The Vengeance Trilogy: Needed

POV: Penn

Chapter Six

“Introductions”

“Well, aren’t you guys glad you made that amazing cover story?” Rainbow Dash was smirking as she flew over Penn’s head and into Sugarcube Corner. Penn glanced up at the pegasus and sighed. I don’t think she was this… mean in the show…

Everypony else walked into the sweetshop, eyes searching quizzically. Just like Nick had said, there was no party here. No ponies in sight at all, actually.

“Wait one caramel-apple-lickin’-minute. If Mr. and Mrs. Cake ain’t here, how’re we gonna get any grub?” Applejack stamped her foot in anger. Now that we know about the profanity filter, that makes everything Applejack says… more interesting is a good way to put it.

Rarity turned to Applejack to speak, but she was interrupted by a loud belch emanating from the kitchen. “Well, I suppose my next comment is quite irrelevant now. I’m off to see what Spiky-wiky is doing.” Rarity trotted off to see the belching dragon. “Spiiiike!” she called in a singsong voice. “Hello Spike! And hello Mr. and Mrs. Cake! I am so very glad to see you!”

Rarity is a lot prettier in person. Actually, they all are! Wait, If this world is changing our names, filtering our profanity, not to mention making us ponies in the first place, what else has it changed? What if it really has made us ponies, with a pony’s wants and needs? Oh gosh, what if it made us… Penn was lost in his own thoughts and didn’t even notice that everypony else had gone into the kitchen, leaving him alone. He heard a voice from in the kitchen.

“Well, hi Rarity! What are you doing here? And you too Twilight! And, umm, who are your friends?”

Penn walked into the kitchen of Surgarcube Corner and didn’t even attempt to suppress his grin. It would have been a lost cause. Everypony stood right near the entrance to the kitchen, but in the back were two ponies and one baby dragon. Mr. and Mrs. Cake smiled at the group, but Spike looked curious and slightly defensive, especially when he looked at Rarity. Well that makes sense. He does have a crush on her, and we are all stallions. NO, don’t think about that anymore! Oh, the fanfiction flashbacks!

Mrs. Cake grinned at the group. “Oh, Rarity, it’s so good to see you! And all of your friends too! It’s so great to have you all here! I’d have thought you’d be with everypony else, doing whatever they’re off doing though. But where are my manners, who are your new friends? I’m Mrs. Cake, and this is Mr. Cake.” The plump mare nodded to her lanky husband.

“We own and run Sugarcube Corner, as your friends must have told you. Go ahead and sit down, we have the best sweets in all Ponyville! And the best muffins, cinnamon rolls, sweetbreads, rolls, cakes, cupcakes…” Mrs. Cake continued to name foods. With ever word, Penn could feel himself getting hungrier and hungrier, and from the looks of his drooling companions, they felt the exact same way.

“…cotton candy, hard candy, and pretty much any other candy as well!” Mrs Cake finished cheerfully as Mr. Cake smiled at his drooling customers.

“Well, they look ready for some food! Spike, I bet you’ll want to eat with them, even if you do want to know how to make gem-cake. How about I get you a recipe for it later?”

Spike seemed quite happy as he and the ponies headed into the dining area. “Thanks Mr. Cake! You guys are the best!”

Twilight and Rarity pulled two tables together with magic, and all the ponies plus one happy little dragon sat down. “So who are these guys?” Spike asked Twilight.

Twilight went through the round of introductions, and Spike smiled at each in turn. Interesting. Dragons become less defensive when offered food. Must remember this. I really wish I had a notebook! There is just too much to write down!

“So, where are you guys from?” With that one innocent question hanging in the air, everypony looked at the floor, quite uncomfortable. Twilight was the first to break the silence.

“They’re some of my old friends from Canterlot.” She grinned at her assistant, but he squinted his eyes as he looked into hers. Oh Discord. This was a Bad Idea. In capitals. Spike, Princess Celestia, Shining Armor, and Cadence were Twilights only friends in Canterlot, and Spike knows it.

“Twilight, I thought I knew all your friends, but I never met them,” The dragon raised his eyebrow.

“Umm, well, you see… they were, uh, friends from… a party! Yeah, we met at a party!” Twilight’s words seemed to have deserted her. She smiled sheepishly at the dragon.

“Twilight, you went to parties… without me? Why did you lie to me and say you never did? Didi I do something wrong so you didn’t want to bring me?” The dragon’s eyes began welling up with tears.

Twilight hung her head. “I’m sorry Spike. I can't lie to you. I never went to any parties and they aren’t from Canterlot. I’ll… I’ll tell you where they’re from, but it’s not something I can say when anypony can hear.” She looked at the kitchen, and upon seeing the closed doors, she beckoned to Spike. “Come here quickly and I can tell you.”

Spike hurried over to Twilight, and as she whispered in his ear his eyes widened in shock. “No. Way!”

Twilight nodded, smiling at Spikes dumbfounded expression. The dragon walked numbly back to his seat between next to Rarity. He faced Penn as if to say something, but turned away just as quickly. Mr. Cake walked out of the kitchen with eleven menus. “Just let me know when you’re ready.”

When Penn received his menu, his stomach rumbled more loudly than ever before in his life. Dimensional travel must affect the internal organs. Or maybe we have entirely new bodies that have no food within their systems. Aww man, I really need a notebook.

“Everything looks so good, I can’t choose!” Nick grumbled from off to Penn’s left. He heard several other ponies echoing Nick’s sentiment.

“Is it healthy for a pony to eat only sweets?” Gwen inquired.

Applejack laughed. “Hey, don’ worry none about tha’. Ah’ll be righ’ back with some apples.” She smiled and exited the sweetshop.

“Well, I don’t know about you guys, but this muffin sampler looks AMAZING!” Cyrus licked his lips. “That’s totally what I’m getting.”

Penn looked over his menu thoughtfully. I can’t believe I’m really here… with THEM! He snuck a peek over his menu at the ponies all around him. Twilight was directly across the table form him, with Spike seated next to her. Rarity was next to Spike, and Rainbow Dash had settled into the chair next to him. She saw him looking around, and when he met her eyes, she glared at him. Penn smiled shyly at her, but she looked away. What is up with her anyways? I don’t think she was like this in the show much at all…

After a few moments, everypony had decided on their food. Mr. Cake came back to take their orders and menus. After he left, the front door opened, admitting a smiling Applejack bearing a large basket of apples.

“Here we go, everypony! Plenty of apples for all of y’all! But guess what else I found besides apples out there?” The orange pony moved aside, revealing a butterscotch colored pony with pink hair. “She was hidin’ in the bushes out by mah stand when I walked by. She nearly jumped all the way to the moon when I tapped her on the back.” Applejack guffawed.

Fluttershy mumbled  something indistinct and stayed hidden behind her hair.

“Aww, c’mon Fluttershy, don’t be so… well, shy! These here ponies are new in town, so we need to give ‘em a good ole-fashioned Ponyville welcome!” And with that, Applejack whisked Fluttershy into the empty spot next to Rod with a “Yeehaw!” and grabbed herself a chair. Fluttershy let out a small yelp at the sudden movement then blushed furiously. She turned to Rod and looked away immediately, and what little could be seen of her face was bright red.

Twilight went through yet another round of introductions, this time without the explanation of where they were from. This time she got away with it since Fluttershy was so busy staring hiding behind her hair that she didn’t question the explanation. I guess we’ll just tell her later. No need to freak her out even further. Yet.

Right about this time, Mr. Cake came out with their food, which included several platters of muffins and cupcakes as well as quite a few brownies.

“Lunch is served! Just give me a shout if you need anything, we’ll be right in the kitchen! We’re working on creating an entirely new kind of cake, so if you hear any explosions, it’s my wife’s fault. Enjoy your meal everypony!” With that, he set the platters down on the table and trotted back to the kitchen.

Everypony looked at their food for a moment without saying a word. The moment turned into a minute without anypony saying anything.

Just as Penn was about to break the awkward silence, Nick jumped up, grabbed a cupcake and scarfed it down like it was nothing. “So how about that weather?” He grinned at everypony.

After another second of stunned silence, Spike began to chuckle. Then Rarity. Then Cyrus. Finally the whole table burst out in laughter, including Fluttershy, who even managed a weak giggle.

“Alright everypony, let’s eat!” declared Twilight who grabbed a muffin.

Penn smiled as he took a brownie and an apple. I could get used to this…