Twilight Sparkle narrowed her eyes as she inspected the silverware placement on the table. Carefully, she moved a spoon one tenth of an inch to the right. "Perfect!"
Suddenly a knock was heard at the castle door. Twilight gasped. "That must be the Princesses!"
"I'll get-" Spike began. In a flash of magenta light, they were teleported to the door. "....it."
Twilight eagerly opened the door. "Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, so glad you could.... make.... it?" She frowned in confusion as she got a better look at the alicorns in the doorway; the eldest fidgeting in a long, heavy skirt, and the youngest with a hoof over her mouth, her pupils shrunken as she looked wildly around the room.
"Is everything alright?"
"Of course!" Celestia panted. "Never.... better!"
"Okay.... come in!" She stepped aside to allow them entry.
Celestia began to step inside, but Luna stayed put. Rolling her eyes, Celestia gave her sister a hard shove. Luna slid forward several feet into the hall, before toppling to the floor face first. Instead of crying out in pain, she grinned and began to cackle.
"Oh my gosh! Princess! Are you okay?" Spike hurried over and reached out a claw to help her up. The night princess reached out a hoof, but instead of taking it, she poked his belly.
"Hey! What was that for?"
Luna squealed and scooped him up in a hug, giggling like a foal. Spike was having trouble breathing.
Twilight looked to Celestia for answers. "Uh.... don't mind her. She uh.... had.... er.... too much.... coffee! Yes, that's it! Too much coffee!" Celestia forced a smile. She turned to Luna and the blue faced dragon. "Luna, drop," she commanded.
Luna shook her head.
"Luna...." Celestia had a warning tone.
She huffed and, stretching out her forelegs, dropped the dragon on the ground. As Spike gasped for air, she pouted, but soon became fascinated by the high ceiling.
'I guess I've had weirder days,' Twilight thought. Turning back to Celestia, she became concerned seeing how much sweat was rolling down her face. "Um, Princess? Why are you wearing such a thick gown? Isn't this a casual visit?"
"I was.... cold?"
Twilight gave her a flat look. "It's ninety-five degrees in the middle of summer."
The alicorn made a noise which was supposed to be a casual laugh but ended up sounding like a baby elephant with a cold. "Oh Twilight; I'm the Princess of the sun! Heat doesn't bother me!"
"Riiiiiiight...."
"Now where's that tea? I don't know about you but I'm really thirsty." She took one step forward, slipped in a puddle of her own sweat and landed on her back, her skirt shifting slightly to the side.
Twilight was about to help her up when she was blinded by a flash of light so bright it seemed equal to that of the sun. "Gah! Where is that coming from?"
"Hold on!" came Celestia's voice. A moment later the light disappeared. Twilight opened her eyes, blinking several times to adjust, before settling on the form of Celestia, firmly re-adjusting her skirt.
"Did that light come from your.... flank?"
Celestia looked understandably uncomfortable. "Well...."
"Princess, something's going on and I wanna know what!" Twilight's tone softened. "Let me help."
Celestia sighed. "I don't know if you can help, Twilight. I'm not even sure what happened."
'Research project!' "Well then we'll figure it out." The young alicorn summoned a scroll and quill. "Let's see.... When did this start?"
"Just this morning," Celestia replied.
"Did anything unusual happen the night before?"
"Well...." The princess thought for a moment. "I don't think so. Though Luna and I each received a lovely bouquet of blue flowers yesterday evening."
"Hmmm...." Twilight wrote the information down. 'Blue flowers.... Woke up to strange happenings.... Uh oh.' "Do you know who sent them?"
"No, there was no card on either. Why?"
"I think someone may've sent you Pois-" Twilight trailed off as she noticed the still crazy eyed Luna inching toward her. Slowly the blue alicorn reached out a hoof and touched the crest of Twilight's mane. She began to chuckle slightly as she bounced it. Twilight sighed and levitated her across the room.
"Anyway.... I think someone may've sent you Poison Joke," she repeated.
"Sister! There is another Us in the wall!" Luna shouted from across the room.
"It's your reflection!" Celestia called. She turned back to Twilight. "Poison.... Joke? Ah, is that the flower you mentioned in the letter about the zebra you befriended?"
"Yes. It caused me and my friends to experience strange side affects. Do you know who would want to do this to you?"
"Nopony; except-"
"Begone from Us, Changeling!" Luna cried. Lighting her horn, she sent a powerful blast which blew up the wall.
When the dust settled, Twilight cried out, "MY CASTLE!", then did a double take at seeing who'd been on the other side of the wall. "DISCORD?! What're you-"
"Let me guess," Celestia interrupted. "You sent the flowers, didn't you?"
"Why, whatever are you talking about?" He smirked. "I simply came to catch up with ol' Sunbutt and Luna-tic."
"By standing outside a wall?" Spike asked. "Ever hear of, I dunno, using the door?"
Discord scoffed. "Oh please. That is such an overused entrance. Only you ponies would stoop to such boring levels."
Twilight rolled her eyes. "Just admit you were eavesdropping because you wanted to see how your little prank went."
"Ugh, figured it out already? Please tell me I'm not getting-" he shuddered, "predictable." He looked around the room at Luna, searching through the rubble for the 'changeling', and Celestia, starting to panic as her skirt began smoking. "Oh, but so worth it!"
Suddenly the castle door burst open and a frantic Cadence ran in. "Twilight! I've got the most wonderful news!"
"Cadence? I didn't know you were-"
"My eyes have been opened, Twilight! Opened to the wonderful world.... of SHIPPING!"
"....What?"
"It's true! I've already joined about a dozen shipfic groups on this amazing site called 'Fimfiction'!" she exclaimed, pulling out a strange device that looked like a small typewriter attatched to a screen. "My username is "Princess Shippence"." She squealed. "No one will ever know it's me! Now.... who to shipfic first?" She looked around the room, her eyes settling on Discord. "Oh! How about you and Fluttersh-"
"I don't think we need to be getting into all that!" He chuckled nervously, a few beads of sweat rolling down his face.
"Oh I have so many ideas! YOU CAN'T STOP THE SHIPPING! I WON'T REST UNTIL EVERYPONY IN EQUESTRIA HAS READ MY SHIPFICS!"
Twilight facehooved. "Really Discord? You sent flowers to Cadence too?"
"I didn't send Cadence any flowers."
"C'mon, we already know you sent them to Celestia and Luna, just-"
"I didn't, honest!"
"But then.... that means..." Twilight gulped. "Oh dear."