//------------------------------// // Lunachadora // Story: Prank War! // by Ashfur //------------------------------// Nick sighed as he flipped through the newspaper.  Not many headlines were worth reading today.  A new business opened in downtown Canterlot.  Some famous comedy author returned after a year of writer's block.  Pinkie Pie breaks record for largest cupcake, an advertisement for mood-sensitive, color-changing paint that looked rather expensive… "Good morning, Nick!." "Oh, hey Twilight."  Nick lowered the newspaper to greet his longtime friend.  "Did you sleep well?  That was some thunderstorm the weather team was making last night." Twilight nodded in agreement, sitting down next to Nick and levitating a waffle off her plate after dousing it in syrup.  "Yeah, some clouds got overloaded with a rogue mana burst, which accelerated their charge rate.  I'd explain more but, and I mean no offense, I don't think you know enough about weather magic to understand it." Nick nodded.  "None taken, Sparklepants.  A lot of the stuff you say goes over my head." "True, but I'd be a terrible friend if I didn't try.  Thankfully, I know a noise-cancellation spell so I didn't hear a thing after I cast it!" Nick raised an eyebrow.  "You know a noise-cancellation spell?"  His grin spread as Twilight nodded in affirmation.  Nick looked back at the newspaper.  "...Does Luna?" The evening light shone softly through the window of Luna's suite, dancing across the carpeting in just the right way to illuminate the room in a soft glow.  It was enough to raise the lunar alicorn from her slumber, slowly getting out of bed and trotting over to the window.  The subtle noises of the world hit her softly as she walked through the edge of her own sound-cancelling bubble, but she paid it no heed.  In a single, swift motion, she unceremoniously raised the moon and scattered the stars across the night sky as the sun dipped below the horizon. It was a slow day, aside from helping her fellow princess Twilight with some paperwork.  Since moving to Canterlot to share the burdens of the crown, she had had much more free time to pursue her own hobbies.  Truly, having Twilight on the team made life- Luna froze, passing the mirror.  Somepony had doodled a curly while mustache and a monocle on her face in white paint!  There was only one culprit who would dare do this and it would not stand!  She turned and stormed out of the room, not even noticing her coat begin to change color with her anger. "NICHOLAS ABERNATHY!  THOU SHALT SHOW THINE SORRY FLANK AT ONCE!" Luna slammed the doors to her bedchambers open, and all the guards present were met with a VERY angry alicorn with a painted-on luchador mask.  Painted across her flanks, covering her cutiemark, was written in a similar paint: La Lunachadora. The guards had to stifle their giggles as the human in question approached, his own face covered in paint to make him look like a clown.  "Wait, Luna?  You got art-attacked too?  I was coming here to yell at you for doing this to me!"  He gestured to his face paint, seeming a little less angry at Luna.  "So it wasn't you… and it wasn't me… who could have done this?" Luna's features softened a bit, although she had to hold in her laughter from seeing her dear friend looking so utterly ridiculous.  "Thou dost not suppose fair Twilight Sparkle, of all ponies, hath finally begun to pull pranks?"  It sounded absurd, hearing those words leave her own muzzle, but it was all she could think of. "Maybe.  Let's go pay Snarkle a visit, shall we?" "...and then I said 'Are you crazy?  I need at least five more laps before I'm done!'" Twilight and the rest of the elements of harmony smiled at Rainbow Dash's story.  They had all gathered together for thier monthly get-together, one that Twilight hoped would persist into the far future.  Moments like this truly reminded her how precious her friends were to her. "TWILIGHT SPARKLE!"  The precious moment was interrupted by a very agitated princess Luna barging into the room, paint still covering her face.  "THOU SHALT EXPLAIN THIS AT ONCE!" Silence.  For a good moment, nopony said a single word, staring flabbergasted at the vibrantly colored princess of the night. Then Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie all fell over laughing hysterically. "For God's sake, Moonbutt, do you have any volume control…"  Nick entered the room as well, having finally caught up to Luna.  His appearance, of course, only served to make the guffaws from Rainbow, AJ, and Pinkie intensify.  "But yeah.  Hi Sparky.  Care to explain?" "I- buh- wha-" "Twilight.  Dearest Twilight.  While we are elated that thou hast finally joined us in pranking, this transgression shalt not go unpunished." Twilight backed up, ears splaying back in worry.  "B-but it wasn't me!" "Yeah right, Twilight,"  Nick retorted.  "And who else would have the money to buy this mood-activated paint, and the ability to slip into Luna's and my rooms unnoticed?" Luna stopped for a second.  "Nicholas.  How didst thou know this 'twas mood-activated paint, hmmmm?" Now it was Nick's turn to take a step back.  "Now hang on a second, don't pin this on me!  I got painted too, you know?" "But by whom?  Speak truthfully, as the element of honesty is in our presence." "Now Luna, let's be reasonable, here…" And Luna was reasonable. After all, ten feet up was a perfectly reasonable height to drop a human into the castle moat from.