"
"I saved you because I knew that it would hurt Captain Armor, and that would hurt Twilight Sparkle..." He opened a single lazy eye, indicating that she was keeping him from his sleep. "Don't be mistaken, I saved you because of her, not some jaded sense of familial bonds. I love her with every fiber of my being."
"More than that queen?"
"Chrysalis is a compulsion in my life. Twilight... is my motivation." He shook his head hopelessly. "One urges and prompts me down good paths, while the other sweeps me up in an irresistible current."
"One of the most important parts of love is being able to control your compulsions... That way the two of you can-"
"Look, Princess, I'm physically unable to let you go. No amount of talking is going to change that. I can't let you go free because that would be against her orders... But if you can free yourself, I marked the way out." When she gave him a confused look, he smiled.
"Why would you do that?"
"You know, in case Chrysalis and I got lost! She just never told me to let the markers fade away once we were out..."
"Oh, really?"
"That's my story, and I'm sticking to it."
"Anything else I should know?"
"Yeah. After I wake up, I'll be leaving. Back up to the surface to help Chrysalis keep her cover... I'll try to make sure Chrysalis sends anypony else who needs to be disposed of down here... If you escape, hurry."
"You're not a very good jailer."
"Well, I try, don't I?" Pennington didn't even bother to open an eye to look at her again.
"She's not going to get away with this. You know that, right?"
"Know that? I'm counting on it! So, let's both pray that she doesn't..."
There was another beat of silence between the two, and the light from Pennington's horn faded into darkness.
"What's going to happen to Shining Armor?"
He didn't respond.
"Pennington! What's she going to do to him? Pennington!"
"At the very least, she'll feed off of his love until he can be influenced to drop the shield around Canterlot and she is strong enough to conquer unopposed..." She couldn't tell if he was moving in the darkness.
"And at the most? Pennington? PENNINGTON!"
Cadence continued to struggle for the next few hours before finally admitting that she wasn't going to get out. As she struggled against her bonds, she thought of Shining Armor and the horrible fate that might await him, of the impersonator about to steal her wedding, and, every once in a while, about the reluctant villain asleep only a few feet away.
"Twilight!" Moonstone called out as she flew above Ponyville. "Twilight, where are you?"
"She's not here!" A voice called up to her from below. Looking down, she caught sight of a cream-colored earth pony waving up at her.
"Do you know where I can find her?" Moonstone dropped down out of the sky, landing next to her. "I need to talk to her as soon as I can! It's an emergency!"
"Well, I think I saw her and her friends at the train station... They were really excited, and I think that I heard something about a wedding. Why, what's wrong?"
"The train station?" Moonstone groaned, slapping herself in the forehead. "Pennington's in trouble, and Twilight just hits the road?" Taking to the air, Moonstone took off flying again. "Thanks for the help! I have to find her as soon as I can!"
The pony was simply confused, rubbing her temple with her hoof as she watched the young dragon fly away again.
"Pennington's in trouble?"
"Bon Bon, come on! We're going to be late!" Lyra called as she looked back from the corner she'd already rounded. "Minuette and Twinkleshine are already on the train, and we can't be late if we want a shot at being the bridesmaids!"
Bon Bon looked back towards Pennington's shop, then let out a long sigh. "You know what? You go on ahead, Lyra! I'll catch up with you in Canterlot!"
"What?"
"I think that there's somepony I need to check up on... You know the way, don't you?"
"Of course! But... is something wrong, Bon Bon?"
"It's fine! Don't miss your opportunity! I'm just making sure everything's okay with a friend of mine..."
"Pennington Inkwell, reporting for duty, princess!"
"What?" Luna shook her head, somewhat confused at seeing her protege waiting for her in the guard tower. With Canterlot being threatened, she and her sister had taken to watching the city by day and night, putting the majority of their other duties on hold, and it wasn't out of the ordinary for them to be accompanied by several guards while they were going from place to place, but Pennington had been patiently waiting when she arrived, dressed in a night guard's uniform and sporting white wrappings on his legs.
"Well, I was coming up to Canterlot to run an errand, but when I heard that someone was threatening the city, I thought you might need an extra set of hooves!" He smiled as he continued his salute. "I'm here to fulfill my duties and services!"
Luna blinked again, then smiled. "As much as I appreciate the offer, Pennington, I think you'd be better off going back-"
"I've already reported to Captain Armor, who approved my temporary induction of services until the crisis is over!" He grinned and approached the banister, overlooking the city. "I'm going to be keeping you company up here!"
Luna was surprised. Shining Armor was rarely one to breach protocol, even with the fact at almost all guards possible were being called in to duty for the wedding. It should have taken Pennington at least a week to be checked and admitted to service, at which point the wedding would be over. With everything coming up so soon, he must have been willing to make an exception for Pennington in the interest of time.
"Well, I'm afraid that there won't be much to do up here. I'm going to be spending the entire wedding day watching the city so that my sister can tend to the formalities." She shook her head. "The letter advising us that Canterlot would be attacked mentioned the wedding specifically, but most of our 'anonymous tips' aren't taken so seriously!"
"The captain told me that the letter requested to be left anonymous, but came from a very reliable source. If contained several specifics regarding the date and location of the attack. It wasn't a run-of-the-mill letter saying that 'somebody somewhere is going to do a thing.'"
Luna walked next to her protege, once again surprised. "And how did you get him to tell you all of this?"
"All of what? He didn't give me any of the actual specifics, he just described why the guard considered the letter credible!" He laughed. "I just told you everything he told me!"
Luna let out a long sigh as the sun set and the horizon grew dark. "Well, apparently, the writer asked that his identity be known only to Captain Armor, as well. Celestia and I will be allowed to know once the day of the wedding has passed."
"Sounds like a pony with something to hide..." Pennington muttered, glancing down over the bannister. After a few moments, he backed away again, shaking his head nervously.
"Are you afraid of heights, Pennington?"
"Not all of us are born with wings, I'm afraid." He chuckled lightly to himself. "And I had an unfortunate mishap a couple nights ago that reminded me of such."
"Well, you may as well tell me the story, since there won't be much else to do here..." Luna smiled as she stood near the edge, eyes rolling across the city as she scanned for intruders.
"There's not much to it," Pennington shrugged. "I saw the cliffs below the city, and I thought to myself, 'I wonder if you could get around the city using that?'"
"Well, if you could navigate the cliffs, I'm certain it would be more discrete than walking down the streets!" Luna laughed. "But exponentially more difficult!"
Pennington laughed in return, nodding his head. "As I unfortunately discovered. I was walking along a particularly precarious ridge when the stone broke away beneath my hooves! It's a long, long way down, and I thought that I was going to die! Luckily, though, I'd brought someone with me beneath the city."
"A climbing buddy?"
"Well, I may be reckless, but I'm not stupid!" Pennington laughed. "More akin to an instructor, really. She caught me with a quick bit of levitation and helped me back up." He wiped imaginary sweat from his brow. "It was one of the closest calls I've ever had!"
Luna nodded. "Were you climbing with Twilight?"
"No! If she'd know I was taking a risk like that, she would have killed me!" Pennington chuckled again. "No, her name was Rocky Times. She's an old acquaintance of mine, and we occasionally go climbing together."
"I guess that you could say that you were 'caught between a rock and a hard place!'" Luna laughed.
"Yeah, I am..." Pennington whispered. The quiet lament was overlooked, however, as Luna leaned over the banister, having caught sight of somepony.
"Who goes there?" After a moment, she relaxed again. "Stay indoors, Twilight Sparkle!"
"Twilight?" Pennington ran forward to look as well, catching a glimpse of Twilight as she slipped through the doors of the palace. "What's she doing here? Doesn't she know it's dangerous?"
"It's her brother's wedding, Pennington! You didn't expect her to stay home and twiddle her hooves, did you?" Luna turned her attention to the telescope sitting at the edge of the platform. "Twilight Sparkle is well-accustomed to danger, I wouldn't worry if I were you."
"Well, if her friends are here, as well, then the six ponies most crucial to Equestria's safety are running around, unprotected in a time of danger... Forgive me if I'm not as ecstatic to see her as usual!"
"Pennington!" Luna turned around, surprised. The last time that they had met, Pennington had treated her with the utmost respect, even to the point of reverence. While she didn't enjoy the attention, his attitude seemed to have taken a drastic downwards turn.
"I'm sorry, Luna... I'm just a bit stressed out."
"Are you lacking sleep? I've noticed that I haven't seen any dreams from you the past nights."
"No, that's just because I'm using a new medication Zecora prescribed me. Helps me sleep like a foal... I've just been having trouble with my legs lately. You know, old wounds..."
Luna nodded, her shock at his attitude slightly lessened. "Have you done anything that could open them up again?"
"They've just been bleeding and aching a lot lately. It's nothing serious, but enough to put me out of a good mood."
"And how are you dealing with the hive?"
"It's still there, ready to snatch up my mind when my thoughts wander... Sometimes I can't write because I'm just dying to go back to the Plains of Lore and see them again..." He shook his head, as if the action could push away the buzzing in his skull like smoke. "I know that if I want back where I belong, they'd stop... They'd be quiet... but being a pony strands me in Equestria. My home, Twilight, the life I've made for myself, those are the things keeping me tethered here."
"Pennington, you belong with the ponies who know and love you, not in a den of parasites!" Luna was going to laugh jokingly to lighten the mood, but the look he gave her at the words "den of parasites" stopped any plans to lighten the mood dead in their tracks. "Look, what I mean is, you feel like you're split between two worlds, correct? But that's not the case. The changelings are trying to tear you away from what you've loved your whole life in exchange for a life where you would never be loved for who you really are! From what Twilight told me, changelings and ponies have very different lives. A pony grows up, finds their talent, meets the special one they love, and live both with and for them the rest of their days, doing what they love and having a family. Twilight told me that it seems like once a changeling is assigned a niche to fit into, there isn't much more to their life than doing that same thing, day in and day out, hoping for a chance at fooling someone into loving them... I know that you wouldn't want that mindless, will-less life, Pennington."
"Then why am I screaming to go back on the inside, Luna?" He shook his head. "It isn't like a hunger or a thirst, those fade over time! This is constant, sometimes to the point where I can't even think clearly! They make me want it!"
"If there's one pony whom I know won't let himself get pushed around by an outside force, it's Pennington Inkwell." She smiled. "You've faced countless terrors that would make other ponies scream, defeated stronger foes than a few lousy changelings! You're too stubborn to die or to follow anyone else's rules. You just need to remember who you are."
Pennington let out a long sigh, looking at the ground as if admitting defeat.
"You should be focusing your attention to the city, your highness."
Luna wanted to try and press the matter further, but he was right. He was here to fill his duties, and so was she. Turning back towards the sea of rooftops and boulevards, she realized that she would need to raise the moon in the next few minutes.
"Pennington, just remember that your indomitable spirit was one of the reasons I chose you to be under my jurisdiction and instruction, rather than my sister's. Another is because I know that, some day, you're going to come across something that you cannot understand or defeat... and I hope to be able to help you when that time comes."
"Why?"
"The same reason you volunteered to come and teach me a mere week after Nightmare Moon had been defeated, when nopony was certain she was gone for good."
"Admiration?"
"Friendship."
"In fact, if I were you, I wouldn't show up to the wedding at all..." Shining Armor shook his head as he walked out of the room, taking the same path that his distraught fiancee had. Twilight's head hung low with shame, and she glanced back at her friends, looking for some kind of support. There were a few moments of silence before anyone spoke again.
"Come on, y'all, let's go check on the princess!" Applejack called out, and everyone, even Spike, walked around and past Twilight, leaving her totally alone. Celestia was the last to leave.
"I- I was-"
"You have a lot to think about..." Celestia didn't even stop to look at her, simply walking on and leaving Twilight completely alone as the doors swung shut behind her.
Twilight could feel all the sureties and knowledge of Cadence's actions beginning to crumble away in her mind, and she walked back towards the spot where the bride and groom were to say their "I do"s, stopping just short of the spot and laying across the stairs.
"Maybe I was being overprotective... I might have gained a sister, but instead, I just lost a brother!" Tears welled up in her eyes as the full consequences of her "playing sleuth" began to set in.
He was my Big Brother Best Friend Forever... and now we'll never do anything together...
"TWILIGHT!"
Twilight snapped out of her daze as a familiar voice screeched through the hall.
"Moonstone?" She looked up as the small dragon flew in from one of the many open arches leading outside, nearly in a state of panic. "Moonstone, what are you doing here? Why aren't you back in Ponyville, taking care of Pennington?"
Moonstone eventually seemed to give up on flapping her wings, dropping to the ground next to Twilight in a heap, panting heavily.
"Penn... lied! He's in... trouble!" She was barely able to work out the words between breaths, gasping for air between each few syllables. "Changeling Queen... showed up... at his door! He's... trapped!"
"WHAT? Why didn't he say something? Why didn't he ask for help?"
"She's got him... under her hoof! He sent me... to find you!" Finally recovering, Moonstone straightened her posture.
"Hmm... It seems that Pennington is still a little reluctant to help me."
Both Twilight and Moonstone turned to face the pony walking out from the shadows.
"Still, it's nothing that won't be fixed once the rest of the hive arrives. After that, he won't be able to fight us."
"Cadence?"
"No, you fool!" "Cadence" growled. "I'm surprised you never caught on, since you were the one who accompanied Pennington to the hive!"
"Chrysalis... Whatever you've done to Pennington, you'd better let him go!" Moonstone shouted.
"And what makes you think I've done anything to him at all? He's simply come to the realization of where this loyalties truly lie!" She grinned smugly as her horn shimmered with a verdant light. Without warning, Moonstone and Twilight were suddenly encircled in emerald flames, and before either could react, they had sunk down through the floor, being sent away through the magic.
Bon Bon took a deep breath as she walked into Inkwell Commissions. She and Pennington had never been the closest of friends, but they knew each other well enough to be interested if one or the other was in trouble. She would come to him whenever she needed help with some kind of advertising, and he always had some kind of catchy motto or slogan he could think up. In return, Pennington would come to visit her every so often, always asking for the same order: a large bag of her caramel squares. He claimed to eat them while he worked on novels. Their relationship was mostly business, but every once in a while she would come and visit him when life with Lyra was getting too hectic. She'd provide the caramels and he'd provide an open seat on his couch and an offer of cheap noodles (which she always turned down).
"Hello? Pennington?" She called out as she stepped into the front lobby where his customers would normally wait. "I heard you needed some help!"
When she was met with silence, Bon Bon wondered if he might be asleep somewhere. She took a moment, pondering what to do.
Well, that dragon made it seem like things were pretty bad... And even if he's not home, he wouldn't mind if I just look around to see what's wrong!
Nodding to herself, she walked behind the counter, just as she always had when she'd come over to see him. He wasn't in the kitchen, and she did her best to ignore the mess as she walked along.
As she entered the hall, she was surprised to see the first change from her normal visits: the door to his study was open. During all of her visits, Pennington had never allowed her into his study. She decided to just take a peek, just to make sure that he wasn't there.
"Wow... Somebody likes Daring Do..." she whispered as she stepped inside, staring at the memorabilia all around her. It quickly became clear that Pennington wasn't in the room, however, and she decided that she ought to respect his apparent obsession and leave, shutting the door behind her.
As she moved upstairs, she found herself in Pennington's living room. There wasn't much to it, but it was where they had spent most of their time talking together. She had half-expected to find him sitting on the couch, munching on caramels and sipping ramen, but the room was devoid of any ponies. The couch was empty and the chair and desk in the back of the room were unoccupied. There was nothing on the coffee table to indicate that anypony was home and had simply left for a moment. Finally, Bon Bon realized that there was only one room left to look in: the spare bedroom.
Well, Pennington called it his 'spare.' It was the room that Trixie had once stayed in when the two of them were working together. Bon Bon had actually been one of the first ones Pennington had talked to after she'd abandoned him, and he still refused to sleep in there, despite claiming that he was over what had happened.
Although, if he was hurt, it's the only really decent bed in the house for him to lay down in... Besides, I've already come this far. If he does need some kind of help, how horrible would it be to turn back now? Nodding to herself, she walked to the door, first knocking, then cracking it open. Her eyes widened as she peered inside.
The entire room was green, with the walls and most of the surfaces covered in a slimy, green substance. The bed had been furnished with what was probably every pillow in the house and at least a half-dozen extra blankets, giving it a luxurious, plush look. The room was warm and the air was heavy with moisture, feeling as if there were somepony exhaling in her face when she opened the door. The entire room pulsated with green light, and the covering over the walls, ceiling, and windows gave the entire place a private, secluded feel, seeing as any pony could go completely unnoticed living comfortably inside. The entire setting felt strange and alien, and opening the door felt like she had violated the sanctity of the room, breaking the green seal along the door frame, and she was suddenly overwhelmed with the feeling that she was being watched.
Slowly and deliberately, Bon Bon shut the door, walked back to the lobby, and closed the front door to the shop.
Note to self: NEVER, EVER... Look into Pennington's private life without permission. If he has something like THAT set up and suddenly needs Twilight's "help," that's got nothing to do with me! Right now, Lyra seems like the NORMAL one...
When Twilight was finally able to take a bearing of her surroundings again, she knew that she was someplace dark, subterranean judging by the chilled humidity in the air. As she cast a simple spell to illuminate her surroundings, and was surprised to find herself in a cavern of mirror-like surfaces, surrounded by crystals and gems. Looking around, she tried to find any sign of other life in the caves with her.
"Hello?" She rose up onto her hooves, pleased to see that her strength wasn't failing, and walked around for a few steps. "Is anyone there?"
"Twilight? Is that you?" Moonstone was gripping her head as she stumbled out from one of the darker corners of the room.
"Moonstone! Are you alright?" Twilight ran over to the dragon, inspecting her for injury.
"I'm fine, just got the wind knocked out of me..." Moonstone put on a smile to reassure Twilight before looking around them. "So, aside from my own personal buffet line, where are we?"
Before Twilight could reply, an eerily echoing laughter mocked them both as Cadence's face appeared on one of the facets like some kind of screen, producing a soft glow.
"Why, the caves beneath Canterlot, of course!" She laughed. "Once home to greedy unicorns who wanted to claim the gems as their own! And now..." The face disappeared from in front of them, but quickly re-emerged on a thousand more behind them. "Your prison! No one can hear you, and no one will ever think to look for you, either! Most ponies have forgotten that these caves even exist, which is why they're the ideal place to keep the ones who interfere with my plans! Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha!"
"Plans, what plans?"
"Why, the plans I have for your brother, of course!" Just when it seemed that the alicorn couldn't look any more smug, her grin turned even more sickening.
"You stay away from him, you- you monster!" Twilight quickly felt fear being overwhelmed by rage, both out of protective instinct for her brother and Cadence's mocking tone.
"Only way to stop me is to catch me!" Cadence replied, her sing-song tone only serving to make Twilight more angry. Summing up her energy, Twilight unleashed a destructive blast at the polished surface...
"Twilight, no!" Moonstone shouted, too late as the beam bounced haphazardly around the room, threatening both of them with its unpredictable path. After several ricochets, it finally impacted with the ground just below Twilight's hooves. Jumping back, Twilight already had another blast ready when Cadence's face appeared on another crystal. This time, the beam had been altered, able to destroy the crystal in a shower of sparks. Cadence jumped from facet to facet, always just a fraction of a second ahead of Twilight. Finally, she appeared on a large surface at eye-level with the two of them, cackling at their helplessness. When Twilight destroyed it, it opened a passage to another room, revealing a shocked-looking, disheveled Cadence. Her rage still running unbridled, Twilight catapulted herself forward, tackling the alicorn to the ground.
"Twilight, wait a minute!" Moonstone called out, running to catch up.
"Please, don't hurt me!" She cried. After a second, her face lit up with recognition. "Twilight! Wait! It's me!" The new Cadence raised her hooves in defense, looking up at her attacker. "I was trapped down here, too! Just like you! Please, you have to believe me! The Cadence who brought you down here was an impostor!"
"A likely story..." Twilight growled, still ready to attack.
Cadence slid out from underneath Twilight's body, rising up onto her hooves. After a moment to recover, she began dancing in place.
"Sunshine! Sunshine! Ladybugs, awake! Clap your hooves..."
"and do a little shake!" Twilight's eyes widened in shock. After a second, she grinned and jumped forward again, this time wrapping her hooves around the real Cadence in an excited hug. "You remember me!"
"Of course I do! How could I forget the filly I love to sit for the most?" Cadence replied, returning the hug.
"Ummm... Did I miss something?" Moonstone asked, staring at them both as if they had gone insane.
"Moonstone, this is her! This is the real Cadence!"
"Well, I could have told you that!" Moonstone laughed, tapping her face next to her left eye. "I have 'special eyes' remember? And I guess that she used to foalsit you?"
"That's right! But... who are you?" Cadence asked, walking up to Moonstone. "What happened to Spike?"
"Spike's still up top, helping put the figures on your wedding cake, if I had to guess..." She held out a claw to Cadence, shaking her hoof. "I'm Moonstone! I'm Pennington's assistant!"
"Pennington?" Cadence's eyes widened. "Have either of you seen him?"
"You know Pennington? Pennington Inkwell?" Twilight asked, taken aback.
"Well, I didn't catch his last name... But that's what that changeling-"
"Chrysalis." Moonstone stated quietly.
"That's what Chrysalis called him." She shook her head. "He was the one who brought me down here!"
"WHAT?"
"I was trying to tell you, Twilight!" Moonstone shook her head. "Pennington's in horrible trouble! Chrysalis has him wrapped around her hoof, and he can't get free!"
"How?" Twilight shook her head, hardly able to believe her ears. "Why would he let her do that?"
"Because she's the Queen!" Moonstone shook her head. "A changeling literally can't deny a direct order from their ruler, and Pennington is bound by the same laws!"
"But he saved my life by doing just that!" Cadence shook her head. "He ran in the way of a spell she was going to use to kill me!"
"He did? Twilight looked back at Cadence, who nodded her affirmation.
"Well, Pennington's still part pony, so if she didn't command him not to get in the way, then it's plausible that he could still rebel, but only through indirect means." Moonstone nodded. "That's why he sent me to help you. When Chrysalis showed up at our door, he said that he had sent me someplace I wouldn't be able to get in the way, but I just hid in the basement. Each night, for as long as he could without her knowing, Pennington told me everything that we needed to know..." Her face became sad for a moment as she reached into a fold between her scales. "Oh... and Twilight, he wanted me to give you this. He said that the two of you left it behind when you were trying to escape the hive." Pulling out a scrap of paper, she passed it to Twilight, who levitated it in the air for both her and Cadence to read.
"'Clientele: Twilight Sparkle...' Moonstone, this is my receipt for the commission I asked him for! What do my ideas for short stories have to do with-"
"'Plot: A pony (unspecified character) finds their way into the changeling hive and uncovers a vicious plot: to replace one of the princesses with a changeling in order to invade Canterlot discretely...'" Cadence continued reading. "Twilight, I think your fiction... is becoming fact!"
Moonstone shook her head. "'Ending: Unspecified. "Spooky.' Pennington wanted you to know about this... And I'm sorry. It isn't his intent to make you feel guilty, but he said that you needed to know that he never finished it... I guess it's supposed to be some kind of metaphor for how it's up to us to change the ending ourselves."
Twilight sat down, her spirits beginning to fall.
"Does that mean... this is my fault?" A gentle hoof on her shoulder prompted her to look up again, straight into Cadence's eyes.
"Twilight, right now, the only one worth blaming is this 'Chrysalis!' We can figure out who was responsible for what later!" Helping her up to her hooves, Cadence turned to look deeper into the caves. "Right now, we need to stop her!"
"There's one more thing!" Moonstone shook her head, cutting the eager pair off as they started on their way up the sloped cave. "It was the night before he and Chrysalis left to sneak into Canterlot, but he said that this was the most important message of all!"
"He told me, that if we ever ran into him and needed to fight him, we needed to 'aim for the head.'"
"What? Kill him?" Cadence asked quietly. "Is that the only way to stop him from following her orders?"
"I don't think so..." Moonstone shook her head. "Just before saying that, he asked me, 'Moonstone, if you can munch on rocks like candy, could you bite through a unicorn's horn?' I think that he might have meant that we can easily stop him if we can just stop him from using magic..." She reached into the pocket on the other side of her body, pulling out a small black ring. "That's why I brought this! A Class AAA Magic Inhibitor! This little puppy could bring Chrysalis or even a fully-fledged alicorn to their knees!"
Cadence and Twilight both stared at the object for a moment.
"Where did you get something like that?"
"You'd be surprised what Penn keeps in his basement, Twilight!" Moonstone grinned. "But this was all I could carry from Ponyville to Canterlot!"
Twilight and Cadence each looked at one another, slightly unsure about this new information.
"Either way, let's get going!" Cadence shook her head. "We have to hurry if we want to stop them before the wedding is finished!" Twilight and Moonstone both nodded, and the three took off running.
"But the sun is going to rise in only a few hours! Your shift should have ended long ago." Luna turned back to him again. The two had been silent through most of the night, each wrapped in their own thoughts.
"It's not a strenuous post, Luna, just standing here. The hours are a bit longer."
"Don't worry, Luna, I'm here to relieve him of his post!" A voice called out from the stairwell. After a few seconds, Princess Cadence, accompanied by another night guard, emerged into the top of the guard tower.
"Cadence? What are you doing here?"
"Shining Armor is busy, so he asked me to come and make sure that the exchange of the guards went smoothly."
Luna gave her a suspicious glance. "Aren't you supposed to be busy, too?"
"We won't be able to make the last few preparations until morning, so I have a little time before the sun's up." She smiled. "Besides, Aunt Tia got to meet your new student already! Why can't I?"
Luna rolled her eyes, but nodded her agreement. "Pennington, thank you for accompanying me for the night. You're relieved of your post for now. Get some rest."
Pennington nodded his agreement, walking to the door as the second guard left Cadence's side. The two night armored ponies took a moment to glance at one another. After a moment, Pennington nodded in understanding, as did his replacement. As he stood in front of Cadence, he took a moment to give a low bow.
"A pleasure to finally meet you, your highness. Your reputation precedes you!"
Cadence laughed as they turned back towards the stairs. "In a good way, I would hope!"
"Your majesty, I've heard only the best about you..."
As they left, Luna turned to her new guard, an orange-coated pegasus. It was out of the ordinary that a night guard would be admitted to duty without undergoing the bat-pony augmentations to their senses.
"Are you here on temporary duty, as well?"
"Yes, your highness. Called in from the reserves on short notice." He seemed every bit as impersonal and emotionless as the rest of the guards.
"Well, thank you for your service..." When the guard nodded his acknowledgement, she turned back to watching the city again.
I miss Pennington already... At least his face showed some kind of feeling!
"You left a changeling with Luna? Seriously?"
"Just in case anything goes wrong... Like your little dragon friend showing up to warn her." Pennington cringed as the anger in her words literally stung at him.
"I apologize for my foolish actions, your highness... I should have put a better lock on the door where I sealed her."
"Spare me the apologies..." She growled, turning on him in the stairwell. "At the rate that he's losing his strength, Shining Armor's spell will fail just after the wedding ceremonies. After that, nothing can stop us! Until then, a single flaw could ruin all this work we've done!" Her eyes narrowed as she practically spat her words at him with frustration. "From now on, you will take no action against me. Understood?"
"Never in the wildest imaginings of the deranged mind would I stand against you, my queen." Pennington bowed even lower than he had before. To his surprise, Chrysalis's hoof came down on top of his head, keeping him submitted to her.
"That's why I knew I could come to you... You're loyal, and you know your place." Her horn glowed softly. "But you tend to forget it... Don't forget that I could retreat down to the caves at any moment and kill the princess if I wanted to... Along with Twilight Sparkle and Moonstone."
"What?"
I caught the dragon trying to reveal my true identity to her, supposedly under your orders! Don't ask me what!" He pressed down with her hoof again, forcing him to lay his head on the cold ground. "You've been conspiring against me from the start!"
"My queen, it's true that at the beginning I was... reluctant! When you related your plan to me, it was beyond my comprehension!" Pennington pleaded, unable to remove his cheek from the floor. "But since then, I've grown! I no longer would want anything that isn't for the best of the hive!"
"Then this is your chance to redeem yourself..." She smirked, grinding her hoof against the side of his helmet. "They will undoubtedly be making some kind of pitiful attempt to escape. Go down to the caves and ensure that they stay put." She accented each of the words by knocking on his helmet. "Do your job right, or I might stop liking you so much, Pennington..."
"Y-yes, Queen Chrysalis..." Pennington whispered. As she let him stand again, he began sprinting down the tower's stairs.
"And Pennington..."
If they make it back to the surface, I'll kill all three of them once the invasion is over! Just as an example!
Pennington shuddered as her voice hissed on the inside of his skull, slithering its words along the passages of his brain.
Save them, Pennington. You're the one who can save them...
"I found another one!" Moonstone shouted as Twilight and Cadence ran to catch up to her. Looking down from her vantage point near the ceiling, Moonstone smiled at the familiar sight of one of Pennington's wide-bladed scimitars embedded in the wall. She knew that it was barely able to hold itself together any more, the magic that had been used to create it had faded to almost nothing, but the sight let them know that they were on the right path to reach the surface.
"I still don't understand how he did this... Creating swords out of thin air?" Cadence shook her head.
"It's a spell he learned from a zebra friend of ours..." Twilight grinned as they reached the marker, gently tapping it with her hoof. At her touch, it shattered and faded to white mist again, which quickly disappeared. "I recently had the opportunity to talk to her about it, and-"
"Twilight!" Moonstone called out as she dropped to the ground next to her, landing on her feet with ease.
"What?" Twilight was quickly becoming less and less fond of Moonstone's habit of interrupting her.
"We may have a problem..." Moonstone pointed into the darkness, where a figure was emerging. As a pair of green eyes flashed at them, Cadence and Twilight braced themselves.
"You won't have a problem if you just stay still..." Pennington's voice was barely recognizable as his own, a changeling's dual tone having settled in. As he stepped out from the shadows, Twilight gasped and stepped back as she caught sight of his darkened coat and hole-filled hooves. His cutie mark had even begun to blur and fade, like a pencil sketch being rubbed away. He was dressed in night guard armor, but it didn't stop her from seeing the fully developed holes in his legs marking him as belonging to the changeling hive.
"That's- that's not-"
"Yes, Twilight... It is." He spoke gently, but had taken up a firm stance between them and the direction they needed to be running in.
"What happened to you? You look like you did right after you made it out of the hive!"
"Well, I guess we never thought about what would happen if I ran into a changeling again, did we?" He shook his head sadly. "And then the queen shows up at my doorstep... I got blindsided. Never stood a chance. It was over as soon as she set hoof in my house. I couldn't fight it."
Twilight shook her head, trying to understand. "You mean that you'll follow any order she gives you? You're forced to?"
"All but one." His verdant eyes glowed as white smoke began floating off of his horn. "And unfortunately, that 'one' is not 'Stop Twilight and the Princess from reaching the surface.'" The smoke conglomerated in front of him, forming the familiar blade that Twilight was used to seeing: except that instead of the usual shimmering blue light filling the silhouette of the scimitar, it was a sickly green. Staring at it for a moment, Twilight shook her head.
"You're really going through with this? I never would have expected you to betray me like this, Pennington..."
"You don't understand! Between ploys and plots and disguises, a changeling lives off of the approval and other positive emotions of their ruler! My heart tells me not to, but my body can't help but obey her!" He shook his head again. "Besides... She told me that if you reach the wedding, she'll kill all three of you. If that happened, I'd kill myself!" He lowered his sword to eye level, directing the tip at her. "That is why I'm going to fight you, Twilight... To save your life."
Twilight closed her eyes, trying to focus. After several seconds, she could feel a cool mist beginning to gather around her. Without opening her eyes, she began pressing and molding it, trying to force it into a single form. After several more seconds, she felt a solid grip forming around the object she had been trying to create. When she opened her eyes again, a large, violet sword of her own was floating in front of her face: a long, slender rapier. Swinging it back and forth, Twilight smiled as its tip whistled through the air, slicing with ease. The sword itself was a tool of precision, classy, and able to get its job done with a few simple swings and jabs at a foe, whether it was meant to kill or maim.
Cadence seemed hopeful at the sight, her face lighting up with a smile of surprise, while Moonstone's jaw had simply fallen slack, leaving her mouth wide open in an expression of shock. After a few seconds, Pennington's morose face brightened for the first time, and he even managed to crack a smile.
"Did you really think that poor excuse for royalty would be able to kill me, Pennington?" Her eyes narrowed as she lowered her sword to an identical position.
"You see, that is why I love you. You never let me get away with anything." He grinned. "Make no mistake, Twilight, I'll be rooting for you in this fight."
"And I won't hold back."
"Then I shouldn't stand a chance."
For the first time, Cadence spoke again. "Will we need to kill you?"
"Didn't Moonstone tell you?" His grin grew wider as his eyes flashed with an inner light. "Just aim for the horn if you want to stop me. Without my magic, I won't be a threat to you."
Twilight glanced at Moonstone, who already had the ring discretely clasped in her claw, mostly hidden by the darkness of the cave.
With a nod between the two, Twilight ran forward, slashing downwards at Pennington's sword with her own.
"This is for your own good!" The two cried out together as they begun their attacks.
When Twilight's rapier fell downwards, Pennington's scimitar flung itself upwards to parry. The two blades met in a shower of sparks, each one grinding against the edge of the other as the two unicorns met below, locking their horns against one another in a similar manner as they butted heads. The two stayed this way, locked in an initial battle of brute force, for several seconds.
"You're not going to win, Pennington!" Twilight growled as she pulled her sword downwards from above them. She could feel Pennington's blade slowly beginning to fail, and the violet edge was beginning to grind its way through the green surface. "I'm stronger than you, and you know it!"
"That may be true..." He grinned devilishly as his disturbing, cat-like eyes stared into hers. "But even if Zecora taught you my little trick, you lack experience!" Without warning, Pennington leaped backwards and his sword twisted out from underneath the rapier, letting it plummet and embed itself in the ground. Twilight jumped back, as well, barely escaping her own attack in time.
"Look out!"
Twilight had been staring at her own blade, which had been buried halfway to the hilt in the floor, shocked at how far it had cut through the crystal. When she looked up again, she was barely able to duck quickly enough to avoid Pennington's next attack, flinging his sword at her. The blade barely flew above the top of her head, hitting the ground behind her and shattering into a splash of mist. The white mist flew back around her, re-forming itself front of Peninngton, fed by more glow from his horn to re-form into the blade.
With a grunt, Twilight pulled her violet rapier from the stone, turning its edge back on Pennington.
That scimitar is meant for slashing... Wide strokes, meant for hacking away at things. A rapier works much differently. If I can play off that... I might be able to win!
Twilight smiled as she began a rapid attack, swinging back and forth at him. Every time that he was able to block her, she would pull the blade back again and attack from another angle. Compared to her sword, Pennington's was sluggish and slow to respond, barely able to make the movements necessary in time to block her. Twilight could see the sweat on his brow as he worked harder and harder to parry her.
"Pretty impressive! As if I expected anything less!" He grinned as more smoke floated off of his horn, forming a second sword to help him parry.
"Sorry, Penn!" Moonstone shouted as she leaped up onto his back. The dragon had slowly been making her way around the edge of the battle for several minutes, and had finally managed to get behind him. Jumping onto his back, she slipped the black ring on around his horn, then jumped away again. The effects were almost immediate, with both of the swords disintegrating into smoke that disappeared, and a shower of sparks exploded from the front of his skull.
Before he'd even had the chance to scream, Twilight had cast another spell, placing a gag around his mouth. With another effort of will, she let her sword dissolve into a cloud of mist that gathered around his body. stepping forward, Twilight let the full effect of the spell take hold, forming a solid, single piece around Pennington's body, with only an open slot at the front for him to look through. Within seconds, he was locked inside of a prison constructed from her own magic. Twilight's horn glowed as she slowly walked to him, pouring more energy in to reinforce the single-piece suit.
"I left you a few inches in each limb to move, and you can turn your head a little... That way you're not locked in place. Hopefully you're not claustrophobic?" Twilight knew that he couldn't respond because of her gag, but he stared out at her, eyes filled with a mix of pride and sadness.
"Don't struggle too much, you'll knock yourself over. I'll come back for you once all of this is over and you have some semblance of self-control again..." With a quiet nod from inside the suit, Twilight found a reason to smile again.
"And don't worry about me. I can fight for myself, remember?" With that, Twilight walked past him, moving on down the tunnel. "Now, let's save my brother!"
Cadence and Moonstone followed, but each stopped at Pennington for a moment.
"You may have been forced to trap me here, but you still risked your life to save mine... So thank you." Cadence smiled. "I know a few things about changelings that might be able to help you once all of this is over, being the Princess of Love. Trust me, whatever's happened to you, we'll work it out."
"Then you'll be back to writing more 'Scorching Quill' novels in no time!" Moonstone chirped, knocking on the head of the armor-prison with a toothy grin.
"Wait... He's Scorching Quill?"
"Cadence, we don't have time for this!" Twilight shouted, already far ahead of them.
Cadence looked as if she were about to speak for a moment, but she simply cast a thankful glance at Pennington, then began running again. Even as she ran, though, the words of the letter that Shining Armor had shard with her returned to her memory.
Captain Armor,
You may not know me, but I can assure you that we have met before, and I hold you in very high regard. Because of this, I wish to speak to you on a matter of the most grave importance.
Canterlot is in danger of invasion. In my current danger, I cannot determine from where this danger stems, but it can and will affect all of Canterlot and even Equestria if the city should fall. The assault will begin three days from the time you receive this letter, but the invasion force will arrive in full, regrettably, on the day of your wedding to Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. You MUST increase security around the entire city, if possible, and screen all those entering or leaving. However, should your defenses fail, both you and your fiancee may be in grave peril. Do NOT, under any circumstances, allow either of yourselves to be left unguarded, not even in your own homes. I fear that your wedding itself may be the main target of the attack.
Please, I would make one request in return for this information, gathered at great risk to myself: I wish to remain anonymous until the time of crisis has passed. Your enemies are working through a VERY short window of time. Until then, as far as anyone outside of you and and your soon-to-be wife know, this tip was completely anonymous. Most of all, the Princesses must not know that this came from me. That is my request from you.
Please, be careful.
Scorching Quill
Could it really have been him? Trying to warn us about his OWN plans?
Luna had seen the dark shapes gathering around the outside of the shield for some time, now. They didn't seem to be able to penetrate it, but she was beginning to worry. The sun was rising, and it was the morning of the wedding, which she had been told was going to be the most dangerous day. For the moment, though, Shining Armor's shield was holding them back with ease.
"Guard... Can you make out what those are?" She asked, pointing up at the sky.
"No, ma'am. We seem to be safe for the moment, though."
Luna shook her head, still feeling uncomfortable. Something seemed... off. She couldn't quite put her hoof on it, but something was definitely wrong.
Trapped by Twilight's magic, Pennington had a moment of thought for himself. Standing guard with Luna had given him time to think, of course, but there was something about the darkness and the seclusion of the caves that allowed his mind to somehow wander a bit more freely. Perhaps the inhibitor ring was dulling Chrysalis's influence, but he was finally able to stop and think clearly for the first time in days, even the past week.
What am I doing here? Why am I letting her control me? I'm better than this, I know that I am!
He shook his head, shifting his weight on his hooves. The fact that Twilight had left even a few inches for him to move was enough to stop him from panicking. I never would have thought of that... You know, for a writer, I'm horribly uncreative, aren't I? I can't even make anything up, I have to go out and live it... Maybe that means that Twilight could think of a solution to all of this that I couldn't... But I guess that it won't change what needs to be done, will it? Knowing that he was going to fail in his assigned task was eating away at him from the inside, and his body began to sway back and forth inside the prison with anxiety.
There's only one way I'm getting out of this, no matter what Princess Cadenza says.
His sides were already beginning to meet the armor while he swayed back and forth.
I need to get out of here... I need to get back up to the surface to that Chrysalis doesn't get mad at me... If I can warn her...
His weight was beginning to rock the armored prison back and forth.
Oh, please tell me that Twilight made this thing "Penn-proof." If I get out, I'm not leaving. I'm going to wind up back up top, right by Chrysalis's side...
As he got more and more nervous, Pennington rocked back and forth harder and harder, trying to knock himself over.
"I don't want to- I can't..." He whispered, not sure who he was apologizing to: Chrysalis, Twilight, or himself.
As he became more and more off-balance. he finally felt himself tipping past the center of balance. There was a moment of falling as he plummeted to the ground, falling to the side. With a grunt as he slammed against the floor, Pennington felt the jarring drop knock the ring loose. The black ring slid down the length of his horn, freeing his magic as it fell off the tip and rattled inside the headpiece of the prison.
Pennington couldn't resist the grin spreading over his face as he felt the familiar boost of power that came after his release from being suppressed.
This is where I have my choice... But it's already made.
"Mares and gentlecolts, we are gathered today to witness the union of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Shining Armor..."
Celestia was having a good day.
Cadence had helped finish the last of the preparations, Luna had agreed to cover her shift watching the city for the day, and ponies from all over Equestria had accepted the invitations and come to the wedding. Celestia had gladly adopted Cadence into the royal family when she had made her ascension to becoming an alicorn, and there was a poetic beauty in being the one to send her off to start a family of her own. In spite of Twilight's unseemly outbursts he night before, nothing seemed to be going wrong, now. The ceremonies had gone off so far without any kind of problems, and they were quickly reaching the end. She hadn't forgotten anything or made any mistakes in the declarations of their vows, and everyone had rehearsed their part well enough to have avoided any kind of mistakes, as well. Not only that, but she had been eying the numerous cakes and delicious confections that were being saved for the reception, and she'd been growing extremely hungry.
"Princess Cadence and Shining Armor, it is my great pleasure to pronounce you-"
"STOOOP!"
Twilight's cry drew the attention of all present as she burst through the door, sending ripples of murmurs and hushed gossip through the room.
"Ugh! Why does she have to be SO possessive of her brother?" Cadence stomped her hoof in frustration. As several of the ponies close to her turned to stare at her uncharacteristic outburst, tears welled up in her eyes. "Why does she have to ruin my special day?"
"Because-" Celestia's eyes grew wide as a second, haggard-looking Cadence stepped into the room. "It's not your special day! It's mine!"
A collective gasp ran through the room as everyone present suddenly began to doubt who was who.
"What? But how did you escape my bridesmaids?" The less-and-less-kind Cadence growled.
"It was easy! No bridesmaid can resist the bride's bouquet! We tossed a few flowers to the side and let them squabble while we sneaked past!" Twilight smiled.
"And Pennington let you pass, I suppose?"
"Oh, he was a bit tougher..." The Cadence next to Twilight shook her head. "But Twilight was able to render him helpless in the caves! Right now, you won't be getting any kind of help from your slave! And once we're done with you, we'll undo whatever it was you did to him!"
"Hmph. Clever with the flowers, though you still don't seem to understand Pennington and I's relationship quite perfectly..." The false Cadence smirked.
"Ah don't understand! How can there be two of them?" Applejack shook her head in confusion, pointing between the two Princesses. In Celestia's opinion, the question was far from uncalled for.
"She's a changeling! She takes the form of somepony you love and gains power by feeding off your love for them!" Even as she spoke, the Cadence at the altar arched her back while emerald flames scorched at the ground around her. In a volcanic eruption of green fire, the princess transformed before their eyes, her outer body burning away, and the remains within growing and morphing into an unfamiliar shape. After several seconds, the queen of the changelings stood before them, cackling wildly.
"Right you are, Princess! And as the Queen of the Changelings, it is up to me to find food for my subjects! Equestria has more love than any place I've ever encountered! My changelings will be able to devour so much of it, we will gain more power than we have ever dreamed of!"
"They'll never get the chance! Shining Armor's protection spell will stop them from ever even reaching us!"
"Hmm, I doubt that." Chrysalis chuckled to herself. "Isn't that right, dear?"
"Mm-hmm..." Shining Armor nodded slowly, his stare vacant and without thought. Seeing her fiancee in such a state, Cadence rushed forward, but a hoof from the queen blocked her way.
"Nuh-uh-uh! Don't want to go back to the caves, now do you?" Her horn glowed threateningly and Cadence slowly stepped back. "Ever since I took your place, I've been feeding off of Shining Armor's love for you!" She smiled, playing at his chin with her hoof as if she were inspecting a toy. "Every moment, he grows weaker! And so does his spell. Even now, my minions are chipping away at it!" She took another moment to laugh, reveling in the joy of revealing how stupid they all had been. "He may not be my husband, but he is under my total control, now! And, I'm sorry to say, unable to perform his duties as Captain of the Royal Guard!"
Another audible gasp ran through the assembled ponies.
"Not my Shining Armor!" Cadence cried.
"Soon, my changeling army will break through! First, we take Canterlot! Then: all of Equestria!"
Celestia had heard enough.
"No, you won't." She growled, stepping forward. "You may have made it impossible for Shining Armor to perform his spell, but now that you have so foolishly revealed yourself..." She leaped into the air, throwing every ounce of her power and pouring her love for her subjects into a single, blinding destruction spell. The Queen tried to parry with a matching spell, but Celestia could quickly feel her strength giving way. Narrowing her gaze, Celestia continued the onslaught, certain of her victory. After several seconds, however, she could feel it becoming harder and harder to force her spell forward, and her golden beam of magical light began to slowly retreat again as the green blast began to overpower it. Feeling a moment of fear, Celestia focused harder and harder on funneling her raw power into the spell, but it was too late. The green light reached the tip of her horn, and she felt all of her strength wash away at once, and a small explosion sent her careening backwards, falling to the ground as her crown flew off from her head. There was a moment of silence where the only noise to be heard was her golden tiara chiming as it struck the ground. After a second, several ponies screamed, the rest gasped in fear, and Twilight ran forward to help her.
"Princess Celestia!"
Chrysalis, on the other hoof, was too busy admiring her own hooves, staring at them and the power she knew they held.
"Shining Armor's love for you is stronger than I thought! Consuming it has made me even more powerful than CELESTIA!"
Celestia looked up at her faithful student. Twilight had never disappointed her before, and she knew she wouldn't now.
"The Elements of Harmony... You must get to them... And use their power to defeat the queen!"
As Twilight and her friends vanished from sight, Celestia's world faded to darkness.
By the time Pennington emerged from the caves, he knew that he'd missed much of the battle. Taking a deep breath as he stepped out into the castle's hallway from the passageway into the caves, he took a brief moment to appreciate the fresh air. As he walked to a nearby window to observe the city, he could see that the changelings had finally managed to break through Shining Armor's shield, and were now running rampant in the streets.Glancing up at the guard tower, he was surprised to see the entire top coated in a bloated mass of green slime, and he could only suspect that Luna was at the center of it, having been ambushed by her own guard. There was no point to donning the disguise of a normal pony at this point, so he didn't bother to put on his disguise as a "normal" pony, letting the holes in his legs and his polished fangs remain.
He could feel the presence of the queen tugging at him, pulling him towards the grand hall where the wedding was taking place. Nodding quietly to himself, he took of at a speedy trot. After several minutes, he finally arrived, dragging his tail and with his head hung low as he slowly made his way through the doorway.
"Ah, if it isn't Pennington, himself!" Chrysalis chuckled. She had removed her disguise, as well, and was standing at the front of the room, next to Shining Armor. "Come and join us, my dear! Your little dragon friend was just talking about you!" She pointed a hoof towards Moonstone, who was bound to the ground by a glob of green goo.
Looking around, Pennington cast an apologetic glance at the assembled ponies present, including Princess Cadence, and made his way to the front of the room.
"Aren't you angry that I failed to stop Twilight and the princess?"
"Normally, I would be, but considering you've done so much to make this all possible..." She swept her hoof around the room, "I think that I can afford to be empathetic. I'm certain that Celestia knows what it's like to be helplessly overpowered, doesn't she?" She cackled as she pointed up at a large, green chrysalis on the ceiling, translucent enough to make out the princess inside. As her eyes slid open inside, Pennington felt a wave of shock and surprise wash outwards, along with an overwhelming confusion.
"Normally, I'd enjoy describing the process in detail for her... But why don't you give her a description of the conversion? Considering you've already experienced most of it..."
Pennington nodded slowly. "Only most, of course. I never finished... But as you wish, my queen." Stepping forward, Pennington looked up at the suspended alicorn.
"I do apologize, Princess, but I hope that you realize that I've had no choice in these events. Had I been here, I may have petitioned for mere stasis, but I'm afraid your student overpowered me and trapped me in the caves. The decision for your conversion was made without my knowledge. Chrysalis has promised me that Luna, however, will remain as she is, if that's any comfort." He shook his head. "The first change will be a crippling apathy as you slowly lose your awareness of your surroundings while your glittering coat turns dark and black. After that, the secretions around you will begin on your body's structural integrity, both inside and out, adapting it to convert emotions into physically powerful forces on you. The flesh and bones on your hooves will seize and pull apart, eventually creating the characteristic perforations in our hooves." He paused for a moment. Unlike Chrysalis, he was taking no pleasure from Celestia's growing fear and desperation. "Most ponies think that changelings only feed off of love and other positive emotions, but that's actually a misconception. We can sense and feel other emotions as well, such as your fright at the current situation. Depending on our relation to the individual feeling it, we can feel either pleasure or pain. In my case, your fear is causing me great pain... If you would be so kind, your highness, just go to sleep. The hive mind will destroy whatever identity you have in your dreams so that the final changes can be made, a process I cannot describe from experience... Since Twilight and your sister helped me to survive until Queen Chrysalis removed me from my chamber, stopping it just short of completion."
Turning back to Chrysalis, he was met with a smirk and a nod of approval.
"Why are you helping her?" Spike asked, shaking his head. "You don't look like Shining Armor does, you're not under some kind of spell!"
Chrysalis rolled her eyes, stepping up next to Pennington and running a gentle hoof down his spine. "Pennington and I are old friends, allies on the field of war. Some time ago, we fought together for the freedom of the hive from a merciless tyrant."
"Chrysalis fought bravely, as did I. After I sent Twilight away from the battlefield, I suppose that she assumed I was immediately captured... That, fortunately, wasn't the case."
"I saw the old king advancing on Pennington after the flash of light from Twilight's teleport drew my eye." Chrysalis continued. "Pennington was weak, but a warrior to the bitter end. He wasn't going to go down without a fight, so I ran to join him."
"Would you like to tell the story, Chrysalis?"
"Oh, I'm certain you'd tell it better, Pennington... Besides, I never heard your side of the tale."
"As you wish."
I was still reeling with the shock of trying to send Twilight as far away as possible, my ears ringing and my vision hazy. I knew that I wasn't in any kind of shape to be fighting using magic, in fact, I doubted that I had much magical energy left other than the minimal effort needed to keep my quills suspended in the air, though I hoped that I wouldn't have to use them as weapons. When Twilight had disappeared, the barriers keeping the changelings at bay on both sides had vanished, but the flash of light had stunned most of the them momentarily. Physically, that was all of the time that I needed to recover. I was moving solely on adrenaline, now, but I knew that, once my vision had come back into focus, I would be ready to fight.
As the blur in my eyes was finally washing away. A dark shape came from my right, slamming against my head and throwing me to the ground. As I tried to recover and look up, I remembered the reason I had sent Twilight away, to begin with: King Entropy wanted us both dead, and he had been waiting just outside of the shield. The king was a hulking brute, standing head-and-shoulders above the rest of the changelings. His horn was bleeding green where I had cut it off, and his eyes were glowing with hatred and fury. With a violent kick, his hoof slammed into my stomach, sending me skidding across the floor. I felt like I had almost exploded inside, doubling over with pain, as he walked towards me again. The other changelings had parted and stepped back to watch, I can only guess that they were entropy's supporters.
"You cost me my horn... My magic... My kingdom!" He growled, placing a single hoof on my neck, ready to snap it. "You filthy pony liar... Your kind doesn't deserve the love you receive. You take it for granted while changelings scrounge for the scraps. Then, you have the audacity to enter my domain! Let this be a message to any pony who dares come here again... Changelings are not to be taken lightly!"
I didn't know what to do. If I tried to move, he would snap my neck even faster. If I tried to attack him with my quills that I was keeping in the air, I would most likely die, as well. He was too strong and too heavily armored to try fighting hoof-to-hoof... But I'd already abandoned most of my hope of getting out of the hive alive when I sent Twilight away. The only thing that had stopped me from simply ending my own life was blind hope for survival on my own two hooves. Now, however, that hope was gone, as well. The only thing stopping me from prompting the end to come faster was blind fear.
"Look out!"
The cry came from somewhere nearby, and before I could react, Entropy was thrown to the side as a black shape collided with him in an explosion of green light. The next thing that I saw was a black, hole-filled hoof taking a hold of mine and helping me to stand again. It was the same changeling who had stood up for Twilight and I in the arena. Chrysalis had come to help me.
"Are you alright?" She asked, raising her hoof to her own head after I was back up on all fours again. She had apparently used some kind of mix of magic and sheer force when she rammed into Entropy.
"Well..." I wheezed. "About as alright as you could expect to be in a war zone..."
"No day goes perfectly, right?" She joked, nodding towards Entropy, who was quickly rising, as well. "We're going to have to end this..".
"True. It won't be easy."
"It never is..." She muttered. After a second, she turned to look at me again. "I never thought I'd fight for revolution alongside a pony..."
"Well, I never thought a changeling would save my life..."
"It's far from safe."
"Two on one? It's safer with these odds than it was before."
Entropy had begun to charge, bearing down on us with uncanny speed. Chrysalis and I each dove to the side as the changelings around us cheered for their king..
"Let's focus, Pennington!"
Nodding, I felt familiar instincts returning. Where it had once seemed hopeless, there was one thing that both ponies and changelings needed to survive... Focusing, I spun the quills in the air faster and faster, feeling my horn cry out in objection as I tried to place more energy than I had into my magic. The quills were invisible to the naked eye, now, hissing through the air. I could tell that they were nearing the brink of the speed needed, but I couldn't be sure the spell would work.
"Chrysalis! Stand back!"
"What?"
"Just do it!"
The spell was simple: a fire-starter. It was something that any filly or colt could learn on their first camping trip. Casting it on three projectiles moving at bullet-like speeds, however, caused a singularly unique effect. With a single spark from my horn, the three quills burst into flames, leaving trails of fire in the air behind them. After several seconds,the fire had formed a frightening ring around me. Without givnig the king a chance to react, I flung the quills into orbit around him, bringing the fire with them. They slowly moved closer and close to his body, and without his magic, he wasn't able to stop them. The ring of flames narrowed until he could no longer move. I knew that the air around him was losing oxygen, burned up in the enchanted fire, and several of the changelings watching were beginning to notice that he was swaying from side to side. Soon, he would be unconscious, and Chrysalis and I would have only his lackeys to deal with.
Well, I hope that Chrysalis is a good fighter... I thought as I began to grow dizzy and my vision darkened. I think... I've gone too far, trying to cast this spell...
At least, that was what I thought. I was so intent and focused on the fire spell, I didn't see Chrysalis running up until it was too late. Trying to avoid being burned, the king had lifted his face away from the fire, looking as if he were trying to keep his muzzle above the reach of the orange inferno. Chrysalis had seen this and took her chance, ramming her horn into his unprotected throat.
There as a moment of silence as everyone, including myself, tried to process what had happened. Entropy choked several times, trying to breathe past both the blood and the twisted horn embedded in his neck, and slumped to the ground when she finally tore it out again. Chrysalis, breathing heavily and covered in green blood, looked down at the body and placed her hoof on his head.
"Entropy is dead! Any of you who wish to remain of his side may come and join him!"
The changelings around us were a silent as the grave. There was a brief moment when, in my light-headed stupor, I vainly thought that peace may have been established. Unfortunately, those hopes were shattered as Entropy's followers rushed in from every sight, frenzied and berserk at the sight of their dead king. Chrysalis and I both fought as long as we could, and dozens of the changelings supporting our cause had appeared, as well, but I was eventually knocked unconscious after receiving several cuts and additional wounds and beatings. The last thing I saw before I slipped into what I assumed was death's dark embrace was Chrysalis still standing by me, fighting savagely to the bitter end.
Pennington actually smiled for the first time since he had entered the room, looking up at Chrysalis with a mix of admiration and gratitude. "I wasn't dead, of course... Chrysalis had my unconscious body carried from the battlefield and put into a cocoon much like the one Celestia is in now, so that my wounds could be tended to later. Unfortunately, there are always mistakes in war, and I was nearly adopted as a permanent addition to the hive..."
"It was thanks to Pennington that I was able to rise to power as the new queen!" Chrysalis smirked, putting a hoof around his shoulders and pulling him near.
"When I woke up again, Chrysalis was about three feet taller, had become ruler of the entire hive, and saved me once again, this time from full conversion to being a changeling. I kept my identity, though there were side effects." He leaned against Chrysalis, seemingly content. "She saved my life every bit as much as Twilight and Luna, if not more. When she appeared on my doorstep asking for help, there was no way that I could deny someone I owe so much to."
"And a changeling will always remain loyal to their hive as long as the hive mind remains intact..." Chrysalis smirked. "Slicing off Entropy's horn freed us to stand up for ourselves. While he may be loyal to every word I say and every command I give... Pennington Inkwell and I both owe each other debts. That is why I was willing to listen to him when the told me to spare Cadence and Twilight's lives." She glanced up at Celestia, who had been listening to every word she said. "He insisted on a bloodless conquest of the castle, and Canterlot, if possible. We need as many prisoners as we can take, so I agreed."
"So, what? Are you two some sort of weird, inter-species couple, or something?" Moonstone hardly seemed impressed by their tale, and she still made no attempt to contain her skepticism, despite the fact that she was still a prisoner.
"No, Moonstone. Don't be ridiculous!" Pennington shook his head as he walked to his assistant. "But we were once allies in battle. There are few bonds stronger than that... And because I have a connection to the hive mind, Chrysalis's will tends to dominate over mine, that way we don't have any dissent or complications."
"Still sounds like slavery, to me."
"It's a working system. After all, you're still alive. As are Twilight, her friends, most of Canterlot, and all three of the princesses. Forgive me if I try to think of that as a victory with my own portion of my will..."
"You'll never get away with this!" Cadence shouted, brave in spite of the fact that all four of her hooves had been glued to the floor. "Twilight and her friends will-"
The doors at the front of the room flew open as Twilight and her friends were escorted in by a small group of changelings.
Looking back at Cadence, Chrysalis had a smug smirk. "You were saying?" Still wearing the grin, she turned back to Twilight and her friends. "You do realize the reception's been cancelled, don't you?" When none of them had anything to say in return, she turned to the changelings that had escorted them in. "Go, feed!"
She chuckled to herself as the changelings flew out the doors, shutting them behind. "It's funny, really. Twilight, here, was suspicious of my behavior all along! And, given the chance, I'm certain that Pennington would have revealed what was going on, as well!" She pointed back at Pennington, whose appearance elicited a chorus of gasps from those of Twilight's friends who hadn't seen him in such a state before. "But it's too bad that all of you were caught up in your wedding planning to realize those suspicions were correct! And poor little Penny just couldn't raise a hoof against his queen!"
"I'm sorry, Twilight..." Pennington looked down at the ground in shame.
"And so are we..." Applejack shook her head.
"It's not your faults, she fooled everypony!" Twilight shook her head.
"Hmm, I did, didn't I?" She smirked as she walked to the nearby window. "Pennington..."
"Yes, Chrysalis?"
"Twilight Sparkle is one of the most key users of the Elements of Harmony, correct?"
"Yes, your highness."
"And one of the most powerful unicorns in Equestria, correct?"
"As far as I know, my queen."
"Will she ever stop fighting us?"
Pennington looked to Twilight, who gave Chrysalis the most fierce glare that she could, then shook her head at him.
"No, your highness."
"Then she is nothing but a threat to ourselves and the hive. Without her, one of Equestria's greatest weapons is useless. If you wish to make up for your previous mistakes, then you can do so now." She turned to look at Pennington, her eyes glowing as she used her influence to its fullest.
"Pennington Inkwell, I command you to kill Twilight Sparkle."
"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.
Twilight smiled as she stood alongside her brother at the real wedding ceremony. Planning it had been a piece of cake, with Cadence being absolutely delighted at every idea her friends had. She'd gone to visit Pennington whenever she'd had a spare moment, but he had still been unconscious every time.
Now, however, everything was going according to plan. The wedding had gone off without a hitch, Cadence was walking down the aisle, and she could swear that she'd spotted Pennington and Moonstone hiding in the back of the room, trying not to be seen. She and her friends were all present and uninjured as the bridesmaids. Looking at her brother once again, Twilight frowned and straightened the insignia on his chest.
"So, seriously, I can understand why the queen of the changelings would want to be with you, but how did you get somepony as great as Cadence to marry you?"
"I told her that she wouldn't just be gaining a husband, she'd be getting a pretty great sister, too!" He winked.
Cadence and Shining Armor exchanged a loving glance for a moment as Celestia began to speak.
"Mares and gentlecolts. We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of the real Princess Mi Amore Cadenza-"
"'Princess Cadence' is fine..." Cadence whispered.
"The union of Princess Cadence and Shining Armor." Celestia smiled. "The strength of their commitment is clear. The power of their love: undeniable. May we have the rings, please?"
Spike proudly presented the rings to Celestia, who slipped them onto the horns of the bride and groom.
"I now pronounce you... mare and colt!" The crowd erupted into screams of delight as the ceremony was finally and properly completed. As the newlyweds stepped out onto the balcony, Celestia leaned down to Twilight.
"This is your victory as much as theirs. You persisted in the face of doubt, and your actions led to your being able to bring the real Princess Cadence back to us. Learning to trust your instincts is a valuable lesson."
Twilight smiled and nodded. Cadence and Shining were kissing on the balcony as Rainbow Dash took to the air to perform her sonic rainboom. Her interest, however, was on making her way to the back of the hall. It took a good amount of time for her to find Pennington standing in the furthest corner, propping Moonstone up on his back. She almost didn't recognize him in the robin's-egg-blue suit he was wearing, and his darkened hair had been pushed back down against his head in a formal style. It was a far cry from his normal, disheveled self, and the morose look on his face made him look more as if he were attending a funeral. Even Moonstone had a small dress of a similar blue color, and a tiny bow adorning the spines on her head. It was strange to see the two of them dressed up and acting formal (with the exception of Moonstone's gigantic grin at the sight of the couple. When the ceremony had finished, Twilight had spotted her clapping wildly and jumping up and down on Pennington's back).
"Pennington! You made it!" Twilight rushed forward, but quickly caught herself. "Are you okay to-"
"It should be fine. Just don't touch my head." He forced a smile as Twilight moved in to give him a tight hug, then a kiss on the cheek.
"How do you feel?"
"Aside from like I've lost a limb and split my skull down the middle?" He chuckled weakly, and Twilight could tell that his heart wasn't in the joke. "I feel like total and utter fecal matter. On the bright side, though, Chrysalis won't go tempting me any time soon. Whatever is left of the changelings in my body is going to stay an agent unto itself." He glanced down at the floor. "I never wanted to hurt you, Twilight... You know that I'd rather-" He was cut off as Twilight leaned forward, planting a kiss on his lips. After a few seconds, she pulled away again, smiling at the flabbergasted look on his face.
"The only thing that hurt me was that you had to go through all of this." She glanced up at what was left of his horn. It was a jagged stump. She hadn't managed to take a good look at it earlier, but seeing it now, she could tell that it hadn't been a clean cut, like she'd assumed. She could only imagine that the initial striking of the sword had sent a crack through the structure, and any other motion before the sword had dissolved away had simply served to drive the crack through completely. Even as she stared, though, a pair of violet claws came gently down over it, and Moonstone looked down at her. Immediately, Twilight realized that she was being rude, and drew her gaze back down again.
"Luna wants to talk to me about some kind of replacement between the ceremony and the reception tonight..." Pennington was back to forcing his smile. "She should be here any minute."
"I never wanted any of this to happen..." Twilight shook her head. "When I asked you for that story all that time ago..."
"But you've been trying to fix it ever since, and it brought a lot more good into my life than bad!" He gave her a genuine smile, walking forward and kissing her cheek again. "I'd do it all exactly the same if I needed to."
Twilight felt tears brimming up in her eyes.
"Besides, I was the one who did all the crazy stuff! You just asked me for a story." He wrapped a hoof around her shoulders, pulling her in close. "And I gave you an adventure. Don't be sad, because a sad adventure never does any good! Focus on the good, make it happy!" When she slowly let her go again, Princess Luna had appeared next to them, looking on with a smile. "You go on ahead and congratulate your brother. He's a lucky stallion. I have to go and put the finishing touches on this story. The adventure's almost over."
"If you're ready, Pennington." Luna nodded. "I hate to tear apart the tearful reunion, but we need to get your horn tended to as soon as possible."
"Pennington, if you want..." Twilight smiled. "I can help you with your rehabilitation at the library. If you're planning on ever using magic again, you're going to have to put a lot of work into building up your strength..."
Pennington was about to reply when another alicorn joined the group, seemingly out of nowhere.
"Penington! You're alright!" Cadence shouted, running up and wrapping him in a hug. After a few awkward seconds where Pennington didn't seem to know how to react, she released him and made way for Shining Armor, who settled for a firm hoofshake.
"Good to see you turned out alright, Penn. It's nice to see you alive and well again."
"Princess! Captain!" Pennington immediately dropped to one knee, bowing his head. "I got your message saying that you wanted me to come... and I wish to apologize for-"
"Cadence explained everything, Pennington, including who wrote the letter." Shining smiled, taking Pennington's hoof and prompting him to stand up again. "There's nothing to be sorry for. In fact, I should be thanking you. You saved my wife and my sister from being killed by the queen, if my sources are correct. And at a great cost..."
"Are you healing well?" Cadence asked, examining him as best she could. "That injury in your side when you jumped in front of Chrysalis's attack, your horn..."
"The wound to my side is going to leave a scar, but otherwise is going to be cosmetic with a few potions from an old friend of mine. She knows a lot about elixirs for restoring lost and seared flesh." He glanced at Twilight, whose face was demanding answers for later. "As for my horn, I was actually just about to go with Luna to discuss my options for treatment and replacement."
Shining and Cadence both looked at one another, still unsure.
"The wedding was beautiful, by the way!" Pennington smiled again. "I'm certainly glad that my service to the changelings was in vain!"
"And your efforts against them were few, but potent." Cadence smiled, but a look of worry quickly crossed it afterwards. "So... Without your horn-"
"I'm a free agent. They'll never be able to control me like that again." He chuckled. "I'm unfortunately always going to have the potential to give in to those instincts, but they'll never be able to order me around against my will. There's no need to fret on my account, your highness. I won't be hurting you or your husband again."
Cadence and Shining Armor both looked at one another.
"We weren't worried about that, Pennington! We know that you're a good pony, and you wouldn't do anything like that!"
"Well, at least you know that. I'm not so certain." Pennington shook his head. "Thank you for your generous forgiveness, your highnesses, but I'm afraid that I have to leave. You might see me at the reception." With that, he turned and walked slowly out the door, trying to hide the fact that he was still in large amounts of pain. As he left, Moonstone turned around to look at them from his back, giving an apologetic shrug.
"Wow, way to be a stick in the mud..." Moonstone muttered as they walked down the hallway. Pennington rolled his eyes, not saying anything. When he didn't reply, she jumped down off of his back and began walking alongside him.
"Hey, Penn! Come on, chin up! You told me you'd try to be peppy, or at least happy!"
"Would you rather I give a lying smile?" He muttered. "My best attempt to bring any kind of genuine happiness was to go to the ceremony... I was only happy when I first realized that they weren't mad at me." He shook his head lightly, and his pace began to slow. "But it only made me realize just how much I hate myself for what happened."
"So, your self-esteem is at an all-time low?" She asked, receiving a nod in reply. "Penn, what could you have done? Chrysalis wasn't exactly a vampire that needed your permission to come in! She would have found a way to get to you. And even if she hadn't, she was probably crafty enough to get into Canterlot and do all of this by herself! The only difference that you made was to save Cadence and Twilight, and probably hold back the invasion for several days!" She gave him a playful punch in the shoulder. "You were operating behind enemy lines!"
"I wanted to do it, Moonstone." He whispered. "If I'd felt that I had a choice in the matter, I would honestly have weighed the option of killing her, just to make Chrysalis happy."
Moonstone paused for a moment, stopping in her tracks. "Then... why didn't you?"
"Because I made a promise." Pennington stopped a few steps ahead of her after he realized that she had stopped walking. "I promised Twilight that there was one thing Chrysalis could never make me do... I promised myself that I wouldn't kill. I drew a line, and I vowed that I wouldn't cross it with my horn still attached to my head... And if I needed to slice myself up, I wouldn't think about what I was doing or why I was doing it. I would have run myself on my own sword before I killed somepony else, most of all Twilight." At this point, his eyes were brimming with tears, and turned back to walking down the long hallway, now dragging his hooves completely.
Moonstone ran to catch up, jumping onto his back. "You know what, Penn? You should be celebrating!"
"Why would I-"
"Well, you're getting a brand new horn, you stopped anypony we love from getting hurt, and we're never going to have to worry about Chrysalis again! Come on, let's treat ourselves once we get to the reception! Pig out on cake, have a little too much cider! For pony's sake, just make this a night worth remembering! Then, when we get home, you can blow your emergency bits on Bon Bon's candy, and we'll see who can eat more!" She quickly pulled her dress up and over her head, tossing it to the side and tugging the bow out of her spines. "We'll get you outta that suit and have some fun!"
Pennington finally cracked a smile, looking up at her.
"Well, I hope that the two of you will leave some cake for Celestia! She has a bit of a sweet tooth!" Luna laughed as she strolled up alongside them. "Pennington, Captain Armor was hoping to talk to you later about how you and Chrysalis made it into Canterlot undetected... I have to admit, I'm rather curious, myself!"
"O-of course!" Pennington immediately stood up straight, the smile growing wider and less sincere in front of the princess. He was trying to look far less depressed than he was, but it wasn't working well. "We came in through the caves beneath Canterlot! There's an opening in the cliffs that goes into a system leading all of the way to the surface!"
Luna gently tapped her chin, nodding her head. "Those caves haven't been much of an issue for a long time, according to what Celestia told me. We'll look into giving a partition of guards the duty of guarding them." They continued walking, with Luna making the decisions about what turns they took in the halls of the huge castle. There were several minutes of silence between the three of them, with Pennington wrapped in his thoughts and Moonstone and Luna respectfully not asking him to share them.
"So, regarding your horn... What were you thinking?"
Pennington frowned and looked downwards in thought. "Well, an alchemical option seems like the best choice. If I ever get my magic back, I'm going to want to do more than just basic levitation and lighting spells..." He shook his head, looking back up again. "But I don't want to just ask you for some kind of rare agent! I mean, most of them are found by sheer luck, aren't they? Enchanted ores? Mythical beasts?"
"Well, there's one agent that most ponies don't know about, because it's so difficult to take from its source..." Moonstone piped up. She'd been walking between Pennington and Luna, quietly waiting. "But we actually could acquire it rather easily..."
Pennington blinked in surprise. "Really? What is it?"
"You're not going to like it, Penn."
"What do you mean?"
Luna and Moonstone exchanged a glance.
"Look, just tell me! If it'll help me get my magic back, then why not?" Pennington looked between the two of them, quickly becoming irritated.
"Well, one of the reasons most ponies don't know is to prevent any kind of poaching, or murder... depending on your species." Luna looked from side to side, assuring that they were alone. "But, if she would be willing to..."
Moonstone rolled her eyes, staring Pennington dead in the eye. "Dragon's blood, Penn. Dragons are pretty magical! The older the family, like mine, the better."
The two stared at one another for a moment, Pennington processing what she had said.
"No! No way!" Pennington shook his head, backing away from Moonstone. "You're not going to be shedding blood over me!"
Moonstone rolled her eyes. "It's my blood! I'll do what I want with it! I'm old enough to make my own decisions!" She crossed her arms over her chest.
"No, you're not! Not about something like that!" Pennington shook his head again, looking to Luna for support. "I mean, you're what? Twelve years old? Thirteen?"
Luna and Moonstone each smirked at one another for a moment, trying to contain their giggles. After a few seconds, a loud snort pushed it's way past Moonstone's efforts to contain herself, and she fell backwards with laughter, and Luna began to laugh, as well.
"What? What's so funny?"
"You- you really don't understand how dragons grow up, do you?" Moonstone sat up, wiping a tear from her eye.
"Well, I know that they grow up much more slowly than ponies do, and can remain at a mature age almost indefinitely..." Pennington muttered.
"Do you know how old I am?"
"Well, I did, until you started laughing at me..." Pennington sat down, his face twisting into a frustrated pout.
Moonstone stood up, walked over to Pennington, and quietly whispered in his ear. As she did, his eyes grew wide with surprise, and he stared at her as if seeing her for the first time, prompting another fit of giggles from Luna.
"You're kidding. You've GOT to be kidding!"
"Nope!"
"But that-"
"Yes, Pennington." Moonstone placed a reassuring claw on his shoulder. "It means I'm the older one in our partnership. Now, then, as the older one, I am willing to sacrifice a little blood when you've essentially hacked off a limb! Agreed?"
There was a brief moment of silence as Pennington thought to himself.
"But... Don't dragons mature more slowly, too?"
Moonstone and Luna both rolled their eyes.
"I'll make all the arrangements, Moonstone." Luna smiled. "Would tomorrow work for the two of you?"
"Well, yes..." Pennington sighed. "Are you sure about this, Moonstone?"
"Ponies donate blood all the time! How bad can it be?"
Pennington and Moonstone stared at one another for another moment before wrapping one another in a loving hug. Luna looked on, admiring her good pairing of the two as protege and assistant.
"Now that we've gotten all of this sorted out, We have some down time before the reception, which is taking place later tonight..." She opened the door that they had stopped in front of, revealing a darkened room. "I would like to discuss your punishment, Pennington..."
Pennington and Moonstone finally let go of their hug, each peering into the darkness. Moonstone, who seemed to be able to see inside with ease, rolled her eyes and smiled. Pennington, of course, could only see inky blackness.
"You're going to be my punching bag for today, Pennington!"
"What?" Pennington's eyes grew wide with surprise.
"Relax, Penn." Moonstone chuckled as a large headset floated out from the darkness and onto Luna's ears. "She means in video games."
"Tia and I can't seem to find anypony who can give me any real competition, so I tend to run through opponents pretty quickly..." There was a hint of maliciousness in her smile. "Tia thought that it would be sweet justice, since Scorching Quill was the one who told me to 'acquaint myself with the times' and 'get some online interaction.'" She grinned. "So, I made myself this little 'gaming den!' Now, I realized I'm pretty good at it, so I can't find anypony who can play against me for very long! We'll play hooves-only matches."
Pennington looked up at the Princess, then smiled. "So... Your punishment for me is to play video games?"
"Well, there's a small twist, but you'll figure it out the first time you lose." Luna nodded.
"Only if Moonstone gets to be on my team!"
"Fine... Maybe her claws will give you an advantage!" Luna chuckled. "We'll start simple: Space Invaders. After that, we'll work our way up to the more complex stuff. Let's see if you can survive until the reception!"
"Hello, everypony! Did I miss anything?" Luna asked as she fluttered to the ground, looking on at the bride and groom dancing together.
Twilight and her friends rolled their eyes as Pinkie ran off to start the more exciting music.
"Did you take my advice?" Celestia whispered.
"He seemed pretty surprised when he realized we were using the 'punishment headsets...'" She whispered in reply, trying to restrain herself from laughing. "I think he'll recover from the electric shocks in a few hours."
"Did you turn it up the voltage for him?"
"Oh, all the way! I was having so much fun, I lost track of the time!"
The two princesses laughed together periodically through the rest of the night, and burst into laughter when a frazzled-looking Pennington Inkwell arrived at the party almost an hour late, leaning on Moonstone again. He refused to admit why he was late, which only made the princesses laugh harder when nopony was looking.
Final Score: (In shocks given to other player) Princess Luna: 104 Pennington Inkwell: 1
Pennington shuddered as he swallowed another mouthful of Zecora's home-brewed elixir. The brew left a bitter taste in his mouth, but with every sip, he felt stronger. The holes in his legs were essentially gone, now, but he still kept the bandages wrapped around them. The new look was growing on him, and made for a good excuse in case he began having trouble with the old wounds opening up under stress. Moonstone was still exploring the zebra's home, examining the masks and other cultural artifacts.
"I know the taste does not appeal, but tell me, friend, how do you feel?" Zecora smiled.
"I feel more like myself again. I can't hear the hive mind, anymore... so there's a bit more peace and quiet in my brain." He look another sip, swallowing before he had time to taste. "The wound in my side is practically unnoticeable, and my horn has stopped hurting. You're really a miracle worker!" He gave her a brief smile and set aside the cup, still almost half-full.
"In your physical healing, I'm glad to take part, but what I question right now is the state of your heart!" She frowned slightly as she took the cup from where he had set it, assuming that he had finished. "Wounds of the body are a simple remedy. Wounds of the mind are a serious malady!" Looking down into the cup, she rolled her eyes and placed it back where he had put it down.
"I'm-" Pennington seemed as if he were about to assure her that he was fine, but cut himself off again, taking the time to think his way through his words. "My magic still hasn't come back, and I'm starting to doubt that it ever will. I know that these things take time, but it's been almost two weeks, and I still can't even lift a quill! All this new horn does is sputter and spark!" Frustrated, Pennington reached up and gently flicked at the horn. It was slightly longer and sharper than his original horn had been, and a pony who knew that it was a fake might have been able to notice a slight discoloration compared to the color of the base.
Zecora spent a moment in thought, gently tapping her chin with her hoof. "When it comes to regaining your magic abilities, I would say that, right now, there are two possibilities. The first is that your wound was simply too great. Destroying your magic with itself leaves room for debate..."
"You mean- Because I used my own magic to cut off my horn, it will never come back?"
"Or this time, for your magic, is not a good season. If you want to have strength, you must have a good reason. The source of enchantment-" She gently prodded at his chest, "is here, not your horn! And I can tell that right here, you only give yourself scorn."
Pennington looked down, staring at her hoof poking at his chest. After a few seconds, she sighed and stepped away again.
"I doubt Callalily would admire self-reproof. If she were here, I know she would-"
"Oh, leave Lily out of it, would you?" Pennington grumbled, walking to the corner of the room and sitting down. "You always thought the two of us were meant to be, but we're not! Now is not the time to be pressuring me about it! My lessons with Twilight are the only things giving me the will to keep going!"
Zecora was about to speak again, but Moonstone finally chirped up from the other room.
"Um, Zecora? I can't find that ingredient you asked for!"
Both Pennington and Zecora stared at the door, each confused.
"Moonstone, my dear! There's no need to fear! I didn't ask you to retrieve! Right here I have all that I need!"
"Are you sure? Then what am I supposed to do with all this other stuff? I mean, I got heart's desire, birch lye, dayshade... Didn't you ask for all this in a poultice?"
Zecora's eyes grew wide as she rushed out of the room. Moonstone stepped out a few seconds later, trying her best to withhold a fit of snickers. Pennington raised an eyebrow in suspicion. Moonstone simply shrugged.
"Sounded like things were getting awkward, so I changed the subject."
"What was all that?"
"Well, when you combine those, they're kinda volatile... If you add a bit of mint extract, then they make a strong sleeping drought. If you leave them too long without the extract... An overcomplicated stink bomb."
"Moonstone!"
"You can thank me later for bailing you out."
When Zecora returned, she was carrying a small bowl.
"Regardless of your thoughts, Penn, I will simply say it again: you need to rest, that would be best!"
Pennington slowly nodded. "I would if I could, but, I just can't seem to settle down! What happened with Chrysalis... It just won't leave me alone!"
Zecora tapped her chin in thought. "The princess forgave you, and the captain, as well... Is it possible you haven't forgiven yourself?"
Pennington let out a long sigh, leaning back.
"No, no I haven't... I can't."
Dear Princess Luna,
There's been little progress. I've been spending my evenings and nights with Zecora and Twilight, one focusing on rejuvenating my body and healing my wounds, and the other focusing on my magic and my heart... Only one of them is being successful. It's been two and a half weeks of daily lessons, and my magic literally cannot so much as rustle a feather. I know that it is still early, but I have rarely felt so powerless in my life... and I am beginning to lose what little hope I had.
As you can probably tell by the far superior penmanship, Moonstone and I have been practicing dictation. My hoof quickly grows tired, and I cannot use my magic to lift a quill. There were a few bugs in the system, at first (No, he was just being stubborn! -Moonstone), but we quickly worked them out. I truly couldn't ask for a better assistant or friend during my recovery. She's been nothing but supportive of me, and was the one who finally convinced me of the redeeming qualities of dictation. Putting aside the classical aesthetic of a quill and inkwell, I've begun also experimenting in different, less strenuous methods of writing. Moonstone and Applejack even went so far as to put together a gift basket, of sorts, full of pens, pencils, and erasers, and other such supplies.
I'm taking your advice about being genuine with the ponies around me, by the way. I'm going to allow my hair and tail to grow out in their natural colors... Ever since Applejack and I learned how to get along better, I'm less and less angry towards my extended family, though I still don't fit in.
So regarding your choice to keep me as your protege... I have a question regarding my assignment to create a new beastiary... Should it include creatures not indigenous to Equestria?
"Come on, Pennington!" Twilight urged, eyes focused on his horn. "You just need to get a good grip on it, then you pull up! Just like grabbing something with your hoof."
Pennington, standing in the center of the library, was sweating and grunting as he angrily stared down the quill sitting in front of him. With another grunt, his new horn sputtered to life, flashing and sparking several times before eventually going dark again.
"Yeah... Just like grabbing something with your hoof... While it's asleep... And your leg is dislocated..." He muttered, storming to the table and snatching up the quill with his hoof, glaring at it as if it were the source of his struggles.
Twilight let out a long sigh. "Penny, it's been three hours, just like every night. Maybe we just need to stop and let you rest for a bit..."
"Yeah, well, maybe this thing is just defective!" Pennington reached up and tapped the replacement horn, putting the quill down again. "I mean, it feels like it isn't even there!"
The replacement had, at his request, been slightly longer than his previous horn, and ended in a sharper tip. When he had first had it attached, it had been a muddy-brown color. Lily had quickly found a dye of it to match his original color, but the trained eye could spot the place where it had been attached. Twilight was surprised that Luna had managed to find an alchemical agent so quickly, but Pennington had been given his new horn before they left Canterlot. His ability to use it, however, seemed to be taking much longer.
"Watch it, Penn!" Moonstone called from the corner, where she had been dozing. Spike had chosen to lay upstairs, watching them from above, but Moonstone seemed to be growing tired of watching the same thing night after night, and taken the extra time to catch up on her sleep. Occasionally, however, she would pipe up with some kind of remark. Sometimes she would be helpful, sometimes not. "Don't forget the blood, sweat and tears that went into making that!"
Pennington took a deep breath, calming down. If he was still angry, he hid it well. "You know what, Twi? You're right. We've been working too hard. I'm going to go back home and have a tall glass of strong lemonade, then get back to writing my summary on changelings." With a tired smile, he walked up to Twilight, kissing her on the cheek. "Lots to do, plenty to write! Thanks for the help, beautiful..."
"Any time, Penn..." She smiled, blushing at his affection. "Same time tomorrow?"
"You got it!" He smiled, grinning as she returned the kiss on his cheek. "See you tomorrow!" With a nod to Spike, he trotted to the door. Pausing, he turned back around. "Moonstone? Are you coming?"
Moonstone stretched from her reclined position in the corner, slowly opening her eyes. "I'll catch up, Penn! I almost forgot that I need to grab a book on Old Draconian for my studies!"
"Well... Just hurry" Pennington seemed somewhat disappointed, but when Moonstone nodded, he walked out the front door, taking the time to close it behind him with his hoof.
"Old Draconian?" Twilight's brow furrowed in concentration. "I don't think that I have any reference materials about-"
"That was to get him to go. I wanted to talk to you on my own, where he can't hear." She shook her head.
"Why? What's the big secret?" Spike asked, still looking down on them from the next floor up."
"I think that Pennington is planning another trip. A big one." She shook her head.
"What?"
Looking directly into Twlight's eyes, Moonstone's gaze softened. "And I want to ask you not to stop him."
"WHAT?" Twilight shook her head in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding me! What do you want me to do? Encourage him? Without his magic? In the state that he's in?"
"Precisely because of 'the state that he's in!'" Moonstone shook her head. "Twilight, he puts on a brave face for you so that you don't worry, but you don't see him when no one is watching!" Sitting down on the edge of the tabletop, she spoke to Twilight at eye level. "Do you know what he does all day? If he was introverted before, he's at least twice as bad, now!" Motioning to the door Pennington had left through, she shook her head. "Because he hasn't set hoof in daylight since he came back!"
Twilight was surprised, but as far as she knew, Moonstone was telling the truth. The few dates that she and Pennington had gone on together had always been by moonlight. She'd always thought that he was simply trying to be romantic, but... Does he seriously not want to go out in sunlight? Why?
"He doesn't eat." Moonstone shook her head. "I've practically had to force-feed him, and I've come close to ramming a decent meal down his throat with my own claws! I want to help him recover, but he's not letting me any more... The only thing he eats or drinks of his own volition is that lemon juice and honey mix."
"But- I don't understand! I mean, he seemed like he was doing so well after everything that happened!"
"He doesn't even write any more..." Moonstone looked down, her eyes beginning to water. "I mean, he says he's been writing, but he just picks up the quill and scratches at the paper until it's torn to shreds! Applejack and I bought him pencils and pens and all those things that would make it easier for him to write because we knew that it was his only outlet for all of these negative emotions! Now he just stares at the scraps once he's finished. Sometimes, when he thinks I'm asleep, I find him upstairs in the only bedroom in the house, crying into the pillow like a mourning child." The tears dropped silently into her lap, but her voice was beginning to crack with her grief. "He's torturing himself, Twilight, and I watch it day by day!" After taking a moment to collect herself, she wiped the tears away.
"Other nights, when I wake up, I find him pouring over maps. Inside Equestria, outside Equestria, I've seen them all. He and I never say a word on those nights about what he's thinking, and he never seems surprised to see me. He asks for the occasional mapping tool, but that's all the exchange we ever have. He's plotting a path, weighing his options about where to go."
"But- why would he want to leave? He has so much for himself here!" Twilight shook her head, not wanting to admit how much Moonstone's words sounded like something Pennington would do.
"Did you ever think that was just it?" Spike spoke up, sitting with his legs dangling off the edge of Twilight's bed. "I mean, Pennington refused to kill for Chrysalis, but... the other changelings didn't care. If he really blames himself for what happened the way I would, he probably feels like he doesn't deserve very much right now, and you're all forcing it on him!" With a small burst and a flash of green flame, a small scrap of paper appeared in his claw. "I never put anything like that into my own 'Spike the Dragon' Code, but if I felt responsible for somepony's death, I don't know if I'd feel like I even deserve to live any more!"
Twilight's eyes widened with fear. "Th- Then you mean-"
"Don't worry, Twilight. If Penn was going to kill himself, he would have taken that sword down off his wall a long time ago. I get the feeling that he's too afraid to do it." Moonstone shook her head. "But Spike's right. We're trying with all of our might to get him to cheer up and be happy after he lost control over absolutely everything in his life... Maybe we're not giving him enough control? If we take away his ability to leave his home, whether or not he continues to live might be the only thing left he feels he has control over." Moonstone shook her head. "That's why we would need to let him go... or that nightmare might become a reality."
"Well, then I'm going with him!" Twilight's eyes narrowed. "I'm packing my bags and going with him!"
"Because having to drag you, kicking and screaming, along with him is definitely going to make him feel like he's making his own decisions..." Spike muttered.
"Spike has a point, Twilight." Moonstone spoke up before she could react to the sarcasm. "He might invite you to come along, but you can't forget that I'm going to be there every step of the way!" She placed a gentle claw on Twilight's shoulder. "The fact that I'm the one he's willing to let see him cry speaks volumes about the fact that I can do the most good for him right now. Besides, you need to stay here and take care of Spike." She nodded towards the green-and-purple dragon in question. "After all, he's still just a baby dragon."
"So are you!" Spike argued, prompting a cynical glance from the dragonet.
"Spike, please. By the time I was your age, I was on my way to Canterlot to leave the nest and serve the Princess!" She rolled her eyes. "You weren't even hatched yet."
Both Twilight and Spike seemed to momentarily lose their trains of thought, staring at her in confusion.
"But that means you're at least-"
"Anyway, Twilight, you know what we need to do... for his own good... So I'm begging you! Please, if Pennington leaves, let him go! If you don't, I can't guarantee that he'll be as safe as he would be with me out there in the world..." She hopped down from the table's edge. "Luna asked me to be his assistant knowing that I'd have to take care of him out in that big, wide, scary world. You won't need to be afraid. I'll be the one making sure he doesn't get himself killed out there."
Twilight felt her heart sink a little at the statement, in spite of the intent to reassure. But... That's MY job...
"But, if he leaves, what will happen to our relationship?" She asked quietly.
"I don't think that he'd be willing to tell me if I asked." Moonstone shook her head. "But... the nights he eats are the nights he's been out spending time with you. The nights you two go out for a date, he goes to sleep at a reasonable hour and doesn't wake up again until morning. I don't think that, after what happened with Trixie, he would just lead you on, only to abandon you later. I can do good for him at home, but you're the one making him think leaving the house is worth it. Even when he doesn't feel like he deserves to walk in the light of the sun." Walking over to a shelf, she picked a book and pulled it out.
"Hmm... 'The Lunar Conquest: 1000 Years of Adventure.' Do you mind if I borrow this?"
Twilight shook her head. With a quiet nod to herself, Moonstone slipped the book under her arm. As she walked to the door, however, Twilight couldn't help but speak.
"Moonstone?"
Turning back to look at her, the two mutually exchanged a weak, melancholy smile.
"Thank you for warning me about all of this."
"Thank you, Twilight. I'm worried about him just as much as you are, and it's good to have someone to confide in." With a final nod, Moonstone slipped out the door, silently closing it behind her.
Twilight took a deep breath. It had been almost three days since Moonstone had given her the warning about Pennington's trip, and he had said nothing to her, himself. Now, her parents had finally come to visit, and Pennington had joined them for dinner, as he'd promised. The table was set, and all of them were waiting for her in the main room of the library, and she had left under the guise of needing to retrieve another pitcher of water.
I'll talk to him about it once my parents have left... I can't take the suspense any more! She shook her head. Where is he going? WHY is he going? What is going to happen with us?
Taking a deep breath to settle herself before she fell into an obsessively nervous episode, she plastered across her face and stepped back out, where her three guests were all chatting happily.
"So, Pennington..." Her mother smiled, looking at him from across the table. "Twilight told us all about your 'adventures,' including some interesting facts about your nom de plume..."
Twilight had barely stepped through the kitchen door before she found herself horrified again.
"P-Pennington! I'm so sorry! It was when you were sick! I-I was just scared and I needed to talk to someone about it! I didn't mean to give away-"
"It's okay, Twilight... Quite frankly, provided that your parents are better at keeping secrets than you are, it would be a relief not to have to keep up some kind of front about it." Pennington smiled, lifting his glass to her mother before taking a drink. "I really just don't want the word out because my mother would practically have a heart attack if she found out what I've been doing..."
"What? You mean your own parents don't know?" Twilight's father asked, surprised.
"If they did, what good would it do? They'd always be worried about me, probably chew me out over a few of the events in my previous books, and my father has never had a high opinion of Scorching Quill..." He rolled his eyes slightly, chuckling. "You wouldn't believe some of the tricks I've had to use to avoid interviews with my 'intrepid reporter' of a dad." After a moment of pushing at his food with his fork, he set it down again.
"Twilight told me that you do some writing yourself, Miss Velvet?"
Twilight's mother's face flushed slightly, but she nodded. "I've dabbled, written a few novels myself..."
"I took the liberty of checking out a few copies from the library, actually. Very impressive! I was riveted!" He smiled. "Which brings me to a rather important point... I wanted to ask you for your help. Or, depending on how you look at it, offer you an opportunity." Looking over to where Spike and Moonstone were enjoying a large plate of gemstones, he gave his assistant a knowing nod, which she returned, running over to pick up his bag.
"I'm afraid that, ever since the Royal Wedding, my health has been on a steep decline. I've done my best to hide it from Twilight, since I didn't want her to worry about me, being the dynamic, kind mare that she is..." When Moonstone handed him his bag, he quickly undid the strap, reaching inside before picking up a large bundle of paper tied with read yarn. "It's taken some time for me to realize that the only thing that can really save me from becoming ill to the point of death or suicide would be a drastic change of scenery... Meaning that I've been planning on leaving Equestria for some time." All three of them seemed about to comment on the statement, but Pennington held up his hoof, begging for a moment more.
"This is a manuscript that I haven't been able to finish: Daring Do and the Quest for the Alicorn Amulet. I've given it every effort I can, and spent hours pouring over it, trying to figure out what it needs... but I just can't bring myself to work on it any longer. I was wondering whether or not you'd be able to take a look at it and see what I can't, think of something I couldn't..." He passed the bundle of papers across the table, where Twilight Velvet picked it up into the air with her magic, staring at him hesitantly.
"Why? I mean, if you really do just write from experience, why not just use your memories?"
"Bad memories, I guess. This came just before a time in my life I wouldn't want to relive in a hundred thousand years..." He shook his head. "But, I'd like to offer you this manuscript. You can rewrite it however you wish, make whatever changes you like, I'll give you full creative liberty... Only on the condition that you make sure it gets published as the next installment in the series, and under whatever name you choose to use. All authorship needs to go to you, along with royalties, credit for the book, and other profits of any kind."
Silence fell like a stone. It was several moments before Pennington forced a breaking of the stillness.
"In all likelihood, I won't be able to write on this trip, and it's already been more than half a year since the last time I published a new book... " He shook his head. "I just don't want to feel like I'm abandoning the readers..."
"And what about me?" Twilight finally spoke up, drawing the attention to herself. "Do you feel like you're abandoning me?"
Silence fell again, and again, Pennington was the first to break it.
"I'm here, aren't I? If I was going to abandon you, I would have left early in the morning or late at night, before you woke up. However, that didn't stop you from trying to follow me and track me down, last time, did it? When we were at the border and I tried to leave you behind so you'd just go home?" He looked straight into her eyes, and Twilight found herself surprised at the deadness of his stare. Pennington had always kept some kind of exploratory look, some glimmer of eagerness and excitement, but he hadn't been making much eye contact with her ever since the wedding, not even during their lessons. Now, she could see why: that glimmer was gone. The exploratory gaze had been turned inward, leaving only a still darkness behind.
"I wouldn't abandon you in a thousand years if it weren't for your own protection, Twilight, like how I sent you away from the hive when I was captured..." He took a deep breath, looking down at his plate. "But I've been doing a lot of thinking ever since I- ...ever since my connection to the hive was severed. The entire fiasco with the wedding could have been avoided if I had just listened to you. If I had just stopped to think about what I was doing!" His hoof pounded down on the table, punctuating his remark. "Did I ever realize why I've been going on these harebrained adventures? I mean, yes, they make a good story, but my books were just an excuse. I went because it wanted to. It was stupid, reckless, and dangerous. That was why. I never thought about the fact that I was invading their home for my own pleasure, possibly upsetting forces that I couldn't control. It didn't matter, just so long as I got the thrill of the danger." He shook his head, tears beginning to well up in his eyes. "I always thought that the compass on my cutie mark just represented that I love to go 'adventuring,' and everyone always encouraged me to do so. I would go out, do whatever I wanted without consequence, sometimes bring back a pretty or powerful souvenir, and then be given a hero's welcome... Ponies being helped by what I did was always just a happy coincidence!"
"But now, the scales tipped the other way: my disregard didn't help ponies, it hurt them. Some were even killed in that invasion, and it was my fault! Chrysalis couldn't make me kill you, but the other changelings didn't care at all!" He shook his head again. "Twilight, I don't want to- I can't- believe that my cutie mark could be for something that could destroy a family or take a life! That can't be my destiny! It took a pretty blinding light, but I think I can finally see, now, that my 'adventuring' has just been selfish, done purely for the adrenaline and the praise... And seeing my own greed makes me retch." When he finally looked up at her again, silent tears were running down either side of his muzzle. "I don't want to go... I don't! But I can't live like this, believing that my destiny can leave a foal crying in the street for his dying mother. Somewhere, a little filly is still wondering why her daddy never came home from work on guard duty. I cannot live knowing that my talent rolls the dice of joy and tragedy with the repercussions of my actions!" He took a deep, shuddering breath.
"You saved my identity from being lost to the hive, Twilight, but I think I lost 'who I am' in Canterlot... And I'm going to make sure that the change ends for the better... one way or another." He silently wiped away the tears with one hoof. "So, I need to go and learn what my cutie mark means. I need to find out if that reckless disregard for others is who I really am... And the only way that I can do that is to leave and go far away from everything that comprises the life I've been living under that illusion. No more books, no more trips to Canterlot, no more disguises... Just me, trying to discover who I really am. Please, Twilight, I'm begging you to understand..."
The two of them stared for a moment, and Twilight's eyes finally turned down towards the floor, locked in thought.
"You expected me not to? After all that we've been through and all that you've told me?" When she looked up again, her eyes were filled with tears, as well.
"I remember how overjoyed I was the day that I found my cutie mark! It was the same day that Princess Celestia asked me to be her protege! If I were to look back and see that that day was wrong... that my cutie mark had lied to me? I don't think I could bear to believe that I had been living the wrong destiny." Standing up and walking to Pennington, she took hold of him and pressed his crying face into her shoulder. "Of course I would understand why you would want to leave and try looking for it all over again! However... I have a couple conditions."
Pulling himself from her enough to look up again, Pennington's questioning look seemed to ask the question when he couldn't speak.
"I don't want you to be gone forever, so your little quest needs to have a limit. So... You have to come back for a date at least once a month, and you can't be gone any longer than three months. That's how long it took you to get back to Canterlot from the changeling hive. That's how long I want you to take to recover again."
"Three months? But-"
"Pennington, I'm not going to let you lead me on. If we're in a relationship, you need to act like it!" She smiled. "But I also know that you have a good reason to leave, and that Moonstone is going to be taking care of you." She smiled and hugged him again as her silent tears began to fall once more. "For perhaps the first time... I trust you to take care of yourself. I trust you to come back alive."
The two held one another for a long time, each refusing to let go of the other.
"We raised her right, didn't we?" Twilight's mother smiled, gently tucking the manuscript away in her saddlebag in the corner.
"So... You're going to do it? Daring Do's fan base could get vicious when they see a different name on the next book."
"I'm not worried. It's a welcome challenge and a rare opportunity! Besides, you heard him yourself, honey... He needs this break, and I doubt he'll want to write immediately once he gets back."
Nightlight nodded. "A stallion's gotta do what a stallion's gotta do, I guess... Besides, as you like to say, 'absence makes the heart grow fonder,' right?" He leaned over and gently kissed his wife on the cheek. "But don't you go anywhere..."
Eventually, inevitably, the day came that Pennington had chosen to leave. A small group of his friends had gathered together outside Inkwell Commissions to bid him farewell. Whipstitch, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Zecora, and Pipsqueak were all there, waiting for him to emerge to say their last goodbyes.
"Wait, where's Lily?" Twilight asked quietly.
"Dear Pennington is being silly..." Zecora muttered, "and insisting we don't tell Callalily."
"But- what about his mane?"
"He's going to let it grow in its natural color on his trip... I've never actually seen the real color of his hair." Whipstitch pondered for a moment before shrugging. "But if Lily heard that we was leaving on a trip like this so soon after the wedding, she would NOT be happy."
Before Twilight could ask any other questions, the door to Inkwell Commissions slowly swung open, and Pennington emerged, followed closely by Moonstone. He was carrying a huge rucksack on his back, much larger than he had taken on his trip with Twilight. He stopped short when he saw the small group of ponies waiting for him, then smiled as he turned around to lock the door behind him. After a few seconds of fiddling with the lock, Pennington finally turned back around, tears already brimming in his eyes. He didn't take long to reach the end of the short path to the street, coming to a stop in front of the group.
"So, you're really going through with it?" Whipstitch asked quietly. "You're doubting yourself THAT much?"
Pennington nodded, barely able to keep the tears at bay.
Whipstitch stared at him for a moment, then grinned and hugged him. "Then pick me up a nice souvenir, would ya? Maybe one of those nice things you keep in your basement!"
Pennington laughed, though it was sightly muted by the tidal waves of other emotions washing over him together.
"Yeah! And don't forget to tell Scorching Quill I won't be able to get his next book from you!" Rainbow Dash grinned, floating down to the ground and giving him a gentle punch on the shoulder. "And I'm pretty sure I'll come up with a good commission idea by the time you get back! So you better take care of yourself and get back in one piece!"
Pennington rolled his eyes, shaking his head with a smile. "Dash, can you keep a secret?"
Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow, but nodded.
"Pinkie Promise?"
Rainbow Dash's suspicion seemed to grow, but she nodded again. "I guess so... Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!"
"I'll trust you to be loyal to your word..." Pennington leaned in close, whispering something in her ear. Rainbow Dash's eyes grew wide, and her jaw fell open wider than Twilight had ever seen. Rainbow Dash stared at Pennington for a moment, who was quickly beginning to break down into uncontrollable snickering.
"B-B-But- But- HOW?"
Pennington rolled his eyes again, and for a moment, Twilight caught a glimpse of that mischievous smile she was so familiar with.
"Then- then that means-" Rainbow Dash still seemed to be struggling to understand what Pennington had told her. "OH. MY. GOSH!" With that exclamation, she finally fell backwards onto the ground, the shock knocking her unconscious with an enormous grin across her face.
"Ah dunno what you told her, cousin, but ah think ah can guess..." Applejack took her turn to step forward, taking off her hat. "And your secret's safe with me, too." Reaching into her saddlebag, she pulled out a dark-blue cloak with a small apple embroidered into the corner. "But Granny wanted me to give you this before ya left. Stitched with love."
Pennington smiled, momentarily shrugging off the huge bag on his back to try on the cloak. He stared at it for a moment, reflexively trying to use his magic, then shook his head and reached out with his hoof, throwing it across his back. He fumbled with the clasp for a moment, and Applejack quickly helped him to fasten it.
"It's perfect..." His eyes beginning to water again, Pennington looked up at Applejack. "How did she know it would fit?"
"Penn, if there's one thing you should have learned back when your mom forced you to come to our family reunions, it's that Granny Smith can size up a filly or colt just by lookin' at 'em!" She chuckled, even as Pennington leaned forward and wrapped her in a tight hug.
"Tell Granny I thanked her from the bottom of my heart... And that I'll be at the next reunion."
Twilight didn't know exactly how important reunions were to the Apple family, but the joy that lit up Applejack's face definitely signified that Pennington willingly attending was definitely significant.
"Do ya- Do ya mean that?"
Pennington nodded. "It's high time I got back to my roots, rather than trying to rip them up... So I'll be seeing you later, cousin."
"If you insist on leaving, Pennington, don't forget your medicine!" Zecora chirped as she placed a fresh, filled pill bottle into a pocket she had opened in his bag. As he turned to face her, Pennington and Zecora simply stared at one another for a long time before each giving a silent nod.
"My old friend... Keep on your hooves our there in Everfree."
"With sweet sentiment, your words do drip. I will say the same about you on your trip!" The two smiled at one another, exchanged only the briefest of hugs (more like a friendly pat on the shoulder), and Zecora returned to where she had been standing: near the back of the group, able to leave and disappear at a moment's notice.
Pennington never told me much about his friendship with Zecora... But I guess that the two of them have gotten to the point of not needing a lot of words to express what they mean. Twilight thought to herself.
Finally, Pennington turned to the last of his friends that he hadn't spoken to yet: Pipsqueak. The tiny foal was trying to put on a brave face, but was quickly falling apart as tears ran down the sides of his face.
"Mister Penn... Why do you have to go? It seems like you only just got back!"
Pennington knelt down, meeting Pipsqueak at eye level.
"I know, Pip, and I'm sorry that I haven't had time lately to teach you much about writing... But you can take this chance to practice on your own! Your mother told me that your poetry is coming along really well!" He raised the colt's chin up, giving a gentle smile. "When I come back, I can teach you all about writing your own stories, just like me, okay?"
In a sudden leap, Pipsqueak wrapped his front legs as far as he could reach around Pennington's neck, shaking his head. "But I don't wanna practice on my own! I want to practice with you!"
Pennington seemed surprised, at first, but quietly smiled and accepted the hug, gently returning it for a few seconds.
"Hey, you know what, Pip? I think it's possible that you might get a cutie mark in writing while I'm gone, if you really try! Now THAT would be a great surprise worth coming home to!" He smiled, letting Pip go again. "Then maybe you could teach ME a few things!"
Pip wiped away some of his tears, looking up as Pennington rose back up to his full height, strapping the huge backpack back onto his shoulders.
"Do you really think so?"
"Pip, I think you've got the potential for some great adventures of your own! You could be setting up the base of what will make you happy for a long time!" Pennington smiled. "Besides, this means that, in a way, we're both going to be looking for our cutie marks while I'm gone!"
Pip finally smiled, though he still seemed to be crying. "Okay, then! I'll have that cutie mark by the time you come back, Mister Penn! That way I can grow up to be just like you!"
Pennington smiled and gave Pipsqueak a short salute before turning to Twilight. It was his turn to begin to cry as the two of them embraced one another, though he hid his tears in her shoulder.
"Take care of yourself out there, okay?" Twilight whispered, and Pennington nodded silently in response.
"Write to me every day..."
Pennington nodded again.
"And remember my conditions."
"O-okay..." He barely seemed to be able to force the word out.
"And, so help me, if you die, I will never forgive you!"
Pennington laughed into her shoulder, finally pulling away again and moving his face upwards to whisper in her ear.
"Twilight... Just let Inkwell Commissions gather dust. Don't worry about it. But if you ever need help, and I'm not here... if the Elements are ever out of reach or Ponyville is in danger again, I want you to go to my study. Take every copy of 'Daring Do and the Dangerous Descent into the Dragon's Den' off of the shelf. You'll find my iron wings and anything else that you could need to fight back... And if the evil can't be fought, I want you to hide in that vault. You couldn't be safer. Promise me that?"
"I promise..." Twilight whispered in return. Pulling away slightly from the hug, the two stared at one another for a moment.
"And Twilight, even more importantly... Promise me this: If you have any adventures of your own while I'm gone, make sure that they're happy. Happy adventures are what bring you the best memories, and any other kind of adventure... what you get from it can never last. So please... just promise me that your adventures will be happy, even without me. They're the only ones worth having." He smiled, looking straight into her eyes. "Just keep a smile on that beautiful face..."
In spite of the dread of seeing Pennington leaving, Twilight couldn't help but smile and blush. Without a word, she leaned forward, pressing herself into a deep kiss with Pennington. Just as it always had, the sensation sent electric thrills down her spine and made her heart race, pounding harder and faster in her chest with every passing second. As the heat from their lips mingled and grew, a happy spark of energy leaped from her horn to his, and she once again could feel and even smell and taste the faintest of wisps of his energy, like the smells of the ocean and mint tea mingling together. After almost a minute, the two finally parted again, their horns gently colliding as they each stared lovingly into the other's eyes.
"I promise, Pennington..."
Pennington smiled and nodded.
"Thank you..."
Stepping away to he could address the group together (except Rainbow Dash, who was still unconscious), Pennington nodded. "Thank you all... I'll be back, I know that I will. But I can't live what I think is either a lie, or a horrifyingly cruel truth."
"During all the years, I've been taking care of you, and you in return have been taking care of me. You're still my best friends, and always will be. One day, I will come back..." He glanced down at the ground, tears once again beginning to fall. "Yes, I will come back. Until then, there must be no regrets, no tears, no anxieties..." He glanced from first Zecora, then to Pipsqueak, and finally to Applejack. He turned to look at Whipstitch, now, before finally stopping at Twilight again. "Just go forward in all your beliefs... and prove to me that I am not mistaken in mine. Goodbye, everyone..." His speech finished, Pennington turned and began walking towards the railway station, Moonstone following closely behind. Twilight could tell by his hasty stride that he was forcing himself not to look back, and she knew that if he did, he would be tempted once again by everything that he was leaving behind, possibly beyond what he could resist.
However, there was one more thing that she needed to say before he was gone: a thought, a hope, a prayer that she knew he needed to send him on his way. So, taking a deep breath and shouting as loudly as she could, Twilight waved her hoof to her departing love.
"HAPPY ADVENTURING, PENNINGTON!"
The words caused the stallion to stop in his tracks for a moment before slowly turning back around. This time, he had an enormous grin that nearly filled his entire face, and shone in the sunlight with every ounce of vivacity and joy that he had held when Twilight first met him, and he waved back to her just as enthusiastically as she had.
"HAPPY ADVENTURING, TWILIGHT!"
Wow. What a journey. This has been one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had and one of the greatest accomplishments of my life. So, as promised, this is my vlog, speaking to all of you face-to-face and from the bottom of my heart! I was limited to only 15 minutes, so I apologize for rushing through my ending! I thought that I had more time!
So, for those of you sharp enough to pick up on it, I DID directly quote something in Pennington's farewell! Old-school Doctor Who fans may have noticed, but for the rest of you, here's a clip of the quote!
So, thank you all so much! I'd like to leave you all with this quote as we move on and begin anew in our continuation: "Penn and Stone: Dynamic Duo!" There's so much to look forward to, I can't express it in words! I can't wait to see you all there! And again: THANK YOU ALL!!!! I wouldn't be here without you! So, until the next time we meet I wish you all happy adventuring!
