"Hey... there's... there's a lake... there's a lake a little ways from here!" Sombra said, breathing heavily, having returned from the scouting mission Luna had assigned to them.
"A lake?" Luna asked him.
"Well, at least YOUR search was a success, OW!" Chrysalis screamed as Discord pulled out a porcupine spine from her flank. "Be careful!" The Changling Queen spat at him.
"Well, sorry, miss "Queen of stupidity for walking right into a nest of porcupines,"" Discord said, making quotation marks with his hands. "You wanted me to get the spines out, so I am!"
"Can't you just, I don't know, poof them away!?"
"Yes, I can, but where is the fun in that?"
"WHAT!?!? Why you little piece of-"
"CHRYSALIS!" Luna yelled. "I said that we need to figure things out calmly!"
"Oh, I'm sorry, miss Princess," Chrysalis said, rising to her hooves and then wincing with pain.
"What did you just call me?"
There was a flash of green, and suddenly there where two Nightmare Moons, though one had porcupine spines sticking out from their... everywhere. "What did you just call me?" Chrysalis said in a mocking tone.
"Don't you dare, Chrysalis!"
"Don't you dare, Chrysalis!"
"CHRYSALIS!"
"CHRYSALIS!"
Discord tapped the imposter Nightmare Moon on the shoulder. "Uh, Chrysalis?" He whispered. "You really, really don't want to get on Luna's bad side."
"But where is the fun in that?" The imposter smirked. "Hey, look! I'm Nightmare Moon!" Chrysalis crossed her eyes. "Hiya! I am the stuid princess of the night! I am so lonely and depressed! And I spent one thousand years on the-"
Chrysalis could say no more because a swarm of bats erupted from around Luna and headed straight for her, binding the Changling and then flying her to a tree branch where they made her hang by her hooves. Luna flew up to the Queen her eyes glowing white.
"YOU DARE INSULT THE PRINCESS OF THE NIGHT?!" She boomed. "REMEMBER THAT IT IS I WHO BRINGS YOU THE MOON! IT IS I WHO BRINGS YOU THE STARS! AND IT IS I WHO CAN MAKE YOU REGRET THOSE WORDS, FOREVER!" Chrysalis only nodded, for her mouth was covered by a bat.
Luna descended to the ground, leaving Chrysalis hanging. When Luna's eyes had stopped glowing, she turned to Sombra, who was cowering in the bushes.
"Now," She said. "You were telling us about a lake?"
The lake was at the very edge of the forest, where the old trees towered high. The water reflected the sun's light, giving the lake an almost soothing, spiritual look. Up ahead, a great blue heron flew across the brilliant sky. And then a soft breeze carried with it a smell of sweet flowers from the meadow beyond. The birds chirped, and on the other end of the lake, a family of geese waded into the water. Chrysalis stepped forward, shaking off a bat that was stuck on her left hoof.
"It's just so... peaceful," She said. Luna nodded.
"Mmm..." Tirek whispered.
"It reminds me of the fountain I used to have in my suit at the Crystal Castle," Sombra sighed.
"Hey, wait a minute..." Chrysalis said, looking around. "Where's the feather brain?"
Just then, swinging from a vine and wearing a leopard skin, Discord flew into the scene and let out a wild, "Oooh wah OOOOH! Awa OOOH!" And then let go of the vine and landed in the water, creating a splash that wet all of the villains standing on the bank.
The Draconequus' head popped up from the clear blue water, squirting the liquid in a fountain from his mouth.
"Well," Chrysalis said. "I'm not swimming in that water now." She turned around and left, heading in the direction of the camp.
"Mmm mmm m," Tirek said, and left as well.
Sombra cleared his throat. Luna looked down at him. "Well, you know, we could always swim... together. I, I'm just saying," Sombra said, taking a step closure to the Nightmare. Luna took a step away, causing the former king to fall to the ground.
"Uh, I think I would prefer to go see what Chrysalis and Tirek are up to," She unfurled her wings. "Why don't you swim with Discord?" And then she flew off.
Sombra rose from the ground and glanced at the Lord of Chaos, who gave him a thumbs up.
"Celestia!" A pony called. The sun princess jumped, sending her new pile of cake to the ground once more. She silently cursed under her breath. She might have just missed a good part. Luna had Chrysalis in a bat trap. Who knows what those two could be doing now? Straightening up her Quarters a bit and hiding the magic rectangle, she called out,
"Yes?"
A frantic pegasus mare entered the room. "So sorry to bother you, Princess, but it is time to raise the moon, and Luna is missing!"
Sweat started to from on Celestia's forehead. "I, is she now?"
"Yes, your highness! We have all of the night guards searching for her right now."
"G, good!" Celestia flustered, afraid of being discovered. "I, I want to know of their progress soon."
The mare bowed. "Yes your highness. But..."
"But what?" Celestia asked, now starting to get annoyed for this mare was keeping her from her fun.
"But now you have to raise the moon?"
Celestia face-hoofed herself. Of course! Turn your sister, who controls the moon, into her evil self and send her on a camping trip? Duh! That would mean that she would have to take responsibility for raising the moon until Luna returns.
"Yes, yes, I will be right there."
Celestia made a mental note. She must have this mare fired.