Penned IN: Chapter 6 (Of Pens and Parties)

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       "My word! What was that sound?!"

       "Calm down, everypony! I'll go check!"

       Pennaprose heard muffled sounds coming from somewhere below his head. At least, he imagined them to be; he could tell that wherever he ended up, he got flipped upside down into something soft.

       "What the heck? Who… Pennaprose?"

       He felt a force tug at his tail, until it dragged him out. He caught a glimpse of a pile of colorful cloths before he landed on his plot, still a little dazed.

       "What-how…! How did you crash a… whatever that was into here?!"

       He shook his head and blinked a few times. He was in a room filled with plastic pony statues of a sort, some of which were wearing impossibly fancy clothing. There was also a fine layer of dust covering everything.

       "Pennaprose!"

       "…Huh?"

       It was Twilight. She was wearing an expression mixed of confusion, anger, and concern; Rarity stood behind her, simply gaping around the room.

       "Oh… Um…" he began "We built a car out of wood, then things… something about a fuel tank and boosters… oh yeah, we made a plane and flew it… then ran into Dash-"

       "I sent her out to find you and the fillies!" she snapped "3 minutes later I hear a massive explosion upstairs and Dash shows up carrying the three of them to the front door!"

       "Uh… well, at least they're fine. How'd I live…?"

       Her expression deflated slightly. She facehoofed, saying "Well… I guess nopony was hurt. Rarity?"

       "…"

       "…Rarity? What about your room?"

       "Oh! I'll just… figure something out. The party comes first though…" She sighed while looking around the room. "I guess we'll call off the modeling thing until I've got my house fixed, alright? Er… Pennaprose, right?"

       He jumped to his hooves. "Um… alright. This was partly my fault, so if I could help-"

       She waved a hoof a little distractedly. "Oh, no, that's quite alright… Quite… alright…"

       "Anyways," Twilight cut in. "The bottom line is that nopony is hurt. We can fix this later; in the meantime-" she said while glancing around the room. "-fix your mane, it looks absolutely horrid." She levitated a stray brush from the wreckage over to him. He took it, running it through his mane a little sheepishly.

       "When your done, come downstairs and mingle with the party. I'll explain this mess to everypony in the meantime" said Twilight.

       She disappeared in a sudden magical poof. Rarity glanced at Pennaprose. "…Well… No use is crying over spilt milk, now is there? Yet…"

       He gave her a cheesy half-assed grin. She raised an eyebrow, then turned tail. He heard her smirk before disappearing down the staircase.

       He brushed his mane mindlessly for a few more minutes, wandering over to the plane wreck. He saw that he had crashed into the second floor of this place, the back seat completely missing. His gaze followed to the pile of cloths he landed in; he noted with a pang that the missing chair was embedded in the wall.

       'Must've hit the eject button at the last second by accident…'  he thought to himself.

       He dropped the brush and trotted downstairs. Sounds of laughter and clanks of silverware came to his ears. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, Dash was hovering at the base. She glanced at him when he passed.

       "Y'know, you're a lot more durable than I expected," she said. "Nothing broken, right?"

       "Uh… yeah? Besides half of the upper floor, at least." he replied.

       She smirked. "Right. I just didn't expect any unicorn to survive something like that. Why didn't you just levitate yourself out of there, or something?"

       "Didn't think of it…"

       "Well, whatever," she said. "Maybe you're not the weirdo Twilight picked up from nowhere I took you for. See ya."

       She flew over the heads of the dozen or so ponies, disappearing. His followed in her direction for a while, until he noticed that at least half the room was staring at him. He could spot the Crusaders in another corner of the room, all huddled around a TV.

       "Uh…" he mumbled.

       From seemingly nowhere, Twilight popped out of the crowd. "There you are! Everypony, this is Pennaprose! He's-"

       "The pony that crashed a plane into the side of this house?" came a voice from the crowd.

       "Eheheh… Yes, but let's forget that for now!" said Twilight. "Hey, who wants to play 'pin the tail on the pony'?"

       There was a general murmur, then the stares started to turn away while Twilight wore a painted smile. When most had stopped looking, she turned to Pennaprose and whispered, "Hey, don't worry too much about it. Just relax, have some punch or something. Just… remember your… condition, alright? This is one of the worst places to let it slip."

       He sighed exasperatedly, then smiled. "Hey, don't worry! I've got a handle on this uh… hooves thing. You take your own advice! Chill!"

       He wandered off into the crowd, leaving Twilight behind as she watched him with a concerned look on her face.

       Now that he was in the crowd, he realized how little he had to eat today. 'Just some scrambled eggs this morning… and no lunch. Where's…?'

       He spotted a table filled with cake and various foods. He cut his way to the table, eyes set on the chips. When he got there, his stomach rumbled and he simply sat there and stared at the food, drooling, for a minute. 'So beautiful… so hungry…'

       Pennaprose grabbed a plate hastily and began piling whatever on it faster than he could register. 'Chips, cake, ice cream, more chips, more ice cream, can't forget about the chips… Hey, cool ranch! And cool ranch chips…! CHILI, MINE.'

       "Um, hi?"

       "One cup, two cups, three scoops, punch…" Pennaprose repeated in a mantra-like state. "…Huh?"

       He looked up to notice that his plate now reached at least a foot high. Over the top of it was the curious expression of a seafoam green mare.

       "Um, you're that guy who crashed that plane into the side of this house, right? Your name was Pennaprose, right?" she asked.

       He scrunched his muzzle in annoyance. "That's all anyone's gonna remember me for, isn't it?"

       She giggled. "Oh, sorry. I just was curious. I'm Lyra. Lyra Heartstrings. …You seem hungry."

       He glanced at his small food mountain. "I haven't had anything to eat since this morning. Plus, nearly avoiding death has a way of making you hungry. Did you want some?"

       "Oh, that's alright, I'm fine. …But," she hesitated. "I wanted to ask you; Twilight said something about foalsitting the Crusaders until the party got set up? How'd that end up in a crashed plane?"

       "Uh… long, boring story."

       "Bore me!"

       He regarded this Lyra. She was watching him, a fixed look of intense curiosity on her face.

       "…Alright. Well, I woke up this morning to Twilight asking me if I wanted to watch them-"

       "Come again? Where are you living now?"

       "Oh. I'm uh… from Canterlot on business to inspect the living standards of Ponyville. Twilight is letting me stay in her house for the time being."

       She raised an eyebrow. "Oh really now? Go on."

       He thought a second, then said, "Well, since I'm staying with her for the time being, the least I can do is return the favor. So I agreed. No one told me that those three liked to play with power tools, though…"

       He paused to shove an entire slice of cake from the pile into his mouth. He noticed through the frosting that her expression had lost it's raptness, as if she was lost in thought. It was unnerving him.

       "Uh… um… We built a racecar first, then they crashed it after swiping the wing mirror across my face… Then they convinced me to let them built that plane with the leftover materials…"

       "You really won the Parent of the Year award on this one" she said.

       "Hey!" Pennaprose interjected. "I never claimed to be world champion at children-watching! I wouldn't even claim the bronze medal's bronze medal!"

       She deftly shrugged. "Well, at least you admit it." she said. "But look on the bright side. Nopony was hurt, plus I don't know what Canterlot's insurance is like, but Ponyville has fantastic disaster compensation coverage. It wouldn't be the first time a house here has been completely or partially destroyed."

       "Sewiouswy?" Pennaprose said through a mouthful of chips. He swallowed before continuing. "That would explain why Rarity didn't skin me on the spot… I mean, I wrecked half her house, some couple thousand dollars of damage…"

       "…What are dollars?" Lyra asked.

       "Uh… I meant bits, sorry."

       Her expression changed to one of frank confusion and (perhaps he was imagining it?) one of knowing suspicion. She continued watching him in suspicion for an uncomfortable amount of time, until a saving grace came in the form of lavender wings.

       Twilight popped up next to them, her wing cutting between them. "Hey! There you are, Pennaprose. Having fun? Oh, hello Lyra, how are you?"

       Lyra broke her steady gaze at Pennaprose, seemingly out of a trance. "…Oh! Hi, Twilight! I'm doing alright, still haven't quite finished fixing my lyre…"

       "Oh yeah, you said there was a problem with a few of it's strings?"

       "Yes!" Lyra exclaimed. "You see, finding the right materials to replace them isn't the easiest thing… I still need enough to make the last string, but the problem is that it's one of the larger ones. Do you know where I can find any wax sealant for cheap?"

       Pennaprose tuned out the rest of the conversation. There was something… off-putting about Lyra. He couldn't put his hoof on it, but neither could he shake his feeling that he was doing an absolutely horrible job at keeping his human secret, well… a secret.

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       "Well, that could have gone better."

       "…Hmph."

       "C'mon, cheer up! You had fun, admit it!"

       Twilight opened the door to the library with her magic. The light of the living room filled the quickly falling night around them, the warm, inner air spilling out with it. "Right? Well, besides the awkward entrance. You met a lot of different ponies at least!"

       "Um, sure…" Pennaprose sighed. "I get the impression that all I'm going to be remembered for is exactly that. Except maybe that dark purple one. What was her name, Berry Punch? She seemed drunk."

       "Berry? She's always drunk. Everypony keeps telling her to lay off for a day, but no luck with that yet. Oh, don't be so bummed out about it! Give it a few days, everything'll be just fine!" She trotted into the kitchen. "You hungry at all? I guess watching the crusaders meant you didn't get lunch…"

       He perked up. "Oh uh, I'm fine. I just… need to rest."

       She poked her head back out of the kitchen. "You sure? I saw you pile half the food table onto a single plate, then not even eat half of it over the rest of the night."

       "I-I'm fine." he said, jumping onto his cot and pulling out his laptop. "Don't worry about me, all I need is some rest…"

       She gave him a concerned look, then trotted over to his cot. "Pennaprose, I can tell something is wrong. You've barely said anything since we left the party! You can tell me what's on your mind, I'm here to help!"

       He stared into space as his laptop booted up, making it's little sounds. "…Hmph. I don't belong here, and you know it, Twilight."



       "Oh, is that really all? Why would you think that, though? Is there something I can do to make you feel more welcome?"



       "It's nothing to do with whether or not I feel welcome here. I'm a human, for gods sake. I physically don't belong here."



       "I know you're a pony now, but-"

       "Listen! I know you want to make me feel comfortable while I'm here, but that's just it!" He paused, staring at his screen in annoyance. "I'm not going to be here forever! So why…?"

       Her gaze softened. "Pennaprose… do you mind if I call you Penny?"

       "…Huh?" His stare snapped up from the screen. "Where'd that come from?"

       She smirked, climbing up onto the cot beside him. "Look, I get that you're not going to be here forever. Frankly, I find it a little flattering that you act like you're leaving tomorrow."

       "I never-!" Pennaprose began, only to be stopped by Twilight raising a hoof to silence him. "You never said that explicitly, I know."

       "You seem to know everything, don't you…?" he said, disgruntled.

       "Only what I've read." She paused, alighting a book and quill with her magic from some unseen shelf. He didn't see the title before it landed, open, in front of her. "And written."

       He glanced over the contents on the open page. On it was writing in many different levels of penmanship and ink, though none too legible from a distance. "For example, I didn't become a princess while studying the magic of friendship without taking notes. And you know what?" She turned the book towards him. "Lesson number one: friends are there to help each other. I'm your friend, right?"

       He stared at the book, thinking. After some time, he audibly sighed. "…I'm sorry for worrying you. You're right, we're friends." He closed his laptop and set it aside. "And you know what? I am hungry."

       She leapt up, giggling. "Alright then, I'll take a look. I think we've got some fruit hanging around. Spike?"

       Spike's voice drifted up from the basement. "Down here! What?"

       "Can you help me whip up dinner?" she said. There was the sounds of footsteps, ending by the sound and sight of Spike walking through the basement door. "Sure, sure."

       Pennaprose watched from his cot, lost in thought about what had just transpired. Silently, he cursed himself for his constant overanalyzing, then returned to his laptop. 'Silly of me… she's been the upmost in making me feel like I belong here. And I've the gall to think that I don't.'

       He finished typing his journal, re-reading it.

       Journal entry, stardate… Sunday, I think.
       Today was both hectic and strange. I woke up to agreeing to watch three fillies, which ended up in a crashed plane. …Yeah, don't think I need to write how that happened. Unless I develop amnesia again, I'm not going to forget almost dying on my second full day here.
       The fillies themselves make me wonder. Does any adult figure here even care about what their kids get up to? I get the impression that those three regularly play with power tools in the middle of an apple orchard. …Then again, different culture, different values. Though I can't imagine how something like that would be acceptable. I'm still human. Perhaps I can't possibly ever understand.
       I'm human. They are ponies. Yet I have the body of a pony… Twilight says that I'll get used to it. She is too kind, really. To call her a friend…
       I cede that I may not come from here. But… if I return to the human world without remembering everything, what then? Will I remember when I cross over? …I guess it's no use worrying about it for now. I have time.
       96% power remaining.

       "Penny! Dinner's ready! Do you like pomegranate?"

       He shut the lid, deciding that was good for tonight. The smell of fruit wafting from the kitchen made him realize how much hungrier than he thought.

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       Somewhere far form Ponyville, the shroud of night enclosing…

       She stopped to eye the synched motions of the ebony beings below her, tossing a half eaten pear around. They faded into the dark stone of the cave, the torchlight and glowmoss casting tones of yellow and blue across the cavern. They hauled carts of minerals from the mines, all glowing a pure palette of reflected moonlight, only slightly marred by dirt.

       Over the low din of noise, she could hear another approaching. She addressed him in a sultry, scratchy voice. "Apparatus IV. You're late. Apparati II, VI, and VIII have already moved their hives to detain the escapee. You know how well Sadhiki does not like sending his men on jobs meant for mine. Neither does Krayka."

       His tatty green film-like wings beat in annoyance. "I apologize, Commander. Though if I may remind you, the Queen has appointed you as local command of the Vaktions I, II, and IV for the time on a whim. Some of your underlings are having a hard time trusting you, seeing as…"

       She beat her own, fully feathered wings once and kicked a stone off the cliff. "I know full well of their discontent. I am not a complete changeling, and I do not care. They trust the Queen, and the Queen trusts me. That is all I need."

       Apparatus IV eyed her. "I suppose. But mutiny is definitely not unheard of in the hive. They may attempt."

       She turned to him for the first time, revealing icy-blue eyes framed on one side by a white and light orange mane. "I repeat, I am aware. She wouldn't trust me in such a position of power if she didn't think I could suppress them all."

       "You say that…" Apparatus IV began. "…but I hear you have yet to grow accustomed to the Queen's gift. If I read that report right…"

       Her tone immediately frosted. "I was suppressing insurrection. And I stopped suppressing my new powers. That is the simplest answer. Vaktion IV is the assassination Vaktion; as you should know. You can never trust an assassin, least of all an assassin's intentions. Though if you have time to kill as well as your own men, I can recount to you how many ribs were swept up afterwards…"

       He looked unfazed at the news. "I know exactly how many ribs there were, that was one of my men you killed. Now, about the escapee…"

       She turned back towards the cliff. "As I said. The required Vaktions have already moved to recapture. We should hear back in minutes. Although I must discipline Apparatus II for the oversight in jail security…"

       He nodded in resignation. "Of course, of course… There is also the matter of Apparatus IX. He is campaigning for better treatment of the jailed. Again."

       She snorted. "Pane's at it again? Pane of A.IX, the science and medicine Vaktion? When will that fool learn that simply because he can report directly to the Queen, it does not give him the right to ask of her Highness?"

       He looked nonplussed. "Regardless, he will need… reminding. Should I have his coffee poisoned again?"

       "Amuse me."

       "Affirmed. But one last thing…" said Apparatus IV.

       "…What is it?"

       He walked up beside her, readying his wings for takeoff. "We may trust the Queen without doubt. But you are not the Queen. You would do best to remember that, Gosthette."

       He took off into the cavern, accented from below by the dim lights that could only brush him. Gosthette raised a single hoof to her jagged horn, an unfamiliar protrusion. "Only a few days have passed, has it…?"

       The report changeling swooped over the edge of the cliff, landing behind her. In quick, hushed tones, he relayed his report; escapee returned to a stronger cell, no possible activity seen by the outside. All Vaktions have returned and reported in unharmed.

       "Excellent. Return to the hive. I shall relay this to the Queen later."

       He left. Gosthette returned to the view of the cliff, her thoughts beginning to drift. With effort, she tore herself away from images of the last few days and back into the present. 'No use in dwelling. These new powers take all my concentration… If I waver, so does my control. Such is the hive...'

       'I wonder… things are going to pick up. News of his whereabouts have been confirmed. Why she was so interested about it, I cannot fathom. But I need to move as quickly as possible if I am to save him from potential harm.'

       She beat her wings, rising into the air as they picked up speed. She flew off the cliff, one destination in mind.

       'Time is short. I will have a chance in a day or two, perhaps. But the Queen leaves for operations elsewhere tomorrow. I must ask her about taking a trip tonight… a trip to Ponyville.'