Bini guzzled down a paper cup of Hot Chocolate as she stood waiting in the Ponyville train station. She watched as Arone grabbed their suitcases from the back of the train and hurried over to her. She tossed the empty cup into the nearest trash can and pulled out a map of Ponyville from her bag that she acquired from reading a magazine about famous ponies and their lives. It just happened that the mane 6 was featured as the cover page.
"What I wouldn't give to be a pegasus right now. Maybe I chose the wrong race..." Arone commented quietly as he watched families, couples and single ponies trotting around the station. Boarding trains, leaving trains or simply there to wait for something. Bini scoffed as she twisted the map to get a better sense of direction with her eyes always ending up at a small cottage on the edge of the map.
"You love being a unicorn." Bini reminded him as she folded the map back up and stuffed it in her bag. She activated her horn and used her light blue magic to pull her bag along with her as they stepped off the train platform and headed towards downtown Ponyville. "Why would anypony want to live in a small town like this?"
"Well, since you thrive on danger. I thought this would be a perfect place for you. Reports say that this place is being attacked every other week. You would not believe the number of high-level incident reports I have had to give to Princess Celestia because of this town." Arone explained as they occasionally waved to passing ponies with the best smile they could muster.
"That doesn't mean I want to live in a town that doesn't have a good movie theatre! I heard they have the worst one in Equestria. It was in the news! It was about three fillies who were having a visit from one of their cousins from Manhatten. They randomly broke into a song. Like way too many ponies do, and start hallucinating at the movie theatre. Completely ruining everyone's experience. Then they were singing all over town at random points of the next week like they were in a montage. It was a weird story. Must have been a slow news day to make it all the way to Canterlot."
"That sounds made up." Arone replied with a raised eyebrow.
"No, no, no. It is really true. I swear! There must be a newspaper building around here. They must have records from it." Bini insisted.
"Focus, Filters. We are only here for one thing. A very important thing." Arone reminded her with a nudge to her shoulder. Bini nodded and they continued to walk in silence. Occasionally breaking into a conversation at a strange thing they saw here and there until they reached a Cottage with shrubbery and birdhouses, complete with a small pond.
"I think we are here." Bini announced as they trotted up the stone path and reached a wooden door.
"I sure hope she is here." Arone commented as he reached forward and knocked three times on the door. They heard rustling and the sounds of a few animals. Followed by a soft voice reassuring them. They heard the sound of a lock being unhinged and then the door opened a little to reveal a shy yellow pegasus with a white, angry and annoyed-looking bunny sitting on her back.
"H-Hello?" Fluttershy stammered. Seeming to become more and more anxious the longer she had to look at the strange pair. Arone stepped forward, signalling to Bini that she shouldn't talk in case she says something stupid. He gestured to himself then Bini as he introduced themselves.
"Hello, Ms. Fluttershy. I am Arone. The personal Assistant to Princess Celestia and this is Bini Filters. The head Librarian to the Royal Canterlot Library and the Archive within. We were wondering if you would be able to help us find...Your friend Discord."
Fluttershy blinked. Her face showing signs of confusion and worry as she opened up the door further with a little more confidence.
"Oh-Oh no. Has D-Discord done something at Canterlot again? I am s-so s-sorry! He is just playing pranks!" She quickly defended. Bini couldn't help but wonder what Discord had done to provoke such a reaction from the shy pony. She wasn't sure she wanted to figure out either. "Please, don't arrest him! He was just trying to have fun!"
"Ms. Fluttershy, I assure you Discord is not in trouble! We would just like to talk to him about a matter of importance about the Princess." Arone said as Fluttershy's breathing increased as she became close to the verge of panic when she considered hundreds of pranks that Discord could have pulled that would have ended with two important ponies from Canterlot at her doorstep. "I was hoping you would know how to contact him."
Fluttershy mutely nodded and closed the door for a moment. There was a clashing of pots and pans. Bini and Arone were only left to speculate what was going on when they heard Fluttershy shriek in fear inside her cottage. Bini and Arone gave alarmed looks and she knocked on the door more aggressively than she would have liked.
"Um, Ms. Fluttershy? Are you alright?"
The door opened to show a dishevelled pegasus and a grinning draconequus behind her. Bini rolled her eyes as Arone gave him unimpressed look. Discord snapped his fingers and they reappeared inside Fluttershy's cottage that was the image of chaos. Animals and furniture were floating everywhere. Some of her household items were dancing around and singing. Her carpet floor had the image of Discord's face on it.
Bini and Arone yelped in alarm as they tried to lower themselves and Discord watched with amusement as he shoved popcorn in his face. Fluttershy was too busy trying to calm down her animals to notice their distress.
"Hey! Discord! Get us down right now or I sw-"
Discord booped Bini's nose which just got her thoughts of wanting to back out of this plan worse.
"Or else what?" He asked with a sweet tone. Then broke into a laugh and spilled his popcorn. "I am the lord of Chaos! A bellow average unicorn can't do anything to stop me."
"YOU J-"
Arone managed to shove a hoof into Bini's mouth with a great amount of effort because of their current situation.
"We are sorry." Arone started. Before shooting a glare at Bini to keep her mouth shut. Then slowly removed his hoof and looked back at Discord. "We are actually here on important business on behalf of Princess Celestia."
Discord snapped his fingers and made a magnifying glass appear. He used it to carefully examine the two with his usual over-dramatic behaviour with the occasional mutter and slight insult at the pair.
"Tia doesn't know you are here." He concluded. Then broke into a smile and placed everything back down. But that doesn't mean he placed Bini and Arone back down. He simply watched them drop and fall on each other as they hit the floor. Then laughed as they struggled to get off each other. "That means..."
"That means it's top secret." Bini snapped and looked towards Fluttershy. "I am sorry Ms. Fluttershy but you can't hear this."
Fluttershy nodded with a sweet smile and pointed towards the kitchen.
"I-I will be in the kitchen, making some tea." She said. "Anypony want some?"
"Yes, please." Bini and Arone chirped. Fluttershy nodded and entered the kitchen with a few animals. Bini and Arone hopped on the couch to get a better look at Discord, who was floating in the air, eating a pink cloud.
"We think that...The Princess is losing her sanity." Arone reveal. Discord stayed silent. Waiting for the part where they reveal this was a practical joke. It didn't come. Not after five minutes of extremely awkward silence that was only broken when Fluttershy delivered the tea and then trotted upstairs for her other chores. "Wait, you are being serious."
"Dear Equestria, Yes! Of course! We don't make crazy accusations like that unless we have something to back it up." Bini replied with a dramatic hoof movement.
"Like?"
"Like the fact she wants to kill King Sombra and is going to carry out that action within the next two weeks when her injuries are healed thanks to the skilled Doctors in Canterlot and her own magical skill, not to mention her Alicorn abilities," Arone explained.
"That doesn't sound unreasonable. He is hurting Tia. I would kill him too if I knew where he was banished."
"You're Discord. You can teleport anywhere..." Arone pointed out. Then he gasped and shook Bini. "He doesn't want to kill Sombra! HE IS ACTUALLY GOOD!"
"G-Get T-T-The H-AY A-Away F-From ME!" Bini said and pushed Arone away violently. "Geez. Get control of yourself. I am starting to believe that killing Sombra would actually do this country some good!"
"No, you don't! Remember Celestia is-"
They stopped when they heard knocking on the door. Bini hesitantly moved forward when the knocking became more insistent and looked through the window to see who it was. She looked back at them with wide eyes.
"It's the Royal Guard."
The knocking continued once more.
"What if they are here for Fluttershy?"
"Miss. Filters? Mr. Arone?" A guard called out on the other side of the door. "Are you here?"
Bini and Arone's brains froze for a moment as they processed what the guard said.
"How does he know we are here?!" Arone snapped. Bini shrugged.
"I don't know! I didn't tell anyone other than my assistants where I was going. I certainly didn't tell them I was going to a specific place of course. How did they-?"
The knocking continued with a tone of anger behind it.
"Miss. Filters! Mr. Arone. We can hear you. You need to return to Canterlot at once!"
Bini almost ripped the door open and glared at the guard.
"Why? We are kind of busy here. Offical business and such." Bini said. Gesturing to Discord and Arone, then to Fluttershy as she trotted back down the stairs at the commotion. "See?"
"We need to return you two to Canterlot Castle. Everypony in the staff is being questioned in Princess Celestia's disappearance." The guard revealed. Bini and Arone stared back with neutral expressions. Fluttershy whimpered and crawled into a little ball as she began to panic from the news. The only reason Discord wasn't in fury is because he was too busy trying to calm Fluttershy down.
He snapped his fingers and Arone, Bini and the guards standing at the door reappeared in the frantic streets of Canterlot. Ponies were screaming and running around, trying to find their family and friends to make sure they were safe. Crazy lunatics were hanging up posters and yelling about how Celestia's sudden disappearance was the sign that Equestria was about to fall. Foals and filly were crying as the confusion made them feel awful. In the middle of it stood two ponies.
The guards had rushed off the prevent a store from being lotted and Arone and Bini watched the chaos from the middle of the street. Being careful to jump out of any ponies' way as it didn't seem that being nice matter anymore. It was everypony for themselves. Discord snapped between the pair and took a moment to himself to examine the chaos.
"Under normal circumstances, I would be disappointed it wasn't...Bigger."
"Were you able to find Celestia with your magic? Is that why you are here?" Arone asked. Purposely ignore Discord's comment. Discord slowly shook his head with concern written on his face.
"According to my magic...She doesn't exist. I can't find her magical location anywhere."
"It has only been five seconds since-" Bini barked but was silenced by Discord's voice.
"When you can bend the very fabric of reality, five seconds isn't as short as it seems. I can do everything in five seconds. I just need to temporarily stop time. I do it on very rare occasions to prevent...Complications. It doesn't change the fact that no matter how many times I rechecked Equestria, I can't find her. She is somehow blocking her magical signature."
The panicked ponies galloping around started to noticed Discord and immediately started demanding he gives the Princess back. With a snap of his fingers, he was gone once again. Leaving more ponies to assume that the harsh exit meant he was guilty. If Canterlot hadn't derailed at that point, it was now.
---End of Chapter Twenty--