Twelve

Pisces stared on. A smile decorated her face. The small pond in front of her rippled every now and then. The carps inside swimmed and moved on with their carpy life, doing their bests to ignore the giant face that was above their tiny world. It was as if a god was staring down on them and their watery world.

Let met tell you, it didn't feel nice.

"Pisces? What are you doing?"  Twilight asked, approaching the alien mare.

"Just watching the carps and their little slice of life." Pisces answered with a smile.

"Slice of life? What do you mean?"

"Well, look at them for a few seconds." Pisces said. Twilight did as told. The carps looked no different from before, save being missing one, courtesy of Leo.

"They...are carps..." Twilight noted, trying to understand Pisces logic.

"Yes. But they are swimming. They are doing stuff. They are living."

"So?"

"So I watch them."

"Why would watch a fish's life?"

"Its not about the fish anymore. Its about someone else's life."

"Why would you watch somepony else's life?!" Twilight asked, getting both irritated an confused at the zodiac.

"Because its fun. Because its fascinating. Because I'm bored." Pisces looked at the sky. "Maybe someone is watching us right now. Somewhere. Sometime. Maybe this is an image they are admiring, or a story they are reading..."

Twilight blinked a couple of times.

"Or maybe no one is watching, or nopony, as you insist on saying. Good day Twilight."

And with that, Pisces left, leaving Twilight confused, irritated, and with a mane that would make most hairdressers, and a couple of psychiatrists, cringe. She stared at Pisces, who was now heading towards the sugarcube corner. Then she stared at the sky. It was blue, with a couple of clouds.

Then she stared at the carps.

And stared.

And stared.

And then she stared some more.

"What are you doing Twilight?" Spike asked. A box of Captain DD's Crunchy Gem cereal was on his claws.

"I'm staring at carps."

"What?"

"I said: I'm staring at carps." Twilight answered. Her mane was not getting better. Spike glanced worriedly at the increasing number of hairs that were sticking out.

"Why...are you staring at the carps?"

"Because I'm observing their slice of life." A couple more strands popped out. Spike decided to leave before he set Twilight off into a madness induces catastrophe. He had some cereal to eat. Meanwhile, Twilight stared on to the water.

"Hey Twilight!" Pinkie Pie saluted.

"Hey Pinkie Pie."

"What'cha doing?"

"I'm staring at carps." Twilight said.

"Oh! is it fun? Cool? Do they stare back? I love when animals stare back. Like Fluttershy when she does the stare! Are you using the stare on them Twilight? You gotta be careful now, remember the mayor almost had your horn last time you messed with her carps. Well, it was Leo's fault actually. But you gotta be careful anyways. Wouldn't want to lose your horn now would you?"

"Pinkie..."

"Yes?" Pinkie asked. Magic enveloped her before she disappeared in a flash of magic. Twilight sighed.

"Shut up."

"What did you do to her?"

Leo had taken Pinkie's place merely seconds after the pink mare had vanished. Twilight forced a groan back.

"I teleported her to the Sugarcube corner. She'll be fine."

"You should stop using that teleporting spell. Nausea tends to get annoying after a while."

"Well I'm sorry if you can't take it. Pinkie can. If you knew just how she can get once she gets going, I bet you would do the same thing." Twilight defended herself before returning to staring at the carps, who were ever even more nervous when they saw the monster that ate one their kin.

"Glub glub glub glub? (Is that the one?)" one carp asked.

"Glub. Glub glub glub. (Yes child. It ate your father.)" another one answered.

"Glub glub glub! (Quiet you fools! It'll hear us!)" a third one shouted. Leo leaned on the water, making the carps swim away as fast as they could. She licked her lips.

"Why are you staring at the carps? You should be either fishing them or leaving them alone."

"First, for your information Leo, last time you fished a carp, I had to deal with an angry mayor and pay a fine that would make Rarity and Applejack cringe. And second, your sister Pisces said something that doesn't make any sense. Or at least, it doesn't by Equestrian standards. However, since you guys aren't exactly from around here, I have to somehow make sense of what she said, and the only way I can do that is if everypony would leave me alone so I can stare at the freaking carps!"

Leo didn't say anything, as Twilight' angry glare shut her up.

"Or maybe she could be just messing with you." Se dared to say.

"I can't take that chance. What if she isn't and is trying to tell me something in some weird special code." Twilight stared at the pond.

"Or maybe, just maybe...she's messing with you!" Leo insisted. Twilight leaned into the pond, determination clearly edged on her face.

"Oh for Solaris's sake!" Leo pushed Twilight into the pond. Water splashed everywhere as the unicorn ungracefully tried to get out of the pond.

"Glub! Glub glub! (Lost! All is lost!)" One of the carps screamed. Not that twilight or Leo could hear anything. Specially Twilight. Water in your ears could do that to you.

"Leo! What the hay!?" Twilight shouted. Her mane dripped water.

"I thought you could use a drink." Leo chuckled. "What with they way you were staring at the water."

Twilight fumed before teleporting out of the pond, leaving all the water behind. Leo was left alone.

"Twilight?" But Twilight did not answer. "Oh come on. I was only joking." Leo said before a shadow covered. Confused she looked above her. And then wished she hadn't.

"How's this for a drink?!" Twilight shouted from the door of the Sugarcube Corner. A tub worth of water was magically dumped on the zodiac, who didn't even manage to gasp.

"Had enough joking?" Twilight teleported besides the drenched zodiac. Leo shakily stood up.

"I...I think I need a towel..."

"Follow me." Twilight walked towards back to the pastry shop. "I hope you learned not to prank me while I'm debating ob life changing subjects."

"But you were staring at a pond!"

"Well..." Twilight chuckled. "I was pondering!"