A World no more, than a whisper.

A World no more, than a whisper- 4

Nightcore poked her from the entrance to glance around the living room. There were precious jars atop the wooden tables, which were supported with iron bars. The pillows on the couch were as if they have been untouched for years, and though Nightcore as a young filly always had the idea of the Draak Lage mansion as being clean, and haunted, cobwebs were now discernible in the ceilings, with a few tarantulas crawling over, and some of the floor tiles became filthy over the years with soil-like dirt particles. Pinned on walls were nostalgic pictures and life-paintings of the Pavlon children in their child years, with King Arkus and Queen Erza who were still living at the time. The light was, as always, on and everything was in order, except of course the cleanliness. But for the most part, nothing paranormal took place, to which Nightcore felt suspicious.

"Pen?" She said. "Pen? Anyone home? Got some fruit salads?"

All the reply she could hear was her own echo. Unwilling to step in, yet impatience took over, she walked slowly inside the mansion. She began to search every corner she was familiar with the intention to find the prince. She looked in the jars, in the garden, in the gates, on the roof, a small part of the attic due to intimidation, the bathrooms, under the tables and even the rugs, checked the trees and behind pictures, in the cupboard and in the closet, in the bedrooms to the kitchen, but she had found no sign of the prince. The search only scared her more, and eventually she became paranoid.

"Hmm, that's strange." She said, attempting to look unscathed. "When we used to live here we were always greeted by jump-"

In front of her in a sudden, a morbid figure from a jack-in-the-box sprung up with a sproing.

"~~~~SCARES!"

She flipped over to the other side and fell. Shocked out, she covered her eyes and quickly fluttered her wings. Her horn was uncontrollably shooting magic in all random directions, demolishing the figure as well. Bits of its fabric fell unto Nightcore, causing her to look at it bewildered.

She held the fabric and stared in disbelief, "What? This is, RIDICULOUS!" Angered, she ripped the fabric apart with her magic and she yelled. "Pen! I know you're in there so COME OUT!"

Immediately like a response, she heard calm whistling from the gates, and with fury she commenced to fly towards it. Meanwhile, outside was someone carrying market luggages and balance checks. He was whistling something only Nightcore knew, and so it happened. "Mmm?" He looked from behind his load to the sounds of rage, and faster than he could see, all his checks were flying apart and his luggages scattered everywhere in the wake of a cartoon-ish 'boom'. Nightcore was his pin, infuriated pin. Her face was with anger, anger as livid as the light.

"PEN, IT'S ABOUT TIME YOU STOP THE JUMPSCARES!" She roared in front of his face.

"Ju-ju-ju-ju-jumpscares? What do you mean?" Pen asked mumbly, quickly gathering all checks within his reach.

"HOW CAN YOU EXPLAIN-" The mad alicorn held the same jack-in-the-box complete with the figure in front of Pen. "THIS?"

Pen sat up as he stared at the figure thoroughly. His response was a short giggle. "Oh. Tha-that. It...ah..it was a misplacement.-"

"Misplacement?! Everytime I ask you something, I always hear 'eh no sayre ter wuz a dizturbans. Zory, aye wuz lait cuz of trafik. I lotz teh run rayse becus der waz a mizplaisment in may blah.'" She humorously imitated his voice. "And everytime I hear that I always think of a LIE! You're always telling me LIES! You're always fainting my HEART every second because of your TRAPS!" She hyperventilated quick, still staring irate with gritting teeth.

A tense and quick silence came behind as Pen thought of something fast to detour from the 'topic'. "Nightcore, don't you have any good news to tell me?" He asked unflustered. This sudden tranquility instantly cleared Nightcore from her ire, smart of a prince.

"OH!" She exclaimed excitedly. "I do! I do! I do! I do!" She playfully bounced on his torso, and Pen was feeling only little pai, but he was getting washed out of air.

"Well, telleth me then." He responded, getting on his feet. He picked up more of the luggages and checks.

"Well Pen...I passed the exams and I'm going to graduate tomorrow!"

On the mention of 'passed' and 'graduate', Pen instantly ceased his picking and he stared at Nightcore with an indescribable emotion of shock and surprise on his face.

"I passed!" She repeated. "I passed! The exams! I passed! The exams! Graduation! Tomorrow! I passed!"

"....~~" "~Can you repeat that again?" He asked, his emotion still.

"I passed. The exams! Graduation! Tomorrow!...and everyone's cordially invited under school authority." Her tone remained unchanged.

Indeed Pen was very gratified. Unable to react physically or speak as if the news had struck him paretic. He murmured 'wows' then, and he later made a heartily chortle as Nightcore laughed along too.

"So are you happy?" She asked joyously.

"What does it seem?" said Pen. "I hath received yet another unforgettable news! Good heavens, you have finally made it to the edge of glory!"

Visibly sobbing joys, he hugged Nightcore in a teary embrace, Nightcore hugging him back.

"May I ask, what did you excel in, or had a degree? Sorry if you don't get, I sometimes twist words."

"Ohhh, you mean 'degree'. Well, I got a degree in Metaphysics and Astronomy."

"Wow! Even Metaphysics? Aha! I knew you'd become an astronomer someday, and a metaphycist."

"Ah, it's not really like I'm planning to be, but its just...y'know, interestin'."

Thereafter, Marie and Clarisse appeared walking from the gates, all but bags in their hands. "Haste, dears! The feast is to begin!" called Marie to the other 2 men, Philip and John, brothers of Pen and the sisters.

"Hee-haw!" Clarisse said, childlike imitating a bull rider. "Budge them moving feet!"

Marie reacted with her usual princess accent. "Clarisse! That is impolite, dear sister."

"Oh Pen!" She stopped at the sight of their embrance. "Perhaps today is Hug Day?"

"Marie!" Nightcore said, ending her embrace and she came running to her just like a foal. Running. Grinning. She smiling. Arms open. Nightcore leaping. Oh wait, the latter was a bad thing. Marie realized this, just now. Just late.

"Uh-oh...wait...WA-"

THRUD!!

Just reenacting childhood, it seems. "Marie I'm so glad to see you!" The filly said.

"H-hu-..Hi dear!" Marie said, poker faced and unable to breath orderly. "May it not bother to you to--step off, please?"

"Oh!" She exclaimed, stepping off as told. "Sheez! Sorry! Was just SO excited to tell you all about my graduation tomorrow!"

"Graduation?" Marie shinned up, fixing her hair.

Phil placed some of the food crates as he opened each of them with a crowbar. "Are we hearing lies like you always do?"

"Seems like." John whispered.

"Nay. She is right." Pen spoke up.

"Ho?"

"She's got a degree in Metaphysics and Astronomy. You heard it, Metaphysics, and Astronomy." He enumerated as gladly as he could, patting the alicorn's mane.