//------------------------------//
// The Truth Shall Set You Free 
// Story: Happy Adventuring, Twilight! 
// by Pennington Inkwell 
//------------------------------//

	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.

"I will."