Chapter One:
The Royal Canterlot Library Head Librarian, a unicorn known as Bini Filters, hated Mondays. She didn't know what was worse, Mondays or weddings that interrupted her whole daily schedule so that two lovebirds she didn't even know, nor particularly care about could get hitched. One of the lucky married couple to be, didn't even seem that nice if she was being perfectly honest with herself. The Alicorn, who came out of nowhere a few years ago and simply existed in the Canterlot, wasn't very pleasant to be around these days.
Not that her option mattered in such topics. She did have a high-level job as Librarian for the Canterlot Castle's Library and Archive. But that didn't exactly give her much clout, especially since she sort of stumbled into the job one day after she got rejected for the position of Librarian for Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. Which she certainly wasn't bitter about. Not one bit.
Bini jolted in alarm as she realized she slammed her cup full of Hot Chocolate far too hard onto the Library's main desk, a circular desk that surrounded a large hourglass that ticked down the seconds of the day using sand from Saddle Arabia. She flinched as some of her drink spilled onto her hoof, burning slightly. She used her blue magic to quickly fix the issue and privately considered that yea, ok, maybe she was a little bitter. Especially since the position was handed down to her arch Enemy.
She mumbled curses to herself as she adjusted her small glasses and scarf to be more presentable despite the fact she was sitting in a massive library without a soul in sight. Not that she had a problem with that exactly, she didn't really feel like listening to some Nobel come in, explaining why she or he was better than herself due to their positions in life. Frankly, she was just trying to exist in the world and that was hard even on a good day.
But, as always, someone eventually interrupts. This came today with one of the large double doors openings, allowing a pegasi guard to come in with a big goof smile to bother that Librarian as he let the sounds of a frantic castle staff trying to prepare for a dumb royal wedding inside its quiet walls.
"For the love of the sun and moon, close that blasted door." She barked as the guard rolled his eyes and closed it shut at her request. She flared her magic alive to teleport needed scrolls and files, including her list of daily activities, from her office to her current position at the circular desk she found herself spending much of her time at. "What can I do for you, Sunlight Shield?"
"I just wanted to talk with my favourite Librarian!" Sunlight chirped and he trotted over to her. Bini gave him a knowing look.
"We both know that is a lie. You hang out with me due to convenience and the fact we both like gossip. Let me guess...You are here because you were stationed to guard the Library's front doors with that one guard you hate...what's his name...The son of Mayor..."
"Lucky Clover." The guard mumbled under his breath with hatred. "He will not stop bragging about his luck in life and how great it is that his Father is the Mayor!"
"Well, in his defence, it's in the name. Lucky Clover. Fits. Also, the fact his cutie mark is connected to luck so really, who wouldn't brag about that?" Bini argued as she organized her files into nice piles for the sake of it looking nice for herself.
"OK, sure, but there is being proud of that and like... Frankly, he is like Prince Blueblood but not as powerful or not as able to follow through on his threats." Sunlight replied with a dramatic roll of his hoof before he looked towards the double doors of the Library with new disgust. "Frankly this royal wedding isn't helping my temper either. Being on alert for some unknown evil that sent a letter in. I mean really, who warns their enemy they are coming to take them over with a letter? Why warn anypony at this point?"
"For the laughs?" Bini suggested as she wrote notes on a scroll in front of her with her magic. "For the sake of a challenge? Where is the fun in taking over a nation if you don't give them a chance to fight back any hoof? All I know is that I miss seeing a blue sky and not that pink abomination above us, surrounding the city."
Bini pointed her hoof up to the dome of glass above them, showing the pink sky in all its glory, which was actually a shield surrounding the city.
"That shield is protecting us from the mentioned threat." Sunlight argued. "Show some respect to the Captain. He is trying his best, he can't change the colour of his magic, Bini."
"Change the colour of his magic? Now that's an interesting idea." Bini smirked. "Maybe tell Twilight Sparkle that, she is in the city isn't she? With the rest of the Elements of Harmony? How could she not, it's her brother getting married after all."
"Why, in this big beautiful nation, would I trot up to somepony as important as Twilight Sparkle, and say something like that?" Sunlight demanded with a raised eyebrow.
"Um...For the sake of having some fun in life?"
"Bini, if you wanted to have fun in life, you wouldn't be living in Canterlot and sending other ponies to do your dirty work." Sunlight replied as he adjusted his armour. Bini, narrowed her eyes at him, as she slammed a scroll down on the table and levitated another scroll to herself.
"I do no such thing, and you are aware of that. Besides, the world is screwed up enough as it is. It doesn't need me to help it along in its path of self-destruction."
"Everyone knows you were the one that sent that messenger to the Captain about how Blueblood was attempting to poison the Princess...Again."
"Oh, really? Prove it." Bini challenged.
"The Messenger claimed he was paid twenty bits to deliver the scroll, it was written in your hoof writing. Your magical signature was attached to it, thanks to the science of unicorns reading other unicorns' magic patterns. You kept complaining the day after you were broke and begged me to buy you a Hot Chocolate to get through the afternoon because you lost twenty bits on "A bad deal." that you refused to tell me."
"I like keeping secrets just like anypony else, that doesn't mean I may have heard about some overthrowing plots and wanted the idiotic stumbling moron of a Prince to get thrown into the deepest dungeons of the castle and rot there because I was petty he threw my precious books on the ground and-"
Bini stopped mid-rant as she realized what she was saying with wide eyes. Sunlight shield was smiling back at her with a knowing, far too happy smile. Bini growled at him before clearing her throat and sitting a bit straighter.
"Like I said. Keeping secrets is nice."
"You like watching the world burn, don't you?"
"You make me sound like a monster." Bini replied, acting half hurt, but silently, she considered if it was true. Sunlight didn't seem as sure either as he started the journey back to the main large Library doors.
"Well, just...try not to get yourself killed in these little adventures." Sunlight hesitantly called back to her as he got closer to the doors.
"Don't worry. I am just trying to exist. Not trying to live some grand adventure that would fulfill my soul." Bini replied with a roll of her eyes. Sunlight gave a small smile and nodded.
"Agreed. There are too many ponies like that these days."