//------------------------------// // Carnival Games // Story: Magical Mystery Oops // by BookeCypher //------------------------------// “Nothing for kings, nothing for crowns! Send in the lovers, liars and-” “It's not even noon yet.” “Tragedy tomorrow, Comedy-” Discord paused at Twilight's interrupt before dropping his arms with a sigh, “See? Now you ruined it.” Twilight rolled her eyes at the serpent's antics as she looked around the fairgrounds. The festival was now well and truly in full-swing, and just based on the accents she could here there were ponies from as far away as Trottingham. She was actually kind of impressed; the Mayor had gone all-out on the promotion, “Sing later,” Twilight said to the fellow draconequus as she watched the crowd. Was that pegasus hauling books? He was! “What are we doing now?” Discord shrugged, “No idea – figured we could just go with the flow. Why, you want to do something?” “Go back to the castle and work?” Twilight replied. “Not an option,” Discord said as he snaked over to a cotton candy stand. It only took him a moment to obtain a large blob of the fluffy pink candy, which he proceeded to wring out into his mouth. Twilight was sure there were better ways to get chocolate milk, “So,” Discord continued as he wiped his mouth, “Next?” Twilight sighed as she pointed after the pegasus she'd seen, “Yes – I would like to buy that.” Discord glanced in the direction she was pointing, before turning back to Twilight, “What – all of it?” Twilight shrugged as she started after the pony, “Maybe – come on,” the younger draconequus led the way toward the pegasus and his load of sweet, sweet, literature, “pardon me!” Twilight called out as she got closer, “Would you happen to be selling?” The pegasus glanced at her before doing a double-take, “Fly me to the moon – Princess Twlight! I apologize for not seeing you sooner,” he landed just in front of her, double-checking his straps before turning back to her, “As for your question – finest collection of antique literature from Canterlot and Manehattan,” He nodded at the load of books behind him, “All for sale to a discerning eye.” “Antique is an understatement,” The pegasus blinked in surprise as Twilight suddenly stopped being in front of him and started being somewhere behind him, examining the tomes, “Some of these look positively ancient.” “And still nothing good about me,” A small Discord grumbled as he wormed between the volumes, “A pity.” Twilight frowned at him before pointing at a spot next to her, “Out, now.” Discord grumbled but complied, dusting himself off before raising an eyebrow at the pegasus, “What? Do I have a vowel in my teeth?” “Uh...no?” the pegasus replied, giving his head a quick shake before turning to Twilight, “This might be a strange question, ma'am but... are you a god?” Twilight blinked owlishly, “Well... no. Why-” Before she could get any further, she felt a paw wrap around her shoulders and pull her to one side, “Twilight,” Discord hissed at her in a rather poor attempt at a whisper, “When somepony asks if you're a god, you say yes!” Twilight just gave him a flat stare before pushing him away and turning to the pegasus, “I'm not, but why do you ask?” “Oh, it's nothing,” the pegasus replied dismissively, “Just and idea a friend of mine had – so, care to buy some books?” Twilight's grin widened, and suddenly the pegasus found himself very, very worried. Sometime later, and Twilight was happily trotting along next to Discord, new book in hand and several dozen more floating along behind her like literary ducks in a row. “Twilight,” Discord said with a sigh, “Put the book down,” “You're not my supervisor,” Twilight replied without lifting her face from her book. “You're going to walk into something,” Discord pointed out. “I know what I'm-” Twilight's reply was cut off as she walked face-first into a wall, “Ow!” “Told ya',” Discord was already starting to giggle and making only the slightest effort to hide it, “And you keep telling me reading is healthy.” “Shut up,” Twilight glowered at him as she rubbed at her bruised nose, “What did I even run into...?” The pair looked up at the stone wall. From nearby, the sound of clinking glass, bells, and a dozen other sounds echoed, “An arcade?” “Oh!” Discord started hopping up and down, clapping happily as he stared at Twilight with big, puppy-dog eyes. Twilight was worried about where he got them, “Can we go inside? Canwecanwecanwe?” Twilight was about to say no, but Discord's face looked so earnest that she couldn't do it. “...Fine,” She said with sigh. It was a festival anyhow, so she might as well have try and have some fun. “Yes!” Discord cheered, a burst of confetti bursting out from behind him. “But you have to behave!” Twilight warned him as they started around to the front, “Ponies get mad if you start cheating. So no magic.” “No problem,” Discord said with a nod as they rounded the corner. The front of the arcade was a series of archways, through which was a larger covered square that was probably supposed to be a market of some sort. Instead of peddler stalls though were a wide variety of carnival games – ring tosses, target galleries, claw games, and whatever they called that thing with the oversized hammer and a bell at the top of a chart. “That includes chaos magic,” Twilight added, taking a shot in the dark. Her guess proved right, as Discord slumped and turned to pout at her. “Oh, you're no fun,” he whined, but Twilight was unfazed by the look. “Neither is cheating,” Twilight replied as she tossed Discord a pouch of bits, “And try not to bring the place down? You put a lot of time into building this place,” she paused before adding, “Also – its occupied.” “Fine,” Discord replied as he grabbed Twilight and led her further into the arcade, “Well then – let's win you something ridiculous and fluffy! Allons-y!” “Alon-whaaaa!” Twilight gave startled cry as Discord pulled her deeper into the arcade, weaving around ponies and games until everything was a blur of shadows and color that drove her to squeeze her eyes shot to make sure she didn’t regurgitate her breakfast. Or bubbles – she hadn't done much research into draconequi nausea reflexes yet. Maybe she should strap Discord to a centrifuge. That sounded like a wonderful idea. Except Fluttershy might be upset. Or Discord might enjoy it. Or- “Twilight,” Discord's voice interrupted, “You can open your eyes now.” Twilight slowly cracked her eyes open, and found herself staring back toward the front of the arcade. She must have gotten turned around, “Why the-” Twilight began to ask she she quickly glanced around. And found herself nose-to-nose with a very fluffy pink pony, “Pfft.” “Gah!” Twilight recoiled in surprise as a familiar cackle filled the air. It took Twilight a moment to realize that the intruder into her personal space was a large plush toy being wielded by Discord. “Oh,” Discord said with mock sadness, “You don't like your new friend?” Twilight frowned at her fellow draconequus, “Where did you get that?” Discord shrugged and pointed at a nearby claw machine of ridiculous proportion. Twilight would have bet good bits a filly could crawl inside via the prize chute, “I won it.” Twilight blinked, “I looked away for maybe three seconds.” “I'm really good at games,” Discord replied with his usual roguish grin. It was the sort of grin that he tended to wear all the time. The sort of grin that made Twilight want to either put a stop to whatever he was doing or just join in. In retrospect, the latter option had become increasingly more attractive in recent days. That still left her with an obviously scheming draconequus to deal with at the moment though, “I'm sure you are,” Twilight replied as she rose from the floor and dusted herself off, “I suppose I should give it a try.” Discord stepped to the side and gestured toward the oversized machine, “Of course – if you're worried about losing, there are some easier ones-” “I'll be fine,” Twilight replied somewhat more heatedly then she meant to as she stepped forward, “It's just physics, right?” “Of course, of course,” Discord replied with a grin as he leaned against a nearby column and made himself comfortable. Twilight spared him one final glance before turning her attention back to the claw game and slipping a coin into the slot. How hard could it be? The machine rumbled to life as it accepted the bit and claw mechanism came to life. Taking hold of the control stick before her, Twilight gave it a few experimental taps to confirm the method of operation. She moved the stick left – the claw moved left. She pushed it forward – the claw moved away from her. Foals play. Now all she needed was- The machine shuttered softly before the claw returned to it starting corner of its own volition. “Aw,” Discord said from behind her, “Too slow. Gotta go fast!” “You didn't say there was a time limit,” Twilight groused as she pulled out another bit and fed it to the machine. It soon rumbled to life again and she wasted no time in getting the claw moving. She took only a moment to identify her target – a Starswirl the Bearded plushie, complete with his belled hat. She had to have it. And with the claw in position above it, it was as good as hers. She pressed the button on the control stick, and smiled as the claw descended, talons spread and waiting. Piece of- The claw snapped shut and the doll slipped free, leaving the claw empty as it returned to its corner. “...What.” “That happens, you know,” Discord chimed in uselessly. She couldn't see it, but she was sure he had shrugged, “It's all about angles, you see...” “You, of all people, do not get to lecture me about angles,” Twilight muttered as she fed the machine another coin, “You don't even pay attention to them most of the time.” “You make one four-hundred and twenty degree triangle and they never let you forget about it,” Discord complained, throwing his hands in the air before catching them as a very confused carrot-dog vendor stopped and stared, “So, are you going to be much longer?” he asked as he bought a dog off the still confounded vendor, “There's a stage-show I wanted to check out sometime this millennium.” “Aren't guys supposed to indulge girls on dates, traditionally?” Twilight shot back a she fiddled with the joystick. “Since when have I been traditional?” Discord replied with a shrug, “That level of consistency is – hello there, and you are...?” Twilight ignored Discord as she she focused on retrieving the Starswirl doll. What she heard next made that sort of impossible though. “Hail the goddess!” Twilight paused before she looked up from the machine and turned around. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but a half-dozen ponies in robes wasn't it. They seemed to be an equal mix of mares and stallions, and their tribal distribution seemed pretty even as well. Presented with such a sight, Twilight responded with the poise one expected of a princess and personal student of Celestia herself, “Huh?” “Greetings, oh wise goddess,” The lead pony – an earth stallion in a purple robe – said as he bowed, “I am Grey Hill, Overseer of the cult of Discord.” Twilight resisted the urge to shudder. Discord resisted the urge to chuckle, “Wait,” Twilight said instead of panicking like she wanted – best to confirm her fears first, “You made a religion that worships...” she pointed at her fellow draconequus, “...him?” Hill and his fellow cloaked compatriots chuckled, “Of course not – we follow your word, not his.” “But you named it after me!” Discord said in nearly a whine, “Why would you do that?!” “She is your boss, no?” Hill replied, and Twilight chuckled at that, “It seemed prudent to name our order after her first follower and our inspiration.” “I find that highly-” Twilight started, but Hill apparently wasn't finished. “Of course,” Hill continued, “As our Pope, the words of Discord carry much weight so long as you do not contradict them,” Twilight sputtered at that as Discord cackled madly. Behind them, the machine shuttered as its game timer ran down to a stop. “I know I said I was going to make you famous,” Discord said as he leaned toward Twilight, still smirking as he kept his eyes on the congregation, “but this is a bit much even for me.” “You accidentally started a religion!” Twilight hissed back, “I didn't even know you could do that!” “I know!” Discord replied in glee, “Isn't it great?” “No!” Twilight shot back, keeping her voice low, “No it is not!” “I beg to differ,” and then, before Twilight could stop him, Discord turned to the gaggle of his – ugh, Twilight couldn't believe she was saying this – followers, “Attention my little ponies!” he announced grandly, “I shall now bestow upon you five pearls of wisdom!” the group gave a small cheer before he continued, “One – There is no goddess but your goddess!” A collection of agreeable murmurs and approving nods replied, “Two – A Discordian Shall Always use the Official Discordian Document Numbering System.” A hoof rose out of the crowd, “What's the-” “Ask later!” Discord quickly cut them off before continuing, “Four... no, wait, three - A Discordian is required during his early illumination to go off alone & partake joyously of a carrot dog on a Friday. Four - A Discordian shall partake of no carrot dog buns.” Another hoof, “But-” “What did I just say!?” Discord cut them off again, “And finally, five – A Discordian is prohibited from believing what he reads.” “But...” Twilight began before she paused and frowned, “Hrm... that would mean, but then...which would mean...” “Princess?” Twilight jolted at the words, looking up to see a group of ponies and one draconequus staring at her, the closest pony being the one that had apparently spoken, “Is something he said wrong?” Twilight debated what to say for a moment before sighing, “Not really – but fully consider what each of those mean, okay?” “Of course, oh wise goddess!” the pony replied with a polite bow, “Thank you for your time and wise words; we shall leave you to return to your own business.” And as suddenly as they had arrived, the half-dozen ponies headed off, leaving a very confused Twilight and very amused Discord behind, “I'm surprised you didn't veto that last one, to be honest.” “Well, as much as it pains me to admit it,” Twilight replied absently as she stared out after the departing ponies, “It's not bad advice – ponies should come to their own conclusions and not just blindly trust another's words.” Discord blinked at that, “...huh. I hadn't thought of that.” It was a moment after Discord said it that Twilight actually processed his statement, “Wait,” she said leerily, “Then why did you say it?” “To troll you, of course,” Discord replied with a shrug, “Having an official tenant of your 'religion' being 'thou shalt not trust books' seemed like a hilarious idea.” Twilight just stared at Discord until a small snort escaped her. And then another. A small chuckle managed to squeak its way out next and then it snowballed from there. In short order Twilight Sparkle found herself laughing loud enough to attract the attention of nearby ponies. She didn't care at the moment – the sheer absurdity of the situation was too much. “You,” Twilight managed between bouts of laughter, “And only you could manage to accidentally dispense sound philosophical advice as part of a joke,” She found herself leaning against Discord as she kept laughing, “Oh, oh sweet Celestia, I can't breathe...” Discord just looked down at the draconequus leaning against him and smirked, “Well, I'm glad you find it funny...” “And highly unsettling,” Twilight replied as she finally started to catch her breath, but otherwise not moving, “Stars and stones, I shouldn't have found that so funny.” “Well, you've had quite a week,” Discord replied, adjusting the arm he had around her as he nodded toward the machine, “So – still want that Starswirl doll?” Twilight gave a groan of frustration as she turned her gaze back toward the machine, “That thing is rigged, I swear to Celestia.” “Of course it is,” Discord replied as he led her toward the machine, “But if you don't play, then you'll never win, right?” “I'm not sure that's a thing,” Twilight replied as they reach the claw machine. “Well,” Discord said as he pulled out a bit and fed it to the machine, bringing it to life once again, “It is now. So,” Discord reached down, finding Twilight claw and gently guiding up until it rested on the control stick, his feline paw resting on top, “Let's get you that doll.” Carefully, Discord guided Twilight's claw through the motions, the claw sliding along its little gantry as Discord whispers comments and advice into her ear, “Nice and easy... see? It's all in the wrist. Just a little to the left...” Twilight let his words roll over her as she concentrated on manipulating the little steel claw. Every ounce of focus she could muster – a not inconsiderable amount, if she could say so herself – was aimed at the small amalgam of metal and gears hanging from the top of the cabinet, her limbs putting Discord's suggestions into action without any hesitation, “Right...” Discord whispered into her ear as she slowly lifted his paw from her claw, “...now!” Twilight depressed the single button atop the control stick, and an instant later the claw dropped as its gantry came to a stop with a metallic whine. The claw dropped down, talons spread wide, and landed atop Starswirl's head. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears as the claws snapped shut, locking around the doll's head and shoulders before lifting it skyward with painful slowness before it started heading back to its corner. Almost... almost... almost... The machine gave a soft clunk as the claw mechanism returned to its corner before the talons snapped open with a 'kink', dropping Starswirl into the prize shoot. “Yes!” Twilight exclaimed loudly as she hopped up and down excitedly, arms wrapping around Discord, “Yes, yes, yes, yes!” “Ponies are staring, you know,” Discord replied after a few more moments of the purple draconequus's celebrations. Twilight stopping hopping briefly, looking and Discord in confusion before glancing around. She gave a little 'eep' as she noticed that quite a few ponies were staring at them now, “T-Twilight, can't breathe...” That drew Twilight's attention of the crowd and back to a Discord that was turning blue, “Ah! Sorry, sorry!” Twilight quickly relaxed her grip on the other Draconequus, who proceeded to re-inflate, I...” Twilight paused, “...Wait. Do you even need to breathe?” “When it suites me,” Discord replied with a shrug, “And it suited me then, but as I was going to say... probably,” Discord proceeded to reach behind his back before pulling out the Starswirl doll, “Your prize, mi'lady.” “Thank you,” Twilight said as she accepted the doll, “I couldn't have done it without you.” “Again with the thanking!” Discord waved a claw dismissively, “You're a smart cookie – you'd have figured it out eventually,” Discord paused, tapping at his chin before adding, “Or had a bout of temporary insanity... again.” “That was only the one time!” Twilight replied with a huff, “You fret about a deadline one time...” “Oh, don't look so glum,” Discord replied as he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close before he started leading them both from the arcade, “Although, you do look kinda cute pouting like that. Sorta reminds me of Sun-butt when I steal her cake. Or her cutie mark.” “I am not comfortable talking about my teachers posterior,” Twilight said with a sigh as she let Discord lead her along, “where are we even going?” “Your own personal paradise,” Discord replied as he brought them to a stop in front of a pile of books that were neatly stacked near a wall, “Also known as that pile of books you had bought earlier. I hadn't even noticed you moved them – very impressive application of chaos magic, that was. The whole 'when nopony's looking' thing is really hard to nail down. Well done.” “I...um...” Twilight stammered as she stared at the books, “...I did that? When?” “No idea!” Discord replied exuberantly, “That's the beauty of it,” He turned back to the books, “So... how're you getting them back to the castle?” Twilight thought about it a moment before suggesting, “Get Flash to move them?” “Potentially entertaining, but obvious,” Discord replied with a shake of his head, “Why not just teleport them?” “...huh,” Twilight said after a moment, “But some of them might be warded...” “Then you get Flash Gourd to move them,” Discord quickly replied, “Or you think outside the constrained spatial geometric tensors.” Twilight looked at him owlishly for a moment before her expression brightened, “Ah!” Before turning to the stack of books and snapped her claw. The books shimmered like they were caught in a mirage before suddenly vanishing, “Good idea Discord.” “I know, right?” He replied with a smirk before, adding more sedately, “Out of curiosity, what was my idea?” Twilight replied by just pulling a quill and scrap of paper from somewhere and jotting down some notes before tossing it to Discord. Discord grabbed the paper and read over it as Twilight walked past, “Huh,” Discord said idly, still looking at the note as he followed behind her, “It never occurred to me to think of space as the thing that was moving.” “So, you hungry?” Twilight asked idly as she walked through the space formerly occupied by a small library's worth of books, “Because I am starving right now. I wonder if they still have those little gingerbread cookies shaped like trilobites...” Discord blinked, following behind the other draconequus in a state he wasn't used to – being utterly, completely, lost. It was kinda tingly. Tasted like coconut, “Well,” Discord managed after a moment as he trotted to catch up, “as long as it's not cupcakes – who knows what they put in those things.” “Oh no,” Twilight shot back with a glare, “Don't you dare. Don't even think about it – you are not ruining cupcakes for me.” “Well, fine,” Discord replied with feigned annoyance as they walked along, “I'll just have to find something else to ruin – hmm....” he tapped at his chin thoughtfully, “Can't touch your books, since I think you would literally banish me to the moon. I already sorta messed with your species, and I like how you look at the moment anyhow. I could always mess with your mane, but that’s soooo second grade 'teasing the girl you like',” He shrugs, “I'm really at a loss here.” “Well, you can try plotting out lunch,” Twilight replied with a shrug before she got distracted by something that smelled absolutely amazing, “I'm sure you can... think of something.” “...Did you really just give me an open-invitation to mess with your food?” Discord said, raising an eyebrow, “Just what are you smelling anyhow?” “I have no idea,” Twilight replied as she continued to pursue the scent, “But it is very nice...” “I'm obligated to ask that, if it is not a traditionally edible item, you don't try to eat it,” Discord replied drolly, “I tried that once – ponies get so annoyed if you start munching on their ears...” “Why am I not surprised you tried that?” Twilight said with a sigh, “Anyway – I think we're close to... oh,” Twilight stopped as she rounded a corner, and came face-to-face with the origin of the amazing smell. “Oh, good,” Discord said as he rounded the corner, “They're in bloom.” The two of them were face-to-face with what seemed like a small sea of Poison Joke, and nopony else was coming within a dozen paces of the oversized planter and its contents, “For the record,” Discord whispered as he leaned toward Twilight, “You can eat these.” “Tell me you neutralized these,” Twilight asked simply, “After the group in the robes, I don't think I can handle any more surprises.” “Sadly, yes,” Discord replied with a sigh, “You're lucky you know – I'd usually find everypony's reactions to that sort of thing far more valuable than anyone's- Hey!” Discord cut himself short as he noticed Twilight was sampling one of the flowers, “I'm trying to be oblique here!” “Hrm?” Twilight looked up, a blue flower still poking out of the side of her mouth that she quickly tried to swallow as discreetly as possible, “Sorry, were you saying something?” Discord glowered at her, before relaxing with a sigh, “You're lucky you look good in purple. I hope you realize that,” Before Twilight could say anything, Discord continued, “So – you said food? Unlike certain draconequi, some of us need proper food – like cutlery.” “The restaurant will probably want those back,” Twilight replied as they started off again, heading around the flower planter with Twilight giving it only a couple of backward glances, “So please stick to menu items.” “Well, as long as they have carrot dogs, I suppose I'll manage,” Discord replied with a shrug, “As long as I can get one without the bun.” “...you know what?” Twilight said as she paused and glanced back at Discord, “I think we'll stick to food stands. Less for you to mess with.” “And so she – wait, is that Princess Luna?” Twilight rolled her eyes she continued on, not noticing that her companion was no longer following, “The joke goes 'is that Princess Celestia', but I'm sure she'd appreciate the gesture.” “No, I mean-” Discord's arm stretched out, wrapping around Twilight's shoulders before pulling her back toward him. Once she was pressed firmly against his side, his other claw reached over and turned her head to look in the proper direction, “Is that Princess Luna? I honestly can't tell.” “Uh...” was all Twilight could manage, since she wasn't quite sure how to process what she was looking at. It certainly looked like Luna – right stature, right coloration. Her mane, however, was a flat blue not unlike how it was just after Nightmare Moon had been purged from her. Her Cutie Mark was concealed by a set of saddlebags overflowing with prizes, and any wings were hidden by the shirt that simply read 'Blame My Sister'. That she was pronking about while the sun was still up was also a mark against identification. “Glad to know it’s not just me,” Discord commented as they both watched the possible-Luna move between stands, “This is weird even by my standards.” “But... how do we figure out if it’s really Luna?” Twilight asked quietly. If it was some sort of impostor, or a doppelganger or if Luna had fallen into the mirror pond... ...Actually, the last one would be interesting. She'd need to look into it. Further discussion was cut off as the mare finally noticed them, looking at them in surprise for a moment before pronking over to them, “Salutations! How are our most favored draconequi faring this fine day?” Twilight and Discord blinked owlishly at the Alicorn before they both turned and looked at each other, “Luna.” Luna blinked in surprise at the simultaneous declaration, “...Is that not obvious? We were not aware that our identity was unclear.” “You're pronking around while the sun is up,” Discord replied, his paw pointing at Luna while his claw idly messed with Twilight's mane before idly adding, “Such a lovely word – 'pronking'. Like 'abscond' or 'haberdashery'. Or 'demesne'.” “You are up awfully early, Princess,” Twilight added as she brushed Discord's arm away. The arm just detached, leaving the claw to continue playing with her mane, “What's the occasion?” “I was hoping to see more of your research,” Luna replied cheerfully, “We will admit that awaking at such an early hour was taxing, but then I found a most wondrous drink!” “Pinkie's brew?” Discord suggested. “Espresso!” Luna replied, pulling out a thermos and shaking it. Something sloshed around inside, “A most impressive drink – if we had known of it earlier we might have taken more responsibilities from our sister!” “And now you're just...” Twilight waved at the festival around them, “Enjoying the party?” “Indeed!” Luna nodded energetically has her horn lighted, the blue glow of the spell wrapping around her saddlebag as she rummaged through it before pulling out some sort of possum plush toy, “We have won ourselves many things so far!” “Well, if you would like, I can-” Twilight started before a cough from next to her cut her off, “I can let you take a look at my work,” She glared up at Discord with a slight smirk, “I am sadly indisposed at the moment.” “Indeed!” Luna nodded animatedly, “Young Spike told me as much when I stopped by your castle earlier. I was actually hoping to pass on another message...” Luna tapped at her chin, “...hrm. We cannot seem to remember what it was.” Discord stared at her for a moment before bringing his paw to his face. A moment later his claw lifted from his head and joined it, “It's finally happened – I always figured Tia's would go first, given she got stuck running things for a millennium. On the other paw, being stuck on the moon can't be good for your mental health, alter-ego or not.” Twilight stepped back from Discord far enough to give him a gaze between crossed and confused, “What finally happened?” “Why, isn't it obvious?” Discord replied, “She's gone senile in her old age.” Twilight brought a claw to her face in a mirror of Discord's as Luna scoffed, loudly. “I dare say, sir!” Luna protested, “My memory is impeccable, unlike yours! And my sister...” she paused, blinking, “...Oh, now we remember. Our sister will be dropping by tomorrow.” “What!?” Discord looked up at Luna in surprise. Twilight however felt the inkling of a plan coming. “Oh, yes,” Luna continued with a nod as she fished through her bags before pulling out a pack of what looked like jelly babies, “She seemed interested in taking in the festival, as well as ensuring that Discord was...” Luna tapped at her chin for a moment before settling on, “...behaving.” “What.” Discord seemed less than thrilled at the idea of Princess checking up on him, it seemed. On the other claw, Twilight seemed to light up at the new piece of information. “Well, I have an idea that can address both issues,” Twilight stepped closer Luna before turning and giving Discord a grin that made him very nervous. And insanely curious, “Discord, why don't you show Celestia around tomorrow?” “What!?” Discord managed to stammer after a moment, “You can't really-” “But it's just what both of you need,” Twilight said, interrupting, “She needs to see you aren't that bad, and you want to enjoy the festival.” “Not with sun-butt though!” Discord replied sharply, “Why else would I have blackmailed you!?” “I think this an excellent idea!” Luna said, throwing in her own vote on the matter, “Splendid! Wonderful!” Faced with two grinning mares, Discord let out a sigh of defeat, “Horseapples.”