Chapter 1 – An Errand

Princess Twilight Sparkle never appreciated the rough seating the train often provided for its many customers. Her body shifted uncomfortably as her lavender wings ruffled in discontent. Really, train rides weren’t actually that bad, but for a long period of time, such movement could be very nauseating for somepony who wasn’t Rainbow Dash. And even then, Rainbow Dash preferred her movements to be free, not confined in a metal box going at a speed she wasn’t in control of.

From the section of his operating car, the train conductor rang his bell. “Manehatten! Manehatten!”

Ah. Perfect. The lavender alicorn proceeded to gather her luggage, a saddlebag filled with only a few essentials she made sure to pack for her journey. A set of parchments and quills for taking notes, bits to pay for lodging, and a container of dragon fire for if she needed to send messages due to urgency. Yes, everything was just perfect and exactly in the correct order.
That is, if it wasn’t for the extra package that insisted on accompanying her this time. Normally it would’ve been Spike, but he was sick in bed with a dragon flu, which Fluttershy was currently tending to. Of course, that meant that a certain creature of mischief and chaos was left without anypony willing to entertain him, so…

“Oh, goody, we’re here!” Said creature of chaos popped into existence beside the lavender alicorn, causing her to jump a little.

“Ah! Yes! We’re here, Discord, but just remember…I can’t be playing your mind-boggling games during one of my duties as a Princess. We talked about it, right?” Twilight faced the Lord of Chaos with an intense look.

Discord simply yawned. “Ah, yes, yes, we’ve been over the same conversation since we first slipped into the train. I’ll be good. No turning clouds pink or raining cats and dogs, or abuse of chaos magic. I’ve learned my lesson.” He looked back at her with a small smile.

“Okay, just making sure. This mission will have no disruptions; we’re just going in and checking on the status of the lesser established part of Manehatten for Princess Celestia.” Twilight stated with a firm nod.

“Right, so are we going already? Or are we just going to keep repeating your mission statement throughout this entire chapter?” Discord narrowed his eyes in boredom.

The lavender alicorn raised an eyebrow at the comment, but proceeded to walk through the entranceway of the station into the big and wide metropolis of Manehatten. The last time she was here, she came here to visit with her friends on a trip to support Rarity’s chances of winning a fashion contest. This time, she was here strictly on business. No sightseeing, and somehow she had to ensure the same for Discord, despite him making the argument that he hadn’t been in Manehatten before. Or at least, in over a thousand years, before it was even Manehatten. In a sense, it was a little unfair, but at least she let him come with her.

“So, I noticed that none of the others showed up. Were they busy like Fluttershy was, too?” Discord questioned, snaking along behind Twilight as they passed confused bystanders on the sidewalk.

Twilight nodded. “Rainbow Dash was stuck doing extra shifts for the weather due to other ponies calling in sick, it’s nearing Apple Bucking Season for Applejack, Pinkie Pie had a foal’s birthday bash to plan for, and Rarity was stressed by an abundance of dress orders for an upcoming spring event for Sapphire Shores. So, yes…everypony else was too busy to come, but I’m doing this on Princess Business anyway, so…some things you need to handle yourself, I guess.”

The draconeques nodded in acknowledgement. To be honest, not having her friends around was still an unnerving thing, especially since their bond seemed even closer with the appearance of their new castle. It seemed as if fate itself was keeping them together with the Magic of Friendship, helping her through every hurdle. However, this was just a small errand, nothing she couldn’t handle.

Right?

Discord sighed as he bumped against the lavender alicorn. “Oh, don’t fret, you’ll only turn your sweat into soap! Even if your dear friends couldn’t come with you, I’m here to help! And aren’t I one of your friends?”

Twilight nodded. It was true that Discord was easier to be around now. In fact, his words did make her feel a little better. “…Right. Thank you, Discord. Now, we have a mission to complete!”

“Yes, ma’am!” The draconeques followed after, the two making their way towards a darker portion of the large city, the shops becoming less and less elaborate than the main famous attractions of Manehatten.

The less established part of Manehatten was just that: less established. Another way to refer to it was to call the area the Manehatten slums. It seemed fitting too, as Twilight passed by some questionable ponies that seemed to give funny looks at her crown and her wings. Compared to the beauty nearby the train station, this place looked like it was morphed from Tartarus.

“Ooookay…seek for structural improvement.” The lavender alicorn scribbled onto the parchment she held with the magic from her horn, its glow wavering steadily.

“It’s quite the fitting touch here, don’t you think?” Twilight turned around to see Discord scraping a claw across a rusted pipe of metal, his expression shaped into a grin.

“Not exactly. This place needs a lot of help. It’s a good thing Princess Celestia sent me here. How much of this area is illegal?” Twilight took in her surroundings with a look of disgust. The structure of half of the buildings didn’t look safe to live in, and the filth was another issue. She almost felt like Rarity, often lifting up her hooves to check if she got any filth on her.

“Mmm, you know, you’re quite right, I think. Something IS missing from this picture. For one thing, everything seems broken, but it’s still meant to look orderly. If it does it that way, then of course it fails your inspection.”

“I’m not playing games here, Discord. I’m almost done with my notes here, and then we’ll need to catch a train back.” Twilight continued to scribble more notes as the draconeques frowned. “Well, what shall I do in the meantime? A Lord of Chaos does start to get bored, after all!”

“Find a way to entertain yourself, but remember our talk about magic.” Discord gave a light groan as he loitered around the area, his eyes scanning the filthy floor, the walls, some articles of ragged clothing on a line, and so on, and so on…

…A piece of paper? The draconeques approached the wall that held an old parchment, tearing it from the nail that held it still.
“Hmm…interesting…” He mused as he brought his paw up to stroke his goatee in a thoughtful manner.

The rip caught the Princess’ attention. “Ugh, Discord, what damage are you causing over there?” She blinked as she noticed the parchment in his grip. “…What is that? A piece of paper?”

“Well, if I’m reading this right, this is a wanted sign for an extremely dangerous assassin.” Twilight’s eyes widened as the draconeques looked further. “Mmm, no name or face. Typical.”

“W-What’s an assassin doing in Manehatten?!” Twilight went into panic mode. If this wasn’t something to alert the Princess for, she didn’t know what would’ve. “I’ve got to report to Princess Celestia about this!”

“Whoa, whoa, pipe down, already!” He searched for a given date. “Aha, this was given what, 4 or 5 years ago? Chances are…the case is closed by now.”

The alicorn couldn’t help giving a sigh of relief. “Well, good…but I think I might search in the Canterlot archives for anything about this assassin after we return. I need to go there to give Princess Celestia these notes, anyway.”

As the two turned to leave the area, a can clanked past the street, causing Twilight to quickly turn around. In front of her was a cloaked pony, very ragged and dirty. In fact, the pony unnerved her, and she questioned whether to talk to this pony, or to run away.

“Um…hello, sir…?” She tried for the first approach.

The pony laughed lightly, a sound so raspy, it was like gargling nails. “A Princess, eh…? Well, what’s a pretty little charm like you doing in such a dark dank place like the slums, anyway?”

Discord grinned. “Well, we’re just on a little mission to check up, so to say.”

“Ah, yeah...About time we’ve been due for one…So, I hear you’ve been curious about that there paper of yours, right?” The pony pointed a scrawny hoof towards the parchment in Discord’s claws. “Quite a killer, that one was.”

Twilght blinked. “Was? Do you know anything about this pony?”

The pony snickered. “Pfft, no, not me…but them fat cats would hire that one for nasty deeds. That was the one who killed that Super Intendant, you know?”

While Discord merely cocked an eyebrow, Twilight gasped. In her younger years of studying under Celestia, she had admired the actions of a Super Intendant in Manehatten for supporting charities to make lives better for orphans. He was a kind-hearted stallion in his older age, but unfortunately one night he was murdered. The only thing that was found was a bag full of bits, and a knife that showed no signs of DNA except for the deceased victim’s. It was a tragic case that ended without anypony to blame.

Twilight blinked a few tears away. “Yes, I remember the incident. Murder isn’t something that’s common here in Equestria, but there were several occurrences then.”

The pony nodded. “Yup. They were all done by that one. That one was a special case…a real killer.”

Discord frowned. “So, why is it always ‘that one’? Did no one know the gender of the pony?”

The stranger shook his head. “Nope, no one but the fat cats that hired the beast…anyways, I should be getting back. My slop’s gonna get cold.”

Twilight nodded. “R-Right, of course…Take care, sir.”

The stranger gave a cackle as he made his way back into the shadows, leaving the two puzzled figures behind him.

Discord blinked. “Well, that was quite the experience! Shall we be going then?” His claws twitched as Twilight took the parchment into her magic grip. She herself said there’d be no disruptions, but technically her mission and her curiosity were taking her to the same place.

“…We need to deliver the notes to Princess Celestia. After that, I’m going to do some research. I have to find out who our mysterious assassin is.”

The draconeques clapped his paw and claw together. “Oh, goody! We’re researching a murder case! Though, personally I could find a better use of my time, but what better way to bond with the Princess Twilight Sparkle, eh?”

Twilight deadpanned. “Discord, trying to handle logic…this should prove to be interesting.”

“Oh, the fun we’ll have!” Discord cheered as they walked back into the lighter area of Manehatten, some of the tourist attractions back in their line of sight. If Twilight didn’t have something else to occupy her time after the mission was done, she did now.

Someway, somehow…she was going to find the murderer responsible for killing that poor Super Intendant.

Author's Note

So, this is just a little experiment to try an idea that's been kicking around in roleplays with my sister. Please, give any form of criticism, but don't hate the story for no reason.

Enjoy.