Twilight looked at the impressive city on the mountain in front of her with a mix of emotions.
A not long time ago, she described the huge castles, the flawless gardens and the upscale atmosphere with a simple word: "home". Somewhere around her brother's wedding, the word became, for her, a synonym of Ponyville. Still, it's the home of her parents, one or another relative, and her mentor.
She was afraid that now, as a princess herself, that would be the next word to lose or change its meaning. Mentor. Would she ever be equal to Celestia? Would she want to?
But she needed answers and felt she owned Trixie something, and there's only one place to start the quest. Shortly she was walking with Celestia on the endless corridors of the castle, the stained glass telling stories so familiar to both. The Ruler of the Sun stopped at a particular window and looked at her former pupil, who tilted her head away.
"You are avoiding looking at this one."
"The one at the right tells me much more. Spike's and Candance fight against Sombra. And I am partial to how nice my brother looks on it."
"And what's wrong with this?"
Twilight sighed, glancing at it, and turning her head away again "It's my coronation"
"Yes, it is. And…?"
"I don't know if I deserve it, or if I did something today to earn the right to be called a princess."
"The answer would be 'yes' to both, Twilight. You are trying to fix something wrong. And there are few things more precious than that."
"I – I don't know where to start, princess."
"Twilight, did I ever answered you directly?"
"No, that's why you are such a great teacher. You made me think, you made me look for answers, you never gave me anything free."
"So, this time is no different. I strongly believe you will solve this crime. But, on your way, you will find it… information that can have a huge impact on your future. Twilight, I have complete faith in you. You proved to me, once and again, that your choices are wise. I ask that you have the same confidence in yourself. Do what you feel it needs to be done. No matter how hard it seems."
"I… still have lots of questions."
"I know. But I am not the one to answer. What do you want to know?"
"I-."
Twilight felt the hoof of Celestia lightly in front of her mouth.
"Answer to yourself. Everything will be easier after that."
Exiting the castle, Twilight looked at the horizon. What does she want to know? She only wants all this to make sense.
Drifting her eyes through the landscape, she noticed something strange. That mountain near Canterlot was not there a month ago. And, from this distance, it seems to shine in odd colors, and she could swear the top looks like choco...
"Oh, no." She shakes her head. "no, no, no, no, no, I don't want to talk to Luna yet, so… I will go to the Crystal Empire. That's it. Talk to my Brother and Candance and.."
The mountain caught her attention again.
"Come on, Twilight, think. You are trying to make sense of the situation, why would you go to the only being impervious to the concept?"
She sighed, as she flew in direction to the mountain.
"Any barn in a storm, they say."
As she approached the mountain, the sun somehow was replaced by a disco ball, and she had to avoid a rain of sardines until finding the draconequus resting on an argyle cloud.
"Well, well, well, if it isn`t Twilight Sparkle."
"Hello, Discord. Ahn… interesting place you got here."
"Really, Twilight? And here was I thinking you would be the last pony to compliment my abilities on interior and exterior design."
"Well, I… the hay, Discord, I need your help."
Twilight suddenly finds herself inside a wire globe of the planet, with Discord making it spin.
"You do? Amazing how the world turns, right?"
"I understand if you don't want to help. Sorry for bothering you."
"Oh, no, don't misinterpret me." The apparatus disappeared. "Tell me, my little princess."
"Did you hear about the murder?"
"Oh, yes. I heard rumors and flew over Mareami to see things first-pawed. I loathe violence, but I will have to admit…"
The floor between twilight and Discord was now covered with standing dominos
"That this act shows the harmony and love on Equestria is not all that solid. It just takes one pony..."
On his talon, Discord was holding a casket-shaped domino, with the image of Trixie.
Placing it carefully on one end of the domino line, the Lord of Chaos gave it a little bump, making all the others to fall in sequence. As they fell, they started to form Discord's image. "… and we have destructive chaos". The image disappeared, and Discord firmly pressed one domino, making the falling sequence to stop as the others reached the secured one. "Likewise, it takes one pony to stop everything" Discord raised the piece, to show the image of Twilight Sparkle.
"What do you mean?"
"You go to Mareami, my dear Twilight, before every domino falls down. A murder can change tons of things."
"Do you know who did it?"
"No."
"And… why are the law forces acting so strangely about it?"
"Which ones?"
"Bridle and Night Guard."
"You will not solve this part of the mystery unless you change your view about those."
"Please, Discord, no riddles. I am not in the mood."
"I don't see you like this since… since the time I made some improvements in Ponyville. Tell, me, Twilight, how do you feel?"
"This violence… everything that is happening… I'm feeling out of place, like… like…"
The Lord of Chaos snapped his fingers, transporting both to the top of a roof of a wooden cabin that was not there one second ago. Twilight found herself suddenly as a filly, trying to keep her balance, as Discord finished her thoughts:
"Like a filly on the roof, my dear Twilight?" Discord produced a fiddle and started to play and dance "If I were an alicorn princess/ Daidle deedle daidle/ Daidle daidle deedle daidle dum/ All day long I'd biddy-biddy-bum/ If I were an alicorn…"
"Discord, take us down, now!"
"Would you prefer I play 'Discord went down to Equestria'? It's a fan favorite, you know. "
"Now!"
After a snap of fingers, Twilight found herself back to normal on the mountain ground.
"But, to answer your question about Bridle and Night Guard…" Twilight felt Discord hold her as he took off straight up. As soon as they were some hundreds of meters above the mountain, he said: "You must look at the big picture."
Looking down, the mountain was now sporting the faces of Celestia, Luna and Twilight Sparkle.
"Are you trying to say that… they put the princesses above solving the crime?"
A podium with a lightened panel flashing the word "winner" appeared in front of Twilight, while Discord, wearing a suit and with a microphone on hand, applauded.
"Ladies and gentlecolts, we have a winner! Let's hear it to Twilight Sparkle."
"But why? What they accomplish with this? Why is this so important? And why you showed me my face on the mountain?"
"And now, we go to the second round of our game."
The duo landed softly on the mountain.
"But that can wait. Are you going to Mareami, Twilight?"
The alicorn nodded. "My train exits in four hours."
"And are you aware of Night Guards' favorite method of questioning?"
"I am. I didn't sleep at all last night."
A snap of fingers and a floating mattress appeared under Twilight, and a dark canopy started to form above her.
"Luna must be sleeping now. It's safe for you to do the same."
"Discord?"
"Hm?"
"Why are you being nice? Why should I trust you?"
He chuckled "Because friendship is magic?"
Another snap of talon fingers, and several little discords, dressed as sheep, started to jump a miniature fence in front of her impromptu bed.
"The truth, Discord." Said Twilight, making herself comfortable and barely managing to keep her eyes open.
"Let's talk about it later"