Bat Pony Pranks

"Humph," Luna sighed sadly as she sat on one of Canterlot Castle's balconies. "Why am I the Princess of the Night if I hae trouble seeing in the dark? Celestia can see very far during her day, so why can't I see in the night?"

"Eeeeeeeee? Is that yeeee, Preeencess Luna?" A bat pony mare asked, talking and echolocating at the same time.

"Yes, I am Princess Luna. If I am correct, you are Echo."

The mare stopped echolocating and flew into Luna's field of vision. "Yes indeed," Echo told the princess. "I heard you talking about your night vision, and I have a proposal."

"Oh?"

"Us bat ponies have slitted eyes, but there is another trick that we use to see in the dark. It involves eating the root of a magical plant, using our incredibly strong molars tucked in the back of our little mouths. So many ponies have no idea that we have molars." Echo pointed at her mouth when she said this.

Luna could not stop herself. "Faithful subject, please tell me the name of said magical plant, so that I may harvest it and crunch on its roots."

Echo grinned, showing off her small fangs. "The root that you so desire is the carrot. If eaten in large quantities it will grant you the power to see in the dark. For a pony of your height and magical abilities, fifty a day for a fortnight should be more than sufficient."

"Then I shall order my subjects to deliver fifty carrots to my private dining room every day for two weeks!" Luna shouted before teleporting away.

A bat pony stallion wearing armour walked out onto the balcony and asked, "Did the princess take the bait?"

"Yes, Shadow. Princess Luna has..."

"Yes, Raven Inkwell, I do so wish to have fifty carrots delivered to my private dining room every day for two weeks," Luna bellowed in the Royal Canterlot Voice. The two bat ponies had to cover their tufted ears to avoid deafness. "Now send word at once: I expect the first fifty to arrive before noon tomorrow."

Echo and Shadow burst into laughter.

The very next day, fourteen carrot farms within fifty miles of Canterlot teamed up to fill Princess Luna's huge order. Of course, it wasn't as easy as giving Princess Luna the carrots all in one go, because they would go off. Also, the carrots had to be checked for quality, as Luna would be furious if she ended up with substandard carrots.

The news that the prank had worked spread like wildfire among the bat ponies. The joke was based on an old tale they were told as foals, that they would only be able to see in the dark when they were adults if they ate their carrots. Nopony knew when the traditional tale was made up, but it worked well with young colts and fillies, and it worked on unknowing alicorns too. None of the bat ponies told the Solar Guards, because they were bound to tell Princess Celestia, and she would probably tell Princess Luna.

It was quite a shock for the bat ponies, then, when Princess Celestia stormed into the Lunar Guard Barrack's mess hall in the evening a few days later and demanded, "Who here has played a trick on my sister?"

None of the bat ponies answered or moved.

"I shall hold all of you accountable until you tell me who came up with this idea and carried out the prank on my sister."

On that note, Echo and Shadow were shoved forwards by the ponies around them. Both wore solemn faces and mumbled, "We are terribly sorry, Princess Celestia, and ask for your pardon."

Celestia beamed like her fiery sun. "There is no need to pardon anypony. This is far better than any practical joke that I could pull on her! How on this planet did you do it?"

Echo and Shadow shared a look. They could feel the stares of the other bat ponies. Echo said, "Shadow came up with the idea," giving him a nod.

"Well," he began, "when bat pony foals refuse to eat their vegetables, we tell them that eating them will help them see better in the dark when they grow up. We all know that Princess Luna wants night vision like ours. I just wondered aloud if she would believe us if we told her the same story, that eating large amounts of carrots will improve her vision in the dark. Everypony voted for Echo here to tell Princess Luna, and your sister appears to have believed us."

Celestia thought for a moment. "When her night vision does not improve, tell her that it may not work because she is technically a different type of pony to you lot. Echo and Shadow, I am giving you both a pay rise of ten percent. Collect your payday cheques tomorrow in the evening, just before day court is finished." The princess teleported out of the mess hall with a loud pop.

There was silence in the room for about a minute. Then, one of the older bat ponies yelled from the back of the hall, "I shall buy a few barrels of Sweet Apple Acres' cider so zat we can toast ze two master pranksters!" A cheer was sent around the hall and the bat ponies prepared for a special feast on the final day of Princess Luna's carrot rampage.

On the final evening, Echo and Shadow were part of the first night shift. They knew that they would likely face the wrath of the princess that they served.

Sure enough, Luna teleported to them straight after moonrise and snarled, "Why can I barely see you, even though I have eaten the full seven hundred carrots over the two week period that you told me would be more than enough?!"

"Maybe it didn't work," Echo said and shrugged. "I mean, bat ponies and pegasi have evolved into completely different species of pony. Just as earth ponies can't fly and only unicorns can cast spells, maybe only bat ponies are affected by the magical carrot."

Luna furrowed her brow, turning to glare at Shadow as he began to laugh. His giggles died.

"You are both fired. If you wish to have your jobs back, you can appeal to my sister in the morning." The furious alicorn stormed off just as their shift ended and two other bat ponies approached them. One whispered, "Get to the mess hall before Velvet Wings drinks all the cider."

At that, Echo and Shadow flew to the barracks as fast as the Wonderbolts. If they were much faster, there would have been a Sonic Rainboom, and they would have had to pay for all of the windows in the castle replaced. However, they had been promised a share in the cider, and they also had to catch up with Princess Celestia to get their jobs back before they were kicked out of the barracks.

As they walked into the mess hall, loud cheering erupted. It was probably loud enough to wake some of the Solar Guard in the next barrack, but nopony cared. Sure enough, Princess Celestia was there.

She approached them and asked, "How did it go with Moonbutt?"

"She fired us, Princess," Echo said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head with one hoof. "She told us to ask you for our jobs back or we would have to leave the barracks tomorrow."

"You can have your jobs back, since the practical joke you pulled was so elaborate. However, next time you prank my sister, do it on a smaller scale: the farmers have been having a go at me for allowing her to order all of those carrots with such short notice." She chuckled and levitated a cup of cider to each of them.

There was a knock on the door and everypony fell silent.

"TIA! I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!" Luna shouted.

Celestia said calmly, "It was a prank, Lulu. I played no part in it, but it was a beautiful prank. I have warned the guards not to do it again, but have reinstated their roles as royal guards. I am going to bed, but ask you not to have a go at them. Instead, enjoy some cider." She teleported away, leaving the bat ponies to their fate.

Luna's wails of fury could be heard in Manehattan.