"Hey, Twilight I'm heading out to help Rarity with her gem hunting. I'll be back in time to help make dinner." Spike called out as he headed for the door of the Golden Oaks Library.
"Okay Spike. Have fun and stay away from the Diamond Dogs! We don't need a repeat of the last time you two went out there!" Twilight replied as she put the last of the returned books back on the shelf.
""I here ya Twilight. I don't think the Diamond Dogs would appreciate it either!" Spike said with a chuckle as he headed out the door with a wave.
Twilight returned the wave while chuckling herself before stretching out her arms and wings. She'd only been a princess for a few months, but the sensations of having two new appendages was starting to fade into familiarity.
Moving to her ever present checklist, she checked to see what tasks she still had to accomplish before the end of the day.
"Okay, let's see what we have. Books reshelved, check. Next up: get groceries." Twilight looked at the clock hanging behind the information desk in the rear of the libraries main room. "Might as well get this done while the market is still open." She muttered to herself as she grabbed her purse and shopping bag.
Flipping the sign on the door to closed and setting the little clock part for an hour and a half for her return Twilight headed out the door, locking it before heading off to the Ponyville Farmer's Market.
As she walked she passed a few of the little hamlet's residents, acknowledging them with a smile and a wave. Thankfully they had picked up on the fact that the constant bowing was grating on her nerves fairly quickly and most now at the very least gave her a polite nod and a smile in greeting as their paths crossed.
Reaching the marketplace, Twilight began the process of procuring the necessary items that she and Spike would need for the next few days.
Finally after nearly an hour of haggling with the various vendors in the market, she reached the cart for Sweet Apple Acres.
"Hi Applejack! How's business been?" She asked the blonde maned, orange furred mare behind the cart.
"Hasn't been too bad today Twi. How about your day sugarcube?" Applejack asked as she began to gather Twilight's usual order.
"Not to bad really. Just a few books that came back, only one of which was late." Twilight replied as she took the bundle of apples before handing a handful of coins to the farm mare.
"Let me guess, the one that was late was Rainbow Dash?" Applejack inquired as she put the coins in the cash box.
"How ever did you guess that?" Twilight replied with a mock surprised expression. "Yeah, with the new Daring Do book coming out soon she wanted to read the entire series, again. You would figure that she would have learned that I don't make exceptions for late fees by now."
The two mares shared a laugh at the expense of their polychromatic friend.
"You would think that she would after all that she has paid. Weren't y'all thinkin' about making a 'Rainbow Dash Wing' of the library on account of how many bits she's shelled out to ya?" Applejack asked after she got her laughter under control.
"I was, but I figured that she would just take it as a complement and not the message that we would want it to be." Twilight replied as she wiped her eyes. "Well I need to get going. Got one last stop to make at Sugarcube Corner before heading back home. I'll talk to you later AJ."
"Alright, have good evenin' Twi. I'll see ya around." AJ replied as she waved goodbye to her friend.
Twilight returned the wave as she headed off to the bakery.
Reaching the gingerbread house design bakery she entered pulling out her wallet as her friend Pinkie Pie spotted her.
"Hiya Twilight! Got your usual already to go for ya! Are ya coming to Lyra's birthday party this weekend?" The pink maned party mare asked as she set some packages of baked goods on to the counter.
"You bet, Pinkie. It would take a lot for me to miss a Pinkie Pie Party. It's at noon right?" Twilight asked as she handed over the appropriate amount of bits.
"That's right. See ya-" Pinkie began before she was cut of as her mane curled, both ears began to twitch wildly and her left eye began to roll around independently of her right one before her right leg kicked out and sent her sprawling on the floor.
"Pinkie! Are you alright?" Twilight asked as she leaned over the counter to check on her friend.
"I'll be okay, but boy that was a doozy of a Pinkie Sense. Wonder what this doozy is gonna be?" Pinkie replied as she stood up.
Twilight shuddered at the thought. After her experience of trying to quantify Pinkie's various ticks and twitches, Twilight took the early warnings seriously. "Any idea where and when this one is gonna occur?" She asked.
"Nope, not a clue. It's just gonna be a big one." Pinkie replied.
"Alright then. Keep an eye out. No need to get surprised more than we have to. I'll see you at the party." Twilight said as she grabbed the boxes of baked goods and exited the bakery.
Heading back towards her library home, Twilight's eyes danced around as she checked for anything that seemed out of the ordinary.
Out of the ordinary for Ponyville at least.
She didn't spot anything as she used her magic to pull her keys from her purse and unlocked the door to the library. Upon entering, she saw the most likely cause of the latest Doozy.
"Discord." She said tersely as she closed the door with her magic as she moved towards the living area of the massive tree.
"Oh, you wound me Twilight. I thought we were friends." The draconequus replied as he floated several feet above the floor.
"I know that you say that you are reformed, and Fluttershy seems to be keeping you on a short leash, but forgive me if I don't fully trust someone who has tried to take over Equestria not once, but twice." Twilight answered as she used her magic to quickly put the groceries in their places while keeping Discord within sight.
"Now why would I want to do a thing like that? Where would the fun be?" The harbinger of chaos inquired.
"Maybe because you're still smarting over your defeat by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, and when the girls and I did it a second time after everything that you put us through. Even your little vines a couple of months ago failed." Twilight replied as she moved towards the public area of the library.
"Hmmm, you are right about one thing Twilight. I am very upset that I was defeated, but I've gotten over it. Now all I want to do is cause a little bit of chaos. It just so happens that since the Elements of Harmony are no longer in your possession, I have a prime opportunity to do just that." Discord said, his lips curving into a maniacal grin.
Twilight's eyes widened as she connected the last few dots. Discord was well aware that the Elements were no longer usable. He probably also knew that there had been no progress in acquiring the keys for the box that the Tree of Harmony had produced when the Elements were returned to it. She also knew that of everyone in the immediate vicinity, she was the biggest threat to whatever Discord was planning. She didn't like to admit it, but she was a very powerful unicorn before she ascended. Since then she was almost at the level of Celestia and Luna when it came to raw magical output. She knew that if she fell to Discord, there wouldn't be much that could stop whatever he was planning.
"Now what to do with you Princess Sparkle. I could turn you into a statue, I could banish you to the moon, or I could just get rid of you for good." Discord said with a cackle.
"What are you planning Discord? What makes you so sure that you can even do anything to me and get away with it?" Twilight asked as she slowly moved behind the counter towards a drawer that was under heavy preservation enchantments.
"I was thinking, what is the best way to cause chaos with as little input from little old me? Then I said to myself 'Discord old chap, why not bring back a most noble pursuit of chaos to this fair planet.' So I decided that I shall, but first I need to make sure that even if Tia does have the Bearers gather the Elements again, they will be useless. That means getting rid of the one thing that makes them work, you." Discord explained as he continued to monologue as he drew himself up to his full height.
Twilight rested her hand on the pull of the enchanted drawer. She really didn't want to open it, but things seemed to be heading towards a confrontation. "What is it that you are planning Discord?"
"Put simply my dear Princess, I am planning on starting a little war against Equestria. I won't be fighting it, and I haven't decided who will yet, but I will. But first, I think that it is time for you to be on your way." Discord finished as he raised his claws.
Twilight, in one of those stunning moments of clarity brought on by a massive surge of adrenaline flooding one's system, saw time slow down as she pulled the drawer open and reached inside to grab the contents.
When she first moved to Ponyville, Shining Armour had sent her a care package that contained a gift that he had commissioned for her.
Two flintlock pistols that had her cutie mark set into the grips.
He had shown her how to use them when they both resided in Canterlot. Shining had taught her the basics of handling, loading, firing, and caring for the weapons. She took to it like a duck to water. So when she finally left Canterlot, he sent them to her so that she could 'protect herself from overly amorous stallions'.
To keep them safe and out of young hands, she took one of the drawers in the library counter and enchanted it to Tartarus and back. It was keyed so that only she could open it and it would keep the weapons in the same state that they were in when she put them in it.
In this case, loaded and cocked.
Time continued to crawl as she drew the weapons, Discord's claws seeming to move through molasses as he moved them to snap her into oblivion.
Taking careful aim, Twilight fired both shots straight at Discord.
At the same moment, time sped back up and the draconequus's fingers snapped, only to be drowned out by the report of the two pistols.
Discord staggered back, the force of the impact merely knocking the wind out of him.
Looking up he smiled.
On the countertop, rested two smoking flintlock pistols.
Behind the counter, was a scorch mark where there used to be a mare.
Princess Twilight Sparkle, the Bearer of the Element of Magic, was gone.